Read Online Branches of the Willow 3 by Christine M. Butler - Free Book Online
Authors: Christine M. Butler
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pull him into the dream, he could validate things for me with everyone else who had a hard time believing I actually talked to our ancestors when I slept sometimes. Nobody likes the insinuation that they may just be a big ball of nuts.
I wasn’t sure I would be successful, even when I smelled the familiar scents of lavender and fresh earth. The candle light danced in my periphery as usual. Everything appeared as it always did when I first showed up, and the dream haze began lifting a bit.
“What the hell?” It was Mikael’s voice.
“Oh my God! I did it!” I screeched at him.
“Did what? Where in the hell are we, Jess?”
“I brought you along to see the white wolves with me.”
“You did what?” He questioned, but I didn’t get a chance to answer as laughter towards the center of the room boomed all around us.
“She is growing stronger.” The wolf voices commented aloud. “Jessica, you have introductions to make.”
“This is Mikael, my mate.” I spoke reverently, then I gestured to the dais in the middle of the cave. “These are the former white wolves.”
Mikael stood speechless for a few minutes, before he finally collected himself. Then he bowed down before them, going to one knee, as he did. “It is my honor.”
“The honor is ours, young man. For you are the true mate of our daughter-spirit. From you both, the cycle continues.”
I watched as Mikael tried to focus on what he was seeing upon the dais. Soon, he was looking away, and rubbing his eyes. “Apologies, the constant shifting is hard to look at.” When he looked up again, there was only one image, that of a young woman with beautiful auburn hair and dark forest green eyes.
“We forget sometimes, the spectacle we make. You have nothing to apologize for. I am Aislynn. You shall see only my visage now, but we are all still here-still one.”
“Aislynn,” Mikael repeated thoughtfully. “You were the first?” It was a question and a statement all at once.
“That is correct.”
I suddenly felt like a jackass because I didn’t know that. It made me appreciate the fact that I had Mikael by my side even more though. As they conversed some more I tuned them out and absentmindedly began moving closer to the dais. There, in the little square of turned earth before them was a tiny little sprout of green beginning to push its way forth from the dirt.
“How can something grow in here with no light?” I wondered out loud. Then, a tiny little pinprick of light slipped through the top of the cave, sending a kiss of sunlight to land upon the little sprout, giving it the nutrients it would need to grow. I was awed, and I wasn’t even sure why. The white wolves seemed pleased with my interest in the little sprout. Mikael came and put his arms around me, taking note of the tiny thing too. “Maybe when we come back it will be filled out a bit more.”
“We have hopes that your sprout will flourish, indeed.” The white wolves said amidst a chuckle. Those girls always knew more than they were letting on. It was both infuriating and endearing. Before I could ask any questions about why the sprout was there the world was fading out again, growing hazy, as it always did to signal the end of a visit.
Mikael clung a little tighter to me, not knowing what was happening. “Relax.” I told him before we faded away completely.
BUSINESS
Our mini-vacation ended with a flourish when our phones started ringing off the hook the next morning. “Well, I guess that’s mom’s way of telling us it’s time to come back to work.” I groaned as I glared at the buzzing phone on my bedside table.
“Yeah, I know, Evan woke me earlier. I told him I needed a shower and coffee first, so I have to call him back in just a bit. Why don’t you hop in while I go get coffee started?”
I hadn’t even noticed Mikael wasn’t in bed with me when the phone woke me. That meant I slept through the call from Evan too. Odd. The smallest noises usually
I wasn’t sure I would be successful, even when I smelled the familiar scents of lavender and fresh earth. The candle light danced in my periphery as usual. Everything appeared as it always did when I first showed up, and the dream haze began lifting a bit.
“What the hell?” It was Mikael’s voice.
“Oh my God! I did it!” I screeched at him.
“Did what? Where in the hell are we, Jess?”
“I brought you along to see the white wolves with me.”
“You did what?” He questioned, but I didn’t get a chance to answer as laughter towards the center of the room boomed all around us.
“She is growing stronger.” The wolf voices commented aloud. “Jessica, you have introductions to make.”
“This is Mikael, my mate.” I spoke reverently, then I gestured to the dais in the middle of the cave. “These are the former white wolves.”
Mikael stood speechless for a few minutes, before he finally collected himself. Then he bowed down before them, going to one knee, as he did. “It is my honor.”
“The honor is ours, young man. For you are the true mate of our daughter-spirit. From you both, the cycle continues.”
I watched as Mikael tried to focus on what he was seeing upon the dais. Soon, he was looking away, and rubbing his eyes. “Apologies, the constant shifting is hard to look at.” When he looked up again, there was only one image, that of a young woman with beautiful auburn hair and dark forest green eyes.
“We forget sometimes, the spectacle we make. You have nothing to apologize for. I am Aislynn. You shall see only my visage now, but we are all still here-still one.”
“Aislynn,” Mikael repeated thoughtfully. “You were the first?” It was a question and a statement all at once.
“That is correct.”
I suddenly felt like a jackass because I didn’t know that. It made me appreciate the fact that I had Mikael by my side even more though. As they conversed some more I tuned them out and absentmindedly began moving closer to the dais. There, in the little square of turned earth before them was a tiny little sprout of green beginning to push its way forth from the dirt.
“How can something grow in here with no light?” I wondered out loud. Then, a tiny little pinprick of light slipped through the top of the cave, sending a kiss of sunlight to land upon the little sprout, giving it the nutrients it would need to grow. I was awed, and I wasn’t even sure why. The white wolves seemed pleased with my interest in the little sprout. Mikael came and put his arms around me, taking note of the tiny thing too. “Maybe when we come back it will be filled out a bit more.”
“We have hopes that your sprout will flourish, indeed.” The white wolves said amidst a chuckle. Those girls always knew more than they were letting on. It was both infuriating and endearing. Before I could ask any questions about why the sprout was there the world was fading out again, growing hazy, as it always did to signal the end of a visit.
Mikael clung a little tighter to me, not knowing what was happening. “Relax.” I told him before we faded away completely.
BUSINESS
Our mini-vacation ended with a flourish when our phones started ringing off the hook the next morning. “Well, I guess that’s mom’s way of telling us it’s time to come back to work.” I groaned as I glared at the buzzing phone on my bedside table.
“Yeah, I know, Evan woke me earlier. I told him I needed a shower and coffee first, so I have to call him back in just a bit. Why don’t you hop in while I go get coffee started?”
I hadn’t even noticed Mikael wasn’t in bed with me when the phone woke me. That meant I slept through the call from Evan too. Odd. The smallest noises usually
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