“She’s right!” My mom cried. “We need to bring Ben back.”
Everyone looked at one another and nodded their heads. No one disagreed with the idea.
I felt determined so I spoke up once more, “Just remember everyone, he’s not just my son, but your king. We can’t let Desmorela take control of Sidhe again. My son will be a good fair king. Desmorelda treated everyone here like pets. We need to save my son, your king! We’ll put it to a council vote,” I cried. “ If we favor bringing Ben back, I think we should do the magic tonight.”
Everyone looked around at one another and nodded their heads.
Damon spoke up. I could see by the look across his face, he hoped someone would oppose, “All in favor of bringing Ben back, raise your hand.”
I looked around the room. Every single person had their hand in the air except Damon. I looked at Damon feeling agitated and gave him a disappointing look. He looked at me as guilt washed across his face while he slowly lifted his hand in the air. I understood why Damon didn’t want Ben to come back to life, but his resurrection could be the only answer to saving our son.
“It’s agreed,” Damon said as disappointment echoed in his tone, “We’ll resurrect Ben tonight.”
“What about Roger?” Emerlee asked, “We need him for the magic. You said he’s in bad shape.”
I thought for a moment, “I’ll check on him and see if he could do the magic. I’d never ask...but it’s…it’s my son.”
My heart thumped hard against my chest knowing that I could see Ben once more after eight years.
“Let’s meet in the grand hall in three hours,” I said. Then I looked around the room, “We need to warn the other supernaturals of Sidhe what’s going on.” I assigned each individual a hall, so the situation could be quickly alerted to the entire realm. I decided to visit the infirmary and asked Delia and Nathen to join Damon and me.
Before heading out, I looked at Vic, “I want two guards posted in every hall and the infirmary. Send another guard to my suite as well.” Then I looked over the room, “Once your assigned hall is warned, get some rest. I want no one alone. Travel in groups of four or with a vampire guard at all times! I have a feeling it’s going to be a rough couple of day.”
Everyone stood up to headed back to their rooms. Nathen and Delia followed Damon and I to the infirmary to warn them as to what was going on and ask Roger if he could perform the magic to bring back Ben. When we found Roger, he looked worn down, but he said after a few hours of rest, he would do his best to perform the spell. The healing fairy said she would wheel him to the main hall and standby in case she was needed.
Once the infirmary was informed, the four of us headed back to our suite to rest. The moment we returned, I immediately checked on Luke. He was sleeping peacefully in his crib, and Sydney was fast asleep on the couch. One vampire guard stood outside Luke’s nursery, while the other stood by the suite’s entryway.
As soon as I was sure Luke was safe, I headed to my bedroom to lie down. Damon was already in bed with his eyes shut. We were all exhausted. As soon as I lay down in bed, I cuddled up next to him and felt the warmth of his body next to mine. I pressed my face into his back and breathed into his skin. I felt Damon wiggle as he awoke from my touch. He rolled around and his blue eyes gazed into mine.
Damon stared at me for a few moments until he finally said, “Our marriage is over...isn’t it?”
“Damon what are you talking about?”
Tears instantly began streaming down his eyes. “It’s over, it’s all over.”
“Damon, where is this coming from?”
“We’re bringing Ben back. You have been screaming his name in your sleep for eight years and pushing me away since the day we married.” He wiped a tear from his eye, “If we even find Benny...he’s not really my son.”
I felt tears fall from my eyes as Damon reminded me, we may never find our son. I tried to hold it together as I said, “Damon, I love you! I married you, and we have two children together. Whether or not Benny is your blood, you are still his father. You raised him. Sure, you will have to share him with his biological father, but I will never take him away from you. Damon, we will find him! We have to find him.” The tears began to stream from my eyes.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Damon wiped the tears from my eyes.
