Entangled- The Homecoming

by Barbara Bretton

  I was just about to nominate myself as the poster child for female empowerment when a young man’s face popped up at the side window of the minivan and I let out a horror movie queen scream that they probably heard back in Bailey’s Harbor.

  I never expected the face to scream back at me and drop from sight.

  Now what was I going to do? The guy on the other side of the window was either there to rescue me or kill me. Either way I was helpless, held prisoner in a minivan that wasn’t even my own.

  A primal rage boiled up from the center of my being and unleashed emotions I didn’t know I had. Anger mixed with magick, a potent mix that pushed against the doors and windows, looking for a way out like steam in a pressure cooker.

  The face popped up again and this time I didn’t scream. It was Janice’s son, one of the kids I’d seen causing trouble around town.

  “Liam Meany, unlock this car and let me out now!”

  “No way,” he said. “You’re scary.”

  “You’re afraid of a human? I’m surprised at you.” I didn’t mention my temporary powers. The kid didn’t have to know everything.

  “I’m not afraid of you.” He almost looked like he meant it.

  “Good. Then open up this car and let me out.”

  He shook his head.

  “If you’re not afraid of me, then what’s the problem? You came back to see if I was okay, didn’t you?”

  “I came back because we pranked the wrong car.”

  “That’s known as a guilty conscience.”

  “I didn’t cause the accident,” he said, trying to weasel word his way out of responsibility. “I was just hanging out. It was their idea.”

  “But you saw it happen and ran away?”

  He flushed a deep, angry red and shrugged in that typical teenage way meant to drive anyone over twenty-one crazy. “I didn’t exactly see it happen.”

  “But you knew about it.”

  He nodded. “Yeah. That’s why I came back.”

  “I don’t have time for this.” I admit it wasn’t my finest hour, but I refused to give him any credit at all. He had abandoned a pregnant woman and a little girl. It was hard to find an upside to that. My anger quickly reached volcanic proportions. “Just let me out of here so I can find them before you have three deaths on your hands.”

  He literally turned white before my eyes. “You think they’re--?”

  “There’s a lot of blood in this car. What do you think happened, Einstein?”

  He disappeared from view for a moment. I heard him muttering something in increasingly louder tones, then the doors opened, and I leaped out and jumped him.

  “Hey!” he yelled as I slammed him to the snow-covered ground. “What the—“

  “Shut up,” I snarled, magick flowing from me like a tidal wave. “I don’t have time to deal with you now.”

  That golden cord Gavan had used to bind us together would do nicely.

  I trussed the terrified kid like he was a Thanksgiving turkey and flung him into the car headfirst.

  “You can’t leave me here,” he cried, not exactly a big shot now.

  “Just watch me, Liam Meany.”

  “But it’s cold.”

  “You’ll live.”

  “I can help you find your friends.”

  “You’ve done enough for me already,” I said.

  “We didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” he said again. “We just want you to go away.”

  “What did I ever do to you?” I had maybe seen the kid three times since the wedding and we had never exchanged a word.

  “Everything’s different since you showed up,” he said. “Those freaks are everywhere.” The look he shot me revealed more than he had intended. “And you hang with the big one in that stupid cloak.”

  “That’s none of your business.” And there was nothing stupid about Gavan’s embroidered cloak. Both were magnificent.

  “Nobody wants you here.” It was a schoolyard taunt from a spoiled brat kid, but it hurt just the same. Bullies were good at that.

  “Then we’re even,” I said, “because I don’t want to be here.”

  “Why wouldn’t you want to be in Sugar Maple?” The idiot kid sounded amazed. After all, everyone had been so welcoming to me.

  I slammed the doors shut and watched as my temporary magick wove a shiny silver cage around the car.

  “That should hold you for awhile,” I said, then aimed another blast of stay-out-of-my-face magick in his direction.

  “You’re not going to tell my mom, are you?”

  I almost laughed out loud. “Oh, you bet I am.”

