Unraveled Homecoming

by J. L. Shelton

  Garin took the time to nod at her before rushing to the bedroom. His heart leapt within his chest at the sight of Mattie lying there, looking exhausted and fragile. Though propped up into a comfortable position, her auburn hair was disheveled and her face pale as if she had been in a fight. But before he could get closer to the bed, Elita jumped up from where she had been sitting next to her patient. His growl didn’t faze the healer one bit when she placed an unyielding hand on his chest.

  “She’s fine. The baby’s fine,” she said firmly, those violet eyes reflecting her need for him to calm down. “That woman out there healed them before we even got here, for which I’m grateful. Without knowing what was wrong, every second counted.”

  Though relieved at the news, Garin still wanted to force his way past his sister to get to his wife! Elita shook her head at his step forward. “She needs her rest,” the healer hissed at him. “Though everything is okay now, the very fact it happened at all was stressful on them both. Go to her, but don’t stay for too long. The damn stubborn woman needs her sleep!”

  He knew she was right, but he didn’t think he could open his mouth without snarling at her. Instead, he opted to nod his understanding. She gave him one final glare before moving past him and then closing the door behind her.

  Not even waiting for the click indicating that it was shut, he hurried to climb into the bed next to Mattie. Her eyes slightly opened, and she gave him a wane smile. He leaned in, gently grabbing her hand while placing his forehead against the side of hers.

  Her voice softly quivered when she said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Hush,” he said, the tears of relief causing his own voice to sound like a croak. “It’s not your fault.”

  She frowned while he felt the anger at herself through their bond. “But it is,” she insisted. “Apparently my Soul Walking hurt our daughter because of my mother’s meddling with my powers. If I had taken care of fixing things sooner, if I had listened to Agnes the last time we were here, it wouldn’t have been an issue.”

  A stab of guilt hit him because she had used that ability to save his stupid ass. “We’ll take care of the problem now that we know it exists,” he reassured her as he stroked the side of her face. “I’m just glad you’re both okay.”

  “It’s a good thing we’re in Crosshawk, Garin,” she said as she turned her head and rubbed her nose lightly against his. “There’s plenty of family here to help us when shit goes sideways.”

  “Small blessing,” he softly agreed as he gave her a quick kiss.

  Mattie shifted her position and laid her head against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her and was rewarded by a sound of contentment from his mate. Though his thoughts were all a jumble, running the gambit from gratefulness to regret, he decided to just keep his mouth shut for now. His wife was safe in his arms and that was all that mattered.

  ***

  Garin waited until Mattie dozed off before reluctantly leaving her side. After taking a last look at her sleeping form, he quietly exited the room. He kept his back to everyone for a while, leaning his head against the closed door. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to Mattie’s deity, the only one he could think of at the moment. For once, he wondered if there really was some higher power keeping an eye on her.

  Speaking of being watched, he slowly faced the expectant stares aimed his way. He gave everyone a weak smile and said, “She’s finally asleep.”

  A collective sense of relief encompassed the room before everyone went back to what they were doing. Garin then slowly made his way to the strange woman in the kitchen. Her emerald eyes flickered at his approach before they disappeared when she turned and headed for the sink. He waited patiently as she washed her hands and asked his father-in-law to finish preparing the stew.

  “Thank you,” Garin said to her after she walked towards him while drying her hands with a towel along the way.

  She shook her head, her smile wry. “No need to thank me, lad. She’s my great-granddaughter, after all.”

  Garin couldn’t hide the surprise he felt at that statement, swiftly realizing that this was the Belladonna who had planted the sentient ivy about the house. The woman barely looked old enough to be someone’s grandmother! While he stared for a moment, some of Mattie’s features shone through the few wrinkles on the woman’s face. She was definitely related to his wife, but he couldn’t understand how this was even remotely possible.

  She chuckled at him, draping the towel over her shoulder. “I’ve got much to say to both you and the others that might help a bit with answering some questions, so either remain standing or find a seat.”

  Opting to stand, he moved back a step to give Belladonna room to get around him. She nodded her appreciation and walked towards the center of the large space, her bare yet pristine feet making no noise. Everyone’s eyes were on her now.

  “Since we’re all family here,” she said as she smiled at Elita who had joined Selina by the fireplace. “I’ll try to make this quick before the two outsiders come back.”

  Belladonna took a deep breath and crossed her arms. “Most of you are new to the ways of Crosshawk, though I’m sure all of you know by now that things tend to lean on the side of the unusual here. It will take a long time to earn the trust of the residents because strangers are seldom welcomed in these parts. Even if you see someone do something uncanny, don’t pester them for answers. It’s up to them whether or not you’re worthy to know the truth. We pride ourselves on having and keeping secrets, so learning not to blab will be an important lesson for you all.”

  Garin heartily agreed. Henriella Brewer had more than convinced him that not everyone here was who he or she appeared to be, and he had quickly decided that keeping the strange conversation with the woman to himself was the wisest course of action. He took a glance around to gauge everyone else’s reactions. The three youths were leaning in Belladonna’s direction, eager to hear what she had to say. Lord Gregory was paying more attention to the stew than the woman’s words, while Elita was only nodding at what she had heard so far.

