赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Just over a month after the war had ended, a few days after Axel had woken up, Peter and Myka were allowed to move back to Peter's house.

A few more days after that, Sadie moved in.

There was an adjustment period, a few awkward silences, and a lot of nervous laughter. But eventually, the three of them found their rhythm. Sadie was aware of the plan to have Stefan join their family, but they all agreed to wait until they knew when he could actually move in to tell him.

When Peter told Myka that Bell had settled on a date to move to Summer, Myka became nervous.

He knew that they loved Stefan, and he loved them as well. Stefan had made it clear that Sadie was his sister in his eyes. But so far, none of the Blue Reef children had wanted to move in with a new family, much less become a part of one.

So Myka was keenly aware that there was a chance that Stefan would reject their offer.

He had taken a walk to clear his mind, letting his feet take him wherever they dared. Soon enough, he found himself in an area of Winter that he had yet to explore.

There was a path in the snow made of dirt and stone. He followed it with his eyes and saw it led up another trail. This one appeared to have been decorated. He saw loose strings of faerie lights hanging from some of the trees and along the rocks.

As he started up the slope, he felt something. A soft hum, barely there. It was like a whisper in the wind singing a haunting melody.

"Myka?" a familiar voice called out.

Myka turned around, surprised to see Ashleigh standing a few feet behind him. They had barely spoken in almost three weeks. He had continued to explore the mountainside every few days, and he would come to her house to let her know. But she would only nod and look away from him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Myka looked around.

"I don't know," he said. "I just started walking and suddenly found myself in a new place."

He turned back to her with a smile.

"How have you been?" he asked.

Ashleigh looked away, but before she did, Myka caught sight of the fresh red rims of her eyes. She had been crying again.

"Fine," she replied.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

Ashleigh sighed. She seemed very tired.

"Bell is moving to Summer," she replied.

"I know," Myka nodded.

Ashleigh looked back at him, there was a flash of anger, but it quickly subsided.

"I just found out, but you already know. I didn't realize you had gotten that close to each other," she said quietly.

Myka chuckled.

"She's Peter's best friend, too," he said. "And we'll be moving into her house after she leaves. So, there are dates and times to coordinate."

Ashleigh furrowed her brow.

"Why are you moving into her house?"

Myka smiled and took a deep breath.

"Peter and I are fostering Sadie right now. But with the bigger house, we can give Stefan a home, too," he said.

Ashleigh's eyes widened momentarily. Then, she looked away, clenching her jaw.

"I see," she whispered. "Congratulations."

Myka felt uneasiness from how she said it, but he decided to let it go. He looked around again.

"So… what are you doing out here?" he asked.

Ashleigh swallowed and then took a deep breath.

"I haven't come here since it was destroyed," she said.

"Destroyed?" Myka asked, looking around. But he saw no signs of destruction around them.

"Up there," she said, pointing her chin in the direction he had been walking when she found him.

Myka looked up as Ashleigh continued.

"At the end of the path is a natural archway," she said. "Through the arch a small grove."

Ashleigh took a beat as she thought of the moment she stepped through that archway with her brother and father standing just inside, ready to deliver her to the man that waited.

"At the center of the grove, there is a stone platform, and when the moon is full, that platform is bathed in her light."

She saw Caleb waiting for her by that stone platform. The warm, loving gaze that was solely for her. Though the memory hurt, Ashleigh smiled softly.

"On the other side of the grove, there is a stream. One that never freezes. Even in the harshest blizzards, running water constantly serenades every visitor."

Myka noticed a reverence in her voice as she described what lay at the end of the path. He could see it, feel it.

"Along that stream grow mushrooms and lilies of the valley. The flower of every bride in Winter."

Myka turned as her last words came out in a whisper. The shine of the tears rolling down her cheeks was highlighted by the sunlight that poured through the trees.

Ashleigh caught his gaze and quickly wiped away the tears, clearing her throat.

"Lily's Rest," she said softly. "That's what this place is… or what it was."

Ashleigh took a deep breath and then walked past Myka up the pathway. He watched her go without a word. Silently following after her.

As they reached the end of the path, Ashleigh paused. She swallowed as she looked at the broken archway. The arch itself was gone, and the remains of the trees were charred. What once appeared as a gateway to a magical place now looked like a warning to stay away.

Ashleigh stepped through. She swallowed as her eyes moved over the blackened pit of stone and dirt. The shattered remains of the platform and more of the charred remains of the once beautiful trees that had surrounded the grove.

As she took a shuddering breath, she could still smell the smoke. She could still feel how it burned her eyes as she watched Lily's heart break.

Myka stepped beside her. He looked around at the damage. Though he had never seen it before, the image that Ashleigh had painted was a magical place. Beautiful, serene, treasured. But this… it was devastating.

Looking straight out from the entrance, he saw what must have been the stream, now empty and dry. The mushrooms and flowers were all gone. All that was left were large stones and debris from the explosion.

Myka was just about to turn to her to offer his support when he heard the haunting tune again. He closed his eyes and listened. Then, gently on the breeze, he heard a whisper. An echo. A memory.

He swallowed and looked at Ashleigh.

"Lily," he said. "She was the first Luna of Winter, the one that spoke to you, right?"

Ashleigh nodded.

"This is where she died," she whispered.

Myka nodded.

"I think I can feel it," he said. "The memory of her loss."

Ashleigh furrowed her brows and turned to him.

"What?"

He had noticed that some things he could hear or feel made no sense. Voices when no one was nearby or the sounds of swords clashing on an empty hillside. But in doing the research for Ashleigh, he had come across several moments in the history of Winter that felt familiar.

He was hearing the memories of the land, the scars of Winter.

"There is a song," he said. "It's just a whisper, but I can tell it's a lament. A mournful cry. It's old, very old. It isn't her singing. I'm not even sure it's a real voice. But it's about her. It's a song for her. A cry for her."

Ashleigh looked back out at the destruction of Lily's Rest.

"This was hers," she whispered sadly. "Her place of power… her connection to Winter."

"It certainly feels different here than anywhere else," Myka sighed.

Ashleigh closed her eyes, thinking of Lily.

Suddenly, she remembered Lily's words after the bombing.

'This place, it wasn't just sacred to your pack. It is a connection between this world and the ley lines... to my mother. Just like Solana's garden.'

"It was her place of power…" she whispered.

"That's what you said," Myka nodded.

Ashleigh gasped.

"Solana's garden… it wasn't destroyed…" she said. She turned to Myka, her eyes lit up with hope. "If you can hear a distant memory, here, in this place after it was destroyed… maybe in the garden you can actually reach the ley line?"