“Um…should I leave you two alone?”
“What?” Logan glanced around the room until his eyes landed on me. “Ash?”
I raised a hand and gave him an awkward wave. “Hey.” I wanted to run away, get out of my mom’s love life.
“What happened? Where’s Shenelle?”
“She’s gone, Logan. She won’t hurt anyone anymore,” my mom said. “I’ve banished her to the human world. Stripped her of her power.”
He frowned. “That’s good, but still. I should have seen the signs. How she was stealing Ash’s magic. I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”
“No one knew, Logan. Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I can’t believe I even figured it out.”
He sighed and looked back at my mom. “I can’t believe you’re here.” She gave him a smile, and I took it as my cue to leave. I wasn’t about to witness a make-out session, involving my mom. That would be more than awkward.
I snuck out the door, not sure what I was feeling. How many other guys had my mom loved? It was starting to freak me out. First Linkin and then Logan? What was with guys that started with “L”?
Dax, the elf (I still didn’t know his name), and Glade stood in the same place I’d left them. Dax didn’t look at me when I came out of the room, but Glade cocked his head to the side.
Everything okay?
He must have noticed the confused look on my face. “Logan’s awake.”
“What?” The elf made a move to open the door, but I stopped him.
“Give him a minute.”
“Interesting,” Dax said.
I looked over at him with narrowed eyes, waiting for him to finish his thought. When he didn’t, I sighed and folded my arms. “Do I really have to ask ‘what’?”
“It’s just interesting that out of all the people in our world, your mom broke the spell.”
I frowned. “What’s that suppose to mean?”
He shrugged. “It makes sense why she left Linkin now. She was in love with someone else.”
“If you’re saying my mom cheated on him, you’re wrong.” Not sure why I even said that. I knew next to nothing about my mom. For all I knew, she could have been leading two separate lives. I highly doubted it. She didn’t seem the type to do something like that.
He shrugged again. “I wasn’t implying anything. Just curious about the whole thing, which I’m sure you are too. We’re living in some screwed up fairy tale soap opera and our parents are the stars.”
I didn’t want to admit it, but he was sort of right. I didn’t want to think about what happened between her and Linkin. He was dark and cruel. How could she fall for someone like him when Logan was the complete opposite? And what about my dad? Paul Summerland? Did she have a thing for him as well? I hated love triangles, but I was very curious about this one. Which was stupid. I wasn’t supposed to care about crap like that. But I guess it involved me, so I could justify my reason to care.
The door opened then, and my mom came out with Logan behind her.
“Welcome back, sir,” the elf said.
Logan shook his hand. “It’s good to be back, Thomas. Could you let Master Time know that I’d like to set up a meeting with the Council? Right away if possible.”
Thomas. Now why couldn’t I remember that?
“Yes, sir.” Thomas shot Dax a wary look.
“He’ll be fine,” I assured him. “There are four of us and one of him.”
He nodded and disappeared.
“Dax,” Logan said. “You and I need to have a talk. Now.”
I was surprised when Dax nodded and followed Logan into his room, leaving my mom, Glade and I standing in the hall. I looked up at the ceiling, admiring the swirling planets and galaxies I’d loved watching as a child. It was peaceful in Night Hall. It was a part of me I’d always remember.
I could feel my mother’s eyes on me. There was so much I wanted to ask her, but I didn’t really know how.
I’m gonna go grab something to eat. You two have a lot to catch up on.
I jumped at Glade’s voice in my head. I’d forgotten he was there. “Okay. See you later.” I watched him walk down the stairs, leaving my mother and me alone.
“You must have questions,” my mom said, breaking the silence.
I nodded, but I didn’t really want to ask them. Some of them seemed too personal. But I did want to know some things. It only seemed fair. I’d been without a mother for a long time. I had to know a little more about her.
“You want to know about your father. Why I left him.”
She got right to the point. “Sort of,” I said. “But I’m afraid I’m not going to like the answer.”
“Why is that?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I just don’t understand how you could have fallen for someone like him. He’s evil.”
“He wasn’t like that when I met him. He was actually a lot like you.”
I snorted. “Pretty sure that’s a bunch of crap.” My eyes widened. I didn’t mean to say it out loud, it just slipped out.
“See? There’s an example. Speaking before he thought things through.”
I frowned. “I’m not evil.”
“I didn’t say you were.” She put her hand on my arm and I felt warmth rush through me. The magic coming off of her was very strong. I don’t know how she was able to control it. “Ash. I promise you. He was good once. He could control the djinn part of him, or rather, the dark part of him back then. The darkness was always there, but he kept it hidden. I didn’t even know he was a djinn until after I married him. He kept his secret hidden well. He even made his eyes green so he looked like an elf. I loved him. At least I thought I did back then. He was kind.”
“What happened to him? How did he turn into a monster?”
