Air (16 page)
“What is this?” I touched the mark to ensure it was real and he winced, gaining consciousness.
When he realized what I was looking at, he smiled. “How do you think Shawn’s blood got on the cord?”
I stared at him, eyes wide. “You…you’re with him?”
He shrugged his shoulders and lifted himself off the ground, wincing as the muscles of his back moved. “What can I say? His offers are a bit more enticing than Cato’s.”
Vayu lifted his arms. Unnatural wind came in, growing strong enough to lift him off the ground within seconds. Vayu moved up and away from the clearing. Anyone else might’ve thought it was Vayu’s magic, but I knew Shawn’s power when I felt it. I bristled, my anger coming back. I called upon what energy was left within me and the surrounding area; there was very little. I tried anyway, copying the same wind pattern that carried Vayu away. I slowly lifted myself off the ground, eyes intent in the direction in which Vayu had disappeared. Suddenly, one of my hands was restrained, halting my upward progress. I looked down.
Micah had a tight hold on one of my wrists. “This is his element, you can’t fight him with it,” Micah yelled to be heard over the wind tunnel.
I started to explain Vayu had no energy of his own left, but Micah interrupted, sending his thoughts to me.
There is a better way to do this, with me by your side
. I looked into his pleading eyes; he was already battered and hurt deeply by my insanity, but he was still holding on, unwilling to let go. I released the wind and spun back down to the earth, right into his arms. We held each other, supporting each other’s weight because neither one of us could stand on our own. Finally I looked up at him. “Take me to the doctor. I need to check on the baby.”
A Gift
After an hour with the doctor and many assurances that the baby was fine, as well as several more assurances there was no way to determine the baby’s eye color yet, he moved on to a more private exam. Micah refused to leave the room. Instead I positioned myself so Micah would be spared of some of the more gruesome sights involved.
“I’ve seen everything you are trying to hide from me.” He held my hands and stroked my cheek.
“Not like this, you haven’t.”
The doctor interrupted, “Kaitlyn, you have a fair share of new wounds. Some are already scarring over, probably due to the energy of the Chakra, but they are definitely new.” He looked at Micah, narrowing his eyes in accusation.
“It wasn’t him,” I said in defense.
The doctor raised his eyebrows, “Maybe I should leave you two alone for a minute…” he hesitated. “Is that okay with you?”
“It’s fine – thank you doctor.” I lifted myself to a sitting position. Micah and I sat in silence for a few minutes, looking anywhere but at each other. I turned away from him once the tears started to roll down my face. “I’m so sorry. I should have been able to get away, to prevent this. You did something so special for me, and it’s all been ruined.”
He quickly pulled me off the table and wrapped himself around me, letting me bury my face in his chest. “How do you think I feel? I wasn’t able to protect you even while you lay in my arms.”
“It’s not your fault.” I sobbed into his chest.
He took my face in both hands and forced me to look at him. “Nor is it yours.”
I nodded my head slowly, trying to relieve myself of the guilt, and he did the same.
“Okay then,” he finally said, a forced smile on his face. “Let’s get you cleaned up, fed and back in bed. In that order.”
I managed to smile back, happy to let him take charge.
He saw me to my room, ran a warm bath filled with healing salts and fragrances the doctor gave us, and left me alone to get his own wounds looked after. I felt safe enough, as long as I stayed awake. He returned with a full plate of food just as I was dressing. Prime rib, baked potatoes, fruits and vegetables, even dessert. “Where did all this come from?”
“There was a feast in our honor last night; but we had disappeared before we could partake.” He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. “I guess we were a little too anxious.”
I laughed mouth already full of food. “Well, had I known…”
His face brightened. “You are really amazing, you know that? With all that’s happened, and…”
I waited to see if he’d continue before prompting, “…and what?”
“Well, I just think you are going to be okay, is all.”
“As long as I have you, honey.” I gave him my best ‘wife’ voice. I finally motioned to the large cardboard package he brought in with my food. “What’s that?”
“Oh, a gift from everyone.” He walked over to it and took out a card, reading aloud as I was too busy stuffing my face to look myself. “Dearest Micah and Kaitlyn, we are so happy for the two of you. Please accept these tree seedlings and our offer to plant a forest in honor of your union. This is a gift that will grow along with your relationship and will be a constant reminder of your love for one another. As the trees grow and prosper over the years, so too will your love.” Micah’s eyes moved to the bottom of the card. “Signed Cato, Susan, Alex, and Vayu.”
