Forever Green

~ 25 ~ A New Day

"What does a bond do, Aunt Mona?"

Lenesa leaned back against a tree, watching as her great aunt's other two students ran around the clearing, conjuring shapes from the mist that hung around them. Late morning light filtered through the cloud of moisture and cast shadows as the mist reformed—outlines of rabbit ears, a goblet, and a fish darted across the ground in turn.

The older witch turned her head to inspect her eldest pupil. "It serves as a protective link between two people," she answered. "A promise to rely on each other when in need. If one is in danger, the other will save them."

"Have you ever forged a bond before?" Lenesa asked.

Mona fully turned this time. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

Lenesa fiddled with a chip of tree bark. "I read about it in one of your books. It said it was different from the connection with a wisp." The young witch glanced over at the large creature beside them that glowed as yellow as a full moon on the horizon. Mona's wisp had always been an object of curiosity, and soon Lenesa would join with one of her own.

Her instructor studied her for a long time before finally giving a small smile. "Ever the curious one."

"Well, have you?" Lenesa pressed.

"Once, yes," was the reply. Mona lifted her palm and drew a line across it with her finger. "I was going on a journey, and made a bond with one of the other witches in these mountains. Should I ever have been in trouble, he would have been able to find me."

Lenesa narrowed her eyes at the suspiciously scar-less hand. "But the bond isn't there anymore?"

Her aunt gave a sad smile. "You cannot force a bond to last forever. At some point, you must let the other person go."

Lenesa awoke with the salt of dried tears on her cheeks. With a sigh, she rolled out of bed and shuffled over to the kitchen, rubbing beneath her eyes. Her great aunt hadn't haunted her dreams in years. At least this time, it had only been a nice memory.

The cottage seemed to echo with emptiness, now that Theiden was gone. She could barely stay inside long enough to have breakfast before she needed to escape the ringing silence. The garden wasn't much better, and Lenesa's gaze would continue to drift to that spot in the clearing where they had spent dinner the evening before. Everything seemed to remind her of him.

Her whole arm ached, too. The soreness radiated from the reopened wound on her palm and traveled up to nearly her shoulder. Likely it was a bad reaction from that other bond she had tried to forge. At least this time, the pain was manageable, and though the black stain beneath her skin remained, her magic still sparked at her fingertips with a comforting familiarity, should she ever need to use it.

Lenesa threw herself into her work. Weeds were uprooted mercilessly, tomatoes plucked, and herbs trimmed. After a thorough watering of the entire garden, Lenesa finally stepped back inside, bringing the back of her hand up to wipe at the dampness that had gathered at her brow. Though her wide-brimmed straw hat provided shade from the harsh noonday rays, it was stuffy and hot. Summer had yet to completely arrive, and this day was only a glimpse of what was to come. The season ahead would be difficult and unforgiving.

The next task, she knew, would have to be the disposal of the mandrake still locked in her clothes chest at the foot of her bed. But her mind had time to wander while her body mechanically went through the motions of unlocking the trunk and lifting the lid. Theiden must have reunited with his family by now. Were they happy?

A sudden fear seized her as she thought of the previous day's close call with Audeste. If Theiden had run into any Turned creatures, would he have been able to fend them off? Did I teach him well enough?