by Patti Larsen
“Just do your best,” Dad said, kissing the top of my head like I was ten and losing a soccer game. “She knows you love her, that you have bigger things to consider. But she’s trying to hold a world of paranormals together.”
He had to pull the guilt card. I dodged away from him, not willing to have this conversation right now. “Where are the kids?” The idea of hugging those two bundles of awesome lit me up, gave me energy, even though I worried there might come a time Ethie would turn me away for good.
“In Gabriel’s room, playing,” Dad said. Frowned. “I’m surprised they didn’t come out to see you by now.”
Though I knew it was silly, that they were perfectly safe here with Dad and Galleytrot, I couldn’t help but feel a pinch in my chest, the tightness of fear, left over from years before when Ameline kidnapped my son and convinced me he was dead.
I turned and crossed to the door Dad indicated, heart pounding but doing my best to be nonchalant.
Not fooling anyone, Sass sent, jumping down from the couch to follow me.
I pulled the door open, hoping for the best, praying against all I held dear the worst wasn’t what waited for me. And gasped, staring, at the most unexpected instead.
Gabriel and Ethie looked up from where they sat on the end of his bed, both of them draped in sleeping colored ribbons.
“Mom,” my son said as my daughter giggled. “Can we keep them?”
***
Chapter Twenty Seven
I barely had time to formulate exactly what my son had said when the ribbons stirred from their nap and rose into the air. I’d never seen them so relaxed, winding around the kids, though when they spotted me the drach souls returned to their typical rapturous gyrations. I held still as they headed for me, wrapping around me, the song of their spirits humming over my skin.
Ethie giggled and clapped at the show, Gabriel beaming.
“They aren’t pets,” I said, resisting the urge to swat the excited threads.
“Syd,” Dad’s voice choked out while the giant black dog watched with his mouth hanging open, “what are they?”
“Drach souls,” I said. “They’re perfectly safe.” At least, I assumed so. They’d only ever been friendly with me in the past. Though, as one passed over my right wrist, it slowed. Stopped. Dipped down and brushed across the black ribbon clinging to my skin.
And squealed softly, retreating. The others stopped as well, hovering close to each other. I had the impression they weren’t afraid, exactly. More in awe of the one around my wrist. They’d seen it before, been freed by it from the chamber under the Brotherhood castle in Scotland. But they only now seemed to register what it might be. I held it out for them, waited as each touched it, stroked it with their full length while the ribbon around my wrist lay still, quivering from time to time in obvious pleasure at the attention.
Finally, they returned to the kids, draping themselves over Gabriel and Ethie. My normally squirmy daughter held perfectly still, the red one slumped around her shoulders.
I’d never seen her so happy.
“They just showed up,” Gabriel said with a tiny flash of guilt behind it.
You opened a Gateway. I couldn’t bring myself to chastise him.
Sorry, Mom. He stroked the blue ribbon lying in his lap, the green one sighing in his hair. “They’re awesome.”
No doubt.
“They tell the best stories.” Ethie’s breathless excitement washed away all of my old worries. I crossed to my kids, sat with them, one arm around my daughter, the other my son. They leaned into me, the ribbons squeaking and humming happily.
Gabriel’s eyes suddenly lit up. “That’s right!” He turned toward me, the blue ribbon protesting the sudden movement. “They told me where to find another piece of Creator.”
My first instinct was to reach for Max. Until I saw the desperate hope in my son’s eyes. And understood what he needed, more than anything. Knowing it was stupid, reckless, that I was asking for trouble but unable to say no to the boy I loved so much, I grinned down at him.
“Then we should go get it,” I said, “don’t you think?”
It was harder than I thought to leave Ethie behind. As soon as I agreed to the journey she was all over us, begging to come. I could see the newfound hurt in her rising, despite the ribbons, despite the cuddle we’d had a moment before.
By the time I was on my feet, Gabriel’s hand in mine, she was crying. He gently draped the ribbons around her, but that did little to stop her tears.
