Chapter 11: Brother Monk
Lloyd watched the monk lead Sheena off. "What does he want to say?" he wondered.
Athan seemed troubled, Sheena thought. "Let's get out of town—just outside the gates. You should hear this first," he said a bit absently
She looked at him suspiciously. "Alright." They walked slowly, turned the corner, and went out by the school. When they were some ways outside of the town, Athan stopped and turned to her.
"I wouldn't normally ask, but how old are you, Sheena?"
"Twenty-one. How old are you?"
"Twenty-six. And you're from Mizuho?"
Where was this leading? "Yeah, I am."
"Were you born there?" he asked intently.
"No, I wasn't, as a matter of fact. Grandpa Igaguri found me in Gaoracchia Forest when I was a baby."
Athan swallowed. "And you're a summoner, right?" he sounded like he was seeking confirmation for something.
"Why are you asking all this?" she demanded.
"Please, Sheena. Can you summon?"
"Yes!" she glared at him. "You didn't answer me! Why are you asking all these questions about me?"
"I know where you come from, Sheena," he said gravely.
"What? How? Where?" she floundered.
He wiped sweat from his face. "As a child, you showed signs of being able to summon—calling birds to you and stuff like that."
Memory flicked a few cards up. "Yeah, I did stuff like that in Mizuho. That's how they found I was a summoner."
"Well, you're mother didn't want you to be a research subject, so she took you to Mizuho—the hidden village."
"You knew my mother?" she exclaimed.
He nodded. "I know her very well. She's my mother, too."
Lloyd stood around, feeling a little useless. "I wonder what they're doing," he muttered.
Ribs's hands spoke for him. They'll let us know if they want to.
She stared. "What? You're—you're my brother?"
Athan nodded seriously. "Our father was from the Conversant Monastery. He came out into the world to do some errands, and he met our mother. They married, and had me, and then he withdrew from the Order. I remember we traveled around a lot. When I was about five, they had you. One of the first things you did was summon so many birds the sky darkened.
"You did it in the middle of Meltokio—everybody saw it. After that, we had no peace. People kept wanting you—some wanted to study a summoner, and others offered to buy you from us outright.
"We went on the run, and Father eventually died—he had a heart attack. But he'd told Mother what to do with us."
"What was that?" Sheena asked quietly.
"Mother left you at the edge of Gaoracchia Forest, and watched you to keep away the monsters. I went into Mizhuo and led the Chief to you. When he'd gotten to us, Mother talked to him a bit. Then we left."
"You left me?" she flared.
He looked at her sadly. "We had to. Mizuho was a hidden village, and you could grow up there without becoming a prisoner in the Elemental Research Laboratory or somebody's tool—which is what would have happened if we'd been caught."
"What'd you do after you left me?"
"Mother and I traveled to the Conversant Monastery, and asked to join."
"Why couldn't you have brought me there?" she demanded.
"The monks there would have caged you, too, Sheena. We're dedicated to seeking all knowledge, and summoners are very rare. It was our father's wish that you stay away from there."
She nodded grudgingly. "All right."
He took a breath. "You know the story. What are you going to do?"
"I have to think about this and let it sink it, Athan." She softened a bit. "Will do you me a favor?"
"Yes, sister?"
She winced slightly at the form of address, but said nothing. "Don't tell the others yet. When I'm ready, we'll tell them. I want to get to know you first."
He nodded, and patted her shoulder. "Anything you want, Sheena."
She smiled slightly. "Thank you—brother mine."