Storm Born Page 0,52

three years, Eugenie. Three years." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Three years, and I never once encountered a decent one. No one who would help me. No one who would keep me from Tirigan."

"Who?"

"Storm King," said Roland. "That's his name. Was his name."

"They say you saved her from him."

He nodded. "I was there chasing down a kelpie when I heard rumors of a captured human woman. I went to investigate and found her and you. You were a baby. I slipped you both out of there and hid you."

"But Dorian...someone I met...said Storm King came looking for us."

"He did. And he found you."

I frowned. From what Dorian had said, I should have been a young teenager then. "I don't remember that."

Roland nodded again. "Once close enough, he could reach out and call to you. He summoned you to him. By the time I tracked you down, you were out in the desert, very near a crossroads. You'd walked miles to get to him."

"I don't remember that," I repeated. In some ways, what Roland told me now was crazier than what I'd learned at Aeson's.

"His magic spoke to yours. He wanted to take you back with him, and you fought against him. You were struck by lightning in the process."

"Wait, I know I'd remember that."

"No. I hypnotized you and repressed it. I killed him, but your magic had still been awakened. After seeing what I'd seen, I was afraid you couldn't control it - that it would control you instead."

"I don't have any magic. Not gentry magic anyway."

"Not that you know of. It's hidden away. I made you forget. After that, I started teaching you the craft in the hope of protecting you. I didn't know if others would follow him or if someone else could reawaken you or summon you. I needed to give you the tools you'd need for defense." He suddenly looked tired. "I never realized how well you'd take to them."

I felt as tired as he looked, despite all the sleep. I pulled up one of the chairs and sat; they continued to stand. So I had met Storm King. I had answered his summons. And I had been struck by lightning? That was interesting, because in a lot of cultures, shamans are called to their art through some traumatic event. Lightning strikes are actually common ones. Many of the local Indian shamans - already skeptical of the plethora of New Age white shamans - did not consider me authentic since I'd had no such profound initiation. Turns out I had. Score one for me.

"You made me forget. You got inside my head, and you made me forget. All this time...both of you have known and never told me."

"We wanted to protect you," he said.

"And what then? Did you think I'd never find out?" The heat rose in my voice again. "I had to hear it from gentry. I would have rather heard it from you."

My mother closed her eyes, and one tear trailed down her cheek. Roland regarded me calmly.

"In hindsight, yes, that would have been better. But we never thought it would actually come out."

"It's out," I said bitterly. "Everyone knows it. And now everyone wants a piece of this prophecy - and of me."

"What prophecy?"

I told them. When I finished, my mother sat down and buried her face in her hands, crying softly. I could hear her murmuring, "It'll happen to her. It'll happen to her too."

Roland rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't put much stock in gentry prophecies. They come out with a new one every day."

"Doesn't matter, if they believe it. They're still going to come after me."

"You should stay with us. I'll help protect you."

I stood up, glancing at my mother. No way would I expose her to more gentry. "No. This is my problem. Besides, don't take this too badly" - I felt myself start to choke up - "but I don't really want to see you guys for a while. I guess you meant well, but...I need to...I don't know. I need to think."

"Eugenie - " I saw raw pain on his face. My mom's sobs grew louder.

I stood up, averting my eyes from both of them. Suddenly, I couldn't stay here anymore. "I've got to go."

Roland was still calling after me when I practically ran out of the house. But I needed to get away, or I'd say something stupid. I didn't want to hurt them, even though I probably had. But they'd hurt me too,