by T K Eldridge
“Well, she is my descendant,” Grandma said, tone a little haughty.
“And the descendant of witches, shifters, and mythics, as well as Mira’s air elemental strength. Even Sid and I didn’t show skills until we hit puberty.”
Grandma was quiet then.
“Grandma Maggie?”
“You both did show early, but Alicia put a binding spell on your magic until you hit puberty.”
“And no one bothered to mention this to Mira and I? What the fuck?”
“Sinclair, that was not my duty. I was under the impression your parents were still alive and a part of your life? I’d suggest asking them why you were not informed.”
“If you might remember, Your Majesty, they just had a child too. I’m pretty sure they weren’t thinking about what to tell me about when I was a child.”
“Instead of arguing, are you calling me to ask for assistance? Because I’m happy to offer it,” Grandma Maggie replied.
“I’d appreciate some help in dealing with this, yes. I, however, don’t like the idea of binding her powers. They broke through early for a reason. However, I’m freaking out about how to keep her safe until she’s cognizant enough to understand ‘no’ or ‘stop’.”
“I have a couple of options. I’d suggest simply laying a light blanket over the top of the bassinet for tonight. I’ll come by tomorrow morning around ten.”
I let out a breath. “I appreciate that, Grandma. I’m really freaking out here and trying to do what’s best for my family. Thanks for being willing to help.”
“Thank you for being willing to call,” she said, voice soft as she disconnected the call.
I thought about that for a moment and realized that she understood how much she’d missed, being gone so long. That she appreciated us welcoming her home and not shunning her for her choices. I just hope Ethan and Reina never shunned me for mine.
* * *
The next morning, Ethan was off to school, Reina was playing in her swing, talking to the stuffed animals that spun on the mobile, and Mira and I were having a much needed third cup of coffee. We’d stayed up late, talking and worrying, and now we had coffee, tea, juice, and pastries all set out for Grandma Maggie’s visit. Mira had just started relaxing around her, but a visit from one’s Queen was still cause to worry it seemed.
“The house is clean, Reina is being good, the spread looks delicious and you look even more delicious,” I said to Mira as I leaned in to kiss her.
“Stop, I know. I just can’t get past all of it yet. Sometimes I realize how different life is with you, and it is amazing and terrifying. I love my life with you, but I really wish your great-grandma wasn’t the Queen.”
“And I love you, and I can’t choose what my parents or grandparents do, so I’m sorry if her choices are inconvenient.” My tone was playful, but I was feeling like she was blaming me for their crap and it annoyed me.
Mira, of course, saw exactly how I felt and slid over to sit in my lap and wind her arms around my neck. “Don’t take it personally, Sin. I know their choices are not yours, but we didn’t know my Queen was your grandma until after we’d already made our choice. It has an impact on how I see things and I wish it didn’t. I’ll adjust, but this is a big thing to adjust to. Remember, I grew up in the royal court.”
I kissed her and pressed our foreheads together. “I’ll try to remember that her being Queen means something different for you than it does for me. Now, best get off my lap or I’ll be greeting Grandma with a towel over my lap.”
Mira giggled, wriggled playfully, then got up to straighten an already perfect napkin.
A knock at the door and my wife actually yelped. I chuckled and went to answer it.
“Grandma Maggie, cousin Finn, welcome to our home,” I said and let them in.
“Oh, I love the changes you’ve made in the place. It feels so open and lovely,” Grandma said as she looked through to the new playroom and the open staircase that led up to the bedrooms.
“Your Majesty,” Mira said as she approached and curtseyed.
“Mirabella, you look radiant. Thank you for welcoming us into your home,” Grandma said as she took Mira’s hands and pulled her into a hug. “Granddaughter of mine, you do not need to call me Your Majesty in your own home. Court events? Sure. Around the farm? Never. I’m your Grandma Maggie and that’s all anyone needs to know. Now, where is your precious daughter? I haven’t seen her since her naming day ceremony.”
