Chapter 41 - Healing
A/N: I'm pretty excited to announce that my first original story, A Thousand Words will be available on Amazon August 1, 2013. Be sure to follow my blog, www. jaimesommersbooks. blogspot. com for announcements. If you're 18 and up, join me on www. tricky-raven. com. Be sure to tell them I sent you!
Sorry for the delay in posting folks. Family emergencies and all that jazz. Life gets busy. I'll post another chapter in a few hours.
Remnants of destruction lay all around, the earth soaked in supernatural blood. Mathúin bowed before his grandmother in respect, then held out his hand so that they might give thanks together for protection of the ancients.
A quiet prayer of song rose from their lips, the ground and trees mending themselves with magic, weaving bits of glorious spring into their midst. The chinook blew warm and renewing on their faces. With the light of the solstice moon, green grass and crocus blossomed round their feet. Crisp and clean, the water of untouched snow shone like a mirror within a small hollow of the earth. The ripples smoothed outwardly, reflecting back a vision that seized Máire in an instant.
War waged all around them. Light and dark collided in a shower of crimson rain. The future battle site had been chosen. The ground beneath them sacred, consecrated by blood and magic. For surely they would come, seeking Isabella Swan, desperate to steal away her life. It was the vision foreshadowed within the glistening water.
Mathúin saw as she did and in his grandmother's eyes he saw the mixture of fear and resolution burn together as one. "Seanmháthair...," he whispered, rising to stand. "Grandmother, we have waited for you. Come, meet your granddaughter. She is much like you."
Mathúin led her to where Bella knelt in a pool of blood, her hands gently caressing the silken fur of a russet wolf. Jacob's right flank was torn in two. The broken sight of flesh and bone, one that would have made lesser men weak in the knees. Yet Isabella Swan sat quietly by his side, whispering gentle words of comfort while the wolf curled protectively around her waist.
"Such beautiful love and affection." Máire dropped down beside her granddaughter, taking her by the hand. "Together, we can help him." It was on the tip of Bella's tongue to explain that the wolves would heal, but something in her wanted to trust this woman who claimed to be family. "There is strength in you, my dear, just as in Mathúin." Gesturing for her grandson to join them, he too knelt by Bella's side.
In a tongue she could not comprehend, words fell forth from her grandmother's lips in the quiet lilting of a song. Warmth seeped into Bella's fingers. She watched mesmerized as a glow began to emanate forth from beneath her skin, flowing from their joined hands. Slowly, bone and sinew began to knit back together, fingers of invisible lines erasing the damage done by its enemy.
The song ended and Máire opened her eyes, releasing Bella's hand. With a beautiful smile she cradled her granddaughter's tear swept cheeks. "He only need rest now. Come with me and help the others," she urged.
Shooting a look of worry at Jacob's eyes, he nodded back at her as if to say all was well, giving her permission to leave him. But it was more than that. It was an assurance that she was safe, as was he. Drawing in a deep breath to center herself, Bella slowly released it and with it, her worry.
Focusing now on the scene around them, Bella saw the field was red with blood. Looking toward the trees she saw two wolves, both laying broken and bare atop a blanket of crisp snow. Leah. Blood poured vigorously from an angry gash across her face. The beautiful raven locks that skimmed her shoulders hanging limply from one side of her broken skull.
Tears flowed down Bella's cheeks while Mathúin screamed with unbridled rage. A hollow sound which shook the dry leaves from the trees and sent fear into the heart of the gods. Yet Máire knelt beside the beautiful young woman who had shown the strength of a thousand sídhe warriors. "She still lives." Holding out her hands, she bade her grandchildren to kneel beside her. "Come. I will need both of your strengths."
Minutes later the gentle rise and fall of Leah's chest strengthened as she drew in lungfuls of cool, clean air. The thick, dark lashes of her eyes slowly fluttered open and a small, but painful smile radiated from her pretty face. "Thank you," she whispered.
Mathúin stroked the soft sheen of her hair lovingly while his grandmother smiled benevolently, issuing her silent blessing. "You're welcome, child."
