"Grace needs me. Stay here, and please trust me." Kayla knew David would protest, so she gave him no choice. She ran up the steps and entered the building, disappearing into the darkness.
"You," the spirit woman declared when Kayla entered through the burgundy curtain.
"Yes, me. Who in the hell are you?"
"Everyone wants to know me! I must be one of the popular girls," the woman laughed.
"I wouldn't go that far, bitch."
"I can see you have your mother's mouth. Charming."
Kayla stepped forward and took Grace's hand. The two women felt a surge of magic flow through them. It was as if they had hooked themselves up to a generator.
"It won't help, you know. I am too powerful for even the two of you to defeat together. Also, I have your baby, and I will not hesitate to kill the child if I cannot get what I desire."
"You wouldn't dare," Kayla snarled.
"Test me, witch."
Kayla opened her mind to Grace. She learned without Grace having to say a word exactly what this thing wanted. She wanted to gain immortality by taking all of the family magic. She had been waiting for more than a century to exact her revenge. Grace and Kayla also sensed immense anger coming from the woman in waves. There was something underneath all of that rage as well. There was a deep sorrow that made Kayla ache all the way to her bones; it was the sorrow of a wife and mother who had lost everything she loved. It was the same sorrow that Kayla felt from Grace, but much more profound. This pain had had time to grow and fester like a cancer inside the woman until the only thing she felt was hate. In that moment, Kayla was positive that she knew exactly who they were dealing with.
"Then take me," Kayla said, dropping Grace's hand.
"Mom, no," Grace protested as she looked at Kayla in horror.
"Munchkin, it's all right. I'm already dead, after all," Kayla smiled at her. "We have to save the baby. This thing can have my body and all my powers. Jorek will be able to help her with the whole immortality thing she is looking for. This is for the best, really. This way, I know that you and the baby will be safe."
"Mom, you can't do this. I just got you back," Grace sobbed.
"Munchkin, you know exactly what you have to do. I need you to be strong. I have always tried to teach you that true happiness sometimes requires sacrifice. Now is your time to sacrifice. You know what has to be done. Just remember that I love you with all of my heart."
Kayla placed a hand directly over her heart and stepped away from her daughter.
"Are you willingly giving yourself to me?" The woman asked Kayla, suspiciously eyeing her.
"Yes, I am. However, I need to have your word that Grace and the rest of my family will be unharmed. Jorek is a fairy now, and he will give you your immortality. If you can give me your word, I will willingly go, after I say goodbye to my granddaughter, that is."
"I give you my word."
Kayla stepped forward toward the bassinet. She looked inside and saw the most beautiful little girl that she had ever seen in her life. The baby slept, her tiny chest moving up and down rhythmically. A small grunt escaped through her little lips, and she brought her hands up to her face, yawning. Kayla reached down and caressed the baby's cheek as a tear fell from her eye.
"Hey there, little one. I am your Grandma, and I love you more than anything else in this world. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone, after your Mama."
Kayla wiped her eyes and stepped away from the bassinet. Grace looked up at her mother through a curtain of tears. Kayla gave her a wink.
"I'm ready to go now. I love you, Munchkin. Always and forever."
With that, Kayla walked up to the woman and nodded her head.
"I'm ready."
She placed her hands on either side of Kayla's face and brought her lips close. When their lips touched, the woman slowly turned into a mist of gray fog, beginning at the end of her blue gown and moving slowly all the way to her head. Grace watched the fog enter Kayla's mouth and disappear. Her mother's body turned and looked her directly in the eyes. Grace could see that there was no trace of Kayla left in those eyes.
Grace fell to her knees, weeping uncontrollably as she watched the woman walk toward Harry.
"Don't you hurt him, you bitch!"
"Grace, I am stung. I always keep my word." She twirled her finger in the air and the rope that bound Harry's hands unraveled, leaving him completely free. "You are all free to go."
Grace gathered up her fiancé, who had begun to come to, and made sure that he was able to walk. She picked up the newborn and placed her in Harry's arms. He immediately perked up and the two of them checked her to make sure she was okay.
"I will warn you, Grace," the woman said, stepping closer to the family. "Do not cross me. I am good for my word, but I will kill you if you betray me."
"You never even asked," Grace said, deadpan.
"Asked what?"
"What the baby's name is going to be."
"Why would I give a damn about what you call your little brat?"
"Because I was going to name her after you… Serena."
The thing in Kayla's body gasped as Grace turned around, catching sight of the athame floating next to Grace's shoulder. Before she could even raise her arms to defend herself, Grace grabbed hold of the knife and plunged it into Serena's chest. She cried out in a scream of rage while she stumbled backward. As the woman who’d stolen Kayla’s form fell to the ground, her eyes bulging, her hands clawing at the protruding blade, Grace fell to her knees, overcome with the reality of what she had just done.
She cried out in a deep, primal wail that was made of pure anguish. It made Harold's heart ache.
Her cries of pain also brought something else. Roland stepped from the shadows and placed a hand on Grace's shoulder. She pulled away, looking up at the djinn.