I watched Mira visibly relax and bloom under Grandma’s words and felt my own stress ease. “I’ve got coffee, tea, and juice. What can I get you, Finn?”
“Coffee, please. Cream if you’ve got it,” Finn replied and followed me into the kitchen.
“You look like you haven’t slept.” Finn said as he watched me pour a mug of coffee for him.
“After watching that bassinet float into the bathroom? No, I haven’t. I keep imagining her floating into a tree or out into traffic.”
“Maggie has some ideas, but it’ll be up to you and Mira to decide. Knowing what might happen, I’d suggest the more permanent option for now.”
“The what?”
“Sinclair, do come join us? I’d love some coffee, please,” Grandma called out. I shook my head at Finn and grabbed the coffee pot to join them at the table. I poured Grandma some coffee, then topped off my cup before I sat down. Grandma had Reina in her arms and seemed completely taken with the tiniest member of the family.
“So, as I said last night, I don’t think a full binding is wise, but you need something that will allow you to control where and when she uses her magic until she’s of an age to understand consequences. I have a couple of different options, but the one I think will be best is a small tattoo on her hip. It will be done with magic, will not hurt her, but can be activated or deactivated with a word of power by you two. I would suggest you say the word in your thoughts, not vocally, because if Reina learns the word, she can say it and activate the mark.”
I ran a hand through my hair and Mira lay one of hers on my arm.
“What are the other options?” Mira asked.
“A bracelet or ankle band, but knowing what I know of babies and children, those are easy to lose, misplace, or for the child to take off. I wanted to have options for you, but to be honest, the mark is the only one that will really do.”
“Reina means ruler, so make it a tiny crown, if you would?” Mira said.
I nodded my assent. My voice cracked when I spoke. “As Mira wishes.”
Grandma nodded and lifted the edge of Reina’s little romper and diaper to bare her hip. Her finger traced a rune and then pressed to Reina’s olive-hued skin. A tiny gold crown flared into being, then faded into a dusky hue to look more like a birthmark than anything.
Reina sucked her fist and smiled at Grandma. It hadn’t bothered her in the least.
Grandma then whispered “rialoir” and the crown glowed gold. It faded with a slight shimmer as if glitter had been dusted over her skin.
“It is activated. She can feel her magic, but she can’t use it. This will keep her safe. At least an hour a day, let her have her magic. You don’t want to stifle her gift, just keep her safe.”
The rest of the visit was more normal. I showed Finn the work we’d done to the house while Mira and Grandma fussed over Reina and shared women’s secrets.
I still couldn’t quiet the worry that had taken up residence in the pit of my stomach. We didn’t have any clue what this would mean for Reina, or for the rest of us.
Chapter Nineteen
Sid
Sin had missed the morning meeting. He’d called all stressed out about something with the baby, so I told him I’d stop by and fill him in later.
We sat in the conference room next to Grampa Walsh’s office: Bastien, Grampa, Tasha, Ian; Tino was on speaker. Sett had already left on her trip.
“Thank you all for coming together to meet with me,” Bast began. “Over the past couple of weeks, the fae staying in my home
have been reporting assaults and abuses.”
Bast had inherited Agnes Hutchins’ bed and breakfast. He didn’t want to run a B&B, so he updated the place, and was going to just live in part of it and leave the rest closed off for now – until Finn came to him and said a bunch of the fae island kids wanted to go to school on the mainland so they could adapt and adjust to living in the world. Finn offered to bankroll the updates if Bast would rent out rooms to some of the fae kids that wanted to go to the high school. Finn was fixing up part of his place with Katy and Daren, and Katy was going to watch over five fae girls that wanted to attend. They didn’t want the girls and boys all living in the same house for several reasons, but Bast planned on his own set of rules for his tenants.
Now, eight boys between fourteen and nineteen were living in Bast’s house and, for the most part, it was working out well. Until now.
