Chapter 6 [Althanor]

On the other side of the mists from his own world, Ichabod paced about the edge of the great lake despondently. His boots wore a trail in the waving grasses. His mind swam with Worry's eddies and currents. He wanted to wave his hand and make all of the maladies disappear….

…to make his beloved whole once more….

"Moloch is gone and yet its rubbish still lingers! Balderdash!" He picked up a small rock at his feet and threw it as hard as he could at the water.

Rather than skip across it, the stone struck the fluid surface and sank immediately.

"Even the stone has a mind of its own today! Truly this is a day most diabolical!" he exclaimed in frustration.

"Or perhaps there are spells in place to insure that the barrier is not so easily breached, Captain?"

He wheeled about to find Cybelle watching him. While he might have gone on a diatribe about spying on others, he bit his tongue. He knew that she and her sisters were trying everything to help Katrina. "Perhaps. Is there news?"

She shrugged. She wanted to deliver another lecture about the consequences of interfering with the Greater Good such as Katrina and he had done on notable occasions. Yet she knew well that he would not receive it in the spirit which it was meant. Worse still, he'd chafe against the intent. Mother, may you help them understand their role in your grander scheme. Grant me patience to see your will done! She cleared her throat and continued, "There may be. We have detected a forgetting spell cast against Katrina. It is an old spell dating from your era. Only we and the Sisterhood could cast such a spell. Since we did not do so, it is their handiwork."

"Can you remove it?" he wondered.

"With your assistance, aye. Please follow me," she directed gently while opening another portal. "Forgive me. Time is of the essence."

He nodded in agreement before stepping through. If he could assist his wife, time would indeed be of the essence.

[House of Healing]

Even as the couple headed toward them, Deirdre and Angie carried Kate into the communal healing place. They'd done everything to reassure their patient that everything would be okay during the momentary journey.

As they crossed into that plane, Kate shook harder. Her eyes rolled back in her head. Spit frothed from both sides of her mouth and down her cheeks. She screamed shrilly jarring everyone in the vicinity.

"Goodness! She's having a fit of some kind! Get her to the bed now!" Angie ordered her daughter out of anxiety. She grabbed a wooden dowel rod off of a nearby wooden table and shoved it into Kate's mouth.

"Mama! What?"

"Just to make sure Kate doesn't swallow her tongue and choke on us," Angie explained. "Sorry if I defiled that item. I had to save her."

Deirdre rubbed her forehead. "I know. It's for a deeper purpose is all." She frowned. "Speaking of such matters, there's more to your patient's malady here."

On cue, Kate spasmed so hard that the bed shook and creaked.

Across the room, Katrina's eyes snapped open. She gasped and reached out toward the equally distressed girl before collapsing into another state of unconsciousness.

One of the attending priestesses turned toward them. "Deirdre! Katrina Crane has a connection to yonder child! I know not what but the connection is there! David, help me hold Mrs. Crane down."

"I'll second that, Dee Dee," Dave concurred while assisting the priestesses with their request. He ground his teeth and felt his scalp going numb. "Her psychic distress is off of the charts!" He bit back the curse words that he wanted to utter as Katrina's pain amped up his own.

"KATRINA! My word! David, what is this?" Ichabod demanded. He rushed over to his wife's bedside in a dead panic.

"As the priestesses concluded, there's a link between Katrina and the girl across the room, Ichabod. Cybelle, can you lift the forgetting spell on Katrina? Maybe she might be able to tell us more then?" Dave elaborated.

"Yes. If you and Captain Crane can back away, I can work on this," Cybelle agreed. She strode over to the struggling witch and placed her hand on the patient's forehead. "Whatever malady has forced you to forget and place you in this position, may it be swept away so that all may be known. In the goddess' name, I command this!"

Despite the effort, the spell backfired knocking the practicing priestess several steps backward.

"Auntie, what?" Deirdre queried.

"Not many can resist such a spell…at least not in our mortal realm. Given that Serilda has been banished, I would venture that it is the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart cast their strongest wards about Katrina to make sure she wouldn't breach it herself. Sisters, gather around her and join hands. We shall need to marshal our strength," Cybelle deduced while collecting herself and setting her resolve. She strode firmly across the room toward the struggling Kate. "Angie, assist me in bringing the girl over by Katrina please. This is going to take something stronger, I fear."

The doctor assisted her sister-in-law with only a nod helping to carry Kate over to Katrina's side.

"What in….?" Ichabod wondered aghast.

"Patience. I've seen her do things like this before. Have faith," Dave urged his friend.

