The Kuthun (5 page)

After a while my brain starts to tire at the repetitive information that keeps coming up. I decide to start writing about the two events back in time that occurred earlier today, so as to keep a log of sorts. This way I can track where and what happened and maybe I can figure out the why later. I recall Mum saying, ‘Ellie, feel your way through life as much as you can. Through feeling, you will be truly listening to your intuition.’

As I am busy typing about what it all felt like I hear the front door open.

‘Hello! Ellie, we’re home!’ Uncle Jo shouts from downstairs. I hear the door close, the sound of rustling bags and Uncle Jo’s boots echoes upstairs.

‘I’ll be right down!’ I yell back, a little perturbed by the intrusion. I resolve to come back to the computer later as soon as time allowed. I log off reluctantly and turn to head downstairs.

But I stop mid-stride.

Every fibre of my being starts to buzz. When this happens it feels like I am hooked up to an electrical outlet—the static energy ripples through me.

Someone is here
.

I quickly turn around expecting to find someone standing behind me but no-one is there. The air around me stirs—swirling, building—and on it I hear a voice, ‘The truth you seek already resides within you. Seek the light and all will be revealed.’ As soon as I hear it, it is gone. The room is still and silent, albeit from my own quickened pulse.

‘What truth?’ I ask to the air around me, my breathing ragged and uneven. I stand there waiting for some kind of response but I’m met with a deafening silence.

I hadn’t heard my uncle come up the stairs. He’s standing in my bedroom doorway, watching me silently.

‘Are you okay?’ he asks.

I try to act normal. ‘Yep. Just thought I had a spider on my back,’ I say, trying to laugh off my unusual behaviour, while dusting my back off from the invisible attack.

I must be giving myself away too easily as he gazes at me skeptically. ‘So, do you ask spiders what the truth is often?’ He has a slightly amused look on his face, but his eyes convey confusion. He takes his hands out of his pockets and folds them across his chest. Not usually a good sign.

I roll my eyes. ‘Okay, it wasn’t a spider,’ I confess, waving my arm around in a so-you-caught-me gesture.

He raises his eyebrows. ‘Really! You could have fooled me. You tried to pull that off so well.’ He smirks briefly before resuming his concerned expression. ‘Please tell me what is going on, Ellie. I am getting a little worried. I can feel it, so you might as well confess all your sins right now.’ He cocks his head slightly, awaiting my response.

How much do I tell him
?

I’m not sure where to start. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just feeling a little funny today that’s all. Not quite myself,’ I mumble, hoping he won’t ask me anything else.

He stares at me for a moment, probably tuning into the fact that I’m a big, fat liar! He nods his head and gestures towards the chairs, indicating that he wants a serious chat. I bite my lip. I knew it! I knew he was reading my mind.

Before my uncle was a farmer he was in the military. Sixteen years in Special Forces. In what specifically I wouldn’t know as he never talks about it, but he has this sixth sense that is unnerving.

I move reluctantly towards the chairs and take my seat, waiting for him to take the other one. He takes his time getting comfortable before he begins his interrogation.

He crosses his legs. ‘Ellie, I know that you are going through some changes at the moment and I know that some of them can be challenging.’ He pauses, waiting for me to interrupt. When I don’t, he continues, ‘We’re celebrating your birthday today and I know you must be missing your mum. I also know that today has been very different for you. Am I right?’

I nod.

‘I want to tell you something important,’ he says.

‘Okay,’ I answer hesitantly, wondering where this is going.

He moves forward in his chair, closing the gap between us. I sit back slightly, a little wary about what he is going to say.

He runs his hand through his hair roughly. ‘What this family has had to suffer to date is nothing short of horrendous. I have had to sit idly by and watch my mother and my sister murdered by monsters.’ He grimaces in pain at memories he would rather forget. ‘I may not be female, Ellie, but I am a Cole. Which means that while I don’t have
all
your supernatural abilities, I do have some skills that have been passed down.’

My eyes widen in surprise. I always knew Uncle Jo could see Ama, and he does have this sneaky sixth sense, but I thought that was it. Most, if not all, the Cole power is passed down through the female line. In fact there have only been a handful of males born into the family and Uncle Jo is the last of them.

