Your Silver Birthday

Dearest Alanna,

I have kept these crystals for a very long time. Through my entire life as a healer from the first time I used the skills, after finding them on the altar at our circle so close to home. A quick walk as you know, and only a short distance from the fairy’s home under the great oak.

I put them in your care now. You will become so much more than what I have managed, and I am and always be your proud mentor and tutor. On this, your silver birthday, forgive me if I ramble. I am indeed starting to feel my years at long last.

Please find the bloodstones inside the parcel. Harry has been kind enough to pull it and this letter through to you. Let Liam do the unpacking as it is heavy. Roarke helped me wrap them. Also, find several large rods of black tourmaline. Cousins, to Harry’s, they were mined from the same source in Brazil.

The large orb of red tigers eye is for the bedroom. I doubt you will need it, for it’s traditional help with libido issues. But it grounds the base chakras. I found it helped me to think clearly when I needed it. Especially when I found myself called to an emergency in the middle of the night. I suspect it will do you well when a baby insists on a dramatic entrance. I am so proud of you for taking the trauma of Maggie and turning it around to help women whose fear at a critical moment in their lives is often misunderstood. Who better than you would understand them?

The bloodstone geode which split in two on the alter are the same stones I carried with me wherever I went. You remember them hanging in the workshop or around my neck. The blue rainbow moonstones were there, as well as a clear quartz tower. This one amplifies any or all of the others. The selenite bowl is for recharging, but I would advise you to take it out on Andrew’s deck, especially if a thunderstorm is immanent.

Otherwise, let Irena guide you. She is a treasure. Her knowledge of crystals, rivals Chen’s immense wisdom with herbs.

T

his is your graduation gift. You finished your internship and are working on your residency. Trauma surgery with a specialty in obstetrics is an intense combination for your sensitive nature to deal with. As an empath, your mental health is tenuous at best. It’s a truth you must face. Let Liam be your rock as he has been from the day you met.

Let your children, little Allen and Glory are blessings already, be your reason to continue. I believe you are mistaken about this pregnancy. There are two babies there if you care to look a little deeper. Identical from what I sensed when you were here for Samhain. They will be born close to Ostara.

No more after this, dearest, well perhaps one. Don’t let yourself wear out before you can fulfill your dreams. Balancing all phases of your life is difficult, and these gems and crystals will help you do it.

With love, pride, and faith,

Your Uncle, Cardamon.

“Oh Liam, I sensed the end is coming for him, and for Roark. This isn’t just a graduation gift. It’s a passing of the torch, so to speak,” Alanna said as she wiped tears from her cheeks.

“I’ll take care with this box. I see it’s more a crate than his usual parcels this time. I’ll get my hammer so I can pull the nails out of the lid. A prybar too. Perhaps I can use the wood to craft a display table for the orb he was talking about.” Liam turned to go through the door to their attached garage. The house, newly finished, was up the hill from her father’s and not very far from Harry and Gaia’s retirement chalet.

Alanna winced, as she thought of them. The family agreed to keep it as it was, a center for learning and research for the magical community in the area. Harry’s collection of books was in a specially maintained archival room, only handled by people after they went through a quick introductory course. The ancient books were fragile, and Liam volunteered to guard them from harm.

She could still see her Grandda hunched over the scanning equipment as he committed his collection to digital perpetuity. To everyone’s surprise Cardamon outlived his cousin Gaia. Alanna knew his time was limited.

“Shall we see what’s in here?” Liam asked. “Twins, he said, identical?”

“Yes, pry the top off this. I can’t wait to see what we have. I know the bloodstone.

Brilliantly red, like arterial blood. With a band of deep Douglas Fir green around the outside. The geode is only two inches in diameter a bit too oval to called round, but close.”

Liam wedged the prybar into the space at the edge of the lid. Working his way around the crate, he loosened it, and found a stiff cardboard box inside.

“What about his insistence that you’re carrying twins?”

“He’s right, I think. I expect my next ultrasound will give us the answer. I’m bigger than I should be at this point, and yes, I appreciate you refraining from call me a whale.” She stuck her tongue out at him, as she teased him. Orca was their private nickname for her as she neared the end of each of her last two pregnancies.

“Boys or girls?”

“You’d think I could figure it out. It’s so easy when it’s someone else. I knew with everyone of the mothers around us.”

