Haunted Heart

Too Much

    “Well, come along then,” said Zander “I don’t have much time so we need to get a move on”. They exited the library and began walking down the hall in the same direction Angela had been heading earlier.

    “As you probably figured out by now you where just in the living quarters wing of the house. If you continue down this hallway and down the stairs you will come to the main living space.” As they walked down the stairs Zander continued to talk though Angela was no longer listening. Her attention was drawn to the beauty of the home around her. From her small, simple room she would not have imagined what the rest of the home held. The living room was large and grand, with comfortable furnishings and a floor to ceiling stone fireplace. Over head hung a large elegant chandelier of crystal that sparked like the sun. 

    In the midst of admiring her surroundings she forgot to pay attention to Zander, and as they crossed into the kitchen he chose to remind her of his presence. He did so by stopping abruptly, causing Angela to run head long into him. 

    Zander turned her with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, “If you would close your mouth and glue your eyes back into their sockets, I have some people I would like you to meet.”

    “I believe you have met Ben. He is my right hand man” Zander said as he walked through the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out a couple of waters, handing one to Angela he continued in his introductions. 

“This is Netta, our resident doctor. Arron is one of many other counsel members that you will eventually meet. He is Head of the Falcon Shifters and is with us to help you prepare for your future duties.” Angela excepted hand shakes and smiled politely, trying her best to seem at ease with the situation. 

Without another word Zander turned to leave the kitchen. Angela hurried to fallow him as she still had so many questions that still needed answering. They walked out onto a large stone patio over looking a lake of deep blue. 

    “So you sent your right hand man to kidnap me? Why him and not you?” She asked. “Because Ben does not draw unnecessary attention to himself, he gets the job done quickly with little to no interruptions. If I had come my presence would have drawn far too much attention and likely resulted in me having to persuade people to look the other way.” 

    “How could you possibly draw more attention than mister two tons carrying an unconscious women over his shoulder?” Angela wondered. “The power that I and others possess as leaders, though we may try to hide it, is still somewhat palpable to the humans and tends to cause chaos when we least want it to” Zander replied. “As for you not drawing attention, given your immense powers, my theory is that your father found a way to shroud your powers from the humans. That also made it possible for you to hide from whomever killed your parents as well as those of us that have been searching for you in hopes that you will take your rightful place.”

    Angela looked away from the water to stare up at Zander with a puzzled expression. “How do you know about my parents? And I still don’t understand why you think I’m your shifter queen.” Zander took a deep breathe and tried to explain, “Your father was once the leader of the bears, and your mother was once the leader of the lions. Both exceptionally powerful in their own rights. Before they met your mother was fated to marry another lion of great power. She was promised to him when she was very young and was never given any say in the matter. After your mother met your father she knew that she could not go through with the betrothal. She decided their only hope was to run. At the time cross species unions where frowned upon in the shifter world. And given that your mother was already engaged to another lion of power they knew they would have a long hard fight ahead of them, that is if they both survived once they where found out. So they fled and tried to live as normal of a life as they could among the humans. And for a long time they succeeded. That is until you where born. On that day every leader in the council felt a surge of power. Some say it was as if they had been struck by lightening. The man that your mother had been betrothed to had become one of those council members. At first the council was perplexed as to what could have caused such an intense reaction in all of them. They began digging for answers, looking through all manner of history and even going so far as to consider some of the myths and ledgends passed on to us from our ancestors. That is when they came across the prophesy. The prophesy of the future of the shifters, lead by one women. A women of immense power that will guide our kind into a new era. 

    The council searched through all the birth records for the shifter tribes but where unsuccessful in finding a child born on that day. They knew the only other option would be your parents having a child. Some of the council members voted to leave you all alone in hopes that your parents would step forward on their own once they became aware of your power. Others, including the lion leader, wanted to begin a search for your parents and in turn you. Most of the council have had good intentions, always trying to look out for the shifters and keeping their best interest at heart. But others have not been so caring and honest. They sought to find you only so that they could use you, or worse, destroy you. I regret that the people that found your father and then later your mother where of the cold and a calculated kind. My only hope is that we can prepare you here without drawing too much attention. That way when the time comes for you to take your place as queen few will even try to challenge you.”

    Angela let out a breathe that she didn’t even know she was holding. She had not moved the entire time Zander had been talking and even now her legs felt as though they would not hold her much longer. Zander looked back at her as if waiting for Angela to respond in some way. His wish was granted when Angela’s eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed to the ground with a thump.