The Lark Taps Twice

Chapter 19: Grief and Joy

Nothing happened.

The enormous Siamese cat appeared at her side with a bottle of water from she knew not where, and she dripped a little over the bits of pulverized blossom that clung to his tongue, trying to wash it down his throat. She rubbed his neck to stimulate a swallowing reflex, but none came. Her connection with him paused in its decay, only to resume its contraction and shrinkage at a slower rate the next moment. Another round of CPR proved equally futile, and Miriam's hope trickled away, down her cheeks with fresh tears.

The other animals squirmed their way through the debris into the small clearing, forming a semi-circle around Jonatham's legs. A miniature seafoam green and gold giraffe Miriam assumed belonged to Jonatham curled in its limbs under its body and stretched out its neck to nuzzle his open hand, while the others sat with bowed heads. Only a certain silver and blue bird was missing from the group. Will I lose my feathered friend, now that Jonatham is dead?

TAP TAP scrape scrape TAP TAP scrape scrape

The repetitive sounds pierced the solemn hush like steel wool through rust, resounding from all sides of the rock pocket. Miriam could not locate the source right away, but the animals crept away as a group, disappearing into the shadows in the direction of the suite entry door. Seconds later the tapping and scraping fell silent.

The Siamese cat returned first, the lark hopping at its side and Miriam's trusty messenger bag clenched in the cat's teeth. It placed the dusty leather bundle on the ground and stepped back. As the other animals recreated their semi-circle formation, the lark jumped onto the bag and started rooting around inside the already unzipped front section.

Numbed by grief and shock, Miriam observed his search impassively for a minute. What could be so important in my bag right now? Without Jonatham, the worlds are doomed, and all I brought in that compartment are the gifts ...

The gifts! The dreamstone!

Her fingers brushed the lark aside and scrabbled in the bag for the small velvet pouch where she kept the stone. Finding it, she yanked it out and fumbled for the tie strings to loosen the puckered opening; in her mind, the bond lingered as a single limp gray strand, too short and thin to tug again. The protective sack fell open at last, and the polished claret surface of the dreamstone exploded in a rush of swirling pink sparks when it touched her palm. She didn't hesitate to make her request.

I wish my soulmate had reached me before the castle collapsed.

The debris surrounding her shuddered, but not from an earthquake. Rather, it reminded her of the visual effect of rewinding a well-loved VHS tape while the tape played. Everything blurred, and horizontal white lines rippled up and down. The animals and Jonatham vanished from in front of her. A tugging sensation in her guts pulled at the remienents of her last meal, and a blast of wind peppered her face with a combination of sand and small chunks of rock. She buried her face in her hands and closed her eyes.

All at once, the wind ceased, and the yank in her belly eased. Instead of cool air and hard stone touching her, only cushioned warmth enveloped her entire body, now curled into a snug ball. Her pulse thudded heavily in her right ear, and padded cloth bands held her limbs in place. Though her eyes were open, she saw only the darkest twilight, no way to discover the aftermath of her wish. She'd never had a wish move her body or change the lighting; only the temporary tornado was a familiar side effect of using the dreamstone.

She made to stretch out her legs, and the strap locking them snug against her chest tightened slightly before relaxing and shifting to support the crook of her knees. The tempo of her heart rate throbbing in her one ear sped up by several beats per minute and became a bit less distinct, overtaken by intermittent rumbling that vibrated her cheek in a deliciously familiar way.

Could it be?

She shoved away her first instinct to fight her way out of the soft cocoon still pressing against most of her body and reached instead for the place where her mental bond with Jonatham had been. Better to know now if the wish had failed, to deal with the soul crushing loss of a man she barely knew but would miss forever, should the worst have happened.

She couldn't find the connection.

She tugged and pushed at her memories of the attachment, desperate to recall it, to revive it somehow. There was nothing left of the bond for her thoughts to grasp; the place where it had been no longer a distinct place, but just another corner of her mind. A wave of icy horror and despair splashed through her, but to her surprise, it didn't linger.

The sensation of fresh cotton candy tickled her brain, wrapping her tormented synapses in warm airy sweetness and flushing away the lingering chill of the obliterated bond. What is this-

Incredible. You completed the covenant ceremony. How did you know we needed to consume the flower of the nib mulo plant to seal it?

His voice in her head was familiar, but rather than heated velvet, it wove itself into her thoughts as though it were one of them. It came from everywhere and nowhere in particular at the same time, and her breath caught in her throat as relief and shock wrestled for emotional dominance at the intrusion. The warmth around her surged, squeezing her and pressing away her anxiety with a caress of security.

"Easy, love. You did well. You have preserved our opportunity to turn back the clock for both our worlds and deepened our connection to each other. Do not fret."

The words rumbled to her as much through her ears as his chest, for it was now clear she lay cradled close in his arms. A sob tore itself from her lungs as she surged up and cupped his face in her hands; he had no time to react before her lips brushed his.

The intensity of their mutual heat blasted through her veins like a summer windstorm in the desert. She pulled back with a gasp, only to be silenced by Jonatham's mouth closing the distance. The wildfire between them burned hotter every moment, and Miriam feared she would spontaneously combust any second. At last, Jonatham ended the kiss, retreating an inch to lean his forehead against hers as their chests heaved in unison.

When she could find the words, Miriam blurted, "You were dead. I tried everything, even feeding you a dried up flower, and nothing worked. I remembered the dreamstone, but I didn't know if it would work. I was terrified. But now you're here again, and more in my head than before, but I don't know how that is possible. I always remember what things were like before a dreamstone wish, but never has something that was part of the Before transferred to the After. Can you explain it?"

After a beat, he answered, "We are mates, destined to find each other and be together. Through the bond we share all of ourselves, so anything that affects you changes me, too, and that apparently includes magical herbs. Oh for a few days alone to test this new discovery out." His eyes sparked with mischief, and Miriam ducked her head to hide her blush.

Something in his words nagged her curiosity, and she asked into his chest, "New discovery? Apparently includes? So, you've never heard of this sort of thing happening before, present or past?"

He slid one hand into her hair at her nape and pressed her cheek into his shirt. "Every bond is unique, royal bonds even more so. Our bond is further complicated by your Earth origins and use of the one of the last dreamstones in existence, and I have an inkling that this will not be the last time we are both surprised by the magic between us." He paused and murmured thoughtfully, "The magic between us..."

Pressed against hers, his body stiffened, and then he exploded into motion. Miriam found herself suddenly sitting on the floor while Jonatham stood above her muttering words too low to hear. A building sensation of a string winding itself around her stomach distracted her from everything else for a few minutes, the feeling more pronounced the longer the prince spoke. At last he stopped, and the string loosened, just as the rocky debris around them began to glow.

Jonatham thought, Magic indeed, my lady. Perhaps we can save our worlds yet.