  And I was going to enjoy every minute of watching Janice Meany eat crow.

  But that pleasure would have to wait. Finding Mallory and Ava was my top priority.

  I struck out in the direction of the faint bloodstains, ignoring Liam’s pitiful pleas for help. He wasn’t getting any more than he deserved. Probably far less than he deserved, if you thought about it. He and his friends had caused two innocent people to crash into a tree during a blizzard. Spending a few uncomfortable hours in the car he had helped wreck didn’t seem like unjust punishment for the crime.

  The kid definitely had a good set of lungs on him. He howled with outrage over his situation.

  “Knock it off,” I called over my shoulder. “You sound like a big baby.”

  That shut him up. The male of the species never disappoints. The kid was tied up and locked in a minivan and he still thought he was the lead sled dog. Maybe he would grow up to be one of those fire-walking, self-help gurus that populate late night TV selling books to teach other people how to become just as obnoxious.

  Then again he might escape from the locked minivan and knock me over as he raced by.

  I’m ashamed to admit I forgot all about Mallory and Ava. I took off after him at a speed not even magick could explain and I was almost close enough to grab his legs when I was yanked to a full stop six inches off the ground.

  “Your timing sucks,” I said as Gavan manifested next to me. “I’ve been yanking that chain for an hour. Where have you been?”

  It was a rhetorical question. He’d been searching for Mallory and Ava, while I’d been engaged in a battle of wits with a kid whose voice hadn’t fully changed yet. And I was seriously pissed off about that. Reason was gone. I finally understood why men played the “Mine is bigger than yours” game. Liam Meany’s magick really was bigger than mine, and the fact that a kid had outsmarted me made me crazy. I launched myself back into pursuit with Gavan right next to me.

  “This will not help us find the mother and child,” Gavan said as we negotiated a sharp turn around a stand of white birch.

  “That little rat and his friends caused the accident,” I said, speeding up. “They’re not going to get away with it.”

  “First the mother and child must be found.”

  I was in no mood for logic. His words slowed me down, but they didn’t stop me.

  We were heading toward the mountain where Forbes the Giant made his home. Liam had a good lead on us now. Once we got into the densely wooded mountains, our chances of grabbing him would be next to zero. I wondered where he was going. He was heading away from Sugar Maple. Did he have some hiding place outside of town? Were his friends waiting for him?

  “Come on,” I said, gearing up for an end run. “I’m not going to let him get away. We can surround him before he --”

  And then it hit me. Maybe we didn’t want to grab him. Maybe what we really wanted to do was follow him straight to where he’d left Mallory and Ava.

  Chapter 15

  CHLOE

  We were deep inside a cave, illuminated only by a soft glow from the imps. Who knew imps doubled as nightlights?

  I had been inside caves before and knew I should be grateful for the light they provided. Until you’ve been inside a cave, you don’t know what darkness is all about. The air was damp and cool against my skin, the temperature steady as a heartbeat.

 
Laria seemed utterly content to be surrounded by those miserable creatures. She wasn’t at all surprised to see me come tumbling suddenly into view. She had been expecting me.

  I swooped her up into my arms, pushing the hissing, agitated imps aside with my foot. I kissed the top of her head and her chubby cheeks while checking to make sure she was okay. No bumps. No bruises. I whispered my thanks.

  The imps were living up to their reputation as Corgi clones, nipping at my ankles and making angry noises meant to scare me away.

  “Is this how you treated my mother when I was Laria’s age?” I asked. “You should be ashamed.”

  The nipping and grumbling stopped and they looked up at me.

  “I’m her mother,” I said, meeting their beady little eyes head-on. “I’m glad you want to keep Laria safe, but never, never get in my way.” I focused in on each of them in turn. “I’m in charge. You’re not. Do you understand?”

  The change in them was instantaneous. They literally rolled over and exposed their hairy bellies to me in abject obedience. The sight was both hilarious and more than a little disturbing. I struggled to keep from laughing out loud.

