The Power Within by H. K. Varian

Author:H. K. Varian
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Spotlight

Half an hour later, Jiichan pulled his car into the driveway of a modest, one-story house on a quiet street in Middletown. “Here we are,” he said.

Jai’s father must have been watching for them because he opened the front door before they were even halfway up the path. “Akira. Thank you for coming,” he said. “Please come in.”

Once they were inside, Jiichan placed one hand on Fiona’s shoulder and the other on Mack’s shoulder. “Ankur, thank you for your warm welcome,” he said. “May I present my grandson, Makoto, a kitsune, and Fiona Murphy, a selkie.”

Ankur nodded to each of them. “It is an honor to meet you,” he said. “I know my son would have—”

Ankur’s voice caught in this throat, and his piercing brown eyes grew watery. “I apologize,” he said, pressing his hands over his eyes. “I’m terribly worried for him.”

“We will not stop searching until he is found and returned to you,” Jiichan assured him. “May we sit?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Ankur replied, gesturing toward the living room. “I’ve made tea. Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

Mack accepted an earthenware mug filled with fragrant chai. He took a sip of the sweet tea, tasting cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and other spices he couldn’t quite place. It was delicious.

“Why don’t you tell us about how Jai came into his powers,” Jiichan suggested to Ankur.

Ankur grimaced. “I should’ve noticed,” he said. Then he turned to Mack and Fiona. “We are naga,” he explained. “Serpent Changers. We hold sway over water: directing its course, summoning it in floods, withholding it in droughts. In ancient times we were the guardians of lakes, rivers, and streams.

“I had a strong feeling that Jai was also a naga, but I came into my powers later than most,” Ankur explained. “I was nearly fifteen before they awakened. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect Jai’s powers to show themselves so soon. He’s just eleven.”

“That took us all by surprise,” Jiichan said.

“After what happened . . .”

“The flood in Middletown?” Fiona said.

Ankur nodded. “He didn’t know what was happening. He didn’t know how to control the raw power. He was scared—so scared—and he told no one what was happening. His fear grew and grew, until it manifested into the terrible flood. It was my fault. If I’d been paying attention, if I’d seen the signs . . .”

Mack thought back to the news coverage he’d seen about the Middletown flood. A dozen families had lost their homes.

“Jai must have been devastated,” Fiona said. “How did he react?”

“Jai is a good boy,” Ankur said. “He has a good heart. After the flood . . . He blamed himself, and there was not a thing I could say or do that would ease his guilt. It consumed him; I watched my boy draw within himself. I tried to begin his Changer training, but he was uninterested. He thought if he ignored his powers, they would go away. And strangely enough—”

“His powers disappeared?” Mack interrupted.

“Not at all,” Ankur said. “But he was suddenly able to exert complete control over them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.