Hidden Heirs and Fallen Crowns (Complete)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

He walked into the room, smiling.

"Did I miss anything?" Zed asked. Jasmine turned around to face him, smiling back.

"Not really," she answered.

"We were talking about animals," I said. "Do they have talents as well?"

"Yes, they do," he said, sitting down. "But it's a bit riskier. Sometimes, it makes them more fierce and dangerous, and other times it makes them softer. It can make them cleverer or dumber. And when, or if, an important part of their body falls asleep, it can put them in danger. Let's say, for example, that a Moonsinger's wing falls asleep during ..."

"A what, sorry?" I asked.

"Moonsinger. They're birds that only sing during a full moon. If their wings fall asleep during the Transformation, they can be vulnerable to Gliders, which are a type of eagle. But if they survive the Transformation, they will probably be able to fly a lot better."

"Can it be dangerous for humans, too?"

"Fatal," Zed said, shrugging. "But that happens only when a major part of the body, the heart being one of them, falls asleep. The thing is, when a part of the body falls asleep, it's not really dead. It still functions, but much slower. If it actually stopped working, it would turn blue and fall off, which would not be very pleasant. And for most of the body, it's fine to fall asleep. But there are some places, like the heart, the brain, the liver et cetera, that simply can't make the body function if they slow down. If the heart slows, not enough oxygen is supplied to the body, which is life-threatening. It's a shame, though. If they did survive, which has never happened yet, they would be able to do amazing stuff. Though what it is they would be able to do I don't know."

"Oh," I said thoughtfully. "And there's not a way of making them survive with an artificial heart or something, just for a short period of time? Artificial hearts do exist. I don't think you can have artificial livers or brains, but an artificial heart could work."

"You'd have to remove the real heart, and it would die," answered Jasmine simply.

We went silent, thinking for a minute. I was about to ask another question when I heard a cold voice.

"Suzanne, get away from them."

Uh-oh. It was Mum, and I didn't think she was very happy. Before turning facing her, I gave them a sympathetic look. They were not in her good book at the moment. I turned slowly to look her.

"Hi, Mum!" I said enthusiastically. "Er ... are you hungry?"

"Stand up slowly, Suzanne, and come here," she said, watching Jasmine and Zed as if they were dangerous animals. I stood up.

"Mum, it's alright! They're not going to eat me or anything," I said, trying to reassure her. She responded with a steely glare. I sighed; this was going to be difficult. Zed stood up.

"Ms Levee, we're not here to harm Suzanne - there's no need to worry. We can understand your concern, but ..."

"Suzanne, I said come here," she ordered, ignoring him.

"It really is alright, Mum. There's no need to worry."

"Yes, there is need to worry," she responded, still not looking at me. "There is as long as you don't know them." She stepped in front of me, acting as a shield. I sighed.

"But I do know them," I insisted. I knew what her response would be, but I gave it a go anyway.

"You don't know them in their extra-terrestrial form." Just as I had predicted. "Now, we are going to walk away from here, do you understand?" she told me quietly.