by M. J. Caan
“Austin,” I continued, “this is who you were meant to be. You are free now.” Her eyes, dark and hard, looked at me. Then, they softened, and somewhere within their limitless black depths, I saw a spark of recognition. “Yes. Yes, that’s it. It’s me…Allie. You’re surrounded by all of your new friends, and we are all so happy to meet the real you at last. Can you hear me?”
Her screeching had stopped and her head cocked to one side as those black eyes took in the figures around the room.
“I’m going to release you now…I need you to stay calm and focused, okay?”
I slowly broke the magical bands that held her. Gar made a move to step forward but I motioned him back. There was only one binding left, and when I mentally dissolved it, Austin was completely free. Her feathers ruffled slightly but she remained calm, her eyes focused on me as I once again reached up to stroke her head.
“Very good, Austin,” I said softly. “Now. I need you to feel deep inside of yourself and find that trigger. The one that is tied to your human form. I need you to find it and switch it on…be human again. I can’t help you with this part…” I slowly backed away, calling my magic with me, drawing all of it back inside me and away from our newest shifter.
Other than the heavy breathing around me, the room was silent. Austin regarded us all indifferently, her head moving quickly from side to side as she took in all four corners of the space. Slowly, she once again spread her wings, and I called up a small ball of magic and held it at the ready just in case I needed to take her down before she could do any real damage. But instead of whipping the air inside the shop into a frenzy, she simply held her wings open and aloft. Then, in the blink of an eye and another blast of white light, the eagle was gone and the woman returned.
Austin collapsed, dropping onto her knees, a puppet with cut strings. Everyone else was too stunned to move, but I rushed to her side, placing one hand on her back as I knelt beside her.
“Hey, it’s okay. What do you need?” I asked.
“Water,” she managed. “I’m…so thirsty.”
Gar vanished behind the counter display and returned with a bottle of water that Austin proceeded to down in a few giant gulps.
“Austin!” said Lady coming to stand next to us. “What was it like?”
“It was incredible…I’m not even sure I can describe it. I was me…but at the same time I wasn’t. At first I was completely freaked out. My senses…I can’t even describe how the world looked and sounded to me. I didn’t know how to process anything. But then, I heard Allie’s voice and felt…I don’t know, something reaching into me and soothing me. It allowed me to gain the control I needed. Holy shit, you guys! I can’t wait for you to experience it!”
Lady turned to me, tears in her eyes. “You did it. You freaking did it!” She threw herself against me, wrapping me in a bear hug before turning to everyone else. “So. Who’s next?”
9
Exhaustion hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. Aunt Vivian and Aunt Lena read me the riot act when I told them what I had done.
“Allie, what were you thinking?” said Aunt Vivian. “You could have been killed trying a spell like that! Or just as bad, you could have killed those people!”
“But Aunt Vivian I…”
“No buts, young lady!” chimed in Aunt Lena. “What you did was exceptionally reckless. To say nothing of the fact that you disobeyed your Aunt and I.”
There was no arguing that point. Granted, I’d done what I had to do, but they were right. It had been dangerous. But at least I’d been able to minimize the danger primarily to myself.
“You have no idea what could have happened, Allie,” said Aunt Vivian. “What if the spell had went off in a weird direction and turned them into raving lunatics? What if you had turned them into…animals, or whatever, and they had no recollection of their human selves at all? No way of getting back? You could have driven them mad, Allie!”
Aunt Lena took a deep breath. She could sense that I was a girl on the verge at this point. “Allie,” she said in a softer voice, “you are a Reliquary. You have a responsibility. You are too important in this fight to go off and risk your life like that.”
“I know you are coming from a place of love,” I said, “and I truly respect you both. But love is the very reason I did what I did. I knew there were risks—and I couldn’t stand the thought of the two of your taking those risks. I’ve seen too many people die in this fight already. I couldn’t willingly place my family in harm’s way; I had to at least make the attempt to cast that spell.”
