The flock carries off the pieces of Vivika’s spirit and vanishes into the clouds.
Houston and I both sit down on the ground. Well, he sits. I just sort of lean against him and try to stay upright. He puts an arm around me. “You okay, Boss?”
“I think there is blood coming out of my ears.”
“A little. Do I need to take you to Doctor Creepy-Guy?”
“No. No. I just need a nap for about…a week.”
“I’m sorry, Houston,” says Brynwolf. “I had hoped to at least afford you some closure.”
“Yeah, well. Maybe you could have told us about this part of the plan beforehand? Because as it stands, now I know I’m not just an orphan. I’m a bastard.”
“The young man has a point,” says Red Turtle. “You risked allowing an abomination to continue to exist over your people’s obsession with bloodlines and lineage. No good came of allowing her to continue to be. Imprisoning such monsters only means they escape at a later time.”
A floating orb of light appears almost directly in front of the Lord Advocate. It flashes bright white and then pale yellow. “Esteemed,” says Brynwolf. “Please let the Eighth of the Nine know the situation has been resolved. Chana Magus is no longer a threat. The binding was successful and her spirit sent to the nether realms.” The Esteemed pulsates blue for a moment and then back to white. “I will head to the Nexus to present my full report in person as soon as we finish here.”
The Esteemed bounces up and down in the air and disappears.
“Did the Eight of the Nine actually authorize her imprisonment?” I ask.
“Not really,” says Brynwolf, finally cracking a smile. “I think she realized that, too, and called my bluff. I just saw an opening and took it.”
“She was talking in circles, anyway,” says Houston. “She pretty much admitted that she didn’t actually Imprint me, but then says my father killed her. But we know the man who killed her wasn’t a witch or even related to any witches.”
“A man’s body is born from his mother’s womb. But a man’s soul is born from his own heart,” says Red Turtle to Houston. “Regardless of your parentage, you are who you chose to be. You are not who they were.”
“Thanks, Master Yoda,” says Houston with a thumbs up gesture.
Red Turtle looks down at me. “Your apprentice, Nancy. He’s a geek. You know that?”
“Yeah, I do. And I wouldn’t have him any other way.”
He kneels down and takes my head in his hands. He says an incantation in Unami and I feel the throbbing in my skull slowly start to subside.
“Thank you,” I say as I can start to think clearly again.
“I expect this mess cleaned up before you all leave,” he says before departing. “And Joshua, try to read my thoughts again, and the next time I morph you into an animal, it won’t be a wolf.”
“Understood,” says the Lord Advocate with a salute.
Red Turtle transforms into an eagle and flies off.
* * *
Eric listens intently as I relay the events to him. “And she didn’t even realize the bloke was sitting right there as a wolf the whole time?”
“Hide in plain sight,” I reply. She had to have felt his energy, but probably assumed the wolf was a spirit animal or spirit companion to Red Turtle. She had no reason to suspect otherwise.
“Still, bold risk but bloody brilliant!”
Houston comes down the stairs and sits in the recliner. “Risha said she’ll make some quiet inquiries. See if she can dig up anything about my dad. She said it’s possible he could have been an undocumented adept. Lots of people have magical potential but never develop it.”
“Let it go, mate.”
“Nah, it’s good. I’m good. This is more just curiosity now.”
“Well, I need to get home and let Gregor know what happened,” says Eric as he stands and stretches. “It’s all good if I’m gone about a week, ya? Gregor needs me to help him with some mapping project.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with his plans to visit the mouth of the River Styx, does it?” I ask.
“No. I think he may be off that. He just accepted a consulting contract with Elliswyr Transportation. They’re working on commercial portable teleporters. Small enough to fit in a purse.”
“Sounds interesting,” says Houston.
“Sounds dangerous,” I reply. “But take whatever time you need. November is fairly slow at the shop. Business won’t start picking up again until we get near the Solstice.”
“Ace. But if you decide to take Houston back to the Hellsmouth to drown his sorrows, ring me and I’ll pop right back!” He teleports out of the living room.
Houston and I sit in silence for several minutes. “You sure you are all right?” I finally ask.
“It comes and goes,” he says. “I mean, she was my mother. But she was never my mother, if that makes sense.”
“It does.”
“Should we say anything to Aunt Ruth?”
“There is nothing we can say to her that would even make sense. Nothing is gained by telling her what really happened.”
“You’re right. I know your right. She’s just really getting okay with my powers. I haven’t even told her Risha is a psion. Though I think she suspects.”
“You introduced Risha to your aunt and uncle?”
Houston shrugs and gives me a sly grin. “Well, yeah. Just the one time. She met me there when we were going to lunch. Aunt Ruth wants her to come over for dinner but I wanted to wait until this was all over.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“You almost died because of me, Nancy.”
“Brynwolf was shielding me the entire time.”
“Yeah, and despite that I saw what she did to you. If something had gone wrong, she would have killed you.”
“Don’t blame yourself for this. Chana Magus was evil long before you were born. She’d been at this for centuries. This wasn’t about you. She needed to be stopped. And we stopped her.”
“Yes. But still.”
“Truth is, we might not have been able to stop her without you. She could have beaten Brynwolf. I realize that. We had her in a binding trap, with an enchanted lariat around her neck, and Red Turtle there shielding the cairn. And she still managed to put a hurt on me. We wouldn’t have been able to set the trap without you. The only reason we were able to get her into that position was you.”
“You know, you’re right. But then we already knew I was amazing.”
“I’m glad you’re still weird.”
“Boss, with what we do, there is no other way to be.” He leans forward and rubs his face. “I’m gonna be fine, Nancy. Obi-Wan Turtle was right. I’m not by parents. I’m…I’m probably just going to be moody for a while.”
“You know I’m here for you.”
“You have been from day one. Even when you had no real reason to be.” He stands up and stretches. “Think I’m going to go hit the gym for an hour.”
“Try not to drop a dumbbell on your foot.”
He pauses at the door and turns to me. “You know, now that I’m an orphan again, I was thinking about adopting your mom.”
“Adopting my mother? How would that work?”
“I would be the baby of the family. Everyone would have to spoil me.”
“You’re already spoiled.”
“I always wanted a big sister.”
“I’m sure mom would be delighted to be adopted, then.”
“Hmmm, now that I think about it, considering how you still lust after me, that has a weird Lannister vibe to it.”
I toss a throw pillow at him.
Learn more about the world of Nancy Werlock .
https://sites.google.com/site/nancywerlock/
Episode summaries, list of characters throughout the series, an Arcane Glossary, Who’s Who in the World of Magic, the Colleges of Magic, and more .
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nancy werlocks diary s02e13 Page 3