by Bonnie Lamer
Now, I can get mad. Looking up at Isla, I yell over the sound of another explosion, “Where are they coming from?”
“There is a small fishing lodge about a mile down the beach. That would be my best guess.”
It would take me too long to run that mile and I know Isla’s strong, but I don’t know how long she can keep it up. It’s taking a lot of magic to stop whatever is trying to kill us. I think it’s time for me to use some of my Witch magic. I know the perfect spell; I just have to change the words a little bit. Pulling a great deal of magic inside of me, I say, “Sand and sea, heart and mind, with my will may all combine. Protect my body, my life, my soul, from forces dark who strike first blow. Evil magic based in sin, sent back before it can begin. Let those in my heart and in this home be unharmed by this Witch’s protective charm.”
A rush of magic swells inside of me and bursts outwards through every pore in my body. I vaguely hear Isla shout out that they must all close their eyes, but the magic continues to rush through me. I can feel the sand and the ocean responding to my call, and the words of my spell have given them their instructions.
“Xandra!” Isla calls, and then I feel her hands on my arms. “It’s done. I’ve seen it, you’ve stopped the attack. But if you don’t let this magic go, you are going to create a tsunami.”
I want to let it go, I really do. But the dam has been torn open and I’m not strong enough to build it back up. Looking into Isla’s eyes, I say, “Circle.” And then there’s a blinding light. A second later, I’m surrounded by velvety darkness as the magic is sucked back through me and forced beneath the sand. My wings are back. I really hope Isla made a circle to keep everyone from going blind.
Chapter 13
“We really must stop meeting this way,” an amused voice says from behind me.
I recognize his voice. Urim. My wings fold gently and everything around me has stopped. The surf, the seagulls in the sky, and Isla, Kegan and Alita are frozen in their places. I turn towards the smiling Angel.
“Did my wings call you again?” I ask.
He inclines his head. “Let us just say they gave me a heads up that you were juggling a lot at the moment.”
“In other words, they told you I lost control again.”
He chuckles softly. “We must all learn to use the gifts we have been given. It will take some time for you to completely master yours.”
“I wish these things came with an instruction manual.”
“You have one. It has been tattooed on your heart. You are doing the right thing here, Xandra. Your battle is an upwards one, but patience and forgiveness can go a long way.”
“Forgiveness? I hope you’re not talking about me forgiving the man who tried to kill me.”
“Indeed I am,” Urim says.
Spoken like a true Angel. I don’t think I have enough Angel blood running through my veins to be that forgiving. “How about I work on forgetting instead of forgiving?”
He looks amused. “You must decide that. I cannot lead you on this journey. I can only tell you that you have made the correct choices so far.”
“Can’t we just forget that whole free will thing and you can tell me how this all works out?”
He chuckles again. “I do enjoy our conversations, but I am not willing to face Tabbris’ wrath at the moment.” Tabbris is the Angel who guards free-will.
I can understand that. She’s pretty fierce. “I turn around and look down the shore and then back to Urim. “Isla said I was about to create a tsunami. Did I?”
He shakes his head. “No, your wings will do their best to help you control your magic so you do not create any more imbalances or natural disasters. Let them guide you when you are in doubt. But remember, they will only come to you when you cannot help yourself.” With a smile that almost looks sad, he says “I am afraid I must take my leave now.”
“Thank you for coming when you heard I was in trouble. It means a lot to me knowing that you are at least keeping tabs on me.”
Urim chuckles. “You are similar to the televisions that human’s watch. You are always fascinating and entertaining. Watching you is a treat.”
I’m not sure if I was insulted there or not. And I really hope he’s not watching all the time. There are some private moments between me and Kallen that I prefer he not see. “Thanks, I think. Can I ask you a question.”
“Of course.”
“Where do my wings go when I don’t have them?”
He grins. “All in time, Xandra. You will know all in time.”
That is such an annoying answer. “Really? That’s all I get?”
With a last chuckle, he’s gone and the time difference catches up with me as I drop back into how time moves in the Fairy realm vs. that of the Angels.
“Xandra, we have to get you back into the house before anyone sees you. Hurry,” Isla says as she pulls me up by my arms. “Kegan, go with her. Alita, find Tabitha and make sure she is alright. I will assess the damage done to the house.”
Kegan grabs my arm and pulls me towards the house. It’s a little disorienting going from Angel time to this time, so it takes me a minute to get my footing. It’s not long, though, before I am jogging along with Kegan to the stairs.
I hear Dagda and Kallen arguing when we reach the third floor. I can’t hear everything they’re saying because Dagda’s room is at the other end of the hall, but I think the gist of it is that he wants to see me. Kallen is telling him that’s not possible at the moment. I wonder how he knows that.
