My mom let out a long breath and tucked a loose hair behind my ear as she looked into my eyes. “You’re not dead, sweetie. I’m here because, in this realm, I can live again once more.”
“What do you mean? What is this realm?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Well, I think I need to hear it.”
She nodded and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as she started to guide me down the road. “Let’s go somewhere we can talk.”
I let her lead me away, and as we continued down the road, I found myself taking in the eerie similarities between this world and Bramblewood. My mom had said she could live again in this realm, so I knew beyond doubt we weren’t in the Human Realm anymore. It didn’t give me any clue about where I’d arrived though.
“So, where are we?” I asked, turning to her.
She took in a breath before replying. “We’re in the Realm of Gods.” She glanced at me from the corner of her eye as if to gauge my reaction.
“The Realm of Gods?” I shook my head with disbelief. It sounded crazy. But, then again, I was strolling down the street with my dead mother; so being in the Realm of Gods wasn’t all that ludicrous. “And why exactly does the Realm of Gods look just like the village I’ve been living in back in England?”
Mom smiled at my question. “This realm is very unique. It’s nothing like the Human Realm or the Northern Realm. It is a place of pure creation and responds differently to every being that passes through. When you first arrive, the realm normally manifests as somewhere familiar to you.”
I frowned at her explanation. “So, are you seeing Bramblewood too?” I asked.
She shook her head. “What you see and what is real are two different things. Even I don’t truly know what this realm looks like, and every day, this world appears different to me.”
“What do you see?” I asked.
“We’re walking through a field of sunflowers,” she replied with a warm smile. “The sky is golden today, and the air is warm.”
“Sounds beautiful,” I replied.
“It is.”
As we walked past The Rusty Gate, I noticed we were heading toward a cottage at the end of the street. It was totally at odds with the rest of the village and definitely didn’t exist in the real Bramblewood. The cottage was in the middle of the road and surrounded by a strange array of bright purple and white flowers. It had a large veranda that wrapped around the entire house, and smoke was puffing out of the chimney.
“I’m seeing a cottage ahead of us. Is that normal?” I asked.
Mom nodded. “Some of the places and objects in this realm have been created by gods and always remain. What you’re looking at is my home.”
“And it was created by a god?”
“Yes, they are the only ones with such power,” Mom replied though she avoided looking me directly in the eyes as she spoke. I immediately got the impression she was hiding something, and I couldn’t help but feel hurt.
“Why would a god create a home for you?” I asked.
She ignored my question though and walked up to the front door. She opened it inward, waving for me to follow in after her. “Welcome home, sweetheart,” she said.
I shook my head at her. “Mom, this isn’t my home…” I said. “Why are you avoiding my questions?”
She let out a breath as she stared at me, hovering just inside the doorway. Her hands were twisting nervously, and I’d never seen her looking so uncertain before. “Why don’t you come inside…”
It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but I trusted she’d get to it in her own time, so I followed her into the house. As I entered, I was surprised to find it looked just like my childhood home in the North Pole. There was a huge open fireplace in the living room, and everything from the couches to the picture frames that adorned the tables was exactly as I recalled.
“It’s just like our old home,” I murmured.
Mom smiled. “I’m surprised you remember it. You were so young when we left.”
“I wasn’t that young,” I replied, turning to her. She was chewing on her lower lip, and I could tell she was still worried about the questions I had for her. The truth was, I was beginning to suspect that I already knew the answers. I was more worried about why was she too afraid to tell me.
“Mom, is it normal for clauses to be brought to this realm after they die?” I asked.
She slowly shook her head, uncertainty flickering through her eyes like she couldn’t quite gauge what I was getting at. “No,” she said.
I swallowed as I nodded to myself. “So how did you get here?”
“One of the gods used the magic of this realm to resurrect me.” Her voice was almost a whisper. “I am alive, but I am tied to this place and can never leave it. I am still only a claus though I am changed.” Her eyes were filled with worry and fear as she spoke, but it wasn’t fear for herself. I knew she was completely concerned with how I was reacting to her words.
“Why would a god resurrect you?” I prompted.
“Because he loved me and couldn’t bear for me to die.”
Adrenaline pulsed through my system and my heart started racing. She had told me that gods were the only ones with the power of creation—a power I now knew I possessed. And now she was telling me that she was here because a god loved her. I knew exactly what was coming, but I needed to hear the truth about myself directly from her lips.
“Mom, why am I different to other clauses?”
Tears started welling in her eyes. “Because your father was a god.”
A shock of cold rushed over my skin, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. It was one thing to hear the idea from an untrustworthy frost, who was making an educated guess, but something else to finally hear the truth from your own mother’s mouth.
Seeing the shock in my eyes, my mom rushed to continue. “I know you’re confused, Clio, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I kept the truth from you to protect you. I knew you would be in danger if anyone ever found out. That’s why we hid for all those years and why I always tried to keep you from using your powers out of season.”
“So, I’m part god?” I asked.