Her expression darkened. “I’m not sure. The first few months of our marriage, we were happy. Then, after a while he changed. He started getting mood swings. He’d say horrible things when I’d do something wrong. He acted like he didn’t love me. All over the course of a few months. I didn’t know what had come over him. Around that time, I found out I was pregnant with you. I wanted to surprise him, but didn’t at the same time, since he’d been so unpredictable. One day I saw him sneaking into the woods, so I followed him. He went deeper into them until he came to a cave and curious, I followed him inside.” She paused and sighed. “Linkin somehow figured out a way to manipulate humans. You know how djinns must be bound to a master?”
I nodded. “I asked Shenelle if I was bound to one and she told me no.”
“She was correct. Because you’re half fairy, you don’t need a master to survive.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes. It is.” She smiled. “When I found him in the cave, he wasn’t alone. He had a man there. A man tied in golden chains. Linkin somehow brainwashed him or I don’t know…made him unable to grant three wishes. He fed off the man’s energy and it gave him his power.”
“How is that even possible?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I do know that there were several skeletons in the cave. He feeds off their life force until they’re completely drained.”
“That’s comforting.”
“I didn’t know how long he’d been doing it. I didn’t know how many people he’d killed, but I knew I had to get away from him. So, I left. I gave birth to you and left you in the care of a human named Paul Summerland so you’d be safe from Linkin. Paul knew about our world, since he’d loved a fairy once.” She smiled at my expression. “Not me, I promise.”
That was a relief.
“Linkin found you eventually and killed Paul in the process. I arrived too late, but managed to get you away from him. We went into hiding, but Shenelle found us somehow and trapped me in that wretched necklace. I’m so glad Logan found you. Who knows what could have happened.”
“About that,” I said, giving her a look.
She sighed. “I’ve loved Logan all my life. Ever since we were children. As we gr
ew older it became impossible for us to be together. I was fairy queen and he was the master of dreams. We couldn’t be together unless one of us gave up our power. It was forbidden. We would have been stripped of our powers and thrown into the human world. I was ready to leave it all behind, like you did with Kendall, but Logan couldn’t do it. He told me our world needed me. Needed him. So, I tried to move on. Which didn’t work out very well.” She smiled and touched my cheek. “Other than you of course. I’m so thankful you’re safe and well.”
I smiled back, but was still a little weirded out about the whole thing. I don’t know how she didn’t figure out Linkin was a djinn. All that time they were together and she had no clue. Until his power started to take over. Like mine.
“I’m not going to go crazy like him, am I?”
“No, Ash. If you learn to control your power, you’ll be fine. I promise I’ll help you.”
“I’m getting the hang of it I think. It’s just whenever I get angry, the djinn magic takes over. I’m trying to control it, but it’s hard. It takes a lot out of me.”
“You’ll get used to it. I don’t think there’s another soul besides Dax that has two different magical parents like you do. It’s very rare indeed to have such a blend of magic. I believe you have it for a reason and that you’ll learn to wield it correctly. You’re intelligent and brave and true. And you’re my son. You’ll reach your true potential and never look back.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but whatever. “Thanks,” I said.
“You’re welcome. Now, tell me about this girl of yours.”
Chapter 30
Kendall
The scar on my side was gone. The gross black veins, the jagged red skin. It had all disappeared after Dax had healed me. I didn’t have pain anymore and felt normal again. Actually, normal wasn’t quite right. I felt…different. A good different.
I was happy to have things almost back to normal, but I was worried about Ellie. She was depressed. I could tell. I wasn’t sure what to do for her.
“Hey,” I said as she sat down at dinner.
“Hi.” The dark circles under her eyes were gone, but she looked miserable.
“Rough day at school?” I didn’t see her all day, besides dance practice after school. And even then she wasn’t completely back to normal.
She shrugged and grabbed a banana off the table. She peeled it and took one bite before throwing it away.
“Anything I can do?” I asked.
“If you could bring Dax back, that would be great.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. Ash said he’s in prison. We have no idea how long they’ll hold him there.”
“I know. You’ve told me fifty times.”
“I’m just making sure you know how serious things are. He wasn’t a good person, Ellie. He manipulated people. It’s his fault Ash’s friend is dead.”
“But he wasn’t the one who killed him!”
“He led them into a trap, El. Same thing.”
She snorted and left the room.
She was so stubborn. I didn’t know how to take her mind off Dax. I knew what it felt like. Being in love and knowing you couldn’t be with that person. I went through it all with Ash. Until he ended up leaving his world to be with me. I guess I was lucky. He was good to the core. Not deceptive and manipulative like his brother.
I let out the breath I was holding and went outside. The air was cool and crisp. Leaves were falling from the trees and I had to stop myself from running and jumping in some of the piles my mom had raked up. I wondered if the seasons changed in Ash’s world. I’d have to ask him when he got back. He had to sort some things out with the Council, since Logan was awake now. I hoped he’d be fast. It had only been two days, but I missed him like crazy.
Misty still came to school with me, since Linkin was still out there. Ash wasn’t convinced I was safe yet. There was no reason he needed me anymore though. Aleeya was free, and the necklace was just a normal necklace.
