by Moni Boyce
Who could this be?
She looked around on the way to the door wondering if Zoriana or Morgana had forgotten anything or if this time it was Max or Mathilda wanting to cheer her up. When she opened the door she was surprised to find Josephine there. The woman had been crying. Terror filled her at the thought of his mother hating her and wanting her gone, out of his life. “Mrs. Walker...” Words failed her. She waited for the stinging slap to mark her cheek.
Josephine stepped into the room and hugged Willow. Her grip was almost crushing. The woman’s grief clung to her like a second skin.
“They said my boy was here.” She squeezed Willow a little more tightly.
“Yes, Phaedra and Ulrik just brought him back. He’s still sleeping. Would you like to see him?”
Josephine nodded and allowed herself to be led to the bedroom. She turned on the light and his mother immediately settled next to him on the bed. She took his hand in hers and with her other hand she brushed his hair from his forehead. Willow felt like she was intruding on something that should be private so she backed out of the room and pulled the door behind her to give mother and son their privacy.
She decided to busy herself with cooking. Even though they’d only returned a couple nights ago, neither of them had been in the kitchen and they’d been gone for a while so she was quite surprised to open the refrigerator and cabinets to find them fully stocked. Her mind went back to Zoriana and Morgana, they’d probably done it while she was being chastised by Phaedra. She pulled items from the refrigerator for a salad. Something healthy would probably do him good. She wasn’t sure what stripping did to him, but if his unconscious state and pallid appearance were any indication he would probably be famished when he woke up. As a main dish she decided to make a baked lemon chicken dish when she found fresh lemons in the fruit bowl.
The chicken had just been put into the oven to bake and she was chopping up ingredients for the salad when his mother exited the bedroom. She sniffled as she walked into the kitchen. “He’s still asleep.” She used a handkerchief to dab at her red-rimmed eyes. Her glasses set on top of her head instead of perched on the tip of her nose like she’d seen them the night of the dinner party.
She waited for his mother to yell at her. Tell her this was all her fault. She would take whatever abuse the woman wanted to throw at her. It was her fault. She knew that.
Quietly, she put down the knife she’d been using and waited. She couldn’t bring herself to meet her eyes.
“Look at me.” His mother’s voice was authoritative and didn’t seem to tolerate people not listening when she made a demand.
She raised her eyes to peer at the woman, expecting to see hate and disdain, but instead she saw love, kindness and compassion.
“I know you’re hurting too... and you probably blame yourself. I hope you don’t.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “My son has always been strong-willed and he makes up his own mind about things... He made up his mind to love you despite the consequences. So, do me a favor and don’t get crazy thoughts in that pretty little head of yours. When he wakes up he’s going to feel out of sorts, but he will not regret the decision he made. He’ll live with his choices. I need you to live with yours and don’t second guess, play games of what if, shoulda, coulda, woulda or any of that nonsense... Be the woman he sacrificed...” Tears trickled down her face once more. She wiped at them with the handkerchief. “Be the woman he sacrificed part of himself for and love him like I know he loves you. That’s all I ask.”
Willow found herself crying at his mother’s words. “I promise.” The woman opened her arms to her once again and Willow went willingly. Her mother wasn’t here to comfort her, but she felt like her mother’s words would have mirrored Josephine’s.
After she left, Willow finished preparing the meal and went to take a shower. When she walked out of the bathroom wearing one of his t-shirts and some panties she was surprised to find him sitting up on the edge of the bed.
CHAPTER 16
Eli
His brain was foggy and achy and his psyche felt fried. It took a moment for everything to come flooding back to him: the meeting with The Elders, Willow weeping, the agony of the stripping.
That’s why I feel like I’ve been split in half.
How long had he been asleep? The sun was no longer out so either it was the same night or the next day. He was about to go in search of Willow if his legs supported him when she emerged from the bathroom.
For a while they just stared at one another.
“How do you feel?” She hung back in the doorway like she was too afraid or nervous to come further into the bedroom. Her eyes met his for a brief second and then skittered away.
“I feel like I don’t want my girlfriend to walk on eggshells around me.” He glanced at her and this time she held his gaze. “Come here.”
She hesitated for only a second and then she came to him. He reached out his hand to her and she took it. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling yet and knew he would need time to really process not having hereditary magic anymore and not being a Protector, but one thing he was sure about was choosing to love her.
“I’m sorry.” Fell from her lips the minute she sat on his lap. He could see tears spiked her lashes.
“Shhh.” He shook his head at her. “Don’t ever be sorry for loving me. I’m not sorry I love you...” He kept staring into her eyes. “It might have hurt like hell, but I would do it again in a heartbeat to stay with you.”
She cupped his face in her hands and gave him a soft, sweet, soulful kiss that she poured her everything into. He could feel it and it reminded him of the first time she kissed him and confessed her love for him. His arms wrapped around her and he just held her.
After several minutes she pulled back to look at him. “Do you want to take a shower? I cooked. I figured you’d be hungry.”
“Yeah. Go on and I’ll be out there in a minute.”
