The Protectors: New Generation Book 1

23 - Beginnings - Tallulah POV

The darkness of the morning sky is just giving way to the sun trying to break it up. I don't want to get out of bed this early. Wow, I really need to get back into my running route. Opening the dresser drawers, a T-shirt of Danny's speaks to me, and I pair it with some running shorts before going downstairs.

After having a hearty breakfast with bacon and eggs, pancakes, and hash browns, we join the Elders in the living room.

Once everyone settles down, Grandma begins.

"Some of you may know pieces of what we're going to talk about, but please sit quietly and listen to it all together. I'm not sure who knows what, and it will be easier just to start from the beginning." Grandma starts.

Grandma and Estel are the ones speaking the most and tells us a brief history of witches and witchcraft, about the Last Persecution, and how the Avic Islands were created.

We take a small break before Grandma continues.

"The Chaban Crystal is a special stone found in the Ukraine by Oleksander Chaban, a third great-grandfather of Dominic." Everyone turns to look at Dominic, but this doesn't seem to affect him. "This crystal is one of several crystals that are direct links to the D.E. This is important to remember because the Ancient Ones are usually the gatekeepers for the access to the Dexameni Energeias. If a person can get access to one of the crystals, they have a direct link to being able to use the energy in the D.E."

Grandma takes a sip of water before continuing. "Because of this, the Elders determined that the Chaban Crystal needed protection. They decided to have a competition, called The Trials, to find the best suited people to protect the crystal. Five witches made it through The Trials. They were the great-great-grandparents of the previous Protectors - your parents," she says, as she points to me, Mick, Tanner, Ande and Carleigh. " The powers of the Protectors were passed down from generation to generation. A big thing to remember is someone chooses to be a Protector. One thing that happened during the rise of the last rebellion was the unexpected deaths within Protector families. Luckily, the Elders saw a pattern and protected the rest of the families and children before all potential Protectors were wiped out. Some branches of Protector families left the island all together." She sighs with a faraway look in her eyes. "This is one of the reasons why there are fewer and fewer people who can choose to be a Protector."

"You're saying us five are the only people who can be Protectors?" Carleigh questions.

"Well, there are two left on the Avic Islands," she turns and looks pointedly at me, "your cousins Tally. Ashlyn and Tyler Greely are the children of your mother's twin brother, Theon. Theon flat refused to be a Protector, and he refuses to allow his children to become Protectors."

"But didn't you say it was our choice to be a Protector?" I ask.

"The Avic Islands are similar to the United States in that we have the same age where we consider a child to be an adult, capable of making their own choice in the eyes of the law. Eighteen is the magic number and neither of your cousins are eighteen yet. Ashlyn is close to being able to choose, but she's been raised to be fearful of the responsibility of being a Protector."

"If we are the last who could become Protectors, what happens if one of us decided not to be a Protector?" Ande asks.

"The best plan the Elders can come up with is to have a new competition. The only problem would be it being sabotaged by anyone belonging to the rebellion. It's an option we'd like not to explore," EJ responds.

"Can you explain some more about the use of powers and abilities with regard to the different types of magic?" I ask.

Grandma goes into a long speech about what powers and special abilities each type of witch has. After a while, she says something specifically to Mick, Tanner and I.