Chapter Twenty-Two
I stepped through an ancient archway into a room that made me smile. Wide open green grass to walk in, with a fountain in the center that was made of white marble, with a glowing purple aura surrounding it. There was a lounge chair near the fountain where mother was laying, reading a book that had her full attention. I walked down the few marble steps and called out softly "Mother….mother!"
She raised her head in surprise; she hadn't heard me walk in apparently. She hastily set down her book and stood up, walking quickly towards me. She held open her arms and I ran into her embrace, hugging her fiercely. "I've missed you mom, even though it hasn't been very long. I can still feel that gap of time, all those years without you." I told her.
She pulled back a little to push my hair out of my eyes, her hands stroking my furry cheeks as she stared at me with love. "How did you get here child?" she asked me quietly. I detected a note of sadness in her voice, and my answer sounded almost question-like as I stared into her spectral eyes.
"Oh, I just stood there thinking about where you would put my weapons, when I realized I could just come and ask you about it. I felt our connection and I used it to bring myself up here, so I could see you and ask. Why do you look surprised Momma?" I asked her, feeling somewhat small and helpless.
She did look surprised, and more than a little relieved. "You have the power to travel willingly into the spirit world my child. When you appeared in my room, I thought you had somehow died. I was grieving your death, but now I realize you have the option to go between both worlds. This has made me very happy; I can dote constantly upon my favorite daughter." She said, touching the tip of my snout. I smiled warmly, giggling a little.
"So Momma, where are my weapons? My brother Kallaheart said you'd saved some for me, but we didn't know where they were." I told her. She thought about it for a moment before her eyes lit up in understanding.
"Of course darling, they're in the hidden room. I left your armor in the armory, but in there you shall find a loose stone beneath where your armor was resting. Under the stone there is a parchment that will show you the way to your home in the grand City, and I know you'll absolutely love it Sweetheart. In your home you'll find your weapons, along with a small box of notes that will tell you things that I don't have the time to tell you know. You must hurry back to the real world and to your body, so that the boys stop worrying their heads silly over you." She said, giving me one last hug before gently pushing me in the direction of the stone archway.
I smiled to my mother and waved farewell, stepping through the arch and feeling myself zoom back down to the ground where my body should have been. However, when I got there I was still a spirit; my body was gone! I zoomed around looking for it, before I realized they must have taken me to the treatment area in the Warrior's Quarter. I zoomed out of the armory and down the hallways, already somehow knowing my way around.
I looked around in the hospital wing before I saw my body on a bed near the back corner, Kallaheart and Nyvern standing by my bedside as a healer looked over my empty body with a sad face. I hurried over to them, waving my hand in front of their faces. The boys didn't see me, but the healer watched me with fascinated awe. I poked my real body with my spectral form and wondered how I was supposed to get back in.
Taking as deep breath, I soared up a little and dived down towards my body to get back in. I bounced right off of it and sat on the floor by the bed, rubbing my head as I mouthed the word "Oww."
The healer woman giggled quietly behind her hand, and the boys gave her a look that said 'What's her problem?'. I giggled silently, since I couldn't make noise that the real world would hear. Only the spirit world would hear my sounds. Or, I began to wonder, maybe if she could see me then she could hear me too.
"Excuse me miss healer, but do you know how I can get back into my body?" I asked her, scratching behind my ear. She scratched behind her furry ear too before she nodded with a smile.
"Yes, I think I can help you. Step over here child." She said, indicating a place beside her. "Now then, you're going to want to look into your dead eyes and feel the pull back to your body, and just let yourself be absorbed by it. It will tickle a little, but it should be very swift. If you wake up laughing, then you'll at least understand why. Go ahead and try it." She said, gesturing to my body.
The boys looked at each other and then at her, confusion, and worry for her sanity covering their faces. I giggled at the sight and then stared into my dead eyes, even though they happened to be closed. I thought about my connection with my body for a moment before a tickling sensation crept up my body and suddenly I felt solid and whole again.
I opened my eyes and laughed, still feeling as though I had been tickled. The healer smiled at the picture created as the two boys swarmed around me, relief showing in their laughing faces. I looked up at the healer and said "Thanks for the advice; I guess dive bombing your body doesn't really work does it?" She laughed heartily, shaking her head.
The boys looked confused, but otherwise didn't comment. I hopped up to my feet with a smile and said "Come on guys! Mom told me where my weapons were!" We ran out of there like three small children, eager to play with their toys. I raced them to the armory, going to the rack that my armor was on and moving it aside, feeling for the loose stone. I found it and lifted it up, reaching in and pulling out a faded piece of parchment.
On the parchment were directions from this spot to my home. Confused, I followed the directions with Kallaheart and Nyvern in tow. They led me to the Naturalist's Quarter, where the central Willow Tree was. There was a small cottage up in its branches, but no stairs were to be seen. Smiling, I began to climb the tree. However, right as I touched the tree to start climbing, my hand lit up briefly and then the tree began to shake a little.
The side of the tree opened up into a small doorway, where inside I could see a spiraling stairwell made of the trees inner woods to take me to the top where the small cottage was. Kallaheart and Nyvern followed me inside, and as soon as they stepped in the door slipped shut faster than a blink behind them. I smiled to myself and choked back a giggle. I raced up the stairs, eager to see my new home. There was a door at the top, and as I slowly opened it and stepped out of the tree I gasped in shock and surprise.
The door opened up into the back of the main room for the house. The main room was all wood and leaves and plants, growing together to make a beautiful home. At the back of the room was the only stone item in the whole house; a fireplace that was well protected from the rest of the room. On the other side of the door were a few shelves of herbs and potions. There was a lounge chair and a couple of comfy sitting chairs as well. In the middle of the main room was the kitchen table, with six chairs around it. In the center of the table was a vase full of fresh moonflowers.
In the front of the room was a large front door with beautiful carvings inlaid to it. To its left were the sink, oven, stove, cabinets, and icebox. On the right was a counter with the pantry of food above it in cabinets, and in front of it was an island to prepare food and other things on. To the right of the main room was a closed door, and when I opened it I revealed my bedroom. The bed was made from wood and the mattress was of the softest mixture of leaves and grasses, all woven together beautifully. There was a canopy above the bed that draped down in leafy vines to surround and hide inside the bed. There was a little table beside it with more moonflowers in it.
To the right of the bed was a closet, and it was full of all types of clothes. Many of the clothes on shelves were of my leather style, but there were some cloth ones too. Nice gowns, skirts, and dresses were hanging up in case I wanted to wear something nice once in a while.
I smiled and closed the closet, walking out of my bedroom and shutting the door softly behind me. The boys hadn't yet left the main room, and I preferred to keep it that way for now. On the other side of the main room from my bedroom's doorway was an open wooden arch just barely higher up than me. Walking through it, you came into a study where books were everywhere, and there was a desk with writing things and all.
There was a small door in the side of the room, and as I was about to open it I remembered something. Going back to the desk, I opened the first drawer and inside was a small box. I delicately picked up the little box and opened it, finding small pieces of parchment folded up inside. These are the things Hecate wanted to tell me, but didn't have time for. I sat down in the comfortable chair and pulled out the small slips of parchment, reading them one after another.