Rebecca.
Zadok, broken and devastated over the
death of his wife, laid to waste himself in labor and totally
forgot about his child. However, Tali's slave, Ivka, out of loyalty
to her mistress, had loved the girl like her own and took care of
the child.
Ivka was the only notion of a mother
Rebecca had and the child loved the woman dearly. Upon seeing
Ivka's ways with his child, Zadok made her his wife to take care of
him as well. The union produced two children, Gilda and
Judith.
However, Rebecca was not at all pleased
with the birth of her two sisters. She had become possessive of
Ivka and aloof with Gilda and Judith. It had become worse when
Rebecca discovered her abilities to heal at a young age. She became
guarded and self-centered. Even when Gilda and Judith began
discovering their own abilities to heal, Rebecca had not wanted to
take part of it.
When it was time for Ivka to pass on to
another world to die temporarily before she awakened again as a
healer, Rebecca took her life and killed her. Rebecca had thought
once Ivka awakened again, she will have a new set of family and
children to rear as her own and Rebecca would lose her place in
Ivka's life. Killing Ivka and owning the power she had was
Rebecca's way of keeping Ivka a part of her forever.
However, the taste of another healer's
power in communion with one's own had a different effect on
Rebecca. She had hungered for more of a healer's blood. She had
planned to kill Gilda and Judith as well.
"God, I had wanted to kill her myself
when I found out," Gilda said. "And yes, it entered my mind that
when I succeed, I shall be the greatest healer. Now, now—there's no
shame or guilt about it. It's just the healer's way."
Gilda fingered the trinkets
of the habak again.
Then, she held it up high, dangling the jewelry like a bait on a
hook. "Lure the girl to wear this the way you lure women to your
bed. A heart so in love will wear a garland of poison to her
deathbed. This is nothing deadly. I am pretty sure, one of you will
be able to pull it off. Then, tell me how she will react to this
and I will know for sure."
Hugh approached Gilda and
took the broken habak from her fingers. He turned to Xavier and said, "Let's get out
of here, man!" Then, he headed towards the door without looking
back at Gilda.
Xavier nonchalantly shrugged his
shoulders off and stood up. But Gilda stopped him and said, "Let me
bless you first, my dear boy Xavier!"
Xavier threw Hugh a helpless look
pleading for him to stay until the whole thing was over. But Hugh
turned his back and went for the door.
As Hugh closed the door
behind him, he saw Xavier lowered himself on one knee in front of
Gilda as she laid her hands just a few inches above his head and
muttered a prayer. Hugh turned the habak in his hands and ran his fingers
through the little trinkets the way he had seen Gilda did it. He
felt nothing. He had expected something unusual to happen since he
was also a healer. But there was none.
Just then, Xavier opened the door and
joined Hugh. He swatted Hugh's arm and told him, "Thanks a lot for
bringing me in there and staying with me. You know I don't like
those woo-hoo stuff she does."
"Oh, come on, X! No harm done. You're
in one piece. You don't even have to believe. Let me show you,"
Hugh said. He ran his hand in circles over Xavier's chest and
added, "Tell me if you're not feeling better already."
"It's not that. It's just being with
her—" Xavier stopped in mid-sentence, color rising to his face,
looking embarrassed. "I didn't mean to say that about
her—"
Hugh chuckled merrily. "Gotcha! Now,
we're even for putting me through the call with Jonah earlier.
Don't bother explaining. I feel the exact same thing even if she's—
you know."
"So, how do you reckon about Jonah?'
Xavier asked.
"I'll have this one fixed
first before you give it to her," Hugh said, pocketing the habak .
"No way," Xavier blurted out. "I am not
giving it to her. She's your mother. It's her
Zadok, broken and devastated over the
death of his wife, laid to waste himself in labor and totally
forgot about his child. However, Tali's slave, Ivka, out of loyalty
to her mistress, had loved the girl like her own and took care of
the child.
Ivka was the only notion of a mother
Rebecca had and the child loved the woman dearly. Upon seeing
Ivka's ways with his child, Zadok made her his wife to take care of
him as well. The union produced two children, Gilda and
Judith.
However, Rebecca was not at all pleased
with the birth of her two sisters. She had become possessive of
Ivka and aloof with Gilda and Judith. It had become worse when
Rebecca discovered her abilities to heal at a young age. She became
guarded and self-centered. Even when Gilda and Judith began
discovering their own abilities to heal, Rebecca had not wanted to
take part of it.
When it was time for Ivka to pass on to
another world to die temporarily before she awakened again as a
healer, Rebecca took her life and killed her. Rebecca had thought
once Ivka awakened again, she will have a new set of family and
children to rear as her own and Rebecca would lose her place in
Ivka's life. Killing Ivka and owning the power she had was
Rebecca's way of keeping Ivka a part of her forever.
However, the taste of another healer's
power in communion with one's own had a different effect on
Rebecca. She had hungered for more of a healer's blood. She had
planned to kill Gilda and Judith as well.
"God, I had wanted to kill her myself
when I found out," Gilda said. "And yes, it entered my mind that
when I succeed, I shall be the greatest healer. Now, now—there's no
shame or guilt about it. It's just the healer's way."
Gilda fingered the trinkets
of the habak again.
Then, she held it up high, dangling the jewelry like a bait on a
hook. "Lure the girl to wear this the way you lure women to your
bed. A heart so in love will wear a garland of poison to her
deathbed. This is nothing deadly. I am pretty sure, one of you will
be able to pull it off. Then, tell me how she will react to this
and I will know for sure."
Hugh approached Gilda and
took the broken habak from her fingers. He turned to Xavier and said, "Let's get out
of here, man!" Then, he headed towards the door without looking
back at Gilda.
Xavier nonchalantly shrugged his
shoulders off and stood up. But Gilda stopped him and said, "Let me
bless you first, my dear boy Xavier!"
Xavier threw Hugh a helpless look
pleading for him to stay until the whole thing was over. But Hugh
turned his back and went for the door.
As Hugh closed the door
behind him, he saw Xavier lowered himself on one knee in front of
Gilda as she laid her hands just a few inches above his head and
muttered a prayer. Hugh turned the habak in his hands and ran his fingers
through the little trinkets the way he had seen Gilda did it. He
felt nothing. He had expected something unusual to happen since he
was also a healer. But there was none.
Just then, Xavier opened the door and
joined Hugh. He swatted Hugh's arm and told him, "Thanks a lot for
bringing me in there and staying with me. You know I don't like
those woo-hoo stuff she does."
"Oh, come on, X! No harm done. You're
in one piece. You don't even have to believe. Let me show you,"
Hugh said. He ran his hand in circles over Xavier's chest and
added, "Tell me if you're not feeling better already."
"It's not that. It's just being with
her—" Xavier stopped in mid-sentence, color rising to his face,
looking embarrassed. "I didn't mean to say that about
her—"
Hugh chuckled merrily. "Gotcha! Now,
we're even for putting me through the call with Jonah earlier.
Don't bother explaining. I feel the exact same thing even if she's—
you know."
"So, how do you reckon about Jonah?'
Xavier asked.
"I'll have this one fixed
first before you give it to her," Hugh said, pocketing the habak .
"No way," Xavier blurted out. "I am not
giving it to her. She's your mother. It's her
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