She nodded.
I rubbed my eyes, closing them as I tried to process everything. I couldn’t believe she’d kept the truth about my father from me my entire life, and I didn’t understand how she could lie to me for so many years. It wasn’t my heritage that had me upset; it was the fact my mom had kept me in the dark.
“I wanted to tell you,” she said. “But I wanted to tell you when you were old enough to understand what it all meant. The problem was, once the right time came, I was too scared to tell you the truth. And then I died, and I never got the chance.”
Her voice was soft and filled with pain, and I opened my eyes to look at her. She appeared pale and upset as she confessed to the lies she had told, and I knew I couldn’t remain angry with her. I had thought she was gone forever, but she was standing right in front of me and it was a miracle. I couldn’t waste a second chance with my mom by being upset with her.
“How did this even happen?” I asked, my voice far gentler than it had been before. “You and my father, I mean.”
“Your father has always visited our realm once every century,” my mom started. “During his last visit, he came to the Northern Realm, and we met and fell in love. We spent many months together, and our existence was blissful.” Her eyes drifted away from me, and a smile lit up her face as she recalled the memory.
“I knew the truth about what he was, but it didn’t seem to matter when we were so happy together. The longer he stayed though, the weaker he grew, and eventually, I knew I had to let him return to his own realm.” When her eyes returned to me, they were wet with unshed tears.
“Saying goodbye to him was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but I didn’t remain sad for long. Soon after he left, I found out I was pregnant with you. I had thought my heart was full when I was with your father, but it was n
othing compared to the love I felt when you came along.”
I could still see that same love radiating out of her eyes as she looked at me. It was sweet to hear my parents’ love story, but there was still a lot that was left unexplained. “If he loved you so much, why didn’t he come back?” I asked. “Why didn’t he ever come and meet me?”
“Because he can only visit other realms for brief periods,” she replied. “He used the majority of his powers a millennia ago to imprison his brother so he could no longer wreak havoc on our world. And it is only once every century that he regains enough power to visit other realms and make certain the defenses he put in place remain strong. It cost him a lot to stop his brother, but it was a price that had to be paid.”
I slowly sank down on one of the couches, silent as I tried to come to terms with everything my mother had said. It was hard enough to believe she was standing in front of me, let alone to accept the truths she’d just dropped on me.
“I just still can’t believe you’re alive,” I murmured. Out of everything I’d learned, that was the thing that my mind kept returning to. It was the thing that mattered the most to me. “I thought you were a ghost,” I added.
“I know, sweetie,” she replied. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but I’ve been getting small visions of you, flashes really, and I couldn’t think of another way to warn you to be careful. Your father helped me project myself into your realm. I wasn’t very good at it though, and I’m afraid I wasn’t much help.”
“So, where is my father now?” I asked.
She smiled warmly at me. The way her eyes lit up when I mentioned him filled me with happiness despite all of the confusion flowing through me. My mom was truly in love with him. I couldn’t be sad we were separated when that was the case.
“He’s here,” she replied. “He sensed when you entered the realm and sent me to greet you. He didn’t want to alarm you by showing up himself.”
A wave of nerves rushed through me as I nodded. My father wasn’t dead, as I’d believed for my entire life. He was very much alive, but he was also a god. My brain felt like it was going to explode.
“Can I meet him?” I asked.
Mom nodded and smiled warmly at me. “Yes, he’s coming home in a little while. He wanted to give us time together.”
I let out a breath, feeling slightly relieved. I wanted to meet my father, but the thought also terrified me. What would I even say to him?
“You don’t need to look so worried,” Mom said. “He loves you very much and can’t wait to meet you.”
I didn’t share her confidence but nodded in response.
“Why don’t I make you something to eat while we wait for his return,” she continued.
“I can’t stay long,” I said. “I’m here for a reason.”
Mom’s face grew serious again. “I know why you’re here,” she replied. “I know you’re after the final Christmas star. And I’ll help you as much as I can.”
The tightness in my chest eased slightly. “So, the final star is here?”
She nodded. “It’s in this realm, and it’s safe for now, but it’s only a matter of time before Belsnickel’s powers return in full and he comes for it. It won’t be easy for you to acquire, but I believe, if anyone can do it, you can.”
“It’s difficult to obtain?” I asked.
She nodded. “Others have died in their attempts to find it, but we know you are strong enough to succeed where they have failed.”
I wanted to believe my mother, and I wanted to feel the same confidence in my skills as she did, but the truth was, I was so overwhelmed and confused that all I could think about was the fact that I was probably going to die. I was finally reunited with my family, but I had a bad feeling they were only going to be taken away from me again.
Chapter Fourteen
We were halfway through eating lunch when I heard the front door open. My body tensed as I listened to it ease shut and heard the sound of footsteps walking down the corridor toward us. From the way Mom perked up at the noise, I knew it was my father who had arrived, and I felt like a nervous wreck.
