The World in Flower

49. Urgent Business

"You mean I'm not going to see Yooko ever again? My parents? My sister? My grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins?" Ulises had reverted to a mix of Spanish and English.

"I'm sorry," Max replied. "The odds are not good."

"How do I look for them? What can I do?!"

"You need to get better, first off," Zuri spoke. "You're still very ill."

"There are people here who can look for them through... some kind of magical means," Max explained. "If they came through to this world during the event, we'll find them."

"What about that other world? Can they find them there?"

"I don't know," Max answered honestly, "but probably eventually."

***

Adam pulled away from Tim, wiping his eyes with his hands.

"You okay?" Tim asked gently.

"I need to talk to Rohunah. I need to understand what's going on."

Tim looked out the window. It was getting dark. "Let me get the kids to bed before you call."

"I need to get my crew to bed, too," Rob said, coming in from the front parlor. "Could we do some healing before you call? Would it be too late?"

"Rohunah's west of us, so it's a little earlier there," Tim estimated.

Adam nodded. "But we shouldn't waste any time."

***

"Feeling better?" Max asked as the healers filed out.

Ulises blinked. "Feeling sleepy." He glanced anxiously at Zuri then back to Max, and dropped into Spanish. "And a little horny."

Max chuckled. "I understand the healing does that sometimes."

Ulises shifted uncomfortably. "It's kind of weird."

"I'm afraid you may have to get used to it. You're very sick still, so you're in need of a lot of healing." He switched to English. "Just get some rest."

"Someone will be here to keep an eye on you," Zuri reassured her patient.

It was only a couple of minutes before Ulises was out like a light.

"So what did he say?" Zuri asked curiously.

"He was commenting on the side effect of the healing."

"Oh! That." She grinned. "It is a little surprising. You're feeling awful, but also you really want to get laid. Sorry. I suppose I shouldn't be talking sex with a minister."

"I've got seven kids," Max reminded her. "I appreciate that the good Lord gave us bodies that take pleasure in relationships." He stood up. "And speaking of my seven kids, I really need to get home. I don't like to pile all the parental responsibilities on Coral."

She nodded. "Thanks for all your help."

"You're welcome. If you want any more Stephen King book recommendations, give me a shout."

***

"I've had a theory, but needed some confirmation. While people were opening your gate, I was observing what happened with the energies spilling through mine, as were others in the scholars circle who have gates near them. I now believe the last crossover event was more complex, involving three worlds -- Verlest, Earth, and Merely's world. Verlest hit Merely's world first, but instead of crossing through it, connected with it and pushed it through Earth ahead of Verlest's own crossover. Essentially, two separate worlds crossed through Earth, with Verlest and Merely's world becoming entangled as Earth and it had been."