In Search of Justice

by Katie Holmburg

  She shrugged pragmatically. “If it’s a bad day, we’ll be no worse off than we were yesterday. We’ll just try again another day. Fretting doesn’t serve any purpose. Whatever’s going to happen is going to happen.”

  “Well, brace yourself, we’re here.”

  She glanced out and saw a sprawling building that almost had a resort feel to it. A sign with flowing script read: Fairy Hills Sanitarium. Drinking in the view, she murmured, “It feels peaceful here.”

  He glanced at her, surprised by the serene expression she was wearing. “It is peaceful here. She seems to thrive in a calm environment. The Glade was too busy for her, and here she’s close enough for me to keep an eye on.”

  “How long has she been here?”

  He parked the car and they got out. “Five years, give or take a few months. Remember, watch what you say unless I give you the all clear.”

  Entering the building, they stopped at the registration desk. The man behind the desk greeted him cordially. “Ah, Mr. Bosk, your aunt is waiting for you. And this is?” He glanced pointedly at Aletta.

  Irked by his condescending attitude, she pasted on her sweetest smile. Pulling out her most bubbly, airhead blonde imitation, she chirped, “Aly, I’m his girlfriend. It’s finally time to meet the family. We’ve been dating for months and he’s met all of my family and I’ve been dying to meet his family, but he’s been soooo busy with work. Today he was finally able to get some time off and here we are.” She glomped onto Lirim’s arm and bounced excitedly a couple of times to emphasize her words.

  She could feel Lirim’s silent laughter, even though he kept his face impassive, so she pinched him discreetly. The man just rolled his eyes at them. “Your aunt is on the veranda. Have a nice visit.” He went back to whatever it was that he had been doing, completely ignoring them.

  Lirim managed to make it halfway down the corridor before he broke out laughing. He gasped quietly so the man wouldn’t hear, “What in the world was that?”

  Releasing his arm, she sniffed haughtily. “He irritated me. Really, such rudeness. So I gave him a taste of Betsy, a blonde I knew in college. She had a heart of gold, bless her heart, but not much substance.” Glancing around, she lowered her voice further, forcing it to become nearly inaudible, “Besides, I thought a family visit would draw less attention than bringing your new work partner to meet your aunt.”

  He murmured, “I hadn’t thought of that. Good save.”

  She smiled, a genuine grin this time. “Well, I got to irritate him as well, so that was a bonus.”

  They stepped onto the covered veranda and Aletta saw a woman sitting alone at a table a few feet away. She took a moment to observe the fae woman, the only sign of Awena’s age the small streaks of gray in her black hair. Aletta also noted that although Awena and Lirim shared several features, she was lacking an energy that Lirim constantly exuded.

  Lirim walked over and kissed her smooth cheek. “Hey, Aunt Awena, you’re looking lovely today.” The woman didn’t respond, staring off into space, and Lirim sighed. He knelt before the woman and gently grasped her hands. “Hey, it’s Lirim, don’t you want to say hello? I brought a friend to meet you.”

  A few minutes passed and there was still no response. Releasing her hands, Lirim slowly rose to his feet, disappointment etched on his features. He said quietly, his voice strained, “Come on, she’ll probably be like this for the rest of the day.”

  Aletta was about to do as he said when she felt that curious tugging again. Unwilling to just walk away now that she’d met Lirim’s aunt, she walked over and sat in the wrought iron chair in front of the Fae woman. Ignoring his questioning gaze, she reached over and gently grasped Awena’s hands. Instantly, a sense of disorientation and being lost washed over her. The veranda vanished and she was surrounded by a sea of green. It was like she was in a hedge maze and couldn’t find her way out, just kept running into dead ends. Tightening her grip slightly on the other woman’s hands like she would for an adventurous child, she started picking her way out of the mental maze.

  To keep herself focused, she started talking softly. “Hi, my name is Aletta. I’m your nephew’s new partner at work. They only paired us up for a case three days ago, so I can’t say that I really know him all that well.”

