The First Lock - 23. Part 2, chapter 3

- III -

“So,” he said an hour or so later, when her singing body pressed hard against his. “You said that people like you are not capable of procreation, right?”

“Uh huh,” she replied without moving.

“And you still have your powers,” he continued. “I mean, you can’t use them but you still have them, right?”

“Uh huh,” she said again.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “Damien’s father also had... Ummm... Abilities, right?”

“Uh huh.”

“How on earth does Damien even exist?” he frowned, and she sighed and lifted herself up on her elbow.

“Beats the hell out of me,” she said seriously. “I didn’t believe it; I couldn’t believe it... But here he is,” she sighed. “Live and kicking.”

“Is he normal...?” Paul blinked when he heard the way it sounded. “What I mean is, does he have any abilities? Can he cause a snowstorm or make something to burst into flames...? Jesus, this sounds so weird...” he muttered, and she laughed.

“I don’t think he can control any of the elements... Otherwise, he would’ve shown it by now. Jett could control Fire and Water somewhat, but he wasn’t brilliant at that, and since I was much better, I suppose, my abilities overpowered his...”

“Jett...” Paul repeated quietly, and she blinked.

“Yeah...” she muttered.

He propped himself up on his elbow as well.

“What’s your actual last name?” he asked in the same soft voice.

“Rowel,” she sighed. “With one ‘l,’ ” she added.

“Sounds like it should have two,” he said, and she grimaced.

“Tell me about it,” she nodded. “I never liked my last name... Anyway, Jett had one ability I never possessed. That’s the one the monkey got...” She sighed. “I guess when I Locked myself, I also Locked all of my abilities in him, but since I never had Jett’s...” she shrugged. “The Locking didn’t affect that one.”

“Wait,” he frowned again. “Are you telling me that Damien has some weird power?”

“Yeah,” she sighed again. “He can...” she coughed. “He is a mind controller,” she finished, and Paul just stared at her without blinking.

“Like a telepath?” he asked finally, and she shook her head.

“No. He can’t read minds; he controls them. He can make you do pretty much anything he wants you to do... The worst thing is that he can also project his desire on you...”

“Project,” Paul repeated.

“He can make you feel what he is feeling,” she nodded. “He doesn’t have to force you into doing stuff for him; he can make you want to do it for him...”

“Oh, man,” he laughed softly. “That kid is going to get laid...”

“Tell me about it,” she snorted bitterly.

“Why did you leave?” he asked seriously. “You loved him, didn’t you?”

“I had to,” she said, not answering the last question. “If either bitch found out about the fact that I was pregnant, all three of us wouldn’t stand a chance... I knew that the monkey would end up getting both of our abilities, and that would make him not just a threat, but a major one. I had to leave,” she nodded.

“Why did you lock your powers?”

“Because I knew if I didn’t, I would make a hell of a mess in the new world I was about to go to... I never had much self-control. If I could use it, I would. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to draw any attention to myself, so I figured it had to be done... I hated it, believe me,” she smirked. “Still do sometimes...”

“Either bitch...” he said thoughtfully, remembering what she said several minutes earlier. “Who are they? What are their names again?”

“Claudia and Reagan,” Katrena sighed and dropped down on the pillow. “Claudia is the one for so-called ‘Good’ side, and Reagan is the opposite.”

“But who are they?” Paul frowned. “Goddesses or something?”

“Far from it,” Katrena said seriously. “See, there are two sides, right?”

“Okay...”

“Each side chooses a leader...”

“Has to be a female then?”

“Doesn’t have to be,” she shrugged. “Just happened... Gender doesn’t matter. What matters is the power. They find the most powerful one, and then they choose that person... Once you are chosen, you have to leave everything behind. Everything and everyone. You don’t have any binding ties anymore; the only thing you have left is the purpose.”

“Sounds tough for the chosen one,” Paul muttered, and Katrena shrugged indifferently.

“Probably is in the beginning... But then you get used to it; you get all that power and admiration; you become the one in charge, the one in control of everything... And soon enough, those binding ties don’t matter anymore. Power has a habit of changing people.”

“Are they immortal then?” he started drawing small circles on her stomach with his fingertip, and she shivered slightly.

“More or less,” she nodded. “They won’t die of natural causes, but it is possible to kill them, however. Would be extremely difficult, but it’s possible... Stop that,” she said. “It tickles...”

He laughed and kissed her collarbone.

“Go on,” he said, his face buried in her neck.

