Kallen and I make our way to the library without passing any of the Witches or staff. They seem to have scattered for the night. Thank god. If I see one more before dawn, I don’t think I’ll be able to control my desire to kill one of them.
Kallen must have sent Kegan a message that food would be served in the library because he and Alita are there and Kegan growls at Kallen when we walk in, his usual response to Kallen’s mental messages. I’m surprised to find Tana here as well. She has her feet curled up under her on a chair and a book in her hands, so I don’t think she was drawn here for the rest of her dinner. I think she was just relaxing. I assume Adriel is too pissed to come eat, or Kallen was too afraid to send her a message. I’ll ask the person bringing food to let her know because I’m not sure which room is hers.
The food is not far behind us. The aroma of orange chicken and rice fills the room and the five of us dig in. We eat in an amicable silence for a while, enjoying the food.
Breaking the silence, Alita says between bites, “Your grandfather is a lot to take in.”
“That’s a weird way of saying ‘your grandfather’s a complete ass’,” I mumble around a mouthful of chicken.
Laughing, Alita says, “I suppose it is.”
“Aunt Tana,” Kallen begins. He has been quietly studying her for the last several minutes. “You do not seem to mind the company of Xandra’s grandfather.” That is the sharpest tone I have heard him use with his aunt, even when she was psycho.
Without looking up from her book, Tana makes a humming sound. “Mmm.”
Kallen tries again. “Are you trying to get him to trust you so you can figure out what he has in store for us?”
This time, Tana doesn’t bother to respond at all. I take another bite of chicken to distract me from walking to her chair and strangling her. I still may after I swallow.
Beside me on the small settee, Kallen clears his throat and scowls deeply. I guess he’s annoyed by Tana as well. But then Kegan and Alita also find that their throats need to be cleared, as does Tana. Coughing is next. All four of them begin to cough like their lungs are trying to escape.
“What is up with you guys?” I give a nervous look to the food, wondering if the Witch chef did poison it. Crap.
I start to feel it. A tickle in the back of my throat, just the barest trace of discomfort forming. I clear my throat and swallow hard. The feeling abates a little. The other four in the room don’t get the same relief from their throat clearing and coughing. Alita has fallen to the floor and Kegan drops next to her, wanting to help her up but finding he can’t lift his body from the floor either. Tana has the same problem. Her book has hit the floor and her body follows after. I start for them when Kallen slides off the settee, coughing so hard that his face is practically purple.
“Kallen, what is it? What is going on?”
“They are dying of iron poisoning,” Adriel says throwing the door open so hard it hits the wall as she rushes into the room. Taz dashes in front of her.
Iron poisoning? “From the food?” I ask stupidly, laying my hands on Kallen to heal him. Taz has attached himself to my pant leg and he’s trying to drag me out. I guess saving me is his job as my Familiar. “Taz, stop it! I have to heal Kallen.”
“That is not going to do any good, the iron has been turned to dust and is floating in the air,” Adriel says. She is putting her arm around Alita and lifting her from the floor. “We need to get them outside.”
My mind is having a hard time processing her words. “In the air?”
Taz has ripped a hole in my jeans now but I continue to ignore him. Panting hard, he finally lets go. “What is wrong with you? Are you a moron?! There is iron floating everywhere and you need to get out of here!”
Adriel has Alita on her feet now. Agreeing with Taz, she says, “Can we talk about it outside? Grab Tana and teleport us out! We’ll come back for the other two.” Um, Kallen is higher on my priority list than Tana.
I need to get my head together. If the iron is coming through the ventilation system, then all the way through the house the Fairies would continue to breathe it in. If I teleport us all outside, that won’t solve the problem and who knows how long it would be until we could come back in. How long does it take iron dust to dissipate from the air? Adriel’s plan would also take valuable time away from healing the Fairies. That’s not the answer. I need to get rid of the iron dust.
Closing my eyes, I concentrate, sending my magic out into the room, finding the air ducts. I snap them closed. Next, I utter the spell that is flooding into my mind. “Upon our breath, elements combine, bringing pain and stealing time. Poison of old, serving as our enemy’s knife, snuffing out the spark of life. Molecules floating, motes we cannot see, become solid again, hear this plea from me. As you once were, be again, take the form you once had been.”
I feel the pull of the spell as the iron begins to bind together. It is not long before tiny pellets of iron begin to drop from the air, as soon as they are too heavy to remain floating. Which means that Kallen, Kegan, Alita and Tana are not only breathing it in, they are now having it rain down on them, burning any bare flesh. Damn it! I need to think these things through better.
“Are you insane?! Those things hurt!,” Taz cries, seeking cover under the settee. His fat little butt won’t fit, though. Too much bacon.
Relaxing a tiny bit, Adriel lays Alita on the closest chair and begins to brush the iron off everyone. “You can heal them now.” She adds, “You need to hurry, they are dying.” As if I can’t tell that on my own.
My god, what am I going to do? How can I heal all four of them before the iron takes at least one of them away from me? An idea formulates in my mind. Putting my hands under Kallen’s armpits, I use all my strength to pull him closer to Alita. “Help me, drag Kegan and Tana over here.”
