Chapter 29

Amy looked up at her friends, all of whom were surrounding her and beyond happy to see her alive! Smiling at all of them, she knew they deserved an explanation for what happened. Her mom, her brother, and Elizabeth most of all. Felicitae glanced at the woman expectantly, with a lopsided smirk on her face.

“Well? They’re waiting,” the Nymph told her.

“I know! I just need a moment to sort it out in my head, OK?” Amy replied.

“Why don’t you start at the beginning? When this whole thing with Felicitae kicked off?” Sheena suggested.

“I think it makes sense,” Felicitae responded.

“That ... makes a lot of sense. Well, when it all started was when I was knocked out by Felicitae during our initial fight, when a piece of her soul latched onto me,” Amy started.

“Why did it do that? Latch onto you like it did?” Luke asked before Karla smacked him in the chest, indicating that he should hush up.

“No need to do that, Karla. That’s actually where I was going to start my explanation. After I hit Felicitae, when a fragment of her soul attached itself to me, it did so for two reasons, each one different that the other,” Amy explained.

“What were those reasons?” Elizabeth asked.

“The part that was Darkness was to worm its way into by body and soul. But it had to do so covertly, so no one would know until it was too late. Thankfully, my I fought back and disintegrated it, but not before I was able to link my mind back with my body,” the young Shaman told them.

“And the other part that was Felicitae’s soul?” Phalmina queried.

“It latched onto me as a means of survival, hoping that one day, Felicitae as she was, could be reborn. I also ... kind of helped it do that,” Amy replied with a shy smile.

“How did you know what to do? Did you know it would work?” Darren asked.

“I knew what I was doing because I am among the first of all Nymphs ever created. I knew our creator back when he started making us,” Felicitae responded.

“Wait! Hold up! Are you saying that you knew Dionysius?!?” Luke gasped, awed by the implications of this.

“Knew him? The man was practically attached to me, for how fond he was of me. I did learn something of use though,” Felicitae stated as she brought her Nymph magic into being. “Everything related to Gaia’s magic and power, I learned directly from him.”

“I’d say that explains much about how you knew to fight us like you did. It also explains how powerful your magic was,” Jason mumbled, thinking to himself.

“Oh, it is still quite powerful. Just not tainted by the Dark Magic of the Dark Heart anymore,” Felicitae responded, showing them a brief display of her magic.

“But how did you get this done? I mean ... there’s still a bit of a gap there!” Sheena posed, still struggling to put it all together.

“Well, for that to happen, we needed two things that Felicitae’s corrupted body still had; the remnants of her soul and the Nymph’s Heart,” Amy explained.

“The Nymph’s Heart? What is that?” Elizabeth wondered.

“The Nymph’s heart is essentially the heart of every Nymph. The very core of their being and what makes them a Nymph. It’s a magical artifact that was used to create the very first of the Nymphs and every Nymph since has one. If ever in danger or corrupted, the Nymph can use it to protect everything they are from being corrupted. It was a safety measure that was put into Nymphs, should they be badly wounded or ‘killed’,” Felicitae told them.

“I’m sorry, but I’m confused,” Karla interjected.

“It’s kind of like ... a magical backup of the Nymph in question. If the Nymph is compromised in any way, once the threat or corruption had been purged, the magic of the Nymph’s Heart can restore them back to the way they were,” Amy stated, breaking it down further.

“Oh! Oh damn! If that’s the case, then Nymphs are unkillable?” Luke questioned.

“Not quite. You see, when such a thing happens, the Nymph’s Heart must be looked after and cared for properly. When such a thing happens, they are planted with the hope that a tree will grow from it and through the tree, the Nymph would eventually be restored,” Amy went on.

“So, the Nymph’s Heart wasn’t corrupted?” Jason asked, a little worried.

“If it was, there would be no way this tree would have grown here in this now cleansed grove. The power of Gaia would have killed it, or you would have sensed it and done something about it,” Felicitae responded.

“That does make sense. If there was still any trace of Dark Magic or the Dark Heart’s influence, we would have felt it,” Phalmina agreed.

“Seems like Dionysius wanted to keep you and your kind as safe as possible!” Xaera remarked, looking at Patrok and Vahlen in turn.

