Celtic Rose

by Campbell, Jill

  “I’m so sorry Kallisto. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. My dearest sister, please forgive me!” he said, crying harder. Kallisto smoothed her hands down his back, trying to give him comfort.

  “It’s alright Kalan. I know you’re worried, we all are, but it’ll be alright. Shh, hush now. Everything’s just fine,” she said soothingly, and held her brother until the crying slowed and finally ceased. He pulled back and smiled at her slightly, then turned back to Ramina, still holding Kallisto. Gabriel had Ramina bandaged.

  “I stopped the bleeding, but we still need to get her to the hospital. She needs blood,” Gabriel said as he got up and picked up Ramina. They followed Gabriel to the hospital, the blonde as well.

  Chapter 15

  “Everything will be fine. You’ll see, Ramina. We’ll spend the rest of the time we have doing nothing but being together. The others can handle everything. We’ll only help if they need us to. I’m so sorry I never told you how I felt before the curse. All of those years we spent together through Kallisto, I should have told you then. We could’ve been as happy as we are now years ago, and we would’ve had more time together. Can you ever forgive me for being so stupid and taking forever?” Kalan knew she could hear him, but she’d been unconscious since they brought her in. They gave her the blood she needed–Kalan was even her perfect match in blood. He was able to give her as much as she needed. He laid his hand on her head and bent to give her a kiss. She smiled as he bent down.

  “Ramina? Are you awake?” he asked, stopping.

  “Yeah, I was awake long enough to hear your last few sentences of undying devotion,” she said jokingly. Her voice was a little grave but he could tell she was feeling better. Kallisto and William had come in and gave her one of their power jolts but at the time it didn’t look like it had helped; he could tell now that it had. He lifted the blanket to look under her bandage. The wound was just a little pink scar. Ramina looked down.

  “Wow! How long have I been out of it?” she said with a little bit of panic in her voice. She probably thought she had been in a coma for a long while.

  “It’s only been about two days. Don’t worry; not that much time has passed. We still have time to spend together.” He kissed her and when he pulled away his brow was furrowed as he thought.

  “What’s the matter, Kalan? You’re frowning.” Ramina touched between his eyebrows. He slid his face over so her hand could rest on his cheek.

  “I was just thinking about how I wish I’d have known sooner about us. I wish I could have had so much more time with you,” he said. Ramina laughed softly.

  “Honey, we’ve spent centuries together. And if we don’t break this curse we’ll still be spending time with each other centuries from now. Don’t worry, we will be together. It’ll just be over several lifetimes instead of one. How many people get to spend that long with the ones they love?” she said, then patted his cheek and swallowed harshly.

  “Are you thirsty? I’ll get you some water.” He started to get up and she grabbed his arm.

  “I thought you said we would never be apart? Stay Kalan; I don’t ever want to be alone again. If tomorrow never comes, I want to be with you when it happens. We’re not sure when everything’s going to happen–please don’t leave me.” Tears started to form in her eyes. Kalan pushed the call button for the nurse and sat back down holding Ramina’s hand.

  Chapter 16

  They sat in the waiting room giving Kalan and Ramina some alone time. Most had left the hospital a few times to shower and change in the two days they’d been there, but Kalan wouldn’t budge. Kallisto guessed she could understand–if it were Talus in that room she’d probably do the same. She loved Ramina as though she was her sister, but even Ramina wouldn’t be able to spend every moment with her if she was in that cramped room. At least that’s what Kallisto kept telling herself. Guilt was a horrible thing, but Kallisto also knew Kalan didn’t really want them there. Any time one of them touched Ramina, Kallisto saw the tension in his shoulders. It was like he wanted to push them away from her like he did Kallisto, but he didn’t want to hurt any of them. Kallisto thought of her poor brother; she couldn’t believe how he was acting, but she’d also never seen him so full of grief. They hadn’t lost anyone really close to them before.

