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  “We don’t even know if killing Limus will stop The Shadow,” I argued. “He doesn’t even remember doing it. How is he supposed to reverse something he doesn’t remember?”

  Lars shook his head. “It’s just a chance I’d have to take.”

  “It’s not one I’m willing to take.” I stalked back into the house and Mom met me on the stairs. She held up a hand, stopping me momentarily.

  “It’s very important you keep your emotions in check. I’m going to try to contact Tammer to see where you need to join him and take care of Limus. It may be that you’ll have to leap again.” She walked past me, pausing briefly. “Morgandy, be very careful with Thayde, honey. This is the first time in his life that he’s been frail. It’s very new to him. The Judgment was an inconvenience for him, but this is different. He’s dying.”

  I climbed the steps slowly. This was way over my head. When I entered the room, I swear Thayde looked worse. He lay in his bed on his back; his tank top had been pulled off for Mom to allow her powers to push completely into him. Scars littered his grey skin. His hip bones protruded through his pants and the skin was sunken around his ribs. He was way too thin.

  His head was turned to the side and he was staring at my bed. When I moved toward him, he focused his gaze on me.

  “I’m so sorry,” I apologized, kneeling at the edge of the bed. “I didn’t know.”

  He nodded.

  “Can I hold you?”

  When he smiled, I slipped into the bed with him, and he nestled into my arms. I kissed his face as I stroked his hair back from his forehead. He still smelled wonderful and I didn’t resist the urge to kiss every inch of his face and hold him as close to me as I could. By the time I was finished, he was asleep. The love I felt for him was so powerful, I could feel it welling up within me. The moment I realized it was there, it burst from me, surrounding us in a warm glow. The energy bathed the entire room in its power, making me sleepy and I relaxed into Thayde’s pillows closing my eyes.

  I woke to Thayde watching me. He lay on his arm on his side, facing me. His grey eyes lit up when he realized I was awake.

  “You’re so beautiful when you sleep.” He said.

  I reached forward and kissed him. He ran his hand down my arm, letting it come to a rest on my waist. “I wish I could take you away from here. Maybe go on our honeymoon.”

  Pulling myself in close to him, I ran my hand over his chest. “I’m just so happy you’re alive and here. I think we’re very lucky.” My voice cracked with the last sentence and Thayde kissed my forehead tenderly. I raised my chin, taking his gaunt face in my hands.

  “I don’t want to live without you.”

  A quick smile danced on his lips before he frowned. “You have to, Morgan.”

  “No!” I exclaimed, “I’ll find a way.”

  Instead of answering, he kissed me. As I kissed him back, I felt the urgency to be with him again. What if I couldn’t find a way to save him? What if this was one of the last times I’d be with Thayde? My heart leapt in fear and Thayde suddenly stiffened in pain.

  “Oh God, Morgan, don’t!” He cried. It was shocking to see such an intense reaction happen so quickly. Before I really panicked, I forced myself to calm down and clear my mind. A few moments after my emotions were in check, I watched his body relax.

  “This cording thing’s a real pain in the butt, isn’t it?” I joked, attempting to lighten the mood. It worked. This time, his smile stayed.

  “Only when one of us is sick,” he agreed.

  We cuddled in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

  “You want to ask me something. What is it?”

  Not sure whether this was the right time, I hesitated. He’d already been through so much. Would it be wise to ask him to rehash what happened?

  “You want to know what happened, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” I answered.

  His arms tightened around me. “It took us a long time to track him down. He was in Australia. Herra and Akin weren’t with him. When we found him, he had no clue what we were talking about. It was as if his mind had been wiped clean of ever knowing about The Shadow. He remembered The Judgment and everything that happened before that, but nothing after it. He couldn’t even remember how he had gotten to Australia. Someone with great powers took his memories from him. Who could do that? It doesn’t make any sense. Troen could, but he wouldn’t. Once the powers are handed over, the former ruler doesn’t interfere in any way.”