I glanced at the bare trees and rosebushes around the yard feeling depressed. Fall and winter were hard for me. And Homecoming was coming up. The year anniversary of my father’s death. That was one football game I wouldn’t be going to.
It was strange how everything seemed to die in the winter and then came back every spring. I wished it happened to my dad. I moved away from the porch and walked around the yard, breathing in the cool air. The rosebushes looked sad and neglected. I needed to cut them down for the winter, but was too lazy to go get the clippers. I sighed and reached out to touch a twig on the rose bush closest to me, trying to remember what color that particular one was when it bloomed in the spring. Red maybe? The twig twitched under my fingers and I pulled my hand away. My eyes widened and I took a step back as the branch turned green and a beautiful white rose bloomed right before my eyes.
“What the…?” I blinked a few times, trying to figure out what just happened. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and touched another part of the twisted branches and gasped as it did the same thing, only this time two roses bloomed instead of one.
I studied them. They were the most beautiful roses I had ever seen. None of them had a single blemish.
Reaching out, I touched one of the soft petals. It was definitely real. Which meant someone was doing magic without me knowing it or I’d healed those branches myself. I glanced around, not seeing anyone or feeling any surge of magic in the air.
Was it me?
I lifted the edge of my shirt and ran my fingers over my side where my scar used to be. I felt a little jolt in my fingertips. Warmth spread through them and they tingled a little. Panic swelled inside me and I threw open the sliding door and ran back inside.
Something was wrong with me. I had to talk to Ash.
Chapter 31
Ash
I stared at Kendall in disbelief. She healed a tree branch right in front of me. Just by touching it with her fingers. How was that even possible? She wasn’t magical at all. She was a human. Human’s didn’t heal things with just a touch.
“Maybe…” She trailed off and looked up at the tree branch, confusion written all over her face. “Maybe when you and your dad… I mean, Linkin hit me with both of your magic, it gave me some?”
“I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure that’s what made you almost die.” I never wanted to relive that moment again.
She grimaced. “I have no idea then.”
I thought about Dax healing her. How he was still alive, even though he was supposed to be dead. “Dax.”
“What?”
“Dax lost his fairy magic. He said so himself after he healed you.”
“You think it transferred to me?”
I shrugged. I’d never heard of a human getting magic before. “There’s a first time for everything. I’m the perfect example of that.”
“There aren’t a lot of fairy djinns where you come from?” She smiled.
“No,” I said. “You’re looking at the first. I’m a year older than Dax. And I don’t think he counts anymore anyway. He’s all djinn now. Or half.” I frowned. A full djinn was more troublesome than a half. I wondered if he was a full now, since his fairy power was nonexistent.
“What does that make me then?” She studied the tree again as if deep in thought. “I’m still human, aren’t I?”
“You know what? I have no idea.” I reached out touching her hand. “You look human. You act human.” A jolt of magic went through her arm and into my fingers. I jumped and yanked my hand away. “That was weird.”
“Perfect,” she muttered. “Another reason for people to think I’m a freak.”
I frowned. “No one thinks you’re a freak, Kendall. I thought you were over all that.”
She shrugged. “Mostly.”
At that moment, her mom peeked her head out the door. “Kendall? Do you and Ash want something to eat?”
“I’m actually starving for once,” she said. “Sure, Mom! We’ll be in in a second.”
We start
ed toward the house and Kendall screamed as Sam appeared right in front of us.
“Don’t do that,” she yelled, slapping his shoulder.
“Sorry,” he said.
He avoided her eyes and looked at me, twisting his hands in front of him. It was like he was nervous about something. His carefree smile was gone as well. Which meant something was wrong. He wouldn’t just show up for no reason.
“What is it, Sam? What’s happened?”
“You need to come back to the Academy.”
I glanced at Kendall, but she was staring at Sam. “What’s wrong?”
“Just come as soon as you can. I can’t explain it. You just have to see it for yourself.”
“I’ll be there soon,” I said. He nodded and disappeared again.
“What was that all about?” Kendall asked.
“I have no idea. But judging by the look on Sam’s face, it isn’t good.”
“Can I come with you?”
I reached out my hand and took hers. “Let’s go eat dinner first. I don’t want your mom not knowing where you are. I’m sure she has to work tonight, right?”
She nodded. “She’s always working.”
“Okay. We’ll leave as soon as she does.”
***
As soon as I set foot on The Academy’s grounds, I knew something was terribly wrong.
It was raining. It never rained in my world.
Huge clouds loomed above us in the darkened sky. The wind blew and thunder shook the ground. This wasn’t normal. I squeezed Kendall’s hand and she gave me a curious look. “Let’s go,” I said.
We entered Night Hall and ran up the stairs to Logan’s office. He was there waiting for me, along with Master Time, my mother, Glade, Sam and Misty.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
My mother’s face was grim. “Linkin. He’s turning everything in our world dark. Some of the fairies wings have gone black, the dryads trees are dying, and sirens are singing songs of death. I don’t know what he’s done to make this happen so fast, but we have to find him. He has to be stopped.”
Not Your Average Happy Ending Page 16
