"A switch? How's that supposed to be a physical challenge?"
"I never said it would be easily accessed."
Drat the convoluted mind of a witch.
We searched in a widening arc spanning out from the dais in the center of the room and only found it once we thought to look both high and low. High. It had to be high. Above the door that blocked our way back, my enhanced vision picked out a tiny ray of light falling on a button nestled above the door.
"There, but how do we get to it?" I pointed.
"Classic Clara. Always goes for the obvious. We need more light." As one, we conjured cold flame in our outstretched palms and used the glow to search the area. Appropriately enough, I was the one who found the ordinary bow and arrow leaning against a support post.
"Mom." I held up the weapon. "Do you think...."
"Prove yourself worthy by testing your aim? What a cliche."
"Great. I don't suppose you have any latent skills to bring to the table?"
"Other than the eagle eye potion?" A bitter smile twisted Sylvana's ebony lips.
Picking up the bow, I tested my strength against the string. We'd done archery in PE class the year I turned fourteen, and I'd been so worried about my awakening that I hadn't paid attention. I think I scraped by that year with slightly below average grades in all my classes. Still, my body sort of remembered the motions and the stance. Nocking an arrow to the string, I pulled back experimentally to get a feel for the rising tension and sighted in on the button. With any luck, heredity would kick in and take me from rudimentary to a higher level of skill.
"Here goes nothing." The shot went wide, and Sylvana let out a choked cry. When I turned to see what had caused the strangled noise, I saw her clutching a spot just above her hip.
"Well, that's unexpected. Even though I should have guessed." She moved one hand away from her side and held it out to show the crimson stain.
"How did that happen?" Crossing the space between us, I fell to me knees to examine the wound. "You were behind me; there's no way I could have hit you."
"Consequences. Clara is a big fan. You have to try again."
"No, what if I miss again, it could be worse the second time."
"That's a given, but if I know my mother, the only way to reverse the consequences is for you to hit that button. Try not to miss, okay?"
"I wasn't trying to miss the first time. Nothing like a little added pressure when I'm playing with pointy objects." Sarcasm, a girl's best friend.
"Breathe into it and don't close your eyes this time." Helpful directions came out with a wince and the pressure of knowing what would happen if I missed sent my heart into a mad gallop. Trembling fingers fumbling against the string, I blinked and shook the hair away from my eyes.
"Quit stalling," came the directive from behind me.
"Why don't you try it then? I'd rather be hit with the arrow than the one doing the damage."
"You're a Balefire, not a wuss," Sylvana practically growled at me, and on that note, I let the second arrow fly. And missed. The arrow quivered in the post not an inch above the button.
"No. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." All the blood drained out of my face when Sylvana failed to answer. I whirled to see her slumped over on the ground and I knew what I had to do.
As I cocked my elbow and pulled the third and final arrow back, I let the part of me that belonged to Cupid take over. My chin dropped, my eyes focused in on the button with uncanny precision, and I breathed into the shot.
Thwack. A solid hit and dead on target. The door swung open, and behind me, Sylvana stirred.
"You did him proud."
"Are you all right?" I pushed her hands away from her side to make sure.
"Right as rain."
"Isn't that touching?" Delta's voice ringing out of the darkness jumped me half out of my skin. "A genuine moment. I'd almost believe you, Sylvana. Almost."
"All I'm here to do is help my daughter; you can believe whatever you want. Come, Lexi. It's time." Delta followed us back to the edge of the pit where Sylvana took her place on the opposite side to cheer me on. I checked that the barrier was down and took a moment to gauge the distance. Overshooting my mark could send me into the blackness just as quickly as coming up short when I leaped toward the pedestal.
I'd gathered my nerve and risen to the balls of my feet to start the first running steps when Jett stepped out of the shadows, followed by Serena.
"Where did you come from?"
After that, everything happened so fast it's hard to remember how it all went down.
Kin sprinted through the door with Salem hard on his heels.
"Lexi, Jett's... already here."