“That is one way of putting it. While he was a terrible man, he did care enough about us to not want to see us destroyed. He was at odds with many of the other Chosen of those days, and they were often devising inventive ways to hurt each other. Many of these ideas revolved around hurting those he cared about,” Felicitae responded.

“Sounds to me like these... ‘gods’ were right pricks!” Luke grumbled. Felicitae looked at Luke oddly for a moment, as though she didn’t understand what he was saying. Then a smile wormed its way onto her lips and she erupted into belly shaking laughter.

“That is ... the most accurate ... analogy I have ... ever heard!” the Nymph laughed as she spoke.

“You said that the Nymph’s Heart could be planted and grow like a tree. Would it also grow as slowly as a tree would?” Sheena questioned.

“Normally, yes, but this was a special case. With Amy, my soul had been attached to her body long enough for a link to be formed between us. Almost like a ... bond between sisters,” Felicitae explained.

“This bond isn’t too unlike what Elizabeth and I share, but it ran deeper because of her plight and need. We would often speak to each other inside my head, where no one else could hear us. It was there that Felicitae told me of what needed to happen, if she was to be restored,” Amy told them.

“Why didn’t you tell us about what was going on? We could have offered our help,” Eva stated, while glaring in disapproval at her daughter.

“Honestly, mom, would you have let me help? Knowing what sort of magic was involved and what needed to be done?” Amy replied and Eva tilted her head one way, then another, admitting that her daughter was correct.

“And what needed to be done?” Jason asked, curious about how this had happened.

“In order for Felicitae’s body to grow back, she needed ... a template. Someone to mimic as she regenerated and also ... some of me to bring her body back,” Amy confessed.

“Some of you? What do you mean ‘some of you’?” Elizabeth asked, more than a little concerned.

“What I mean by that is that to help with bringing her back, she had to duplicate parts of me. Organs, bones and even some of my blood was needed to help her rebuild what the Dark Heart had eaten away. When the Darkness takes hold and consumes you, nothing of what you were, can grow back. Not even with Gaia’s magic,” Amy told them all.

“So ... part of Felicitae is ... you?” Darren asked, managing to wrap his head around the concept.

“In a way, yes. With Amy bonded to me and willing to help, I was able to grow back into who I was. In some ways, I think I might even be better!” Felicitae stated as she stood and moved her limbs around experimentally.

In many ways, she was right about that. There was much about her that resembled both Amy and Eva, making it almost appear as though they were related. They looked like they were distant cousins, or even direct cousins, depending on how you looked at them. While Felicitae was still herself, there was also an aspect of her that reflected Amy to some degree.

It went beyond the physical appearance, as those who could use Gaia’s magic sensed a ... similarity between the two women. It was almost as though they were sisters, even though they were born by different means. The energy that rolled off them was both different and the same. The same could also be said about how the Nymph looked now as opposed to before.

Felicitae’s appearance was almost a hybridization of both Amy and what she had originally looked like. She still had the enticing allure and magic of a Nymph, but she also embodied all the qualities of a human woman. Her skin was more of a terracotta in color, and her hair, which would have been more vine and leaf, was now a blend of that and human hair.

Her eyes and body were where the changes were more apparent. They were no longer the pale yellow they had been, but they weren’t Amy’s brown color either. The color was more of a hazel-green, which had a slight glow effect to them. Felicitae’s form had always been voluptuous, but now she was full figured and buxom to boot! The way her hips flared out, you would think she was a MILF rather than a childless Nymph.

“You’ve certainly changed from what you used to look like! I mean, I’m guessing that you looked like the opposite of what you were when you were corrupted?” Sheena asked.

“I suppose I have. Why? What do I look like now?” Felicitae asked.

“Like this!” Karla said as she took a quick photo with her phone. She then turned it around to show the Nymph the picture. Felicitae was awed at what she was witnessing, not just the neat little device, but also how she looked now!

“I ... I have become ... a Matriarch!” she breathed in disbelief.

“A Matriarch? What do you mean by a Matriarch?” Phalmina wondered.

“It is a stage of life that female Nymphs enter in their lives, should they live long enough or wish for the change. Either by time or by the Nymph’s will, her body changes to where she is more capable of bearing children of her own. Her entering this stage of her life shows her desire to have children. Many, many children,” Patrok explained in a slightly husky voice.

