Chapter 5

I went back up to my room, climbing the stairs as quickly as I could without dislodging Poe from my shoulder and found my father waiting for me.

"Shut the door. We need to talk," he said from his seat on the end of my bed, his tone of voice that quiet harshness that parents get when before they really lay into you.

I dropped my bag and did as he asked, already dreading whatever it was he wanted to talk about. Poe let out a soft call, rustling his wings as I transfered him gently to his perch by my desk.

"Ezra, come sit down."

I picked up my bag instead, setting it on my desk and unzipping it open. "I'd rather go ahead and unpack," I said, tossing a bundle of dirty laundry into my hamper. "I might not get a chance to later."

"Erza, you can't go through with this. You can't take the test."

The desperation in my father's voice made me turn around to look at him. "Why not? Because I don't have Talent?" I felt anger boil up in me all over again. Why didn't anyone believe in me? "I know more about the theory of Necromancy than most necromancers my age because I've studied and studied hoping that something would help trigger my Talent. I may not have the Talent, but I have everything else I need to pass the test. I've got to have a shot, at least." I didn't add the part where all I could think about was saving Avery from marrying into the Ackland family.

"It takes more than just knowing the theory, Ezra! The test is dangerous and that's not even the point that I'm trying to make here."

"Oh yeah, then why shouldn't I take the test? Why can't I try?"

"Because you aren't my son!" He stared at me as the silence built between us. "You don't have any Talent because you aren't part of the Stanwood bloodline."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What? That's not-"

Dad clasped his hands together, studying them without really seeing them. "After your brother was born, there were ...some complications. We went to specialists and tried all we could to have another child, but it just wasn't possible. Your mother was heart broken."

I was stunned. Reaching back, I rolled my desk chair over to sit. "But then, how am I here?"

He glanced up at me, but his gaze traveled pass me to Poe. "It was a few nights after Liam's second birthday. A storm came in and it had been raining hard. I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night to find one of the windows in the bedroom open. Sitting on the sill was a raven. I remember being surprised. Even though the raven is the symbol for our Family, we hadn't seen any on the mountain in years.

"An impulse came over me then, that I had to go to the Vault and I had to go quickly. I ran up the path. I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I got to the cemetery, I found it full of ravens. But the oddest part was that Vault stood open."

"That's not possible..." I stuttered. It couldn't be. The Vault was sealed magickally and would only open for a Stanwood, and even then, only for certain occasions. It was like the Vault itself had it's own mind. It wouldn't just be open.

"It stood open, and just inside out of the reach of the rain, was a bundle of cloth and a single raven. Even with all the noise from the storm and the ravens, you slept soundly, with a raven feather held tightly in your hand. I picked you up and the raven beside you took a perch on my shoulder when all the others flew off into the storm. He's watched over you ever since."

I looked at Poe, still trying to understand what my father was telling me. I wasn't a Stanwood. I didn't have any Talent because I wasn't a necromancer. My chest grew tight as I fought to control all the emotions raging through me. "How could I just appear in the Vault? It's not possible-"

Dad studied me. "Your mother believes the Great One who guides our family, Rabranus, sent you to us. How else is it possible for us to have found you in the Vault? You know as well as I that regular humans aren't able to enter the cemetery without help, And no other Necromancer besides myself or your two year-old brother could have opened the Vault."

He was right. We were the last- No, they were the last of the Stanwood blood. The war with the Witches had made sure of that. And now, who was I? Did I have another set of parents out there looking for me? I couldn't have just appeared, right?

"From that moment on you were our son, and you always will be our son no matter what happens, but ..." he paused searching for the words. "When you didn't develop the signs of Talent even after all your studying and trials and errors, your mother and I, we never wanted you to feel like you didn't belong. Ezra, we don't want to lose you. The Great Ones may have placed you in our care, but they may not have meant for you to become a Necromancer like us. Even if the Vault opens for you, your chances of passing the test..."

He left the rest unsaid, but I already knew there was a pretty good chance I was facing my death by doing this. So really, what did this change? Avery didn't want me risking my life for her either, but it wasn't more than an hour ago, right here in my room that she told me that I did have Talent. And not to mention Thea, she may have been a little kid still, but her predictions were more powerful than the rest of her family's.

I let out the breath that I'd been holding and leaned forward to put my head in my hands, trying to clear it of all my thoughts. How was it possible that my life could have fallen apart in less than twenty four hours?

Dad stood, and rested a hand on my shoulder. "I can't tell you what to do. You're eighteen now, and this has got to be a decision you make on your own. I just wanted you to know all the information. We never told the Families that you weren't ours. I will explain this to them so that you won't have to take the test."

"No!" I jumped to my feet. "You can't do that. If I don't take the test, then Avery will have to marry Collen. I can't let that happen."

"Ezra," he said, and looked as if he was about to say something else. Instead, he changed his mind and walked over to the door. "Get some rest then, you'll need all of your strength."

He left and I stared at the closed door for a long time. Everything I'd thought was true about my family, about who I was, just wasn't right any more. My entire life was built around being a Stanwood Necromancer even though my Talent never manifested. And now? I couldn't even really call myself a Stanwood. Maybe Avery was right. I would probably just get myself killed tonight.

I tossed my bag and clothes on the floor, because suddenly, unpacking didn't seem all that important. I curled onto my bed instead, pulling the sheet and blankets up around me. Exhaustion pushed on me like a heavy weight, and yet, I couldn't find sleep. There was too much to wrap my head around, and too much pain in my heart.

Poe cawed softly, winging over to walk carefully along the coverlet to settle himself beside me. Peace washed over me, and before I could think otherwise, I drifted off.