Galena

Jace sat in the kitchen the next morning and watched how his sister practically skipped down the stairs and began to cook herself breakfast. He chuckled to himself. The look on her face told him that she was suffering from a thing called ‘love’. Which was the total opposite of what he thought she’d be like.

“And here I thought you’d be moping around after the bakery,” he commented, watching her sit down to eat. “So, who is he?” he asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the table.

Maggie’s eyes quickly shot to her brother. She couldn’t tell him what was going on in her life. Especially since all she could think about since she woke up in her own bed was what her and Heath did last night in his bed. Every pent-up emotion from the last two years collided in those few hours together with him. Every time she closed her eyes, even to blink, she could see their clothes being pulled off, taste Heath’s mouth again, and feel him pushing into her as they kissed. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies when she thought about the words he uttered to her.

“It’s no one,” she plainly answered. She shook her head, hoping her face didn’t betray her and blush. “Have you spoken to Emma?” she asked, taking the focus off herself and hoping Jace didn’t notice her changing the subject.

“No, not yet,” Jace said, falling for the bait. There were so many things Jace wanted to say to Emma, but he couldn’t gather the courage to tell her what he did. And now, looking at his sister, all the pep talks he gave himself the night before and this morning was out the window.

“Do you want me to come with you, so you can talk to her?”

Jace quickly shook his head. Last thing Maggie needed to know was that Emma’s real house was through a portal. “I can go by myself,” he told his sister.

“When?”

Jace’s eyebrows scrunched down. “Are you trying to get rid of me?” he teased. Jace shrunk back a little when Maggie gave him the look their mother would give him before a lecture.

“Jace, I told you before. I’ve never seen you as happy as you are when you’re with Emma. What kind of differences,” she used the word Jace gave her the other day, “could’ve caused you to decide out of the blue that you didn’t want to see her anymore.”

"We were just too different for each other,” Jace lied.

“Really?” Maggie asked, giving him the look.

Jace felt somewhat relieved his sister didn’t believe him. “No… We were perfect for each other,” he confessed, “But I did things in the past that I’m not too pleased about.”

“You’re talking like you know something. Did your memories come back?”

“What- no! No. Sorry,” Jace mentally slapped himself in the face and tried to cover his words, “I feel like I did something. You know when your gut just keeps nagging at you?”

Maggie studied her brother’s face, trying to understand him. “Is this because of that Vanessa girl?” she finally asked after a few moments. “Do you remember anything about her?”

Jace took this as the perfect chance to fill Maggie in a bit. He gave her a quick overview of his dreams involving Vanessa but left out the fact that they were Garzil Knights. He told Maggie he knew they were lovers, but finished by saying, “I know I’m not with Vanessa. I only want to be with Emma. I love her, Mags.”

“Then why are you just going to let the past get in the way of your feelings for her? If you know that relationship with Vanessa is over, then why not continue this relationship with the one you truly love.”

“What if it turns out I really did hurt Emma in my past?”

“If Emma’s feelings are the same as yours, then she will find it within her to forgive you. Look where she goes every Sunday, Jace. She prays to Yhden and is taught forgiveness in every rite she’s ever read.”

Jace continued to look at his sister – she was right. Even if Emma did hate him after he told her what he did, Emma had the right to know. He stood after another moment and told Maggie he was going to see Emma. Maggie smiled and wished him luck.

At Emma’s door, he took in a deep breath, telling himself he could do this. Slowly he raised his hand to knock, then waited for an answer. With no response, Jace knocked again. To his surprise, it was Marie who opened the door.

“Where’s Emma?” he asked.

Marie looked up and down the hall then invited Jace in. “She’s been sleeping for over twenty-four hours. Nothing I do can wake her up.”

Jace’s heart began to race. “Where is she?”

Marie lead him into Emma’s bedroom. Jace stared across the room at Emma. She was laying on top of her bedsheets. Her face in perfect peace and her hands to her side. She was in complete stillness besides her chest that rose with the subtle breaths she took.

“You said she’s been asleep for over a day?”

Marie nodded. “That’s right. I thought maybe she was at the waterfall, but when she wasn’t there, I checked the house. And this is how I found her-”

Jace could hear the worry in Marie’s voice. He looked back at Emma when he heard his name quietly be said by her. Jace jumped to her side and knelt near the bed. “I’m here, Em. Talk to me.” He looked her over as he held her hand. She never stirred.

