by Bonnie Lamer
His tears are quieting when Xandra comes rushing into the room ahead of everyone else. “What happened?”
“I believe he had a bad dream,” I say and watch the relief wash over her face. Lord knows what she was thinking on the way up the stairs.
I am soon forsaken for his sister. Zac crawls to where Xandra has sat on the bed and she wraps her arms around him. His mother is making cooing noises that all mothers should make when their children have bad dreams. Over Zac’s head, Xandra mouths a thank you.
“You had a bad dream?” she asks her brother. He nods his head. “What was it about?”
It is no surprise to anyone when he says, “I was there again.” His tears start flowing freely once more.
“I’m so sorry, buddy. I can’t imagine how awful it was for you. Do you want to tell us about it?” Xandra asks, smoothing his hair back so she can better see his face. “Did anything hurt you while you were there?”
He shakes his head. “No, but they kept saying they were going to.”
Xandra looks overwhelmed with everything that is happening to her family. “I’m so sorry, Zac.”
I hate to be the one to broach this topic, but since he is already upset maybe now is the right time. “Zac, how did you end up in the Shadow world with your aunt?” I ask.
A pregnant silence fills the room until he finally says, “I was playing with some of Aunt Barb’s stuff,” Zac says between sniffs. “She told me not to, but I did anyway. She tried to take the helmet thingy I was holding, and then we were in that place.”
Xandra hugs him tighter. “It wasn’t your fault, Zac. You didn’t know what could happen. I don’t even think Aunt Barb knew what would happen.” If she did, she is more than a little disturbed.
“Okay,” he says in that little voice kids get when they don’t really believe what you’re saying but they want to humor you anyway.
I try to reassure him as well. “Xandra is right; it was not your fault.” It is one hundred percent his aunt’s fault for delving into things she did not understand while allowing him to be so near.
“Zac, it’s late, why don’t you try to lie down,” his mother says.
His eyes open wide. “What if I have that dream again?”
“We’ll be right here with you,” his father assures him.
After a moment, Zac nods and crawls off Xandra’s lap. She leans over and kisses his forehead, “Goodnight, buddy.”
“Night, Xandra.” He closes his eyes, but I doubt he’ll be sleeping any time soon.
Xandra turns to her parents. “I’m going to go talk to Aunt Barb. Maybe I can figure out why she’s acting so…” she throws a glance Zac’s way. “Um, interesting.”
Her mother is radiating anger now. Did I miss something? “I think that’s a good idea.”
If I did not know better, I would think that is code for ‘kill her slowly for me.’ What happened in the last twenty minutes that turned her so violently against her sister-in-law? I intend to find out. I stand up and follow Xandra out of the room.
Chapter 19`
As we near the kitchen we hear Grandmother start a tirade of oaths that could make one’s ears bleed. I let go of Xandra’s hand and move ahead of her. There is obviously something wrong here and I do not want her to be the first one to face it.
It certainly is not what I expected. In a large pool of blood is the graying hair of the woman who has helped raise me. Xandra is right behind me as I drop to her side where Grandmother is already checking for a pulse. Looking up, she says, “She has a pulse and is still breathing.” The word barely hangs in the air not needing to be spoken aloud.
Relief still floods the room. But now we must make sure she stays alive. Xandra lays her hand on Tabitha and immediately begins to heal her. Thank god she has the power. I feel the energy and magic flow through her from the earth. She directs it towards Tabitha’s wounds, the tissue already knitting together.
But the magic slams back through Xandra and back to the earth. Her body follows. I am taken too much by surprise. I am not fast enough to prevent her from hitting her head on the tile floor. Oh god, Xandra. I do not know what is going on, but I do know that Tabitha is dying.
“Xandra!” I shout, trying to rouse her. “Wake up. You must save Tabitha!”
When she opens her eyes they are awash with confusion. I do not believe she knows what happened either. I put my hands on her cheeks and say, “You fainted. You pulled magic and started to heal Tabitha, and then you fainted.”
She mumbles the word, “Pictures.” What does that mean? Maybe she will tell me if I stop squeezing her cheeks. Oops. I did not realize I was pressing so hard.
Grandmother did. She puts a hand on my shoulder making me even more aware of it and I remove my hands from Xandra’s face.
“Tabitha is a powerful empath, among other things. When she touches someone, she can feel what they are feeling and see what they have recently seen. Because your magic is so powerful, when it touched her, her gift must have used it as a conduit,” Grandmother explains. Huh. I did not even know that was possible.
But that can be discussed at length later. “You have to try to ignore the images, Xandra, because you’re not used to them and they will become overwhelming if you focus too hard on them,” I say earning me a sour look over my stating the obvious. What can I say; I am panicked at the moment.