This had better work! I shan't lose her again! Ichabod bit his lip pensively. He thought of the irony of his friend who was split by dark magic efforts such as the one in front of himself making such a suggestion. Surely he would have his doubts as well!

Dave shook his head. "Doubt will destroy this effort, Ichabod. Whatever our fears and concerns, dismiss them now. I know what the downside is. Katrina and our friend over there can't afford them now."

"We have to trust in this, Ichabod," Angie urged. She squeezed Dave reassuringly in her own.

Whatever! Ichabod made himself focus on his love for Katrina while wishing he could do more….

Meantime the sisters had widened joined hands and concentrated in unison.

Cybelle breathed deeply. She took her niece's hand in addition to another follower's and chanted to herself for a minute. Then she looked to the sky. "Great mother, we call to you! Our fellow servants, the Sisterhood of the Radiant Heart, have blocked these women's memories causing them great distress. Hear our plea! Lift the spells over them. Let the truth be known!"

A bright white light lit up the area. It washed over Katrina and Kate.

A cooling breeze wafted through the chamber assuaging the patients' maladies as well.

In response, the two patients spasmed and twitched harder momentarily before going still.

I have heard your call, my High Priestess. Such measures, although conducted in my name, went beyond what I would have wished for the situation. The bond between them is clear. Their memories are restored. The conflicting agendas however you should resolve. Each order pursues the same end albeit with different means and ends. In addition, the willfulness of some causes such strife. Perhaps this will be a lesson to subsuming the greater good for individual needs and desires. I leave you to ponder such ends, a disembodied female voice instructed them all telepathically.

"Yes, mother," the priestesses agreed in unison.

My thanks for your devotion, Dear Ones. May you all learn something from this crisis. With that the voice went silent taking the light and breeze with it.

Katrina's eyes eased open. She rubbed her head while trying to ease the pounding in her temples. "Wh…where am I? Ichabod?"

"Right here!" Ichabod rushed across the room and flung his arms around his wife's neck. "Thankfully you have awakened! Are you well?"

"The pain vanishes thankfully." Katrina returned the embrace warmly. "With your love, I am strengthened once more. And I believe we have a new face in our lives as well."

Kate rubbed the back of her neck. She sighed deeply. "As long as this headache goes away." She glanced at the couple to her left. With the spell lifted, she realized, "You're Katrina!"

"Yes, Katherine. I am. I pray you will forgive us for the long separation." Katrina wiped away tears of regret and desperation. Fear of rejection pierced her heart.

"I know it wasn't your fault, Mom! There's nothing to forgive!" Kate embraced the other woman and kissed her cheek. "Just don't send me away please!"

"Never, my Darling. I was torn away from you. I would never have sent you away in such a heinous manner!" Katrina assured her. She kissed her daughter's forehead and held her closely against herself.

Ichabod cleared his throat. "Pardon me. Your daughter? Katrina, what?" He fought back doubts, questions and insecurities. He couldn't bear the thought of his love being with another man much less having a child with said person.

Katrina smiled. "She's our daughter, Ichabod. Ichabod Crane, meet Katherine Crane. Katherine, this is Ichabod Crane, your father."

"I see. How could we have had a daughter given the timeframe?" Ichabod wondered while trying to get his facts straight; his keen intellect trying to align itself properly.

"She's Jeremy's twin, Ichabod. Somehow the forgetting spell carried over to all concerned including the ghosts at Frederic's Manor. Hence Abbie only saw references to one child. We have another to love now," Katrina explained.

Ichabod nodded. His mind readily accepted her explanation. He offered Kate a warm smile. "I see. Welcome then, Dear Katherine, to the family as it were." He bent over and kissed his daughter's forehead. "We shall need to, as they say in this time, catch up on things. I trust this is agreeable to you?"

"I can't think of anything I'd rather have, Dad. Thanks!" Kate agreed before hugging him as well.

For a brief second, he stiffened at the affection before accepting it wholeheartedly. As with Katrina, holding the girl in his arms filled his heart with joy. "You're most welcome. I can't believe we have a daughter, Katrina!"

"Believe in this, Ichabod. Believe in our love," Katrina concurred as they soaked in the moment. "Answers will come later. Let us have this moment."

And so they sat for a while soaking in the ambiance. They strummed the strings of Hope's decadent harp soaking in the wonder and warmth of said tune. They treasured the newly reestablished relations.

Their friends watched and simply said nothing choosing to let them work a magic of their own.

And so it went in that place. Even as events occurred in the Outer World, love and understanding ruled.

And so it should be…..