by Sonia Parin
At the mention of a giant, all the dwarves jumped back and cowered.
“Don’t worry. He’s still there. We made sure of that,” Luna assured them.
“What about the fairy?” Jonathan asked. “Do you think she might be responsible for all this or know something about it?”
Luna gave it some thought but became distracted when all the dwarves gasped and pointed toward Jonathan. Or, at least, that’s what they appeared to do.
“What’s going on?” a familiar voice asked.
Chapter Sixteen
Risen
Jonathan swung around. His eyes widened. His heart… Well, he couldn’t feel his heart. “Lexie?” He reached out and grabbed hold of her shoulders, his knuckles whitened as he held her. “Lexie?”
“Yes. Why are you squeezing me so hard? And what are you doing here?” She looked over his shoulder. “And who are they?”
Luna stared, her little mouth gaping open. Finally, she seemed to snap out of her daze. Yelping, she scrambled between them and leaped up into Lexie’s arms, tripping over her words as she said, “Is it really you? You were dead. Jonathan was about to kiss you. Do you remember anything? These are the dwarves who took care of you… They’re confused about their fairy tale. And… is it really you? You were dead. I know I already said that, but… really, you were dead. Did you come back the same or are you a distorted version of yourself? And… where did you go? Are you going to kill us? Are you going to eat our brains? What was it like on the other side?”
One of the dwarves cleared his throat. “You seem to have found your happy ending. We, on the other hand, have some soul searching to do.” He gave his beard a light tug. “It appears we have misplaced our raison d’être and must go in search of it. Or maybe we’re in the wrong fairy tale. In any case, we bid you farewell.” As they marched away, the glass casket hovered behind them.
They watched the dwarves treading along the path, their downcast expressions lifting with each step they took. When they started whistling, their steps became lighter. By the time they reached a bend in the road, they were bobbing their heads.
Luna nudged Lexie with her paw and asked. “Do you remember being in the casket?”
Lexie brushed her hand across her face. “The last thing I remember is tasting apple on my lips and I can still taste it.”
“Oh, that’s easily explained,” Luna purred. “Jonathan took your life in his hands and forced fed you some apple. He thought it was the one that would heal you, but he could just as easily have been wrong. In any case, you were dead so he didn’t have much more to lose. So, tell us all. What was it like to be dead? Did you see a light? Did you hear voices? Do you have a craving for brains?”
“I’m… I’m not sure.”
Luna yelped. “Not sure? What do you mean?”
“Was I really dead?” Lexie watched Luna staring at her. She knew her mind had blanked, as in, she didn’t hold a single thought in her head so Luna couldn’t read her thoughts. Something had definitely happened…
She looked up and squinted at the bright light of day. “Has it always been this bright?”
“She must have gone to a dark place,” Luna purred.
Jonathan shook her. “It really is you.”
Growling, Lexie said, “How about I stomp on your foot and then you’ll know it really is me.”
Luna leaped out of her arms. “She’s come back all wrong. Run for your life before she eats your brains.”
This time, Jonathan cupped her cheeks. “Do you remember anything? Anything at all.”
Lexie had a thousand questions of her own. She knew she had, yet she couldn’t think of a single one. She had apparently died and now…
Scooping in a breath, she whispered in a flat tone, “I’m alive.” She knew she should feel something, but how could she when she hadn’t known she’d been dead?
She dug around her back pocket and produced the list of ingredients Mrs. Ellsworth had given her. “We still have a carrot to find. Maybe if we focus on that, the rest will follow. I’m… I’m in shock.”
Luna exchanged a look with Jonathan that spoke of incredulity. “You barely escaped the clutches of death and you want to stay here and look for a carrot? We should skedaddle out of here and try to stay away for as long as possible. You were gone during the most dangerous part of this quest so you missed out on seeing how hazardous this place can really be.” Taking a tentative step forward, Luna sniffed her. “I might live to regret this.” She leaped up into Lexie’s arms.