Glancing around the clearing, Bella saw that most of the pack were now up and moving, observing the magic Máire was imparting. Yet at the base of a large cedar, Embry Call lay prone, unmoving and all alone. Tears welled up in Bella's eyes and she raced towards the man whose love and kindness had mended so many of the puzzled emotions in her heart.
Bella dropped to his side, only to see a broken branch embedded deeply into his chest, the wound watering the ground with the rich, dark blood of a warrior. "No! NO!" Pained shouts echoed off the surrounding rock and trees. Her hands covered the sides of the wound, yet the crimson still seeped between her fingers like water rushing through a cracked dam.
The tenor of his breathing was shallow and labored when she wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The awful gurgle bubbling up his throat told her that Embry's time on this earth was coming to an end, causing Bella to weep with the certainty of it.
A thousand beautiful moments bleeding together, just as the fall of crimson over white. Scenes of Embry picking her up off the floor, laughing at her clumsiness and sitting in quiet solitude with her before the hearth. She recalled the first time they met as tender children between the damp walls of the Black's makeshift garage. Quiet and shy, a lock of dark hair tucked behind his ear, he'd looked at her and Jacob with a knowing smile, as if even back then it were obvious they belonged together.
In those dark days after Edward had abandoned her, he hovered close by, a silent pillar of strength. Dark, sympathetic eyes that followed her around the room in the days when she felt like an outsider. A warm hand extended, welcoming her into his heart and home.
She thought of how he came to her after her father was shot, flirting shamelessly like a gigolo and laughing loudly because of it. Torn between friends, desperate to protect those he loved, compromising his own safety to guarantee theirs.
All of the times he'd cradled her in his arms, showing her that it was okay to open her heart to love. Now he would miss the unfolding beauty of that precious gift.
Jacob appeared by her side, wrapping his strong arms around her. Bella sobbed into his shoulder, the weight of her grief overwhelming. "We can't lose him, Jake. We can't."
"You won't, dearheart."
Bella wiped the tears from her face with a blood streaked hand and pleaded with her grandmother. "Please, help him."
Soft fingers and a gentle smile urged her to look upon her grandmother's face. "We will, you and I together. Love is the strongest way of healing another." Máire leveled her eyes on Jacob. "You will need to pull the branch from his chest. Are you strong enough?"
Closing his eyes and breathing deeply, Jacob summoned forth all of the courage he'd ever possessed to help his best friend. "Yes," he exhaled, then cautiously placed his hands over the broken branch. Máire clasped Bella's hand and the song of healing fell once more from reddened lips. Her body began to shake as the golden glow flowed between the two, burning brighter with every passing note. Gripping the rough bark of the wood tightly, Jacob pulled it from Embry's chest, falling backward then quickly righting himself to place his hands over the ugly, gaping wound.
Beneath his fingertips, he could feel muscle knitting back together, the gash healing itself from the inside out. With wide-eyed wonder, he watched as new skin blossomed across Embry's chest, pink as a newborn babe then turning to silken copper as though kissed by the sun. Still she sang, the cadence of her voice growing ever louder as the slow, steady rise and fall of Embry's breath returned. Rising into a deafening crescendo of magic and song, the final notes slipped from her tongue with the quaking of the earth.
It was then that Embry Call opened his eyes.
The world was bright, the air he drew into his lungs fresh and clean. The ground beneath him felt wet and cold, but one pair of eyes in the small crowd hovering above warmed him to the core. All the pain of his life fell away along with the cords that bound him to the pack. A thousand strings in a riot of color wove themselves together, tying him to an ethereal woman with midnight curls and ruddy cheeks. Only in dreams had he seen her face, never more than the glimpse of an angel. The satin of her skin imparted delicate sparks, making his heart pound with immense fury when she traced his cheek lovingly with the back of her ivory hand.
A sense of belonging that he'd never felt before washed over his mind, blanketing his soul with eternal peace.
Embry Call had imprinted and his world would never again be the same.
