Rising Power (#1 of the Canton Chronicles Series)

A Most Fateful Meeting

Val felt her head heavy. She knew she was waking up, because she felt the light slowly crawling through her eyelids.

That was a hell of fucking ride.

The last thing Val remembered was Pete injecting her with a tranquilizer. And then the dreams. Like the black haired-girl crying, telling her not to kill those men, to not let Aurelia take control of her body...

For some weird reason he had believed the girl, even right down to the Deity part. Val had thanked her, kissed her sweetly, and went on her way to face Aurelia. After that she remembered nothing.

She opened her eyes really carefully, trying not to be blinded by the light above her. A fuzzy shape appeared, hovering just a few centimetres over her forehead. A manly face.

"John?"

Val asked, having a secret hope that everything was back to normal by now.

"Sorry, kid. I am not your boyfriend."

Val stood up, leaning against the back of a comfortable, old couch, and came face to face with the man, to whom the voice belonged.

He looked like he was in his early thirties, maybe even younger, going through some pretty rough times. There were wrinkles on his forehead and on the corners of his eyes and mouth. Still, he was really handsome in a strong, quiet way. His white skin and raven hair and eyes created an amazing contrast.

"Who are you?"

"That's what I should be asking. You are in my house."

Val jumped up from the couch, raising her fists in an offensive stance.

"Where the hell am I? Did you kidnap me? What do you want with me?"

"Wow, easy there. I guess Vanessa is teaching you all too well in the new Academy."

Vanessa... The Academy...

"Are you Vanessa's friend? The one who's supposed to protect me?"

The smile was erased from at once from the man's face.

"Yeah, that's me, I guess."

"Dude, sorry to tell you this, but I don't feel that protected. You seem seriously beaten up."

"You don't remember?" he asked her, the surprise true on his face.

Val's brain froze.

The Cave. The thugs. Aurelia. The man, picking her up from the ground, helping her.

"The dream wasn't a dream."

Val looked at her hand and jerked it slowly, carefully. A blue flame engulfed her whole arm, burning bright, a beautiful warmth of pure energy. Aurelia's energy. It was true. What the little girl was saying was true all along.

She shuddered and the flame disappeared. Her eyes were now on the strange guy.

"Tell me what happened."

"Not until you tell me your name."

Val looked at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"What? I can't call you kid forever."

"Valentine."

He smiled, contented. "Henry. Nice to meet you, Valentine."

***

Henry told her the whole story of her abduction, right down to the punch.

"I slapped Aurelia in the face?"