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The next morning, Kris’s doctor spoke with Roman. The CT scan looked fine and there didn’t seem to be anything to worry about from the wound. They would need to watch for infection, but keep the bullet hole clean and dry. The doctor tried to convince Roman it would be better to keep Kris another day or two to help get her mental faculties back to normal.
Roman countered that she would do better in the peace and quiet of her own home. The doctor gave in and started the discharge process.
Cassie and Omar came back to the hospital without Marcus. He stayed behind to help the new recruit, Cedric, with lake tests.
Cassie packed up some clothes for Kris to wear. The one’s she’d worn the day before were cut off in the emergency room and ruined.
Roman helped her get dressed and when he bent over to help with her socks, she smiled, calmer than yesterday. He knew the cinnamon helped.
After he’d gotten her shoes on, he sat up and looked into her eyes. She put her hand out and touched his lips. She got a frustrated look on her face and tilted her head. “Good shoes,” she whispered.
He took her hand and kissed it. “That’s right, babe. Good, good shoes.”
She put her hand around his neck and pulled him forward. He got half way up and hugged her. It was the first time she didn’t pull away.
Cassie left to get her car and said she’d meet them downstairs. A volunteer came in with a wheelchair. When Roman helped Kris get off the bed, he turned her to the wheelchair. She looked up at the volunteer and stopped. Her mouth moved and she started to back away. Roman could feel her start to shake.
“No, no, no...” she whispered in a frightened voice.
Roman couldn’t figure out why the volunteer created such fear. “Sir,” Roman spoke to the volunteer. “Would you mind if I took her out with the wheelchair? She’s anxious right now.”
The man said it should be okay. When he turned and left the room, Kris began to calm down and let Roman help her into the chair.
He pushed her to the elevator and watched her hands move up to cover her eyes. She hid her face all the way home, but seemed calm.
****
When they arrived back at the lake, Tom stood on the deck. He held Kris’s purse. Cassie had called, let him know how things went and told him they’d bring Kris home today. He stood back and watched as Roman carried Kris into the house.
Omar got out of the car and moved straight down the incline to the lake. He walked into the water with his clothes on and dove under. Cassie moved onto the deck and greeted Tom.
“Hey, thank you for bringing the car back, Tom.” She gave him a half hug.
Tom looked at the lake with a frown. He pointed. “Where the hell did that guy go?”
“You could see him?” she asked. Tom looked at her with a question on his face. “He went to a portal leading to the other realm. It’s called Parcel. That’s where he and Roman are from.”
Cassie got called into the house and she walked in the back door to trade places with Roman.
****
He came out and shook hands with Tom introducing himself. “Kris is asleep right now,” he said. “I know she’ll want to thank you for your help, Tom. I thank you, too.”
“No problem. What happened?” Tom asked. “Cassie said something about a mugging.”
“Kris is still in shock. The best we can figure out is someone, probably the artist she arranged to meet, tried to mug her. When she ran, she got shot and managed to roam around the alleys and backstreets in Everett. We found her about ten blocks from your gallery.”
“Wow, luck was on your side.” Tom looked down at Kris’s purse. “Here’s this thing. I put everything I could find back in it. The mugger didn’t take her keys and her license is still in the wallet. Kris will have to determine if anything else is missing.” He handed it over to Roman and then put his hand in his back pocket. “And I wish you’d stop leaving your wallet in the shop.” He smiled when Roman gave him a questioning look. “A friend put the driver’s license together overnight from the picture’s Kris brought in. The social security number and birth certificate will take a little longer. I figured if the cops were involved with any investigation into the mugging, we’d better get you into the program.”
Roman nodded. “Thank you, Tom. It never occurred to me. How much do we owe you for this?”
“Don’t worry about it. Get Kris back on her feet and we’ll discuss money later.” Tom shook hands with Roman again as another car pulled in. “That’s my wife, come to retrieve me. Keep me in the loop.” He turned and went down the steps.
