Potenkiah, the deathgiver

Chapter 3.1

She managed to stand up, and bolted. At least her face would not be seen that way. While she put distance between them, her clouded mind began clearing up. Bridget wondered if the man in the cloak had really seen her, or if fear had made her imagine it; as far as she knew, Melecians could not see through fabric, nor were they gifted with special sensory powers like sonar or an acute smell or hearing, because he was Melecian, wasn’t he? It was impossible to tell while he wore that outfit seemingly out of a horror story, hiding most of his body.

Seeing as she was already very late for her afternoon class, Bridget went to her room, to take refuge in her private library, but she took an alternate route. She did not want to explain herself to Daphne Britter, if she bumped into her.

Pluck my feathers, when Mother hears of this I’ll have to listen to another tirade about the importance of keeping my identity a secret. It would be a double lecture: she was certain that both her Mother, the Queen, and her foster mother would read from the same script again. Or maybe it would be triple… or quadruple, because William and Christian Obrien, responsible for her education, would also have something to say on the matter.

She was not able to pinpoint if the chill came from the albino bodyguard but, even with twenty floors between them, she was still able to feel his presence.

What if I tell Christian? she mused. No. He’ll think I’m insane. Well, I can’t be expected to be normal, what with so much secrecy and these telekinetic accidents, not to mention that ‘other’ thing...

For a moment, Bridget wondered if the chill she had felt was some sort of natural alarm at her disposition. However, she reminded herself that it was silly to describe as gifts, supernatural abilities or superpowers that which was only a consequence of a genetic abnormality. Besides, what was supernatural for her species? Being able to fly, having long-distance sight, living longer than one-hundred and twenty beltas, being able to reproduce until the seventy beltas, reaching sexual maturity until the twelve beltas, having two mating seasons each belta… all of that was natural, even if it seemed like a fanciful notion to other species.

Not even the sparks that came out of her hand when she was very angry were supernatural; that no one else could do it was different, but it was “natural” for someone that had been born with the biological means to do it, no? Supernatural would then be that which she could do or feel without biochemical support or, in a few words, went against the laws of physics: telekinesis, for instance.

Or that chill.

What if the visitors have supernatural abilities? There must be an explanation for the cold. What was supernatural for the visitors’ species?

Bridget spent the next hours researching the subject. She avoided the printed volumes in her private collection, she had read them all and none of the dealt with the subject matter. Instead, she remotely accessed the library catalogue of both public archives in the complex. She was surprised to find that there were no titles on subjects considered fiction, like metaphysics, parallel universes, the spirit world or telekinesis, even when that particular ability was not a myth or fictional.

Well, William must have confiscated them all. The old man had paled when she had almost revealed herself in the middle of a hallway during an involuntary episode of telekinesis. Now, with the issue of the curtains in the throne room…

Nevertheless, she had not exhausted all possible reading sources. While it was not recommended that -having to keep her identity a secret- she access the information networks, whenever she did she used Annie’s password and never revealed personal information.

She was struck to discover that while telekinesis was rare, she wasn’t the only Eloahn with that talent. One in ten million Eloahns could move objects without touching them. Besides, legends claimed that the Priests of the Stones, rulers of the ancient Empire, had extraordinary powers such as issuing beams of energy from their hands.

Energy beams! she repeated in her mind, as she looked at the palm of her hand with concern, shook the idea from her mind and kept reading. After a while, she noticed she had hit a dead end when she failed to find any registry of supernatural abilities in the planets of the visiting diplomats. She had to accept that it might be possible that the chills were symptoms of a budding cold, due to her visit to the lake that same morning.

She had earned a free scolding.

Without warning, old Christian Obrien burst into her room still wearing the red robe that identified him as a member of the Council of the Twelve Wise. He looked agitated and his face was pale, almost like the albino bodyguard.

Goddess! Surprise made the ProCom she had been using float before her eyes: involuntary telekinesis, again. Anger and fear were the main triggers of these episodes. She was silently thankful that it had never happened in front of the other girls.

Christian took in the scene and, sobering up, slowed his step. Despite being ninety seven beltas old (161 years), he was very active and his skin had less wrinkles than it would be expected. His nose was a small pink button with a crooked bridge.

“Bridget, child,” he greeted her.

“Professor.”

They wasted no time. Here comes the lecture. Christian Obrien was in charge of her etiquette, while William, his twin brother, was in charge of her academics.

“I am leaving the planet, I will have to leave you in William’s care,” said the old man, surprising her, and he had to raise his hand, palm extended, hoping his silent gesture would stop the barrage of questions. “I want you to know that I do not agree with what they will do to you, I will be far away, safe, and I will not be coming home.” He looked away and lowered his voice, as if he were talking to himself. “I will be waiting for the signs, until we meet in the Planet of Coincidences.”

“When…?” she said, as soon as the old man paused.

“Right away. A ship is waiting for me, but I could not leave without seeing you one last time.”

His eyes were filled with tears.

Bridget blinked, unable to process the sudden news. It seemed Christian hadn’t had the time to meditate on the the matter either; it was obvious he came from the very meeting that had made the unusual decision.

“Where?”

“To…” he appeared pensive, released a breath, gave her a hint of a smile. “To Grand Capital. Be good and remember my advice.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “I will look after you from afar, I promise.”

Christian bent to present a bow and as soon as he straightened up he hurried away.

“Wait, professor. Please explain! Why are you leaving, what are they going to do to me, what’s that about the planet of…?”

The old man disappeared behind the elevator doors, taking all the answers with him.

What are they going to do to me? What else can they do to me? She was hoping her parents had not decided to send her away as an additional security measure. She already suffered enough pretending she was not their daughter and hiding her wings so no one would see the unique feature that gave her away. All this because of that failed attempt and superstition about the prophecy…