by Bonnie Lamer
I grin at Kegan. “Namarrgon.”
Xandra looks at me doubtfully. “Did you just make up a word?”
I put my arm around her shoulder and steer us in the right direction. “No, my little Witch Fairy, I did not. Namarrgon is the name of the creature on the rock face you mention. It is one of the few hand-made landmarks that transcends realms.”
Again, she sounds doubtful. “How does it do that?”
“That is the mystery. Some say that it was painted during the Dreamtime, or the creation period, when knowledge and natural law were brought into being. Namarrgon was the creator of lightning and thunder.”
“And this occurred in both realms?”
“That is the belief, yes.”
After a moment, she says, “Did he really look like a grasshopper?”
I laugh. “Apparently.”
Kegan takes the lead and I follow with Xandra trailing behind. Both my cousin and I keep forgetting that she does not know the forest as we do so we have to stop every so often to let her catch up. By the time we get home, her skin will look like sandpaper was taken to it she is getting so many scrapes and scratches from the brush and branches that keep making her stumble. I wish I could create a light for her but that would defeat the purpose of our stealth approach in regards to her aunt.
Kegan comes to sudden stop when we are about halfway to our destination. I am sure I know the reason when he turns towards us with a finger pressed against his lips. He motions for us to go to the right and I do not hesitate. I grab Xandra’s hand and pull her behind me to get her out of harm’s way. I feel her start when the Tasmanian devil cries out in anger.
When we are safe distance, Xandra and I duck down behind some bushes and I point to were the animal is. “What is that?” she whispers.
Now is not the time for talking. Kegan is almost upon the animal that is having its evening meal of snake. We do not want it coming our way. Xandra has no idea what these things are capable of and I do not want her to get hurt because she underestimates it. They are called devils for a reason.
The beast has heard Kegan now and it leaves its dinner to hiss and growl at him. When Kegan does not turn and the run, it goes on the offensive. With lightning speed, it pounces with gnashing teeth ready to rip his throat out. Just as quickly, Kegan has a slingshot in hand and a large stone hits the creature in the chest hard enough to stop it in midair. A practiced move that has saved us many a time from being mauled but Kegan cut it a little close this time. No doubt trying to show off for Xandra’s sake.
When the Tasmanian devil dashes off, Kegan approaches. “Cousin,” I whisper, “you are getting more reckless. One day, the devil will be the victor.”
Kegan shrugs. “You worry too much, Kallen. That has always been a weakness of yours.”
Xandra is confused. “What are you two talking about? What devil?”
I am about to tease her but Kegan cuts me off. “Tasmanian devil. Meanest little creature in any realm. He would sooner bite your hand off than let you come within a foot of him.”
“That was a Tasmanian devil?” she says in surprise. “They’re really that dangerous? It wasn’t any bigger than a cocker spaniel.”
“But a cocker spaniel will not tear you apart and eat you, hair and bones and all.” That is a bit graphic, but true.
I am beginning to wonder if Xandra is going to believe anything we say tonight. “Right, something that small is that dangerous.”
“It is true,” Kegan says. “They are nasty little creatures. They will attack at the slightest provocation.”
She puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head. “And yet you still got that close to it before getting it to run off?”
“My cousin is not always wise.”
That came out a little sharper than I meant it to and Kegan notices. His jovial mood is forgotten. “I enjoy the challenge of the confrontation. Even if the outcome is not always in my favor.”
Folding my arms across my chest so I do not reach out and punch him in the face, I growl, “Perhaps you should choose your battles more wisely.”
“Um, guys, can we keep looking for my aunt now?” Without another word, Kegan turns and starts walking again in the direction we had been headed before the Tasmanian devil held us up. There is now an even thicker air of tension around. I take Xandra’s hand and we follow silently behind him.
Chapter 21
Xandra jerks to a stop and lets out a small squeal when a pair of fast moving, and harmless, animals cross our path. That does not help my darkening mood that my little exchange with Kegan has brought on. Screams are even worse for stealth than light. “It was only a pair of kangaroos,” I say too sharply.
She stands akimbo and glares at me. “Yeah, well, we don’t have kangaroos in Colorado. Excuse me for reacting to something out of the ordinary for me.”
“We disturbed some red kangaroos having their dinner,” Kegan explains softly. “They like to feed at night.”
Xandra turns to him, “Are they always that big?”
Kegan nods. “They can stand as tall as me and can weigh close to two hundred pounds.”
“Do they bite?” she asks and I cannot help but roll my eyes. Did she not have any zoology training in her education? It is not as if kangaroos do not exist in her realm.
Kegan smiles. “They prefer not to be that close to you. If disturbed, they will generally run off. They are only dangerous if cornered.”
“Can we continue?” I ask even more annoyed that Kegan is turning into the gracious educator.
