19
"What the hell are you doing?" Carolyn tried to call out, but it was no use.
She was no longer inhabiting her daughter's body; she was now trapped in some kind of container.
"Uh, uh. You are done causing trouble, little witch." Roland waved a finger at her.
In a fit of rage, Carolyn tried her hardest to break free from her glass cage.
Roland turned to her, his eyes a blazing turquoise.
"I bind your spirit for eternity. You shall do no more harm from now until the end of days."
She felt the power drain from her spirit as he repeated his chant, tying a black ribbon around the bottle that was to be her eternal home. As he placed the jar atop a high shelf next to the other containers, he felt as though he was no longer alone.
"How may I serve you?" he asked with no real conviction.
"Am-Sher-Al, what have you done?"
"I have simply eliminated a threat, Mistress."
"So now you see fit to take matters into your own hands?"
"I simply did what I thought best for you."
"Or, did you do what you thought best for the young witch? Tell me Am-Sher-Al, have you gone soft? Do you have feelings for her?"
"I feel only the need to serve you," he said, turning toward the voice.
It was difficult for him to hide his feelings at the best of times. Djinn were not known for their ability to lie.
"I find this all very disconcerting, my love," his mistress spoke in a purr as she took on physical form. "I want what is mine, nothing more, nothing less. Is that really too much to ask?"
"Of course not, Mistress."
"Well, I see I will have to get my due another way, then." She reached up and pulled the jar with the black ribbon from the shelf. She turned the jar over in her hands, eyeing the contents. "I have to admit, I never liked dealing with this vile creature. All swearing and drinking like a sailor. She never struck me as very trustworthy, to be honest." She tossed the jar from hand to hand before replacing it on the shelf. "Serves her right, being bound for eternity."
"What is your plan now, Mistress?"
"I think I'll keep that to myself for now, my sweet. I am not exactly sure who I can trust."
"As you wish," Roland bowed his head. When he looked up, his mistress was gone.
20
Jorek stood in the middle of the circle of witches, with Harold and Kayla's slack bodies in front of him.
He raised the oil-filled bowl and anointed the foreheads of the two people. The sprite stood before them with his eyes closed, chanting low and slowly. A pink glow came from his hands as he raised them in front of his face.
Within seconds, Kayla's body heaved with a deep gasp as though she were in great pain. Her chest protruded and her eyes bulged from their sockets, and she let out a blood-curdling scream. Grace tried to run toward her mother, but David held her back.
"He warned us about this, Grace. You can't touch them until it's done."
"But Daddy, she's in pain," she said, struggling to free herself from his gasp, tears running down her cheeks.
"She's tough, Munchkin. She'll be fine," he said, close to tears himself.
Grace relaxed, seeing the reason in what her father was telling her. It did not stop the flow of tears while she watched the sprite work his magic.
Kayla relaxed, slumping over in her seat, and her breathing slowed. She looked like she was in a peaceful sleep. Jorek's hands glowed brighter as he turned his attention to Harold. Nothing happened. Jorek doubled his concentration and thrust his hands forward, sending an arc of pink light into Harold's unmoving chest. Still nothing.
Grace turned and buried her head in David's chest, sobbing.
"Come on, Harold," Doc begged, squeezing Joy's hand.
The rest of the coven looked on, their hearts in their throats. Harold's body sat lifeless in the chair as Jorek pushed the light into his chest with even more force. Small beads of sweat formed at the sprite's temples, and his face began to change. His features broadened, his skin stretching over expanding bones. The half-breed cried out in anguish as his small form shifted and transformed. His tiny legs expanded to the height of a human man and his arms extended with crunching and pulling of bones and tendons. His torso widened and his chest expanded with enough force to rip the small tunic he wore. His gnome hat fell from his head as golden blond hair grew from his once bald head into a flowing mane. His face contorted in a grimace of pain, yet he never wavered in his pursuit to breathe life back into Grace's soon-to-be husband. His eyes blazed a shimmering green that was as brilliant as the grass-covered hills of the forest. He fell to his full-sized knees, holding the stream of pink light fast to Harry's chest. After what seemed like forever, his hands dropped to his sides and the shining pink light dissipated.
"Forgive me, My Princess," he cried out in sorrow. "I cannot bring him back. He has been away for too long."
"Oh Harry," she cried, rushing to him and collapsing at his side.
She wrapped her arms around the body of her true love and held him close. Her tears streamed freely as she rocked him back and forth.
"Please don't leave me, Harry. You promised. I need you. Please don't leave us alone," she sobbed, kissing his lips, even though she had all but lost hope that he would return to her.
"My Princess, I have failed you." Jorek stood at her side and hung his head in despair.
"No Jorek, you did your best. You cannot be blamed for this," Mooney said as he approached the grieving princess.
The rest of the coven approached and tried their best to comfort Grace, but she was inconsolable.
"Wait," David said from behind them. "That Roland guy is the one that brought me out of my coma. Can't he help with this, too? I mean, he is a genie, right?"
"He is bound by the stone and cannot betray his master," Jorek replied sheepishly. "If this is the will of his master, he must abide."