Once in my room, I slam the door after us and fall back against it, taking take a deep breath. So much for not believing there is a rebellion being planned. I wonder who they hoped to kill with this attack – Dagda or me. Probably both.
I’m surprised when I look down at my hands and they’re shaking. This is the first time I have truly been scared. Yeah, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be strong enough to fight off Maurelle and Olwyn when they were chasing me, and I was worried about the Witches; but that was more insecurity than fear. Lobbing bombs at me escalates things to out and out panic. How ironic it would be to be the strongest magical creature alive in either realm and be killed with something other than magic.
“Hey,” Kegan says. “You are shaking. Come here.” He pulls me into a hug and I let him. I need something solid to hold on to. “You were amazing out there with Alita.”
I shake my head and say against his chest, “Alita got hurt because I wasn’t paying attention. Fixing her afterwards doesn’t make up for that.”
“Xandra, shh. You are not to blame for this. The renegade Pooka Fairies are. You cannot expect to be perfect and you cannot be on guard for every type of attack. Even Isla was not aware of the impending attack and she is a seer.” He’s rubbing his hand over my back, under my wing, and making soothing noises. I probably should step back, but I don’t.
“Why wouldn’t Isla have seen this coming?”
“Being a seer is complicated. Some parts of the future shows itself and some do not. Anything can change between the vision and reality. These are reasons why Isla rarely shares her knowledge of the future. It is impossible to tell if it is truly going to come to fruition or not.”
“It seems pointless to be a seer, then.”
Kegan laughs softly. “I suppose it does.”
My door clicks open and then slams harder than it did when I closed it. Dropping my arms from around Kegan’s waist, I turn to find my increasingly angry and jealous boyfriend. “I came to check on you. I see I need not have bothered.”
I roll my eyes. “Kallen, don’t be stupid. I needed a hug and you weren’t here.”
Sarcasm leaks from his mouth in big globs as he says, “I am disappointed to learn that I am so easily replaced.”
“Good lord, it’s not like we were rolling around on the floor naked.”
“Though, if you would have suggested that, I would not have been opposed to the idea.”
I close my eyes and shake my head. “Kegan, do you
have a death wish?”
He laughs. “Not at this time, so I will leave you here with my charming cousin.” He has to walk around Kallen, and I’m surprised Kallen doesn’t punch him in the arm or something. Kegan closes the door after him.
“Really, you’re jealous because I needed a hug? Do you really think I would actually do anything more than that with Kegan?”
He runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath. “No, I do not.”
“Then quit being a jerk and give me the hug I really wanted.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice, and I don’t miss the smile forming on his lips as he wraps his arms around me. “Much better,” I say as I snuggle into him. I make sure my wings are back so he doesn’t get feathers in his mouth or nose. “What excuse did you give Dagda for why he can’t see me?”
“Heard that, did you?”
“Yeah, you guys were pretty loud.”
“I told him you were busy making sure the house remains standing and that you would inform him of what is going on when you are ready.”
“Was this the first time they tried to kill him?”
Kallen steps back so I can see his face and he takes my hands in his. “No, there have been several attempts according to Isla. He lost his driver when his coach exploded a few days ago. His food tester is gravely ill from the poison his cook put in his dinner a week ago.”
I scrunch my face up. “Do I want to know what happened to the cook?”
“No, you do not.”
I’ll take his word on that. “Have you talked to Isla yet?”
He shakes his head. “No, I came here first.”
“Aw, were you worried about me?”
“As if you had to ask.” Dropping my hands, he puts his on my cheeks and leans in to kiss me. This is definitely better than his jealousy. I weave my arms up around his neck and deepen the kiss.
A loud knock on the door cuts our kiss short. We step away from each other just as the door swings open and Tabitha walks in. She gives us a knowing look, but she doesn’t say anything to us. I’m pretty sure she mumbled something under her breath, though.
“Xandra, you need to get in the bath and get that sweat and grime off your body. Are those wings of yours waterproof?”
“Um, I’m not sure.”
“No better time to find out. Kallen, go join Kegan and your grandmother in the kitchen. We are not going to be caught unawares again.”
“Where’s Alita?”
“She’s next door washing away the blood.” Tabitha stops and takes a breath and there’s soberness in her eyes that I haven’t seen before. “That was a wonderful thing you did taking the time to save her. Not every Fairy would. And if left to one of us to heal her, she may not have survived the blood loss, or kept her leg.” Other Fairies can heal, but not instantly like I can. It usually takes days.
“What do you mean, not every Fairy would have?”
