Season's Change Winter's Plight Book 1

8 An Unexpected Journey

A/N

ABC: I combined two chapters here and flipped the Point of view just a touch. As I listened to this read to me I realized that there is a language change that holds a much greater meaning than I had originally intended.
We get to meet Avi's Mother once more, visit briefly her relationship with her daughter, and get to see the world through her eyes. It is a Journey woth taking. We'll see more of Shelly and Esther in later chapters and delve deeper into their connection to Avi.

I hope you enjoy the updated chapter and the edits.

Shelly Keller

8 An Unexpected Journey

Shelly Kaplan was a woman of faith and fortitude. She held tight to a strong sense of duty and responsibility, walked with an air of grace and possessed great patience, kindness, and humility. She believed in the Gods and Goddesses of her land, based her life off their teachings, but she never really believed that the Gods would interfere with human lives. Not until that early winter morning when she felt the first stirring of trouble in the connection between her and her young son; it had broken.

She was drawn to the moon beyond the windows. It's light suddenly penetrating the heavy winter curtains. She had thrown both the curtain and the window open to the cold winter air and the warm moonlight and just stood, basking in its light and warmth. The moonlight surrounded her and, drew up her loose hair as if it were dancing in the wind.

She had been concerned about the fate of her young son and his older brother. What would become of their family, all the families if either never returned home? When the silvery light of the moon enveloped her, fear slipped away to be replaced with warmth peace and tranquility. The word 'Trust' drifted to her ears as if carried on a breeze from the lips of a lover. Her body felt light and not entirely her own. Her vision blurred, and the world she lived in faded away. She was transported to another time and place.

She was watching a battle between a human and an attacking gang of denizens. The human fought them off, but there were too many for him to overcome. He put his back to an Elder tree and held his large sword high. She knew that sword. Her heart raced as a dark form flitted through the trees toward the embattled human then circled 'round to drop between two of the denizens. When the area was bathed in the light of the moon, she saw that the human was her son and the dark figure, whose eyes flashed with silver moonlight was a Dark Faye. She tried to scream for him to run, but her mouth wouldn't work. She tried to move but she couldn't. All she could do was watch the scene unfold before her. She watched, horrified as the denizens moved in to attack. They were successfully thwarted by Avi and the Dark Faye. Then Avi turned and held his sword up towards the Dark Faye, but in a flash of movement he was lying unconscious laying on the cold winter ground his sword knocked free from his hands and away from his fallen body. What she hadn't witnessed was the Faye pull the arrow from his back as she moved around him.

She watched as the Dark Faye gathered his sword wrapped him securely in his cloak and somehow managed to carry him away. She found herself in a cave, watching as the Dark Faye tended to her son, caring for a wound she wasn't aware he had. He must have received it before he was rescued by the Faye. It was jagged and red with black lines radiating away from it. The Faye cleaned his wound, closed it with a needle and some kind of thread like Shelly would mend a garment and dressed it after applying some sort of salve to it. She watched as the Faye took on posturing that could only mean that she was praying for her son. She was, praying for her son, over him.

She watched on as the Faye had returned to find him gone from this world, his eyes cold, staring, and lifeless. Her heart sank, and she tried to cry out again. Then she saw the Faye pump his chest as she cried out for him. She watched tears fall down the Faye's face and knew that her son was cared for, as the Faye gave him her breath that he might breathe again. She watched the Faye beg and plead the heavens, beating his chest that his heart might beat on its own again. Light filled the chamber and radiated from the Faye's hands as they lay over Avriel's' heart. He pulled in a gulping breath and closed his eyes. The Faye then continued to care for him. Her Shelly's eyes filled with tears as her mind filled with questions. What was a Faye doing with her son? Once again, 'Trust!' drifted to her ears on the breeze. 'We have not forsaken you.'

~

Ester had felt and experienced something she had never experienced before when exploring her connection to Avriel. She felt what he was feeling acutely. She felt his pain and discomfort as well as his relief. She had never felt them so distinctly. She felt his fear and his calm. She also saw what he saw. That was new and overwhelming. He was injured, weak and frighten yet comforted. She knew the feelings she felt were not her own, but his.

What she didn't understand was how. How had she been able to do those things? She was not a priestess. She did not focus her worship on one God or Goddess but on all, yet she knew she had felt the presence of one and that she was granted a boon in being able to connect so solidly with her brother, solid enough to know that he was more than alive. He was wounded, but he was being cared for and tended to. She discovered that his caretaker was a Faye, a Dark Faye! Faye were bad, Dark Faye an abomination made of pure evil.

Ester's eyes widened in shock and surprise as the realization hit her. Her brother was indeed alive, but for how long and to what purpose? Why was a Dark caring for him? Never mind the fact that a Faye, not known for even caring for each other, much less for a human, was nurturing him, but a Dark Faye had her brother and could do what she wanted with him. What was she doing with him? Her mind skipped and jumped all over. It was a whirlwind of sordid thoughts as her mother came out of her trance.

Shelly turned to her daughter and stared. She didn't know what had just happened. Neither did Ester. Their confusion was clear in their eyes as they just stood and stared at each other for quite some time. Finally, Ester drew her mother back into the room, closed the windows, and drew the heavy winter curtains closed. She wrapped her mother in a warm and loving embrace and sighed heavily. She didn't know what had happened, why she saw what she saw or felt what she felt. She didn't know how that was even possible, but she did experience it all and she was grateful. Her brother was alive and could continue to live so long as that Dark had a purpose for him. What purpose did she have for him? Did the Dark know who he was?

It was real. It had to be. Avriel was alive. She felt that in her soul. Shelley didn't understand what she just experienced. That had never happened to her before. She quietly pulled away from Ester.

"Did you see him too?" She asked hoping it wasn't all in her mind. She needed it to be true. Ester told her mother what she saw and heard, and Shelley explained what she saw. Together, they had a very good accounting of what was happening with Avriel.

Avi had been attacked by the denizens, somehow injured, and rescued by a Dark Faye that then took care of him, saved his life again and continued to nurture and care for him. Both women were relieved. Yet neither woman expressed their fear concerning his caretaker. He was alive and that was enough. Avi was alive.

Silently, they both agreed that telling anyone else, even their husbands, what they had experienced would be inadvisable. Their secret would remain between them.