Free Realm of the Goddess by Sabina Khan Page B

the next morning feeling optimistic. The dream about my father had given me hope. Firstly, I was now convinced that my father had in fact been communicating with me and I felt a sense of relief knowing that my parents were alive and relatively unharmed, at least for the moment. Secondly, I felt that Shiv’s parents might have more information about the sword my father had mentioned. Once I knew its last known location, I might have a shot at rescuing my parents after all. This motivated me enough to get me ready and downstairs with a positive attitude, which must have shown on my face, because Nina noticed it right away. They were all sitting at the breakfast table in the kitchen. The big bay window looked out on a sunny yard.
    “Callie, you look rested,” she said cheerfully. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
    Over a breakfast of eggs, toast and fresh fruit, I told them about my dream. They didn’t seem too surprised. Dev was already nodding as I finished.
    “It’s not unheard of that some Rakshakari have powers of oneiric manipulation,” he said.
    “But my father is not a guardian,” I said, a strange realization blossoming in my stomach. “He’s a professor,” I finished weakly.
    “Callie, I can assure you that ordinary humans do not possess such powers. However, there are Rakshakari who have forsaken the call and chosen to live normal lives. Their powers diminish but are never truly lost.”
    I said nothing for a while. I tried to think back and remember if there were any clues, any signs I had missed. It was strange trying to look at my life and realize that there might have been so much I didn’t know, so many things about my parents that they had kept from me. I thought about snatches of conversations from when I was younger, too young to understand their significance. I’d walk in on them and they would abruptly stop talking. I had probably been too self-absorbed to think anything of it at the time, but now I desperately wished I had paid more attention. Maybe I would have learned something that could have helped me now. I must have sighed or something, because Dev looked at me sympathetically.
    “Callie, beti , you mustn’t blame yourself. None of this is your fault.”
    Nina nodded in agreement as she buttered a piece of toast. “Callie,” she said, “if your parents kept any of this from you, it was only to protect you. I’m sure they had their reasons.”
    I knew they were trying to make me feel better, but I couldn’t help the tiny worm of resentment that was making its way into my mind. I was seventeen years old, for goodness sake, not a child. I could have handled whatever dark secrets they were hiding. They should have had more faith in me. Now here I was, completely in the dark, having to rely on strangers whom I felt forced to trust.
    I bit into a piece of toast that Nina had put on my plate next to the scrambled eggs. I didn’t want to be rude, so I just nodded politely.
    “Shiv,” Nina said, taking a sip of her coffee, “why don’t you show Callie around and then this afternoon we are going to meet with Vikram.”
    I looked around the table. “Who’s Vikram?”
    “He’s the head of the Council for the West Coast,” Dev replied. “We went to see him yesterday to apprise him of the situation, and he is eager to meet you.”
    “Wait...you mean there are more of you?” I said. I regretted it as soon as I said it, because Nina raised her eyebrows slightly before replying.
    “Yes, Callie, there are more of us. In fact, we have centers all around the world. We train our Rakshakari and warriors there. They are also taught all about the history of the Council.”
    She shot Shiv a glance. “Shiv, perhaps while you are showing Callie around, why don’t you fill her in a little bit? That way she’ll be prepared before we meet with Vikram.”
    She excused herself and left the kitchen. Dev finished his coffee and left too, leaving me alone with Shiv.
    “Did I offend your