Chapter 19
Once back at the Keep, Lauren continued to take her classes and become more adept at being the keeper of the keys. At night, they would plan how to rescue the pegasuses once they found them. Gerald set the stars to finding the pegasuses. Once they find the sacred lands, they will find the pegasuses.
Since they had to wait to do anything about the pegasuses, they started to work on the Harpy issue. Tayla explained the problem. "My sisters are part of a hive. As harpies, we honor and work to provide for the survival of the entire group, but we answer to the lead of the master. Our master was cruel. He would beat us if we didn't bring in enough goods and we were misused or starved if we said things against him. He decided to excommunicate me when I refused his advances and fought him when he tried to force my affection. That was probably the best thing he ever did for me. When he left me for dead outside our lands, the keeper found me and brought me here. I was in such bad shape."
"The separation weakens us, and the beating was brutal. I was like a wild being, unable to be controlled. I ranted and raved. I scared anyone that came close to me. Everyone except Evandalyn. She would sit in the corner of my room, mind you, I had torn it apart. She would just sit there. Then she began to sing and hum. It was such a soothing sound. She weaved her magic into my heart and with her patience, she freed me from the spell or whatever it was that connected me to the hive. I have seen some of my sisters since I have been free, and they want to be free also." Talya was in tears when she finished.
Lauren could feel the heart of Tayla. "So, we need to meet up with your sisters."
"Yes. That's what we will do. I will arrange the meeting for tomorrow in a tavern near the castle. I will let them know I will bring you and a few of your friends. They will be nervous, but I know you can't come by yourself."
"That will work. Edmon, Demeatral, and Gerald should come with me. Several of the bears and wolves can blend in with the crowds and street folk. Cartrell and Levi can patrol outside."
"That will be fine. As long as they don't get brought to nerves, things will go fine. If they are brought to nerves, they will attack. Since they will be expecting you to have people guarding you, things should be okay."
Everything was set for tomorrow. Lauren decided to retire and went to her room. She poured herself a bath and turned on the jets so she could soak in the bubbles. With mint, cinnamon, and other aromatic oils in her water, she slid into her tub. The rest chair in the tub formed to her curves and she laid her head back to rest. She fell into a meditative state and opened her eyes to see a classroom, actually, an art class. "Hello, my legacy." Lauren's grandmother smiled at her.
"Grandma Bea." Lauren replied, smiling widely. "What are you doing here? It is so wonderful to see you."
"Yes. It is wonderful to be seen. I wanted to talk to you alone, Just the two of us. I truly miss you."
"I miss you too."
"I know what is going on in the world. I can watch everything in the place where I rest. You are a part of the unicorn here, queen of dragons, future keeper, teacher, and writer. You have become more than I ever thought possible." Lauren felt a sense of pride go through her. "I have wanted to give you something that will help you complete your training quicker so Evandalyn can get the help she needs. She is sicker than she lets people know. The god that is her father wants to help her, but he can't just do so. He would get in trouble for meddling. He can't help her, but he can help you."
Suddenly, a man Lauren had never seen before was standing in her mind. "Hello, sweet child." He spoke. Lauren stood stunned. "I am not here to frighten you."
Lauren found her voice and said, "I'm not sure I am frightened, more shocked to see a god."
"Ah. Well, I understand. I can't stay long, and I will not tell you who I am. I do want to give you a talent of power and acquisition. This talent will bring to you all of the knowledge you will need to know and more so that you can be the keeper immediately. You only have to accept my hand and all your training will be to perfect what you already know, instead of having to learn it first."
"You mean I would be able to create an alicorn right now? And empower the barrier? And find the pegasuses?"
"Yes. Everything. Evandalyn will be able to come to heaven and get her treatment, and you will be able to handle the keeper position. Your grandmother thinks you are ready for this talent and because I know your grandmother so well, I will give it to you if you want it. I only want to heal my daughter. I would never bring you anything dangerous."
Lauren looked at her grandmother, really looked at her. She saw the love that she looked at this god with. Then she knew that he meant no harm to her or Evandalyn. "Evandalyn is your daughter isn't she, Grandmother?" Lauren watched her grandmother's eyes well up in pain and joy. "If she is your daughter, this is my grandfather and Evendalyn is my mother," Lauren said the words and gasped. Her mother. "Does she know all of this? If she knows all this, why didn't she tell me herself? She can't know all of this." Lauren was panicking. Anguishing because she never really knew her mother. And now she knows why.
Lauren's grandparents sat on each side of her, sandwiching her with their love. "You are too smart for your own good. Discernment is your real gift. Yes. Your grandparents are gods of the earth. Yes. Evandalyn is our daughter. Yes. You are her daughter. No. She doesn't know everything. Her illness has taken much of her memory and if she doesn't get help soon, she will lose the rest of herself. Try to discern her truth, discern our truth but don't turn from who you should really be."
"We limited your power as a child because you were living in the earth realm, and you were not strong enough to survive them." Lauren's grandfather said. "Earth gods are nature and creation gods. We are able to pass through the heaven and imagination realms because we create things on earth that humans use. We also create humans that will become future earth realm gods. Evandalyn was recruited by the last keeper to train as her replacement. The keeper is always an earth realm god not a human. Since we are born just like humans, everyone thought that the keeper was a human." He answered the question on Lauren's mind before she could ask.
"I was never supposed to be a keeper. It was always Evandalyn. But because she became sick, her mind rearranged events and screwed up everything. Her mind's sickness took good memories and screwed up her memories so badly that she doesn't remember having you or being with your father. I was so heartbroken when she thought it was her fault that we had the accident. She had to be the keeper because that was who she already was. The old keeper came up with this ruse hoping it would help her come back to her senses. You were always supposed to be the next keeper. When the council presented that twit of a girl…" Her grandmother paused to regain her composure. "She should never have been brought here. We knew she wouldn't be able to stand up to the tests because she is just a human with a touch of magic power."
Lauren was surprised to find out all the secrets that were being kept, but she was also relieved that she was being told. "So, this talent you want to give me is actually just the power I was supposed to receive when I came of age. It was blocked from childhood and somehow when I lost you in the accident?"
"Yes. You are an earth god." Her grandfather said. "I know this is a lot to take in."
"It is and I still have questions," Lauren said.
"I know you have questions and I will answer them, but right now I need you to take the talent I am offering you." He said. "Many of the questions will be answered just by that act."
"I will take it." She reached out her hand. "But I need you and grandma to stick around until we know it is safe for me to have that much power."
"Agreed." He said and held out his arms for her to come into them for a hug. Lauren stepped into her grandfather's godly arms and was wrapped in the warmth and glory of what she could only describe as heaven and earth infused into her soul.
She woke up the next morning, feeling overly empowered. She wondered if she was glowing. Was she supposed to let Evandalyn know everything that she just found out? How was she going to keep it from her? "I have put a block around your memories and new powers." Her grandfather said. "Evandalyn doesn't need to know what we have told you until we get her to heaven to be healed. I will come to get her tonight so I need you to be ready. You have a strong team and I won't keep her away from you too long. I can't wait till she knows she is your mother."
Lauren understood and got up to go to class. She had to try her powers out and show that she had control. Evandalyn had to feel she could leave and that she was leaving the keys in good hands.