The Second Heart (32 page)

Meredith looked up and met Vi’s gaze,
offering her a weak smile. Vi looked careworn, wearing the stress
of the day on her face. “How are you holding up?” Meredith asked,
grasping her hand under the table. “Today must have been really
tough.”

“Miguel’s parents came. It was awful,” Vi
admitted. The corners of her mouth turned down as she remembered
the scene. “They have a lot of questions. They asked to meet with
you, but I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. They are really
upset.”

By now everyone was listening to their
conversation, and Rob chimed in, “I’m with Vi. I think that’s a
terrible idea.”

“Miguel’s parents are grieving. Who knows
what they’re liable to do,” Amelia added.

Surprised, Meredith countered, “What if it
had been me instead? If I were dead, would you appreciate it if
Miguel scuttled under a rock and refused to answer any questions or
even talk to you?”

“I hardly think you’re scuttling under a
rock, Meredith,” Amelia chastised.

“They deserve to know more than the bullshit
story that they’re going to get from the hospital. As far as they
know, I am the one who convinced him to skip the surgery, and now
he’s dead. They don’t know that he was murdered.” Meredith stopped
to catch her breath and then added, “Wouldn’t you want to know the
truth?”

“Honestly? I don’t know,” Amelia replied.

Before the argument could escalate, Vi said
hastily, “You don’t have to decide right this second. Mrs. Alvarez
told me where they are staying and said we could come by any time
in the next few days while they wait for--” Vi cut herself off
before she could say
Miguel’s body
, but the unsaid words
just hung in the air. After a painful moment, she said lamely,
“Let’s just eat.”

They all ate their burritos in strained
silence while the news droned on with no mention of Miguel. After
the news concluded, Wheel of Fortune came on. Usually, Meredith and
Amelia enjoyed watching the light-hearted game show together, but
today the sparkling lights and shiny studio made Meredith’s stomach
turn. Thankfully, Eleanor stood and turned the TV off with a loud
click.

“There are some things I’d like to talk to
you about,” Eleanor said, sitting back down on the loveseat.

Meredith swallowed the last bite of her
burrito and folded up the wrapper to contain the scraps of shredded
lettuce and crumbs. “Okay.”

“I know that you’re really afraid right now
because of your friend Miguel. I completely understand that. What I
want
you
to understand is that though this is a dark time
for
you
, it’s actually a very hopeful time for
magicians
.” Eleanor paused for effect and glanced around at
their faces, satisfied that she had everyone’s undivided
attention.

“For you to know why that is, I need to tell
you more of the story about Aleric,” Eleanor continued. “As I told
you before, Aleric roved the countryside seeking out and killing
magicians for their power. By the time it was discovered, Aleric’s
power was too great for direct opposition. As such, the remaining
magicians sent delegates to a secret council to discuss what to do.
Essentially, the council was divided as to how to proceed. The only
real facts that they had were that Aleric could not live forever,
and that he would eventually weaken. Half of the council believed
that they needed to create another magician who would be strong
enough to defeat Aleric when the time came.”

“How?” Vi cut in.

“I’d forgotten how irritating it is to have
to tell you a story,” Eleanor said wryly.

Vi smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. But at least
you know I’m paying attention!”

“They would have to create this new magician
the same way as Aleric, wouldn’t they?” Meredith asked.

Eleanor nodded. “The council would have to
ask fellow magicians to sacrifice their power, and their lives, for
the greater good. So now you understand why the council couldn’t
agree. It was a great price to pay, and there was no guarantee that
the new power wouldn’t corrupt the chosen magician.”

“Ugh,
two
Alerics,” Vi scoffed.

“And then there was the matter of deciding
who it should be,” Eleanor continued. “Of course, every council
member thought it should be him- or herself.”

“What a crappy situation. What was decided?”
Meredith asked, leaning forward.

“Nothing. The gathering was a failure.
Everyone left to consider what had been discussed, and a second
meeting was planned for the next full moon.” Eleanor paused and
cleared her throat before continuing. Her voice was matter-of-fact,
but Meredith saw the flicker of emotion in the older woman’s eyes.
“When the council reconvened, it was to disastrous results. Somehow
Aleric had learned of the second gathering beforehand, and with so
many remaining magicians all together in one place, they were an
easy target. Only one magician survived the massacre, a young
woman.” Eleanor’s voice tremored, and she paused again to reign in
her emotions.

