Page 5 of The Flame

Rissa turned her head to look at Amira. “That’s true enough but we don’t know her powers yet. They are raw and untrained. As far as I can discern, she can use the elements to her will.”

Winsome looked at Amira again, and smiled. “If she heard my voice growing up, I was preparing her for the future.”

“How could you do that?” Amira asked while looking a bit bewildered.

“I was in the tween, a place very few survive but I was strong enough too. My body has been laying here since the day Milo took you from my arms but my presence has been living all this time. The cosmic plane is a very special place. Your body may be still, your heart slows down until it's barely beating but your soul is not. I wandered those halls for decades and when I tried to reach out to you, I wasn’t sure I could. But if you heard my thoughts, then we still had that connection between mother and child.”

Amira nodded. “I tried to tell Milo that you were still there but he never wanted to listen to me. He could barely stand to look at me, let alone deal with me. My father is one man who hates me beyond all reason. So he never listened to me.”

Winsome finally sat up and scowled at her. “Good, then he won’t know I’m still around and that together, the three of us will take back the power we should have had all those years ago.”

Rissa shook her head. “First, we have to swear in Amira’s council.”

Winsome got to her feet and walked with Amira’s help over to the men. Like Rissa, she looked deep into their eyes. She paused when she met Luther’s eyes. Turning her head, she glanced at Amira then back at Luther.

His men raised their brows at this.

She gave a slow nod to him as she stared at him. “You are different, this I can see.”

Luther said nothing, he simply stared back at Winsome as if he had nothing to hide and he felt no hesitation.

Chapter Three

Winsome seemed to stare at him or into him for several minutes, as if she saw more than anyone there could see. Finally, she gave him a slow nod.

Next, she went to each man and each Were to briefly look into their eyes.

Finally, when she was done, she nodded to her mother. “They will make her a good council.”

Rissa nodded. “I think so too. Do not worry my child, when we call the people back, you will be free to choose your own council.”

Winsome shook her head. “That can wait. Let’s swear them in and get on with calling the People back. Then we can hunt down the remaining wolves and take care of them, once and for all."

Rissa came to stand next to Winsome and Amira. Rissa looked at the men and said, “As a council member, the Maiden will grant you the hidden powers buried deep in your soul. These powers will come to you when you need them the most and you will have them as long as you are true to your word to protect her. Most humans never realize these powers are within them and that’s as it has always been but in taking this vow, it will release your powers, as I said, when they are needed the most.” She turned to look at the wolves. “When you say the vows, the wolves inside you will become stronger and the human side of your soul will show you your real powers as well.” Turning back to the whole group she instructed, “Repeat after me...I have been found worthy by the Shamans of the Maiden. I will protect the Maiden and her powers and I vow to protect her mountain. In this, I swear.”

Their male voices all repeated what she had said. Their voices echoed around the cavern. The sound of it seemed to blend into one somehow, vibrating through the very stone walls. The stone floor beneath their feet even trembled.

“In this, I swear,” they all finished at the same time.

Suddenly, a blue light beamed down from above, but the men couldn’t figure out how this could be. Above them was smooth stone, no opening of any kind and no light apparatus. This blue light encompassed them all. As it began to fade away, the men looked around, puzzled.

“You will begin to feel your powers awakening soon,” Rissa told them. “And as long as you keep your vow to protect the Maiden and my family, your powers will grow. But I have to warn you, if you do not keep your vows the powers inside you will turn on you and destroy you.”

The men all stared at her and then at each other.

“That sounds awful,” Swag spoke up.

Nodding her grey head at him, she said, “I have only seen this happen once, when I was but a child. The man had accepted payment to kill my father and he was supposed to protect our family. All of them.”

“Uh, can I ask what you mean?” Bullfrog spoke up, his voice gravelly. “About these powers? Like are they magic or what?”

The other MC men all shook their heads at his question.

Except for Swag, he raised his hand as if he were a student in a schoolroom. “Like will we get powers like Spiderman or something?”

Rissa cocked her head at him as she asked, “Spiderman? You mean the comic book hero?”

He nodded. “You know. He got bit by a spider then he developed powers similar to spider traits.”

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