  She noticed a compass flower blooming on the corner of the hedge that turned right, so she headed that way. “However, I’ve discovered that he is a terrible fry snob. He rates the fries at all the restaurants that he goes to and if they have fries that don’t meet his standard, he won’t return there.”

  As she walked, she noticed that the flowers were appearing more often, so she increased her pace. “Also, he said something foolish and I yelled at him, a lot. It wasn’t very ladylike, I admit, but he truly pushed my patience.”

  Rounding another corner, she saw the entrance and grinned. The warm sunlight spilling into the maze felt good on her face. “However, he apologized very nicely and even brought chocolate to make up for it. Someone did a good job of teaching him how to apologize to women.”

  A female voice spoke up, startling her, “Probably my sister-in-law. Heavens knows that this boy got into enough trouble to turn her hair grey when he was young.”

  Aletta blinked and refocused on her surroundings, the maze melting away as she met the brilliant green eyes of the woman sitting across from her. The vibrancy that had been missing before was now fairly radiating off of the woman. Releasing Awena’s hands, she smiled. “That doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.” Glancing at Lirim, she found him staring at them in shock, his mouth hanging open just a bit. She also thought that she might’ve seen the faintest shimmer of tears in his eyes, but she couldn’t say for sure.

  He croaked out, “What did you do?”

  She shrugged, at a loss to explain. “I have no idea. Sorry?”

  Awena suddenly stood and extended her hand palm up towards him. “Leave that poor girl alone and come give your aunt a hug. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  Lirim walked over and delicately gathered her into a hug, almost like he was afraid that if he touched her too hard, she’d return to her unresponsive state. She bopped him lightly on the head and chastised him gently, “I’m not going to break.”

  It suddenly seemed to sink in and he hugged her firmly, emotions flashing across his face too fast to be deciphered. Unexpectedly, tears started trickling down his cheek and he buried his face in her shoulder.

  Rising, Aletta walked away, giving the pair privacy and time for their reunion. And if the grounds happened to look misty, it wasn’t because of the tears pricking at her eyes, not at all.

  * . * . *

  They found her sitting in a grotto in the garden, a charming little sitting spot concealed from view of the main garden area. Instead of enjoying her surroundings, she was focused on the case file scattered around her. She frowned as she rearranged the papers again, certain that she was missing something important. A throat cleared, drawing her from her thoughts, and she looked up to find Lirim and Awena watching her.

  She smiled and waved at the other chairs. “Hey, come join me. This is a beautiful garden.” Aletta held her breath as she waited to see what would happen next.

  Awena nodded to Lirim and moved over to stand next to her. Aletta watched him put up the now familiar shielding spell before turning her attention to the woman. She was looking at the files with interest, examining them closely. Sorting through them, she picked up the picture of the statue and handed it to Aletta. “This is what you need to focus on.”

  Aletta took it and examined it closely while Awena sat down. Honestly, she’d forgotten all about the statue they’d learned about in the pawn shop. The subsequent attack when they had left the shop had driven it entirely from her mind. Gathering up the scattered papers, she carefully placed them back into the folder, making sure to keep the picture at the front of the file.

  Lirim joined them, pulling out a chair and flipping it around so he could straddle it. �
�Aunt Awena, this is Aletta Sheridan, Leta, this is my aunt, Awena Bosk.”

  Aletta murmured, “Pleased to meet you.”

  Awena smiled, “Leta means gladness, joy. It suits you.” She studied Aletta’s face for a moment. “So Lirim tells me that you are a Sheridan as well.”

  Aletta gave a small shrug, “I guess. I only found out yesterday.”

  The slim fae woman laughed, a merry, inviting sound. “You are definitely a Sheridan, no doubts about that. From what little Lirim has said, I believe that you’re an Omnes, a strong one. Your secondary talent seems to be healing.”

  Aletta glanced at Lirim before looking back at her. “Healing? I can see being an Omnes; I’ve always had a knack for finding both people and objects. But healing, what makes you think that?”

