I went back up to my room, climbing the stairs as quickly as I could without dislodging Poe from my shoulder and found my father waiting for me.
"Shut the door. We need to talk," he said from his seat on the end of my bed, his tone of voice that quiet harshness that parents get when before they really lay into you.
I dropped my bag and did as he asked, already dreading whatever it was he wanted to talk about. Poe let out a soft call, rustling his wings as I transfered him gently to his perch by my desk.
"Ezra, come sit down."
I picked up my bag instead, setting it on my desk and unzipping it open. "I'd rather go ahead and unpack," I said, tossing a bundle of dirty laundry into my hamper. "I might not get a chance to later."
"Erza, you can't go through with this. You can't take the test."
The desperation in my father's voice made me turn around to look at him. "Why not? Because I don't have Talent?" I felt anger boil up in me all over again. Why didn't anyone believe in me? "I know more about the theory of Necromancy than most necromancers my age because I've studied and studied hoping that something would help trigger my Talent. I may not have the Talent, but I have everything else I need to pass the test. I've got to have a shot, at least." I didn't add the part where all I could think about was saving Avery from marrying into the Ackland family.
"It takes more than just knowing the theory, Ezra! The test is dangerous and that's not even the point that I'm trying to make here."
"Oh yeah, then why shouldn't I take the test? Why can't I try?"
"Because you aren't my son!" He stared at me as the silence built between us. "You don't have any Talent because you aren't part of the Stanwood bloodline."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What? That's not-"
Dad clasped his hands together, studying them without really seeing them. "After your brother was born, there were ...some complications. We went to specialists and tried all we could to have another child, but it just wasn't possible. Your mother was heart broken."
I was stunned. Reaching back, I rolled my desk chair over to sit. "But then, how am I here?"
He glanced up at me, but his gaze traveled pass me to Poe. "It was a few nights after Liam's second birthday. A storm came in and it had been raining hard. I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night to find one of the windows in the bedroom open. Sitting on the sill was a raven. I remember being surprised. Even though the raven is the symbol for our Family, we hadn't seen any on the mountain in years.
"An impulse came over me then, that I had to go to the Vault and I had to go quickly. I ran up the path. I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I got to the cemetery, I found it full of ravens. But the oddest part was that Vault stood open."
"That's not possible..." I stuttered. It couldn't be. The Vault was sealed magickally and would only open for a Stanwood, and even then, only for certain occasions. It was like the Vault itself had it's own mind. It wouldn't just be open.
"It stood open, and just inside out of the reach of the rain, was a bundle of cloth and a single raven. Even with all the noise from the storm and the ravens, you slept soundly, with a raven feather held tightly in your hand. I picked you up and the raven beside you took a perch on my shoulder when all the others flew off into the storm. He's watched over you ever since."
I looked at Poe, still trying to understand what my father was telling me. I wasn't a Stanwood. I didn't have any Talent because I wasn't a necromancer. My chest grew tight as I fought to control all the emotions raging through me. "How could I just appear in the Vault? It's not possible-"
Dad studied me. "Your mother believes the Great One who guides our family, Rabranus, sent you to us. How else is it possible for us to have found you in the Vault? You know as well as I that regular humans aren't able to enter the cemetery without help, And no other Necromancer besides myself or your two year-old brother could have opened the Vault."
He was right. We were the last- No, they were the last of the Stanwood blood. The war with the Witches had made sure of that. And now, who was I? Did I have another set of parents out there looking for me? I couldn't have just appeared, right?
"From that moment on you were our son, and you always will be our son no matter what happens, but ..." he paused searching for the words. "When you didn't develop the signs of Talent even after all your studying and trials and errors, your mother and I, we never wanted you to feel like you didn't belong. Ezra, we don't want to lose you. The Great Ones may have placed you in our care, but they may not have meant for you to become a Necromancer like us. Even if the Vault opens for you, your chances of passing the test..."