“So ... this is her way of saying ... time for babies, so knock me up?” Elizabeth blurted out.

“Liiiizzzzzzz!” Amy whined. “Do you have to be so ... blunt?”

“I’m just trying to understand why things are the way they are. Sorry if I come across as blunt!” Elizabeth apologized.

“It’s perfectly all right, Elizabeth. In answer to your question, that is ... what it means. I never thought this day would come, as it always felt like I was being denied it for some reason. At least now that I am restored and the threat to the grove is gone, I now understand why it took so long,” Felicitae responded.

“Looks like you and Vahlen are going to be really busy,” Jason chuckled, clapping Patrok on the shoulder.

“You’re not wrong! This is wonderful news though! It’s good to hear that we won’t be the only Nymphs left! Even though they will be children, it will be nice to see our kind walk the lands again!” Patrok stated. Vahlen nodded and clapped enthusiastically, making his delight apparent.

“Can Vahlen not speak?” Felicitae enquired, looking at the Nymph curiously.

“Not since the final battle during the fairy-pixie war. The suit he wore saved his life, but the hit he took damaged his ability to speak. He could try, but it is exceedingly painful,”

Patrok replied.

“Hmmm! I can fix that!” she said suggestively.

The Nymph Matriarch sauntered over to the mute Nymph, drawing his attention to her. In moments, Felicitae was standing in front of Vahlen, fairly teeming with Gaia’s magic to where she was practically glowing! She then took his head in her hands and brought her lips to his. Vahlen breathed deeply as he felt Felicitae’s tongue invade his mouth, drawing a carnal response from the man.

Felicitae continued to kiss the Oread, letting him enjoy this moment she gave him. As she kissed him, some of the magic that was inside her flowed into Vahlen. He shivered and felt an enjoyable, cooling sensation spread through his body. He noticed it most in his mouth and throat, and could feel like he was being ... soothed. Vahlen then felt Felicitae’s lips leaving his as she stepped back and smiled at the man.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“I ... feel ... what?!?!” he breathed, his bass tone gracing his ears for the first time in centuries.

“Vahlen?!? Your voice!! It’s restored!!!” Patrok gasped, feeling jubilant to hear his friend speak once again.

“You ... healed his voice? How ... how did you do that?” Sheena wondered.

“I’d like to know that as well!! We tried using our magic to heal him, but the best we could manage was to give the poor man some better comfort when he ate!” Phalmina demanded, as she too was thunderstruck at what Felicitae just did.

“Yeah! From what Patrok told me about how Vahlen was hurt, it was Dark Magic that damaged him like that! That’s why his voice and throat wouldn’t heal properly, if at all!” Xaera interjected.

“Please, one at a time!” Felicitae giggled. “Those are all good questions, but I can answer them without too much issue. What I did was I tapped into the Primal energies of Gaia, to give Vahlen his voice once more. As a Nymph Matriarch, I have that ability now, whereas as a normal Nymph, I didn’t.”

“So, Nymph Matriarchs are like ... what? The arch mages of Nymphs?” Luke questioned.

“That ... isn’t a bad analogy. Though I do have this sort of power now, it isn’t given to just any Nymph lightly. It is given to those who are deemed among the most wise and powerful of our kind. Matriarchs aren’t to use it for personal gain, but to help the Nymph race as a whole,” Felicitae explained.

“Like ... you will be able to save other Nymphs? Others who are still alive?” Elizabeth wondered.

“Should we find them, yes. Birthing new Nymphs is part of my role to help my race, but freeing and restoring the others that are out there is also part of it,” Felicitae continued. “But I’m not the only one who will help shepherd the Nymphs into a new era. Amy is part of that too now.”

“Wait, what? Who? Huh?” Amy stuttered, shocked at this declaration.

“How is that possible?” Eva asked, just as stunned as her daughter.

“Simple. When I bonded with Amy and was like a passenger in her body, that was where it all began. With our souls intertwined as they were, it was only natural that she would take on the traits and looks of a Nymph. I mean, look at her! Is she still the same woman you remember before she turned into the tree?” Felicitae questioned.