"Grace, you have given me freedom from her darkness. I am eternally grateful. Please tell me how I can help you."
"Bring her back to me. Bring my mother back to me. Please. Please Roland," she stood up and clutched the djinn's lapels. "Please just bring her back."
"I am so sorry, Grace," Roland said with tears forming in his blue eyes. "This I cannot do. It is not within my powers. She sacrificed herself. That death is a permanent one. What I can do, though, is to help you find peace."
He placed his hand on her cheek, caressing her skin and looking directly into her eyes. His own eyes blazed a bright blue and his skin began to glow once again. He pulled his hand away, leaving a blue, glowing handprint where his had been. Grace looked down, taking hold of his hands. When she looked up, her tears had dried.
"Thank you, Roland."
"My work here is not yet complete." He held out his hand, palm up, in front of him. Within seconds, a glass jar appeared.
Roland pulled the stopper from the bottle and knelt down in front of the dying Serena. He reached out and, as his hand moved straight through the women's body, he grasped something intangible. A gray fog. He balled his fist and held it over the jar. When he opened his fist, a fine cascade of sand fell inside. When his hand was empty, he replaced the stopper and removed a black ribbon from his pocket. He tied the ribbon around the bottle and said a few words in a language that Grace did not understand.
His shoulders slumped and Grace could suddenly feel something emanating from him. It was an emotion that she never would have thought she would feel from someone like Roland. She felt regret.
"It is done. She is bound for all eternity and can never harm you again, Grace."
With that statement, Roland Stillson disappeared.
24
Grace and Harold made their way out of the building. As they came down the steps, David looked hopefully at his daughter. His hope turned to terror when he saw in her eyes that Kayla would not be coming out.
David felt as though he had been punched in the gut. He fell to his knees, quietly weeping.
"Daddy, she sacrificed herself to save me and the baby," Grac
e said, trying to give David a little of the peace that Roland had given her. It was no use.
"Where is she? Where is her… body?"
"She is inside, Your Highness," Jorek interjected. "I will make sure that she is given the proper respects. She will receive a queen's burial."
Jorek made his way up the steps to retrieve the remains of his queen.
Everyone else stood outside, realizing that there was nothing more for any of them to do. David made his way over to the car and sat in the passenger seat. He shut the door and sat there alone for a moment. Grace could see and feel the pain in his heart, and the feelings of loss and fear that she had felt the first time Kayla had died. The rest of the family turned away and found their cars.
When they arrived at David's house, he insisted that they all go home and get rest. They had a lot to do to prepare for Kayla's funeral. He did not want them doting over him. He told them that he just wanted to sleep and spend some time alone. The dwarves reluctantly left after informing David that they were only a phone call away if he needed them.
Grace stayed behind with Harry and the baby to make sure he was really all right.
David went to the kitchen to make some coffee, but he stopped cold when he opened the cabinet and saw Kayla's favorite mug sitting there. He picked it up as Grace walked into the kitchen.
"Your mom loved this damn mug. I dropped it once after we first moved into this house and chipped the rim. I threw it away, but she got it out of the trash. She told me it was the only thing that she had kept from the time before she and I met, and that it reminded her that she never wanted to go back to that life." He turned it over in his hands and read the faded lettering on the front aloud. "I hate Mondays."
He broke down, unable to hold in his grief. His whole body heaved with each sob for his lost love.
Grace went to him and hugged him tight.
"Munchkin, what do I do now?"
"You live," a voice said from the living room.
"What was that?" David asked, thinking he had hallucinated the sound.
"It was me," Kayla said, stepping into the kitchen, her body slightly translucent.
"How…," Grace trailed off as she looked at the dead woman standing in front of her.
"I made a wish and got a little help. I can only stay for a short time."
"Baby, I don't know what to do without you," David sobbed.
"You be the amazing father you have always been, and now you get to be a grandpa to that beautiful baby girl in there." She turned to Grace. "What did you really decide to name her, by the way?"
"We were thinking about calling her Aurora," Grace replied.
"I think that is a great name." Kayla's spirit beamed.
"We need you, Mom. I don't know how to be a mother."
"Neither did I, and look how great you turned out. Just love her and be there for her. Be a parent first and a friend second. The rest you'll get as you go along."
"I can only dream of being as good a mom as you."
"No, Munchkin, you will be better than I ever was. Now, before I have to leave, I want you to deliver a few messages. Tell Doc and Joy that they are the best friends and parents that I ever could have wished for. Tell Mooney to open his heart; he will never find love in a reference book. Gus and Violet, tell them that they need to love each other as if no one else exists, except of course, the baby that will be here soon. Tell Daisy that I am so proud to have a true sister like her. Let them all know that I will always love them and that I was so blessed to call them family. Harry, you are like a son to me, and I could not ask for a better man to take care of Grace and Aurora. You love them and protect them, always. Grace, you can call me if you really need me and, if I can, I will be here. David, my love, my king, my heart, I will always love you. Thank you for giving me a wonderful life, a beautiful baby girl, and for always being by my side. I want you to be happy and live your life to the fullest every day. Spoil the hell out of that baby, and know that we will be together again. But you have a lot of life left to live. Do not miss a moment of it grieving over me. I'm okay."
