by C. J. Anaya
No more.
I was making the decisions now. I was calling the shots, and to hell with anyone who thought otherwise. I kept that veil wide open as I taught Kirby exactly what he needed to do to heal the injuries done to the spine, the nerves, the blood vessels, and anything else that needed repairing. Slowly he was coming into focus. He was breathing again. He was feeling again.
He was alive.
I had no idea how long I floated like that keeping the veil at bay while
Kirby’s body began healing itself, but when it was all over I found myself never wanting to leave. Then I found that I couldn’t leave. Every time I tried to move through the veil and join Kirby on the other side I found it impossible to do so. After a little while longer I began to forget who it was I was trying to get to. Then I forgot more. My thoughts grew vague and distant. I considered the possibility I was dreaming, and I wondered if I would wake up in a nice warm bed overlooking an amazing garden filled with beautiful cherry trees.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Tie Hart
Tie ignored the battle behind him, recognizing that determined look in Hope’s eyes, the look that signified her willingness to sacrifice everything, including her own life for those she loved. She had worn that look the day she’d saved his life.
By the time he reached her she was already connected to Kirby and bringing him back from the brink of death, but blood dripped from her nose and her entire body shook.
No. Dammit, Hope. Not again.
There was no doubt in his mind that she had breached the veil. Fortunately, he knew she was his, and he didn’t have to wait for Victor to attempt a healing. As her soul mate he was the only one capable of repairing the damage to her life force. She collapsed next to an unconscious Kirby, and Tie dove for her, catching her just before her head hit the floor.
He wrapped his arms around her and frantically fought to recall her spirit back to him. He felt her warmth, saw the vibrant golds and oranges of her life force and held them close to his as he repaired the damage she had sustained in order to heal her little friend.
Her selflessness never ceased to amaze him. Even now, after a thousand years and an entirely different upbringing, the woman he loved was essentially the same compassionate person at her core. She had the right to know what had happened to her. She needed to remember who she was and the choices that had led her to her death so very long ago. Tie also couldn’t deny a selfish desire for her to remember him as well. He wanted to know if any of it had been real for her before he’d forced her hand and taken away all of her choices.
There was only one way to accomplish that, and he was the only one with the power to unlock those memories for her. He held tightly to her as the healing neared its completion and gave her life force one final command, giving her access to her first life and instructing her body to remain in a coma until she had relived every minute detail.
Someone approached in a great rush and landed on Hope’s other side.
“Hope. You have to wake up. You have to wake up,” James screamed. He turned his eyes pleading look on Tie. “What happened? Did the bullet hit her?”
“She saved Kirby, but she broke through the veil to do it.”
“What?” Victor shouted behind them. He crouched low in front of Hope and Tie, placing his hands on her head. “Some things never change.We need to heal her then. Together.”
Tie eased Hope back and away from Victor’s touch. “I was able to get to her before she did any damage to her life force.” A bold-faced lie, but the alternative was to admit that he had brought her back from the edge of death. Then Victor would know that Hope no longer belonged to him, and he wasn’t ready for those repercussions. He’d be sent away while Victor and Ms. Mori took hope to Kagami and tried to find a way to reverse what he had done.
He knew it was selfish. The safety of the world depended upon Victor and Hope’s ability to join together and heal the veil, and they couldn’t do that unless they were bonded as soul mates. Yes, it was selfish, but he couldn’t lose her just yet. He couldn’t leave her side again until she remembered him, remembered all that they had shared together. He had to know if Hope had ever consciously chosen to love him, and he had to protect her from any other threats she might face once she awoke.
Victor and Ms. Mori had to remain in the dark a little longer, for Hope’s sake and for his.
“If you repaired minimal damage, then why is she still unconscious?” Victor barked.
Tie hoped the next series of lies he told would be believable enough to mislead Victor and Ms. Mori for a while.
“She damaged the veil by healing Kirby. This is the consequence that follows. She’s in between our world and the next, and will need some time to regroup and recover.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Ms. Mori said a she stepped up behind Victor.
“Victor warned Hope of the possible consequences for breaching the veil. This is simply one of those consequences. We’ll have to wait it out until she is ready to come back to us.” Tie did his best to disguise his desperation. They couldn’t find out what he had done. Not yet, anyway.
“This has worked out nicely then,” Ms. Mori stated. “We needed her incapacitated and now she is. Victor, grab her and let’s get going.”
Tie reluctantly placed Hope in his former friend’s arms, but James lunged forward.
“You’re not taking my daughter anywhere.” He reached for Hope, but Tie held him back.
“Trust me,” he whispered to James. “We’re all going with, Hope.” He stared at James willing him to back down. In the state that Victor and Ms. Mori were in, he had no doubt that they wouldn’t hesitate to incapacitate everyone present and leave them all behind.
James’ stubborn look caused Tie to hold his breath, but he must have seen something in Tie’s face that gave him some modicum of peace. He capitulated and sank back to the ground.
Ms. Mori and Victor hurried forward with Hope while Tie rounded up Angie, James and an unconscious Kirby. He carried the young boy in his arms and studied his face for a moment. Something about the kid seemed familiar. He shook his head, and turned to James.
