“Your mother says she’s sorry she missed her granddaughter’s birthday,” Livvy said.
“Her first birthday,” Yong muttered. “Only a week later.”
“Tell him I got her a present,” Sun-Hi said. “Tell him. Tell him.”
Livvy had been about to tell Sun-Hi what Yong had said but she seemed so insistent.
“Your mother got her a present,” Livvy said.
“It’s in the closet,” Sun-Hi said. “Bottom shelf, on the right.”
“It’s in the–”, Livvy said.
“Tell him to get it!” Sun-Hi said. “Tell him.”
Yong stepped forward a bit, focusing on the jesa table. “Mom,” he said, “let her finish.” He gave Livvy a sympathetic look. “She can be a little impatient.”
Livvy had to smile. “That’s all right,” she said to him. “She wants you to get the present. It’s in the closet, bottom shelf, on the right.”
“My closet,” Sun-Hi.
“In her closet,” Livvy corrected.
“Here,” Min said, standing up. “Let me. Which room?”
“Last one,” Yong said as he passed her.
“They’re going to get it,” Livvy said to Sun-Hi.
As though Min’s movement had woken him, SK stood as well, never taking his eyes off Livvy. “You’re in the Multiverse?” he asked.
She nodded, though with more confidence than she felt. How she was doing this she didn’t know, but it felt natural. Somehow it felt right. The real world seemed solid around her though SK, Min, and Yong didn’t. Maybe the surroundings overlapped but not the people. Livvy didn’t know.
“How does he look?” Sun-Hi asked. “Is he eating?”
“He looks fine,” Livvy said. “I’d say it looks like Yong’s been eating.”
He rolled his eyes a little and Livvy winked at him.
“She looks fine too,” she told Yong, though he hadn’t asked.
“It’s not my favorite suit,” Sun-Hi said, a little petulant.
Min returned and in her hand was a tiny little box, wrapped in delicate pink tissue and topped with a perfect, but miniature, satin bow.
“Oh, no,” Yong said. “You didn’t.”
Though Livvy couldn’t imagine what it was, Min apparently knew. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she handed it to him, nodding.
“They’ve got it,” Livvy said quietly to Sun-Hi. “It’s very pretty.”
“He has to open it,” she said, excited. “Tell him! Tell him to open it.”
“She wants you to–”
“I know,” Yong said. “I know.”
Sun-Hi held Livvy’s hand tightly and looked at the ground waiting. For all their sakes, Livvy wished Yong would open the little package. But instead, he just stared at it, sitting in the middle of his palm. Min touched his arm.
“If you like, I could…” she whispered.
He shook his head. “No. I can do this.”
What in the worlds are they expecting?
Sun-Hi looked up at her, hopefully. Livvy only shook her head.
Carefully, Yong took off the bow. He placed it in Min’s waiting hand. Next came the paper and, at last, a little white box with a top, which Yong removed. To Livvy’s astonishment, inside was a black velvet jewelry box. Min pressed a hand to her mouth as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. Yong’s hand trembled, but he pried open the hinged top.
“A ring,” Livvy muttered.
Inside the box was what looked like a gold wedding band. But it couldn’t be. It was too small–much too small. It wouldn’t have fit a…a child. Was it meant for her granddaughter?
“Oh, Mom,” Yong whispered harshly, his voice breaking.
Sun-Hi nodded. “Happy birthday,” she said, barely audible.
“Thank you,” Yong said, lifting the gift toward the table as he bowed.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was Min’s quiet weeping and a single sob that was wrenched from deep in Yong’s chest. For the first time since Livvy had met Sun-Hi, she looked at peace.
“It’s time,” Livvy said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
THOUGH IT WASN’T clear whom Liv was talking to, SK knew it was time as well. The little, blue tendrils of electricity snaking their way out of the wall sockets had said so. How this was going to work, SK wasn’t sure, but one thing was clear.
“Min,” he said, “you know the drill.”
She nodded and touched Yong on the sleeve. He’d still been bowing in front of the jesa table but raised a tear-stained face to Min.
“We need to clear the room,” she said.