"I've come for what's mine. I have more right to that bow than she does." Jett tried to dodge around Kin to make the jump before I could, and Kin pushed back. It looked like Serena was going to leap onto Kin's back, but Salem grabbed her before she got close. Fists flew, blows landed, and it was hard to tell who was winning until the two men broke apart.
Kin was too close to the edge, I called to him, but it was too late. Jett charged forward and shoved the heel of one hand against Kin's chest, and he teetered on the edge of the pit.
If he fell, he would take half of my soul with him, and I couldn't let that happen.
Adrenaline shot through me and time folded back on itself. Or, in my moment of need, I might have subconsciously uttered a spell that warped time to suit my needs. My memory is a little hazy on the details. Delta was too far away to help, but Sylvana was close enough to grab Kin before he went over the side leaving me free to get to the bow before Jett could make the leap.
"Mom. Save Kin." She loved me, right? She'd save Kin for that reason alone.
It was a good plan. Too bad it never happened.
Sylvana's expression turned savage and cold, and instead of helping Kin, who was still fighting to regain his balance, she flung herself across the chasm to land heavily next to the pedestal. I made a split second adjustment, dodged in the other direction, and grabbed Kin's shirt just before he plunged over the edge. He almost took me with him, but Salem, dragging Serena along with one hand, planted the other firmly around my arm, and yanked us both to safety.
The biggest surprise of the day happened next. Flix appeared out of nowhere and blasted Jett with some type of faerie magic I didn't even know he could do. A whirling cloud of thunder and lightening swallowed Jett whole while Serena screamed his name.
When I turned back to the place I had last seen my mother, Sylvana was gone, and Delta lay on the ground, a narrow bruise forming on her temple. On her way out, Sylvana must have clocked the Fiach with the handle of the bow. So much for this little mother/daughter bonding exercise. She'd duped me, stolen the bow, and left Kin to die.
I guess I should have listened to Delta.
All I could do at that moment, though, was cling to Kin and let the adrenaline jitter through my body.
"Are you all right?" Kisses rained across my face, and I returned them all.
"We'll just leave you two alone," Salem marshaled a still-wailing Serena toward the door while Flix half carried Delta out of the hold. "So you can play kissy-face in private." His undertone of disgust was clearly an act since he'd been on Kin's side all along.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you," Kin murmured into my neck as I began to apologize, "I'm the one who is sorry. You were right not to trust her. Can you ever forgive me?"
Cupping my face in his hands, Kin rested his forehead against mine. "If you'll forgive me for walking away. Say you'll take me back, I can't stand it if you don't."
A kiss that left us both tingling answered for me, but I still had one question for him.
"Are you sure? I'm not destined for normal. What if this is the tip of the iceberg?"
Staring into his eyes, I looked for signs of doubt and saw none.
"As long as we're together, I can handle anything. Normal is overrated."
Truth. At least for right now, a
nd that was all I could ask of him.
"We stick together from now on. No matter what happens. I know now that I'm not wicked, and I never will be. What I experienced today; I can't even explain it, but things are clearer now."
"I'll never leave you again. I love you, Lexi."
"I love you, too, Kin."
It felt good to say the words and mean them.
Pressing close, Kin laid firm lips over mine to seal the deal.
If I had known what was waiting for us outside, I would have cut the kissing a little shorter. As it was, we exited the building and landed in the middle of a strange tableau.
Flix had taken charge of Serena, who sat on a rock about fifteen feet away from the group. I felt the other witch's baleful stare but ignored the mask of hatred. Frankly, she wasn't worth my time.
My four godmothers were there. How had I not known that? Then again, Kin hadn't been concerned with giving me details. I walked up to the circle, which also included Salem, and followed their gazes down to the object that lay on the ground in the center.
The Bow of Destiny. In pieces.
"Well, that's unfortunate," I understated the situation. "You want to tell me how it happened?"
The story came out in dribs and drabs.
