Delver Magic: Book 06 - Pure Choice (52 page)

"That would be nice."

"Where's Dzeb?" Ryson
asked. "I didn't think he was going to ever leave your side."

"He told me I was better
before Enin did. He said it was time for him to go, but if I ever needed him,
he'd be there."

"He already left?"

Linda nodded.

"I'm sorry I missed him,"
Ryson revealed. "I wanted to thank him."

"I thanked him for both of
us."

"Well, I'm ready any time you
are," the delver noted.

Linda was indeed ready to return
home, but there was one thing she felt she needed to do before they left. The
small office in the back of the church seemed to be the perfect place to deal
with the tensions she knew were still standing in their way.

"Ry? I want you to know that
I'm sorry for the things I said and did."

Ryson shook his head.

"No need for that. I
understand."

"Do you?"

"Probably more than you
know."

Still, Linda felt the need to
explain.

"Those things inside me...
every time Ansas purified one of his spell casters, they pulled something
through me. It wasn't magic. I know that. The magic can't get inside me."
She paused, but then willingly revealed her own perspective, and the unease
that went with it. "That's why I knew we can never have children. Each
time the magic was thrown at me, I could feel it just bounce away. For some
reason, I thought of you and the magic that's always been a part of you. It all
just became very clear to me, but that's not really what I'm talking
about."

"Just say what you feel you
have to say."

"They pulled emotions into
me, not mine, but I could feel them... and I couldn't control them. I know Enin
called it spell residue, but that's not what I felt. I felt someone else's... I
don't know what to call it, 'will' maybe. It was the way they shaped the magic,
but there was no magic to shape when it came inside of me. It was so strange."

"I imagine it had to
be."

"But what was worse was it
flooded my emotions. Everything became so scattered inside of me. Those
creatures, I could feel them eating it all, taking it from me, but not all at
once. Everything just bubbled to the surface. I was afraid, I was confused, I
was even exhilarated, but mostly I was angry, but it wasn't really me. Well,
the emotion wasn't mine."

"But a lot of the things you
said were the truth," Ryson acknowledged with a knowing glance. It hurt
for the delver to admit it, but he wouldn't hide from the truth. "I know
you weren't the one responsible for all the emotions behind them, but the
words... I heard every word you said. They didn't come from someone else. They
were
your
words because they dealt
with
us
and our situation, not
someone else's."

Linda suddenly became very worried
about where they were headed.

"No, that's not it."

"Don't worry," Ryson
reassured his wife. "Like I said, I understand more than you know."

"But you need to know what
it's really about," Linda implored. "The words might have been mine,
but they didn't carry what I really felt. Words can be... confusing, especially
when I was so out of control. I never wanted to hit you and I never meant to
say the things I did."

"I realize that, but certain
things came out. The emotions weren't yours, I know that, and you weren't in
control. I know that, too, but there are things we have to face."

Linda stared down at the floor,
but only for a moment. She looked back into her husband's eyes and decided to
deal with the truth.

"I get lonely."

"I know. I didn't realize how
much... until this all happened."

"I've gotten used to it. I'm
able to deal with it."

"But when you lost control of
your emotions, it all came out... and we shouldn't hide from it."

"I don't like it when you
leave," Linda admitted. "And sometimes... sometimes I think you're
more concerned with helping others than you are with taking care of me. Do you
think that's selfish?"

"Not at all. If we're going
to be truthful, then I have to admit I take you for granted. I'm grateful for
the way you've dealt with being married to a delver. I probably don't say it as
much as I should."

"I have accepted it, and I
wouldn't change it," Linda admitted.

"I'm glad to hear that
because I started to worry that you thought it was all a mistake."

"A mistake?"

"Yeah, a mistake for us to be
together."

"Don't ever think that."

"We're being truthful,
remember? That was what I worried about the most. I guess I still am. You tell
me you don't want me to change, and I believe you, but I also realize just how
lonely you are sometimes. It's a conflict that can't be resolved."

"But I know it's something I
can live with," Linda stated.

"I don't want you to live
with being unhappy."

"I'm not unhappy! I just want
you to understand why I said those things to you."

"I know. It was the
emotions..."

"It wasn't just that,"
Linda revealed. "I know we never made a decision about having children,
but it was always in the back of my mind. It was something for me to fall back
on. When it became clear that it could never happen, it hit me harder than I
thought."

"I see."

"You said you were worried I
might think it was a mistake for us to be together. I don't think I made a
mistake, but..."

"But what?"

"But I wondered if we were
supposed to be together. How could I not?"

Ryson nodded.

"I don't blame you," he
admitted. "I thought about it, too. But I thought about every thing else
as well. We've been through too much together and I realized it wasn't a
mistake. Whether we can have kids or not isn't going to make or break us. And
just because you're immune to magic, doesn't mean you're immune to me. We
belong together because we do. I've accepted that. I hope you do, too."

"I have, but I want to make
sure you see the whole picture."

"I do. I'm a delver, remember."

Linda couldn't help smiling and
then she hugged her husband as hard as she could.

Ryson believed they had overcome
the biggest obstacle, but he was not yet completely satisfied with the
situation.

"We still have to deal with
you being lonely. Where do we go from here with that?"

Linda stepped back. She almost
spoke right out, but then held her voice. She hesitated for a few moments more
and then decided to simply say what was on her mind and in her heart.

"Can we get a dog? Someone to
keep me company while you're away? I've always loved dogs. I know you do, too.
It would be good for us both."

Ryson smiled. He almost laughed
out loud, but he didn't want Linda to think he was laughing at her... or her
request. He thought it was a wonderful idea.

"Absolutely, I even know
where we can get one. His name is Stomps." Ryson paused and then he did
laugh. He thought about how things came into his life. It wasn't going to be a
goblin or a river rogue, or even a sorcerer. It was going to be a dog named Stomps...
and for some reason, Ryson believed that Stomps already knew what was going to
happen. "You know, maybe that's what this was all about. I think we were
supposed to get a dog, just like we were supposed to be together. We can make
choices, and the right ones will bring us where we need to be. Come on, I'll
introduce you to Stomps."

A Final Note from the Author

I want to thank everyone who has
reached this point in the series for sticking with
Delver Magic
. I've
enjoyed writing about these characters and I hope to continue to do so. I have
some ideas for a seventh book and I believe there are several avenues to
explore. There's an abnormally large goblin stalking Dark
Spruce Forest,
and
Neltus
is bound to cause trouble somewhere in
Uton
.
Pinesway
is expanding with
the help of dwarf construction.
Ryson
and
Sy
appear to have worked out their differences, but
Burbon
remains a ripe target for goblin raids and river
rogue incursions. I think some of these aspects can lead to additional and
interesting stories. If you enjoyed
Delver Magic,
I hope you will be
willing to continue along with
Ryson
Acumen when the
series continues.

If you have a comment about this
book or any of the previous Delver Magic adventures, don't hesitate in sending
me a note. Also, please let me know if you encounter any difficulty with the
formatting. Contact information can be found on my web site at
www.sitelane.com. Please consider my other novels, including
Soul
View, Counterproductive Man, When Do I See God?
and
Alien
Cradle
.

Jeff
Inlo
lives in New Jersey, USA
with his wife, Joan, and their dog,
Jilly
.