“What about your brother?” said Aunt Vivian. “What about Gar? You would risk his life? He is completely unprepared to face the forces you called upon!”
“Jhamal was there!” I said. “He would never let anything happen to Gar. You know that. Besides, I needed Gar to be there as much as he needed to be there. I can’t explain it, but keeping him chained here in the house to protect him was having the exact opposite effect on him. At least having him at my side, I could keep an eye on him.”
This quieted them both for a second. I was too tired to argue and plopped down on the sofa in the living room.
“Speaking of, where is he?” said Aunt Lena.
“He went with Jhamal back to his aunt’s house. I offered to send Jhamal with Nate up to the mountains to help convince a friend of Nate’s—another Otherkin—to join us, but Nate declined. He thinks he will stand a better chance of getting his friend’s help if he’s alone. They are dropping Gar off here on their way up to the mountains.”
“And Nate would be…?” inquired Aunt Vivian.
“He’s a saber-toothed tiger. A big one. No way Mallis will be expecting that.”
Aunt Lena took a seat next to me on the couch. “Allie, you are doing too much. I can see the exhaustion in you.”
I shook my head. “You just said I have a responsibility. What I am—even though I never asked for it—means that I don’t get the luxury of saying something is too much. Like it or not, my job is to do whatever it takes to end this war before it starts. If I’m not already too late, that is.” Despite my words, I could feel the need for sleep pulling at me, and for a moment I sensed the world closing in around me. My bed was calling and I needed to get there before I passed out in front of my aunts.
The room spun when I tried to get to my feet and I hastily sat back down, holding my now throbbing head.
“Allie,” said Aunt Vivian, “are you alright? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m okay…I think I just overdid it with the magic. I guess I do have my limits, after all.”
But I knew this was not simple exhaustion. I felt like I had when I was on the deck with Aunt Lena and collapsed. Jesus, not again. I could feel the pull of the darkness, but this time, I was ready. I called on my magic and threw it out around me. My aunts must have sensed what I was doing because I felt the gentle hum of their own power build up and flow protectively around me as well.
It wasn’t enough, and I could feel myself sliding towards the darkness. It clawed at my consciousness, eating away at my rational thoughts until I could once again feel myself dissolving into that terrifying nothingness. I lapsed back on the couch, ready to surrender to whatever hell would be waiting for me this time, when it suddenly passed.
As quickly as it hit me, it was gone.
“Was that…?” began Aunt Lena.
“Yes,” I croaked, “the same attack from earlier. But it stopped this time.”
“Are you okay?” Aunt Vivian asked.
“I…I need some water, please. I feel very weak.”
“Weak” was an understatement. A really feisty kitten could have taken me out at this point. The magic I had thrown out had dissipated, and try as I might, I couldn’t call anymore up. I couldn’t sense my aunts’ magics either. What the hell was going on with me?
I managed to sit up enough to take the cup of water Aunt Lena offered me in shaky hands. My throat felt like it was on fire and the water wa
s a brief, cool salve that cleared my head and put out the fire that smoldered inside me.
“You’re burning up, Allie,” said Aunt Lena, placing a hand on my forehead.
“It’s the same attack she suffered before,” said Aunt Vivian. She was standing as she spoke, and abruptly she turned her back to me, facing the large triple windows that opened up to the front lawn.
She made grand sweeping gestures in the air, her arms moving in quick, intricate bursts. Her fingers were intertwined and her hands danced in a complex rhythmical movement that told me she was casting a very specific spell.
“Do you have it?” asked Aunt Lena.
“No. It’s too slippery…deliberately dodging me,” Aunt Vivian replied.
Instantly, Aunt Lena was on her feet. Her movements began to mirror her sister’s as they began an intricate dance of hand and finger movements. The air around them hummed with power as they harnessed magic and focused it toward a common goal.