Adriel grabs Kegan and begins to heft him over. Once he is close enough, I grab his hand and lay it on Alita’s outstretched foot. Neither of them are conscious anymore. Next, I arrange Kallen so he is close to Alita. He is still conscious, but barely. He can’t focus on me and he is obviously in great pain. Now, Adriel and I move to Tana and drag her to the rest of them, making sure she is touching Kallen.
“Taz, I need you to be my conduit. Get between Tana and Kegan, make sure you’re touching them both on their skin, not their clothes.”
“What?!” Taz yelps. “When did I become a chew toy for your magic?”
“When my husband and friends became in danger of dying. Do it!”
Mumbling things about me that I’m positive I don’t want to hear, Taz moves into place. Louder, he says, “Do try not to kill me.”
With Taz in place, I move to Alita’s side. I need to be closest to her as she is the weakest link, not having the magic or the brawn the guys do to help protect her. I lay my hand on her and Kallen who, honestly, I would save above all, and I release my magic through them. I flood their bodies with it and Alita bucks up, almost flying from the chair. I increase my hold on her and then I push my magic harder and farther. Even Kallen’s body is vibrating with the amount of magic I’m forcing through him. My magic collects the iron poisoning their blood, and then moves out of them and into Kegan and Tana through a weird sort of magical osmosis where their skin is touching. Taz is gritting his teeth as the magic begins to pass back and forth within him only to be pushed back into the Fairies. He is keeping it from, for lack of a better word, fading as it moves from body to body. Being my familiar, he keeps my magic strong as it moves away from me. Meanwhile, the room has finally stopped raining iron.
It takes several minutes to rid their blood of all of it and it is a painful experience for all as I tear it from their lungs and out through their mouths. I can’t just dissolve it inside of them and make the iron disappear. The laws of mass and matter make that impossible. I can only move it from one place to another. Once the iron leaves them, it combines as the other had by direction of my spell, landing in small clumps on the floor.
My h
eart jumps when Alita takes in a long, deep and raspy breath. Kallen and Kegan follow soon after, then Tana. Their breathing slowly regulates and their ashen skin begins to infuse with color again as clean blood flows through their veins. They’re safe.
Now I can get mad.
Chapter 19
“How did you know?” I ask Adriel. Iron doesn’t affect Witches or Angels.
She has created a broom and is sweeping the iron particles into a corner to be dealt with later. “I tasted it in the air.”
“Then you saved our lives,” Kallen says. He’s sitting up now with his back against the settee. I’m sure his thoughts have gone where mine are. Raziel said that we would thank him for sending Adriel with us. He’s going to get a thanks and whatever else he wants for this.
Adriel shrugs. “You need to thank Xandra for that. My healing powers are severely limited in this form.”
Getting unsteadily to his feet, Kallen grasps my arm and pulls me to him. He engulfs me in a hug that practically suffocates me. “I have lost count of how many times you have saved my life now.”
I push back a little so I can breathe and speak. “I wish you would stop almost dying. We’re supposed to live a long, long life together.” Maybe even an eternity. I choose to block out the fact that it is because of me that his life is always in danger.
“I will work on that,” he says into my hair.
After a moment, I step back. Looking at the floor, I say, “I guess my little stunt at dinner pissed the Witches off more than I thought.”
“You do tend to bring out the best in people,” Taz wheezes from where he’s lying on the floor. I can’t tell if he’s exaggerating his exhaustion or if being my conduit really did affect him this much. I’ll never know because Taz is the ultimate in drama queens.
Kallen reaches out and pushes my hair back from my face. “I doubt they found a way to spread iron through the air in the last hour.”
I meet his eyes now. “Meaning they had this planned way before dinner.”
“I would say before we arrived,” Kegan says, helping Alita to her feet. They’re both still shaky. My group healing worked, but not as well as doing it one on one. There are lingering effects from the iron. “I doubt they usually have this much iron dust lying around somewhere.”
“I agree,” Tana says. The tone of her voice makes me turn to look at her. There’s a crazy look in her eyes, one that looks all too familiar.
Turning back to Kallen I give his hand a squeeze and say quietly, “Keep an eye on your aunt. I think she’s losing it.” I let go of him and walk towards the door.
Kallen catches my arm again. “Where are you going?”
“To have a little chat with the Witches,” I say. I give Tana a pointed look. “Seriously, you need to keep an eye on her. She’s about to lose it and you’re the only one other than me who is strong enough to keep her from doing something stupid.”
“Xandra.” There is a combination of concern and anger in his voice. He knows I’m about to do something rash. He knows me so well.
I pull my hand from his. “I can’t let them get away with this. I could have lost you.”
Kallen stares at me for a long moment. He’s not happy about me going off alone, but resignation settles on his face. He knows I’m right about his aunt. He has to babysit her right now. Finally, he nods. “Try not to kill anyone.”
I’m not making promises I may not keep.
