Script of the Heart Page 30

  Everyone in the Time Chamber disappeared.

  Giniana blinked. No, no one occupied the room, not one person, not Thrisca, not D'Willow herself.

  Someone choked a cry, several people shouted names, pressed themselves, their hands, their bodies, to the glass half-wall.

  Others must have held their breaths like Giniana had, because when the fog vanished and the people returned, all horizontal, air whooshed out around her, including from T'Spindle and Melis.

  "Zow," someone murmured.

  A gong sounded and Palli Willow intoned, "The Time Healing Procedure has been concluded. Blessed be the Lady and Lord. Blessed be us all."

  People began to rise smoothly to their feet, beaming smiles, patting various parts of their bodies that hadn't worked well before. Several wept.

  The door to the observation room opened and Giniana smelt a whiff of strangeness beyond strange, then people rushed out until the room emptied of all but one.

  Thrisca lay panting on the floor. Everyone else had left. And, Giniana was glad to see, everyone seemed Healed. No doubt they'd hurry to their personal Healer or HealingHall to confirm the cure.

  But Thrisca.

  Chapter 32

  Giniana's heart squeezed, her eyes filled with tears. The FamCat had been interested and active lately. That had masked how truly sick she was. Dying.

  T'Spindle put his arm around Giniana's shoulders. "I'm sorry," he said.

  "I'll get her," Klay stated behind them. Giniana hadn't heard him come in.

  Melis mewled, Me go with You! She sailed through the air to Klay's shoulder, hunkered down there, fur spiky.

  Palli, holding the door open to the time chamber, frowned at them all, glanced at the Fam prone on the floor, back at Giniana and her friends. Yes, friends. T'Spindle, her employer, was a staunch friend. Klay, her love and lover, also a great friend.

  Klay stopped beside her, brushed a kiss on her temple. "We'll all take care of Thrisca, now and forever." His voice rang with sincerity. She valued that more than she could say.

  He could be himself with her. Surely that was important to him, too? Other memories pressed on her, of her parents always acting, never real—not even with each other. She didn't know what their relationship had been based upon, the unspoken rules of it, but they hadn't been honest with each other.

  She and Klay wouldn't be like that.

  Before she could reach out, Klay nodded to Palli as he strode through the open door, crouched down next to Thrisca. He placed his hand on Thrisca's side and Melis ran down his arm. His fingers barely moved on Thrisca's ribcage as she labored for breath.

  No, no, NO! squealed Melis, hopping down to land directly in front of Thrisca's eyes. Small FamKitten tongue came out and licked and licked the old cat's face. I needs You!

  Johns couldn't believe how horrible he felt at seeing Thrisca so sick. Dying and with the last hope of any Healing gone. When had he come to care for the Fam?

  Melis shouted telepathically, surely loud enough that everyone in the building heard, I loves You, Thrisca. I loves You and You loves Me and We loves each other. We is Best Friends! FAMS! Stay here with Me to teach Me what I needs to know!

  At the huge swirl of sibling love between the cats expanded through Johns, a revelation exploded through him. He let his link with Thrisca spiral wide, yanked at whatever warm emotions he had for the old FamCat, projected them to her, added love … easily added the overflowing love he felt for Giniana into his bond with her Fam. He also held out his other hand toward Giniana who remained in the other room near the observation window.

  And demanded. Demanded she come to him, to them, to share in the love between them all.

  Choking, weeping, she stumbled to him, knelt beside him, touching Thrisca as he did.

  Melis cried, We all loves You and each other and needs to SHOW you. We cans show this! WE CANS! Her small face turned up toward Johns, her eyes a brilliant green. And he could only remember when one of them had been cloudy.

  She stretched atop Thrisca, between Giniana and Johns, connecting them all in a circuit and amplifying all their interconnected bonds.

  Love flowed and Thrisca's breathing, her very heartbeat, steadied to match with the rest of theirs. Under his fingers, he felt the strength of all that love, could almost feel the final mending of her body that the time experiment had begun when the treatment had destroyed the sickness.

