Trouble no. 2 RavenCroft Collection

Yup, that’s right. Ariana might well be in the family way.

I think it safe to say that no one in the RavenCroft family saw this coming except for maybe Bastion RavenCroft. It might even be fair to say that he was tipped off by what his son Kalabernus had been saying about the way Ariana was acting. Having watched his son being tormented for so long by the ‘Troublesome Three,’ he was more than familiar with the little nuances of Kalabernus’s response to them. And though it had been over forty years, he still had rather prevalent memories of how his late wife Inara had acted when she’d been pregnant with his sons. So knowing that at one point they’d been intimate and hearing Kalabernus describe Ariana’s behavior as “freaking out,” and “jumpy,” in addition to “hysterical” the pieces just started falling into place.

Bastion’s suspicions weren’t fully realized, though, until he saw how Ariana acted in the kitchen and witnessed his youngest daughter Synedra’s knowing gaze. For Synedra had the ability to know when a woman was with child. What was interesting to him was that Ariana appeared to be seeing the light that his son Drayke could see. When their mother Inara had been pregnant with the three boys she had also seen the same bright white balls of light. She had not seen them, however, when she got pregnant the second time around with Drayke and Mackenzie. This had him wondering if Ariana was seeing the light simply because it was protecting her, or if there was another reason entirely.

For obvious reasons Ariana was now feeling extremely overwhelmed by everything that was happening and what she was learning.

Shoot, wouldn’t you if you were in her shoes?

As if being stalked by a nutcase who murdered her roommate wasn’t enough, now she’s…

…receiving the dreaded threats once again, she’s…

…been drugged by said stalker who had heaven only knows what intent for her that night, she…

…wound up sleeping with a man she didn’t know as a result, she’s…

…now seeing creepy and frightening black shadowy creatures, she’s…

…also seeing warm bright balls of light, she’s…

…finding out she’s pregnant and that this is the reason for her newfound “abilities,” and she’s…

…also discovering that not only is she not the only one who could see them but that there are others within the RavenCroft family who are capable of extraordinary abilities.

She was very confused about her situation and more than a little embarrassed that Kalabernus’s entire family was now fully aware of what had transpired between them. Of course, Kalabernus’s response to learning the news had upset her a great deal also for she didn’t believe in ending a life at any stage. So she didn’t know quite what to make of him. Did he truly believe that giving life was truly an option? As you can probably imagine, in that moment she felt desperate, trapped, and just wanted to escape their knowing eyes. She needed time to think. The problem was Kalabernus had driven her there and she had no way home. So she did the only thing any self-respecting woman in her shoes would do.

She demanded the keys to Kalabernus’s truck.

“What have I done? I’ve cursed Ariana. I’ve cursed my own child!” Kalabernus exclaimed.

After demanding his keys to his vehicle, Ariana had fled the RavenCroft ranch house. He could hear the engine of his truck turn over and the squeal of his tires as she tore out of the drive. The way her face had screwed up in anguish over what she’d learned and what he’d said haunted him.

He was a monster.

He didn’t deserve her.

“Stop it! That’s enough!” Bastion demanded loudly becoming cross at his son’s thoughts.

“Who could possibly want this? Who could possibly love a monster? A devil? She should abort it. She needs to abort it. I cannot ask her to carry this burden.”

“You were never a burden to either your mother or me,” Bastion insisted angrily, upset that his son felt taking a child’s life was even an option.

“Wasn’t I? I remember mama tell stories. Stories of when she’d carry me and she’d see them and…”

“She told you those stories to help you understand you weren’t alone. To help you see that she knew first-hand what you were going through. I would posit to say it’s likely one of the reasons, a mother pregnant with a child meant to be gifted, experiences what she does. She can help them learn to understand their ability as they grow up. She loved you with all her heart. She…we…” Bastion insisted forcefully, “wanted you. You were always wanted by me and your mother. And you have always been loved by us both. Even on up to the day she died.”

Kalabernus snorted in disgust then gave his father a disbelieving look as he began to pace.

Bastion fumed. “Are you telling me you could never love your own son or daughter if they were to be born with the ability to see and hear the shadows?

“I never said that!” Kalabernus snapped.

“Then what is your issue?”

