Ascend (The Last Oracle, The First Seer's Gift, and a Prophecy Fulfilled) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 11)

by Humphrey Quinn

  It was even rumored that Jasper and Aloyna might make an appearance. They did, every few months or so. With the woman he loved to encourage him, Jasper tried to be involved in life more often. And she wanted to see her grandchildren.

  The coach continued until they’d made it out of the bustling town and to the outskirts of the island. They stopped at a long driveway and turned in. Meghan blew out a breath and looked at the others.

  "Here we go."

  Isabella, Sheila, and Irving were already there. They'd needed to come up with an excuse for their visit, and couldn't come up with one other than, it was a lovely day for a walk and surprise drop in. They had barely said their hello's when the carriage pulled in and Jae swung his hand in a wave. His smile dropped a little, replaced by a mischievous questioning when he saw Mireya hopping out, as well as Colin and Catrina. There was something up, that was for sure.

  His gaze drew even more confused when Sebastien assisted a young girl out of the carriage who proceeded to land her eyes on Jae, squeal in utter delight, and run down the walkway and right into his unsuspecting arms.

  "Daddy! Daddy! Finally, we meet!"

  Jae just passed a bewildered, mouth gaping stare between everyone.

  The girl slid down until her feet touched the ground and she held out her hand to shake his. "My name is Grace. And I’m your daughter."

  There was some laughter near the coach.

  But Grace spoke with such certainty and truth, that Jae knelt to see her face and shook her hand. "Hi Grace. It’s, um, nice to meet you."

  Elisha bounded around the corner. She and Nona rubbed against each other in greeting before Elisha sniffed out at the little girl.

  "Hi!" Grace called out. "We're going to be great friends. Not right away. But you learn to like me. Eventually…"

  Elisha meowed her discontent. Who was this, and why was this thing here?

  Grace turned back to Jae. "I know you're confused, but it will all make sense soon."

  "Um…" Jae passed another bewildered look, needing a moment of clarification. Things got quiet, and they heard the sound of splitting wood behind the cottage. Grace’s eyes lit up and she wasted no time flying around to the back of the house. Everyone else tore behind her and froze when she stopped, and her wondrous gaze drew upward to a tall man with a few day's scruff on his face, and his axe swinging downward. Colby split the wood and paused, realizing he had an audience. A grin spread across his face.

  "Hey, Sis. And my Sis-in-law," he aimed at Mireya. He nodded at Sebastien, Colin, and Catrina. "And, um, Mom. Mother-in-Law, Father-in-Law…" he trailed off, his gaze hovering on the little girl with the soulful eyes peering up at him in what he could only describe as awed adoration.

  "And just who are you?" He set down the axe and wiped his hands on his pants.

  Jae came up alongside Grace and something this side of nostalgic swept through Colby, which made no sense. It was like looking at some sort of memory. Like this was a moment he’d been waiting for his entire life. It made no sense and yet there was something absolutely expected and final about it. Grace raced forward and without even thinking about it, Colby leaned down and scooped her up. Almost like he’d been waiting for her to come flying around that corner so he could do just that.

  "Hi, Daddy. I’m Grace." She smiled as brightly as the sun, and like he was supposed to know what she was talking about. "I love you both so much already." Colby’s gaze slid over to Jae who was edging closer himself. He hadn’t pieced it all together yet, but the befuddled amusement in his husband’s gaze seemed to confirm that all this was indeed, real. Confusing as all get out, but real.

  Colby looked to his sister; she had a lot to tell him. That much was clear. Even without their long-gone mind connection, it was obvious in her features. And yet there was some instant, strong tie to this little girl and he found he didn’t want to let her go.

  However…

  Grace sighed.

  "You have to put me down now so the adults can talk. But that’s okay because I’m going to go check out my room. And my grandparents are coming with me. You guys are going to spoil me to death," she squealed. They laughed and smiled so hard it hurt, but followed Grace inside. Mireya patted her brother's arm and joined them too.

