“Uh, where is she going?” I hear Kegan ask.
“To do something inane, I am sure,” Adriel says, but I can hear the smile in her words. She only half means it.
I walk down the hall, down the stairs and out the front door. I am going to end this and I know how I’m going to do it. I know because I’ve seen myself do it already. The only think I got wrong was who I had to summon. I get the nagging suspicion that the nightmare I had wasn’t random. I think a certain Archangel planted the seed in my dreams so I would know what to do. I didn’t know he could do things like that, especially without getting in trouble. I suppose it’s not really telling me the future if I think I’m dreaming. I don’t know whether to be mad at him for making me have a nightmare or thank him when I get home. Maybe I’ll do both.
When I am outside in the dewy grass, I stop and close my eyes. Before I can think about anything, a hand encircles my arm. “Xandra, what are you doing?”
I open one eye to peek up at Kallen. “Summoning the Skin Walkers.”
His brow rises in shock. “Why?”
That’s a stupid question. “To sort things out.”
An amused smile is trying to quirk one side of his mouth upwards. “Perhaps it would be better to have a plan in place first.”
“Don’t you want to go back inside?” I ask him sweetly.
He chuckles. “Is that your way of telling me you are going to do this regardless of my opinion?”
“Yes.” I groan loudly. “No. Fine, let’s make a plan.” I say this as if he has suggested that I fling myself on a giant funeral pyre.
“Amazing how well you take criticism,” Adriel snarks.
I ignore her and Kegan’s chuckle. “What do you suggest?” I say this to no one in particular as everyone has followed us outside, including Jadyn and Conor.
“What do you mean when you say you are planning to summon the Skin Walkers?” Conor asks.
Is everyone going to be stupid tonight? “I meant that I would summon them here.”
“All of them?” he asks, sounding doubtful.
I shrug. “All of them in this realm.”
Now he looks almost impressed. “You have that much power?” Conor asks.
Pride in his voice, it is Kallen who responds. “Yes, she does.”
“What are you going to do with them when they are here?” Alita asks. Good question. I’m sure I would have thought of something when they got here.
“Admit it,” Adriel says with a shake of her head. “You have no idea.”
I give her a sour look. “I am so glad we brought you along.” She just laughs.
“Perhaps you could arrange a summit between the Witches and the Skin Walkers?” Jadyn suggests.
The Witches are bad enough on their own. Do I really want them to initiate diplomatic relations with anyone right now? I sigh loudly. “Have I mentioned to anyone lately how much I love my life?”
“No, I do not believe you have,” Kegan says, hiding a smile.
“Good.” That earns me a look from Kallen but I pretend I didn’t see it.
Turning to Jadyn and Conor, I ask, “Who is in charge of the Skin Walkers?”
“There are two sects, each with their own leaders,” Conor explains.
“The good guys, who leads the good guys?” Why can’t people spout off the answers to all of the questions in my head without all this tedious discussion?
“My brother and I have taken on that role as our parents before us had,” Jadyn says, standing taller and her eyes flashing with pride.
“Okay, who leads the bad guys?” I ask. I’m pretty sure I already know the answer.
Pride washed from her eyes now, Jadyn says, “Andrew.”
“It’s nice to know mine isn’t the only screwed up family around here,” I mutter.
“Do you think your brother will talk to us?” Kallen asks.
Jadyn shakes her head in disgust. “Not without a great show of strength. He only bows down to someone more powerful than himself.”
I shrug. “I think I can manage that.” I always sound like I’m bragging when I say these things. Who knows, maybe I am.
“I believe he will agree to parley,” Conor says.
“Ah, parley. The greatest gift of the pirates, those noble men of the sea,” Kegan muses. Alita rolls her eyes but can’t hide her amusement.
“Are we decided then?” I ask.
Adriel quirks one eyebrow. “You are an impatient one.”
I cock my head. “Well, I don’t have eternity to get things done.” I may be immortal like her, but I can’t get a straight answer from anyone about it. I get narrowed eyes from Adriel in response to my snarkiness but nothing more.
“Our brother is not a nice man,” Conor warns.
My turn to roll my eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m willing to bet I’ve met worse.”
“Whenever you are ready,” Kallen says. He’s not thrilled but he’s resigned. Good enough for me. I feel him, Tana, Kegan and Adriel pulling magic, just in case they need it.
I close my eyes and let power build inside of me, a rush of magic so strong I should not be able to hold it all, just as I felt in my dream. But I do. I also call my wings to me now, ignoring the gasps of surprise from the Skin Walkers. I must tap all of my power to do this – Witch, Fairy and Angel. As expected, the magic inside me is like molten rock, hot and heavy. My fingers and toes begin to tingle as I hold back, not releasing any of my power yet. The air crackles around me, waiting to explode. Finally, I open my eyes once again and say the words I spoke in my dream. Making several small changes, of course. “By my blood and ancient rites, I call the creatures of exile to me tonight. Earth, water, sky and fire, bring me now my desire. Enemies anew and those of old, come to me strong and bold. Show me your faces, the magic in your soul, come to me and atone for the lives you almost stole.”
