Revelations

by Butler, Christine M.

  Jaxon drank the man dry and then used her magic to incinerate what was left of him. She stood there, mesmerized watching the body burn down to ash. She wiped the blood from her chin and continued on to the south, high off of the energy the blood had given her. "Maybe Caislyn should have been a blood drinker, then she wouldn't have that gray hair to worry about." Jaxon had started talking to herself about an hour into the trip. She figured there would be no more company for her, no more friends, or understanding. "I should have asked that guy for directions before I killed him." She was saying to herself when she remembered, "oh yeah, I don't speak his language. I guess that wouldn't have helped. I do know what will, though." A smile played across Jaxon's face as she turned on the vampire speed and began running past the scenery in a blink of an eye. She passed two towns before she thought about what she was doing. Caislyn had mentioned before that Asians and Europeans weren't as welcoming to other than humans as Americans were. She decided it was probably best to keep a low profile so she wasn't discovered or tracked.

  ~...~

  Caislyn heard the voices before she could make out who was talking or what they were saying. Things started slowly dawning on her as she was waking up, but she kept her eyes shut and her breathing even, so she didn't disturb the ongoing conversation. It was her mother's voice that made her want to sit back and just enjoy it. Her mom had woken up and was talking to Gregore.

  "So, this Fey brought her back, not just to us, but to life?" Vesta was asking.

  "Yeah."

  "Well, it seems to me, that despite everything else you have told me, we all owe this man a debt we can never repay."

  "Well, it's one I refuse to pay if it means handing Caislyn over to him."

  "Gregore," Caislyn could almost hear the smile in her mother's voice. She knew the tone too well. "I know your feelings for Caislyn, I've known for a very long time." That admission surprised Caislyn because her mom had never said a word to her. "But if you want some sage advice, you will step back and let Caislyn chose her own path. If I know one thing in this life, it's that my daughter tends to run from the things she thinks she is being forced to do." Caislyn almost resented that, but she knew her mom spoke the truth. Gregore was lucky she even married him when she felt so forced to. It wasn't something she would normally have done. "Caislyn needs to learn to tap into her Fey side properly so it doesn't kill her. It should make her stronger, and sadly her dad can't be here to teach her." Vesta choked up a bit at the mention of Mac, but she pulled it back together. "Both you and Seth have filled in the blanks about what happened while I was busy napping." That was Vesta, always the little bits of humor tucked in with the serious so you didn't get swamped by the drama of it all. "I do not want what happened with Jaxon to become my daughter's fate too, and neither do you. Look what's happened as a result." That last comment, Caislyn couldn't ignore.

  "What's happened with Jaxon?" Caislyn said as she turned over to look at her mom and Gregore.

  "Good morning, my daughter!"

  "Good morning, my mother! Now what happened to Jaxon?"

  Vesta sighed, "I told you, headstrong, this one. She always has been." She smiled down at Caislyn, "apparently she wasn't awake and listening to our conversation that long though."

  "Cais," Gregore started, "I don't want you to get upset, or try to run off on some crazy mission."

  Panic was setting in now, "why would I do those things?" She sat up a little more in bed so she was eye level with everyone else.

  "Your friend seems to have run off into the night while Seth was over here hashing things out with Gregore."

  "Oh Gods!" Caislyn said. "I should have known. She hasn't been herself, and after the way Gregore yelled about her last night..."

  "I feel bad enough about that." He said.

  "I know, but I didn't defend her. She will think the most of that." Caislyn plucked at the non-existent lint on the comforter as she thought. "I was just so tired, I didn't have the fight in me. I wanted to yell at you for not understanding, but I was barely keeping myself standing."

  "Caislyn," Vesta said as she patted her daughter's hand, "you can not take this all on your shoulders. You have some more healing to do, a little training, and less worry." She picked up Caislyn's hair, "I mean, look at this gray hair, all that worrying is not good for you."

  Caislyn snatched her hair back, "it's silver." She snapped.

  "You know, I bet we can find some cool colors to cover that up," Gregore was saying. Caislyn turned a venomous look on him that shut him right up.

  "Where is Seth?"

  "He's gone to track Jaxon down." Gregore informed her. "He took a cell with him so we could reach him if we heard from her.

