Page 4 of Magic Blooms

three

Joshua stood waiting for me on the covered porch, but rain still pelted him, thanks to the strong winds the storm had kicked up.

He grumbled under his breath about how much of a pain in the backside the lost pigs were, even on their best days.

I couldn’t quite catch all the angry words as they tumbled out beneath his breath.

Between the billowing rain and wind, it was hard to see or hear much of anything as he led me across the yard.

And although the flashes of lightning every few seconds were bright, they didn’t actually help me to discern my surroundings.

If anything, they made it that much more difficult for my eyes to adjust.

“Here piggy, piggy, piggy,” called Joshua as his dog, Ranger, pranced at his heels. “It’s not like you want to be out here anymore than we do!”

“Can they understand you? The pigs?” I had to shout to be heard over the violent gusts of wind that swept past.

Joshua’s brow furrow in confusion, leading me to believe I’d said something wrong.

“Huh? Of course not,” came his terse reply a moment later.

“How do we know we’re going in the right direction?” I yelled into the pouring rain as I scanned the horizon for any stray flash of pink.

“We’re going in the right direction,” Joshua groused as he continued to lead me and Ranger deeper into the storm.

But I still wasn’t convinced he had the slightest clue where he was going. “Are you saying that because you’re guessing or because you know?” I challenged.

As much as I didn't like the ill-fitting clothing I’d been given, I now clutched at the material tightly to keep the warmth in and the wet out.

"I know we’re going in the right direction," said Joshua, pausing so suddenly I almost rammed right into him. "Because I can smell the little stinkers."

He could smell them. How?

All I could make out was the swirling scents of woods and musk and rain. And besides, when I held the little one in my hands, Oinkers, he hadn't had much of an odor about him. I knew we were from different worlds, but we were still both human. Could his senses really be so much stronger than mine?

I was about to question him again when three sharp barks sounded at our side.

"Bingo. We found ’em." Joshua smiled wide and reached down to pat Ranger on the head.

The brown and white short-haired dog led the way up a large and extra slippery hill. I stumbled forward and had to catch myself with my palms.

“Careful there,” Joshua warned a moment too late, pulling me back to my feet. “Ranger, take it slow.”

The dog ran back to us and bounced around our ankles, eager to show the way but not prepared to disobey its master’s orders. The poor thing was soaked through but didn't seem to mind at all. His eyes were bright and beaming, and his tongue was lolling out of his mouth with joy.

The short fur showed off a muscular body that could do a fair bit of damage if it wanted. Not that this creature seemed like it was capable of hurting anybody—not now, not ever.

“Good boy,” he told the dog, who now sat, thumping his tail as he waited for me to catch up to them.

When I did, he rushed over to my side and wedged his head between my hand and side, demanding pets.

"Huh. Don't see that every day,” Joshua quipped, smiling at me for the first time since we’d met as I stroked the dog with a wet and muddy hand. “Usually he’s not quick to take to new people.”

“Good boy,” I told Ranger, pulling away lest our easy bond raise suspicions. Lorraine had told me to try to blend in, and so far I wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

Almost as if he’d read my mind and picked up on a single keyword, Joshua glanced at me over his shoulder and said, "So Lorraine said you’re her niece."

My brows shot up. Lorraine had said that? When? And where was I?

“I… Yes." I was terrible with untruths. Luckily enough, in my position, there were very few times I’d ever been forced to lie. Altered the truth for the sake of diplomacy, yes. Lied, no.

I had a feeling that was going to change real fast as I navigated this new place in an effort to find my home again.

"And where are you visiting from again?" Joshua wanted to know.

"From really far away," I answered quickly. Really, I couldn't lie about that even if I wanted to. I didn't know the names of any other locations around these parts.

Fortunately, Ranger saved me from any more of his master’s questioning as he broke into a sprint and rushed forward while barking furiously.

And just as fast as he shot off, Joshua and I were chasing after him. As much as I didn’t want to fall again, continuing this conversation of lies would prove far worse. Besides, I was already just about as dirty as a person could ever get.

