Chasing Water

Chapter 5 - Chasing Water

The next morning, I woke up and still felt like crap, but I have things to do. It is time to go visit Luke, I am still upset about yesterday so why not take it out on him.

I did have to sneak out my window again, but I made it to Luke's cell without running into anyone. Here goes nothing, I enter as I knock on the door. "Hi Luke, did you miss me?" And I just get another evil glare in response. "No, so you haven't given any thought to what I said?"

"It isn't possible." He said with hatred.

He has been thinking about it, "How can you be so sure?" I ask him.

"If it were possible to take the abomination out of me the Restorers would have found a way to do it a long time ago." He said with confidence.

"Ha that is interesting, this abomination is not something the Restorers even understand.” I say abomination with air quotes of course, “You can't find a way to shut off or remove something you don't understand."

"I am done talking to you demon.” He spit at me as he said. “I will not discuss the impossible with you!"

"Actually, that is good, because no matter how much you try you cannot shut out what I am about to say." I took a seat across from Luke and started in, "the problem with taking your gift away from you," he grunted at the use of gift, "is that it is a part of your soul. If it is to be removed it will take a piece of your soul with it. You may not believe this, but I have spoken with the lord of fire on your behalf."

He looked at me with loathing, “You have spoken to the lord of Fire? More likely you have been speaking to a demon that wishes to take power for himself.”

I shrug my shoulders, "You can call him whatever you wish, but if you ever meet him and call him that you probably won’t live to take your next breath. So, trust me he really is someone you don’t ever want to meet, but he is required to take your fire, but I can tell you I don't know if he will do it. I asked him if he could take away or shut off your fire and the conversation didn't really go well."

"So, you truly believe it isn't possible to remove my fire?" He questioned with skepticism.

"I believe it is, I just have to convince Aedus to do it." I said.

"Aedus?" Luke questioned.

"That is the lord of fires name." Finally, there is a little bit of hope in his eyes. Now I just have to be able to get Aedus to help with this.

"Did he actually say he can do it?" Luke asked with the care he had said anything any time I had spoken with him.

"He didn't actually say he could, but he said he was the only one that could help me with this." I explained.

Luke sat forward and asked. "So, what do I have to do?"

"Wow, you really have been thinking about this haven't you? You are actually being decent.” I tried to caution him, “but if we take your power it will take a piece of your soul. We can just shut your powers off instead, so you will not be able to feel it or access it.”

Luke shook his head no, “that part of my soul is a taint anyway, shutting them off would still leave me an abomination. I want them gone completely if it is possible.” He replied without conviction.

He really doesn’t think it can be done but has a small hope that maybe I am right. "Ok, I am going to have to see if I can get Aedus to come help us."

"How long is that going to take?" He asked with fake amusement.

"About thirty seconds if he is willing." Luke just gave me a crazy look. "I can step outside and contact him, or I can do it right here. Somehow, they can talk to me in my head. Would you like me to leave while I try?" Why am I being so nice to someone that wants to see me dead, and telling him information he doesn’t need to know about me?

"Here is fine." He said as he sat back with a look like he was just waiting for me to make a fool of myself.

“Aedus? Aedus, I know you can hear me. Aedus?” I swear he is such a jack a*s. “Aedus please, I need your help.”

“I am aware child.”

“Oh, you are...” I asked with scorn.

“Careful,” Aedus said, “you are the one requesting my help.

Right, stay focused Kenna, “Ok, will you please come join us?”

“No,” was his quick reply.

“What?” I asked in shock, after all this crap he tells me no!

“That creature with you absolute abhors his gifts why should I ever grace his presents.” Aedus replied with hate.

I signed and said, “I need your help please. It isn’t for him it is for me.”

“I did not say I would not help you,” Aedus said gently, “but I will not join you in that room.”

"He will not come Luke." I said quickly.

“That is because he doesn’t exist. You are nothing but a liar and a demon.” Luke spat quickly.

Luke probably didn’t think I noticed, but he also deflated as he called me names, inside he was hoping this would all work.

I held my hands up, "but he said he would help me he just will not come."

"How am I supposed to believe you? You are an abomination and all you did was sit in that chair like you were meditating." He said as he turned away from me.

"You don't have to believe me, you just have to be willing to allow for whatever Aedus is about to tell me needs done to remove your gift." I answered simply.

"Really? And what exactly is that?" He said without turning back to look at me.

Man, I am really not liking this guy, if this wasn’t to also help out my family by protecting them from him I would walk out now. "You know what, I have changed my mind. Why on earth should I help you with this? I will be seeing you Luke." And I just got up and started walking out the door, of course hoping he would change his mind. I almost had the door shut and figured I would have to try again another day, when Luke decided to speak up.

"You will help me with this because you also get something out of it.” Luke said in reflection, “If you take the fire away from me then you protect your family from me."

"Aha, you are right.” I agreed as I came back in, “but that could also be remedied by allowing your death."

"You have yet to kill anyone in this entire endeavored, I do not believe you have it in you to kill someone." He said with confidence.

"Yet you think I am the devil incarnate. If that is true wouldn't I easily be able to kill you and do nothing to help you?" That made him pause, but only for a second.

"I will concede that a part of you might be good, but there is evil in you and that is starting to take over you. I know you are using your abilities and that is feeding the evil within you." He said with certainty.

