Selena Rose, Daughter of the Moon

Chapter 20

Friday before the barbecue

Selena hears her phone start going off just as she sets the pot on the stove. Picking it up off the other counter she sees it is Bath calling, "Hi! How have you been?"

"Wonders never cease my darling, they never cease. I don't know what it was you did that changed things with Apophis but oh, you have changed things. May I come over?"

Selena nearly drops the phone, "What? You never— I mean, yes, but—" she takes a breath, "Really? I would love that. Please do. When?"

"I was thinking now. I am eager to go places. I will explain when I get there. Ok?"

"Yes. Sure. We will be here." Bath ends the call leaving Selena stunned. Bath and Zethes have never been out of their home as long as she has known them. What could have changed that she is eager to get out?

Twenty minutes later a knock on the door. Brighid comes out of Kya's room to the end of the hall and watches the door as Selena opens it to Bath on the other side. She is stunning in the sunlight, skin the color of chestnut and dressed in her usual flowing white. Selena cocks her head to one side, "Bath, have you got wings? Are those wings I see?"

Bath grins, "I knew you would see them in the light! Yes, they are wings. Now, can I come in and have some of your tea or shall we stand in the door and talk?"

"Oh! I'm sorry! Yes, come in. I am a little flabbergasted." She steps back opening the door wide, Brighid nods at Bath who nods back and winks. Brighid grins as she turns to go back to Kya's room and to enjoy napping with her.

* * *

A few minutes later Selena and Bath are sitting at the kitchen table with hot mugs of tea in front of each of them. Selena can't wait any longer, "Bath, what happened? What made you willing to venture out of your house?"

Bath sips her tea, "It was never that I wanted to stay locked in that house. We had no choice. Shortly after your father found out you were dating Gabriel he came to the house and gave us an ultimatum. Either we force Gabriel to stop dating you or we would become prisoners of our home. I am the prophet angel of God, the One God as his followers call him. I just called him Je. I can see all of the past and anything currently happening if I focus on a person, I can also see the threads of possibility. I see the paths that it could follow. When your father made that demand, all the threads showed you dying. Every thread that had Kya in it was wiped out completely." Selena puts her hand over her mouth, throat tight and eyes stinging. Bath reaches over and takes her hand. "I couldn't do it. You were already so important to me and Kya was as real as if she been with us for years." She looks down at her tea, "For a long time, much longer than I have known you, the threads of Gabriel's life were short. So short for one of the long lived races like ours. He should live a few hundred years genetically. He won't though. I can't quite see why on any thread but the why doesn't really matter. Keeping you and Kya in the picture was very important to me. I told your father I would never. He bound us in that house right then and there. But that isn't the important part."

"What? Bath, you just told me that my father held you prisoner in your own home for the past 7 years. How is that not important?"

"Because sweet girl, today he set us free. He showed up, apologized, set us free and invited us to a barbecue on Saturday, now tomorrow. He is changing everything and I am not sure why. I could go back and figure it out, but I have never been to your home and I wanted out of the house. Zethes and I flew! It was beautiful. He is still out playing in the wind. Now, what has happened recently?"