A healer’s gift, a clan’s curse, and a destiny written across centuries
Ancient secrets. Forbidden powers. A destiny that spans
centuries. Ilona’s quiet life as a village doctor unravels when visions and
enemies awaken her hidden lineage. From medieval castles to modern battles, she
must embrace her clan’s mystical legacy—or risk losing everything.
https://books2read.com/u/bM7GZ8
Dear Diary. What a day! My birthday, especially the
afternoon, was all about secrets. Secrets are conducted with or marked by
hidden aims or methods. The Snapdragon is a great symbol of secrets;
it resembles an open mouth yet doesn’t reveal anything.
I sat on the patio and heard Elza moving about in the
kitchen. Ema had locked herself in her studio and Rua wouldn’t come back to the
house until dinner time, so I knew I could safely enter my little secret place
without being disturbed. I hadn’t visited it for over a decade. I tiptoed into
the living room, listening to the sounds, and pulled the corner of the tapestry
aside that was covering the wall by the fireplace. I turned the small flower
design on the mantel, and when the secret door slowly opened. As soon as I
entered the narrow space, the door closed behind me in an instant.
I inched my way through the confining space into a tiny
room. Elza always complained about the broom closet being too small, but I knew
why. Someone, long ago, divided the closet and turned half of it into a hiding
place, or rather, a spy room. I touched the small ottoman that occupied most of
the space, then sat down and peeked through the slit hidden in the frame of the
huge painting hanging in the living room. I had a complete view of the entire
room.
As a child, I had spied on countless meetings and gatherings
that Mom had forbidden me to join. I sat there for a while, remembering, but
then recalled Mom’s words. I looked around and searched every inch of the room,
but found nothing. I was greatly disappointed. Mom said to look, so there must
have been something, perhaps a guide or instructions that she left for me to
find. I searched, touched the walls, pushed the ottoman aside, and looked under
it. I had found nothing, besides dust and my old teddy bear.
As I sat down, I recalled a meeting I saw when I was around
the age of six. My parents had asked me to stay in my room, but of course, I
didn’t obey. At first, I saw people sitting around, chatting about family and
everyday things that didn’t interest me, so I must have dozed off. Suddenly,
the rhythmical sound of drums woke me up. I was excited to see the adults
sitting in a circle on the carpet. They were holding hands, singing. Later,
they started talking about things that didn’t make much sense to me. They said
the future was still uncertain, and they were discussing something about a
person named Mora. They were infuriated with her, and they said she and Joland
could destroy the entire nation with their meddlesome and vengeful ways if they
succeed changing the past.
“We have to be very careful with her,” one said, “she’s a
conniving and evil person.”
Someone else spoke, “The legend says that her lover was
exiled to another timeline, in the past, but he is still alive. They can
communicate somehow, and they plan to change the past in order to rule in the
future.”
“Does anybody know what she looks like or how we can stop
her?” a short, stocky man asked loudly.
“We only know her son, Ond, and I know that he’s trying to
worm his way into the higher circles.” My father said his name with such hatred
that it scared me. I couldn’t even imagine that my loving and gentle Daddy was
capable of hating someone.
“We must be careful with him because he is strong, and he
has powerful allies,” a man’s voice echoed.
“Yes, we have to stay on alert, and we have to be careful.
We don’t know how much power Mora still has and what kind of abilities Ond
possesses.”
I was a child, and I didn’t understand what they were
talking about, so it didn’t interest me. Now, I wish I had paid more attention.
Deep in thought, I picked up my old teddy bear and absent-mindedly started
stroking his soft artificial fur. He was my favorite childhood toy, stuffed to
perfect softness.
I fingered my Turul pendant and the soft horsetail string,
remembering Midnight. She was a beautiful, black mare with a white, crescent-shaped
patch on her forehead. I closed my eyes and imagined her soft lips caressing my
face as she neighed softly.
Suddenly, I heard a soft click and saw my pendant open and
then felt something running up my chest and sharp pain in my neck. The pain
made me jump, and I let out a muted cry. As I touched the skin, I felt warm
wetness. Alarmed, I looked at my hand and saw smeared blood glistening on my
fingertip. I almost fainted when I noticed that my fingers began to glow as if
a bright red light had turned on from the inside. At the same time, I felt
something scurrying from the side of my neck toward my chest and heard the soft
click again. My pendant was closed. It must have been a bug or a spider. The
damned thing bit me! I looked down at my chest and swept my clothes
madly, looking for the bug.
