The Adventures of Emily Tual: Revelations Book Three
Chapter 19

Audrey looked towards the door. She sensed something old, yet familiar. She wasn’t sure why though. She stood up. “Someone is here.” She told Gabriel. “Someone…from my past.” She wasn’t sure how she knew that but she did. She went to the window and looked outside. She saw Jasper and James. They were facing a woman. Audrey looked closely at the woman. There was something about her that seemed familiar. Audrey looked at Gabriel. “Who is she?” She asked him.

Gabriel looked at the woman. “I’m not sure.” He said softly. There was something familiar about her to him but he wasn’t sure how the woman was from Audrey’s past or why Audrey would think that. He had tried so hard to cover the trail to Audrey from Russia but if the Black Hands had found her, then it would make sense that this woman would have been able to do the same. He looked at Audrey. “Let’s go meet our visitor.” He told her.

James and Jasper looked at each other. This was a first. They hadn’t seen a grownup possible Chosen One since Emily’s mother. Usually all of the possible Chosen Ones they encountered were children when they were tested or killed by the Black Hand.

James looked at Anastasia. For some reason, she looked familiar. He wasn’t sure why though. “Why are you here?” He asked Anastasia.

Anastasia went up to the two. “I need your protection.” She told them before she knelt to the ground. “I was a member of the Black Hand under the protection of my father but I fear that with everything that’s going on, my daughter will be in danger.” She knew that she was taking a big risk by going there but she had no choice. Her walk had given her time to think and she had realized that her child, the secret she had kept from Derdrom, would be in great danger. She realized why Gabriel had always tried to get to the Chosen Ones first. She just wished that she had taken her child to Gabriel before giving her child to another woman to raise her.

Jasper and James both took a step back. “You’re a member of the Black Hand?” Jasper asked. He looked at James. “Get Gabriel and Audrey.” He told James in a quiet voice. “Warn them of this intruder.”

Before James could turn to go, Gabriel and Audrey joined them. “Who are you?” Gabriel demanded of Anastasia. “Why are you here?” He needed to know like the others did. His eyes then widened. “You.” He said. He recognized Anastasia even if it had been years since he had last seen her. “Anastasia, is that really you?”

Anastasia nodded and stood up. “It’s been a long time Gabriel.” She told him. “But I never forgot what you did for me.” Tears came to her eyes as she spoke.

Audrey and James looked at Gabriel. “You know her?” Audrey asked. She wondered if Anastasia was the Second Tribulation that she would have to go through. It would make sense if Gabriel was the other Witness and he knew Anastasia as well. She looked at Anastasia. She wasn’t sure why but Anastasia looked really familiar.

Gabriel nodded to Audrey. “Years ago, Anastasia’s family were killed by the Magician’s forces during the Russian Revolution against Czar Nicholas.” He told Audrey. “I had been in Russia before Czar Nicholas’s death. I had heard of the child’s sudden appearance and how she had come to join the royal family. The Magician had infiltrated the palace as a wise man or religious man. He tried to replace Anastasia after her family had been killed but when she didn’t turn up, he thought she was dead. I did as well.”

Gabriel looked at Anastasia and went up to her. “Derdrom had you all of this time?” He asked. It would explain why she was still alive and looked a lot younger than she should. He still couldn’t believe that she was there.

Anastasia nodded. “He raised me and kept me hidden from the Magician. But something happened earlier today that made me want to flee from Derdrom and the others.” She explained. “While I was fleeing, I realized that while you might have failed me, you could help me with trying to replace someone.”

James and Audrey looked at each other. They realized that something was going on. James went to Audrey and looked at Anastasia. “As soon as you get the chance, run back into the cabin and stay safe.” He told Audrey in a quiet voice.

Audrey shook her head. “I want to see what happens.” She told him. She needed to know why Anastasia was so familiar to her. Audrey knew that she hadn’t been in Russia during World War Two so that couldn’t be it. She wanted to know who Anastasia needed help replaceing.

Gabriel tilted his head curiously. “Who do you want me to help you replace?” He asked Anastasia. He wanted to know as well.

Anastasia took a locket out of her pocket and tossed it to him. “My daughter.” She answered.

That surprised Gabriel greatly. “Your daughter?” He asked. He had no idea that Anastasia had had a daughter. He looked at Jasper and the two men went to Anastasia. “When did you have a daughter?” Gabriel asked Anastasia.

Anastasia pointed to the locket. “Look there to replace your answer.” She told him.

Gabriel opened the locket and looked inside it. There was a baby girl’s picture in the locket on one side. The other side had the date of birth. He read the date and looked at the baby again. “I know this child.” He said. He looked up at Anastasia. “But how are you her mother? According to our research and the news, her mother had been found dead.” He wanted to know how they had been wrong fifteen years before.

