‘But it’s all over now, isn’t it? The angels are gone.’
Grace nodded reluctantly. ‘The angels have been banished, yes. But…’ She hesitated. ‘There will always be evil, Hella.’
Hella thought of Azazel, how he had attacked her and Nerretti so boldly in the street right after the battle, in daylight. ‘I have to save the world?’ Hella said. ‘Again?’
‘No one else will,’ Grace said. ‘No one else can, Hella. That’s why we have you.’
Chapter Twenty-One
Hella
Hella fell asleep on the couch. She had no normal sleep routine anymore. Do battle, get kidnapped, sleep. Nearly die, sleep, etc. Using magic, she suspected, drained her further. Not to mention her emotional strength. She woke up alone in the dark lounge room, feeling uneasy and restless.
Grace—she could no longer think of her purely as ‘mum’—had made her a sandwich and left it on the coffee table. She ate it gratefully, then remembered the night before. The Cambion children, left alone with Net. Ridiculously, and suddenly, she laughed aloud at the idea of him chasing around after them. The sound was foreign to her ears. She had not asked Grace if the little Cambions could stay here, in the basement. After their conversation last night, she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea anymore. Hella pulled her phone out and checked the time. 8:44am. She called the store.
Net answered on the first ring, breathless. ‘Hello?’
‘It’s me, Hella. I just wanted to see how you’re going with the kids.’
‘Oh! Hella. It’s, yeah, it’s—um, everything is fine. Just a question, though, while I have you, how often to do Cambion children need to eat? The little ones tell me at least three times a day, but that seems excessive, doesn’t it?’
‘Oh, Net. No, it’s not. You have to feed them.’ Hella got to her feet.
‘Certainly. How do I do that? Wait, there’s a place that serves food nearby. I’ll go and get all of their food.’
‘Net, no! You can’t leave them alone in the store. And you don’t have any money.’ Hella said. She went to the kitchen and quickly made herself a coffee. She suspected she would need it.
‘Of course I do. That’s how Harrow and I went shopping. This metallic box in the store has plenty.’
‘Oh, Net.’ Hella’s previous reservations about having the kids here vanished. Net needed help. Now. ‘Hold on, I’m coming over. Give me like half an hour to shower and change. Keep them all alive.’ Hella downed the coffee and started upstairs.
‘Of course I’ll keep them alive—no, children, stop it. No fighting. You are allies. Behave accordingly.’
‘Make it twenty minutes,’ Hella said, and hung up the phone.
Hella climbed into the shower and turned on the hot water. After a few minutes, she wished she could stay in there for an hour. There was something about having a shower that seemed to melt everything else away. Then again, perhaps it was a good thing she couldn’t stay, else she might stay forever.
Hella changed out of Amara’s clothes and into her own: clean jeans and a fresh shirt and jacket. She pulled on her boots and left Grace a note on the kitchen counter, where she would see it probably ten minutes after Hella left the house.
Need your help. Cambion Den lost. Kids at the store need somewhere to go. Basement?
Thanks for the sandwich.
H
It was forward and to the point. Hella couldn’t bring herself to address it to ‘mum’, nor to say anything positive about their talk last night. But she needed a place to put these kids. At least for now.
Wrapped up in a warmer jacket this time, Hella made her way back to the store. She wondered how much school she had missed—it felt like years, but it was only about two weeks—and if she would ever go back. Hella thought Grace must have received some calls from the school by now and she wondered what she had told them. That Hella was sick? Or maybe it was about Finn—his sudden and tragic passing, and how her daughter needed some time to deal and mourn. Whatever the case, going back to school right now seemed laughable. It didn’t matter. Entirely engrossed in her thoughts, she shrieked aloud when someone came up behind her and said her name. She whipped out her athame and plunged it forward—
Tommy swiftly deflected her, surprise in his Terra-green eyes, then he broke into an easy smile. ‘Hey, easy there. It’s just me.’ He took a little step back, giving her some breathing room.
‘My god, Tommy. Don’t do that.’ Hella tucked the athame away, then hugged him tightly.
After a moment, he hugged her back. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.’ They broke apart. ‘I was coming to your house, and I saw you leave, so I ran to catch up. Are you okay?’
‘I guess.’ She shrugged, not really knowing how to answer.
‘I haven’t come to check on you, since Harrow—I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Can I walk you to the store?’ Tommy held out an elbow playfully, and Hella linked her arm through his with the ghost of a smile.
‘Actually, a lot has happened since then,’ Hella said as they walked.
‘A lot? It was about twenty-four hours ago.’ Tommy raised his eyebrows.
‘Have you met me?’ Hella told him Piper really was her birth-mother. Apparently she didn’t need to verify with Meele. Grace had done that instead. Hella told him about what her adoptive mother had said about why Piper had given her up, that she basically had to save the world again, and Harrow really did have no soul, and was abducted by The Force—and that Piper stabbed a guy, and Harrow had killed Dimitri. On a slightly brighter note, she told him about Nerretti shopping and looking after the kids, and they chuckled. ‘You see why I need to bring them back to Grace’s?’ Hella added.
