by Bonnie Lamer
Forcing my own sore body to sit up before I get sand burns, I mutter, “So glad we brought you along.”
“You prefer sociopathic gods like Set?” Josh asks Sam, reminding him of their last adventure without Kallen and me. I am so much better company than a sociopathic god. I’m certain of it.
With a half grin in Eliana’s direction, Sam says, “At least I didn’t get pushed through a stone wall that time.” Eliana glares at him. He may have come out of that adventure unscathed, but she didn’t. Jadyn filled me in on the details.
“How did that happen?” Jenna asks as she sits up. “I mean, the wall didn’t even crack. It was like it absorbed us and then spit us back out.”
With a shrug, I give her the only explanation I can. “Magic.” If she wants a better one, I am not up for the job.
“I find I am not as big of a fan of magic as I once was,” she complains. “That was terrifying.”
Changing the subject, Sam asks Eliana, “So, that was Ra’s voice, huh?”
Eliana nods. “Yes.”
Eying Eliana curiously, Josh asks, “Is he still on the surface?”
This time, Eliana shakes her head no. “He has retreated.”
“He couldn’t help you fight those flames?” Josh presses. There is no criticism or judgement in his words, just curiosity.
Eliana shakes her head. “The flames I can create were no match for those. I couldn’t use wind to fan them away, and even my call to the water molecules in the air went unanswered.”
“I believe we just had our first taste of Cosmic Fire,” Kallen says wryly. “A very small taste, thank goodness.”
I’m not sure his idea of small and mine are the same. But, I guess if you look at it in terms of this incident and Cosmic Fire destroying the universe, I guess it was a small taste. “Meaning we could have been incinerated if the Phoenix so chose?” I clarify unnecessarily. If nothing else, I am much more determined to convince the Phoenix she should die and be reborn. Maybe she’ll come back a little less cranky.
“Yes.”
Jenna gasps. “Wait, does that mean the Phoenix is in there?”
With a grimace, Kallen says, “I believe so. At least for now.”
“Which explains why the Angels couldn’t find her. They can’t see past the wards. It’s the perfect hiding place for her,” I add. Step one down, we know where the Phoenix is. At least we don’t have to chase her through all the realms.
Josh bursts my ‘we got this’ bubble. “And we have no way to get to her, either,” he points out.
“Not unless we figure out her riddle,” Eliana replies with a sigh. Remembering Josh’s actions before the unfortunate Phoenix event, she asks, “Did your phone survive the attack?”
Josh fishes it out of his pocket and slides his finger over the screen. He smiles broadly. “I have just become a very loyal customer of this company.”
“No doubt. I thought my face was going to melt off, yet your phone survived. That is some fine manufacturing to stand against Cosmic Fire,” Sam comments.
Kallen bursts their consumer dreams. “I suspect the Phoenix chose not to harm us or any of our possessions this time around. I suggest we return to the Fae realm and begin to decipher the riddle,” he urges, eager to get away from here.
I agree. I am more than ready to get the hell away from here. Gazing at the spot the hole was a moment ago, I can’t help but ask, “Do you think the Phoenix is okay in there?”
“She is immortal and virtually indestructible,” Kallen reminds me. “I am sure she is fine.” It still makes me sad to leave her all alone buried in the sand.
“She must be terribly lonely down there,” Jenna adds.
“Considering the way she greets company, I suspect she likes it that way,” Josh points out.
Pushing my sore body to a standing position, I debate how strong I’m feeling at the moment. Glancing around at the others, I decide I’m feeling strong enough to teleport us all back to Colorado. I don’t want to leave anyone here to face the wrath of the Phoenix alone if she decides we didn’t leave fast enough. “Come on, let’s go.”
Kallen stands and gives me an appraising look. He obviously followed my thought process. “Are you sure you are feeling up to this?” he asks.
“I’m not leaving anyone behind,” I insist.
“That did not answer my question,” he replies.
“I am fine.”
“Are you sure? I’d hate to leave a leg or something behind,” Sam says.
