Unraveled Homecoming

by J. L. Shelton

  He was no healer! How in the hell was he going to help save his brother from that?

  “This!” she snarled as she pointed to a spot on Renard’s lower back. “This is what’s keeping him in torment!”

  Garin leaned in closer. Almost hidden in the curve of the man’s back was a small mark. The shape was that of a scythe with two stars beneath it and one above. Like Mattie’s dragon brand, this one was also a whitened scar. That meant the strange marking had been there for some time, but Garin had no idea for how long.

  Confusion replaced indignation at last, “I’m still not sure how I can help with any of this.”

  “I had hoped to ease into this conversation someday,” grumbled Belladonna, obviously upset that her original plans had been thwarted. “But he won’t be able to wait much longer. I’m just going to have to give you a quick rundown on what a Blood Binder can do.” Then her tone become sharp when she added, “Or more importantly, what you can undo!”

  He took a step back, shaking his head. Though he had become more comfortable with some of his magic since that short time his powers had merged with Mattie’s, it didn’t mean that he had accepted all of his gifts. Quite a few of them still scared him shitless!

  “I can’t risk it,” he said firmly. “Look at what happened between Mattie and I.”

  “That was an accident,” said Belladonna, her tone now kind. “An accident between two young Blood Binders, both of whom also happened to be Paididorons. A strange mixing of events that produced one of the strongest bonds that this world hasn’t seen in many millennia.”

  Garin’s befuddlement came out clear. “What do you mean by both of us being Blessed Children?”

  “Mattie doesn’t realize this fact yet,” said Belladonna with a sad sigh. “Unless her mother told her before the final end. But it wasn’t until we saw what happened after she made a sisterly bond with Elita that her nature was confirmed. That poor elf is feeling a lot more through their connection than she should, driving her crazy.”

  While it helped explain some things, the story only increased Garin’s concern. “And you want me to potentially do that to my own brother?”

  “No, child,” said Belladonna gently. “You’re not bonding with him. You would be breaking the bond that’s literally punishing him to death.”

  ***

  Garin’s sleeves were rolled up before he carefully washed his hands in the sink as Belladonna had instructed. While he rinsed the bubbles away, he wished he could do the same about the turmoil in his mind. He wanted to see for himself that Mattie was all right. He wanted his brother to get back to his normal irritating self. He wanted so many things that weren’t in his control. But most of all, he did not want to do this!

  But Renard would eventually die if he refused.

  The woman had explained the basics of the operation, which was why she had demanded he remove all the grit and grime off his hands. She didn’t want him to develop an infection from the cut he was going to have to make. Drying his hands with a towel, he looked at all the scars he had accumulated over the years. Another shallow cut shouldn’t be bothering him this much!

  “Ready?” called Belladonna from the direction of the cot.

  No, thought Garin as he carefully hung the towel up on a hook. But what choice did he really have at this point? Refusing to do this would almost be like killing another brother. And that was a round of guilt that could push him too far over the edge.

  He didn’t trust his voice, so he let his approach be the answer. The healer nodded at him before she waved for him to come closer. Garin had a hard time suppressing a shiver. She had carefully placed a knife she said had been “sterilized”, whatever that meant, on a clean towel draped over his brother’s back. The instrument he was going to need to use.

  “Are you positive you know what we’re doing?” he couldn’t help but ask once again.

  Belladonna nodded. “There used to be a man named Felix who helped me in moments like these. I learned a great deal from him.”

  “And you trusted him to share everything with you?”

  “Well,” she said with a soft chuckle. “I did marry him.”

  “Henriella was right; I am such an unobservant idiot,” grumbled Garin after the shock of her statement quickly disappeared. Mattie had told him that the infamous Felix Westend had been her great-grandfather. He could only blame himself for not recognizing that Belladonna had taken the man’s last name.

  She smiled brightly. “Then I don’t have to tell you why they nearly killed him?”

