by Brenda Trim
Climbing to my feet, I resolved to make the portal my bitch. I was the Guardian. To my surprise tendrils of magic from the portal brushed across my skin as soon as my resolve settled. It was here and waiting on me. I had to get it open and crawl through before these soldiers killed us.
“Patentibus.” The word didn’t come out as forcefully as I wanted, but it did the job.
In the middle of the clearing a multicolored oval shimmered about two feet off the ground. I heard a snarl and turned in time to see Argiess toss a soldier at a group of dwarves I hadn’t seen until that moment.
“Fiona!” Sebastian’s voice was tinged with fear and warning. Following instinct, I curled into a ball and rolled away. Clumps of dirt exploded a foot from me.
Thankfully it had missed, and I was on my feet a second later. I conjured fireballs and tossed them at the guard that was attacking me. It hit him in the chest and he quickly became engulfed in flames.
I ran full out for the image of the crypt in my family cemetery. Energy buzzed around me the closer I got. A soldier came at me from the side and I tossed another fireball. This one missed, but it did force the guy to duck which gave me the opening I needed.
Without thought, I ran and jumped, aiming myself for the middle of the portal. My body hit something, and the same darkness encompassed me that happened when I went through the first time.
My hair whipping around my head and the wind stole my ability to breath. I would never get used to traveling via portal. I felt more than saw the dark tunnel as I was pulled through it.
The one thing that was different this time was that my trip passed quickly this time unlike last time when it felt as if I was in there for an eternity. Bright light flashed, blinding me as the compression surrounding me vanished and I was unceremoniously dropped onto the hard ground of the crypt.
Scrambling to my feet, I turned and shouted Sebastian’s name. I watched as Argiess was thrown toward the portal by a soldier. His name left my lips next as I prayed he wasn’t injured.
The second his body made contact with the portal my internal sensor pinged. Immediately I knew it was him and was glad when my gut told me he meant me no harm. Eidothea hadn’t broken me.
“You can cross. Grab Bas if you can.”
The dragon stumbled through and fell at my feet, but I couldn’t look away from the fight Sebastian was embroiled in. The guard pulled a sword and had sliced him at some point. Blood poured from his side and one arm.
Bas bared his teeth and blocked the sword, earning another cut. I wanted to scream and was about to jump back through to help him when he grabbed hold of the weapon and swung it in a circle.
The muscles along the sides of his neck bulged as he moved. Blood sprayed as the blade sliced through the neck of two soldiers. Their heads went one direction while their bodies collapsed to the ground.
Sebastian didn’t waste any time as he dropped the sword and leaped through the portal. My sensor pinged and I gave him permission to cross, as well. I caught him when he fell through.
He was covered in blood and had more cuts than a birthday cake, but we were both alive and we were home.
“Let’s get your injuries cleaned so we can head back to Violet’s house.”
Bas grunted and glared at the dragon bracing himself on the wall of the mausoleum. These two were going to come to blows at some point. I didn’t have time for their pissing match. I hadn’t slept in days, and I hadn’t eaten either. And I didn’t have time to do either at the moment. I needed to talk to Grams and patch Bas up then locate Ben and Bailey.
Just another day in my magical life.
Chapter 11
“Looks like it’s my turn to play host to you,” I told Argiess as I headed for the exit. Sebastian was at my side, but the dragon shifter remained in place as he stared at the spot the portal had just closed.
“It’s not safe for you to return right now. It’ll do no one any good if you get killed.” Sebastian’s words were growled at Argiess and riled him up, but I suspected it was on purpose. Argiess turned away and glowered at Bas as he stalked past him.
“Fuck off, Stankeld. I’ve managed to keep things progressing despite your absence. I don’t need you butting in now.”
Bas sighed and reached out for me but let his hand drop. Things were suddenly awkward between us and I wasn’t as sure of his feelings toward me. I didn’t have much experience with dating and relationships and I never expected to be in this position in my mid-forties.
What was worse was that I hadn’t been this uncertain about myself since my face resembled a pizza and my breasts were just developing.
“Let’s go talk to Isidora so we can get back to Violet.” Sebastian stalked out without waiting for me.
With a sigh, I left the crypt and almost laughed when I saw both men standing at the entrance to the cemetery facing opposite directions. “Who’s up for coffee and tarts?”
Argiess turned my way. His wrinkled forehead, pinched lips and creased eyes told me it was his turn to be confused by what I offered. “Tarts are a type of pastry. Usually filled with custard and topped with fruit. Not the moldy flower flavored ones you have in Eidothea, but ones that actually taste good,” I explained to him as I trudged up the stairs.
I opened the back door and kicked off the soft moccasin like shoes in the mudroom. They’d been extremely comfortable, especially given all the running and fighting we’d done.
“Grams!” I called out as I entered the kitchen.
She came zipping through the wall that separated the kitchen and the living room. “Where have you been? I have been going out of my mind and I couldn’t do anything to find out what happened.”
I fought the urge to lower my head and apologize. She always had a way of making me feel bad if I ever made her worry. “Did you feel it when I was sucked through the portal?”
