Anabel was working diligently at her bench. Maybe a little too diligently. She checked, rechecked, and then triple checked her work and still she was not sure what she was doing.
She was distracted.
She stopped. Took some exaggerated breaths and forced her eyes to focus. She actually had her focus split and was "working", trying to make sure that Jolan did not overdo his sparring, and surreptitiously watching her husband.
She knew, innately, that knowledge and abilities would come back to Jolan rather quickly but she had not realized they would return as quickly as they had. Now she was worried that he would hurt himself all over again but in different ways.
She knew she was being irrational and that Allistar would not allow anything to happen to either Amethyst or Jolan.
But wasn't that the actual insanity. Wasn't it Allistar who split Amethyst's soul in two to achieve his personal goal.
'Stop worrying. They are both okay and I will not do anything to harm them or allow them to be harmed. Trust me.'
Allistar's intent flowed through her soul like a warm current and his final sentence had a sensual note to it that made her heart thrum in a way that caused her to breathe hard.
She did not want to trust him. She wanted to accuse him. She wanted to say that he would never change.
And here was her final issue.
There was something within her that made her stand still and believe. It made her feel like he could be trusted, that he had actually changed, and that he would now always protect them and love them in ways they had forgotten were possible.
She and Marela had shared lab space for a long time. To say share may be a bit of an overstatement. The lab was so vast three people could set up a myriad of experiments, work everyday, and never see each other.
Marela knew Anabel so well that she did not need to see her to know her work was suffering or that she was under stress, but she didn't say anything.
Suddenly there was a loud explosion. The sound of the explosion was cut short just as Marela looked up in alarm. She saw a vast globe of bright white light and debris over Anabel's work area.
In half a second later the the globe of light contracted and the debris formed items on Anabel's bench. The contracted light disappeared above the bench just above a short wide flask filled with liquid, blue on top, red in the middle, and yellow on the bottom. The experiment continued to bubble and Anabel quickly disconnected a tube that was filled with a thick viscous blue liquid. She lifted the tube and allowed the liquid to slowly ooze into an empty jar.
After this Marela carefully looked at Anabel and saw her face filled with alarm and frustration.
"That's enough for the day. I am going to kill myself if I keep this up."
"Why are you so distracted? You seem to have genuinely accepted Allistar and your children are both better than ever right now. So what has you so loopy?"
Anabel had an aggrieved frustrated look when she heard Marela call her "loopy". Then her expression went blank and she shot her friend a piercing side eye, just as she blew out dramatically through her nose.
Marela lifted her hands up, palms out, in a pleading gesture as if asking for forgiveness and calling for a truce.
Anabel sighed. How could she be upset when Marela's questions were valid?
Marela sighed. "Everything is fine. Your obsession with protection wards makes our lab the safest place in this dimension. Call out some of your servants and just oversee their work or just sit down somewhere and take a break."
Anabel froze for a split second. She had not even thought about bringing out any wards to work for her while she was distracted and she just realized that quite a few had been beseeching her to allow them to help.
She sighed. Four of her best sorcerers and a spell caster that could create spells from scratch appeared around her. They all got to work without her speaking. Her spirits treated her like their beloved master and the fact that they could only watch and not help her had been a bit devastating for all of them.
Marela watched the spirit beings begin working diligently and precisely. Her gaze returned to her friend. "Now what is the problem?"
Anabel moved away from her benches and walked to one of the sitting areas in the lab. "I honestly do not know. I am actually okay with Allistar's return. Maybe it is about the children and their advancement goals."
Marela merely watched and listened. Anabel was the calmest and most efficient person she knew. She could clearly think through situations when others panicked and were left motionless and unable to think clearly. Now she was melancholy, distant, and absent-minded. Something clicked in her mind and she began searching her benches.
Anabel hardly noticed. She registered Marela's movements but it was like distant background noise for her.
For a moment everything froze and then Marela began speaking excitedly. "Take this! You have managed an imbalance. Too much has happened to you at once."
Anabel looked at her for a long moment. Marela could see pieces clicking into place in Anabel's mind. Anabel stood a bit straighter a slight glow blooming on her cheeks. She smiled and her gaze lifted to Marela.
"You are right!" She nodded absent-mindedly. "You are exactly right. Thank you my friend." She turned to leave the lab.
Marela frowned. "If I am "exactly" right where are you going?! Take the medicine!"
Anabel waved a hand in the air. "I am going to mediate. I have a technique to resolve this. You do not always need to use a potion or medicine to solve your problems."
Marela stood shocked. She could hear the smile in her friends voice as her form disappeared from the lab. She was not left dumbstruck by this it was the fact that those were her own words thrown back at her. She blinked and then a slow smile spread across her lips. She thought Anabel never listened to her. It would seem that her friend merely filed information away for later use.
'My love. Is everything okay? Do you need me?'
Anabel paused as Allistar's voice flitted through her mind. She resumed her pace as she realized that he could not sense her while she was in her lab. He could sense her life force and position but not her thoughts or condition.
'I am fine. I almost blew myself and Marela up so I am going to mediate and center myself.'
She felt Allistar's shock, his soul resettle, and then his worry. 'Come to me. Meditating near me will help to calm you.'
It was true. He was essentially a part of her soul and Meditating near him or with him increased her ability to focus, center, and purify her soul and spirit.
'Okay I will come to you now.' She felt the relief that flooded through him.
She appeared in Allistar and Lost Within Time's lab. She looked around a bit stunned. She had meant to teleport outside the lab. Appearing inside the lab was a bit confusing and shocking to her. Maybe she was a bit too distracted. She took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Are you okay Spirit Warlock?"
She looked up to see Lost Within Time. She frowned when she saw worry on his face. She didn't realize he showed emotions. She thought Jolan had all of the emotion in their split. At this thought a slow smile spread across his face.
"Anabel? I was waiting for you at the door." Allistar leaned his head to the side a bit, looking at her in curiosity. "Come. You can meditate in my office."
Allistar led her to a central area. There was a large dark brown door within a deep black archway covered in skulls and other various bones from many of beings.
The door opened when Allistar looked upon it. The room beyond was a deep auburn color with plush carpets and walls covered in supple leathers. There was a large desk in a far corner and three different clusters of seating areas. A door in the far left corner, opposite the large desk, that she felt went further down. She looked at it perplexed. Blasien has a lower level now.
She felt her Vander stir. "Yes I do. It was apart of your mate's requirements."
Anabel smiled. She was drawn to a side area and when she entered into it, leaving the carpeted area, she felt a great sense of tranquility and peace.
Allistar smiled. "Meditate here." He walked behind her and pressed close to her. His face came down and gently slid against her skin as he softly pressed a kiss onto her shoulder.
She shivered as heat bolted through her body. When he first became a lich she thought she would never want him to touch her again and now a mere brush of his skin against hers caused her to quake.
She wanted him to kiss her more so she did not move. He continued to place small kiss up the length of her shoulder and across the base of the back of her neck. Suddenly she needed to turn-around and look at him.
She wondered how she could see so much emotion in his blood red eyes and she noticed that she no longer missed those tranquil blue eyes that she used to love to become lost in so long ago.
"Meditate and calm yourself love. Tonight we will talk."