  He shook his head. Felix had been the most powerful Blood Binder to have ever lived. Problem was, he hadn’t followed the accepted rituals nor had any formal ties to keep him out of trouble. Most of the kingdom believed the assassination attempt had been successful, which thankfully turned out to be false.

  “I was getting worried that the world had forgotten both him and his teachings,” she said with a wistful sigh.

  Garin shuddered, “No, but let’s just do this before I lose my nerve.”

  Belladonna nodded and handled the knife with a deftness that made Garin glad she wasn’t a fighter. Carefully, she made a diagonal cut through Renard’s strange mark. The man barely groaned; just made a tiny noise of discomfort. Belladonna then offered the blade to Garin. With a shaky breath, he took it and sliced across his own left hand. Trying to keep his own reactions at a minimum, he bit his lip when the blade cut deep enough to draw blood.

  Belladonna took the knife from him and placed it back on the towel. “Now put your hand over the mark, making sure your blood mingles with his.”

  It took Garin every ounce of willpower to push through the fear and obey. Then a noise of shock left his mouth when he instantly felt the strange bond strangling his brother. It was familial in nature somehow, but there was a dark and sinister undertone that sent a chill down his spine. The healer had been right; Renard was being severely punished! Garin couldn’t figure out for what, because the reason kept slipping away from him.

  Then a new worry emerged. Did Stephan bear a similar mark as well? Because Garin could feel his other brother lightly attached to Renard somehow. It seemed as if the two princes had been entwined together by an elusive third party, one who had no qualms about torturing either one of them.

  Belladonna had made a few suggestions in regards to the words he should say once he was ready, but none of them seemed right anymore. Not with the multiple complexities he was sensing. No, he had better follow Felix’s example and listen to what his gut was screaming at him instead!

  There wasn’t a shred of doubt in him when his voice came out quiet yet clear:

  To the brothers my heart holds dear,

  Both the one far and the one near.

  I feel your pain; I feel your hell.

  So I release you from this spell.

  The chain is broken and now gone

  For this bond is over and done.

  Arcane energy left him like a living maelstrom, a roaring force not to connect but to sever! He felt it flow not only into Renard, but also out to a destination far off and unknown. When lightheadedness descended on him, he wanted to stop and make his way to the couch. However, the spell had frozen him in place, demanding he remain exactly where he was until it completed!

  Then he groaned, because something was amiss. Whether he hadn’t said the words quite right or if the third party was fighting him, he didn’t know. The only thing certain was his desire for this new prickling sensation coursing through his body to end! Then from what seemed like the bottom of a well, he saw concern begin to etch itself deeply into Belladonna’s facial features. She was then swiftly up and out of his line of sight. Where was she going at a time like this?

  The answer came when the spell finished, depleting nearly everything out of him and causing his knees to buckle. He didn’t hit the floor because someone readily caught him and manhandled him onto the couch. Sitting down didn’t seem to help much. The room continued spinning while a very an
gry woman placed a cup of coffee in his trembling hand.

  “You are the most powerful fool I know,” she said with a growl as she reached out and grabbed his chin. Sharp eyes were inspecting his own, her brows tightly knit together in a constant furrow. “Two at once? In all respects, you should have just killed yourself doing that stunt!”

  Stephan. The extra pull of energy had sought out Stephan. Garin wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was certain of that conclusion.

  “I’m still breathing,” he managed to say at last.

  “You’re as bad as Mattie. Now, shut up and drink that,” she said testily while she got up to check on her royal patient.

  A faint smile appeared on his face as he took a sip or two of the hot beverage. A sense of wellbeing was filling him now that the deed was over. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was how Mattie felt after succeeding when she took a chance on doing something with her magic that others would consider impossible.

  An accomplishment confirmed when Belladonna announced, “Thank the One! Your brother’s fever has been broken!”

  Chapter 54

  Wake up, child. You’re safe now; wake up.