Everyone had to admit that the Matriarch was right, as Amy had changed. While she still looked human, there was an ethereal, almost alien allure to her now. Her skin looked softer, yet tough at the same time. Her hair shone in the sunlight, almost like a halo. Amy had always been fit, but there was a sense of power in her now as she moved. The most obvious change was her eyes, which glowed with a soft, inner light.

“You’re not wrong! Blessed will be the man or woman that makes her their spouse!” Daelina grinned. Amy blushed and mumbled a thank you, while Elizabeth stared at her girlfriend with lust filled eyes.

“Oh, they will most certainly be blessed! Any and all children that Amy has, when she decides to have them, will possess similar qualities to hers! It is almost a certainty that they will be able to use magic to some degree,” Felicitae finished.

“You’re going to have to rein in those little ones, if they’re anything like you were,” Eva snickered.

“I wasn’t that bad, mom!” Amy protested.

“When you didn’t get your way, you could be,” Eva rebuffed. Amy sighed and rolled her eyes, as everyone laughed or chuckled, as mothers tended to be right about this sort of thing. Jason stood there, equally amazed at what he was witnessing, but also still on the fence concerning Felicitae.

“What’s up, babe?” Sheena asked him.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Jason said, dismissing his feelings as just paranoia.

“You are right to be paranoid. I would be, if I was ... how do you humans say it? In your ... feet?” Felicitae wondered.

“In your shoes,” Amy corrected with a small smile.

“Ah! Yes! That’s it! Even though I have healed Vahlen of a wound inflicted by Dark Magic, a small part of you is still skeptical,” Felicitae told him.

“How could you tell that I was being paranoid?” Jason asked, curious about how she ferreted that emotion out of him.

“I can sense it, much like a deer would sense a predator nearby. Allow me to assuage those fears.”

The Nymph Matriarch then kneeled into the small pond at the foot of the tree as Gaia’s power coursed through her. Seconds later, the water began to glow with the life-giving magic. Moments later, new plants started to bloom into the grove, their rapid growth fueled by Gaia’s power. Other things that had grown there over the past few weeks surged into full bloom, filling the grove with green and growing life.

“Convinced, Jay?” Luke chuckled as his friend took on the deer in the headlights look.

“Yup! More than convinced!” Jason admitted.

“I am certainly convinced! Thank you for healing me!” Vahlen told the Matriarch.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Felicitae replied in a sultry voice while licking her lips suggestively. Vahlen gulped and flushed a little, not used to being flirted with like this. Not that he minded it, as any man would want a woman as gorgeous as Felicitae! More would have been said, were it not for what one of the humans blurted out.

“Whoa ... what is this?” Darren asked as he looked at the stones that sat at his feet.

“What is what?” Eva queried as she looked over at the stones that her son was examining.

“I think ... wait ... it is! It’s the portal stone!” Phalmina said out loud as she examined the stones. There were markings on them, markings that were deliberate and precise. Such marks weren’t made by accident, but by design.

“It ... it’s still here?!?” Felicitae wondered, awestruck that it was there to begin with.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Emalia wondered.

“I thought it had ... been destroyed. When the Dark Heart took over, anything that was tied to Gaia was corrupted. Anything that couldn’t be, was broken and destroyed. I believed it was gone for good!” Felicitae stated.

“Who broke it in the first place?” Sheena asked.

“I believe, that ... I did it,” Felicitae admitted, looking shamefaced.

“You ... broke the portal stone? How?!? I thought they were indestructible!” Phalmina exclaimed, beyond surprised that such a thing could occur!

“Like with any magical artifact, if you drain the magic from it, it will lose its integrity and start to fracture. Using me as a conduit, the Dark Heart took every scrap of magic the portal stone held for itself. It did this to give it more power to exert over the creatures of the forest, myself included,” Felicitae explained.

“I don’t think it took every ounce of magic here. I can still feel something ... like a faint echo,” Darren told everyone.

“Hold on,” Sheena said as she kneeled next to the boy, picking up a shard of the stone in her hand. She held it to her ear and a small smile found its way onto her face.

“He’s right. I can hear ... and feel something coming from this shard,” Sheena replied.

“Seems like the Dark Heart didn’t drain every last vestige of magic like it had believed. Think we can still repair the portal stone?” Jason asked.

