by Alisha Basso
We bathed in silence. I could feel his eyes as I scrubbed my neck and shoulders. My hair was a soapy mass, balled at the top of my head. I grabbed a sponge, soaping it to overflowing and washed my more private parts. I was truly hoping I didn’t have his audience the entire time.
I stole a glance at him. He was washing his face, his eyes shut, face full of suds. I took the opportunity and dove under again, the suds flowing away from me as I swam toward the shallow end of the pool. When I emerged, I was fully rinsed and smelling like paradise. I stepped out of the water and wrapped myself in one of the large absorbent cloths folded on a nearby table.
I dressed quickly. Knowing I just soaked in love potion didn’t bother me as much as knowing that Lucian did as well. I guess I’d have to comfort myself tonight.
I left the chamber. I didn’t wait for him. He could find his way to the hall alone. I didn’t want to be exposed to him any longer than was necessary.
THIRTY FIVE
I tied my wet hair in a knot at the back of my head as I walked to the hall. I felt energized and broke into a jog, feeling a sudden urge to get this over with immediately.
I entered the hall. It had been rearranged to accommodate a more business-type meeting. The tables were pushed together in a half circle and only a few seats remained empty.
Approaching the table, my purpose was clear, my mind made up.
“Welcome, Grace,” Gavyn said, smiling. “We are most anxious to begin. We hope to work out the details quickly. We know how you must long for your home.”
“Well, mostly I long for my ring,” I said bluntly, “and that’s what I want to speak to you about, before any of the details are worked out.”
His smile vanished. “We shall take a walk, I think.” He grabbed my hand and almost jerked me outside. Pulling me along quickly, my feet stumbled over the uneven ground. He was moving like a wild man. I had barely enough time to gather myself and got really angry when we arrived at the back of the hall. His eyes kept searching the surrounding area. He was clearly afraid someone would spot us lurking behind the shrubbery.
We came to a stop at the base of a huge tree. Its massive trunk hid us from view. He spun around and his grip on my arm tightened. I winced at his strength. Oh-yeah, he was pissing me off.
“You said you would help,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Are you backing out?”
“No!” I snapped back. “I said I’d help and I meant it.” I yanked my arm from his grasp. “But when it comes time to work the mojo, it will be me, not you! I want the ring back, or nothing happens. Get it? That’s the deal. Take it or leave it. Either you trust me to save your people or you don’t, I won’t do a fucking thing without that ring on my finger!” I rubbed the soreness from my arm and glared at him. He was mad, and apparently didn’t know his own strength, because… ouch!
He paced, and then stopped, looking into my eyes, I could see fear in the depths of his lavender gaze. “You will help?” his voice was softer, the angry pitch diminishing.
“I promised,” I reminded. I was more understanding than I should have been, considering the growing bruise on my arm. “I will do all that I can, but that’s all I can promise.”
His sigh was a mixture of defeat and relief. Then he smiled at me. The smile alone would have been enough to persuade me. Finally as if in a beautiful dream, he removed the ring from his finger. Time slowed down, I watched as the ring slid off his finger. He held it tightly, his hand floating slowly to my outstretched palm. He dropped it into my hand and the world tilted.
I had one thought as electricity shot through my palm up my arm and into my body. I want it all. Now!
White hot energy flowed from the tiny platinum circle. In a rush of heat, I was suddenly consumed. It was as if I was stripped from my skin, remade, and then fused together again. My skin was searing. I felt a fine sheen of sweat cover my body and my lungs fought to breathe as I was filled with an unbelievable rush of power. The jolt was so strong my knees buckled and I fell to the ground.
Gavyn rushed to my side, his hands extended toward me. A look of concern flashed on his face, as he tried to reach for me.
