The Secret of Spring (33 page)

Resigned, they crawled over the rubble and were marched back upstairs to face Zygote. Lily stood beside him in the comfortable sitting room.

"Lily. Are you well?" asked Herb, referring to more than the state of her health.

She averted her eyes. "I grow stronger," she answered.

Herb wondered what Zygote had done to her. Perhaps she had given in to his lusts willingly, assuming it would help the rest of them if she appeased him. She had volunteered to do as much before with Elton. There was no shame in such sacrifice.

If anyone should be ashamed, Herb realized it was himself. He had vacillated for months about his commitment to Lily, finally admitting he simply did not love her the way he should. It was a hard truth to swallow.

Zygote turned to
Spring
. "I would not have you harmed, but there is no other way to obtain the secret. Give me your word you will cooperate, and afterward you may leave with your friends in safety."

"It's too late,"
Spring
blurted. "Please forgive me, Lily, but Herb and I, we-I am no longer a virgin."

Lily's eyes widened with understanding. Zygote looked from
Spring
to Herb, and back to Spring. "I can test you. I can tell if you're lying. You forgot, I'm a physician as well," he said coldly.

"I'm not lying. We were together. Downstairs, while you searched for us."

"I believe her, Zygote," Lily said. "Spring would not lie about something like that. Not to me." Her eyes met
Spring's
, now red from tears.

"Lily-"
Spring
said.

Lily moved forward to hold
Spring
in her arms, like a comforting mother, though in age they were not that far apart.

"Your eyes. Let me see your eyes," Zygote interrupted, his voice betraying his fear that it was true. He whipped an instrument from his robe and approached Herb, peering through the glass. "You seem normal."

"You're a good physician. I am normal. There is no secret," Herb said.

"Impossible!" Zygote exclaimed. He looked at
Spring
. "Unless you were lying after all."

"Then examine me, if you wish,"
Spring
said evenly. "There was no time to-" she blushed, thinking of the blood that must still stain her garments. They had not even had time to properly disrobe. At the time she had been aware of none of those complications; there had been only love unfettered.

Zygote turned away in consternation. It would be easy enough to check; even the girl knew that. No, she was telling the truth.

"Perhaps there never was a secret," Lily said.

"My father wouldn't lie to me,"
Spring
objected.

"Well, no, but have you considered that his process may not have been complete? Or simply not worked? He may indeed have programmed some information, but-"

"I think I see what you mean," Herb said. "You are saying there was only one way to test it, so no one could be sure about it."

"Yes," Lily said, warming to her hypothesis. "It was surely a desperate move. He must have felt that Zygote or someone else would discover his normal records before he could perfect it. If it was completed, he would have implemented it himself. Why bother to pass on information another could obtain? He could not have expected you to remain celibate throughout your life,
Spring
."

"No, he wanted me to marry. To have someone to love,"
Spring
said, more confused than ever.

"So-the information you were given was probably preliminary," Herb said. "Yet, in the wrong hands, could have led to the true breakthrough, given time, and luck, and
knowhow
. In other words, information that would be useful only to your father and perhaps some other trusted person, such as your chosen lover and yourself. His family."

"I suppose. But, in that case, why didn't he just tell that to Zygote when he was being attacked? That the information would be useless without him?" Spring asked.

Lily pondered. "I think he was protecting you then, not his secret. After all, he had not expected Zygote or anyone else to know you had any knowledge at that time, consciously or otherwise."

Zygote turned. "Of course. What a fool I've been! I didn't think he was hurt that badly. Your father must have deliberately-" He paused, remembering. "The choking, the medicine he asked for. It was poison."

"He committed suicide," Lily said. "But not for any great secret. For you, Spring. He must have known that even if Zygote found you, the information would do him no good, yet he was determined not to put you through that. Zygote wouldn't have believed him if he'd told him. He would have-tested for the truth."

"So he died rather than reveal where you were," Zygote breathed. "He knew I could make him talk through magical means, if necessary. That's always dangerous with another magician. He would put up blockades. It could have destroyed his mind, but in the end, I would have won." He turned to
Spring
.

"Well, my dear. It appears your sacrifice was also in vain, since the information you possessed, if it had taken, would be of no use to me without your father. I have lost. You are all free to leave, of course." He seemed to forget they were there then, and went away to the window where he stood gazing out, his dreams of glory dashed forever. Zygote's shoulders sagged, and he looked all of his age. Herb almost felt sorry for him.

Spring gave a small cry of anguish. "Then I betrayed you for nothing." She looked miserably to Lily and Herb. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Lily shook her head slowly and looked from
Spring
to Herb. "Forgive you?"

Herb intervened. "Lily, please don't be hard on
Spring
. It was as much my doing as hers."

"Indeed?" Lily said
,
an amused smiled crossing her face.

Herb colored. "You know what I mean. We only did it because it was the only way. Or so we thought."

Lily placed her fingertip over his lips for silence. "I cannot defer to you this time, Herb. I cannot forgive what needs no forgiveness. It is obvious to me that you two were meant for each other from the moment you met. I was jealous on Paradise, but now I have had time to reflect. You love each other."

Spring looked dismayed, but did not speak. Herb looked to
Spring
, but could no longer truthfully deny the depths of his feelings for her, even to spare Lily. His pretense of loving
Spring-
had been no pretense. Now he could admit that, to himself and others.

"Lily, I never meant to hurt you," he said lamely.

She smiled patiently. "And so you haven't."

Both Herb and
Spring
registered confusion now.