Kegan ignores me. “If you corner them, they will first attack you with their front legs which have sharp claws. If that is not effective, they will kick you with their hind legs.”
“Are we finished with the kangaroo lesson now?” Kallen asks.
Xandra gives me a sour look. “Why are you being such a jerk? I’ve never been to Australia. I don’t know what the animals here do.”
“This is not Australia. It is simply located in this realm where Australia would be in your realm. Furthermore, as none of us have had much sleep, I am not in the mood to be in the forest any longer than necessary.” I have no idea why I am getting so angry. I know I sound like an ass at the moment. Am I simply afraid that Xandra may choose Kegan over me? If so, I need to get over it.
“Well, I’m not in the mood for you not being in the mood.”
“What?”
She huffs loudly. “If you don’t want to be here, I’m sure Kegan can help me find my aunt.”
I do not miss Kegan’s grin. “I would be happy to accompany you for as long as necessary,” he simpers.
That was the wrong thing to say. “You will accompany her nowhere,” I growl.
I guess that was not the right thing to say either. “Really? You’re going to decide who I can be around? I don’t think so,” Xandra huffs.
Words jump out of my mouth as if I am the one being possessed. “My apologies, I did not realize you were so eager for my cousin’s company. Perhaps you were more conscious than you led me to believe when I came upon you in the kitchen.” I am an idiot. I should be rolled up into a blanket and tossed into the ocean with chains because no one who is as stupid as I am at the moment should be allowed to roam freely in the realm. And I get the exact reaction that my comment should have elicited.
Xandra is not just huffing now; she is making the air around her crackle with magic. “You’re a jealous, pompous jerk. And if you really believe that, then you should go back home right now. I’ll find my aunt on my own.”
I need to stop this. But I cannot find the right words so I stand here running my hands through my hair and looking even more like a jackass.
Son of a bitch. So much for words. I shield Xandra with my body as I knock her to the ground so she is not killed by her aunt’s arrow.
Xandra is beyond pissed now. She struggles underneath me, trying to get me off from her. I will, but she is staying put. “Stay down!” I hiss. A crossbow is already in my hands.
Kegan is armed as well. Ducking behind the tree in front of us, we time our shots perfectly. Xandra has figured out what is going on and the anger she is exhibiting is no longer directed at me. At this point, I could probably do anything and still come out looking better than most of her family.
Having never been in a crossbow fight before, the concept of staying down seems to elude her. Xandra sits up and immediately a dart grazes her arm. Great. I reach out and pull the hood of her jacket, trying to get her behind me and the tree. “Xandra, she has a blow dart gun. You have to get behind me. They are probably dipped in Zyleakia.” How did her aunt become so knowledgeable about Fairy poisons over the last day and a half?
I am about to send another arrow flying when a flash of magic turns into a wall in front of us. I love it when Xandra remembers she has magic in these situations. I dissolve my crossbow and wait for whatever is coming next. In situations like these, I never doubt her ability to control her magic. Even when she starts muttering the words of a spell. Okay, a tiny part of me is still wary but I am smart enough to keep that to myself.
As she speaks, her voice grows louder and more confident. “Bound by anger, twisted with menace, trapped by Shadows alone in the darkness. Still your body, find no flight in this endless night of bitterness and spite. Weapons of wood, drawn to flame, end now this tiresome game. Body and soul shall move no more, your freedom of motion I have forsworn.”
An eruption of fire lights the forest as the blow gun in Barb’s hands bursts into flames and is then dropped to the ground. She is not far behind as her body becomes rigid and she is unable to move on her own. That was awesome. Xandra may want to consider a career as a one person army. She is talented enough.
Xandra lets down her wall of magic and Kegan and I follow her to her aunt’s side. Wow, the words coming out of her mouth make me blush. Whatever soul bits she picked up in the Shadow realm have taught her well in the art of oath making.
Xandra is only able to stare down at the woman who is wishing evil upon evil on her only niece. Ninety-nine percent of it I would not even wish upon Kegan. Most of the time. I put my hand on Xandra’s shoulder to get her attention. “Kegan and I can take it from here.” She nods and steps away, no doubt trying hard to unhear the things she just heard.
Remembering what the woman did to Tabitha, I would like nothing more than to do the same to her. It is only out of respect for Xandra that I do not. Since I have no intention of slinging the woman over my shoulder, I create a wooden litter underneath her. Barb keeps up her tirade while I lift the litter from the ground, so Xandra takes her voice away. With the litter following us, I catch up to Xandra and take her hand in mine. This is not the time for apologies or words of any kind. I simply need to be here for her as we walk back through the forest in silence.
When the house is in sight, I cannot put off any longer what I must say to Kegan if we all are going to move past tonight. I pull Xandra to a stop and turn to him. “I am not upset with you, cousin. I am simply jealous that you were offered what I want to only be mine.”