  Thayde frowned and clenched his jaw. “Limus’ hatred for me was so evident. I didn’t know what I did for him to hate me so much.”

  I wriggled out of his arms and sat facing him. His pale eyes shone with tears.

  “Baby, I know this is hard for you. It always has been. You were six when your mother passed. By all means, Limus is your father, but he’s never acted like one.” I held his hand. I didn’t know what to say. “I’m so sorry, Thayde.”

  “I wanted to kill him. I’ve never wanted to kill anyone before. I know as long as he lives, you’re going to be in danger and I can’t have that.” Thayde seemed close to admitting something troubling. Shaking, he sat up.

  “I tried to kill him,” he admitted. “I couldn’t do it. It’s not that I couldn’t, I just wasn’t able to. He beat me. I’m not as strong as he is.”

  “You’re stronger than he is,” I said. “You just don’t have as much experience as he does.”

  He shook his head. “He nearly destroyed me right then and there. But he stopped. He said he wanted me to feel the same amount of agony as he had when my mother passed. Tammer asked him why he would do this to me.”

  “What did he say?”

  Thayde’s gaze dropped and he turned his head away. “He said it was because I killed the only woman he ever loved.”

  “You?” I was incredulous. “How on earth did you kill your mother?”

  He didn’t answer. His body began to shake and he closed his eyes.

  I felt as if my heart would break in two for him. I pulled him in close and he laid his head on my shoulder, wrapping his arms around my waist. I rubbed his back until he stopped shaking.

  “I was told not to play near the speed zone,” he finally said. “I was so stupid – I completely forgot. I was playing with a group of manatees who were trying to cross the area. The jet boat races had been going on for two days. When the manatees crossed, I went with them. I didn’t even see the boats coming. One minute I’m holding onto a manatee’s back and then next, I was tossed aside and my mother was sinking through her own blood to the bottom – her head sliced in two.”

  The vivid scene made me shudder. The image was so ghastly, I didn’t know what to think. She had died saving her son’s life – something any loving mother would do for her child. Thayde had not killed his mother. Suddenly, it all became very clear to me.

  “Limus wants me to die so you can experience the pain he went through when your mother died,” I said.

  Limus had to be mad to believe Thayde was responsible for his mother’s death. Perhaps years of being without her had driven him mad. In any case, holding such a vendetta against an innocent child for so long was sickening.

  “He’s insane.”

  “It doesn’t matter. It can’t be reversed now and when I die, he hopes that you’ll die, too.”

  “Well, that’s just not going to happen,” I stuttered, trying to reach for something, anything to say to comfort him. “I’ll think of something.”

  Thayde didn’t answer.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong, Thayde. Children never do as they’re told. Your mother was a courageous woman. I wish I could have met her.”

  “She would have adored you.”

  “I’m sure I would have loved her,” I answered. “If she was anything like you, what’s not to love?”

  Thayde sat back, wiping his hand across his eyes and leaned against the wall. He looked like death itself.

  The thought of Tammer, Thayde, and Ezen unab
le to locate Herra or Akin weighed heavily on my mind. What were they up to? Where were they? I looked at my hands lying in my lap. They had always been together – the left hand helping the right. Were they plotting against me?

  “Thayde, how did you come to be alone on the beach?”

  “I don’t know – one minute we were fighting Limus and the next minute, he had hit me with something and I was projected away from the area. I was alone in the deep ocean. There was nothing around me to recognize, so I swam as far as I could until I came upon that beach and collapsed.”

  I said nothing, instead, realized how easy it would have been to have missed him altogether had I not been The Link. He would have died on that beach if I had not been blessed.

  Thayde reached forward, cupping my face.

  “Are you all right, baby?”

  “I’m worried.”

  “About what?” He asked, and I shrugged, taking his hands in mine.