  “Are they in this cave?” I asked Laria. “Is that why you brought us here?”

  Her little body started to twitch. The imps picked up on her agitation and began running in tight circles around us. We were on the right track.

  Two small openings, halfway between floor and ceiling, pierced the otherwise impenetrable wall before us. They stared down on us like dark, unblinking eyes. Stalagmites extended up from the cave floor, joining with thousand-pound stalactites suspended from the ceiling, to form monstrous columns that stood like sentinels guarding each entrance.

  Everywhere I looked, random formations of condensation glistened like diamonds in the soft light thrown by the imps. Suddenly, the columns slid back, revealing a third entrance, larger and more foreboding, between them. It dared us to enter.

  I thought I caught a faint moan coming from within and I held out a hand to silence everyone so I could zero in on the sound.

  A moment later Laria wrenched herself from my arms and flew into the new opening and out of sight with the imps and me in hot pursuit. They looked agitated and apologetic for letting her slip through their circle of protection and I found my hard line attitude softening. She was definitely a handful. We would all have our work cut out for us as she grew stronger and even more powerful.

  And, let’s face it, I was grateful for the light they provided. I never did like being in the dark. Not even metaphorically.

  The beauty of the cave itself almost made up for the fact that I was bouncing off stalagmites and stalactites like a half-human bumper car. Rocks. Minerals. Water. Mix them together, wait a few thousand years or so, and you have magnificence on a scale Tiffany could only dream about.

  Just when I thought I couldn’t take one more second of navigating my way through the twisting, turning, endless corridor, I skidded to a halt at the entrance to an ice palace so beautiful that I was sure I’d crossed dimensions. The world I knew and loved held vistas of heart-stopping wonder, but this was in a league all its own.

  Even the imps stopped chattering and stared, wide-eyed, at the splendor surrounding us.

  The immense chamber was a study in contrast: muted shades of amber and pearl and silver interspersed with crystal clear icicles that refracted light like a prism. The colors of the rainbow illuminated the entire area, bouncing off the ceiling and walls. This magnificent show of color and light was thrown back at us by the inky-black reflecting pool that stretched partway across the expanse. Everywhere I looked, every place my gaze landed on, I saw nothing but pure eye candy.

  And then it got even better.

  There, on the other side of the pool, was Laria with Mallory and Ava.

  I sailed across the reflecting pool on a combination of love and magick while the imps, yipping with excitement, happily splashed their way to the other side.

  Laria, still clutching Ava’s hot pink scrunchie, glowed with joy. She was seated between Ava and Mallory, her tiny body leaning against the child. Ava was asleep with her head resting against Mallory’s shoulder.

  My relief vanished the moment I saw Mallory up close. Streaks of dried blood bisected her paper white face. Unlike Ava, she wasn’t sleeping. She was unconscious, moaning softly with each shaky breath she took.

  If only Elspeth were there. Her healing powers were legendary. She would know what to do. I felt more inadequate than I had ever felt in my life. Life or death decisions can do that to a woman.

  When it came to magick, I was still in grade school.

  I looked to my baby daughter for help, but she was happily chattering to herself while she played with Ava’s scrunchie. She had accomplished her task and all was right in her world.

  Unfortunately finding the mother and daughter was only the first step in securing a happy ending.

  Mallory was in bad shape. I was no doctor, but I could easily see that we were on shaky ground. Head injuries could be far more deadly than they looked at first glance. I remembered when that beautiful English actress died unexpectedly a few days after a minor fall on a Canadian ski slope. I prayed to the ancestors that the same thing wouldn’t happen to Mallory.

  And there was her pregnancy to consider. The early months could be fraught with peril. Mallory repeatedly stroked her still-flat belly, but I didn’t know if it was a sign of distress or the pregnant woman’s universal go-to gesture. Female intuition told me to assume the former and hope for the latter.

