Jheelis Learns
POV: Alexandra
Enzo explained to us how Lucy would need to be trained to reign in her power as a Beast Tamer. It used to be that she would apprentice under another Beast Tamer but she was the first one in a while. Enzo consulted the history books before he came, he explained that’s why it took so long. He said the last Beast Tamer was able to reign in his or her power by finding a powerful bow user since much of the work a Beast Tamer does to train their familiars is a game of fetch. The best way to play fetch with the animals over great lengths was with a bow. Not to mention the concentration and patience of using a bow would come in handy in building a relationship with the animals who chose to become a familiar with Lucy. Beast Tamers had the ability to take on multiple familiars. He said we would need to find someone who was a master at bows. I remembered that the King told me that he was going to have Jheelis teach me the art of the bow. I had wondered if it might be a good idea to mention this to Enzo. I spoke up, “I think I might know someone who, I hear, is a master with bows. I don’t want to volunteer him before I talk to him about being willing to take on another student.” He smiled, “That is fine. It is a prudent decision. In the meantime, I will talk to the General to see if he has someone he could send for Miss Lucy. You can send word to me if this person that you have in mind would be willing. Perhaps she can have two teachers.”
He slowly got out of his seat and smiled, “I need to get home now. It is my anniversary with my wife and she probably has cooked a wonderful dinner.” I smiled back at him, “Happy anniversary, sir. How long have you been married?” His smile dropped from his face and he thought for a while, “Oh I’d say fifty years. We married young, had children, and lost one of our children in the war so there have been ups and downs but through it all, we have loved each other dearly.” I smiled, “That’s a long time. Is there a secret?” He nodded, “Be honest with each other, share your burdens. I find that people are too fearful to tell people what they really think, what’s going on with their lives…you know those types of things. What does it help if you are suffering in silence? Your spouse is there for you to share things with. She is there to lift me up and I am there to lift her up. Honesty has always been front and center in my marriage with my sweet Gianna.” We walked him out to his carriage and he climbed in, “The best thing young people can do when it comes to long-term relationships like mine, is to heed the advice of those willing to give it. You seem to be such a level-headed young lady so I know you will probably remember my words here and apply them in your life.” He was off to his home to celebrate his life even with his wife. I thought to myself if I could have a marriage that would last a lifetime where my husband would talk about me the way he talked about his wife. He seemed still so enamored with his wife as if he had just met her yesterday and fell in love. That’s how I wanted to make someone feel and how I wanted to feel about someone. I felt that way about Lucien but I couldn’t tell you if I were to marry him tomorrow and stay married to him for as long as Enzo and Gianna, if I would still be in love. Tomorrow is never promised, I knew that. I had an example of that laying upstairs in bed.
I sighed and my father wrapped his arm around my shoulders, “Is something on your mind?” I shrugged, “Just thinking about how fate can sometimes be pretty cruel, especially when you are in love.” I looked up to my grandfather’s window and sighed again, thinking about how he lost my grandmother when she was a little younger than my own mother. He patted my arm, “The time he had with her was just enough. That’s what he always told me anyway. You should probably go and see him. He told me he misses you.” I nodded and turned to go inside. My father snapped his fingers as we headed in, “Where’s your entourage? Did they scatter?” I smiled at him, “Well, Toby had to go report back to the Citadel, Jynx has to stay in House of Dark and I think Jheelis went down the road to Vanessa’s.” Jheelis had been staying with Vanessa since he had learned of his brother Tyleesh staying in Blackwood Manor. He had agreed to let him have the space. I would have to eventually tell him what his brother went through and I wasn’t sure how he would take it since House Batiste was supposed to be protecting him. We failed miserably at that job. We stepped into the foyer but I stopped before walking up the stairs. I heard a man’s voice come from the ballroom. I stepped into the room and Jheelis was talking to Azula. He looked up at me, “Oh, I was just talking to your new little friend.” I widened my eyes, “Can you talk to the animals?” He smirked, “Well…yeah. I have always had the ability to speak to animals. I just never took one as a familiar but technically they would call me a Beast Tamer in Vellum. We call it Beast Cara in Seely.” I walked up to the cage and made kissing noises at Azula, “What does she say?” He hummed, “She likes it here but she would love to be able to fly around the manor. She doesn’t care if it is outside or inside. She wasn’t really meant to be caged, I’m annoyed no one told you this. Probably Cal’s fault, I’d say.”
