The next two days I finished with Magnus Ignis's offspring. Then I got to follow Spark Ignis's line, Magnus's brother, and now after a week, I'm on one of the sisters line, Rakara Ignis.
Soot's sat back most of the time reading a book that Bav had recently translated, while I write down information. The numbers for violent fury being the cause of death were much lower than her brothers, and was relieved to see that many died of old age related causes. There were a few though that popped up until the time of the mass pilgrimage, and then so many unknown's again. Except, a few of the offspring are still recorded down and the line continues until my book ends.
"I need the next ancestry registry that contains Rakara Ignis's line. Where can I find it?" I push myself up from the desk and go to the wall where genealogies are kept.
"Fourth shelf up, far right, it will be the skinniest book there." Soot's doesn't even look up from his book to make sure he's telling me correctly.
I roll my eyes at his lack of interaction, but quickly find the book where he said it would be. I move back to my seat, and open the book to find only a few pages. Staring hard at Soot's, I feel like I'm wasting my time studying these family lines. Other than this family line's matriarch sharing the same name as me over the generations, no new information is being delivered to me. What does this have to do with training me to be some influential Catalyst? Is he going to train me in anything other than this?
Unable to hold my tongue, I ask him, cattily, "Are you going to just sit there reading all day again?"
The book doesn't even lower as he retorts, "I love how you ask the obvious with such a sense of wonderment."
I snort, "I am unaware of what your problem is, but I am guessing it is too hard to pronounce for you."
Scoffing the book falls into his lap, " Okay, now try again with your big girl shoes on, let's see you try and attempt to live up to your full potential."
I scowl at him, "I would love to insult you, but I'm afraid I would not do as well as nature did."
A smirk actually catches the corner of his lips as he adds, "I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong. Now, finish the damn paper! Tomorrow, you can go back to training with the others." He stands and plops the book he was reading on the table and takes off out of the library.
"Grrrr! Oh!" I smack the table in frustration, tempted to put the book back up, when I look down and notice a name. My name.
* -Rakara Langridge (f) born- 4/21/8967 death-
Above my name is my mothers married name, noticing her maiden name is scribbled out. It lists the dates of her birth and death, and cause of death.
*-Abigale ~~~~~ Langridge (F) born- 4/2/8827 death- 12/23/8974 cause- blunt force trauma, untreated internal injuries, internal hemorrhaging, domestic violence
'How do they know all that...?' I shake my head as another thought enters my mind.
'We are related to Rakara Ignis?! This is where I get my name from?'
Looking at my mothers name more closely, I see her last name through the scribbles before she married my father.
Glass.
I turn the page to the one before her name, I pull the book closer, making sure I see it clearly.
Alden Glass (M) born- 1/8/1223 death-
Spouse- Veirda Langley (F) born- 7/4/8095 death-6/12/8937 cause- wasting disease
Children- Abigale Glass (F)- 4/2/8827
.....
'Soot's is my grandfather!'
I push the book away and try to process this.
'That arrogant, rude, stubborn fool is my grandfather?! This can't be true?!'
I begin to fiddle with my finger tips, knowing I saw all the signs, the resemblance, the way he said Abi when he first saw me. I knew he was related some way, just kept refusing to accept it.
I stand up, 'Does he know who I am then? He has too! AND he has not mentioned a word of any acknowledgement!'
Then a few pages come loose and fall out. I bend over to grab them and notice that these are smaller than the books pages. That they are letters.
From my mother to Soot's.
I read them and see that she wrote a yearly letter informing Soot's her father about me, about her, about the beatings, but that she couldn't save the money to escape from my father. That every time he would find the money or beat it out of her.
"He knew?" Tears fall freely, as my heart feels like it's being squeezed in bitter agony.
He knew all about me, her, our situation. He never helped, he didn't come for us.
Why would a father ignore such a thing?
"WHY?"
I make my way out of the library, that one single word question being burned into my brain.
