Kindred Spirit

Chapter 1

The stress is evident on my brother's face as he paces around his office. "Nothing?" He asks as he finally turns to face me. I settle in one of the plush chairs he uses for reading.

"I'm sorry," I say, frustrated. "I've been trying for over an hour, Corden. My head is killing me, and pressuring me isn't exactly helping." I place my hands on either side of my head and my eyes start stinging. "I predicted three visions for you yesterday. I can't overwork my gift like this. It's too hard."

"Too hard? I'm sorry, Amaya but haven't you noticed our current situation?" Corden asks in exasperation.

"I have noticed actually. I notice everything! Don't you see the mental strain this is putting on me? How drained I feel?"

Corden sighs as his eyes soften. As of late my brother has been abusing my gift so to speak. Having too many visions in such a short amount of time causes me great discomfort and terrible head pains.

"I'm sorry, my dear sister," He says as he settles into the chair opposite the one I'm currently occupying. "I've just been so stressed lately, I have barely slept. That blasted heartless fool has been attacking our kingdom tirelessly. He has increased his attempts drastically; therefore, you've had to use your gift more often."

"I understand, and..." I trail off. I shut my eyes for one moment, blocking out the world around me. For one blissful moment my mind is filled with a peaceful vision. One where my head is not paining, my kind are not at war, my brother is back to his old relaxed self, and Anne is chastising me about the amount of sweets I ingest. For just the space of a heartbeat, all is well and all is calm.

Opening my eyes, I return to the reality I'm dwelling in. My brother stares at me questioningly, waiting for me to finish what I had been about to say earlier.

"I will try to call forth one final vision," I say, after letting out a deep breath. I know this will send my wailing head pain into pure screeches. Fully prepared for the backlash I'm sure to receive, I look down at my hands. Corden gazes at me in concern, but I know he is eager to know of any information I can offer. It was only yesterday that I prevented an attack on a small village. It took three visions, one to determine the plan, another to see how many troops were being sent, and a third to find out the exact time and location. Usually, I simply give my brother a general idea of what's to come and that satisfies him, but lately that hasn't been good enough. I understand why of course, the war between us and ShadowBrook has grown in intensity and danger.

The familiar feeling that always resides within me, the feeling that provides my ability to see things, things that have not yet happened, now feels faint as I attempt to summon it. Though the feeling is faint, I still manage to grasp it. I focus all of my energy on what I want to see. Due to my tiredness, it requires a lot more effort on my part to keep the vision going.

I soon find myself not staring at my hands as I had been moments before. The scene before me is something I've seen so many times it is now familiar to me. The horrid King Ryker of ShadowBrook stands at the head of a large table, his most trusted fighters and leaders around him. I mostly find him in this room, surrounded by those who both fear and respect him.

"We hope to invade the City of Etriamore by tomorrow evening," A man says with a loud booming voice. The King, if he even deserves such a title, nods. He looks very pleased with his army's attack plans. I cannot maintain the vision for another second after gathering that small sliver of information.

I blink and suddenly I'm staring up at my brother. Corden's eyes fill with relief and my own eyes open. As my surroundings settle in I notice that he holds me in his arms while we both rest on the floor, me lying down across his lap while he is on his knees. "What happened?" I ask in bewilderment.