by T J Kelly
"I know, right?" I shouted. I hopped off the stool and paced in front of him. "I want to do it. Tomorrow evening. Will you come with me? I was thinking you could tether me. I can always feel your Light when we travel. It can bring me back if I get confused. And if I wait too long, I might scare myself out of trying."
Peter slipped off of his stool and tugged me into his arms. "You've got to be kidding. I wouldn't miss it. Especially with how long you're going to be in there."
"Yeah, I probably should eat some candied ginger for nausea," I said, although I knew it wouldn't work. Ginger was a good natural remedy, but nothing worked in the between place. It always threw me off, always made me sick. But it would be worth it to bring them back.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
My New Spell
I decided to make it a group thing. I still hurt, still missed Mort, but the thought that I could rectify at least one wrong had put me in a better place. Maybe it wouldn't comfort everyone else as much as it did me, but it was a start. A distraction, but the good kind.
Besides, I was doing something that had never been done before and my guardians would have a heart attack if I didn't let them run oversight.
It took less effort to convince them than I thought it would. Then I looked at Armageddon's face as he studied my diagrams and the sadness and pride there told me everything I needed to know. He was doing it for my sake. To help me out of the dark pit of despair that had been dragging me down for days.
Maybe he was worried I would lose myself the way I had done before. I hoped he didn't. The thought I could cause anymore pain of any kind to my guardians hurt my heart.
"Looks good. I'll be there," he said. "I'll speak with your aunt. She's missed the birds."
Some of the old guilt crept back. "I know. But now maybe I can fix it. Finally."
"Sweetheart, even if it doesn't work, the fact you're trying is all we could ask for. And more. These are some hefty calculations here. Brilliant effort. There's no telling if the results will be as you wish but I think you'll succeed. I couldn't be prouder."
He gave me a hug. We had done that a lot lately. All of us. Reaching for each other and holding on for a long time. There was no way to know who might disappear from our lives next.
"Thanks, Uncle Ged," I said, my voice muffled in his chest. He was so tall. I felt like a little kid when he hugged me. That thought led to another, and the vague, misty memory of the one time I had seen him as a child came to mind. He made me think I could fly. In many ways, he still did.
"You want us out there around four this afternoon?" he asked.
"Closer to sunset. That's when I'm the strongest."
"Okay. See you then."
I slipped out of his study and wandered into the kitchens. Harris and Seth were in there, as I suspected. They were living back in the City, but came over all the time. Our food was better.
"Hey, I'm glad I caught you," I said. "You guys got plans for the rest of the day?" I opened the fridge and pulled out a sandwich I had made and then wrapped for later, losing my appetite.
"Depends. How much work are we going to have to do?" Seth teased.
I laughed, which felt good. Being able to fix my mistakes made me feel lighter inside. I was glad Seth and Harris were in my life. They were good guys. Even if they sometimes looked like they wanted to run away when I showed up. To be fair, I really was a harsh taskmaster. "Not much at all. I'm doing a huge spell this evening and I'm looking for backup. You mostly just need to stand there for a few minutes and pour on the magic if needed."
"That's fine. We were thinking of hitting the movies tonight on a double date. But we can go to a later showing." Harris picked up his plate and placed it in the sink. He and Kamini were a hot item, and Seth was dating that brunette he met at the formal dinner. I still didn't know her name, but it felt too weird to ask.
"Cool. Thanks. Meet me right before sunset. On the hill closest to the forest." They nodded their agreement as I left. Two more magicians on hand would be useful. That would bring the number of extra people to five, which was a solid base to do magic. Although it was a little awkward since I would be number six.
"Hey," Adrian said as he walked in the castle door. It was my lucky day. "How are you doing?"
Man. Everyone was so concerned about me. It made me feel so selfish - how many times had I asked them how they were doing over the last few days? "I'm fine. In fact, I'm doing some magic this evening and could use a seventh. Are you up for it?"
"Sure." On the upside, their worry made them more willing to humor me.
"Excellent." I explained where we would meet and the time. He assured me he wasn't busy. What a great guy.
As I walked upstairs, a snort escaped at the memory of how much I disliked him when I first met him. And then how much I hated him when I realized he was trying to steal away my company after everything I had gone through to win it in the trials. But he had been used by Oberon, his mind damaged. The person he became after was more than enough to erase those feelings. He was a good man and had backed me like family. I didn't mind at all he still called himself Adrian Rector.
I closed and locked my bedroom door. This time, it wasn't to cry. I needed sleep. I was about to do a spell that would use more magic than I ever had at one time. Something like that definitely called for a nap.
◆◆◆
Harris and Seth were called away. That knocked me back a step, but then my uncle arrived in the castle entryway with my cousins in tow. They had been staying at Mort's home, helping organize his household and business and I didn't think they would be around. They had worked with him closely during their apprenticeships and had that same hollow look as Peter that hurt so much to see.
"Wouldn't miss it," Richard assured me as he gave me a hug.
"Me either," James added, knocking his brother aside to give me a bear hug. I got the feeling they were always competing, although it seemed more of a habit. Trying to act normally was something we were all struggling to do.