Yong sniffed and nodded. Liv stood still, watching and waiting. Behind the chairs, the blue glow was growing brighter.
“Quickly,” SK said to Min without looking at her.
• • • • •
As Min led Yong into the hallway and then the front room, her vision nearly went dark. Though she’d had her hand on his elbow, she grabbed his arm. It was tunnel vision and Min knew it wasn’t from anything in the Multiverse. This had happened once before. Her blood pressure had spiked.
“Soo Min?” Yong said.
She held her stomach with her other hand. “Maybe we could just sit down,” she said.
• • • • •
“Don’t let go until I do,” Livvy said. “Whatever you do, don’t move.”
Though Sun-Hi was ready to go, the chains of love, once forged, weren’t so easily broken.
“What now?” Sun-Hi asked.
It was her first real expression of interest in her own predicament and a natural part of the process. Now that she’d taken care of her loved ones, her thoughts could turn to herself. Sun-Hi rattled the chains with her free hand, the manacle sliding around her wrist.
“Now,” Livvy said. “We set you free.”
She verified that Min and Yong were gone. Only SK stood by.
“Here we go,” Livvy said.
• • • • •
In the real world, SK watched as Liv raised her hand. Though he couldn’t see Yong’s mother, he could guess from Liv’s other hand where she must be standing. Sparks were popping at the sockets and the tendrils of electricity were getting longer. The air itself seemed to crackle.
He re-checked his position in the room, careful not to stand between any of the sockets. As he and Liv made eye contact, he gave her a nod.
“Lightning,” she said.
The effect was instantaneous. A sphere of brilliant, purple light burst into existence around her. Every spark and every tendril in the room flew at it and connected with it. A spider web of blazing beams erupted, crisscrossing in every direction, but all centered on Liv’s upstretched hand.
SK held up a hand to shield his eyes.
By all the gods, he thought. Ball lightning.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
IN THE MULTIVERSE, Livvy felt the lightning connect. No less powerful than a bolt from the sky, the electricity surged into her hand and raced down her core. Sun-Hi jumped and tried to pull away, but Livvy had no problem holding on.
“You’re fine,” she said over the sizzling of the electricity. “Don’t move.”
Blanca took up position behind Sun-Hi, encouraging her to stay put by leaning her heavy frame into the back of the little woman’s thighs.
“Oh!” Sun-Hi exclaimed.
Livvy didn’t waste any time. Still channeling energy from the lightning, she let go of Sun-Hi’s hand, crouched low, and grabbed one of the chains. It came to life in her hand, buzzing and rattling, almost struggling to shake loose. But as the energy of the strike coursed through her, Livvy squeezed the chain in her fist. To either side, the links shattered. Like a string of firecrackers, the links that led to the manacles popped open.
Sun-Hi shrieked.
The broken links, splayed open in random twists, had barely dropped to the carpet when Livvy grabbed the next chain. The second and third chains disintegrated in virtually the same way. Livvy destroyed the remaining three and, as t
he last bunch of links fell, she waited for the manacle to open, but it didn’t. It took a moment for her to realize why. The first chain had reformed. As she watched, so did the second and then the third. Though Sun-Hi had seemed ready, that clearly wasn’t the case.
Livvy dropped her hand and the lightning disappeared. The sound of the static charge vanished, as did the brilliant light. Though Livvy waited for Sun-Hi to look at her, she wouldn’t meet Livvy’s gaze. Instead, she was focused on the table.
“That’s for me, you know,” Sun-Hi said.
“Yes, I know,” Livvy said.
Though she’d never seen a jesa table, Min had explained the anniversary offerings.
“Oh, yes,” Sun-Hi said, nodding and moving toward it. “All my favorites.”
Livvy gently put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not just for you,” Livvy said.
Shocked, Sun-Hi stopped and frowned at her. “Of course it is,” she said. She lifted her manacled wrist and pointed at the memorial tablet. “That’s my name.”
“No, I didn’t mean that,” Livvy said. “It’s also for your family. It’s their way of remembering you, but it’s also a way of letting you go.”