Grace felt the hot flood of tears flowing down her cheeks, but she knew that Kayla would always be with her, and she still felt peace. It was not an artificial peace, manufactured by a djinn, it was real peace.
"I have one more thing to do before I have to go." Kayla held out her hand.
Grace reached out, and Kayla opened her fist. The ring with the large blue stone dropped into Grace's palm.
"This is what I think it is?" Grace asked.
"Yes, you choose what to do with it. I know you will make the right choice, Munchkin. I love you guys, always."
With that, Kayla was gone.
Grace sat down with Harry to feed Aurora, and David made coffee. The four of them spent the rest of the night sitting at the table and remembering the woman that they all loved so much.
25
Everyone who had ever been touched by Kayla Burkheart came together in the forest to bid her farewell. The service was attended by all sorts of magical creatures. Sprites, gnomes, fairies, and even the wood nymphs that Kayla had scoffed at gathered, all wishing to pay their respects to the fallen queen and to celebrate the ascension of the new queen and the birth of Princess Aurora.
They brought flowers to lay on the casket of their beloved queen, and each of them had blessings for Aurora. She was given beauty, charm, grace, intelligence, righteousness, kindness and love. From the trolls, she was given the ability to fight, or as they put it, kick ass.
Grace knew everything would be fine for Aurora. She had so many people who loved her and would die to protect her that Grace had no worries. She would do everything in her power to make sure her daughter grew up to be a good person and a true princess.
Jorek approached Grace and Harry while they were saying goodbye to the hundreds of guests.
"Your Highness, you have one more guest that requests an audience."
Jorek stepped aside and revealed Roland Stillson, standing in front of them with his head bowed.
"Roland, please sit," Grace gestured to a tree stump next to her.
"Ah, if you please, Your Highness," he gestured, and a small ottoman appeared, upholstered in blue velvet. "Old habits die hard."
"We were hoping you would come," she said. She leaned over and took hold of his hand. "I want you to know that we understand why you did what you did. You had no choice."
"No, I did not. But, this does not mean that I do not feel badly for my part in all of this."
"You helped us. My mother told me that you tried to help her, and I know it was you that put the clues in the carvings on the buildings. You helped her come to us later that night and ease my father's pain. You risked your own life to save us from that monster."
"She was not always so, Grace. Once, I loved her very much, even though she was but a human." The sadness was once again in his eyes. "She was kind and good once. When Aliza took her from my realm, causing her death, she blamed your family. To be perfectly honest, so did I. Her spirit could not rest, knowing that her happily-ever-after had been stolen, along with the life of our child."
"Oh Roland, I had no idea."
"No one did. Not even me, until recently. Apparently, the grief of her loss caused Serena's spirit to go mad, and her target was your family line. She thought that by destroying your family and stealing your magic, she could be immortal and we could be together again. It was nothing more than a desperate attempt to regain the life we once had. A life that died with her original body. I could never again love someone who caused so much pain. Your ancestor Aurora taught me that doing good was the best way to live. That is why I helped her find love with Jacob. She deserved to be happy after all of the damage her sister had done. Nevertheless, rest assured, Grace, Serena's spirit is bound for eternity, along with the spirit of that vile woman that was your grandmother. They will never do you or your family harm again."
"I have something for you." Grace reached into her pocket and
pulled out the blue-stoned ring. She held it in her palm and looked up at Roland.
"You know this means that I am in your service, Grace. This is a position that I am honored to hold."
"No," Grace said, placing the ring on the tree stump beside her. "You have been in the service of this stone for far too long. It is time for you to be free. It's time for you to go home."
"I don't know that I belong there anymore," he said, looking off into the distance.
"I know that you do not belong here in servitude. You need to live your life, Roland. I am releasing you from this stone, once and for all."
She raised her hand over the stone and closed her eyes. A pulse of white light formed in her palm before it descended onto the ring, then the sparkling stone shattered into dust. Roland breathed a sigh of relief, his blue eyes shimmering.
"Thank you, Grace. Know that if you ever need me, I am only one wish away."
"I do have something that you can help me with before you go, but only if you would like, Roland. It is your choice."
He smiled at her and nodded, already knowing what she was asking.
"Your wish is my command, My Queen."
The djinn took one last bow before he disappeared in a puff of blue smoke.
26
Grace stepped down from the upstairs landing of the home she had shared with her mother and father for so many years. Her white gown trailed behind her and her hands, cold and clammy, clutched the bouquet of pink and white flowers. She took a deep breath.
David stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting to either take her arm or catch her when she tumbled down. She looked as if she were a few breaths away from hyperventilating. Lucky for both of them, Grace made it down the steps without falling and took hold of the arm that David offered to her.
"You look amazing, Munchkin," he said, choking back tears. "I guess I can't really call you that anymore. You are all grown up now."
"I will always be your little munchkin, Dad."
Burkheart Witch Saga Book 3 Page 11