“I want to come with you!” She didn’t move though, held still for the now anxious bunch that huddled against her as if knowing she was hurt by something and unable to help.
“You can’t.” He was so gentle, my son, just like his father. I thought of Liam a great deal lately, probably because Gabriel was growing up so fast, it seemed. “Ethie, I’ll be right back, I promise.”
“You said we’d have an adventure together.” She snuffled as Dad took my place next to her, Sass leaping up into her lap where he made room for himself among the ribbons by swatting them out of the way. Galleytrot watched me with eyes glowing with red fire, but he did that a lot lately so I ignored his lack of enthusiasm. At least he didn’t suggest I tell Quaid.
If he opened his big dog mouth he’d be going to the pound.
Gabriel opened a Gateway, the ribbons rising in excitement at the appearance. Ethie clung to Dad, refusing to look as my son led me into the opening. The ribbons of drach souls followed us, cavorting around Gabriel and me as we crossed into a dark world on the other side.
The dull, heavy booming made me nervous until the moisture in the air and soft lapping of water told me we were somewhere underground, the sound likely the surf above us pounding against some alien shore. I shook water from my sneaker, the soles quickly soaked, though Gabriel didn’t seem to notice or mind. Instead, he beamed up at me when the ribbons once again settled around him. He pointed into the darkness, to a long, narrow pond, a grotto of rock on the other side.
And a silent, staring face, an ear missing, eye sockets empty, somehow still watching us.
The head of Creator. Gabriel was right. The ribbons led us right to it. For a long moment I stood frozen in indecision, in awe of her quiet, patient expression. Until I remembered our one main threat was in custody. And that if Trill tried to take this piece while I had my son with me she wouldn’t survive to talk about it.
Would. Not.
I followed Gabriel, still tense and watchful, to the edge of the pool. And almost jumped out of my skin when a face surfaced, pale and staring, sharp teeth filling a mouth that smiled up at us from under water. Long, undulating hair wove around her face—at least, I guessed it was a her from the endowments on her chest—as she stared up at us with huge, pale eyes.
Gabriel waved down at her, stepped back a pace, calm and smiling when she rose from the water. Gills cut through the skin on her chest, wafting in ripples while her long, narrow arms rose, the fingers ending in tentacles, explored his face. He giggled at her touch. When she turned to me, I swallowed hard.
“Mermaid,” I said. “Okay then.”
And she wasn’t alone. Suddenly the shore was flooded with merpeople, from the elderly to the smallest babe, all rising to the surface to examine us. The woman seemed to be their leader, or at least didn’t have any qualms about filling the role of communicator.
They acted friendly enough, if unable to understand what I was saying. I’d never encountered this problem before. Usually I could talk to others on different planes. It had to have something to do with the water. The merwoman gestured, tried, but neither of us was able to get across what we wanted.
Until the ribbons rose from Gabriel and crossed to the grotto. The merpeople chattered immediately, their squeaks and whistles almost decipherable.
We’d need to hear them under water, my vampire deduced.
Of course. Though, it seemed, the ribbons did our job for us. The merwoman smiled before diving beneath the surfac
e, disappearing a moment. When she reappeared again, she practically leaped straight up, into the grotto. Her tentacles embraced the head and then she dove, back into the dark water.
Gabriel stepped forward, held out his hands, and accepted the bulky chunk of Creator from her with a smile.
“Thank you,” he said.
Her nostrils opened and closed. “Tank oo.”
She laughed, chattered to her people. And then they spun and swam away while Gabriel hugged the giant head to him.
Well, it’s about time, the voice of Creator’s noggin said. I’ve been down here, gathering mold, for an age.
I sighed. The pieces couldn’t just be nice and normal, could they?
“They just wanted to meet us,” Gabriel said, as though he hadn’t heard, or taken notice yet, fingers sliding over the silver ribbon hugging the head. Another of Max’s loved ones acting as guardian, though as inactive as the rest compared to the floating, diving rainbow over my son. “They’ve been waiting so long for someone to come for the piece.”
