Gifted (3 page)

“Sue,” he said quietly, as he caught her hand
in his. “What is this needle doing here? Shall I take it out?”

She laughed—and the laugh became a terrible
cough. “No,” she said at last, when she could speak clearly. “It’s
intravenous. Good for me.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Nothing.” She shrugged. “Nothing but stay.
Do you mind? I told ‘em you were my son. They won’t make you
leave.” She coughed again; the rattle of phlegm at the back of her
throat was constant. She was in pain, and that hurt him, although
he didn’t understand why.

“Sue—let me help you. Let me make you
young.”

The cough was laughter, he tried to tell
himself that.

“Always on with wishes, aren’t you?” But she
caught his hand and held it tightly. “I wouldn’t be young if it’d
kill you, Gene. And you’re what I wished for, you know. You’ve been
a good friend. What’d the doctor say? Tell me the truth.”

“She said she didn’t know whether or not you
would be all right.”

“That’s what I thought. She looked pretty
grim.” She was quiet for a moment; the rattle of her chest rose and
fell. “But I don’t mind being dead, you know.”

The Genie nodded; he’d heard it all before,
and he knew she found comfort in the belief. But he heard an edge
of fear to the words, and rested his head against her chest—whether
to comfort her or himself, he wasn’t certain.

“I’m afraid of the dying,” she whispered, as
she stroked his hair with her free hand. “I wish—I wish you could
come with me, and stay with me, no matter where I went.”

And the magic swelled up, recognizing in her
words a true wish; it pushed at the inside of his skin, radiating
heat, warmth, life; it rushed out through the pores, the eyes and
mouth, and the tips of his fingers. He closed his eyes in fear and
terror, pleasure and fulfillment, waiting the end.

The end did not come; there was no end
waiting, and no loneliness either. He saw the shape of her death in
her face, and felt peace. He caught both of her hands in both of
his, and kissed her forehead gently. “Sue,” he whispered, as tears
trailed down her cheeks. “I
will
come with you and stay
with you, forever.”

She laughed, she always laughed.

She was laughing when they left that room
together.

THE END

Short Stories by Michelle West and Michelle
Sagara

The first six stories released are connected
to the Essalieyan Universe of the novels I write for DAW as
Michelle West. Since those are my most asked-for short stories,
those are the stories I wanted to make available first. The rest of
the stories will be released in chronological order from the date
of their first appearance, which are listed in brackets beside the
titles, along with the anthology in which they first appeared. All
of the stories have new introductions (which will probably come
through in the samples if you’ve already read the stories but want
to read those.)

In the Essalieyan universe
:

1. Echoes (2001,
   Assassin
   Fantastic
   )
   

2. Huntbrother (2004,
   Sirius, the Dog
   Star
   )
   

3. The Black Ospreys (2005,
   Women of
   War
   )
   

4. The Weapon (2005,
   Shadow of Evil
   )
   

5. Warlord (1998,
   Battle Magic
   )
   

6. The Memory of Stone (2002,
   30
   ^th
   Anniversary DAW
   Fantasy
   ) 
   * * *
   

7. Birthnight (1992,
   Christmas
   Bestiary
   )
   

8. Gifted (1992, Aladdin, Master of the
   Lamp)
   

9. Shadow of a Change (1993,
   Dinosaur
   Fantastic
   )
   

10. For Love of God (1993,
    Alternate
    Warriors
    )
    

11. Hunger (1993,
    Christmas Ghosts
    )
    

12. Four Attempts at a Letter (1994,
    By Any
    Other Fame
    )
    

13. Winter (1994,
    Deals with the
    Devil
    )
    

14. What She Won’t Remember (1994,
    Alternate
    Outlaws)
    

15. The Hidden Grove (1995,
    Witch
    Fantastic
    )
    

16. Ghostwood (1995,
    Enchanted
    Forests
    )
    

17. When a Child Cries (1996,
    Phantoms of the
    Night
    )
    

18. The Sword in the Stone (1997,
    Alternate
    Tyrants
    )
    

19. Choice* (1997,
    Sword of Ice: Friends of
    Valdemar
    )
    

20. Turn of the Card (1997,
    Tarot
    Fantastic
    )
    

21. The Law of Man (1997,
    Elf
    Fantastic
    )
    

22. Flight (1997,
    Return of the
    Dinosaurs
    )
    

23. The Vision of Men (1997,
    The Fortune
    Teller
    )
    

24. By the Work, One Knows (1997,
    Zodiac
    Fantastic
    )
    

25. Under the Skin (1997,
    Elf Magic
    )
    

26. The Dead that Sow (1997,
    Wizard
    Fantastic
    )
    

27. Kin (1998,
    Olympus
    )
    

28. Step on the Crack (1998,
    Black Cats and
    Broken Mirrors
    )
    

29. Diamonds (1998,
    Alien Pets
    )
    

30. Sunrise (1999,
    A Dangerous
    Magic
    )
    

31. Elegy (1999,
    Moon Shots
    )
    

32. Return of the King (1999,
    Merlin
    )
    

33. Work in Progress (1999,
    Alien
    Abductions
    )
    

34. Water Baby (1999,
    Earth, Air, Fire and
    Water
    )
    

35. Faces Made of Clay (2000,
    Mardi Gras
    Madness
    )
    

36. Sacrifice (2000,
    Spell Fantastic
    )
    

37. Shelter (2000,
    Perchance to
    Dream
    )
    

38. Pas de Deux (2000,
    Guardian
    Angels
    )
    

39. Déjà Vu (2001,
    Single White Vampire
    Seeks Same
    )
    

40. To Speak With Angels (2001,
    Villains
    Victorious
    )
    

41. Lady of the Lake (2001,
    Out of
    Avalon
    )
    

42. Truth (2001,
    The Mutant Files
    )
    

43. The Last Flight (2001,
    Creature
    Fantastic
    )
    

44. The Knight of the Hydan Athe (2002,
    Knight Fantastic
    )
    

45. Legacy (2002,
    Familiars
    )
    

46. The Nightingale (2002,
    Once Upon a
    Galaxy
    )
    

47. A Quiet Justice (2002,
    Vengeance
    Fantastic
    )
    

48. The Augustine Painters (2002,
    Apprentice
    Fantastic
    )
    

49. How to Kill an Immortal (2002,
    The Bakka
    Anthology
    )
    

50. Fat Girl (2002, Oceans of the Mind VI,
    ezine)
    

51. Winter Death* (2003,
    The Sun in Glory:
    Friends of Valdemar
    )
    

52. Diary (2003,
    The Sorcerer’s
    Academy
    )
    

53. Dime Store Rings (2004,
    The Magic
    Shop
    )
    

54. To The Gods Their Due (2004,
    Conqueror
    Fantastic
    )
    

55. The Stolen Child (2004,
    Faerie
    Tales
    )
    

56. The Rose Garden (2004,
    Little Red Riding
    Hood in the Big Bad City
    )
    

57. The Colors of Augustine (2004,
    Summoned
    to Destiny
    )
    

58. Unicorn Hunt (2005,
    Maiden, Mother
    Crone
    )
    

59. The Snow Queen* (2005,
    Magic Tails
    ;
    with Debbie Ohi)
    

60. Shahira (2006,
    Children of
    Magic
    )
    

*Set in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar, as the
anthology titles suggest

For more information
—
or just to say hello!
—
I can
be found online at:

Twitter:
@msagara

Facebook:
Michelle
Sagara

My blog about my written works:
Michelle West & Michelle
Sagara