I drop to one knee and touch my hand to the ground. Light shoots from me in many directions, making everyone jump out of the way the best they can. I can’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to get zapped by this either. My magic disappears into the night, searching for those I seek. It will bring them to me whether they are on land or sea, close or far. They will not be able to resist.
My eyes let go of the light and travel up the house to a window shining brightly in the night. There are three Witches watching me. I can tell from his size that one is Gunnar. I assume the other two are Aiden and my grandfather. They don’t make a move, just watch me as I pour my magic out into the world. I wonder what this looks like to them, this sea of magic flowing through the grass. Do they think I’m doing harm instead of good? Probably.
All around me, beings are beginning to appear. They are young, old, heavy, thin, strong, weak, Humanoid and animal. No matter what their form, not one of them is happy to be here, but none can escape my hold. Peeking back up at the window, there is no longer anyone watching. I assume they are on their way down here to find out what’s going on.
The Skin Walkers are silent in their fury. Good. Staring down the one who looks the angriest, I begin to speak. “You all probably know me by name if not by sight. I am Xandra Illuminata and I am granddaughter of the Witch King and his only surviving heir to the throne. I wish to parley.”
“We do not recognize the monarchy of the Witches.” This comes from the most irate Skin Walker who looks an awful lot like Jadyn and Conor. Enough like them to safely assume this is their brother.
I cock my head to the side in acknowledgement of his opinion. “Be that as it may, I am here to make sure that the Witches I will serve are being treated with the dignity and the respect they deserve.” Not killed off by your kind, I want to say but I refrain. “In return, I will expect the same from the Witches towards you.”
“That’s why you dragged us here against our will? To fill our pointy ears with lies?” an older Skin Walker grumbles.
I acknowledge his words with a cock of the head too and try not to laugh over his pointy ear comment. He said it with such a sour
face, I don’t think he’d appreciate it. “I am not telling you lies, but neither am I tolerant of violence. One of you, or several of you, made an ignorant attack on the lives of the ambassadorial party I brought with me from the Fairy realm as well as the royal household. I will find the guilty party, or parties, and I will make sure that justice is served, either by your kind or mine. That is why you are here. There is no tolerance for murderers, nor their supporters, in the dawning age of peace in the universe.”
“What gives you the right to judge us?” someone snarls from the back. “You are not one of us.”
My voice calm, I say, “I’ve been given the task by the highest order of beings in the universe to bring about this new age of peace. I am from the blood of three – Witch, Fairy and Angel, and I carry each of their strengths inside me. That is what gives me the right.” I hope I sound convincing but not self-righteous. I feel self-righteous at the moment.
The older Skin Walker scoffs, “You are not full-blooded Witch. You cannot ascend to the throne. You are nothing but the bastard daughter of a Fairy and a stupid Witch.” Boy, I wish he’d tell me what he really thinks of me. Why is he holding back? I shake my head in irritation.
I am flanked by my friends now and Kallen has stiffened beside me, ready to share his feelings on the subject. “You will not speak to my wife in such a manner or this parley will come to an unfortunate end.”
“You do not scare us, Fairy,” Andrew says.
His tone jeering, Kegan asks, “Is that why you ran away every time we came close?”
“You expect me to stay and fight the six of you plus the Witches when I am trapped alone in a circle?” Andrew asks in amazement. “So you can tear my body to pieces with your combined magic?” He looks around now and grins. “The odds have improved now, haven’t they?”
This is the part where the bad guy does something stupid. It happens that way in books, no matter how old they are, movies, television, and, I’ve learned with experience, real life. It’s as if it’s code written into their bad guy double helixes, DNA woven with idiocy that they pass down through the generations. This time will be no exception, I see. But it will be more interesting than usual.
Skin Walkers can walk in many different skins it turns out. About half of those present change into an array of creatures. Andrew chooses to be a lion and roars loud enough to hurt my ears. The feisty old man? He’s a rhino, a magnificent beast with a long horn and a massive body, which he hurtles in Kallen’s direction. How can they change mass so quickly? They may only have earth magic, but it’s strong. I still don’t agree with it, but I understand why our ancestors would be frightened enough by abilities to try to the rid the realm of such uncontrollable beings.
Before I can blink, the rolling lawn of my grandfather’s estate has become a battle field. The worst part? Unless someone is directly attacking us, we don’t know whose side anyone is on. All the Skin Walkers have shifted now into some form or other and many are fighting their own kind. If I could tell the good ones from the bad ones, I could help them, separate them so nobody gets hurt. But putting just one of them in the wrong group could have deadly consequences if the ferocity of the fighting means anything.
All around us are animals trying to rip each other apart, Giants trying to bash heads in, and muscular Humanoids doing hand to hand combat. What can I do to stop this? I’m not sure yet, but whatever I plan to do, it has to start with not being eaten by a lion.
