Eternal silence of the sea

Chapter two :The protector

The flame rose and fell in contrast to Nana's story. Samari loved when her grandmother told her the stories of the long fallen king and queen of the old Indinah.

King Luther Lavanis and queen Monica Lavanis. Nana's grandparents. In the old Indinah, witches lived among human. Shape shifters traveled the world with ease. Demons crossed between realms and it was all normal.

King Luther had been a shape shifter. His wife a witch. Their first son was a powerful heir with the power of his father. The next was a wizard. And their thirds, a set of twins. One a witch like their mother. The other as powerless as a human. And the fourth was a seer.

Nana placed a couple more logs in the fire before she continued with her tale. 'Among all the witches in the land of Indinah, the most powerful was Sahili. The witch of despair. She was able to ignite the darkest of emotions a person could possess. And she'd use her fold on them to do her biding.' Nana paused for a brief second. 'But the Lavanis were a very powerful family too. With their might, they restrained the witch in a place hidden from all.'

Samari loved how Nana portrayed their family to be the heros. She loved that they were of royal origin. But most of all. She adored Lilith Lavanis. The human twin of the family. She was the prettiest among them and was the kindest. She was Nana' s mother. Samari's great grandmother.

'Tell me about the king's children.' She knew if she asked about lilith her grandmother would refuse to retell her mother's life. So Samari opted to ask about her siblings as well.

'The first was Aroon. A matani shape shifter. He could only turn into animals, but all were fierce. He was arrogant. He believed he deserved all the treasures of the world. He was a risky son and a greedy brother. But he was a good prince. Apart from himself, he only loved his kingdom.

'The second was lemuel. One of the rare sons of a witch to possess witch abilities. He could make all sorts of potions and charms. He was a kind man. Always brewing something new. He once made me a new perfume.' Nana grinned at the memory. They were all killed in the great tide.

Not wanting to put her grandmother through the torture of those memories, Samari thought to change the topic. But her grandmother spoke before her.' Every one says the gods were behind the tide. A cleanse of the gifted. But I know better. Someone awoke the sea. They caused the tide. They killed everyone good.' She sucked in a breath. 'Amores, never forget those that were before you. They all have their stories to tell. The dark still exists. The dead live among the living. The demons till travel through the realms.'

She opened her eyes. She was again on the soft bed. In the same room. Except for the fact that there was now a roof above her. One made of glass. Through it the light of the sun filled in. She looked down at her hand. The tattoo was a blue rose. It's stem covered in thorns. It went from the top of her elbow to just below her shoulder. It was a beauty.

She remembered how it had glowed red and wondered what it meant. 'I can feel you staring from the shadows.' She didn't have to look for her to know it was the ripper. She didn't know how she'd known he was there but would think of that later.

'Interesting. You were able to sense my presence.' He was even more beautiful than he was the previous night. Except he had the decency to wear a shirt. 'How are you feeling now?' he asked, his expression neutral.

She was in another time line. One she doubted existed. She was in someone else's body and had no idea how. 'Good. I no longer have suicidal thoughts if that's what you're asking.' She had always thought of death. Usually her own. But last night had been the first time she wished it to happen.

'What was the cause of the "effects"?', she asked.

'The time leap.' He said it blantly.

'Is there another explanation for this?' there had to be something more believable. Something more comforting.

'Non that are true.' He moved closer to the bed. 'You're here either because you want to be here or someone else does. '

That wasn't comforting. 'Who's Onisha?', she remembered him calling her a protector. Protectors were tasked with protecting the royal family. They were chosen to protect a specific member and should be willing to die for the cause. If Onisha was a protector, then she guarded one of Samari's ancestors.

'She was of the night flight clan. Speed and accuracy their main power.' He paused, as though waiting for a question.

'I know who they are.' She said and he went on, answering the question she was yet to ask.

'Her life belongs to Princess Estella Lavanis. The seer.' He had to be joking. Samari was currently in the body of her great-grand aunt's protector. Nana Patricia had said little of her. She was always alone, but Nana had believed her and her older sister, the witch among the twins were behind great troubles.

'Where's Onisha now? Did we swap bodies?', she had so many questions but no clear answer. But one question came to mind, one she probably should have asked first. 'Who are you?'

The ripper flinched. As though the question was a physical blow. 'Non of your concern. I am not here by choice if that's what you mean.'

It wasn't. Samari knew for fact that he wasn't human. But she had not an idea of who he was, for he certainly wasn't the ripper. He would have dragged her to hell by now if he was.

'Then why are you here?' she pushed. He hesitated for a second before answering.

'I was summoned, so I came.' His answers were short. Leading to other questions. He put a hand out, 'No more questions. I only need answers and ideas.'

'Who are you? What do you want? Why do you want it?', he asked the questions as though they were part of a script.

'I thought you already knew who I am.' He had known her name without her saying it. Wasn't that proof enough that he knew who she was?

'Samari. You live alone on in the new Indinah. You found something that brought you here and you don't seem to remember what. Unless that's all there is to your life you have to start talking.

Maybe that was all there was to it. She thought.' Samari Lavanis.' If he was stunned at her discloser, he didn't show. 'Lilith is my great grandmother.'

'Interesting.' He moved towards the door. 'We won't find answers by sitting here all day. Why don't we go and check out the life of Onisha?'