the last bits of pink dimmed on the horizon, I reached into the cardboard box I'd set next to me, where Niles and Gibson curled up together. I picked up Niles and slowly pulled him out, his wings flapping roughly as I moved him away from his companion. For his part, deaf and blind, Gibson felt Niles's absence and shuffled from the place where he'd been napping, ramming his head against the cardboard edges of the box. I picked up the pencil I'd also stored in the box, and lifted Niles's little wing.
"Sorry, this might tickle a bit." I wrote, "Tonight," on the underside of one wing, then held him up and said, "Go find her," and released him into the night. He circled Gibson's box a couple of times, then flew on his way.
I took the box back inside and set it down by the open window, which I left open so that, when Niles was done with his journey, he could find his way back to his best friend, and they would be together.
If you can't get the happy endings you want, sometimes you have to settle for the ones you can have.
* * *
Cain and Stacy had been at work for a while, gathering up supplies and conduits, transporting them as close to the site as they could using Grace and Addie's B&B van. I walked; although it was well past sunset, I knew Davina wouldn't show up until closer to midnight, and the idea of being so close to the conduits, so rushed with all that power made me feel a little dizzy and sick. I enjoyed the walk, noticing each step, feeling gratitude for each breath. In the afternoon, when the sun was out and this moment was beyond my comprehension, it had all seemed like a really good idea. Now, it felt a bit like walking the plank. No way to go but forward, and no idea what would be waiting for me after the initial splash.
I got to the clearing faster than I had expected; it seemed like I was on my road, and then a moment later, at my destination. Cain had done his work; the white sand circle close to the moving water practically glowed in the light of the full moon. Everything and everyone else was well out of sight; close enough to be called upon when I needed them, far enough away that hopefully, Davina's spidey sense wouldn't go off.
I was alone there for a while, the summer air sticky and warm on my skin. I tried to feel for the power from the conduits, but there was nothing. Had it been daytime, I would have been overwhelmed with it, but now ... nothing. No tingling in my hands; it was all gone. Nighttime had brought its shade of normalcy; no magic, no power, just my wits and hopes to keep me going until morning.
If I made it until morning.
I tried not to think about that, though.
"Well, hello, baby."
I looked up and there was Davina, her heavy backpack slung over her shoulder, her bright yellow dress making her look beautiful in the moonlight. Niles fluttered in a circle around her head for a bit, then flew over to me, buzzed my shoulder, and flew off to find Gibson, I presumed. If I'd had the choice, I would have done the same thing. As it was, I turned my focus back to Davina and the task at hand.
I had expected my heart to clutch in terror at the sight of her, but instead, what I felt was so conflicted. I had liked her, a lot. She had been a friend, some part of her had wormed its way into my heart, and despite all reason, that was still there.
"Glad to see you came to your senses." She poured the white sand into a circle around us, her voice casual, as if we were girlfriends out for a night's friendly witchcraft. "I know it feels awful, but you really are doing the right thing. You're a damn hero."
"Right." I stepped inside the circle, and she did the same. "Give me the potion. Let's get it over with."
"You're a down-to-business kind of girl, I can respect that." She reached into her backpack, pulled out a blue water bottle this time, and handed it to me.
"I need a minute," I said. "This stuff smells awful, and I just have to get my courage up."
"Fair enough," Davina said, then grinned a very cold grin.