“There!” said Aunt Lena. Simultaneously, they clasped their hands together, pointer fingers extended and flush against one another as they forcefully raised their arms skyward, aiming at something I could not see. Then they lowered their arms and pulled their hands in close to their midsections before turning to face one another.
“Well done, sister,” said Aunt Vivian.
“What happened?” I asked. “What was well done?”
“Allie, how do you feel?” asked Aunt Lena.
“Like…” I almost said “shit,” but was stopped not only by remembering how my aunts felt about swearing, but also because I no longer felt like shit. “I actually feel better.” I sat up and looked around. No nausea, no vertigo. “Wow…I feel like nothing happened to me. What did you do?”
“Well, we divided a way to tap into the magical remnants of the signature that attacked you earlier,” said Aunt Vivian. “Once Elion told us the attack was mystical in nature, then we knew there had to be a mystical defense.”
“We made a subtle alteration to the wards around the house,” added Aunt Lena, “so that we would be tipped off in the event that whatever attacked you tried again. And when that happened, we were ready with a counterattack.”
“One that not only repelled that disgusting blood magic spell, but also allowed us to see the origin of the magic.”
I bolted to my feet, beaming at my aunt. “You mean, you saw the witch that did this?”
“No. Unfortunately she remained hidden, bouncing the spell off of a refractor,” said Aunt Vivian.
“A refractor? What’s that?” I offered the couch to my aunts. The magic they used looked like it had wiped them out.
“Just what it sounds like,” said Aunt Lena. “It’s an artifact that a witch has familiarized herself with. She can then use it as a remote lens, if you will, to focus her spells. Typically it’s used for scrying…a mirror or other object that a witch can leave in a premise she no longer inhabits, but may still want to keep an eye on from afar.”
“Kind of the way a spy uses bugs…I get it,” I said.
“Exactly,” continued Aunt Lena, “but in this case, the witch was using the refractor to bounce her spell before it struck at you. Very clever. Her way of making sure we could not track her location.”
“Very clever indeed,” said Aunt Vivian, “but maybe not clever enough. While I could not see the witch herself, I did get the location of the artifact she was using to transmit her magic.”
“Excellent,” I said. “Point me in the direction. Maybe there will be some clues left behind that tell us where she is.”
“You’re not going by yourself,” said Aunt Vivian. “So you can put that thought right out of your head.”
“But Aunt Vivian, neither of you look like you’re in any shape to leave the house. And like I said, I’m…”
“Girl, have you not heard a word we have been saying,” said Aunt Lena. Her hand reached out to grasp mine and her warm, soft eyes searched my face. “Haven’t you realized yet that we are all stronger together?”
Before I could say anything, the front door opened. Cody and Elion strode through, both stopping just inside the doorway, staring at the three of us.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong,” said Cody. He moved immediately to stand by my side. Elion remained where he was, spine stiff, his head cocked at a slight angle as if he was listening for something.
“Nothing,” I said, shrinking back slightly. “Where have you two been?” I noticed for the first time that it was almost dawn.
“I am still healing,” said Elion. “My injuries were a little deeper than I thought. I needed blood.”
My eyes darted questioningly from him to Cody.
“Don’t worry,” said the vampire. “Your boyfriend was kind enough to…escort me on my hunt.”
“He only took down a deer,” said Cody. “An older one, that he somehow knew had no fawns…or mates.”
“So you can feed on animals,” I said. “Why not do that all the time?”
Elion shrugged. “It’s not the same. But in a crunch…any port in a storm will do.” He shrugged his shoulders in a way that almost made him seem human.
“Hey, forget about him,” said Cody, “what’s going on here?”
“Allie was attacked again,” said Aunt Vivian, “by the same dark magic that almost felled her before. But my sister and I were ready this time. We tracked the magic to an artifact…and now Allie wants to run off and investigate it on her own.”
My ears and face burned as I felt Cody’s eyes track over to me.
“Nope, not a chance,” he said. “While I do think we need to investigate, you won’t be going alone. When do we leave?”
