AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 36 – Green Thumb
Metheus
The Touch.
What did I know about this Coven? I knew it was a mysterious group that never wanted anything from other covens. I had heard some things about them, but mostly from heated whispers between my mother and my father.
It was not a group that you would want to be friendly with, and within them, there were cracks, too. That was the feeling I got.
I thought my visit to the Seers’ Village would be straightforward. I would prove that the young witch was guilty and then execute her. It was not that easy, not only because she looked like my sister and that she might be of my blood but also because I had not killed anyone. Throughout all my life, I never thought the day would come that I had to kill a human being, witch, demigoddess, or whatever kind.
I ordered the Seers to send Rowan to the dungeons. It was where she was supposed to be. She still took part in the killing of my father, albeit unknowingly. She still sold her power, aware that it could be used for terrible things. We also needed to know more about her and who made her touch the dart.
“She is a medium and a fire stealer,” I murmured, seated amongst the Seers.
“Yes. Rowan is also burned in more ways than one. She is afraid and whatever she is doing is defensive,” Aruna said, sounding tired.
“Can a medium show us what she knows? Can she lie through her vision?”
Again, I posed the question of how genuine visions were. Aruna’s nose wrinkled in distaste. She was not happy with my train of thought, and she made sure that I knew just what she was feeling.
“If she still has the power of a medium, she can hold my hand and show me what she has seen. She can pass on some knowledge that she does not even know by having her connect to a spirit ancestor.”
“Can we make her contact my mother?” I asked.
“Your mother? Why?”
“I believe she knew more than she was letting on. There is something about her behavior during the days before she died.”
“You were still so young, then. How could you remember?”
“I was fifteen summers. Old enough.”
“While you may have a point, and your mother may give us insight into the Touch and Rowan, do you think the witch is up for it?”
“We will see,” I insisted.
“And what if she cannot handle all the energy coursing through her? Again, she is burned. It is not just her body but also her mind that has been damaged.”
“I am here,” I volunteered. “I can take some of her energy.
Aruna looked taken aback.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. The Head Seer ordered two of her Seers to retrieve Rowan. The young witch would be serving as a medium to contact my mother. I knew that we should let the dead rest, but if we did not talk to my mother, we were at risk of seeing people we cared for falling dead.
Rowan was trembling, although it was another hot day in Tarkus. Her eyes were wide. The paleness of her lips was stark on her brown skin. She was deathly afraid. She had stolen fire from somebody with too much of it, but perhaps she was also serving as a medium for a spirit as she did so. Being a medium should have helped her take some powers from the spirit, but I guessed it did not help. Energy transfer seemed to work when the combination was perfect.
My thoughts went back to Luella. She was fire incarnate. Yet, I did not burn when I took it from her. I also did not take too much from her to make her weak. There was balance. Perhaps we were equals.
The Seers tied Rowan back to the same chair she was strapped on before being imprisoned. She continued trembling, but she did not protest. She did not have to. Her face said it all.
“Rowan, we need to do this. I am here with you. For you. But we need you to cooperate,” Aruna said, taking her chair and placing it to the left of the young witch. I settled on a chair to the right.
“We will untie you, Rowan,” I said as gently as I could. “But you must not try anything. We need you to do this for the good of everyone. We will make sure you do not come to harm.”
I hoped that I was telling her the truth. I wanted her safe. She had obviously gone through so much.