Tommy was still laughing. It was a very nice sound among the grey landscape of Mill Valley, and of Hella’s thoughts. ‘I do,’ he said, ‘yes. But won’t that be kind of weird for your moth—for Grace?’
Hella shrugged. ‘Do you have a better idea?’
Tommy frowned. ‘I could talk to my aunt, but chances are, if these kids aren’t at their Houses, they won’t want to go back. So, in short, no. I don’t.’
In a particularly annoying spot of sunlight that broke through the clouds, landing directly in Hella’s face, Tommy seemed to stare at her. She suspected she was making a stupid face, squinting in the sunlight like an idiot, but he wasn’t laughing at her.
‘What?’ she said.
He shook his head slowly. ‘I kind of believe it, you know. That Grace isn’t your mother. Sure, you both have red hair, and even green eyes—based on that though, you and I could be related—but she doesn’t act the way you do. She’s quiet, and out-of-the-way. She worries and panics, from what I’ve seen. You’—he stared at her, through the shafts of dancing sunlight—‘you’re strong, Hella. You rush into danger to save your friends, and you would always do the right thing. I think I can see a little bit of that badass blonde witch, Piper, in you.’ He nodded. ‘And isn’t it good that that guy who tried to kill you wasn’t your real father? Who is, by the way?’
Hella blinked up at him with a curl of her lips. ‘You think I’m strong?’
Tommy smiled in a way she had never seen someone smile before. It was pure, genuine, proud and certain. It was in that moment that Hella thought, with a blush, that he was really very handsome, but more than that, Tommy was shaping up to be a good friend, and she needed that right now. ‘Of course you are,’ he said.
Hella smiled, then took the opportunity to hide behind a curtain of her loose hair. She cleared her throat. ‘Thank you,’ she said, hoping she wasn’t blushing too hard. ‘And, I have no idea who my father is. I was told to ask Piper. Who, I guess, I should call ‘mum’, or something. Though that sounds weird.’
‘You don’t have to call her that, you know. She is a stranger, really.’
Hella didn’t have a chance to answer, because as she opened the front door to the store, a scream pierced the air. She looked at Tom
my with wide eyes, and they both ran inside.
The scene they walked into was not a picture of horror or murder for a change—it was an altogether different sort of chaos. Nerretti had a small faerie girl on his back, her pink wings fluttering, and a warlock boy, whose obsidian-black Marks shone in the light as he tried to climb up Net’s front to tag the girl on his back, while four others kids threw what appeared to be vials of rare herbs at each other, stock from the store, and Hella watched on with wide eyes as a Nympha child raised her hands and began flooding the store so that the boy she was trying to tag would trip in the forming indoor pool. The water reached out to Hella and Tommy’s shoes, as they stood frozen in the doorway.
Nerretti looked up and saw them. ‘Thank the stars you two are here. I think I need—’ One of the children squealed loudly and he winced. ‘—I really need some help in here. I thought it was just Harrow who was a careless misfit, but this lot would give a him tangle too, I bet. Ow, no, please don’t pull my hair, child,’ he said to the faerie still climbing his back, now up onto his head. Hella wondered if faeries could actually fly.
In what Hella had first seen as Tommy’s formal emissary position of authority, he calmly stepped forward and raised his voice. ‘Cambions, cease this mess at once. Climb down from there. Relinquish your powers,’ he ordered, emanating authority.
Hella and Net’s mouths dropped open as the children paused, then did as they were told. The faerie climbed down, the Nympha retreated her flood, and the herbs that had been used as confetti were put down on the table. They all looked up at Tommy, wide-eyed and innocent-looking.
‘Good,’ Tommy said approvingly. ‘Now, children. Are you hungry?’
There was a chorus of ‘yeses’, and Tommy nodded. ‘Right, then. We need to move you all to a better location.’ Hella looked around at the store again and rolled her eyes. Just yesterday she, Hunter and Lola had magically restored the several-times-over destroyed store, back to the pristine cleanliness of the first time Hella had agonisingly arranged the books in genre and alphabetical order, had set the jewellery out artfully in the display cabinets, and carefully ordered each of the herbs and spices on the shelves.
Now, again, it was a mess. Was this what it was like having children? Hella shuddered at the thought. She watched each of the little Cambions shimmer back and forth, as if impulsively taking off a jumper when deciding you’re cold, then putting it back on, only to feel too warm. It was fascinating to watch. She wished she had her notebook with her to take notes. It was tucked in her bag in her room. She didn’t like to carry it around with her, in case The Force showed up and decided her little diary was worth a mind-wiping session.
In her pocket, Hella’s phone buzzed. It was a text message from Grace.
I would be happy to help. Bring them over. I have breakfast cooking, and for tonight I’m making a large batch of soup.
Hella smiled. ‘I hope you all like eggs for breakfast, and pumpkin soup for dinner. Let’s go.’ She would have to re-conjure the beds, she thought, wondering if she would ever get a hot shower again with so many people under one roof. Elliot would not like this.
