A Witch's Path (7 page)

"Once you made it stop crawling all over the place, I liked it. I'd never figured out how I wanted to decorate the bathroom, and now it's beautiful."
 

A small smile started at the corners of his mouth. "You like it?"

"Yes, now that it's a bit tamer. Is that thing going to turn into a full sized tree one day?" I asked, my voice warm and teasing.
 

One side of Elron's mouth twisted up. "It will not."

"Then I would love to have the bonsai. Would you like to sit down and have some tea?"
 

"Yes, thank you." He set the tree on the dining room table and followed me into the kitchen.
 

"Would you mind making that calming brew? I'm still jumpy."
 

"Not at all." He rummaged around and in a few minutes handed me a steaming cup.
 

"Yummy. Even better than last time. You have to tell me how you make it."

"I can tell you, but you won't be able to replicate it because I add a bit of elven magic to the herbs."

"Oh. Can you prepare the herbs ahead of time so I could make the tea on my own?"

"I could make a small batch, but the effectiveness with quickly decline."

"How quickly?" I asked

"It is not easy to say. The tea will be good for a week, perhaps two."

"I'll use it before then." I found a small, empty mason jar and handed it to him.
 

Elron measured out several of the herbs, and cupped his hands around the jar. When I concentrated, I could see the green haze of his magic drifting into the herbs. He capped the mason jar and handed it to me. "A calming brew for you."

"Thank you. This is better than any of the calming teas I make." I labeled the jar and set it on the lazy Susan with the rest of my tea.
 

"You are welcome. I've made something of a study of herbs and teas. I've had the time."

"I suppose in fifteen hundred years, one can pick up a few hobbies."

"True. Tea is a more recent interest. It is a delightful example of the favors the earth has to offer, and modern times have made it much easier to enjoy. My true passion has been plants."

I took a closer look at the tree. "Did you shape the bonsai?"

"In a way. I grew it from a seed and it told me it wanted to stay small, so I gave it some direction."

"It's lovely, especially since it wasn't forced to be small."
 

He twisted the mug of tea in his hands. "I thought you'd enjoy having more greenery in the apartment."

I laid a hand over his, jumping when our energies mixed, throwing off heat. He paled. I pulled my hand away, and cleared my throat. "I trust you. I know you had nothing to do with the flower's growth."

Elron licked his lips, "You are correct. That was unintentional."

Thank the moon he was ignoring the moment when our energies mixed. "Yes, I'd love to have the bonsai, but I'm not good at keeping plants alive. What if I kill it?" I paled, this was like the dream. Narzel fart, parts of my dreams were coming true.
 

"It will let me know if it needs anything, and I'll let you know."

"Alright, in that case I'd love to have it. Where should I put it?"

Elron retrieved the tree from the dining room table and went into the living room. He sat the bonsai on a table under the window. Humming, he shifted it from one spot to the next. Stepping back he surveyed his work. "This spot should be perfect."
 

Walking over, the room seemed happier and tranquil. My gaze shifted from the bonsai to the elf. His hands were behind his back and his hair draped over one shoulder, glittering in the light. There was a sharpness in his eyes, as if he could see through my skin.
 

I stroked a finger along the trunk and traced the swirling designs on the outside of the dish. The bonsai shifted, pushing a branch under my hand, moving, until my nails scraped over a rough patch of bark. It shivered, and I ran my nails over the patch again and again, as it twitched and pushed against my hand.
 

"It is fond of you," Elron said.

The bonsai pushed my hand away. I turned to smile at Elron, "I like it too. Thank you for bringing me such a delightful plant."

"Tis but a small thing. Remember, it will help the forest watch over you."

We studied the plant, sipping our tea. Unable to take the silence, I felt the need to repeat myself. "Thank you for rushing to my aid this morning."

"When I needed help, my friends were there. I think I owe the earth a debt for sending me the help I needed." He was looking out the window, but I didn't think he was focused on the garden.
 

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Hum?"

"The times you had friends to help you when life wasn't going your way; do you want to talk about them?"

"It was long ago, and the details would bore you."
 

"Try me, you might be surprised."

He studied me over his shoulder, but I couldn't see past the poker face. Finding an answer in my expression, Elron returned to looking at the window. A few seconds passed before he said, "I know it must seem odd for me to be unaccustomed to many modern comforts. After all, they were invented during my life, but I wasn't here to see their birth. I've spent nearly two hundred years hiding in a forest because I was in mourning. My friends did their best to help me, and often I didn't want to be helped. If I'd ever reached out they would've moved mountains to help me."

Knowing it was pushing the boundaries, I asked, "Why were you in mourning?"

Elron's hands clenched, forming fists, while his power fluctuated wildly, charging the air around him.
 

"Elron, you don't have to answer. I was simply asking why you would've spent such a long time in mourning. It must've been a horrible event." His magic was still pulsing, and I was afraid of the result. I'd never seen an elf lose control, but when witches lost it, bad things happened.

All of a sudden the energy died, sinking back into his skin. "My mate was killed."
 

"I am so sorry. I can't imagine losing the love of my life." I gave myself a mental kick. Why didn't I leave it alone?

"Thank you. I loved her very much, and have spent years trying to forgive myself for her death." Elron bowed his head, hiding behind his hair.

With a sigh, I replied, "You're a good man. I'm sure you did everything you could."

"That does not make it any easier."

I moved closer, wanting to support him, but unwilling to touch him. "I don't want you to be sad. Sit down; watch some silly shows with me. We can remind each other that we aren't alone and move on to happier topics." When he raised his head and his shoulders dropped, I teased, "Besides, I can't have us becoming friends. I'd have to stop calling you 'Old Feisty' and 'Dratted Elf.'"