A sudden swirling sensation took me by surprise. I grabbed
the side of the ottoman to steady myself while everything began to fade around
me. Trying to find a focal point to decrease the sudden vertigo, I fixed my
eyes on my teddy bear, which I was still holding. I noticed with escalating
alarm that the toy’s button eyes took on a strange red glow. The plastic eyes
seemed alive, and the intense luminescence kept me frozen. I’m
hallucinating, this is not real. I tried to turn away, but I couldn’t
move my muscles. I couldn’t even blink. I was scared, never having felt such
primal fear before. My heart raced, and my breath came in little puffs as I
felt cold beads of sweat on my forehead. Adrenaline flooded my body, triggered
by a sudden fright, but I was afraid it might have been some poison from the
bite, as well.
The strange sensation and hallucination stopped as quickly
as it started. My hands felt and looked normal, and I became rational in an
instant. I just sat there, feeling obtuse, wondering what had just happened.
The entire sensation lasted only seconds, but it frightened me a great deal,
not knowing what caused it.
I came in here hoping to find answers and only found more
questions. It made me angry that I didn’t find anything. The only
insight I got was being scared out of my mind. I couldn’t sit there anymore. I
felt suffocated and had to get out in the open. Just as I lay Teddy on the
ottoman, eased the door open, and peered out, a vague feeling pulled me back. I
fingered the Turul bird pendant absent-mindedly, feeling its smoothness and
warmth.
Then I realized I had searched everywhere but inside the
ottoman. I grabbed the seat and tried to pull it up. There was a soft metallic
click, and the top opened. Under the seat was a compartment filled with
photographs and my old drawings. I smiled when I spotted the bead necklace I
had made for Mom when I was six or seven. She saved it. Tears
threatened to flood my eyes. I sat there touching the photos of my strong
father and my beautiful mother. They were so happy, yet they had to leave me so
early.
Suddenly sobs erupted from my chest. Since their abrupt
departure, I had never let myself deeply feel the survivor’s guilt and truly
mourn. I refused counseling and even refused to talk about how I felt. Everyone
tried to get me to open up, but I wouldn’t budge. I knew it was a big mistake,
yet I couldn’t bring myself to discuss it, even with Bela. For years, everyone
was worried, but I fooled them by pretending to be super-strong. If only they
had known... I still wasn’t ready. As usual, I got control over my emotions and
diverted my attention to something physical and regained my frail emotional
balance.
While I was gathering the items, I found an old VCR tape
under the photos. I grabbed everything and rushed out. It just might be
the message! I ran upstairs to my room with the treasures and
frantically searched for the VCR in the closet I’d saved to watch old tapes.
Although most of the tapes had been converted to digital files, I never threw
out the old player. I hooked it up and popped the tape in, eagerly waiting for
the video to start.
My heart skipped when I saw my mother’s face coming into
view. She leaned forward as if she were adjusting the camera. “Hi, sunshine,”
she said. The sight of her and the sound of her voice made my stomach queasy
and brought tears to my eyes. “You’re watching this tape, so it’s your
twenty-ninth birthday, and I’m gone. Don’t cry. It’s okay. I’m not there with
you, and I know it’s unfair, but it must be this way. I love you so much. I
knew about your hiding place and knew you would find Teddy and this tape. Listen
carefully. I will tell you about your birthright...”
The picture turned snowy, and my mother’s face disappeared.
The image clicked back, but there was a cartoon playing. “No, please, no!” I
shouted, grabbing the remote. I forwarded the tape, but there was only the
stupid cartoon. I fast-forwarded to the end of the tape, and Mom came back.
“Your Destiny Box contains all you have to know about our
people and your future. Only you have the power to open it. Your father had to
hide the box, but your instincts will guide you where to find it when it's time
for you to open it. You have a great future ahead of you. Use your powers well
and make sure to use them to do good. Never give in to greed or revenge, and
remember that those are very powerful temptations. Your father and I are so
proud of you. We will love you forever.” She smiled, blew me a kiss, and then
she was gone.
