Shaman - An Enchantress Novel Book 2

Chapter 33

Rick sat up and looked around in confusion. He was sitting in the middle of a large field of wheat, its golden stalks swaying gently in the breeze.

"Rick! Rick!" someone called his name. "Rick, over here."

He looked around, searching for the owner of the voice. It sounded like Adie, her accent at least, but he couldn't see her. "Adie? Where are you?"

She appeared behind him. "I'm right here." She giggled when he flinched.

Gathering her in his arms, he swung her around in a circle. "God, I've missed you! How did you get here? Actually, how did I get here? Where are we?"

"We're in a dream world." Adie sobered, at the reminder of the reason for her visit. "I have something to tell you. You might want to sit down for this." She indicated the fallen tree that appeared to the side.

He sat. "You look very serious all of a sudden, what's wrong?"

"Okay, I don't think there's any easy way to say this so, I'll just spit it out." She hesitated, trying to form the words right in her mind.

"Come on, it can't be that bad."

"Rick, I'm dead," she blurted. His laughter ceased when he saw the look on her face. "Devon's sire killed me a few hours ago. Kevin, the vampire who's been helping me, is bringing you my body."

"But how? Why? You're here, how can you be dead?" he stuttered in shock.

"That's the thing I don't know how to explain, except that I didn't go into the light. Apparently, I'm a ghost. Eliza says I can do everything I could before I died and a heck of a lot more." Tears spilled from his eyes and ran in a track down his cheek. "Hey, it's okay. Really. You can still see me. I just won't be too solid all the time, but sometimes I can be. It's all very confusing and I don't really know how it works just yet, but Harmony says I'll be around for a while yet."

In a sudden burst of anger, he sprang to his feet. "Where's the bastard who took you? This is his fault, isn't it? I'll kill him."

"Don't worry, he's already dead. When I died, he no longer had my power to boost his own and Kevin killed him by taking his heart." She smiled at the memory. "Take my body home to Callie and Sam. I'll see you there. I have to go now."

Mist swirled around his feet and crept up his legs to engulf them. It felt warm, almost a caress and then she was gone.

"I love you," he whispered. "I love you Adie." He woke with a start, his cheeks damp with tears.

"I'll see you soon," her voice echoed around the dark motel room.

Chapter 34

Callie anxiously paced the living room, from the window to the bookshelf, practically wearing a hole in the carpet. "Hey," she said cheerfully into the phone when Sam finally answered. "How're things going over there?"

"Well erm..." he stammered. "Alexander won't need us after all so we'll be home tomorrow."

"Great! Oh, what about Adie, have you seen her?"

"Listen, I have to go. I'll tell you about it when we get back."

"You're being evasive. What aren't you telling me? Is it Adie, is something wrong?"

He sighed deeply. "I really don't want to talk about it over the phone."

"Just tell me already, I can't wait until tomorrow," Callie insisted.

"Callie..." he struggled to form the words, knowing what he was about to say would devastate her. He wanted to be with her when he broke the news.  "Adie's dead."

Silence.

"God Callie, I'm sorry, I didn't want to tell you over the phone."

"Not possible, I'd know if she were. I'd feel it."

"Callie, honey, I know how much you love her, and I didn't want to tell you over the phone, but Kevin just brought us her body. She's dead," Sam stated. "We're bringing her home tomorrow on the first flight we can get. I'm so sorry."

"I'd know. I'm sure I'd know," she croaked. "I don't believe you. It's a mistake, it has to be."

"There's no mistake..."

 Nic's voice came on the line. "Sam, she's not making sense, is it true?"

"Yeah, I have her body here. Listen, I'll see you tomorrow. Take care of Callie until I get back, please," he begged. He hung up and spun to face Kevin. "Why the hell didn't you stop him going any further? Surely you could feel the power from his Sire as you approached?"

"I'm sorry," Kevin lowered his head and refused to meet any of their gazes. "I should have high tailed us all out of there the moment I knew he was seeing another master. It's my..."

Adie's voice interrupted him, "Don't you bloody dare say it was your fault! That idiot Devon was entirely to blame. No one else." Her spirit gradually materialised until she stood in front of them with her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face.

"What the..." Sam sputtered, backing away from her in shock.

Both Rick and Kevin grinned. "This is what we were trying to tell you," they said in unison.

"But... But..." he moved closer to poke her on the arm, and feeling the solid flesh beneath his finger, he gasped. "But you're dead, how can you be..." Shaking his head in disbelief, he stared alternately between her and the body lying on the bed where Kevin left it.

Adie cocked her head to the side and looked at her body. It was the strangest experience, knowing that the lifeless person she stared at was herself. She needed to see the damage Isobel had done to her. Moving her blouse up, she studied the wound, poking the corresponding place on her new form.  A tender, slightly bruised sensation was all she could feel. As she studied the wound, it changed. She was sure it was bigger.

She blinked and shook her head, sure that what she just witnessed couldn't have happened. "Did any of you see that?" she asked.

"See what?" Rick replied, coming to stand by her side.

Adie kept looking at the wound, waiting for it to shrink again; even a millimetre to indicate she wasn't hallucinating. Nothing happened. "Oh, nothing. I think the light was playing tricks."

Sam had trouble taking in the sight of a living Adie and a dead Adie in the same place, it freaked him out. "So..." he started, and then changed his mind. Lost for anything else to say, he asked about the Shaman. "Kevin mentioned there were others like you, Shaman who are spirits?"

"Yeah, the others say they're more like spirit guides and only appear when a new Shaman needs help. The rest of the time they don't know where they go, they just appear where they're needed. Which reminds me, I have to go and get a book from Harmony before we leave.  I'll see you guys at home then." She waved before disintegrating.