Forever Green

~ 33 ~ The Return Home

Shwei looked ill.

Lenesa had reunited with him just at the base of the Azaloms, where they had parted beneath a large oak tree. His color was off, and it worried her more than the new marks on her skin. He knew what she had done, and it had affected him through the connection they shared. His ordinary icy blue had become tinged with a sickly yellow-green.

"I'm so sorry," Lenesa murmured, ruffling between the ears of his fox form and burrowing her face against his glowing fur. "I was frightened, and I don't know what came over me."

Shwei had grumbled something in reply as a bit of grudging forgiveness before Lenesa stood back up. They headed back to the cottage-but someone was already waiting for them.

Kivirra was an ominous dark shape in the rain, unable to wear her characteristic bright red goblin colors now that the creatures had transformed for the night. As soon as the witch caught sight of Lenesa and Shwei, she abandoned her shelter beneath the shadowy eaves of Lenesa's cottage and stormed across the clearing.

Shwei hummed in warning, and Lenesa took a step back.

"What have you done?" Kivirra hissed as soon as she had gotten within speaking distance. Lenesa had never seen her so angry before.

"What are you talking about?" Lenesa snapped, trying to ignore how her heart seemed to pound frightfully against her ribcage. "And stop visiting me uninvited."

Kivirra's scowl had enough iciness to freeze the rain around them to hail, if she'd had that sort of magic. Instead, she took another step forward and grabbed Lenesa's arm.

"This is what I'm talking about," she growled, yanking the sleeve up and pulling down the glove. "Using raw magic is one thing, but this kind of magic isn't yours to use. How did you do it?"

Lenesa pulled away. "You were the one who said I should go back there!" she defended.

"To save the boy!" Kivirra shot back. "If you were me, and had foreseen that, would you have just let him die? Besides, it should have helped your condition, to practice your gift."

"So you're saying your visions never showed you what would happen after that?" Lenesa challenged.

The older woman was silent for a moment, looking down at the rain-soaked earth. "I didn't see it in time."

"You didn't-"

"The futures I see only come in bits and pieces." Kivirra shook her head. "There's so much to sort through, and much of it depends on decisions that haven't been made yet..." She raised her gaze to look back at Lenesa. "I only found out after you had already left for the city."

Lenesa's chest rose and fell with unspent anxiety. "Decliteur almost caught me. I would have died-"

"I didn't see that," Kivirra interrupted, with only the slightest hint of remorse in her tone. "Only the boy, and...after, at the river."

Kivirra's close proximity was starting to give Lenesa a headache. She felt as though she could see the auras of their magic clashing against each other.

"I need to lie down," she said, making to move past the scrying witch. But Kivirra caught her arm again, and this time, it was her left arm. Lenesa cringed as fingers dug into the scar beneath her sleeve.

"How did you gain the abilities of a storm witch?" Kivirra asked, this time in a calmer tone. "Only Mona could do such a thing as what you just did."

Lenesa felt a wave of guilt wash over her, just as strong as the earlier onslaught of the river against the city wall.

"I-I don't know." The words sounded false even to her own ears, backed by an empty echo that only lies could hold. She twisted away, averting her eyes from Kivirra's inquisitive violet gaze. "I have to go."

She hurried across the grass with Shwei close at her heels. Once inside the cottage, she slammed the door shut and slid the deadbolt home before leaning back against the wood with a sigh.

"You're late," Kettle remarked from the darkness above the fireplace mantle.

Lenesa gave a start, then waved her hand in apology as Shwei lit the grate and brought some light to the room. "Sorry," she said, pushing off from the door. "I'll make your breakfast."

The little tomte harrumphed in disapproval, her beady eyes glaring from beneath her knit cap as Lenesa made her way to the kitchen.

"Would some scrambled eggs do?" Lenesa asked, setting down her basket on a chair as it tottered past. Shwei followed after her and helpfully spat a small flame into the firebox of the stove. Though she was exhausted, Lenesa was heartened by the fact that the wisp's color was improving.

"Is there no more rice?" Kettle asked, disappointment ringing in her tone. Lenesa knew it was the tomte's favorite-anything from rice pudding and congee to sticky rice cakes and fried rice-but tonight she was just too tired. It would have been nice if she could just whip up some eggs for once instead of boiling the grain and then making it into a meal.

Lenesa opened the burlap sack at the back of the pantry and frowned. "There's not much left," she said. "But I suppose there's enough for one more meal." She sighed. She'd gotten nothing but trouble for her help in the city that day. If she went back tomorrow, she'd need to ask for some rice and a few other small favors in return for her services.

"Rice, rice!" Kettle chanted, oblivious to Lenesa's woes.

Lenesa bit back a sigh and turned around with a smile. "Anything to keep my little housekeeper happy. How about egg fried rice?" It would be a compromise-once the rice was done cooking, she could just toss in some scrambled eggs and be done with it.

Kettle nodded. "Yes!" All of her previous annoyance had vanished at the prospect of food.

Lenesa took off her gloves and dutifully set to work preparing the meal. If Kettle noticed the worsening marks on her arms, she didn't comment. Instead, the tomte scrambled down from the mantle and began wiping up the muddy prints that Lenesa had tracked into the house.

While she worked, Lenesa pushed aside her memory of that last, horrible scene at the river and instead began planning ahead for her next venture into the city. Now more than ever, the guards would be suspicious of anyone entering the city. How on earth was she supposed to get back inside and find Gil?

She looked around the cottage until she found where the chair with her basket had ended up-next to the armchair near the loft ladder. The book with the list of names poked out over the wicker rim, dimly illuminated by the dancing flames in the fireplace.

Lenesa glanced up to the stacks of books in the loft. She should just rip the page of names out and burn the book-it would be dangerous for the bookkeeper if any of his books were discovered with her-but just like the other books Lenesa had acquired over the years, she couldn't bear to throw it away. She would just have to be careful.

She busied herself with making the meal for Kettle, every step seeming to take twice as long as usual. When she finally had the breakfast on the table and called for Kettle, the little tomte scrambled up to the tabletop, then cocked her head as she assessed the single plate.

"You're not having dinner?" she asked.

Lenesa shook her head. "I'm just going straight to bed," she explained. "I find it hard to sleep so soon after eating."

Kettle's nose twitched skeptically. "If you say so."

Thankfully, she said nothing more, and Lenesa excused herself to prepare for bed. It seemed that no sooner had she gotten beneath the sheets than she fell asleep, but her rest was far from peaceful. Instead, her dreams were plagued by cruel, cunning Death who set his merciless hunters after her in the form of monstrous figures who snapped and bayed at her heels like a pack of devilish hounds. And then her great aunt appeared, scarred and bleeding, and screaming, begging Lenesa to let her go, to let her spirit rest in peace, and to end her misery.

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Hi everyone, thanks so much for reading and all of your votes/comments--it helped get this story ranking in fantasy! (right before the rankings changed haha). We're starting to learn a little bit more about Lenesa's condition--let me know what you think!