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With the bathroom light off and the shower curtain closed, I couldn’t tell if it was day or night when I woke up later. Someone was knocking on the bedroom door, and they weren’t going away.
If it was one of the guys, they would have demanded to come in, or just shimmed in themselves after their feeble attempt to give me privacy. This person just kept knocking. A soft, ‘I’m here’ kind of knock. They weren’t going away, but neither had they shimmed into my room. And the knocking, it was getting fuckin’ annoying.
With a growl, I flung off the cover, clambered out of the tub, and unlocked the bathroom door to make my way to the bedroom door. Sunshine poured from the window and my hand lifted to shield my eyes. It was indeed mid-morning, or maybe afternoon.
I reached the door and rested my head on it. I wasn’t ready yet to find out who was behind it. “Stop,” I moaned when the knocking started again.
“Oh! There you are. I was starting to get worried,” a woman’s cheerful voice replied. “Can I come in?”
I twisted so my back rested against the door and closed my eyes. “If I say yes, will you stop your knocking?”
She took that as an invitation and shimmed into my room. Tall, redheaded like me, and in a fuckin’ gown, this could only be Naylor's mother.
Her eyes widened when she took me in and she frowned. “I’m Myra Frost. You might have met my son, Naylor?”
I was right.
She held out her hand. I hesitated to take it, but she offered me a warm smile and I gave in. Once our hands touched, I felt the light stir within me and the burden I carried lessen.
I let her hand go. “What? How?” I felt... better.
Her eyes shined with knowing tears. “You took Ivan’s dark light and transformed it into something pure and beautiful. The guilt you bore was not one you should hold onto. What took place with your friend wasn’t something you could control.”
I reared back at the mention of Hannah. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, lady.”
She gave a gentle smile and folded her hands together in front of her. “You don’t have to hide it from me. I know about your friend. I know about Hannah. She doesn't know about you yet, though. She’s still trying to figure things out, but when the times comes, you can go see her.”
I struggled to decide if this woman was for real. I mean, I felt better. The guilt I had from Hannah was gone. I figured I’d go at it from another angle.
“How did you do that? Make my guilt go away?”
“It’s my gift. I can see true Lydent forms and help with emotions. It helps the transition, it seems. I’ve only done it on one other. You’ll be meeting her soon, and she’ll be able to help you better than I could. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get here soon enough.” Myra gave me a big smile. “But I’m here now. How are you feeling after being sick for so long?”
I softened. “Tired, but better. How is Hannah? When can I see her?”
Her smile slipped. “She’s working on figuring things out like you are now. Carly is helping her currently. That’s why she can’t be here to help you.”
My interest peaked. “Carly?” The same Carly Hannah had asked me to look into? “And what is she doing to help Hannah? Is she a doctor or something?”
Myra shook her head. “No, she’s not a doctor. Carly was the first human to gain a Lydent’s light. You’re the second.”
I put a hand up. “Hold the phone. If Carly’s the first and I’m the second... what about Hannah?”
“She’s half Lydent, half human. A rarity among our race. That’s why she was extremely sick, but I’m certain when you see her she’ll explain. I’m worried about you and what Eric did.”
The mention of him had me stepping back, and I shifted my gaze away from her watchful one. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
“He’s evil,” she whispered, “and I can’t imagine what I would have done in your situation.”
My gaze shot back to hers. “I did nothing. I couldn’t do anything. He had control over me. I know he’s evil. He took away my free agency over my body but not my will to say no. So, do I want to talk about him? Reminisce about how he touched me without even touching me? Or how many times I said I didn’t want it? Because I sure don’t. He’s a monster I want to forget about.” I lifted the wrist with the bracelets that held me powerless. “These keep me contained. Normal. Not Lydent. I want them off. I want to learn how to use my gifts or whatever they are so if he comes back, I’m ready. I want a way to defend myself, not have people tell me I’m safe. I need to know it.”
She gave a nod. “Of course, I can understand that.” Studying her, she seemed frail on the outside, but her inner strength shone through.
She gave me a simple smile once again, erasing the frown that had been there. “How about we get you something to dress in, and then we can figure out where to go from here?”
I wanted a plan of action, something to go forward with in my life, so I gave her permission, and with the click of her fingers, I was clean and dressed.
She placed me in some stylish black pants with nude high heels, a blue cashmere sweater with a matching necklace, and earrings dangling from my ears. My hair was curled and tumbling down my shoulders. I felt better than I had in a long while.
Myra seemed smug; I’m sure she saw approval on my face. “There,” she breathed. “How do you feel?”
“Better.”
She gave a light laugh. “You sound surprised.”
Because I was. I did feel better, like I was on my way to getting out of this rut and going somewhere. “I am.”
She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers as if she was impatient. “Come on. Let’s get out of here for a while.”
I took her hand in mine and she shimmed us away... to the mall, of all places.
At first delighted at the prospect of being out, I became hesitant because technically I was supposed to be hiding, safe and away from Eric. Myra sensed my emotions immediately and patted my hand. “Don't worry. You have protection on you, and he can't get to you when you’re with me.” She winked. “So relax.”
I trusted her and nodded. “Okay. What are we doing here?”
“Why, going shopping of course.” Her eyes gave a little twinkle. “I am one of the owners of Frost Fashions.”
My eyebrows lifted. Frost Fashions was one of the hottest clothing lines out there. Not only did they create clothing, they also dabbled in the home decor section as well. "Seriously?"
Pulling me along, she murmured, “Mmhm.”
Today would be interesting.
***
I let her buy me a few outfits while we spent most of the day together. She treated me to lunch, keeping the conversation light and airy. She didn't ask me what happened with the guys or about who my contact was. We chatted about my detective work and my family, briefly touching on the subject of Hannah and how we became friends. I kept that part simple. We spoke about everything under the sun but didn't talk about Lydent things. It was easy. Nice. And it made me miss my mom.