  She heard footsteps and turned to see a nurse run into Ramina’s room. They jumped up and headed that way too, receiving a shock when they hit the door but, thankfully, not the one they dreaded. Ramina was awake and talking to Kalan. The nurse was giving her some water to drink and changing the IV to something clear.

  “Ramina, I’m so glad you’re awake,” Kallisto said happily as they walked in and stood around her bed. Ramina looked around at them soberly at first and then she smiled.

  “Hey guys, it’s so good to see you all. Kallisto, you look great! There’s not even a scratch on you and the rest of us are pummeled.” Her smile faltered and Kallisto could tell she was upset.

  “Ramina, I tried to help you. Kalan was there with you the whole time and I tried to fight everyone off. Maulro got a hold of me and by the time I got away, Kalan had been beaten pretty badly.” Kallisto tried to explain why she was untouched when everyone else was damaged. She guessed Ramina thought she ran and hid, but she was fighting too.

  “Really Ramina, Kallisto was fighting just as hard as the rest of us. She was just better at dodging than the rest of us,” Ephiny said with a smirk.

  “Clearly,” Ramina said before turning back to look at Kalan.

  “Ramina, please. I was just thinking how you and Kalan must’ve been able to do what I did because, well...how else would you have gotten into and out of those trees without getting hurt?” To me, my logic was perfectly sound. I should’ve known I was wrong,” Kallisto said sadly.

  “Kallisto, I got into those trees because I’m an Amazon. Just because I was raised in the palace doesn’t mean I didn’t learn my own heritage; my father taught me about it. I knew I wasn’t a royal. He didn’t want me to lose my heritage just because I was being raised as their daughter. He had an Amazon warrior come and teach me all that I knew...or know...or...I don’t know, but I climbed those trees like an Amazon warrior does, by scaling them quickly. As for Kalan it would serve to say that he probably levitated like you since he’s your twin.” She was flustered and out of breath after her rant. She lay back on the pillows, breathing hard and grasping Kalan.

  “That’s true, I did levitate to the trees, but I haven’t been able to do it in this life, so I don’t know if I could have,” he spoke, looking at Ramina lovingly.

  “That’s it–we can train you again to levitate and then you can pick Ramina up. I was able to carry that man who stabbed Ramina, so surely you can carry her.” Kallisto was grasping at anything, desperately trying to recover their friendship. Ramina jerked her head over to look at Kallisto and flinched from the pain it caused.

  “What do you mean, you picked up the guy and carried him?” Ramina asked, a little less angrily.

  “I got to him before Kalan could; I carried him up pretty high and threw him into a pile of broken wood, but he lived.” Kallisto said quickly. Ramina smiled then.

  “I’m sorry Kallisto, I should have known better then to think you’d hide and let the rest of us get beat up. Come here.” She raised her arms up. Kallisto went to her and they hugged. When they pulled back Ramina started to laugh. “Wow, I wish I could have seen you flying around. Then again, I probably would’ve been laughing too hard to fight. Kallisto flying around like Peter Pan–now that’s a sight,” she continued, still laughing, and Kallisto could tell she was better because she laughed loudly. Kallisto glanced at Kalan, who was smiling brightly at the life returning to Ramina.

  “Actually I was more thinking I was Superman, or maybe Supergirl. Either way, I rocked,” Kallisto said smugly. They all laughed. Gabriel and Keira came in. Kallisto only learned her name after they had everyone checked out in the hospital. Gabriel, Keira and Kallisto, being the only ones uninjured, ha
d a chat about everything. Kallisto found out Keira was clairvoyant and could see where they needed to go and the object they needed to obtain. Gabriel took in a sharp breath and Kallisto about choked on her water when she told them what it was.

  “Who are you?” Ramina questioned Keira.

  “I’m Keira, and I’m the only reason you’re all alive, so please don’t be rude.” Kallisto’s mouth dropped at the polite way she rebuffed Ramina. Ramina stared at her for a moment and started laughing.

  “Oh, I like her!” Ramina said, still laughing. That made them all laugh again, even Gabriel, who’d been in a strangely good mood since Keira had been accepted, no matter how reluctantly, into the group. Kallisto found it strange that she seemed to know just what to say to get everyone to like her almost immediately.

