Starlight in the Heavens - 22. Chapter 22

Part 22 - Brian

Anthony's whispered words stopped my heart for a second. An elf. I stared at Anthony's face trying to see that little glint of mischief that young boys get when they're pulling your leg. It wasn't there. The kid was being as forthright and honest as he'd ever been. This wasn't a joke. There was an elf, a male elf, and he could see him.

The flutter in my periphery began to take shape and I could make out a slender form with bright red hair. I closed my eyes, wondering if he would still be there if I turned my head. Other than movies I'd never seen an elf, so I wasn't completely sure what I would find if I were to see him. Would he be beautiful, with the eerie glow portrayed on the big screen? Would he look angelic? Or would I see a man?

"Uncle Brian?"

"Yeah?" My voice sounded strange to my ears, cracked with uncertainty.

"He wants to talk to you."

"Uh huh?"

"It's okay." He was whispering again. "He won't hurt you."

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I didn't turn my head just yet though. I concentrated on Anthony's eyes first. Strange, I know—that I would need to sink myself into his innocent gaze. But that is just what I did. In it, I found the courage I needed to turn my head, and see what most of humanity only dreams of.

And he was beautiful—slender and willowy, about five foot ten, and with skin so fair it was almost white as milk. He had fiery red hair and piercing emerald green eyes set in a face that could have been crafted from the finest porcelain. The tips of his pointed ears just poked out from his shoulder length hair as the breeze blew gently through it. He moved closer with a silence that no man could have, and once close enough, reached out and caressed Anthony's cheek with long, slender fingers.

I was completely entranced by this being. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was seeing, and I was glad I was still seated. I was positive the sight of him would have brought me to my knees.

And then, he spoke.

"Anthony."

Bells, babbling brook, Irish flute—they all came to mind when listening to his voice. I felt light-headed, but not dizzy. It was as if his voice was too much for my ears, and my mind was trying to re-evaluate how to listen.

I felt his fingers touch my cheek before my eyes saw him move.

"It will get better the more you hear. What you are feeling is natural to the human world when encountering one of my kind."

And it was. As he spoke, I could feel my mind alter the way I heard him. I still heard the same voice, but it no longer affected me as if had.

"It is better now. Yes?"

I nodded.

"You are Brian, Anthony's protector. His surrogate father if you will, until the time he can choose."

I blinked. Until he can choose? Did this mean that Anthony could choose to have me remain as his protector? His father? Would he do something like that? Choose me over the one that sired him?

I pulled Anthony close, holding him much too tightly, and shivered when the sudden feeling of possessiveness pulsed through my body.

"Ow." Anthony hissed. "Too tight, Uncle Brian."

Shame flooded my being as I released my hold. "I'm sorry, Anthony. I didn't mean to hurt you." I felt the blood redden my face as embarrassment took hold. But Anthony, rather than jump away from me, snuggled in and lay his head against my chest. He didn't say anything, but his action showed me that I was forgiven.

"It is a natural desire to wish to possess him. But it is a desire that you must overcome. It would ultimately kill the vessel in which the gift resides."

My eyes flashed to his green, and I was instantly caught. I could no more turn away from him than lift an elephant. I felt him bore into my mind, my memories, and my thoughts. Sifted and weighed. My deepest memories—pain and pleasure; everything I'd done, seen and heard; every decision I'd made and acted on, were being judged. I could only hope that in the end, I would be found worthy of the little boy I held on my lap.

When I was finally released, a fatigue greater than any I'd ever felt overwhelmed me and I slumped into the chair. But there was kindness in the eyes of the elf. I had passed.

His hand rested along the side of my face, warmth flooding through his fingers.

"Brian, I am Saeldur. I apologize for my actions, but it was necessary to see."

I could only nod before closing my eyes and allowing oblivion to overcome me.

When I woke, I was in bed. The thought that it had all been a dream came to me, but then, I looked across the room and saw him standing by the window. He didn't move as I stretched and found Anthony curled into my side, but spoke in hushed tones.

"The desire to possess that you feel comes from the desire to be complete. Do not berate yourself. You show your honor in the ways you overcome it." I watched a small smile lift the corners of his mouth. "Your rendition of his being like a rainbow is somehow fitting. The colors blend, become clear, and blend again. It is never-ending, blending in with the air in which it rests. Such is his compassion for life." He turned and glided closer to the bed, looking down at the sleeping boy. "It is this compassion that will help to heal the rift and balance the world."

My confusion must have shown on my face because he continued to explain.

"Long ago, the world was at peace—the lives it held in harmony. But a great evil came from the north as new breeds were born. Humans were one, though there were others. Some believe the dark ones came because these new breeds were easily influenced. Some believe that the humans brought the dark ones into being."

He shrugged and I found an odd compulsion to reach out and touch his ears. I kept my hands to myself as I sat up and moved to lean against the wall, though with difficulty.

"I find that the reasons for the beginning don't matter. Knowing does not change the past. Whatever the cause, a great war erupted, causing a rift in the peace and balance of the world. This rift has grown so that compassion, tolerance, understanding, has all but faded with the color of the world.

"The new breeds formed, other than humans and shifters, ceased to be. Shifters, as with the old breeds, survive only in hiding as humans survived by embracing the darkness. They have allowed it to envelope them to the point that they turn on one another on a whim. You have seen this first hand in your short life."

I nodded and looked down at Anthony. I was shocked to see him awake and staring up at me. That old soul look that I'd seen when first meeting him was radiating from his eyes.

"It is unfortunate that so many humans allow the dark ones to lead."

I looked up quickly into Saeldur's face but his gaze was not fixed on me. His attention was directed on Anthony.

"Too many times have I watched the innocent suffer. Too often have I felt the edge of their wounds. Soon will be the time for the gathering of those that will make the difference—to heal the rift, balance the world, and give peace to the souls that wander."

He turned Anthony's head with a long finger beneath his chin.

"Soon, it will be your time to shine."

My eyes were swimming in tears that hadn't yet escaped. My breath hitched in my throat as I asked the question that burned in my heart.

"Until that time, what will become of me? Where do I fit in now that his natural father is coming?"

Saeldur cocked his head and looked at me. There was questioning in his stare, which I found odd considering the fact he knew everything about me. Then a slight smile crossed his lips.

"You assume there is only one."

Now it was my turn to be confused.

"One? One what?"

"One natural father, of course."

I started to laugh, but stopped at the serious expressions on both Saeldur's and Anthony's faces.

"What are you saying? That both of them are his natural fathers? That's impossible."

"Both? Oh, Brian, no. Not two. Anthony has one mother... and four fathers."

I blinked. I looked down into Anthony's eyes. Old soul. I blinked again. A rainbow whose colors blend within and without. He looked like a normal kid, but he was so much more. As I stared into his beautiful royal blue orbs, I heard Saeldur continue.

"Two gifted human fathers that carried with them souls from starlight in the heavens."