André smiled crookedly. "I can't wait until I can hold you in my arms again."
She blushed before sending him a teasing look. They waited in companionable silence until the door opened and Eevi joined them. Dressed much like Phoenix in a large knitted sweater and leggings, though of the deepest black. Her hair was now pulled back into a tight French braid. Her makeup and jewelry were gone, adding to rather than subtracting from her beauty. She also wore thick wool socks, an infinity knitted scarf, and head band that covered her ears. All a deep black.
"Oh, I forgot about that part," Phoenix sighed.
Eevi smiled for the first time and held out a black bundle. "Change and put them on." She then began laying out items from her other bag on the table. Phoenix pulled off her blue sweater, showing a blue kami, and pulled on one as black as Eevi's. Folding the blue one she handed it to Eevi who packed it in the smaller bag. Next, she pulled on the socks and looped the scarf around her neck twice. And with an even bigger sigh covered her ears with the knitted fabric and pulled her twin braids out from under it.
"Do you need to use the restroom?" Eevi looked up from arranging odd items on the table.
"I did the second I heard your car. They're in the dark, Eevi." Phoenix nodded to André and Theo, "Explain what you're doing while you do it. Please?"
Eevi nodded. "We're dressed in black because it is a color of concealment and grounding." She began adding herbs into a mortar and pestle. "I am grinding up somnifera and valerian – they both promote sleep, calea and wormwood – for vividness, depth, and clarity, chamomile and skullcap – to calm, gotu kola – for protection, mugwort – for healing, and a tiny bit of caffeine – to counteract all of the ones before, when needed. Once I have it ground and separated, I will mix it with raw honey and coconut water. And one of you will pour it into Yvonne's mouth and message her throat so she swallows." She then grew quiet as she focused on her work. Separating it into five shot glasses.
The door opened and André turned to see Dr. Motrin exit. The huge man smiled and nodded at Phoenix, his warm brown eyes twinkling, "Luna, everything is as you asked it. This must be your sorceress?"
Eevi's eyes studied him coolly and held out an almost full glass. "You'll do. Feed this to your patient. Make sure she's swallows all of it."
He seemed to grow more amused, but nodded and taking the mixture, disappeared back into the room.
Eevi held out one filled to the brim to Phoenix. "I don't believe I got your name earlier." She turned cold gold eyes to Theo and she didn't wait for him to give it now. "He can't touch her so I'll need you to be ready to catch her."
"Catch her? What?" André straightened from where he'd been leaning against the wall with a jerk.
"Oh, André," Phoenix said softly.
"We don't have time for that." Eevi annoyance was tangible. "Drink."
Phoenix looked at him. "I'm sorry," She whispered and downed it. Her eyes fluttered and the glass fell to the ground as Theo caught her.
André felt his blood run cold.
Eevi drank from a glass half full as the door opened again to Dr. Motrin. "Lay her next to Yvonne. Now. Doctor, you're excused." Theo, with a quick glance at him, hurried to do as she said. And Dr. Motrin, after a respectful nod, walked away.
André caught her arm as she tried to follow. She stopped. "I need to do this next part fast. Then we'll have a time for me to tell you everything else. All you need to know now is that you don't want me to delay."
He let her go. And followed her, numb, into the room to see Phoenix lying next to Yvonne. Both more than asleep. He swallowed.
Eevi walked quickly to them and interlocked Ynonne's fingers and the fingers of Phoenix's right hand. She tied a blue ribbon around her wrist and then Yvonne's. And a dark blue ribbon around hers and Phoenix's remaining wrist. "The ribbons connect her to both of us and allow her to find us wherever she is. Blue is the color of healing."
She then began to speak in what sounded like Latin. She emptied out tiny bottle of white power into the palm of her hand and, using her finger, wrote a symbol in it before blowing it over the still woman. "I just locked the spell. With zinc." She grew silent.
"She couldn't tell you." She said softly after an interval, never looking away from her charges.
"She couldn't tell me what?"
"Anything really, but mostly she couldn't tell you that what she's doing is dangerous. That if she fails she could end up stuck in there too or dead."
André paled and Theo put a supporting hand on his shoulder.
She continued. "She's done this before. Both in my station and doing what she's doing now. She know the dangers. She was also the only one who could do it. Otherwise your sister would have been lost forever. The wolfbane and silver combine in the brain in an odd way that black magic has made worse. Yvonne can't find the way out herself. She needs a guide. Please push my table over to me."
Theo did so.
She place her free hand into an open area between the items on it. "I know you haven't known her long. But from what you do know of her, do you really think she would leave her friend in there? No matter the risk?"
André closed his eyes. "So what happens now?"
"We wait. The items on this table will help. She can send thoughts of what she needs down the ribbon that connect us. I won't know until I find it in my hand, but once there, I know how to use them. Mostly we wait for her. I am sorry. I'm going to concentrate on them completely now. You don't need to be quiet. I wouldn't hear a marching band once I am deep enough into my mediation. And they're too far away right now." She began breathing deeply. They watched her face become peaceful. Only to have her eyes snap open and stare at them.
"She couldn't touch you because touch has a powerful magic in and of itself. Do not let your brother touch me. For all our sakes."
And taking controlled breaths she closed her eyes again.
André turned and punched the wall.
"She'll make it back from wherever it is she is. And she'll bring Yvonne with her."
André clenched his jaw and nodded.
"She will!" Theo insisted.