Fragility Unearthed

by Rebecca Royce

  Jenny picked up her briefcase. “I’m going to go. You people are going to figure out how you can get ahold of Kendall’s hair from that detective. I don’t want to know about it. If you were to actually be arrested, I could go ahead and get that hair as evidence in discovery. I’m afraid that might make everything worse, though, if we don’t know beforehand that the DNA matches.” She nodded at me and then blushed at Levi who grinned. The man had just gotten out of the hospital. I rolled my eyes. “Call me when you have it, and don’t ever tell me how you acquired the sample.”

  “Right. Okay.” Henry walked her back to the door. She did like to show up. Didn’t most lawyers call or email and then bill the client for the interaction? Were we paying for her gas?

  Block rounded on me. “Tell me I didn’t just hear that we have to rob the police.”

  “You didn’t just hear that we have to rob the police.”

  I rubbed my stomach. I was hungry and went in search of chocolate. I’d had huge cravings with the baby’s brothers and sister. This baby I hadn’t wanted to eat a thing. I was due for another checkup. Four months down and I was finally showing. Tiny little bump on my stomach. The doctor wanted to know if I wished to find out the sex. I did. When I could allow myself to think about it at all.

  The hospital where I was supposed to give birth had blown up. People were dead. Not, it seemed, my OB-GYN, but so many innocents. And there was no way to deny that it had happened because Levi was there. They didn’t want him talking to us.

  Boom.

  The world was ending.

  ***

  I walked out to my parents’ van an hour after dinner. My children were occupied watching television and crawling all over their father. Levi sat quietly with them, and they didn’t seem to mind that he was so quiet. I was just glad he was there with them. Alive, if not whole yet. Helping Levi was why I approached my parents when it might have been better to give them a few more days.

  My father answered the knock with a grimace. “Kendall, I don’t know if –”

  I interrupted him. “I need to speak to Mom. And I know she can hear me. Mom, Levi is hurt. Badly. From what happened with the Shadows. I know you don’t believe I’m me. Listen, because it’s important. You’re right. I died. But I came back. Whatever I am, I’m still the girl that loves you. I have her memories. And the man inside is the father of your grandchildren. He was deeply hurt. I can’t fix him. You can. You could always clear so well, Mom. Please. Find it in you, where I know you still are, and come and help Levi. Or tell me how to do it. Maybe I’ll suddenly grow a third arm to go with my power.”

  My father rolled his eyes. “A third arm?”

  I ignored him. “Mom, please.”

  She raised her eyes to look at me. There was no doubt my mother had become frail. She was dying. I could call it anything I wanted, but the fact remained the same. Her soul was leaving her, and she wouldn’t survive the loss. The doctors called it dementia if they called it anything at all. Like Levi, the medical community didn’t know what to do with the paranormal. She was leaving me.

  “I’ll help Levi.”

  My father grabbed my arm. “Honey, I’m not even sure she can.”

  “Then she can’t. But she’s the only clearer I know. He needs a soul cleanse. I can’t do it.”

  He looked between us. “I guess it can’t hurt to try.”

  We walked together back to the house. Compared to the quiet of outside, the inside of the house rang hard against my senses. The kids giggled loudly, Jack cried as Victoria got ready to nurse him, Erin laughed at something Russ said, and I heard music which, presumably, was being played by Logan and Peter upstairs. Only Block was quiet, staring outside at the early night view.

  “Levi,” I called out. “Could I steal you for a bit?”

  He didn’t answer me but arrived a few seconds later by my side. I took his hand and squeezed it. He had to be frustrated as hell, trapped in his body. “My mom can clear people of dark energy. I can’t do it. I don’t know if this will help you or not. It certainly won’t make things worse. Maybe she can get rid of some of what was done.”

  Block came up behind me. “I’ll keep them covered in good energy while your mom works.”

  “Thanks.” The last thing I needed was some random something getting at them while they were both so vulnerable. Theoretically, nothing should be able to. We were in a blocked house. But I wasn’t taking any chances.