“You are in more danger of leaving your brain behind,” Josh snarks with a grin.
“I am fine,” I reiterate for everyone’s benefit. “Now, can we go? The sooner we are away from this place, the better I’ll feel.”
Kallen nods and holds his hand out to me. The others gather around and put their hands on my arms. “Ready?” I ask when everyone is in place. When I get affirmative nods, I teleport us out of Egypt. I am thrilled when my old house appears before us. Even more thrilled to find that I was able to teleport all six of us across the world without incident. Okay, I may have been a little more worried about it than I let on. Cosmic Fire can really zap the energy out of a person.
“Let’s never do that again,” Sam insists.
“Which part?” Jenna asks.
“All of it.”
Eliana nods. “I agree. I hate to tell you two, but I think it’s time for you to return home.”
11 Chapter
It’s a good thing we are in the middle of nowhere, because the loud complaints that Jenna and Sam launch against Eliana’s statement could wake an entire city. Arguments are traded back and forth between the friends, and tempers begin to rise on both sides. It is Kallen who finally offers a compromise. “May I suggest something?” he asks. When both sides quiet down to just muttering, he continues. “Jenna and Sam could accompany us back to the Fae realm, where they can remain while the rest of us do what we must to solve the riddle. They can stay at our home when we need to travel.”
“I love that idea,” Jenna says with a grin. Turning her attention to Eliana, she adds, “I know you are worried about trying to keep us safe, but we don’t have to go with you for the dangerous parts. If Kallen’s family doesn’t mind, it would be a great opportunity for Sam and I to learn more about the supernatural world. Something that will help you and Josh in your jobs.”
Eliana considers her for a long time, weighing her friends’ curiosity over their safety. Finally, she asks Kallen and me, “Are you sure your family will not mind?”
I shake my head. “They won’t mind at all.”
“I understand Jenna enjoys research. Another set of eyes to dig through books from the archives is always helpful,” Kallen adds. Aw, I love my husband. He can be really sweet when he wants to be. Across from him, Jenna glows with both pride and embarrassment that he knows this about her.
Josh turns to Sam. “Are you okay with being left behind if we feel that it’s too dangerous to bring you along?”
“Left behind at a mansion on the beach? I think I can handle it,” Sam says dryly.
“Is it settled then?” I ask Eliana, wanting her to have the last say on whether Sam and Jenna accompany us. She is the one who will feel the guiltiest if anything happens to them. Not that I wouldn’t feel awful, as well, but ultimately, she feels most responsible for their wellbeing.
Eliana nods. “It’s settled.”
“Okay, then. Let’s go inside so I can bring us back to the Fairy realm.”
A twig snaps in the trees behind us, and all of us whip around. There, a lone backpacker stands with wide eyes. I suspect she’s been there for a while. Long enough to have seen way more than she should have seen. “I, uh, I didn’t know anyone still lived here,” she says. “I, uh, come up here sometimes when I want to be alone.” Clearing her throat, she asks, “Where did you guys just come from?”
“You didn’t sense her?” Sam asks Eliana out of the corner of his mouth.
Eliana gives him a sour look. “
I was a little busy arguing with you, and she’s not a threat.” Eliana can sense humans who are threats much more readily than non-threats.
“The fact that she saw us appear out of nowhere makes her somewhat of a threat,” I point out quietly. To the backpacker, I say louder, “This is private property. You need to hike somewhere else in the future.”
“Of c-course,” she says, backing away.
Eliana moves forward at super speed and lightly grasps the woman’s arm. “Wait, I want to talk to you for a minute,” she says, keeping her voice soft and neutral.
“About what?” the backpacker asks, fear in her eyes.
Sliding her hand down to make contact with the skin on the back of the woman’s hand, Eliana says in a soothing voice, “You did not see anything odd here today. You came up here like usual, and there was no one around. You don’t like the feel of this place, though. It gives you the creeps. There are also wild animals living in the garage, and one of them may be rabid. You are afraid of being bitten. You are going to stay away from here from now on.”
