Reaching Retribution(54)

“When I was ten, she sat me down and told me the story of the flame. My great great great grandfather, Maitrec, was the historian for the tribe. He would keep the documentation of everything that occurred. The births. The deaths. The powers everyone had. Everything. He wrote it all down. Because of the time he lived in, he didn’t have electricity, so he wrote by candlelight. During the days, he’d watch over the tribe, observing everything. Mom said that he was all-seeing.

“One day, a woman wondered into the tribe. We don’t know exactly what happened, but she didn’t know who she was. She didn’t know her name, her date of birth, where she was from. Nothing.

“She was scared. The scrolls where her appearance is first documented say that she was a beautiful frightened woman with a fierceness never seen before in her eyes. Maitrec gave her food and a place to sleep. He was determined to find out what happened to her. He wanted to know why she couldn’t remember—what she couldn’t remember. He searched for years, but couldn’t find anything. It was like she just appeared out of thin air.

“My grandfather took her in and taught her the ways of our tribe. During the days, when he used to watch the tribe, he started working on the scrolls. He had to write everything down. Our whole tribe history has been recorded because of him. From what I hear, Bragden looks a lot like him.

“Anyway, when she arrived, Maitrec took to teaching her at night. Sitting by the candlelight, he would help her in any way that he could. She acclimated quickly. He gave her the name Rozene, which means rose. Like a rose, she was beautiful, but there was hardness underneath; she had her own set of thorns. The mystery of her past loomed in everyone’s heart. As everyone grew to love her, they wanted to help solve the mystery of her past. To this day, we still don’t know any information about her early life.

“Rozene came into Maitrec’s life in the darkness. By the flame of a candle, she became a permanent part of his life. By the candlelight, he fell in love with her. Though it took some time, she grew to return his feelings. She was afraid of her past, but because of Maitrec’s kindness and patience, she slowly grew to love him as well. We’re not sure if Rozene was a mage. There’s no record of any magic use by her. Maitrec said that her presence was magical though. There was something special about her. They married and had one child, Abornazine, which means keeper of the flame. Since Maitrec and Rozene, the symbol for my family has been the flame.

“During the darkest of times, her presence provided the illumination he was seeking. She brought something new to his life. Before her, he spent every day writing and documenting the tribes every detail. She broke his routine and made him live for something for the first time in a long time. She became a symbol for light. Even without knowing her past, she adjusted and thrived.

“Before her, Maitrec’s flame was quickly dwindling. She brought his flickering flame to its intended brightness. The flickers left and all that remained was a strong flame burning bright. It remained bright until their deaths, but their flame will always burn bright. It’s written in our town’s history, where it will forever remain.

“Eventually Abornazine got married and had a daughter, my grandma. At twenty, she had my mom. Kayleena. My mom was always a little different compared to everyone else. When we’re born, we’re given a specific job. The elders in my tribe are pretty good at determining what each person is meant to do with their life, but my mom was a surprise. They couldn’t place her in any one job, so for the first time, they let her choose. Her choice was to not choose. She wanted to try everything, and she did before she found her love for art. She loved making jewelry.

“She could literally make something beautiful out of nothing. She was stubborn, determined, and fearless. She wasn’t afraid of trying something new even if it brought failure. With failure, you learn. She said that nothing could be considered a failure, because you learned one way not to do it. She was a glass half-full type of person. If you looked at something from a negative angle, she’d make you look in the opposite direction. She had a way of changing people for the better. However, the change was so subtle, that you didn’t even realize that she changed you at all until later. She was incredible. I was always amazed at how well she got along with everyone and I literally mean everyone.

“She was the epitome of a flame and represented our family well. She brought brightness to everyone. She provided a constant illumination for those around her. Even those wallowing in the darkness were not immune to her flame.”