32. Mari

Chapter thirty-two

Mari

T he energy in the room immediately changes. There is electricity in the air, something that resembles power. It's a sensation I've never experienced before. Even the creature in the woods that night didn't give off a presence like this.

I follow Yera and the creature to the kitchen table. They leave a wake of energy behind them. I splay my hands out into the air, letting the power slip through my fingertips like silk. It is terrifying and intoxicating. It must be coming from—the Vaki. Soren said he could sense him before they knocked on the door. It makes sense now.

We all sit at the table, and I can't help but reach for Yera's hands .

Even though I was expecting it, it still doesn't feel real. She sits next to me. Her light brown eyes examine every inch of my skin, clothes, hair. Whatever she needs to form a hypothesis about my treatment.

"Bitch, what the hell happened?" The words vomit out of me before I have time to contain them. I slap a hand over my mouth, shocked by my behavior. "I'm so sorry. I don't know where that came from," I say, my hands cupped over my mouth, muffling my voice.

Yera, having known me most of my life, doesn't scowl. Instead, her eyes light, and a broad smile crosses her face. I forgot how she can light a room. Always an optimist, always a beacon in the storm. Then she starts to laugh and laugh and laugh.

Tears spring in the corners of her eyes, and I can't help but follow the rich joy and hope that overtakes me, and I let the weight of it roll over me in waves.

"Bitch, I'll tell you." Yera laughs through her words. Her face turns a bright shade of red as she tries to quell her laughter.

"Holy shit," I say, wiping tears from my eyes. My throat is raw; I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. "I needed that,"I say, composing myself.

"Me too," Yera says and straightens, her proud shoulders pulled back.

"But seriously, what happened to us?"

"Honestly, from what I can tell, it was a freak culmination of timing. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time,"she says. And I know how much she hates that answer. It's not concrete; it cannot be verified or proven.

"No shit. I could have told you that."

"Mari, be nice," Soren says under his breath.

"She's used to it," I say, giving Yera a conspiratorial wink."Well, what caused the occurrence?" I ask. Maybe there is an explanation for that at least.

The creature—Vaki, I mean—sitting next to Yera speaks up. His black eyes scan the room.

"There is a creature in the woods called a wisp. Alone, it's simply bothersome, but if they grow and travel in vast numbers, they can harness mass amounts of magic. They had been growing in numbers for weeks. They manifested enough power to transport whatever came close. It is my job to stop such things, and I failed you. I failed all three of you." The massive horned creature hangs his head, defeated.

"Okay, I'm going to need you to chill. You're bright white with black hair and black eyes. You're not allowed to be more emo than your current state."

Soren nudges me under the table, but Yera breaks into a roar of laughter again.

"I'm sorry, I just can't with the ‘I failed you' narrative. Something else was going on; it's not anyone's fault. No need to assign blame. You seem like a very nice giant forest guardian. I'm sure you did your best."

Soren nudges me again, but a smile jerks at the corners of his mouth.

"The real question is, how do we get back?" I ask, the room quieting. Yera and Arrick exchange a knowing look.

"Well, we've found a way to travel back and forth—possibly," Yera says, trailing off, looking for the right words. "I don't know if it's going to work for you. I honestly don't know if it will work for me."

"Well, can you explain it? It seems like you've gone through a vastly different experience than me." The only thing I've learned about this damn place is that magic can make it rain for days. And watching something disappear into the earth doesn't mean you've killed it.

She hesitates briefly, taking a breath, before carefully selecting her words. Her honey eyes look for anything that might make this whole thing make sense.

"Arrick's magic is natural to him but also inherited or gifted to him by the land around. So he has powers all the time, but they are amplified when he is in his region, if that makes sense?"

It makes no more sense than this entire situation we find ourselves in, but conceptually, I get it."Sure, I get the gist," I say, urging her to continue.

"Since I've been here, I have gained a little magic. Arrick and I can hear each other's thoughts. In fact, most things considered magical have some sort of voice or frequency I can feel or hear. It varies, of course, but I can…" She looks at the Vaki, and what passes between them is palpable. She is sharing much more with this guardian than just her companionship.

"Right… Are you in my head now?"I really hope she isn't, or she'll see images of Soren railing me on this very counter.

"No, you don't have any magic. So there is no… I guess, otherworldly connection. Shit, I don't know how to explain this. I'm still figuring it out. Anyway," she goes on. "We're going to spell me to the human realm so I can move back and forth, to keep looking for Ava, and so we…" She places her hand on Arrick's arm. "…can stay together." She gives him a look that's intimate, like something I shouldn't be witnessing. The electricity in the air isn't just from their magic. It's them, their heat, their love.

"There is a sprite in the woods who knows how to call to your realm. We wereactuallyup most of the night trying to find the right magic to aid us. We're going to try on the full moon tomorrow," Arrick finishes, picking up Yeras hand and brushing her knuckles over his lips.