Lexie gave her a scratch on the head.
“That’s lovely but, until we know you’re safe, please stick to scratching me below the head and well away from my brains.”
“Do I look like a zombie to you?”
Luna tipped her head from side to side. “I’ve only seen them on TV. You might be a new breed or newly hatched zombie.”
“I promise you I am safe and I have no desire to eat your brains.”
“Maybe you came back with a penchant for something else. It had better not be my tail.”
“Here.” Jonathan handed her the rest of the apple. “It can’t hurt to eat it.”
Lexie took another bite of the apple and asked, “Did you take the ingredients we managed to get back to Mrs. Ellsworth?” She remembered that much so she supposed the rest would eventually come to her.
“Octavia took care of it,” Jonathan said.
“And Random O’Rourke too,” Luna piped in. “He’s been keeping an eye on the apartment. When he saw Octavia leave, he followed her. I believe he is ready to pounce on you and haul you away to the O’Rourke dungeons.” Luna lowered her voice. “Do you remember what happened?”
She did, and, for the first time in weeks, she didn’t feel uneasy about the episode that had taken place at the warehouse.
Lexie set Luna down and said, “Come on. You know how this works. We follow the road.” She turned to Jonathan. “And I guess you’re coming with us.” Striding off, she looked over her shoulder. Jonathan hadn’t moved. “What’s wrong?”
He raised both arms and dropped them by his sides. “You were dead… and now you’re not. I think Luna might be onto something. Did you come back the same?”
Waving her hand, Lexie said, “I doubt I’ll ever be the same again. Not since Mirabelle and Cat cornered me and tricked me into accepting my role as incoming High Chair.” Lexie thought she heard Luna say they should go along with her. At least until they knew what they were dealing with but at the first sign of a mouthwatering snarl from Lexie, Luna planned on running for her life.
Chapter Seventeen
Alive!
Lexie slowed down and then stopped to look down at her hands. She pushed down on her feet until she thought she could feel the ground through her thick boots.
Something definitely felt different.
Her fingertips tingled. Light coursed through her body. She didn’t need to close her eyes to see it.
“Lexie?”
Jonathan had stopped and now looked at her, his eyebrows drawn down.
Lexie tried to answer but silence hung in the air between them. She tried again but the silence grew thicker.
She sent her gaze skating around the landscape. Everything felt alive. She sensed energy everywhere around her. The energy spiraled along the ground and the sky.
Energy she could call upon.
“I’m fine,” she finally said. “I guess I’m hungry.” She caught up to Jonathan. “Come on.”
A long while later, Luna had yet to complain about anything and Jonathan hadn’t stopped looking at Lexie.
“Isn’t the scenery weird?” Lexie asked. “It changes all the time and yet it’s the same. Meadows. Wild flowers. Forest. Meadows. Wild flowers. Forest. And the sun hasn’t moved an inch. I wonder how much control the Crone has over it?”
Jonathan nudged her with his elbow and asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Couldn’t be better.” If only she could bring herself to believe it. She
felt fine but…
She had died.
She still felt a strange sort of detachment from what had just supposedly happened, and especially everything that had been happening in her life. Maybe her brief stint in the afterlife had loosened her hold on all her concerns, diminishing them to insignificance in the face of something far greater.
If she had to put it into words, she’d say her perception had shifted and changed. She tried to tap into her feelings. She knew she had plenty of reasons to be angry…
She had grown up without a father. Had she ever even asked how he’d died? She didn’t think so. Lexie knew her memory had been wiped. Had her memory been tampered with again?
The Coven. Yes, the Coven had wiped her memory once before, making her forget how she had lost her father.
Now her father was alive and living inside the body of her mother’s evil twin sister…
The reminder shook her to the core as if she’d just heard the news for the first time. She hadn’t spoken about it with anyone because she hadn’t been ready to listen. Nothing could make it right. All those years lost. Yes, she had reason to be angry with what they had done to her… The memories they had stolen. She hadn’t had a chance to grieve.