  "Give me the number then, and a phone, so I can call him."

  "Caislyn, you can't go after her, you're not well enough yet," Vesta told her.

  "I know that. There are other ways I can help him. I need to talk to Ash." She watched as Gregore not only paled, but started turning a bright shade of red. His anger was getting the best of him now. Vesta put a hand over Gregore's to calm him down, but that didn't work. He just snatched away and stood up abruptly.

  "What the hell do you need that..." Gregore was trying to calm down, despite how hard it was for him. He swallowed the descriptions he was going use for Ash. "That thing, what do you want him for?"

  "I need ASH to show me how to dream walk properly."

  "It seems he's done enough of that already, hasn't he?"

  "Gregore, if you aren't going to help, then get out! This isn't about you, or even me right now. It's about Jaxon. She needs my help. And you know what? She was there even when you weren't. When you and everyone else stopped believing in me, in my parents, Jaxon showed up. Without her, I wouldn't have my mom. So, I need Ash to teach me, because she needs my help right now."

  "And what if she doesn't? You do realize helping her almost got you killed last time right?"

  "Yes, and that was because I didn't know how to use my other abilities. Now, go get Ash for me, before I get myself killed this time. I will help find Jaxon!" Gregore stormed out of the RV before anything else could be said. Caislyn just sighed and sat back. She had never realized before how much energy it took to be so defiant.

  "Caislyn, you need to go easier on him. This has been very stressful. He finally got what he's been dreaming of since he was a child only to almost lose it, not once, but twice."

  "And what's that, mother?"

  "You," Vesta said. "Now you want him to not only help you help Jaxon again, something that nearly killed you last time. But you want to bring in the man who could possibly take you away from him. Imagine how Gregore must be feeling for a minute."

  "Mom, I understand that, but what else am I supposed to do?"

  "I don't know." Vesta reached over and hugged Caislyn close to her. As they each pulled away from the hug, Vesta stopped short and reached beyond Caislyn for something. "Is that..." Caislyn turned to see what her mom was looking at. "You did find it. You were in the cottage in Ireland?"

  "Yeah, Grandma Catronia was there, and she told me where to find it. Jaxon and I got it, but we never got the chance to look at it because so much happened."

  Vesta grabbed the book up and sat back clutching it to her chest. "Thank the Gods you didn't leave it behind."

  "Mom, what is so important about this book?"

  "Caislyn, this book tells you how to end this damn prophecy mess, once and for all. You and Jaxon have to..." Vesta stopped mid-sentence remembering that Jaxon was no longer with them. "You are right, Caislyn, we need to get Jaxon back here at all costs."

  "What do you mean, end the prophecy?"

  "There are directions in this book, to get to the place where the original prophecy has been kept guarded by the Brotherhood all these many centuries. You and Jaxon must go and see things through to the end. I can't tell you if that means destroying the prophecy, or the Brotherhood for that matter. All I can tell you, is that the outcome of this meeting is what
so many have feared. There are rumors that you will alter the world as we know it by going there. And so, they set out to destroy every remaining piece of information. The Brotherhood's numbers were severely diminished by those who would see you dead. Many years ago, Merriwyn was one of those witches, tasked by the Vampiric High Council to help glean the secrets of the Brotherhood, and when that wasn't possible, she was there to help destroy them. There is a reason the Brothers did what they did to her. I know Jaxon couldn't have known that, and it doesn't change anything, but at least you know now."

  "Wait, Merriwyn wanted us dead?"

  "No! Oh Gods no! When Merriwyn realized she was carrying one of the prophesied children, she fled. She knew what they would do to her baby. That's why she was so careful when she hid Jaxon. That's why she stayed away all those years, she didn't want anyone tracking her down and finding her baby."

  "Mom, we really need to find Jaxon."

  "That's what I'm here for, I suppose," Ash said as he stepped into the small space available. "Vesta, good to see you're doing better." Caislyn looked from Ash to her mother.

  "You two know each other?"

  "Of course. I told you I was sent by your aunt to keep tabs on you when you were younger, but I met your mother before then." Vesta said nothing, she simply nodded.