He pulled out a small bullet-shaped canister, pointed at one end and open at the other. “Aerial reforestation,” Micah commented in wonder, studying the canister. “I guess Vayu was meant to help.” He slowly lowered the canister and gazed off into space. “Traitorous bastard.”
I almost felt guilty having been the one to reveal it; almost. I tried to change the subject. “How’s Susan? Maybe I should go see her.”
“That can wait. She needs her rest as do you.” Micah pushed away my food tray and pulled me into bed with him. He laid me down and curled his body around me.
“Not sure I can sleep,” I said hesitantly. “It’s high noon outside.”
“You have lost a lot of energy today, your body needs it.”
I swallowed. “It’s not just that, Micah. I’m, well, kind of afraid to sleep. What if he comes back again? This is like my own, personal Elm Street.”
Micah’s arms tightened around me in response to the prospect of it happening all over again. His breathing grew more rapid and I lay still, tucking his hands close into my chest waiting patiently while he got himself under control. His breathing returned to normal but his voice still had an edge to it, “Now that I know, I can help prevent it.”
“How?”
“We can stay connected, even in our dreams.”
I recalled the days when we would communicate telepathically on a regular basis, and squirmed in closer to him in excitement at the expectation to do that again. I loved hearing his voice in my head almost more so than hearing it out loud. It felt more intimate than anything else, allowing us to be one person. It was as if his thoughts were mine and my thoughts were his.
Sleep now, beautiful. I will maintain the connection. What would you like to dream about? Prime rib? Cake? Mountains of rolls smothered in almond butter?
I giggled.
He kissed me on the cheek.
I love you
. I was about to respond when he stopped me.
Don’t use any more energy. Relax and let me do the work. Just know that I love you and I always will. We’ll get through this together, then continue to make this world a better place for our child.
His hand rested on my belly. I smiled. It was the first time he referred to the baby as ‘ours’. I closed my eyes, letting his words wash through my mind. Feeling his steady heart beat against my back, keeping in rhythm with his voice, gave me confidence enough to let myself drift off to sleep.
His Everything
I awoke with Micah’s arms still around me. I dreamt not of meat and buttered rolls but of our forest to be. It was beautiful. It grew strong and pure, deeply hidden from civilization and unmarred by man’s presence. Micah and I spent the entire dreaming session there, exploring the hilly landscape and revering the great trees.
Are you awake?
Micah sent the question cautiously.
I answered telepathically, not yet trusting my morning voice, nor my morning breath.
Yes. What time is it?
Midnight.
Oh. I’m not tired anymore.
Do you want to go for a walk?
I turned to face him on my side and snuggled closer.
I don’t want to leave your warmth.
He sat up in bed and wrapped the comforter around me, trapping in his heat.
So take my warmth with you.
“Come on,” he said aloud. “Let’s go plant our forest.”
I groaned, but lifted myself out of bed.
He dressed then lugged the box onto his shoulder. “Where do you want to do this?”
I thought for a moment. The rock was out of the question. “How about the pond?”
“Okay.”
I stayed in my nightgown and dragged the whole comforter outside and down the path to the pond with me. It slowed us considerably, but Micah didn’t seem to mind.
The lake was a brilliant blue, reflecting the waning moon. I spread the blanket out on the shores of the pond, just out of the water’s reach. Micah set the box down in front of us and began rooting through its contents. “Cato left us some ideas of where we could place the forest – places most in need.”
He leaned in so we could scan the list together.
Only about half of the forests in Honduras remain; there was a 37% decline in forest cover between 1990 and 2005. All but 10% of trees in Nigeria have been chopped down. The Philippines forests are down to 35% and Benin and Ghana retain less than 10% of their forests.
The list continued, Cato giving us more than our share of choices, but one country in particular caught my attention. Indonesia, like much of Southeast Asia, was historically entirely covered in forests. Even though 65% of those forests remain, there had been a serious decline that didn’t show signs of letting up. More logs were felled in the ‘80s and ‘90s across the large country than in all of South America and Africa combined.
The Asian region only makes up one quarter of the earth’s land, but holds 60% of the world’s population
, the letter ended.
It seemed logical to maintain large amounts of greenery where there were large amounts of people, for the sake of balance.
“I like Indonesia.” I announced. Besides, its close proximity to the Chakra would make using the wind element easier; a fact I left unspoken.