I guess I was wrong about this not being the time for apologies because I feel the need to keep going. Running a hand through my hair, I look back at Xandra. “And I am sorry about what I said back there.” I lean down to kiss her. Which she lets me do. “I love you and I apparently do not handle my jealousy well.”
“No, you don’t,” she murmurs against my lips but she is smiling. That is a good start.
When I can drag my lips from Xandra, I ask Kegan, “Do you accept my apology, cousin?”
Kegan grins. “Since it is the only real apology I have ever received from you, I am going to savor it. Would you mind saying it again?”
Jerk. “Do not push it.” Kegan just laughs.
Chapter 22
We bring Barb into the house and transfer her from the litter to one of the couches in the main living room where everyone crowds around. There is great debate amongst Xandra’s other family members about the situation. I try to stay out of it. I know when my opinion is not needed or wanted.
Kegan, on the other hand, does not. In response to Alita’s inquiry about whether Barb is alright, he says, “No, from what I have heard Xandra say of her aunt in the past, there does not seem to be much of her left.” I groan and shake my head.
Xandra whirls around to face him. “What does that mean, not much of her left?”
Kegan takes a step back against the wall. “I…I meant her personality.”
Xandra is prowling towards him, a hint of menace in her posture. Okay, she is beyond stressed at this point and Kegan may actually be in danger. In an attempt to snap her out of her mood, I gently grab her arm and say, “Kegan was merely commenting on the fact that her ‘soul barnacles’ as you like to call them, seem to have more control over her than yours have over you.” Her expression tells me what I can do with my attempts at pacification.
“Kallen, perhaps Xandra needs to rest,” Grandmother says. “She has not slept well recently.”
Finally, her attention is dragged away from Kegan. “No, I’m okay,” she says through a yawn.
Grandmother ignores her and says to me, “Tabitha is still researching, so we need to make our…’guest’ comfortable. Please bring her to the beige room. Alita may assist you.”
Alita moves towards Barb but halts suddenly and drops to her knees. Her crushing headache from earlier is back. And the only person in the room who does not seem surprised is Xandra.
“She needs to get away from my aunt.”
“And why is that?” Grandmother asks with raised brows.
“Um, I think Alita can sense the evil barnacles on her soul and that’s why she keeps getting these headaches.”
Grandmother and Tabitha both look at Alita with new interest. “You can sense the presence of evil?”
Alita shrugs and then she grimaces. “I do not know,” she says between lips pressed together in pain.
“Kegan, do as Xandra suggested; move her across the room.” Kegan looks doubtful that this is going to work, but the farther away from Barb that Alita gets, the less pain she seems to be in.
Tabitha looks impressed but Grandmother seems mildly annoyed. “When were you planning to share this little epiphany of yours?” she asks Xandra.
In her best snarky tone, Xandra says, “When I could fit it in between my family and friends being attacked, worrying about my soul barnacles and chasing my aunt through the woods in the middle of the night.”
Oh god, this is not going to be pretty. Grandmother pulls herself up to her full height. “I would appreciate a little more respect in my home,” she growls with quite a few teeth showing.
Sensing where this is heading, Xandra’s father puts his cold hand on her shoulder and says to Grandmother, “I believe Xandra is simply tired, as you pointed out a few minutes ago. I’m sure my daughter would never be this disrespectful otherwise while a guest in someone else’s home.”
This seems to hit home with Xandra. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles softly.
It is definitely time to get her out of here. Hooking my arm around her waist, I say to the room in general, “We will be upstairs if you need us.”
Xandra is quiet until we get to the stairs. “Kallen, I don’t want to go to sleep. You know what’ll happen. What if I hit on Kegan again or something worse?”
“You hit on Kegan?” Alita’s shocked voice asks from behind us.
So close. A flight of stairs. A stupid flight of stairs is all that was keeping us from more confrontation. I close my eyes and shake my head. This is the longest night ever.
Xandra and her shame turn towards Alita. “It wasn’t me, it was the soul barnacles.”
Doubt is crawling all over Alita’s face. I am not the only one with jealousy issues I see. Collecting herself, Alita says, “Isla has a question for you. She wanted me to come and get you before you retired.”
My hopes of privacy shattered, Xandra nods and walks back to the living room. I hang back to explain to Alita wh
at Xandra meant. “It is not as it seems,” I say.
Alita tries to smile but she is feeling too fragile at the moment. “Of course.”
I cannot help a chuckle. I lift her downcast chin so I can see her eyes. “Do you really think that I would be okay with the Fairy I love going after my cousin?”
A spark of hope flashes in her eyes. “No.”
I sit down on the steps and pat the spot next to me. “Xandra is not alone in her body I am afraid. While in the Shadow realm, some pieces of souls attached themselves to her. When she is asleep, these bits of soul are able to take control.”
“And make her hit on Kegan?”