Shade returned to the table with a couple of damp wash cloths, then she reached down into her boot and pulled out a slender dagger which shadowed Chris' anticipation for the demonstration he was about to witness with a degree of rising anxiety. She placed the knife on the table, rolled back the sleeve on her left arm, then sat down next to Gale who was patiently waiting through Shade's preparation.

     "I hope you're not squeamish," Shade warned Chris as she laid her bare arm out on the table, then took the knife and hovered it above.

    Chris looked in mild horror at Gale, hoping she was going to stop Shade from what he now realized she was about to do, but found her observing the scene with a calm readiness. A downward motion by Shade's knife-holding hand in his peripheral brought his appalled gaze back to Shade, who had pierced the flawless skin of her arm at the wrist with her dagger. He winced sharply at the sight, then curled when she grimaced and began to drag the blade up her forearm to the soft nook of her elbow, separating flesh and causing blood to run down her arm on both sides where it spilled onto the table. When she reached her elbow she stopped and placed the bloodied blade on the table.

    Gale covered as much of the cut with her hand as she could, then bowed her head with closed eyes.  Soon, her healing melody started quietly as a low hum, then expanded throughout the vast room in the unearthly notes that Chris' ears suddenly remembered from last night. His horror was mesmerized into astonishment as he listened to the enchanting song and watched the cut on Shade's arm withdraw under Gale's hand, leaving only the viscous residue of aging blood on Shade's exposed arm as proof of a wound. 

    When Gale's song ended, she removed her hand and took one of the damp cloths to wipe the blood away from Shade's arm, then she wiped her own hand clean. Shade raised her arm to Chris, offering it to his amazed eyes for examination. It was as flawless as it had been before the gruesome demonstration. Gale used the other cloth to wipe the blood from the table, giving Chris time to absorb the reality of what he'd just witnessed.

   "That...that...was incredible," he stammered through a dumbfounded expression.

    "That was how I healed you," Gale affirmed.

    "But...how is that even possible?"

    "The same way it's possible for you to change into that magnificent creature I saw in the alley," Shade blurted, causing Chris to draw back in his chair at the mention of his secret, alarmed at being discovered, though he'd been wondering if Shade had actually witnessed what he remembered from the alley since until now she had not spoken of it.

    Gale rose quickly from her seat to extend an imploring hand toward Chris' addled state. "It's okay, we know about your gift. You don't have to be afraid here," she consoled, then threw a reprimanding look at Shade for her rashness, but Shade just shrugged it off.

    "I'm...I'm not so sure the thing inside me is a gift," Chris commented doubtfully.

    "Of course it is. One given to you by a mother who loved you dearly," Gale stated warmly as she sat back down, knowing by the sudden change in Chris' unnerved expression that her words had hit the mark she was aiming for. He now gazed at her with a deep longing that made him appear hurt and fragile.

    Chris shifted in his chair, looking more intrigued than ever across the table at Shade and Gale. Silently, he hoped for some shred of truth to Gale's implication that at one time he had a loving mother. An old, familiar longing swelled up inside him, wrapping tightly around his heart and almost choking his voice. "What do you know about my mother?" 

    "Everything," Shade stated frankly, with a deadpan look that was meant to cripple any disbelief Chris might have about her claim.

    "Chris, may I tell you a story?" Gale asked, implying that the answer he sought was in her tale. Chris nodded, then waited anxiously as Gale took a drink from her cup of tea to prepare her voice.

   "Many centuries ago, in a far away land called Runa that has long since been forgotten by time, there lived a race of people with the surname Vandarmensen, meaning: 'People of the Gift.' They were given that name by rulers of old because of their women's unique ability to pass certain gifts along to their children while they grew in the womb. These gifts varied in form and purpose, and usually developed fully around adolescence."

    Gale paused to allow Chris a moment to absorb what she was saying. He was listening closely, waiting for any sign of his origins in her words, so she continued. 

    "Inevitably, neighboring clans became jealous and fearful of the Vandarmensen people because of these gifts, thus they began to incite violence against them, claiming they were in league with the Evil One and branding them as witches, warlocks and gypsies. Despite their appeals for acceptance and understanding the Vandarmensens were persecuted; hunted and executed.