She gives me a look that answers my question. The Fairies who live in this house may not care what blood lines she carries, but most of the rest of them do. “Are you telling me that others would have left her to die?”
Tabitha actually looks embarrassed for her race. “Blatantly left her to die, no. Worried first about the attack before caring for her wounds, yes.”
Have I mentioned that I’m not crazy about Fairies? Present company excluded, of course. I shake my head in dismay. “I’m going to get in the bath.” I turn around and walk into my bathing room wondering for the hundredth time what I’m doing here.
I guess my wings don’t like water, because they disappear before I even start to get undressed. That’s good. I had no idea how I was going to get my t-shirt off with them still on.
The water feels good as I slip into it, but I don’t really give myself time to enjoy it. I do a quick hair wash and body lather and then rinse off. It’s the fastest bath I’ve ever taken. When I walk back out into my room, Tabitha is waiting for me to help me get dressed.
“Something comfortable, please. Something I can run in if necessary.” Not that I plan on running after anyone, but I might as well be prepared.
Tabitha nods and in an instant, I’m wearing jeans and a form fitting short sleeve shirt in a dark blue. “Alright, you scoot now. You are the queen of this party. They cannot start without you.”
“Great, I got a promotion up from princess.” I walk over to her and give her a big hug. “Thank you for not being like most of the other Fairies.” I’m not sure she knows what I mean by that, but she hugs me back anyway.
The air in the kitchen is practically sparking with unspoken accusations and tension. Dagda is pacing like a wild cat, Kallen and Kegan are brooding against the far wall, and Isla is sitting at the counter with a suspicious gleam in her eyes. I might as well be the match that lights the fire. “I’m assuming that you didn’t make a general announcement as to where you were going today?”
Dagda stops pacing long enough to glower at me. I expect a snarky response, but he’s actually civil. “I left word that I would be retiring to the country house. The only ones who knew where I was going were the five Fairies I brought with me.”
I try not to say it. I try really, really hard not to say it. “And as I said earlier, you cannot trust anyone right now.” Okay, I failed. I wondered why he is down here all alone. I guess it has finally hit home how badly people want him dead.
“It is just as likely that they were aiming for you,” Dagda replies.
“True, it’s probably a package deal.” He raises his brows almost up to his hairline. I guess he didn’t think I’d agree with him. “Now, we have to make sure they don’t succeed.”
I turn my eyes towards Isla, and she doesn’t disappoint me. “It would be too much of a drain on Kallen, Dagda or myself to place a house this size in a circle and maintain it.” That’s depressing, that was my only idea. “There is, however, a spell I came across years ago that could be the answer.”
I’m surprised. “You want to use Witch magic, not Fairy magic?” Fairies can eventually become immune to an individual Witch’s magic if given enough time and exposure.
Isla must be reading my mind, because she says, “I believe your Witch magic is not as susceptible to Fairies as other Witches’ magic. The particular spell I am considering is supposed to be worked by at least five Witches, but I believe you will be able to perform it alone.”
I frown. “Where did you read about the spell?” What I want to say is, ‘do you have any idea how terribly wrong my spells can go?’ I shift pleading eyes to Kallen, silently willing him to help me out. He shakes his head a fraction, which changes my eyes from pleading to threatening. He ignores me. Yet another talk we need to have. Kegan’s words come back to me about how often I’m annoyed with Kallen, but I push them to the back of my mind.
“I have a grimoire that was given to me by a dear old friend who happened to be a Witch. She loved the study of ancient spells and the art of crafting, and kept records of spells that had long been abandoned as impossible.”
I narrow my eyes but I try to keep my face as neutral as possible. “Are you saying that you want me to do a spell that hasn’t seen the light of day in forever, and was abandoned by modern Witches because it’s impossible to do?”
“Grandmother…” Kallen says but Isla gives him a look that says he better not object. Great, I have to perform an impossible spell to keep us all safe. We’re all screwed.
“Isla, I understand that Xandra is able to wield a tremendous amount of power, but she is still an inexperienced girl,” Dagda says. I don’t know if I should be grateful that he stood up for me, or insulted at the implication in his words.
“Um, what happens if I don’t get the spell correct?”
“We will be overrun by rabid spiders.”
She has to be kidding. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I am not.”
My heart drops out of my chest; I swear I feel it hit the floor and explode. “I have to do an impossible spell
that has something to do with rabid spiders?”
Isla smiles at the dismay flowing copiously from my mouth. “The spiders will only become rabid if you do the spell incorrectly.” Oh, that’s comforting. “On a weight-to-strength ratio, spider silk is five times stronger than steel. Given enough of it in one place, it could be strong enough to defend against bombs, fire and even cutting or ramming.”
