"What is your gift?" I ask General when we are out of the car two hours later. Somehow I fell asleep in he car. That's what General told me. But I knew that is not true. I passed out. In the sunflowers. While my mind was hunted with little brown eyes. Something hurt in the middle of my chest. I can't believe they are lying to me. What is a reason.

"Memories," he answers shortly, taking a left turn in the big wide street named by some poet. I never visited Welsh. Maybe it was connected with a fact it was war town, and my eyes would catch glimpses of the soldiers uniforms, or with a fact my parents never allowed that. They were too afraid I could get lost. Or kidnapped.

"What does that mean?" My words echoe in the cold streets as the sun set down. We are not in my nice, calm town anymore. But it wasn't so calm anymore. My town was attacked. Someone wanted a revenge.

"It means I am a good questioner. Just what you will see when we are finished in the hospital."
I stop.
"What?" My head spins around looking for some sign he is joking but I find none. His face is dead serious just as his eyes don't move from mine.
"I have to find person responsible for the attack. You maybe saw him. I can just look at your memories, and see him."
I heard his voice, but I didn't want to process his words. He can see my memories. Everything from my life.
"I would tell you if I saw someone." I answer my voice cold. I won't allow that.
"You don't remember people you never saw. It's just how every brain works. I can see people from your brain. Nothing to dangerous, and it won't hurt. A few minutes the most."
"I'm not agreeing to that." I cut generals words before he could finish and turned to go somewhere. A strong arm on my elbow stops me and turn.
"Hospital is other direction, and I don't need your agreement. It's the question of safety for people, Councils, the King. I don't need your permission. I'm bonded by the law."

My eyes didn't want to meet him. My mind didn't want to agree with his words, but he was right. More people could die if I don't help him.
"Okay," I breath letting all air escape my lungs. My hand started to hurt. I felt like letter will cut through layers of gazues and bandage.

"Why this hurt so much?" I turn to him when I see a long hallways colored in yellow and meet his eyes.
"It hurts? You said it didn't hurt," his face narrows and he looks around.
"It didn't at first, but now. It's starts to hurt pretty bad." I rub just above the bandage but it doesn't settle the pain. Pain just spread through my whole arm.

Clutching my teeth together I walk behind him as he enter one room with one doctor in it.
"Hello." He says shortly before turning to the general.
"General," he greets him shortly before showing me to sit in a chair.
"So what happened?" He takes layer of the bandage and before removing gauze I answer.
"Someone carved a message on my hand."
All breath escaped my lunges when I see my underarm. The letter previously just marked with blood, were now red and painful. Skin around it looked like it's burned.

A doctor took some metal stick tapping a place around. My breath came as the snakes sound when he touched skin next to letter e.
"Well this is unusual," he says a good minute of silence.
"Why is that?" Generals asks and I nod.
"I heard stories about this, but I never saw it in person," he looks at me,"this was done by the power and it can be Heald by power only. This usage of power on someone would demand awful amount of energy, if he is not military trained." Doctor look up.
"We don't have records of anyone with this power." General interrupts him and I turn to him.
"Record of what?" I ask sharply when he looked at me.
"Record of mind power. A power and words imagined in someone's mind can be translated in the people, walls, fabrics. They can eventually destroy thing on which it leaves mark."
"So death." I answer looking at doctor.
"No, not necessary. For now I can give you something for the pain. But Doctor Harris will be back two days from now. You will have to wait."
"I'll take that," I answer quickly as another wave of pain rushed through my hand.
"We will take pills for the days and please send doctor to Van Doren citadel." Doctor nods handing me a box of pills. One of them he placed on my palm and gave a glass of water.
"Take them every eight hours, and two if needed," he nods to me," I will send doctor on that address."

General handshakes with doctor before taking me by elbow.
"Where are we going now. Home?" I asked general moment when we set our foot out.
"Now we are going to mine home." He answered shortly before taking me to car.
"Your home? Thank you but now. I will go home if you don't mind." I wanted to set free from his squeeze but he didn't allow me.
"I need to search for your memories. And you can't go home. Your home is destroyed." He turns me to face him. His eyes gazed into mine as I felt another soldier approach us from behind.
"General. Council Van Doren wanted to know will you attend dinner tonight?" His look raises behind my back and he nodded quickly.
"Yes, and tell him I'm bringing a guest." Soldier greeted him before turning to a hospital again.
"Your home, or Council's Von Doren's?" I raise my eyebrows as he exhales looking at me.
"I live there." He opens car doors showing me to get in.
With one last look at hospital I enter the car not knowing where I'm going next.