  He knew he provided most of the Flair, the energy, the strength, but an equal portion of the love, and that was perfect.

  Melis sniffled. Life is good.

  A roar of affirmation came from everyone, aloud and telepathically. LIFE IS GOOD!

  Giniana sobbed beside him, then T'Spindle was there, a firm hand under her elbow, raising her to her feet. "Come along. You can see she's Healed, you can sense it. Let's leave this place."

  Johns met Thrisca's eyes, as vibrantly alive as the kitten's, he stretched his arms under the serval. Don't you scratch or bite me, or I'll drop you, he warned as he lifted her. Then he felt Melis on his back, and he had to pause hunched over while she ran up to perch on his shoulder. Cats.

  But Thrisca actually shut her eyes, let him take her relaxed weight. Your Flair is better now that you have been with Us. You are better for Fams, she said.

  He grunted, didn't know about that, and lifted her and carried her to T'Spindle's glider, where they all could fit, and, at the lord's instructions, Johns sent his own glider home.

  The FirstFamily GrandLord superseded all Johns's plans for the day that he'd made before the turmoil of last night. His understudy would be the lead in Firewalker today, and Johns would be swept up in T'Spindle's arrangements. He rolled his shoulders at the resentment that had settled there, reminded himself that being included in the man's activities would be no bad thing.

  But he wished he had Giniana alone. Or even Giniana and the cats.

  "I am so sorry that a glitch in my payment system didn't get my gilt to you during your childhood," Giniana's father, Mas Filix, lied. The scry had come through to her new suite in St. Johnswort House.

  Giniana's heart still palpitated from seeing her father—even through a scrybowl image—for the first time in years. He looked the same, but older, and she hadn't realized how much her features resembled his.

  Since he seemed to want a reaction, she nodded. She supposed he might have taken that as absolution, but she merely showed that she'd heard his empty words.

  He added a sincere smile.

  Not as warm as Klay's sincere actor's smile, that Giniana had seen a few times in the past several eightdays when he interacted with others of his ilk.

  Sitting in the refurbished MistrysSuite of St. Johnswort House, Giniana donned her serene Healer's mask. She pretended to her father, as well. "That's all right," she said lightly. "I didn't need the gilt much as a child, mother took care of me." Despite everything, she had to acknowledge that. Giniana would never follow such a path to have her own needs seen to, or any child's, but she'd finally lifted her voice in prayers of forgiveness for her mother—and requested the same for herself for the bitterness she worked on erasing from her life.

  After she finished resolving her lingering emotions for her mother, she would have to deal with those involving her father. That would be harder. She didn't think she'd ever banish the hurt of his abandonment. Certainly the large amount of gilt that had been deposited in her bank account from him—because he was legally obligated to do that—didn't mitigate his previous complete absence from her life.

  But she had a vibrant family now—Klay and Thrisca and Melis—even if Klay still wasn't able to say the words Giniana longed to hear, needed to hear with every passing moment. She felt the love from him, but the words remained stubbornly absent.

  "I'm glad Verna fulfilled her duty," Giniana's father said, a trifle woodenly. She didn't know whether he'd bothered to find out how her mother and she had lived before Giniana earned her Healer robes, but if he hadn't, she wouldn't satisfy his curiosity.
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  And if he observed her pretense, which surely he did, he ignored it.

  Klay would never ignore her. In fact, he'd proved that he'd bull ahead on her behalf and without her consent. A flaw, but not one that hurt her as much as neglect, the lack of simple caring.

  Mas tried a rueful look, also false. "I contacted D'Willow and her assistant stated T'Spindle paid for the Time Healing Procedure."

  "That's right." Giniana’s smile felt strained. "I didn't need gilt before last month. But the time Healing treatment was expensive." She waved an airy gesture. "Incredibly interesting, of course, the whole procedure … the atmosphere, seeing the very winds of time ..." She shook her head. Oh, yes, this he wanted a description of, that he could use in conversation to puff himself up, or use as part of his work.

