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Your mom?" I asked. I turned back to the pond, looking for a house of some sort, but there was nothing. Lend picked up a rock and, giving it an expert flick with his wrist, skipped it across the top of the water. Another thing he could do that I always wanted to. The others were watching the water expectantly, so I did the same.
The middle of the pond moved, shifting as though there was a sudden change of current. It turned toward us, the water building up and moving of its own accord, creating a small wake. I'll admit I was nervous. Most of my experience with paranormals involved things that could kill me. It was all I could do not to take a step back as the wave came closer, flowing faster and rising above the level of the pond.
When it got within feet of the shore, the water shot up, spraying high into the air. Little droplets, freezing cold, showered down on my head. The water settled to reveal a woman standing there. Well, standing being relative, considering she was still on the water and made of it, too. The light reflected off her rippling form; she was absolutely amazing. Her top half was well-?formed, right down to a hauntingly beautiful face and cascading hair. She held out slender arms toward us. After her waist the water dropped down, forming a sort of dress shape where it connected back to the pond.
“Hi, Mom. ” Lend waved cheerfully.
She laughed. It blew my mind. I had always thought Reth had the most beautiful voice and laughter, but she put him to shame. It made you feel like you were lying next to a stream on a warm day, letting it run over your fingers as you lost every care in the world except the cool, cleansing sensation. It bubbled with clear music notes.
“Hello, my darling,” she said. Her features rippled into a smile as she looked at Lend. I could see right through her to the other side, but the way her face manipulated the water and reflected light you could see her expressions. It was like Lend in his normal form, only much less stable. I noticed something else, too. Her heart, or where her heart would have been, seemed to generate light--like she glowed from inside. This must be a normal thing for paranormals. Why had I not noticed before?
“Cresseda,” Lend's dad said. He looked happy and sad at the same time, watching her. It made me wonder what the family history was.
“David. ”
“He got home safely. ”
She laughed again. “I told you he would. And he found the answer. ” She fixed her eyes on me. I didn't know what to do, so I raised one hand in an awkward wave.
Lend looked down, shaking his head. “No, I'm sorry. I didn't find anything. I saw what was doing this, but I don't have any answers. ”
Cresseda shook her head, water droplets raining down in front of her. “You have the answer with you. ” She smiled, and her eyes, insubstantial as they were, seemed to bore straight through me. “What a lovely balance. Lend shows whatever he wants the world to see and you see through whatever the world wants to show you. ”
“What do you mean?” Arianna interrupted.
Cresseda shimmered like she was about to lose her form. “Lend found what he was meant to find. ”
David frowned. “You mean--Did you send him?” He turned to Lend. “Is that why you went? Did she ask you to?”
Lend shook his head. “No, I went because I heard you guys talking. Didn't you get that info from a banshee?”
“Yeah, but I--”
“Things are not as they should be. Now they may return. Or they may be lost entirely,” Cresseda said thoughtfully. And really unhelpfully, too. She wasn't much good in the whole making-?sense department. Of course, Lend had been talented at the whole vague, random-?answer thing while he was in the Center. It was obvious now where he'd learned it. “Change is coming. 'Eyes like streams of melting snow. '” She smiled at me again.
I shrugged, uncomfortable. “That's not about me. ”
She shook her head. I didn't know whether she was agreeing with me or telling me I was wrong. “The waters are emptier now. ” Her voice was tinged with sorrow. “I am sorry about Alisha. You will set it right?”
“How did you know about Lish?” I asked, my voice catching.
“She was part of the waters. Return her to us?”
I shook my head, tearing up again. “I can't; she's dead. ”
“Cresseda,” David said, his voice gentle and leading, like he was trying to get her to focus. “We know a little more about the thing that's doing this. We were hoping you could help us. ”
She waved one hand dismissively. “This is not a matter of the waters--it is a matter of fire and spirit. The path is not mine and I cannot see it. ” Lend's shoulders slumped. Everyone in the group looked disappointed. “And, Lend? Stand up straight, stop slouching. My beautiful boy. ”
I almost laughed. I guess she really was a mom, after all. She beamed and the light reflecting from her grew brighter, then the water that formed her let go, dropping back to the pond with a loud splash.
“Bye, Mom,” Lend said softly.
Arianna folded her arms petulantly. “Well, that was a bloody waste of time. ”
“I don't know,” an all-?too familiar voice mused behind us. “I found it rather entertaining. ” I turned around, terror bleeding from my stomach outward until even my fingers trembled.
Everyone else seemed equally shocked, although only Lend looked scared. Reth stood in the middle of the path like some sort of beautiful Victorian dandy. He even had a walking stick--clearly freedom agreed with him and he'd stepped up his fashion. If he weren't so breathtaking, he would have looked ridiculous. On him it worked, and somehow made him creepier.