My body shuddered, but I recognized the power and I was able to swallow it down. God, it was too amazing! I knew I was only half-altered when the ring was first taken and the power hadn’t finished bonding to me. But now, I knew I could command it and I wanted it all in one dose. Finally, I was complete. I was now, as never before, a whole Madea. The legends were rumors but I was the truth. I commanded the power. Power no one could possibly understand but a Madea. Catching my breath, I focused on Gavyn’s anxious face. I could see his fear for me and I knew he thought the ring was hurting me. He believed the power was too much for my body to take. I laughed out loud as his thoughts exploded in my head. The feeling was leveling out and my body was once again my own.
My legs felt stronger. My arms tight with muscle. I was new and I was strong. “Well,” I said, feeling giddy and a little high, “first things first.” I placed the ring on my finger. My palm was already creased from the pressure of holding it. I shook my wet hair and it immediately fell around my shoulders in a soft mass of long, velvety curls. I added the curl and a little more length just for fun. Why the hell not?
Gavyn’s eyes were as big as saucers. I laughed again. Well, if that impressed him, then he was in for one hell of a treat.
“Now,” I said, smiling, “let’s go save your people, shall we?”
Gavyn slammed his mouth shut, then offered me his arm, his eyes still wide and staring. We walked silently back to the hall, his arm as tense as a slab of marble. We entered the room to sounds of arguing. Lucian was there, his face angry as he pointed and spoke animatedly to the group. Everyone was standing, and I heard my name.
“Looking for me?”
The commotion ceased, like someone pushed a mute button. Everyone turned to look at us as we entered the room.
A gasp rang through the Great Hall and I felt all eyes sweeping my body. It was like a lover’s tongue gliding across my skin. I felt each reaction, each thought. Surprise, wonder, lust, fear, joy; they were all a thick whirring soup in my head.
“Grace.” Lucian broke from the crowd. He was at my side in a heartbeat. “What the hell happened to you?”
I registered the disbelief in his eyes. My hair wasn’t that impressive. What the hell happened? Well, there was one way to find out. I pushed my power into Lucian until I could see through his eyes. The action was automatic. I didn’t have to work anything out. It just happened, like reaching for a doorknob, your mind knows to turn it. You don’t need to think about it, or wonder if you’re doing it right, you just do it. The sensation was even stranger than you would imagine. I was seeing what Lucian saw. I couldn’t control his eyes or look where I wanted. I was along for the ride, so to speak. What he saw was not Grace Allen and that was not what I expected. Sure she looked like me, but she wasn’t. She looked supernatural.
My hair was different. I already knew that, because I did it myself. It was my eyes. They were glowing. The green had been altered. They were now streaked with thick slashes of silver, the same silver that appeared in Seth’s eyes.
They were at once beautiful and frightening. I wanted to stare at them, but Lucian’s eyes moved. He wanted to check out my boobs. Okay, I was outta there. I left Lucian slightly shaken, but not badly. I knew everything would be okay. I knew I had the power, and now I had the know-how. I turned away from him, my heart overflowing. I knew how to help Gavyn’s people. I knew! It was so damn easy.
“Call the women,” I yelled. “We’ll need all of the women.”
In a heartbeat, the men began rushing out. They didn’t question me; they didn’t speak at all. They saw the change. Amazing. I transform into the physical form of an otherworldly being and now, suddenly, I know what I’m doing.
Men.
I felt Lucian take my hand and it was just a hand. No electric spark of lust, no surge of uncontrollable hormones taking over
my mind, just the hand of a friend, and nothing more. The love water had been rendered useless in my new form.
Thank goodness.
We walked to one of the nearest chairs and I gestured for Lucian to sit. I didn’t want to, however, I felt too energized, like I could fly. I wanted to run on the wind and I knew I could. I knew so much now and I accepted it. I accepted the ring as a part of me. That’s all it took to meld us as one. I knew the ring was empty. If I took it off now, it would be just a ring, a trinket. Seth said I would drain the ring over time. I never figured that I could just demand all the power to fill me at once.
Excited voices filled the room. The ladies were rushing toward the table, their eyes filled with eagerness. I could taste their exhilaration, like sugar on my tongue.
