Esther didn’t let her leave the office to meet Oliver in the lobby. Catherine had to admit she was in no condition to go out on her own. A couple of hours later, Oliver arrived. The lawyer looked at her and frowned.
“Catherine, whatever happened to your hair?” He asked with a hint of levity to get a reaction out of her.
The girl instead silently shrunk and withdrew into the blanket roll she was hiding in. She felt when Oliver sat next to her and threw his arms around the blanket.
“Tell me what happened up north, please? You don’t need to worry about Esther here. I already told her some of our secrets and she agreed to listen.”
Between breaking down crying and just letting her anxiety crisis shut off the world around her, Catherine explained what she witnessed from within Cat’s body. She had little to no recollection starting from when she perceived the demon nearby as she’d entered a magically-induced panic out of fear of going to hell. All she remembered after Cat entered the camp lodge was the bullet wound to the stomach and seeing her mother with a hole in her head. But she knew what she had to do.
“I have to go back there. To the Bear Mountain. I need to talk to Shinji and Alice. I need to know what happened to me… her… the other me. I need to know she’s real. That she’s alive. Please,” She grabbed his coat, “Please, Oliver. She saved me. She… She cannot be dead!”
Oliver peeled the blanket until it revealed her head. He pulled Catherine closer and pressed her head against his chest, spontaneously kissing her forehead and rubbing her nape. “I already called them on the way here,” he confessed. “You don’t have to worry. Martha told me the military retrieved… the other you. She’s alive but she got hypothermia and a bullet wound in the abdomen. Alice and Shinji used healing magic on the wound but she told me, Catherine… I mean, the other you are suffering from severe mana exhaustion. She wouldn’t dare give her a potion because it might aggravate her condition. She’s alive and Mr. Mouser is guarding her.”
“I must go there. I must see her,” she begged. “Please, Oliver. Take me there. Get a helicopter. There’s no way we’re getting there on wheels with all the traffic at this hour.”
“Okay, Catherine. I’ll arrange that. Also, they confirmed that Mr. Marthan is dead. It’s over.”
She whimpered and sobbed, “No. It’s far from over. Until I see her shouting ‘stonks’ again, it’s not over. She saved me, Oliver. I didn’t deserve but she saved me...” Catherine broke down, again.
Oliver’s phone rang and he swapped places with Esther, letting the physician comfort the girl to take the emergency call. He went from annoyed to surprised to excited to stunned in less than a minute as he received some news regarding a Supreme Court ruling.
“Catherine!” He returned after he finished the call, “The Supreme court judged your case. They’re reinstating everything you own. The funds, the mansion, the companies, everything!”
That did not comfort the (former) trust fund baby. Catherine only mumbled, “she did it!” Before she remissed back to her fugue state. It was too much for her mind to bear. She left her blanket roll and stood up, staring at her naked feet. “I need shoes.” She saw no wound or blood on her previously injured foot. “My foot was hurt,” she remarked.
“I noticed some blood on your foot so I cleaned it,” Esther said, “But I saw no injury.”
Catherine stared at her hands. “Even that?” She mumbled to herself. Her first instinct was to make a small cut to see if she kept the fast healing powers Cat had but she thought it better to refrain from asking. She feared that should she request Esther something sharp to cut herself with, the physician would send her to Dr. Coleman at once. She had to go north, instead.
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Oliver arranged a helicopter to take them around town but the first stop they did was at his house. Catherine needed a change of clothes if she was to walk around as it light snowfall blanketed the entire state of New York. Not enough to hinder air traffic but enough to seriously harm a slender girl like her. She changed clothes as instructed by Oliver and soon was back in the metal bird heading north.
Catherine’s awareness went on and off as she struggled with her mind who insisted to escape into a quiet place where no distress could reach her. Oliver had negotiated with the military to allow the civilian helicopter to enter the Bear Mountain restricted airspace and land near the FOB. Just as she put her feet on the ground, Alice tackled her. Catherine noticed for the first time she could see the magical auras of people just like Cat did. Alice’s aura was calm and organized, slowly flickering between green, golden, and shades of blue.