  “Has Kallisto told any of you about me yet?” Keira asked.

  “Not yet–I was waiting for the right time, and now that Ramina’s awake I think this is the right time. Everyone, Keira is a clairvoyant; she can see the future, the past, and objects that we need to obtain, including the one we need now. Everyone who’s standing needs to sit down right now.” Kallisto waited until everyone took a seat. Gabriel and Keira didn’t need to, and Kalan and Ramina were already down. William tried to fight it by saying that he could handle it, but a sharp look from both Kallisto and Gabriel changed his mind. “Alright everyone–time for the moment of truth–the object we need to obtain here in Egypt is...” Kallisto paused, looking at Gabriel. William was about to bounce out of his seat.

  “What is it Kallisto? If you want the dramatic affect it’s there now; come on and tell us!” William spouted. He nearly fell out of the chair he was bouncing so hard. Just for that Kallisto paused some more. Ephiny bowed her head, hiding a smile. Talus laughed. Ramina and Kalan acted uninterested, but Kallisto knew the suspense was getting to them. Gabriel smiled his proud wolfy grin, and Keira smirked knowingly.

  “Kall-is-to.” William drew the name out like an impatient child.

  “Oh, alright; jeez, can’t you take a joke? The object we need to obtain...is the first wedding necklace. Can you believe it? We’re nearly there! Celeste said it was almost over, and now we’re going to have the first necklace. This is so exciting!” Kallisto was jumping up and down as she said the last. At first they all stared at her in shock, and then all at once they stood up and ran over to her. Kallisto was picked up, hugged, and passed around like a rag doll. Ramina started to cry, but it was excitement that caused it. Kalan laughed and held her close. Eventually, after Kallisto was finally sat down, they ended up around the bed in kind of a group hug. Even Keira was brought in. They held each other in a moment of bliss and the power started to flow. It seemed to hesitate at Keira as though it didn’t know her, but eventually it went through her and completed its circle. As the circle closed and the power was flowing fully, Kallisto realized she could see everyone’s hearts. There were no bad intentions in anyone. The whole flow was full of love, and that’s when she knew for certain that Keira was one of them. She had a pure heart, untainted by any serious sin; just the normal run of the mill offenses that all humans encounter. Kallisto found something she didn’t expect. Keira was supposed to be a part of God’s plan for them. Any doubt she had about Keira was gone, and she welcomed her into their little family without prejudice.

  Chapter 17

  The next day Ramina was freed from the hospital. The doctors were completely amazed by her miraculous recovery. Keira took everyone to her house, a beautiful cabin-type dwelling on the outskirts of town. They went in and were greeted at the door by a Siamese cat. William looked from the cat to Gabriel and back again.

  “Uh oh, better hide the puddy-tat. There’s a dog here that just might chase and eat him.” William laughed at his own joke while the rest rolled their eyes. Gabriel just smiled and sat in the closest chair. The cat ran right up to him and jumped in his lap. Gabriel started petting him and the cat purred. William stopped laughing and looked at them both, shocked. “Wait a minute. Can’t cats sense when danger’s around? Shouldn’t that cat be hissing and running away? I mean, come on. Gabriel killed a bobcat and fed it to us,” William griped. Gabriel just kept smiling and petting the cat. Kallisto started to open her mouth and received a fierce glare from Gabriel.

  “Deer,” Kallisto said anyway, looking at William.

  “Yes?” He looked at her questioningly.

  “What?” Kallisto replied.

  “You said ‘dear’ like you were going to ask me a question or tell me not to tell the story or something,” William explained.

  “No not dear; deer like the animal,” Kallisto giggled. William looked astounded and turned to Gabriel, who looked like an evil genius from a James Bond movie, petting the cat and smiling. Everyone else turned to look at Gabriel, astonished, then started laughing as they shook their heads. They weren’t surprised he’d do something like that.