Xandra sits up again and I hold her for a moment while she overcomes her dizziness. I let go as soon as she puts her hand on Tabitha though. Her magic likes to flow in every possible direction and I do not want to be a conduit at the moment. After what feels like an eternity, Tabitha begins to stir.
“Tabitha,” Grandmother says, worry still ringing loud and clear in her voice. “What happened?”
Tabitha opens her eyes but instead of answering Grandmother, she looks at Xandra. “Xandra, the more I get to know your family, the more I wonder where you got your sweet and personable genes.” I know exactly what she means.
Xandra laughs. “Me, too.”
When we have Tabitha upright again, she says, “Looks like I’ll be taking a bath before I return to the library.” Looking at Grandmother, she adds, “I did not get a chance to read her soul, but considering her actions, I am guessing she has travelers. And she has great aim.” She rubs her head again. I feel sorry for Barb when Tabitha catches up with her.
Grandmother turns to me. “Help her back to her room.” To Xandra, she says, “You are about to learn to do a locator spell.”
I barely suppress a groan. Xandra and Witch magic are rarely a good combination. I once likened it to getting a tornado when wishing for a summer breeze. Xandra feels the same way apparently. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asks.
Grandmother’s face turns to stone. “Your aunt has tried to murder my oldest and dearest friend. If she is willing to go this far, in my home, then who knows what devastation she will cause elsewhere.”
I believe I should hurry with the task Grandmother has given me. Her being this angry and Xandra performing Witch magic is a volatile combination rife with opportunities for ignition. I give Xandra a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.” Hopefully, she takes that as ‘do not start the spell before I get back.’ I do not truly believe she will but Grandmother looks awfully impatient.
Wrapping my arm around Tabitha, I lead her from the kitchen to her room on the other side of the mansion. It is slow going. I offer to carry her but the look she gives me squashes that idea instantly
“You be careful with this,” Tabitha says gruffly.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that no matter how insane her aunt may be right now, she is still Xandra’s aunt.”
And I am still confused. “Yes, I know.”
Tabitha looks at me out of the corner of her eye. “Do you? Do you understand that whatever you say and do in regards to her aunt will live with you forever?”
That is a daunting thought. “I will take that into consideration
in my dealings with her.”
“You had better. I do not believe her aunt is herself right now. Everything Xandra has ever said about her has indicated that she is a reasonable and intelligent woman. This raging maniac that she has become will be nothing more than a temporary blip in the big picture.”
“How can you be so sure of that?”
Tabitha stops walking and looks up at me. “Because you and Xandra together will overcome every obstacle that is thrown in front of you. You two are a force in this universe to be reckoned with and you will solve this problem as you have others in the past and as you will others in the future.”
The damn woman is going to make me cry if she keeps this up. I urge her to start walking again with a gentle nudge. “Then how is that I still am not able to sneak into your kitchen and have my way in your pantry without you discovering me and chasing me out?”
She snorts. “I did not say you are a miracle worker.”
By the time we get to her room, Tabitha is walking without my assistance. I offer to help her inside but she waves me away. “Go see what mischief your Grandmother and Xandra are causing. My guess is they have already blown up the kitchen by now.”
I chuckle and kiss the top of her head. “You are the smartest woman I know. Just do not tell Grandmother I said that.” She chuckles and goes into her room, closing the door behind her. She is not the only one with a decent mind though. I am smart enough to know that as soon as I am out of sight she will be out of her room and in the library once again doing research.
Chapter 20
When I return to the kitchen, Grandmother is rifling through cupboards and her ancient grimoire is open on the counter. “Grandmother, do you need assistance?”
She looks over at me. “How is Tabitha?”
“I tried to get her to lie down, but she refused. She is back in the library, more determined than ever.”
A teeny, tiny, microscopic movement at the corner of her lips almost implies that she’s trying to smile. “She is a stubborn woman.”
“Is everything all set?” Xandra asks, looking at the variety of herbs, oils and candles in front of her.
Grandmother nods. “Yes. You will light the candles in the order it reads and then you will light the bowl. While you say the spell, the oil and lavender will burn, and when they clear, you will be able to see the location of your aunt in the water.”
Xandra does as instructed and almost burns off her eyebrows when she lights the candles. I reach over and pat some embers in her hair that are doing their best to set her on fire. She ignores me as she says the spell.
I really wish everyone would believe me about Xandra and Witch magic. The spells need to be altered to take into consideration her power. When they are not and she says things like, ‘Surround me in your glorious depths, upon your waves let me ride, let your surface be my window, your depths to be my guide,’ of course the glorious depths are going to surround her. Literally. In the kitchen. In the form of a tidal wave that springs from a little ceramic bowl that breaks into a thousand pieces from the force of the water. I certainly hope that was not one of Tabitha’s favorites.
