“I can’t believe you didn’t let Jen come along. She’s going to be pissed when someone else comes home with Cain’s head.”
Fane shook his head. “I was speaking figuratively, Zara.”
“That’s boring,” Myanin quipped. “I’ll be sure to bag it up. No sense in changing tradition now.”
Just before the fae flashed, Lizzy laughed. “I thought I met crazy people when I was homeless. You all make them look sane.”
Six
“Losing magic for a supernatural being is the equivalent of a human losing a limb. Or at least that’s the only thing I know to compare it to. There’s something vital missing from me, and I feel phantom echoes of it in my body. But when I reach for it, there’s nothing there.” ~Thad
“Years have passedwith no visitors, and yet in the span of a month, I have had three. First, I received a confused fae. Now, I entertain Thadrick, the djinn with scattered memories, and his mate, Jezebel, a rare white witch. I am knowledgeable of the past but not the future, and I have notanticipated the arrival of these newcomers in my domain. I cannot say that I am pleased, Thadrick. Even those who bring me food leave it at the door, fearing to come closer.”
“Forgive our intrusion, Knowing One.” Thadrick bowed his head. Jezebel mimicked the motion but remained silent.
“What is it you think I can do for you, History Keeper?” Anuva stood from his chair, navigating around his cluttereddesk. Books filled every available space, leaving only narrow paths in the massive structure deep in the djinn realm. He valued his privacy, a necessity for his chosen task.
“You know what has happened to my mind,” Thadrick’s confidence was unwavering. “You are The Keeper of Lost Things, so you know what I have lost. I’m not asking for those memories back. I’m asking you to clear the chaos that remains. You, of all our kind, embody order. Bestow that upon me, if you are able. That is all I ask.”
Anuva chuckled, leaning back on his desk, a rare gesture for him. His job required a level of seriousness that left little room for humor. Now, a decision was presented to him. What Thadrick asked was within Anuva’s power. But was restoring Thadrick’s mind, and thus his full power, the right thing to do?
“You are powerful even without the order of your mind,” Anuva pointed out.
“But I am not…”—Thad hesitated—“mewithout it. I cannot be who I was created to be.” Thadrick’s frustration showed in his tense posture.
“Have you considered that your purpose might change?” Anuva moved to a shelf, running his hands across ancient texts until he found the book he sought. “Supernatural beings often cling to an idea like a child to a toy, willing to harm others to protect what they perceive as theirs.”
“If I’m not meant to be a History Keeper anymore, then what am I?” Thadrick’s desperation gave Anuva pause.
Anuva opened the book, finding a specific passage, and began to read.“‘Hello, my child,’ the Great Luna said to a young djinn. ‘I have many plans for your life. Your identity comes from me and my love for you, not from the job you will take on.’ The boy looked at the goddess in awe, amazed she would speak to him. ‘Nothing I create is insignificant. There is beauty and purpose in everything at the right time. You are created formore than one purpose. You will not remember this until it is time. You are dear to me’.”
Anuva closed the book, causing dust particles to rise and shimmer in the light. He returned it to the shelf and faced Thadrick and Jezebel. “You see, Child,” he said without condescension, “you should never find your identity in what you do. You are so much more than that.”
Thadrick’s eyes were glassy as he stared at the book’s place on the shelf, a memory resurfacing. After a moment, he looked back at Anuva.
“My powers will not return, will they?” His voice held a rare vulnerability.
“No. I don’t know what the Creator has for you. I don’t know the future. But from my long experience, I know that learning to change and move forward is part of growing. Those of us who live long lives often think we have nothing left to learn, that we are all-knowing. But only one is all-knowing and unchanging, a constant rock for her creation. The question is, will you trust her to know what is best for you? Will you grow and change, or will you stubbornly fight against this new chapter in your story?”
Anuva returned to his chair, steepling his hands as he looked at the couple. He saw resignation in Jezebel’s eyes and a sense of loss in Thadrick’s. He believed Thadrick would find his way, follow the Great Luna’s guidance, and discover his new purpose. “Go, Thadrick of the djinn. Take your mate, join your comrades, and discover what the Great Luna has in store for you. The memory I did not read is that you will always have the power of the djinn, but you were never meant to be the History Keeper for all time.”
Thadrick stood outside the veil of his people, unsure how to feel about what he’d learned. How could he question the Great Lunawho created him and gave him purpose? How could he let go of what he once was?
Jezebel’s hand ran down his arm, her fingers entwining his. She was a source of comfort in his raw and exposed state. How would she feel about him? Would she view him as less?
“I can practically see your worries.” She shook his arm until he looked at her. “You’re still you, Thad. You were a history keeper, but you’re so much more. You’re a warrior, a friend, a lover, a man who cares deeply for justice. There is much you have to offer. And I will be beside you as we both figure out where we fit in this chaos.”
He knew she was right, as was Anuva. It might take some time to adjust, but Thad wouldn’t let this change him. He wouldn’t let it weigh him down until he was useless. The djinn would follow the Great Luna’s guidance and go where it led him.
He turned to Jezebel, the woman who chose him. “I love you.” He took her face in his hands.
“I love you, Thadrick.” She smiled, rising on her toes to kiss him. They were both breathless when they finally pulled away.
“I imagine Fane could use us somehow.”
Jezebel laughed. “If he can use Myanin, then he surely has a place for you in this battle.”
Thad pulled out his phone and sent a group text to the fae he knew. A moment later, Dain, one of the high fae, appeared.
