赤裸裸的滑稽故事

The image of the treehouse fell away, leaving Ashleigh in her hospital room. She sighed as she looked around, already missing the comfort of their special place.

‘It’s good to know there is a place you feel at ease,’ Lily smiled.

Ashleigh smiled.

“He makes me feel at ease,� she replied.

Ashleigh’s thoughts returned to Caleb, whether or not he was all right and when she would see him again. But she couldn’t focus on that. She needed to distract herself.

She thought of what Lily had said about the power of the blood. The power of her connection to the fae.

“Lily, can I ask you something?� Ashleigh asked.

‘Of course.’

“What will happen after Lian, Solana, and the Goddess... your mother are gone?�

Lily was silent. Ashleigh could feel her discomfort at the question.

“I’m sorry,â€� Ashleigh said. “I didn’t mean toâ€" “

‘It’s all right,’ Lily said, appearing before Ashleigh with a warm smile. She sat down at the end of the bed. ‘The truth is, I don’t know.’

Lily took a deep breath.

“I can make certain guesses and assumptions... but there is no way of knowing for sure. Even without directly influencing your lives, my mother and the other Lunas have been a part of this world for a long time.

“It isn’t as simple as saying there will be no more powers... Some things, yes, I can say with confidence, will be affected. For instance, the oaths your Alphas make are exchanges of power between the Alpha and my mother or the other Lunas. Without them there to listen, there are no oaths to be made.�

Ashleigh lifted her eyebrows in surprise.

“No one will be listening...� she whispered. She knew the Goddess was not who they believed her to be. But hearing that soon there would be no one listening surprised her.

“I wouldn’t say no one,� Lily replied.

Ashleigh looked up at her and smiled.

“Well, I didn’t mean you,� she chuckled. “You will still be here with me.�

Lily gave a soft smile and nodded.

“That’s true,� she said. “I will.�

Ashleigh couldn’t help but notice the shift in her tone. Her voice was quieter than it had been only moments ago.

“But I did not mean myself either,� Lily continued.

Ashleigh tilted her head.

“Who did you mean?� she asked.

Lily looked at Ashleigh with a tilt of her head and a knowing smile.

“There is much in this world you know nothing about, great daughter.�

Ashleigh was even more curious now.

“Like...?� she laughed.

Lily chuckled.

“Like... the Leshy,� she replied. “And others like them.�

“You mean the ancient beings you mentioned before? I thought you said they were sleeping and that it would be dangerous to draw their attention.�

“Direct attention, yes,� Lily said. “You never want the eyes of an Ancient on you... but there are lesser beings. Some you have read about in stories, some you have never heard of. Even some of the Ancients still listen, with a small part of their consciousness.�

“Wow...� Ashleigh whispered. Then an idea came to her. “Hey, maybe we should ask them for help?�

“No,� Lily stated firmly. “It is one thing to pray for some kind of blessing. It’s another entirely to ask for a favor. Beings of power never give anything for free, and the price never matches the request.�

Ashleigh could see the look of concern in Lily’s eyes. She thought it would be best to change the subject. She could always ask more about the topic at a later time.

“So, what other guesses do you have about the changes to the wolves?� Ashleigh asked.

Lily looked at her thoughtfully.

“Well, most of the power that your Alpha draws on comes directly from my mother, so likely, they will become much more like the Alphas of lesser packs. However, whether they realize it or not, those Alphas have some power.

“It comes in different forms, usually a heightened aspect of their personality and charisma. It is what connects them to their people. A thread of power goes through each of them when they bond to the pack.�

Lily thought for a moment before continuing.

“And the Lunas, they will definitely lose their abilities. Those come directly from the original Lunas. Even Corrine, her power should have come from me, was I still alive. Instead, it is borrowed from others. As far as I could tell, it mostly came from Talis.�

Ashleigh looked away. She had barely been accepted by Solana. She wasn’t even sure what her power as a Luna was, but it was already going to be lost. And the Alphas of the great packs without the ability to silence the lesser alphas, it was strange.

She furrowed her brows.

“So, Caleb and Axel won’t have their presence anymore?� Ashleigh asked.

Lily thought about this for a moment.

“Actually, that is a little different,� Lily replied. “If they were anyone else, they would have likely lost that ability once the power was broken. But Axel, Caleb, Bell, Myka, and yourself, you all carry fae blood.�

Lily looked up at her.

“You all hold the last pure drops of fae in your veins,� she continued. “That blood, for good or ill, holds power, even without my mother or the others.�

“Then what about the creatures,� Ashleigh asked. “The bats, treants, the bear thing. Aren’t they all fae?�

Lily sighed.

“First of all, the bears are not fae at all. Those are abominations that were made from the dead and Axel’s blood,� she replied with a look of disgust. “As for the others, those are not pure fae. Those would be like the feral wolves. They hold some of the building blocks of the fae, but they lack the power or true sentience.

“I see,� Ashleigh nodded.

“But the rest of you will likely retain most if not all of the powers you possess. Axel and Caleb may find their abilities have lessened, but I don’t know for sure,� Lily said.

“But mine comes from you directly,� Ashleigh said. “So, since you will remain, the Valkyrie will remain, right?�

Lily looked at her and then turned away with a nod,

“Right,� she whispered.

Ashleigh heard it again, that softness. Then, finally, the quiet fell over Lily’s mood.

“Lilyâ€"“

Before Ashleigh could finish, the door to her room opened, and Lily faded away.

Ashleigh turned to see Bell standing in the doorway. She pushed in a cart filled with supplies and what appeared to be blood bags.

“Bell?� Ashleigh called to her.

Bell said nothing and merely got to work attaching one of the blood bags to her IV pole and then setting it up to begin the transfusion.

“What is going on?� Ashleigh asked, sitting up.

Bell turned and looked her in the eyes. Ashleigh could see the bloodshot eyes, the redness of her lids, and the tear stains on her cheeks.

"It\'s time for you to do your duty," Bell stated bluntly.