They were trying to keep things light, but I saw their eyes. They were just as red as the rest of ours.
"Thanks, guys," I said as we headed out. Peter was already there waiting for me. He had set up the circle, using small rocks to create an approximation of my family wheel of fortune, which came from the Laurus side. I thought that was especially useful considering we were on Laurus land. He had used sand to form the runes on the ground, the most important part of the wheel.
"I haven't had the chance to work with all of you before," Adrian said. "Thanks for including me."
"No problem, cuz," James assured him. "You know you're welcome anytime. This one just happens to be magical."
I was glad they were talking. It kept the focus off me. I had too many things to think about if I was going to succeed.
"It's complete," Peter said as he trotted to my side. He gave me a kiss. A small touch of Light formed between our lips. "You about ready?"
I wanted to start when the last beam of light was hitting the land around us. The moment when day barely outbalanced the night. That was important. But I also met up at the last moment because I didn't want to stand around waiting for that moment for too long. Regardless, I was feeling a little rushed.
We spread out, standing along the outer rim of the wheel of fortune, with me at its center. I was glad they were there. My family. So many more people than ever before.
Minus one.
"Yes, I'm ready," I answered with a tight voice, after we took our positions. The sky was a mass of pinks and oranges, purple and gold. A gorgeous sunset. "Incipere."
I sucked in a deep breath and then disappeared from reality.
Empty. Vast. No sight, no sound. No way to touch and feel the world waiting outside the between place. Except one thread of Light, tying me to Peter. Anchoring me.
Well, I could feel another thing. My stomach roiling inside me. I had already been in the darkness for longer than the longest transfer I had ever taken, but I needed to wait fo
r the exact right moment.
I stretched out, reaching into the emptiness. I couldn't see or feel my hands, but they were there, searching. The spells I was using assured me of that.
My magic started with pictures. Images created with my imagination. And that was what I did, forming the diagram in my mind's canvas, the most important drawing I had ever made.
Then, the birds. I used Recall to connect me to the exact moment I had lashed out and sent thousands of birds into oblivion. I latched onto time, reining it in, including it in my motionless movements. Reaching out, reaching back. But in the between place, there was no time, either. Not the way there was in reality. I wasn't breaking the law because technically, time didn't exist.
There they were. I felt them. So many, so many. But I formed an imaginary net, massive and reaching into the forever darkness, and used my aura to connect with theirs, scooping them up, pulling them in. The forest at Castle Laurus was huge, but the length and depth of my imagination was far greater. I corralled them all together, ready to bring them home.
But I didn't. There was a reason I had waited so long. The seconds trickled by, moving forward inside of me if not in the nothingness around me. I knew where I was. I knew when I was. And I knew where he would be.
Peter. I needed him with me. I dug deep. Further into my magic than I ever had before. Then I followed Peter's Light, reaching out from the nothing and into reality. I linked with his soul, his magic, pulling him into the nothing with me as he anchored us through my family, their magic, their power. He was chanting our names, heard through the connection of our minds. Weapon of Light. Battles the Night.
His Light was blazing with the power of our merged souls. The physical warmth of his hands clung to mine in the darkness. Our touch connected the two of us to his power, then through that, out into reality. A chain, made of the circle of family. Supporting us. Giving us their magic without even knowing why.
I heaved again. Bringing so many lives back into reality wasn't easy. In fact, it was impossible. Except tonight, except with their help, except with infinite hope on my side.
It was night. But it wasn't dark. I had transported cases and cases of Rector crystals into the hills around the forest and it was almost as bright as day. A stunning, blinding moment for the ones who came back from the darkness.
Birds. Everywhere. Flying, cawing, cheeping, singing. They filled the sky, the trees, everything. They were there. They were back.
My aunt collapsed. Armageddon caught her, but it looked like he might fall, too. It was such a shock, and I had pulled on so much of their power. But it wasn't the birds that surprised them so.
It was Mort.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Home Again
"I recognized it," I told my uncle and Mort. We were in Armageddon's study. "What Oberon did. When he vanished those junior agents. But I didn't really make the connection until I was almost lost, too, and almost immediately after, you. Then I was too upset to think about it for a while." My voice choked up. Even with him standing there, right there where I could reach out and touch his arm, which I kept doing, it was still hard to fathom that Mort wasn't gone anymore.
He hadn't died.
"And you decided that if you could bring the birds back, you could get Mort, too," my uncle added.
"Yeah." I paused, pulling a tissue out of the box that had been sitting on his desk since the battle. I dabbed the corner of my eye. "I can get the rest of them, too. The agents and alchemists Oberon used his Vanesco spell on. You have a list, right?"
"Indeed. Everyone and everywhere." Armageddon glanced at his partner. His best friend. The second-in-command for the Irregulars. "And every when."
"Good. As long as we get them out at the second they were pushed in, they'll be okay. I mean, there's no air. They'd eventually suffocate. If we didn't get them. But we will before that happens."
"I'd like to help," Mort offered. It was like music to my ears every time he spoke. Then I burst into tears. I couldn't help it. Even though I was the one who had come up with the spell, I still couldn't believe it. "It's all right, pipsqueak. You did good."