Andrew has leapt up into the air is coming at me with sharp teeth and claws. He is coming so fast, I can hear the bones in his muzzle break against the wall of magic I throw up in front of me. That is a disgusting sound. Also disgusting is the blood running down the transparent wall. I hope when I pull my magic back the blood doesn’t come with it.
Andrew slides to the ground whimpering as he paws at his nose. Not to be deterred so easily, he changes shape again. Apparently, changing shape does not heal his injuries because when he turns into a huge black bull, his nose is still bleeding.
Amused despite the melee around me, I feel the need to create a red cape to wave in front of him. How can I help it? It simply must be done. Of course, it makes him angrier. He is ramming his horns into my magic and he’s doing it hard enough I feel an uncomfortable vibration floating through me.
I don’t like uncomfortable vibrations. Instead of simply standing here and defending myself against his onslaught, I go on the offensive. As he charges my magical wall again, I let his head through. Just his head. Then I close the hole as far as I can. His head and body are still connected, and he can still breath, I’m pretty sure, but he can’t move. He’s trapped.
I take the opportunity to search for Kallen and my friends. Kallen has fought back the rhino but is about to be attacked from behind by a cheetah. “Kallen, watch out!” I yell, just in time for him to jump out of the way. The cheetah’s claws scratch through the air instead of his back.
Adriel is fending off what I believe is a group of baboons and Tana is holding her own against a pack of snarling wolves. Nope, she’s not as frail as she seems. Kegan and Alita, who is impressively brandishing a magical sword, are fighting off komodo dragons of all things. At least the Skin Walkers are creative. Gunnar and Aiden, and even Grandpa, have joined the fight. For once, we’re on the same side.
This is ridiculous. What are we accomplishing here? Other than a spectacular display of Skin Walker shifting abilities, nothing. I turn back to the bull in front of me. “Tell them to stop. This is not what a parley is.”
It is so weird to hear normal words come out of a bull’s mouth. “We never agreed to parley.”
I shake my head in disgust. “You are an idiot. Fine, I will make them stop.”
I spread out my wings and pull on my otherworldly power. I let blinding Angel light illuminate the sky. Those who know what it is are the first to close and protect their eyes. Those who don’t will probably need their retinas repaired.
Everyone stills. Some of the Skin Walkers are holding their hands to their eyes and moaning, but no one is fighting anymore. Mission accomplished. Most of the Skin Walkers have reverted back to their true form, not able to hold their animal shapes against the brilliance of this light and the pain in their eyes.
“Now that I have everyone’s attention,” I say to the wounded crowd. “I would like to have an actual discussion with you.”
“You’ve blinded us,” the annoying, older Skin Walker says.
“If I have, I can fix you,” I snap. “If you are ready to be nice, I will dim my Angel light.”
A trace of defeat in his voice, Andrew says, “We will parley.”
“It’s about time you saw the light,” I quip. There are groans emanating from my group of friends for my bad pun. Continuing, I say, “This is what I propose. The leaders of the two factions of Skin Walkers will convene with the leaders of the Witch community. A treaty will be forged. It will be based on justice, quality of life, and living together in peace. It must also protect the Humans of this world. Whatever is decided, full cooperation will be expected from all members of the magical community.”
“You mean the Witches will tell us how it’s going to be and we must abide by it. No, thank you,” Andrew spats.
“If that was what I meant, that is what I would have said,” I retort. He is so annoying. I feel badly for Jadyn and Conor having to grow up in the same house as him, or tree, or wherever they sleep to be close to nature. “One thing I will decide before the leaders of your groups convene is that you, Andrew, will not be part of the discussions.”
Andrew is appalled. “You have no right…” he begins but I cut him off.
“You attempted to murder everyone in the King’s house. You are going to answer for that. You will be held and one of the things that can be decided together, by Witches and Skin Walkers, is what your punishment will be.”
“I have loyal followers. They will not let this happen.”
Feeling malicious, I say, “Oh, I think they will. If t
he alternative is to join you in captivity and await punishment by me, and trust me, I have a creative mind when it comes to such things, I think they’ll make the right choice.” I wonder if I sound scarier than Adriel when she threatened Grandpa. Probably not.
“It must be this way,” Jadyn says to her brother. “You have strayed so far from the path, I am afraid it’s too late for you to find your way back.”
I hate to think it, but she’s probably right. Sometimes people can go so far over the edge, there really isn’t a way to pull them back. My eyes shift to Tana. She is standing close to my grandfather now, too close. Despite her poor judgment at the moment, she may turn out to be one of the lucky ones.
To the Skin Walkers, I say, “Those who followed Andrew into this mess, you have the choice of continuing to follow him, understanding that it will lead to dire consequences, or democratically choose someone else to represent your opinions during the talks. Once you have chosen, I will send the rest of you back to wherever you were with the understanding that you will abide by what the treaty holds.”
Blood of the Exiled (Witch Fairy Book 10) Page 20
