“What he means to say is that you owe us nothing,” Ian said with a smile. “But we will be happy to accept your friendship.”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
Pahna started to say something else, but then her gaze moved beyond me and she drew an excited breath. “They’re coming,” she said, grabbing Malak’s hand. “It’s time.”
My brow furrowed. “Who’s coming for what?”
“The border spell,” Malak explained. “The Alqani council is coming to dismantle it.”
Well, that explained the excitement.
The young couple rushed off to watch, while Ian and I turned to face their direction without getting up. At least they didn’t need us for this.
Meriwa carried a large, shallow golden bowl etched with symbols. Shadahni came behind her with a golden dagger, and Ujura followed carrying a pedestal, also gold. They stopped beside the Great Seal and set up the pedestal with the bowl on top of it.
As Nate headed toward the group with Toklai, Galina, and Yurai trailing behind him, the three Alqani took positions on three of the four sides of the pedestal. Nate rushed to fill the empty place and said something, but Meriwa waved him off and actually smiled.
That was new.
Shadahni raised her arms and started speaking. I couldn’t make out the words from here, but I figured I didn’t need to. It was enough to know what the words were for. After a bit of rambling, the eldest Alqani held a hand over the bowl and ran the tip of the golden dagger across her palm, drawing a line of dripping blood. She passed the knife to Meriwa, who did the same, then Ujura, and finally Nate.
When they were all bleeding into the bowl, Nate gave the dagger back to Shadahni and she chanted a bit more. Then they all clasped bloody hands in the center and said something at the same time.
A blue glow flickered to life around the four joined hands, expanding rapidly into a spinning ring of light. The halo tilted flat and spread to form a vast corona around them, just like the one at the lodge that burst the barrier.
And when it exploded into jagged bolts that flew off in every direction, the whole world seemed to first contract, and then expand with a massive sigh. My head spun and my stomach swooped, like I’d been dropped from the top of a roller coaster.
The light of the spell faded slowly. A strong gust of wind blasted across the clearing, bringing the rich smells of the outdoors that I hadn’t even noticed were missing. The blue of the sky deepened to startling sapphire, and distant sounds filtered around the silence — chirping birds, rustling leaves, even the faint whisper of ocean waves.
“We are home!”
I had no idea who the voice belonged to, but it didn’t seem to matter. Cheers and laughter rang out everywhere as the infection of joy spread, even to the children who’d never known a world without the border storm.
But Ian wasn’t celebrating. I felt sorrow and pain from him as he looked around slowly at the world he’d been banished from for centuries, the world he loved. “Home,” he whispered. “At last … home.”
The sorrow wasn’t just Ian’s. I couldn’t help feeling awful for him, knowing exactly how and why he’d been ripped away from all this. “You know, we could stay a while,” I said. “We did tell the ladies we wouldn’t be back for a few days. And hey, we’re in the djinn realm. I know how much you miss this place.”
Ian turned to face me slowly. “Yes. I have missed this realm,” he said. “I will always love my homeland, and my people. But when I said home, I meant home.” He closed his eyes briefly. “This is no longer my home. I belong with Akila, with you and your family, with our friends. And now that the beast is dead and the spell broken … at last, we can go home.”
I grinned. “That’s probably the best idea you’ve ever had.”
Much as I’d come to like these people, I couldn’t wait to get back to my own.
Chapter 35
That night I learned that roasted mau-het wasn’t too bad, but I still preferred burgers and fries over djinn venison and fern salad.
We’d gone back to the Annukhai village, and we couldn’t say no to sticking around for a proper feast. I had to admit, it was amazing to see them all so happy. Some of the elders had joined us, including Ujura and Balain. Things were still tense between the villages — there was no way to put centuries of feuding behind in one day, no matter how incredible a day it was — but at least everyone was trying.
After dinner, I realized I did have a favor to ask them, after all. My son wanted pictures of polar bears, and there happened to be a bunch of them here who wouldn’t eat fifteen percent of their body weight’s worth of my flesh. There was some confusion over my request, and a minute when I worried my phone wouldn’t work at all here, but we managed to make the pictures happen.
Then I spent the next half-hour explaining to a crowd of very curious djinn how cell phones worked.
As much as both of us looked forward to finally getting home, there was one dark spot that cast a shadow over the relief of returning to our families. Her name was Nylah, and she was absolutely devastated when she figured out that Ian was leaving. She’d spent the day alternating between clinging to him like a life preserver, and running off to cry, and she refused to speak to or interact with anyone else.
Ian was just as shattered as the little girl.
I had no idea what time it was, but ‘late’ came to mind when the festivities wound down, and Ian and I headed to the cabin with my packed bag. Now that the recursive spell was broken, we could use the reflecting stone to get home. There was a smaller party waiting for us there — Malak and Pahna, Nate and Toklai, Balain and Ujura. For some reason they were all standing outside when we approached, and Malak stepped forward to greet us with worry and regret stamped all over his face.
My heart seized. I was sure he’d say that the recursive spell was still in effect, even though the border was down, or the reflecting stone was broken. Or there was another monster no one told us about.