“With all of us here, it is possible that we can! It will take a great deal of magic to repair it, then the magic that was contained within it will have to be ... jumpstarted?” Felicitae said, hesitating over the last word.

“I think we can manage that! Come on, ladies and gents! Let’s get this thing fixed!” Sheena commanded.

Without any further delay, every magic wielding Gaian was on their feet, with everyone taking position around the ruined stone. Felicitae stood at the center, having located the central pieces and using her magic to assemble them. Patrok and Vahlen lent their aid in remaking the central part of the stone until it was large enough for her to stand on. When that part of the stone was complete, she used her magic to place it where it had once stood.

“OK. I will draw upon Gaia’s power to remake the stone as it was, but I will need everyone’s assistance to make it whole. Follow the directions I give, so that we may make use of it once again,” Felicitae told them as she took her place on top of the central stone.

Nodding, everyone stood ready while Felicitae reached into her magic once more. Her entire body flared to life, suffused with the raw, unfettered power of Gaia. As it coursed through her, the Nymph Matriarch began using the magic to form the runes needed to bind the stone together. Slowly, piece by piece skittered or flew over to where the central stone sat, slowly finding their way to the platform and attaching to it.

More and more pieces of the portal stone were pulled out of the ground by the torrent of magic that Felicitae commanded. Sensing her need, the Nymphs opened themselves up to the magic, following their Matriarch’s lead in repairing the stone. Jason followed suit soon after, with Sheena right behind him as she opened herself to the powers of the Wolf.

Their apprentices, the Marston women, followed their teacher’s lead and mimicked the magic they used to aid the Nymph Matriarch. The Fairies, Darren and Xaera, offered their help via raw magical power, which Felicitae used and shaped as she needed. Everyone else who didn’t command magic stood back, letting their friends and lovers work, not wishing to interfere in this.

The remnants of the stone eventually came together like a crude but massive jigsaw. Each piece flickered intermittently until it was rejoined with the greater whole of the stone. The flickering then became a soft yet steady glow that lit up the inscribed lines and runes on the stone. With magic now present in the stone, all they needed to do was give it the jumpstart it needed.

Felicitae directed the river of magic she commanded into the stone itself, slowly pulling each piece together. Once the stone was tight, and every piece had come to it, the edges began to melt together, almost as though the stone was now clay. Moment by moment, the fracture lines which had permeated the stone faded, soon leaving the stone whole as it had once been.

The magic within the stone was potent once again, but now it needed the final push to bring its power back to where it was. Using a full circle of runes, Felicitae pushed as much power as she could muster into the stone itself. The glow that came from within became brighter until it was as luminous as the sun at noon. Felicitae then brought her hand down on top of the stone, causing it to flare just like the sun would, blinding everyone!

It took a few moments, but the second they all got their sight back, they noticed Felicitae was gone. Before they panicked, the stone flared, but in a way that told them that a traveler was coming through. Not even three seconds later, a magical column appeared out of the stone and from within it came Felicitae, stepping out from it and back into the grove.

“I’m guessing that the stone works now?” Jason wondered, seeing how the Nymph Matriarch was still in one piece.

“That it does! I went to a grove that looked like it was in a cave. Where is that one? I’m not familiar with its location,” Felicitae asked.

“That would be in the cave where I make my home. It used to be above ground centuries ago, but an earthquake changed the landscape to where it was buried beneath tons of rocks and dirt,” Xaera explained.

“Oh! Well, it certainly is a beautiful place now! The glowing moss and fungi in there are a nice touch,” the Nymph commented.

“Well, if you were able to travel straight to Xaera’s cave, then the stone is not only repaired but also activated! This certainly makes it easier to get back to the mountain grove now!” Emalia said excitedly.

“No doubt. Hey Amy, I noticed that when we were helping Felicitae with repairing the stone, that your magic looked ... well, different,” Sheena mentioned.

“Different? Different how?” Amy questioned, curious about what Sheena had seen.

“It seemed like it was ... less the sort of magic I recognize from a Shaman. It seems almost ... wilder than it should be,” Sheena stated.

“That is because of me. When we were bonded and inside the tree, it wasn’t just a body that we were sharing, but magic also. My Nymph magic may have affected Amy more profoundly than I thought,” Felicitae mused.