In an instant, Jacob understood what had transpired between the two. The euphoria he'd seen in the eyes of his friend was unmistakable. The force of it had rocked his own body, yet at the same time something else created a cataclysmic divide between the two. Embry was no longer pack, but still a warrior. The connection between them fell away, leaving him to wonder what it could mean. Before he could open his mouth to speak, Máire fell to the ground, passing out beside Embry and fell into a deep sleep.
Still weak, Embry grasped her hand, only turning his head long enough to whisper quiet words of gratitude before closing his eyes beside the woman he loved.
ooo000ooo
Hours later, Máire woke alone in the dark, her eyes adjusting to the early morning light creeping across the horizon. A man sat in the corner, his large form crammed in a too small chair while he slept peacefully. She recognized the contours of his face, the beautiful sheen of his skin and the silken fall of his hair. A small gasp escaped her lips when she recalled the moment he'd opened his eyes on the mountain. Only once before had a man captivated her with just a look. Yet, this was different somehow. Love at first sight, the innate desire to blend their lives together welled inside of her. Like her mighty ancestor Niamh, she longed to carry him off to the land of eternal youth and beauty, where happiness lasted forever. Though she had yet to learn his name, Máire's heart pounded in recognition of the counterpoint to her soul.
There was little time to wonder, for the man opened his eyes and seeing her awake, stood from the chair and came to rest beside her in the early morning light.
The tenderness of the kiss he placed on her pink lips without seeking permission sent shivers down her spine. The strength of this man matched her own. The caress of his hand upon her cheek, the power of his arm about her waist as he pulled her body close to his.
Every breath, each heartbeat matched the timeless rhythm of her own. "Who are you?" she whispered, when his lips feathered across her cheek.
Embry drew back, searching her eyes for something, anything to confirm she felt the same way. Seeing the same emotion welled up inside of him reflecting back into his own, he caressed her cheek, then ducking his head to whisper low in her ear. With a single word he replied, before kissing his love once more in quiet solitude. "Yours."
ooo000ooo
It was a gathering never before seen, a world of supernatural creatures mingling freely among humans in a small home on the Quileute reservation.
Billy Black sat beside the fire and in places of honor next to him were his son, the future Chief and a sidhe princess more beautiful than the dawn. When she'd entered the room on Embry's arm, the pack had bowed before her in a sign of respect. With a gracious smile she gave thanks, taking the proffered seat next to William Black.
The similarity between he and his grandfather had been startling. Handsome men, strength and pride radiating from the center of their beings. The timeless quality of leadership ran thick through his veins, as she even now saw it in the eyes of his son.
Though she was drawn to Embry Call, Máire sought out the eyes of her granddaughter. The mother in her swelled with pride as she looked upon the pretty face of Isabella Swan. In her, she saw the warmth of her only son and the strength of a hundred fairy princesses passed down through the generations. The love of her people, the love of a human husband and child both collided in this small half-human woman.
This morning she'd cradled Bella in her arms, weeping for all the time that was lost. The gentleness of her granddaughter's touch was a tangible reminder of the baby boy she'd left behind and the husband she'd once loved. The sorrow of it plagued her heart, yet gladness at seeing the life which had been borne from her time here one hundred years ago filled her with new hope.
It had been a quiet afternoon, each with little to say and yet a thousand silent questions loudly passing between them. They'd given her space, time to rest and wait for tonight. If Máire had thought this would be a quiet reunion between family, it was erased when Jacob announced that the pack would be arriving at sundown. It was further made clear that Embry would not be leaving her, at least not today. She understood, better than they knew. The power of imprinting was something she'd observed many times and in many places around the earth. Two souls seeking out each other and colliding was extraordinary, but when steeped with the binding magic of her people the power of it was immeasurable.
In truth, she did not wish him to leave her side. Already a plan was forming in her mind, one which she hoped that given time, would grow and prosper with certain knowledge of her love. But right now, there were other matters at hand. Máire needed to guarantee the safety of her granddaughter and there were questions that needed answering.
A chorus of affectionate greeting rose from the crowd when an elderly gentlemen arrived in the room. His old, wise eyes fell on a face that he hadn't seen in nearly one hundred years.
"My God!" he whispered, "You've returned."