Lirim frowned as he looked closer at the garden, looking more closely at the plants individually then the garden as a whole. He took long enough that Aletta started to fidget nervously, scared of what he might see.
Finally, he took her arm and tugged her over to a tree. Releasing her, he laid his hand on the tree lovingly. Smiling, he said, “I don’t think that there is anything intrinsically wrong with this garden. The bones are still good. It just needs a little TLC. A trim here, pull a few weeds there, and it will be restored to its beautiful self. A little hard work and it’ll be a whole new garden.”
She smiled, relief swamping her. Touching the tree tentatively, she asked, “Can you help me? I’m scared to death that I’ll manage to kill it all without proper guidance. My brothers call me the plant murderer for a reason.”
He laughed at that. “Of course, but you’ll pick it up quickly. All we need is a few tools and we’ll have this garden spruced up in no time.”
Noticing a basket of tools appear at the base of the tree, she picked it up and handed it to him with a grin. Grinning back at her, he rolled up his sleeves and took the tools from her. “Let’s get started.”
* . * . *
They lost track of time as they worked, Lirim explaining as they went and Aletta carefully following his instructions. When he finally called a halt, he wasn’t sure of exactly how much time had passed, but he figured that they had been working for at least a couple of hours. “That’s enough for today. Now we need to let the garden settle for a little while, get into its new rhythm before we change anything more.”
Aletta looked around, surprise evident on her face. “Wow, we did a lot today. But you’re right, there’s still a lot to do. Several days’ worth at least.”
“Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will this garden be conquered. But the work will be worth it in the end, don’t worry. Now, what do I do with these tools?”
“Just set them at the base of the tree where we started, the rowan.” She seemed unreasonably pleased at remembering what it was called and he chuckled quietly.
She pouted at him. “Well, I don’t see a tool shed, and that is where they showed up.”
He put them where she indicated, biting back another chuckle. It wasn’t her fault, but he found her earnestness for learning about gardening cute. And if she ever found out that he’d thought that she was cute, she’d smack him.
He turned back to find her surveying the garden thoughtfully. “Hey Lirim?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, Awena said that this is just a representation of how I perceive my magic. And because I invited you in, you see the same thing that I do.” He nodded, curious where she was going with this. “What does your magic look like to you?”
He was about to tell her when an idea tugged at him. He offered, “Wanna see?”
She looked at him, surprised. “Can I?”
He shrugged. “I think so, but if I’m wrong, I guess we’ll find out.” He held out his hand for her. She took a deep breath and placed her hand in his, her trust in him evident in her eyes. Pleased with her trust, he turned and stepped through the picket gate that had just appeared in front of him, tugging her with him.
He was pleased to find that his suspicion was right. Instead of returning to Awena’s sitting room, they stepped into a majestic forest. Aletta was only a step behind him, and he watched as her eyes widened in awe.
She whispered, “Wow, this is your magic?”
He chuckled, but she was too busy taking in her surroundings to be offended. “You don’t have to whisper. But yeah, this is how I see my magic. Want to come with me really quick? There’s a barrier that I need to shore up. Just routine, it’ll only take a moment.”
She nodded absently, craning her neck to look up into the branches. He started off and she followed after him slowly. It didn’t take him long to find the slight crack and mend it, but when he turned back, Aletta had vanished. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise, he spun in a circle scanning his surroundings. When he still didn’t see her, he yelled her name.
Listening intently, he was relieved to hear her reply from fairly close. Fixing the direction that her voice had come from firmly in his mind, he set off in a swift stride. He hadn’t gone far before he entered a clearing that he had never noticed before. He stepped into it, surprised to find an elaborate pavilion that would make a sheikh proud standing in the middle of the clearing. He took a step closer just as Aletta emerged from it. When she saw him, she waved for him to come closer. “This is amazing, Lirim. What part of your magic is this?”
He took a step closer, analyzing it carefully. It didn’t seem wrong like Aletta’s garden had earlier, and it didn’t seem to be affecting his forest negatively. He had to admit, “I have absolutely no idea. I’ve never seen this clearing before.”
She frowned at him. “But this is your magic. Shouldn’t you just know instinctively what it is?”
He shook his head slightly, still puzzled by the clearing and pavilion’s sudden appearance. “I probably should, but it doesn’t feel like my magic to me. It doesn’t feel bad, but it doesn’t feel like mine.”
Aletta gasped and took a hasty step away from the pavilion. “Did I infect your magic? Please tell me that I did not infect your magic.”
He wanted to roll his eyes at the ridiculousness of that idea, but thoroughly examined it to ease her fears. “Leta, there is no possible way that you could’ve ‘infected’ my forest. Your magic doesn’t work that way. Besides, this doesn’t feel like your magic to me. If I had to make a guess, this is my magic’s way of making you feel welcome. It feels like the forest wants you to be comfortable here.”
She looked at him, her brow furrowed. “If you’re sure…”
He did roll his eyes at this. “I am sure. Trust me, the forest has very precise boundaries. If it thought you a danger, you would find it a very inhospitable place. Instead, it seems to enjoy the feel of your magic and wants you to feel comfortable, thus the pavilion. So quit worrying.”