As she speaks, the woman’s eyes gloss over and her expression goes slack. When Eliana is done speaking and drops the backpacker’s hand, the woman’s eyes clear again. Without even seeming to see us, she turns around and walks back the way she came. I watch in awe as she retreats into the woods.
When I am certain the woman is out of earshot, I say, “That’s new.”
Eliana’s expression is sheepish. “Yeah, I don’t like doing it.”
“Mind control is a slippery slope,” Kallen comments with a disapproving frown.
“It’s more persuasion than mind control,” Josh clarifies, eager to defend Eliana.
“If it keeps her from coming back, I’m all for it,” I say with a pointed look in Kallen’s direction. His lips press into a thin line, but he doesn’t say anything. I know where his mind is going, though. Mind control is dark magic. “It’s not the same,” I insist. “This is a god asserting the power of persuasion, not becoming a puppet master.” At least, I hope that’s true. I just can’t imagine Eliana doing anything with dark magic.
“The effects will wear off in a few days,” Eliana hurries to say. “But, hopefully, the woman will still be too freaked out to come back.”
Kallen seems to feel better knowing the effects do wear off. Permanently altering a mind without permission is a serious no-no in the Fae realm. With a relieved nod, he says, “We should go inside before anyone else sees us.”
“Yeah, and I need to call Aunt Barb and find out the last time she was here,” I grumble under my breath. She agreed to take care of the house for us, and I thought she was using the garage for some of her research projects again. Maybe her new boyfriend is monopolizing too much of her time for her to make it up here. If that’s the case, Mom, Dad and I need to come up with a better plan for securing the area if we want to keep it as a safe retreat in the Cowan realm.
Inside the house, the others huddle together in the living room to give me enough space to make a passageway to the Fairy realm. Once I am done, I usher them through to the beach on the other side. With a promise to myself to return soon and figure things out with the house, I step through and close the passageway. Unless the universe ends. Then, there really won’t be a need.
The sun has risen in the Fairy realm. Fortunately, it is not quite as hot as it was in Egypt, though it is considerably warmer than it was in Colorado. On the terrace, Kegan and Alita are sitting with Keelan. “Are you waiting for us?” I ask. “Or just out here enjoying the sunshine?”
“A little of both,” Alita admits. “It is a beautiful day.”
“Hopefully, you’ve found a way to make sure there are many more beautiful days in our future,” Kegan says pointedly.
Climbing the terrace steps, I tell him, “We’re one step closer.”
“Really?” Alita asks in surprise. “What did you find out?”
Not wanting to tell the story more than once, I ask in lieu of answering her, “Is everyone else inside?”
Kegan shakes his head. “Grandmother is in her office, but Garren is in the garden ‘helping’ Tabitha.”
Just as he says this, we hear loud, angry voices coming from that direction. “Sounds like he’s being a lot of help,” I mutter.
“They have been at it for a while now,” Alita says with an amused smile. “He has been lucky to survive the morning.”
“Honestly, I am surprised he made it this long,” Kegan grins. “I will let them know you are back.” He hands Keelan to Alita, jumps over the terrace wall and rounds the house toward the garden and the loud voices. Hopefully, he won’t get caught in the crossfire if magic starts to fly.
“I can never figure out if Garren is brave or stupid,” I muse to Kallen.
“You know my thoughts on the matter,” he says with a grin. Definitely the latter.
Rising from her chair with her son in tow, Alita says, “I will get Isla.”
“No need,” Isla says from the terrace door. “I heard voices and assumed you were back. How did it go?”
“We have a riddle to solve,” Kallen tells her.
With a sigh, Isla shakes her head. “Ancient Egyptians and their riddles.” Realizing she may have just insulted Eliana and Ra, she adds, “My apologies.”
Eliana shakes her head. “No need. They can be frustrating.”
Stepping aside, Isla waves her hand toward the interior of the house. “Come inside. We had better get Dagda back here before you begin your tale.”
With a laughing Kegan trailing behind, Garren comes around the house covered in potting soil and muttering about old Fairies set in their ways. He stops when he sees us. “What did you find out?” he demands gruffly.
