Ellida (20 page)

“It seems so cruel, Ahmed,” Astrid said,
shaking her head. “It’s like you know your patient is healthy, but
you deliberately let him believe he has a horrible disease. But
you’re right. The Ellida
probably
knows what she’s
doing.”

“Being one, you should know there’s no way to
question her decisions.”

Astrid made a dry snort. “That actually
terrifies me. Nobody’s immune to making mistakes, not even Ellidas.
The good thing is I’m still an apprentice, at least for a few more
weeks, so I’m spared making big decisions.”

“You’ll be fine, Astrid.”

Astrid looked fondly at her unexpected guest,
the first person who would sleep in her parents’ house after a
quarter of a century, and smiled. “Are you going to be all right
here, Ahmed?”

“I
am
all right here.”

“Good, then. I’ll leave you now. The workers
won’t touch your bedroom, bathroom and the kitchen. You’ll eat with
us most of the time anyway.”

“And I’m coming with your family to Goblin’s
Hollow tomorrow night.”

“Oh, God!”

“Come on, I’ve heard you sing before.”

Astrid tilted her head. “When, if I may
ask?”

“In your office, particularly after
complicated surgeries.”

Astrid smiled. “I thought it was too quiet
for anybody to hear.”

“For others, yes, but not for me.”

She stood up. “I’m so happy to see you here,
Ahmed. And thank you for telling me about your life and your wife
and child.”

Ahmed’s fingers brushed her cheek, in a
gesture that felt friendly and familiar, with a gentleness that
reminded her of Tristan’s affection. “I had to. I still don’t know
why, but I knew I had to. Off you go now. I’ll see you
tomorrow.”

JACK WAS awake when Astrid came back. He
lifted the cover and she slid in. “I fed Blueberry. She’s sleeping
now.” He braced himself on his elbow. “Astrid, I know we said we
shouldn’t be testing our limits, but do you think you can handle
some gentle kissing?” Without waiting for her answer, he covered
her mouth in a long, tender kiss.

“Being almost naked under the cover won’t
help,” she murmured on his lips.

“Emphasis is on
almost
. I have my new
shark boxers on.”

“What! Let me see,” Astrid jumped and pulled
off the blanket. “Oh my!” She said with a satisfied smile. “What
else did you buy?”

“Everything you’ve ordered me to: bear,
tiger, dolphin, shark, snake. Two pairs of each.”

“How about Santa Claus?”

“That too, but you’re gonna wait to see that
one. It’s April.” He pulled the cover back. “Sorry, we’re
closed.”

She dipped her head down until her mouth
found Jack’s. She kissed him gently, running her fingers through
his hair. “I love you. Never leave me, Jack,” she whispered.
“Promise you’ll never leave me.”

“I will not, Astrid. I promise.”

Astrid closed her eyes and rested her head on
Jack’s chest.

“THANK YOU for this distraction,” she said a
bit later. “I needed it.”

“I know. I felt the same when Ahmed told me
about his wife and child. He’ll be fine, Astrid. Sleep now. I’ll
never leave you, baby.”

“I love you so much,” she said sleepily. Jack
gently wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair until
Astrid’s deep breathing lulled him into sleep.

WE ARRIVED at Goblin’s Hollow two hours
before Astrid’s eight o’clock début. I knew she’d be fantastic once
she started singing, but right now she was on pins and needles,
pacing across a foot-high podium packed with the guitars, a
keyboard, upright piano, drum set and cables.

The band was also excited. It was going to be
their first performance after a long winter break, with a new
singer and a different repertoire.

They didn’t expect a big crowd tonight, not
right away, at least. Stuart Crowe, the current manager, had been
ecstatic with the idea of Astrid singing with the band. Business
had recently slowed down, and weekend nights at Goblin’s were
barely better than the rest of the week, when the pub was
two-thirds empty anyway.

Astrid had spoiled his happiness telling him
that she didn’t want any kind of publicity before she started
singing, and Stuart had reluctantly had to agree not to advertise
Rawhide’s new star.

Although I’d spent some time with Astrid and
the guys while they practiced, I didn’t know what she would sing
tonight. Their stock of songs ranged from jazz and blues to
rock’n’roll and pop, even some country.

