The Curse Conduit
Chapter 76

Henry had organised a private function room for their lunch time meeting. This is where Urian waited for them all to join him.

Simian and Casta entered the room first, followed by Elizabeth and Derek hand in hand, next came Kimberly as Uriah held the door open for her to enter. They sat themselves around the large table. Derek and Uriah looked much better after availing themselves of the facilities of the hotel, showered, shaved and hair styled. The dust of history washed away.

Elizabeth went to Urian and gave him a hug. “Can you forgive me Dar?”

Urian squeezed her hand. “Of course my dear, there is nothing to forgive.”

As she sat next to her Grandfather, Elizabeth gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for the dress Dar it means so very much.”

Before anyone could ask any more questions the restaurant staff brought in the prepared food and the banter centred around trading stories. Derek, Uriah and Elizabeth replaceing out what had happened to Simian, Casta and Kimberly after they had left. Urian happy to listen and fill in gaps where he could, giving his own account of the years after World War 2. His life with Anna, Danny and Bethie’s time together.

Derek changed the direction of the conversation. “Uriah said that we are all related. Me, Lizzie, Uriah.”

Urian launched into an explanation of their family trees, the marriages, the different branches down through the ages. By the time Urian had finished Derek was a little more settled with his relationship with Elizabeth. The thought that he would have to give her up after all they had gone through because they were related had been swimming in the back of his mind since Uriah has mentioned the connection.

Urian along with interpretations from Casta and Simian told Elizabeth and Kimberly about healing Derek’s leg.

Just as Urian finished Henry arrived carrying the antique box. He placed it on the table in front of Urian and then took something out of his pocket and handed it to Derek. “Your phone Derek. I found it with your other clothes.”

Derek took his phone and smiled. “Cool, hey Henry you charged it, thank you.”

Derek fiddled with his phone while all eyes were on the box on the table.

Elizabeth took hold of Urian’s hand. “Dar do you have something to show us?”

Urian looked to Henry. “We have something to show you, something to tell you.”

Now all eyes were on Henry as he moved around the table and placed the box in front if Uriah. “This belongs to you.”

Uriah looked down at the old box not sure what he should do, he looked to Urian. “Go on son open it.”

Everyone was holding their breath waiting for him to move. Slowly Uriah placed his hands on the box letting them rest on the top for a few moments before he opened it. Again he paused just looking inside, his fingers hovering again before he took the small paper covered object out and allowed the paper to roll off revealing the cloth casing. Again Uriah let the cloth roll away from the object to the gasps of everyone at the table when it revealed the phone. A mobile phone that looked like it has been tenderly protected for many years. Which it had.

Again Uriah looked to Urian but it was Henry who spoke. “It is your phone Uriah. The one that you left in the forest. My….Geoffrey found it. If you read the letters you will understand.”

Derek whistled, looking down at his own phone. “Your phone has been on a bit of a journey of its own to get back to you Uriah.”

Uriah took the oldest looking letter from the box and unfolded it, his hands trembling a little as he read the first few lines to himself. Then again he looked to Urian.

“This is part of your story Uriah. Go on read it out, read them all son.”

Slowly Uriah read the letters, everyone sensing their importance did not interrupt him until he had finished.

Casta asked the question that was on their lips. “Henry, you have been given this phone?”

Henry nodded. “Yes sir I was, passed down through my family.” Henry looked to Uriah. “With instructions to return it to its rightful owner. I am sorry Uriah but it no longer works.”

Elizabeth and Kimberly gasped at the same time and Urian knew they had made the connection through history to Henry. “Yes ladies. Henry is young Geoffrey’s descendant.”

Casta and Simian sat in stunned silence, so did Uriah, Derek whistled again and Henry waited to see what the reaction would be now they knew who he really was.

Elizabeth stood to face him. Her voice was a little strained. “Henry, you knew, all this time you knew who we were.” He was about to answer when Urian spoke up.

“Now don’t go jumping down his throat Beth, he’s been a great help to me. He was on a journey to replace his past. I was on my journey to help you and well. Once more destiny has had a hand in our lives.”

