Forbidden Power

Chapter 4- Power and Grief

I only heard machines answer me as I stepped into the room. Sunlight poured through some windows, and several bouquets of flowers sat around the room, cheering up the atmosphere. I recognized some of the flowers from the gardens at home. There were also pictures of Adiel's family, including me and my siblings sitting on a low table under the television. I gulped. I'm such a bad person.

And there, laying on the bed and watching me with an alertness that belied his condition, lay my Papa.

"Teddy," he rasped, smiling as he pushed himself up to sit a little more. I rushed over and helped him get comfortable, grabbing his hands to help him sit up and realizing how cold and thin they felt. Adiel's hands had always been like small boulders, strong and meaty and large and warm. Was this really my Papa?

"Let me help you," I mumbled as I fluffed up his pillows and adjusted the bed.

"Teddy," he said again warmly. "It's good to see you."

I gulped, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. I'm not usually an emotional person, but this is almost too much for me.

"It's good to see you, too, Papa. You look..." I hesitated.

"Bad. I look bad. It's okay, Teddy. I know. Don't lie for the sake of my feelings," he chuckled, but that did it for me. Grief overtook me, and I knelt down and kissed his fist that was holding onto mine and wept into his weathered hand.

"I'm so sorry, Papa. I should have been here. I should have known you were in this condition. I'm a terrible son. I should have been here for you, helping Mwenya. I could have saved you, Papa. I could have saved you from this!" I sobbed like I'd never cried before. I can count on one hand the number of times I've shed tears. Never like this. This grief. More than that. This realization. He's going to leave me. I can see it.

"Shush. Ssh. My son. You are living your life. It's what you are supposed to do. Be here with me? No. You are doing something important. No, no. Don't cry, Teddy. Don't cry," Adiel stroked my head with his other hand, and I continued to cling onto the one I'd been holding.

"How long? How long have you been...like this?" I asked.

"Like this? Three years or so now. I should have died three years ago, but Mwenya and Huallpa won't let me," he chuckled, but I could hear the exhaustion in his laugh.

"Don't talk like that! You're young for a wizard. You have a long life still ahead of you. What about Kunda? She needs Papa, too!" I cried desperately. Why did it sound like he was giving up?

"Kunda is blessed. She has Brandon and Victoria who love her as much as Huallpa and I love her. Just as I have loved you and your brother and sisters. I never imagined when I came to America alone I would have such a large family in the end," Adiel's voice tapered off, and I tried to pull myself together. I'm sure Kunda and Huallpa will be up here soon. I can't let Kunda see me acting like this. It might scare her.

"But as far as my age goes, I've lived a good life. I stayed young and healthy for ninety years before starting to age. Don't I look good to be a century old?" He teased. I'd never asked him how old he was. I just assumed he was fairly young. Wizards live between one hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty years. I thought Adiel and Kana were very young.

"Wait," I hesitated, blinking at him. "You're one hundred years old? Adiel! That's barely half your life! You're still young."

"Maybe, but enough about my age. How is your research in Egypt coming?" Adiel sat forward a little bit, his eyes sparking to life in his excitement. I wiped my eyes and frowned.

"I didn't discover anything. Nothing at all. Every lead was a dead end," I told him, shaking my head in disappointment.

"I see," Adiel sat back again, sighing and looking tired. "That is disappointing. A family as old as yours, based on the powers you all possess, should not be this hard to track down. Unless they're all dead, of course. Even so, there should be some kind of magic trail. Interesting that there is nothing at all."

I watched Adiel muse and felt grieved. He was excited about what I was doing all this time. I should have checked in with him more. Maybe he could have gone on one more adventure vicariously through me. Suddenly I did remember something interesting.

"Oh yeah. I did get a puzzle ball," I told him. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"A puzzle ball? Do you have it with you?" He asked eagerly.

"Actually, yeah. It's in the car," I told him.

"You didn't bring it in?!" He demanded, his strength coming back again. I shook my head. "Of all the foolhardy sons I've raised... well, go get it!"

"Sure, sure, Papa. I'll be right back," I told him, jumping up and running from the room while hearing him laugh behind me. If this was a prank to get my mind off his condition, at least it was working.

I passed Mwenya, Huallpa, and Kunda as they waited in the visitor seating. I shot Mwenya a puzzled look, but he just offered a small smile and turned to help his mom stand up. Oh. They must have been giving me time with Adiel alone. That was thoughtful of them. I'll have to thank them later.

I ran down the steps and out the doors. Shoot. I didn't think to ask Mwenya for the keys or where he parked. I sniffed the air, activating my beast senses tentatively. There were lots of unpleasant smells at a hospital that I really didn't want to experience if I could help it. I did see which direction Mwenya headed to when he dropped me off, so I jogged that way, sniffing the air for his scent as I went along. I finally caught it where the sidewalk met the pavement and followed it to the car. From there I found the spare key in the magnetic holder near the back tire.

I unlocked the door and grabbed my duffel bag from the middle seat, opening it and grabbing the puzzle ball and the note from the top. Good thing I had it with me when I went out earlier. I clutched it like a football and headed back into the hospital.

When I reached the third floor, there was a lot of commotion in the hall. I heard wailing, and I felt like time stopped in that moment. It's coming from Adiel's hall. No.

I ran down the hall, dodging frantic nurses and stopping outside the open door of Adiel's room. Huallpa's sobs filled the air, and she was talking fast in her native language. My heart stopped.

"Send him back! Give him back to me!" She was wailing. No, no. I was just here. I've only been gone two minutes. I. WAS. JUST. HERE. He wanted to see the puzzle ball. He had something he was looking forward to. He was still fine.

The nurse I had spoken to earlier rushed by to head into the room, but I grabbed her elbow.

"Miss?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," she said. "He, he suddenly flatlined. Just as his wife was coming in."

