Birthright

Chapter 5 - something to tell you - Theo pov

From the hall window, I spotted Elder Harry and Jackson making their way down the street toward us. Harry looked like he was still catching his breath, while Jackson matched his pace with that steady confidence he’d grown into over the years.

Inside the hall, I waited with two of the other Elders Zachary and Leon both seated at the long oak table that had served as our council’s meeting place since the day we first built this town. The air hummed faintly with the residue of old spells and whispered oaths, a reminder of the magic that had founded our new home.

I’ve been practicing my magic, trying to open a portal to the old realm to Talvarna, where our kingdom once stood, and where Jackson’s true destiny still waits. As his eighteenth birthday draws closer, I can feel his power growing. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever sensed before, not in the kings who came before him, not in my brother, my father, or even my grandfather.

Sometimes, I reach out to the elements, pleading for guidance, asking them to show me what fate has in store for him, for us. But all I ever see is Talvarna. The vision calls to me again and again, though I can’t tell if it’s a glimpse of the future.. or simply a reflection of what my heart longs for most.

Jackson strode through the doorway with Elder Harry trailing behind him.

“Aunt Theo, you called?” he said with a grin, that teasing spark in his eyes.

“Jackson,” I began, my voice trembling slightly with excitement, “I think I’ve finally done it,

I’ve found a way.”

He frowned, the smile fading from his face. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean,” I said, taking a steadying breath, “is that I’ve found a way past the Veil into the old realm, into the kingdom of Talvarna.”

His brows knitted in confusion and awe.

“I can’t hold it open yet,” I admitted. “So far, I’ve only managed to slice the Veil not create a gap large enough for anyone to pass through. But it’s a start, Jackson. For the first time in seventeen years.. it’s a start.”

He looked at me with a spark of excitement, but I caught the flicker of nerves in his eyes. For years he might have believed this day would never come. I could almost see the cogs turning behind those rare, stunning eyes of his one golden brown, the other ocean green so like his parents, yet uniquely his own.

“But, how?” he breathed, barely above a whisper. “After all this time?”

“Now that you’re turning eighteen,” I said softly, “I think the time has come, my dear, for you to start taking back what is yours.”

“This is..a lot to think about, Aunt Theo,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “s**t, there’s so much to think about. I mean I’ll need an army, warriors, weapons, a plan, more training”

His words came faster, his voice rising with every thought until he was nearly rambling. The weight of it all was hitting him at once. I reached out, resting my hands gently on his shoulders, grounding him.

“Breathe, Jackson,” I said firmly but kindly, meeting his gaze. “This is only the beginning. Everything else will come in time. We’ll start planning together while I work to widen the rift enough for someone to cross through to the other side. You are not alone, my dear. You never have been. You never will be.”

“Jac,” Elder Leon said, voice steady, “I was your grandfather’s beta for over a century. I’ve stood in more battles than I can count. I may be an old man now, but I pledge my legion to you. I will fight for you. I will fight for Talvarna.”

Elder Leon was roughly one hundred and seventy-five years old, but his posture and hard eyes proved age had only sharpened him he still looked like someone who could kick every ass in the room, he would even give Jackson a run for his money.

“You have us,” Elder Zachary said, his voice hard and commanding. “Use our knowledge. I think.. if Theo can make the rift just big enough, we can send someone through to gather intel on the current situation, to find allies, to recruit anyone willing to stand against Lucian. You won’t face this alone, Jackson.”

I listened quietly as the elders spoke, letting their wisdom and steady words ease Jackson’s racing thoughts. Their ideas were sharp, their advice invaluable, strategies, warnings, guidance, everything he would need to face what lay ahead.

Now, it was on me. I had to focus, to push harder than ever to widen the rift. And when the time came, I would need to hold the portal steady, strong enough to get everyone safely through. The weight of it pressed on me, but I couldn’t falter, not when so much depended on what was coming.