Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
“We must go inside, Safia. I told your father to call a family meeting. We can’t continue to put this off. You will read the cards, and I’ll consult with the ancestors tonight. We need to know exactly what we’re facing and how much time we will have to prepare.” He placed his hand on her shoulder as if he knew she needed encouragement.
Her heart sank. All along, she had told herself the tales she’d been raised with were simply fictional stories handed down for hundreds of years. They weren’t real. Demons and vampires didn’t belong in a modern world any more than the myths and legends that had sprung from the area where they lived.
“I tried not to believe it, Jeddi,” she confessed. “I’ve trained from the time I was a baby to fight these things, and I read the cards daily, but I still didn’t believe.”
“You believed, Safia, or you wouldn’t have trained so hard. You’re very disciplined, even more so than your mother and grandmother ever were. You worked on the farm and at home with your mother, but you never once shirked your training. You believed. You just hoped, as we all did, that evil wouldn’t rise in our lifetime.”
She turned her head to look at her beloved grandfather. For the first time, she truly saw the worry lines carved in his face. There was unease in the faded blue of his eyes. That alone was enough to make all the times her radar had gone off and the knots in her belly very real.
“When you were born,” he continued, “we knew. Your grandmother, your mother and father. I knew. I consulted the ancestors just to be certain. None of us wanted it to be true, but the moment you came into this world, all of us could see you were different. You were born with gifts.” There was sorrow in his voice. “You were born with green eyes.”
It was true, she was the only one in her family with green eyes, but why would that make a difference? Still, she didn’t question him. “I did prepare,” she whispered. “But it feels as if it can’t be real, even now, when I feel evil on the wind. When I know the accidents on the farm were actual attacks on our family. I know these things, yet my mind doesn’t want to process the reality.”
She turned back to look at the town of Dellys, spread out in the distance. “All those unknowing, innocent people living there. The restaurants. The shops. The market. I love the market. Everyone is so unaware of the danger coming. It isn’t as if soldiers are attacking them and they can see the enemy coming. No one would believe us if we warned them. I wouldn’t even know what to tell them.”
“You don’t know what you’re facing yet,” Amastan pointed out, his voice gentle. “I’ve told you many times, Safia, prepare, but do not worry about something you have no control over—something that may or may not happen. That does you no good. If you have no idea who or what your enemy is and you dwell on it, you will make him much more powerful than he is.”
She knew her grandfather was right. She trusted him. Throughout her years growing up, she hadn’t known him to be wrong when he gave his advice. He was always thoughtful before he spoke, and she’d learned to take what he said to heart.
Once more she looked at the harbor. The port of Dellys was small, located near the mouth of the Sebaou River and east of Algiers. Many of the men permanently living in Dellys were fishermen, sailors or navigators. The fishermen provided their fresh catch daily to the local restaurants. The harbor was beautiful with the boats and lights, so modern-looking. Everything looked contemporary—so this century. Just by gazing at the beauty of the harbor and the town, one wouldn’t imagine it had been around since prehistoric times.
“We must go in,” Amastan reiterated. “The others will be waiting. Hopefully, Amara will have fixed dinner for us, and it will be edible.”
Amara was married to Safia’s oldest brother, Izem. She really liked Amara. Who could not? She didn’t understand how the match worked, yet it did, perfectly. Amara was a tornado moving through the house and farm, one disaster after another. Through it all, her laughter was contagious. She was bright and cheerful, always willing to pitch in and help, eager to learn every aspect of farming. Clearly, she wanted to be a good wife to Izem, but her youth and exuberance coupled with her total inexperience and clumsy energy were sometimes recipes for disaster.
At the same time, she was an amazing jeweler. One would think when she was so clumsy around the farm, tripping over her own small feet, she wouldn’t be able to make the fine necklaces and earrings she did. Her artwork was exquisite and much sought-after. She was an asset to their family for that but also, most importantly, because she made Izem happy.