Roman put the wallet into his back pocket and walked back into the house. He found Cassie sitting next to the bed on a chair. “That Tom is a very nice man,” Roman said.
“Yeah, he’s a peach.”
“You must be exhausted. Why don’t you head home and get some rest? We won’t be able to do anything until later,” Roman said.
She looked at him over her shoulder. “Not likely, dude. I’ll sack out on the couch for a while if I need to or go over and see what the builders haven’t accomplished, but I’m not leaving the area. Kris needs all of our energy.”
“Can I make you some tea?”
“No, I’m fine.” She leaned over and looked at Kris. “I think she’s aware we're here.”
Roman moved over to the bed and leaned in to see Kris’s eyes open. “Did we wake you up?” When he got closer, he could see her eyes twitched and were bloodshot. “Kris, can you hear me?”
Cassie stood up and grabbed a sage pot that sat unlit. “Roman, matches?”
He didn’t look up. “Nightstand, drawer.”
Cassie lit the sage twine. Waving it over the bed, she said a blessing prayer. After she finished, she put the twine in the pot and went to find more. “I should have started these the minute we got back,” she grumbled.
Roman watched Kris. As she breathed in the sage, her eyes slowed down and the red started to clear. “It’s working, Cass. She’s coming around.”
“Good, I’ve got more pots going. Where’s the lavender!” she shouted from the other room.
“Kitchen drawer by the stove, third one down.” He heard her move around and soon she brought the dried lavender in and added it to the sage.
Roman took Kris’s hand and she looked up at him. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Roman?” she said.
“I’m right here.”
“I’m missing.” She opened her eyes.
“I know. We’re going to find you. Keep breathing in.”
She nodded and pulled herself into his arms. She buried her head on his chest. “Roman?”
“Yes, babe.”
“Is there something wrong with my shoe?” she whispered.
Roman started to laugh. “No, your shoe is just fine.”
“It’s been all wrong.”
“I know, but we’re going to fix it.”
“Good, we have to make it right.”
Kris refused to let Roman go and he didn’t mind. Cassie took a nap, but kept getting up to check the pots. They needed to keep the spirits out of the house and away from Kris. Her immunity to them was very low and they could attack.
Around four o’clock, Omar and Marcus resurfaced. They entered the bedroom and Roman was awake, but Kris slept.
“Do we want to talk in the other room?” Omar asked.
Roman shook his head. “It’s all right. She’s in and out. The elixir helped.”
Cassie sat in the chair next to the bed with Omar behind her. Marcus leaned against the doorjamb.
“I met with the Oracle who gave me a spell to break the bind. She doesn’t know how it got cast, but she’s certain Meshach doesn’t wield that kind of power. We’ll need to reach El. The Oracle thinks El can help strengthen Kris’s power,” Omar said.
“I don’t think El’s with us any longer,” Roman said.
“The Oracle says El is in there. We’ll have to build a connection with you and El and then you’ll need to find Kris.”
“With the merge spots sealed, how are we going to build a connection?” Roman asked.
Omar smiled. “Another spell sent by the Oracle. We’ll all have to participate.” He looked at Marcus and touched Cassie’s shoulder.
“Count me in,” Marcus said.
“Same here.” Cassie looked up at him and patted his hand.
“Good, we have a potion to prepare and then we’ll be ready to start. Keep up with the elixir as much as you can, Roman.” Omar pulled Cassie up by her shoulders. “Witch, we need to mix a potion. Come with me.” Taking her hand, he pulled her out of the bedroom.
Roman moved to start getting the cinnamon into Kris. She mumbled and opened her eyes. Looking up at Marcus, she smiled. “I know you.”
Marcus smiled down at her. “Indeed you do.”
Roman held a cup up to her lips and she drank the cinnamon and put her hand over his. He watched her lick her lips. “Roman?”