I gulped. This could work.

"Ma'am, if there's nothing any of the nurses can do...his wife is very religious. Could we have a private moment with his body to ask the goddess to let his soul rest?" I asked. Of course that's not what I actually had in mind, but it didn't sound unreasonable.

"I can't make that decision," the nurse hesitated.

"I can," I looked up at the doctor standing in Adiel's doorway. "There's nothing else I can do for him. Of course we'll respect your request."

The doctor kindly called to the nurses, some of whom were crying, and shuffled them out. He gave me a curt nod, and I entered the room. Huallpa was holding Adiel's hand and desperately trying to infuse him with mana she didn't possess. Mwenya was on the other side obviously doing the same.

I gulped and looked down at my hands that had just gripped Adiel's hands. Did I accidentally take mana from him? Am I the reason he died? I clenched my fist. Well then I'll give it back. I set the puzzle ball down on his picture-laden table.

"Mama, let me," I told her firmly as I moved to take her place. She paused and looked up at me with a tear-streaked desperate face. She nodded and quickly stepped back, knowing she didn't have what it took to bring him back.

I grabbed his hand, colder now than it had been earlier. I should have known. I should have known! He felt cold. I should have known! He was weak. I should have known!

I cursed my existence and grabbed his hand, willing him to come back to us. Kunda stood wide-eyed and shaking in the corner behind Mwenya. She didn't get to say goodbye to her father. I can at least give her that.

"Mwenya, give all you have. I'll give the rest," I instructed him. He nodded tiredly and closed his eyes to concentrate. I closed my eyes and focused. I felt the power in me flicker to life and begin to build. Mana I had slowly collected over the past ten years started bubbling forth, the same power that saved Eman and Mwenya that day. I could feel it consuming me in my grief.

"ADIEL," I called to him. "COME BACK!"

I felt a rush of power and energy leave me as I pushed it into his body. His fingers twitched, and I doubled down on my efforts. I could feel weak energy coming from Huallpa and Mwenya. I could also see it like a thermal reading, even with my eyes closed. It was weak. It wasn't enough. But there was enough mana in the room. My eyes opened and focused on Kunda. She had energy.

"Kunda, come help us," I beckoned her softly. Her wide eyes snapped to mine. "Your Papa. He's responding. Come help us."

"Teddy!" Mwenya warned, but I ignored him. We needed Kunda's energy. She and Mwenya were connected to Adiel in a way that Huallpa and I were not. They shared his mana.

Kunda nodded, her eyes still wide as she crept up next to me.

"What can I do?" She whispered.

"Just put your hand over his and imagine yourself giving him some of your energy. Think of it like guiding him into the sunlight. Give him some of your sunlight," I encouraged her.

"Okay. I'll try," she agreed.

She placed her hand next to mine on his hand.

"On the count of three, we all give him sunlight. Ready?" I asked her. She nodded. I saw Mwenya nod in my peripheral vision. Huallpa had calmed behind me, and I could feel her anxiety.

"One, two, THREE!" I said, and I felt as Kunda's energy joined with mine. Adiel's hand lurched, and he gasped for breath.

"Again!" I commanded. "One more time! One, two, THREE!" Like an electrical jolt, our mana energy poured into Adiel.

"Ah," he gasped, moving now. "Stop! Stop! Pain! It hurts! Just let me go! Stop!"

We all froze and looked at him. The big man's fist had clenched, and he was sweating. His eyes were wild and full of pain.

"Please," he whispered, looking around at all of us. "I love you all. Love me enough to let me go. I've been in pain for a long time. Let me be in peace. Let me have peace."

Mwenya and I looked at each other. Kunda burst out crying, grasping his hand.

"I didn't mean to make you hurt, Papa! I just wanted you to have sunlight," she cried. Adiel looked at her and then at me. That's how he taught me to channel my energy. Of course he knew where she got that.

"Kunda, I'm proud of you, and I love you. What you did just now shows me what I've known all along. You're an incredible girl. My beloved daughter. Can you let Papa sleep for awhile? I'll see you again. While I was asleep, I saw my mama and papa. You'll see me again," he reassured her.

She cried and nodded.

"And Mwenya, you too? Can you let Papa sleep? You've given me so much. Go live your life, son. I'm proud of you. Thank you for the last ten years, but it's time for you to go live now," Adiel's voice caught, and he winced. I had no idea he was in so much pain.

"Teddy," he turned to me. "My adventurer. Go live a big life. The biggest and most exciting life you can. But don't forget that you're loved."

"I'm sorry, Papa. I'm selfish. So selfish. I even brought you back to suffer more. I'm sorry," I told him softly, humbled by his words.

"I'm glad I get to say goodbye. Thank you for that. You bought me a little more time. Did you bring the puzzle ball? May I see it?" He asked, his eyes flickering with renewed interest even though he literally just died. I nodded and grabbed it off the dresser with the note.

Adiel read the note and took the puzzle ball, turning it over in his hands.

"It is warm," he said softly. "It is special. It is ancient."

"How do I open it? It feels like solid rock," I asked him. He examined it carefully.

"The creases of the puzzle ball are concealed by magic. Release the magic, release the ball," he said.

"How?" I asked, forgetting in my excitement that he was a dying man with limited remaining energy.

"I...I don't know. But I have faith in you, Teddy. You will solve it," he assured me, handing me back the ball. How did I not notice last night that it was sealed by magic?

"Now, if you all don't mind, I don't have much time left. I would like to say goodbye to my precious Huallpa privately," Adiel said. Mwenya, Kunda, and I nodded, and we each hugged the big man one last time, knowing that this time we would not bring him back.

We filed out, and I heard Adiel speak to Huallpa as I was closing the door.

"It's time for me to leave you, my beloved..."