The shopping trip was a fun escape, but it couldn’t last forever. We shimmed back to the lodge instead of the Gen’s house. Passing the warriors that were fighting, we went inside and up the staircase to the temporary room I’d been staying in prior to getting sick.
Once there, I could tell the room hadn't been touched. My bags were still on the floor, the bed uncovered. The blankets, I'm assuming, were still in the bathroom where I hoped no one had discovered them. While Myra helped me hang up my clothes in the small closet, I asked some questions of my own. “Where are we anyway? Like New York, Boston, or somewhere? And why hasn’t anyone found it?”
“The Lydents bought up land in northern Canada and turned it into a forest reserve. We’re in the middle of it, heavily shielded with powerful wards and a cloaking spell by an exceedingly old Lydent named Lawrence Blackwell.
Excitement shivered through me. I wished to unlock their secrets, but I didn’t want to give myself away on how much those things interested me. “Cloaking spell? Wards? Ugh, there's so much to learn.”
“You know, you could always attend Hydrent; it’s a school for Lydents.”
School had never been my favorite, but Lydent school sounded appealing. “I assume I’d need my powers to go?”
She gave a quick smile. “You mean your talents?”
“Yeah. It was taken away when the council put this on.” I lifted my hand with the bracelets. “Well,” I elaborated, “one is from one of the guys; the other one is from the council.”
She gave me a thoughtful once over. “You’re no longer any danger...” She flicked her wrist and one of the bands disappeared, but a shimmery symbol, like the ones the guys used to get in here, showed up. "So it can come off. I’ll let your council know. And I gave you a key. ”
With the band off, I felt the trickle of light inside of me giving me a nudge, letting me know it was there, but... different. I looked at the symbol too; I moved my wrist back and forth and watched it shimmer.
Myra's grin widened. “I'll tell you a secret,” she promised, giving me a wink. “If you don’t use it to run away, I'll teach you how to shim. But you can’t leave here where it's safe for you. That’s why I gave you a key to the warrior camp. Once you shim, you’ll need it.”
That was easy. I didn’t want to see creepy Eric again, so I agreed. I wanted to shim in the worst way. To have the ability to leave anywhere at a whim, to have that freedom would be incredible. “I promise. I won't run away.” I wouldn't run away, how could I? I had questions, and they had the answers. I was just scratching the surface of who they were, who I now was. I wanted to know it all.
Since she could read my emotions and tell that what I was saying was true, she tipped her head to the side. “Good. Now, how do you feel?”
I did a self-check on my emotions and lifted my shoulders. “Okay, I guess. I don't feel the anger anymore.”
She clapped her hands once, delighted. “Wonderful. If that feeling of anger and darkness comes back, quickly crush it; don't let it consume you.”
I thought about Justin and how he had looked this morning. I bit down on my lower lip. “How do you bring someone back?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?” Then understanding dawned. “Not every Lydent has to be happy and cheerful all the time. We’re not that vain. We can get angry, get into mischief, and still have a silvery light. It’s when one of us does evil or lets misguided guilt consume us over time that our lights can dim. You, my dear, just got the brunt of it. Your guilt and his together caused you to reach the deep end. With all of that, it’s understandable that your light was gray.”
I didn’t respond, just took in what she said and worried about Justin.
When she put the last piece of clothing into the closet, she addressed the Lydent school once again. “If you’d like to go to Hydrent, I can schedule you to start next Monday. It would give you something to look forward to.”
The ability to learn more about them and who they were? Fuck yeah. “I’d like that.”
She sighed, turning and giving me her full attention. “Good. Now a little piece of advice before I tell you the secrets of shimming. The Lydent world has had their traditions for a long time. Expectations, order, but things are changing. Things that weren't possible way back when are now becoming possible. So, when something seems a little bit impossible, take a chance and maybe the Spirit Whisperer will surprise you.”
My mouth dropped at hearing that name. Was it the goddess in my dream? “Do you know her?”
She gave me a glimpse of confusion. “She’s a goddess. No, I don't know her. I've never met her, but there have been stories and folktales about her. She’s part of our history and heritage.” Her head tilted to the side as she studied me. “Have you?”
I couldn’t lie. Not to her. “I believe so. When I was sick, I showed up in a room with picture frames on the wall. She came not long after.”
Her eyes widened with wonder. “The Hall of Life.” She acknowledged it as if she knew what I was describing. “I’ve heard about it in books. There are stories of Lydents having visions of her... and Carly heard her. So have a few other choice Lydents.” She gathered me in for a brief hug and then drew back. She seemed energized by the news. “You have been truly blessed. You must be special.” She clasped her hands together and stepped away. “Now, I will show you how to shim. You can practice when I leave because I have somewhere to go, but essentially you need to think of a place you know really well. A place you've been before. Think about it in your mind's eye and simply wish to go there. Eventually, you'll be able to do this without a thought and just shim, but in the meantime, this is probably the best approach.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “So... I just imagine a place I want to go, and I’m suddenly there?”
“Yes, but you have to be careful not to expose yourself to humans. So make it a place you know humans won't catch you, like we did at the mall when we shimmed into the secure location of my store. That's the same thing you need to do when you do it. Safety first.”
I chuckled. “In all things, of course.”
She peered down at her watch. “Shoot, I’m late right now.” She leaned in for another hug. “Bye, sweetie. I’ll see you soon.” She let go of me and snagged her purse off of the side table. “Remember, Monday at Hydrent. I will drop off your uniform later this week so you have it. And if you see my son, please tell him to come home for dinner. It’s been lonely without him.”
I didn't know what to say to that, but I didn't have time to because in a swirl of white light, she was gone.