“Yes, Kris.”
“There were five others, besides the bad.”
He thought a minute. “Do you mean six attacked you?” She nodded. “Do you remember what they did to you?” he asked.
“They circled me and talked. I don’t know if they finished talking. I pushed the old shoe away and made a hole. I jumped away, but something burned my side when I ran down the hole.”
It was the clearest she’d spoken in twenty-four hours and he felt relieved. He hugged her close and looked up at Marcus.
“It would seem Meshach hired some help.” Roman arched a brow.
“They’re not good shoes,” Kris said.
“Yep, and one carries a gun,” Marcus added.
“I wonder if they are ones that were turned by the wine or if they’re older models?” Roman thought out loud.
“They knew what they were doing,” Kris commented and sipped more cinnamon.
“Older models,” Marcus said and turned from the room.
In an hour, with the potion mixed, Omar let it cool on the counter. He explained to the group the parts they would play and what Roman needed to do once they made the connection.
Roman thanked the Lord for Omar’s leadership and optimism. He knew what they planned would be risky. If they couldn’t find Kris’s soul they could send her into oblivion.
Marcus began to scry again for Kris with the hair from her brush. The crystal spun and locked onto the houses location on the map, but then it pulled to an eastside location. Marcus pulled the crystal up, but it continued to aim at the eastside. It showed Kris in the area where the Brael Orchard Winery was located. The place where this all began.
Roman heard him sigh and look up from the map on the bed. “What do you know? I think I found her,” Marcus said. “When I scryed for Kris, it fell here at the house, but then the crystal started to pull east. It landed at the Brael Orchard.”
“What goes around comes around, back to the beginning,” Kris whispered and held Roman tight.
He put his hand through her hair and looked down. “Babe, I think you hit the nail on the head.”
“Nails are bad.” She looked at him with innocence.
“You’re right.” He looked at Omar. “I thought the monks cleansed that place?”
“They did. The priests went over the day after we abolished Abednego. Meshach must have found a way in. The winery was closed and the peach chardonnay taken off the market,” Omar answered.
“We’ve left too many holes around us and I blame myself,” he said.
“Brother, it isn’t as though your mind wasn’t distracted. In fact, all of us have been under certain stresses,” Omar said and looked at Marcus. “Different stresses, but our minds weren’t on watch. It’s time to focus, gentlemen.”
Marcus nodded. “Agreed.” He looked at Roman. “I’m sorry, brother.”
Kris put her hand up to Roman’s face. After she let out a puff of air, she said, “Roman, you must not place blame. You must not think this is anyone’s fault. I drank the wine and look where I am...Where am I? I’m trying hard not to talk about shoes,” she whispered.
Roman smiled and hugged her. The two other men chuckled. Her last sentence lifted the mood in the room.
Cassie walked in and carried the cup with the potion. She set it on the nightstand. “I think it’s cool enough now. Do I get the feet again?”
Omar hugged her waist. “You do indeed, smelly old feet.”
“I’ve gotten used to them, corns and all. Are we ready?”
Omar looked at Roman, who nodded. He shifted so he could look Kris in the eye.
“Babe, we’re going to start now,” he said.
“Start?” she asked.
“We’re coming to find you.”
“I need that.” She sat up with his help.
Roman moved to the straight back chair next to her hand with the merge spot. Omar took the position behind her, and put a pillow on his lap. Marcus sat on the other side of the bed and Cassie took her place at Kris’s feet.
Roman picked up her bandaged hand and started to remove it from the wound. He then took the bandage off his hand. Both the merge spots were black and cracked. He grasped her hand and smiled. “Love you, Kris. You need to lay back now.”
She looked over her shoulder at Omar. “Hi.”
“Hi Kris.” Omar smiled and helped her get situated on the pillow. He looked around at the others. “We need to break the bind first. It may take some time, but once she’s opened up, Roman will be able to go to her. Let’s begin.”