His pulse quickened. Who were these people, and why had Inara allowed them into their home? Morzaun had warned him that the king would send his army upon the village once he learned Eramus resided here. Despite having finally revealed his power, he needed to keep it a secret from the rest of Virgamor…for everyone's sake. Having strangers in his home only complicated the situation. The more people that knew about his power, the more likely the information would reach King Delran.
"Who are you?"
The man rose and joined the woman at her side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she gave him a small nod. "My name is Aldeth," he said. "I'm your uncle, and this is my wife, Yelene."
Eramus retreated to the door. The only uncle he was aware of had killed his mother, and though this man could not possibly be the deceased king, Eramus refused to trust him.
Aldeth held his palms out. "It's all right, Eramus. We aren't here to hurt you."
Yelene stepped forward, her eyes pleading. "Please don't be afraid. We've searched for you for a long time. I saw the ship lost to the sea and feared the worst, but we never gave up hope of finding you."
"Saw?"
His stomach rolled. What did she mean by that?
Aldeth gestured towards the table. "Please, sit. We will explain everything to you. I give you my word."
Inara patted his arm. "I feel we can trust them, dear. You've waited so long for answers. It's time you found some."
Little did she know he had already received many. So many times he'd considered telling Inara about Morzaun, but something stopped him. If the king of Izarden was searching for him, the less Inara knew, the better. Eramus glanced at Yelene, whose hopeful eyes beamed back at him with such warmth that the tension in his body eased. He didn't trust them, but Eramus also couldn't deny his curiosity. He moved to the table and pulled out a chair.
Aldeth and Yelene sat down across from him, while Inara busied herself near the washbasin. She returned a few seconds later with a small, wet rag and offered it to him. Eramus passed her a perplexed expression and her brows raised. "Your nose."
His hand moved subconsciously to where Arnan's fist had landed. Eramus had nearly forgotten about the incident, what with two strangers in his home claiming to be family.
He took the cloth and wiped his face, leaving it with streaks of dark red. "Thank you, Mother."
She patted his shoulder and sat down beside him. When no one spoke, Eramus took to querying for information. "What did you mean by yousawthe ship fall into the sea? No one survived but me…or at least I didn't think they did."
"Yelene is a Seer," said Aldeth. "She saw the ship in a vision, and later, that you washed ashore. We searched for you for weeks, but it seems someone else found you first." He turned to Inara and smiled. "We couldn't be more grateful that you've cared for him all this time."
Eramus scratched the back of his head. "What do you mean, she's a Seer? Has visions? Can you wield magic?"
Aldeth nodded. "Yes, we can both use magic. Although, ours differs from your own. Inara told us your aura is blue. Is that right?"
Eramus chewed his cheek. What difference did that make? Was magic not always blue? Morzaun's gemstones had all presented a blue glow.
"Yes. That's correct."
Aldeth smiled. "I know you must have questions, so I will do my best to answer." He held up his hand, and after a moment, green light danced around it. Eramus's eyes went wide. "A green aura," continued Aldeth, "signifies that one is an Elementalist, whereas blue, like your own, identifies one as a Protesta. There are three magical abilities, Eramus, each one with its own strengths. An Elementalist has control over the earth, water, wind…even animals. A Protesta can produce the strongest spells and learning them is much easier."
"The Seer is the third." He nodded to Yelene. A purple glow surrounded her hand as it hovered over the table. "Yelene's ability allows her to see the future."
"That's how we found you," said Yelene. "I had a vision. It took some time to identify exactly where you were, but we came as soon as we knew."
Eramus massaged his forehead, the information overwhelming him. Magic was far more complicated than he had ever imagined, but what pressed on him more were the details Morzaun had shared about the Virgàm. He said Eramus's father was one of the original users of magic, that three children had found the scepter hidden away on Mt. Kantinar. Eramus suspected he knew who the other two children were.
"Tell me about the Virgàm," said Eramus.
Yelene and Aldeth exchanged looks of surprise.
"The what?" asked Inara.
"It's a scepter," Eramus answered. "The source of magic in humans."
Yelene tilted her head, her brows drawn tight. "How did you know that?"
Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything. He still didn't know if he could trust them. He didn't know if he could trust Morzaun. But something in his gut made him regret revealing his knowledge.
