Anne Bishop - Belladonna

She hesitated. Pain in staying, pain in going.

But something made her hesitate.

In Ephemera, there were few secrets of the heart. And even that heart couldn’t remain hidden now. Not from her.

She walked back to the ragged blanket she had found somewhere, then pressed her fingers against the ground beneath one corner.

Ephemera, hear me.

Assured that the world would obey, she walked back to the square of sand and took the step between here and there.

Light!

Barely more than a flicker now, but reason enough to race ahead of whatever else might want to destroy that flicker.

Then It hesitated. There had been a place in the landscape that had been so Dark it had not quite existed with the rest of the school. Her lair.

But It did not feel that Dark anymore, and when It approached, It discovered the walls had been torn down, the fountain shattered. Nothing there now but an empty, broken place.

Changing back to human form, It approached the only thing of interest that had been left behind: a ragged blanket. Crouching, It fingered the material. Scratchy but warm—and more than It had now.

It started to grab the blanket, then froze as It felt the resonance beneath the material.

It lifted the corner—and stared for a long time. Then It scooped up the prize and the blanket, and hurried back to the walled garden It had made into a lair. There, It carefully unwrapped the prize and stared at it some more.

What had been in Belladonna’s heart when she had commanded the world to do this? Had this been left as a punishment—or a gift?

Didn’t matter. What mattered was that she had left behind a flicker that could feed the Light.

After selecting the most protected spot in Its garden, the Eater of the World planted the tiny heart’s hope.

They stood outside Shaney’s Tavern, the music pouring out of the open doors behind them. He wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest.

“Stay with me,” he said. “My heart’s hope lies with you, Glorianna Belladonna. Stay—”

A scuffling sound in his bedroom broke the dream. He lay awake, alert. Then he almost drowned in the sound that flooded through him.

“Magician?”

A rough, rusty voice. He barely heard it above the jagged pieces of song trying to fit together. Crashing. Screaming. Dark tones and Light. A song of terrible beauty grating against so much hope.

He pushed himself up on one elbow and stared at the shadowy figure standing at the foot of his bed. “Glorianna?”

“I heard the music. I heard the music in your heart.”

Then she swooned, and he leaped out of bed to catch her, to hold her as he sank to his knees. Even in the moonlight coming in the window, she looked dirty and bruised and half starved. And she was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen.

“You’ll be all right, darling,” he said, rocking her. “You’re home now. You’ll be all right.”

She stirred a little.

“Glorianna? Come on now, darling. Don’t be doing this to me.”

“Don’t tell Lee,” she mumbled.

“What?” He stopped rocking and looked down at her.

“He gets upset when I faint. Don’t tell him.”

He laughed—and then he cried. Then he picked her up and tucked her into bed with him. And hoped he wasn’t dreaming.

Sebastian burst into the kitchen, jolting Michael’s groggy wakefulness.

Despite waking up again and again to reassure himself that he hadn’t been dreaming, he hadn’t wanted to sleep a minute longer this morning. On the other hand, he wanted to sleep for a week.

“What happened?” Sebastian asked, his voice as tense as his body. “The heart’s hope is gone. Glorianna’s Light is gone!”

“Not gone, exactly,” Michael said, trying to get his eyes to focus. “Just transplanted, in a manner of speaking. Want some koffee?”

“Not if you’re making it.”

“Fine, then. Do it yourself.” Which, all things considered, was a better idea.

Wishing he’d had a little more time to prepare for this, he leaned against the kitchen table and scrubbed his hands over his face. Once Sebastian got the koffee started, he said, “It’s good you’re here today.”

“I’ve been here every day, Magician,” Sebastian replied, still sounding tense.

“I know you have. I know.” He paused, needing to get the words right. “There’s always one that’s harder than the rest when they’re taken from you. One that has meant more to your hopes and dreams. One you love just a little more.”

Sebastian watched him and said nothing.

“Let me show you Glorianna’s Light.”

They left the kitchen and went around the side of the house. And saw her walking back from the walled garden. She hadn’t been ready to go inside, but she had wanted to stand at the gate. So he’d gone inside to start breakfast—and hoped she would still be on the island when he put the meal on the table.

Sebastian stood there, frozen, just staring at her.

“Threat and promise is what you called me,” Michael said quietly. “I made good on the threat. Together, Justice Maker, we made good on the promise.” He watched her move toward them. Saw her hesitate. “She took back her Light, and she came back to us. But she’s two halves of a whole, and it’s not a smooth fit anymore.”

“Glorianna,” Sebastian whispered. “Glorianna.”

“She might always be two halves that don’t quite fit together to make a whole.”

He watched the words finally take hold. Those sharp green eyes studied him. “In clear words, Magician.”

“Love isn’t just something you feel. It’s something you do. I love her, so I’m staying.” Michael smiled. “After all, my heart’s hope lies with Glorianna Belladonna. But she’s changed, Sebastian. Nothing will be the same as it was.”

Now Sebastian smiled. “This is Ephemera, Magician. Nothing is ever the same as it was.”

Michael watched Sebastian race across the lawn and sweep his cousin into his arms. Good music. Strong music. And one or two of those jagged edges inside Glorianna were smoothed out a little more just by Sebastian’s presence.

It would be all right. She would be all right.

As he turned to go back inside to make breakfast for the three of them, a movement caught his eye.

There, sheltered by the quartz-veined granite that stood for his home landscape, was a clutch of violets.

“Thanks, wild child.”

He grinned as he went back in the house. Then he sang as he worked. And he heard the music of her—the dark tones and the light—ring out over the island.

They would be all right, he thought as he put the meal on the table a moment before Glorianna and Sebastian walked through the door. It would take time, but they would be all right.