Elizabeth smiled and the expression on her face softened as she stood on her tip toes so she could reach up and kiss Henry on the cheek. “Thank you Henry, for helping Dar. Welcome to this weird little clan.”

Henry looked around the table to all the smiles shining back at him. He had been so worried that they would not understand. His eyes went to Uriah who had not said a word, quietly looking at the phone. Somehow holding this piece of technology had sent Uriah’s mind into overdrive, thrusting all that had happened up to confront him. Visions of young Geoffrey, the battle, the beheaded robbers. The phone told him it had been centuries but to him it had only been days. Standing he dropped the phone back into its box. “I can’t do this.”

That was all he said as he walked out of the room leaving his friends dumfounded.

Henry was about to go after him when Urian called him back. “No Henry, he needs someone else right now.”

Everyone was still watching the door, shocked and bewildered at Uriah’s reaction to the phone when Urian’s comments register with them. They all looked back at him and then to the person he was staring at: Kimberly.

“Go to him my dear. He is so very unsure about who he is right now. Help him understand that it is alright to feel the way he does.”

Kimberly looked to Elizabeth who nodded and without a word she went after Uriah.

Derek had leaned over the table and picked up Uriah’s phone, placing it beside his own. They were the same make and model but looked so different. As Derek did this, Henry placed another phone on the table in front of Elizabeth. “I did manage to get this one working again Miss Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth gasped. “My phone! Bethie had this when, when we got separated, when we left, I remember giving it to her because my dress didn’t have a pocket. She looked at Urian. “You have kept it all this time Dar. It looks almost the same. I mean for me it has only been days since I saw it last.”

Urian smiled at his granddaughter. “Well actually Beth, you had it in your hands yesterday.”

Elizabeth as well as Casta, Simian and Derek looked to Urian but it was Henry who spoke. “It was the phone I gave you the other day Miss Elizabeth. I was hoping you would recognise it. But then you gave it back to me I did not know what to say.”

Elizabeth turned the phone over in her hand and began to cry which made all the men in the room a little uneasy thinking she was about to do the same as Uriah.

Derek reached over the table and took her hand. “You okay Lizzie?”

She looked at him with anguish in her eyes. “It’s real, really real. It all happened. We travelled back in time, It happened. So long ago but it was only yesterday. I mean. Oh god I don’t know what I mean.” Her face was awash with tears and Henry was a little perturbed that he may have caused them.

“I am sorry Miss Elizabeth; I did not mean to upset you. I just thought.”

Urian cut him off. “I thought you would like your phone back Beth.”

Elizabeth felt Derek squeeze her hand as she looked from her grandfather to Henry. “I’m sorry Henry. It was very sweet of you to get it working again. It’s just……. I think I have all this sorted in my head then it all unravels again. Realising that this is the phone I gave Bethie. My head swims.”

Casta nodded and Simian said something in French then repeated it in English for the benefit of his friends. “I said I didn’t go anywhere and it makes my head hurts to think about it.”

His comment lightened the mood a little as everyone laughed.

Elizabeth smiled at Henry. “You’ve been keeping my Dar company for the past two years and I have never seen you.”

Urian smiled. “Well it’s not just you women who have secrets you know. Though I do have a confession to make.” All eyes were back on Urian. “I asked Henry to keep an eye on you as well.” Urian looked to Derek Simian and Casta. “And when I heard Synergy’s name pop up I asked him to check you out.” He could see the startled looks on their faces. “Well I did know about your group a long time before you even got together. At first I was hoping that maybe Beth and Derek would not meet.” He put up his hand to stop their objections and questions. “I know, I know, a futile exercise since fate had already stepped in so many years ago.” He smiled at them. “Your meeting was always supposed to be. As I suppose all our meetings were supposed to be. The future, the past and the present all mixing to bring us to this very moment in time. Who knows how our lives would have been if Beth-Elena had not spoken those words over Declan. I have had a lot of years to ponder over our fate, all the what ifs.” Urian sighed and sat a little straighter in his chair. “I want you to promise me you won’t do that. Don’t spend the rest of your lives trying to figure out the what ifs.” He took hold of Derek and Elizabeth’s hands. “Promise me you will live your lives from this day forward, not back. We took a journey together; we have come to the end. You need to start a new journey. Promise me you will.”