Isla arches a brow at his dirty clothes, hands and face. “That it is foolish to tread in someone else’s garden,” she suggests. Her husband glowers at her as he starts walking again, but then he glances down at himself. Realizing how dirty he actually is, he uses magic to erase the mess from existence.
“Are you coming inside or not?” a testy voice demands from deeper inside the house. Tabitha, who must have entered the house through the kitchen, sounds like she’s ready to kill the first one to step through the door. Fortunately for the rest of us, she’s not likely to follow through on that unless it’s Garren.
Eliana raises a brow in my direction, wondering if it is safe to enter. I smile broadly but keep my voice quiet as I say. “Don’t worry about them. Tabitha and Garren always argue. Tabitha is all bark but no bite.” Reconsidering, I add, “Just stay out of smacking range.” Leaving my explanation at that, I follow Isla and Garren inside.
“She is mostly kidding,” Alita assures our guests before following me inside. I doubt her words are as reassuring as she meant them to be.
Regardless, our guests do follow us. Of course, I lead them to the kitchen. “This is where we always meet,” I tell them, waving toward the counter. “Have a seat. Is anyone thirsty?” The desert made me parched. I am not the only one, apparently. There is a round of requests for water.
Shooing me out of the way, Tabitha insists, “I can do better than water.” It takes her just a moment to produce a pitcher of fresh lemonade for us.
“So, are you going to tell us why you are covered in sand?” Kegan asks, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl in the middle of the large island counter. He gestures to it letting our guests know to help themselves if they are hungry. Josh reaches for a banana and Jenna takes an orange. “It looks like you’ve been rolling around in it,” Kegan says around a bite of his apple.
“We were,” I inform him, finishing my lemonade and pouring another glassful before passing the pitcher around the table once more. When it runs dry before making another full lap, Tabitha is nice enough to make us more. “Thank you,” I grin, draining my second glass. Who knew the desert and Cosmic Fire could make you so thirsty?
“In an effort to save time, perhaps you should go to the palace and retrieve the King,” Garren suggest
s testily.
Is he trying to get me in trouble? Narrowing my eyes at him, I say, “You know he hates it when I pop in when he’s in a meeting, right?”
“Are any of his meetings more important than the end of the universe?” Kegan counters. He does have a point.
“This is perhaps one of the times he will consider an exception to the rule,” Isla drawls.
Giving in to the peer pressure, I sigh. “Fine, I’ll go get him. I’ll be right back.” I lean over and give Kallen a quick kiss before disappearing.
I teleport right outside of Dagda’s office and knock on the door. Who says I can’t learn to be polite and unobtrusive? I am therefore surprised when the door whips open a second later and an annoyed Fairy King is growling, “What are you doing out there?”
I go with, “Um, respecting your boundaries like you’ve asked me to a thousand times?”
I get a roll of the eyes for my attempts at politeness. “Next time just come in here like you usually do. Did you find the temple?”
Trying not to be annoyed that he did an about face on the whole intrusion thing, I say, “Actually, I came to get you so we could tell everyone what we found at the same time. That way we only have to tell it once.” Repeating ourselves would just take time away from figuring out the riddle.
Dagda scowls, but he doesn’t argue. “Tana should be in her office. We will swing by there to get her first.” Tana has an office? If I knew that, I forgot. Meaning, I have no idea where it is. So, I let Dagda lead the way out of his office and down a short hall.
Poking his head inside her door, Dagda interrupts the meeting Tana is having with someone about the refugee camp. “We have someplace we need to be,” he informs her.
Chafing at his brisk tone, she asks, “Can it wait?” Then she sees me. Rising from her desk, she grimaces and says to the Fairy in front of her, “We need to reschedule.” Glad to know I’m the face of ‘we need to handle a disaster right now, not later’.
Ushering the Fairy out of her office and down the hall, Tana turns back to us. “Did you discover the temple?” I guess Dagda filled her in on what is going on.