  My mother motioned for Levi to sit across from her, and he did as she indicated. Soon after, my mother’s pupils dilated. Good, the process worked. She started to clear her throat. Over and over. Back in the day, before she was sick and Levi harmed, my mom would have narrated what went on as she did it. Usually, the throat blockages spoke to a barrier in the throat. Anger. What was the person not saying that they needed to articulate?

  In this case, I couldn’t know if it was Levi who had something wedged in his throat psychologically or if Top Hat had done something to him. I was going to go with the latter. It was easier for me to digest.

  My mother tapped his kidney. Kidneys were also anger holders. Levi closed his eyes and slumped in his chair. Also a good sign. I let out a breath I held. His body responded to the clearing; it was letting things go.

  Block tapped my shoulder, and I followed him outside of the room. “That was a good idea.”

  “Thanks. I haven’t had one in a really long time.”

  “You could give yourself a little bit of credit. You’re—”

  I shook my head. “I need to kick ass. I need to.” Saying the words seemed to invigorate me. “Can we get rid of a demon? Some ghosts? I want to put the talents to work tonight. There are still a few jobs. I need to work off some of this energy.”

  He grinned. “We can do whatever you want. I can’t clear, but I can watch your back.”

  “After the kids go to bed, if Victoria doesn’t mind watching them.”

  “Pick a job, and we’ll do it.”

  “Kendall,” Levi leaned against the wall. He looked wiped, dark circles marred his eyes, and he slumped over a little bit. “It’s better. Not perfect. Better.”

  I could hear that. He was using two words at a time. “Clearing takes a little bit of time. She started the process. Now, your own body should be able to do some of the rest. It’ll get better. If you need a touch up, we’ll keep working at it.”

  He nodded slowly. “I need bed.”

  “Go for it. You remember I showed you where your room was?”

  Levi snorted. “Voice blocked. Not brain. Oh, Kendall. I did something.” He made a mmm sound and pounded the wall. “Can’t say it.”

  Block walked to him. “Don’t sweat it. Whatever you did under the influence of Top Hat is not your fault.”

  “No.” He leaned his head against the wall. “Maybe tomorrow I can say.”

  “All right.”

  Block and I stood still and watched him get to the top of the stairs. He turned to look at us, giving me a little wave before he continued on to his bedroom.

  “Honey.” My father caught my attention. I turned to see him. He had his arm around my mother. Like Levi, she looked like she needed a nap.

  She pointed at me. “Get out of her body and let her rest in peace.”

  I shuddered. If there ever came a time when I caused my children this kind of pain … well, I didn’t know what to think of it. She was my mother. I loved her deeply. I’d abandoned her for years. And she wasn’t wrong. I had died. Maybe I shouldn’t be here.

  “I love you, Mom.”

  Pressed against my father, she wobbled back out to their van. Block took an audible breath. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m never okay. I’ve gotten used to it. Let me go talk to Victoria. Then we’ll go.” I took the stairs two at a time, rounding the corner to Victoria’s room. I knocked on the door, and Henry opened it. I opened my mouth to speak and then stopped. Something was wrong, he looked pale. “What’s wrong?”

  “Victoria has
a migraine. I’m not sure exactly what’s wrong with her tonight. This is not usual for her. She never gets sick.”

  He was right. Most of us never got sick. It was a benefit of having died. “Can I see her?”

  Henry moved away from the door, and I went into the dark and quiet room. Jack must have been asleep. Nothing was ever quiet when he was there, as was his prerogative as a baby.

  I walked to her side and knelt down next to the bed. “What’s going on, lady?”

  She smiled at me. “I really have no idea. My head aches. But it’s even more than that. I feel like the universe is … wrong. Someone is using magic, bad magic. We’re all connected, the practitioners who can really do the craft. When one of us destroys, we all feel it. I think that’s what it is. It’s been building for some time. Tonight it’s making my head ache.”

  I smoothed the hair off her head. She’d always been such a good friend to me, even when I didn’t deserve it. I wanted to be there for her. Only I wasn’t sure how to fix it.

  “Can you tell where the bad mojo is coming from? It’s not related to the shadows surging to earth and our complete inability to do anything about it?”