  I needed help. There was no way I could transport all of us to a hospital. I reached into my pocket for my cell phone. I had a copy of Laria’s map but nothing else. I wished I’d had time to think before I launched myself into the Book of Spells in pursuit of Laria.

  “Quiet!” I said to the imps. “I can’t think with all that hissing and yipping.”

  They shut up instantly, gathering more closely around my feet, looking up at me with big purple imp eyes.

  “Do you know Gavan and Wendy?” I asked the pack.

  They did a quick little yes move that reminded me of the Rockettes.

  “Find them for me and bring them here as fast as you can.”

  They looked toward Laria. She stopped playing, met their eyes, and nodded.

  Just like that most of them were gone.

  Ten months old and she was already comfortable being the one in charge. I had a lot to learn.

  Four of the imps had stayed behind to provide light and I was grateful they had thought of it. With their glow spilling over my left shoulder, I crouched down near Mallory, trying to gauge her condition as best I could.

  She had sustained a nasty head wound, which scared the hell out of me. Her clothing had been torn. Bits and pieces of leaves and branches clung to what was left of her sweater. Her hands were bloody. A tiny red circle marked her inner wrist. Her shoes had gone missing.

  But it was her baby that worried me the most.

  Ava woke up and the solace of sleep gave way to fear. She blinked, rubbed her eyes hard, and then saw me.

  “You’re Laria’s mommy,” she said, some of the fear disappearing. “She said you would help us.”

  “I will,” I said, giving her a reassuring hug. “We’ve been looking for you.”

  “I know,” Ava said. “Laria told us.”

  I asked her how long Mallory had been sleeping. The answer sent a chill up my spine. Too long.

  “Can you tell me what happened, Ava?”

  She was only a little girl, but she did an impressive job of laying out the situation.

  “The balloons blew up,” she said, eyes wide. “They scared me.”

  That explained the bruising I saw starting to blossom on Mallory’s chest. Air bags saved lives, but they weren’t without drawbacks.

  “Do you remember where you and your mommy left the car?”

  She shook her head. “The big tree came down and we had to go into the forest.”

>   “Did you go deep into the forest?”

  She shook her head again. “Not so deep. These people ran out and scared us. That’s why Mommy hit the tree.”

  Despair flooded my heart. “Could you see what they looked like?”

  “They were all covered up,” she said, “like they were in their bathrobes.”

  Rohesia’s people. There was no other explanation. It killed me that Janice had been right. I owed her an apology.

  But first I had to attempt to stabilize Mallory while I waited for help to arrive.

  “We’re going to wake up your mommy now,” I said to Ava.

  “You should let her sleep,” Ava advised. “She was hurting a whole lot when she was awake.”

  “This is important, honey,” I said. “I promise I won’t hurt her.”

  I searched the deep kangaroo pockets of my sweatshirt for a tissue or something I could use as a wet cloth to moisten Mallory’s lips. The only thing I found was the folded-up copy of Laria’s map. It slipped from my fingers and dropped into the pool lapping at my feet.

  “Rats,” I muttered, getting down on my hands and knees to pluck it from the cool, clear water. I leaned forward, stretching to reach the map.

  “What’s that?” Ava asked.

  “A map,” I said, wiggling my fingers closer to the soggy page.

  “What’s a map?”

  “A drawing that shows you where you are in the world.”

  “Like a globe?” she asked.

  “But flat,” I said. “Your mommy probably uses one when she drives.”

  Ava shook her head. “My mommy uses her cell phone. A voice tells us where to go.”

  Which was probably how they had ended up in this predicament. Without her cell phone, Mallory had no way to figure out where they were.

  I had just managed to pinch a corner of the map between my thumb and index finger when something caught my eye and I stopped cold.

  Reflected in the center of the pool of crystal-clear water was another map. The vague outlines resembled the one Laria had drawn but this was more detailed, more perfectly rendered.

  “What?” Ava crawled over toward me on the slippery rocks. “What do you see?”