  “Seriously?” William said disgusted. “You kept us thinking we ate a bobcat this whole time when it was just venison? You dirty rotten son of a….”

  Keira walked over to Gabriel and started talking before William could finish.

  “This is Six Toes; can you guess why I named him that?” Keira asked, smiling. Gabriel picked up one of the cats paws and was surprised to find the cat had opposable thumbs.

  “That is awesome! I like this cat even more now,” Gabriel said and held up his hand. “Gimme six, cat.” Six Toes put his paw on Gabriel’s hand. William stood mystified as did the rest of the group, with the exception of Keira.

  “Oh that’s nothing, watch this. Hey Six Toes...” Six Toes looked at Keira, “bring me the keys,” she ordered. He jumped out of Gabriel’s lap and ran into another room. In no time Six Toes came running in with keys in his mouth, but instead of dropping them in her hand he grabbed them with his paws and handed them to her.

  “Thanks, guy. You can go play now,” she said, smiling. Six Toes rose up on his back legs and put his paw against Keira’s cheek; she bent down some more so he could put his nose to hers. “Aw, thanks for the kitty kisses,” Keira said, giggling. With that he got down, roamed back over to Gabriel and jumped in his lap. Gabriel started petting him again.

  “You are the strangest cat I’ve ever met...I like it.” Gabriel was rewarded with his own kitty kiss, and then Six Toes curled up on his lap and started to purr.

  “That is just wrong on so many levels,” William said as he sat down, still staring wide eyed.

  “I’ll tell you, that cat has saved me from so many predicaments it’s not even funny. He’s not just my cat, he’s my friend. He’s very brave and would do anything he could to help me. It’s almost like he’s a small furry human. When I first brought him home as a kitten he picked up a piece of his food, threw it and chased it down. It was like he was playing fetch all by himself. That’s when I knew he could be useful, not just a lap cat. I started training him, but he didn’t really need it. I’d tell him what I wanted and show him once and he’d do it, and he did it every time after. I think he can be of use to us with this curse,” Keira said with a smile. Kallisto couldn’t believe a cat could do things like that but since she saw it she believed he could help.

  “So, what’s our next move?” Talus said, cutting to the chase.

  “The door’s in a tomb far in the desert. We’re going to need some camels and lots of water to take with us. I know it’s hot but we’re going to need to be covered completely because it will help to keep you cool, and have our faces covered; you do not want to get caught in a sand storm without something to cover your face. We may also need a type of tent and blankets to stay under during the storm. Hold on, I’ll check.” Keira put her wrist to her temples like she had during the fight. They started to glow and the green light flowed into her head. She opened her eyes and they were like green glowing orbs. She looked blind. Kallisto wondered if that’s what she looked like when Gabriel was putting visions in her head. Talus had said she looked blind. “Yes, we’re going to run
into a sand storm on the way. If we have a tent and blankets we’ll be safe. We’ll still need to cover our faces too, and all will be well. The camels know how to live in sand storms, so they’ll be just fine.” Her eyes stopped glowing and cleared. She pulled her wrists from her head and looked at the group.

  “That is so cool!” William said excitedly. Keira grinned at him.

  “Seeing visions is great, most of the time. But when you see something unpleasant it can be a burden. I saw my death with you and it was…very unpleasant. I’m not looking forward to it, but I know it must be done,” Keira said sadly. They stared at her in shock.

  “Did you see how and where you die?” Kallisto asked, hoping she could give them a clue as to who the traitor was.

  I can see a forest around me and I know I’ll be killed with a knife, but I’m sorry, I don’t know by whom; they stabbed me in the back. The others didn’t hear it because she spoke to Kallisto’s mind. Kallisto forgot that she’d know their powers and how to use them to her benefit. Out loud she said. “No, I’m sorry, that vision is particularly blurry. Certain events can change how I see things and that part is not clear. There must be something that needs to happen first before I’ll be able to see it clearly.” Keira knew that some of the others weren’t supposed to know about the betrayal. She was very discreet in the way she spoke.