Again Elizabeth had tears in her eyes, giving Urian a silent promise by nodding her head.

Derek understood what Urian was trying to say but he was not sure if he could make that kind of promise, he still had so many questions. It was as if Urian could sense his trepidation. “Derek. We were all given a second chance; you no longer have the cloud of a curse hanging over you. Uri was the first of us to be released, I was blessed with the love of a most splendid woman and you have been given time, time to live.” He looked to Elizabeth. “Time to love. Time to write your own chapters in the book. Can you do that Derek? You have been back in time, are you brave enough to move forward in time?”

Derek squared his shoulders and took up Urian’s challenge. “Yes Urian. I am. I will make sure that I continue to live and do my best for all of us. Those that have gone before us and those that are yet to come.”

Urian settled back into his chair satisfied.

Kimberly had caught up with Uriah in time to see him disappear into the lift. As the doors closed their eyes met briefly, the pain and confusion she saw in his broke her heart. Pushing the button and waiting for the other lift to descend she whispered to herself. “Please let me help you Uriah. Don’t think you have to do this alone.”

She had expected to have to get him to open the door to his room but instead Kimberly found Uriah standing in the hallway staring at the door with his key in his hand motionless.

He had every intention of getting into his room until the moment he was ready to put the key in the lock. Behind the doors were more questions Uriah did not want to deal with. He had seen the new genealogy charts when they had come back from the hospital and made the mistake of taking on board all the new information they had to reveal. Just being back in his own time had unsettled him. He knew it was irrational but he felt that if he opened the door and stepped in he would step back in time and once again be lost.

Kimberly quietly walked up to him, placing her hand gently on his arm. Uriah turned his head to look at her. “I can’t.” He was shaking.

She gave him a small smile, running her hand down his arm and taking his keys out of his hand, replacing them with her own hand and guided him down the hall to her room. She sat him on the sofa and gave him a few moments to himself before she sat next to him and again took his hands. “Uriah I can’t even start to understand what you have been through but I want you to know I will be here for you, no matter what and no matter how long it takes you to do whatever it is you need to do. I might not be able to give you any answers but I will help you look for them. I cannot heal the hurts that have already wounded you but I promise I will do my best to make sure you are hurt no more.”

Kimberly had no idea what else to say to him to make him understand she would never leave him. She was worried that although physically he would be alright emotionally he would never be the same.

In a way she was right, emotionally, Uriah would never be the same again but it was not in a way that Kimberly was dreading. Through his journey and his dreams Uriah would allow himself to open up that part of him that had been closed for so many years. Sitting next to Kimberly he understood this, although his mind was still in turmoil his heart had set a new path. He looked into her deep, caring eyes knowing without a doubt that she loved him and sighed. His voice was so soft when he spoke if Kimberly had not been looking into his sad, tender face she would not have heard him. All he said was “Hold me.”

In silence Kimberly allowed him to rest his head on her shoulder as she folded her arm around him protectively and in silence they remained together, connected.

Kimberly gently ran her fingers through Uriah’s hair and waited. Slowly he did begin to talk to her, never opening his eyes, feeling safer that way. But all the while pouring out his heart and soul to her, giving her a glimpse into the things that so troubled him. Trying to explain the inner turmoil of his mind as well as the uncertainty of his heart.

Kimberly listened, all the while her love for him growing. He was indeed a man capable of deep, deep thoughts. A paradox; as this was his strength as well as his weakness and what he was struggling with.

Uriah had stopped talking for a while then without lifting his head from her shoulder or opening his eyes he asked her a question that shocked and delighted her at the same time.

“Kimberly……… do you love me?”

She swallowed hard before answering not sure what his reaction would be “Yes.”

“And can you wait for me to understand how to love you the way you deserve?”

Biting her lip with tears rolling down her face she answered. “Yes.”

“Thank you.”

Kimberly felt Uriah relax a little and waited until she heard his breathing change thinking he had fallen asleep before she spoke. “I love you my sweet prince.”

Uriah sighed and drowsily spoke the words that would never leave her heart. “I love you.”