“Thank you for this decision, Sandy. You’ve not just done your brother good, but also yourself.”
“I could have decided to leave things as they were, couldn’t I? If it were not for the fact that the spirit was harming my brother, it could have still stayed, right?”
“No. It could have not, because the spirit was also harming you as well.”
“I don’t understand. Asides from what it did to my brother, Conor’s spirit never harmed me in any way.”
“Yes, it did. Had it been you kept on remaining with that spirit, bad things would have happened. It would have denied you of a second chance of true love, of meeting a mate that will fill that empty vacuum and love you for the rest of your life.”
Sandy bent her head, trying to make sense of the things Maggie was telling her, “I didn’t realize this… His presence just felt so calm. I never… I never realized it could harm me in such a way.”
“I’m glad you told me this, Sandy. Now you know that you can’t keep letting that spirit remain in the physical world. You have to release it so it can have eternal peace in the afterlife. Your brother’s sanity and life also depend on it too.”
“I will do it,” Sandy said. “I will join you to perform the ritual.”
“Thank you, Sandy. I am grateful to you for this.”
“Thank you for all the things you told me tonight. I didn’t realize how much damage I was doing by letting the spirit remain here.”
“If we hadn’t come, there’s nothing you could have done about it. I’m just glad that things haven’t gotten to the worst point.”
“Yeah. I’m glad about that too.”
Maggie then remembered one last thing as she got up from where she was sitting, “before I leave your room, Sandy. There is one last warning I will give to you that you must never forget before we perform the ritual.
“What warning?”
“You have to let go when the time is right. The spirit might try to use your mind to stop the banishment. Do not be fooled by any amount of comfort or happiness it gives you. Do not let the love you once had for Conor to interfere with things at the square, do not give into its persuasion to let it stay, else the spirit will succeed and your brother will drown in its darkness forever.”
The last statement sent chills down Sandy’s spine. Maggie could tell that she feared what she said, but there was no better way to put the truth. This ritual had better work, for the good of Walden and everyone involved.
**********
Maggie walked along the siltus hall after returning from Sandy’s room. She was headed to a room she’d been given in the guest chambers to spend the night, as the work she’d come here for had been achieved. She, Walden and Sandy would be headed back to the night shadow pack first thing tomorrow morning as agreed.
She passed by many faces of siltus wolves, all of which were unfamiliar except one. One which made her stop in her steps immediately. A heavily pregnant one.
She spoke with her wolf, “wait… Is that not…”
That face. She could never forget the face of someone who had shown so much hurt just by hearing the negative outcome from one of her visions. Of course, Katrina belonged to this pack, and what a mighty coincidence this must be! Maggie had wanted to apologize after her outburst, but never got the chance to since Katrina ran away immediately. Now here she was; a lot has changed about her, including her size.
She didn’t waste time in walking up to her.
“Um… Hi. I don’t know if you remember me.”
“Remember you? From where?” Katrina rose a brow as she looked in her direction. She didn’t have time for this. She needed to go to kitchen to have something made up as her stomach hurt so much.
“Maggie… Maggie the soothsayer from some time ago.”
Maggie the soothsayer. Of course! That name struck a chord the minute it came from her mouth. How could Katrina forget the woman who changed her life? Oh… This pregnancy has taken so much a toll on her, she keeps praying for the day she’ll deliver to come fast.
“Maggie! Oh… I’m so sorry. It took me a minute to remember you. My mind has let go of so much since that day.”
Maggie nodded, smiling. “I understand. Is it okay if we find somewhere private we can talk for a moment? There are some things I want to tell you.”
Katrina didn’t know when she forgot all about the food she was after, agreeing to go along with Maggie to the small garden at the back which wasn’t too far.
After they were seated, Maggie began. “It looked like you were busy, so I’ll be quick with what I have to say. I know it’s a long time since it happened, but I feel I still owe you an explanation.”
She watched Katrina’s reaction before she continued, ensuring she was understanding. “I do have many people that I have read visions for, many of which turn out to be great experiences which they can begin to work on in their lives after they hear them. At the same time, there’s always a bad side to everything, and some people don’t always get what they want from my visions, which was your case.”
“So, what exactly are you trying to tell me?”
“I am trying to apologize if I harmed your feelings in any way that day. Whatever I say comes out from what I see, and some of the times, it may not always be what you want to hear.”
Maggie surely didn’t expect to hear the next words that came out of Katrina’s mouth, as she said them with a chuckle. “Dear Maggie, I don’t know why you called me here to tell me all of this. You might think that what you said that day was not what I wanted to hear, you’re right about that, but it was what I NEEDED to hear.”
Maggie was confused by her statement, and Katrina saw it in her eyes.
“I’ll break it down for you like this, your vision was the starting point for my liberation from a bad relationship. I was with the wrong man for so many years and I didn’t even realize it until I met you. There were so many things going on wrong in my life before then, but then your words… They might have hurt, but they changed me, Maggie, they didn’t just change me so much, they changed my life as well. I not only learned kindness; I met the love of my life.
“Had it not been for your vision, I would have still been someone’s mistress by now, a second choice who would have kept begging for whatever scraps of affection the man I loved so much threw at me. I do not regret the risk I took by coming to meet you that day. It might have almost cost me my life, but it was well worth it, because had it not been for that big step, I might not have even been living by now.”
Maggie almost cried at her words, “Katrina. You sound so happy!”
“I am happy, Maggie, and it’s all thanks to you! When I decided to look away from toxic love that kept hurting me, I found love with someone I least expect. I found happiness with a different man.”
She reached for her bump, “and you’re carrying his child now.”
Katrina blushed, “yes. My Renard and I will be getting married after I deliver, your vision made this happen. You know what, Maggie?”
“What?”
“I think that your gifts, your visions, whether good or bad, all serve for a purpose. You should never let anyone make you believe anything other than this.”
“Thank you, Katrina. Thank you for these kind words of yours.”
“And thank you for the bad vision you gave me which turned out to be… AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”
Her sudden shrieks made Maggie jump that instant, “Katrina. What is it? Are you okay?!!!”
“AAARRRGHHH!!! My Water… My water just broke,” she cried as she clutched her tummy, knowing now that the pains she felt earlier wasn’t because of food.
“Hold on! Okay? I’ll get you some help.”