She obediently got up from his lap and closed the door behind her, leaving him alone. He tried not to let his mind dwell on the missing piece of him he could feel. It was like being a new amputee that just lost an arm or a leg. Phantom limb pain, that’s what they called it. Maybe if he didn’t think about it, it would go away.
Shakily, he stood. It took him a moment to right himself and regain his balance. He was still just a little weak from the stripping. Once he was sure he wouldn’t topple over he went into the bathroom. When he stared into the mirror he didn’t look different, but he was. He could feel it.
He turned on the shower and removed his clothes. Beneath the warm spray of the water he hung his head and let it wash him clean; wash his feelings down the drain. If only it were that easy.
The rage was building up inside of him. He could feel it. If he let it eat him from the inside out, he would be no good to her.
He beat his fist against the tile and screamed out his hurt, frustration and anger, exorcised the foul demons from his body. She still needed him and he wanted to be whole for her. Not dead on the inside. He would learn to live with this. This was the new him.
IF SHE HEARD HIM SCREAM in the shower that night she never said anything about it. He was grateful to her for not hovering or asking every five minutes if he was okay. After that night, they didn’t speak about it again.
That same night, even though he was no longer a Protector, he sat with them and made plans for getting to Egypt to retrieve The Book of Prophecy. Surprisingly, Ulrik had been instrumental in getting the help of a local coven there.
Eli appreciated his team. None of them had treated him with kid gloves or pity. They treated him the same as they always had. Two days later they found themselves on this flight to Egypt.
He looked over at Willow. She’d read quite a bit on the flight, especially about her Oracle abilities. They’d even discussed some of it. Another book on Oracles sat opened in her lap. He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it.
“What was that for?” She grinned at him.
“No reason, just because.”
Her eyes sparkled and she went back to reading. When he peaked over the armrest to get a better look, he realized she was actually looking at one of her mother’s letters again. He would just never understand why she hid them.
She knew she’d been caught. “I’m sorry.” She looked at him sheepishly and pulled the letter out and laid it on top of the now closed book. The light filtered in from the window and made some of Hyacinth’s handwriting more legible on the yellowing paper.
“You have nothing to apologize for... I guess I just don’t understand why you hide it.” He searched her face looking for answers, wondering if she would tell him. She looked at her lap, her fingers toying with the frayed edge.
Her eyes stayed on her lap when she spoke. “When I read these letters, I imagine we’re having a conversation... It makes me feel like I have some small piece of her walking around with me...” She gave a nervous chuckle and started to fold the letter. “That sounds stupid.”
“Baby,” he took her hand in his once more. “I don’t think there’s anything silly, stupid or crazy about that. It’s your mom. I remember what you told me about feeling like you were losing her, like she was starting to slip away. Getting these letters gives her back to you... I get it.”
She leaned into him. “Thank you for being so understanding.”
“Anything for you.”
Fifteen minutes later, they touched down in Cairo. The travel time had been long and he was anxious to sleep in a bed, so they could refresh and be ready to start their mission. They all packed light and had no checked baggage so they made it through customs without any issues. When they exited the customs area Ulrik walked over to two people with outstretched arms. They spoke to each other in a language that Eli hadn’t heard before.
When the rest of the group caught up to them, Ulrik made introductions. “Please allow me to introduce my friends Anippe and Gamal. They are members of the Badawi coven.” The pair looked like they were possibly brother and sister. Their skin tone was a beautiful russet brown. Both had black hair. Gamal’s was cut into a style worn by many men in the area. Anippe’s hair was straight and fell past her shoulders. They both wore jeans. He was in a t-shirt with the logo for Egypt’s football team, the Pharoah’s on the center and she was in a white, short-sleeved button up shirt. The thing he found most striking about them was that they looked like they could be related to Willow.
“What language were you speaking? It didn’t sound familiar to me.” Eli asked looking back and forth between the two and Ulrik.
“I spent a specific amount of time here. It was one of the first places I came to during my exile and Anippe was kind enough to teach me the Nubian language, Nobiin, their family spoke with each other during my stay.” It didn’t go unnoticed that Anippe’s face flushed at his comments. It was clear there was more between the two than just friendship.
“They are both well versed in languages: Arabic, English and French.” He made the declaration like a proud father.
“You are too kind, Uli. This coming from a man, who knows fifteen languages.” Anippe heaped praise on the Dane.
Eli raised an eyebrow at the nickname she called him.
This time he blushed. “When you’ve lived as long as I have you have nothing but time on your hands.”
Gamal looked uncomfortable when he finally spoke. “I apologize that are coven will not be offering you hospitality...” He looked down at the ground for a minute before giving Ulrik an apologetic look. The news upset Ulrik, and he and Gamal conversed rapidly in the Nobiin tongue. Ulrik ran his hand through his hair in frustration before he addressed the group.
“While we were on our way here their coven was made aware of Willow’s hybrid status and... the fact that the two of you are together. Since it is against the law it would make some of the members uncomfortable if we stayed there... They would feel like they are condoning the relationship.”
That damn law.
It had been put in place because everyone was scared the Oracle would show favoritism or loyalty to the particular faction her lover belonged to, but it was so antiquated in it’s thinking. In his opinion, it was enacted because Oracles were women and thought incapable of making decisions that weren’t ruled by their hearts. It was bullshit. If the Oracle was a man, there’s no way the law would have been passed.