"That would be terrible. Almost as terrible as thinking of you as a mature witch, rather than a little girl playing dress-up."
 

"So funny, elf. What do you want to watch?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. You should pick."
 

Time raced by as we watched comedians, sharing laughs and having a good time. Before I knew what had happened, we were shoulder to shoulder, with our energy sparkling when it touched.
 

I looked at my watch and sighed. "It's later than I thought, and I need to get to bed soon. Morning comes early these days."

"Did I do something to upset you?" He asked, sitting still.

"No, not at all. Today has been long and exciting. I'm not sure I'm going to sleep well and I'd like to get as much rest as possible."

He gave me the once-over. "I can see the fatigue in your eyes." In one smooth move he picked up my hand, and planted a kiss on the back. "Sleep well, Michelle."
 

"Good night, Elron. Have happy dreams."
 

My hand was still tingling when the door closed behind him. Shaking my head, I went to have a talk with my lions, adding Elron to the list of people allowed unrestricted access to my apartment.

Realizing I hadn't called my Mom, I dialed her number. She wouldn't accept my father seeing me a few hours ago as an excuse.
 

"Hello?"

"Mom? It's Michelle. I was calling to check in, as you requested."

"Thank you. It makes me feel better. Love you, stay safe."

"Love you too, Mom." If I'd known it would be that easy to talk to her in the evening I would've called earlier.
 

I pulled blackout blinds over all the windows in my apartment. Safety first.
 

"Father, we need to talk." My dad, still powerful in his old age, looked up from his desk and the papers he'd been reading. That's all he seemed to do these days, push papers and be in my way.
 

"I'm afraid we do, son."

"What?"

He sighed, leaning back in the chair. Gray eyes, matching the gray hair, gazed at me with emotions I couldn't identify.
 

"Adder, your behavior has become increasingly erratic. I was willing to pass off many of your escapades as youthful adventures, but you've crossed the line from youthful hijinks to criminal behavior. If you don't reform, I will be forced to take punitive action."
 

"What do you mean by punitive action?" Father hadn't punished me in years.
 

"The first thing would be a challenge in front of the pack. If your behavior continued, you would be imprisoned. If you continued to flaunt our rules after those punishments, I would be forced to try you for insubordination and kill you." A single tear slid down father's cheek.
 

"Why? What have I done to deserve that?" My friend's suggestion came back to me, whispering how one move could end all my problems. I tried to push away the thought, but the words kept coming back.

He leaned forward, his mouth set in a hard line. "You beat two of our women when they declined your advances. You encourage violence, and show a complete disregard for our history and laws. I have more than a few questions about what you're doing when you aren't being a thorn in my side, but those can wait for later."
 

"Why do you care? I'm not here causing problems for you."

"Yes, son, and that's what scares me. I'm waiting for those other problems to land on my desk."

"Those women deserved what they got. First they were flirty, then they couldn't wait to run away." Even as I said it, I knew it wasn't true, but I'd been so angry, and they were there. "As for these rules, they're nothing more than guidelines set down by a group of old farts trying to make sure none of us can have any fun."

"I'm sorry to hear you say that, son, but you still have to pay for your actions."
 

"And how will I be paying for them?"
 

"A challenge at the pack meeting on Friday. After which, you'll spend three days in silver chains."
 

"I won't be able to heal if I'm in silver."

"I'm aware. That is part of the punishment."
 

"No. I won't go, I won't do it."

He surged to his feet, leaning over the desk. "You don't have a choice. If you refuse to attend the meeting you will be forcibly retrieved, and you will face a more severe punishment."

"No!" I shouted. He had no right, no right at all. Father, Alpha, neither had the authority to tell me to show up for a pack sanctioned beating.

"One way or another, you'll be facing a punishment. Take the lesser one."

"I'm sorry father, but I can't."
 

I pulled a knife from the small of my back, and leapt over the desk to plunge it into his chest. He threw up an arm, trying to guard against the attack, but it was too late. The knife slid in. For a moment we stayed upright before he fell back and we ended up in a heap on the floor.
 

He gasped, choking for air. "This won't kill me."

"Yes, it will. The blade was poisoned." I tightened my grip on the hilt and pulled it out as Father screamed. "Don't worry. I was told it would be a fast death."

As he laid there wheezing and choking, I pulled a cloth out of my pocket and rubbed the blood off the blade. My friend had been right. The small twinge in my heart was nothing. I didn't have to justify my actions, or listen to another lecture about how I was tarnishing the family name.
 

Once my father was unconscious I used a silver pocket knife to make a shallow cut across both our wrist. Mashing them together, I surged power through the cuts. A burning sensation lanced across my arm. With a hiss, I pulled away to find the cut healed, and I was starting to feel the pack magic settle around me. Father wasn't even cold when I left. I had a friend to see and a pack to order. The rules were about to change.
 

I left Michelle with a smile on my face and spring in my step. In the past, even mentioning Sylvia had been enough to send me into hiding, where I tried to believe that she would return. I knew better now. My wife was gone. While I would never forget her, my guilt and grief were dissipating. As the past reformed into a coherent memory, my emotions awakened, and I was able to think again.
 

My love for Sylvia had been true, but it felt more like a passionate love run wild than the love of my life. My extended mourning was due to my inability to save her and my guilt infused relief that I didn't have to try to make both of us happy any more. I had spent decades trying to be everything to her, for her. There was no doubt in my mind that she had been happy, satisfied with our life, but in hindsight my efforts to please her were an attempt to fill the voids in my heart.
 

We were so blinded by love that we didn't see one another. We saw what we wanted to see; the love we wanted to have.
 

The modern world, Landa, Mander, and Michelle had changed me. I was learning about me; seeing past my upbringing, life in the woods.