“She’s been saying names. I’ve heard her say yours and Maggie’s. I’ve even heard her mother’s name come through.”

Jace sadly looked at Emma. The hole in his chest burned more with hearing that Emma was saying Evelyn’s name while she slept. “Can I stay until she awakens?” Jace asked, standing up and facing Marie.

Marie nodded, saying, “I will notify your sister.” She turned away and walked down the hall.

Jace turned back to Emma when she said another name. ”Why is she saying Vanessa’s name?" he thought. He began to worry, wondering if Vanessa had something to do with how she was.

There was always that darker side to that woman Jace could never put his finger on. He left the room and joined Marie in the living room. She was finishing a tele-message to Maggie. She didn’t want to worry Maggie and only left it that Emma and Jace were working out some things. When she hit the send button, she turned to face Jace. She offered tea and they went into the kitchen. As they drank their hot beverage in silence, Marie decided to be the first to speak.

“Your memory is restored,” Marie began. Jace nodded and sipped his tea again. “So, you remember being a Garzil.”

“You know?” he asked, looking up at her shocked, and relieved she knew.

“Of course, I do. Before pulling from your mind I saw that uniform.” Marie looked at him and saw that he wanted to say more. “What is it, Jace?”

Jace shook his head and told her he was worried about Emma.

Marie nodded and gave him a small smile. After a moment, she got up and went to the sink with her cup, saying, “There’s another bedroom across the hall. Take rest there. I’ll be back in the morning.”

Jace thanked Marie and watched her leave, wondering if she knew about what happened to Evelyn. Emma told him that Marie was the last Mage of Valo so she was strong enough to see the fate of Emma’s mother if she saw him in uniform.

After a few minutes, he went back to Emma’s room and sat on the chair in the corner of the room, watching over her. His mind was blank as he watched her sleep. No thoughts came to him about what was going on at that moment and soon he found himself going into a trance and leaning back in the chair. He closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep, hoping that when he woke up, Emma would be awake too.

***

The day Emma left Jace, she went to the waterfall to try and wrap her head around everything. She sat on one of the large rocks next to the water with her legs pulled up against her chest, hugging them to her tightly. She wiped her eyes from her tears and rest her head on her knees, trying to calm herself. She couldn’t imagine what he had done that would’ve went against his mother unless it was becoming a Knight, but Emma couldn’t see Jace as a Knight. Then again, she would’ve never thought of Maggie’s friend to be a Knight if she didn’t meet him in his Garzil uniform.

She closed her eyes and put her head back, taking in a deep breath. When she dropped her head forward, her eyes focused on a glowing light in the middle of the pond. She squinted to look closer and watched as the light morphed into a person.

Emma slowly rose to her feet, watching as this person held out her hand to her. “Mom…?” she let out, squinting at the light. The person beckoned her to come to her and Emma stepped onto the water. She hovered above it like there was a platform leading her way to the woman.

As she got closer, the light dimmed enough for Emma to see who she was standing before. Instantly, she dropped to her knees and took the deity’s hands. She looked up at the kind face she always saw in the temples. The artist’s sculpture of Nainen was exact. From the figure of her body, to her long slender fingers. Her smile was just as beautiful as the statues and her eyes were the kindest Emma had ever seen.

“Rise, Emma Hart,” Nainen said, taking her by the arms. “You do not need to kneel before me.”

“But you’re-”

“A Yhden?” she gently smiled, “It’s true, I am Nainen - the goddess of love, fertility, and light. I am here to help you understand a misfortunate event. You are hurting, wondering what you did wrong to young Creed.” Emma looked at her with pleading eyes. “This is something that has happened in Jace’s life in which he had no control over.”

“What is it?”

“I will show you.”

Nainen reached forward and touched Emma’s forehead. Emma’s eyes closed, and she felt like she was spinning. When the world around her came to a halt, she was standing in Northern Galena. The walls in front of her reached up to Valo’s grounds. She stood on the marble steps watching people running away from Garzil Knights.

A woman with short black hair and an armored suit left her side. Emma watched her round the corner, wondering whose body she was in. She heard screams and watched as a ball of magic shot across the area - hitting the wall and cracking the marble. Emma then watched a man being hurled into where the attack hit.