  "All these secrets," Caislyn started to yell, "why can't you people just be normal."

  "Secrets are normal. And in your case, I do believe your parents were protecting you in a shroud of secrets, as Jaxon's mother did for her." Ash looked from Vesta to Caislyn. "I can't say I approve of you trying to find Jaxon, but I understand the need, so I will help in any way I can."

  "That gives us one thing we agree on," Gregore said from behind Ash. "I don't approve of using any more magic to find Jaxon either, but if he's staying, then so am I."

  Caislyn sighed, and Vesta held her hands out as if in surrender. "This is your mess, and it's about time I stood aside and let you be an adult."

  "Thanks, mom." The sarcasm that dripped from those two words was not lost on Vesta as she snickered.

  "Gregore, do be a dear, and help me to the other room." Vesta was holding her hand out for his assistance. For his part, Gregore looked torn. He wanted to help Vesta, Caislyn could see it on his face, but she could also see the jealousy seething beneath the surface, and there was no way he wanted to leave Ash alone with her near a bed. "I have only just woken up, this hand will not remain airborne all day, please, help me out. I promise they will be right where you left them when you get back."

  The minute Gregore left the room with Vesta, Ash was beside Caislyn in bed. "Ash, seriously?"

  "What?" He questioned her innocently. Ash picked up a strand of Caislyn's now silver hair and held it between his fingers, admiring it. "I like it," he said, "it suits you."

  "So, now I'm an old hag?"

  "Hardly!" He gently placed the hair back down on her shoulder and slid down till he was flat on the bed, and encouraged her to join him. "I've always thought of you as brighter than the sun, but you were a little more subtle than that. It's only fitting the moon should shimmer in your hair." He patted the bed beside him and Caislyn scooted herself down until they were laying side by side.

  "What the hell, I leave the room for two minutes and..."

  "And I am to teach Caislyn how to initiate dream walking with someone else, did you expect me to sleep standing up?" Ash smiled up at Gregore as he slipped his hand into Caislyn's.

  "And I suppose you have to touch in order for this to work."

  "No," Ash said with a grin, "I just wanted to piss you off," he winked at Gregore before Caislyn intervened.

  "That's enough," Caislyn yelled as she snatched her hand away from Ash. "Gregore, you need to leave, because I can't fall asleep again, let alone learn how to do this with all the hostility in the air. If you want to sit in there with my mom, you can still hear us." She turned to Ash, "And no disgusting noises to try to provoke him, either."

  "As you wish, love."

  "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," Gregore said as he turned and walked out of the room.

  Caislyn sighed and looked at Ash one more time, "you're beautiful," he whispered to her.

  "Ash..."

  "Take my hand," he said as he held his hand out for hers again, "it really does work better if we are touching. I just couldn't resist getting a rise out of him." Caislyn rolled her eyes and put her hand in Ash's. "Close your eyes, and think of Jaxon."

  "Wait, what if she's not sleeping right now, it's morning already."

  "I have a feeling she has taken to vampire hours. It's easier to hunt at night, besides, she was most likely running all night to put distance between her and this place."

  Caislyn nodded and closed her eyes, thinking of Jaxon and wanting to be there for her.

  It wasn't long before she found herself standing in the clearing near the crossroads. Caislyn started to panic, but the voice in her ear, Ash's voice, stilled her. "It's just a dream, and I am here with you. You're safe."

  "Jaxon?" Caislyn shouted. She walked over towards the circle where Jaxon had tortured one of the Brotherhood members. Jaxon wasn't in the circle this time, she was sitting on a log by the fire making the flames grow bigger and then tamping them down again with her magic. "Jaxon?" She called out again. This time Jaxon looked up.

  "Caislyn? What are you doing here?"

  "I came to find you. Why did you leave?"

  "I couldn't stay there, everyone hated me. Hell, I hate myself." Jaxon was fiddling with something in her hands.

  "What's that?"

  "A ring," Jaxon answered as she held the shiny gold circle up to the firelight and then tossed it in. "It belonged to the man I killed last night."

  "One of the Brotherhood guys?" Caislyn was confused, because she didn't think the Brotherhood allowed marriage, but that definitely looked like a wedding band.