Anastasia shook her head. “I had given birth to my daughter in secret from Derdrom.” She told Gabriel. “I didn’t want her to be raised up as a Black Hand or be associated with the Black Hand or the Darkness. After I gave birth to her, I gave the baby to one of the nurses who had helped deliver her and begged the nurse to raise her. I didn’t realize that the Black Hand suspected the nurse to be another possible Chosen One, a family member through distant relations.” Anastasia thought about how she had found out the news. “I had waited a year before returning to Derdrom and it was during that year that my child was lost and the nurse was killed.”

As Audrey heard the three adults talking, her mind was reeling. She realized that the story of Anastasia’s baby sounded familiar. It was because it was like her story. She had been left at an orphanage and her mother had been found dead. She did the math and realized that, if Anastasia’s baby was her, that Anastasia was her mother. She took a step back and ran into the cabin. Audrey ran to the bed and sat on it before she shook her head. There was no way that her mother was a Black Hand. She heard someone walk up to her.

Audrey looked up to see James. “Are you okay? James asked her.

Audrey shook her head. “Anastasia can’t be my mother, can she?” She asked.

James sat next to her. “I’m not entirely sure.” He admitted. “If she is, then it’s news to me as well.” He took Audrey’s hand. “But this could be your Second Tribulation. Something that has to do with your past.” It made sense to him that the truth about Audrey’s family would be the second challenge that Audrey would have to face.

James turned Audrey to him. “I promise you though that you’ll have me standing with you to face this.” He told Audrey. “You won’t have to deal with this alone.” He wasn’t going to fail Audrey the way he had failed Aunica or Emily. This time he was going to help her.

Anastasia looked at Gabriel. “I want you to help me replace her so we can keep her safe.” She told him. “I know you have no reason to trust me but I’m begging you for the sake of my daughter, please help me.”

Jasper shook his head. Something seemed off to him. “Why would you give her to a nurse to raise as a daughter if you wanted the Darkness to rise up?” He asked Anastasia. “After all, Derdrom is the Horseman of War. Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep her with you?”

“Not unless it was all a part of fate.” Audrey said. All three adults turned to see Audrey and James standing by the cabin door. Audrey’s eyes were focused on Anastasia. She knew that Anastasia had looked familiar and now she knew why. She slowly started walking towards Anastasia. “If you are who I think you are, it was because of fate that you had to give me up Mother.” Audrey told Anastasia. She looked at James. “James said that I was given to the orphanage because my mother was being chased by the Black Hand.” Audrey told Anastasia. “And that was fifteen years ago.”

Anastasia felt weak in the legs. She looked at Gabriel. “Who is this?” She demanded.

Gabriel motioned Audrey to join him. “You know who this is.” He told Anastasia. “It’s your daughter if what you’re saying is true.”

Anastasia thought about the picture of her daughter that she had left behind at the manor. The girl in the picture looked like Audrey but a few years younger. She had done a digital accelerate image processing of a digital copy of her baby’s picture and it was a very close match. She looked at Audrey. “Are you really my daughter?” She asked Audrey.

Audrey took the locket from Gabriel and opened it. She looked at the date before looking at the picture of the baby. “It’s of me.” She said. The baby picture was about a year older than the baby pictures her adopted parents had but the baby was the same. She looked at Anastasia. “You are my mother.” She said as tears came to her eyes. She had never thought that she would meet her birth mother but here she was. To everyone’s surprise, Audrey hugged Anastasia and began crying.

Anastasia held her daughter close to her and cried as well. She finally had her daughter back. As the two stood there and cried together, Gabriel and Jasper went over to James. “I didn’t see that one coming.” James told them. He didn’t expect Audrey to be Anastasia’s daughter. He looked at the two men. “Now what? I mean we can’t keep Anastasia around here. If she left Derdrom behind, you can bet he’ll be looking for her. If not him, then someone worse.” He could think of a few people who would want to kill Anastasia and Audrey.

Gabriel nodded and looked at Jasper. “As soon as they’ve had a chance to be together, I want you to take Anastasia to a safe place until this all blows over.” He told Jasper.

Jasper was surprised to hear that. “What about my camp responsibilities?” He asked. “I can’t exactly leave now that you’re busy with helping Audrey with the Tribulations.” It would seem suspicious to any of the Black Hands who might be spying on them. He also still didn’t trust Anastasia.

Gabriel looked at Anastasia. “It’s important that we get her to a place where not even the Horseman of War could replace her.” He explained. “If Derdrom or any of the Black Hands replace out about Anastasia, they’ll go after her until she’s dead. If we keep her hidden, they’ll be forced to give up the search for her.”

From their hiding spot, Harold and Hannah watched the whole scene between Anastasia and Audrey. It had been easy for them to replace Anastasia. She had left a magical trail without even knowing it. They looked at each other and nodded. Anthony would want to know all about this. They also wanted to know how Anthony knew that Anastasia would still be alive even though Derdrom was dead. The two disappeared into the woods.