Retribution (49 page)

Layla giggled at Skyla then looked at Quin. “Was the theme obvious?”
 

He reached out, pulling a pure-white snowflake from an onyx curl. “The four seasons?”

She smiled and gave a nod. “Yep.”

“Can you believe that, Quin?” Skyla interjected. “I told her to depict the four seasons. That's it. I didn't give her any details to work with, and she comes up with this. Who knew she'd take it so literal and actually show the seasons? I'm thinking a pretty spring flower, a burning sun, maybe an animated snowman, but
no
, she goes and dumps all four seasons on us in less than twenty minutes. And they were interactive! I just can't believe it.”

Quin laughed at his little cousin then smiled at Layla. “I can.”

“It was fun,” Layla whispered, “like we just spent a whole year together.”

He scanned the air around her. Then he rolled onto his side and pulled her close. “Vanish your magic, my love. Let someone else play while I kiss you.”

“Okay,” she eagerly agreed, waving a hand, and the snow and magical sky vanished, leaving the lawn a little warmer and a lot darker.

“Aw...” several people protested.

Layla puckered at Quin, who kept his gaze on her lips as he responded to the complaints. “You'll have to perform your own magic for a while. My angel's busy.” Then he leaned in, kissing her deeply despite the crowd around them, which was fine, because she forgot about them anyway.

The show went on without Layla and Quin for half an hour, but when Alana was given a request, she asked Layla to
make some mowe fun and pwetty magic
.

Pulling away from Quin’s lips, Layla flashed a guilty smile and whispered. “I can't say no to her.”

“I know,” he conceded. Then he gave her one more kiss before rolling onto his back and looking at the sky. “Show us what's up your sleeve, because you've been thinking about it for a while.”

“You could tell?”

“Yes, love.”

“Of course,” she mumbled. Then she got comfortable, preparing herself for another performance. “What's your favorite animal, Alana?”

“Monkeys!”

“How about you, Brayden?”

“Jaguars!”

“Good ones,” Layla approved. “Are you ready?”
 

“Yeah!”

Everyone raptly watched the air, waiting for monkeys and jaguars to appear, but when Layla raised her hands, a massive cloud of colored fog appeared. The crowd gasped as Layla intensely concentrated, moving her eyes and hands with purpose, and the haze started swirling, shifting from one form to another until a clear scene materialized from the rainbow of smoke.

The crowd murmured their approval as they studied their surroundings – a tropical rainforest complete with mossy trees, vines and underbrush. The vegetation swarmed with creatures, everything from snakes, frogs, turtles and chameleons to sloths, toucans, insects and monkeys, lots and lots of monkeys. Everything was in motion and looked and acted incredibly real, flooding the suddenly humid clearing with foreign sounds and smells. Birds comprised of mist dove into the crowd, soaring past magicians' heads as if they stood in the middle of a rainforest, and when the winged creatures hit the blankets, they disintegrated into puffs of colored smoke and drifted away.
 

Several marmosets and capuchins leapt through the branches, coming to a halt right above Alana. Then a tiny marmoset hopped on her head and played with her curls, while the capuchins tickled her belly and grabbed her nose. Alana giggled and squirmed. Then Brayden did the same when an orangutan swung out on a vine, sweeping the fronds of a king fern along the child’s soles.

The trip through the rainforest lasted more than ten minutes, and Layla kept her hands in the air, animating the animals and directing them to interact with the crowd. When her movements ceased, the creatures retreated into the trees, and the lawn fell still as everyone waited… and waited… and waited.

Silence stretched on, bodies got antsy, boredom spiked. Then it all shattered as a ferocious jaguar lunged from behind a cluster of bamboo shoots. An echoing roar drowned out the screams, and menacing jaws stretched wide as the cat closed in on Brayden, who lay frozen, open-mouthed and bug-eyed. Everyone else flinched as razor sharp teeth came within inches of Brayden’s face. Then the feline exploded into black and orange smoke, drifting away as Brayden breathed.