The delicious sandwich my mom had made went dry in my mouth, and I struggled to swallow it as I stood and waited for him to enter the room. I could already feel his power from the corridor. His magic was so intense and seemed to prickle against my skin. It was far more potent than the power I’d sensed on Belsnickel—though that might have been because he had only just regained his godly magic when I last saw him.
My father’s magic was supposed to have become weaker since he had defeated Belsnickel, and I wondered just how powerful he was at full strength. I imagined it would be almost unbearable to be around. His magic certainly made me worry about how powerful Belsnickel would become once his powers fully returned.
I started fiddling with my hands as I held them behind my back and waited. I felt like I was preparing for a job interview rather than meeting my father. But the moment he walked into the room, every nervous twitch in my body disappeared and a feeling of joy suffused me.
The man before me was so tall he had to bend his head as he walked through the doorway, and his muscles were so big that he took up the width of the door. He had dark hair like mine that brushed the top of his shoulders and was tucked behind his ears. His eyes were kind and swirled with different shades of blue, green, and gold as he returned my gaze, and his mouth spread wide in a friendly grin. He must have been ancient, but he barely looked older than his late twenties. There was wisdom in his gaze that defied his youthful appearance though.
“Hello, Clio,” he said, struggling to contain his grin, which seemed to only grow wider. I couldn’t help but return his smile as he walked over to me. When he got close, a rich scent of brandy washed over me, and I knew it wasn’t the first time I’d encountered his magic before. It was identical to the power I had faced in the Dead Lands, and I’d sensed it on all of the golden archways I’d come across. The scent was so familiar now that I’d know it anywhere.
He brought me into his arms in a hug, and his body was so warm I felt like I’d been encased in sunshine. The hug felt so natural, just like we’d been doing it every day for years. My heart filled with joy, and I could feel his love for me so deeply that it wasn’t even strange to think I was hugging a god I’d never met before.
“You’re Bethalial,” I said, as we pulled back from one another. It wasn’t a question as I already knew exactly who he was. I didn’t think it was possible, but his smile grew bigger as he nodded.
“Yes,” he replied. “I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time.”
“I’d say the same, but I didn’t know you were alive until an hour ago.”
He laughed, and the sound seemed to rumble through the house. It was a deep belly laugh and felt instantly contagious. It turned out my dad had a sense of humor, which I really wasn’t expecting.
“I’m sad we could not meet sooner,” he admitted, his eyes turning serious as he looked at me. “Unfortunately, there are only two ways to leave this realm. One I cannot take, and the other requires a great deal of power. Power that I don’t currently have after my last trip. It will be years before I am strong enough to return to the other realms.”
“You feel plenty powerful to me,” I replied.
Bethalial chuckled again. “Perhaps. But it is only a fraction of the power I once held.”
I nodded, unable to fathom how strong he must have been.
“Do you want something to eat?” Mom asked him, making me smile. She’d always fixed awkward situations with food, and it seemed that hadn’t changed. She was looking nervously between the two of us, and I could see how desperate she was for me to like Bethalial. She didn’t need to worry though. The situation didn’t feel nearly as uncomfortable as I had expected, and I felt completely at ease with the god in front of me.
“I’m fine, Noelle,” Bethalial replied. Her name rolled off his tongue like he’d said it a million times before, and I could see how much he ca
red about her from the way his eyes lit up as he looked in her direction. My parents truly loved each other, and it made me happier than I ever thought possible that my mom finally had a partner in life.
I watched them both with a smile on my face, but my expression began to drop as I remembered that I hadn’t come here to meet my father or to find my mom. My purpose in this realm was very different, and I couldn’t ignore it, as much as I might like to. I hesitated though, unsure how to broach the subject of the star with my father. Luckily, he brought it up before I had the chance to speak.
“So, you’re here for the Christmas star,” he said.
I nodded as I looked up at him. “The other two have been destroyed, and I can’t let Belsnickel get the final star. I was the only one who could come to this realm to search for it though.”
My father gripped his chin, thoughtful as he looked down at me. “Yes, I know of the destruction of the other two Christmas stars. The stars were never a perfect solution to stopping my brother, and they came at a great cost. My powers, and my sister Belphia’s, never recovered from the stars’ creation, and I sometimes wonder if I should have dealt with Belsnickel in a different way.”
“You did the right thing, Bethalial,” my mom said, walking over and rubbing his arm.
My father nodded, but I could see how torn he was. He didn’t appear to agree, and I wondered what other options he had considered.
“What other choice did you have?” I asked.
He slowly exhaled and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now,” he replied. “But there was one other way of stopping him. It was something I couldn’t bring myself to do at the time though. Even now, I’m not sure I could go through with it.”
Given the sadness and pain in his eyes, I had already guessed what he would have had to do. “You thought of killing him,” I said.
His expression grew darker as he nodded. “In a few of my weaker moments, I did,” he admitted.
Christmas Curse (Christmas Magic Book 3) Page 13
