“But it still came to our aid when we needed it,” I said in wonder. “Somehow it found its way back.”
“It certainly did,” she agreed. “Perhaps that, too, is part of its magic.”
We sat for a few moments in the quiet of the garden.
“Will I still be able to talk to you?” I asked her.
“Not quite like this,” Asteria said. “But once I Cross, I will become one of your spirit guides, my little bird. You can always reach out to me, and I will always be listening. Just like the flame that guided you to Jess that night at the Shadow Tree, all the Vespers will be here to light your path.”
“I wondered if that was you.”
“It will always be me, little bird.”
I had to blink tears from my eyes so that I could see her clearly. “I’m obviously not happy any of this happened—Bernadette, and Sarah and everything the spirits went through, especially you—but I am glad I got to sit and talk with you one last time. Like this.”
Her smirk of a smile broadened. “A silver lining, indeed.”
The next daywhen I came downstairs, it was to find Jess waiting on the couch for me, her things all packed up on the floor beside her.
“Hey. I wanted to make sure I said goodbye, but I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You’re leaving already?” I asked, with a sinking feeling.
“Yeah. I’ve got some serious paperwork waiting for me back at Fairhaven. This whole adventure was… not exactly as advertised,” she said, smirking.
I smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. I guess we did kind of turn a simple delivery job into a struggle over immortal souls.”
Jess shrugged. “It happens more often than you’d think. To me, anyway.”
“Do you really think the Source—I mean, the Geatgrima, is healed?” I asked.
“I am definitely going to send some people around to double check my assessment, but from everything I can observe, yes. That Geatgrima is now in perfect working order.”
“You mean other Durupinen will be coming here?” I asked, perking up.
“Yes, I expect so. But this time we’re going to have my people call your people, so to speak, and go through the official channels. That means my Council and your Conclave will have to butt heads and figure it out.”
“Does that mean your Council will explain how you seemingly came back to life? Because I don’t think I would do a very good job.”
Jess laughed. “Don’t worry, they’ll take care of it. The Council has gotten very adept at cleaning up my messes. And this way, with everything out in the open, we can work together without all the subterfuge. I don’t think either of our orbits would be happy if we went rogue again, do you?” she asked.
“Probably not. But speaking of witches and Durupinen butting heads, Asteria showed me something last night that answers a lot of questions.”
And without further ado, I explained the vision Asteria had brought to me, and watched as Jess’ expression grew more and more astonished.
“You mean to say the witches of Sedgwick Cove and the Durupinen of Fairhaven have been working together for centuries and we just… forgot?!” she gasped.
I shrugged. “A lot can happen in four hundred years, I guess. The connection got broken somehow. Anyway, it explains why the grimoire took so long to resurface.”
“Well, I never thought I’d be grateful those apprentices messed with witchcraft, but now I guess I am. I’m not sure I would have been able to help Asteria otherwise,” Jess said with a bewildered shrug.
“About that,” I said. “I’ve been wondering. You said the apprentices were trying to take a Geatgrima’s power for their own. But aren’t you already connected to the Gateways? What more power could they have been looking for?”
Jess opened her mouth, and then closed it again. “That’s going to have to be a story for another day, Vesper. I could stay here another month and still not have the time to explain that whole situation.”
She stood up, and slung her bag over her shoulder.
“I’m not a big one for mushy goodbyes,” she said. “And besides, I’ll see you again soon. You owe me a trip to Fairhaven, remember?”