Normally she would be scared and worried, and want to help the man, but her emotions didn’t budge watching this and neither did her legs. She watched the man be dragged away by another Garzil and still she felt nothing for this man who might’ve broken every bone in his body from that throw. She stood her ground and watched as the next person was dragged away by the next Garzil waiting.

Just then Emma found herself being grabbed by a woman. “No! What have you done?” the woman cried, and Emma realized who it was. It was her mother. The inside of Emma’s mind screamed for her, but whoever Emma was portraying only tried pushing Evelyn away. Evelyn held onto the chest piece with tears flowing out of her eyes. “Don’t let Vivian Creed die in vain!” she pleaded, “Jace!”

Emma suddenly flew backwards out of Jace, watching this surreal moment in third person. Jace stood his ground with his eyes wide and his eyebrows scrunched down. Emma screamed at watching that female Knight she saw before rush up behind Evelyn and cut the backs of her legs. As Evelyn dropped to the ground, she was quickly yanked back by her hair.

The Knight looked up at Jace with an evil grin across her lips. “Will you do the honors or shall I, Commander?” she asked him, holding the dagger out to him.

Tears streamed down Emma’s eyes as she watched her mother crying in pain and pleading for Jace to remember who he was. Jace’s answer was silence. He stared at the blade the Knight was handing him, unable to move. Fed up, the Knight shoved her dagger into Evelyn’s neck. Emma screamed as tears flood down her cheeks. She held her mouth, watching her mother drop to the ground. The Knight stepped over Evelyn’s body and glared at Jace – her eyes cold as ice.

“As our Commander, you must lead and honor your duties,” she said between clenched teeth. “You are a Garzil. You left that life behind.”

In that moment, Emma understood everything. Jace’s mind felt trapped and cold before he watched Evelyn be killed. She felt the switch turn off the minute he stared down at the woman cleaning the blood off her dagger. Evelyn’s fate was to make him wake up. Whatever spell was on Jace’s mind, Evelyn broke it.

“Every Garzil Knight is under that spell,” Nainen said, standing next to Emma. “Every Knight, except her.”

Watching this female Knight reach up and hold Jace’s chin to look at him told Emma exactly who she was. It was Vanessa, the girl Jace told her about from his dreams. She couldn’t tell if this gesture Vanessa was doing was in a loving manner or for control, but anger built up in Emma’s stomach. Anger for what Vanessa did to her mother and anger for what she did to Jace.

Emma watched Jace pull away and walk around Vanessa, leaving the area. The anger swelled more in Emma as she watched that same evil grin form on Vanessa’s lips. Her icy eyes piercing the back of Jace as he left her.

“She plays a great part in the Creed’s lives. Both Jace’s and Maggie’s,” the Yhden continued.

Emma pushed aside her anger for this woman. As a healer, she had to see past what happened. The good that came of her mother’s death and how the Garzil spell was broken on Jace from this sacrifice. She even entertained the thought of perhaps Vanessa needing to be rescued too.

“What is my part in all of this?” Emma asked, turning to Nainen as the world around them faded back to the pond in Vorik. “My mother’s role was to break through to Jace. But why was I told to be with him and his sister?”

Yhden took Emma’s wrists and kindly looked at her. “You will be healing the person you love,” Nainen answered, a soft smile came to her lips.

Emma’s eyes widened at this answer. Her mind began to race through things that could happen from this moment forward. The endless possibilities of tragedy drowned out what Nainen was trying to say. Nainen was patient with Emma’s worry, but she needed a valid answer from Emma which meant she needed her calm. The Yhden put her hand in front of Emma’s face then dropped it down, closing her fingers as if to say “shhh”.

Emma’s mind chatter instantly went quiet and she looked at Nainen, waiting to hear what she had to say.

“I will give you a healing modality that you will use to heal this person,” Nainen told her, “It will put you in a deep sleep, but you will be in your bed at home.”

“Just how strong is this new technique?”

“This modality is a piece of me, Emma.”

Emma stared at Nainen in shock. She already had Nainen’s magic flowing through her, that’s what being a healer and white lighter was all about. But now Nainen wanted to give a piece of herself to Emma so that her healing ability was far greater than any other healer known to Len. This told Emma that the person she was to heal meant a great deal to the Yhden. Which brought Emma to her next question: “Who are Jace and Maggie Creed?”

A soft smile pulled at Nainen’s lips and she pulled Emma down to sit. Emma found herself sitting on her bed and looked back at Nainen. She began to tell Emma the story of the Creeds.