“I suppose you should hear it from me,” Luna grumbled. “I lost all my gold. It slipped right through my paws. I tried to hold onto some of it but in the end, I had to sacrifice it all. I didn’t get the chance to enjoy spending any of it. I guess that means I’m stuck living in a cramped apartment and, by the way, Trouble is giving your invitation serious thought. I think you should renege on the offer. She would throw us off balance and disrupt the harmony we’ve been working so hard to establish in our little household.”
“I doubt Trouble will leave the Crone’s realm,” Lexie said distracted by the fleeting thought she’d just entertained. “She has the run of the place. If she came with us, she’d have to learn to share.”
“That reminds me, the Crone is crabby about Jonathan being here and about me giving her garden gnomes a bout of gold fever. They’re probably on vacation by now, living it up with my gold. There’s no way to avoid her cottage. So, when we return, we’ll have to tread with care or maybe you can threaten her with one of your fireballs. Are you feeling aggressive?”
Lexie gave her a lifted eyebrow look. “Are you testing me?”
“I’m trying to, but you seem to be a tad uncooperative. Just so you know, I’m a light sleeper so don’t think about sneaking up on me while I sleep, not that I’m likely to get any while we’re here.”
Lexie’s finger shot out. “There.”
“What?” Jonathan asked and stepped in front of Lexie.
Luna gave a half-hearted chortle. “That’s interesting. Jonathan appears to believe he can stand between you and whatever danger you face. I’d laugh, but I’m feeling rather deflated. Do you realize we haven’t had any food in who knows how long?”
“It’s a rabbit.” Lexie strode past Jonathan and took off at a trot.
“Which part about me being deflated didn’t you get?” Luna hollered. “I’m running on empty here.”
“Come on, Luna. Dig deep. We can’t lose that rabbit.” Lexie sped up. She could feel Jonathan a step behind her with Luna bringing up the rear. “The rabbit has a carrot and we need it.”
“I swear, if Rebel doesn’t use her fairy dust to make me fly, I will… I will make her eat a fur ball.” Stretching her legs as far as they would go, Luna sped past them and yelped, “Yikes.”
“What?”
“It’s heading toward a rabbit hole.”
“Don’t let it get away,” Lexie called out. She could hear Jonathan grunting behind her but he still managed to keep up. “You’re out of shape, O’Connor.”
“When I got up this morning, this is the last place I expected to be,” he muttered. “How about giving me some wings.”
“It’s not a hare. It’s a rabbit. What is wrong with that cat?” Lexie grumbled. “She’s going to lose it.”
The rabbit took a giant leap and disappeared down a hole.
Instead of slowing down, Lexie and Jonathan sped up. Several paces away from Luna, Lexie saw her heading straight for the rabbit hole.
“No, Luna. Stop.”
Ignoring her, Luna sped up.
Despite knowing she didn’t stand a chance in hell of grabbing her, Lexie lunged for her just as Luna dove toward the rabbit hole.
Lexie expected to get a mouthful of dirt.
Instead…
She went right through the rabbit hole. Although, it felt more like a kaleidoscope. Colors and shapes swirled around her at a dizzying speed.
Tumbling through space, her arms flailed. She tried to grab hold of something but she met nothing but air.
In the blink of an eye, the swirling colors and shapes disappeared and a vibrant green landscape emerged.
“This is going to hurt,” she said a second before landing on her butt. Flopping back, she barely had enough time to draw breath before she saw Jonathan plunging toward her.
Chapter Eighteen
Through the rabbit hole
“What is this place?” Jonathan asked as he rolled off Lexie.