She rolled her eyes back at him but seemed to relax at his reassurance. However, any further exploration would have to wait for another day as they heard Awena’s voice calling for them to return. With one last grin at Aletta, Lirim closed his eyes and returned to his real body. He opened his eyes in the sitting room just in time to see Aletta open her eyes across from him.
He grinned at her and climbed to his feet, groaning internally at his stiff muscles. Stretching his arms, he asked his aunt, “How long were we meditating?”
She looked relieved that they were both acting normally and he frowned, wondering what had upset her. “A little over four hours. It’s not wise to spend so long in the merge the first time you try it. If one partner is stronger than the other, the weaker personality can be lost. I tried to rouse you, but neither of you responded. What happened?”
Satisfied that his legs were sufficiently awake enough to support him, he turned and tugged Aletta up into a standing position, steadying her while her legs woke up. “Nothing really, right Leta? We did a bit of gardening in her magic and then she stepped into mine for a moment while I did some routine maintenance. Why?”
Aletta was nodding her agreement when she suddenly swayed. Awena steadied her from the other side. She placed her hand on Aletta’s forehead and seemed to be relieved that she didn’t have fever. “Because although you were merely ‘gardening’ in her Centrum Magia, you were actually doing some heavy magic work.”
Aletta interrupted, “Centrum Magia?”and he was glad that her voice was steady.
Awena chuckled, even as she guided them over to the dinner room and settled Aletta into a chair. “Always a curious one, aren’t you, Leta? You know your cottage?”
Aletta nodded, settling more comfortably into the chair.
Awena continued, “That is your Centrum Magia, your magic center, if you will. It is the core of your magic, the place you go when you center yourself. It is the heart of your magic. I don’t kn
ow exactly what you and Lirim did while you were there, but your magic is calmer, more contained.”
Aletta shrugged, unable to refute Awena’s claim that her magic was more settled. “I don’t know what we did. Like Lirim said, we just gardened while we were there. It needed a little TLC and he showed me how to properly care for some of the plants.”
Satisfied that she wasn’t going to topple out of the chair, both Lirim and Awena stepped back. “Well, whatever you did, it smoothed some of the roughness out of your magic. Healed it.”
Aletta frowned at her, “But my magic wasn’t sick, isn’t sick.”
“In a way, it was. When your magic is ‘healthy’, you are in control of it and it doesn’t break out of your care. Because you don’t have complete control of your magic, although you do have excellent control for a new magic user, it isn’t in prime condition. Eventually you’ll reach your magical peak, but it will take patience, time, and training. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, it does. And I don’t mean to be curious. I just can’t help it sometimes.”
Awena chuckled, “There’s nothing wrong with being curious. In fact, your gift only strengthens that urge. But right now, we need to get some food into both of you. You were using energy like crazy. It was a good first merge, but both of you need to learn the word restraint.”
With an admonishing look at both of them, she turned and headed for the kitchen, presumably going to fetch some food for them.
Lirim sat down across from her and propped his arm on the table and leaned his head on it. “I don’t know why she was irritated with me. It was your fault. You’re always leading me into trouble.” He batted his lashes at her and she giggled.
“You, sir, are a buffoon.”
He stuck his tongue out at her and exclaimed, “Hey, I resemble that remark.”
Right then, his aunt returned and shook her head at them, setting a full plate of food before each of them. “Children, the both of you. Be quiet and eat. Then you need to take her home, Lirim. Aletta, you’re going to need a full night’s sleep or your magic might act up. However, I have a feeling that that won’t be a problem. You both expended a lot of energy this afternoon.”
They both mumbled a, “Yes ma’am,” and dug in, not willing to further risk her wrath. Besides, the delicious-smelling food had awakened Lirim’s appetite, and he was starving!
* . * . *
Aletta was drowsing in the passenger seat, trusting that Lirim would get her home safely. In fact, she was nearly asleep when her phone buzzed, drawing her from her contented state. Reluctantly straightening, she dug through her bag and fished out her phone.
Unlocking it, she saw a text from her mother and groaned. She’d totally forgotten that she’d promised to call her mother today. Steeling herself, she opened it up. She was pleasantly surprised by the contents. It merely read:
Know that you’re busy. I’ll see you on Saturday, BBQ in the afternoon. Bring your partner. Love you. Mom.
Aletta didn’t know if she’d been given a reprieve or if there was a diabolical mom trap waiting that she wouldn’t be able to avoid. While she was debating, Lirim asked quietly, “Bad news?”
She shrugged, “Not exactly. What are you doing this Saturday?”
He thought for a moment, “The day after tomorrow?” She nodded. “Nothing that I can think of. Why?”
“My mom has invited us both to a BBQ that day. My whole family is eager to meet you.”
“That sounds like fun. Why do you sound troubled?” He glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the road.
“I’m not really troubled per se; it’s just that I suspect that this is a trap baited with tasty food. I have the feeling that I will be getting a maternal interrogation when we show up.”