On his way to knock on my door and beg forgiveness, Kin had seen me leave with Sylvana. He'd also seen Jett and Serena come skulking out of the woods to follow along behind. Knowing they were up to no good, he'd gone in to warn the faeries, and gotten caught up with them when they decided it was time to help.
By the time they'd reached the clearing, Sylvana and I were already inside Shadow Hold and so was Delta who had nipped through the door just behind us. Kin and Salem followed Jett and Serena, but the faeries had been barred access. Probably something to do with being Fae, though it hadn't stopped Flix, who had been drawn to me through our empathetic connection during the first trial when I'd been screaming into nothingness.
Maybe it had been fate or maybe just dumb luck, but when Sylvana shot out the door with the bow in her hands, Terra and her sisters had been waiting. They ambushed her and Evian, who was closest, had snatched the bow right out of her hands.
A few sizzling bushes and some odd looking animals attested to the shortest faerie battle of all time before Sylvana had taken herself elsewhere in a hurry. My heart ached to do it, but I blocked all thoughts of her betrayal from my mind, put them in my little box and tucked it away in a dark corner once again. I'd deal with it eventually, but not right now, in front of everyone.
"I don't know what happened. It just...broke." Evian turned stricken eyes on me. "I'm sorry."
"Fae magic confounds that which the Gods have made," Delta shouted at us. "You've just undone all my hard work with a single touch."
Delta looked like she was about to launch herself at Evian, but knew better than to write a check she couldn't cash.
"So that's it? We did all this for nothing?" I whispered.
"I don't know. We're in unprecedented territory."
Delta looked up into the sky as she had that day in the alley, and I expected her to shoot into the air and disappear again. Her eyes lost focus for a few seconds before her gaze fell on me again.
"I have to go back and tell them I failed my mission." She swallowed hard and made me a solemn vow. "I'll scour the earth and beyond for anything that will aid your quest to restore the Bow of Destiny. May I have your promise that you will pursue that goal?"
Terra, Evian, Soleil, and Vaeta each took a step backward and waited for my response. "You told me the truth, even though I didn't want to hear it. You helped me even though I threatened you and chose a the wrong side, and you showed up here to ensure the Bow of Destiny ended up in the right hands. You've earned my trust, and I will make that promise."
"Thank you, Lexi Balefire." Delta offered her hand, and when we sealed the agreement, I felt the bond of promise seal our fates together. "If it is the will of the Gods, I will return." With a whoosh, she was gone.
"Terra, take us all home," we were there before I could add the please.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Three days crawled past in a morass of faces and conversations, considering everybody insisted I be kept company twenty-four-seven; it was a wonder I was allowed to use the bathroom alone. They all--the faeries, Flix, and of course Kin--seemed to think I was a woman on the razor's edge of a hissy fit or worse in my grief over Sylvana's betrayal. I would never call her Mom again, but she certainly wasn't worth dropping my basket over. Looking back, the clues to her true nature stood out in painful detail and so did the shutters I'd put over my eyes in order to give her the benefit of the doubt. More than once--more than she deserved.
Mercifully, Flix came to my rescue when he shimmered in to let me know things at the office had undergone a sudden turn.
When I demanded an explanation for what had happened to Jett, and what kind of magic Flix had used to banish him, I discovered my friend possessed an affinity for manipulating electrical currents and that Jett had been blasted into one of the seedier sections of the Faelands.
I didn't feel one pang of remorse when Flix said he might never find his way back.
"Lexi, it seems Jett's forced vacation broke his contact with Serena. Without his energy to fuel them, his curses have been shattering all over the city. We've been getting slammed with calls from people who have been dating their worst enemy for the past few months, and they're all in the market for a healthy relationship. It's getting a bit hairy; you feeling up to coming back?"
I'd immediately begged off another shift with the depression police, though I caught Flix motioning to the faeries that he'd keep a watchful eye on me, and hightailed it to the office. A full pot of coffee later, I'd finally sifted through the messages and set up a solid week of appointments. So when Mona tripped into my office, iced caramel swirls in each hand, part of me wondered if I should decline--but that would have been rude, and besides, caramel swirl.