“Including all four of yours.” Liam reached inside the crate to lift the box out, and quickly pulled his arms back out. “This is way too heavy to lift out. I’m going to pull the rest of this crate apart. Keep an eye out for any nails that come loose and fall on the floor. I don’t want Allen picking them up and putting them in his mouth. Glory is crawling already, and she is as much of a vacuum as Saqui is with crumbs and scraps.”

“You are such a great father. Do you think we need a nanny?”

“With identical twins coming, yes. But I think we can look to one of our Murphy cousins. I think Paddy and Aileen both have wandering feet. Paddy is a gardener, trained horticulturist. Andrew said he’s looking for a ground manager. With the crops he’s added, he needs a farmer. That’s Paddy. Aileen, his wife would make an excellent housekeeper and nanny for us. She cooks too, much like Soleil does for Riona.”

“Get the feelers out. I’ll talk to Dad about it. We have the room here to build them a smaller house across the creek. You’ve been thinking about this for some time?”

“Aye. You love to cook when you have a chance, and so do I. But the housework is only done because of spells, and that’s not what I want to teach our little ones. Remember Harry’s insistence on hard work when we can do it ourselves.”

“He’s so right too. I wince with guilt every time I do it.” Alanna kept watching as each of the wooden sides came away, “You’re amazing, love. I hope you can use these pallets.”

“Must have been Roark who put this together. I see his fine eye for design in it. I’ll ask him what kinds of wood he used. It doesn’t look like it’s all cheap pine. Let me take this stack of five out to the workshop, and we’ll get the box open right away. I can actually feel a hum coming from it.”

“You’ve learned a lot about crystals. We’ll place these in all the right places.”

Liam took three trips out to the workshop as Alanna slit the tape on the top of the box and opened the flaps. Packing paper was wrapped around each of the crystals, and Styrofoam peanuts filled the gaps in between.

“I’m glad Allen is napping. Glory too,” Alanna said.

Liam nodded. “I’ll get a garbage bag. I can see this in Deataigh’s fur. Missy wouldn’t be able to resist either.”

“Hmph. I wonder where they are?”

“Up at the circle for some reason. With your Aunt Morgan’s triplets and Killa and Maura clearing the debris before it gets buried in the snow. Doug and Mike are doing the heavy lifting. Deadfall is always a problem. Having Paddy here to keep track of it all will be a blessing. I miss Harry. He used to keep it all done without ever telling us exactly how much work it was.”

Alanna sighed. “We all do. At least they come back at Yule and Samhain. With all the others who have gone before. Who knew Aunt Morgan would step into Grammie’s shoes as a medium? She is truly a sorceress to be admired.”

“Riona is good at it too.” Liam slipped the edge of the garbage bag under the box and Alanna threw the first of the endless supply of wrapping paper in it.

“Oh my! Look at this. It’s bigger than Grammie’s was!”

“And perfectly clear. This goes beside the great room hearth, at the heart of our home.” The four foot tall spear of flawless quartz sat on the floor reaching well past Alanna’s waist.

“I can’t wait to get to the rest of them.”

“Black tourmaline for every bedroom. It will keep the worst nightmares away, along with the amethysts Gaia left us.” Liam said.

As they continued to discover more treasures, Alanna’s heart lightened. Cardamon was right. They were exactly what she needed. When they uncovered the giant orb of polished red tigers eye, she sighed.

“Straight to the bedroom,” she said. “I’ll bring its stand. It goes on the table in front of the balcony window.”

“Agreed. Always recharging in the sun there. I think we finished just in time.” Liam said as he settled the orb in its new home.

“I hear Glory. I’ll nurse her before I leave. Back to reality. My shift starts in a couple of hours.” She stretched up on her toes, her baby bump settling against Liam as she pulled his face toward hers. “Give me a kiss and I’ll wake you when I get home in the morning.”

Liam smiled, “Best deal ever. I’ll never quit thanking the powers that be for putting me at the stones that night.”

“Me too. Okay, Glory’s screaming. And I hear Allen too.”

Liam’s grin grew broader. “Our son has a set of lungs.” He turned left as she turned right as they headed for their children.

Alanna scooped up her daughter and headed for the changing table. Life was good, and she promised herself to make sure it stayed that way.