But he stood in front of Ian and said, “I’m sorry to do this, but I must.” He paused and swallowed hard. “Gahiji-an, I challenge you for the title of ray’is.”
“Do you, now?” Ian said, raising an eyebrow. “Very well, then. I accept your challenge.” He stepped back and extended his arms. “Defeat me.”
Malak stared at him. “You have no weapon.”
“A warrior always has a weapon.” Ian clenched a fist and jabbed the air briefly. “And sometimes, that weapon is the most effective tool for his goals.”
“I can’t …” Malak said slowly, and then a hesitant smile lifted his lips. Instead of drawing the dagger from his belt, he walked up to Ian and punched him in the face.
Ian’s head snapped aside. As Malak faltered back with wide eyes, rubbing his fist, Ian turned back to face him. He reached up to knuckle a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth, and then nodded. “I yield.”
Malak almost collapsed in relief. “Thank you, rayan,” he said. “I am sorry about … that.”
“Do not apologize. You have done what was needed.” Ian clapped him on the shoulder. “That is what makes a great leader.”
“Interesting customs you have around here,” Nate said as the three of us headed to join the rest near the cabin. “I hope no one has to punch me for anything.”
“If they try, I’ll rip their guts out,” Toklai said. But there was no fire behind the words. In fact, he looked downright glum.
Nate looked at him. “What’s wrong, young wolf-man?” he said.
“They’re leaving.” Toklai sighed and stared at his feet. “That means you’re leaving, too.”
“Actually … I was thinking I’d stick around,” Nate said. “That is, if you young people don’t mind having an old relic like me. The only thing waiting for me at home is my truck, and it won’t miss me.” He looked fondly at the young djinn. “I’ve always wanted a bunch of kids, you know. Couldn’t have them, but—”
“You’re staying?” Toklai interrupted.
“I
don’t know. Am I?”
“Yes! Please?” he said. “I’d like you to stay. You’re a lot more fun than my brother.”
“Well, that’s just fine with me,” Nate said, beaming as he slung an arm around Toklai. “I guess I’ll stay.”
There was another round of goodbyes and a lot of hugging and handshakes. Ian and I were just about to head into the cabin when Pahna clapped a hand to her mouth and pointed across the grass, toward the village.
We turned to see Nylah in little-girl form racing up as fast as she could, her white hair streaming behind her, with a small bundle clutched in one hand and a bouquet of wilting flowers in the other.
Ian made a strangled sound and dropped to his knees, opening his arms just before the little girl flew into them. She hugged him so tightly, I was sure he couldn’t breathe. But he didn’t try to move her away. Finally, she disentangled herself enough to hold up the bundle. It was a square of cloth, knotted clumsily into a sack filled with small, indistinct shapes. “I packed, bala,” she said in a tiny, forlorn voice. “Please take me with you.”
“Nylah …” Ian grated, shuddering in place. “I cannot take you from your home.”
She dropped the flowers on the ground, reached out with a small hand and pressed her palm to his cheek. “You are home,” she said gravely.
Ian stiffened like he’d been shot. After a long moment, he scooped up the child and stood with her, turning to face everyone. “Her parents,” he said with difficulty. “Where are they?”
Ujura shook his head sadly. “They are gone,” he said. “Lost to the storm.”
“Who will care for her, then?” Ian’s voice lost strength with every word.
Pahna moved toward him and hesitated. “She has bonded with you, Gahiji-an,” she said. “I know it’s not my place to suggest this, and I wouldn’t, if I thought she’d ever be happy here. But if you feel she would be welcome with you and your clan…”
Ian stopped breathing. He looked from Nylah’s small, tear-stained face to me. “You are my clan,” he said to me, switching to English. “Will she be welcome?”
“Hell, yes,” I grinned.
“I believe I will have much to explain to my wife,” he murmured as a smile of disbelief crossed his face. “All right, qali’zahr. I will take you with me.”
I’d never seen a happier little girl in my life.
Chapter 36
The time on the living room wall said we’d come home at late-enough-to-get-yelled-at o’clock. It was just after three in the morning back in New York when Ian stepped through the mirror, the last one in. We’d come to the main house, even though Ian usually went straight to his apartment, because bringing Nylah across was a two-man job.
She’d never even heard of a bridge spell before, and this was an alien world to her. Despite her happiness at not having to leave Ian, she was more than a little freaked out.
Before Ian could sneak out the front door with his unexpected guest, a light flashed on upstairs and a door creaked open. “Hello?” Jazz called out in a slightly slurred, disgruntled tone. “Tory, if that’s you again, I swear to God I really will murder you this time. I said I’d call you when they’re back.”
At the sound of her voice, Nylah let out a small, distressed cry and started glowing into her bear form. The little cub scrambled around Ian and hid behind his legs.
I figured I’d better let Jazz know what was going on, before she came out shooting. I headed toward the stairs so I wouldn’t have to shout so loud. “It’s not Tory,” I said, aiming for a low-strength holler. “I know. It’s late, I’m sorry.”
There was a long pause before Jazz replied, “Gavyn?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be down in a minute.”