    The persecution of the Vandarmensen people forced them from their homeland and dispersed them throughout the known world in search of peace for their families. Some chose seclusion while most changed their surname in an attempt to blend within society, even forsaking their special heritage.

    Our grandparents were descendants of the Vandarmensen people who came to Bergstad as immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their only child, a young daughter named Emma. Not long after they arrived in Bergstad another descendant of the Vandarmensen race, named Gideon, who'd been living in Bergstad for quite some time, found them and graciously took it upon himself to help them adjust to the new and very different world they found themselves in.

    Now our grandparents did not pass along a gift to their daughter in the hope that she would never know the dread of persecution in her life. They wished a normal, full life for her. However, they did pass along to her everything they knew about their Vandarmensen heritage, and what was lacking on their part, Gideon provided. Our grandparents came to love Gideon as their own, as did Emma, whose affection toward him as family was equaled only by his for her. They became the closest of confidants.

    Young Emma grew into a beautiful young woman whose fair complexion, raven-black hair and dark eyes earned her the affectionate moniker of 'The White Raven' among her beloved family. She caught the eye of an aspiring young architect named Hayden Allender and soon, with the blessings and delight of both families, they were married.

    Happily bonded together in love, Hayden and Emma built this great manor as a place to begin their legacy, which they did with the birth of their first child, a daughter they called Gale. Two years later they were blessed again with a second daughter they named Shade because of the dark eyes she inherited from her mother. Four years later the first, and only, male child was born into the Allender family: Willem Corbin Allender.

    Never was there a happier, more loving family than the one in this house. Mother told each of us early on that no word, not even one such as love, could convey the breadth of her affection for us; so she would gently caress our cheeks with the back of her hand to remind us of how deeply she cared for us. Her gesture is one we, her children, have adopted as well."

    Gale paused for a moment in order to prepare herself for the difficult memories she was about to conjure for the next part of her story, which had Chris completely in it's grip. Shade slipped a hand under the table to Gale's thigh, offering her support with a comforting touch and a tender smile that Gale returned before she started back with the heartfelt account of their family history.

    "Sadly, tragedy struck our happy family one fateful weekend when Corbin was just five years old and being kept for the weekend by our Aunt Sylvia, something she often did with each of us. From causes still unknown, Aunt Sylvia's house caught fire in the night as they slept. They were both lost to us that night, so consumed by the fire that their remains were charred beyond recognition.

    Our family was devastated, grief and bereavement tormented us without end. No one suffered more or less than another, we each lost something precious. If not for the strength of our mother's love, the unimaginable loss to our family might have been too much to bear, but the bonds between us proved to be our greatest comfort. Over time our wound healed, but the scar it left on our family was indelible.

    Five years later the joyful news of birth filled the manor again as Pappa eagerly announced to us that Mother was with child. The exuberance we shared for the new addition to our family grew with each approaching day for Mother's time to be delivered, especially Pappa's. Unfortunately, when that day came we suffered tremendous grief in the face of new born joy.

    Mother gave birth to our youngest sister, Lydia, then succumbed to complications from childbirth; uttering words of comfort to us with her last breaths. Pappa's heart could not handle the tally of loss, and soon after he was taken from us too. Since that day Gideon, who vowed to Mother and Pappa at the birth of their firstborn that he would always watch over their family, has been the benefactor of those who call this manor home."

    Gale finished her tale with the presence of her memories'  tears wetting her blue eyes, but she was able to restrain them with the hope that once Chris realized the significance of his presence, there would be cause for great joy in the manor once again. Shade gave her an affirming nod, pleased with the telling of their history and Gale's strength to endure the difficult parts for the sake of the reopened hole in their family that Chris' presence caused, which they both hoped he would fill.

    Chris kept silent as he processed the events of Gale's story, searching the details for it's importance to him. A steady gaze at the two sisters revealed total belief on their part in every word spoken by Gale; their expressions did not falter. The gesture of affection used by their mother, the stroking of the cheek with the backside of the hand, pulled again at those memories deep within him that he couldn't reach, but knew were there. The age of Corbin's demise and his own adoption struck Chris as no minor coincidence either, as well as the fact of these incredible gifts shared by a specific bloodline; but before he assumed anything, he wanted to know exactly what the intent behind their revelations was.

    "So, what are you saying? What has your story got to do with me?"