  Mattie didn’t really want to listen to that strange female voice, grumbling to herself about how her conscious seemed to have a mind of its own. And after what happened to Isabelle that last time she listened to its advice, she was nearly determined to tell it to go to hell! Unfortunately, her current situation indicated that she wasn’t going to fall back into slumber any time soon—because she wasn’t alone.

  “That healer didn’t really appreciate our help, Tem,” groused a deep, gravely voice that barely sounded female. “Despite the fact we gave her the antidote to that ancient poison.”

  “Could you blame her, Gan?” admonished another woman, her rich octave slightly higher and much smoother than the first one. “Our history tends to run on the violent side.”

  “And yet we manage to keep getting talked into safeguarding people,” grumbled the first. “This makes two at once for you, doesn’t it? No wonder I had to come along and help you with this one. Bah! All I know is that the three of them have been nothing but trouble from the start.”

  A quiet groan exited Mattie’s mouth when she tried to lift her head. Considering the last thing she remembered was crashing full speed into the ground, she wasn’t surprised it felt like a boulder had smashed into her skull. Opening her eyes only took her from a dark blindness to a white one. Power blasted Mattie from all sides, making her wish for the chance to pass out again!

  How in the hell did I end up in this damn cave!? And who in the hell are these two women with me!?

  “I think our charge is waking up,” said the coarse-sounding woman.

  Having shut her eyes up tight again, Mattie heard a soft shuffle of movement towards her direction. “Mathilda,” said the woman with the more pleasant voice. “The name I go by is Tem. I know you have absolutely no reason to trust me since we just met, but Elita gave us something to help you tolerate being in here until you can be moved. Would you be willing to drink it?”

  There was a dark harrumph. “I know you, and I wouldn’t have believed you if you had offered it to me that way.”

  A sigh of forbearance came from Tem. “The grumpy and distrustful one with me will only answer to Gan.”

  “Because we both know that any other nickname sounds ludicrous.”

  “Gan, behave for once.”

  The gravely woman snorted. “When pigs fly without magic.”

  Their bickering made Mattie want to scream, mainly because the noise was like being stung by a swarm of bees. The pounding in her head was just getting worse by the second being this close to the source of Crosshawk’s wild magic. Were they really trying to help? By Adonai, she hoped so!

  “Who was with Elita?” Mattie demanded, being desperate but not stupid.

  “Her brother, Crius,” answered Tem without any hesitation.

  “Good thing I was told why that delectable elf was resisting my charms,” added Gan with a sniff. “Otherwise I would’ve cursed him. Bah. The good-looking ones are always taken anyways.”

  “She’s a little sensitive about rejection,” Tem confided before she patted Mattie’s arm.

  Unfortunately, that bit of contact between them was all it took for Mattie’s sanity to take a leap off a cliff! “NO!” she screeched, trying to crawl away from the creature.

  This was pure fear in action! No thought other than putting space between her and the one calling herself Tem. No care that she had zero idea on where she was going or that her body was screaming in pain from her frantic movements. That small touch alone had become a confirmation that Leto’s worst fears about the ward failing were all too real. Tem hadn’t tried to do anything to her, but there was enough power within the ancient creature to consume the whole of Crosshawk on a mere whim!

  “Good job, Tem,” snarked Gan. “What a way to slowly win her trust. Hel will be so proud of you.”

  “Mattie! Are you all right?”

  Oh thank Adonai! A voice she recognized! “Elita?”

  A blessedly familiar hand landed on Mattie’s arm, nothing there but a refreshing hum of healing power. “Yes, yes—it’s me,” the elf said in a calming manner. “What happened?”

  “I forgot about your request not to touch her,” admitted the guilty party, actually sounding contrite.

  “You should learn how not to be a people person, like me,” snorted Gan.

  Mattie didn’t have to open her eyes to know Elita was pissed off. “Did it even cross your damn minds to come and get me the second she woke up!?”

  The only response Mattie heard was a pair of throats being uncomfortably cleared.