“Because I know, all right! I know what it’s like to live with this day in and day out. The demons ever present all around, heckling me, taunting me, convincing me to do things sometimes that I don’t even want or mean to do.”

“So don’t do it.”

Kalabernus scoffed again. “Easier said than done! You have no idea…! For a child to be born with this again…“ Kalabernus shook his head in denial. “No, it needs to end. It needs to end with me.”

“Who’s to say it might not be different for your child?” Drayke interjected, coming back into the house with Kalturek. His wife was nowhere to be seen. She’d apparently taken off with his brother’s wife Stephanie for his car was missing.

Bastion gave Drayke a calculating look. “What do you mean?”

Drayke pointed in the direction of the front door where Ariana had escaped moments before. “What if Kalabernus was always meant to see both? Cause she’s seeing both! Ariana said it herself just before she left. Sometimes it’s a greenish-black inky smoke and other times it’s like a cloudlike ball of bright white light. Like what I see.”

The family exchanged looks, trying to connect the dots Drayke had already managed to string together.

Snapping his fingers, Nathan gestured toward Drayke. “I see what you’re getting at. One is meant to offset the other. Like Kalturek being able to see auras. Black and white. Good versus evil intentions.”

“Exactly. It would stand to reason I wasn’t meant to have that ability maybe. That my gift was only meant to be to know when people are lying.”

Mackenzie was doubtful. “For all we know the white light and knowing the truth are linked. Besides, if you weren’t meant to have that ability then how did you come by it?”

“I don’t know. But that’s just it. The light isn’t always present when I’m learning a truth. Their appearances are random. That is, except for the one I’m always seeing next to you,” Drayke pointed toward Kahner.

“What? I have a light next to me?” Kahner swiveled where he stood as though attempting to see what his brother was.

“Oh, yeah. Noticed it before when we were growing up. It’s the same now. Interestingly enough, there is one near Sable now too,” Drayke answered.

“There’s a light present near me?” Sable responded in awe.

“Every time I see you, it’s there,” he insisted with a half-smile. Drayke turned toward his father. “Dad, what if…?” his voice trailed off as though deep in thought.

“What is it Drayke?” Bastion prompted.

“I don’t know. I just have this gut feeling like something big is happening. I can’t explain it. It’s as if something is being set in motion here.” He fixed his father with a calculating look and knew in that very instant that Bastion too had been experiencing the same sensation, but for much longer than he had.

“What do you know that we don’t?” Drayke asked suspiciously, confronting his father.

Bastion just looked at him, his gaze seemingly seeing right through him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, boy.” Turning about he walked briskly away.

The shadows converged on her once again as Ariana attempted to drive back to her cabin. Unable to see through the windshield and frightened that she might have an accident, she pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. Shaking from anxiety she was afraid to attempt driving again once she’d managed to fend them off with her treasure and the light she was seeing.

Making sure the windows were tightly shut, she locked the doors. Feeling chilled she searched the extended cab of the truck for something to help keep her warm. Finding a thick wool blanket Ariana curled up beneath it. Tired from the stress of the evening and having not slept well the past few nights, she soon fell into a fitful sleep.

Ariana’s dreams ended up being as bizarre as her reality. She found herself walking at a steady pace along a path at the edge of an expansive field. As she strode along in one direction she dreamed that a very large gray wolf, tinged with blue by the light of the moon, was running in the open field in the opposite direction she’d been walking. Catching sight of her, it veered off course and ran toward her. It’s pale, almost crystal blue eyes had a haunting look to them but oddly she felt no fear of the creature running toward her.

Once the wolf came near, it leaped at her, wrapping its legs about her bare arm.

It clung to her.

Bending its head, the wolf clamped its mouth around her arm as though to bite her, but it didn’t hurt her or rip at her. She attempted to shake the wolf off but it refused to release its grasp of her. The wolf’s coat was beautiful and its pale blue eyes were bright with a soft light as they peered up at her from its perch. Under one eye Ariana could see the animal had been wounded for it bled from scratches it had received, and yet, the other eye dripped with a single shining tear of sadness; of heartache and loneliness.