Her aunt may not have succeeded in killing Tabitha, but she may have inadvertently caused our deaths. There is no surface to these glorious depths. The water is from floor to ceiling. Grandmother swims to the door and attempts to use her magic to open it. I swim to Xandra and try to snap her out of her catatonic state. She needs to find it within her to fix this.
Grandmother has no luck with the back door no matter how much magic she throws at it. As Xandra tries to figure out what to do, I swim to the doorway that leads to the hall. No good. The water has not swept into the other rooms but there is no passing out of it. The magic holding it in the kitchen is too strong.
I feel Xandra struggling with her magic. Trying to let it go. I begin to lose hope when her eyelids get heavy and she begins to sink. I swim towards her again and watch as her eyes open wide when she stares at the ceiling. I do not know what she sees up there but I am hoping it is a solution.
Sometimes we do not really want what we wish for. Or at least, we should rephrase our desires. I am glad I will not be drowning this evening. I am not glad that I have dropped to the tile floor with a thump probably cracking at least a couple of ribs.
Xandra crawls over to me from where she landed. “Are you okay?” she asks.
I shake my head. “When will I learn to leave the room when you do Witch magic?”
“That would be wise for us all,” Grandmother says as she pushes herself to a sitting position and leans against the cupboards along the back wall of the kitchen.
Xandra is wringing out her long black hair. “Yeah, probably a good idea.”
“Please tell me that you at least know where your aunt is,” Grandmother says as she pushes her own long hair back from her face.
“I do. I don’t think she’s far from here. She’s trying to hide in the forest.”
I sit up and try to ignore my smarting ribs. “Then it is a good thing that my cousin and I know every inch of that forest.”
“I’m sorry I almost drowned you both.”
I reach over and scoop her up and on my lap, eliciting a squeal before I plant my lips on hers. After a long, sexy kiss, I say, “I would not know what to think if a day went by that I did not fear for my life in your presence.”
She giggles and wraps her arms around my neck. “I’d be mad if I hadn’t just proved your point a minute ago.”
“I, for one, would be quite pleased if I went the rest of my days without having to fear for my life in your presence,” Grandmother says as she stands. “I believe I will check on Tabitha. Kallen, let me know if you need assistance in bringing her aunt back. In the meantime, I will prepare a room for her until we are able to remove the unwanted pieces of souls.”
A room that will hold her until we figure out what to do with her. I nod. “I will.”
Xandra and I stand and I dry both of our clothes. And hair. “Ready to go for another walk in the woods?” I ask her with a wink. At least this time we will not be trudging through snow and dodging the effects of her magic.
“I guess. Maybe someday we’ll be able to do it for fun.”
I laugh. “Maybe someday. I am going to send Kegan a message to come with us. Hold on.” I send the thought and try not to smirk. It is an extra-long thought. I am still harboring some ill feelings from earlier.
It does not take long for Kegan to show up grumbling and holding his head. “I believe you made that hurt more on purpose.”
I try to appear innocent. “I would never dream of it, cousin.”
That earns me a loathing look. “We are to search the forest for her aunt?” he asks. I notice his eyes refuse to shift in Xandra’s direction. I guess he will not get over his discomfort until I get over mine. I will work on it.
Xandra is in her own little world. “Xandra, are you coming?” I ask.
“Yeah, just talking to the voices in my head,” she mumbles.
Is she losing her mind as well? “Did you say you are talking to voices in your head?”
“Yes, the little pieces of souls can talk to me.”
I am getting worried. “In your head?”
Scowling, she says, “If it was out of my head, you’d be able to hear them, right?”
Someone is feisty tonight. “You are the one with voices in your head and you are upset with me?”
It is Kegan who responds. “Give her a break; we have to go hunting for her possessed aunt who probably has voices of her own in her head.”
Since he has at last acknowledged that she is in the room, Xandra tries to break down the invisible wall between them. “Kegan, I’m really sorry about…”
“Xandra, please,” he says, finally looking at her. “I am embarrassed enough; can we please never talk about it again?”
“I second that. I believe we have more pressing matters at the moment.” I sweep my hand towards the door. “After you two.”
<
br /> Outside, I turn to Xandra. “Can you describe where your aunt is?”
“She’s somewhere near a really tall rock face that has paintings on it, and there was sort of a clearing around her.”
I raise a brow. “Paintings. That is all you can tell us? There are hundreds of rocks with aboriginal artwork on them.”
She shrugs. “It’s a big rock.”
Kegan chuckles behind us. “What were the pictures of, Xandra?”
She chews on her lip in that sexy way I like. Most of the time. “There was a picture of a man, I think. It sort of looked like a cross between a man and a grasshopper.”