“Jack, can you find me a barstool?” Astrid
interrupted my thoughts.

I went to the storage room to fetch it.

She pointed to the spot where she wanted it.
So, she was going to sit through the first few songs. That was a
smart move. She’d look more casual and relaxed sitting than on her
feet.

Stuart had used every single table they had.
Extra chairs had been piled alongside the wall. “Before Astrid’s
done with the first song, the entire town will know what’s going on
here tonight,” he said and rubbed his hands, satisfied. “Goblin’s
will be packed in no time.”

Maggie had decided to come home over the
weekend. She, Betty and James arrived an hour after me, with
Peyton, Takeshi and Ahmed. They joined Lily, Drew, and Alec at the
table reserved for the family. Right in front of the stage.

James asked her how she was and kissed her
cheek.

She kissed him back. “If this turns out to be
a disaster, you’ll still love me?”

“Sure, we’ll just pretend for a while we
don’t know you. Don’t worry, Astrid. Goblin’s Hollow’s survived
much worse.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she
said, laughing.

“Dad, for Pete’s sake, how can you say a
thing like that?” my sister snapped, but James just laughed and
rubbed Astrid’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine, kiddo. It’s in your
blood.”

When Morgaine walked in, James went to greet
her and usher her to our table. Astrid brushed my cheeks with her
cold lips, waved to Maggie and Peyton to follow her, and the three
of them disappeared into the staff room behind the bar.

The lights turned off.

I could see the movements on the stage as
Sid, Mark, Bernard and Eamon took their place. I could see Astrid
walking to the barstool and sitting on it.

Then a single, wide blue beam lit her up.

She looked very young and cool in faded blue
jeans, fashionably ripped above her knees, and a tight white
T-shirt with a fluorescent-green inscription
I’m with the
Band!
I caught a glimmer of the silver wolf-pendant necklace
around her neck. Her gorgeous hair was pulled up into, well, an
elaborate ponytail. Some kind of retro 1950’s look. Her feet were
propped against the footrest. Holding the mike in one hand, she
touched the pendant with her other.

“Two… three…four…” I heard Eamon, and then
the first instrumental measures, three guitars and the drum, and
then Astrid’s soft, velvety, sexy voice.

Ah,
Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
.
What a brilliant choice for the opening song!

Astrid’s eyes briefly found mine. She winked
and smiled.

Even under the blue beam of light I could see
that Astrid’s eyes were brown. She’d brought up her wolf tonight,
to cope with her stress and anxiety.

She had an incredible voice: powerful,
confident, sensual, flexible and clear. She’d said she was a
soprano, but that classification referred to my blue-eyed girl.
With her wolf in charge, she sounded deeper, heavier and
darker.

I quickly scanned the bar. Every single pair
of eyes focused on her. People were smiling, spellbound by the girl
on the stage and her voice.

When she finished, Goblin’s Hollow exploded
with whistling, clapping and cheering. Astrid jumped down from the
stool, bowed slightly and whispered, “Thank you”.

After Eamon introduced their new band member,
Astrid moved the stool to the end of the stage. Her inner tension
eased and her eyes resumed their sapphire-blue hue.

It was mostly a jazz and blues night: Astrid
was toggling masterfully between Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin
and Billy Holliday.

She looked and sounded confident. Her voice
was alternating from satiny, smooth and warm, to a rich, spinning
and ravishing sound. It was an instrument in itself, capable of
producing a whole range of different vocal characteristics, yet
unmistakably unique. She sang other singers’ music, songs that had
made them widely popular and recognizable, yet she didn’t sound
like any of them. She sounded like Astrid.

The last song was Eddie Colley’s
Fever
. They added saxophone to the second part of the song,
giving it an unexpected twist. It sounded fantastic!

It was almost three o’clock in the morning
when the lights were finally turned on again. I looked around.
Goblin’s Hollow, half-empty at the beginning, was jammed. All the
extra chairs were used, and some of the guests who’d arrived later
stood along the walls or sat on the edge of the stage.