Ariana empathized with the wolf. She felt like somehow she could relate to its pain. Reaching out to the wolf with the free hand holding the silver cross, she touched the soft fur at its chest. The wolf howled suddenly with a soulful mournful cry of despair. Though alarmed by the wolf’s presence she realized she wasn’t afraid of it, for it seemed to have taken a protective hold of her. Sensing she was awakening as the sound of tapping against glass penetrated her mind, she could feel her heart rate increasing as her breathing became rapid.

Ariana woke abruptly, blinking several times to clear her vision. Anxiety surged within her at the sight of a figure through the fogged-up window looking in at her as it tapped on her window. Her first impression was of a dark shadow, like the demons who had been haunting her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, afraid her tormentors had returned, she reached for the treasure in her pocket. Opening her eyes cautiously, she peered through the haze, confused and yet relieved to realize what she was seeing was simply the wolf from her dream, tinged by the soft blue light of the moon. There were no scratches or blood but there was a single sad tear trickling down its cheek. Sitting up she leaned toward the door, trying to get a closer look, anxious to reach out and comfort the wolf in his sadness.

Agitated and unable to eat, Kalabernus paced the living room floor while those who were still present ate dinner then dispersed to their own homes. Ariana had been gone for only a couple hours but her absence was already feeling like it had left a hole inside him. Worried about how upset she had been when she left in his truck Kalabernus borrowed one of his father’s vehicles and took off toward her cabin.

Learning that she was pregnant had him all twisted up inside. He was even more intent on locating and catching her stalker, so he’d driven toward the cabin, intending to park on the outskirts and begin his search. Observing as he drove that the shadows had been curiously absent from his presence, he worried over it.

Not paying attention to the road and his surroundings he nearly missed seeing his truck off on the side of the road as he came up on it. A jolt of fear took hold of his senses, bringing him out of his daze from the past couple hours. He quickly exited his vehicle and strode toward the truck, the darkness enshrouding him as he walked. The sun had set some time ago and the moon was high in the sky.

Anxious at what he might find, he peered cautiously through the fogging driver’s side window. Kalabernus could see her sleeping fitfully. He tried the door handle and realized it was locked but he didn’t have his spare key. Afraid to wake her for scaring her, Kalabernus simply watched her sleep sadly. The ache inside that he’d long ago managed to hide, swelled within him.

He wished he were a different man.

A normal man.

The kind of man she deserved and needed.

He wondered, not for the first time, at why he’d been cursed to see what he could. It occurred to him then, that even if he managed to catch her stalker, she would simply be trading one demon for another.

Gazing longing at the woman sleeping in his truck, his thoughts shifted as his eyes roamed over her. He could see her chest lift and fall repetitively as she slept fitfully.

A baby.

He’d always wanted a child.

Like his brothers and sisters, he’d dreamed of one day having them. But Kalabernus had always known, in his case, it could never happen; should never happen.

How could he ask this of her?

How could he possibly hope she’d want to carry his child to term; to endure the torment as he did?

And then to raise a child in such a cursed state…

He wept openly as a silent tear threatened to trickle down his cheek. Noticing she was waking he was too miserable to even bother wiping away his tears. Sitting up she leaned toward him. The way she looked at him it was as though she were seeing him for who he truly was for the first time. They stared back and forth at each other intently.

After a moment, he heard the click of the lock being released and she opened the door to him. Unable to control himself any longer Kalabernus sobbed.

“I’m so sorry, Ariana. The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you,” he wailed painfully, his voice rising in distress as he spoke. The sound of his voice was unnatural even to his own ears.

Ariana reached out and encircled him with her arms. He stiffened.

“How can you do that? How can you want to hold me? Want to be near me after what I’ve done to you?”

She shushed him all the while bravely biting her lip, taking strength from the treasure within her grasp. What would her sister do, she thought?

“It’s okay Kalabernus…”

“No!” he exclaimed with a strangled cry. “No, it’s really not. Who wants to be burdened with this? I ask you, who could possibly ever love a child like that?”

“Or do you mean you?” she asked softly, her knowing eyes giving way to the truth of his greatest fear.

Kalabernus stared at her, the pain too excruciating to bear. His heart ached even more.

“Let me ask you something. Your mother and father; did they love each other?”