  “Everything. Thayde, you weren’t able to find Herra or Akin. What if they’re off plotting a way to get to me?”

  He dropped his head in defeat. “I think they’ve been doing that for some time now.”

  A wave of nausea washed over me. Perfect. Not only would I have to face Limus again, I’d have to take care of those two as well. It was not something I looked forward to. I’d have to deal with Limus first.

  “So what do we do now?” Thayde asked.

  “I have to continue with my lessons. Aletheia and Jacob have a few more things to teach me before they think I can handle Limus. Then they want me to kill him.” I gauged Thayde’s reaction. He looked troubled. “What?” I asked.

  “I know you’re much stronger now than you were,” he began, “but I’m still so afraid you’re going to get hurt.” He looked deep into my eyes. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

  “I promise.”

  “I mean it, Morgan. He’s very sly – I’ve never known what he was up to until it was too late.”

  “I promise,” I repeated.

  There was a knock at the door and Jacob stuck his head in.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but Aletheia says Thayde needs his rest and you need to begin your training for the day.”

  “See what I mean?” I joked, kissing Thayde’s cheek. “Work, work, work!”

  Thayde managed a slight laugh as he lay back down. I covered him with his quilt and left the room with Jacob.

  Jacob walked with me down the stairs. “Glad to have Thayde back?” He asked.

  “More than you can imagine!”

  “It must be wonderful to be so in love,” he answered. Before I could answer, he placed his hand at my back and walked me toward the front door. “Let’s take a walk.”

  We left the cabin together, walking along the drive before reaching the pathway at the edge of the woods. The morning air was cool but the sun was warm and it followed us through the trees as we made our way down the path to the clearing I’d visited so often in those four weeks.

  Jacob chatted away about the scenery and how much he loved Idaho. His affinity for it matched mine. When we reached the clearing, he sat down in the long green grass and motioned for me to do the same.

  “We haven’t been friends for long, but I think it’s safe to say that we understand each other, don’t we?” He asked.

  “You could say that. The amount of peace your teachings have brought me has been life changing.”

  “I feel you are still having a lot of issues with the amount of responsibility you carry.”

  I didn’t say anything and he continued.

  “You’re The Link and it seems that everything begins and ends with you. That’s quite a burden to carry. I want you to know one thing: you may feel as if you’re doing this all alone, but you aren’t. God is with you every step of the way. If you give your troubles to him, He will be able to handle it. You are not alone.”

  He paused, looking through the tall trees to the light blue sky above us. “There is nothing He cannot handle. You may feel the weight of the world upon you and I’m telling you that giving it to Him will release you of the burden. Any time you feel alone, in need of help, scared, or persecuted, you can always count on Him.”

  I hadn’t considered talking to God. It still felt strange to even pray. I remembered watching Lady Hawke as a child and thinking it funny that one of the characters spent a lot of time talking to Him. Was that what we were supposed to do all the time?

  “Do you understand what I’m saying?” he asked and I nodded. “I think it’s important you know that.”

  “Thank you for telling me, Jacob. Everything you’ve taught me has been so positive and has helped me immensely,” I said. “I’ll take your advice.”

  “Also, I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but your family has been talking a lot about this Limus guy. He seems like a very nasty man. It doesn’t seem as if he’s contributed a lot to society and he seems to harm more people than he does help them. Still, killing a person is a very difficult choice to make and I understand why you are having such a difficult time with the idea. You are wise to consider all your options before resorting to the same kind of violence Limus seems to choose. There is a reason why you are hesitant about it and it’s because it is wrong.” He smiled at me and shrugged. “I just wanted to give you a different perspective than the one you’ve been hearing.”

  “Thank you.”

  We spent the rest of the morning studying, and by the time it was lunch, we returned to the cabin to find everyone but Thayde eating.

  “He’s asleep,” Mom said as if reading my mind. “He’ll sleep a lot until he starts to heal. Whenever that may be.”

