Page 31 of Bound By the Moon

“Layla is out there though. I haven’t been gone thatlong yet, she’ll still be there. Gabriel promised to keep her therefor an hour. Surely, it’s been less than that.”

“Time works differently in here, sweet wolf. Thingshave already come to pass out there while some of us stood aroundgetting familiar with old family members.” Kezia tossed anaccusatory glance over her shoulder at Anna and Lucas.

“How much time has passed? There has to be a way toget him back to his mom. Can’t we contact Serena again, or Layla,and let them know?”

“If we do what Kezia is proposing, we will not beable to communicate with the living world any longer. We will bereleased from that which binds us to this in-between place. Most ofus will move on.” I’m not even sure which wolf spoke, because I wasso stunned by the admission.

“You won’t be able to guard the portal anymore?That’s what you guys did, right? You were the guardians of thisside? Surely, you weren’t just hanging around to give free adviceto the next white wolf in line.”

One of the older wolves stepped forward then.“Truly, it is an honor to do so. We have watched each other grow,learn, love, and we’ve even shared in each other’s losses. We haveactually, always served as guardian to the white wolf line. We’veoffered advice, and prayed that the next of us would do better thantheir predecessor. To answer your question though, yes, we are theguardians of this portal.”

“Should we sacrifice that position to re-open theportal to send you through, it will take everything we are to getyou back to the land of the living, and seal it shut again.”Aislynn offered before looking up at her Grandmother, Kezia.“Something else may try to slither through while it’s open, whichis another reason we’ve never considered it.”

“Is that child touching you?” Kezia asked casually,pointing to where baby Jack was, as if I had not been havinganother entirely different conversation with the white wolvesalready.

“What?” I looked down, and noted that Baby Jack wasindeed still skin to skin with me. “Oh, that. I asked Layla ifthere was a way to protect him, in case I had to cross over whileholding onto him. She mentioned that maybe if we maintained skin onskin contact he would survive the trip over here since I was boundto the portal, and the contact would mean he was then linked tome.”

“This is why you will succeed where these women havefailed their line. You are brilliant, my dear.” Kezia clapped herhands together. “You remind me so much of me when I was younger.Not in looks, of course, the only one of my children to resemble mein any way physically was Angel.” The smile lingered on her facethen. “Have you met her yet?”

“No.”

“Oh, well, I imagine you will in the future. She wasalways so curious about her sister’s line of wolves, but I tried tokeep the younger girls from the older ones before my untimelydeath. You know, Angel has the gift of creation too. The most rareof them all, just like me.”

“Okay…” I wasn’t sure if Kezia was going to continueextolling one of her youngest daughter’s virtues to me, but I hadmore important things on my mind. “So, you’re saying that as longas the baby and I continue to touch, I should be able to take himwith me, correct?”

“I’m fairly certain he’ll live.”

“Fairly certain? Seriously, fairly certain isn’t agood enough gamble when it comes to a baby!” My voice was raised,and Kezia tsked me for it.

“Child, for all your smarts, it seems Icongratulated your brilliance too soon.” Righteous indignationrolled off of her then. “The baby is already in the world of thedead, if it doesn’t work, you will at least have a body for themother to lay to rest. If it does work, you will have a baby togive back to her. If you do not try, you both remain dead, on thisside, for… oh… ever!”

“Point taken.”

“If you are successful, that baby may also become akey to opening the portal. He will have to be guarded well for allhis living years.” Aislynn cautioned. “And we don’t know what kindof side effects being here will have caused for him. No one goesback to the land of the living unscathed. That includes youtoo.”

“Understood. So, in order to do this, the baby and Ihave to keep touching, and then what?”

“Then we must sacrifice the ancestral line to openthe portal, and to be able to seal it shut behind you.”

“Okay, so when I get back will I still be able tocommunicate with you, if the portal is sealed shut. I mean the waywe used to communicate in the dream world.”

“Jessica, we already told you, expending the powerit will take to re-open the portal long enough for you to passthrough, and then shut it again, will take all the magic we haveleft. Our energies will dissipate, and most of us will move on to anew place. We will no longer be linked to you, our line, or theportal when it’s all said and done. Think of it as one of thosepesky side-effects I was talking about. You do not go from beingdead to alive without paying a hefty price. ”

“I get that, I do. Who will guard the portal whenyou guys move on though?”

“That is where the other sacrifice is needed, mysweet.” Kezia’s sugary tone was beginning to grate on mynerves.

“Another soul has to offer themselves as your line’spermanent guardian spirit. Once you cross the threshold, both youand that baby will be keys to opening the lock on the Gateway tothe Dead. When you are gone, your next in line will also be a key.We are unsure if it will linger that way with little Jack’slineage.”

“I would offer myself, but, I don’t see you as thelittle whipped dog following me on my excursions, so I have to passthis time.” Kezia offered. “Although, being released from thishellish place into your line’s servitude almost seems a fair trade.I once thought the earth itself was getting boring, but beinglocked here for so long has shown me the error of my ways.”

“Well, gee, thanks for that… I think.”

“Oh, don’t thank me. They wouldn’t let me go,because they know I’d find a way to trigger the loophole.”

“Loophole?”

“Whoever agrees to be your guardian spirit will goback and literally become the guardian spirit for you, and that ofyour familial line, for eternity or until no more are born intoyour line to protect.” Aislynn explained. “She would just find away to have her back turned while she got everyone killed.”

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