Chapter 15
fifteen
Seer Goddard never did turn up that afternoon. When I found myself back near his hut, the sun was just starting to tip down the horizon to usher in the evening. I’d spent a long time lost in the sky, but not as long as it’d felt like in the moment.
As I made my way down the hill, heading back toward Wisteria Cottage, I took a detour toward the castle.
After seeing the mirages of my mother and Simon, I had some questions for Liza.
As I crossed in front of the castle and came to the edge of The Forest, I realized I had no idea how to find the girl.
“I thought you might come visit.” Liza’s voice came out of nowhere. “I have been waiting for you.”
I turned and found Liza sitting at the edge of the river, her feet dangling in the water. Next to her was a small bonfire nestled into a small, sandy patch of shoreline. Beside the fire was a picnic basket that looked familiar.
“Millie found you first?” I asked with a smile. “I imagine she packed the picnic?”
“She sure did. I’ve been waiting for a little while,” Liza admitted. “Which is fine, I had nothing better to do anyway, and now I get the bonus of a really good dinner, so… It all works out.”
“How did you know I’d come looking for you?” I asked gently. “Did your mom tell you?”
Liza didn’t answer, just picked at the pale blue dress she wore today. It was threadbare and worn in, but adorable.
“Can I ask you a question about your mom?” I sat across from Liza.
“You can always ask.” Liza gave a wry smile at the bonfire. “Can’t exactly stop you.”
“Can you tell me more about these conversations you have with her? You said a little bit yesterday, but I’m desperately curious to learn more.”
Liza cocked her head to one side and popped a fresh blueberry into her mouth. Millie had outdone herself on the picnic dinner, as always. The wicker basket was stuffed with cheeses, a little wine for me, ice-cold lemonade for Liza, crackers, fruit, and cookies for dessert.
“It’s not always the same,” Liza said. “Most of the time, I’m not communicating with her through, you know, actual words and language.
Usually I get a feeling, a sensation when she’s near.
It started after she died, when I’d just get this niggling feeling that I wasn’t alone, that she was still with me.
At first, I thought it was just my way of coping with her death. ”
“How did you determine it was more than that?”
“Time.” She shrugged. “The feeling is stronger some days than others. I can tell when she’s near.
If there’s something specific she wants to tell me, I can usually sense that too.
That part didn’t start until later, months later.
Kind of like I had to build up to it. Like I had to learn to believe she was still there. ”
“When she needs to tell you things, how does she get that across?”
“You’re talking about the trial that I led you to,” Liza said.
“That one was a dream. I told you a little bit about it last time, but it’s not the dream you’re thinking of.
It’s more of a daydream. I’ll feel this sensation coming over me, like a prickling.
All of a sudden, I can see something happening right in front of me, as clear as day.
It’s not real, it’s a message from her.”
I could hear the sadness tighten Liza’s voice as she spoke about her mother. While comforting on some level, it must also be heartbreaking to be so close to her mother but not able to reach her, to touch her, to feel her in a physical way.
I understood better than I might have after today’s trial. Seeing my mom, hearing her say all the right things, wishing she’d hug me... wishing it had really been her, not an illusion. I hadn’t even been close with her. I couldn’t imagine how Liza felt.
“I understand, a little,” I said softly. “And I’m really sorry.”
Liza looked at me, and I could tell she knew I meant it. Her eyes melted in gratitude. “It’s better than not seeing her at all.”
“I had some contact with the spirit world lately,” I confessed. “Well, not technically the spirit world. It was more like an illusion.”
“Ah. Your second trial?” Liza reached for a cracker. She slathered it with cheese, drizzled local honey from Wisteria Cottage on top, popped the whole thing in her mouth, and chewed thoughtfully. “Something to do with your Fae ancestors?”
“A little of both. In the trial today, I had visits from my past life. Illusions, not real spirits, but it was like they were real. It was… very strange.”
Liza nodded, like she understood that.
“Before, I did visit a place called The Glade where my ancestors could communicate with me. Spirits,” I clarified. “I think you have an incredible gift, Liza. You’re so young, but you have so much to offer.”
“Thanks.” Liza looked up at me. “By the way, you’re not crazy.”
“What?”