“But they don’t have to,” Sun-Hi said. “I can–”
“No,” Livvy said. “They do have to. For their sake. They need to get on with their lives, Sun-Hi. They need to move on.”
“Without me?” Sun-Hi asked, her expression hurt.
Livvy smiled sympathetically but nodded. “Without you,” she confirmed. “The way we all have to move on when it’s time.” Livvy couldn’t help but think of her own mother. “It’s hard–for them and for you. But this is the way of things. I think you know it.”
Livvy released Sun-Hi’s shoulder and waited. She was aware of SK standing in the room with them. He was watching her, also waiting.
Sun-Hi took a deep breath and gazed longingly at the table. Then she smiled a little. “A rice cake for the road?” she asked.
Livvy smiled back and nodded. “A rice cake for the road,” she said.
The chains clattered and scraped as Sun-Hi crossed to the table. As she took a round, white, rice cake the small plate that it had rested on leaped upward, flipped in the air, and sent rice cakes flying before falling back to the table. Sun-Hi seemed not to have noticed and Livvy couldn’t be sure she’d even been able to see it. But as Sun-Hi popped the cake into her mouth, she managed to chew, smile, and nod, all at the same time.
Before Sun-Hi could change her mind, Livvy raised her hand. Blanca moved back into position. SK nodded.
“Lightning,” she said.
Again the purple sphere burst into existence, enveloping them. Livvy felt the sizzle of the electricity surge. She saw the brilliant glow glinting in Sun-Hi’s eyes. And although Sun-Hi seemed ready, Livvy wasn’t taking chances. She stooped and gathered up all the chains simultaneously.
They jumped and quaked in her grasp, buzzing and clanging loudly. They tried to break free and pull away, but Livvy squeezed them tight. With a deep breath, she bore down. Heat filled her core as she drew in the lightning from all around them. The purple blaze brightened, and the links in her hand glowed red. Her chest heaved with the searing energy, but still she squeezed the chains even harder. But as they began to deform in her grasp, Sun-Hi’s eyes darted to the table.
• • • • •
In the real world, SK knew the signs. Carefully, he threaded his way through the bright web. The writhing streams of electricity from the wall had connected with the ball lightning in the instant she’d called it into existence. He slid between them, watching, stepping slowly. At the outer edge of the sphere, electricity snapped painfully against his skin. Though he had to shield his eyes, he pushed through. In the center, the air was so dry it didn’t seem like there was any air at all. His nose and eyes burned. His lungs refused to breathe. Though his body said to hurry, he knew that would be a mistake. Instead he reached out and laid his hand on Liv’s arm.
• • • • •
In the Multiverse, the chains imploded. Turned to a fine, gray gravel, they dropped to the floor in a heaping line between Sun-Hi and the jesa table. Her newly freed hand flew in the air as Sun-Hi yelped. Only Livvy’s quick grab of Sun-Hi’s jacket lapels kept her from tumbling backward over Blanca.
“Gotcha,” Livvy said.
As Livvy easily righted her, she noticed something different about Sun-Hi. Although the lightning had disappeared the instant she’d reached for her, the older woman looked brighter. There was really no other word for it. Whether it was due to being free of the manacles, Livvy didn’t know, but Sun-Hi’s spirit had taken on a beautiful radiance.
Sun-Hi clung to Livvy, and for a few moments, they simply stood looking at one another. Then Livvy gently let her go. Although Livvy lowered her hands, Sun-Hi didn’t do the same. Livvy gave her an encouraging smile.
“You’re okay,” she said. “You can let go.”
Sun-Hi stared at her, eyes wide and clutching her hard. She shook her head a little.
“Nothing’s going to happen if you let go,” Livvy said. “Trust me.”
Though Sun-Hi’s grip didn’t lessen, Livvy simply waited. For someone who’d just learned she was dead, Sun-Hi was doing well. The older woman stared at her wrist, where the manacle had been. As Livvy expected, there was no trace of it. But as they both looked down, Livvy saw the change beginning. As had happened with her own mother, Sun-Hi was becoming indistinct.