“Each leader has four Guardians,” she continued. “Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. As long as they have all four, the balance of power remains equal. However, if they lose one, it shifts immensely into the favor of the opposite side. Three years before I left, Claudia lost one Guardian...”

“Hold on,” he interrupted her in somewhat muffled voice, since his face was still buried in her neck. “So it’s the same deal for Guardians then? No binding ties or whatnot?”

“No,” she replied, enjoying his breath on her skin. “Guardians are different. They have to serve the greater whatever – Good or Evil – but they don’t leave anything behind.”

“Got it,” he said into her throat. “So she lost one, you said... Did he get killed?”

“No,” she sighed. “He Pledged to the opposite side, which is worse by far because Reagan ended up with five Guardians instead of four.”

“Pledged?” he repeated.

“It’s a ritual,” she nodded. “You Pledge your life and loyalty to one of the leaders... You can’t break the Pledge because it will immediately turn you into an outcast. They will put the mark of the traitor on you and...” she shrugged impatiently. “In short, you are screwed.”

“Hold on,” he slightly raised his head. “Okay, this is confusing... You said he switched sides, right?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“Wouldn’t he be screwed the minute he did that, since he would have to break his pledge or whatever?”

“Ah,” she nodded. “That was a huge oversight on both sides’ behalves... See, when it came to Guardians, they didn’t have to Pledge before that whole thing happened. It was somewhat a given that if you are a Guardian, then you don’t need to take the Pledge... It changed right after Nicholas switched sides.”

“That Guardian?” he asked, and she nodded in confirmation. “Why did he do it?”

“Have no idea,” she said simply. “Never cared, to be honest... Anyway, Claudia lost one Guardian and things went downhill from there... He controlled the Air; the hardest element to find a Guardian for, so Claudia was screwed. Not completely, but enough. Well, five years ago, right before I left... Six months before, to be exact... She showed up at my place...”

“You knew her?” he asked incredulously.

“Since we were kids,” she nodded, and his eyes went wide. “I don’t want to talk about that right now,” she grimaced when she saw an unasked question reflecting in his eyes. “Maybe, one of those days, but not right now, okay?”

“Okay,” he nodded. “So she showed up there, and then what?”

“She told me that Nicholas came back; he broke the Pledge, which made him a traitor – one of the worst things that could happen to you – and that her Earth Guardian performed...” She sighed deeply. “Oh, boy... You’re going to make me explain this, aren’t you... He performed a blood bond...”

“Explain,” he nodded.

“Okay,” she took a deep breath. “Blood bond is a very ancient ritual. You mix your blood with the one’s you wish to save from inevitable death, and you perform the blood bond... It’s not used often; in fact, I could only come up with maybe two examples of that particular ritual... See, when you do that, you are bound to the other person, obviously... All it does, is buy some time, that’s all. Also, since you two are bound, it makes you as endangered as the one you were trying to save. After you perform the ritual, both of you have to face the Trial... Now, I don’t know exactly what the Trial is... There are no records of it anywhere in the world. All I know is the fact that nobody had passed it before. That means...”

“She would lose another one,” Paul said in fascinated voice.

“Exactly,” she nodded. “She tried to talk me into joining her, since I can... Could control all four elements, never mind the magic streams... I never Pledged to either side...”

“It’s not a requirement?”

“No,” she shook her head. “It is now for the Guardians, however. Lots of people Pledge at some point in their lives; it’s simply something they want to do to prove their loyalty... Makes them feel protected and important somehow...” she shrugged. “I couldn't care less... Anyway, we started arguing, one thing led to another, and I...” she sighed again. “I flipped her off and shoved her out the door,” she finished, and Paul just looked at her with amusement. “Yeah,” she nodded when she saw his look. “Needless to say, I was not one of her favorite people after that happened... So when I found out about the fact that I was pregnant...” she shifted slightly. “I left,” she finished.

“Holy shit,” he muttered. “No wonder you chose to fake amnesia...”

“So you do believe me,” she said with a crooked smile, and he glanced at her.

“You don’t just make shit like this up,” he said. “Either you are telling the truth or you belong in a mental institution... I’ll take the former.”

“Good,” she nodded and looked at the clock. “Good God, it’s almost four in the morning... No wonder I am tired. Night, McGregor, I am going to sleep.”

“Like hell you are,” he said seriously and pinned her down. “I am not done with you... This time, I am going to be the one who does all the insertion, got it?”

“Bring it on,” she muttered and pulled him closer.