  Colin and Catrina stayed behind. Nona and Elisha both smelled lunch and strode off into the woods to hunt. "We'll find you all later," they called out as they disappeared.

  The air got thick and tense.

  Colby's lips thinned into a befuddled expression.

  Meghan chose her words carefully.

  "We found our father."

  Colby stiffened at her revelation. Jae grabbed his hand giving him the silent support he always did, just by being there.

  "We were prepared to fight him," Sebastien continued. "Turns out, that was not necessary."

  Colby eyed them both, a thousand questions heavy on his tongue. Meghan extended her arm, palm upward. A flame burst to life. They all knew the drill and their eyes peered into the flame, looking for the answers they sought.

  They watched Sebastien magic open a doorway. It blasted inward, revealing an aged looking man in a bed, with an older woman taking care of him. She was new to magic and had been taken in by Fazendiin's charms and claims of grandeur. But the evidence of her true heart was clear in her eyes. She was no different than him. They proceeded to knock her out and secure her in no time. Ignoring the incoherent grumblings and moans from the former Grosvenor.

  And then Grace came wandering into the room from another, smiling.

  "You found me. Finally…" She turned to the woman, now knocked out and stuck out her tongue at her. "Told you."

  "My father found you first," Meghan blurted out. She'd been searching for Grace almost as hard as her father.

  "Yes. But you did all required to make sure he could not recover from his loss. My mother died and left me in the care of an orphanage. But that mean woman came for me not long after."

  "You've been with them all this time?" Sebastien almost growled out. It was such a vile thought.

  "It could not be avoided. But it's all going to work out now."

  Working out or not, this knocked some of the wind out of their sails. But not all, they knew better than to let their guard down, completely. Especially when it came to Meghan’s father.

  They approached the bed cautiously.

  Grace joined them. Her demeanor as innocent as she looked.

  "Goodbye. I’m going to live with my daddies now. I will not miss you. And you'll be dead in a few minutes anyway." She turned and waited near the front door.

  Fazendiin had attempted to reach for Grace but his frail bones refused to obey. Meghan and Sebastien shared a passing glance and each approached the bed, one on each side of it. Fazendiin found his daughter’s eyes and motioned with a barely moving hand to come closer.

  Grace’s face appeared in the doorway. "It’s okay. He’s not going to hurt you. He can't." She spoke so matter-of-factly about everything. Meghan sucked in the courage and sat down at the edge of his bed, leaning closer so he could speak.

  "Take her," he blew outward. "Take her to my son. It's not too late. Grace is the key…"

  "I can't believe you think your son would…" she cut herself off. What was the point? Arguing with the likes of her father minutes away from his death was a useless waste of energy.

  "C'mon," encouraged Sebastien. He had to get out of here before the sickening stench of death overwhelmed him. Never mind the disgusting idea that this precious little girl had spent years in the care of Fazendiin and this—woman. Whoever she was.

  Sebastien took out a leaf from his pocket, wrote a message, and magicked it off. Not thirty seconds later four Balaton arrived to take the woman away. They'd figure out what to do with her. Perhaps she could be integrated into the world, if Fazendiin hadn't ruined her completely.

  Meghan rose to her feet when all she wanted to do was sink to the floor, or better yet, punch her father in the face. Instead,
she stared at Sebastien. Her mind reeled in the fact that even on his death bed, he refused to give up.

  "How old are you, Grace?" asked Meghan.

  "Just turned six," she smiled proudly.

  A sickening roll of emotion pinned back and forth. Six. Six miserable years in this place.

  Meghan returned to her father, heart hardened. If it were possible to harden to this man any more than it already was. "You’re right. I am going to take Grace. And I'm going to take her to your son." She let him stew in that believed moment of revelry for a moment. "Colby and Jae Mochrie, will raise her. And love her. And that is all they will do, father." The disdain in her tone sliced open that moment of revelry. "If you think your son or I would ever finish your work, you couldn’t be more wrong. Your son is a good man. Unlike you. He will raise this little girl, and protect her, from evil like you."