I leaned in and kissed Damon passionately. I felt so twisted about bringing Ben back. So many feelings were running through my nerves, while I was terrified of my son’s disappearance. I missed Ben for so long, yet I loved my husband dearly. I didn’t know what would happen when Ben returned.
As I kissed Damon, I could feel his love for me as he pressed his lips against mine. He pulled my body towards his until I could feel every inch of his skin. I could tell he was becoming aroused as he kissed me harder. Finally I felt him pull off my clothes as he continued to kiss my lips. When I was completely undressed, Damon quickly pulled off his clothes and pressed himself into me. We quickly made love to ease our sorrows, and when we were finished he held me tight in his arms.
“I love you Miranda,” he whispered in my ear.
“I love you too,” I said.
I was so exhausted; I quickly fell asleep. It felt like I was asleep for only minutes when I heard a knock on the door. My heart raced as I quickly jumped from the bed. I opened the door to mother.
“It’s been almost three hours. We need to head to the grand hall.”
I nodded my head and thanked her waking me up as I saw Damon rustling around in bed.
“We’ll be out in a moment,” I said.
Damon and I said very little as we quickly changed clothes. Just before I opened our bedroom door I said, “I’m sorry we have to do this Damon. It’s for our son. If there was any other—”
“I understand,” he said softly.
Our family headed to the main hall. Sydney stayed with Luke as well as two vampire guards. My father stayed in the suite as well to ensure no one took his other grandson. We weren’t taking any chances with Desmorelda. As we headed to the grand hall, my heart raced, and I trembled in nervousness in anticipation of seeing Ben after eight years. Although so many thoughts were racing through my mind, my priority was finding my son.
A giant group was already gathered in the grand hall, the entire council, the member’s from Pine Lake, a group of vampire guards and several fairies that Emerlee recruited for help. As we had resurrected my mother several years ago, we were fairly prepared to do the magic once more.
Emerlee looked at me and said, “We need blood.”
My heart stopped; I had forgotten that blood was required in order to complete the spell. I didn’t have any blood to find Ben. The only descendent of Ben was my son, and he was missing. “I don’t have any blood,” I said quietly.
Emerlee thought for a moment. “What about hair or a toothbrush? It may not work as well, but it might work.”
“Damon, can you go get Benny’s toothbrush?” I asked.
Damon nodded his head and ran off.
“Let’s get started,” Emerlee said quietly as she began setting candles out.
By the time Damon returned, the hall was dimly lit by the eerie glow of candles, and Roger was the only missing piece of the magic. Suddenly the hall portal opened, and the healing fairy wheeled Roger out, followed by two guards. Roger looked better, but I was nervous he would be unable to perform the spell.
The fairies grouped together as the warriors and vampires stood by. The large group of fairies performed the resurrection magic, just as they had for my mother. As the souls from the veil tried to pass through to earth, the fairies used their magic to hold them back. My nose began bleeding fast as the pressure from the souls was heavy.
Roger was sitting in the middle of the circle performing the spell from his wheelchair. His face gave proof that he was struggling, and his energy was running dry. His lips quivered and he grunted as he softly chanted the spell. Blood was streaming from his nose as he continued on, and s
uddenly he began choking up blood. He kept going, but he was struggling to hang on.
I was in a panic that Roger wouldn’t be able to complete the magic so I quickly looked around the room before I ran to the circle and took Roger’s hand. The moment I took his hand into mine, I felt his powerful magic collide into my body, and I began to tremble from its power.
“Miranda! No!” Damon yelled.
“I have to do this with him!” I mumbled back, “Hold back the souls!”
Damon shook his head but continued using magic to keep the dead souls from passing through the veil. As Roger used every ounce of his energy to chant on, I held onto his hand, allowing him to suck my magic dry. As we carried on, my nose began to bleed, and I was choking on my blood.
Damon looked at me disapprovingly once more as he wanted me to stop, but to my surprise he ran towards Roger and grabbed his other hand. Damon and I stood holding Roger’s hands as he absorbed our magic and continued on with the draining spell. Finally the magic began to grow more powerful, and I felt as if I couldn’t breath. I began shaking as blood poured from my mouth, but I tried not to let go.