                                 ****

My next trip lasted a forty-five minutes. Little clock on the screen between two soldiers counted hours, minutes and seconds. Forty-five minutes of General's conversations, soldiers jokes and my try to ignore them all. As it turns out I didn't not succeed.

"Please call down, I can sense your brain working without even using my gift," general speaks looking at the tablet.
"I don't know what is happening. I don't know where I'm going. Sorry, but no. I can't stop thinking where you are taking me, and just because that doctor calmed me down I don't scream. When that fades away expect nightmares to come in my brain."

He lowered his tablet and looked at me.
"You will be safe. No harm will be done to you. You will be under my protection, and you will have two soldiers in front of your room. There is no reason to panic."
I nod. Right now I don't feel any emotions and his words don't mean a thing to me. I don't know him. He could easily be playing with my head.
"Right. Relax we are almost here."
He looks at his tablet again and then at me. I could see a little smile playing on his lips.
"Gary, could you please stop for a minute?" Soldier on the driver's seat nods and second later I feel car stopping next to a road.
"Come." He exits and I follow him behind.
"You don't feel it now, but soldier towns are protected with electronic field around. The next morning when you are free from doctor's powers you could sense little tension. It takes a few days to accommodate but the thing I want to show you is how they look at night." He looks up, at the sky. My look followed his and I was faced with a bluish sky around us. A few orange sparkles flew around when something touched it.
"Those are enemies attacking us."
I step backwards, my heart beating fast.
"It protect us, and it won't last forever, but they don't they can harm us. So with this we can protect citizens and everything we need to make in short period of time."
"How people live under this knowing they are attacked?" My eyes focuce on another orange spark.
"Easily. Just like with everything in life they get used to it. A few days they could be scared, but once when they don't feel it they forget about it." 
My eyes study his face. He looks at the sky for a moment before looking at me again.
"I don't tell you this to scare you, but to show you you are safe. And if you don't know you could pretend these are fireworks. They look magical later in the night." One smile paints his lips before stepping closer to me.
"Don't be scared no one will harm you, and soon you are healed you can go into refugee camp. You don't have to see me ever again."
"If that was so simple like that." I answer, shaking my head.
"What do you mean?" His face narrows and he looks at me.
"I saw hospitals, this around towns, soldiers, equipment. Enemies could easily find me and torture me. I know I will stick around here for a quite time, General." I turn to go back in car, "don't think you can fool me. I know I'm trapped, and kept as prisoner. Being in the same car with you doesn't change a thing." Before I entered the car again I turn to look in the sky again.
"It reminds me the exact moment my town was attacked, and there wasn't any cupola around it, and real people died. You may protect some people but not everyone."

The silence that was between us for the next twenty minutes wasn't pleasant, and surly it didn't help with his orders on the soldiers to attack someone.

****

By the time we reach court of Van Doren's buzzing in my head is almost unbearable and if trusted to General sitting next to me it's sound of electric cupola ahead of us.

It almost felt like every cell in my body will explode, and leave me to die. He did nothing, though. He only said it will stop.

My eyes go up and down the high wooden doors outside the court and two soldiers guarding it. They had just like General red circles on their uniform. They were gifted, too.

"Let's go," he says coldly pushing me slightly to go inside.
I don't know what I expected to see, but surly I didn't expect to see an older man sitting in the big couch in the stone garden.

"Sir," General greets him with a short head lower.
"Ah Caius, you are back," he stands up, "and this is our guest I suppose?" He lifts his eyebrow looking at me and I nod shortly.
"Yes sir. This is Dove Hamilton. She is a refugee from the latest attack." His voice sounds so cold, just like he is talking to another soldier in the car. There is no emotion, like he doesn't feel them.
"Well hello then," he turns to me, his dark eyes facing me and for a second I feel chills running down my spine. "I hope you will enjoy staying in our court," he continues, "since you know Caius he will be showing you around just after dinner."

He turns into some direction walking down the high half arch and my eyes catch orange sparkles in the sky. Looking away, I follow everyone walking in that direction before I feel someone hand on my shoulder. Before I can say anything I run from that hand and I look up.
"Miss, would you like to fresh a bit?" My eyes meet with an old woman and her warm smile.

Without waiting for an answer she take me into different direction and I can't see Caius anymore.
"Don't worry. We will just clean you up." She smiles again and I nod. I know I look horrible, but it's not my fault my town was bombarded.
"Here," she gives me white towel to clean my face and I meet my tired face in the mirror. It's no wonder everyone looked at me like I just came from the desert. My face was dirty, covered in blood and my hair looked like a nest. This woman was the first to help me out.

