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The Gift

Edward's Intro, Part 2

copyright comidacomida 2018

Whether I wasn't able to understand or just chose not to, what I was hearing didn't quite make it all the way through my brain. Turning to face my oppressor, my gaze drifted past the man-sized, red-furred oriental-looking Dragon; the wide hall was taken up by a humanoid Bear and a humanoid Rhinoceros stalking down the hall. The Rhino's roar was loud enough to hurt my ears and yet nobody else in the hall seemed to take note. "NO! You cannot have him!"

The Bear was only a step behind, and pushed the Rhinoceros aside as they came barreling down the hall. "He is not yours to take, zver!"

None of what I was seeing made any sense, so I made sure everyone in the area had their attention on my mom before I succinctly told the animal people to stop and shut up. Considering everything that was going on simultaneously between the hospital staff rushing into my mom's room and two enormous man-beasts charging down the hall I think my objection came out a little louder than I'd intended. "ALRIGHT! ENOUGH!"

Although my exclamation caused all of the spirits to the stop, the attendants coming down the hall walked right through them; a particularly large man placed a hand on my shoulder and 'gently' guided me down the hall. "We need you to go to the visitor's room."

"I-"

He didn't really want to talk and I got an insistent shove. "Now, please."

The Bear bristled at that and his gaze turned on the orderly. "Teper yz zlyus..."

The Rhino, however, grabbed him by the arm. "Focus, Medved... the Serpent."

Approaching at a much slower, but still very driven pace, the Bear walked through the attendant, who was heading back down the hall. Medved, (which I suspected was his name) had golden eyes and they became all the more noticeable when they glowed softly. In that moment the Bear motioned behind himself to a gurney positioned next to the wall; it lurched out into the path of the orderly, who tripped over it. A smug grin creased Medved's thick muzzle as he spoke over his shoulder. "Do svidaniya, otrod'ye."

The Rhino, having not spent any time worrying about the orderly had stepped in front of the large ursine man and came to a stop in front of me next to the strange floating furry serpent. When he spoke his voice was so deep that I felt it in my bones, and it was directed at me rather than the reptile. "I am not here to cause trouble for you, Nehed."

The red-furred oriental-dragon rotated its head slightly, undulating through the air to make room for the Rhino's large bulk. "And yet, you are doing just that."

The Bear stepped up, his paw going straight to the serpent's throat and pushing it up against the wall, pinning it in place, teeth showing as he spoke aggressively in an unmistakably Russian accent. "We are here to protect him from you, zver."

The floating dragon-like fuzzy creature backed away, passing through the wall. A moment later I heard a harsh, rumbling voice behind me-- the same one that had first spoken to me in my mom's room. A shiver went up my spine at the sound of its contention. "You could not protect Sofia, but you think you can do better with Edward?"

Medved pointed a thick finger, complete with black claw at the being behind me; without looking back at it I could already tell it was the green and yellow dragon. "You tricked her. You asked her to help you, and then you took her from us."

The firm, possessive grip of talons tightened around my shoulders. "We were wrong. She could not help us... but this one can."

Shrugging, I pulled away, whirling around to challenge the creature. "What makes you think I'll help you? You killed my mother."

Although I didn't hear the Bear or Rhino approach I could almost 'feel' their presence. It was the Rhino who spoke. "Your depravity knows no end, Ancient One."

I maintained my focus on the dragon, but it felt like my eyes were watering. Its figure became blurry, then a mere smudge and, before I knew it, the feathered serpent with rainbow wings had replaced the large, humanoid dragon. "She asked to be released, Edward. We would never cause harm to our Chosen. It was her wish, and our Pact."

A choked sound burst forth from behind me and to my left; it took a moment before I realized that it had been the Rhino, who was overcome by a sob. "Sophie? No. My little nekhedah would never do such a thing..."

To my right the Bear let out another low-toned growl. "You cannot have him, zver. You will not take Edward from us."

I felt my brain skip a beat as the feathery serpent became the green dragon once again. He crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. "You cannot keep him from us. Sophia promised him to us, and you would only harm him by denying us our Right."

The Bear shook an enormous furred fist. "I could end you."

The Rhino reached over to where a radiator was attached to the wall; with barely any effort he pulled it free and hoisted it above his head like some kind of throwing disc. "WE could end you."

The wanton destruction of the hallway caught my attention immediately but I did a double-take once I realized that the radiator was actually right where it had been... yet the Rhino was still holding it. Nothing else made any sense so, I reasoned, why would that have to? I looked back to the being in front of me, only half-surprised that the green dragon was gone and had been replaced by the feathered snake again. "No... you could not, Thomas. We all know that this is true. You do not have the power."

Glancing around to make sure none of the office staff were around and paying attention to me I quickly interjected. "I'm not some kind of possession. Don't treat me like I don't have a choice in this!"

The feathered serpent looked straight at me. "As though you have no choice in what, Edward? You do not understand what is taking place, so how would you be able to make an informed decision on the matter?"

Before I had a chance to answer I watched a flicker overcome the feathered serpent and, for a moment, it was replaced by the floating form of the red-furred oriental dragon. "We should explain it to him so he can. If he understood he would be willing--"

The calm, nigh-benevolent voice of the furry dragon was overshadowed immediately by the imposing, iron-clad statement from the green dragon, who replaced the smooth, airy form with his own massive, tank-like one. "We have not come this far by taking chances. What if he does not?"

The Bear spoke, interrupting the odd monologue/argument. "Then Edward, Tom and I will defeat the three of you, zver."

The Rhino snorted, radiator still at the ready. "And THEN you will lose."

The green Dragon snorted. "It is better that we make the decision for the Seer rather than forcing us to destroy you and take him by force."

I shook my head. "Seer? Seer of what? What are you talking about?"

One of the dangerous-looking, massive claws of the Bear lowered so gently onto my shoulder that I was barely able to even realize it was there. "You are the Seer, Edward."

Tom the Rhino clarified. "Your family has been full of Seers for generations."

Medved the Bear snorted. "I have served your line for centuries... until these beasts took Sophia from us."

I looked back to the reptile-thing (things?) and saw the feathered serpent. He addressed me simply. "The Feldmans had not had a Seer for three generations... not before we gave The Gift to Sophia. We took nothing."

I scowled, correcting the snake-creature. "Fieldman. My grandmother's maiden name is Fieldman, not Feld--"

Medved interrupted me. "Your family changed it when they came to this new world."

In retrospect it seems strange that, out of everything happening there in the hallway of the psych ward of the state hospital the one issue I had the most trouble accepting was that my grandmother's family had changed their last name. Unable to argue or refute, I ended up choosing the most combative stance I could in the discussion. "Why would you give my mom something?"

The feathered serpent was replaced once again in that stomach-churning blur and the furry dragon, newly present gazed at me with a strangely sympathetic emerald eyes. "That is a discussion for another time, Edward. Although it is unfair of us to ask it, we must do so anyway. Please... trust us. You must be our Seer and help us as your mother could not."

Medved gnashed his teeth. "Do NOT trust them... they are no good."

Tom let out a snort, radiator still at the ready. "You cannot have my nehed, Ancient One. I will not let you take him."

At something of an impasse, I--