Chapter Five #2
“What do you mean, not a normal Magic Keeper?” she questioned for clarification.
“Most Magic Keepers are born with one skill set. You know, good at plants, or animals, or creating portals, or healing, or maintenance, or baking.” She waved her arms to encompass the little shop around them.
“I was born with several. I can heal just as well, if not better, than Kat. I can create portals including instant ones, which is very rare. I can create outfits out of thin air without measuring someone but by just looking. And I can redecorate a whole room with a wave of my wand.” She demonstrated the wand wave then looked sheepish.
“That sounds amazing Roz! Why are you embarrassed by that?” Roz's wings fluttered uncertainly.
“It never feels good to stand out, even if it’s because of being extraordinary, maybe especially because of being extraordinary. Right Roz?” Aiden offered. Roz gave him a small smile.
“Yeah.”
“I get it. I was always bigger and stronger than other boys my age and because of that they always wanted to prove they were tougher than me. They never tried it one on one, but always three or four at a time.” Aiden offered a helpless smile when Roz gasped, then chuckled.
“What they didn’t realize until too late was that I never went anywhere alone, even when I thought I had. ”
Roz leaned closer, eager for the rest of the story. “Why not?”
“I was always there, in the shadows, ready to pounce at the sign of the first thrown fist,” Bréagha announced.
The woman that brought their waters brought their sandwiches and she thanked her profusely before digging into the first BLT.
She groaned at the taste of freshly made bread, the crispy saltiness of the bacon, and the cool crisp of the lettuce and tomato.
“You fought those bad boys with Aiden?” Roz's wings drooped as she pictured a young Bréagha facing down boys twice her size.
“Yep.” Bréagha popped the p then stuffed some more BLT in her mouth. Aiden laughed at Roz’s shocked look.
“She may be smaller than me, she might have been smaller than those boys, but she’s fierce, strong and slightly scary when riled,” admitted Aiden before taking a big bite of his own sandwich. Bréagha grinned and winked at the look on Roz’s face.
“They never underestimated me again, and they for sure didn’t mess with Aiden. We weren’t friends with them, but they left us alone.” Roz looked troubled at Bréagha’s words.
“That had to be lonely though,” she said concerned, for the younger versions of Bréagha and Aiden. The big Aiden just sat back in his chair and lifted a shoulder while Bréagha shot her an unrepentant grin.
“We had each other and that was enough,” responded Aiden quietly, giving Roz a reassuring smile before focusing back on his sandwich. The table was quiet as each of them focused on their own thoughts and lunch. Once they were all finished, they headed out the door.
Once outside the deli, Bréagha got a good look at where they were.
The cafe sat in the middle of one side of a busy town square.
There was a large fountain in the center with several winged horses rearing up, in the middle.
All four sides of the square had adorable little shops selling various things like candy, perfume, fresh fruit, trinkets, and clothes.
It was like any cute tourist town on Earth.
Bréagha made a mental note to come back later and check out the candy store.
She could smell the fresh fudge from where she stood, and her mouth instantly started to water.
“Did you want to rest before tonight or explore more?” Roz asked. Aiden looked at Bréagha, allowing her to decide.
“You know what would be great? A nice soak. Was there a bathtub in that tree?” Bréagha turned to Roz; eyebrows raised in question.
“There’s a shower feature but not a tub.
There are several hot springs we usually use for soaking.
Let me think. There are the ones the Sentinels use; they are in a cave over there.
” Roz gestured to where the Sentinel headquarters stood.
From where they were, Bréagha and Aiden could make out an elaborate obstacle course as well as archery dummies.
“Oh, there’s one lovely waterfall hot spring that is in a more secluded area.
It’s near the tree house you two are currently staying in.
It’ll give you the privacy you would need, especially this time of the day. ”
“That sounds great! Let’s go there. I would love a nice soak before the ceremony,” Bréagha stated.
“This way!” Roz headed back into the dense forest. Before Bréagha knew what was happening, Roz had grabbed her hand and portaled them to the small hot springs in the middle of the woods.
Bréagha gasped at how truly beautiful the area was.
It was deep in the woods, so it was surrounded by thick foliage.
Around the edges of the spring were a multitude of different colored flowers.
Amongst those flowers butterflies flittered from petal to petal, she could hear birds singing in the tree branches and smiled.
She liked music while she bathed. There was a waterfall that crashed into the pool, churning the warm waters below, and what looked like a natural rock shelf that ran behind it.
She could see the bottom of the small pond, saw the different boulders that lined one side of the pool creating places to sit and enjoy the water. Yep, this would do.
“Stay here one sec.” Roz popped away and a few seconds later came back with an arm loaded down with soaps, shampoo/conditioner, and towels. “When you’re done just holler for me and I’ll teleport you over to the treehouse to get dressed.”
“Roz, can you teleport me back now? I’m going to nap while this one enjoys her bath,” requested Aiden.
“Sure! Let’s go, I need to check on your clothes too.”
Aiden turned towards Bréagha who was already kicking off her shoes.
“Be safe and holler if you need Roz.” Bréagha just waved him off and started pulling her shirt up over her head.
Aiden turned around fast and grabbed Roz’s hand.
She laughed as she portaled him to the treehouse.
Once he was dropped off, he climbed the stairs built into the inside of the tree trunk to where he slept the night before.
His room looked the same as the room downstairs except instead of a door he had the stairs.
He climbed into the softer than clouds bedding after kicking off his shoes and instantly fell into a deep sleep.
Images of different animals flowing through his dreams