Ranger led us to a dilapidated shack that looked as if one more strong gust of wind would knock it down for good. It was small, hardly bigger than the room I’d been assigned back in the warm, dry inn.

CRACK! A bolt of lightning struck a not-so-distant field, illuminating the inside of the building and revealing our lost family of pigs.

I could barely make out the small babies gathered around a much bigger and far less cute version of themselves.

I was going to hazard a guess that this was our full-grown Oinkers.

I smiled in victory and shouted, "We did it! We found them!"

"Yeah, we found them. Well, Ranger did anyway. Now it’s up to you and me to get them back.” Joshua handed me a bundle of wet rags, and I was frozen for a moment, staring at them questioningly.

"It's a bag. You put the three little ones in the bag and carry them back, I'll take care of Momma Bess."

I took a step back in surprise. "You expect me to carry them in a bag? That's not going to be comfortable for them."

I could barely see anything, but I could still tell he was rolling his eyes at me.

"They lost their claim to a luxury ride when they ran off in the middle of the storm. Now if they want a nice warm, comfortable barn that’s not about to collapse at any moment, then they're going to have to live through a brief period of being uncomfortable. We’re not taking multiple trips to come back here to get them.

Who knows if they’re going to run off after we take one or two back?

So we’re doing this in one trip. No matter what it takes. And it’s for their own good. Got it?"

I tightened my lips in a straight line to keep myself from arguing. He did have a point. And besides, this wasn’t my world, nor was it a place where I got to make the decisions. The sooner I accepted that, the better off I’d be.

Maybe, though, I could use my elemental gifts to make the ride a bit more comfortable for the wayward piglets. Given the intensity of the storm, they’d already been punished enough, anyway.

"I need you to be on alert,” Joshua continued as he pushed his soggy sleeves up to the elbows.

“Catching all these little critters is going to be hard. The second you pick one up, they’re either going to panic or to think it's playtime. Either way, they’ll start running all over the dang place.

I’ll take them one at a time. You guard the door while I do the wrangling. Got it?"

I shook my head, hoping to avoid this calamity before it could even start. Joshua had a plan, true, but it didn’t need to be so hard.

"But they're so small,” I argued. “They’re hardly a running risk. If you're gentle enough, they shouldn’t be a problem at all."

To prove my point. I took a few steps into the shaky building, my feet actually sinking into the wood just the tiniest bit because of its age and decay.

This most certainly was not a good spot for Momma Bess and her babies.

I held out the bag and smiled at the little ones as they regarded me curiously.

"C’mon, loves,” I cooed. “Let's get you back home. "

One by one, each of the piglets stood up and waddled obediently into the sack I held open in invitation.

As soon as they were all secure, I picked them up and held the bag close to me, trying to allow some of my body heat to seep through, as I left the shack behind me and returned to Joshua’s side in the pouring rain.

He gawked at me as if I’d sprouted a second head. Then he let out a low whistle of disbelief. "Wh-wh-what was that?” he stuttered.

Before I could even think of a lie, he shook his head and rushed into the building to grab Momma Bess, leaving me outside to wait. I held my precious clutch tighter as a boom of thunder shook the very ground we stood on.

I thought back to how nice the day had been before this. Sunny and warm. Hot, but not unpleasantly so.

It wasn't until I'd begun wallowing in self-pity that the storm had reared its ugly head. What could cause the weather to shift so drastically?

That’s when it hit me.

Me.

The storm had been caused by me. Not on purpose, but…

All of my elemental abilities seemed to be amplified in this new world. The flowers following me, the skies shifting along with my emotions. If this is what I was capable of when I wasn't even trying, what could I do if I actually wanted to put my powers to use?

CRACK!

A second bolt of lightning filled the night, even closer this time.

I jumped back from the shock of it, and at the same time, the old shack folded in on itself, collapsing right before my eyes.

Ranger immediately started to bark, and I stood there in shocked silence for a few moments, totally unsure of what I should be doing.

Joshua. He was inside there somewhere. I tied up the entrance to the bag tightly to keep the creatures safe and bundled up together, and I set them next to Ranger. "Keep them safe," I told him as I ran into the wreckage.