“We are all assembled,” Gavyn said.
“Okay,” I began, more confident than I had ever been in my life. “I know that we all agreed to discuss every possible solution and its consequences; but, given our recent developments, well, I’ll just say that lengthy discussions will no longer be necessary.”
As if to punctuate my words, I felt my power stir. It wrapped around me. The violent wind I produced in my home not so long ago, was now a cool breeze wafting off my warm skin. It lifted fine locks of hair off the shoulders of the people nearest to me. The look of wonder I saw in everyone’s eyes filled me with more confidence.
Watching Gavyn, I began, “The solution I offer is very simple,” my eyes addressing the room. I looked at their faces and noticed with a little shame that Ann was nowhere to be found. Neither was Tobias, for that matter. God, could they still be at it? Knowing Ann, they were.
I’d ask about them later, bigger fish and all.
I moved around the tables to stand in the center. I held out my hand, palm up, “My solution… is this.” A delicate glass bottle appeared in the center of my palm, its contents swirling and glowing with supernatural light.
The room was utterly still. A pin falling in Kentucky could probably have been heard from this place. I took my cue from the silence and marched on. “In this charming little bottle is a very potent potion. One drop is all you’ll need for a lifetime of natural fertility. If all of you women take one drop, you could be pregnant immediately! Well, at least as quickly as, well… you know.” God, I was babbling. I should really take some classes in public speaking, since it was never my forte.
Questions began like machine gun fire. No way did I plan to stand there for hours of interrogation.
“Silence, please. I’ll explain,” I yelled, backing up as the group began to crowd around me. I held out the tiny bottle. “The contents will never run out, and the bottle can never be lost or destroyed. It will be available to anyone who wants it for all eternity. All any of you have to do is ask for it and it will appear for you. There are no dangers of overdose, as one drop and one drop only is effective. If someone were to drink the entire bottle, only the first drop would be potent, the rest would be rendered as harmless as water. I have also arranged for this drink to heal your unborn children, reducing your infant mortality rate to nil. Now, keeping your children alive will be up to you, and, well, fate.”
I pressed on before the questions began again. “Now, once you have taken the potion, and have given birth to all the children you want, you will need to practice some serious birth control. Since you will be as fertile as any healthy beings, you must take the responsibility seriously. Not everyone needs to drink it right away. You must think it over and decide how best to manage it. I know you were desperate once, but now there’s hope for the perpetuity of your race.”
Heaving a breath, I concluded and let the questions begin. The room was stunned to silence. The mute looks were almost worth all the crap I’d been through, well maybe not quite, but clearly I’d blown some minds.
Gavyn spoke first. He seemed to shake himself, in an effort to retake his role as leader. He had to think when his people couldn’t. His deep voice filled the room with authority. “This is a very wise solution, and we are more thankful than you will ever know. But, we, as a group,” he cleared his throat, clearly unsure of his words, “we must ask if it is possible to bring us compatible females? You see, by the time more females are born and come of age, well, most of our men will have suffered several decades of solitude.”
Chewing my lower lip, I pondered his words.
“Solitude,” I repeated out loud. I moved to sit and consider his issue. A lovely white satin stool materialized under me. My mind was whirling, then, I had it. Closing my eyes, I flung my power out. I searched all the worlds for suitable matches. Each had to be a woman with brains, talent, health, mental stability as well as no ties or family to restrict them to their present homes. Most importantly, they had to have the desire to travel across dimensions to be the mates of a magnificent species.
Sounds easy, but abandoning one world for another takes a very strong mind and most were just not up to par. No use bringing women to them, if they end up loopy from the experience. It seemed to take hours, but I knew better. In the end, the search took about thirty minutes and yielded one hundred and fifty-seven perfect matches.
Okay, now, to transport them here.
I spun, and without a word, I marched outside the Great Hall. I followed a narrow path that led to the largest clearing in the village. It was smaller than I would have liked, but it would have to do. Everyone followed in a tight line at my back. I could almost feel them breathing on my neck.
