was snuggled in a sleeping bag waiting for her.
“How did the two
of you find each other?” Selene asked. It was something she’d been wondering
for a while.
Lucy glanced
back at Hugh, and they exchanged fond smiles.
“It truly was
fate,” Hugh answered, giving Lucy a squeeze. “We knew each other as children in
England. This is… what now… almost six hundred and fifty some-odd years ago? I
was born in 1347 and Lucy is only two years younger. We just barely missed the
Black Death, which happened only about two years before I was born.”
Lucy nodded with
a grimace.
“Let’s see…. Who
was King then?” Hugh rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
“Edward III, I
think.” Lucy answered. “But I remember Richard II better.” She turned back to
Selene. “We grew up in the same small village close to York. Hugh’s father was
the local butcher. My family moved there when I was only five… too young to
remember much. We were bakers.”
Lucy took a sip
of her hot chocolate. “We didn’t have anything as wonderful as this for
decades. Back then, chocolate was an expensive luxury only for the rich. A
treat discovered in the Americas.”
Lila and Adelaide
exchanged smiles. Their mother’s family’s baker’s roots shone through these
many years later.
“I don’t
remember meeting Lucy,” Hugh continued. “She was just always there, a part of
the village. One of the children we all played with on occasions.” He scratched
at the stubble on his chin again. “Actually, it was a bit of an accident that
we discovered we both had powers. I was about twelve when my abilities first
manifested. My father sometimes acted as a doctor for the village, and one day
someone brought him a baby. It was blue… unable to breath. My father asked for
my help to hold it, and as soon as I touched it, I felt this warmth pass from
my hands, and the baby started breathing.”
“Who did you
inherit from? Your father?” Selene leaned her cheek on her hand.
Hugh nodded. “I
believe so. Though his ability was very subtle. In fact, I don’t think he ever
realized that he was ‘gifted.’ I was old enough to know what they would do to a
suspected witch back then, so I kept my secret to myself.”
“So how’d you
discover each other?” Selene asked.
“Well, first of
all, I knew long before I came into my abilities that it was possible,” Lucy
answered, her green eyes clouded. “My mother was burned at the stake for
witchcraft. It’s why we moved to Hugh’s village – to get away from that. She
claimed she could see people’s souls. According to my father, it was very black
and white for her. From his descriptions, I think that she saw evil or good,
but nothing more.”
“I’m sorry,”
Selene murmured. Having lost her own mother fairly young, she felt a small
connection with Lucy.
Lucy smiled, the
corners around her eyes crinkling. “It was a very long time ago, sweetie. And
my father was kind and supportive. Although I do think that he was relieved that
my ability was a subtler version of hers. Less apt to get me into trouble.”
“How did you
find out about each other then, if you were both hiding your gifts from those
around you?”
Hugh gave Lucy’s
shoulders a quick squeeze. “I fell in love with Lucy when we were only twelve
years old. I felt drawn to her warmth. She took care of everyone around her. I
know now, of course, that it was the te’sorthene bond growing between
us. But we were too isolated to be aware of such things back then.”
“He basically
stalked me. Everywhere I went, there was Hugh,” Lucy laughed.
“One day, when I
was about eighteen and she was around sixteen, I was making sure she got home
safely. It was mid-winter and storming. She slipped on some ice and cut her
hands up pretty badly on some rocks,” Hugh said.
“He ran right up
to me. The only reason I wasn’t frightened was that I could see that his
intentions were helpful.”
“Without even
thinking about it, I
“How did the two
of you find each other?” Selene asked. It was something she’d been wondering
for a while.
Lucy glanced
back at Hugh, and they exchanged fond smiles.
“It truly was
fate,” Hugh answered, giving Lucy a squeeze. “We knew each other as children in
England. This is… what now… almost six hundred and fifty some-odd years ago? I
was born in 1347 and Lucy is only two years younger. We just barely missed the
Black Death, which happened only about two years before I was born.”
Lucy nodded with
a grimace.
“Let’s see…. Who
was King then?” Hugh rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
“Edward III, I
think.” Lucy answered. “But I remember Richard II better.” She turned back to
Selene. “We grew up in the same small village close to York. Hugh’s father was
the local butcher. My family moved there when I was only five… too young to
remember much. We were bakers.”
Lucy took a sip
of her hot chocolate. “We didn’t have anything as wonderful as this for
decades. Back then, chocolate was an expensive luxury only for the rich. A
treat discovered in the Americas.”
Lila and Adelaide
exchanged smiles. Their mother’s family’s baker’s roots shone through these
many years later.
“I don’t
remember meeting Lucy,” Hugh continued. “She was just always there, a part of
the village. One of the children we all played with on occasions.” He scratched
at the stubble on his chin again. “Actually, it was a bit of an accident that
we discovered we both had powers. I was about twelve when my abilities first
manifested. My father sometimes acted as a doctor for the village, and one day
someone brought him a baby. It was blue… unable to breath. My father asked for
my help to hold it, and as soon as I touched it, I felt this warmth pass from
my hands, and the baby started breathing.”
“Who did you
inherit from? Your father?” Selene leaned her cheek on her hand.
Hugh nodded. “I
believe so. Though his ability was very subtle. In fact, I don’t think he ever
realized that he was ‘gifted.’ I was old enough to know what they would do to a
suspected witch back then, so I kept my secret to myself.”
“So how’d you
discover each other?” Selene asked.
“Well, first of
all, I knew long before I came into my abilities that it was possible,” Lucy
answered, her green eyes clouded. “My mother was burned at the stake for
witchcraft. It’s why we moved to Hugh’s village – to get away from that. She
claimed she could see people’s souls. According to my father, it was very black
and white for her. From his descriptions, I think that she saw evil or good,
but nothing more.”
“I’m sorry,”
Selene murmured. Having lost her own mother fairly young, she felt a small
connection with Lucy.
Lucy smiled, the
corners around her eyes crinkling. “It was a very long time ago, sweetie. And
my father was kind and supportive. Although I do think that he was relieved that
my ability was a subtler version of hers. Less apt to get me into trouble.”
“How did you
find out about each other then, if you were both hiding your gifts from those
around you?”
Hugh gave Lucy’s
shoulders a quick squeeze. “I fell in love with Lucy when we were only twelve
years old. I felt drawn to her warmth. She took care of everyone around her. I
know now, of course, that it was the te’sorthene bond growing between
us. But we were too isolated to be aware of such things back then.”
“He basically
stalked me. Everywhere I went, there was Hugh,” Lucy laughed.
“One day, when I
was about eighteen and she was around sixteen, I was making sure she got home
safely. It was mid-winter and storming. She slipped on some ice and cut her
hands up pretty badly on some rocks,” Hugh said.
“He ran right up
to me. The only reason I wasn’t frightened was that I could see that his
intentions were helpful.”
“Without even
thinking about it, I
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