“You’ll have to move fast,” they said. “I’m not programming the leg cuffs because that requires more precision, and most of the people who’ve sat in this chair were willing participants. But you should be able to get the chain around his waist before he goes berserk.”
“Most of? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.” Kipa eyed the contraption. “Where did you get this?”
“I have a friend who makes furniture, mostly for dungeons—and I’m not talking about the dank ones, but the ones that are oh so fun. He made it for me.” Vixen winked. “Want his number?”
Kipa quickly declined. “No, we’ll pass.”
Vixen laughed, glancing at me. “What about you? You think you could use his number?”
Snickering, I said, “What Kipa said. Our bed play is wild enough. I’m dating the Lord of the Wolves, remember.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
“Lenny,” Vixen said, sobering instantly.
“Well, then…it’s go time. Let Kipa and me hide so he doesn’t see us.” As we left the room and hid in Vixen’s office, which was right next to the parlor, Vixen motioned to the butler and instructed him to escort Lenny in.
“Ready?” Kipa asked as we stood near the door to the office, cracking it so we could hear when Vixen called for us.
“I hope so. Once we take care of this…I guess that’s the last I’ll see of Vixen for a year. Or maybe two.” I paused, then added, “I’ll tell you one thing, the Banra-Sheagh has made an anti-monarchist out of me. I’m angry, Kipa. So angry I wish I could—”
“Don’t say it,” he quickly said. “You don’t know who’s listening.”
I started to answer but stopped as the sound of Lenny talking to the butler echoed from the foyer. Lenny was bitching about not having the time to coddle Vixen and the butler was remaining politely silent. Kipa and I waited, straining to hear what was going on. There was muted conversation from the parlor and then, a moment later we heard Lenny shout.
“Hurry! Got him!” Vixen screamed.
We rushed back to the parlor, Kipa first, silver chain out and ready. We entered the room to see Lenny struggling against the cuffs holding his arms to the chair.
“You fucking freakshow bitch!” he was screaming at Vixen. “Let me go!”
As we came in the room, he glanced at me and shouted again. “Get away from me, you witch!” But when Kipa approached him, silver chain in hand, he gritted his teeth and his eyes grew narrow. “No—don’t you dare!”
“Shut up or we’re going to have to do this the hard way,” Kipa growled under his breath.
I said nothing, watching as Kipa bound the chain around Lenny’s arms, cinching him tight against the back of the chair. I felt oddly detached as I began to prepare the spell. I began to spin the webs of energy in my head, focusing on building the structure of the spell. It was like a puzzle, moving a thread of fire this way, a thread of earth energy that way, weaving it like I might weave a lattice.
Kipa fastened the chain so Lenny couldn’t get away and turned to me. “I’m ready to go out and—”
At that moment, something coiled around my neck and I couldn’t breathe. The aztrophyllia had jumped from Lenny to me. Struggling for air, I clawed at my throat but the creature had a firm hold and was squeezing hard, and I couldn’t see it to attack it. It had a tighter hold on me than the first time, and I was quickly running out of air, without Raj there to help me.
Before Kipa could react, Vixen was at my side and they morphed into a massive snake, almost ten feet long and a beautiful golden brown. Vixen reared, mouth open to show long fangs. Petrified, I watched the snake weaving back and forth, using their tail for balance with their head at eye level with me. And then, even as the room started to blank out and my mind grew hazy, Vixen struck.
I wanted to dart away, to fall back, but the aztrophyllia held tight, not letting me move. I braced myself for impact, but the fangs never touched my skin. Instead, through my fading eyesight, I could tell that Vixen had hold of the creature with their fangs, trying to drag the aztrophyllia off of me. There was a sudden flash, and then I could see what Raj had described—the bat-like creature. Its tail was wrapped around my neck, but Vixen had stuck their fangs into the body and was tugging hard.
Kipa shouted, leaping over the chair to land beside Vixen and me. He brought out a silver dagger and, doing his best to avoid Vixen, plunged the blade into the body of the aztrophyllia.