Bile rose in my throat, making me nauseous. I had only one
chance to find out what this Hunor mystery was about, and I destroyed it. I
must have taped that stupid cartoon over my mother’s most important message
before she had a chance to put the tape in the ottoman’s compartment. I’ve
tried rewinding and forwarding the tape slowly, but I couldn’t see more than
what I saw and heard the first time. My anger and disappointment were choking
me, but I had to accept that there was nothing I could do.
I noticed that the spot where I felt the bite on my neck was
itchy. I went to the bathroom to check. There was a small spot of smeared blood
on my skin, and when I wiped it away, I saw a tiny puncture mark. I looked at
it closely with a handheld mirror, but I didn’t see a blister; there was no
redness, and I didn’t feel any burning sensation.
I reasoned that if it was a bug or spider and the poison had
caused that dizziness, it would not have gone away so soon. I would be sick, or
there would be some redness or burning. I feel perfectly fine, but what
the hell is going on? Where is that “Destiny Box” and why is it important? I
may never find out.
I had to get out of the house and do something physical to
balance my emotional turmoil and frustration. Gypsy happily joined me as soon
as he saw me tying my hiking boots. “Let’s take a walk in the woods, okay, old boy?”
Gypsy was wagging his tail, and as always, he was a willing partner for a nice
walk.
My beloved waterfall is about half a mile from the house,
deep in the woods. I took my cell phone and enough drinking water for both of
us in my backpack. The woods in September are beautiful. The leaves had started
to change color, and wildflowers were everywhere. Birds chirped happily,
bunnies hopped timidly, and chipmunks and squirrels scurried along the ground
and up in the trees.
Gypsy walked by my side, his long fur flowing with every
step. Occasionally, he mock-chased a rabbit or squirrel for a couple of steps,
but it was just a show. He would never hurt another animal. He was a gentle
giant, much like Bela, and enjoyed showing that he could if he really wanted
to.
“Just a little hike up this path and we’ll be there,” I told
Gypsy. He acknowledged it with a sweep of his long tail, and the look in those
deep, chocolate eyes told me clearly that he would always be there for me. I
patted his head and projected my thoughts to him. I know Gypsy. Somehow
it made me feel calmer. Whether it was his influence or I just needed a cool
head to think things over, I didn’t know.
Soon, we were there at the foot of the hundred-foot
waterfall. It was a breathtaking sight as the sunshine created a misty rainbow
over the falling water drops that collected in a small pool. I sat there for an
hour or so, just soaking in beauty and serenity, and daydreamed while Gypsy,
who wasn’t fascinated by nature’s beauty, took a doggy nap by my side.
I recalled Bela’s kiss, reliving every delicious detail of
it. It played repeatedly in my mind, pouring the passionate feeling deep into
my heart. What a pity that’s all I had. One second of passion, occasionally, as
if I didn’t deserve more. I know I could love him as no other if he
would just let me. If he could just love me back. However, he didn’t,
and that was that. I had to accept it because I had no choice.
Suddenly, the man I’d seen earlier across the gallery popped
into my mind. He could capture my heart. In fact, he had captured my
heart... a little, no - a lot. The thought startled me. It wasn’t only
his looks, but it had to be some kind of magnetic pull that radiated from him.
It was as if he were a comet rushing toward me from the deepest part of the
universe. For that one second, when we locked eyes, nothing else mattered. I
would have followed him anywhere. Two halves met and made a whole.
Gypsy looked up when I started talking angrily. “Oh, stop
it, you fool... Stop this nonsensical daydreaming. You don’t have a chance.
Even if, by any minuscule possibility, he was attracted
to you, what would you do? Who is he? What is he? You don’t know anything.
Yeah, he’s beautiful on the outside, but what is he like on the inside? Anyway,
he’s not for you - it doesn’t matter.” I scolded myself and diverted my
thoughts onto a different path, so I wouldn’t fall into a deep pit of wondering
and wallowing in self-pity.
To get the sensitive issue out of my mind, I recalled the
feeling I had that morning, that powerful yearning to heal with my hands. “It’s
an unbelievable and far-fetched idea, nothing but a wishful dream,” I chided
myself.