Holy shit, they are in love. And she wants to leave tomorrow? I don't like that; I just fucking found her.

"Hell, no." I say. With a little more force than I had intended. "You just got here, and now you're going to leave? And we don't even know if I can go back with you."

"No,that's not it at all," she corrects. "We are only doing the spell. If it works, I should be able to travel back and forth freely. Arrick, too. If I am made Vaki, I can call him, and he can call me. And… I guess any other Vaki can, too." She thinks for a moment, realization dawning on her. "I never realized that until now. If one of the other Vakis calls, they can come to my world."

Arrick and Yera exchange a long look, his black eyes showing no shock. He kisses her hand once more before speaking. "If that is the risk we take to stay in each other's lives, it's worth it. I trust the others like me."

"Okay, that's all fine and dandy. First, Yera, I'm not thrilled you want to participate in a magical ritual. Second, what do we do about Ava? I know you said if this works, you will come back and forth, but where am I in all that? I want to go back. I need to go back. I have a life and a business where children depend on my services, but I want to help. I need to help. Where are Soren and I in all of this?"

Soren and I are a unit now. Where I go, he goes. The hand I didn't realize was resting on my thigh squeezes in recognition.

"I think we can get you back, both of you. There might also be a way to get you back here if the time calls for it," Arrick says.

Yera whips her head toward Arrick. Her curls bouncing with the movement."What do you mean by that?" she asks, shocked.

"Something is happening right now. This rain, the energy shift. This is not a seasonal anomaly. I can sense it. "

Just like the elders said. My head races with what it could be. Is it connected to the thing that attacked me in the woods? Is this all connected somehow?

Arrick goes on. "This presence blurs the barrier between worlds. It may be easier to get you home." He looks over to Yera. "Haven't you sensed it since you've been in the Farmlands? Something is off, unnatural."

Yera thinks momentarily, letting the warm, humid air dance over her skin. "I just thought it's how it felt here. But Arrick's right. There is something off."

"Okay, so the plan is for you to partake in a questionable ritual to see if you can become a forest guardian. If that works, something spirit fingers us back home. Then you…we…you and Arrick will keep looking for Ava until you need us. And then somehow you can get us back?" The room goes silent. "Fantastic. Sounds easy and practical." The sarcasm in my tone isn't lost on anyone.

Yera, though dangerously intelligent and analytical, is grasping at straws. This sounds so crazy. Then again, I'm sitting at a table with a massive tattooed forest guardian and a green ogre. And earlier today, someone was bippity boppity booed to Soren's house by a water sprite. So... I guess crazy is where I'm forced to exist for a while.

I take a long breath, trying to expel my doubt with it. "I'm sorry. I understand we're low on options. I will try to be more optimistic."

The warmth in Soren's palm seeps into my skin, where his hand rests on my thigh. Something in the simple touch eases me. A comfort I never understood I needed. I place my hand over his, a gesture I hope won't be lost on him. Thank you. Thank you for being here and being you .

"Can we watch?" Soren asks, shaking everyone from their thoughts .

"What?" Yera asks, confused by the context, her thick brows crease in confusion.

I might also be a little confused. Is he asking to watch them…um, in bed?

"Can I watch the ritual? Since childhood, the Vaki have fascinated me. It would be a great honor to see a claiming,"he asks.

A claiming? Is that what it's called? What is going to claim her? The forest? A creature? The questions roll through my mind, an agitation akin to the feeling of burlap on exposed skin.

My nature wars with the situation. I should be the one going into the unknown, not Yera. I am supposed to be the protector, the force standing between the three of us and anything meant to harm.

Ever the pragmatist, Yera senses the direction of my thoughts. "It's all of us now, not just you. I never wanted it to just be you protecting us. Let me do this. I've learned enough about this world and the creatures who will be helping. I feel confident in this choice."

She reaches over, gripping my hand. Her newly gained powers buzz in my palm. She is different now.

"Okay. Only if we can come and only if I'm allowed to kick some ass if things go south."

Yera squeezes my hand before a smile arches her lips.

" We will kick ass," Soren interrupts. "It's not just you, My Warrior." He shoots me a wink before returning his attention to Yera and Arrick. "Are you in agreement?"

The pair nod in unison, exchanging a quick glance.

"Hey now, let's keep the telepathy to a minimum. You may be able to speak without words, but you're obviously having a conversation," I say, just before Soren bursts out into laughter. He's kept his composure this long. It's not a surprise he eventually cracked.

He is goodness and joy to his core. The light to my darkness.

I grab his hand, standing with him. Unified. The pair of us, the thing I fought so hard to avoid, feels more than comfortable. It feels natural, instinctive.

"Alright," I say, clearing the air. "When and where are we having this insane fairy seance?"