At hearing people disapproved of their relationship, he felt Willow’s body tense because he was holding her hand. He squeezed her hand to reassure her. He’d already paid the price. No one was going to make them feel like their love was wrong. They could all go to hell as far as he was concerned.
Ulrik continued. “The coven is divided because some have the belief that supernaturals should not mix...” He pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke under his breath, “Fanden.”
When Eli saw Anippe’s reaction to Ulrik’s distress something clicked. All of Ulrik’s venom over the anti-hybrid supernatural groups and hateful views of the inter-mixing of supernaturals wasn’t merely just because that way of thinking was archaic, small-minded and stupid, but that he’d been on the receiving end of it himself, clearly with Anippe. She looked like she wanted to comfort him, but stayed next to Gamal. Her eyes constantly darted to him and her hands were restless at her sides.
After he composed himself, Ulrik finished telling them the situation. “...To keep the peace, their father, has decided that we cannot stay at the coven house, but he will take care of our accommodations. He has tasked Gamal and Anippe to help us, but that is the only support we’ll have from his coven while we are here.” Eli’s ears burned with his anger. Willow bristled beside him. Gamal looked shame-faced. It wasn’t their fault some of the members of their coven were idiots.
Ulrik and Anippe shared a quick look and then he looked back at the group to see what they wanted to do.
For a minute, Eli forgot he was no longer the leader and he almost spoke. He shut his mouth and turned towards Phaedra. “What do you want to do?”
She was better at masking her outrage than the rest of the group, but he knew she was offended as well given her lover was a werewolf and she was a witch. Phaedra was also a diplomat and a damn good leader and no matter how she might personally feel, she wouldn’t let that get in the way of keeping up good relations with the Badawi coven.
“We graciously accept the accommodations and hospitality that you’re father has extended to us.” She hadn’t bothered putting on a smile when she accepted their offer.
“This way please. We have cars waiting to take you to the apartments.”
Everyone followed Gamal out of the airport past a bunch of taxi drivers jockeying for access to passengers in need of rides.
Willow had gotten over her distaste of the situation enough to ask questions. She caught up to walk beside their hosts. “Anippe, I’m fascinated by all things supernatural. What are the origins of your coven?”
“As far back as our family goes they have all been worshippers of Isis, the Great Lady of Magic. She is the most powerful goddess, the source and well from which we derive our power.” On their walk to the vehicles that waited to take them into the city, Anippe continued to share more of their history with Willow. “We are Nubians. For generations, we lived along the Nile in Aswan. During the 1960s our families and many others were relocated to make room for the dam. Cairo is not our true home.”
Once they arrived at the parking lot, Gamal gestured to a Suzuki minivan and a Skoda Roomster as their transportation. They split up and piled into the cars. Eli was sure it wasn’t a coincidence that Ulrik and Anippe ended up in the same van.
He, Willow, Morgana and Mathilda ended up in the van with Gamal. It was clear Gamal felt terrible over the situation and profusely apologized once again.
“You’re just the messenger, Gamal. It’s okay. There are no hard feelings.” Willow tried to reassure him that no one thought ill of him.
Mathilda leaned forward from the backseat, and sp
oke in a low voice so neither Gamal or the driver would overhear what she said. “Was I the only one that saw the sparks flying between Ulrik and Anippe? She called him Uli. After the crap some of the members of their coven believe it’s clear that someone drove them apart. They’re two star-crossed lovers, like Romeo and Juliet.” When he looked at her she had hearts in her eyes when she spoke about the pair. Once again he was reminded she was a teenager. With all the studying and training she did, he wondered if she’d had her first crush or first kiss yet.
No one responded to her comments and she lapped into silence. He stared out the window and took in the busy, bustling streets of Cairo. Buses, cars and motorbikes were crammed onto the road. In the swarm of congested traffic, it was hard to tell if there were actual lanes or not, the way the cars switched lanes frequently and often without blinkers.
When traffic finally began to move a little quicker they were treated to the sites of old, crumbling buildings, mosques, minarets, cafes and markets. The windows at the front of the vehicle were rolled down and the sounds of the city and the blare of car horns wafted in.
Gamal turned around to address them. “You’ll be staying in apartments my family own in downtown. Anything you need please do not hesitate to call us.” He handed Eli a flip phone. “I’ve programmed my number and my sister’s number into the phone... In case you are not aware, magic or witchcraft is not widely accepted or practiced here so I would avoid using it unless you absolutely have to.”
No magic. Got it.
“Sure.” He just hoped that somehow Killian and Katana didn’t figure out where they were and show up, because if they did there would be no way they could avoid doing magic.
CHAPTER 17
Willow
The apartments they were shown to were nice and entirely furnished from Ikea. Each apartment had two bedrooms. Zoriana took the other bedroom in the apartment with Eli and Willow and the others shared the second apartment. Everyone was so tired after nearly two days of travel that they said quick goodbyes to Gamal and Anippe and made plans to contact them tomorrow.