“Yes!” he laughed bitterly. “I can only dream of such a love as that. It about broke my father when she died.”

“Kalabernus, don’t you see? That heart beating within your chest was formed out of love. The love between your mother and father. Regardless of whether you can see and hear the shadows that does not, and will never change. Your heart doesn’t belong to those vile creatures anymore so than mine does to the man who stalks me.”

“What… what does this mean? What are you…?”

“It means we will figure this out together. Help me to figure this out. Don’t leave me alone in this, please.”

Kalabernus appeared confused. “I don’t… what are you saying? You actually want to try and carry this child?”

Ariana whimpered softly, unsure initially how to respond.

Tired of standing at the side of his truck Kalabernus crawled in next to her and closed the door. Surprising him, she immediately leaned into him for warmth and comfort. Turning on the vehicle, he started the heater.

“I won’t lie to you,” she began. “I am scared.”

He wrapped his huge hands around her head in an attempt to console her and began running them through her soft hair. “I’m sorry,” he croaked on a sob. “After everything you’ve been through, you shouldn’t have to deal with this. You deserve better. You deserve to be free of the darkness I live in.”

Ariana became thoughtful. “One thing I learned early on from my sister before she died, is that there is a reason for everything that happens, however, small or minor it might seem at the time. Stuff we live through and experience is meant to help prepare us for the future to come.”

“You can’t honestly believe that fate meant for you to suffer through being tortured by a stalker,” he said disdainfully. “What? Just to prepare you for becoming pregnant with a child who will one day see shadows?”

“Who better to endure such fear than one who’s already lived in fear. Besides, I have a light which seems to protect me.” Ariana pointed out the windshield in the direction she’d been heading. “It happened again, you see, as I was heading home. It’s why I pulled over. Clearly, it is not the same as it is with you.”

“No, you’re right. I’ve never had that.” Kalabernus sulked, unable to prevent himself from wallowing in self-pity. “But I am ever so grateful that it comes for you,” he continued, shifting so he could look down at her.

Ariana lifted her head toward him, becoming serious as she spoke. “My sister also taught me that life is precious, Kalabernus, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted. If I am pregnant as you and your family seem to believe…”

“Ariana, you are most certainly with child. How else would this be possible otherwise?”

Ariana was silent.

Kalabernus breathed deeply, his eyes wet with unshed tears. His head hurt from lack of sleep and he simply couldn’t think straight anymore.

“Our powers are inherited from my father’s side of the family,” he offered up, trying to help her understand.

“Your father? Does that mean he has a special ability of sorts?” Ariana asked.

He nodded. “Yes, he knows things he shouldn’t without knowing why or how. According to my late grandmother Saphire it’s a gift she called ‘Knowing.’”

“I see.”

“He also sees future events, and like my brother Kahner, he can discern thoughts. Ah, but don’t say anything about that last ability to the rest of the family. The fact that he knows what we’re thinking isn’t widely known by everyone else. I sort of figured it out by accident.” He winced.

“Of course, mum’s the word.” She ran her fingers across her lips then pretended to turn an imaginary key and throw it away. “Anything else I should know?” Ariana asked, wondering at why Bastion RavenCroft was withholding the fact he had the gift to discern a person’s thoughts from the rest of his family.

Kalabernus groaned. “There’s so much to tell you. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Begin with the beginning.”

“To do that, we will need to return to my father’s house.”

“Why?” she asked curiously, unsure whether she wanted to be around his family after the spectacle she made of herself.

“Because there is a book there that you will need to see. It will help you understand as I tell you everything. Sort of a family tree.”

“All right. Well, then take me home.”

Adjusting in his seat Kalabernus put the vehicle in gear, continuing forward in the direction of the cabin. The thought of hunting the stalker was far from his mind for the moment.

Ariana tapped him on the shoulder. “Kalabernus, where are you going?”

“Going? Oh, right! Dad’s ranch.” He grinned at her sheepishly. “Feels like I should be taking you back to our cabin,” Kalabernus admitted while turning the vehicle around.

“Our cabin?” she queried with a raised brow.

His face colored in embarrassment. “What I meant to say…”

She giggled unexpectedly. “It’s okay, Kalabernus. I feel the same way.”