And then it disappeared, and the island was empty again.
But in front of them stood a tall woman with long black hair and eyes just as blue as Owen’s. It was the woman that Nora had seen in the inspiration thread, the woman from her memory. Nimue. She was so taken aback by what she’d seen, she lost her grip on the rock.
It tumbled to the ground, landing between her feet.
Owen grinned. “Hey, Mom.”
Sawyer glared down at the dropped rock, and then back up at Nora.
Nora cringed.
Nimue made a tsk-tsk sound. “You’ve been a naughty boy, Owen. Do you have any idea how long it took me to heal after you pushed me out that window? I think someone needs to be taught a lesson about respecting his elders.”
“I think you’re the one who’s going to be learning a lesson this time,” said Owen. He reached into his bag for another bottle and hurled it at Nimue.
Owen wasn’t paying a bit of attention to them. Nora knelt down and picked up the rock. But when she did that, she pulled away the loose ropes on Sawyer’s wrists.
The bottle smashed against Nimue’s belly and burst into bright blue flames. They engulfed the figure of Nimue completely.
Sawyer looped the ropes around again. Owen was too focused on Nimue to have noticed.
Nora held her breath. Maybe Owen really would be able to kill his mother.
But Nimue stepped out of the flames unharmed. She snapped her fingers, and they winked out, as if they’d never been there. “I suppose I could let it go this time. After all, you have brought me the girl. I thought I’d have to steal her out of Helicon myself, and they have made it awfully difficult for me to get back there these days. That Phoebe is such a meddler. Since I’ve barely recovered from that nasty fall, I wasn’t quite feeling up to it.”
Nimue did want Nora. She started to work at her bonds in earnest. She needed to get free.
“The girl?” Owen was caught off guard.
“Don’t be stupid, Owen. You know it’s always been about the girl.” Nimue began to walk toward them.
Owen got out another bottle. He threw it at Nimue.
On impact, the bottle turned into a swarm of angry bees, stinging every exposed piece of her skin.
Nora wasn’t doing nearly as good a job of this as Sawyer had. She had hardly cut a half inch of the rope.
Nimue waved her hand. The bees turned into smoke and drifted away. “Really, Owen. You can’t think to use my own potions against me, can you?”
He shrugged. “I thought it was worth a try.”
She moved closer to him. They were almost nose-to-nose. “Give me the girl. And all is forgiven.”
Owen seemed confused. “What do you want with Nora?”
“It’s what I’ve wanted for quite some time, you imbecile. I only let your father defile me because I thought he was a muse, and his offspring would have muse abilities. But he tricked me, and I got stuck with you. So as you wouldn’t be a total loss, I had you get that girl for me. I made you obsessed with her. It worked far too well, I might add. You’re overly concerned about her. Now, give her to me.” She reached around Owen, placing her hand on Nora’s shoulder.
Nora started, jerking away from Nimue and dropping the rock again.
Sawyer swore very quietly.
“No,” said Owen, pushing Nimue away. “You’re lying. I fell in love with her because she was tiny and pretty. She’s the only thing I ever loved. She has nothing to do with you.”
Nimue rolled her eyes. “Love is for simpletons. I thought I taught you better than that.”
“I won’t let you near her.” Owen reached into his case and came out with a small revolver. “I didn’t think it would kill you if that fall didn’t, but I thought it might make you easier to work with.” He leveled the gun at his mother. “You and Merlin can spend eternity together.”
Nimue looked at the gun and swallowed. “Well, you’ve always surprised me, my boy. You’re strong. No matter what I did to you, it never quite broke your spirit. And when I found out you weren’t a muse, I was very angry.” She cocked her head at him. “The obsession isn’t necessary anymore, Owen. You don’t have to protect her. Look into my eyes.”
Owen snorted, but then he seemed to be caught by her gaze. The hand holding the gun wavered.
“I will say the word now. The word that releases you. When you hear it, you will no longer feel anything toward that girl. You will be free of your obsession. Do you understand?”
Owen nodded wordlessly.