I could barely keep my eyes open. My lungs were burning and my head was pounding like it was going to explode. Wondering if this was it, I started to fall. The next moment, everything went black.
Chapter Twenty
I found myself standing in the middle of a crossroads under a wheeling sky of stars, and in front of me stood Arawn, Lord of Death. Everywhere, billowing mist tumbled along. I couldn’t tell whether I was in a field because the ground was covered with the rolling fog, and overhead was black as night, black as pitch, studded with stars.
I turned back to Arawn. The massive god was cloaked in shadow, and he wore an indigo-colored cape with a hood that covered his face. All I could see were diamonds where his eyes should be. His arms were visible through the slits on the cape, but he was wearing silver gauntlets ornately embellished with Celtic knotwork. He held a tall scythe, silver blade attached to a jet black handle that must have been ten feet tall. Arawn himself had to be over eight feet, and he rose above me, staring down imperiously.
“And so…we come to a point of fate in the timeline of your life,” he said. His words echoed out over the fog, then were immediately sucked into the mist and vanished.
I stopped. “Am I dead?” I didn’t feel dead, and I worked with ghosts so much I should be able to tell. But then, I had never been dead—at least not in this lifetime.
“No, Raven, you are not. But you stand on a turning point in your life. You stand at the crux. If you choose to live, your life will never be what it was. It will never be the same. That timeline has been wiped out by the past few days and the past few decisions you’ve made.”
I thought back, nodding. “What about Väinämöinen? I was supposed to study with him for a year.” I felt myself suddenly frantic, and realized how much I wanted the opportunity. I hadn’t realized it meant so much to me until now. It had still seemed so fresh and frightening that I hadn’t realized it was also the fulfillment of a dream for me—the chance to train under one of the great sorcerers of history.
“Do you have any clue where that path will lead you?” It wasn’t a judgment, but a very real question. “You will be embarking on a journey that will lead you far into the magical realms and you might not ever return.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t have a clue what it means for the long run, but…I want it.”
“You have not used his spell yet. I could remove it and free you from your obligation. But even then, your life will never be the same.” The god of death waited. I felt like he would wait forever if it took me that long. Death knew no time, he knew no constraints, and in the end, he always won.
And now, Death was offering me a chance to change my life again. But even if I took him up on the offer, he was right. Nothing would ever be the same. Whether Typhon was driven back into stasis or took over the world, nothing would be the same. Because I wouldn’t be the same.
Less than a week ago, I had been happily tooling along, but now, so much had shifted. My father had fallen off the pedestal I put him on. He had feet of clay. My mother had become my champion. I had been evicted from a community that was my very blood. My friends had put themselves on the line for me and now had to turn their back on me. Kipa had paved the way for an opportunity that might come once in a lifetime. And Raj had saved my life, once again playing my knight in gray wrinkly leather armor.
Arawn was correct. I was at a crossroads. Nothing would be the same, regardless of which direction I chose.
“I choose to go forward, to keep my vow and train under Väin�
�möinen,” I said. “It’s the right path for me. The one that makes sense. If you let me live, that is my choice.” I felt something settle inside. I had made my decision.
“You may live, yes. Your time isn’t done yet, though I could change that if you had chosen to walk with me into the mist. But you will return, and you will go to Kalevala and train with the bard, and by doing so, you unfold a new destiny and a new future. This is your will?” He sounded almost proud, I thought.
I agreed, sure this was what I wanted to do, even though I had no clue what I was getting into. “It’s my will.”
“Then return to your body, Raven, and don’t forget—just because you have a new beginning, that doesn’t mean that you are free from Cerridwen and me. We will always be your heart and soul, and you will always bend your knee to us.”
Before I could answer, the mist swirled up, engulfing me to where I couldn’t see anything. And then, another blink later, I opened my eyes. I was on Vixen’s sofa, and Kipa was holding my hand as I slowly moved, trying to sit up.