Laughter rang out from the crowd, and Brayden excitedly stuttered as he tried to discuss the ordeal with his mom and dad.

Layla giggled as she watched him. Then she looked at Quin. “What did you think?”

“Phenomenal,” he answered, “as always. Is that what you've been scheming on?”

“No.”

“I didn't think so.” His gaze flipped to her aura, then back. “What's wrong?”

“I'm hesitant to keep going.”

“Why?”

“You'll see.”

“You're going to do it even though you're hesitant?”

“Yes.”

He smiled as he pulled her hand into a kiss. “I can’t wait to see what it is.”

“Do you think they're ready to move on?”

“Who cares? I'm ready.”

Her mouth fell open. “Quin.”

“I'm kidding,” he laughed. “Yes, they're ready. They'll watch whatever you toss up there.”

“Oh. Okay.” She swallowed a lump and looked at the sky, unsure of how her next bit of magic would be received. After a deep breath, she sucked up her fears and held out her hands.

The rainforest blurred and shifted, swirling into a foggy, unreadable mass. Then it took on the form of Multnomah Falls. Artificial water roared down the fake Mountain, warm mist moistened the magicians’ faces, and real birds emerged from the forest, perching on the edge of the lawn as they sang a sweet tune.

After a long and peaceful moment, the smoke shifted again, then again, then again, giving the crowd beautiful glimpses of the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway and Portland. Quin paid close attention, picking up every detail of the memories she was bringing to life, not only because he was interested in seeing them, but because he was curious to know where they were going.

A short tour down the highway connecting Portland to Cannon Beach; an outside view of Cinnia's Cannon Café; then a large depiction of Brietta, who stood behind the coffee shop's counter, looking at everyone with utter confusion wrinkling her beautiful features.

The real Brietta laughed and pointed. “That's the first time I saw you. I didn't know what to think.”

“You were weird,” Layla teased, “but nice, and very pretty.”

The scene altered, panning out to include the inside of the cafe's entrance, and soon a foggy likeness of Quin walked in, making his way across the virtual scene to Brietta. Layla watched with a smile, and Quin had a feeling she’d summoned that image for no one other than herself.

She waved a hand, and the café disappeared, replaced by a pristine representation of the very lawn they lay on. But it looked much different – dark and empty, like the first time she saw it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Quin saw Layla glance at her grandparents, and he tightened his arm around her shoulders, trying to give her strength for whatever she was about to do. She cuddled closer to him. Then she took a deep breath and a chance.

The dark and deserted clearing above transformed into a bright and crowded lawn, and the peaceful atmosphere shifted as everyone searched the foggy faces of unfamiliar magicians. Quin didn’t recognize any of them, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from asking who they were, where she'd seen them, and why she was showing them off. Smoke figures floated around them as though they were walking through the throng. Then the crowd opened up to a hill scattered with people. Layla’s audience approached a nearby group, and as one of them turned around, gasps rang out from the watching magicians.

“Rhosewen,” Morrigan whispered, reaching for the flawless image of her happy and healthy daughter, aura included.

The scene opened up to reveal Aedan and his aura, and several more gasps resounded. Aedan took Rhosewen's hand, lifting it into a soft and slow kiss, and at that, Morrigan and Daleen started sobbing.

Layla had been smiling at the meeting between her mom and dad, but her expression grew troubled as she looked at her grandmas. “Should I stop?”

“No,” several people answered, and Morrigan shook her head as she reached for Layla’s shoulder. “Please keep going. They're so beautiful.”