“Is that what happened?” I’d never known her not to know something. She usually knew things before I even did.
I bobbed my head up and down as I turned on the coffee maker. “Long story short, yes.” I reached up and touched the necklace under my top. I didn’t feel the crack anymore and pulled it out to check.
The crack was indeed gone. The gem on top was once again seamless, but it was no longer amber like it was originally. The section down the middle where the jewel had broken reminded me of the aurora borealis with green, blue, purple running blending together. And the entire thing glowed.
I glanced up at Sebastian who looked at me with wide eyes. Grams hovered over my shoulder checking it out, as well. “What did you do to my granddaughter to make this charm hold both of your magic? And, who is this dragon?”
“This is Argiess. He’s the leader of the rebellion in Eidothea,” I explained, ignoring the topic of my necklace and the fact that it now contained a combination of my magic and Sebastian’s.
Sebastian grunted as he retrieved my favorite mug and a couple pods to put into the machine. “My father leads the uprising. Argiess works with him.”
“None of that matters right now. I want to hear how you were pulled through the portal.” Thankfully, Grams had been distracted from the topic of my charm and was more worried about other events.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and told her what had happened when I entered the crypt earlier. Grams started pacing. Well, more like she floated back and forth rapidly in the same pattern.
“He was coming through with Vodor’s help. The fact that he couldn’t break through is a good sign. You’re mastering control over the portal. But bad that the King is strong enough to have his minions even get a pinkie through.” Grams was right. I was mastering my ability to control the portal. The image of it appearing upon my call popped into my mind.
“We will deal with reinforcing protections, but first I need to ask you about working around blocks when scrying.”
Before Grams could answer the door opened and Violet and Aislinn rushed through.
“Fiona. Thank the Gods you’re oka
y. We were worried something happened to you when you didn’t return,” Violet blurted as she pulled me into her arms.
“How long have I been gone?” I glanced at the clock and noticed only an hour or so had passed.
Aislinn glanced around wide eyed. “Not long. We came because both of us sensed you were in danger.”
Grams floated closer with a smile on her face as she interrupted what Aislinn was saying. “That’s because you three have formed a coven and your bond is strong. In fact, I’d say you’re far more powerful than Camille’s coven of thirteen is.”
I shared a look with Aislinn and Violet. I shrugged my shoulders. Apparently, the rivalry between my Grams and Camille would never end. Aislinn nodded in silent agreement before she continued. “What happened?”
I sighed and released Violet to fix my cup of coffee while I introduced Argiess then told them the events from the time I was pulled through to the Fae realm. “There’s suspicion a bilge is killing Fae here and could be responsible for kidnapping the kids.”
Grams gasped and turned red around the edges at the same time her glow became brighter. “We need to find it right away.”
Sebastian got up into Argiess’s face. “Are you certain it’s a bilge?” I swear Bas’s muscles seemed to swell and he got even bigger.
Argiess was unaffected by the display. “I can’t say for sure. It’s the first thing that came to mind when Fiona told me the scene of the last killing was staged to look like a dragon did it.”
“I hadn’t wanted to consider something so vile being in our realm,” Sebastian admitted.
I held up my hand. “I still don’t understand why everyone gets worked up over a bilge. Can someone please explain that to me?”
Something cold tickled my ear and I turned to find my Grams hunched over staring at me. “What?” That came out harsher than I expected.
Grams cocked her head as her gaze traveled over my face. “You’ve been changed by your trip to Eidothea.”
My mouth opened then closed. I traced my cheeks then moved over my head. I stiffened and shot my friends wide eyes when I touched the tips of my ears. “Are they pointed now?”
Violet nudged my hair out of the way and pursed her lips. “Not like a full-blooded Fae.”
My head snapped to Sebastian wondering why his ears weren’t pointed. “I use a glamour to ensure they aren’t seen.” Bas muttered something I couldn’t hear then the air shimmered around him and I got my first glimpse of his pointed ears.
“Why have mine changed?”
“The magic of the Fae realm brought out that side of your heritage. You’ve even lost a few of the age spots.” Aislinn’s hand flew to her mouth like she’d said something wrong. I was okay with losing some liver spots. I could lose the hot flashes and knee pain, too.
I inhaled and shook my head. “There’s always something to make my head spin. That doesn’t matter right now. We need to come up with a plan to identify what we’re facing and find a way to locate Ben and Bailey.”
“Oh, thank the Gods. I thought I was going to have to go it alone while you dealt with all of this.” Tears brimmed in Violet’s eyes as she blurted her relief.
I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. “You’ll never be alone in anything. I’ve got your back.”
“So do I. Ride or die, bitches!” Aislinn announced with a fist pump into the air then her expression sobered as she laid her hand on Violet’s back. “We will find them.”
I let go of Violet and crossed to the fridge and pulled out the tart. “This is what fruit should taste like. Not that moldy dirt you tried to pass off.”
Sebastian reached around me and snatched a raspberry from the top of the desert. I smacked his hand then placed the slice on a plate Aislinn set in front of me. She added a fork and gave it to Argiess.