    Shade straightened in her chair, locking eyes with Chris. "You're the lost son of Emma, our mother. You're Corbin Allender, our brother," she asserted without a shred of doubt in her voice.

    Chris finally heard what he assumed he was being led to believe, and saw it confirmed again with a complying nod from Gale at Shade's absolute oracle. He slouched down in the chair with a heavy sigh under the weight of their claim. His mind raced in a dizzying attempt to connect all the pieces of his life with this person they seemed to be convinced he was, with this family they claimed him to be a part of, but it was too much. He tried to leave the table so he could put his mind in order by pacing the dining hall, but the socks covering his feet slipped on the slick hardwood floor when he grabbed the armrests of the chair and pushed up too quickly with his feet. His legs slid forward while the chair went backward, leaving him flat on his bottom and mildly embarrassed.

    Shade shot around the table to him in a blur, so that he flinched reflexively when she appeared beside him so quickly. She knelt to help him up, but his pride waved off her assistance. Slowly he got to his feet as Gale finally made it around to him, observing his shoeless feet.

    "If you like, I'm sure we have a pair of shoes here that will fit you," Gale offered.

    "Yeah, that'd be great if you did," Chris replied as he dusted off his rear.

    "I'll go look for a pair," Shade said, then shot off in a streak.

    Chris stared amazed at the empty spot where Shade had stood, before her departure stirred the air around him, blowing his hair with a light breeze as she all but vanished before his eyes. The tender sound of Gale's voice beckoned his attention to her.

    "I know all of this is a lot to bear, but please consider all that we've told you."

    Chris ruffled his hair with his hand as he turned with another sigh to bring the runaway chair back to the table. Sitting back down, he watched Gale as she moved over to the end of the table, keeping her expectations on him with eyes that had become fragile.

    "So, tell me more about these gifts," he prodded.

    Gale was happy to take a seat and explain further a part of what she wanted him to accept. "Mother gave us our gifts with the hope they would serve to keep her family whole, to keep us safe from any danger that might come upon us. Of course mine is the Gift of Healing, Shade's is the Gift of Fleet, and Lydia has the Gift of Communion, which she was able to use to find you."

    "I still don't understand that part though. If I was thought to be dead, how did she know I wasn't?"

    "That's a mystery to all of us. You see, she's only known about you through the stories Shade and I have told her, and the photos from the family albums; but around the age of ten she began to believe that you weren't dead, just lost. At that time Shade and I agreed to stop indulging her requests for stories about the parents and brother she never knew, thinking she had developed an unhealthy obsession.

    When her gift manifested just before her fourteenth birthday, she vowed to use it to bring you back to us. Now you must understand something, Lydia's ability to send images and messages into the minds of others is a very specific one. In other words, the thoughts she sends out can only be received by the one for whom they were meant.

    We've been helping her develop her gift, and even Gideon, who advised Mother about each of our gifts, admits that the full range of her abilities is still uncertain this early in it's  development; but in all our practices with her we've proven that her thoughts are only for those she intends them for."

    Chris churned Gale's words for a moment. "What about my so-called gift? It really spooks me out ya know, changing into some kind of monster."

    Gale grinned at Chris' honest remark. "It spooks you out because unlike us, you had no one to explain to you why it's there, to instruct you on how to use it."

    "Until two nights ago I thought I was just a normal guy, but Lydia's vision changed that night and so did I, for the first time."

    "You are normal, to us. Mother told us when you were born that yours would be the Gift of the Protector, a powerful entity within you that would rise up against any threat to those you love. Your gift is very rare, for according to Gideon, only a male child whose love for family can be felt by his mother while still in the womb can receive the noble power of the Protector."

    "So, how can I control it?"

    "First you have to embrace it, realize that it is as much a part of you as you are of it; then your will shall become it's will, it's power shall become your power."

    Chris was considering Gale's disclosure when Shade zoomed back into the dining hall with a pair of men's dress shoes which she extended to him. He accepted them gratefully and was pleasantly surprised to find that they fit his feet well, though they were a bit fancy for his taste. As he bent over to tie the laces, Shade looked over at Gale with an amused warning.

    "I don't think we're gonna be able to hold Lydia back much longer."

    "Yes, I suppose it's time," Gale decided, looking delightedly at Chris, knowing what was in store for him. He sat up from tying the shoes with a nervous but eager desire to meet Lydia, the key to everything for him.