Death of an Adept

"Ximena, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow," Adam said, seeing only her, "and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Adam might have seen only his bride, but as Jenny Carstairs pronounced them husband and wife, and Adam then bent to receive from his wife's lips their first wedded kiss - to a spatter of light applause from the watching witnesses - Philippa had a brief impression that the room grew suddenly and unaccountably brighter.

In that same instant she was drawn into remembrance of her own wedding day, so many years ago, and the happiness she had known with Adam's father. Coupled with the emotion of the present moment, the memory brought tears to her eyes - and then the fleeting sensation of invisible arms tenderly enfolding her from behind, and the feather-brush of a kiss soft against her cheek… and the sure and certain knowledge that Iain Sinclair somehow was present at their son's wedding, and approved.

Jenny Carstairs, moving to the altar to receive the offerings of bread and wine from the bride and groom, was likewise aware of a subtle change in the atmosphere, as if the air itself had suddenly been charged with fresh and vibrant energy. That aura of freshness remained, heady as incense, throughout the ensuing Communion service, nuptial celebration sliding easily into the proper liturgy for Christmas Eve.

As the bride and groom gave one another Communion and then the wedding guests came forward, one by one, to share the sacramental bread and drink the wine of gladness, a profound sense of peace settled over the company, made the more poignant when Jenny came to give Communion to the weakening Lockhart. Conveyed without words to all who shared this Eucharistic banquet was the surety that the bond between heaven and earth stood once again affirmed by the coming of the Light of the World - an affirmation reinforced by the words of the final collect Jenny had chosen.

"O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light," she prayed, lifting her hands in orison. "Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy Him perfectly in heaven, where with You and the Holy Spirit He lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen."

Following these words, and at a murmured request from Ximena, Jenny Carstairs invited everyone to sing "Silent Night," with little Emma to start them off. Emma's piping voice made itself heard among the others like a flute among violins, clear and sweet and tremulous. Somewhere in the midst of the singing, Alan Lockhart quietly surrendered to his weakness and allowed his eyes to close.

Adam was the first to notice, his eye caught by the glint of his Adept ring as Lockhart's hand opened atop the blankets draped across his chest. Ximena saw her new husband's glance and turned with a soft intake of breath, even as her mother gasped and pressed Lockhart's other hand to her lips. "Dear God!" Teresa whispered.

Adam was already moving closer to press his fingers to the side of Lockhart's throat, feeling for a pulse. Saloa, too, had started forward, but Ximena shook her head emphatically, seizing her father's free hand to bathe it with her silent tears as her brothers crowded closer to the foot of the bed. Philippa was comforting Laurel, and one of the nurses had taken Emma by the hand and was leading her from the room.

Adam could sense the fragile balance still binding Lockhart to his wasted body, but the pulse was a mere flutter beneath his fingertips, his breathing very shallow.

"He's going," Adam murmured, laying his other hand on the failing man's brow and bending closer to his ear. "Alan, we're here," he whispered, gently stroking the forehead. "No pain, Alan. No pain - only the Light. Embrace the Light, Alan. It's all right to let go now. It's time to go home. Ximena, tell him it's all right to let go. Teresa, tell him it's all right."

"It's all right," Teresa breathed through her tears, softly repeating it over and over. "It's all right, querido. It's all right. Vaya con Dios, mi corazon…."

And Ximena, pressing her lips to her father's slack hand, also whispered, "It's all right, Daddy. I love you. It's all right. It's all right…."

At the touch of her lips a brief flicker of movement stirred Lockhart's closed eyelids. The merest ghost of a smile passed over his face, then departed with a sigh.

He did not draw breath again. Nor was any attempt made to resuscitate him. When Dr. Saloa had confirmed his passing, and Ximena numbly pressed herself into the comforting circle of Adam's arm, Adam gently retrieved his ring and slipped it into a pocket while the other members of Lockhart's family paid their final respects one by one and left the room, until only Adam, Ximena, and her mother remained. Someone had started the CD-player again, and Gregorian chant once more whispered in the background.