by T K Eldridge
“That’s what it looks like,” the Commander said.
“How are we going to figure out who else in the SPD is on her side?” I asked.
“In two days? Not even remotely possible,” the Commander said.
“I could help, but he’s right, it would take too long. One at a time, in a room with you and me, ask a few questions that lead them to think specific thoughts, and I could tell you. But that would take a week or more,” Sir Cedric said. I jumped when he spoke, then nodded.
“What did Cedric say?” the Commander asked.
“He said he could help, but it would take more time than we have,” I said.
“He’s correct. So, pass him back to me and I’ll start asking two at a time up here and tell them I’m looking for people for a special project. I can at least get started while you all figure out how to shut this witch down,” the Commander said.
“Thank you for your help, Sir Cedric,” I said as I pulled the car out of my pocket.
“You are most sincerely welcome, Grandson. I look forward to working with you again.”
I handed the car back and got to my feet. “Well, where do we start?”
“I’m going to pay a visit to Fancy,” Grizz said. “And find out just how tangled up in all of this she is.”
“Want me to handle getting food for Fergus?” I asked him.
“No, I’ll do that first, then go see Fancy. You should go home before your wife and kids forget what you look like,” Grizz said.
“He’s right. Both of you should head home and get a good night’s rest. The next few days are going to be hectic, and I need you both rested and recharged,” the Commander said to Sid and me.
“But we’re so short on time as it is,” I argued.
“Not so short that one night’s rest is going to change anything. Go. That’s an order,” he said.
Sid and I both nodded, and followed Grizz out of the office.
“Are you really going home?” Sid asked me.
“Not like I’d sleep if I went there,” I replied.
“Good, come with me. I have a plan,” Sid said. “Go change and I’ll meet you in the back lot. I’ll drive.”
“See you in a few,” I said and headed to the locker room.
Chapter Twenty
Sid
I sent Grams a text and let her know that I’d be late tonight, in case she worried. Lately, she’d been checking in on everyone every night to make sure we were home and safe. That worried me more than comforted me because of her precognition – but she wouldn’t say why she was doing it, just that it made her feel better.
Sin tossed his bag in the back seat and climbed in the front. “Can we grab food first?” he asked.
“Yeah, considering we’re going to the island, food first is a good idea,” I said.
“Wait, what? Why are we going there?”
“Because it’s time Grandma Maggie pulled her head out of her ass and got on board. She was trying to shut us down because she didn’t want me finding out her half sister was the Macha. Well, now we know. She can stop dicking around and step up to the plate. First, however, we’re going to pop in on Grampa Fionn and make sure he’s still up for being with us on this.”
I pulled up to the drive thru and ordered some food, and an extra bag for Fionn who had professed a weakness for strawberry banana milkshakes and bacon double cheeseburgers. I found a spot in the corner of the lot, and Sin sorted out our food while I made a call.
“Grampa Fionn, it’s Sidonie. Do you have a minute?” I asked when he answered the phone.
“I do, Sidonie. What do you need?”
“Sin and I are on the way to the island. We need to speak with you when we get there. I’m bringing you a burger and milkshake as tribute,” I said.
I heard his laughter before he spoke. “Tribute, eh? Well, that sounds acceptable. However, I’m guessing this isn’t to be a pleasant social call. I’ll have my man meet you at the ferry and bring you in the back way, if that suits?”
“That works fine. Thank you, Grampa. See you soon.” I disconnected the call and reached for my burger. “He’ll have one of his guys meet us at the ferry and bring us in the back way.”
“Good, the less people that know about us, the better,” Sin said.
After we ate, I drove us to the docks and we got on the ferry. I dug a backpack out of my trunk and wrapped the meal in a couple of plastic bags before I tucked it inside. A whispered spell would keep the warm food warm and the milkshake cold, then I moved my wallet and keys into my pockets. We both decided to leave our guns in the console safe. Showing up at the palace with firearms was considered bad form, and we had enough issues going against our success that we didn’t need to add to the list.