Layla searched her grandma’s face and aura then returned her gaze to the sky, changing the scene yet again to depict Aedan and Rhosewen’s first kiss. From there she recalled their first date, creating images from the alpaca farm and the cave at Devil's Den. Then she created a slide show of random moments – her grandparents meeting each other; the kiss Aedan and Rhosewen shared when he agreed to relocate; the first time the two of them woke up in each other's arms. Older coven members got to relive meeting Aedan. Then everyone watched him slip the zultanite ring on Rhosewen's finger. The magical wedding came next, and many people in the audience laughed at younger versions of themselves while teasing one another. When a baby Quinlan came into view, already flashing deep dimples at the witches, Layla giggled and nuzzled his heart.

The wedding wound down, but Layla took a long moment to focus on Aedan and Rhosewen's dance around the bonfire. Aedan lifted Rhosewen in the air and spun her around. Then their faces froze in the sky, their eyes on each other, expressing a love that can’t be described with words.

Layla took in the details, sighing as a tear rolled down her temple. Then she waved a hand, melting the beloved image while sending the birds back to the forest.

Quin expected the fog to dissipate, but Layla had other plans, and soon her entire audience stood on the ledge of a tall cliff, staring out over the ocean at a silver moon. Lightning flashed in the distance, and the salty smell of the sea spiced the air.

“Perfect,” Quin whispered, smiling as he found her eyes.

She smiled back. Then they both looked forward, squeezing each other’s hand as she took everyone off the cliff. Many of them gasped as real wind and fake water rushed at their faces. Then they oohed and awed when they pulled out of the dive and soared toward the artificial moon.
 

The virtual flight slowed, and Layla dropped her hand, letting the fog separate and drift away. Quin turned his head to look at her, but she rolled into his side, hiding her face and clutching his waist.

Shifting so she could have his chest, he wrapped her in a hug and kissed her head. “That was beautiful, Layla.”

“Yeah?” she asked, peeking up at him.

He smiled as he brushed her hair from her face. “Yes. I had no idea magic could be so beautiful.”

“Do you think I crossed a sad line?” she whispered, afraid to look at her grandparents.

“I think you toed the line perfectly,” Quin assured. “Those memories made your grandparents sad, but they're glad they got to see them.”

“Do you think it was boring for the others?”

“No, but if it was, they'll just have to get over it, because it was special to us.”

“I should talk to my grandparents.” But she stayed put, worriedly chewing her lip.

“Stop that,” Quin insisted, running a thumb across her pout. “Your grandparents don’t regret what they just saw, and they're waiting for you to finish with me so they can tell you that themselves.”

“Oh. Well I'm never going to be finished with you, but if you'd like to roll with me, we can go talk to them.”

He smiled. “Roll with you, huh?”

“Yep. I think two turns should do it.”

Utilizing magic to keep from crushing her, Quin rolled to the right, and Layla ended up partially lying on Morrigan. Layla laughed as she tried to scoot over, but Morrigan grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Oh, sweetie. That was the most beautiful... the most precious... I mean to see them... Then when they... And when you...” She paused and breathed deep, struggling to calm herself as she found Layla’s eyes. “Thank you. Every second of every image meant the world to us, and we're so grateful you shared them.”

Layla forced herself to maintain eye contact as she replied. “I hope I didn't upset you too much.”

“The tears are bittersweet,” Serafin returned, “but more than welcome and a small price to pay for those lovely recollections.”

“We got to see their first kiss,” Daleen whispered. “I can't believe we got to see all those things. After all these years, we got to see them fall in love from an intimate perspective. It was so beautiful.”

“It was the start of something extraordinary,” Caitrin added, “something perfect. You're amazing, Layla. Your parents would be proud of the woman you’ve become. Their love for you would know no bounds.”

“We’re all proud of you,” Morrigan added. “These golden lights around our bodies pale in comparison to the sunshine you shed on us. We love you so much, Layla. So much. Every second you're with us is a blessed second, and we wouldn't trade one of them for anything else in the world.”

“I love you, too,” Layla squeaked. “All of you.” Fighting imminent tears, she found Morrigan’s stare. “You’re the foundation of my bouquet.”