* * *
“Where am I?” I felt groggy as I sat up with Kipa’s help. My voice was almost nonexistent, and my throat felt so raw that I swore I tasted blood. “What…” I looked around. Lenny was sitting on one of the ottomans, staring at me, but the fire in his eyes was gone and he looked melancholy and lost.
Vixen was standing behind the sofa, watching over me. “Raven, love, are you all right?”
I was trying to organize my thoughts. I remembered the entire discussion with Arawn, but I had no clue what had happened here. But then, my gaze fell on a very bloody creature on the floor. The aztrophyllia.
“You managed to kill it?” I squeaked, pointing toward it.
Vixen nodded. “Yes, actually. Apparently it couldn’t handle being stabbed by silver and impaled by venomous fangs. It actually died.”
“I didn’t think we’d be able to kill it—” I paused, my throat hurting so much that I couldn’t talk anymore. At that moment, a maid entered the room, carrying a warm cup of fragrant tea. Vixen added a splash of brandy and handed it to me.
“Drink. It’s not hot enough to burn your throat, and it’s got honey and lemon. It’s warm hibiscus tea, and the honey is wildflower honey.” They lifted the cup into my hands and I clutched at it, feeling dizzy and lightheaded and sore and all sorts of things swept up into one big knot.
I sipped the tea, thinking about Vixen. I’d never seen them in their snake form till now, and the sight had daunted me. I realized that Vixen was far more powerful than I had thought. And then, Arawn’s conversation with me kept running through my head. I had set into motion a new destiny for myself. I didn’t flatter myself by thinking I had created the entire situation just for me to move forward. But whatever the case, the future was now different.
As we sat there, Kipa and Vixen talking, and Lenny offering a few words into the conversation, my mind wandered. This would be the last time for a while that I’d be talking to Vixen directly. I also knew that my time here was limited. I had no clue what would happen after my training with Väinämöinen, but I knew that it was where my future rested, and so I tried to extend the conversation, talking as best as I could, so that when we went home, I wouldn’t feel like I had left things unsaid to Vixen. After all, it wasn’t every day that I had to bid farewell to a good friend.
* * *
Two Weeks Later…
The house was decked out in brilliant lights, the tree even brighter because I had bought more ornaments. The food overflowed the table, and I was nervously waiting for our guests. I had stuck to inviting Ember and the Wild Hunt gang, because I didn’t want to put any of my Ante-Fae friends in danger. The Banra-Sheagh had been thorough, working her way through all of my acquaintances, and I had a feeling that Dougal was helping her. And speaking of Dougal, my father was also due in and I wasn’t sure at all how that was going to go.
I paced back and forth until Raj tugged on my skirt.
“Raven seems nervous. Is Raven okay?”
I glanced down at him and knelt beside him to give him a hug. “Raven’s fine. Raven just has to tell her friends something that is both sad and exciting. In fact, Raven needs to tell Raj something—”
“Raven is going to have a baby?” Raj burst out with a grin.
Taken aback, I sputtered. “No, Raven is not going to have a baby. Whatever gave Raj that idea?”
“Raj saw a show last night where Timbert’s girlfriend told Timbert that she was going to have a baby and she was sad and excited.” Raj blinked, and once again, all I could think of was a big, gray, leathery Scooby Doo.
“Well…no. No baby. Raj, come sit with Raven.” I led him to the sofa and sat down. He climbed up beside me and sprawled back on the sofa. Gargoyles looked remarkably like big dogs, and that included their genitals. Though I’d never seen Raj excited, for which I was grateful. But then, he sat up, his eyes solemn.
“What does Raven want to tell Raj? Will it make Raj sad?” He leaned forward, looking nervous.
“Next month, Raven, Raj, and Kipa are going on a long vacation to a different world. Have you heard of Kalevala?”
“Kipa has spoken of it,” Raj said. “Raj knows the name is the name of Kipa’s homeland.”
“Raj is correct. Raven and Raj and Kipa will be in Kalevala for at least a year. Raven will be training with a powerful wizard, and so we’ll all be living there. I’m afraid Raj will have to get used to living without a TV for a year. But there will be a lot of fun things to see and do.”
