The Story of the Trees - Sword, Ring, and Crown Book One

Chapter Thirty-Five

Persimmon walked over to me, and I crouched down to look at him better. "How is this possible? Persimmon is an actual ghost."

"Hmmm... interesting. You could see Persimmon in the mortal world?" Ciaran crouched down to the ghost cat and held out his hand. Persimmon sniffed at his fingers, but seemed unimpressed. He padded away and hopped up on the table to sleep.

"Yes, all the time. Persimmon lived in Mike's magic shop."

"He was a forest cat that died in cat form, I suspect. He was a Fae, not a human." 

"Okay, but how did I see him then, and how did I bring him here?" I rose from my crouched position and stared at Persimmon laying on the table.

"That's just one more delightful mystery of you. You may have been able to see all spirits on the earth, not just the mortal ones, and I suspect your nascent links with Adrian and Luis made that possible."

 "With Adrian and Luis? Why?"

"Hmm..." Ciaran tugged on his bottom lip as he struggled with how to explain. "Having a piece of a soul within you allows you to draw on their spirit. It's not a complete connection like these roots, but it allows you some extra power."

Hmm... so I had been using my friends like batteries. Great. "Was I hurting my friends?"

Ciaran laughed, "Oh no, but your possession of that piece of them did make them long to stay. Because they gave freely, it allowed you to make use of their gift to you."

I thought about that, then looked up at Noc. "Um, I managed to do that again with Noc here." I still held the spark of his lifeforce. It shimmered like a snowflake within me.

Ciaran's thoughtful look turned into a surprised glee. "Hmm... well... this gives you one more tool for your arsenal. But..."

He was staring down at me with an intensity that made me nervous. Finally, I swatted him on the arm to get him to stop. "But what?"

"Hmm... I forgot what I was about to say. Anyway, are you ready to try the exercise?" Ciaran asked with an impatience only matched by small children on Christmas. 

I wanted to hoot at that. Exercise - if holding a bolt of lightning while straddling a volcano was what he considered an exercise. "Not really, but I want to have some chance since I don't have numbers." 

I had a feeling that I'd be going into this without Luis.

"Very good. Gentlemen, for your safety, please leave the room."

"But... My Lady didn't practice with me. Perhaps it would be safer to try with me first?" Rielte said.

"I think I can try with you later, Rielte." I gave him an apologetic smile.

He slumped a little in disappointment, but nodded. "Very well, My Lady."

 I felt a little bad for Rielte as he left with Brin and Noc. But then it was just Ciaran and me, and Ciaran's expression made all my pity flee. He took my hands with a brilliant smile, and I felt a rush of every emotion as my first effort to pull released a wave of life force into me. I clutched his hands and gripped them tightly as I tried to spool it in me. It was like trying to capture a hurricane in a mason jar.

"I need to Sto —" I remembered how I almost hurt Brin, taking so much.

"Relax. I can take it. You can take it.  The muscles in Ciaran's neck were straining, but a wild grin lighted on his face. "I cannot believe how powerful you are! It's amazing! It must be because you are a new tree!"

I removed one of my hands from him, and I clutched the collar of his tunic. His free arm snaked around me and crushed me to him. Still, the maelstrom spun between us. He pushed, I pulled, and tried to keep it. I saw the hubs and spokes and heard the song of the trees, of every tree in existence as they connected, spoke, and hub, and spoke.