"Joshua!" I called out in desperation, searching, hoping.

A low moan rose to meet my ears. It was barely audible above the storm and yet provided just enough direction to help me find him amidst the debris.

I stepped carefully, the oversized footwear I wore making everything more difficult that it should have been. When I finally reached Joshua, my heart sunk.

Momma Bess had been able to scramble away from the larger detritus, but Joshua hadn’t been quite so lucky.

A beam as big as I was had fallen right over his midsection, pinning him beneath the wreckage.

I bent down and tried to lift it, but my efforts proved futile.

The thing was much too heavy for me to lift on my own.

I gave it one more useless push before I fell back on my rear and sucked in a deep, shaky breath. This was ridiculous. I’d caused this entire storm, and I couldn’t manage to lift this one piece of wood? No. I refused to be defeated, especially since it wasn’t my life and limb at stake here.

Joshua groaned, tried to lift himself, failed, and fell back in an exhausted heap. “Go get Lorraine. She’ll call someone.”

At least he was awake and speaking. That had to be a good sign.

But any of those good feelings were quickly dashed as a bolt of lightning hit the earth so close to me that I could feel the quaking. I sucked in a breath even as the wind picked up and more branches started to come down.

Oh no.

The storm knew I was upset, and that was it causing it to build.

That’s when an even worse realization hit me. If it weren’t for me and my out of control emotions, this storm would have never happened. And Joshua would never be stuck in this situation.

No, I couldn’t leave him. Even if it was to find help.

I needed to fix this and fix it now.

At least I wasn’t on my own. The very storm raging around me was a sign of how much power I had inside me. And I would use that power to save Joshua if it was the last thing I did.

Even if I was merely saving him from my own misguided magic…

Instead of pushing against the beam like before, I pressed my hands down into it.

I pressed as hard as I could, and soon the earth rose up to meet me.

I closed my eyes and visualized what I wanted to happen.

I could feel the vines climbing up my arms, some tendrils curling beneath my clothes and others over the top as they surrounded me.

But I wasn’t frightened. It felt familiar.

Like a hug from an old friend.

I opened my eyes and watched the vines take over, doing what I couldn’t. They gently lifted the beam up, then slowly, carefully dragged it to the side, freeing Joshua in the process.

I let out a breath of exhaustion as the vines retreated back into the earth.

Joshua didn’t seem aware of what had just happened. His head had lolled back; his eyes had closed.

Oh no, he didn’t.

He’d really need to wake up. I couldn't carry him the whole way back. For that matter, I didn’t know if I could make it back on my own without him to guide me.

But then his eyes opened, and he muttered a curse as he pushed himself up on an elbow.

“You’re alive!” I cheered, fighting the urge to hug him, seeing how little we knew of each other.

He looked just as irritable as ever, but also confused. “What happened? Where is the help?”

I didn’t have any energy left to life, so I told him part of the truth. “There is no help. I got the beam off of you.”

“All by yourself?”

“There’s no one else here,” I pointed out.

He groaned as he pushed himself up and motioned toward the giant mother animal who stood outside nudging the bag of her babies with her snout. “Momma Bess?”

The pig let out a little oink as though to prove her presence.

Yes, that was as good an excuse as any I could hope to find. I grinned wide. “You’re right. Momma Bess was the one who saved you. I’m sorry for trying to take credit for myself.”

The corner of his mouth hooked up, but just as quickly any hint of smile disappeared. He seemed able to stand but was most certainly still in pain. “Let’s get back to Fox’s End.”

“Where?”

He frowned at me again. “Your aunt’s inn. You don’t even know the name?”

“I misheard you. The storm and all.” I hesitated for a heartbeat before forcing myself to smile.

Joshua nodded, but I could tell he was still skeptical. He probably just wanted to get somewhere warm and dry rather than wasting time trying to figure out whether or not I was lying to him about something, everything.

Well, tough luck.

Because right now I’d fulfilled my duty to find Lorraine’s missing animals. And now I wanted all our focus to go to solving the puzzle that would bring me back home.