Divine and Devour, page 15
Asteron affected a slight bow. “You’re welcome. I will leave you to reunite with your family. You may summon me anytime.”
With a flash of blue light, he was gone. Cimmeria knelt by Dong Ahn. He was wheezing and clawing at his throat. She ran for water and returned to help him drink. His coughing subsided, but he was unable to speak. She touched his neck, and he let loose a wail.
“Speak,” She bid, and her blue aura infused his body.
“I think I need a healing witch,” was all he managed to get out as his indigo aura blared in the atmosphere.
Agape wasted no time. She sprinted from the room to save her husband. Valen remained by his father’s side while Cimmeria hovered a few paces away.
He peered over at Cimmeria, and pride glowed from his slate-gray eyes. “You and Asteron saved him. Thank you.”
She kissed him and laid a hand on Dong Ahn’s forehead. “I’ll find a blanket and pillow. He’ll be more comfortable lying down.”
She searched the house until the items were found. Returning to Valen, Cimmeria helped him lay his father on the floor and covered him with the blanket. They sat and watched as Valen kept his father comfortable while his mother raced to Healing Street.
Valen was relieved his father had returned from the spirit realm. Astral projection, a complex course of action where the consciousness and the body separated in order to travel through different dimensions and time, was dangerous when extended for as many years as his father had been gone.
Agape burst through the front door with the medela witch. She raced across the hall, panting with her urgency. His mother dropped to her knees and gripped his father’s hand in desperation.
Valen watched the medela witch as she fed Dong Ahn herb tinctures she produced from her medical pouch. Her green aura swelled and infused Dong Ahn as she chanted her healing spells. Valen paced as his father’s body responded to the medela witch’s magic, and he was healed.
“His body should fully recover with rest and nourishment. I’ve done all I can, but the mind is a complex place. Even medela witches cannot treat that part of the body. I don’t dare to try. Keep an eye on him and make sure he does not travel for a while. If his condition changes, bring him to the hospital.”
With final instructions about the list of herbal medications, the medela witch departed for Healing Street. Valen slipped out of the bedroom and allowed his father to rest. His mother and Cimmeria followed.
Agape collapsed into a rocking chair in her combined greenhouse and observatory. She rubbed her temples. “Your father is going to be the death of me.”
“We will stay here and help,” Valen scooted a stool to his mother’s side and gripped her hand.
Cimmeria shimmered, blue, red, and radiant a few feet away. Agape beckoned his heart song with her hand, and Cimmeria floated nearer.
“Thank you for finding him,” Agape whispered as if her voice was as weary as her body.
Cimmeria dipped a small bow in respect. “You’re welcome. He landed in a place too far from his body. The signal to his mind was too weak, and he couldn’t chart a return path.”
Valen drew his brows together in confusion. “I don’t understand why Perdita could not find him. Her compass has never failed.”
Cimmeria twisted a strand of hair about her finger in reflection. “His astral projection landed on another planet. There may have been a foreign entity that blocked her from locating him. Khaos exists in many forms and across the expanse of the universe. It’s hard to say what was created in the distant world.”
Agape let out a sigh, and her lips pressed together in an expression of displeasure. After a moment, she said, “He pushes the boundaries of his magic.”
Valen patted his mother’s hand. “We’ve got him back, and that is all that matters.”
Agape shook her fringe from her eyes. “He has returned. Thank Khaos.” She angled her head so she was gazing behind his shoulder. “Let’s talk about your heart song.”
Valen glanced at Cimmeria, and a prideful smile stretched his lips. She was everything to him, and after what she did, Valen flew straight into love.
Agape said to them both. “Cimmeria responded immediately, without question, and performed an act of altruism for you. She has shown loyalty, love, and ingenuity in a time of crisis. To top it all off, she carried it all with aplomb. I’m impressed, but I never expected anything less from your fated mate.”
“Thank you,” Valen leaned in and kissed his mother’s cheek.
