Jovani sat silent, waiting for Kassia to speak. After all, he had been summoned there after the events of the past few days.
"Don't worry, Jovani, I'm not going to bawl you out," she began. "However, that spell wasn't the wisest thing you could have done."
"I know," Jovani replied quietly. "I just wanted to help. I didn't want to... well.. screw everything up."
"You haven't screwed anything up," she smiled at him reassuringly. "But even well-intentioned spells can backfire and you've just got a taste of that... and yet... I don't know... There was something strange about it also..."
"Strange? You mean I'm not a super-powerful witch?" Jovani looked away. "Darn."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," she replied, "But you're still a beginner. There's no way you could possibly have had the power to affect so many so strongly. I don't even think I could have done it... It's as if someone else had a hand in this..."
"Like Kalimar?" Jovani asked.
Kassia shook her head. "Not his style. For one, he probably would have killed us, or at the very least, let us know it was him... And it lacked his usual dramatic flare," she replied.
"Okay. So, not Kalimar. Maybe not Amojen either. Who else would want to make my spell backfire like that? I mean, what's-his-face... Francona... probably has no idea how to do that. Charlie wouldn't have exposed himself if he had been responsible. And I can't think of any other bad guys."
Kassia was quiet for a moment in thought. "Maybe it wasn't a bad guy..." As she thought about things, she wondered what purpose had been served, if any, by what had happened. She couldn't draw any conclusions, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than a simple spell backfiring.
Jovani simply sat there, wondering what Kassia was thinking about. "So..." He paused. "Do you think there's reason to worry?"
Kassia shook her head. "I don't know... Hold on a moment..." She took a deep breath and focused on the candle before her. She took another breath and closed her eyes. She allowed herself to follow the path of events, allowing her psychic mind to take over. She wanted to follow the path of magic. Back she followed it. She followed back through Jovani's cauldron and the accidental slip of paper with Sephen Maruu's name on it fall in and then an there was a face before her. A giggling face of a baby... Daniel. He reached for her. She could feel his power. Suddenly she pulled from the vision. She was still filled with warmth as she looked at Jovani with an unsure smile on her face. "I don't think we have any reason to worry. I think all things are happening for a reason greater than what we can see now..."
Jovani simply looked at Kassia, wondering what she was talking about.
"What did you see?" he asked.
She thought for a moment before her reply. "The face of an angel."
Katianna was on the floor playing with Daniel and Laurissa as Kara busied herself nearby. Katianna was taking turns tickling both children truly enjoying the time she had. Tomorrow she would have lunch with Kitty - her first really lunch date with her as just friends in a long while. She figured it was about time.
As Daniel giggled again and she reached for Laurissa, to the response of a happy squeal of "Oh no!!" she heard the door sensor chime. She stopped and sat up a bit puzzled.
"Enter," she called. She was surprised when Kassia entered.
"Hello there," Kassia smiled.
"Aunt Kassia!" Laurissa cried, running to the woman and embracing her. The fact that they weren't really related was immaterial. It was more of an emotional bond, which Kassia understood well. Kassia returned the hug and looked to Katianna.
"I bet you didn't expect to see me, did you?" she said, with her green eyes sparkling.
"You got me there," Katianna replied. "So... what brings you here?" she asked.
"Well, I'm actually here to see Daniel," she answered, going to the child on the floor who was still giggling with glee.
Katianna began regarding Kassia carefully, sensing something was going on. "What is it?"
Kassia picked Daniel up in her arms, and looked into his smiling face. He blew a raspberry at her and laughed. Gently she opened her mind to him. Suddenly, a seriousness was in his eyes, but that cherub face never changed.
~How did you make the spell stronger, Daniel?~ she asked.
Suddenly, it was clear. He showed her how he had fallen asleep at the exact moment the crystal's energy had burst forth, erasing their memories temporarily. That was how he had accomplished the task. Some form of astral projection on his part.
~But why?~ she asked. ~Why take our memories? Why make the spell so powerful?~
Suddenly, her eyes closed of their own volition as a strong image pulled at her mind. It was the image of the triangle of fire, with both vertices burning. But suddenly, one of the vertices was brought close to her vision. In the fire was a small diamond, completely untouched. Suddenly, the fire began burning brighter. Without warning, the triangle broke apart! As her eyes opened, Daniel smiled and she knew... It had to do with the defeat of the demons.
"Kassia, just what is going on?" Kat asked as she looked at her friend holding her son.
"Daniel told her a secret," Laurissa giggled.
"What?" Katianna looked at her daughter with surprise, then back to Kassia.
"Well, not exactly a secret," Kassia replied. "I think you should sit down on the couch for this one."
Katianna raised an eyebrow as Laurissa giggled again. She didn't see what was so funny.
"The entire incident with our losing our memories was actually instigated by... Daniel..." Kassia said, watching Katianna's reaction carefully.
Suddenly, Kat started laughing. "You're kidding, right?"
Kassia shook her head. "No, I'm not."
Katianna grew instantly quiet. "Why? Why would he do that and how? He's just a baby?"
"I don't know exactly why," she replied. "But I do know it's going to work toward breaking the dark trinity apart..."
"Break Kalimar and the Kosst Amojen apart?" Kat replied skeptically. "I don't see how..."
"To be honest, neither do I... But some things just have to be trusted... Your son is a gift. You know that... He may be able to see what we can't..."
Tenderly, she handed Daniel back to his mother.
"Now, I believe I have intruded enough for one evening," she smiled. "I'll talk to you later."
Before Katianna could respond, Kassia was out the door. Katianna looked to Daniel who immediately said, "Momma! Dadda!"