“And I will talk to them about that, I know better than most not to piss you off, but they are scared, Des. They just need time.”
“Make sure they know to stay away from my daughter and my house until they are no longer afraid, or I can’t promise my power will be restrained.”
“I will, now come here.”
“Jax, this is not the time.”
“It’s always the time.” He pulled me close and kissed me. He ran his fingers over my bare shoulder and started kissing his way down my neck. I moaned and transformed back to my normal form.
“Spoil sport,” Jax said, his breath tickling my bare skin. “You know I like the wings.”
“Yes, and you know that the dress in that form doesn’t come off.”
“Oh, right.” He continued his kissing as he used his tongue to slip the strap over my shoulder.
“Eww, stop!” Tai cried.
“Tai where are you?” Jax exclaimed, red tingeing his cheeks. I pulled up the strap of my dress and glanced around the room.
“Tai, come out from behind the curtain now,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest as Jax made his way to the giggling bulge by the window. “How long have you been in here?”
“I just wanted to see Ava, I didn’t know you and Mum and Dad were going to fight,” he said, crawling out from behind the fabric. “She isn’t bad.”
“Tai, Mum and Dad don’t really think Ava is bad, they are just afraid of her, they don’t know what they are saying.”
“I wasn’t going to actually hurt them,” I added, realizing he had heard me threaten his parents.
“Yes you would have.” Tai looked to the scroll on the bed. “But you won’t have to. They will see that Ava is like me, Ava said so, remember?”
“Wait,” Jax said, bending down to be level with Tai. “What did Ava say?”
“I am like Ava. She said we are made of more.”
Jax looked up at me confused but the best I could offer him was a shrug.
Jax looked back to Tai.
“Do you know what Ava is?”
“Ava is an angel,” Tai said, matter of factly. “That means I am an angel too. Des is going to show me how to do magic like Ava.”
“Des, what?”
“Now, I did not say that. Tai, go home to your parents, but don’t say anything about this to them. Jax will meet you there and he will talk to them about Ava.”
He poked out his tongue, blew a raspberry, and hopped around Jax and out the door.
“Now where were we?” Jax said, playfully turning on his knee he ran his hands up my sides as he came to stand.
“Jax, you really need to go speak with them. If they tell anyone else what they think Ava is, others might believe them, they might try to hurt her.”
“You are right.”
“I never get tired of hearing that,” I said as I kissed him once more and turned to head for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“I just want to check on her.”
“Des, she’s fine. You have her room spelled to keep out danger right?”
“Well, actually it’s spelled to keep out everyone.”
He raised his eyebrows at me, his lips pursed trying to hide the smile.
“What? It’s an easier cast to do, that’s all.”
His expression didn’t change.
“Okay, I’ll change it. But until I can trust them, your parents won’t be one of those allowed through without me there, got it?”
“Understood.”
I left Jax and hurried into Ava’s room. I wanted to gaze upon her again. Plus, watching her sleep was far better than what Jax was doing. I don’t know what I would have done had my father reacted to our daughter how his did. Still if they continued to threaten her I would end them.
Wow, this maternal protective stuff really does kick in quick.
I sat by her bed humming her song, running my fingers through her rainbow curls and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep too.
I woke to the laughter of angels. Ava and Tai sat on the floor by her bedroom window. Ava floated a feather between them. I didn’t let them know I had woken, I wanted to watch them for a little bit first.
“Ava do you think I can do that too?” Tai asked as he grabbed the feather from the air and laid it down on the carpet between them.
“You should be able to, you are made of more like me.”
“How am I made of more, do you know why?”
Ava tilted her head in that way she did when speaking with the voice in her head. I had to find out exactly who was talking to her, or a way to block them out. Maybe I could find a way to listen in?
I peeked through my lashes at the two of them talking. It made my heart happy to see them so in tune with each other. Ava continued to explain what she knew about Tai.
“When they wanted to have you, your brother found your mother some things to help her.”
“And those things made me like you?”
“No, those things made it so the angels could make you like me, make you more.”
“Okay, so how do I float the feather?”
“Look at the feather and picture it floating.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, that’s it. You have to see it then it will do it.”
Tai stared down at the feather. He frowned and shifted closer to it and glared down at it. It didn’t budge. Ava tilted her head again.
“Oh.” She said softly. Tai’s eyes shot up.
“What is it? Why can’t I do it?”
“They gave it away to my mum.”
“Gave what away. Who?”
“Your parents. They gave away your magic.”
Tai dropped his head, He knew the Tanzieth’s magic was gifted to me during the war with Traflier. They all knew. It was a part of their education now. It was also something that made me not so popular with majority of Tanzieths under twenty.
I was about to speak up, to apologize to Tai for the loss that he was feeling now. But before I could Ava smiled big and bright, reached out to Tai and placed her hand on his chest. A light grew under her hand and his eyes widened. My eyes flung open and Ava’s other arm reached out towards where I sat beside her bed.
My power rose in me and somehow Ava forced my transformation. My wings reached for Ava’s hand. My body rose to stand, and I felt a power inside me buried deep below, crawl its way up and along my wings.