"We will give you new cloth in the morning but for now you have to go like that. I will try to clean it up a bit," she smiled to me before turning to tie my ripped sleeve and I just nod.
After a few minutes of silence I see she did some help on me. My face is clean I have half decent ponytail and I don't like like someone dragged me from ruins.
"Thanks," I say finally and smile at her.
"Don't worry dear, you deserve to look good." She taps my cheek before turning to go, "come I will show you where to go."

She leads me to a quiet place with long table where Caius and the older man are already sitting. A young woman is sitting on right side of man and the woman takes me next to Caius to sit.

When I finally rest my hand on the table I can't stop an exhale of relief when I see a pink pill on the plate. Without thinking of it I take it letting all pain in my head disappear.

"Well Dove I'm glade you joined us for dinner," old man starts and I turn to him saying. "I know, but General didn't tell me we will have dinner with Council so I would try to get a little less injured." I smile politely at him and I feel nudge in my back. My face meet with Caius's and I ask mute question. His eyes widen for a second before he turn to man again.

"Forgive her, she is still under doctor's gift. It can take a few more hours to be in control of her emotions." He smiles at me before turning to a girl.
"How was your trip to Pailm, Venera?" Caius smiles at the girl sitting opposite him and she smiles to. Feeling of something is wrong just won't let me down.

Before Venera could answer Council steps in ordering to one soldier.
"Where is Arawn, please? I think I was clear enough when I said eight o'clock."  His voice gets a little sharper at the end and soldier runs out.

Venera answered to Caius but I didn't listen. My look wandered around as I followed traces of the old culture in the walls. Carving in them was pre war time and it reminded me on work of famous painter Vunt. There was magic in his works and this one had it.

It was a painting of two man fighting, but when I would turn my head a little I could see changes in their positions almost like they are moving. It was connected with his gift. Paintings had a little element of magic in them.
"Vunt painter. Pre war era," Council speaks after I turn my head to another side again.
"Yes, actu.." my words were cut of by some guy entering the room.
"Not everyone needs to know about your paintings, grandfather," he says before sitting opposite me.

His dark wardrobe, and white hair reminded me on some people I used to see in towns. Much bigger towns, like some working people. But he looked young, not older than twenty, why would he had grey hair?

"Arawn, how nice of you to join us, better late then never, hm?" His grandfather's voice gets an angry note before turning to general again.
"Well you ordered me to come. It's not like I had choice, anyway." He takes napkin and places it in his lap before taking a piece of meat with his hands.
"Arawn!" His grandfather yells at him. His eyes turn to him and with lazy moves he bit the meat.
"Manners," his grandfather warns him and he smiles.
"Ah yes, of course." He places a meat in plate taking a fork.
"Who is homeless, anyway?" His fork points into my direction and I looo at General. He exchanges one look with me before turning to Council again.
"She is my guest," he speaks and points at me, "Dove meet Arawn, Council's grandson and his inheritant."
He rolled his eyes while chewing the meat. I could see annoyance in his look and smile.
"Yes all that stuff he said," he points at the General with his fork again and then turn to me, "I wish I could say I'm glade meeting you, but then I would be a liar, wouldn't I?" A smile crosses his lips and he takes his glass.
"Vunt yes. I'm actually familiar with his work," I turn to a Council and smile. If that boy is going to be rude I can be too.
"Really?" He looks at me, "where?" His eyes sparkle at my answer.
"Well, once with school trip.."
"School trip," Arawn cuts me off laughing loudly.
My eyes meet with his and for a second he just looks at me, then he stops.
"You were saying?" He says and laughs again.
"Arawn enough," his grandfather cuts him off and he stops. An awkward silence fills the air as he turns to me.
"Tell me please, where did you see him?"
"Uh we visited a Grad Palace museum. It was a picture of theater. Theater scene, that was a name," I almost smile brightly at him, but I stop myself. Actually, the looks on Arawn's face stops me. It's like he was just waiting for that.

"Ah, I know that work. It's quiet amazing, don't you agree. Dancers look almost alive," he smiles at me before taking a piece of meal.
"Yes. The way he created their dresses and movements. It's like they are trapped in the moment." I say looking at the wall again.

I hear a chuckle but I don't care. Those memories brought me before everything of this happened. Before I even met this family. I feel my hands shaking. Before anyone could see that I turn to General, tears in my face.
"I would like to go and have some sleep."
He looks me in the eyes and without a complain takes me from the table.
"Enjoy your night Miss. Dove. I really enjoyed at our little conversation," Council greets me and I nod harshly. If I just turned to him he could see tears, and I didn't want him to think I'm weak. Because I'm not.