  I didn’t answer. I knew it would be very soon when she’d let me know I would have to leave to take care of Limus. I wasn’t looking forward to it.

  The rest of the day was spent in vigorous training with Aletheia, Lars and Mom while Thayde slept like the dead up in our room. The smell of dinner didn’t wake him, nor did Lars and Jacob’s impromptu game of charades. It wasn’t until the middle of the night that he woke up and crawled into bed with me.

  “Did you have a bad dream?” I asked as he curled up to me, his arms circling around mine grasping my hands. His knees pushed behind mine, pulling me into his infant-like position.

  “Yeah,”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  “Okay,” I cradled his slim arms in mine, feeling the veins splayed so obviously all over them. The change in Thayde had been so drastic, it was hard to believe he had looked so healthy only a month before. Thoughts plagued my mind. The responsibility of everything still weighed heavily on me. Jacob’s words brought me peace. Give your burdens to Him.

  Thayde’s slow, deep breathing on my neck told me he had fallen back asleep and it wasn’t long before I too, drifted away.

  I was being kissed on my forehead. Soft and light butterfly wings tickled my face. Opening my eyes, my love was inches away, a smile upon his gaunt face.

  “Good morning,” I said.

  “Hello baby.” Thayde answered.

  I ran my hand through his hair and pulled his head to me, so I could kiss his lips. They were too cold against mine and I pulled back, startled. It wasn’t a good sign.

  If he noticed, Thayde said nothing about my reaction. Instead, he sat up and leaned against the wall.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked, pushing myself into a sitting position.

  “Not well.”

  The smell of coffee tingled my nose making me sneeze. Coffee always smelled so good in the morning.

  “You feel like breakfast?” I asked.

  “Not really.”

  “I’m sure you should eat something, Thayde.” I pressed. “It’ll keep your strength up.”

  When he nodded, I slid off the bed and opened the drawers in the wooden bureau against the wall. Sure enough, it was filled with sweaters. Grabbing a heavy one, I held it up. He nodded and I took it to him, stood at the edge of
the bed and told him to raise his arms. He looked embarrassed.

  “Hey,” I said, “We’re in this for life, remember?”

  Again, he nodded and I wrestled the bulky sweater onto him. It hung loosely about his bony shoulders. As he got to his feet, he stood uneasy and hunched, his breathing shallow.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  His look said it all; time was running out.

  By the time we made it downstairs, everyone else was already up and helping themselves to a breakfast buffet. Shirley had gone all out and there was more than enough for the seven of us.

  I helped Thayde settle into a patio chair and after pulling a blanket around him, joined the others in the dining room. Mom watched Thayde through the dining room windows. After filling our plates, I stood next to her. Thayde held his head in his hand, his elbow resting on the arm of the chair. He was looking at the misty morning view.

  “You don’t have much time left.” Mom’s tone was ominous.

  “I know,”

  “Tammer is in Vero. He has Limus.” She faced me. “You must leave today. Thayde won’t last the week.”

  My heart began to race. “What do I do?”

  “You’re going to have to leap home. Limus can’t remember. You’ll have to make him.”

  Make him. That would be interesting.

  “How?”

  “Morgandy, we’ve taught you all we can. It’s time for you to start trusting and believing in yourself.” She cupped my chin in her hand. “You can do anything you set your mind to.” With that, she left me to help Naira with her food.

  I watched Thayde for a few moments before taking him his food. There was nothing else for my family to do. It was all up to me now. Anxiety swept over me and Thayde shifted uneasily. So much lay on my shoulders. I could feel the weight of the world sinking into them. I’d have to leave today. Better now than never I suppose. Thayde’s tired eyes watched me as I joined him.

  “You okay?” I asked.

  “I think I need to go back to bed,” he answered.

  “Okay,” I began to stand but he held up his hand.

  “No Morgan, finish your meal first.” After a few moments, realization filled his face. “You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?” He asked.