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I nodded again, my smile dimming some. “She was. She died, along with my father. Only my two brothers and I are left, as far as I know.”
The woman’s grin disappeared. “I am your grandmother, Rebecca. Miriam was my daughter.” She paused, thinking, her face sad before she focused on me, her gaze urgent. “You need to know some things in order to fight them. I have waited in this space for the time someone would need this knowledge. That time must be now. Look and learn, child.”
She pointed up at the winds and scenes appeared. Flashes of her memories and everything she knew about the situation we were now in. And I viewed them all, along with Soren and Renth. Some where things we already knew. Others were things we hadn't even guessed at. What she had done to preserve all of this was amazing.
When the information stopped, the woman smiled softly at me. “Thank you, and let the spirits guide your way.”
I leaned in to hug her, but she was already gone.
The air now was still.
She had lived here until she could pass on information to me, her spirit weary but holding on. And now she had done what she needed to, she had passed on. I grieved her loss, even though I never really knew her.
I stood up and gazed at my companions. “It’s time to return.”
And we stepped out of this place and back into the attic.
I found myself holding the picture frame, with Soren standing beside me, one hand on my shoulder. Renth was leaning against my legs, his warmth welcoming.
Lark wasn’t touching me, but he was close enough that I could see he wanted to. He watched us, not knowing what had transpired.
I smiled at him. “It’s okay, Lark. We are back.”
Turning the frame around in my hand, I took the backing off. Behind the picture of my family was another, older one. One that someone had taken decades before.
A woman stood with her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. The daughter must have been eighteen or nineteen. A man stood beside her, his stance a little stiff, as if he didn’t want to have his image captured on paper for all time.
I showed my brother the picture. I pointed to the young girl. “This is Mom.” I tapped the woman behind her. “This is our grandmother, Rebecca. She had something to tell me. She was an oracle too and had preserved a part of herself in her own dream world, which was where we were just now.” I frowned, looking at the man. “I don’t know who this is, but I think it is our grandfather.”
Lark studied the man, noting his features. “I think his name was Marcus, and our parents named me after him. He was a witch as well. His power wasn’t strong, but he came from a long line of witches. Mom told me that despite his dower appearance, he was a hard-working man who loved his family.”
I glanced up at my brother. “What I don’t understand is Konner. He was always blond haired and blue eyed. But no one else is quite that fair.”
Lark took the picture, rubbing it between his fingers. “I don’t—”
Another, smaller picture fell from behind the one of our grandparents, fluttering to the floor. Soren bent over and picked it up, a frown on his face. “Who are these people?”
We all could see in an instant that this man was who my other brother took after. He was tall, appeared to be blond in the black-and-white photo, and must have done physical labor, given his physique. The woman beside him was also tall and strong-looking. She wasn’t a beauty, but she had a presence that came through, even in the photo.
Soren turned over the picture and on the back, in scraggly writing, were the words “Cameron and Abigail Sarabas”.
“Huh. Mom didn’t speak about Dad’s parents much.” Lark smiled, gazing down at me. “Let’s make sure these pictures have a prominent place in the living room, so we don’t forget our family.”
I grinned back at him. “Good idea. Are we done up here? Is Alemos back to normal?” I twisted to glance at my mate, who was studying the surrounding space. “Do a last check, Soren, please.”
He gave me a quick kiss on my cheek before walking around the room, stopping to touch various things he found, not that there was much up here. He made his way to the podium and studied the button sitting on it.
We contemplated his actions as he waved a hand over it. Nothing gave me the feeling that if he pressed it, something bad would happen. In fact, I was getting nothing up here at all except hope.
But Soren didn’t press it. He trailed one finger over it, shaking out his hand once he was done. He walked back to us.
“We have healed most of the damage. The rest of the repair the house will do itself, as it pulls healing energy from the gate. This was a marvelous thing your mother had created. I don’t think anyone else could have done this. There is so much—,” He paused as if reaching for the right words. “So much of your mother here. Like she had given the house a bit of herself.”
A soft, warm breeze swirled around us.
I smiled, remembering my mother. “I think she did.” Taking several steps towards the middle, I halted. “It’s time to rest, Mom. We're fine. Lark and I have true mates. We will carry on our family legacy. Konner is happy, I think. His life is different, but it fits him. And his best friend, Justin, is walking that path with him.”
We all experienced the house's atmosphere lighten even more, releasing all the tension that it had been holding. A feeling of relief permeated the room.