Amazed, I watched Astrid chatting with the
guests, stopping by the tables, smiling. She was happy. Her
audience was happy as well and, still enchanted by her beautiful
voice, reluctant to leave.

LATER AT home, we celebrated Astrid’s
smashing success with a late night feast. James’ idea, of course.
I’d been hoping for a more intimate party in our room, but this
time James was right. It was Astrid’s night, and I didn’t have the
right to keep our new star to myself. At least not for the next few
hours.

I looked at her smiling face and sparkling
eyes, thinking how much she had changed in the last two months. I’d
met a reserved, no-nonsense girl, with a sharp tongue, dry humor
and a cool, sensible mind. I remembered the day she’d cried in her
room because I’d told her we were bonded for life. She’d cried
because she wanted me to be her
choice
. She wanted to be
loved for who she was. Well, those wishes had been granted to her.
Our love was more than the bond that had tied us together. Astrid
was my mate, my friend and my partner. She would soon be my wife
and one day the mother of my children.

This relaxed, chatty, fun-loving Astrid had
always been there, along with the rational and logical Miss Spock.
Her two natures, which always coexisted side by side, had started
emerging as a single entity, even greater and more fascinating than
the sum of its parts.

IT WAS almost dawn when I was finally able
to drag her to the room. She locked her arms around my neck and
kissed me fiercely. “This is one of the best days of my life!” she
said excitedly, looking at my eyes with so much love that my heart
almost burst with emotion.

God, I should probably sleep in my room
tonight.

“What’s at the top of your list?” I said in
an attempt to distract myself from her warm, soft body that smelled
and felt so good.

“The night I found you in my garden,” she
said without hesitation. “That’s
the
best and
the
most important day of my life. Then, in second place, is the day
when we went hiking to Cricket Falls. Then our first date, then
when we fought with those Tel-Urughs—”

“How does fighting with Tel-Urughs qualify
for a best day list? That was one of the scariest days of my life.
I didn’t hear your heart for a few moments. I thought you were
dead. I wish I could erase that day from my memory.”

Her fingers pressed over my mouth. “Shhh,
don’t go there. My heart never stopped. It qualifies because we did
it together. You were ready to give your life to save mine. That’s
why.” She smiled. “But don’t think you are solely accountable for
my best days. There are my family and my friends on that list, my
patients, my university days, Ingmar—”

“Can we skip Ingmar?”

“And the day I learned that my mother has
been protecting me all these years. My list is very long. I’m a
happy woman, Jack. What about your best days?”

I wanted very much to take her through my
list, but I restrained myself. If I mentioned her red dress, for
example, which was very close to the top, things could easily get
out of control. Instead, I kissed her gently, careful not to spark
the fire. “Some other time, baby. You should sleep a bit now. You
know that Master Nakamura won’t accept your sudden stardom as an
excuse for ditching your next kung fu lesson.”

She chuckled. “It was aikido, not kung fu,
but we gave up on any kind of
art of fighting
long ago. He
teaches me now how to fight dirty.”

“You seem to be a good student, then.
Takeshi’s quite happy with your progress. He says you’re a natural
talent.”

Astrid gave me a suspicious look. “Really? He
rarely says anything to me, except, occasionally, that I’m
hopeless. Except maybe with those bamboo swords. I like that. And
the bow. Takeshi’s satisfied with my archery skills. He still
doesn’t say anything, but I can see it,” she said proudly.

“When did you start with archery
lessons?”

“A few days ago. It’s so easy, Jack. Your
arms must be completely steady and firm, but relaxed. And then you
just release the arrow. There’s only one trajectory between point
A, the tip of the arrow, and point B, the target. You find exactly
where that path is in the space, and that’s it. No big deal.”

I shook my head. “Find the trajectory in the
air? No big deal? Yeah, for an asanni.”

“I’m not using my wizard energy. The whole
point of my training is to equip me with some human skills.”

“And you can nonetheless see the supposed
path between the arrow and the target? You’re full of surprises,
Miss Spock.”

“Yeah, I see it as a thin red line. I align
the arrow to it, I shoot, and whiizzz… The arrow’s on the
target.”

“And whiizzz? That’s it?”