Tempest

7 : Never Stop

"I swear it was her, Aida," she cried. "How is that even possible? It's been almost twelve years and I have heard nothing! Why now?"

Tempest had told Aida and Papa Sam what had happened, holding nothing back. They had been talking for hours, all at a loss. Aida had poured over her books and tried to find answers. Finally she had rubbed her tired eyes and sighed.

"It's possible that with your transformation, which required a lot of energy, and you being outside of the barrier, you managed to open the link."

"Why did she disappear though?" Tempest asked, her face devastated. She had been pacing non-stop for hours, not being able to come to terms with what had happened. She had run her fingers through her hair so many times it was standing at all angles on her head. Her eyes were glazed and watery, barely focusing on anything, as though she were a child who was on a sugar high.

"She said she was being held against her will. Maybe whoever is holding her is also blocking your link," Aida said.

"Is there anything strong enough to block a link like that?" Tempest asked, her voice shaking. Memories of the night their link had been broken for the first time kept crashing into her mind.

After a moment, Papa Sam, who had been watching her the whole time, barely speaking, spoke. "There are two things I can think of," he said. "The first is silver. The other is very powerful magic."

Tempest dropped onto the sofa and sat with her face buried in her hands. She had cried and sought comfort from Aida and Papa Sam, but now she just wanted answers.

"How do I find them?" she asked. "I need to find them." The pain and agitation in her voice was raw, rubbing at the already stretched nerves of the Enchantress and the Ogre.

Aida understood, but there was another pressing question that needed to be addressed. Tempest had refused to talk about it other than mentioning it in passing, as though it was insignificant. "Tempest, sweetheart, we need to talk about your mate."

Tempest's head whipped up and she stared at Aida as though she had suddenly sprouted horns. "Why? I need to find my family, He has nothing to do with this." She was back on her feet again, wearing a hole in the carpet.

"What Aida is trying to say," Papa Sam said as he took her hand and pulled her down onto the seat next to him, "Is that maybe he can help."

Tempest shook her head. "He would be a distraction. I cannot afford to be near him right now," she told them.

Aida and Papa Sam shared a look but Tempest ignored them. She already regretted having told them about him, about the Lycan that was her mate. Aida sighed and rubbed her temples. Papa Sam pulled her to him and held her close. He knew how important having something to fight for was. When he started speaking again, Tempest turned her eyes towards him.

"Aida and I were never meant to be," he said softly as he hugged her closer. "We were from different -- lives, different worlds, for want of a better word. Worlds which believed that people of different backgrounds should never interact, should not fall in love. She was a scout and had been sent ahead to look for Ogres. Her mission was straightforward. Find Ogres. Kill them. As simple as that. She had been taught, her whole life, that other supernatural creatures who were different from her were evil and should be eliminated.

"When she found me, I was out hunting. Unfortunately, she fell into my trap and couldn't get out. She was so focussed on getting access to me that she didn't see where she was walking. She was badly hurt. Hit her head on a rock and passed out. Broke a couple of bones as well. I got her out of the trap, took her home. Needless to say, when she woke up she was livid. Fortunately for me she wasn't as strong as she is now else I'd be telling a different story."

Aida chuckled. "I was so naive back then. Believed everything I was told. My family..."

Aida's words dribbled to a halt as something seemed to click in her mind.

"What is it?" Papa Sam asked her, frowning.

"How could I have forgotten?" she asked rhetorically as she stood up and started pacing. Her lips were drawn into a tight line, her brows pulled together. "I have never known any power strong enough to close off a link like that. It has to be them. There can't be anyone else."

"Who are you talking about?" Tempest asked, a frown on her own face.

Aida cast a quick look in her direction and then just as quickly looked away. Her pacing continued until Tempest stood up and walked over to her, stopping her movement by taking her hands in hers.

"My people. They are a group of evil but powerful beings that always believed that anyone who wielded similar powers to theirs needed to be stopped," Aida said.

"Witches?" Tempest asked, confused.

"Oh, Tempest. We were so much more than just that. So much, much more. When I realised that I had been taught nothing but hate and all the -Isms you could think of, I left. They searched for me, hunted me down, but I had a few tricks up my sleeve as well. That's how Sam and I ended up here. The barricade spell is more than just a spell to keep people from finding us. It was designed to keep them from finding me. It has held for more than a hundred years. I don't know what has been going on while I have been hidden away here but I can say this. Whatever they started so many years ago should only have gotten stronger. And if they have your family, then they are almost as good as gone."

Tempest was shocked. She felt like her heart had stopped in her chest and whatever little hope had recently bloomed there almost died a sudden death.

"I won't give up on them," she told Aida vehemently. "As long as I am alive I will search for them and I never stop. Not until I find them."

Aida pulled the girl into her arms and held her tight. When she released her, she looked her in the eye and told her. "These are people who will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way. Believe me when I say, if your parents are alive it is only because they have a reason for them to be. They are people that you cannot look for alone. Cannot fight alone."

"I understand," Tempest told Aida with a smile. "I won't be alone. I will have you and Papa Sam."

Aida's chuckle was sad and quiet. She pulled Tempest into her arms again and she could not control the shivers that raced through her body. "We won't be nearly enough but I will fight for you with everything that I have."

Papa Sam didn't say anything. He stood up and wrapped his arms around his family. Something had started tonight and he didn't know what it was but he knew that for as long as Tempest needed him, he would be right by her side.

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20 September 2020

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