He rested his hand on my hair. It was comforting, but I also cried some more because for a while there, I thought I would never see him again. Would never again feel safe as he comforted me.
They left me to it while they discussed their plans. "I don't think they should know about the timing," my uncle said.
"Agreed. Then we'd have every fool kid out there trying to bend the law and complicating our lives," Mort added.
"What about a memory charm?" Armageddon suggested. "Or pull them back, make them think they were in suspended animation while imprisoned?"
"Good idea. That will work to cover the gaps. It's disconcerting to be engaged in battle one moment, then standing in a field somewhere the next. But I remember being hit with the spell and then the darkness. For me, it was a split second. Your apprentice timed it perfectly."
They turned to me. I had managed to collect myself, but the approval in Mort's voice set me off again. He chuckled. More tears flowed.
"We'll begin this afternoon. I don't want their families to suffer any longer than necessary." My uncle stood and walked with Mort to the door. Good. I needed some time alone. "Sweetheart, we'll be in the war room when you're ready."
I nodded my response. They headed out to plan the retrieval process. I stayed in the chair, curled in on myself, trying to gain some control.
He was back.
I wished I could do the same for my parents, but they had died in reality. Mort had only been pushed into the nothingness. Oberon may be evil, but he didn't know the dark the way I did. He had no idea where his enemies were going. Only that they were gone.
Except they weren't. Because of me. I was going to save them. I would find the lost.
The thought of Oberon's face when he saw Mort standing across from him in the Council chambers stopped my tears. I choked on a laugh. Oh, man. I couldn't wait.
◆◆◆
It was exhausting work, but with the help of my family, we brought the missing back home safe. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a year, but there was something I had been putting off that could no longer wait.
"I like school," Sera said. She had been talking non-stop since I showed up at Poltens Sanator's house, where she had been staying. "It was messy. Some bad guys broke the see-saw, but the teachers fixed it and now I can play."
"Well, that's a relief," I replied. I was sure Peter and I were responsible for the damaged playground equipment. I made a mental note to send the school another donation. "Recess used to be my favorite."
"I like choir. And art. And they make pancakes for breakfast. But they aren't as good as yours." She continued to chatter. In seconds, she hit on the one subject that had kept me away so long. "Uncle Mort's are better too. Where is he?"
Tears filled my eyes, but I batted them away. I had gotten through the morning without crying and I didn't want to break my dry streak. "I think I see him now."
Sera ran to Mort, one of her all-time favorite people. I had brought him back because it was the right thing to do. But also because he was needed, and missed, and the Vanesco spell Oberon used was evil and wrong. So many reasons - but if the look of joy on her face when she saw him was the only one, it would have been enough. "Is it time to go home? Can we have pancakes?"
"Of course," Mortem Impii replied. "But only if you help me make the whipped cream."
We transferred back to castle grounds. The usual precautions were back in place, but until relations with the Council and the Reeves went back to normal, we didn't expect any backup. That meant a direct line to safety was the best bet when traveling with precious cargo. My two companions continued to the kitchen while I peeled off and made my way to my aunt's workshop.
"You look tired," she greeted me as I shuffled in and collapsed onto the love seat pushed near the window.
"I'm done for now," I assured her. "Sera'
s back, too. She has a few days off and then it's back to school."
"We've missed her," she said. Her eyes were bright, the look of approval and gratitude almost embarrassing. I mean, we were all responsible for Mort's return. They all helped with that. It wasn't only me.
"It's funny how empty a full castle is when she's not around."
Peony laughed. "I feel the same every time one of my children is away. Although your cousins have been on their own for years. You would think I would be used to it by now."
"I get it. I mean, the people we love take up so much room in our hearts, it's nearly unbearable when they go." My voice was shaky. "How is the vision work coming? Has Richard found more crystal clues?" A far easier topic to discuss.
"He and James are competing to see how many they can find."
"Of course they are," I laughed.
My aunt glanced at the clock. "I'm sorry sweetheart, but I must cut this short. I need to go to the storehouses to meet Clarissa," she said.
"That's fine. In fact, if you don't mind, I'll go with you. I'm trying to stay awake until a reasonable hour or my schedule will be all out of whack."
"I'm proud of your efforts to welcome her to the castle," Peony said as we made our way outdoors. "This hasn't been the easiest transition but you've done well."
It was embarrassing that she was so proud of me for not being a spoiled brat. "She's nice. And way more helpful than I ever expected."
"Hmm, she is, isn't she? I think she's good for Chas."
"No kidding," I snorted. In the back of my mind, I felt a little proud of myself, too. There wasn't even one twinge of jealousy or pain left. "She's exactly right for him. I'm glad they're here. I think they can be awesome magicians now that Oberon can't control them."
"Agreed. It seems everyone is finding happiness these days."
"Yeah," I replied. I wasn't sure if she was referring to me and Peter, or checking to see if it bothered me that Harris and Kamini had been super serious since the battle. As in, their clans were in negotiations for a Promise. It was obvious that my only problem with her had been because of my jealous streak.