The Wishing Tree - Book Two [Completed]

Always, Forever - Part 48

Maizie is the first person I see when I emerge from the portal alone and I know that can't be good. I'm disoriented for a moment; everything here seems so sterile and clean and bright. I blink my eyes, trying to get them to adjust to the world full of colour again.

"Where's Ryan?" I ask, grabbing her arms. The power coursing through me makes me feel a little unsteady, unstable.

"His room. I don't know what the hell happened down there, but he's not doing well. He's not well at all." Her brown eyes have an edge of panic, and as she speaks, they start to fill with tears.

"Take me to him," I say, starting down the hall, not sure if he's moved into the ruler's room or if he's still in his old bedroom.

She pulls me impatiently to the nearest chute, and we disappear and then reappear outside his bedroom.

"You got the chutes working again?" I ask, the door to his room sliding open as we walk through.

"We've had some time, you know. We weren't completely useless up here. At least we weren't..." she trails off, following me into the massive suite.

I stop, scanning the room. "Where is he?" He's not in the bed, but I see Sarah sleeping in a chair by the window. She looks even older than before, and I feel a twinge of something I don't want to name.

Maizie pulls me down a corridor to the anti-aging pod and stands before it hesitating. "He's..." She pauses. "He's much older than you'll remember and, the last few days, we haven't been able to get him to wake to his name."

I look at her horrified, and hesitantly, I press the button to break the seal on the bed. When the top slides away, I see Ryan as he once looked in his dream, haggard and aged almost beyond recognition. I gasp, tears filling my eyes, and I choke on a sob. "I did this."

"But, you're here now," Maizie says.

I nod. I wipe away the tears on my face, feeling determination and power surge in me. I think of Mason's words and my heart catches. Mason.

He didn't let Ryan down and I won't either. I place my hand on his arm, blocking out the vision of his aging body. I focus on unpacking each box and pushing the contents into him, feeling the power flowing through my hand and down into his arm. I unpack the boxes quicker and quicker, feeling less burdened by the power the more I release.

I'm through more than half the boxes when I open my eyes, almost afraid to see that all that power hasn't made a difference. But, Ryan's physical appearance has changed. He's back to the teenage boy I remember from the Second Realm. Something is working, but he hasn't woken up yet.

"I heard the commotion," Sarah says from the door.

I look at her, feeling such a mix of emotions that I'm not even sure what to say to her. She's still tall and broad and beautiful with her brown skin, hair, and eyes. She's a Vallator, so her protective instincts overpower almost every other emotion she might feel. But, when I see her glance at Ryan, I know that whatever has gone on between them these last months or years, she's in love with him again. I remember that look all too well from the first time.

She tears her eyes from Ryan and gives me a sad smile. "You're not wrong, Hannah. But, it doesn't matter how I feel. He never led me on; I always knew where I stood – in your shadow." She comes forward into the room and looks down on him. "I'm so glad to see him looking well again. We should close the pod and call a Medicator. They might be able to tell us when he'll wake up."

Ryan's face looks so peaceful, and it's been so long since I've seen him in the flesh that I hesitate to close the pod again.

Maizie turns to Sarah and takes her elbow, not unkindly. "Why don't we go find the Medicator who's been helping us and leave her with him for a few minutes?" Maizie suggests, already leading her out of the room.