was never Rumpelstiltskin, or Roland Stillson. He is somewhere around a thousand years old. He is a Si'Lat. He is a shape-shifting djinn that can take on the form of humans or animals at will. Most Si'Lats are evil, but this one has a soft side. He was once in love with a human girl. Her name was Serena. They lived together in another dimension, a dimension where Serena did not age. They planned to be together forever, but as most things go, their plans were broken."
Grace listened intently to the rest of the story.
"The Si'Lat was summoned by a woman with great magic and, as is the rule, he had no choice but to come. The thing that summoned him was a dark witch by the name of Aliza. She too loved the Si'Lat and was very jealous that he had chosen Serena, a human, over her. When the Si'Lat came to her call, Aliza sent her familiars to capture Serena and bring her back to this dimension. Aliza trapped the Si'Lat in a talisman and forced him to watch Serena age and die within minutes.
"Aliza forced him to do her will for decades, before he broke free with the help of a good witch named Aurora. Aurora defeated and killed Aliza in battle and released the Si'Lat to return to his own dimension. Suffering still from the heartache of losing his true love, he asked Aurora to give him the talisman so that he could destroy it. Fearing that his hurt and anger might cause him to take revenge against Aliza, Aurora refused. If he had the talisman, he would be all-powerful. Aurora loved him, but she did not trust him. She kept the talisman so that he would always be bound to it and under control. He wished to remain bound to this dimension and never be forced to return to the place where he was truly happy. The place that only brought him memories of his beloved Serena. So, a deal was struck. Aurora would keep the talisman and the Si'Lat would stay here, under her control but no longer a slave."
"Oh my God, that is horrible. What happened to Aurora?" Harold asked, just as rapt as Grace in the tale.
"Aurora married another and had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter. The last in that line is you, Grace. Aurora was your great, great, great grandmother."
Grace looked at him, incredulously.
"I've never been able to trace our family line past Carolyn."
"That is because she destroyed any evidence of your family. She never wanted anyone to find out about any of this."
"But why would she want it to be kept secret?" Grace was so confused.
"Because the talisman still resides with your family."
"So, why is he doing this? Why is he hurting our family?"
"He is not doing anything to your family. He has free will, but only to a point. He is still bound to the talisman and must do the bidding of the one that owns it."
"So, if we find the talisman, we can free him or command him to set this right?" Grace asked, feeling hopeful that this could be resolved.
"It won't be that easy, Princess. You must still guess his name and find his master. That is the only way to break the contract. I will warn you as well, the Si'Lat is very prideful. Arrogant, some would say. Even though he is bound in servitude, he feels himself to be all powerful."
"What is the talisman?"
"It was a necklace, but it may have been changed. The stone is what holds him."
"Jorek, someone placed a box into my mother's room that contained some heavy duty black magic. Do you know who did it or what it was for?"
"It could have been anyone or anything. I can tell you that the queen still has enemies, though. As do you, Princess."
"Thank you, Jorek. You are a good friend."
"Another thing before you leave, Princess, that might be of value to you. Aurora and Aliza were sisters."
9
G race sat in the passenger seat, staring out of the car window.
"Honey, are you okay?" Harold asked her.
"What the hell is wrong with my family? Families are supposed to have one or two assholes in the mix. I have a whole line of them."
"Your
Grace listened intently to the rest of the story.
"The Si'Lat was summoned by a woman with great magic and, as is the rule, he had no choice but to come. The thing that summoned him was a dark witch by the name of Aliza. She too loved the Si'Lat and was very jealous that he had chosen Serena, a human, over her. When the Si'Lat came to her call, Aliza sent her familiars to capture Serena and bring her back to this dimension. Aliza trapped the Si'Lat in a talisman and forced him to watch Serena age and die within minutes.
"Aliza forced him to do her will for decades, before he broke free with the help of a good witch named Aurora. Aurora defeated and killed Aliza in battle and released the Si'Lat to return to his own dimension. Suffering still from the heartache of losing his true love, he asked Aurora to give him the talisman so that he could destroy it. Fearing that his hurt and anger might cause him to take revenge against Aliza, Aurora refused. If he had the talisman, he would be all-powerful. Aurora loved him, but she did not trust him. She kept the talisman so that he would always be bound to it and under control. He wished to remain bound to this dimension and never be forced to return to the place where he was truly happy. The place that only brought him memories of his beloved Serena. So, a deal was struck. Aurora would keep the talisman and the Si'Lat would stay here, under her control but no longer a slave."
"Oh my God, that is horrible. What happened to Aurora?" Harold asked, just as rapt as Grace in the tale.
"Aurora married another and had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter, who had a daughter. The last in that line is you, Grace. Aurora was your great, great, great grandmother."
Grace looked at him, incredulously.
"I've never been able to trace our family line past Carolyn."
"That is because she destroyed any evidence of your family. She never wanted anyone to find out about any of this."
"But why would she want it to be kept secret?" Grace was so confused.
"Because the talisman still resides with your family."
"So, why is he doing this? Why is he hurting our family?"
"He is not doing anything to your family. He has free will, but only to a point. He is still bound to the talisman and must do the bidding of the one that owns it."
"So, if we find the talisman, we can free him or command him to set this right?" Grace asked, feeling hopeful that this could be resolved.
"It won't be that easy, Princess. You must still guess his name and find his master. That is the only way to break the contract. I will warn you as well, the Si'Lat is very prideful. Arrogant, some would say. Even though he is bound in servitude, he feels himself to be all powerful."
"What is the talisman?"
"It was a necklace, but it may have been changed. The stone is what holds him."
"Jorek, someone placed a box into my mother's room that contained some heavy duty black magic. Do you know who did it or what it was for?"
"It could have been anyone or anything. I can tell you that the queen still has enemies, though. As do you, Princess."
"Thank you, Jorek. You are a good friend."
"Another thing before you leave, Princess, that might be of value to you. Aurora and Aliza were sisters."
9
G race sat in the passenger seat, staring out of the car window.
"Honey, are you okay?" Harold asked her.
"What the hell is wrong with my family? Families are supposed to have one or two assholes in the mix. I have a whole line of them."
"Your
Similar Books