However, I recalled Mom doing some strange things when I was
a small child. She always shooed me out of the room when strangers came to see
her, but I’d seen her touching those people from my hiding place. I remembered
her eyes. She was far, far away as if she were in a trance, and after a few
minutes, the stranger would stand up, smiling and thanking my mother. I didn’t
dare ask what she was doing, because she didn’t know I was watching. Or did
she? She told me to look in my hiding place and find the answers I needed.
Well, I didn’t find answers, only more questions.
I knew there were some mysterious abilities in my family. I
saw what my father did to scare Rua away from the liquor, and I was able to
slow time around me. I suspected my mother did something to those people when
she touched them. Elza was a witch, in my opinion, but I didn’t have enough
facts to be sure.
Since there were no answers, I decided to head in a
different direction on the way home and go across the meadow. Nature bloomed
rainbow colors in the clearing, and I felt as if I was swimming in the fresh
grass and flowers rather than walking. I gathered an armful of flowers before
stopping at the monument erected over my parents’ ashes. I’d commissioned the
life-sized, dark gray granite statue made of my mother and father embracing,
one year after they died. The little clearing in the woods had always been
their favorite part of the property.
I sat next to the monument, talking to them for a long time
in a strange one-way conversation, “I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but
I can feel your presence. I’m all right, but I miss you both so much. I have so
many questions... but you can’t answer them - nobody can. I’m going to have to
find out on my own, and I will, I promise.”
Gypsy must have wondered why I laughed one second and sobbed
the next. He put his huge head on my lap and looked up at me with his brown,
gentle eyes. The big dog gave me comfort, and I knew we were connected somehow,
on a deep, emotional level. When he got up and rubbed his shoulder on the
granite statue, I heard low grumbles from his chest as if he knew my parents’
burial place. He knew, I was sure of it. I stroked his back absent-mindedly.
Suddenly, I felt hot, and beads of sweat started glistening
on my skin, all over my exposed body. I pulled up my T-shirt and wiped my
forehead that felt as hot as burning coal. I’d never been sick in my entire
life. I’d never even had a fever, rash, or tummy aches like other kids. It was
just natural for me to be healthy all the time. Now I felt nauseous; my vision
blurred as the pounding in my head increased, and I was hot, burning up hot. I
stood up and careened a little. I said goodbye to my parents, and as I started
walking, Gypsy leaned into me, trying to support me. His eyes were filled with
worry as if he knew I felt sick and wanted to help me.
One step at a time, holding onto Gypsy’s back, I staggered.
My muscles ached, and my entire body felt as if it contained lead. My vision
became blurry, and I felt weak and dizzy. Finally, with the house in view, I
stumbled toward it. Gypsy helped me as I struggled up the stairs and made it to
the living room, and dropped on the sofa, exhausted, gasping for air. Gypsy
gave out a low rumble, and Elza appeared in an instant from the kitchen. She
took one look at me, smiled, and rushed back out. Why is she smiling? Can’t
she see I’m not well? Anger and hurt welled up inside me. I wondered
where the thermometer was, so I could check my temperature. I had no idea
because I’d never needed it before. I sat there in a stupor, thinking about
getting up and going to bed, but I didn’t have the energy to move.
Elza came back, smiling again. “Let’s get you to bed.” She
got a good grip on me, helping me up. It took what seemed like forever to get
upstairs, but we made it to my bedroom. Elza helped me out of my boots and
clothes and then covered me with a blanket.
“Elza, I have a fever. Would you get a thermometer and some
Tylenol? I think a spider bit me and I’m having a delayed reaction to the
poison,” I whispered, pondering whether or not to go to the hospital, but I was
too tired to think.
“Nonsense! You don’t need any of that. It is all natural,”
she said, rushing out of my room. She was back within a few minutes with a
steaming cup in her hand, “All you have to do is drink this tea and sleep.
That’s all.” Elza held the cup to my lips.
I wanted to argue with her, but I didn’t have the energy. I
was very thirsty, and my mouth felt like chalk, so I drank the tea offered and
was surprised to find it delicious and soothing. I settled back on my pillow as
Elza placed a cool, wet towel on my forehead. It felt wonderful. I closed my
eyes, feeling Elza’s soothing hands on my shoulders.
“Will you stay with me?” I asked. My voice was weak and
shaky.
“Of course, dear. Now go to sleep,” she whispered.
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