Page 91 of Bosse
“Excellent. That’s plenty. Thank you.” Magdelina instructed her, “Close your eyes and relax.”
This sounded like a bad idea, but Alifair closed her eyes. Relaxing was out of the question. She could feel energy wiggling its way from Magdelina’s hand to hers.
She tried to think of a way out of this, but...
What was happening to her?
She no longer heard the small castle noises or smelled the freshly cleaned room. A vision began to form. In her mind’s eye, Magdelina came to her in a wispy blue gown with gold trim. Her stunning white hair was loose, cascading across her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes stared at Alifair... or maybe someone else because Magdelina said, “My dearest Ivo, I have been captured by a lion shifter known as Krol.” She continued by sharing what she knew of her location.
Alifair wondered at the energy now flowing smoothly through her arms. She hoped this did not turn out to be a mistake.
Magdelina continued talking to her mate. “Our child will be strong, like his father. I did not tell you it would be a boy, as I wanted to see your face when you held your son for the first time. I will do all in my power to protect him, and I will put his life first before mine if it comes down to a choice. If I fail to survive this...” She stopped and blew out a shaky breath as if the words were becoming harder to say. “I will see you again when our souls meet in the sunshine of our afterlife because nothing can ever take you from my heart. I know you hunt for me. If you receive my message from this woman, please repay her kindness any way you can, for she has been a comfort to me.” Taking a moment to breathe quietly, she ended by saying, “I love you more than words can describe. If my life is taken before I give birth, I will keep our child safe as we both wait for you in the afterlife.”
Tears rolled down Alifair’s face.
This woman had a bond with a man that would pass through the ages. The two of them should be able to be together, not her locked away here in Krol’s castle.
Magdelina gently ordered, “Open your eyes, Alifair.”
She blinked and looked around. They were still in the room. “Wait, I haven’t introduced myself yet. How’d you know my name?”
“Someone you care about spoke your name while we were connected. I did not reach into your mind, but as we held hands, I heard him call to you not to leave him. He was very loud.”
Stunned, Alifair didn’t attempt to speak. That’s what Bosse had said in the dream where he’d been with strangers as she lost contact with him. “What is your gift?”
“We don’t discuss such things, but you have agreed to help me, so I will tell you what I can. The simplest explanation is that I can pick up conversations being spoken out loud in this castle and nearby area or very loud thoughts. Conversely, if I am threatened, I can mentally scream into someone’s mind until their ears bleed. I still can’t risk using that energy, or I might harm my child as he feels everything I do.”
Whoa. Alifair felt like bowing. Compared to this woman, she was the level of a carnival magician.
Magdelina sounded ready to move ahead. “Now that you have my message, what do you need to escape? I can’t snap my fingers and make it happen, but I will assist you in any way I can. What do you need?”
Having had no way to prepare a plan in this room, Alifair told her the only thing preventing her from leaving. “I told you I saw my friend today. That was the first time in a month of being here. I saw her in a round corner room in the castle. I haven’t had time to hunt for that room yet.”
Alifair started to say more to this Gallize woman but paused when something she recalled popped into her head.
She stopped mid-thought and blurted out, “What does Gallize mean?”
For a confident woman reeking of power, this one quieted immediately and studied Alifair. “What makes you ask such an odd question?”
Ah ha! Alifair was on to something. “I just realized I heard that word when we held hands. Now I’m curious and would like to know what it is, but if that’s something you don’t want to talk about, I’ll just wait to find out on my own later.”
“You could be annoying if I didn’t like you so much.”
Alifair tried to take that as a compliment.
Releasing a stream of air that whistled with exasperation, this Gallize woman said, “It’s a long story, and I’m bound to protect our history, but given the circumstances, I’d rather you have accurate information and not some twisted tale from Krol. There are a limited number of male shifters in this world who have unusual powers bestowed on them by a Gallizenae druidess many centuries ago. They can only bond with a Gallize female of equal power, which I am one.”
“You said you’re not a shifter, right?”
“Correct. I’ve heard of a few Gallize women who were born shifters, very few who have different gifts associated with their power. Most of the Gallize females are not shifters.”
Considering she and her mate had crazy power, Alifair asked, “Will your baby be one?”
“I doubt it. That has not happened in any Gallize pairing we know of, and our people have been keeping our history for a long time.” She put her hand on her bulging middle. “I believe this child will survive. I just do not know if I will. That is why I must get a message to my mate.”
Alifair carried the weight of saving Rez already, but she could not deny this woman on the very slim chance she might be able to pass along a message for her. “I may not escape this place, but if I do, I will go to him as soon as possible. Where can I find him?”
“Thank you for taking on another person’s burden.” Then the Gallize woman told her where the bear clan lived in Austria.
