Society of the Kuvek

Chapter 16

    I wake up to a knock on my door.

    "Sarea?" Beinie asks, "Are you awake?" I stand up, walk to the door and open it to see Beinie's old face looking down at me.

    "It's your fifth birthday today, I know last year you just wanted to stay alone in your room, but I was hoping that you'd want to come out and spend some time with me," he says. It's been two years, to the date, since my dad died and I miss him a lot, but Beinie has become an uncle to me and I love him as well. I nod and Beinie opens the door and I step out but trip on my long dress and coat; he keeps me from falling and laughs.

    "One of us has got to learn how to sew so we can fix that," he says, gesturing to my clothes but I shake my head. He found the dress for me two years ago, he said that it was his mother's, and the coat was one that he found while cleaning out his room a little over a year ago, I like them both very much and don't want to change them at all. Beinie sighs, puts his hand on my head and leads me to the kitchen where the table is set with breakfast. I walk to the table with Beinie and we sit down; we eat silently and afterwards I grab my chair, put it in front of the sink, grab our plates and utensils, and start washing the dishes. Beinie comes over and helps wash them with me; after a minute, he starts to use his Kuvek gift of water to move the dishwater across the plate and I join him, using our gifts to wipe the dishes clean.  We finish the dishes and Beinie walks away to his room and comes back a minute later carrying a box.

    "I wanted to give you this for your birthday," he says, handing me the box; I take it from it and open the box. I pull out a circular rod of metal about one and a half times the size of my hand; I look at Beinie, waiting for him to explain what this piece of metal is and what its purpose is.

    "It's a universal key, it can unlock any of the Ferse's Kuvek-proof locks, I bought it from a Kuvek who is forced to work as a Ferse architect, there are only five total in existence," he says.

    "Why would I need this?" I question and Beinie sighs.

    "I'm afraid that you'll have to use it very soon," he takes the metal rod from my hand and puts it in my jacket pocket, "just hold onto it," Beinie says and I nod, "Good," he says and then looks at his watch and his face takes on an expression of sadness, "it's 9:32." As soon as he tells me the time, the door to the house shakes and Beinie picks me up, carries me to my room and sits me on the bed.

    "Open up!" an authoritative voice that I've never heard before sounds from outside the door, "in the name of the Ferse, open this door or be killed," the voice says but we don't move an inch and I know that the man behind that voice will kill us whether we open the door or not.

    "Sarea, listen to me," Beinie says and I look to him, "that man out there, he is the same man that killed your mother and your father and he is the man that will kill me," he says and I open my mouth to protest, to tell him that he won't die, that he can't, but he stops me before I can speak. "I have to ask you something though and I will understand if you say no, that man outside is my son and I know that you have great power and that even though you don't know how to use all of them yet one day you will. Your powers are great and no matter how many people try to kill you they will not let you die, not until you know and understand how to use them. I know that I am going to die and I know that you won't be able to stop that from happening but my son, his name is Phelps, he is still important to me and he won't be able to hurt you, no matter how hard he tries. Please promise me that you won't hurt him, not unless you absolutely have to," Beinie says and I think for a moment but the decision doesn't take long, even though Phelps killed my parents and will kill Beinie, I care about Beinie and if Beinie cares about Phelps, I can't hurt him.