-Sky's POV-
Vikk came up to me shortly after coming, and asked, simply, "Can we go to Brice's?" And I was totally confused. "What? Why?" "We wanna get him his staff." "I thought he already had it." "No... I wanna give it to him." "No! Vikk, it doesn't work like that. Just because staffs don't care about humans, doesn't mean it will transfer to Brice's energy from nothing. It needs a magic touch to wake it up." "But Seto can't touch it."
"But I can." "So can you help us get it for him?" I sighed. "Quickly." I teleported there, holding Vikk's hand, and Seto teleported to me. He instantly made himself invisible, as to not get killed by guards. I teleported inside.
Quietly, I pulled off my sunglasses, and let my energy pin take control. I marked the strong energy of the stilled staff, and teleported straight to it. I pulled my glasses back on, and saw a small, wooden box. This was Brice's staff. The one he's never held. The one I have to wake.
I grabbed the box, grabbed Vikk, and teleported home, Seto appearing by my side. I opened the box, and found a small aerug wood staff. It was beautiful, intricate designs carved in the polished wood. The orb lit up instantly to my touch, and it was waiting. The orb was a soft light blue, and to test its pain tolerance, I flicked it. It reflected nothing, without a DNA trace, so it just seemed to get mad. I had Seto grab Brice from inside.
(Aerug wood is naturally blue!)
He came out, and saw the staff. I handed it to him carefully, and it took to Brice immediately. It grew to his height, and the orb glowed a bit brighter. I flicked it again, just to test pain, and it flashed an angry, pained red. With the blue staff in Brice's hand, Seto was going to have to be careful. Likewise with Brice and Seto's staff.
Staffs are very territorial, and are threatened by sorcerers of the opposing type. For example- Light versus dark. Seto is dark, Brice is light. Seto's staff will kill Brice if he touches it, likewise if Seto touches Brice's staff. It's just the natural order. But that order is weird.
With a few more things to take care of in the natural order of the day, I rounded up all the guys, minus the twins. After a thin enchantment, I set the boys loose in the city with money to get food and stuff. Knowing Kenny lived in this city, I let Mat run off too. But I told him to stay with Pete or Kara just in case something did happen to him. Of course, something did, but not to Mat. To Vikk and Lachlan. Something unusual.
I could hear a woman screaming about thieves, so in confusion, went to check out the disturbance. Vikk came running to me, sticking to my side. I peeled him off and knelt in front of him. "What happened?" "I- I tried to buy an apple, and... she chased me off with a broom." I left him and Lachlan sitting by the city well, and went to the woman who still held her broom. "Are you with those little thieves?" "How are they thieves? They tried to give you business." "They've stolen from me."
"When?" I asked, unamused. "They were younger. They stolen countless apples from me." "Well, that was 3 years ago. I think that's enough to let go of that grudge. And one of the boys you shooed away? He's a King. You just swept royalty away with a wooden broom." "I see no crown."
"Yes you do. The pendant." I called to Vikk. "Vikk! Show her the pendant in your hair." He turned his head, and the star glittered in his ebony hair. Her eyes flashed with mild amusement. "That is merely a trinket." I looked at her in utter astonishment. "You have an excuse for everything. Don't you?" "And who are you to judge?"
In anger, I pulled off my glasses. I couldn't see her face, but I know she panicked. Then fear flooded my head. This is my mother's home. My mother's city. The one city that hates me with all rational thought possible.
I put my glasses back on my face, and the woman was gone. She must've run away. I picked Vikk up, and Lachlan trailed behind me. Vikk had started to complain about his legs hurting, so I didn't want him to walk. Then an idea came to me. I set Vikk at another well, teleported home, and grabbed Ash. I put Vikk on Ash, and Ash kept up while Vikk merely held the reins.
I found the others throughout the city, but soon realized where the woman had gone. People around the city had weapons pulled. Guns, knives, swords, bow and arrows, et cetera. She had warned everyone of my presence. One recognized me on sight, and bad memories flooded back. Somehow, my mom's family was still around. The one considered to be my cousin, came at me with a sword. I pushed Ash, Vikk, and Lachlan away from me, and teleported behind my cousin.
I took his sword from his hand, and crushed the blade to shards in my hand. "You shouldn't be here." He said. "Neither should you." "I live here." "If it weren't for you guys, I probably would too. But you denied my mother."
"She shouldn't have been here either. She rejected city goers, and walked the bad path, creating you in the process." "Some nasty words for someone your age." He looked no more than 10 years old, which made me laugh that he was so cross with me. "Who cares about my age? You are a disgusting being with no place in this world." "Well guess what short stack, I can't die. You can. Keep that in mind next time." I hissed. His eyes grew fearful.