He nods. ‘Ah, so you thought that just because I was male that we don’t share the same blood? Well, you’re wrong. I can sense energies and feel certain changes in the air. I see some things before they happen and I know when I am being lied to.’ He lowers his gaze, letting me know he is on to me, and takes a moment to gather his thoughts. ‘I spent years working for the government as you know. During this time I learnt many skills, both on the ground and in intelligence. I devoted many hours, over many years, tracing the Cole bloodline back in history. I wanted to try and understand our kind better, our reasons for being here, and the purpose of our survival. I also focused intensely on learning about and tracking these Venators. These skills have served me pretty well, but sometimes not well enough.’ He looks at me with a pained expression. ‘I used every resource possible to try and prevent your mother from being killed, but I failed,’ his says, lowering his eyes.

I am stunned by the revelation that he knows more than I thought he did and hurt to find that while we Cole women spend so much time thinking about our own mortality, we sometimes forget that others who love us have suffered just as great.

I reach out to touch his hand and he gives it a reassuring squeeze. ‘I know that something is going on and I want to help. I will not sit by and watch the same thing happen to you. So please let me in.’

The anguish in his voice catches me off guard. I realise now that I can’t do this alone. Nodding my head I say, ‘I need all the help I can get.’

He smiles wanly at me, nods his head in relief and sits back in his chair once more.

I begin to explain everything that happened today, going into detail about the kuthun and its ability to teleport me back in time to certain events. I describe the feeling of being watched this afternoon and about Ama helping me understand some things. I finish off by telling him about the unknown entity who whispered sweet nothings in my ear only moments ago.

When I’m finished I breathe a sigh of relief. It felt good to get everything off my chest.

His frown deepens and I know he is worried. He crosses one arm across his chest, his other hand rubs his stubbled chin in thought ‘Well, it seems we have ourselves a dilemma,’ he states matter-of-factly.

‘That’s it?! No, wow how weird, always thought you were a little crazy?’ I ask him, a little taken aback at his calm reaction.

With raised eyebrows he says, ‘You would like me to freak out would you? Well I am sorry to disappoint you, Ellie, but you forget that I grew up with your mother. There is nothing I wouldn’t believe when it comes to our family.’

He has a point. ‘Well, what do we do now?’ I ask, hoping he has answers.

‘First, we have to make sure that you’re safe. I’ll take care of certain factors there but I need you to place a warding spell around the property to prevent anyone, other than those of us who aren’t a direct threat, from entering. If what Amaris says is true then we can’t take any chances. If you could do that this afternoon I think that would be best. But as a rule I do not want you to venture beyond the property boundary okay?’ He waits for my nod before he continues, ‘Secondly, I want you to be very careful when using that kuthun. You don’t know the full extent of its power so remain cautious.’ He holds my gaze for a moment. When he is satisfied that I heard him correctly he pats his knees and stands up. ‘This was good.’ He seems pleased with himself and turns to exit my bedroom.

Before I lose my nerve I want to ask him something. ‘Uncle Jo?’

He turns back to face me.

Remembering the dream I quietly ask, ‘Do you think Mum’s alright?’

Sadness fills his eyes. ‘I’m not sure, Ellie. But I do know that to get that kuthun to you took great skill and determination. Your mum’s a fighter. She always was and always will be.’ He smiles lightly before making his way out the door.

I stay sitting for a moment, looking out the window, absorbing our conversation. I was selfish to think that he wouldn’t understand. I’m glad I told him everything and decide that I won’t keep anything from him again. As for Mum, I only hope that wherever she is she knows I love her.

A flash of colour flies past my bedroom window, distracting me from my incessant thoughts. An owl has perched itself on the branch of the honeysuckle tree, its plumage a sophisticated blend of creams, beiges and browns. The owl is staring directly at my window, watching me with its large round eyes. It doesn’t look away and my instincts are telling me this is no ordinary owl.

I remember being taught that in the west of Africa the owl is seen as a messenger to wizards and witches, with the owl’s cry presaging evil. In Australia, the Aborigines believe the owl represents the souls of women, therefore it is sacred. To Cole witches it means both.