  Belladonna waited the appropriate amount of time before continuing, “Since you’re part of my family now, here’s what I can tell you about myself in a nutshell. Yes, Mattie is my great-granddaughter. I’m not immortal, which is obviously apparent by the fact I can age. Still, I am much, much older than I look. I’m a damn powerful being with anger management issues, so my cottage is far from here on the western border of the duchy for everyone’s safety and sanities. I’m used to the people around here listening to me, so you can say my tolerance levels for dissent are low. Still, I’m fair most times and will safeguard those I consider family. And that includes every single one of you in this room.”

  The vehement protectiveness she had put in those last two statements made Garin believe her. Apparently, so did the others. The boys had grins on their faces. Selina and Elita both had tears in their eyes.

  Then the familial mood disappeared when Leto threw the front door open, a look of concern on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but it snapped shut when his eyes zeroed in on Belladonna. Her glare for him could only be kindly classified as cold rage. It didn’t take a genius to realize that the two knew each other, and not in a friendly fashion.

  While Garin was trying to decide whether or not to move even further away from the possible firestorm brewing, Leto broke the sudden silence with only one vehement hiss: “You!”

  Belladonna stomped a foot closer to the Draconian. “Of course it’s me!” she growled. “Did senility visit you in your old age to forget who the girl was related to?”

  Feeling like two giants were about to destroy the countryside, Garin glanced over at his father-in-law in hopes he could figure out what to do about this fiasco. The man was no help. He was just shaking his head in a dejected manner while he hung the pot of stew above an open flame.

  “I assume then that Mattie and the baby are fine,” said Leto, glancing Garin’s way.

  He nodded, but it
was Belladonna who angrily answered, “As if I wouldn’t have healed her!”

  “Just wanted to make sure,” the Draconian answered with a grumble.

  Belladonna threw the towel off her shoulder and onto the closest chair. “She’s resting, so we need to continue this conversation outside. Now!”

  To Garin’s surprise, Leto only glared before obeying the woman’s fierce demand. Belladonna quickly stormed out to meet him, slamming the front door shut behind them. It was only a second later before three youths were leaning against the back of the couch with their faces plastered against the picture window, not wanting to miss a second of the coming melee. Considering Garin was soon standing there behind them, he couldn’t blame the trio for the insane curiosity hanging in the air.

  Especially when the first thing that happened once the two had stopped a couple of yards from the house was Belladonna violently slapping Leto across his face!

  “I did warn him that he wasn’t welcomed in Crosshawk,” came Lord Gregory’s weary voice from the kitchen.

  Garin could only agree as he watched Belladonna shove Leto before he had a chance to recover from the slap. Her angry voice was barely muted by the stone walls as she began shouting about the Draconian meddling with powers he only understood in theory. The wizened male didn’t retaliate, but a shimmer in the air told Garin that the creature was at least shielding himself from any more physical strikes.

  A loud cough from the kitchen had them all turning around. Lord Gregory stood there looking at the group with a stern expression, and his voice was firm when he said, “They don’t need an audience.” Then he pointed at the youths and added, “Besides, you three will probably hear enough when you go out back and put all those weapons away. Never leave such things lying around.”

  Selina and Dougal groaned their disappointment at being dragged away from the show. Emory just shrugged and headed for the back door. He wasn’t outside for more than a second before the other two were at his heels.

  “I’m going to sit with Mattie for awhile,” said Elita angrily as she took a last glance outside after Leto’s rather colorful opinion of Belladonna’s attitude was clearly heard. “If those two wake her…”

  She left the unspoken threat hanging in the air before she made her way to the room. A momentary expression of relief was on her face before she closed the door behind her, telling Garin that Mattie was somehow sleeping through the commotion. He was grateful for that because Belladonna shrilly calling Leto a coward could have awakened the dead.

  “Might want to find something to occupy yourself with, lad,” said Lord Gregory as he stirred the simmering stew. “She can go on a tirade like that for a long while yet.”

  The sounds of the argument were starting to lessen, but only because Leto had tried to storm off. His escape wasn’t working because the woman stayed only a pace behind him, brandishing her arms wildly about as she continued screaming about how he was nothing but trouble. Garin couldn’t help the small smile when he realized that Mattie could honestly say she came by her fiery temper naturally.

  Garin finally turned and walked over to his father-in-law. “Those two don’t seem to like each other very much.”

  The man snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

  When no further information came, Garin inquired, “But how could she be old enough to have met him before now?”

  “She’s The Eldest,” replied his father-in-law as if that explained everything.

  Garin made a noise of frustration. He was getting sick and tired of cryptic responses. “That makes absolutely no sense,” he grumbled.

  The man raised an eyebrow at him, disappointment in the hazel eye underneath it. “I have a feeling your brother would have known exactly what I meant.”

  Why did he have to phrase that as if in challenge? It caused Garin to growl. He knew from past experience that this was the man’s way of telling him that if he couldn’t figure the answer out for himself, he was going to have to do without one. Not even the Devil could pull the information out of Lord Gregory now.

