Unraveled Homecoming by J. L. Shelton

Author:J. L. Shelton [Shelton, J. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781642377088
Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
Published: 2019-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

The ground lightly but steadily trembling beneath her knees shook Mattie out of the tortured hell caused by her grief. She lifted her head and found Firestorm’s nose right in front of her. The mare let out a quiet snort of disquiet, so the woman reached out and stroked her reassuringly. Once she had enough of the attention, Firestorm raised her head and turned her gaze towards the direction of the estate, her tail swishing in slight agitation.

Mattie felt wretched once she realized the connection hadn’t been blocked quickly enough to save Garin from receiving the initial brunt of her emotions. Damn it! The earth unnaturally moving was proof enough of that!

As soon as the ground stilled, Mattie was on her feet. Temptation to just jump onto Firestorm’s back and leave this place was great. In fact, the woman had approached the horse’s left side with every intention of going through with that idea when a tentative spark of concern entered her mind. Isabelle was worried, probably due to her mother’s emotional state.

Resting a gentle hand on Firestorm’s side, Mattie remembered that this wasn’t just about her anymore. No matter how torn up she felt, her daughter needed her to face this and deal with it. And after Garin’s obvious reaction to her grief, her husband needed her to go through with this as well.

Firestorm turned her head towards Mattie and started to rub her nose gently against the woman’s face. After taking the time to reassure the life within her, Mattie’s hand rubbed the chestnut for the same reason. Then she took a deep breath and headed back to the house, praying she could handle whatever was to come.

***

Pointing at the cane and hoping to learn something about her gift, Mattie said to Agnes, “My sword, Crepus, shows up with me sometimes.”

The old woman just grunted agreeably. The two of them were walking through a hazy variation of the estate’s obstacle course, a green forest surrounding them. Mattie had to admit that she hadn’t been certain where Agnes’ ability to Soul Walk would land them in her brain. There were far worse things than her childhood home inside this place. Luckily, opening her mind’s defenses had been the hardest part of the whole process thus far.

The moment Mattie had re-entered her great-grandmother’s home, she had told both women that they needed to get this over and done with. They nodded their understanding, no surprise at the demand. Belladonna had sat Mattie down across from Agnes, who gently took one of the younger woman’s hands. All she had said was a gentle, “Let me in.”, and the second Mattie’s guard dropped had the duo strolling along together within this mindscape.

Agnes’ eyes were bright with swirling power when she stopped to lean on her cane. “When an item becomes an important part of you, it appears from time to time during your Walks,” she said as an explanation for Mattie’s observation. “Never rely on its presence though, at least not until you are much more experienced.

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