Lexie peeled an eye open and stared right into the sun without even blinking. Sitting up, she glanced around. There were flags posted all around them and along a road that disappeared into the distance. She thought she could see red hearts on them. A light breeze swirled around the flags and the hearts changed to diamonds. Another light breeze swooped across and the red diamonds changed to spades…
“Where’s Luna?” Lexie asked.
“She’s probably still chasing the rabbit or she might have landed somewhere else.” In the next breath, he said, “I can’t believe I’m here.”
“Yes, about that… How did you come through your inner sanctum door? I thought you weren’t allowed. Or did you only say that to avoid getting involved?”
Jonathan shrugged. “I didn’t think about it. I just had to come to your rescue.” When Lexie didn’t respond, he said, “You were supposed to laugh.” He jumped to his feet and stretched his hand down to help her up. “Actually, Luna bit me and I lunged through the door. Please tell me she has all her shots.”
“She’s magical. She doesn’t need shots.” Lexie lifted her hand to shield her eyes. “Where is the little scamp?”
“She probably went down another rabbit hole.” Jonathan raked his fingers through his hair. “I hope you know how to go through that rabbit hole again.”
“Where there’s an entrance, there must be an exit.” Making sure to stay on the road, Lexie walked on ahead. The flags flapped in the light breeze and changed again, this time to clubs. Apart from the flagpoles, she didn’t see anything but grass growing and hills undulating into the distance.
Lexie could sense something missing, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. A while back, she had felt a new energy flowing through her. It had almost felt as if she had been recharged. Suddenly, she understood what the Coven meant by insisting its members live within nature. The source of her power lay within it.
“But the real source,” she whispered under her breath, “is right inside me.” Ancient power. Old, inherited magic. The core she had connected with when she had set out to hunt down the serial killer. The Crone had mentioned it but Lexie hadn’t understood what she had meant.
Yes, but…
She brushed her fingers along her temple and tried to figure out what else was missing.
Frustrated, she gave a soft growl.
“What’s wrong?” Jonathan asked.
“I don’t know. I feel something is not right.”
“Luna will show up eventually. I wouldn’t worry about her,” Jonathan assured her.
Lexie shook her head. “No, it’s not Luna.”
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Maybe it has something to do with what you experienced.”
Lexie gave it some thought and then shook her head. Yes, she had experienced something extraordi
nary. She had died and now she lived. “I know I should feel something. At least elation because I’m now alive.” Instead, she felt indifferent. Almost as if she didn’t mind if she lived or if she died because it would all be the same to her.
Drawing in a deep breath, she tipped her head back and smiled at the warmth touching her skin. “Life is beautiful.”
“What about death? Do you remember now?”
“No. But I don’t feel fear so maybe there’s nothing to fear.” Straightening, she looked about her and tried to figure out if she’d forgotten something. “Oh.”
“What?” Jonathan turned and stood with his hands on his hips.
Her tone sounded flat when she said, “No one’s been killed. As in, we’re not trying to find a killer. That’s all Luna and I have been doing.” Lexie laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining but it does feel odd.”
Jonathan stared at her for a long moment and finally said, “You died.”
She had!
She chuckled. “I died because I ate the wrong apple.”
Frowning, Jonathan asked, “And who put the apple on the trestle table? I asked the dwarves but they didn’t seem to know.”
“Are you suggesting someone tried to kill me?”
Jonathan gave a small nod. “We should stay alert.”
Lexie’s eyebrows shot up and she yelped, “You think they might try again?”
He shrugged. “Let’s play it safe and avoid trouble.”
Lexie’s shoulders shook as she laughed. “You obviously haven’t been here long enough to notice. This is the Crone’s realm. Strange things happen.”
Shaking his head, he said, “Luna gave me a rundown on everything you’ve been doing. She mentioned a fairy who seems to know something about your quest here.”
Quest? “Yes, I suppose we are on a quest.” She folded her arms and dipped her head down in thought. “I don’t think someone is trying to kill me. How would they know I was going to come to the Crone’s realm?”