“What’s happening?” Sun-Hi asked, looking down Livvy’s length. “You’re fading.”
Livvy knew it wouldn’t be long before they wouldn’t be able to hear each other.
“You’re moving on,” Livvy said. “Because it’s time. Because you’re ready.”
“I am?” Sun-Hi asked, her voice growing dim. As though it were the most natural thing in the world, Sun-Hi simply let Livvy go and rubbed her wrist. “Maybe I am.” She gazed around her again with a last glance at the table. Then she straightened the lapels of her jacket, tugged down the sleeves and smoothed out the front. Then she met Livvy’s eyes. “I am,” she said, though Livvy barely heard her.
“Good,” Livvy mouthed, nodding.
She could clearly see Blanca staring up at her through Sun-Hi’s nearly transparent body. Sun-Hi seemed to be looking through Livvy’s chest. Something about the older woman’s face–maybe the faraway look in the eyes or the deep peace that seemed to be spreading–took Livvy back to a similar moment. Though Sun-Hi and Livvy’s mother couldn’t be more different, Livvy couldn’t help but picture her. Livvy nearly reached out. Her throat felt tight.
This was the last thing Livvy expected. Maybe it was being back in L.A., or the fact that she and SK had been talking about her mom, but the swell of grief nearly floored her. Like an old wound that never went away, the pain of her mother’s death stabbed deep. No longer the inconsolable sorrow and crippling guilt that she’d once felt, the sense of loss was still keen.
Just then Sun-Hi smiled. It was a look of startled recognition and pure, unmitigated happiness. Livvy’s heart lightened just to watch her.
“Oh my,” Sun-Hi mouthed. Then she reached out, as though for a hug, and stepped forward as she completely disappeared.
Though Livvy’s arms had automatically reached out in response, she stopped. Sun-Hi was gone. Slowly, Livvy closed her eyes. Blanca rubbed the outside of her thigh. Though Livvy didn’t look at her, she reached down to the warm, soft pelt as Blanca’s deep purr resonated through her.
Something inside Livvy wanted desperately to be done with this, and yet something also wanted to stay. For just a brief and all-too-fleeting moment, she’d felt close to her mom.
“Liv?” SK said.
• • • • •
In the real world, SK watched Liv turn to him. He’d stood mesmerized by the strange pantomime that had played out. Though he already knew that Liv was done and that Yong’s mother had likely moved on, he couldn’t help but stare. Liv’s face had become so sad
.
For shamans everywhere, the intercessor was the go-between, the tether that kept their spirit grounded. He balanced in the middle, between the real world and the Multiverse, on the knife edge between life and death. Though SK had always known that, he’d never felt it more than now. The moment he’d said her name, she’d opened her eyes and faced him.
“SK,” she whispered.
She reached out for his hand. As he took hers, a powerful spark popped and his fingers closed around hers. The static, white film that had overlain her vanished. He pulled her to him. As real and warm as ever, she fell into his embrace. She got down on one knee and hugged him tightly. He stepped close and did the same. A sob quietly escaped her.
“I know,” he whispered in her hair.
On his shoulder, he felt her nod. Despite the tears, it felt good to hold her. Though he heard footsteps in the hallway, he ignored them. For a few more seconds there was silence, but then Yong cleared his throat.
“What the hell happened in here?” he said.
As Liv pulled away and sniffed, they both took a look around the room.
“We’ll pay for any damages,” SK said.
The ball lightning, though it had released Yong’s mother from this world, had obviously come at a cost. Every wall was charred with a circular, black blast mark. All the chairs were toppled as well. A few framed family photos still hung, but they tilted at crazy angles. Liv backed away from SK, holding him at arm’s distance.
“Are you okay?” she asked, scanning him up and down.
“Never better,” he said. He took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. “I was at the center, with you.”
The only thing that remained untouched was the jesa table.
Min and Colin appeared in the hallway. “You guys,” Min whispered, staring at each of the walls.
Shaman, Lover, Warrior: An Urban Fantasy Thriller (Olivia Lawson Techno-Shaman Book 5) Page 10