"The stone?"
"The stone worn by his master. We believe it is currently in the form of a ring."
"Is it a blue stone? About as big as a small apricot? It kind of glows sometimes?"
"Yes, that is the stone I speak of. How do you know this, My King?"
"Because I saw it. Months ago, a ring like that was on the dresser in my bedroom. I thought it was something that Kayla had bought, so I was goofing around and I tried it on."
"That would have been around the time Mom died," Grace said, pulling away from Harry and wiping her eyes.
"Honey, you need to rest," David stepped to her side to help her get to her feet.
"No, Dad," she said with conviction. "What I need to do now is find the son of a bitch that is responsible for all of this."
"We," he corrected her.
"Yes, we." She took hold of his outstretched hand and tried to stand on legs weakened by her grief.
As she rose, her legs gave way when a sharp pain shot through her abdomen.
"Oh god, not right now," she cried out as another pain washed through her and she felt wetness flow down her inner thighs. "It's too early."
"Honey, your water just broke," Joy said. She pulled a blanket from the sofa and handed it to Grace. "It is right now. We need to get you to the hospital. The baby is coming."
Grace burst into tears again as she looked back at Harold and Kayla sitting motionless in their seats.
"I can't do this without them, Dad."
"Yes you can, and you will."
"Do not worry Princess, I will watch over them. Go and give birth to a strong new heir to the throne," Jorek said, stepping in to guard her family.
"Jorek…" she reached out to take his hand and saw the tears flowing from his dark green eyes. "What happened to you?"
"I can explain this countenance to you later, Princess. Right now, you must focus on your new life.
Another contraction hit her, and she leaned on David for support.
"Let's get you in the car, Munchkin."
She allowed David and the othe
rs to help her into the car. While they headed toward Seattle Mercy Hospital, Grace rested her head against the window and wept. She feared for the safety of her baby and for the new life she would have without Harold in it.
It was a mix of bittersweet emotion, interrupted only by the contractions that were coming closer and closer together.
"Joy, can you time the contractions?" David asked.
"Yes, they are five minutes apart right now."
"We need to hurry. If she is anything like Kayla, this little one will make its way out pretty soon. Did you ever find out if this is a little prince or a princess?"
"Harry wanted it to be a surprise," Grace replied just as another contraction hit with the approximate force of a professional boxer.
"Well, it is a surprise for sure."
"Three minutes," Joy called out.
David pressed the gas pedal a little harder, adding more speed. He didn't want to go too fast, but they would need to get there soon. His grandchild was not going to be born on the side of the road.
"Holy cow!" Grace yelled out as the next contraction hit even harder than the last. "Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Step on it!"
21
Jorek stood above the two bodies, one inhabited by the spirit of his queen, the other an empty vessel that should have contained the soon-to-be prince of the forest. He had great love and respect for both of them; neither had ever made him feel like the half-breed that he was. They had treated him as a trusted advisor and a true friend.
Now the princess was going to have to live her life without her prince and true love.
This was not acceptable to the newly transformed sprite. The amount of magic he had used to break free of his gnome/sprite prison had been enormous. While it was true that he had been born a half-breed, this was not the true form of his enormous spirit.
Now that he was free to be seen in his true form, he was more able to truly help the princess with her plight. He mused at how the old ones would react to seeing him in his fairy form, now that their spell was broken. He had been forced to live many lifetimes as an outcast with little power, but now he would take his revenge and put things right once and for all.
He leaned in and placed his hands on Harold's shoulders, steadying himself above the heroic man who was far too young to die. His lips approached the Prince's lips, and the fairy Jorek exhaled a thin stream of pink light into Harold's mouth. He pulled away and watched the end of the light search through the air, trying to seek out the Prince's soul to tether itself to and lead it to its rightful home. This was the last option that Jorek could try to bring the Prince back. If he failed again, he would not be able to face the princess. His shame would be too great.
He watched while the thread shot from Harold's mouth, through the ceiling and into the ether, hopefully finding purchase. Jorek closed his eyes and projected as much magic as he could still muster to assist the tether, but he feared Harold might be lost forever.
Suddenly, he felt the string tighten and make a distinct plunking sound that reminded him of the harp his fairy mother had once played in his original lifetime, thousands of years before.
As quickly as the tether had left him, it shot back through the roof and into Harold's body, disappearing as though it had never been there at all.
Harold gasped loudly and shot up from the chair next to Kayla. Jorek looked over and saw that the queen still sat there, deep in sleep.
"Harold, My Prince? Are you there?" Jorek placed a hand on his arm, trying to steady him.
"What is happening? Where is Grace? Who are you?"
"I was finally able to bring you back, thank the spirits." Jorek beamed. "Grace is on her way to the hospital to have your baby."
"I have to get to her." He turned in a circle, bewildered and not sure where to begin. "Who are you?"
Jorek steadied Harry and focused his attention. He spoke slowly and directly, making sure that Harry was fully conscious and alert. Harry shook his head as if shaking off the last bit of sleep after a restless night.
