See How She Fights (The Chronicles of Izzy #2)(49)

“I don’t think I can do this,” I mumbled, sitting up so that I could put my head between my knees.

“Again,” Aberto said, not giving me a moment to regain my composure.

“Can I have a second?”

“You do not have the luxury of wasting time, Izzy. Now do it again,” he commanded. At least his eyes weren’t sad anymore. Now they held the focus of a man used to having his commands acted out. I certainly would not be the first to mutiny. I swallowed down my nausea and lay back once more.

“Separate your two halves, Izzy. Focus on the differences between the two. One half of you lives on this mortal plane. The other half is meant for larger purposes. The soul half of you has been ordained to carry out the will of the gods.”

“God,” I muttered. No matter how many of these guys tried to get me to change my stance, it was not happening.

“God, gods, what have you. Your purpose is clear, Izzy. Your failure to master this will result in the sacrificed Seers being eternally trapped between planes.”

Way to put it into perspective. Ugh. I laid there trying to do what he asked of me. I found myself repeatedly being pulled back into my body. By the fifth attempt, I was near tears. My head was spinning and I felt like the bagel I had eaten for breakfast was about to resurface. Each time I failed, Aberto would yell, “Again!” I didn’t think I could do anymore.

“Enough,” I barely wheezed.

“For now. You must eat. Where can you find nourishment?” Aberto asked, placing his hand on my cheek. He looked down at me with so much intensity, it made my stomach feel even worse. I lowered my head between my knees and tried to breathe deeply.

“Could you talk like you are from this century please?”

“You find fault with my manner of speaking?”

“See, right there, a normal person would have said, ‘what’s wrong with the way I talk?’ But you say that.” I peeked up to find him looking down at me with a crooked smile. It was the first time I had ever seen anything resembling happiness grace his face.

“Perhaps you can teach me how to be more of current times in return for my teaching you how to soul walk?” he snickered, knocking me fully off kilter. Surely the world was coming to a complete end if Aberto was cracking jokes.

**********





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN


Aberto stuck out his hand to help me up from the couch. I hesitantly reached out and grabbed it, allowing him to pull me to my feet. I felt the same deep pulling in my soul that I’d felt the first time I’d met him. I wondered if Old Ones had this effect on everyone they were around.

“Let us eat, then we must return to your practice. If you wish to save these Seers, you must be able to sever the connection easily.” Aberto moved ahead of me to open the door.

“Yeah, I got it. I kind of feel like I am about to toss my cookies right now, though. I am not sure eating is such a good idea.” I felt quite green around the gills. The thought of food was not at all appetizing at the moment.

“I assume you are referring to the fact that you feel unwell. You must eat in order to replenish the energy you exerted in trying to separate yourself. You will feel better once you have done this. On my honor.” Aberto bowed deeply as we made our way into the hall.

Conall stood straight as we left the room and stared openly at Aberto. There was a look of adoration and fear on his face. I really wanted to know what a freaking Old One was and why they garnered that sort of a reaction from the Guardians. First Kennan had admonished me for not being more proper with the guy, now Conall looked like he would do whatever Aberto commanded. It was ridiculous. Aberto looked to be the same age as the other Guardians I knew. I could not figure out what the difference was. Maybe he could shoot lightning bolts out of his butt. I looked over to find Aberto with a crooked smile on his face.

“Lightning bolts?” he asked.

“Mind reading is rude,” I said, blushing crimson. I hoped he couldn’t read everything that passed through my mind. That would just be embarrassing.

“I apologize. I will do my best to not pry into your mind. There was such a look of consternation on your face that I could not help myself from seeing what had caused it. I will not do that again.” Aberto had such a serious look on his face I felt kind of bad for a split second. “We must get her fed, Guardian,” he said to Conall.

“This way please.” Conall led us to the dining facility. We got strange looks the entire way. I wondered if Old Ones were really rare. The way people reacted to Aberto was unnerving. Then again, they were all reacting the same way I did. There was just something about him that screamed “I’m not like you.”

“How goes the practice?” Conall asked me, pulling me from my reverie.

“Horribly. I am pretty sure I will just end up puking all over Xavier instead of actually being able to save anyone. This whole thing sucks,” I grumbled. I was tired. I was cranky. My head felt like it was about to explode, and I was hungry.

“When did she last eat?” Aberto looked at me concerned.

“At breakfast this morning,” Conall said, looking at his watch. I looked over and noticed that the time had moved forward quickly. It was already three in the afternoon.

“We must venture to take better care of the Council leader, must we not?” Aberto looked over at me thoughtfully.