I reached over and opened her cage, “You can fly in the house little one. I just hope my mother won’t mind.” He smiled, “She said she won’t poop around the house if that makes your mom a little easier.” I chuckled, “That’s probably her only gripe. I can let her outside if she wants, I’m just concerned about natural predators in Blackwood Deep.” He nodded, “That sounds like a very responsible thing to say. I wonder if she can fly around in your greenhouse.” I shrugged, “That’s a Tyleesh question. My grandfather put him in charge of his own living space. I don’t want to assume I can let her fly in there. I’ll talk to him. I do have a question to ask you.” He looked at me, “Did you need something?” I nodded, “Elder Enzo was here to give my young ward Lucy a Beast Tamer test. He confirmed it, she won’t have a master for her apprenticeship. Might you be willing to teach her? She won’t have one otherwise.” He smiled up at the bird and nodded, “Of course, I think she is a bright young mind. She should be a great student, as will you. I’m told that I am to teach you the bow. We have to wait until you get your bow from Seely though. In the meantime, I can take her on as a student. No problem.” I hugged him but he stiffened up a little but then relaxed into the hug then hugged back, “You know the old man would be pissed to see this scene.” I pulled away, “He can kick rocks…” He chuckled, “I’d love to see you say that to his face. I will say that you are acting like whatever you wanted to talk to me about is done but your eyes say something completely different. What’s going on?”
I sighed at the question, “Yeah, you’re right. I just dread having this conversation with you since you think your brother is in good hands here. Let’s go have a seat in the study and I can explain.” We stepped out of the room and into the study. We both took our seats on the settee. I began to tell him about how my grandfather came to have his siblings in his home. It was probably a story he was familiar with but I thought in order for him to know the full story, I would have to start from the beginning. I told him how he agreed to send Panshad out to Mesha to apprentice as a witch. Witches were such from birth but if a witch finds potential in a young person that could make a great witch, they often would adopt them into their coven. This is what happened with Panshad and her master. She taught her all the things she needed to know to be a witch. She would likely bow down to Mordred as she was technically a witch even if she had not been born one. Tyleesh was sent to Blackwood Manor in Vellum. For a time, my grandfather took care of him himself but he would often wander off to Terre to go see his young granddaughter. After a while, Tyleesh told him that he didn’t need to be watched all the time and that he wanted to go around Vellum to practice his magic that he had taught himself. He was one who had a curious mind and wanted to learn new things. Grandfather said that he was far more wide-eyed and happier before he was taken. I recounted to Jheelis about his time with the Befents in their farmlands and how he had been one who could heal animals and eventually learned how to heal dead plants. I recounted how Zero had approached him as someone he could learn from, taking advantage of the young elf/pyrio hybrid’s curiosity. I came to the part of the story that would be the most painful to recount because I had seen it myself through my uncle’s memories.
I stopped and looked down at my hands and I hadn’t known that I was crying until the drop hit one of my hands. Tyleesh pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to me, “Are you okay?” I dabbed my eyes and nodded, “Yeah just thinking about what I’m about to tell you, it is honestly affecting me more than I thought it would recounting these things to you.” I cleared my throat and regained my composure then told him how Tyleesh was tricked into a trap by his so-called master. I told him of his kidnapping and of his rescue but I told him it took us a while to figure out what happened to him. After I was done recounting the whole thing, I did not look up at him for I was ashamed that we had not protected him as we should have. Silence set in and I just assumed that he was angry with us but the next words out of his mouth showed me that I was half wrong, “Who did it?” He spoke as if he was going to come out and punch that person in the face, I felt it was best to leave Talon out of it. I sighed, “Are you sure you want to know that?” He nodded with a determined look in his eyes, “Absolutely, tell me.” I looked up into his eyes so he could see just how I felt about the people who took Tyleesh, “It was The Order of the Old Ways, they are the same ones who are after me.” He clenched his fists in his lap, “Then they are number one on my enemy list.”
