Aarmau: Remember Me, Remember Us, Just Remember

Chapter 118

An hour later when lunch dishes were washed and put away and Melissa had returned to Lycan Corp, Aph walks up behind Aaron as he finishes wiping down the counter. Wrapping her arms around him she rests her cheek against his back and breathes in his scent.

Aaron slowly turns in her arms and when she leans her head back to look up at him he bends down and gently kisses her lips. When he pulls back Aph gives him an impish smile, reaches up on her tiptoes, and tries to get another kiss but Aaron simply chuckles and shakes his head.

Grabbing her gently by the shoulders he leans away. "No more of that today mi pequeña patata."

Aph's eyes widen hearing him call her his little potato in Spanish. With a slight roll of her eyes, she sighs, "Fine, I want to go see Hyria. If there's a safe way for me to find and bring Garte back I have to do it. Heck, if I can even just find him then they can go get him."

Aaron knows there's no way he's going to change her mind about this so he reluctantly agrees to take her. It's either he takes her or she sneaks out and goes alone and he's still afraid to leave her alone for too long.

While Aph uses the restroom Aaron makes a quick call to Lucinda to ask if she would take them to see her mother. There was no way Aph would be able to make the trip on foot and not only were there no other cars available to use, but Aph also doesn't want anyone to know what she's thinking so Lucinda was the safest choice.

During the thirty-minute drive, Lucinda tried everything she could think of to get Aph to tell her why they were going but Aph told her she'd have to wait. Lucinda is a good friend but she has a tendency to leap first and this was something that needs careful planning.

Hyria lived in a small house on the outskirts of Phoenix Drop. Behind her home was a thick forest that, as far as she could remember, had ever mapped and not because no one wants to but because they couldn't.

When they pulled up in front of her home Aph wasn't surprised to see Hyria was already sitting on her front porch waiting for them. Many would think Lucinda called ahead but Aph knew Hyria saw them coming.

Walking up to the porch she watches Hyria push herself up out of her rocking chair and descends the three small steps to meet her. She wraps Aph in a welcoming hug and smiles. "Hello, old friend. I can tell you've been practicing since we last saw each other."

Aph shrugs, "You know I'm not exactly Irene or Lord Aphmau? And only small tricks, a few harmless pranks on an unsuspecting wizard.  I have something much bigger in mind but need your insight."

Lucinda frowns, "Why didn't you ask me Aph? I'm sure I know as much as my mother does."

Hyria shakes her head, "You've always been my old friend no matter what time we're in. Lucinda, you don't know everything and you're not at full power just yet. Tell me what you're thinking dear and we'll see."

Aph glances at Aaron who huffs in frustration before looking away. Aph sighs, "I'm able to summon things to me. It's a lot easier if I've seen them before than if I simply know they exist. Assumptions take more power. Like the celestial sword, I can bring it to me and put it back when I'm done with it. I had never seen it before but I knew it existed so I was able to summon it. The downside is that I feel a little weak when it's over. But, that is an inanimate object. Can it be done with living things?"

Lucinda freezes and then turns to Hyria. She hates to admit she's never tried moving living things before but it was because it was a risk she was too afraid to take.

Hyria reaches out and takes Aph's hand as she turns and starts walking around the side of the house. With Aaron and Lucinda following close behind them she stops at the very edge of the forest and then looks over at Aph.

Aph glances at Hyria before turning back to stare deep into its darkness. Having heard the rumors of this forest she should be nervous about even being this close. Those who entered had gotten lost and stumbled out days later hungry and thirsty.

But Aph doesn't feel nervous or even the slightest fear. Instead, she feels a welcoming she's only ever felt with Aaron.

She reaches out to touch the trunk of the nearest tree and almost instantly the darkness recedes. With the darkness gone she can see the treeline isn't as deep as she assumed it would be and is only roughly ten trees deep.

It's true they're very tall, wide trees but she can see a clearing almost fifty yards away. She steps forward, occasionally running her hands over the bark of the trees as she passes them and smiles as she enters the clearing.

The forest glade is perhaps 100 feet across and covered in flowers of every type imaginable. She turns back to Hyria who offers her a gentle smile. "We created this together many centuries ago. I protected it from intruders after you, after she entered her dimension. This is our Sacred Forest."

Tears burn at the back of Aph's eyes as she starts to remember and feels the forest welcoming her home. This place, this place was Lady Irene's first love.