He left the rest unsaid, but I already knew there was a pretty good chance I was facing my death by doing this. So really, what did this change? Avery didn't want me risking my life for her either, but it wasn't more than an hour ago, right here in my room that she told me that I did have Talent. And not to mention Thea, she may have been a little kid still, but her predictions were more powerful than the rest of her family's.
I let out the breath that I'd been holding and leaned forward to put my head in my hands, trying to clear it of all my thoughts. How was it possible that my life could have fallen apart in less than twenty four hours?
Dad stood, and rested a hand on my shoulder. "I can't tell you what to do. You're eighteen now, and this has got to be a decision you make on your own. I just wanted you to know all the information. We never told the Families that you weren't ours. I will explain this to them so that you won't have to take the test."
"No!" I jumped to my feet. "You can't do that. If I don't take the test, then Avery will have to marry Collen. I can't let that happen."
"Ezra," he said, and looked as if he was about to say something else. Instead, he changed his mind and walked over to the door. "Get some rest then, you'll need all of your strength."
He left and I stared at the closed door for a long time. Everything I'd thought was true about my family, about who I was, just wasn't right any more. My entire life was built around being a Stanwood Necromancer even though my Talent never manifested. And now? I couldn't even really call myself a Stanwood. Maybe Avery was right. I would probably just get myself killed tonight.
I tossed my bag and clothes on the floor, because suddenly, unpacking didn't seem all that important. I curled onto my bed instead, pulling the sheet and blankets up around me. Exhaustion pushed on me like a heavy weight, and yet, I couldn't find sleep. There was too much to wrap my head around, and too much pain in my heart.
Poe cawed softly, winging over to walk carefully along the coverlet to settle himself beside me. Peace washed over me, and before I could think otherwise, I drifted off.
Liam woke me late in the afternoon, as the sun sank below the tree line on the mountain. He set a plate of food and a bottle of water down on my desk and left as quietly as he'd come in.After letting Poe out my little window to find some food for himself, I ate dinner alone in my room, hardly tasting the food. I forced it down knowing I would need the strength later. Sleeping the little I did had helped, but my mind still spun with the story that Dad had told me. If I really wasn't a Stanwood, then why was I found in the Vault? Why would the Great Ones bring me to my mother and father?I closed my eyes trying to force the never ending stream of questions out of my mind. I needed to focus on the test. Dad was right. If I wasn't a Stanwood, I really shouldn't take it. What if we went up there and the Vault refused to open for me? Or worse, it opened but nothing happened.It was eight in the evening when I finally went downstairs. Everyone sat in the living room,
My heart pounded in my ears as my eyes fought to see anything in the darkness. What was supposed to happen next? I turned in a circle, feeling as if the darkness was closing in on me. Poe shifted on my shoulder again, letting out a soft caw."Hello?" I called out. My previous thought of the test not trigging came flying back to my mind. I'm Talentless, I'm not even technically a Stanwood. What if I wasn't supposed to be here?I tried to slow my hectic breathing as the blackness around me closed in. If I couldn't take the test, the door to the vault wouldn't open until it was time for the next test, or the next member in my family died.I spun around, trying to feel around for anything, a wall, the door.Pain shattered my panic, forcing me to concentrate on the sharp, sudden bite on my earlobe. Poe squawked loudly.Reaching up, I felt for his feathers, gently laying a hand on him. "Thanks partner." Poe had cleared my mind enough for logic to take ov
A cool hand was wrapped around my own. That was the first thing I noticed. The second was how much I hurt. Everywhere.I opened my eyes, thankful that it was dark, but confused when I found myself staring up at the ceiling of my own room. My body felt too hot, stifling under the blankets that were piled on top of me."Ezra?" Mom's voice was just a whisper from the foot of my bed, but her eyes were bright with relief when I looked down at her. She clutched at the foot board, trying hard to stay quiet."Mom," I said, my voice weak. "What happened?"Avery stirred next to me. She was sitting in my desk chair and had slumped over the side of the bed, asleep. It was her hand that was wrapped around my own.She opened her eyes, and they reminded me of something. Something that had happened."Your test, it took too long, the others began to think that..." Mom paused a brief moment, then forced herself to continue. "That maybe you didn't make it. But
