Lucky's Legacy

Chapter 7

I got so caught up in my anger that I didn't stop to think about what I knew.

I could have killed Trout almost instantly. One flick of my fin and he'd be dust in the current, like my dad and sister.

"Don't...do it. It's not...your fault," Trout said.

"What do you mean?" I said, getting right in his face.

"Your...sister. She's right," he said. "I'm...out of time...now. Listen...to her. When you get...to Larani, tell...your mom that it...it wasn't you. You didn't...kill me."

Trout shouted in agony until he finally burst into dust. Only this time, his dust accumulated into a ball where he died and shot into the ground, sending tendrils of life through the pond. The plants became brighter, the sand beneath me turned from gray and tan to pastel blues and purples. Even the water was clearer.

I couldn't look around long because the energy and power I used on Trout made me more tired. I rested behind a plant peacefully, knowing there wouldn't be any more danger.

In my dreams, Finn was there again. However, the setting was different and Dad was there.

We were in a tank, but it wasn't the one I was raised in. I did recognize certain plants and ornaments that had been removed from the tank over time.

"Very good, brother," Finn said. Her voice echoed.

"Where are we?" I asked. "And what did I do?"

"We are in Sadie's other fish tank. And you figured out the truth," Finn said.

"What truth?" I asked.

"You didn't kill us," Dad said.

"Trout framed you to get you out of Proud Pond. He knew of your Celestial powers even before your Sallaral powers so you could either be executed or banished to Larani," Finn said. "When a Celestial is killed by a Sallaral, their minds are linked. I didn't hear your voice when I died."

"When you told me you killed Finn, that didn't sound like something you were capable of. I knew you'd be powerful, given your parentage, but not powerful enough to kill Finn, especially since it's impossible for any Sallaral to kill their siblings," Dad said.

"Well, who's voice did you hear?" I asked.

"I don't know who the voice I heard was, but it's definitely someone you need to watch out for. Go back to town, find Bella, and tell her the truth. She won't believe you at first, but she'll understand eventually," Finn said. "When she knows it wasn't you who killed us, she'll help you find who it was."

I nodded. "Dad, who killed you?"

"I actually heard two voices. One was Tremendous Trout, and the other was someone else. I think it was the same one who killed Finn," Dad said.

"Is that even possible?" I asked.

"Not usually," Finn said.

I thought about what I knew for awhile, then said "How are you communicating with me? You're dead," I said.

"Good question. We can't communicate with anyone who is awake, but we can talk to anyone who's sleeping. I don't know how, but we can," Finn said.

"What about my last dream? You told me not to trust my dreams," I said.

Finn and Blast exchanged a look. "That wasn't me. Tell me about your dream," Finn said.

"You told me it wasn't my fault, but that I shouldn't believe anything you told me in my dreams," I said. "I believed you anyway, and Trout hinted to me that you were right."

"That was not me. I've never come to anyone in their sleep. I only did it now because I had to tell you what we figured out and that you needed to let Bella know," Finn said.