"Kara?" I hear Bav's voice call out to me as I make my way past, but I'm too focused to do more other than raise a hand in acknowledgement. I walk down the hall by the stairs taking the turns I knew to take, up the stairs. I move so fast up those stairs, I'm at his door before I even realize it.
*BANG BANG BANG*
The door knob turns and opens, Soot's looking murderous at me.
Not giving a damn about his anger, I point an accusatory finger at him, "You KNEW! You knew and you did not say anything!"
His eyes widen slightly, realizing what I am talking about, and grunts, "So you finished your assignment." He wipes his face with a hand, moving it to the back of his neck. "What did you expect me to say?" He sighs, exasperated and rolling his eyes.
Disgust and incredulousness fill me. 'WHAT A PIECE OF WORK!'
I square my shoulders and unleash my fury at him. Pushing him with my hand back, only able to move his shoulder, I bellow at him.
"ANYTHING! Where were you all my life!? Why did my mother never talk about you?! Why did you never try to find me after she died? YOU KNEW ABOUT US! DID YOU CARE AT ALL?!" I seethe at him. He never even checked on my well-being, his own and only grandchild!
He looks even more annoyed than before, gripping both sides of the entryway as he lowers his head more evenly with mine.
"You are so quick to judge and assume the worst of me, just like that?! You KNOW NOTHING!" He roars back at me.
"Because YOU have only shown me the worst! You are a bully, a coward, and a drunkard, just like my father! I can't believe you're related to my mother! She was a good person, not a bully and a drunk like you! You should be related to my father instead!"
Our shouting match has brought some spectators. Bav and several others can be seen from the corners of my eyes, not that I care at the moment. Soot's takes a deep breath and steps towards me.
"Look here, little missy! I don't have to justify myself to you!" He pokes my shoulder, hard, making me flinch, but not back down.
"No, you don't. The person you let down, that deserves an explanation, was your own daughter! At least, I realize, NOW, who my mother was calling out for when she was in pain after my father got done beating us both! TadDY OOOhhtz! Sure sounds like Daddy Soot's when your jaw is swollen shut! NOT THAT YOU EVEN CARE! YOU SELFISH ASS!" I scream into his face. Releasing so much of my inner turmoil that's been brought back up since I found out my father was still alive.
Did he deserve the way I was venting on him? My own conscious asks me, but my response is, Who cares?
"YOU LET MY MOTHER BE BEATEN AND MURDERED!"
Didn't matter though, I found out real quick that I just stabbed him where it hurt though.
*BAM*
*COUGH*
I can not catch my breath from the force of air that blasted into my chest, pinning me like a butterfly on the wall.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" He bellowed, sounding like an angry, hurt gorilla roaring into my face.
I'm still gasping for air, as he is encircled around his waist by smoke, then thrown from his spot, across the room.
"AHHHH!"
My breath comes back in so fast, I choke, coughing, as his scream erupts from him being handled by Bav's smoke creatures encircling his throat. I plucked up from the ground by hands, but I brush them aside as I rush to Bav.
"You DARE ATTACK MY WIFE!" His visage has changed and he looks terrifying. Bav's taller now, his bark like skin looks dried and rough, his black eyes are dark and promise pain. The whole tower starts to shake, making us all grab onto something to steady ourselves.
"No! Bav! STOP!" I shake in terror as his gaze focuses on me. He takes a step toward me and I flinch, squeezing my eyes tight against the horrible sight of the man I love, looking like a monster at the moment.
Arms wrap around me, pulling me closer, "Are you alright my love?" His tone is much lighter now, making my eyes open up. I notice that his smoke creatures are still holding Soot's up against the wall, but no longer encircling his throat.
I lean back and look into Bav's black eyes and can't help the trembling sob that escapes me.
"He knew about us, my mom and me. He knew that we were being beaten and didn't have the money to get away from my father and he never did anything to help us." I break down in Bav's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.