“Listen to me very carefully,” he said as they moved to follow the others. “I’ve put Hope into a coma so she can regain her memories. She won’t wake up until her first life has merged with this one, but we can’t tell Chinatsu and Victor.
James nodded. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t trust them.”
“They aren’t bad people, James, but if they find out what I’ve done they will send me away, and I won’t be here to protect any of you.”
“I understand.”
“Well I sure as hell don’t,” Angie muttered. “Hope being held in Victor’s arms isn’t right, Tie, and you know it.”
Tie assessed her in surprise. “Whatever you know about my connection with Hope, you have to promise me you won’t say anything, Angie.”
“Loose lips sink ships. Got it.”
He quirked a smile at her, but it quickly faded as his eyes floated back to Hope being held in Victor’s arms.
Things were going to get rough once she finally recovered her memories and awoke from the coma. He sincerely hoped they would all be ready for it, but most of all, he prayed that Hope would be able to forgive him for what he had done to her, and somehow find it in her heart to love him anyway.
Epilogue
I felt as if I traveled from a great distance, fighting to remember locations, faces and even names as the heavy sleep that enshrouded my mind threatened to steal my memories from me. Just before I burst through that hazy state between sleep and consciousness a pair of icy blue eyes filled with longing flashed before me accompanied by a soft voice that desperately pleaded over and over again… Remember me. Remember me.
I sat up abruptly and rubbed my eyes.
“Honestly, mistress! You should’ve awakened two hours ago. Your father has an important meeting he wants you to attend, and your mother has threatened me within an in
ch of my life if you don’t appear properly dressed in twenty minutes.”
I squinted up at the haughty looking woman frowning down upon me.
“I had the strangest dream. I just can’t remember what it was about,” I said, feeling troubled.
She rolled her eyes.
“You do test my patience, Mistress. Why can’t you be like every other ordinary girl and simply do as you’re told?”
She grumbled something under her breath as she began brushing out my hair.
“But I’m not an ordinary girl. I’m not even what you might call normal.” I felt a familiar sadness sink within me. “I’m her Imperial Highness Princess Mikomi, the girl of prophecy, the hope of our nation, the savior of our world.”
“The Healer,” my maid whispered in reverent tones.
“Yes.” I stood up and crossed over to the full length mirror on the wall next to my armoire. I stared unhappily at the perfectly groomed girl before me. “I suppose I am that as well.”
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed the first installment in The Healer Series. Your support keeps me writing so please consider letting others know about this story by leaving a review for The Healer here.
Other Books by CJ Anaya
The Healer Series
The Black Blossom: Book 2
The Grass Cutter Sword: Book 3
***
Double Booked
My Fair Assassin
Marry Your Billionaire
Continue following Hope’s journey as she relives her life as Princess Mikomi in The Back Blossom, Book 2 in The Healer Series. Keep reading to sample the first chapter of the second book.
Forced into a dream-like state, Hope is reliving her life as Mikomi, Princess of the Kagami Empire and The Healer of the world. Life as an Imperial Princess is rife with danger, betrayal, and intrigue as Mikomi joins forces with a rebel group of samurai warriors in order to usurp the throne from her tyrannical father. To win this seemingly hopeless war, she must train with Musubi, a warrior in the rebel army, and learn the art of the sword without revealing her identity as The Healer.
Unbeknownst to her, Musubi harbors his own secret identity and personal agenda, both of which holds dark consequences for Mikomi's future. Neither one can afford to share their secrets, nor can they ignore the powerful chemistry building between them.
Further complications arise at the arrival of her betrothed, Katsu, who must aid her in mastering control of her own gift before she ascends as a full kami on her eighteenth birthday. Katsu is not the cold-hearted warrior god she expected, but how can she spend eternity with a deity she may never love?
Determined to avoid her destiny, she spies on her father and his generals, collecting intelligence for the rebel army in the hope that one day the empire of Kagami will be liberated and her own future will be hers to control.
Turn the page to read the first chapter of the second book in The Healer Series: The Black Blossom.
Prologue: The God of Love and Marriage,
700 A.D.
Musubi-no-Kami, the god of love and marriage, was preparing to make a deal with the devil…literally.
Stone steps crunched beneath his sandaled feet, and the temperature dropped with his slow yet determined descent. The path he took now was one he never would have considered a millennium ago. He never would have considered it a month ago, but Edana was gone, dead by her own hand, and someone needed to pay. That someone was Masaru Katsu, warrior god and keeper of the Grass Cutter Sword.
Musubi had done his best to curb Katsu’s inappropriate relationships with human women. He’d tried thousands of times over the past centuries to help the warrior god understand the kind of devastation he left in his wake every time a heart was broken and another girl abandoned. It left his job of helping these women find their soul mates virtually impossible. They became unwilling to ever open up and trust again.
It was selfish of Katsu. He was one of the few kami in all of creation destined to have a soul mate, destined to have the kind of love and companionship that Musubi could merely dream of and never hope to achieve. Yet the warrior god showed very little emotion whenever his future bride was mentioned. He clearly took his good fortune for granted. He didn’t even care, and now he’d gone too far. Edana was gone and it was Katsu’s fault.
