Eric was absolutely numb. His head spun in circles. He had no idea what to believe. On one hand, he was the Gate Keeper, born with innate abilities no other possessed? Henry’s only job was to get him ready for this? How would any normal, “sane” man accept this story without question?
But at the same time, there was a burning logic hidden inside this fable. He had to admit many of the pieces fit. Jade said Henry was to take the child as his own and NEVER give away his location. When Eric came of age and his powers matured, all would be able to detect him. Just weeks after he turned twenty seasons, everything happened. His father started acting really strange after his nameday. Those things attacked Bryer shortly afterward, but as far as he knew, no other town was hit. Jade had been able to ride right to him, even though she shouldn’t have known where he was. The part about her necklace locating his power was nearly undeniable. He had made his decision, but wanted to speak to Jacob first.
“Jade, I will take you up on your offer. Please give Jacob and I a moment,” he said in a surprisingly confident voice as his eyes locked onto hers. Her eyes fell to the floor as she nodded agreement, then scurried off. She closed the door behind her so carefully, it seemed as if she was afraid to make the slightest sound.
Before Eric could even mention what he was considering—that there is truth in this—Jacob blurted out his own thoughts. “I believe her!” he said, staring a hole right through Eric. “I mean, I believe at least some of this has to true! Look at the facts. Henry admitted he is not your real father.” Jacob winced as he said the words, seeing the sadness in Eric’s eyes, but continued on, “He knew this was coming! Search your memory; all the signs were there. Remember how depressed he got when Brinton was raided years ago?”
Eric’s eyes grew wide, as he could see where his friend was going with this. “He thought Jade, the one who was supposed to by my guide, was killed during that raid!” Eric whispered to no one suddenly with a very blank look on his face.
“Exactly!” said Jacob, pointing a finger right in his friend’s face. “Look, all we know for sure is a lot of people think you’re important. Some are trying to protect you, others are trying to kill you,” he said with a sarcastic smile. Then the smile started to fade as he whispered, “But make no mistake, they all think you are this Gate Keeper, and until we learn more, I think we should stay close to the ones who are trying to protect you.” He kept his eyes locked onto Eric’s for a long while.
“Agreed! So we keep traveling to Taron. I admit, I still can’t wrap my head around this,” Eric said as he lowered his eyes as well as his voice. “It’s not like I can go back to Bryer anyway. I have nothing to go back to.” Then he raised his head as he held a clenched fist in the air. “But if those things are chasing me, I have to lead them away! Let’s get Jade and get out of here!”
Jacob patted his friend’s shoulder before using it to whirl him around so they were face to face. “I’m with you every step of the way. I’m not going to leave you!”
When they entered the common room, Jade was easy enough to spot: She was the only girl in the room wearing a black cloak when everyone else seemed to be dressed in bright, festive colors. She might as well have been giving off smoke signals. She looked up from her cup of tea wearing a hopeful, nervous smile that touched her eyes. Saying nothing, Jade sat there with eyes as big as gold coins. Eric leaned down and whispered in her ear, “We have to go, Taron awaits.” Her smile split her face as she turned to face him. Jade jumped out of the chair and ran to the room to collect the last of her things. Within minutes they were on the road.
If Eric had a lot of things on his mind before, now he was about to explode. Not that he truly believed all of this was real. There had been no hints or clues at any point in his life that he might be destined for bigger things, no memory that he could recall that hinted he might have been born with a power no one else had. But there was no denying that many people had been watching him from the time he was very young, all of them dedicated to playing their roles in his development, giving their lives if necessary. Again, one conversation was not going to transform how he viewed his own life, but the extreme level of blind dedication from this many people who had never even met him was very hard to ignore.