by C. Elizabeth
The earth opened up. I closed my eyes, squeezing the tears out and watching my family, they were communicating without talking. Nathanael nodded, then Zack. My mind turned its attention behind me. Job, Joshua and the others squatted down as if to leap, for the war was not over.
Then without warning, they leapt into the air, Braxton taking me with him, and propelled straight down toward the cavern, putting me out front. My mind told me to quit. Don’t look, just faint. My body collided and flew through the air. I landed on my back and slid across the ground, fully aware of the dirt grinding like salt in the fresh wounds on my body, and trying hard not to cry out in pain. When I came to a halt, the burning was not only on my neck but also on my back and arms.
I took stock of my injuries and, favoring my one shoulder, I lifted a piece of limp fabric from my arm and blew on the few cuts I could reach. But something wasn’t right; it was too quiet. You could hear the water ripple against the shore line.
I closed my eyes.
All Pyre and Half Nights were in human form, surrounded by people, many people. I could only assume they were Tovs, and ones I knew for sure hadn’t fought with us. Nathanael and Mora held Joshua and Job, keeping them away as they tried to lunge to help their father. Nathanael looked in the opposite direction. My dad, along with people whom I had never seen, formed a circle holding hands, eyes closed and heads tilted back. A reflection of light hovered in the middle of them. Braxton was under it, in human form.
The earth began to shake again. I could see the tears reflected in Nathanael’s eyes and my heart hurt with his. The loss of a parent, regardless of who they are, was wrenching. Nathanael loved him unconditionally, never once asking him to change and accepting him for who he was. Still, Nathanael always knew the day would come. He locked his eyes on mine, even though mine weren’t open.
Close your mind’s eye, Saydi! You don’t want to watch this.
A hand touched my leg and when I turned, sitting beside me were Zack, Pearle and André. Zack held up some gauze with a grin. The earth bounced with force underneath us. My eyes snapped closed again so I could see the whole view of the circle around Braxton. The dirt below him glowed ominously, then...it broke free, splitting in two. Smoke billowed out and a roar of excruciating pain filtered through the air.
Saydi! Nathanael bellowed in my head.
Just before I closed all my eyes, I saw Job and Joshua reach for their mom and brother. They held each other tight, not able to watch either.
Epilogue
“Ow!” I heard Joshua yelp from the bedroom.
“Oh, stop it! It’s not straight,” Mora sniped back.
I knocked gently, then pushed the door open. “I’m assuming the groom is decent.”
“Saydi! Mother is strangling me,” he whined again.
“Oh no, Mora!” I walked toward them with my hand out. “Here, let me help.”
Mora laughed, backing off.
Joshua quickly wiggled his bow tie back and forth. “Ha-ha-ha, sister.”
I giggled. “Here, I brought you a reprieve from being strangled. Now I get to poke you with a pin.”
“Get lost!” he protested, twisting away.
I grabbed his lapel. “Oh, come here, it’s only your boutonnière. It won’t hurt a bit.”
“Yikes!” he screamed. “Nathanael, they’re attacking!”
Grabbing him by the scruff of the collar, I turned him toward me. “Nathanael isn’t going to save you. He couldn’t wait to see you get tortured like he did last year.” I eyeballed the boutonnière to make sure it was centreed and started digging the pin into the fabric. Joshua watched in horror, wincing at every twist I made.
Shaking my head I chided, “You’re a Half Night, for crying out loud!”
“So! It still hurts at first.”
When it was secured, I tapped it. “There you go, all done, you big baby.” I eyed him. “Have you told Becky yet?”
He shuffled on his feet.
Mora jumped. “Joshua!” Then she looked at me, panicked.
“Well bro, you better be saving for a divorce if you haven’t,” Nathanael casually said as he walked into the room.
My breath caught at the sight of him, as it always did. His tux fit him perfectly, sweeping over his body, making me...well, we’ll leave it there.
Nathanael took Mora’s hands. “Mother, go get yourself ready. The wedding is going to start soon.”
“But I am ready.” She threw her eyes at me. “Don’t I look ready?”
Both Joshua and Nathanael chuckled, watching their mom squirm.
With one look from me, their chuckles stopped instantly.
“Mother, I was only teasing,” Nathanael said, kissing her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
She looked at me. “How does he get me every time?” she spoke through her teeth as she headed for the door.
I followed. “Because he’s your good one.”