"I am Jorek, My Prince. I have been transformed by magic. I will explain all of this later. Right now, we need to get you to the princess."
"Yes, you do. Right away."
"We have to wake up the queen first."
Jorek turned and knelt down to wake the queen so they could make their way to the hospital.
The group pulled up to the hospital, and Mooney jumped out of the car before it had even come to a full stop.
"We need a wheelchair; she's in labor," he told the first person that looked remotely like a nurse before he ran back out to the car.
The nurse grabbed a wheelchair from the lobby and followed the running dwarf outside. Grace was trying to heave herself out of the car with the help of Doc, Joy, and Gus, while Daisy and Violet opened the trunk and took out the bag that they had ready for this occasion. David stepped to the nurse's side and gave her all the details.
"Her water broke twenty minutes ago, and her contractions are less than three minutes apart. Her Doctor is Smithson."
"All right, sir. We will get her in and set up. I'll call Doctor Smithson. He's already here, but he is in surgery right now. Are you her father?"
"Yes. Please take care of my daughter," he pleaded.
"We'll do our best for her, sir," the red-haired nurse said with a reassuring smile.
With that, the nurse rushed into the hospital, pushing Grace toward the maternity ward.
The family stood there, feeling relief that she was in the hands of the doctors now. They made their way to the waiting room and settled in, anxious to hear news of the birth.
"She'll be fine, David," Doc reassured him. "Our Grace is very strong."
"I know, Doc. I just can't help but worry. Harry should be in there with her."
Doc patted David's hand and sat in silence.
After what seemed like forever, another nurse came to the waiting room and approached David.
"Mr. Burkheart?"
"Yes, that's me. Is my daughter okay?"
"Yes, sir. Grace is fine. We had a little bit of a scare due to the baby being impatient and coming a little bit early, but they both pulled through with no problems. You have a beautiful little granddaughter."
"Oh, thank God," he said, trying not to faint with pure relief. "Can we see her?"
"Only one at a time. She needs to rest, and the doctor wants to avoid any undue excitement."
"Can I go first, Dad?"
They all turned to see the source of the voice. Harold stood in the doorway of the waiting room, looking exhausted.
"Harry? But, how? We thought you were…" David trailed off.
"No, it just took me a while to get back home." He smiled.
"You're the father of the baby?" the nurse asked.
"Yes, I am."
"Then you definitely get to go first." She motioned for him to follow her.
He followed without acknowledging the rest of the group.
After getting suited up in his paper gown and face mask, Harry stepped through the doorway of Grace's room. It looked like she was sleeping, so he walked over and took hold of her hand.
Grace turned her head and she saw him standing above her.
"Harry?"
"Yes, honey," he said, squeezing her hand tightly.
Just touching his hand made her feel as though her heart was going to stop beating. She could not bring herself to believe that he was actually there and standing right next to her again.
"I thought you were dead," she said, bursting into tears.
"I could never leave you, Grace. I made a promise." Harry looked into her eyes, his red hair framing his handsome, pale face. The baby had his freckles.
"We have a baby girl."
Grace motioned with her free hand to the large, clear baby bed that sat on the other side of her. Inside, a girl with just a hint of red hair and pretty green eyes lay sleeping, swaddled in a soft pink blanket. Her tiny hands and feet were hidden from
view. All that could be seen was her little upturned nose and constantly moving miniature lips.
Harry released Grace’s hand and walked around the bed. He reached down and carefully picked up the little one. He unwrapped her from the blanket and took stock of all of her parts. He kissed the bottoms of her little feet, counting her toes. As she waved her hands in the air, he placed his finger in hers. Ten tiny fingers gripped his. He looked over to Grace and smiled, tears in his eyes.
"She is so beautiful."
Grace opened her mind to feel what Harry was feeling. She wanted to let his happiness reaffirm that he was really there with her and not just a cruel dream. His happiness at the sight of his healthy newborn daughter would push aside the nagging feeling inside of her that this was all wrong somehow.
When she reached into his mind, she expected to be overcome with pure joy. What she found instead, was absolutely nothing.
Not static. No white noise. Just nothing.
She brought her hand down slowly and reached over to press the call button.
"I wouldn't do that," Harry said in a singsong voice while he continued to coo over the baby.
"Who are you?" Grace asked the thing inhabiting her fiancé.
"I'm going to be your husband-to-be for now. Then, after I kill you, I am going to take over your body and raise this little one. And, when the time is right, I am going to take over this little girl. Then, I will have all of the Burkheart magic, and I will get to live on forever and ever. Isn't that right, sweet little baby?"
"You are nothing but a monster," Grace said, feeling helpless and alone.
"Oh, I am so much more than that."
Grace needed to find a way to get her baby away from whoever this thing was. Anger and fear welled up inside her while she watched it playing with her child as though it felt something for her.
"Where is my mother?"
"Oh, I disposed of that bitch before I left the house. I also got rid of that ridiculous fairy," Harry cooed at the child. "Yes I did. Fairies are stupid. Stupid, stupid fairies. Yes they are."
Burkheart Witch Saga Book 3 Page 9