She gave a weary uptick of her lips and arched her neck to peer behind at Cimmeria. “It’s nice to meet you, Cimmeria.”
Cimmeria knelt by Agape’s feet. “It’s nice to meet you, Agape. We actually had a brief encounter the other day when you divined for Valen. I was inside the bubble on your table.”
Recognition lit Agape’s golden eyes, and her face softened. “I wondered why there was an energy field blocking my sight. I could feel it, but I couldn’t detect what was inside.”
“Khaos keeps his secrets well,” Cimmeria conversed, and she flipped a swath of cobalt hair over her shoulder.
Valen was shocked at her confession. “You were inside a bubble? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Cimmeria looked sheepish. “I’m sorry, Valen. I didn’t recall until now. So much has happened that it slipped my mind.”
He relaxed and didn’t hold it against her. “It’s been a journey in the past couple of days.”
Agape glanced at the divination table in the center of the room. “I will do a reading for you both. We will see if Khaos graces us with an answer to your future.”
Valen tensed and denied her request. “It’s fine, Mom. You have a lot on your mind, and Dad needs your care. The reading can wait.”
“Nonsense! I’m well enough to contact Khaos. I’ll check on your father before I enter a trance. It will be fine.”
Valen insisted, “No. I don’t want to lose you. We just got Dad back from traveling.”
Agape would not hear his arguments. “I want you to have confidence in the future.”
“Whatever future comes to pass, I’ll handle it with Cimmeria. Please, don’t divine today.”
Agape studied his face and resigned, “Very well, my son. I’ll leave it for now. Promise you will return tomorrow. I’ll do the reading.”
Valen released her hand and stood. “I promise. Even if Khaos doesn’t come to our aid, Cimmeria and I will be okay. I’m going to check on Dad.”
Agape didn’t rise but gave a nod of acknowledgment. “I’ll be here. I need a few minutes to recover.”
Cimmeria crossed her legs as she sat and settled the panels of her blue dress. “I’ll stay with your mother. You go to your father.”
Grateful, Valen leaned over and brushed a kiss over Cimmeria’s lips. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Take your time.”
Valen spared one last glance at his heart song and left to check on his father. Dong Ahn was resting on the bed he shared with Agape. His features were peaceful, and his breathing relaxed, but his aura was dim. The indigo pulse was a tenuous beat as his mind readjusted to his body. Valen knelt by the bed and gripped his father’s hand.
“You are not allowed to disappear into the etheric field like that again. We need you here. Mom was distressed for so long, and I missed most of my adult years with you. Losing you would have been awful.”
Dong Ahn’s aura flared at Valen’s words and then resumed its soft pulse.
Valen kept talking, “My heart song saved you. She’s magnificent. I’m matched with a witch who deserves to be crowned a queen. You are going to like her when you officially meet.”
The silence in the room was comforting. The knowledge that his father was present in all ways brought the love and relief he had been desperate for the past decade. He didn’t need to form words to express how grateful he was to have his father safe and healing. The moment itself spoke of the emotions coursing through his mind.
He rested his forehead on the bed and let the tranquility of the atmosphere, the freedom from perdition, seep into his being.
Later, he’d thank Cimmeria. He’d convey all the words she needed to hear. He’d ensure she knew what she meant to him because she deserved reverence after today.
He recalled his mother’s words from the previous day. “The wheel that rotates will find the path it intends to go. The wheel that refuses to budge is the fate that is sealed. When free will is chained, and magic is lost, that is when you must seek a miracle.”
He felt pretty hopeless, but he had no choice. He had to follow the path set out for him and Cimmeria. Whatever the message meant, he realized one word was key to the entire fortune. Miracle. For only an act of the divine could redefine the impossible.
Chapter 12
Cimmeria blinked as Agape scanned the room and jumped to her feet. The older witch rummaged through her piles of scrolls and gadgets as she muttered to herself. Cimmeria didn’t know what to do, so she remained watchful and silent. With an excited exclamation, Agape waved a leather pouch above her head.