  Garin glared at the man. “How is it you can still make me feel like an idiot child after all these years?”

  “Helps that I’ve been an authority figure in your life since the day you were born,” the man said with a shrug before he used a spoon to taste the stew. His hand then reached out for the spices and grabbed what appeared to be basil. As he started to add a pinch or two to the food, he added more words to the air, “That, plus training you and telling you fantastical stories whenever I had visited your family’s estate.”

  Garin shook his head, though he knew he had been graced with a rare hint from his father-in-law. He began to absent-mindedly run his thumb against the ring on his right hand, tying to puzzle the mystery out. So in which one of the many tales was the answer? It had to be a story that had been told more than once if his brother would have recognized it.

  Shock suddenly hit him when he realized that he had always known one of Crosshawk’s greatest secrets—even though he had believed it to be nothing but a fairy tale at the time! “She’s one of the fifteen Potenti who had stayed behind!” his awe came out like a gasp. “The oldest and strongest one?”

  Lord Gregory nodded. “Glad to see you still have a brain in there.”

  By all that was Holy, the woman was just shy of being a thousand years old! And that meant there were at least fourteen more like her running around, the youngest one’s age being close to three hundred. Garin ran a hand down his face when the implications behind that information hit him. No wonder the residents were so fierce about protecting both their secrets and one another!

  “But why?” he mused aloud, trying to get a handle on the thoughts running through his head.

  “Why they stayed here when the others set sail over the sea, or why did I make sure you heard their stories?”

  Placing a fist under his chin, Garin glanced over at the man who had chuckled that question. Something about the way his father-in-law casually leaned against the nearby counter made him want to go over and punch the man. Was this how Mattie felt when she found out that her father had kept things from her too?

  Garin’s response came out as a growl, “When you put it that way, obviously the latter.”

  “Considering the first offspring from any elf’s union with another race could be classified as such, there’s a distinct possibility that you are one of the Potenti as well,” said Lord Gregory with unflinching certainty. “But with how scared Evangeline Von Bos was about magic, I was never allowed to fully test that theory.”

  Remembering not to wake Mattie at the last second, he somehow managed to keep his bellow to a soft roar. “That’s ridiculous! Iantha has had children with other humans long before I existed!”

  “But none of them were directly tied to the royal bloodlines like you are.”

  Garin was going to say that shouldn’t have mattered but stopped himself just in time. The members of the royal families weren’t fully human since they could shapeshift into two animal forms. The reason was due to the fact that there was already a drop of dragon’s blood in their line because High King Rupert’s young queen had been a Draconian princess. Sometimes, a little detail like that made all the difference in the world. If it didn’t, there wouldn’t have been a millennium-long fear forbidding a union between royalty and those with elven blood in the first place.

  “Even if you’re not technically of the Potenti,” said Lord Gregory with a combination of pride and concern. “You’ve always been a powerhouse. It’s long past time you accepted that about yourself.”

  When Garin started to shake his head in disagreement, his father-in-law came up and placed firm hands on his shoulders. There was nothing but conviction in those hazel eyes when Lord Gregory said, “No other child I know could’ve had enough innate magic to allow for an accidental blood bond like what occurred between you and Mattie. It’s an integral part of you, lad. Stop letting your foster mother’s fears feed the doubt I see in y
our eyes. It was the denial she had of her own powers which led her down a path of suffering; don’t follow her into the same self-made hell.”

  Lifelong fear and confusion gnawed at him. Not knowing how to respond, Garin merely nodded his head. He could tell at once that his father-in-law wasn’t fooled. “Just promise me you’ll at least keep what I said in mind.”

  Garin let out a shaky breath. “That I can promise.”

  Lord Gregory clapped him on the shoulder before once again checking on the stew. Garin then wandered over to the table, his mind ricocheting back and forth between the various arrows of truth. He ran a hand over his face, knowing he wouldn’t even be giving this ridiculous concept a modicum of thought except Asger Loganach had mentioned this possibility to him as well. And it had been Garin’s adamant refusal that he could be a Potenti that had led to the couple being forbidden from returning to the Stronghold anytime soon. A chill washed over his heart because he had to face the uncomfortable fact that, when it came to his magic, he was nothing but a coward. Was that why his darker half seemed to take over whenever he fully touched it?

  His self-examination was interrupted when Emory threw open the back door. The pile of papers in the young man’s arms weren’t a surprise, his brother always helped beyond what was asked of him. The only reason Garin’s curiosity rose was because there was nothing but excitement on Emory’s face as he carefully placed the treaty on the table.

  Garin then had to quickly slap a hand over his brother’s mouth when a joyful laugh burst out of it! The youth soon had two men both glaring at him and hissing at him to keep it down! While Lord Gregory’s angry fingers drummed the surface of the table, Emory mumbled his apology against his brother’s palm.

  “What’s wrong with you?” growled Garin after he released the loudmouth. “You could have woken Mattie up!”

  “I couldn’t help it!” said Emory, his nervous energy making him rock back and forth on his heels. “This news is too wonderfully unbelievable!”