Crossroads (Book Two)

Chapter Five: Enter and Exodus

Tezaro's last words before she met Anthonias had been prophetic: From this moment on, everything will be different.

The door closed behind her with a soft click, and Aurora's heart drummed out all sound. She was about to meet the Steward of Armindia. The man that could provide her with answers to her powers.

For a moment she thought she had stepped on a cloud and ascended to the heavens. There was nothing to see but endless sky before her, a caerulean hue so radiant that it captured the eyes. Long wisps of clouds floated like gauzy veils to shield one's sight from the amber jewel at the center of it all. The floor swallowed the view with near perfection to become part of the sky.

"Come sit, Aurora." The command was gentle and brought her out of her musings. When Aurora walked forward, she was uncertain if she stepped on a solid floor or hovered across the sky. The man behind the large desk held an outstretched hand that invited her to a seat before him.

His mostly white hair feathered down to his nape and deep-set lines ran from the corners of his mouth to a square jaw. They were alone, though Aurora knew Tezaro waited right outside the door should she need him.

Next to this man with his fine silk emerald robes, she felt wholly out of place in the plain leathers she wore. Aurora sat in the deep plum cushioned chair, placed her bag at her feet and returned his open stare. "So, you're Anthony. The guy who sent Tezaro to find me."

"I am the Steward of Arminida, and you may call me Anthonias or Steward. Whichever you wish." He smiled politely with a practiced look of a politician. "Do you know why you are here?"

"No, not really." Out of nervous habit her hand reached to play with her locket that wasn't there. She inhaled sharply before she remembered it was in her pack. For months she had had worn Tezaro's crest instead.

Her hands continued to dig as she spoke. "Tezaro told me about a prophecy and a key, but not how they connect. He believes I'm this key, but I doubt it. He said you'd have the answers."

"You don't believe in prophecy?" Anthonias' eyes narrowed.

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

"I told you to get answers." And to honor a promise, she added silently. Her hands reached for her pack and began rummaging through it.

"Then we share something in common, Aurora. I, too, am in need of answers." The Steward leaned forward, curious about the young woman before him. "I shall make you an offer."

Aurora snapped her head up from searching for her locket. It wasn't the first time someone had made her an offer. The Red Fox revealed himself from the deep shadows of her mind, grinning. He had yet to call in her debt. "And that is?"

"I will be honest with you, and you will be honest with me. I have nothing to gain from deceiving you. I will answer as much as I know. Together we will gather the answers that we both seek. Agreed?"

"I have no choice, do I? But I have no reason to lie to you either so I suppose we must trust each other. So how do we begin?"

"Tezaro told me you know nothing of our world. Is this true?" He saw her quick nod and continued. "And you have no idea how you came to have your powers?"

"That's right. I'm hoping you'll be able to explain how someone from my world could possibly have magic." She held her breath.

"Magic resides in everyone, at least in our world. Though the amount of magic or how much time in devotion to its study varies from individual." Anthonias' answer was just as Master Owen had explained to her. She had been hoping for more.

Anthonias pressed on, "It is said in ancient legends that when the doors to the Crossing swung freely between our worlds many centuries ago, there were magic-bearers amongst your people. Until they were hunted down and executed. That is when Crossing became rare." The Steward's face carried the weight of the lives lost.

Sensing she hoped for more he added, "It could be that a kernel of magic yet remains through some bloodlines." Aurora absorbed the information, but felt no sense of satisfaction.

"Tell me about your family."

She exhaled her disappointment. "There's not much to tell. I never knew my father. My mother didn't talk about him and my mother," a lumped formed in her throat. It still wasn't easy to say, "she died in an accident about seven years ago."

"And she taught you about your powers?"

She shook her head. "No. She didn't have magic. I only found out about my powers the day she died." The last was near a whisper. "We were heading home. A car, uhm, a carriage you would call it, crashed against us. She died on impact."

"But you survived because you used your powers." Anthonias finished for her.

"No! I didn't do it intentionally." Her tone was sharp. "It just happened."

"Magic can manifest itself in times of great stress or fear. Think of it as a rising tidal wave that bursts through the damn. Perhaps your mother knew."

A knot formed at the pit of her stomach at his judgement. "My mother would have told me." Denial spread through her like a shield. "You didn't know my mother. She would not have kept something like this from me. We shared everything." Aurora's hand bumped against her mother's locket and she clutched it.

"Magic is in your blood. By one of your parents at least." He leaned back in the chair, confident in his assessment.

"It must be my father. I know nothing about him so it could be possible."

"Of course, there could be another explanation." His black eyes meet hers. "Magic can be bound by a blood relative who can wield magic. That would mean that your mother not only knew of your powers, but she was a magic-bearer herself. If so, she purposely bound your magic. It is the only way a binding can be performed."

"You're unbelievable." She stood up in anger, fists clenched. "You're saying my mother lied to me her entire life. That she had magic, knew that I did as well, then instead of telling me, she chose to hide it from me. To keep it from me? Why?"

Slowly, she stretched out her hand then opened her palm. "My mother gave me this locket. She was the most kind, smart, and honest person I knew. I don't know you. Everything you've said has me doubting our life. She told me that whenever I felt lost, all I'd had to do was look inside and I'd be home."

Aurora opened the locket and revealed a photograph of herself and her mother.

He reached out to take it and froze as his eyes focused on the locket. "Your mother, you say?" He catapulted out of his chair and hastily ran to the door.

A/N: I know it's been a LONG time since I've updated, but I can explain. Seriously. I'll post the explanation in an Non-Update Update. Please read it.