My Last Hope (Truth Series 4)

45: A Mother And Her Son(s)

Third Person POV

The pond rages inside the cave. The water churns dangerously. It rises and falls at alarming rates and extreme heights. It's constantly in motion, changing and shifting endlessly.

Then it settles all at once. The water goes still and the cave calm. The danger is past and it seems as if it never happened.

A soft rhythmic clapping sounds throughout the cave. "That was awesome, Soar!" Star exclaims.

"Thanks." Soro's smile falters.

"You okay, kid?" Ridge chimes in.

"Yeah. It's just... my friends, back on Earth, they called me Soar."

"Oh." Star frowns. "You want me to stop?"

"No! No." Soro shakes his head, "It's kind of... nice hearing it again."

Star gives him a big crooked grin. Soro smiles softly back.

Soro sits cross-legged leaning his back against the apple tree. He slowly flips through the pages of his father's spellbook. He carefully reads each one before moving on to the next. His eyes linger on one page in particular. It reads:

'Name: Parazit

Effect: Kills whomever the caster targets (apparitions and spirits). Will not harm any other living being. Can be used to cancel possession.

Type: Dark, Arcane

Notes: This is spell is FORBIDDEN. When cast it has dire consequences and can leave the caster and those surrounding mortally wounded or dead.'

"Sounds wonderful," Soro mutters to himself. He sighs letting the book fall from his hands and onto his lap. He closes his eyes leaning his head against the tree trunk.

"Soro," his mother's voice draws his attention.

"Hmm." He opens one eye slightly.

"I need to talk to you about something." She glances over her shoulder at Star and Ridge sparring on the opposite side of the cave. "I'd rather they didn't hear."

"Okay." Soro sits up straighter open both his eyes.

Sierra sits in front of Soro copying his cross-legged position. "Close your eyes and focus on connecting to me telepathically." He does as she says. Sierra closes her eyes as well. Moments later a powerful wave of magic washes over the two. Sierra opens her eyes and smiles fondly at her unknowing son. His eyes are closed, his lips are pressed into a thin line, and his eyebrows are knit together in concentration. "You can stop now," Sierra whispers.

Soro opens his eyes to see he is in an open field of white ink. His eyes widen as he looks around. The white ink seems to go forever in every direction. His mother covers her mouth as she struggles to stifle her giggles. "What is this place?" He asks.

"It's a manifestation of space. There is nothing in here but us and the minds of those we invite. No one can reach us here. Time passes slower allowing us to talk for a long while without losing much time in the 'real' world."

"Woah." Soro looks around again before drawing his attention back to his mother. He draws a quick breath. He then looks from his mother to himself and then back again. "Wha..?" Both himself and his mother are slightly transparent as if their not really there.

"We are not here physically. Only our minds are present in this space. Our bodies are still back in the cave. To Stevie and Jennifer, it looks like we're meditating." Sierra explains with a soft smile.

"Okay... So..." Soro's eyes flicker around the space trying to find something to focus on other than the woman in front of him. "What do you want to talk about?" His eyes finally meet with those of his mother.

"I want-no, I need- to tell you something about what happened while Jennifer and I were in Brine's possession." Sierra's smile disappears.

"How did you even get caught by him?" Soro asks with a frown.

"That is a story for another time. Right now, I need you to understand that I love your father very much and I would never cheat on him."

"Mom? Where is this going?"

Tears well up in Sierra's eyes. "You have a little brother. His name is Raven. He is four years old."

"What are you saying?" Soro's eyes are wide and wild. Emotion after emotion races through them and run rampant in his heart.

The tears fall from her eyes leaving tracks down her cheeks. "Br-Brine raped me." Soro's hands form fists at his sides and his eyes narrow. "It get's worse," Sierra whispers, her eyes cast downwards and tears rolling down her cheeks. "He raped Jennifer too. She has a two-year-old daughter. Her name is Angel. Shortly after each child was born they were taken away. I don't know where he took them." Sierra sobs and attempts to wipe her tears away. Soro closes the short distance between them and gingerly wraps his arms around his mother in a hug. Sobbing, she clings to her son. After a while, her cries turn to sniffles. She shifts getting more comfortable in her son's arms. "There's more," she whispers. "I don't know who their father is."

"What do you mean?" Soro looks down at his mother with furrowed brows. "Wouldn't it be Brine? He is the one that..." He trails off unable to bring himself to say it.

"Well, yes but, he has possessed Hero's body. The children could have Brine's DNA. Or they may have Hero's. I don't know how that works with possession."

The two go silent. The unsaid thoughts and feels seem to bounce off the endless white. Finally, the quiet is broken by Soro. "Mom, why did you need to tell me this?"

"Because, you deserve to know." She pauses. "Plus the kids are still with ESC."

"I figured that much. After the war, we'll go find them. But why did you need me this? Why now? Surely this could have waited until after Brine is out of the picture?"

Sierra sits up and looks her son dead in the eyes. Soro merely watches her. "Soro, my son, I want you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

"If something happens to me or Star during this blasted war, promise me you'll take care of them."

"But, nothing will happen to either of you! I'll make sure of it!"

"Soro, as much as you'd like to, you can't protect everyone. It's just not possible. So, promise me that if something happens you'll take care of those kids."

"But-" He cuts himself off. He closes his eyes, inhales deeply, and opens his eyes again. "I will. I promise to take care of them after the war, No matter what happens. That means you and Star will be there with me."

She smiles and pulls him into a tight hug. "Thank you, Soro, My son. I love you!" Soro returns the hug just as tightly if not more but, he doesn't say a word. Sierra's eyes water. "I understand if..." She chokes on her words. She swallows thickly and exhales before speaking again. "After everything that has happened, I understand if you don't love me back."

Tears roll steadily down Soro's face. "It's not that I don't love you, mom. I just can't-" His voices cracks. "I can't bring myself to say those words because I always end up losing the ones I say them two. Dad. My girlfriend. My friends back on Earth. I even lost Rythian and Jimmy for a time." He buries his face in the crock of his mother's neck, sobbing, shaking uncontrollably, and holding tightly to her like a lifeline. "I don't want to lose you too."