I took a step closer to them and when my wings touched Ava’s outstretched hand, the small ball of power that had inched its way through me, burst free from my form and into Ava’s.
But it didn’t stop there. The light filled her then forced its way down her arm and into Tai.
She bounced up and down with glee.
Then her eyes rolled back and she slumped to the ground unconscious.
“Ava!” I called as I leapt to her side. I scooped her up, and thankfully her breathing was steady.
“Des, what was that? What did she do?”
“I think she gave you back your magic, but I don’t know how. I have been trying for weeks now.”
“Do you think she’s okay?”
“I hope so. Run and get Maylea, but don’t tell anyone else.”
Tai dashed out the door and I quickly picked up my daughter, and laid her on the bed.
The minutes felt like hours when Maylea finally burst through the door, Tai following behind her.
“What happened?” Maylea asked, rushing to Ava’s other side and placing her hand on Ava’s forehead.
“She did a powerful spell then collapsed. Could it have backfired, how do we know she’s alright?” I asked, my stomach doing summersaults as Maylea flitted from feeling her forehead to pinching her wrist. She laid one hand over Ava’s collar, the other on her stomach and closed her eyes.
“She appears to be sleeping,” Maylea said, opening her eyes and looking at me. “Shouldn’t you be able to see her energy?”
“Oh, bloody hell I forgot about tha
t! I just freaked out and told Tai to get you.” Using my magic I looked for her energy. Maylea was right, it was glistening there beneath the surface, lighter but there. Her body was exhausted from the cast she did.
But now it was what she had done that I needed to figure out.
“Thanks Maylea, I don’t know what I would do without you here.”
“Being a mum is not always easy, Desmoree, but you will find your way. Dinner will be ready in a short while, see to it you both are on time.” Maylea placed a soft kiss on Ava’s forehead and left. Tai sat on the chair by Ava’s window, rubbing his hands together anxiously.
I made my way over and sat in front of him.
“Take my hands.”
He reached out ever so slightly.
“It’s alright. It won’t hurt. I’m just going to look for your magic.”
“Like how you see energy?”
“Yes, but your magic is more than your energy, it’s deep inside. If Ava figured out how to give it back I should be able to see it.”
I focused on Tai’s energy first. It swam around him in waves, as energetic as he was. I looked deeper, a rainbow of colours appeared at his centre. They intertwined to creates a ball of coloured worms.
My lips pursed together in a suppressed smile. Tai squealed with joy.
“Des, did she do it? Do I have my magic back?”
“I think so. But it isn’t like the others, your magic is made up of many colours, not just the one your energy exudes.”
“So I am like Ava?”
“Do you want to try something.”
“Oh…yes please.”
“Okay, how about that feather you were trying to float, do you want to do it now?”
He frowned.
“What is it?”
“That’s boring, can you show me how to have wings like yours?” he asked, touching my left wing.
I laughed. Ava had chosen to transform as one of her first casts too.
“Okay, but don’t worry if it doesn’t work the first time.”
He leapt to his feet.
“It will work.”
“So, you need to let your energy overtake your body. Every inch of it. Don’t try for wings, just let it change you. Let it show your true form.”
Tai took a breath and closed his eyes. I watched his energy grow. It spread all over his body, but the rainbow at his centre remained. I saw the orange glow of his light spread then burst out overtaking his body to cover him in an encrusted suit of orange glitter, wings like mine spreading out from behind him. Then they disappeared just as quickly, returning him to his normal form complete with frowning face.
“You did it way faster than I did my first time.” I offered, but he struggled to change his expression from anything but the disappointment he felt.
“It just takes practice. Try again.”
He focused and again he was able to phase. Bloody kids can do all this shit so easily. Friggen took me forever.
He opened his eyes and they shone brightly at his accomplishment, but when he looked at me, he frowned.
“What is wrong, Des?”
“It’s nothing,” I said, quickly changing my concern to a grin—after all it wasn’t his fault my mother kept my power from me growing up. If I had possessed it all my life, I might have been able to phase so easily the first time too.
“Have a look at yourself in the mirror over there.” I pointed to Ava’s dressing room and he barrelled over to take a look at himself. I focused on his magic again. It still sat in a ball inside him. I didn’t understand. His magic made his energy create his fey form and his wings, but the magic inside him should have expanded too. It was like it didn’t want to come out.
“Mum,” Ava called from beside me, and I spun to her. “Did it work?’
Before I could answer her Tai swept out of the dressing room in all his sparkly orange glory.
“Look Ava, I am a real fairy now.”
Ava tilted her head then the corners of her lips rose slightly. “And soon I will show you how you can be a real angel too.”
The door handle clicked and before I could cast a barrier, Jax opened it, his parents by his side.
They took one look at us and shoved past Jax, barrelling into the room. Mark grabbed Tai and his fey form collapsed. Tai tried to yank his arm free, but Sarah latched onto his other arm and was now pulling him towards the door.
“I don’t want to go.” Tai cried still struggling against them, his glassy eyes jumping between Jax, Ava and I.
