The Night Rider

Chapter 26

Celeste

I am shocked by a knock on the door. 'Inside'. Slowly the door slides open and Nuri's red dress comes through the doorway. The often somewhat cheerful lady now wears a heavy expression on her face. The woman I have known for so many years and so much has changed in the passing time. The woman I still wonder if she will ever go back to the best version of herself.

She closes the wooden door behind her and stands up with her hands behind her back. I turn completely in her direction and look at her with anticipation. 'It's time for me to tell you something.' The words leave her mouth with a sigh. She seems to gather the courage to walk in my direction. Her black heels bring her more in my direction. I still look at her waiting for an explanation.

'When Rafiki was in my belly I already knew that Yin hadn't disappeared, I felt the presence and knew it would affect her'. She starts her story quietly but I can already predict that this will go to something I won't be happy about. 'During the pregnancy I connected Rafiki to my lifeline so that Yin wouldn't transfer his full power to her'.

I can't explain how forbidden it is what I just heard. The highest betrayal of a child is using magic while they are unborn. It is attacking the purest thing that exists. 'As soon as she was born the connection between the lines is broken, at least that is what I thought. I grow weaker with every murder she commits, she unwittingly draws magic from me'.

I let my hand go through my black hair and slowly try to let everything into my head. I want to say something but Nuri is ahead of me. 'I would like to break it but it will kill Rafiki faster. She draws magic from me so she stays stronger herself, if she doesn't it will speed up the process many times'.

I stare at the door, hoping that my brain will solve the puzzle. 'How weak does she make you?' Even though I'm afraid of the answer, I have to ask myself. In the back of my mind I know the answer but with many things at this moment I don't want to face it. She is quiet for a moment, looking for the right words.

I have finished waiting for an answer and get up. I walk towards the woman in quick steps and grab her hand in a grip. I turn her palm up and let my fingers slide over her lines. Feeling a sharp pain and I know enough. The same pain that Rafiki carries but in lesser sizes is felt by Nuri. This says enough to know that Nuri will be weakened too much by this band. In this way we lose not only Rafiki but also her mother.

'Why are you telling me this now?', I ask softly but audibly. She pulls her hand back and covers her wrist again with the sleeve. Her eyes glide through the space as she tinkers at the sleeve of her dress. 'I always had the idea that the magic she stole from me was not so bad. Now that we know The Night Rider is back we have to be extra careful. She's deteriorating faster than we think'.

The last words come out mumbling. Suddenly my angelic patience changes to anger, purely out of irritation. The irritation for everything life is giving me at the moment. Life is not easy with me, never has been. Not only am I about to lose a girl that I see as my daughter, but I am also losing what I have been looking for all my life. Nobody understands how important Rafiki is for our future.

From a deep point in my body I feel a power rise that I haven't felt for years. A power that I have hidden deep inside myself in order to hide my true nature. It almost hurts to feel that magic again, on the other hand it feels like home.

I try to keep the magic in my body but the accumulated despair and irritation cause me to slowly see my life lines regain their black color. The both dark and white magic runs through the lines to the tip of my fingers. They let my eyes turn black for a few seconds before it disappears back into his prison.

I blink my eyes and look at Nuri. Her gaze is full of amazement and confusion. For a moment she stands motionless still. She doesn't seem to comprehend what she has just seen. 'When were you going to tell me it was you?'. I raise my eyebrow and try not to believe that she thinks I am The Night Rider in the newspapers. 'How long has it been? How long have you been lying to us?'.

I am perplexed. 'What do you mean?' I'm still hoping she doesn't mean what I think she means. She's taking a few steps forward. 'You are The Night Rider, the hope of our country. I thought we'd always be equals, that you'd tell me these important moments. Celeste you've lied to all of us.'

I close my eyes for a few seconds but it doesn't stop me. 'What kind of nonsense are you making up? Do you really think I'm the one in the newspapers? Do you really think that if I were in that position I wouldn't have provided peace and quiet for a long time. Don't you dare ever call me a liar again'. My words are controlled but my message is as clear as can be.

However controlled my words may be, Nuri does not stay calm. 'I can't call you a liar?! You're standing in my face lying to me'. With a raised voice the words come out of her mouth. 'I am not a liar', calm and restrained. Nuri shakes her head laughing. 'Celeste I don't understand how you can stand here. You are the most important person in society, the person we have been looking for for years, and what have you done? Nothing!'

I have to take a deep breath in and out to keep the anger that bubbles up in my body. I have to hold back from telling Nuri how much I have done to keep the world going, how much I have given up. You don't know what you're talking about', I just get it between my teeth. 'I know very well what I'm talking about. I also know that I don't want to see you here anymore. Leave the palace'