Read Online Guardians of the Akasha by Celia Stander - Free Book Online
Authors: Celia Stander
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Germany.
Victoria sat opposite her, reading documents from a thick file Simone had handed her as they boarded. Keira didn’t want to interrupt.
Simone sat with her back to the two women, a few seats away, busily typing on a laptop.
Victoria frowned, it didn’t seem as if the file contained good news. Then she sighed and looked up. “I apologise, Keira. I am not good company right now.”
“It’s all right, Aunt Vic,” Keira smiled. “It must be a full-time job keeping up with all your business interests.”
“It is not only the businesses, Keira. There are so many other things—” Victoria hesitated, looking at the documents on her lap.
“Is it the estate? I didn’t even know that you owned an estate in Europe. How long have you had it? Does it need a lot of work?” Keira asked, hoping to distract her aunt from whatever was weighing on her mind.
“It has been in our family for hundreds of years,” her aunt replied.
“I’m sorry, did you say hundreds of years?”
“Yes, and it is only one of the many things I have to tell you, Keira. It is perhaps the simplest, so let’s start with that. If all goes to plan in the next few days, it will pass into your care very soon.”
Keira’s eyes widened and she blinked.
Victoria tried again. “Let me start over. The Wilde Family is old, Keira; so much older than you can imagine. Over the centuries, the family name has changed a few times, but the bloodline remains. The estate we are going to has been in the family since before Julius Caesar became the Dictator of Rome, and it has always been in the care of one very specific person. During the past few decades, that person has been me.”
Keira was silent for a moment and then asked, “And you hoped the next person would be me? Why me? I mean—I’ve only just finished school, surely there is someone more qualified?”
Victoria smiled. “As always you go straight to the point. Unfortunately Keira, that is exactly where things get difficult.”
“What do you mean ‘difficult?’ Is everything all right?”
“Yes, and no. Actually, I’ve been putting this off, but I have no choice anymore. I have to tell you something, dear. Please try to keep an open mind.”
Keira leaned forward with increasing concern. She had never seen her Aunt this unsettled before. Victoria had always seemed so calm and collected, ready to face whatever the world threw at her.
Victoria looked out of the window, then back at Keira. “I had hoped to lead you to this slowly, but now—I suppose there is no easy way to say this, so I’ll just get on with it.”
“I have been aware of what you could do since you were a very young girl. Unfortunately, so were my enemies. They couldn’t find you once you stopped using your magick, all those years ago. But recent events brought you to their attention again and now, to my everlasting regret, I’m afraid that I have underestimated them.” Victoria paused and looked at the young woman with a sad half-smile.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Vic, but I don’t understand,” Keira said, trying to ignore her growing fear.
“You are a magickal being, Keira. A very powerful one actually. And you are not alone. Many members of the Wilde Family have magickal abilities, including myself. We keep this hidden from the rest of the world, for reasons you will soon understand. I am the Leader of the magickal section of our family. There is also an International Council of Elders, of which I have been the Chairperson for a very long time. Too long.”
Keira waited for her aunt to start laughing, or for someone to tell her the punch line of the joke, but it didn’t come. Victoria looked at her with calm compassion.
“No—I’m not—what do you mean I’m—” Keira stammered, her knuckles white against the dark-blue upholstered armrests.
“Keira, please calm down. I don’t have time to ease you into this gently. This is not a game, my child. We are in the middle of a war.”
Keira was
Victoria sat opposite her, reading documents from a thick file Simone had handed her as they boarded. Keira didn’t want to interrupt.
Simone sat with her back to the two women, a few seats away, busily typing on a laptop.
Victoria frowned, it didn’t seem as if the file contained good news. Then she sighed and looked up. “I apologise, Keira. I am not good company right now.”
“It’s all right, Aunt Vic,” Keira smiled. “It must be a full-time job keeping up with all your business interests.”
“It is not only the businesses, Keira. There are so many other things—” Victoria hesitated, looking at the documents on her lap.
“Is it the estate? I didn’t even know that you owned an estate in Europe. How long have you had it? Does it need a lot of work?” Keira asked, hoping to distract her aunt from whatever was weighing on her mind.
“It has been in our family for hundreds of years,” her aunt replied.
“I’m sorry, did you say hundreds of years?”
“Yes, and it is only one of the many things I have to tell you, Keira. It is perhaps the simplest, so let’s start with that. If all goes to plan in the next few days, it will pass into your care very soon.”
Keira’s eyes widened and she blinked.
Victoria tried again. “Let me start over. The Wilde Family is old, Keira; so much older than you can imagine. Over the centuries, the family name has changed a few times, but the bloodline remains. The estate we are going to has been in the family since before Julius Caesar became the Dictator of Rome, and it has always been in the care of one very specific person. During the past few decades, that person has been me.”
Keira was silent for a moment and then asked, “And you hoped the next person would be me? Why me? I mean—I’ve only just finished school, surely there is someone more qualified?”
Victoria smiled. “As always you go straight to the point. Unfortunately Keira, that is exactly where things get difficult.”
“What do you mean ‘difficult?’ Is everything all right?”
“Yes, and no. Actually, I’ve been putting this off, but I have no choice anymore. I have to tell you something, dear. Please try to keep an open mind.”
Keira leaned forward with increasing concern. She had never seen her Aunt this unsettled before. Victoria had always seemed so calm and collected, ready to face whatever the world threw at her.
Victoria looked out of the window, then back at Keira. “I had hoped to lead you to this slowly, but now—I suppose there is no easy way to say this, so I’ll just get on with it.”
“I have been aware of what you could do since you were a very young girl. Unfortunately, so were my enemies. They couldn’t find you once you stopped using your magick, all those years ago. But recent events brought you to their attention again and now, to my everlasting regret, I’m afraid that I have underestimated them.” Victoria paused and looked at the young woman with a sad half-smile.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Vic, but I don’t understand,” Keira said, trying to ignore her growing fear.
“You are a magickal being, Keira. A very powerful one actually. And you are not alone. Many members of the Wilde Family have magickal abilities, including myself. We keep this hidden from the rest of the world, for reasons you will soon understand. I am the Leader of the magickal section of our family. There is also an International Council of Elders, of which I have been the Chairperson for a very long time. Too long.”
Keira waited for her aunt to start laughing, or for someone to tell her the punch line of the joke, but it didn’t come. Victoria looked at her with calm compassion.
“No—I’m not—what do you mean I’m—” Keira stammered, her knuckles white against the dark-blue upholstered armrests.
“Keira, please calm down. I don’t have time to ease you into this gently. This is not a game, my child. We are in the middle of a war.”
Keira was
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