Chapter 20
“What is the meaning of this?” my grandfather demands. He is standing at the bottom of the stairs. He must have ordered the removal of all of the video equipment because his clothes stay put. Thank god. I did not need another tightie-whitey image in my mind. “Why am I being pelted with lead in my own house?!”
Grandpa didn’t know about the iron attack? I peer closer at him. Everything about him, the way he stands, the anger he’s radiating, his voice, it all says he honestly didn’t know. Huh. I guess I won’t be killing him tonight. I won’t make any bets on tomorrow. “Not lead, iron. Iron meant to kill me and my friends.”
Eyes wide, he sputters, “That is nonsense. I knew nothing of this.”
I snort. “It seems you aren’t any better off than you were the last time we met. Your Witan, and whoever else, is still running things.” Red faced, Grandpa holds his tongue. He knows I’m right.
Continuing, I say, “I want every Witch who had access to this house tonight rounded up.” I raise a brow when he opens his mouth to argue. “If you don’t assemble them, I will.”
He doesn’t like that idea. Cursing harshly, he rips his phone from his pajama shirt pocket and pounds a number into it. “You are to bring everyone on the grounds to the conference room. You have ten minutes.” He presses end on his phone and puts it back in his pocket so hard, he rips a hole in it and the phone falls to the ground. That’s today’s substitute for slamming a phone receiver down in someone’s ear. It’s a poor substitute. To me, he says, “Is the Queen okay?”
Nice. “I’m fine, thanks for asking.”
He huffs. “I can see that you are fine. You are standing right in front of me.”
Okay, he has a point. “She’s fine.”
As a belated thought, he says, “Your friends?”
I almost laugh at the lack of true concern in his voice. “We’re all fine. A little thing like an iron shower isn’t going to hurt us.” Not Adriel and me, at least. I’m not going to tell him how close the iron came to killing the Fairies.
Grandpa looks doubtful. “I thought iron was a deadly substance to Fairies.”
Maybe he’s not as innocent as I thought. “Some Fairy tales have been grossly exaggerated.”
He grimaces at my pun but he stores that information in his brain for a later time. “Then gather them together. They are suspects as well.”
I snort. “Yes, one of my friends tried to commit murder/suicide.”
I go still. Maybe one of them did. Did Tana come with us so she could kill me and let the blame fall on the Witches? Would she do that knowing her nephew would die as well? Grandpa gives me a quizzical look. Ignoring it, I turn to go back up the stairs. Over my shoulder, I say, “I’ll meet you there.”
Ten minutes later, we are all gathered in the conference room. The chairs around the far end of the table are filled with Witches while my party stands at one end. Grandpa is standing at the other. No one speaks.
“Perhaps introductions are in order,” Tana says into the silence.
Grandpa starts. “Yes, yes, of course.” He points to the man on the right. “You have met Fatin.”
“How about if you tell us what kind of magic each Witch here specializes in,” I say. “I am familiar with Fatin’s magic, but not everyone with me is.”
Grandpa narrows his eyes at me. “Of course.”
Speaking for himself, Fatin says, “I am a skilled practitioner of Evocation and Exorcism.”
“Ah, the ghost guy,” Kegan says. Fatin nods in acknowledgement despite Kegan’s flippant description. He probably gets that a lot.
Grandpa continues. “You may remember Beren and Divina, our scrier and summoner.” I nod at them and their dirty looks and Grandpa continues. He points to the black haired woman with the hawkish nose who was at dinner and says, “New members to my Witan include Glinda, who specializes in Sympathetic magic.” Meaning she makes voodoo dolls. Nice. I hate cowardly magic.
Trying not to laugh, I say, “Glinda? Like in the Wizard of Oz?” I bet she gets teased a lot. To me though, she’ll always be Granny Panties.
Lips curled slightly at my amusement, Glinda says, “My mother was a fan.”
“Moving on,” Grandpa says, giving me the evil eye, “this is Mohana. She is a Seductress.” He points to the mocha skinned woman from dinner, the one who wasn’t wearing a bra earlier.
“Is she your Derwydd?” I ask. The last Seductress had been his high advisor.
“No, she is not,” the wiry haired Witch growls. “I am.”
Grandpa’s f
ace tightens around the edges and his teeth grind together. She’s obviously not his favorite Witch in the world. Why would he make her his Derwydd then? “This is Sylar. She is a renowned practitioner of Ekstasis magic.”
My own face tightens around the edges. And everywhere in between. “You are Louhi’s replacement.” Louhi, the stealer of minds which he kept hostage behind locked doors in his own mind. Looking at her grizzled features, it makes sense now that Louhi was practically a skeleton. This type of magic must take a physical toll on the practitioner.
From what I know, the Witan is usually made up of seven Witches. They are the King’s advisors, and when necessary, they act as judge, jury and executioner with the Witch population. If the guilty are not executed, they will strip the Witches of their magic by stealing their minds. One of the problems with the last Witan was that the person wasn’t always guilty when his or her mind was stolen.
Blood of the Exiled (Witch Fairy Book 10) Page 14
