Unknown L (Book 1)

~~~ Unexpected ~~~

"We have all discussed your situation, L, and now we'd like to discuss it with you. Your parents did not leave any information or textbook on how to be a Keeper, and unfortunately, there is nobody here now that might be able to tell us about them. I knew your parents but not enough about their powers and abilities. The inner workings were kept between their kind.

"I'm afraid we don't know how to help you access the knowledge you have without you passing out. All we can do is keep training the way we did it before. Maybe over time, you will learn to do it yourself. It might delay things a little, but I know you're a quick study."

L felt information pushing through even harder throughout his speech, and she had to hold her head in her hand.

"It's okay, I get it. My parents did a good job of keeping everyone else safe by hiding things from them. I'm evidence of that. I don't mind the old way of training." She tried to rub away the ache in her forehead and straightened up. "Are we starting today?"

Vadim looked relieved, as did a number of the other Council members. Maeve and Walter were the only ones who seemed to notice that she was in pain. They looked concerned, but L just waved it off and pulled her hand away.

"Yes, we are recommencing your training today, we're just awaiting Gart and Lort's arrival. You will begin with them. We agreed that enhanced strength added to your speed and heightened senses would be beneficial over almost anything else. Since magic gets trickier, that will come again later."

L nodded to Vadim. She would just be grateful to get out of there and talk to the Ogre brothers. They wouldn't cause the knowledge to try and overflow so much, and she knew the pain would subside.

"L, we have one more question before you go." It was Rashka, the Reptilian woman, who spoke, and L tried to focus on her instead of thinking about how much she wanted to walk out. "We would like to know if you have given any thought to your role as Keeper, if and when we make it through this war with Frallica?"

L's eyes widened at the unexpected question, and immediately felt her head starting to ache more intensely. She could see the others avoiding eye contact. It had clearly been a source of great dispute. Maeve, Walter, Archie, and Tern looked apologetic, but they didn't step in to help her answer. L glanced at Vadim, who had the same guilty expression, but he also looked expectant of her answer.

It seemed to be something they all wanted to know despite everything else that was going on. L let out a loud sigh and took a few seconds to compose an answer before she replied.

"I hadn't thought about it because every time I do, my head feels like it's splitting in two. This war is all you've had me thinking about. Focusing on making sure I can protect myself and those around me when Frallica does attack. If we all manage to get through this war and I really doubt we all will, I'll find a way to be a true Keeper, and I'll do everything that comes with it. Until then, though, I'd rather not talk about it at all."

L turned and walked out of the meeting hall before any of them could react to what she had said. She knew she shouldn't have flown off at them, but she couldn't contain herself any longer. Bryce might have helped to diffuse the situation, but he wasn't around. She walked around to where she'd met the Ogre brothers before and sat down in the snow with her head in her hands.

Now that she was alone and there was near silence, the pain in her head began to subside. She wasn't waiting long when two familiar faces came walking out of the trees to her left. They were grinning as usual when they saw her. It made L smile, and she stood up to greet them when they stopped in front of her.

"Hello, we your teachers today, right?"

L smiled a little wider, "Yeah, that's right. We can get going whenever you're ready, I've already talked to the Council."