“That’s awful,” Amelia said softly, giving
voice to what they were all thinking.

To give Eleanor another moment to collect
herself, Meredith added, “What a devastating loss.”

“Yes and no. The surviving magician became a
beacon of hope for other magicians--not for themselves, but for the
future. By now, most magicians knew their days were numbered, so
their greatest hope was to lay the groundwork for Aleric’s eventual
demise. Word travelled surprisingly quickly, and magicians came in
droves to sacrifice themselves at her feet. She was reluctant at
first, as young and inexperienced as she was, but as she grew in
power, she also grew in wisdom.”

“So these magicians would just show up at her
house and basically disembowel themselves on her doorstep?” Vi
asked incredulously, scrunching up her nose.

“Yes,” Eleanor said levelly. “The first time
it happened… it was very traumatic. You see, she had never sought
any extraordinary power. In fact, she was only at the summit
because she was apprentice to a council member.”

“Then that sort of made her perfect for the
job, didn’t it?” Meredith said.

Eleanor smiled briefly. “I suppose it did.
Over the course of a year or so, magicians came to her from all
over the place, helping her to grow in strength. Secrecy was of the
utmost importance, because, though she was strong, she was still no
match for Aleric.” Eleanor stopped and took a long drink of water.
There was complete silence as everyone waited for her to finish her
story. Finally, she said, “Eventually, the magicians stopped
coming, and then all that was left for her to do was wait.”

“Where is she now?” Josh asked. “Did she make
it?”

“Yes, she made it, and at no small personal
cost. But that is a story for another day. The point is,
now
is the time that she has been waiting for.”

“It was you,” Meredith said quietly, so
quietly that she had to repeat herself. “You were the surviving
magician.”

Eleanor didn’t respond, so Meredith
continued. “You said you haven’t seen a magician emerge in a long
time because Aleric was hoarding all of the magic. Yet, here you
are. That’s what you were hiding from us, isn’t it?”

Everyone looked at Eleanor expectantly.
Several moments passed, and then she nodded slowly. “Yes.”

Meredith narrowed her eyes. “So you could
have protected me and Miguel, but you chose not to.”

Eleanor sighed. ”You have to realize that I
am protecting a legacy that is more than two thousand years in the
making. I am honoring the sacrifices that all those magicians--many
of them my friends--made. I couldn’t tell you the full story until
I was sure that you could be trusted.”

Meredith could see Eleanor’s point, but she
still didn’t like it. She remained silent, working to keep a scowl
off of her face.

Josh broke out into a wide smile. “I gotta
ask the question that I know everyone here wants to ask.”

Eleanor raised her eyebrows with interest.
“What’s that?”

“Did you meet Jesus?”

Josh’s question made the reality of Eleanor’s
age sink in. The fact that Eleanor could potentially have met Jesus
put the length of time in perspective, and Meredith stared in awe
at the gruff nurse who sat before her. It was hard to imagine all
of the things that Eleanor had seen and experienced in her long
life, and how silly all of Meredith’s problems and complaints must
have seemed to her.

“No,” Eleanor answered with a smile. “As you
can imagine, over the years I have done my best to keep out of the
way and stay as inconspicuous as possible.”

“God, how boring,” Vi exclaimed.

“Vi,” Rob reprimanded. “Show a little
respect.”

Eleanor looked contemplative for a moment,
and then said, “It’s all right. My life was quiet, yes, but not
boring. I have had many beautiful friends over the years. Lovers,
too. I’ve lived in many places, and learned many things. I have
been able to watch humanity’s progress through the lens of someone
separate from it. It’s been fascinating. I only wish I could stay
longer to see where we end up.”

Meredith’s heart sank. “Of course. Aleric’s
not the only one who’s getting old.”

