Chapter 20: Surprise

Call me a bastard; however, teasing Mitch was fun.

I deliberately headed off along the path that wound up the side of the mountain. It then worked its way over to the north side. There was a nice beach on that side of the island, which was worth visiting. It was a gorgeous day, and the peace of the open forest was a balm to the soul.

We passed a family of day trippers, and they were enjoying themselves. I reminded them to stay on the paths, as it was a National Park. I told them that if they did get lost, just head south as the resort was on that side of the island.

I even pointed out that if they followed the path and turned at the next intersection, it would take them to the lookout. The family liked that idea, so off they went.

Mitch chuckled and said, “Do you know every part of this island?”

I grinned and said, “I know parts of this island no one else other Beth knows about.”

“Do I get to know about them?” he asked.

“If you play your cards right, you might,” I replied. He growled, and I laughed. Actually, we were having fun. I love bushwalking in all types of terrains and Mitch was more than happy to explore with me. Personally, I think it was more the fact that he had me to himself that was making him happy; the scenery was a bonus.

The reason I chose to go this way was that at this time of the day most of the day trippers were going the other way. The last two ferries left around five, so they needed to make their way back to the resort. We would be visiting the waterfall from the backdoor.

Few used this path because you had to do a walk around to get back on the other side of the waterfall, and it could be a bit rough in places. I, however, knew how to get in this way. I took a left at the next branch in the path. A sign warned that the track was uneven, and it was rated as difficult. A nice way of saying that if you were unfit, don’t attempt it.

Mitch and I were fit, so it wasn’t an issue. Many also found the scrubby bush we were walking through on this slope as uninspiring. The winds and rain tended to batter this slope and shift the topsoil to lower parts. It took us half an hour to make our way over to where I deviated from the path.

I know I had Mitch guessing as to what I was up to. This path didn’t lead to the beach I said we were going to visit. We clambered down and around and then we heard the waterfall. Mitch grinned, “I love waterfalls.”

“Good, because you’re going to love this one,” I told him. We got see it from a view few people did, and from above it did look impressive. I worked my way down carefully and found the spot I had marked. I angled across to the fall and stepped under it the splashing water.

Mitch eagerly followed me under the spray. I told him to turn, and he was mesmerised just as I had been the first time, I’d done the same thing.

“Wow! This is amazing. Thank you for bringing me here, Tris,” he said.

I took his hand and walked him down the back of the cave.

A lover’s retreat, it wasn’t. It was damp and rocky underfoot. I slid my arm under his pack and around his waist and told him to step towards the wall. He played along. This time, I knew to hold on tight to him as we transferred into the cave.

I felt him grab me as the disorientation affected him, and I wrapped my other arm around him. He blinked several times at me, and I grinned at him and then kissed him. When I let him come up for air, I told him, “Welcome to my home away from home.”

He released me and looked around. “Where is the light coming from?” he asked in wonderment.

I took his hand and showed him into the cavern with the transportation ring in it. I’d cleaned it up a bit more and opened the other pits. It was pleasantly warm, and I could see that the crystals were a lot more numerous, and many were a lot brighter.

It seemed that if the macroscopic bugs built over the old crystal quickly, then the base crystal didn’t charge up. If they abandon a nest or block of crystals as we saw them, then all of the crystals in that branch sucked in the heat energy until charged and released the excess as light, so they weren’t overcharged.

Opening the pits had accelerated the charging process. I suspected if I’d only left the one open, the bugs would have laid down more crystals, but they were still active in the darker recesses as the light had a habit of shining down. The room looked impressive now.

Mitch wandered around, and I warned him not to touch the crystals unless he felt like getting booted. I looked at the ring with interest. It was about three metres wide and 15cm thick in the metallic section of the ring. It was set into a low platform that extends out by a metre from the edge.

Thyrsis’ notes had said he had gone in search of where he believed one was and it was still in the hold of the ship when he went ashore to see his wife. He had the Captain put the ship into a secluded cove, as he didn’t want people to know they were leaving.

The Vandals had attacked two nights later. They had been in the process of loading the ship. He and his wife had decided it was time to leave, but he had wanted to get the ring, first. Apparently, he’d had similar issues with not ageing as I now did.

He and his wife would spend about fifteen years in one location and then move. They had four homes and came back to each about every forty-five years as their own descendants. I had planned to do something similar.

I had planned to make enough jewellery to set up the locations and to buy a boat to travel between them. Identities were still an issue, but I assumed we could work that out. We were magicians after all, and companies were international so we could use one to control our holdings.

Now I had to make new plans. The fourth box had complicated things. Like Beth, I was still reluctant to leave at this time. Mostly because I didn’t know if we could come back and forth to this planet. I didn’t want to abandon my family.

Thyrsis for whatever reason didn’t seem to have used the ring even though he went to the trouble of setting it up. I suspected the death of his first wife, and the lady he had met here were the reasons. I think the second woman and then the couple he bonded with had changed his path as well.

I grasped Mitch by the hand and took him to the home area. He was just as fascinated as Beth had been and had to explore every nook and cranny. I put the food I had brought with me away as I answered his questions. I had worked out the big cupboard was, in fact, a fridge with a preservation spells on it, so no food ever went off.

I had also found the entrance to the bathing chamber and had made a few modifications before I brought Beth here the first time. It had been a bit rustic. I got Mitch a beer and had him sit at the table with me. I then told him how I had found this place and showed him my bling.

So far, so good. I think that Mitch had already suspected that there was something very different about me and he had noticed the changes in Beth even if no one else had. In some ways, he was relieved and in others confused.