“You could understand them?” I turned with him, headed back to the shore. The head exhaled in a gust of irritation, so odd to hear a voice while looking at a stern yet beautiful face that made me shudder with instinctual recognition of my Creator.
I take it you have a way to return me where I need to go? A female voice. Don’t let him drop the drach ribbon, for the sake of all that’s Creator. No awe in this one of my son. Just frustration. I guess I could understand its need, but seriously. Couldn’t it at least try to be patient?
He’s fine, I shot at the head, realizing just how irreverent it was to talk to Creator’s body topper that way. Relax. Even as I tensed. We needed a new Gateway, and fast. While we’d had no trouble thus far, I wasn’t holding my breath.
And the head was already annoying as hell.
My son was all over it, his power surging as the ribbons returned to him, the stronghold statue room forming on the other side. “I didn’t understand everything,” he said. “But enough. They seem nice, Mom.” Wistful. “Maybe we could visit again?”
Oh, for goodness sake, the head huffed. Now, please?
My turn to ignore it. When this was over. Most definitely, if a visit made my son happy, we’d be back.
I’m not embarrassed to admit I breathed a sigh of relief when we finally stepped through the Gateway and it sealed behind us. Though the Stronghold wasn’t exactly safe, the presence of so many drach above us gave me some measure of security.
Hurry, Gateway, the head said, annoying tone gone, eagerness all that remained. So close. And I’ve been waiting so long.
I stood back, watching my son as he marched forward with the head of Creator in his arms. Again he climbed the statue, this time with his own silver ribbon in tow, and into the lap of the female form. He had to stand on his tiptoes to place the head, the bulk balanced with power and not the strength of his little hands. But when he came close, it seemed to almost lift from his grip and place itself.
Another song of the drach, another flare of light as the piece sealed itself to Creator. A pale green ribbon flashed from the silver, even as Max stepped through the veil, eyes huge, panting as though he’d come from a great distance in haste, in time to raise his hand to the drach who greeted him before her soul rose into the air and vanished.
“Sister,” Max said. And wept once again.
***
Chapter Twenty Eight
Gabriel descended to join us, a happy smile on his face, the ribbons lingering with him while Max held out his arms to my son. I found myself tearing up for some reason.
“Thank you,” the drach leader said, swinging Gabriel up into his embrace. “You’ve set my sister free and I am very grateful.”
“She’s really nice.” My son said it shyly, as though surprised to find himself in this position, cradled in the big drach’s arms. “She’s still here, you know.”
Max exhaled, closing his diamond eyes. “I can feel her,” he said. When he opened them again, the diamond sparkle fixed on me. “I’m sorry, Syd,” he said. “I’ve been so distracted, so wrapped up in the big picture, I’ve forgotten. You’re right. The small things are still important.”
My heart broke for him.
He let Gabriel go, ruffling his hair. “You have some new friends, I see.” The ribbons rubbed up against the drach leader who chuckled at their antics.
“They like me.” Gabriel shrugged, patting his arms where they settled like pets. “Is it okay if they stay with me?”
Max shrugged his big shoulders. “That is their decision,” the lord of the drach said. “And from what I can tell, nothing would make them happier.”
I opened the veil, turning Gabriel toward the living room in Hong Kong on the other side. He happily went through, hugging Ethie who clung to him. I almost followed, only to have Max’s mental touch stop me.
I fear for you, he sent. Be safe, Sydlynn Hayle.
Nothing can hurt me, I sent back. The white sorcery exhaled outward as if to prove it to me. I’d never felt so powerful or so in control. Had to be a good thing.
Not physically. He sighed in my head. Your body will be fine. But your heart?
I turned and looked back at him. He waved me on and I left him there, hoping he was wrong.
He had to be wrong.
A mix of happy and pissed off waited for me on the other side. I was content to hug my son as he chattered excitedly to Dad, Mom and Quaid about our adventure, the merpeople, while his sister pouted on the couch with Sass in her lap.
My husband’s fury was fixed on me, surprise, surprise.