Nimue uttered a string of strange-sounding syllables.
Owen stumbled. He shook himself, breaking eye contact with his mother.
“There you go,” said Nimue. “Much better. Now give me the gun and give me the girl.”
Owen lifted his face, an expression of utter horror on it. “You stole it away. You stole the only thing I care about away.”
And then he shot her.
Four times.
The sounds of the gunshots banged through the apple trees, and Nimue grunted, grabbing at herself, stumbling on her feet. She looked alarmed. Then she closed her eyes and disappeared.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Owen dropped the gun. He gaped at the place where Nimue had disappeared. “She got away?” he whispered.
Sawyer threw off his ropes and picked up the rock from the ground. He started to cut at Nora’s ropes himself.
Nora watched Owen. He was staring at empty space. “That bitch,” he muttered. Then he raised his voice. “That bitch!”
He whirled to face Nora and Sawyer. When he saw that Sawyer was free, his face twisted in rage. He lunged at Sawyer, roaring.
Sawyer turned, bringing up the rock. He slashed at Owen’s face.
Owen howled, clutching himself. He was bleeding from his forehead. He rounded on Nora, his eyes wide and crazy. “Everything I felt about you is gone.” He laughed, a manic sound, blood spilling over his features.
Nora flinched from him. This wasn’t good. If the only reason Owen had protected her was because of Nimue’s conditioning, what would he do now?
Sawyer held the sharp rock out as if it were a talisman that could ward Owen away.
Owen pulled out the dimension device. He giggled. “Let’s go to Helicon, shall we?” He twisted the inner circles, lining them up for his destination. “When we get there, I’ll really have some fun.”
Could Owen get back into Helicon if he were exiled? Nora wasn’t sure.
Owen slammed the device against Nora’s chest. “She took you from me. She took you from me.”
The device flared, light flashing up. Nora felt the tugging sensation again, someone yanking her along by her spine. She was tied to Owen and touching the device, but Sawyer...
She flailed out for him, even as the landscape of Avalon disappeared. She tried to yell his name, but the rush of movement tore her voice from her throat.
She grasped at empty space, and then—
His fingers wrapped around hers.
Nora was choking, yanked onward by the device. She gripped Sawyer as tightly as she could, struggling for breath.
Then...
It was as if they slammed into a brick wall. The tugging stopped, but Nora’s whole body felt bruised.
She was holding Sawyer’s hand. Owen’s body was pressed against hers, the device between them. Behind her was something solid. She shifted to see what it was.
And saw Helicon below her, the main fire pit smoking, muses wandering to and fro. There was something keeping Owen out.
She looked at him. “You’re exiled. You can’t get in.”
His eyes flashed. “That bitch.”
Although, this time, Nora was pretty sure he meant Phoebe.
Nora fumbled at Owen’s belt with the hand not holding Sawyer. She and Sawyer weren’t exiled. Maybe if she wasn’t attached to Owen, she’d be able to get back into Helicon. She found the knot on his belt.
“What are you doing?” Owen pushed at her hands.
> Sawyer grabbed at Owen, but his good hand was holding onto Nora. He cried out from pain.
Owen clenched Sawyer’s wounded hand and squeezed.
Sawyer shrieked.
But it didn’t matter, because Nora had untied them. The knot came loose from Owen’s belt, and they did too. Owen’s grasp on Sawyer couldn’t hold.
They were free falling, the ground rushing up to meet them. They landed hard on the grass. It hurt even worse than the slam into the force field around Helicon. Nora groaned.
They’d landed right in front of Phoebe’s tent, a few feet from the main fire pit.
Muses crowded around them. One of them was Jack. He gaped down at their faces. “Nora and Sawyer? We never thought we’d see you again.”
“We’re okay,” said Nora. Well, achy, but okay. “But we need to see Phoebe right away. We know things about Nimue.”
“If you could get something to cut her ropes, that would be awesome,” said Sawyer.
“Yeah, yeah. Sure.” Jack knelt, pulling out a pocket knife. He went to work on the ropes. “It’s been so long. We’d given up hope.”