“Goodness! There’s really two of you now!” The wolf whisperer gushed and dragged her toward a medical tent, “Come, I know you want to see her.”
Cat entered the field hospital and saw a few soldiers with minor injuries resting. One of the beds was surrounded by a curtain and the [Priestess] pushed it aside to let them in.
She saw Cat somehow wearing her Catriel wig lying unconscious on the bed with Mr. Mouser sprawled over her chest. She also noticed Cat’s magical aura was pitch black, like a void. The Wirehair noticed her presence and craned his head to look at her. Catherine let go of Alice’s arm and threw herself over the unconscious girl while Mr. Mouser sniffed her. It was like she was looking at the mirror while they talked, just like it happened several times. Catherine wondered why she was wearing the wig as she didn’t remember even bringing it along with them. Mr. Mouser started to lick her and headbutt underneath her arm to get her attention.
“She’s so cold! Don’t they have warming blankets?” Catherine asked Alice.
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“That’s because she’s almost out of magic. I don’t know why but she drained all her magic, even more than should be possible. She’s hanging out by a thread.”
Catherine held both of her other self’s cheeks, “You cannot die and leave me alone,” she sobbed. “You’re going to be an auntie! Wake up, Catriel.”
The Princess’ tears fell on the Hero’s cheeks. The magic didn’t happen as they couldn’t reanimate Catriel. Alice rubbed Cat’s back to comfort her.
“I have a mana potion and it should work for milder cases of magic exhaustion. But she’s unused to wielding her magic and in such a critical state that even a drop could send her system into shock and kill her.”
Catherine tried to gather her wits and keep functioning. “Should we take her to a hospital?”
Alice shook her head. “No. Shinji and I used our healing magic on her. She’s not injured, her body is in perfect condition. Her injury is spiritual. What we needed was to get her somewhere with a lot of ambient magic.”
“New Hampshire?” Catherine asked, hopeful. They had a helicopter and the Daniel Webster’s beloved state was right around the corner.
Alice bit her lower lip, “I said a lot. Sorry, Catherine, I know of no such places.”
The heiress opened and closed her mouth like a fish, trying to find the answer. Then it struck her. “I know of one such place. Where’s the General?”
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With renewed purpose, the shard of hope Catherine found made her move with firm steps toward the command tent. She entered and found the General talking to his officers.
“Miss Wallenstein? You woke up, great!”
She shook her head. “I don’t have time to explain, sorry, General. I need to call in those favors you owe me. Please. I need a fast plane to take us to Carson City. It’s a matter of life or death. Please,” she blinked and the tears rolled down. “Please. She saved us all, now save her.” Catherine relied on Alice to keep her footing. She kept repeating, “save her.”
The General approached and recited, “The Union stands as she stood, rock-bottomed and copper-sheathed, one and indivisible. Sorry I had to check it up. You’ll have your plane, Miss Wallenstein. Elmer Davis said this would remain the land of the free so long it’s the home of the brave,” he quoted thinking she cared for those things. “Your bravery has been tested and proven today. Get this woman her jet plane,” He ordered his aides as he gave Catherine a military salute.
“Thank you, General.”
In a low voice, he added, “I’m sorry for your mother and for the stray bullet that wounded you.”
Catherine lowered her head and didn’t find the strength to answer to that. She still hadn’t come around and processed the loss of her mother. But the sight of her in that blood-stained white gown staring blankly at her with the holes in her head would haunt her forever.
They left the civilian helicopter behind in favor of a larger military transport chopper that could carry all of them. It took them twelve miles north as the crow flies, to Stewart Air National Guard Base. A Gulfstream C-20 jet aircraft was waiting for them and once every person, wolf, and feline boarded the military plane, it took off toward Carson City. They were escorted by two F-16 fighter jets and given priority over the air lanes, displacing a few commercial flights. During the three-hour flight, Oliver called Jack and asked him to prepare for the next leg of their journey. Catherine didn’t leave Catriel’s side for a moment, holding onto the other girl’s hand as if she’d vanish should she let go for just a moment. Mr. Mouser stood on the unconscious girl, trying to comfort both.