When we disembarked, I spotted someone I knew, standing under the awning for the car service. He had been clearly looking for us, because when he spotted me, he gave a little wave and got into the driver’s seat. I led Sin over to the car and peered in the window.
“Isen, who sent you?” I asked.
“Your grandfather, miss. Please get in quickly,” he said.
Sin and I got into the small car, the backpack on my lap, and he sped into the darkness.
“So, who do you work for, Isen?” I asked.
“I am King Fionn’s man, but Queen Margaret thinks I’m hers. He asked me to serve her and let him know if things ever got out of control,” Isen said.
“How do you know him?” Sin asked me.
“She knows me as I’ve served lunch to her and the Queen,” Isen replied. “And the princess has always been kind and considerate to me, so I considered it an honor to be asked to come get you both for the king.”
“We’re also going to be making a stop with the Queen, but we wanted to talk to Grampa Fionn first,” I said. “Has Archivist Oak been doing well?”
“He’s fine. Angry at the Queen for keeping you two apart, but he’s fine. I’ll let him know you were asking after him. He has your information, too, that you left, but he didn’t want to anger the Queen by reaching out,” Isen said.
“Give him my best. We’ll work together again someday, I know it,” I said.
Isen parked the car near a wall covered in vines on a street with no lights. “Follow me,” he said.
We got out and quietly closed the doors, then followed Isen to a narrow wooden door set into the stone. He opened it on well-oiled hinges, then led us inside and locked it behind us. A finger to his lips to remind us to stay quiet and we followed along a flagstone path to another door, this one set in the base of a tower. Again, the door opened with very little sound, and he waved us inside before he followed and closed the door carefully behind him. “Up the stairs, to the rooms at the top. There are no other doors off this tower, so I’ll keep watch here while you head on up. Move quickly, please.”
I gave him a nod and headed up the stairs, moving quickly and as quietly as I could, with Sin close behind.
We got to the door and it opened to reveal Fionn dressed in jeans and a sweater. He gestured for us to come in, but didn’t speak until we were inside.
“Welcome, both of you. A pleasure to see you both,” Fionn said.
I opened the backpack and pulled out the food. “Burger, fries, and a strawberry banana milkshake. Spelled to stay warm and cold,” I said.
“Thank you for meeting with us,” Sin added.
Fionn took the food and led us further into his rooms. The tower was a lot larger up top than it seemed at the bottom, with a large sitting room space, a bedroom and a bathroom. It looked like he even had a small kitchenette in one corner.
“I like your space,” I said.
“I do, too,” Fionn replied as he put the food on a table. “Do you mind if I eat while we talk?”
“No, go for it,” Sin said. “We ate before we got on the ferry.”
“Please, enjoy. Mostly, I wanted to ask if you’d come with us to back us up when we go speak to Grandma Maggie. We now know that the Macha is using t
he name Iris Faherty and plans a ritual that will end up with another thirty dead, at least. The Queen doesn’t know that we know it’s her half sister, and we need her help to shut this down,” I said.
“Maggie is an artist when it comes to avoiding things she doesn’t want to deal with,” Fionn said as he paused between bites. “I’ll come with you. She’ll listen to me better than she might have a few days ago, since I will be working at the Academy as an instructor. A lot of Maggie’s anger at me was because she felt I was wasting my years by doing nothing useful. I did spend a few years doing nothing of note, but the last few, I wrote several volumes on events and history, and now, I will be a teacher. It feels good to have purpose.”
“That’s excellent news,” Sin said. “They need good instructors at the Academy. I may even find myself auditing your classes just so I can learn more.”
“I would welcome your attendance,” Fionn said, then slurped the last of his milkshake. “Oh, that was good. Thank you for that treat – or should I say tribute?”