Argiess made a humming noise that made me smile as I dished a piece of the tart to Bas then Violet and Aislinn. “Okay this is delicious,” the dragon admitted. “But to be fair, you didn’t get to experience much from my realm.”
“I tasted enough,” I informed him then took a bite. The flaky crust combined with the creamy filling and sweet fruit exploded on my tongue. I felt renewed as the caffeine took effect and the food filled my belly.
“Grams, do you have any ideas on how we can locate the kids or the Fae responsible for killing here?” So much had happened since I called her spirit back to this realm and I hadn’t been able to take advantage of having her here.
“I’m not certain there will be a spell powerful enough to overcome whatever is blocking your scrying. I think a different approach will be more successful. You need to tackle it from an angle the caster couldn’t have anticipated. As for who is killing in our town, that’s another beast altogether. I have a feeling whoever it is will find you eventually.”
My blood froze and the tart curdled in my stomach. I could deal with blood, guts and gore, but this hidden danger was another story altogether. Think of it like battling cancer. You just need the right arsenal. Chemo. I needed the magical version of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Nothing can withstand that level of toxicity.
Chapter 12
“I don’t need to go anywhere. I don’t know anyone here, and I have no desire to leave Fiona alone.” The smirk on Argiess’s face told me he knew exactly how much he was annoying Sebastian. The two of them didn’t get along at all and it didn’t help that Argiess had not hidden his interest in me. Although, it seemed as if he was far more interested in Aislinn, or maybe even Violet. He kept eyeing them both like a hungry predator.
I had no idea what his life was like in Eidothea, but perhaps he didn’t spend much time considering relationships or pursuing women. From what I saw of life in the Fae realm there wasn’t much fun. It was all a lot of running, fear for your power, and a deep-seated hatred for the leaders of the realm.
Bas glared at the dragon shifter. “So, you’re saying you won’t help me talk to the residents about what they’ve seen? I’m still convinced someone had to have seen something when Ben and Bailey were taken. Even a bilge would be hard pressed to maintain complete control over those two at the same time.”
I smiled at the thought. Violet’s children were a force to be reckoned with. “No one would talk to us when we tried earlier, but you garner so much more respect than a bunch of middle-aged women.”
Sebastian turned his narrowed eyes on me. “You’re thinking like a human again.”
My cheeks heated and my throat clogged up making it impossible to respond. Violet came to my rescue. “Her point is valid in that we are seen as women and of little power. There’s a gender bias even in the supernatural world.”
Grams turned red around the edges. “She’s not wrong. I fought against it my entire life. You’ll show them precisely why they’re wrong, Fiona.”
I nodded my head. “You should talk to Mae. She’s hears everything in this town. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was one of her abilities.”
Grams waved her hand and shook her head. Thankfully, her edges had lost the red tinge. “She sticks her nose in everyone’s business. She doesn’t care if it’s rude to ask Fiona if she kissed Sebastian. And people tell her because she throws them off by inquiring in the first place.”
My face heated for the second time in as many minutes. “We get it, Grams. She doesn’t conform to social norms. It seems if anyone saw anything, she’d be likely to have heard about it.”
Sebastian closed the distance between us and lifted my hand to his lips then kissed the back of it. “We will talk to her first. Do you need Camille for the spell?”
I was shaking my head when Grams floated right up to us. “Hell no, we don’t need that woman. Fiona and the girls have me. She was helpful before Fiona called me back, but I’m here now.”
I turned to face Grams, wishing I could wrap my arms around her. “And, I am beyond grateful Fate allowed you to return. I’m sorry I wasn’t here more before. I should have come more often. Maybe if I
was here, I could have stopped whatever…” I trailed off unsure what exactly happened to Grams. There was no outright information that indicated she had been killed, but my gut told me that is precisely what happened.
Grams reached out and stroked my cheek. A cold sensation registered right before her hand went through me. “If you had been here, you would likely have been killed right along with me. I should have told you much sooner who you really were. Then you’d have been better prepared.”
“Why didn’t you tell me after my parents died? I get that you were obeying their wishes, but why not once they were gone?”
She snorted, which coming from a ghost was an eerie sound. “You’d have thought I lost my mind. You are a scientist at heart and would have assumed I was suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia and tried to have me moved into a psychiatric hospital. You weren’t here enough for me to show you, so I would have had to tell you over Skype. No way was I going to do that.”
“We’ve talked about how she needed to live her own life and come here of her own accord. If she’d felt like she had no choice but to become the next Guardian, she would have resented the burden.” I gaped at Sebastian, unsure what surprised me more. The fact that they’d talked about me or that they assumed I would have been upset about needing to take Gram’s place.
I opened my mouth to give them a scathing rebuke only to clamp it shut. They were absolutely right. I would have felt obligated and it would not have settled well with me. “I’ll give you that one. None of that matters now, anyway. What’s done is done. We have more important matters to deal with now. Hopefully when you get back, we will have some answers.”
Bas scooped me into his arms and kissed the breath out of me before setting me back down and giving me a knowing look. He was staking his claim on me and making it known. A sensual heat unfurled through me as I watched them walk out the door.
“Well that was the hottest thing I’ve seen in a long time,” Aislinn blurted.