It was dark when the C-20 landed on Carson’s City. Jack and a military convoy of Humvees were waiting for them on the tarmac. They took Catriel’s gurney off the plane as Jack approached Catherine. The officer looked between them, confused.
“There’s two of you now,” he stated just to make sure.
Catherine felt her crush bubble up to the fore of her mind and wished she could hug Jack and make him comfort her. Her cheeks blushed as she met his eyes. “Yes, there’s two of us. I’ll explain everything later but can we go to Cave Rock now? Did you… Oh, Shaman!”
The older woman appeared from behind Jack. Catherine released Catriel’s hand to go hug her, feeling the Shaman’s green and brown aura comforting.
She got a head pat from the Shaman. “What’s the matter, child?”
Catherine implored, “We need to visit Cave Rock one more time. Cat… my sister needs to see the Earth Fairy. Please. Her life depends on it.”
She walked with the shaman to the gurney. The Native American placed her hand on the unconscious girl’s forehead. “She’s dying,” she lamented. “I’ll grant your request and open the way. But I don’t believe there’s anything we can do for her.”
Catherine squeezed the Shaman’s hand. “Please. It’s the only thing I can think of. It’s my last hope.”
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Joined by a ladder truck borrowed from the Carson City fire department, the convoy crossed the mountains and stopped before the tunnel that went underneath Cave Rock. They loaded the Shaman, Catherine, and Jack carrying the unconscious Catriel on the basket and hoisted them to the platform in front of the Earth Fairy cave entrance. The Shaman did her rite and opened the way. Holding a lantern in her hand, Catherine led the other two inside.
They lost track of time as they went deeper into the cave. Catherine was startled when she heard the fairy’s voice. “So the victorious Princess returns.”
She gently placed the lantern down and signaled Jack to wait. Walking into the darkness, Catherine did the traditional Washoe greeting, “Hunga mi' heshi, spirit.”
“You come to me in distress with a plea at the tip of your lips,” the fairy stated. “Why do you seek my aid, child?”
“It’s my sister, venerable spirit. She gave her all to save us but she’s wounded. Please, help her.”
The spirit wandered into the light, surprising Jack. The soldier remained steadfast, however.
“You have no siblings but wait… who’s she? She’s you and yet she’s not. I am not mistaken. This is the person who talked to me back then,” the fairy turned around and bared her gem teeth at Catherine. “Who are you? There should not be two of you.”
“I’m the Princess, spirit,” Catherine affirmed with a hand over her chest. “And this is the Hero. We came before you as one the other time. That’s why you said there was no hero. Because we were the same but now we’re separate.”
“No, no, no,” the fairy rambled. “This is not natural. This existence. I see you both share my blessing. It should be impossible, how?”
Catherine sensed curiosity in the fairy. “She holds the answers to all our doubts. If only she could wake up. I’ve been told she suffers from magical exhaustion, she drained herself.”
The fairy ran a hand over Catriel’s body. “I see she was used as a vessel to empower infernal magic. She should be left as an empty husk, yet she survived. I’m sorry, child. She’s beyond my ability to help. All I can do is stave off her death. Leave her here with me. She’ll suffer not the passage of time and eventually, in a few centuries, she’ll recover on her own.”
While that meant Catriel would live, a selfish part of Catherine wanted her back now. She approached and gently grasped the fairy’s hand. “There’s really no other way?”
The fairy examined her and grinned, “You can give me the child that’s in your womb.”
Jack gasped.
“No,” Catherine said. “Enough sacrifices of a life for another. Anything but that.”
The fairy grabbed Catriel’s arm and bit her finger, drawing a bead of blood. “Give me your hand.” Catherine obliged and flinched as the sharp gem teeth sunk into her flesh. “You have the same aura. The same magic. I can take your magic and transfer it to her. You’ll lose my gift of aura sight but will retain the celestial blessings you both share.”
Three times “almost zero” was slightly better than zero, but she had no use for her magic anyway. “Yes, if it won’t harm my child, I’ll do it. Please save her.”