I chuckled and twisted the end of my braid. “May we go now? She doesn’t know we’re coming, so what do you suggest?”
He shrugged. “Let’s just go show up at her door. This time of night, she’s in her rooms, either watching the TV or reading a book.”
“I should’ve brought her a milkshake,” I muttered and Fionn laughed.
“I don’t think a milkshake would make this meeting any more palatable. Let’s go.”
Down the stairs to where Isen waited, then through two short hallways and up another set of stairs accessed through a door behind a tapestry on a hinged rod.
“This is a lot closer than I thought she’d be,” I said.
“We do care for each other, we just happen to enjoy our privacy as well. Don’t need to be across the palace from each other,” Fionn said as he tapped on a plain wooden door, then opened it and stepped inside. “Maggie, it’s me. You decent?”
“Come on in, Fionn,” we heard her say and the sound from the TV was silenced.
When all three of us entered her sitting room, her eyes widened. “What’s going on?” Maggie asked.
“The kids came to me to ask for my support while they asked for your help,” Fionn said.
“What do you need my help with?” she asked as she sat up and waved us to seats near her. “Come, sit. Do you want something to drink?”
“No, we’re fine, thank you, Grandma,” Sin said as we all took seats.
I don’t know if it was my nerves or what, but I had to swallow the urge to giggle. Grandma, usually dressed in silk slacks and blouses, skirts, or dresses, was wearing sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt with “Queen of everything” in white on the faded purple background. It seemed inappropriate to laugh at her outfit when we had such crappy news to share.
“In two days, the Macha plans to perform a ritual that will kill thirty people and make her nearly immortal. We cannot allow her to do that. She’s killed so many, already – she needs to be stopped. We need your help to stop her,” I said.
“Before you deny us,” Sin added, “We want you to know we understand we’re asking you to go against your own half sister. However, I spoke with one of your nephews today, Fergus Fraser, the grandson of your sister, Athdara. His mother, Kirin, and all five of his other siblings, were killed by Iona. He would rather hide in a shielded jail cell than be free, so she could kill him as well.”
“I’m not sure how much help I can be,” Maggie started and Fionn just gave her a look, one eyebrow arched.
“Are you going to try and tell us that you’re inept when it comes to disruptive magic?” Fionn said.
Maggie blushed and looked away.
“I get it. When Micah showed up and Nico pulled his crap, it was hard for me to believe family would do that to family. Nico nearly killed me, as you know, and yet I struggled with the need to take him down,” I said.
“What changed that for you?” Maggie asked.
“When he and his family killed an innocent woman, and I learned they were behind the pain and suffering of so many others I cared about,” I said.
“And Iona has harmed hundreds and hundreds over the years,” she said.
“Just in the past year, she’s been directly responsible for at least a dozen deaths. And those are the ones we know about,” Sin said. “Never mind the death and destruction from destabilizing the lines.”
“When are you doing this?” Maggie asked.
“Fergus said it was on the blue moon in two days. Moon apex is at eight forty-five at night. That’s probably when she’ll cast,” I said.
“I’ll get a few things together for a disruption spell. Fionn and I will be at the farm around four. That way, we have time to eat and prepare. Is that acceptable?”
“That works for me,” Fionn said.
“We can meet at Grams. I’ll let her know we’re all going to be showing up. Her place is better than mine, since she has the apothecary room and we can get any supplies needed before we go,” I said.
“I’ll see if Sett can join us, and have her send Lucia and Rosie to the Estate so all of the wee ones are protected,” Sin said.
“Agreed,” Maggie replied, then opened her arms to me. I rose and went to give her a hug and she whispered, “I’m so sorry I got in the way. I was afraid. Forgive a foolish old woman?”
“I love you, Grandma. Just do something nice for Oak, because he’s been afraid to upset you further and wouldn’t reach out to me. I’ll come hang out and we’ll do more scanning and research when this is all handled, okay?”