Humor entered his face. “Ah. I’ve been through a few of those. Well, I’ll tag along, but I won’t protect you from your family.”
She grumbled, “You’re my partner. You’re supposed to have my back.”
He gave a laconic shrug. “Above my pay grade.”
She muttered, “Traitor,” but let it go. “We need to talk about tomorrow.”
He turned on the signal and waited to turn. “What do I need to know?”
“Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day, to say the least. We’re meeting with the Canticum Company mid-morning tomorrow. They know that they need our help, but they’ll resent that they need our help. So be prepared for condescension and disdain. Then in the afternoon, we’re meeting with the rest of the task force and setting up a battle plan. Just so you know, Officer Wells hates my guts. In fact, he hates me. Period.”
He turned and pulled up in front of her apartment building. Putting his car into park, he turned and faced her. “Why does Officer Wells hate you?”
She was about to respond when a jaw-cracking yawn interrupted her. “You know what, I’m too tired to get into it tonight but I’ll tell you tomorrow. Promise. In the meantime, I need to head up before I fall asleep right here.”
“Do you need me to walk you up?”
“Nah, I’ll be fine. See ya in the morning.” Gathering up her messenger bag, she climbed tiredly from the car and closed the door softly behind her. She made her way into the building, waving over her shoulder as she went inside, because she knew that Lirim always waited until she was safely into the building.
Climbing the stairs to her apartment felt like she was trudging up Mount Everest, but she eventually made it to her apartment. Stumbling inside, she paused only long enough to feed the cat before making her way to her room and falling onto her bed fully clothed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
Six
Aletta woke up feeling fully rested for the first time since she’d been assigned to the case. Her head also felt clear, like she could think logically again. She didn’t know exactly what she and Lirim had done the day before, but she had a sneaking suspicion it had something to with her improved outlook. Cuddling Penelope, who had been sadly neglected for the last few days, she carefully went over the day’s plans in her head.
She groaned but then abruptly shook off her darkening mood. Today was going to be tough but it wasn’t anything that she couldn’t handle. And if worst came to worst, Lirim could be in charge and do his scary stone-faced thing. For some reason, it intimidated a lot of people, although it didn’t work on her. Still, his icy look needed to be judiciously used or it could have the opposite effect of the desired outcome.
Leaving Pen to hog the bed, Aletta made her way over to the closet and surveyed her wardrobe. After a lengthy internal debate, she decided to wear her official HSI uniform. After all, all of her meetings today would be in her capacity as an HSI agent. She quickly went through her morning routine, taking extra care with her appearance. It took awhile, but she even managed to braid her curly hair and wind it up into a neat bun. She applied her makeup with a light hand, going for a professional yet natural look. She debated adding a set of pearl earrings but decided against it in the end.
Finally pleased with her appearance, she threw together a quick breakfast, knowing that Lirim would be by shortly and would want to go over their plans for the day before they met with the Canticum Company. In fact, she had just finished when she heard him knock. When she opened the door to admit him, she was pleased to see that he was dressed in his official uniform as well. HSI tended to have a more casual dress code than their police counterpart because the agents covered a lot of ground in their investigations. Sometimes a uniform could hinder an investigation instead of aiding it. They were only required to wear it at official functions and quarterly office reviews. But sometimes the uniform could be an asset, and that was what Aletta was counting on today.
“Come in, I have breakfast ready. It’s not much; just some fruit and some muffins that are a couple days old, but they’re still good, I promise.”
Lirim grinned and handed her the coffee he’d been holding. “And I brought the coffee, so that works out just perfectly.
” Making his way over to the kitchen island, he asked, “Ready for today?”
Drinking in the delicious aroma of coffee made just right, she tilted her hand back and forth in a so-so motion. “Yes and no. I’m ready, but days like today can yank the rug out from under your feet while laughing maniacally. We’ll have to see how it plays out.”
Snagging one of the plates, he dug in. “Surely it can’t be that bad?”
She sighed and drank down half the coffee, relishing the sweet taste even as it burned her tongue. “I guess it’s a case of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. I’m probably just being pessimistic. Anyway, what’s the plan for today?”
“You’re the boss, boss.”
“Lirim, you’re the senior agent. You’re supposed to take lead on these things.”
He mock frowned at her. “Aletta, I thought that we covered this already. You need to take the lead so that you can listen to what your magic is telling you.”
She flicked a grape at him, but he caught it easily and ate it. “You know that that is going to go over like a lead balloon, right? They’re already hating the fact that they have to deal with us at all. They’re really going to hate having to deal with the junior agent of the pair.”
He shrugged. “Not our problem. Now, what’s the deal with you and Wells?”
She sighed and fiddled with her muffin, her appetite suddenly deserting her. “You had partners before me in HSI, right?”
He nodded, not watching her directly, but closely monitoring her reactions. “A couple. None of them really worked out. Wasn’t the right fit.”
“Well, I don’t know if Jones told you this or not, but some of the other agents wouldn’t partner with me because they found my methods – and I quote – ‘creepy and disturbing.’ They couldn’t stand that I could figure out things they couldn’t seem to connect.”
In Search of Healing Page 6