  After that resounding and obvious answer in the negative, Elita growled, “Wisdom does not always come with age, apparently. Now, get out!”

  Feet shuffled and mouths incoherently mumbled as the two strangers obeyed the angry elf. Then a whimper left Mattie’s lips when Elita’s hand fell away. With the comforting sensation gone, all she could do was bend her head low while hot tears slid down her cheeks. Mattie’s brain was trying to violently break its way out of her skull, making her want to find a nice corner in which to curl up and die!

  Thankfully, Elita returned before that happened. “Here,” she said as she placed a small container in Mattie’s hand. “This should ease your headache. Drink.”

  Her hands were too shaky to comply. In the end, Elita had to help her hold the cup so the cool, sharp liquid could rush into her mouth. The taste wasn’t unpleasant, but the potion did cause her entire mouth and throat to tingle. It didn’t work on the pain right away, but Elita kept a hand on Mattie’s arm until it did. The healer definitely knew when she was needed as a lifeline.

  It wasn’t until only a dull ache remained that Mattie dared to open her eyes. The blinding brilliance had been replaced with a soft glow, allowing her to see her friend clearly. Elita’s blond hair was a horrid mess, which was unusual for her. The relieved smile on her face, however, was normal.

  “For someone who created her own crater,” the elf said with a chuckle. “You’re doing better than I expected.”

  That comment brought a grin to Mattie’s face. “Bouncing back seems to be a gift of mine.”

  “Which reminds me,” Elita said as she placed a hand over Mattie’s stomach. “The baby’s fine, before you ask. She’s not even born yet, but she’s already as resilient as her mother.”

  Confirming that situation for herself, Mattie discovered that her daughter was sleeping soundly. Gratefulness quickly followed. The poor kid might not have had an easy ride, but Isabelle wasn’t letting such a thing interfere with her nap schedule. And every ounce of trouble she would give her mother in the future, Mattie would gladly endure.

  Elita leaned against the rocky wall and sighed. “You gave us quite a scare, Mattie. If it wasn’t for Tem and Gan, you both could have easily died.”

  “Is that why I’m in this place?” Mattie asked
, waving a hand at the strange cave, anything to distract herself from just how stupid she had been. She never should have moved closer to an enemy’s encampment!

  “Treating you out in the open was too risky,” Elita confirmed, her expression tightening as if she did not want to remember what had occurred. “As was trying to get you to the estate in time to save you. Attacked, poisoned, and wounded by a weapon that hasn’t been used since the Great War—you limited my options considerably.”

  Mattie’s attempt to stand up turned into a fiasco because all her muscles tried to rebel. Elita quickly made her way to the woman’s side when she saw the wobble. “You need a day of rest,” said the elf sternly.

  “Not here!” Mattie insisted after her hand had shot out to steady herself. The power locked within the wall made her skin crawl, dampening potion or no.

  “Crius has just left for the estate to fetch us a horse,” she said as she offered her friend a shoulder to lean on instead. Mattie gladly accepted her assistance. “He had wanted to wait until you were out of the woods first.”

  “And Garin?”

  Elita’s face fell. “Has me worried. He didn’t even show up to glower at me and order me to heal you faster.”

  That wasn’t what Mattie wanted to hear! Reaching through the bond, it didn’t take very long to find him. He had fallen fast asleep from sheer exhaustion. Apparently Renard’s healing had not been an easy task for anyone.

  Her relief came out like a breath. “He’s okay.”

  “You two will make me old before my time, I swear.”

  Mattie chuckled at Elita’s caustic statement, mainly because the elf had been smiling brightly when she had said it. “So what’s the story with the two women?”

  A frown replaced her happy expression. “Oh, them. If it weren’t for the antidote being right there in Gan’s bag, I would’ve sent them packing. Said they were sent to keep an eye on you by one of those northern council members.”

  Only one name immediately came to Mattie’s mind: Helka.

  Aloud, she grumbled, “I have ways of confirming that.”