“I will, darling. I love you, too. Now, both of you give me hugs and get yourselves home before you miss the last ferry.”
I stepped back while Sin gave Grandma Maggie a hug and we both turned to hug Fionn.
“Isen’s outside the door. He can get you back to the ferry,” Fionn said.
We said our goodbyes and left our grandparents holding hands on the sofa as they leaned in to whisper to each other.
Isen got us back to the ferry just in time, and we were both yawning by the time I got the SUV started up. “Want me to just drop you at home, since we’re on that side of town anyway?” I asked Sin.
“Yeah, I can catch a ride with Dad tomorrow morning on his way to school.”
I hit the coastal road and picked up speed. “Did that go easier than you expected it to go?”
“Yeah, but I think the two of us, plus Fionn, was exactly the right combination to shut down her arguments and let her know she truly was needed,” Sin said.
“How are you and Mira doing?”
“We’re good. She’s getting really big, really fast. Reina’s magic constantly amazes us, and Ethan tells us stories from his Guardians. My life is pretty amazing.”
“Is Reina’s magic unstable at all?”
“Not in the least. I think it’s because she has so much fae blood in her. Her fae side powers and stabilizes her witch side, so she’s not pulling from the lines as much as she is from the elements. Mom said she could see Reina outperforming all of us when it comes to magical things.”
“Another point towards what I learned from my research. The more species mingle, the more stable and powerful they become.”
“Why did the pure bloodline ideal become an ideal? Simply because people were afraid if they had mixed kids, they wouldn’t be as powerful as their children?”
“I think it was that, and the pain of losing children when you mixed a witch and a shifter,” I said.
“How long has that been the case, though?” Sin asked and I had one of those light-bulb moments.
“Since about the time the current Macha stepped up and started to fuck with the ley lines,” I said. “Holy hell, I bet that’s one of the things stabilizing all of this could cure.”
“Just fixing the ley lines?” Sin said.
“Not just that, but getting back on solid footing with the Creators and stabilizing the ley lines.”
“Gee, you’re not asking much, are
you?” Sin said.
“I never do,” I replied.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sin
The next two days passed in a blur until we found ourselves seated around Grams table at the farm, stuffing herbs into spelled pouches while Grams, Sett, Mom, and Grandma Maggie all talked over the best ways to proceed. Dad, Lucia, Micah, and Mira were all at the Estate with the little ones. No one was getting in that house without leaving some blood behind.
Also at the table were Grampa Fionn, Grampa Walsh, Grizz, Sid, and myself. Grampa Walsh and Grizz were going to gather shifters and mythics to make a circle outside of the ritual space in case anyone tried to run. The witches in Grams’ coven were going to meet us at the farm store and travel to the site with us. They were more than willing to add their power and support so we would have a chance at taking down this ritual.
“What happened when you caught up to Fancy?” I asked Grizz.
Grizz chuckled. “I convinced her that moving out of town, and fast, would be the healthiest thing to do. I put a GPS tracker on her car and last time I looked, she was in Georgia. She thought Iris was going to make her immortal. When I explained the spell would suck the life force out of everyone other than Iris, she nearly puked on my shoes.”
“Did she give you any good intel?” the Commander asked.
“She said that the last she heard, Iris had over forty people lined up for the spell. Seems there are a lot of folks who want to live forever,” Grizz replied.
“And she confirmed the location?” I asked.
“She most certainly did. Even drew me a little map. It’s off that forest service road that runs along the cliffs. A clearing about five yards away from the road. They’re all supposed to park along the road and hike in,” Grizz said.
“Sorry I’m late,” Stumpy called out as he knocked on the door and stepped inside. “But I’m here and I brought that bag of moss you asked Benny to collect,” he said to Grams.
“Thank you, Stumpy, dear. That’s going to be the last ingredient in these spell bags. Sid, would you start with the moss, please?” Grams said as she found a chair for Stumpy to join us at the table.