“Okay, back off a bit, folks,” I hollered to the crowd.
“But what are we doing? Why are we here?” I heard several voices ask in unison.
I turned to the group, flashing my best smile and bowing my head slightly. “Your wish is my command.” I’d always wanted to say that. Corny, I know, but there you go.
A roar of wind rushed through the trees and a howling sound filled the field, forcing hundreds of birds to take wing. Then, as if beamed by the Starship Enterprise, one hundred and fifty-seven wide-eyed females assembled, looking like stunned deer on the wrong side of a Chevy.
I had to work fast, enlightening them to their purpose, how they were needed, and how they would be desired and loved. Then I filled each of their heads with peace and understanding. I rushed around in their heads so fast, I almost forgot my last bit of insurance. Venturing in again, I filled them all with acceptance.
My head was throbbing. I was suddenly more tired than I had ever been in my entire life.
“These are your mates and the future mothers of your offspring,” I gasped. “Treat them well.”
I collapsed, and then the world went black.
THIRTY SIX
Birds were singing… Birds? I don’t have birds, I hate birds. They’re way to screechy. Damn it. Someone kill the birds!
I rolled over in bed, catching the scent of my fluffy pillow, which smelled like lavender and sage. This was not the fabric softener I normally used. What the hell? My thoughts were pudding. What the hell did I drink last night? I opened my eyes, only to slam them shut from the blinding light that threatened to fry my brain.
“Someone turn out the light,” I groaned to no one in particular.
“Sorry, Grace, I’ll close the drapes.”
It was a man’s voice. Did I live with a man? No, that was wrong. I didn’t remember getting married. I rolled to the side and braved the brightness to see the owner of the voice. It was a man, alright, one of the best looking men currently in the known universe.
“Good morning, Lucian,” I managed, as the events of last night came rushing back. “How are you this fine morning?” I moaned wearily.
The covers were heavy as I untangled my legs. The sheets were wound around my waist and I had to roll over to free myself.
“You don’t look so good,” he observed, “I guess for your first earth-shaking slice of magic, you’re bound to feel a little drained. Do you realize that some of the women you transported came not just from different dimensions but entirely different universe
s? I mean we’re talking about other solar systems! My God, it’s lucky you’re not dead.”
“Thanks for the confidence. It’s really reassuring to know you have such faith. Now go away!” I groaned as I stood on shaky legs. “Urrg, does the floor have to move around like that?”
Lucian helped me to the bathroom. I smiled and shut the door on his courteous face.
“I’ll just be a minute,” I whimpered through the door.
The room was sparkling clean, the basin filled with fresh, cool water. I stumbled to the wall and splashed my face and neck with the pristine liquid.
“Gavyn’s invited us to stay on. He says it would be an honor to call us members of his people.” Lucian’s voice boomed a little too loudly through the door.
“Yeah, thanks, but no thanks. I want my own home, my own bed and my own life. Call me crazy, but I’m desperate for a little normalcy.”
I let the water stream down my body, cool veins of moisture soaking into the soft nightshirt I didn’t remember putting on. It was white and smelled like herbs. I’d have to say that the smells I’ve enjoyed here will be missed the most. I opened the door. Lucian almost fell into the room. He looked startled, and a laugh bubbled up from his throat.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing, well, it’s just… Why don’t you just wish yourself well? Can’t you just zap yourself better or something? You are an all-powerful Madea now. The change is all over you.”
“God, I must have been talking to myself when I spoke about balance. I feel like shit because I should feel like shit. I did a huge thing. I don’t really know if it was the wisest thing in the grand scheme, but I did it. I made the choice. I uprooted over a hundred women from God only knows where and brought them to a new world, a new life. I altered the fragile fabric of the universe to save a small race of endangered people. So in answer to your question, I feel like shit. And I’ll keep feeling like shit until it is natural to feel otherwise. Okay?”