  "You know you'll always be welcome here, with me," he said gruffly. She thought he meant that, in this moment.

  Another nod.

  Before the silence became awkward, the hall door flew open.

  "It's set!" Klay strode in, aura blazing, radiating delight. He picked Giniana up and tossed her in the air, out of Mas's scry sight, caught her with easy strength. "I've got the lead in Amberose's new play! Raz Cherry T'Elecampane and Del D'Elecampane are opening a theater at their new resort. A guesthouse of our own on their estate, top gilt, and a fantastic role!"

  Giniana noticed the quick look of envy on her father's face. He wasn't alone, Giniana thought T'Spindle felt a bit of that emotion at the idea of a new resort and theater in the country, too. But Mas would also want a phenomenal part in an Amberose story. A play that wouldn't make it to Chinju for months, if ever, depending on the agreement between Amberose and the newly HeartBonded Elecampanes.

  Giniana said, "Then I'll accept the Elecampanes' employment offer as their Family Healer, too." Del D'Elecampane was in the midst of a high-risk pregnancy.

  "Hey, Mas," Klay said, as if noticing the open scry with Giniana's father. "Good to see you." Klay glanced at her. "Back gilt come through?"

  "Yes."

  Klay shook his head. "Too bad the whole thing got so screwed up that it took T'Spindle and T'Reed to straighten out." He beamed, "Hey, Mas, I have great news—"

  "Sorry, I must go. May be afternoon there, but I've got a morning rehearsal call. I'll scry you later," Mas began.

  "Here's our new viz locale." Klay tapped a pattern on the edge of the scrybowl, impressed an image of a lovely house in the scrybowl water.

  "Got it. Later, dear daughter."

  Giniana suppressed a shudder. "Later."

  The droplets forming his image fell back into the bowl and Giniana let herself sag against Klay and the vitality of the man enveloped and invigorated her. "Sounds like our future is falling in place."

  "Yep." He picked her up and twirled with her.

  "Where are the Fams?" she asked. They loved their new territory, the St. Johnswort land and house. No sharing.

  "They went to T'Spindle's, to do a last sweep of the cottage, some of the grounds, and the Residence, before the new FamCats Danith D'Ash is giving your GrandLord and GrandLady arrive tomorrow."

  "To get last pets and treats."

  "That's right."

  Nevertheless, Giniana checked on her Fams. Thrisca hadn't been outside on her own in Druida City for decades before the Healing. Yes, both felines emanated pleasure.

  "What of the rest of our plans?" she asked as Klay let her go to forage in the new no-time for afternoon treats. "What about the Johnswort estate and the new little HeartStones?" she asked, right before he popped a cheese and cracker into her mouth.

  "Eat up, you'll need your strength." He grinned wickedly. "The HeartStones are sleeping again. Ellis Gardenia agreed to caretake this place in return for a tiny house and that corner of property we'll give him. The Lady Captain of the Maidens of Saille has approved one wing of this place for the daycare of those Blessed by the Lady. The nuns and the children will keep the HeartStones stimulated between our visits home."

  Giniana swallowed the cheese and cracker and sighed. "A big day."

  "Not as big as I want." He sobered, sucked in an audible breath. "I love you and want to marry you. Today. I've lined up T'Spindle as Priest and D'Spindle as Priestess to officiate the marriage ritual." He lifted both her hands and kissed them. "Invitations are going out and T'Spindle Residence is arranging matters as we speak. The Daisys and the Ashes have confirmed as witnesses."

  "Going behind my back again?" she mocked, even as the huge bubble of joy at hearing his words of love burst through her.

  Klay winced, dropped her hands. "Sorry."

  "No, don't be." She flung herself against him, and, rock solid, he kept her close. "Not this time. I'd love to marry you today."

  "Good." He cleared his throat. "That's good."

  "And this is the last time T'Spindle will interfere in my life, too."

  "One can hope," Klay said, then shouted along their bond with the Fams. The wedding is ON! She said 'yes.'

