SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Forty
Timothy’s Pov:
“May I?” I asked Amethyst, my voice quivered with my nerves. I outstretched my arms, hoping to hold Celine. “Of course,” Amethyst smiled, placing the newborn babe in my waiting arms. Something within my soul snapped into place. I felt a connection with this tiny child, and I was yet to uncover why. We shared a bond and a deep - seated one at that.
Like her mother, Celine exuded power. I studied her features. She looked so much like Thyst. It wasn’t funny. “Her eyes are silver,” I blurted out in astonishment. “Must be a gift from the Goddesses?” Amethyst shrugged.
“Timothy, we would like a word with you,” mother’s voice entered my mind. Her voice filled me with dread as I handed back Celine to her mother.
“Mother calls,” I sighed, noticing Amethyst’s confused expression. “I will see the two of you again as soon as possible,” I attempted to smile, leaving the room. Joseph beamed from the chair. “The Goddesses forgot about you when they made Celine,” I teased Joseph, pulling him into a hug. “Congratulations, my friend.”
“Do you know what it is the Goddesses wish to speak to us about?” Madeline piped up as she still somehow matched my stride despite her years. “No, not for sure, but I got a theory,” I replied. From the sour expression on her face, she didn’t appreciate my answer. We walked in silence for the rest of the trip to the temple.
As we approached, the air seemed heavy and foul. A foreboding aura replaced the warmth of the day. Upon entering the temple, those sensations only seemed to intensify. To my horror, my mother and her companion were holding something. My stomach clenched at the sight of them. This had to be the daughter they believed would correct the damage they felt the love Amethyst, and I shared created.
Even Madeline seemed on edge in the presence of this babe. “Goddesses, what is it we can do for you?” Madeline asked, trying to keep her voice even. The Girl and my mother exchanged an odd expression, one which I couldn’t place, tightening the ever-growing knot in my stomach. “We wish to introduce you both to Amelia, our daughter,” the Girl smiled, but it was hollow.
“Do you wish to hold your first sister Timothy?” mother asked. I swallowed hard as I outstretched my arms to receive the child. From the moment Amelia was in my arms, dread crept into my soul, just like when they first spoke of her need to exist. Just as Celine did, Amelia radiated power. Only hers seemed far more ominous. As I peered into her deep silver eyes, she seemed to understand more than a baby should.
“She is of us; therefore, she is beyond her years Timothy,” my mother stated, sensing my uneasiness with Amelia. “If I may, I would like a word with Timothy alone,” mother asked the Girl and Madeline as she handed the baby back to her companion. Madeline bowed before she followed closely behind the Girl. We remained silent until the trio was far beyond our sight.
“I fear, Timothy, you may have been correct to be wary of Amelia. Her life only began a few short hours ago, but there was something dark in her presence. Something I cannot quite place. My companion, she is not willing to admit it,” mother sighed.
Never had I seen such worry in her eyes. “Chaos is not something I wanted to see within our plan. I cannot shake the sense that Amelia may be tainted with it. Already I can sense a lust for power within her,” mom stated.
“Is there anything we can do?” I asked. “I am not sure. With chaos, attempting to bring order to it can ultimately make it worse. We have two choices: destroy Amelia, or hope Celine is as strong as we’ve seen and can claim her mother’s title,” she explained. Destroying such a small baby was unthinkable. “Is there anything we can do to help Celine?”
Amethyst’s Pov:
The aura of the room shifted, forcing me from a vision I couldn’t recall. “Amethyst, my dear child, this child of yours is remarkable,” the Woman smiled while Celine comfortably slept in her arms. “This I was not expecting, to you, she is chaos. She is order to everyone else. I would not have guessed a child of Chaos would give birth to a child with so much order,” she grinned, admiring Celine with awe in her eyes.
Joseph stirred in the chair next to me. He must have come in some time after I had fallen asleep. “Good, you are both awake. I bear a gift for your child, a blessing of your choosing,” she breathed. But something in her eyes caused me to shutter. Joseph turned to me, his eyes burned with delirious excitement as his mind tried to be rational. “Anything?” he choked out. The Woman nodded. “Anything.”
“This is a tough choice, Goddess. May we get a few moments to discuss this alone?” I asked. “Only if I can have a word with you first,” she insisted. “Of course, my Goddess,” Joseph agreed and was out the door before I could even glance at him. A warm smile crossed her face as her eyes lingered on the door. “So loyal,” she whispered, more to herself than to me.
The room faded away as a bright white light enveloped us. A serious expression overtook the Goddess’s face as cold air swirled around us. “Now, as I am sure no one will hear us, I have a confession to make,” the Woman started. “I just hate to bring this up. Because it’s the past, but sometimes the past has a way of impacting the future,” she sighed, sitting next to me and clasped my hand in hers.