I then explained that I believed that he was my other partner and that if he wished to accept my gift, he would be tied to me for the rest of his possibly very, very long life. This gave him food for thought, and I used the bathroom to give him a little time to think.

I came back and got us fresh beers. I then waited for the questions that I knew he had to have. “So, I can be like you and Beth and get to do some amazing shit like you do. But to do so, I’d be tied to you both. That’s pretty heavy Tris,” he said. I nodded.

“What happens if I say no?” he asked.

This was a question that I was afraid of, but I had to tell him the truth. “Then I wipe all memory of this cave and your personal interactions with Beth and me from your mind. We would just become friends and co-workers.”

“You can do that?” he asked in horror.

“Yes, I am a Psychic Mage amongst other things,” I told him. I could see he was shaken by my admission. He took a large swallow of his beer. Then the radio squawked. I answered it and sighed. I told Beth I’d be with her shortly.

“Mitch, I have to go sort this out. You can’t leave here, so don’t bother trying. It will give you some time to think anyway.” I stood up and then blinked back to my bedroom in the resort.

I changed into work attire and then went and found Beth. Some idiot had smashed a light down near the pool bar and when the automatic sensor had turned them on it tripped the circuit breaker. The fitting was hanging down by its cord.

I cut it down, taped up the cord and pushed it back into the pole. I reset the circuit breaker, and we again had lights around the pool to the relief of the staff and guests. It took me about an hour.

Beth thanked me and asked how things were going with Mitch. I told her he knew about our secret, and he was mulling over what he was going to do about it. Since I was in the area, I grabbed a fresh six-pack of beer, I then put the tools and ladder away in the workshop, and I blinked back to Mitch.

It was time to learn about his decision.

Mitch was lying on the bed, and I sat down beside him.

I ran my hand down his chest. He had an awesome body, and I loved touching him. “Make love to me,” he said.

I smiled sadly at him. “You have no idea how much I would love to that, but I have to have your decision first. It’s hard enough for me to think of taking your memories of me from you now. To make love to you again and it would be love Mitch, and then have to wipe that memory too, it would devastate me.”

He took my hand and held it between his. He had my left hand, and he played with the ring on it. “Do you love me?” he asked.

I hear the hitch in his voice. He was upset as much as I was. “Yes, as much as I love Beth. I love you both equally and with all my heart,” I said softly and squeezed his hand.

“I love you too,” he said. I sucked in a breath and waited for the ‘but’. He shook his head and then sat up, he pulled me down to him and hugged me tightly. “Fuck you’re a bastard,” he said, making me smile as I hugged him back.

“I can’t do it, Tris. I just can’t walk away from you and Beth. I don’t know what the fuck you two have done to me, but the thought of losing my memories of the time we have shared, and you guys is non-negotiable. If the box will have me, I want to stay with you,” he said.

I felt his relief and a certainty from him that he had made the decision that was best for him. He really did love us. I know five days isn’t very long in the scheme of things, but the spirits in the bling seemed to know our hearts faster than we did.

I also had a sneaky suspicion the box was calling to him. Beth said she could feel her boxes delight when she got closer to it after she came into the cave. I think Mitch’s box was being a bit naughty and may have influenced his decisions.

Thyrsis, however, had assured me in his diaries that the bling had a mind of its own and I’d met some of them. He had made items for family members that the bling had refused to go too. Since my encounter with the spirits, I also believed that they could be a bit picky about who owned them.

I could see their point of view, as they were stuck with us as much as we were with them. It was the only reason I had brought Mitch here. If I had harboured doubts about him, I would have waited longer. I probably should have given him a bit longer, but I felt that once Beth had her box, then he would know something was different, as he had.

I had already felt him worrying that we didn’t feel the same for him, as he was starting to believe he felt for us. I didn’t like him in distress, and even Beth had commented that sooner would be better than later to initiate him. It was why she had told us to take off early. She had felt Mitch’s need to be with me.

I kissed him, and we both felt a lightning of our hearts. His hands started to roam, and I felt his desire. I pulled back, “Not until you’re wearing your bling.”

He pouted, and I chuckled. I got him up and took him to the one room he hadn’t been in yet. I presented him with the box. He pressed on the lid, and it sprung up as it had for Beth. I explained the bits and pieces to him as I helped him don them and told him about the spell book.

When he put the bling on, I felt the change. A peace came over him and any doubts he harboured dissipated. “Bloody hell, no wonder you wanted me to have the bling. It makes you feel wonderful,” he said in awe.

“Wait until you learn to use your magic and get horny. That can be a real pain if you haven’t got someone to help relieve you. Hand jobs just don’t kill the itch.”

“That first night, using magic was why you fucked me stupid,” he said.

“And the fact that you had turned me on something fierce,” I told him.

He gave me that damn, sexy grin, and I was hard as a post in seconds. I took his hand and led him back to the bedroom. The action got very fast and furious after that. I even let him fuck me first. It was very interesting being on the receiving end of a mage starved of magical energy.

I felt the bond between us tighten when we came together, it was pretty fucking amazing. Then I rolled him over. Once I was in him, I watched his face as I increased the tempo. When I had him ready to come, I pulled his face up to mine and kissed him as I blew. The man shuddered on me like an epileptic.

I released his lips and felt the bond snap tight. He was mine, and I was his. The euphoria tipped us both into oblivion. Thankfully, I must have fallen to one side. I woke to find us cuddled in each other arm with my leg over his that was between mine. His head was on my arm and tucked into my shoulder.