He could have been hurt or killed or worse, Quaid sent in a tight beam of anger. You keep putting him at risk, Syd. He’s just a child.
He’s far more than that, I sent back, tired of the argument. He’s the Gateway, Quaid. Get used to it. And, in case you hadn’t noticed, he’s fine. More than fine. He’s happy and confident and he trusts his power again.
Until the next time, he shot at me. Then what?
Then, we deal with it. I let him feel the icy cold of my don’t give a damn. Now back off and be happy for him for once.
“Dad.” Gabriel looked back and forth between us, face serious. Little monkey had been listening in, and me too distracted to think to keep him out. “It was my choice. I wanted to go. And I’m glad I did. That’s two pieces of Creator restored.” He grinned up at me. “Two, Mom. We’re getting there.”
“We are.” I kissed his forehead. “My brilliant boy.”
Ethie huffed from the couch. Lovely.
I needed air, to be away from my family for a moment, with Quaid’s continuing animosity hitting me from one side, Gabriel’s happy lightness on the other, joined by the pressure of Mom’s frustration, Galleytrot’s judgment, Ethie’s pout…
I just couldn’t take it anymore.
The hall outside the room offered cool quiet, the air conditioning pumping a cold breeze over my face. I missed the silver fluff as he slipped between my legs, looking down when I closed the door behind me to find Sassafras staring up at me with glowing amber eyes.
“They’ll all settle down eventually,” he said at his most dry. Which made me laugh. Bless him. I bent to pick him up and froze, my gaze traveling down the hallway to the end, to a half open door where three people stood talking.
They hadn’t spotted me and I was glad of that fact. With a hiss to Sass for silence, I slipped further down the hall behind a climbing tree planted in a giant planter, feeling rather silly for hiding behind a mundane object. But I didn’t want a whiff of power to alert the ones I observed.
Not when Hortense Spaft and Sonja O’Dane stood talking to Everonus, the dark haired and silver eyed Sidhe lord representing Aoilainn on the WPC.
What are they doing here? Sass’s mental voice snarled with anger.
Better question, I sent, why didn’t I know they’d be here? Near my son.
Growl.
Something nudged the back of my legs. I turned
to find Galleytrot behind me, glaring with his red fired eyes through the leaves at the trio.
I just noticed them this morning, he sent. And have been watching them since. Harry knows. And Quaid.
And they didn’t tell me? Snarl, spit, roar—
There’s been nothing to tell, Galleytrot sent, sounding reasonable even as fury exploded inside me. A coincidence, nothing more.
I didn’t believe in coincidence.
The kid’s move was a sudden decision, Sass sent, hesitant.
There’s no way they could have known, Galleytrot went on. And if Spaft and Sonja are officially working for Everonus, there’s not much we can do about their presence except watch and guard over the kids.
Over Gabriel. I stood there, shaking with the need to hurt someone, as Everonus finished his conversation. Spaft and Sonja both turned the opposite way, heading out of sight. But the Sidhe lord came right toward me. I held my ground, glaring, and noted the faint smile he offered on his way by, silver eyes emotionless though he didn’t pause to talk.
I watched him go, one hand deep in Galleytrot’s fur.
“Now I’m nervous,” the big dog said.
So was I.
I turned to enter Mom’s quarters, ready to demand Spaft and Sonja be removed, only to find Charlotte and Iosif standing in the living room, Sage hugging Mom.
The small mafia man turned as I came inside, dog on one hand, cat on the other, and smiled nervously at me.
“Confirmation,” he said.
The Russian’s had Femke. How cliché.
“I think I know how they are blocking her magic.” Sage lifted a hand in greeting to me, face slightly flushed as if he’d been running or exerting himself. I glanced at Quaid, wondering why he was back so much earlier than the other two, why, after the fight he’d had to go, he hadn’t stuck it out. Only to see him turn from Sage who refused to meet his eyes.
Long story, the wereman said. Needless to say, Quaid and I had a conversation about his involvement, and I won.