I followed Poe through the door. The heat hit me immediately. I strained to see the tops of the trees that stood like giants around me. I was in a jungle, but where?Poe was perched on a bush not far to my left. His dark feathers standing out like a thorn against its bright flowers."There you are!"I whipped around to see a girl, tiny and delicate, stepping out of the undergrowth with a spear. She wore a wrap of bright orange, like a monk's almost. But even though the color was vibrant, her expression of suppressed fear and urgency was what really startled me."You're talking to me?" I asked her looking around.She nodded. "Come, my people need you." She motioned for me to follow her, and even took my hand when I hesitated, dragging me forward. "Come, Come!"I followed her as she ran barefoot through the jungle, barely able to keep up with her. Poe glided over us, never too far from my sight. We came around a large root of the tree on a hil
I told them everything, not holding back anything more other than the fact that Poe had changed his form. The elder Heads of the Family shared another look in the silence that followed. It only made me more nervous."He described the lost family's power perfectly," Lyssa said, looking to my father. "Could it really be possible that your son was chosen to revive the Reinhardt line?""How do we know he isn't making all of this up?" Nathan argued.Lyssa stepped in front of him before I even had a chance to defend myself. "You were in diapers when the last of the Reinhardts were killed. How do you know he's lying? You forget that the Emersons worked closely with our lost brothers and sisters. I saw their powers first hand. And that description Ezra just gave was to the T."Nathan's gaze iced over as he held his ground. "I must see this to believe it."My father studied the two of them before turning to me. "I hate to ask this of you while you are still
I stayed in bed for nearly a week, focusing on resting. I talked to Poe once we were alone, but he acted as he always had, like a bird. It got to the point where I wondered if I'd just imagined him as a human. Maybe I'd even imagined it all. But the pendant I wore told me differently, and I could feel the Talent pulse along my skin, spreading like a burning rash."Are you sure you feel alright?" Mom asked for about the billionth time, while I shrugged on my coat. I'd considered leaving it behind, but settled for keeping it unzipped. Sweat beaded on my forehead and I wiped it away impatiently."I'm fine," I groaned, ignoring the slight tremble in my hand as I reached for the door handle. Okay, so I wasn't a hundred percent, but if I had to listen to her fawn over me all day again, I was going to scream; in that girly, horror film kinda way.Mom followed me to the porch to wish Avery and her family a safe trip. The snow glare was bright and hurt my eyes, but the c
For two weeks, I walked up to the Vault every day to study with Poe. We concentrated on meditation until my strength fully returned, and then, slowly, I started working on accessing my Talent. The power had built up in my body over the weeks since my test, to the point my temperature hovered around 105 and I wore t-shirts and shorts on my walks even as the snow continued to fall on the mountain.Mom fretted at first, thinking I was going to catch my death, but after a while she left me alone. I didn't talk about what I did up there, only mentioning I was trying to figure out how my Talent worked. That seemed enough for them to leave me be. Things between my 'parents' and I had been different since my Test. And no one wanted to bring up the herd of elephants that had stampeded into the room.For my physical training, Poe started with the basics, some of which I'd already knew from my training with Dad and Liam from when I was younger. Necroma
The next couple of weeks were mind-numbingly slow, but the time to leave for Avery's ceremony finally came. I packed lightly. A few changes of clothes, and almost as an afterthought, my cell-phone. I wasn't sure it'd be useful, but it'd never hurt to carry it. Dad and I set out a day or two before Mom and Liam. Mom had wanted to finish setting up the greenhouses for our week long trip away and Liam had offered to stay and help her.Dad, Poe, and I loaded up into my SUV and drove south as the sun rose up over the mountains. I drove first, taking us out of the Blue Ridge Mountains and into Gastonia where we stopped briefly before Dad took over driving for a bit. I felt anxious and nervous at the same time all because I was basically on my way to see my bride. After this ceremony, Avery and I would be as good as married in the eyes of our Families. I watched the road signs, mentally following the map of Interstate 85 as it headed southwest to where we'd have to switch to I20 in