The owl did not make any sound so I can deduce that I am in no immediate danger but its presence indicates that the souls of my female ancestors are watching over me, warning me that danger is looming on the horizon.

The owl moves to take flight. With wings outstretched it launches itself off the branch and gracefully enters the air. I watch it fly off into the distance, pondering its purpose for being here.

My eyes are drawn down to the garden where Magi is hopping madly back and forth trying to catch a lizard with her front paws. I chuckle half-heartedly, aware of how tired I am, knowing that today has drained me in more ways than one. I look towards my bed, my body desperately wanting to fall into a deep sleep. But instead I do the one thing I know will make me feel better.

I put my running shoes on.

Jogging always clears my head and releases the good endorphins, which is something I am in desperate need of right now
.
I walk downstairs and out the front door, heading towards Old Olsen who is humming like a maniac. What is up with him? As I get closer, the humming becomes incessantly louder. The noise is deafening and I hold my hands over my ears to drown out the sound. Through the ear piercing assault I reach out my hand and place it on his trunk. Gradually the humming starts to die down, until all I can feel is a gentle rippling vibration through the bark. I leave my hand there for a minute not wanting to tempt a reoccurrence of
buzzville
.

Something touches my shoulder gently and I look down to see a perfect green leaf land on my shirt. In the next instance a hundred delicate green leaves are falling from the branches and floating all around me, tickling me with their touch and evergreen scent. I stretch out my arms and close my eyes, revelling in the beauty of nature. I imagine tiny pixies dancing across my skin, laughing in delight at the freedom of their movement. The air around me swirls with life, my magic fusing with the leaves, creating a kaleidoscope of colour.

After a few minutes I open my eyes to find the leaves lightly falling to the ground. I smile at the unexpected gift from this old tree, a little sad that the experience was over all too soon. I pat Old Olsen and say, ‘Thank you, I needed that.’

Feeling more exhilarated I start to jog around the property, being careful not to disobey my uncle’s orders of staying within the boundaries. The pounding of my feet upon the ground and my breathing become unified as one. The wind sails through my hair and I let my worries go. Magi has found her place running beside me, her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth and her fur blowing around like black wheat grass. Before long I have forgotten everything else except how good it feels to be alive.

To be alive
. Those words echo through my mind and I realise how important it is to not only be alive, but to stay alive.

While running I move my hand along the invisible perimeter and place a warding spell around the entire property. ‘Tomara jesuk denali caza.’

To the naked eye it would seem that everything is normal but to someone with
the sight
it would look like a faint, hazy shield, standing about ten metres high, surrounds the farm—similar to what egg white does for the yolk.

To those wishing to physically enter it would be like coming up against an invisible wall. Those with a dark heart would face plant right into it, denying them access, while those with a pure heart would be allowed through.

The sun starts to set and I head back towards the house. My legs feel like jelly and my heart is pounding but I feel so good and clear-minded after the run.

I pour Magi some water and enter the back door, inhaling the sweet scent of Aunt Lily’s cooking as I walk past. I head upstairs to shower and change before dinner, silently hoping that when my head does hit the pillow tonight my dreams will be kind to me.

I am walking along a dirt trail. Magi is beside me.
The path is leading me into the forest. Up ahead I see a grove within the understorey of the tall pines that envelope it. The sun is glinting through the leaves, creating shadows that leap and play with the movement of the clouds. I feel nervous. As I enter the grove, senses alert, I see a globe of light suspended in mid-air. It glows and pulses and as I walk towards it, its form becomes clear. It is the kuthun. I sense another presence. I stop. Off to the left I see a shimmering outline of a person. My magic reaches out to reveal that it is male. He is dressed in what appears to be a gold and violet cloak that glitters beneath the sun’s rays. He is standing regal, transmitting powerful magic. In his hand he holds a staff. It too is gold, detailed with drawings and carvings that appear to look like Egyptian hieroglyphics. I cannot make them out for certain. My powers are heightened but I don’t feel threatened in any way. My vision is quickly directed to the right of me. Behind the thick trunk of a nearby tree eyes are watching me from the shadows. They have an intense heat about them, giving off a warning within me. I look between the two beings, confused as to what this means and then my eyes are drawn back to the kuthun. Its light is blinding and I shield my face with the back of my hand.