  Hooray! Melis and Thrisca chorused.

  And when Johns and Giniana made love on their wedding night, in the newly carved HouseHeart of St. Johnswort House, a huge and overwhelming wave ripped through him at climax … ripped through Giniana, too, he heard her cry of ecstasy bordering on pain. When that subsided, they stared at each other, panting.

  Johns blinked, a golden aura pulsed from her … and from him, and they both seemed wrapped in a golden rope that tied them together.

  The HeartStones hummed with energy and excitement and glee, then shut down.

  He thought they'd gone up a notch in intelligence … as …

  "I think I have more Flair," Giniana said. Eyes wide, she blinked rapidly and he saw crystal tears trail down her cheeks. She moved close and hid her face and expression against his shoulder.

  He coughed rasp from his throat. "I think I do, too." He sensed the stones, of course, subsiding in deep sleep, but with a continual circuit of brighter energy cycling between them that hadn't been there before. Awed, he said what he felt, "I think we, uh, Heart—, Heart—,"

  "HeartBonded, like true HeartMates! I never knew I had a HeartMate before," Giniana's voice remained hushed. "Perhaps I didn't, until now."

  "Yes," Johns agreed. "We came together in love, at the same time as this House's stones sparked better awareness, catapulting all three of us into better Flair. You and I became HeartMates and HeartBonded at the same moment."

  Cat yowls sounded, along with scratching at the door. What was that? What? What? demanded Melis. All My furs stood all up!

  FamWoman? questioned Thrisca.

  Johns pulled Giniana through the waterfall on one wall and she said a quick cleansing spell, then they went to open the door.

  Melis pranced in, headed toward a deep bed of catnip, squealed in delight. This place is wonderful. Thank you FamWoman, thank you FamMan.

  Thrisca strolled in. Very nice place for Us all, for Family.

  We IS Family, Melis shouted, pounced on Thrisca as the older cat rolled in the catnip.

  Johns curved his arm around his wife, his HeartMate, and they laughed together. "Yes," he said. "We is Family."

  Also by Robin D. Owens

  Please note that these books and stories are primarily romances. They are not appropriate for children.

  HeartMate

  Heart Thief

  Heart Duel

  Heart Choice

  Heart Quest

  Heart Dance

  Heart Fate

  Heart Change

  Heart Journey

  Script of the Heart

  Heart Search

  Heart Secret

  Heart Fortune

  Lost Heart, a Celta Novella

  Heart Fire

  Heart Legacy

  Heart Sight

  Hearts And Swords, a Celta Story Collection

  The Ghost Series (contemporary paranormal/ghost story romances)

  Ghost Seer

  Ghost Layer

  Ghost Killer


  Ghost Talker

  Ghost Maker

  Feral Magic, a contemporary paranormal shifter romance e-novella, CURRENTLY ONLY AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIBLE AUDIO BOOK

  The Mystic Circle Series (contemporary fantasy)

  Enchanted No More

  Enchanted Again

  Enchanted Ever After

  The Summoning Series

  Average American women are Summoned to another dimension to fight hideous evil, and, yes, with flying horses!

  Guardian of Honor

  Sorceress of Faith

  Protector of the Flight

  Keepers of the Flame

  Echoes in the Dark

  About the Author

  Robin D. Owens has been writing longer than she cares to recall. Her fantasy/futuristic romances found a home at Berkley with the issuance of HeartMate in December 2001. She credits the "telepathic cat with attitude" in selling that book. Currently, she has two domesticated cats (who have appeared in her stories).

  She loves writing fantasy with romance or romance with fantasy, and particularly likes adding quirky characters for comic relief and leaving little threads dangling from book to book to see if readers pick up on them (usually, yes! Reader intelligence is awesome!).

  Robin spends too much time on Facebook (see link below), loves hearing from readers, tries her best to respond to any questions and has been known to take reader advice for her work. When she receives good reviews or fan mail, she’s been known to dance around bored cats…

  Contact me here:

  www.robindowens.com

  robindowens@gmail.com