She squeezed his hands. ‘We will find her. We have to.’ She wished she felt as sure as she sounded.
When his eyes came back into focus, they were deep purple and haunted. ‘She is completely cut off. I can’t find her at all. This has never happened before.’
‘Maybe Miranda will be able to locate her?’
‘Perhaps.’ Jonan turned and gazed out of the window, his expression bleak.
‘Jonan,’ Beth whispered, ‘where did I go?’
‘You went home.’
She felt an expansion in her chest. ‘And where is home?’
‘Have you ever thought about life on other planets?’
‘I guess I’ve always assumed it was possible, but I haven’t thought too much about it.’
‘That’s probably a good thing.’ Jonan put his arm around her and pulled her close. He felt so familiar, so right, as though their bodies and energy fitted together like a puzzle. ‘When people overthink these things, they get tied up in complex and worrying knots. Life exists in so many places and so many realities, but it generally doesn’t manifest how people expect. In that other life, we were light beings. We could assume a shape at will when we chose.’
‘I felt my brother before I saw him.’
‘Yes, Salu has become unused to form. He has been with you here for so long.’
Beth sat up and turned to face Jonan. ‘I’ve felt that, but I still find it hard to believe.’
The scent of lavender flared.
‘If you need reminding, tell him. He is always ready to let you know he’s here.’
‘Lavender,’ Beth whispered.
Lavender. The word sounded in her mind.
Jonan smiled.
‘You heard that?’ Beth raised her eyebrows.
‘Does that make it easier to believe?’
‘It does, thank you.’ Beth sighed. ‘I didn’t know you heard him too.’
‘He’s often with me. He’s been prodding me over and over to find you.’
‘Did you need prodding?’ she asked, quietly.
‘Never. I have been waiting for you forever, but much as we’d like to, we can’t rush the cosmic ordering. Things happen in their right time. Sometimes our path is to wait.’
‘And Salu didn’t know that?’
‘Oh, he knew it.’ Jonan laughed. ‘But he was determined to make sure I didn’t get distracted while I waited. You have a powerful advocate and protector in your brother.’
‘I’ve always wanted a brother. I look after myself, but it would be nice to have someone else looking out for me.’
‘You have me too.’ Jonan reached out and stroked her cheek. ‘If you would like me.’
Beth tilted her face up to him. She could feel Jonan’s energy pulsing through her own, could see how intertwined they were, how their auras melded perfectly to create a whole. This was exactly where she was supposed to be.
The kiss was feathery light and it made Beth’s head swim.
‘This is a long journey, Beth, but we can do it together.’
She shifted closer to him, feeling the warmth of his body relaxing her own tense muscles.
‘Together,’ she whispered. ‘Can that be real?’
‘It’s not just real, it’s our path. It’s what we came here for. Are you ready?’
‘I’m ready. Amelia thinks she knows what we’ve got, but I can’t help feeling there’s so much more.’
Jonan grinned.
Beth looked up as someone knocked on the open door. Miranda stood there, a tray in her hands with a teapot and three cups with saucers.
‘You’re not going to have a tantrum about this girl too, are you, Mum?’ Jonan smiled as Miranda glided over to them so smoothly she didn’t seem to be walking.
She raised one eyebrow as she sat down next to Jonan. ‘She’s the one I wanted you to wait for.’
Jonan laughed, a deep belly laugh. For a moment his tension eased, then the haunted look returned.
‘I’ve checked outside,’ Miranda said. ‘Amelia and Roland have both gone. How can we get him back, Jonan?’
‘I don’t know.’ Jonan frowned. ‘He always had a thing for Amelia, but he’s in so deep now.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Beth said. ‘We’ll get him out, find Doriel and Bill, and expose her for what she is. I have no idea how, but we’ll do it one way or another.’
Miranda smiled. ‘Between us, we’re more than a match for Amelia. If you agree to join us, our circle is complete. She is alone.’
‘You sound so hard.’ Jonan frowned.
‘Amelia is lost because I allowed her to feel abandoned. I am here to put that right. I want to bring her back into the family, to remind her of who she used to be, and who she could become again, but until then we are working in opposite directions. Only she can change that.’
Jonan sighed. ‘It sounds like we need a plan. We need to figure out where Doriel and Bill are fast, and we need to find a way to counteract all this fear. Can you pick up any sign of Doriel, Mother?’
Miranda’s brow drew in as she poured the tea. ‘No, I’ve never lost my connection to her before.’
Beth swallowed. ‘Do you think she has died?’
The silence was so heavy Beth could barely breathe.
Miranda held her gaze, then shook her head. ‘I would be able to find her if she had passed. Either she is hiding herself, or she has been hidden.’
‘There must be a way to break through those shields.’ Jonan started pacing. ‘Amelia feels beaten right now, but she won’t stay quiet for long. The threat of the Soul Snatchers and the promise of safety from Amelia’s Haven are a huge win for her. She’ll be well aware of how much social momentum she has. There’s no way she’ll let that slide.’
‘What about your momentum, Jonan?’ Beth looked up at him and smiled at his confusion. ‘She accused you publicly, in front of all those TV cameras, and then DC Ainsworth declared you innocent. Isn’t that libel?’
Jonan raised his eyebrows. ‘Well, that’s a new approach.’
‘New? Really?’ Beth looked from one to the other of them. ‘That’s what normal people do.’
‘So that’s it,’ Miranda whispered. ‘That’s why you had to go your own way and find us later.’
‘She brings in the normal,’ Jonan said, rubbing a hand across his forehead.
Beth snorted. ‘I’m the least normal person you could have chosen.’
‘And yet,’ Miranda smiled. ‘This is a long journey. We don’t yet know what we’ll need or what will turn our lives around and point us in a new direction. All we know is that we are on this path together, supporting each other and helping each other learn. We came here as one, a unified group of souls, but then we split. That has caused a tension that will have repercussions we don’t yet know about. But it has also brought the learning it was planned for—’
‘But—’ Beth cut in.
Jonan shook his head, put his hand on her arm. ‘She’s an Oracle, Beth. When she speaks in that funny voice, listen to her.’
Miranda paused then carried on speaking, her voice low and hypnotic. ‘Amelia is already regrouping. There are many souls who easily fall prey to the fear vibration and they are flocking around her like drones to their queen. We will counteract that flow in every way we can.