As the magic grew more powerful, the candles began to flicker. Suddenly the fire from their wicks diminished and the room went black. Roger chanted one last word and the three of us collapsed.
Chapter 6
I was only out for a moment when I began to hear a familiar voice calling my name, “Miranda! Miranda!”
When I opened my eyes, I was staring into a familiar set of sea blue eyes. I blinked for a moment, trying to decide if I was stuck in a dream but the eyes did not move away. I felt dizzy and confused as the familiar face pulled me off the ground and sat me up. As I looked around the room, I realized I was still in the grand hall. The smell of blood loomed the air as several injured fairies lay on the ground, bleeding from their mouth and nose.
I felt very confused as my vision was beginning to tunnel. Just before I lost conscious once more, I looked back into the beautiful sea blue eyes and said, “Ben?”
I was no longer in the grand hall when I opened my eyes once more. My vision was still blurred as I looked around and realized I was in the infirmary. As I continued to gaze around, I realized Ben was very much alive as he sat by my side.
“Ben,” I whimpered as I felt a smile grow across my face.
“Oh Miranda!” Ben cried as he jumped from his chair and pressed his lips against mine.
I allowed him to kiss me for a moment as my lips pressed against his until suddenly I remembered I wasn’t in a dream. I turned my head to quickly pull away.
Ben looked confused as he said, “Is everything okay? You don’t know how happy I am to see you. I’m human Miranda! I’m human, and I’m alive!”
I smiled as I was so thrilled to see him, but suddenly it felt as if I swallowed a rock, “Ben, I’m married.”
Ben’s smile quickly turned upside down, and he didn’t know what to say. He stood there quietly for a moment as if he was contemplating what to say. Instead of responding he changed the subject, “I have been trying to contact for you for so long. You must have finally got my message,” he looked down at the floor, “it’s too late Miranda.”
I felt hot tears in my eyes and I said, “Ben, is our son dead? Tell me everything you know.”
Ben shook his head as tears began to form in his eyes. He began his story, “After being on the other side for several years, one day I found the Queen. She didn’t realize I found her, so I watched her...keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn’t stir up trouble. I’m sure you know by now, there is magic...even on the death side of the veil.”
Ben paused for a moment and looked around the room. He looked at me again and said, “As I kept an eye on her, I realized the Queen had some friends on the other side, and one day I overheard them talking about sending the Queen back to life. The Queen and her friends planned it for months...several months. She is so powerful, with the help of a few fairy friends, she knew it could be done.”
I threw my hand over my mouth, but I was not surprised by the Queen’s actions. Ben continued, “The moment, the Queen spoke of returning to earth, I knew I needed to find help. I knew she come straight for you or Benny. When I wasn’t spying on the Queen, I spent every moment searching for help. Finally one day I found Maria.” He smiled, “I was so happy to see her! She had two fairy friends with her, Venus and Victor.”
I smiled, “I know of them! They are Damon’s family.”
“Yes!” Ben said, “They knew your mother and father. They were so excited to hear about you Miranda.” Ben laughed, “Victor said he cared for your mother, and they were even a thing for a short time.”
“I had no idea,” I said. “But Damon’s brother was named after Victor...I do know that.”
“Anyway,” Ben continued taking about Desmorelda, “I told the three of them everything about Desmorelda. I let them know if she returned to life, everyone would be in danger.” Ben rubbed his finger across his lips and frowned, “While we were coming up with a plan, I overhead Desmorelda talking about Benny. She said the only way to get her power back was to take our son. She knew all about him, and if Benny took the throne, she would never be Queen again.”