I took his hand and leaned into him. As ready as my world was feeling right then, it just became a little more solid.
Aunt Lean smiled approvingly. “If you wait until the evening, you can be a little more rested and you will be able to take Elion along with you. A vampire’s senses may come in handy.”
I was about to protest, but remembered that I had indeed been up all night and had also expended a considerable amount of magic. Rest and food sounded like heaven right about now.
“Fine,” I said. “Plus, it will give me time to introduce you to a few more friends that we now have on our side.”
“Where exactly are we going?” asked Cody.
“I tracked the spell to what looked like an old farmhouse on the outskirts of the city,” said Aunt Vivian. “I can whip up a beacon spell that will draw you right to it when it’s time to go.”
I nodded and thanked her. I looked at Cody and could tell we were thinking the same thing: trap. Not that it mattered. I didn’t care who or what was waiting for me; it was time to strike hard and fast.
10
The day passed wonderfully uneventfully. Cody curled up next to me and I was out before I could even appreciate the warmth of his body pressed against mine. No dreams, nothing to disturb me, just rest. I woke up many hours later in the same position I had fallen asleep in. I tossed aside the light comforter Cody had draped over me and stretched. Sleep had done me a world of good, and I could once again feel the reassuring buzz of my magic.
“Welcome back,” I whispered to it, “you scared me for a minute there.”
Through the closed bedroom door I could hear a cacophony of voices rising and falling throughout the house. I slipped on a pair of bath shoes, I hurried out to see what was going on.
The kitchen and living room were awash with people. Looking around, I made out many of the people I had met last night, including Austin, Lady and the two brothers. I could hear Gar’s voice coming from outside on the deck. The double doors leading from the kitchen to the outdoors were thrown open, letting the cool dusk breeze ventilate the space.
“Austin, Lady…what’s going on?” I asked.
“Ah, there she is,” said Austin, coming over to throw her arm around me shoulder. “Our hero!” I blushed, and that made Austin laugh heartily before playfully jabbing at my arm.
“Garland invited us all over.”
“Oh, really?” I said, looking around for my brother. A moment later, he entered from the basement stairs, carrying a large pack of bottled water. Smiling, he brushed past me and plunked it down on the large center island in the kitchen.
“Oh hey, you’re up,” he said. “I tried to keep it quiet but it was getting harder and harder to do that.”
“I can see that. Mind telling me what everyone is doing here?”
“This? Oh, it was my doing.” Gar made his way out of the kitchen and stood next to me.
“And by ‘your doing’ you mean…?”
He gave me that sheepish look he hadn’t used since we were kids. He ran one hand through his hair, his eyes darting about the room. “Well, I kind of invited all of the Otherkind we met to…stay here.”
“You what? Gar, what were you…I mean…” I look around at the crowd assembled in our home. “Gar, I’m sure you had nothing but the best of intentions, but…I mean, physically where are we putting everyone? How is this going to work from just a space standpoint?”
“It’s not going to be forever Allie.” He took me by my elbow and led me away from the murmuring crowd, outside onto the deck. We sat on the couch at the far end, out of earshot. “Look, this is kind of our fault.” I gave him a side eye and he held up one hand to stop me before I could speak. “I mean, think about it, they wouldn’t even be here if we hadn’t put out the call for help.” That shut me up. “They are helping us, Allie. It’s the least we can do.”
I smiled and ruffled my little brother’s hair. “But where are they going to sleep, Gar? I mean, this place is big and all, but last I checked there wasn’t another hidden floor with an extra ten bedrooms.”
“Well, technically that isn’t exactly true…” Aunt Lena walked out onto the deck towards us.
“Aunt Lena,” I said, “you heard that?”
“I may be getting older, but luckily, my senses aren’t. Not yet anyway.” She gave a hearty little laugh and motioned for me to scoot over and make room for her. She turned to face me. “What your brother did was admirable, Allie. Did you even consider where all of your new friends would stay?”