“Stay away from her.” Sarah yelled as Mark picked Tai up and carried him through the door, Sarah scowled at me and dashed out of the room after them.
“Wait,” I called as they took off out of the room and up the hallway.
“Des, what did you do?” Jax asked, looking at me still in my fey form.
“It wasn’t me. Ava found a way to give it back to him.”
“But Tai wasn’t an orange fey before. His light was green, like mine. Des, just now he looked like he was on fire.”
“He did not.”
Jax’s eyes blazed with a fire I hadn’t seen in them before. “Yes, he did, Des. He looked more like the portrait in that scroll than Ava.”
“What scroll?” Ava asked, climbing out of the bed.
“Jax, go after them, make them see it’s his energy. His magic returned, no matter the colour. I will talk to Ava about the scrolls.”
“They were going to speak to her, to try to see past their fear.”
“Jax,” I pleaded. “You need to go now, don’t let Tai show everyone what he can do. It took a lot out of her to return that magic, I don’t think she could handle doing it to every Tanzieth, and I don’t want them storming the property to get back their power.”
Jax nodded, walked over and kissed Ava on the forehead, then took my hand and pressed it against his lips. The kiss was long and sweet, like he couldn’t bare to let my hand go. Let me go.
He finally brought my hand away but still held it firmly. “I will be back soon, try not to give away any more magic while I’m gone.”
“I will try,” I said, and he left to go after his parents.
I reached out to take Ava’s hand to lead her back to my room but stopped, her shoulders drooped and she was fidgeting with her fingers in front of her.
“Are you alright?” I asked and with a light touch under her chin I lifted her bowed head to meet my eyes.
She nodded but her eyes didn’t brighten. I took her hand and we walked through the door that led directly to my room.
I gave her hand a little squeeze, “you can ask me whatever you want Ava, remember that.”
“I don’t understand what just happened, Mum?”
“Your father’s parents are afraid, that’s all. Nothing for you to worry about.”
“No, not that. With you? I could see the light around you just then and it was moving really quickly and then he kissed your hand and it slowed down, even changed colour too. How does he do it? What is it?”
“I don’t know what you saw, but your father loves me. Energy can react to whatever is around it, maybe you saw how happy he makes me and my energy was soothed by being near him?”
She nodded and let go of my hand to walk over to the bed where the scroll of the woman who looked like her still sat open.
‘Is this me?” she asked, picking it up. She tilted her head. “No. It’s not me. It’s you.”
“Wait, what?” She kept her head tilted in thought or discussion or whatever with the voice in her head. Her eyes looked past me. I glanced at the scroll in her hands. Could it really be me? Again? No…
“It’s you closing the mouth of hell,” she continued.
“You need to find the fabled, then you can save both our world and theirs.” She lifted her head back up and rolled up the scroll. “That isn’t me either,” she said, pointing to the book open on the bed. “No one knew I would be coming.”
“But in the prophecy your father came back with, it said
you would be able to close the mouth of hell, not me,” I said without thinking. Why would I tell my one day old child that?
“No, she said he did not tell you the right thing. He didn’t listen. He would not wait to listen properly, he just wanted to get back to you.”
“Doesn’t sound like your father at all,” I giggled. “Did the voice tell you what the prophecy says, exactly?”
Ava shrugged. “Can I play with Tai some more? I want to teach him to do what I can do.”
“Not right now, Maylea will have dinner ready and she does not like it if we are late. You can play with Tai after dinner, but try to keep it small; you don’t want to tire yourself out or teach him anything that could get him or anyone else hurt.”
She frowned at me. “Why would I teach him how to hurt people?”
“I don’t think you would teach him how to, it’s just that sometimes we don’t see how what we do could hurt others until it’s too late.”
She continued to frown at me.
“Just keep it small,” I said again. “Oh, and out of sight from the others here. None of them have magic and I don’t want them thinking you can give it back to all of them.”
“I might be—”
“No. Returning Tai’s magic took so much from you, creating a transference for that many would be too much. I will find a way, you just enjoy being a kid for a while, alright?”
That got me a smile and she tossed the scroll on the bed before we headed out of my room.
When we got to the kitchen Maylea was setting four places on the breakfast bar.
“Where is everyone else?” I asked, taking a seat on the end stool. Ava stumbled around the stool, clamouring to take a seat beside me.
Maylea brought over a large, rounded soup pot that looked almost like a cauldron, and I had to stifle my giggle. “Jax will be at his parents for this evening. Your father better be here soon or he will eat cold soup.”
Maylea ladled the orange coloured soup into the bowl in front of Ava first and she leant down to breath in the rich scent. “It smells so good, what is it?”
“Yoraka soup,” I beamed while Maylea ladled a large serving into my bowl. She knew I loved yoraka soup. It tasted like the pumpkins we had back in the human realm, but even sweeter. I had tried to get her to make me a yoraka pie once, and she nearly agreed until she found out that the recipe called for the top to be covered in marshmallow filling and then that was the end of that dream.
Enchanting the Fey- The Complete Series Page 27