“So long?” Nora said. “We were only gone for two days.”
Jack shook his head. He freed Nora’s hands. “Maybe you guys slept extra long or something. But it’s the Winter Solstice.”
* * *
Phoebe and Coeus sat inside the Phoebe’s tent, both looking a little overwhelmed. Nora and Sawyer sat opposite them.
“So let me see if I can get this straight,” said Coeus. “Owen could never get into Helicon. He was able to affect things here because Daryl was doing it for him. The two of them met in the mundane world and made plans. Owen used Daryl to kidnap the two of you, where he cut off Sawyer’s finger in retaliation for Nora slapping him after he kissed her. Then he used the dimension device, which he had Daryl steal for him, to take the both of you to Avalon. He summoned Nimue with the intention of killing her, but she surprised him by telling him that the reason he was obsessed with Nora in the first place was because she had planted that suggestion in his brain. She removed the suggestion, and Owen got so angry that he shot her four times. She disappeared. Then Owen said that he didn’t care about Nora anymore, and he tried to use the device to come to Helicon. However, a barrier stopped him, probably because he’s been exiled. Oh, I should also mention that we now have reason to believe that Nimue is invincible, since she fell from the top of the tower and didn’t die.” He spread his hands. “Does that about sum it up?”
“Yeah,” said Nora. It had taken a lot longer for her and Sawyer to relate the story.
Phoebe took a deep breath. “Well, I suppose that we can assume that Nimue will come looking for Nora after she recovers from her wounds. We’ll need to be on guard for that. But perhaps Owen will no longer be a threat. If he really is no longer obsessed with Nora, perhaps he’ll mind his own business from now on.”
Nora chewed on her lip. “I know that she wants me, but I don’t know why. I saw her in that inspiration thread talking to you, Phoebe. You knew she wanted a muse child. Did she tell you why?”
Phoebe sighed. “No. And I’m afraid I was too horrified by the request to bother questioning her very deeply. Back then, I had no idea what I was dealing with.”
“It’s unfortunate that we lost the dimension device,” said Coeus. “We had still planned to try to go to Avalon and look for the lost muses.”
“You can’t build a new one?” asked Sawyer.
“We’re working on it,” said Coeus. “But without the help of the fairies, it’s much more difficult.”
“It’s even more unfortunate that the device is in Owen’s hands,” said Phoebe. “We can’t be sure what he’ll do with it.” She stood up. “I’m sure the both of you are exhausted. There doesn’t seem to be much we can do right at this moment. The first night of the Solstice is this evening, and I’m sure you could use some food and celebration.”
“The Solstice.” Nora shook her head. “I don’t know how we lost so much time.”
“It’s Avalon,” said Sawyer. “Last time we were there, we lost time as well.”
“But we were only there for fifteen minutes or so,” said Nora. “And we lost two months. Last time, we were there overnight, and we lost a few weeks. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It could be the device itself,” said Coeus. “We never got the chance to test it.”
“I have to admit,” said Phoebe. “I was angry with you. We thought you took the dimension device for a bit of fun.”
“That was what Owen wanted you to think,” said Nora.
“He’s more dangerous than we imagined.” Phoebe sighed. “Over the summer, I said he hadn’t ever used violence for coercion. Well, he’s done that now. And with the threat of Nimue...” She shook her head. “Listen to me going on like this. You both need a trip to the healers and some rest.”
“Then food,” said Coeus.
Nora and Sawyer stood up. “Yes. That does sound good.”
Phoebe put a hand on each of their shoulders. “I wish the things that have happened to you hadn’t happened. You’re both much too young for this.”
* * *
They were in much better spirits after visiting the healing enclave. As they left, Maddie ran up to them. “I just found out you were back,” she said.
They all hugged.
“I can’t believe you were gone so long,” she said.
“I know,” said Sawyer. “This is the second year in a row that the Harvest Ball has been ruined for me. Last year, we were all squicky about Owen. This year, he kidnaps us. Actually, I’m noticing a common denominator here. Someone needs to do something about that guy.”