  “It all depends on personality. I was a very curious child and always wanted to know why, why, why. My secondary gift, when it developed, was to see the truth of things, of people. However, I didn’t realize how horrible some people can truly be. I saw things that I could never unsee. The mind can only see so much before the heart either hardens or the mind tries to protect itself. Eventually, I lost the battle and all touch with reality.”

  “However, when you touched my hand, I felt warmth. Like stepping into the sun after being locked away in a dungeon. The nightmares receded and I finally was able to find a way out. Many mind healers have tried to help me, but they felt like bustling nurses. Kind hearted but stretched too thin, too many people to tend to. But your touch felt like unconditional love, that no matter what I had done, you wouldn’t turn me away. I’d reached out and taken your hand before I even realized what I was doing. Yes, your gift is healing, healing through love and the strength of your heart.”

  Aletta flushed. “I’m glad that I was able to help you. However, I have no idea how I do any of what I apparently do. Capt. Jones sent us to you so that you could help me sort my gift out. Will you help me?”

  “Of course, it would be my pleasure. But I must warn you, I’m a demanding teacher that expects nothing less than perfection.”

  She smiled, the flush fading. “I can live with that.”

  Awena turned to Lirim and shooed him away imperiously. “Go entertain yourself somewhere else. This is Sheridan business.”

  Sighing, he rose to his feet to do as he was bid. Aletta motioned for him to wait and started digging through her bag. Fishing out a book, she offered it to him. He took it and examined the cover curiously, “A murder mystery? And how much stuff do you carry in that bag anyway?”

  “I happen to like murder mysteries. Cases get finished in just a few hours. It’s a nice change of pace from real life. And I carry as much as I need, no more, no less. If you don’t want it though, I’ll take it back.”

  “Hey, I never said that I didn’t want it. I’ll be back at lunchtime.”

  Awena warned, “Make sure that you maintain a strong shield, we will be using some strong magic and we don’t need it detected by the busybodies that work here.” Already walking away, he waved the book to acknowledge that he’d heard her.

  Aletta gulped when Awena turned back to her, a determined glint in her eyes. “Now, let’s get started.”

  “All right, I’m ready.”

  “I need you to close your eyes and clear your mind.” She waited for Aletta to do as she had ordered. After a few minutes had passed, she asked. “Is your mind clear?” Aletta nodded. “Good. Now I need you to reach deep within yourself and find your inner magic. It’s something different for everyone, so I can’t tell you what to look for.”

  Aletta concentrated on doing as the Fae woman said. Keeping her eyes closed and her mind empty, she searched inside herself for the source of the tugging sensation that she was starting to recognize as her magic. After a few minutes, she was drawn to a golden glow. Stepping into the warmth, she was surprised to find herself standing on the porch of a cottage that was surrounded by a garden.

  Awena’s voice recaptured her attention. “Did you find your magic?”

  “Yes, it’s like a cottage with a garden.” She frowned as she examined it closely. “But it’s kind of wild around the edges. Untamed.”

  Awena’s voice was soothing, “That’s because your magic is still wild; you have to learn discipline and how to tame it to your will. Here’s what you need to do.”

  * . * . *

  Lirim returned bearing gifts, trays of food for all three of them. He was greeted by an exhausted Aletta and a satisfied aunt. Aletta draped bonelessly over the table, only giving a halfhearted wave before letting her hand drop back down onto the table. His aunt, on the other hand, looked as fresh as a daisy.

  Gently nudging Aletta aside so he could place the tray on the table, he asked cheerfully, “So, how did it go?”

  Aletta groaned and dragged herself into a sitting position, “I take it back. I don’t wanna be one anymore. Find someone else and I’ll give it to them. You want to be a Sheridan?”

  “Nonsense, she did fine. She has a very subtle touch, but she needs to work harder on putting a defined purpose behind her work. She’s very relaxed about putting intent behind her gift and ends up using too much power. That’s why she’s so prone to headaches; she’s draining herself dry.” Awena started to eat daintily, obviously relishing the taste of food.