"This is not getting us anywhere. Are you willing to try and allow us to take the fire from you?" I asked on a huff.

"I am, what do we need to do?" He agreed as he turned back to me.

“Ok Aedus, he is ready. Can you take the fire from him?”

“No”

“I thought you were going to help me?” I asked in frustration.

“I am, but I am not taking his fire from him you are.”

“What? How?” I stammered, “I don't know how to do that.”

“You listen,” Aedus questioned, “are you capable of doing that?”

“Yes Aedus,” I said begrudgingly, “I am sorry, what do I need to do?”

“Place the hand I put my mark on to his forehead.”

"I need to touch you. I have to place my hand on your forehead is that okay?" I asked Luke with caution.

"I can live with that." He agreed.

I walked over and placed my hand with Aedus' flame on his forehead.

“Now you must search out his flame.”

“What do you mean search out his flame?”

“Close your eyes and feel with your senses for his flame. You will be able to feel it.”

“You want me to close my eyes with this psycho?”

“I will not allow him to hurt you.” Aedus assured me.

“Ok what happens once I find his flame?” I questioned.

“You are going to capture it and draw it out of him and into yourself.”

“What! I don't want his flame.”

“Calm down child, his flame is not tainted, and if you choose not to keep it you don't have to.”

“Ok, here goes nothing.”

I closed my eyes and started trying to feel for the flame. Deep breaths, I can feel myself. I can feel my earth, water, wind and fire. Wait there is another flame, it is very faint, nothing like the flame within me. I allow myself to follow the light to the smaller flame, my fire is like a raging inferno this other flame is no more than a candle flame. Aedus said to capture the flame, how do I capture the flame? I’ll try drawing it into myself, which is working. I have it, okay now what do I do with it? I can't just release it, I guess I can try and draw it within my flame. Ha there it is, it is within my flame but I can still distinguish the new flame, so I can remove it.

Aedus did I do it?

You did child, be careful with this ability. You can handle the flame but taking the power from someone else can be very tempting.

Thanks Aedus, I don't believe that is a problem I am going to have.

"Luke can you tell a difference?" His eyes are as wide as they go. Something must have happened. "Luke can you hear me? Hello Luke?"

"It's um it's gone."

"What?" Luke turned to me in wonder.

"It is gone Kenna, I can no longer feel it within me." He exclaimed!

Wow that is the first time he has called me by my name. Won't last long once he wraps his head around the idea of being normal, but I will take it. "Luke I will leave you now, but I have one more thing I think you should think about."

"What is that?" He said snidely, and the a*s is back.

"You are no longer like me or my kind, but the Restorers will never believe that to be true. If the guys ever decide to let you go my advice is go and start a new life. Stay out of this fight." I try and tell him.

"You just don't want me to tell them anything I learn here." He says with venom.

"If that is what you choose to believe that is your choice. But think on this. If they do manage to kill me and destroy my line who are the next ones they are going after? I know before you were fine with your death being the end of this journey for you, but you no longer have your fire. Are you still prepared to die in the end because they will not believe you are cleansed in their eyes? With that I will leave you Luke, I hope to never see you again,” and I turned and walked out of his cell.

“Aedus am I supposed to be this tired? I feel completely drained by this.”

“It is something else your body has to get used to. You went into his soul and took out his fire. What you did is not an easy task.”

“I don't want to make my body used to that. What do I do now? How do I get rid of his flame?”

“You do not wish to keep it?”

“I do not.”

“Go within yourself and draw it back out. I will take it from you.”

I did as Aedus said and it actually made me feel better to not have anything of Luke within me.

“Thank you Aedus, I truly appreciate your help in this.”

“As you should child.”

Yep, still don't like that guy. But at least it made me tired enough I don't have the energy to still be mad at Jake. Oh crap, speak of the devil, that is him coming into the dungeon, and he saw me coming out of Luke's cell.

"What the hell do you think you are doing with the prisoner?" Jake questioned.

"Jake, I don't have the energy for this, and I have been visiting the prisoners all week." I said as I tried to walk past him.

He grabbed me by the arm and turned me back towards him, "You have been visiting the other two prisoners, not him. He hates you and everything you are, why would you take that risk?"

"It wasn't a risk for me, and I don't take orders from you Jake.” I said as I took my arm away from him. A”s a matter of fact you are more of a subordinate to me than anything, so why don't you stop trying to run the entire show. Dictator is not your place."

"Me your subordinate, are you serious. If it weren't for me, you and Aidan would be dead already." Jake shot back.

"But as I recall Granny is the one to bring your family into this, and you are supposed to stay in the shadows, not right in my face!" I screamed right back at him.

"I AM IN YOUR FACE BECAUSE I HAD TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!" Jake shouted.

"DULY NOTED AND I HAVE ALREADY THANKED YOU FOR THAT. YOU ARE NOT MY BOSS, FATHER, UNCLE OR BROTHER, AND IN NO WAY DO YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DICTATE MY LIFE!"

"I HAVE TO, YOU SURE AS HELL DON'T KNOW HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF SAFE!"

I didn't even feel my hand move until I saw it smack Jake right in the face. I have never hit anyone in my life! I can't stay here and listen to whatever else he has to say, I can't do this anymore! I took off running, and I can hear Jake calling me but there is no way I am stopping to talk to him now. This has gone way too far.