  "No, Caislyn, some stranger on the road in the middle of the night." She looked down at the ground as she spoke. "I needed, I can't explain, about the blood."

  "I already know. Seth explained it to us before he left."

  "He left?" Jaxon looked worried now.

  "Yes, he went to search for you." Caislyn noticed Jaxon looked as though she were about to bolt. And then she heard the whispering in her ear from Ash again. The only physical sign that he was there was the butterfly that was fluttering around her shoulders.

  "Caislyn, you have to push her with magic to get to her on the physical plane, or you won't know where she is." Caislyn didn't understand what Ash was talking about, so he pushed some magic into her to show her what it was like to receive it.

  "What the hell just happened?" Jaxon asked. "You shimmered or something, for a minute I could see the RV.

  "Sorry, I am trying to figure out how to stay put in your dream, Jax." Caislyn lied, but she hoped Jax couldn't tell. She pushed a little magic toward her friend and felt the ripple in the dream before it finally changed. They were in a hotel room now. She took note of the hotel name on the brochure sitting on the desk.

  "Damn it, Caislyn. Don't do this. I don't want to be found!" Jaxon was yelling now that she realized what Caislyn had done.

  "Jax, you have to come back, my mom saw the book and she told me..."

  Jaxon pushed back with her own magic and Caislyn woke up in the bed next to Ash, gasping for air.

  "Shh," he was whispering to her while cradling her in his arms. "It's okay, she just pushed you out." Gregore heard the commotion and came running into the room, none to happy to see Caislyn in the arms of Ash.

  "What the hell?" Gregore stormed over to Caislyn and snatched her out of Ash's arms.

  "Careful, she..." Ash didn't get to finish the warning before Caislyn was throwing up all over Gregore, "will have vertigo," Ash finished his statement with a smile on his face. He shook his head at Gregore, "this is precisely why you were told to wait in the other room. She was just shoved abruptly from a dream which is an odd enough sensati
on, then you manhandle her on top of it."

  "I didn't manhandle her."

  Caislyn was heaving again as Vesta came around the corner. "Do you think the two of you can check your testosterone for just a moment. At least long enough to see my daughter is taken care of. Look at this mess. She's standing there getting sick on you and your concern is to argue with this one," she pointed to Ash.

  "I tried to warn him," Ash started to say, but Vesta cut him off.

  "I think you are done here for today. If she needs anything else, we will call for you."

  "I think I'll wait in the living room." Ash told her, as he got up and walked out.

  As soon as Caislyn quit heaving she found her voice, "I need the phone, now!"

  It was her mother who placed a cell phone in her hands. She opened it to find Seth's name already programed in. "Yeah?" he answered on the first ring.

  "I found her."

  "Caislyn?" Seth asked, the worry evident in his voice.

  "Yes, she's at Hotel Rebro in Zagreb."

  "How do you know that, Cais?"

  "I was just dream walking with her. You have to hurry, though. She knows what I was doing."

  Seth never answered back, the line just went dead.

  Caislyn looked down at herself, "I need a shower."

  "Me too," Gregore said as he took in the mess Caislyn had made all over him.

  "Good, you go to the other RV and I will use this one." She walked into the bathroom area and locked the door behind her.

  "You best go to the other one." Vesta started guiding Gregore to the door.

  "And what about him?" He questioned as he looked at Ash on the way out.

  "Don't worry, I will keep an eye on him."

  ~...~

  When Caislyn was showered and changed she came out to the living room to face Ash, her mother, and not surprisingly a freshly cleaned Gregore. "Listen," she said as she looked at the three of them. "I know this is really weird, but we have to find a way to work together. Gregore, you need to relax. We are married, you know, and I take that seriously." She ignored the huff that he made and moved on. "Ash, I need you to teach me more than just dream walking, and I need you to do it without all the antics. You know where I stand and who I chose, if you can't respect that, then I will just have to remain weak until I can experiment more with my abilities. It's your call." Ash didn't say a word, he simply nodded. "And mom, I need to know what you know about this book," she held it up in front of all of them, "and what it means for me. We need to be prepared when Seth brings Jaxon back. The cell phone in Caislyn's pocket began to ring so she put the book down and answered the call.