He ground his teeth together as he continued to descend the cold, black stone steps to the underworld. His previous existence had centered solely on bringing happiness and joy to others. He’d done it for thousands of years and always assumed it would be the only thing he would ever desire. Now, the only thing he desired was revenge.
Musubi took his very last step into the underworld and waited. The nekomata, one of the demon god’s trained assassins, had been very specific in their previous conversation. Musubi was to wait there until he was sent for. Wandering off and getting lost in the underworld was not only unwise but hazardous to one’s health, even for an immortal being. He didn’t have to wait long. Despite the dense darkness surrounding him, he was able to hear the padded approach of one of the demon god’s servants. He hoped it was a servant and nothing else.
The padding came to an abrupt halt a few feet in front of him. A small flame pierced the oppressive blackness, and a torch was lit, illuminating the desolate cavern. He eyed the nekomata critically. The depraved soul had once been a kami himself, but he’d defected centuries ago, never to be heard from again.
“Musubi, it’s been a long time,” it hissed.
“I have a meeting with your master,” was Musubi’s short reply.
The nekomata’s cat-like eye narrowed and then seemed to glow a deep green color.
“Of course, I shall take you to him now.” He turned and motioned for Musubi to follow. “I must admit, the news of your arrival here has created quite a stir, but I for one am not surprised. It’s always the best of us that falls the hardest.”
Musubi suppressed an angry response and followed his guide deeper into the dark recesses of the underworld. Before long, he was led into a large opening. Lighted torches hung on black metallic posts in the air. The black stone surrounding them seemed to absorb any light the fire from the torches created. They were in some kind of dungeon, to be sure, but one that no longer resided in the world of the living. A black throne lay thirty feet ahead of them, and seated on its edge was the demon god and lord of the underworld, Amatsu-no-kami.
He thought he was prepared for the sight of the demon god, but at that moment he doubted anyone could be completely unaffected by the pure malevolence that radiated from the god of the underworld. It was difficult to take in the fallen deity’s appearance because he had the same face and form as always, and yet here he sat, horrifically different from the day Musubi witnessed him cast out of Heaven. The whiteness of his skin was just as blinding as ever, but he was and had always been, a devastatingly handsome individual with jet black hair and eyes, a strong chin and firm cheekbones. He still wore his sparkling white robe almost as if he were mocking the Parents who originally bestowed such pureness upon him.
His appearance suggested power, aggression, and absolute dominance. He was someone you might mistakenly consider as a trustworthy leader, a valuable asset, an individual you hoped to have on your side. A demon in angel’s clothing. The juxtaposition was jarring.
“It’s been such a very long time since I’ve basked in the presence of the god of love and marriage,” Amatsu said. There was a mocking lilt to his tone.
“Seems like an eternity,” was Musubi’s clipped response. He noticed Amatsu’s eyebrow rise in amusement.
“Tell me, dear Musubi, what brings you from the land of the living? Why this completely unexpected honor?”
“I think you know why I’m here.” He tried his best to look unaffected as Amatsu scrutinized him with his scalding gaze.
“Revenge,” Amatsu said, almost laughing. “Seems a bit beneath you, punishing Katsu for the death of your one true love.”
Musubi held his tongue
at Amatsu’s flippant remark.
“You won’t help me then?” Musubi held his ground but began to taste the bitterness of defeat. If the demon god wouldn’t help him, he didn’t know what path he could take next.
“I said it was beneath you. I, however, have never turned my back on the idea of giving others exactly what they deserve.”
Musubi tried not to let his relief show.
“I am extremely curious as to what exactly you have in mind for our dear Katsu, and how you think I could possibly help you. I am, after all, trapped here.” Amatsu’s voice took on a scary edge. Signs of his displeasure with his lot in life seeped through the calm mask of indifference he held.
“Katsu has to pay for what he did to Edana. He took away the woman I love, and now I’m going to take away the woman he loves.” It sounded worse saying it out loud than it had merely thinking and plotting it in his head, but thoughts of Edana steeled his resolve, and he didn’t lower his eyes when Amatsu studied him again.
“Katsu loves no one. Of this I am certain. So again, I ask you, what is it that you require from me?” Amatsu’s tone was becoming less pleasant.
“Katsu loves no one at the moment, but it is prophesied that he will.” The demon god’s eyes seemed to flash with a strange green light.
“The Healer,” he whispered to no one in particular.
Musubi nodded. “I’m sure you wondered why I would take such a huge risk in coming here. I know my revenge will not only benefit me, but will also eliminate a problem you have no doubt wished to remedy since the day the prophecy of The Healer was given utterance.”
“You want to kill The Healer? The Savior of the living? The half-mortal child destined to heal the veil between the living and the dead?” Amatsu began to laugh quietly to himself, and then the laughter grew louder until it echoed against the blackness of the stone walls. “You have wasted my time and yours, Musubi. The child cannot be slain. Her immortal paternity has ensured that nothing save a sword forged from this land can kill her. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to send an assassin through the veil?”