“When I started hearing voices or sensing my mom was close, people thought I was nuts. That’s why I don’t tell many people about it. But you’re not crazy. I imagine you probably hear things, like me.”
I immediately thought of the lullaby and gave a tentative nod. “I do.”
“The more you accept it, the easier it will be to understand what the spirits are telling you. The more you’ll realize it’s a good thing, not a scary thing, that they want to talk to you.”
It gutted me, how honest and sincere this little girl was. She was wise beyond her years.
“Thank you,” I said. “I think I needed to hear that.”
“Speaking of, I think the spirits are in distress,” Liza said. “I’ve been visited by my mom a lot lately, and I think that’s what she’s been trying to tell me.”
“What do you mean, distress? Also, spirits? Do you mean there are more besides your mother?”
“She’s not alone. I can’t talk to the others like I do her, but I know they’re there.”
“Do you know what’s wrong?”
Liza shook her head, looking like it grated on her that she hadn’t figured it out.
“I haven’t been able to piece it together.
But lately, my mom has seemed agitated when she’s communicating with me.
Usually, her presence is calming, like a reassuring little cloud beside me.
But lately, there’s this urgency to what she’s trying to tell me, and I get the feeling something is wrong in her world. ”
“Have other people appeared in your dreams?” I asked. “Any of these other affected spirits?”
“A little,” Liza said. “But they’re lumped together like a fog behind her. I can’t make them out as individuals. It feels like they’re stuck there in the background. Like they can’t get to where they need to go. I think she wants us to help them, but I don’t know how.”
“Maybe it’s not your job to help them.” I rested a hand on her knobby knee. “Maybe it’s just your job to bring the problem to our attention, and let us figure out the rest.”
“Maybe,” she said. “I get the feeling we’ll find out one way or another. Very soon.”
There was a sharp edge to Liza’s words, and I got the feeling she was worried. That she sensed something big was brewing and would come to a head, possibly a very dangerous head, if we didn’t act soon.
“I’m going to ask around and see if I can find out anything,” I said. “I won’t tell anyone about you and your gifts, if you prefer.”
Liza nodded.
“Let me know if you hear anything else?”
“Of course.” Liza stood. “I should head home. Can I bring the basket and food?”
“Of course,” I replied, offering her the whole thing, minus the wine. “Can I walk you home?”
“Oh, Alessia.” Liza just smiled, then scampered off into The Forest.
I couldn’t have followed her if I tried. I put out the bonfire, then strolled closer to the castle, my eyes glancing over the river. My gaze was drawn to the small, shallow pool in front of it that reflected the silver of the moon as it rose into the sky.
I had one more trial left. I could safely assume it involved water. Where, though? This very river? The Great Lake that surrounded us? Somewhere in a distant world through a portal?
It didn’t help to theorize. I knew I wouldn’t be able to predict what would happen, only that it would involve water. I looked down at the glassy surface of the river, felt calmed by the mirror-like surface of the pool in front of the castle. Tonight, the waters were at peace.
I wasn’t sure how long I gazed into the river, but it was so long I felt like I’d drifted into a meditative state. That was when I saw them: the faces in the water.
Not human faces, nothing with flesh, but ghostly echoes of human forms. Spirits, maybe?
Whispers of them. The more I focused, the harder the faces were to make out.
There were many though, maybe a hundred?
Flowing and distorted as the water moved over rocks and the faces drifted beneath the surface.
Even as they disappeared, I knew for a fact they had been there. They had existed. Unlike my mother and Simon, these were not illusions—they were real. Not a figment of my imagination.
It was timely, after my conversation with Liza.
I had to believe it wasn’t a coincidence, that there was indeed something happening in the spirit realm of this island.
Something that was causing anxiety and unrest. Now, the spirits were showing themselves to me.
They were reaching out to Liza. They wanted to be heard by anyone who could listen.
As I stared into the depths of the shallow pool of water, it was too late. The faces were gone; there was nothing left but calm water that glistened like marble. I couldn’t summon them back.
My heart pounded. My adrenaline raced. Something was happening. Liza was right. I just didn’t know what to do about it. All I knew was that I needed to find out… before it was too late.
“You smell like a bonfire,” Silas said, as I rushed into his arms. “Everything okay?”