“How so?” Eva questioned,

“When Amy was ... assisting me, my magic reached out instinctively to help her as well. With what I needed to become whole again, Amy was going to need some magical help, which my magic provided. As a result, I now believe her to be what would be called, Nymphtouched,” Felicitae explained.

“So, that explains why her magic looked and acted wildly and seemed a bit off?” Sheena queried.

“Yes. Though with time and proper training, she will grow to be quite powerful. Among the most powerful among all the Shaman, past and present,” Felicitae stated.

“You can see that?” Darren questioned.

“I can ... sense it. But that is not the only thing I sense. Here, with us now, there are two who will dwarf Amy, but I cannot say who. Not yet, anyway,” Felicitae finished.

“I feel such things will become clearer, in time. Now, how about we get back to the house and get these two some food?” Phalmina suggested.

“Maybe some clothes too? Though I enjoy being out in my own skin, I still like the feel of clothing on my body,” Amy said with a smile.

“Oh, I don’t know about that, babe. You look pretty damn good, just as you are,” Elizabeth replied in a husky voice as she licked her lips suggestively.

“Save that sexy time for tomorrow! Or did you forget about the Solstice party that we’re having?” Jason asked.

“Oh! Right!” Elizabeth replied as she facepalmed herself.

“Wait, a Solstice party??” Felicitae inquired as excitement overtook her.

“Yeah! After you were defeated and the Dark Heart was contained, we felt we should celebrate it! It just so happened that the Summer Solstice had passed us by as we were busy cleaning things up after the battle. While the Solstice has passed, we felt we should celebrate it anyway,” Jason told the Nymph.

“You were going to have a party ... without me?” Amy accused, almost glaring at Elizabeth.

“We didn’t know what you were up to or even if were even going to come back!” Elizabeth pleaded, looking a bit hurt at Amy’s accusation.

“All right, I’ll let you have that one!” Amy replied with a smirk, to which Elizabeth sighed in relief and tackled Amy, tickling the woman for her remarks.

“OK, OK, OK, Liz! I’m sorry!” Amy shouted as she laughed at the tickle assault. Elizabeth huffed happily and got off Amy, then helped her to her feet. “So, who’s coming to the party, then? More importantly, when is the party?”

“Tomorrow, starting at noon. Everyone from your camping trip, everyone here, the detectives, a couple of Jason’s friends from his old work, Carlotta and even a few of my old friends,” Sheena replied happily.

“I would imagine that it was a sizable undertaking in getting all the food and drink for it?” Felicitae asked as the group left the grove.

“Not really, Liccy. These days, it takes maybe a couple of days to get everything organized for such an event,” Amy told her.

“Really? Humans are that much more effective in getting things done?” the Matriarch asked.

“I think you could use a proper look at what humanity has become since you’ve been locked up here. There is so much that you have yet to see and understand,” Sheena stated.

“Why don’t me make a whole thing of it then? I mean, these two have been cooped here as well, and I’m sure they’d like to see, well ... everything!” Jason put in.

“Yes, please! We would love to go out into the world and see all things we have only heard about!” Patrok said exuberantly. Vahlen made his opinion known as well, with equal fervor.

“What about their skin tones? They’ll stand out and some really awkward questions may come from any observers or passersby,” Elizabeth mentioned.

“Silly human! I can fix that!” Felicitae stated as she waved her hands, magic forming around them.

Seconds later, runes formed, and she directed them at the male Nymphs. The moment the runes hit them, they began to change physically, making their skin tones and features more human. Patrok looked more tanned and exotic, like the perfect hybridization of Bruce Lee and Chris Evans. Vahlen, on the other hand, looked like a much younger version of Idris Elba!

“Damn!!! Even with the magic disguising you, you boys look all kinds of scrumptious!” Amy mentioned, eyeing the pair up and down.

“You’re not wrong! There will be staring for sure, but of the more friendly, feminine kind!” Sheena agreed as they stood on the path with the house in sight.

“Might have to fight them off with a stick! Especially you Vahlen!” Eva commented while looking the Nymph up and down appraisingly.

“Why? Women would find me desirable in this human form?” the Nymph questioned.

“More than desirable! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you are propositioned, many times! By both single and married ladies alike!” Amy stated.