"You wouldn't-" "I can, very easily. But I won't. You need to learn that respect is earned. Not bought." He backed off, but instead, my mom's dad came out with his old rifle, aimed straight at my head. "Get out of here! You aren't welcome!" "I know that!" I snapped. "I'm fed up with you people repeating yourselves! I know I'm not welcome! Just let me live my life, and I'll let you live yours! Leave me the fuck alone. Why am I such an issue?!"
"You are a fuck up. You were not meant to be." "Who gives a shit?! It's my life to live. Not yours. Fuck off, sir." Ash nudged my shoulder, sensing my distress. I pet his nose, and we walked away, leaving my crazy-ass family behind. Mitch and Jerome fell in behind me with fruit, then Kara, carrying a big vegetable basket (mostly carrots), and finally, Pete and Mat, with nothing. I teleported everyone home, and found Seto and Brice putting a big basket of steak, chicken, and pork away in the kitchen. I let them organize it how they wanted.
I absently paged through the book on the Family Trees, and was enraptured by one page. It answered my question from a few years ago.
If a tree stops growing at any point, it probably has been agreed to by the second to last generation to destroy the final generation- to end the family line. A birth may or may not register. Any generation still living after this birth will not allow the tree to grow. Abortions or still-borns are also reasons this happens.
The tree will sometimes mourn a death, growing yellow leaves in spring, summer, and occasionally staying green longer in fall. It will also keep leaves during the winter to mourn, deteriorating the tree's health. If the second to last generation decides the final generation has no worth, the tree takes this as a death to the final generation, but will not die. It knows if it still lives or dies, but will register neither on account of the parents. If the current final generation reproduces after this, the tree will register this, and continue to grow, but only after the reproduction.
This is a very rare occurrence in any case, and if it does happen, the parents of the final generation will normally cut the tree down to prevent anything further.
So which of these happened to Vikk? His parents did love him, but left him anyway. Vikk has always been smaller than he should be, almost like if he was a puppy in a litter, he'd be the runt. Maybe his heartbeat was too little to be heard, marking him as a still-born. But the Barns had still kept him. Maybe because of this, they thought he had no true worth, and was only lucky to live. I stuck to that theory, but didn't tell Vikk in fear of upsetting him. That would suck.
And for Vikk, the tree won't grow as long as he is the final generation in his line. Whereas Rob's, Brice's, and Seto's would. Yes, Seto is part of the trees. Remember the Sorcerer plaque? That is apparently Seto's last name. Tom Cassel told me before Rob got us out.
It's really awkward too. The book says 'only after the reproduction.' Do you know how weird that is? His queen is Lachlan. Another guy. How would that work?! It's so strange that that just happened to go that way.
I shouldn't think about it, but how would that work? Can it work? It must, because I've heard true stories from cities and my dad. I'm not sure how, but it works in its own respects. I stopped thinking about it. I starting to weird myself out, big time. So I flitted around outside, unsure of what to do with myself. I was restless.
Only minutes later, Rob came out of the woods on Bianca, Preston and Marshmallow in tow. He had a horse tied to his saddle with a lead. I saw this horse, and frowned. I took Sprite's halter in my hand tightly, and he bucked his head a little. I scorned him. "Where have you been?! Home?" He bobbed his head a little as a yes.
"Well, you can stay here now. We have the stable built now." He headed for the stable and pasture out back. "I found him roaming the grounds of the castle. Probably looking for you. How can you understand him, by the way?" "One of my special talents. And I can understand your horses as well. Bianca is merely a protective mare." She whinnied in protest. "Well, you are. Deal with it."
Rob glanced at me. "She pretty much just said, 'No I'm not!' It's a lie. She totally is. And Marshmallow is actually just a sheep to her sheepdog, Preston. She can't think for herself. Common with only a select few mares."
I'll explain it more later. Seto and Brice were have an issue that I needed to sort out. It involved Brice's sister. Why. Just WHY.

-A/N-
Sorry update is now, but I'm trying to balance writing on Wattpad out with Algebra 1 Keystone testing (Pennsylvania State Testing) KILL ME NOW I CAN'T TEST IN A ROOM AS QUIET AS THE ONE I WAS IN. Why cruel world do you isolate me in silence.

Oh, and killerRainbow04 , the cover I gave you took me two days of constant mistakes. It turned out well though...
Love you guys.
                   ~Percabeth1Jackson