At the words “No TV,” Raj’s shoulders slumped and he let out a whine. His expression twisted, as though he wasn’t sure what to think.
“No TV? Whatever will Raj do?”
“Raj can play outside, look through comic books, and make friends, maybe?” It occurred to me we’d better take a lot of creative supplies with us. “Raj can paint and do jigsaw puzzles and lots of other things. Raven and Kipa will figure it all out so Raj shouldn’t worry.” Maybe it would do Raj good to be away from the TV for a while. I had created a couch potato, when he should have been out exploring things and having fun.
“Raj will miss TV. Raj has lots of friends on TV.”
I paused, suddenly realizing that Raj had been lonely. Even though I loved him dearly, and he loved me, I wasn’t a constant companion. Maybe there was some way to remedy that. “The ferrets will come with Raven too. The whole family is moving. It will be a big adventure. But Raven’s not selling this house. When the vacation is done, we’ll probably come back here.” Even as I said it, I wasn’t sure. Maybe I’d love it over there. Maybe the Dragonni would take over this world. Maybe the universe would implode.
Raj mustered a smile. “Raj will have fun. Raj likes seeing new places.”
I hugged him, even though I knew he was putting on a brave face for me. “Wait and see. Raven thinks Raj is going to love it there far more than he thinks he will.” And I prayed that was true.
* * *
Everybody showed up on time—Ember and Herne, Viktor and Sheila, Angel, Yutani, and Talia. They gathered around the tree as the fire crackled cheerfully in the hearth. The food was good, the ambiance warm, and I basked in the glow of having my friends around me. I decided to wait for an hour or so before telling them Kipa and I were leaving.
The doorbell rang and I went to answer it. There, on the doorstep, covered with fresh-fallen snow, was my father. I stared at him for a moment, wondering what to say. What could I say after the past couple weeks? How could I confront him without sounding like I wanted to slap him silly? And yet, I did want him to know what he put me through. I wanted an apology, I wanted an explanation, but I knew full well that even if he had the most sincere of excuses, I still couldn’t trust him the way I used to.
Curikan hung his head under my scrutiny. “Raven, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say except I didn’t mean to… Oh hell, there’s no good way to excuse my actions. I’m so sorry. I hope you can one day forgive me.”
&nb
sp; I wanted to reach out, to hug him, but I couldn’t. Not yet. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “At least you’re not trying to justify what you did. Dougal would never have used me that way and got me kicked out of the Ante-Fae community if you hadn’t given him the idea it might work. He never thought two licks about me before.”
“I know,” Curikan said. “I know. May I come in?”
I stood back so that he could enter. “I want you to know something before we go in the living room where everybody else is. I’m going to try to forgive you, but it will take time. I want to trust you again. I love you, but I feel so betrayed. And even though I realize you thought maybe I’d come over to live—”
“No, don’t try to rationalize why I did what I did. My father always makes me feel like dirt, and the time I spent with him over in Scotland brought up all those painful childhood memories. He’s never going to love me. He’s never going to be proud of me and nothing I do will ever be good enough. And that, I have to learn to live with.”
Even as he spoke, I could feel the centuries of disappointment weighing on his shoulders. And it made me realize that no matter what, until this mess, my father had always shored me up and made me feel special. He had never made me feel like he was disappointed in me. And a voice inside me whispered, “He’s allowed to make a mistake. He’s mortal, he’s not perfect, and he’s allowed one error in all the time he took care of you.”
He held up an envelope. “I have a check here for your mother. She paid me back for your house and I’m giving this back to her. I love you, Raven, and I will never forgive myself for hurting you.”
That broke the dam. I fell into his arms, sobbing. “I love you, Da. I was so hurt by what you did. You’ve always meant the world to me.”
He held me, patting my back. “We’ll sort this out, girl. We’ll sort this out.”
Witching Fire: A Wild Hunt Novel, Book 16 Page 19
