Aletta smoothed a strand of hair from Lena’s face. “Yes, but this isn’t where you were meant to be. You were mugged when you went to get groceries. You’ve been in a coma for three years now. It’s time for you to wake up.”
Lena’s face became frightened. “Three years? You’re teasing me, right?”
When Aletta shook her head, a tear escaped Lena’s eye. “So that’s why I can’t find a way out. I’ve looked and looked but I can’t find a way out.”
Aletta smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “That’s why I’m here. I was always getting you into scrapes. It’s time to get you out.”
Lena plopped down ungracefully in the aisle. “How? I just want to go home.”
Aletta knelt next to her. “We’ll do what we’re supposed to do. We’ll sing.”
Lena gave her a skeptical look but Aletta ignored it and hummed the first few bars of Homecoming. She took the lower harmony, leaving the upper harmony for Lena. It took a few bars, but eventually Lena joined in.
Drawing a deep breath as they approached the crescendo, Aletta whispered, “Close your eyes.” As they reached the peak of the crescendo, Aletta also closed her eyes and let the music sweep her away.
Opening her eyes, she found herself back in Lena’s hospital room. Releasing Lirim’s hand, she stretched, wondering how long she’d been sitting there. “You ok, Lir?”
His voice was a low rumble, “I’m fine, you were only gone for a few minutes. Did it work?”
Shoring up her courage, she murmured, “Let’s see.” Gently taking Lena’s hand in both of hers, Aletta coaxed, “Lena, open your eyes.”
She held her breath as she waited to see what happened. She couldn’t hold back the tear that slipped out when Lena’s eyes fluttered open. She’d never seen anything as pretty as the blue of her friend’s eyes.
Lena’s expression was confused and she croaked out, “Where am I?”
Aletta laughed, feeling more tears slip out. “You’re home.”
* . * . *
Lirim carefully carried her up to her apartment, ignoring her protests that she weighed too much. Gently settling her on the couch, he went to the kitchen and got a glass of water so she could take her pain meds. He paused to pet the feline weaving around his legs, but quickly made his way back to the living room. He could tell that she was hurting on the ride home.
When he returned to the living room, he found her sitting with a pensive look on her face. She held out her hand for the water and patted the seat next to her. He sat on the edge and watched as she took her pain pills.
He broke the silence. “Well, this has been quite a day, hasn’t it?”
Aletta offered him a tired smile, but he could tell that her thoughts were elsewhere. He asked, “Is something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No, I was just remembering something. Come with me?”
He shook his head. “No, you promised that you’d go home and spend the rest of the day there if I took you to see Lena.”
It took her a moment to comprehend, then she shook her head and chuckled. “No, to the cottage. This will only take a moment and won’t drain my magic. Cross my heart.”
He settled reluctantly back on the couch. “All right. But just for a moment. Aunt Awena will have my hide if anything else happens to you.”
He closed his eyes and started to meditate. It only took a few breaths to center himself and then he opened his eyes in Aletta’s cottage clearing. She was already standing there, waiting for him.
Wordlessly, she took his hand and lead him around the corner of the cottage. His jaw dropped as he beheld the gorgeous weeping cherry tree in full bloom. He stuttered, “Is this the same tree?”
Aletta walked over and affectionately laid her hand on it. He wanted to yank her hand away, but nothing happened. She smiled at him. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt me now.”
Lirim demanded. “What happened? Why did it hurt you before?”
She settled on the ground and leaned back against the trunk. “It hurt me because I was using it to hurt myself. I finally remembered.”
He sat cautiously across from her, prepared to pull her away if anything happened. “What did you remember?”
“When I became a Sheridan. It happened the night that Lena was hurt. I remember being numb after the phone call but I’d forgotten what else had happened. Right after the officer hung up, I felt this burning. It was like I had been consumed by a fire, forged anew. In that moment, I knew that nothing would ever be the same again. Looking back, I realize that that was the moment my gift awakened.”
It confirmed his suspicions. “What does the tree represent then?”
Aletta leaned back and smiled up at the blossoms. “This is my link to Lena. While I refused to acknowledge our bond, to acknowledge what happened to her, it remained blighted. It was healed tonight, thanks largely to you. You gave me the courage and strength to face the truth of the situation, whatever it might be. So thank you.”
He was rendered speechless by the gratitude in her eyes. Unsure of what to say, he stood and held out his hand for her. She accepted and let him tug her lightly to her feet. As he went to lead her from the clearing, he murmured, “It was your heart, Aletta. That is your gift.”
Epilogue
Aletta watched as Elyssa shone on the stage in the role of Venus. For unraveling the case, DuPont had graciously offered them the use of his box for opening night. Wells had declined, although everyone else had accepted. Aletta was pleased to see how well the performance was going.
During a scene change, she allowed her mind to wander. With Stern dead and Elizabetta declared officially insane, there were no leads back to the mastermind behind this plot. However, Aletta had a feeling that the mastermind’s quest for the golden apples was far from over.
She discreetly stretched out her leg, trying to ease the ache. Because of her extensive healing after her seizures, magical healing couldn’t be done on her leg. She winced, remembering the riot act her mother had read her after learning that her daughter had been hospitalized twice without anyone notifying her. Aletta would not make that mistake a second time. Still, without magical healing, she would be tied to her desk for the next month at least. She sighed, wondering how that would work out.
Lirim nudged her, drawing her attention back to the stage, where the curtain was rising again. Aletta smiled and pushed her worries aside. Whatever the future threw at them, she knew that she and Lirim would handle it as a team.
Glossary
Anthea – Flowerlike
Awena – Seer
Bosk – A small copse of trees
Canticum – Latin, Song
Centrum Magia – Latin, Magic Center
Dryad – A nymph inhabiting a forest or a tree
Fae – A blanket term for most supernaturals, excluding Lycans and other shapeshifters.
Gealltanas – Gaelic, means assurance, promise, pledge
Hesperides – Three dryads who guarded the golden apples
Leta – Joy, gladness
Lirim – Guardian
Lycan – Short for Lycanthrope. A type of shapeshifter that turns into wolves. They typically run in packs.
Malus – Part of the Latin name for the apple tree family
Meliades – Apple dryads
Nymph – A spirit of nature inhabiting rivers, woods, or other locations
Obiecta – Latin, object
Omnes – Latin, all
Populus – Latin, people
Shapeshifters – Supernaturals that can shift their form, either into an animal or into a different appearance.
Sheridan – Seeker
Tala – Sioux, wolf
Viam – Latin, path
“He who hesitates ends up meditating in a horizontal position” - Ed Parker, founder of America Kenpo
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