Agape rushed to the divination table and poured a handful of white dust into her palm. “We must be swift.”
“For what?” Cimmeria rose and glided toward Valen’s mother.
Agape tossed the sparkling powder over the intricate hieroglyphics, denoting all the ancient tongues interspersed between various gateways to the spirit realm. It was a map, Cimmeria realized.
The moonstones embedded in the table glowed eggplant purple, and a diagram of the spirit realm floated in the air. Agape illuminated in a matching purple, and her tone was ominous when she said, “We will contact Khaos before Valen returns.”
“I don’t know if this is a good idea. Valen won’t like it.”
Agape waved her hands, and the magical map changed to the grid lines of the universe. “I promised my son answers. He’s worried, but I am not a witch to shy away from a task simply because there’s a spot of danger.”
Cimmeria twisted a section of blue hair about her finger. “I don’t want him to be mad at either of us.”
“He will not,” Agape’s answer was one of maternal confidence. A note that came from the absolute certainty of one’s place as a parent.
Cimmeria hedged because her dealings with Valen were a bit different. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Your husband is not in a good condition. What if you get lost in a prophetic trance?”
“I trust you,” Agape stated and plopped down in a cushioned violet chair. “You will come to save me if I’m in trouble. The map will track where I am in the etheric field. If you need to pull me out, you will find me right away. Now, let me concentrate.”
Cimmeria didn’t have much choice in the matter. Free will could not be altered or manipulated. Agape was determined to contact Khaos, and Cimmeria was meant to monitor her progress. Whether Valen would be angry or not had little to do with the present proceedings. Cimmeria sat across from Agape and watched while the witch went into a trance. Her eyes glowed purple, and her aura shone like an irregular nebula. Her white hair rippled as static sparked over her form, and magic was emitted.
Agape had several glands that were unusual for a witch. Two pockets glimmered under her eyes. A large circle pulsed in the center of her forehead, like a magical third eye. Right where her jaw and ears met, there were lustrous spots. Her skin emitted the most purple light, and it appeared like the reflection of the sun on the bottom of the ocean. The hum of her aura, a deep baritone, resonated through the etheric field. It swiped at Cimmeria’s auras like a bow across a string. It was a pleasant feeling, and she recognized their magic as compatible.
“Come on,” Agape pleaded as a smidgen of her consciousness fed into the connection.
Cimmeria gripped her gown in distress. She squinted at the map and targeted the little pulse of purple that indicated Agape’s position in the universe.
“There!” Agape exclaimed her success and connected with Khaos. Her eyes rolled in their sockets. Her purple aura overtook the room, and her magic flared as she prophesized through the voice of Khaos, “Free will.”
Agape’s magic expanded, and the plants in the room jiggled from the force. A mystical wind shot through the room and blew the map away. The gem dust was scattered into the air and fell like tiny diamonds under the afternoon sun. The immense violet light dissipated, and Agape’s aura pulsed in the center of her chest. Her eyes blinked, and her golden irises appeared once more.
She aimed her gaze at Cimmeria. “Free will. The message is short, but the meaning is more complex than I suspected.”
Cimmeria released her death grip on her gown, but terror shuddered through her soul. “Khaos indeed has a plan, and it is for us to blindly follow. I suspected as much, but this confirms it.”
“Exactly. Any minute deviance will alter the course. Fate is set in stone, but the paths taken to get there are infinite. Khaos would have told us the exact road to tread if it would bring about the inevitable. It means even your destiny is out of his hands. That’s a frightening thought.”
Cimmeria mused, “Often, the routes to success are paved with difficulties.”
Agape wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. “What you both need is a miracle. I’m sorry I could not be of more assistance. Rest assured, I do not sense doom. Although that does not mean obstacles will not be thrown in your way.”
Cimmeria ran her fingers through her hair. “I wish Khaos were easier to contact. Perhaps that is part of autonomy. If Khaos was involved, then we would be mere puppets on a string, and free will wouldn’t exist.”