"Lexi, you're not going to believe it! Dr. Cooper and my mom got back together! Just like that; it was as if he came out of a spell, he said he didn't know what he was thinking, and he begged her to take him back. And I swear I wouldn't be surprised if they end up making it permanent. I know it's crazy, but you should see them together; it's the most adorable thing. I don't know what you did but thank you, thank you, thank you!"
I returned Mona's hug and may have even giggled a little. A very little. "I had nothing to do with it, I swear, but that's wonderful!" Like coming out of a spell, indeed.
My knee must have accidentally tagged the button mounted under my desk because Flix shimmered into view behind Mona. Startled, he rolled his eyes and pretended to have entered through the salon door.
"Flix, I didn't know you were here." Mona's brow furrowed, and she shook her head as if to clear an image. "Did you hear about my mom and Dr. Cooper?" she asked, then followed him through the door and down the hallway, chattering away.
Now, I know it might sound like things were back to normal, but the truth is everything had changed. Yes, I'd been hurt and betrayed; a part of me had died back in that chamber, watching Sylvana choose personal gain over saving someone I loved. But I'd also learned a thing or two about myself. When I wove the threads of my two halves into that bow-wielding witch and tapped into my Fate Weaver essence, I began the process of coming to terms with who, or to be more accurate, what I was.
And that filled holes that had been eating away at me during my entire life.
Take and give left me somewhere in the middle, riding a wave of acceptance I knew would come crashing into shore eventually.
Out of all the people in my life, the only one who hadn't attempted to wrap me in cotton and put me in a box for my own safety was Salem. As my familiar, he was--pardon the pun--familiar enough with my emotions to gauge them correctly.
"Again," he said later that night, flickering light from the Balefire playing across his features. "And this time, keep your eye on the ball." He whip
ped the hard rubber ball against the tile floor, and it went ping-ponging through the large space. Eyes tracking its trajectory, I funneled power into my outstretched finger and blasted the bouncy sphere to kingdom come.
"Better." We'd decided to work on my defensive spells, just in case. Who knew when Sylvana might return, and I wanted to be ready. Would I give her a chance to explain? Maybe, and then again, maybe not.
By the time I'd killed fifteen high bounce balls, I was shaking from the effort of using such pinpointed magic and was ready for a hot shower, a pair of comfy yoga pants, a facial, and a cheesy movie.
Oh, and laundry. Judging by the size of the mountain in the corner, it had been weeks. I know some people consider the chore nothing short of drudgery, but I like the way the clothes smell when they come out of the dryer all warm and soft.
I'd swooped up the first pile of darks when something clanked to the floor and rolled under the laundry sink.
The ring. The one Mag had folded into my hand just before Sylvana crashed through the door. What was it she'd told me? The ring had belonged to Clara who would have wanted it to come to me and that I wasn't to show it to anyone.
More drama? I hoped not. I'd had enough drama to last me half a lifetime.
Carrying the ring back to my desk, I held it under the light to get a better look. The simple band of beaten silver felt heavier than its size would suggest, and had a crude design carved or possibly pressed into the rim.
Jewelry in my house fell under two categories; that of the magical heirloom variety or the pricey stuff conjured up by faeries. Mag said this piece belonged to my grandmother, so right away I was expecting the former.
Warmer than my skin, the metal felt alive in my hand, and I swear I intended to put it in a box for safekeeping. Right up until I slipped onto my finger. It fit like it had been made for me and sent an electric spark dancing across my flesh.
My grandmother had worn this ring, did it still carry her essence? Was it safe to wear?
Fading dusk carried just enough light to see my grandmother's stoned body in her silent clearing. Not for the first time, I wondered what happened the day she ended up looking like one of the Furies.
All Spell is Breaking Loose: Lexi Balefire: Matchmaking Witch (Fate Weaver Book 2) Page 20