“You, my dear child, are a force we’ve had difficulties contending with. The stars themselves are known to obey you, to the point it forced us to alter our plan. I saw it all too late, and if I hadn’t, I would have corrected it. Your heart knew it, so did Timothy’s,” she explained with tears in her eyes.
My heart thudded hard against my ribs. “Timothy, not Joseph, is my mate?” I blurted out in both surprise and anger. “Not exactly. I chose Joseph for you; he is your destined mate. Timothy, however, is your perfect balance therefore, he is your perfect mate. We feared you could never love Joseph as you love Timothy. Your daughter’s strength and ability to help Celeste depended on this. Because of this, we saw failure with our plan. After much discussion, we concluded we needed to have another daughter. Just like Celeste, she, too, would be endowed with special gifts. Only hers would be more like a witch than a warrior. That way, she would take the title of High Priestess and assist Celeste in her victory. We meant for them to rule together,” she confessed.
“Amelia, she came into this world when Celine did. Unfortunately, I sense there is something wrong, something evil in her. My companion is not ready to accept this. Not sure of whom to turn to with my concerns, I went to Timothy. As much as I want to destroy this child, he believes it’s wrong. Celine must become as strong as we meant her to be. Although there is an issue with that as well,” the Woman informed me as a worried expression claimed her face. In all my years, I’ve never witnessed her like this.
“Timothy nor Joseph can learn this. Celine was born without a mate, as we meant for her to be the next priestess. It will be your successor who will be the one to assist Celeste. As every Queen of the Amazons had before her, she, too, will receive a Guardian. The Guardian and the next priestess are to be mates. His and Mathis’s wolves are twins. So, if Mathis fails Celeste, the Guardian’s wolf will be indistinguishable from Mathis to Celeste’s soul. She will never need to worry about the mate sickness. A fail-safe if you will. Unfortunately, he, too, will love Celeste almost as a mate should if Mathis doesn’t come. However, this will weaken Celine. As in any mated pair, the bond strengthens each person. I cannot eliminate choice,” she whispered.
“It was Timothy who suggested I give Celine this blessing. It is of the utmost importance for you and Joseph to come up with the correct one. I hate to do this because I must do it behind the back of my companion. She will not pay any attention to one blessing from me as it’s no secret I favor you both. But if I bless her with too many, my companion will see what I am trying to do. Celine must be your successor,” the Woman said with all earnest.
In my heart, I already knew what blessing I wished to place on my child. “I wish for her to be like Joseph, to have his loyal and loving heart, his ability to be kind, but still be a warrior when needed. To fight for what she loves just as Joseph fought for me against the Covenness. For her to have his compassion and understanding soul. The serenity to accept things she cannot change, and the courage to change what she can. Most importantly, the wisdom to know the difference, just as Joseph does. To me, this is who Joseph is and these are the reasons I love him so. It’s my wish for Celine to be blessed with Joseph’s traits,” I whispered. Although I should have talked to him before asking for this blessing, he would be too humble to accept this.
The world rushed back. “Joseph must agree,” she demanded as she faded. Moments later, Joseph entered the room and placed a kiss on my forehead. “Joseph please,” I started. Panic crept into every fibre of my being. “You can’t tell me what you spoke about, can you?” he sighed. “No, No I can’t but I know how I want our daughter to be blessed, but the Goddess insists we discuss it and agree,” I explained.
Without a word, Joseph got up and walked over to Celine, picking her up. Softly, he placed a kiss on her brow as he rocked her. He studied her intently for a moment before returning his thoughtful glance to me.
“Are you certain the blessing you wish is the best?” he asked. “I am,” I replied, hoping I sounded as confident as I felt. “Then I agree,” he shrugged. “You do not wish to know what your mate has asked for?” the Goddess asked, studying Joseph.
“I can’t know all the details and that’s why you wished to speak to Amethyst alone, correct?” he stated in a matter-of-fact tone. The Woman only nodded in response. “Then I trust Amethyst’s judgement on the blessing. If she truly feels what she wants is for the best, then I support her decision,” he shrugged, as if it was the plainest thing in the world.
The Woman took Celine from Joseph’s arms as she glanced at me. “I think you have chosen very well Amethyst, at first I was skeptical but now I understand,” she beamed, leaving Joseph looking utterly confused.
“Then I bless you, Celine Main. Carry all the traits of your father, which are the reasons your mother loves him so,” the Woman beamed, placing a kiss on Celine’s forehead. Suddenly the air was electric as a rune I was unfamiliar with appeared where the Goddess placed her kiss. I glanced over at Joseph with a smile on my face. Joseph’s features were alive with delight and surprise.