Grip of the Shadow Plague (Page 78)

"We need her to grab the bowl," Kendra said. "At least to try." As they had conversed in the gazebo, Kendra had explained how she became fairykind, and how she hoped to use the bowl to approach the Fairy Queen a second time.

"I wish I had my violin," Patton lamented. "I know just the melody I would use. Wooing Lena the first time around was hard enough, but at least I had time and resources. I hope she responds favorably. I would prefer wrestling another centaur to learning that her affection for me has cooled."

"Only one way to find out," Seth said.

Patton descended the stairs from the gazebo to the pier, tugging on his sleeves and smoothing his shirt. Seth moved to follow him but Kendra held him back. "We should watch from here."

Patton strode along the pier. "I’m looking for Lena Burgess!" he called. "My wife."

Numerous overlapping voices responded.

"It couldn’t be."

"He’s dead."

"They were chanting his name earlier."

"Must be a trick."

"It sounds just like him."

Several heads surfaced as he reached the end of the pier.

"He’s back!"

"Oh, no!"

"The devil himself!"

"Don’t let her see!"

The water near the end of the pier became turbulent. Lena poked her head up, eyes wide, and was promptly dragged under. After a moment she resurfaced. "Patton?"

"I’m here, Lena," he said. "What are you doing in the water?" He kept his voice conversational with a hint of curiosity.

Lena’s head disappeared again. The water churned.

Voices resumed.

"She saw him!"

"What do we do?"

"She’s too wriggly!"

Lena yelled, "Unhand me or I’ll leave the pond this instant!"

A moment later her head rose above the water again. She gazed raptly at Patton. "How are you here?"

"I came forward in time," he said. "I am only visiting for three days. We could use some assistance-"

Lena held up a hand to silence him. "Say no more, human," she demanded sternly. "After much travail, I have reclaimed my true life. Do not attempt to befuddle me. I need time alone to realign my thoughts." With a wink, she disappeared beneath the water.

Kendra heard the naiads murmuring in surprised approval. Patton did not move.

"You heard her," a snide voice called to him. "Why don’t you crawl back into your grave!"

A few nervous titters followed the comment. Then Kendra heard other voices, desperate ones.

"Stop her!"

"Grab her!"

"Thief!"

"Traitor!"

Lena burst from the water at the end of the pier, leaping into the air like a dolphin. Patton caught her in a strong embrace, dousing his shirt and trousers in the process. She wore a shimmering green slip. Her long, glossy hair hung heavy and wet, draped over her shoulders like a shawl. In one webbed hand, she gripped the silver bowl from the Fairy Queen’s shrine. Lena leaned her forehead against Patton’s, then her lips found his. As they kissed, the webbing between her fingers dissolved.

All around the pier, naiads wailed and cursed.

Cradling Lena in his arms, Patton walked back toward the gazebo. Kendra and Seth descended the stairs to the pier. Patton deposited Lena on her feet.

"Hi, Kendra," Lena said with a warm smile. She was familiar-her eyes, her face, her voice-and yet so different. She stood a couple of inches taller than before, her skin smooth and unblemished, her body curvy and fit.

"You’re beautiful," Kendra said, reaching to give her a hug.

Lena stepped back, grasping Kendra’s hands instead. "I’ll get you soaked. You’ve grown so tall, dear. And Seth! You’re a giant!"

"Only compared to tiny naiads," Seth said, looking pleased. Standing straighter, he was more than half a head taller than her.

"You’ll only have Patton for three days," Kendra reminded her friend, concerned that Lena would end up regretting her decision.

Lena handed Kendra the untarnished bowl, then gazed adoringly at her husband, caressing his face. "I would have left the pond for three minutes."

Tilting his head down, Patton rubbed his nose against hers.

"I think they need some alone time," Seth said disgustedly, tugging on Kendra.

Patton locked eyes with Seth. "Don’t go. We have much to discuss."

"The yellow and purple tent is soundproof," Seth said.

"Sounds perfect." Holding Lena’s hand, Patton led her up the stairs and into the gazebo.

"Not long before you died," Lena said, "you told me we would be together again someday, young and healthy. At the time I assumed you meant heaven."

Patton gave her a wry smile. "I probably meant this. But heaven will be nice too."

"I can’t tell you how thrilling it feels to be young again," Lena gushed. "You look fairly boyish yourself. You’re what, thirty-six?"

"That’s not far off."

Stopping, Lena pulled her hand from his and folded her arms. "Wait a minute. Early in our marriage, you came forward in time to visit me, and you never told me."

"Evidently not."

"You and your secrets." She returned her hand to his. They continued across the field toward the striped tent. "What were you doing before you came here?"

"Last thing I did was press a button on the Chronometer," Patton said in a confidential tone, nodding to the sphere Seth was carrying. "I was hiding it in the manor. Before I locked it up, I pushed a button that would send me forward in time to the next instance when the button was pressed."

"I pressed it," Seth announced.

"You didn’t tell me about the artifact until you were in your sixties," Lena scolded. "I rarely knew what you were up to."

"We just had a fight," Patton said. "About the drapes in our bedroom. Remember? It started about the drapes, and ended up being about how I wasn’t living up to my promises-"

"I remember that spat!" Lena said nostalgically. "In fact, that may have been the last time you ever raised your voice at me. That was a hard period for both of us. Take heart. Not long afterward, we hit our stride. We had a beautiful marriage, Patton. You made me feel like a queen, and reciprocating was effortless."

"Resist telling me too much," Patton said, covering his ears. "I would rather watch it unfold."

They reached the tent and entered. Patton dropped the flap to shield the door. They sat down on the floor, facing one another.