“That’s when you sent me the dreams?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said, “I wanted to return to you and warn you, but Victor and Venus said their power was not strong enough. We thought for a while, and when I told them about Roger, they told me I could use their magic to send messages through Roger to your dreams. It was our best shot. It was something, but I knew you wouldn’t be able to respond.”
I nodded my head and began to speak, “Roger and I realized there was something odd going on with our dreams, and we spoke to Emerlee about it. She explained to us about how you could be projecting messages to me. She was right.”
Ben nodded and continued, “I kept sending messages, and I had no plan to stop. I had to be sure our son was safe.” Ben looked upset, “Two nights ago, when I was spying, I watched Desmorelda and her friends begin the magic to return her to life. Victor, Venus and I sent as much magic as we could to you. I knew it would scare you...maybe even injure you. I’m sorry, Miranda. I didn’t know what else to do. I had to get you to keep our son safe.”
“I understand completely,” I said. Then I frowned, “Now what? Where is the Queen? Why did she attack Roger and why did she take Taylor?”
“I don’t know Miranda. I don’t know why she would take Taylor. Maybe she attacked Roger out of anger.”
“Why didn’t she hurt me? Why did she leave my other son alone?”
“You have another child?” Ben asked.
I realized I hadn’t told Ben about my other child. I nodded my head, then I smiled and said, “His name is Luke, he’s four months old.”
Ben smiled, but I could see it hurt him that I was married and had another child, “Congratulations Miranda. It was eight years...honestly I’m happy you found someone else. I’m glad someone else was there for my son after I died.”
“It’s Damon,” I said reluctantly. “I married Damon last year.”
Ben nodded his head and smiled, but I could see the hurt across his face.
I went back to the conversation about Desmorelda, “Do you know where the she is?” I asked again.
“I heard her talk about a place in the mountains. Apparently it’s her secret hiding place.”
“Do you think she took our son there?” I asked.
Ben nodded his head. “I think so. She never spoke of killing him…just taking him away.”
I began climbing out of bed and said, “We need to go find him.”
“Miranda,” Ben said, “You need to rest. You were sucked dry when you helped Roger bring me back. I’m surprised you didn’t die.”
“Ben we can’t wait! I need my baby back.”
“Okay. We will talk with Emerlee,” Ben said. “She knows Sidhe better than anyone. We can plan a rescue mission.”
“I want to go today!”
I said.
“Let’s talk with the others. We’re going to need help...a lot of help.”
I nodded my head, and suddenly I realized I was mentally and physically exhausted. Ben was right; I needed to rest.
Suddenly I saw a tear fall from Ben’s eye as he said, “I want to kiss you so much Miranda. You were all I thought about.” He wiped his tear away and said, “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
I felt tears in my eyes as so many emotions were racing through my mind.
“Damon’s lying down. He’s in bad shape too. I’ll tell him you’re awake...then I’ll get Emerlee, and we can figure out our next step.”
“Thank you Ben,” I said. “Are you doing okay?” I realized I hadn’t asked Ben how he was.
“Just tired and a little dizzy.”
“I’m sorry I lost our son,” I said quietly.
Ben shook his head. “None of this is your fault,” he said as he walked away.
I lay in bed for quite some time, before Ben returned. Emerlee, Brandon, Nathen and Vic were following behind. Emerlee looked worn down from the recent magic.
As I wondered where the others were, Ben answered the question written across my face, “The warriors are helping guard, and the others are in bad shape from the magic,”
I nodded my head, “Is Damon doing okay?”
“He’s all right, just resting,” Nathen said.
“My mom...Allison, Delia?” I asked.
“They’re the same. Just need some rest,” Brandon said.
As the small group gathered around, Ben told everyone exactly what he had told me. As soon as Ben had finished his story, the group looked towards Emerlee for answers.
“Well...I do know of a place in the mountains. The Queen has a secret cabin in a cave. I have heard of it, but I have never been,” she said.
“How will we find it?” I asked.
Everyone looked at one another.
The Portal to Sidhe: Book 2 Page 6