“What kinds of abuses and assaults?” I asked.
“Jire, one of the younger ones, was pulled behind a dumpster and beaten so badly, he had to be sent back to the island to heal. Edan, the oldest one, fought off three witches who assaulted him with magic. He’s bruised and has a broken wrist, but he’s healing. They’re all being spat on, punched, hit, tripped, and the only commonality is that the ones doing the assaults are witches. They’re all talking about how the magic is broken and it’s the fault of the fae dropping onto the islands.”
“Well, everyone knows there have been some strange fluctuations with the ley lines, but the history and records show that it’s happened before,” I said. “I started doing research close to ten months ago on this, when the fountain at the farm shattered.”
“Rumors are powerful things, Sid,” Bast said. “And rumors are saying the fluctuations are because of the fae.”
Just then the conference door opened and a giant of a man stepped inside. Long hair hung to his shoulders and a close-cropped beard covered most of his face. Bright gold eyes flared as the light hit them. He wore a flannel shirt tucked into clean jeans and a pair of expensive hiking boots. And I knew him.
I jumped to my feet and ran over to give him a hug. “Grizzy, oh is it ever good to see you again. You’ve been gone too long.” Grizzel had been Benny’s second until something had called for him to leave the area for a while. I had honestly thought he’d never return.
Grizz hugged me back, then set me back on the floor and inclined his head to grandfather. “Commander, I am back in the area and reporting for duty, sir.”
My jaw must’ve hit the floor because Grizz laughed and reached out with one huge finger to tap under my chin. “Gonna catch flies with that, Siddie.”
I looked from Grampa to Grizz and then just arched a brow.
“Might as well tell her, Grizz, or she’ll never let us rest,” Grampa said with a chuckle.
I returned to my seat and Grizz took one next to Grampa on the other side. “I’ve been working for the SPD for the last seventy years or so. Yes, when I was Benny’s Beta, and when I had to leave town, it was on duty. Now, I’m back, because the problem is coming home to roost.”
“What problem is that?” Tasha asked.
“Mythics are coming home. They have to. The balance is off because so many Faery landed here all at once. The ley lines are reacting to the power fluctuations so now the mythics have to return to balance out the fae magic.”
“How many are we talking about? Because there are a couple thousand fae on those islands,” Ian said.
“Yep. And balance needs like numbers. The aerie is cleaned up, but I could use some witch help getting things lifted up to the platform so it’ll be more comfortable. I even got the plumbing fixed, and solar allows us to have power up there, but appliances don’t lift easily. I’d like to have the place all set up to ease the transition for those coming,” Grizz said.
“Wait…aerie? Lift? Are you talking about the caves up on Mount Thunder?” I asked.
“Mount Thunderbird was its original name. Home of the birds of thunder,” Grizz replied. “Home to the griffins.”
Yeah, I did it again. My mouth fell open. I’d been catching hints and whispers of the thunderbird legends for years, but never enough to piece it all together. And it was right in front of me the whole time.
“I, uh, I’m going to be really rude, and forgive me, but are you a griffin?” I asked Grizz.
He smiled at me and winked. “I’ll accept your apology, Sid. Yes, I am. Someday, I’ll show you.”
I fell back into my seat and just stared. “Well, hell. Now doesn’t that just twist yer britches?”
“Behave, Sidonie,” Grampa chided, laughing. He turned to Grizz. “Any word on the sylphs? Maggie said she was making sure one of the islands was cleared out for them to have housing.”
“I’ll have to fly over and check. Roisin had left me a message that they were on the way.”
Tasha just let out a breath. “Okay, who’s Roisin and why would sylphs be okay living with fae?”
“Sylphs have always had a good relationship with the fae folk. They have similar appearances and magical elements that mesh nicely. Griffins, not so much, because we were enslaved a few thousand years ago and we all have much too long of memories. It’s mellowed now, but the wariness still holds. You never forget that they once thought it appropriate to own your race, breed you like stock, and sell your children away from your nests,” Grizz replied.