“Now, don’t count me out just yet. I was much
younger than Aleric was when I started to prolong my life. I’ve got
enough fight left in me to give him--or his protégé--a good
walloping. Especially now that a large portion of the hoarded magic
has been returned to the Earth.”

“And you’ve got me,” Meredith said
firmly.

“You’ve got
us
,” Amelia corrected,
looking around the room. “All of us. We’re in this together.”

There was a brief silence as everyone nodded
at each other in agreement.

To their surprise, Eleanor let out a small
sigh, her face mottled and filled with emotion. She swiped at her
tear-filled eyes in embarrassment, explaining, “You have to
understand. I’ve kept this secret for so long… I guess I didn’t
realize how lonely it was until now.”

Vi was sitting on the floor closest to
Eleanor, and she reached up and took the older woman’s hand.
“There’s just one thing,” she said with a wry smile.

“What’s that?”

“We’re really going to need a bigger
house.”

Eleanor chuckled through her tears and threw
an arm around Vi’s shoulders gratefully.

Through her own laughter, Meredith watched Vi
lean toward Eleanor and say, “See? I told you I’d grow on you.”

Everyone
except Eleanor woke early the next day thanks to the uncomfortable
sleeping arrangements. Eleanor had gone back to sleep in her room,
but everyone else had crammed into the living room: Rob and Amelia
on the sofas, and Vi, Josh, and Meredith lined up on the living
room floor with some blankets and the throw pillows off the
couches.

Always an early riser, Amelia had gotten up
even earlier and prepared the coffee that Vi had thoughtfully
brought the night before. Vi must have remembered the slim pickings
from their first morning at Eleanor’s house.

Meredith made a trip to the hall bathroom and
then beelined for the pot of coffee to make sure she’d get a cup
without having to make more. Rob ended up with that irritating
task, being a slower mover in the morning than the rest of them.
Within twenty minutes, however, they were all gathered back on the
sofas, chatting quietly and sipping their morning brew.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said
yesterday, Mere,” Amelia said. “About how we would feel if we were
in Miguel’s parents’ shoes?”

“Yeah?”

“I would hate you, regardless of the truth,”
Amelia said, looking Meredith in the eye. “But I would hate you
more if you refused to talk to me at all.”

“So do you think I should go see them, after
all?”

“I honestly don’t think that seeing them in
person is going to change much; they’ll hate you either way. That
said, I would understand if you did decide to go talk to them.”

Meredith nodded. “I just think it’s the right
thing to do.”

Rob frowned and shifted in his seat, though
he didn’t say anything. Meredith was sure he disagreed, and she
hoped he kept his feelings to himself so they could avoid an
argument.

“You’re not going alone,” Vi said firmly.
“I’m coming with you.”

Meredith smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any
other way.”

After a quick breakfast of toast, Vi and
Meredith drove Amelia’s CR-V to the hotel where Mr. and Mrs.
Alvarez were staying. The aging hotel was shoehorned in between a
drive-through liquor store and an outlet mall. Meredith pulled into
the parking lot and drove past an empty fenced in pool, looking for
a parking spot. The asphalt was cracked and faded, and Meredith
could only guess at where the lines separating the spaces once
were. She tucked the car in between an old VW Bus and a
mid-nineties sedan.

“Man, I drive through this area all the time
and I’ve never even noticed this place,” Vi observed.

“What, you mean that twelve inch sign over
there didn’t catch your attention?” Meredith joked, pointing to a
small sign for the hotel.

In the lobby, Meredith was impressed by the
carefully maintained interior. It was like a perfect time capsule
for the seventies, complete with orange carpeting and a heavy
flagstone fireplace next to the bar. A bored looking receptionist
stood behind the check-in counter, which was decorated with little
paper ghosts and pumpkins in honor of Halloween.

Meredith walked up to the counter
confidently, saying, “Hello, we are here to see the Alvarezes,
please.”

“What room?” The receptionist was pretty,
with long dark hair that fell to her waist in soft waves.

“I don’t know. Can you look it up?”

The receptionist typed a few things into her
computer and then reached for the phone, dialing the room. She
listened for a moment, and then said, “Hello, this is the front
desk. There is someone here to see you, uh--” she looked up at
Meredith questioningly.