“You’re telling me,” said Maddie. “I’ve been keeping Catling for you, Nora, but I can tell she misses you.”
Catling! Nora hadn’t even given a thought to her pet. “We should go back to the tweens and rebels enclave and see her right now.”
Maddie was looking at Sawyer’s hand. “Gods, what happened to your finger?”
Sawyer looked at the ground. “Remember what I was saying about the common denominator?”
Maddie looked sick. “Why would he do that?”
“To keep me in line,” said Nora.
Maddie turned away. “Is that why Daryl isn’t here? No one will tell me anything. Did Owen kill him?”
Nora shook her head. This was going to destroy Maddie. “I didn’t see what happened to him. Owen said he sent him to another dimension. Some place we wouldn’t find him.”
Maddie gulped.
Nora’s mouth worked. How did she tell Maddie about what Daryl had done? Nothing came out.
Sawyer spoke up. His voice was gentle. “I wouldn’t feel too sorry for him. He’s the reason we ended up with Owen in the first place.”
Maddie furrowed her brow. “What?”
Sawyer took a deep breath. “He was working for Owen. He started dating you to get close to us and to gain our trust. He’s the one who brought the flowers and left the messages.”
“No,” said Maddie. She turned to Nora, as if begging her to say it wasn’t true.
Nora couldn’t look at her. “He drugged me at May Day. That’s why I freaked out.”
Maddie shook her head soundlessly.
Sawyer put a hand on her arm.
Maddie pulled away.
Was there any way to make this better? Nora tried to think of something to say. Anything. All she came up with was, “I’m sorry.”
Maddie clenched her jaw. “It figures. I should have known that no guy would really like me. Of course it was all some kind of sick prank. Of course Owen was behind it.”
“No, Maddie,” said Sawyer. “He did care about you. That’s why he made sure you didn’t come with us to the mundane world. And he wanted to stop working with Owen. But I don’t think he knew how.”
“I think he loved you,” said Nora. “You were the reason that he was trying to change his mind. And maybe we’ll find him. Or maybe h
e’ll find his way back here.”
Tears were leaking out of Maddie’s eyes.
Sawyer hugged her. “I know it’s bad. But at least you weren’t with us.”
Nora touched Maddie’s shoulder. “Owen would have hurt you—”
Maddie hurled them both off. “You guys didn’t even try to help Daryl, did you?”
“We...” Nora guessed she should have expected this kind of reaction.
“I was tied up,” said Sawyer. “And Owen had gotten into Nora’s mind. You know how powerful he is. We didn’t have a chance.”
Maddie wrapped her arms around herself. She backed away from them. “I’m sorry. I’m really happy to see you guys. And I don’t want to run away right now, but I need to be alone.” She took off.
Sawyer started after her, but Nora stopped him. “Let her go.”
“But we made her feel that way,” he said. “She hates us.”
Nora watched Maddie’s running figure go further into the distance. “Maybe we shouldn’t have told her.”
He scuffed his shoe against the ground. “It’s better for her to know who he really was.” He sighed. “Let’s get out of here.” He started walking in the direction of the tweens and rebels enclave.
Nora took one last look after Maddie. She could hardly see her anymore. It was all Owen’s fault again. He was destroying everything. Was Phoebe right, and would Owen leave her alone now that Nimue had released him of his obsession? Nora wanted to believe that was true, but somehow, she didn’t think so. She was pretty sure she hadn’t seen the last of Owen.
Sawyer had already gotten a good bit ahead of her. She caught up to him and reached for his hand.
He looked at her in surprise.
Nora pulled her hand back. She hadn’t thought about touching him. She’d just done it. It had seemed natural.
He glanced down at their hands, which were now very far apart. He kept walking.
She trailed after him. She wasn’t sure what had happened there. “Sawyer?”
“Listen, I know that things happened between us.” He stared straight ahead as he talked. “But we were in a really scary situation, and if you tell me that it doesn’t mean anything, I’ll understand.”
The Helicon Muses Omnibus: Books 1-4 Page 59