"Herb, you don't understand even now, do you? I insisted we begin seeing each other again. You were my only love ever since we were saplings. I was certain you cared for me."

"I did. That is, I still do, but-" Herb said.

"But not as lovers," Lily finished. "I mistook those feelings for romance. In reality, we have a special friendship, akin to a brotherly and sisterly love. That's only natural since we grew up together, I suppose. And I believe that is the true reason that I could never bring myself to-to give myself to you, Herb."

"But I thought-"

"That it was my high principles?" She smiled. "I did like to think so. But now I know, when a woman is truly in love with a man, principles are very cold comfort."

"I tried to leave," Herb said, "but I couldn't. Something always drew me back, even though I knew in my heart it wouldn't work." He looked at
Spring
. "I never knew what love was, until now."

Spring's eyes began to melt. Herb reached for her, but Lily intercepted him. "A last kiss," she said, giving him a warm hug, and kiss. On the cheek. Then she took
Spring's
hand and placed it in Herb's. "I hope you will be happy in your new love, as I hope to be-with mine."

Flabbergasted, they watched as she went to Zygote and put her hand upon his shoulder. The magician turned about slowly, facing her. She took one of his hands in hers, and placed her other to his cheek. "One door has closed, yet another may open," she said.

"Lovely lady." Zygote smiled sadly, pressing the soft green hand to his lips.

Spring and Herb looked at each other in shocked astonishment. Evidently they had not only mistaken Zygote's relationship to Elton, but his attentions to Lily as well.

"Lily!" Herb exclaimed. "Earlier, upstairs?" He recalled his wild accusations in the bedroom. Rape, indeed!

"But-Zygote?" Spring said with disgust. "Oh, Lily! How could you?"

Lily turned to her with understanding. "Spring, I know it is hard for you to accept after all that has happened between you and Zygote, but he has shown me only kindness since my arrival. I have seen a side of him that you haven't."

"Evidently." Spring didn't bother to conceal the irony.

"You see," Lily continued as if
Spring
hadn't spoken, "I know you did something to change the time so you could arrive to save me, but for some reason, it did not affect my memory when reversed." She addressed Zygote now.

"Zygote, I know and retain all the memories of what happened during those long days until their ship's arrival."

Zygote visibly blanched. "That-that was to be but an interlude," he said, shaken. "I, of course, knew of the timewarp through my magic. But, when they arrived, that part of it should have been erased as if it never happened to you."

"To us." She addressed Herb and
Spring
again. "You see, Zygote attended to me during my weakness, and no one could have been
more gentle
. Then, a young man began visiting me. He was also kind and gentle, and warm. He evoked something within me. Something that had been missing from our relationship, Herb. We talked, exchanging our feelings, and after those days, those wonderful days, I knew that I had fallen in love with him. More than that, I knew he loved me, too."

"A young man? Who? Where?" Herb asked, bewildered. So much had happened so fast!

"He was wonderful. I've never felt that way about anyone before, and that's why I do understand how you and
Spring
could have become so close. He-he made love to me, and I have never known anything so beautiful. Then, you arrived, and I was confused because at first it all seemed like a dream-"

"A dream," Zygote said. "You were ill. There is no young man here."

"But there is. I can't go on without him now," she protested.

"You should not have remembered," Zygote said rubbing his thinning hair with one hand. "I would not have you suffer a loss."

"I'm glad I remember. And I feel no loss. Do you think a woman does not know the man she loves?" Lily smiled, embracing Zygote warmly.

"Lily," Zygote said, seeming appalled. "You don't know."

"Oh, but I do. I know that young man was you, Zygote."

"A spell," Herb cried. "He used a spell on you, to have his way." He moved in to punch out Zygote. The man was unspeakable!

Lily blocked his way. "Only to change his appearance. He didn't expect me to remember any of our time together. What we felt was in need of no spell. From the time your ship arrived, he put all that behind us. He has treated me as an honored guest and nothing more."

"What about what I saw upstairs?" Herb asked, referring darkly to the incident in the bedroom. "I saw his arms around you."

"He was helping me into bed. To rest. I am the one who embraced him. I was determined to reveal my memories and ask him to release you, but then you burst in to save me." She smiled.

"But, this is too crazy!" Herb said.

"Herb, you never needed me. Zygote does. He's been a lonely man despite his power. Would you begrudge me happiness now that you've found yours?"

"No." Herb was torn. He wanted Lily to be happy, but how could she find that with a man like Zygote?

"I think our love could flourish. The love of a good woman has brought forth the good in many men; I know many women who would envy a fairy tale life with a brilliant, reformed, mad magician." She looked at Zygote questioningly. So much depended upon his answer.

Zygote raised an eyebrow and considered. It seemed that he was being proposed to by a beautiful young woman. And at his age. His age! Quickly, he cast a silent spell and looked younger as the lines began disappearing.

"Quite reformed," he affirmed, his eyes glistening with
a slight
moisture.

"But not too much," Lily said, noticing the character lines fading from his features. "I love you just the way you are," she said, tracing a smile line with her fingers.

The process stopped abruptly, and they stood gazing into each other's eyes with a silent communication, forgetting the other three. The magician enclosed Lily in his arms-where she seemed quite content to remain.

"Let's leave,"
Spring
whispered to Herb and Cling Ling. "We aren't wanted here now."

Herb looked at the unlikely couple lost in their embrace, then shrugged and went along with the others. This time no giants pursued them; no dragons dive bombed from the skies. Cling Ling wandered away to search for transportation.