  She sat up a little. “No. This is witch stuff. It’s nearby, meaning not more than a few hours away. That’s why it hit me so fast. Someone overused tonight. In a bad way.”

  “If you can scry for a location, I’ll go kick whomever’s ass I need to.”

  Victoria hugged me close. “You’re so funny. I adore you. I’m not sure I have the energy right now. I’ll be better tomorrow. Tell Henry not to worry; he’s such a fusser. I adore him for it but …”

  Right then, Mary appeared above our heads again. She was once again shouting. Victoria and I stared up the ceiling, neither of us moving. She let out a sigh. “Is she kidding? Tonight? While I feel like hell?”

  “Mary always had the worst timing.” I shrugged. “You did, Mary. You know I’m right.”

  Victoria struggled out of the bed. “If you leave the room, she leaves. She only comes when the two of us are together.”

  She was right. I grabbed my phone and texted Block to dig up the phoenix from the backyard and bring it to me as quickly as he could. I gave him a rough estimation of where I’d buried it. Block was smart. He’d figure out where the dirt was new if I pointed him in the right direction.

  Henry came into the room slowly. “Are you two seeing Mary on the ceiling?”

  “We do.” Victoria leaned her head against the bedpost. “And although I’m at fifty percent capacity, we’re going to try to do something about it. What, I don’t know. But Kendall has the Others’ knowledge in her head. We’ll figure it out.”

  “I think you should be resting.”

  She pointed at the ceiling. “The universe doesn’t seem to care about my headache tonight.”

  I had to look away from the way Henry held Victoria. I was so desperate to be in Malcolm’s arms it was practically pathetic. Block ran through the door, carrying the phoenix with him. Logan and Peter were on his tail with Ross close behind.

  “Is that the phoenix?” Logan stared down at it. “This thing can save us, right? It brought us back from the dead and saved Kendall from death when she was shot?”

  I guess they’d all been talking. I touched the side of it. “This is it. And Mary’s on the ceiling.”

  Four heads shot up to look at our fallen member as she screamed something we couldn’t hear and pounded her fists. Ross sucked in his breath. “She doesn’t look like any ghost I’ve ever seen. She’s not setting off my powers.”

  “She’s not a ghost. We’re not sure what she is, but she keeps showing up when Victoria and I are together. Chase asked me to leave her alone, to let her rest in peace. She doesn’t seem to want that. I’ve got too much on my plate to keep having to ignore a woman who clearly wants attention.” I took the phoenix from Block’s hands. It felt smooth and bigger than the last time I’d held it. When I’d brought it back from death with me, it had been smaller for sure. I didn’t know why, which meant either the Others didn’t know or they’d not presented me that information.

  They were funny with what they gave and what they held back.

  I knew how to bring someone back from the dead using the phoenix. I could save all the members of our team. Once.

  When Mary had died no one had known about the phoenix. Maybe she was mad she’d never gotten the chance to use her do-over.

  Goosebumps broke out on my arms as the knowledge I needed spread throughout my brain, like warm water filling a tub. I knew how to bring her back from death. Malcolm had only needed to place his hand over my stomach. I hadn’t been dead yet. Bringing Mary back would be more complicated, and that was why Mary kept appearing when Victoria and I were together.

  She was the magic. I had the know-how.

  I grinned at her. “Victoria, make your energy bubble around the phoenix and then blow the energy up. Leave the rest to me.”

  “That much magic I think I can do.” She twisted her hand in front of her, and the bubble appeared around the phoenix where I held it. A second later it popped, a sound similar to a child chewing gum and popping it.

  I held the phoenix tightly in my hand. Energy exploded around the phoenix just as I thought about Mary. I pulled all the light in the room through my fingers and into the phoenix. The result staggered me. I’d known what to do but not how it would be.

  For one second—one single, spilt second—I could feel the universe move. It opened up to me, buzzing in my ears.

  The phoenix appeared, flapping her wings. Gasps sounded around me. They could all see her. Mary, I told her in my mind. Bring me Mary.