Agape propped an elbow on the table and plopped her chin on her palm. “Why did Khaos go to sleep?”
“No one knows. Not even Lyra, who was practically Khaos in witch form. Each of the first female witches manifested from beats within Khaos’ heart. You would think we would know his intentions better than anyone, but we are lost like the rest of the world.”
Agape ran her finger over the gemstones on the table. “Not much is known about Lyra either.”
Cimmeria linked her hands on her lap and tried to best describe her elder sister. “She was charged with teaching every witch about Khaos and how magic operated. She began in Libra and traveled the entire world egg. She was given several mates to secure her bloodline in every kingdom. That is why even in the far reaches of the world, you will find witches with her signature white hair. It was often lonely for her, and she did not remain after her children were old enough for the father to care for their needs. She sacrificed her life for the mission of Khaos. We believe that is why, in death, she is untraceable. She deserves peace.”
“What are you two chatting about?” Valen called from the other side of the room.
Agape pushed out of her chair and winked at Cimmeria. “I believe it is my turn to watch over Dong Ahn. Enjoy my son’s company.”
Valen pinched the bridge of his nose, and an embarrassed groan rolled out of his throat. “Mother.”
“What? Didn’t I mention you should be intimate? No shame in venting it while you’re here!” With a luxuriant cackle, Agape exited the room.
“Your mother is unique,” Cimmeria mused as she watched the space where the prophetic witch had sat.
Valen collapsed into a chair under a massive fern bush and complained, “Oh, god. What did she gab on about? Do I even want to know?”
Cimmeria debated whether to keep the prophesy a secret or not, but in the end, she relayed, “Your mother was able to contact Khaos.”
“What?” Valen didn’t shout. His tone implied that he couldn’t fathom the audacity they had to attempt a divination reading.
Cimmeria reassured, “I was watching your mother in case things didn’t go well. The prophecy was short, and she did not come to harm.”
Valen arched his neck and pleaded with the sky, “The women in my life are going to give me heart failure.”
“Let’s not cast stones in glass houses, Valen,” She chided. Cimmeria wasn’t going to bring up the Taxidermist incident, but she remembered it with clarity.
His voice was resigned, “I wouldn’t have been able to stop my mother even if I was in the room. What was the message?”
“Two words,” Cimmeria recounted, “Free will.”
Valen slanted his gaze to peek at her from the corners of his eyes. “Well, that’s helpful.”
Sarcasm was his native tongue, Cimmeria was convinced.
“We have no choice but to proceed to the witch council. We’ve exhausted our options and attracted the Taxidermist. It’s time to go to them for help.”
“I agree and stand by my promise. I’ll send a message to the castle, and we can rest while we wait for an answer. I don’t want to leave my parents. You don’t mind staying? If my father’s astral projection slips into the etheric field, I will need you.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay until I’m summoned to my place in the sky.”
Valen propped his elbows on his knees and regarded her with such longing it broke her heart. “Cimmeria?”
“Yes, Valen?”
He twisted the silver ring on his thumb. “Thank you for taking care of my parents and staying by my side. It hasn’t been easy for you, and I’m grateful you never gave up on us.”
Cimmeria’s auras felt warm as they glowed in abundance. Valen was her family, her heart song, and all the forms of love there could be. There was no contention. She’d be there for him every time and in any way. She infused all her feelings in two words. “You’re welcome.”
It was late afternoon when Cimmeria lay next to Valen in a guest bedroom. His mother kept a few clothes for when he visited. He had changed into a cotton shirt and pants.
Valen combed his fingers through her cobalt mane, and his voice was a tender murmur. “I’m sorry, Cimmeria.”
“For what?” She pressed her palm to his cheek.
Valen brushed his fingers along her shoulder. “I should have thanked you for being patient, for accepting the heart song, for saving my father, and for all these years of friendship we’ve had. You are phenomenal. It’s more magical than anything in the universe. My happiness is because of you.”