  Fazendiin tried to speak but nothing came out but coarse air. His end was close. Taking in the life-force of others was no longer enough sustenance to keep him alive.

  Something Meghan and her brother Colby, had never done. And by not doing so, would live just one human life. Neither wanted anything more than this. It gave her immense pleasure to know that right now, her father was about to die with the knowledge that he failed. This was his last attempt, and he'd failed.

  "Your reign is officially ended, father." She got up off the bed. Sebastien joined her and he grabbed up Grace in his arms to whisk her away from this dark place. They paused by the door, just for a moment. He’d gone silent. No more breaths. And just like that, the man who had ruined so many lives and attempted to control magic and take over the world, was dead. Gone. For good, this time.

  The vision ended with Colby’s legs faltering a little. Jae steadied him.

  Colby had to hold back the bile in his throat. His sister was right. He and Jae would raise Grace, and protect her, always. No one would ever use her gifts to further their own cause. Ever. It didn’t need to be said aloud. The silent words expressed between him and Jae were enough.

  "Grace is a special girl," Meghan stated.

  She came flying out of the backdoor as if she'd been requested. "I love my room. And I just love the bed you’re going to build for me."

  Jae and Colby couldn’t suppress the grins. He and Colby loved building things and working with their hands. Actually, they preferred physical work to magic. Something they avoided unless the mood hit them. Or it was needed in their work. They'd build anything from furniture, to buildings, to boats, and were masters at the craft and highly sought after because of it. But today, they'd happily set all other jobs aside to build this little girl anything she wanted.

  "Daddy C?"

  Colby eyed her, amused. "Daddy C?"

  "Yeah, that way you know I want you, not Daddy J."

  "Smart." He lowered himself and held out his arms. She came running over and he scooped her up again. "And what can I do for you?"

  "Just this." She leaned her head on his shoulder and Colby melted. She reached out her little arm and motioned for Daddy J to get in on this too.

  "Who am I to resist this kind of action."

  Grace laughed and the three shared the first of many family hugs.

  Her head popped up a minute later though, and her small hands clapped together gleefully.

  "Yes, I do want to go shopping. I need so much stuff!"

  Jae and Colby choked out a few befuddled chuckles. Special did not do Grace justice.

  "Before we go shopping though, I’m hungry. Can we have pizza?"

  "Anything you want, Kiddo," said Colby.

  Gracie clambered out of their arms and back to the ground with a snort and a laugh. "You don’t call me Kiddo, you call me Gracie. Or, when you're mad, Gracie Jane Mochrie."

  "Um… good to know?" Colby eyed Jae. This was going to take some getting used to.

  Grace stopped and sighed just as she reached the backdoor. She spun and looked at her dads. "I’m going to have a bad dream tonight. But it’s okay. You make it better."

  "And we always will, Grace. Gracie." Jae corrected. He spoke on behalf of his other half as well, because Colby couldn't. Sometimes, this life had so much love in it, it was overwhelming. And they’d make sure, no matter what, that Gracie never knew anything else.

  "So, to celebrate, we're having a little—um—maybe rather big—party tonight," Catrina told the new dads.

  "Um, good." Surprisingly, it was Colby who said it. He loathed social gatherings. "I have a feeling Jae and I are going to need a lot of advice. Starting with… I don't even know what. Everything…"

  They all laughed. A lot. And shed a few stray tears of joy.

  A minute later the thrilled grandparents took off until that night, to let the new parents get settled. Mireya tagged along to help with last minute party arrangements.

  The rest took a moment to let it all sink in. All they'd gone through. Together. And now they had a chance at a real life. Together…

  They caught the clip clop of horses and noticed another carriage pulling up. Ivan jumped down and joined them around the back of the house.

  "Maria insisted that I come over straight away to congratulate the new fathers. Both as head of the Magical Administration, and… as your family."

  It had taken time for Colby and Ivan to warm up to each other, but they'd become like brothers over the years.

  "Thanks," Colby said. They passed an understanding smile. Ivan could tell Meghan and Sebastien had already shared the good news of their father's demise.