  She tore upwards, wrapping the vision of Mary in her arms while she flapped over and over. Colors exploded around us. And when she was done, Mary lay on the floor, naked as the day she was born. I knelt down. She grabbed my arm; her grip was weak, her eyes huge.

  “Kendall.”

  “I’m here Mary. I’m sorry it took me so long to understand.”

  “Save my brother, Kendall.”

  I sucked in my breath. This might be the break we needed. All I’d had to do was bring her back from death. “Where is he?”

  Mary passed out on the floor, out cold. I steeled my back. Rebirth was hard. But maybe she had answers. Was it possible I was finally getting a small break?

  Chapter Ten

  Block got Mary situated in a bed—Victoria was going to have to purchase more soon—and then proceeded to call Patricia. Mary was going to need some psychological help. We weren’t twelve anymore, and she’d officially died twice. Patricia treated children, but she was better than nothing.

  The thing was … my mother died.

  I’d poured my first cup of coffee as I set the kids up to watch a cartoon, when my father appeared. He looked different than usual. Pale and withdrawn. He spoke words. And then more words. And then after that, some more words.

  His mouth worked. I couldn’t hear him. Dead. Yes I got that. My mother. Okay. In her sleep. No pain. Then there were people all over us. The whole house seemed to wake up. How did they all know? Victoria. Henry. Logan. Ross. Erin. Peter. Levi put an arm around me. He spoke words too. I should have been impressed with his improvement. I couldn’t think.

  They were just words. My mother was dead.

  Where were the kids? Someone took them somewhere. They told me. I heard them. Sort of. The sky was blue, almost too blue. It hurt my eyes, so I stopped trying to go outside to the van. Why was I going there in the first place?

  It was amazing how many funeral arrangements could be made without me having to speak very much at all. The body. I hated thinking about it, but there it was. She wanted to be cremated. Okay, we’d get that done. Levi wrote a check. Thank goodness for him. He never even blinked. We weren’t married anymore, I was carrying another man’s baby, and yet there he was. We needed a funeral, and we couldn’t delay. That was important to my father. He didn’t say much, either.

  Finally, we wer
e alone together in the funeral director’s office. Levi, my father, and I. “Did I kill her, Dad?”

  He turned his eyes to me. “What?”

  “Did. I. Kill. Her.” I spoke slowly. “Was it my fault?”

  “She died in her sleep,” my father answered. “How could you have killed her?”

  “By existing. By coming back from the dead. By not being there for years and years like a petulant child. By not remembering I didn’t remember. By getting my memories back. By needing you guys so much in so many ways. By asking her to clear Levi. Tell me, did I kill her?”

  Levi’s gaze rose to meet my own. “By that logic, I killed her.”

  “Neither of you killed her.” My father spoke through clenched teeth. “She faded for a long time. She lost her sense of things. She died. The whys have never been clear. Maybe too much darkness moving through her for too long. I am personally glad she was here to help Levi. I’m glad it was the last thing she did.”

  We all went silent again. Family together, in long moments that never end … and then are suddenly over.

  I couldn’t sleep that night. Not even with my babies lying across my body, holding me, sad their grandmother had died and yet still somehow seeing the world as a good, fair place where things worked out. They could sleep. I couldn’t.

  My mind wandered. Mary hadn’t woken yet. Any knowledge she had about where Malcolm was stayed asleep with her. I missed him so much. The night was endless, and so was my pain. I rubbed my belly. The world had to be better when this little one came. My kids deserved better than they were getting.

  ***

  We stood surrounding my mother’s ashes in the back of Victoria’s property, past where Henry had his statues, outside of where the shadows were blocked. If the shadows wanted to attack, they’d be able to. I dared them to try.

  No one came to the funeral outside of our small group. My father and I stood to the side with Levi next to me. He had our kids around him. Victoria, Henry, and Jack were next to them, and on the others side of the urn were Logan, Peter, Ross, Erin, Block, Patricia, Annika, and Jenny. More than I would have expected. They had friends, other practitioners who travelled the country helping when they could, and yet they didn’t attend each other’s funerals.