Grampa spoke up then. “You, Sidonie, will want to spend some time with Roisin. She was your grandma Bride’s sister. She can tell you about that side of the family.”
And the hits just kept on coming. I reached for my coffee and took a good swallow. I needed it. Grizz had always been a family friend that just was there when you needed him. We missed him when he’d left but it had been nearly five years since I’d seen his furry face.
“Wait…if you’re mythic, how come you could shift to a wolf?” I blurted out, not even listening to the conversation.
Everyone stopped and looked from me to Grizz.
“I’ve got a distant ancestor that was a shifter. It allows me to choose two other forms. Wolf and bear. Not all mythics can shift outside of their species. Dragons are almost always dragons. Whether they’re air, fire, earth, or water, they tend to stay dragons. Griffins are almost always just griffins, but some can do smaller flying creatures like ravens or owls. Kraken are always kraken. Nothing else. There are many different types, but only a few can do more than their species shape. It was why I was chosen Aerie Leader for this region. I can do other shapes so I could blend in as a shifter better than most.”
I blushed and apologized. “I’m sorry, Grizz. It’s just, I’m putting together things I’ve read in my research with the reality of it and sometimes the questions just come busting out.”
“It’s fine, Sid. I understand. I used to spend days in the libraries, trying to figure out how the pieces all fit together,” Grizz replied. “I’ll come sit with you later and see if I can answer more of your questions. I think right now we need to start an anti-smear campaign or your friend Bast is going to have more injured children under his roof.”
I turned to Grampa. “Tino can help with that, with his access to all of the social media stuff. He can start the online campaign to shift the blame from a species to just the ley lines needing to adjust. Kids are very focused on their online worlds, so that would be a good place to start.”
Tasha made a few notes. “I can help Tino with that. My niece has been spending time hanging out and I’m learning some of the lingo. Maybe Ian can get Sin to join him and talk to some of the witches about how the ley lines have been fluctuating and that it’s happened before?”
“I can talk to Grams,” I said. “She knows all of the older witches. She can start to spread the word and they can start instructing their covens and circles.”
Grampa nodded. “I need to pass her a message from Josiah Lamontaine, too. Seems Damas met with an unfortunate accident and has drowned. Turns out he’d stolen Micah’s house and Josiah wants
to know if Micah would like it returned to him.”
“I’m betting Micah would probably want it to go to Nico, since Micah has his own place now. He has no interest in going back to New Orleans,” I said. “Now that he’s got Shannon staying over his place often enough that she’s got flowers in pots on his porch and curtains in his windows?”
Grampa chuckled and nodded. “I’ll just let Josiah know to give it to Nico. I’ll see Micah is compensated. No need to bring up painful memories now that he’s rebuilding his life.”
I got up and gave Grampa a kiss, gave Grizz a hug and told him to come by Grams for a meal and we’d round up some witches for him, then headed back to my office to pack up and head home. All this talk about rebuilding lives had reminded me I had a date tonight. Jackson? Timon? No, wait…tonight was Ephraim. Yeah, Ephraim had promised me barbecue and barn dancing.
Yee haw!
The End
Want More?
Sid & Sin #4 - Witching Ways
Sid & Sin are learning some life lessons.
Sin has discovered that life is a whole lot different when you have a baby.
It’s even more complex when that baby is showing magical abilities way too early.
Sid is finding out how much fun it can be to juggle multiple partners.
Fun being the objective, that is.
Witches are rising up against the Faery folk.
They’re blaming the disruptions in their magic on the fae.
It’s entirely possible they’re correct in their blame.
Or are they?
Something is screwing with the balance of magic in the Belle Cove area and it’s causing chaos. The twins have a lot of chaos going on in their own lives right now - will they be able to step up once again?
Check out this fourth book in the series that readers say “make you believe in magic”.