  "So, Meghan, what are you going to do now?" Colin asked.

  "I'm not jobless. I still have my work as Seer for the MA."

  "It doesn't keep you that busy though," Sebastien added. "Searching for your dad and Grace soaked up a lot of our time."

  "And you found me!" Grace grinned out.

  "Just what will you do with all that free time?" Colin taunted with a wink at his sister. Meghan stuck out her tongue letting herself feel like the giddy teen her heart, for a moment, wanted to be.

  Colby sighed, the reality of his father's demise finally hitting him.

  "It's um—more of a relief than I thought it would be. That it's really over now. That he's gone. For good."

  "Which means we can all finally move on." Jae squeezed his husband's waist. Because even though they had in so many ways, it was not complete. Not until now.

  "And this is indeed a reason for celebration," Ivan declared.

  "Because he always had a hold on us, in some way or another," Colin remembered. "Even after we beat him all those years ago, he still had a hold over us."

  "The fear…" Colby let out with an audible sigh. "That he'd come back."

  "That he might try again. He might drag us back into his schemes." Meghan shuddered at the idea. Because their father had thought of it, up until the very moment of his death. He had found Grace, and was still determined to try.

  Just thinking of that little girl spending any amount of time with that man, even in an aged, weakened, state…

  Meghan reached up and grasped Colby's shoulder. "I know you never wanted it, but you’re going to be the best dad ever."

  "After all, Gracie says so," Catrina reminded, giving the girl a loving pat on the arm.

  After a clipped chuckle that spread into a grin, Colby turned serious.

  "No one will ever use my daughter for her gifts. Ever." The possessiveness already in place didn’t surprise them at all. Gracie so instantly brought that out in them.

  "That's true, Daddy." Gracie spoke with such sweet certainty. "Daddy J, too. Both of you are the best dads ever. Except for when I start dating—" choke, cough, choke, cough, choke, cough…

  "Um—how about we slow down—just a little," suggested Jae, sucking in some air with the hope it brought with it some much needed clarity.

  Meghan cleared her own throat. "Let's give the new dads a little space." They made to pack into the carriages at the end of the driveway. "We'll see you guys tonight."

&
nbsp; "I'm going to be the one in gold!" Gracie told them with a giant grin.

  "You know, on second thought," started Colby, "we might need mom help for this. I can't pick out a nice party dress to save my life." Jae smirked, because neither could he.

  "You don't need to," Gracie informed them. "I already know where you buy it. And we can get pizza on the way."

  After another round of laughs and goodbyes, a nervous sort of excitement charged the air. The future was waiting for them. Unknown, except perhaps by Gracie. But wide open and full of possibilities. Colin and Catrina waved from one side of the carriage. Sebastien and Meghan, the other.

  The new dads and Gracie waved and smiled back, the little girl's eyes growing distant. She cocked her head to the side in thoughtful contemplation.

  "What is it, Gracie?" Jae asked her.

  "A memory. From a future that didn't happen. Even though it did."

  "How is that?" Colby didn't understand what she meant.

  "It happened in this timeline, and in another of my own. But that future changed, for me."

  "But you still remember it?"

  "Perfectly."

  Colby and Jae were a bewildered mess trying to wrap their minds around this little girl and her unique gift.

  "What is the memory?" Jae urged her to share.

  "I was talking to Jasper Thorndike. He looked like Meghan at the time, he was in disguise. But I knew."

  "Of course you did." Jae couldn't help but laugh.

  "And what did you talk about?" Colby asked her.

  Gracie let her head rest on her father's shoulder and reached out for her other father's hand.

  "I told him, before we can be brave, we must learn what it is to be afraid. Before we can appreciate unconditional love and unwavering loyalty, we must first understand what it is to be hated, exploited, and cast aside."

  Both grown men's hearts corkscrewed, their blood both chilling and boiling at the same time, at the meaning of what she was saying. And it made them want to hold onto each other, and their new daughter, even tighter.