“I heard that!” Joshua bellowed back.
When we got to the stairs, Job was jogging up them. “You’re late,” Mora stated the obvious.
At the top, he stopped and kissed her on the cheek. “I know; it couldn’t be helped.”
She took him by the arm. “Come on, your tux is in Nathanael and Saydi’s room.” Then she practically dragged him down the hall.
He glanced back at me with big scared eyes and blew me a kiss with a smile. I returned it.
I recalled how Joshua was so sweet, waiting until Becky chose her bridesmaids. Then he chose his groomsmen to suit them. Nathanael was his best man; I was Becky’s maid of honor, Todd was Norma’s escort, and Job was Angie’s. It was unfortunate that Angie and Job broke up after the fact, but they were still friends and the hope from everyone was that the wedding would get them back together. I heard through the grapevine that Job was hoping for the same, too.
It felt good to know our whole family would be together for a day. It wasn’t often we could, other than Christmas.
After the battle, Mr. Braxton was never heard from again, and no one offered information as to what happened. I never asked. It was Nathanael who pointed out that the “loved one” to be sacrificed was never supposed to be me. It was to be his father. It hit them all hard, Nathanael especially. At least he understood why it happened.
Job and Joshua were another story.
Eventually though, they came around, with Mora and everyone else appealing to their human side. She always made sure they felt loved and showed them how much more power it had. They loved their mom and she often got teary-eyed when we spoke about it.
Mom and Dad renewed their vows in a very beautiful private ceremony. All of our families were there, and of course, the whole town. They held it in the town square. It turned out to be a week long party and a lot of fun. They went on a honeymoon to a different realm where, so I was told, they had a one month Tov party.
For the longest time, the fact that Mom had some Pyre in her bothered me, not because she was one, but because they had everyone fighting a battle that couldn’t be won by either side if I didn’t know the whole truth.
Nathanael finally convinced me to ask about it, and Dad happily explained that all Tovs were willing to fight to the end of time if the truth could be kept from me. He also explained it wasn’t that they wanted to keep it from me because it was a huge family secret. Rather, it was simply the smallest one they could keep from me and still have me know who I really was. It made sense after a while.
After everything settled down and Nathanael was feeling better, he approached Mr. Grimbles. They made a deal; Nathanael would buy the house and fix it up and Mr. Grimbles could live there forever if that’s what it took. Nathanael worked hard on the old place and always asked Mr. Grimbles’ opinion on everything, making sure Mr. Grimbles was comfortable at all times, regardless of what they were doing.
Nathanael cried when Mr. Grimbles passed away the year before our wedding. They had become very close, almost like a father and son. Nathanael was even more touched whe
n he found out Mr. Grimbles left everything to him and, contrary to what we all earlier believed, it was a large estate with an incredible amount of money involved, as well as the antiques. Of course, Mr. Grimbles’ kids came forward, looking for their inheritance. Nathanael happily gave them everything to fight over, except the possessions Mr. Grimbles put Nathanael’s name on, the things he truly wanted Nathanael to have, including our home. It seemed Mr. Grimbles knew what his kids would do.
I knew Becky was okay with Angie and Norma keeping her calm. It had been a long few months organizing the wedding, to be held in mine and Nathanael’s back yard. It had me feeling a little weak and tired. I went across the hall and opened the door to a bedroom Nathanael just finally finished the week before. I waddled over and spun the mobile around with one finger.
Two arms wrapped around my waist. “Hmm, I love the way you smell,” Nathanael breathed.
I twisted my arm up and pulled his head closer to my neck. “Our bedroom is in use, stop it!” I quietly barked.
“Do you really want me to, Mrs. Braxton? Besides, we could do it here,” he offered.
Leaning myself further into his chest, my body wasn’t obeying my words. “No,” I whispered. “It would take us another couple of hours to get ready, not to mention another month for you to fix this room again.”
“Mmm, it seems to me you’re not thwarting me off too hard.”
Pulling his head down so my breath grazed across his ear, I whispered, “Please Nathanael, don’t tempt me so badly.”
He suckled on my neck, rubbing my huge belly. “I love tempting you.”
“I love it when you do.”
One of his babies kicked at his touch. He chuckled. “I can’t wait to meet them. Which one was that?”
“That was your littlest devil.”
He chuckled, then released me and took my hand, leading me to the door. “I love all three of my little devils.”
The End
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Table of Contents
Epilogue
