Spiritwalk (46 page)

She smiled, thinking of Cal’s perfect mimicry of Brach’s reaction on his return to the House. She’d told him then, as she’d told him before, that he really should consider a career as a stand-up comic.

“What?” he would protest. “And give up my promising career as the office’s resident software expert?”

He was off with his girlfriend to see a band at Barrymore’s tonight. Lisa wasn’t a pagan—but then Cal wasn’t much of one either, when it came right down to it. But all that was irrelevant. They were both good people and she was happy to see them together. Lisa had come by with Cal to help out almost every night since they’d gotten together. Julianne had quit working earlier than she normally would tonight just to get the two of them off doing something for themselves for a change.

It was cooler in the garden than she’d expected. She wrapped her shawl a little closer around her and considered going back into the House, but the peacefulness she’d found out here tonight seemed too precious to desert so early.

She looked up and saw a shooting star cut a sharp bright line across the sky. It reminded her of her childhood, when she would stand outside her parents’ house waiting for a star to fall so that she could make a wish.

She thought of the ghost of the first forest, felt its spark glow warm inside her, and made a wish now. As though in response, she heard a footstep along the path she’d taken earlier to reach this spot. Turning, she saw someone stepping closer. As he drew nearer, she wasn’t surprised to see that the man had a coyote’s head on his shoulders.

In this place, at this time, with memories of the first forest ghosting through her, it seemed entirely appropriate.

He stopped beside her. The smell of cigarette smoke and forest loam rose from his clothing. Shaking a cigarette from a package he took from his pocket, he lit it and after taking a long drag, offered it to her. She didn’t smoke, but she took the cigarette from him all the same and brought it up to her lips.

“I have a gift for you,” he said as she took a drag.