Huh. I wasn’t sure how to take that. Either she was really happy, or really pissed off.
I was about to suggest to Ian that he head home and we’d sort everything out in the morning, when the guest room door beside the stairs opened and Akila walked out. “Gahiji-an!” she said breathlessly, almost running toward him. “I am glad you have come here, my heart. I could not sleep at home … it is so quiet without you.”
“L’rohi,” he whispered as he embraced her. “I’ve missed you so.”
Akila only had eyes for Ian, so she had no idea Nylah was there until the little bear poked her head between Ian’s legs and sniffed at Akila’s foot, then sneezed.
“Oh!” Akila gasped, startling back as she looked down. “My love,” she said carefully, “you seem to have a polar bear.”
Ian cleared his throat awkwardly. “Actually, she is Alqani. Her name is Nylah.”
“She is djinn?” Akila caught a breath and lowered herself slowly to one knee, extending a slender hand toward the snow-white cub. “Why, she is only a baby! How on earth did you come to …”
She trailed off as Nylah shuffled the rest of the way toward her and licked her hand. The little bear chuffed, staring at Akila with bright blue eyes, and then placed a paw on her knee with an inquisitive sound.
“What a beautiful child,” Akila crooned as she cradled the cub and stood with her. Nylah squirmed until she could lick her face, drawing a delighted laugh from the Bahari princess. “But … where are her parents?”
“She has none,” Ian said softly.
Just then, Nylah’s furry body glowed and shifted, becoming the white-haired little girl. She threw her arms around Akila with a happy sob. “Home,” she whispered as she laid her head on Akila’s shoulder.
“Oh, Gahiji-an …” Akila’s eyes filled with tears as she stared at her husband. “She is ours?”
Ian smiled. “If you will have her.”
“Yes. Yes, of course I will.” She hugged the little girl tighter, and the glimmer of a smile played on her lips. “And I believe you have quite the story to tell me tonight, my heart.”
“I do, indeed.”
“Wow!” Cyrus’s voice piped from the top of the stairs, and then, “Sorry, Mom. I was trying not to yell. But she’s a polar bear!”
Jazz’s laughter followed his words. “All right. Go on down, then,” she said.
Cyrus thundered down the stairs. I waited at the bottom, sure he’d run right past me to check out the Amazing Polar Bear Girl, but he flung himself at me and squeezed my waist in a hug. “You’re home!” he said with just as much enthusiasm as finding a polar bear in his living room. “Dad, you have to see the pictures I took with the camera you guys got for my birthday. I missed you.”
Damn it, tears were contagious tonight. “Missed you too, Cy. So much,” I said, hugging him back. Then he looked up at me with a question in his eyes. “You can go say hello,” I said. “But try to keep it down, okay? She’s a little shy.”
“I will,” he stage-whispered, already grinning.
Cy managed to restrain himself somehow and walk toward Akila and Nylah at a normal pace. As I watched him, I felt a hand on my arm and turned to find the love of my life beside me. She’d also caught a case of the weepies. “So, you guys go to Alaska and bring home a little orphan girl,” she said. “Who’s also a bear. When you went to help the arctic wolf clan.” Amusement glittered in her eyes. “I can’t wait to hear this one.”
“Can’t wait to tell you,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her. “You know … later,” I murmured. “Much later.”
“Later is good.” She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed. “Sometimes you amaze me, Houdini. And I mean that in a good way this time,” she said. “It’s crazy how much I love you.”
If I was a smart man, that would’ve been the moment I blurted out my undying love and begged her to marry me. But I wasn’t. So instead I said, “Schizophrenic crazy, or Britney Spears crazy?”
She laughed and gave me a little shove. “How about Harley Quinn crazy? I can show you my love by smashing you with a large hammer.”
“I love you too, babe. Enough that I’d let you smash me with a hammer, if you really wanted to.”
“Don�
��t tempt me,” she said with a grin. “I might take you up on that.”
For a minute we watched Cyrus as he talked to Nylah in a quiet, soothing tone he rarely used. She’d already captured his heart, too. “You know, I think they’re going to need a bigger place,” I said. “They’ve only got one bedroom over the garage.”
Jazz laced her fingers through mine. “Well, you can just magic something up, right?”
“Er. Yeah, but …” I stared at her. “You hate me using magic for stuff like that.”
“Maybe it’s not so bad, once in a while.” She smiled a little. “Besides, construction is expensive.”
I laughed. “Very true.”
I figured I probably would end up helping Ian with a magical expansion soon. And I was proud of myself for not teasing him that he had no idea what he was getting into with the instant-child thing. It wouldn’t be all sunshine and cuddles and heart-melting hugs. Jazz and I still had our fair share of problems with Cyrus, and each other, like any family. We always would. But every struggle was worth it, when it came as a package deal with moments like this.
Because no matter what happened, we could always come home.
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More books by Sonya Bateman
The DeathSpeaker Codex series
Available now from Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
WRONG SIDE OF HELL
FIELDS OF BLOOD
REALM OF MIRRORS
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CITY OF SECRETS
PRISON OF HORRORS
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Standalone urban fantasy:
Master of Elements Page 23
