Elorie lay with her head in Aaron’s lap, drifting slowly out of sleep. Her eyes shot open as memory hit. “Gran?”
Aaron stroked her hair gently. “We don’t know anything more. The healers are still working.” He smiled in thanks as Nell bent down with a bowl of soup. “Eat. You did fierce magic to bring her here to Realm, huge magic to help heal her brain, and you need to keep your strength up.”
Nell sat down beside them. “We’ve been feeding the masses. There were too many witches running on low gas tanks.” She gestured toward the low building that held Moira. “The healers are peeling off one at a time to eat.”
Elorie grasped her hand. “Any news?”
Nell shook her head. “No. They’re working to repair as much of the damage as they can.” Her voice softened. “She’s alive, and that’s a miracle.”
Mia wandered over, bearing a tray of sandwiches. “Hungry? Or would you like a couch to sit on?”
“A couch?” Elorie tried to shake the fogginess out of her head.
Mia grinned. “Trying to keep everyone comfortable.”
Nell gave her a big hug. “You do good work, kiddo.”
Elorie looked around in growing shock. When they’d arrived in Realm, it had been in the middle of a huge grassy plain—the best Jamie could come up with on very short notice. Now it was a huge and lovely garden, with big shade trees, flowers, couches, food buffets—and literally hundreds of people.
It was a vigil. With every witch she’d ever known.
Then she looked at Mia and Aaron, and turning her head again, realized most of Fisher’s Cove was present, too. Scratch that. Clearly there were plenty of non-witches present as well.
Words caught in her throat. “She’ll get better for sure. Gran would never miss a gathering.”
Mia nodded, eyes fierce. “That’s the idea.”
There were all kinds of magic. Elorie handed the rest of her soup to Aaron and stood up, grabbing Mia’s hand. “I need your help. Can you find me a flute?”
~ ~ ~
Sophie’s hands dropped to her sides. She was too exhausted to move them. They’d done everything they could. The rest was up to Aunt Moira and the strength of her spirit.
Mike nestled her into his shoulder. She could feel his shuddering tiredness too. Her entire team had given everything they had.
A soft snore in the corner caught her attention. Ginia lay curled like a mouse, quietly sleeping. She’d done the work of a fully trained healer, and then some. “She’s going to be an amazing healer one day.”
“She already is,” Mike said. “That spellcoding idea was sheer genius.”
Yes. If Aunt Moira lived, Ginia and Elorie’s brilliant teamwork would be one very important reason why.
She stretched out a hand toward Ginia. Someone should check to see she hadn’t gone into channel shock. Mike laced his fingers in hers. “Relax. She’s fine, just sleeping. Every healer in the room has checked on her.”
She laid a hand on her belly. The babe was fine too. It had been an anguishing line to walk, giving all she could to her healing without putting the life in her belly at risk.
“You did enough,” Mike said. “And Moira would be the first to tell you that any more would have been wrong.”
Sophie nodded. Her head knew that. Her heart had cracked in two at the choice.
Mike handed her a protein drink, and she sipped obediently. This, too, was part of keeping their Seedling safe. And there would be more healing to come. Months of it.
At least she hoped there would be. Aunt Moira still lay frighteningly still and cold.
Ginia sat up in the corner and rubbed her eyes. “Who’s playing the music?”
Music? Sophie cocked her head to listen as gorgeous lilting notes floated into the room. It sounded like Elorie’s flute at full circle.
Elorie’s flute.
Sophie pushed off of Mike and stumbled to the door, opening it wide. Music wafted in, the moon floated high in the sky, and hundreds of faces circled the building, holding candles and softly singing as Elorie’s music soared.
She waved urgently to Jamie. “Can you disappear the building? Put her in the middle of this.”
Moments later, the building vanished, and Aunt Moira lay on a bed under the night sky. Flowers bloomed all around her, and the moon floated in a little closer. The coder and the witch in Sophie both marveled. It was magnificent.
Jamie touched her shoulder and spoke quietly. “Anything else we can do?”