Search for the Crystal Key (A Continuation of Dark Escape)

Chapter 10

Fiona straightened her back and admired her handiwork in the enormous garden that occupied acres of land. Although pleased with the progress she made with tending the myriad of vegetables, herbs and flowers that were grown in order to keep her pantry well stocked with supplies for both food and magic, she longed for some time to simply sit on her porch with her dog at her feet and rock the day away. Memories of her life in the twenty-first century doing just that were weak, but she could still pull bits and pieces of them up if she tried hard enough.

Her recollections of her final moments in that life were the strongest. She could still feel the searing pain as Dominic's evil creatures tore her apart before her soul managed to escape Maggie's body. She could still pull the memory up with such vivid clarity.

She was grateful she'd magically shared her soul with an infant in her family lineage of the twenty-first century and gone through the process of growing up as a doppelganger rather than travel time. Had she done that, she wouldn't be standing here today to guard Lucy's dormant, lifeless body until the time her soul could be wholly reunited with it. As it was, she'd been foolish and risked a lot by going forward in time without exposing the hiding place of their dormant bodies to someone to guard. Had they been found in such a vulnerable state of being they could have easily been destroyed and her soul would have had nothing to return to. This realization only struck her upon her return. She'd not make that mistake again.

Her eyes rested on the boulder that led to the cave. It was time to check on Lucy. She always dreaded when it was time to open the magical seal and make Lucy vulnerable to passersby. Their bodies had suffered while lying in state during Fiona's absence. Someone really should have tended to them. Luckily Fiona was able to reverse the damage to herself and Lucy, but it was imperative to regularly check and make certain all was as it should be. If she didn't keep a vigilant watch something might slip by her and Lucy's soul wouldn't be able to reconnect. Lucy would be lost to her forever.

The light was fading, and her body ached from the toils of the day. Tomorrow would be a better time to check on Lucy. She'd be fresher and stronger on the morrow. Wiping her hands on her apron, Fiona picked up her gardening tools and started back toward her cozy little cottage amidst a small grove of fruit trees. The garden occupied well over ten acres of land, making it a sizable trek home.

Picking her way through the rows and rows of aromatic herbs and vegetables, she stopped at the sight of a lone rider making its way up his long drive. He wasn't in soldier's uniform. She couldn't imagine who else would be wandering the mountains during these tumultuous times. She started across the garden again at the same pace as before. Whoever it was come calling would have to wait for her. She had no intention of rushing and risking damage to her precious plants by misplacing her large feet on one of them.

As she drew closer and was able to make out the figure walking his horse into the small corral and being quite free with her water and grain her heart skipped a beat. It was Brandon Wagner! Why had he returned? What happened? Lucy's soul still hadn't returned, so Tara had to be alive. This wasn't good at all.

Fiona wrestled with the idea of placing her soul into another new infant after Dominic's beasts destroyed the body she was using so she could be near Tara again, but she thought better of it. When her soul returned to her body she found it had atrophied to a certain degree while dormant. Because of this, she regularly attended to Lucy's body to move and manipulate it to prevent what happened to her from happening to her dear niece. She also didn't trust anyone to care for them properly or to keep their location quiet. Her brother was the only one she might remotely consider, but he was too prone to fall under Alana's spell and she couldn't risk him telling her their whereabouts. Plus, overuse of such magic never brought good results. Her only other option was to time travel, but not she was needed here to guard and care for Lucy, if something happened to her like what happened to Maggie both she and Lucy could be lost forever. So, she remained where she was and put her faith in Brandon guiding Lucy's soul down memory lane.