  Lirim glanced over at Aletta to see what she thought of that statement. However, the smell of food seemed to have caught her attention and she’d already snagged her plate and was devouring it. He almost told her to take her time and chew before thinking better of it. Instead, he slid his plate over next to hers. He remembered when he first started training his magic; he was starving all the time from having to spend so much energy training his gift.

  She looked at him with gratitude in her eyes, but didn’t pause her eating. Satisfied that she was content for the moment, he turned his attention back to his aunt. “Tell me truthfully, will she be safe to continue as an agent? No matter what Capt. Jones says, I refuse to take her back when there’s a chance she could be in danger from her gift. Does she have enough control?”

  “Yes, she has both the control and the heart for it. I thoroughly tested her before we started training, If there had been any doubt about her fitness, whether strength, control or ethics, I would not have trained her. We still need to work on finesse and refining both her control and her purpose behind her seeking, but her control is strong enough that she shouldn’t have any problems continuing on with her life as if this had never happened.”

  He sighed, relieved, and changed the subject to the other question that had been weighing on his heart. “What about you? Are you all better now or is there a chance that you’re going to relapse? And are you going to stay here or head back to the Glade?”

  “I seem to be cured for now, although I will have to take precautions against the strain of seeing too much building up again. Leta and I talked about a few things I can try that might help reduce or soften what my gift shows me. I think they have a high chance of success. I’m going to wait a few days and if I don’t relapse, I’m going to leave here. However, I will not be returning to the Glade. Instead, I shall be spending time reconnecting with my beloved nephew. If that happens to include having to spend time with his partner as well, I guess I’ll just have to find a way to live with that.”

  He chuckled, “That’s very devious of you, dearest aunt. Will you want to be by yourself or move in with me?”

  She sniffed disdainfully, “I want to live alone, of course. I’ve been surrounded by people for months upon years now. I want some peace and solitude.”

  Seeing Aletta finally slowing her eating, he snagged a fry from her plate and chewed thoughtfully. “I’ll start looking around then. I know a couple of places that might work. So are you two done?”

  “For the moment. This afternoon, you two will be working together to see if you’re magically compatible and I will oversee in case anything goes wrong.”

  Aletta perked up at this and quickly swall
owed the bite she was chewing. “What sort of magic do you have?”

  “I draw my power from nature and shape it to suit my need.”

  She gave a small frown, “Isn’t that hard to use in the city?”

  He shrugged, “Nature is still everywhere in the city; you just have to know how to look for it. Also, I don’t use my magic needlessly, so I have plenty of time to generate and store magic for when I really need it.”

  “Ah, makes sense.” Looking down at her plate, he watched as she blinked, obviously surprised by the amount of food she had hastily consumed. She slid the second plate back over to him.

  He laughed when he saw that only a handful of fries remained, but ate them anyway. He had a feeling that he’d need all the energy he could muster by the end of the afternoon.

  * . * . *

  Aletta leaned heavily on Lirim as they made their way back out of the building. Reaching the lobby, she groaned. “She hates me. Your aunt absolutely hates me.”

  He patted her condescendingly on the head. “It’s alright, Aly, she might warm up to you in time.”

  She cooed, “Of course, darling. I’ll endure anything for you.” She peeked out of the corner of her eye and saw the same receptionist from earlier watching them with a smirk on his face. “Just take me home.”

  He waved to the guard and guided her out of the building. Once they were safely ensconced in the car, she leaned wearily against the headrest and closed her eyes. “Think he bought it?”

  “Hook, line, and sinker.”

  “Good. Hate to waste that kind of drama. How come you’re still so chipper? Your aunt’s a monster.”

  “I’m fully trained and only went half a day. Give yourself time, you’ll get there. And Aunt Awena is not a monster.”

  “She’s been out of commission for roughly eight years and she still ran circles around me.”

  “Remember what she told you. Your magic is mostly instinctual. Listen to your instincts and you’ll be just fine. Besides, you did great today.”