Nerretti’s brow-beaten, defeated-uncle look disappeared into his usual cheery expression. ‘I think I like eggs.’ His clothes were askew, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept, but at the thought of breakfast (or, dare she think it, at the thought of seeing Grace) he visibly perked up and self-consciously smoothed back his blond hair.
Hella smiled, amused. ‘Everyone, back to my place.’
Tommy led them outside. Hella counted more kids than had been here last night. ‘What if more show up here?’ Hella asked Net. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then wrote something down and pinned it to the store’s window.
Silver stars have been relocated.
Follow the path down the park. Spot the mailbox.
All are welcome.
Net picked up a silver marker, and apparently intended to deface Hella’s mailbox. She smiled, wondering how many Cambions could fit in Grace’s basement. And how much soup they would eat.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Hella
Sitting in the basement, at a long wooden table with a magical fire burning at each end, surrounded by homeless Cambion children who were all strangers, Hella had never felt more comfortable in the musty room than she did now.
To her left, Nerretti spooned his scrambled eggs into his mouth, at first distrustful, and then he smiled delightedly. ‘Mrs Corvime, these eggs are divine! What potion did you use for these?’
Hella cackled around her orange juice. ‘Net, they’re just eggs. She cooked them.’
‘Please, Nerretti, call me Grace. And Hella’s right, they’re just scrambled eggs. Have you never eaten eggs before?’ she asked from Hella’s right. Net shook his head.
Hella had a perfect view of the children from the head of the table. There were nine of them now. Tommy sat at the other end, to keep them contained from all sides, but he smiled straight at Hella. It was still morning, and down in the basement the air was chilled. Hella’s fires burned purple and bright, one behind Tommy, the other at Hella’s back.
‘You’re getting the hang of your powers,’ Net said, observing her flames. He sounded proud.
Grace nodded. ‘You are. Look at your hair. Oh, I’ll never get over that.’ Hella knew she meant the streak of purple fire she could feel dancing through her hair—like a warlock’s shimmer—but Hella thought of it as her own. She smiled at them both. It felt strange to be sitting down together, like a proper meal. Almost like a family again. Except for, well, a few things. Like how Elliot sat with the Cambions, frowning this way and that, still distrusting of the magical community. Finn had been El’s father, after all. She wondered if prejudices were genetic. They must be. Every time a warlock or faerie near Elliot moved, he flinched, as if terrified. Hella quietly got up from her seat as Grace and Net fell into a spirited conversation about cooking and potion-making.
Hella crept down to Elliot and tapped her adoptive-brother on the shoulder, who yelped in surprise which did nothing to break the hub-bub of chatter. ‘Easy, it’s just me. Are you okay down here? Do you want to trade places?’ Hella glanced up at her empty chair.
Elliot nodded gratefully. ‘The angel can’t do anything now, right?’
Hella sighed. ‘He’s not an angel anymore, El. And even if he was, there would be no reason to fear him. He’s one of us.’ Elliot frowned dubiously but picked up his plate and shuffled up to sit next to his mother and Net. Hella sat down, now beside Tommy and the other kids, who were having a wonderful time eating off each other’s plates, poking at the purple fire, switching places and eating their food.
‘Hey,’ Tommy said. He smiled over his own eggs, the purple fire at his back sent his orange hair aglow.
‘Hey,’ she said back. Hella drank some much-needed coffee. ‘Do you know where The Force would be keeping Harrow? They can’t have repaired their building yet, after all the damage we did, getting me out.’ She ate some crispy bacon and glanced down the table at Elliot, who seemed more at ease now. His shoulders were relaxed, but she saw him frown up at Net who was talking quite animatedly with Grace. If Hella didn’t know better, she would think Net liked her. Hella felt oddly happy at the idea.
Tommy drank his coffee, thoughtful. ‘Henry said they were taking him “home”. Perhaps they meant Warlock House. Not that that’s his home exactly.’ He pulled out his phone. ‘Let me check in with Tahlia.’ He stood up, his coffee in one hand, phone in the other, and stepped toward the back of the basement.
Hella watched him. His back was straight as he called his aunt, a member of their Warlock House council, and even though she couldn’t hear the words he was saying, she could see the concern now etched on Tommy’s pale face. The kids were noisy, almost finished their breakfast, and Hella suddenly wondered what Cambion children did all day. It’s not like they went to school. Hella decided she should go and find some of her old toys or
books to help keep them amused, or Grace would more than have her hands full.
Tommy put the phone down and returned to his seat. Worry pinched his eyes. ‘Hella, The Force have taken him to Warlock House, but they’ve thrown him in the cells. This is bad.’
‘Well, is he safe there?’ Hella asked. She didn’t like the idea of Harrow being in a cell. They stood up and moved to a corner so that the children would not hear. Even in the shadows, Hella could see how worried he was.
‘I don’t know about safe, but he killed a member of The Force, not to mention what he tried to do to you and Tessa. I think he’ll have to stand trial for this,’ Tommy said, his brows furrowed.
‘What do you mean? What trial?’ Hella said. She had no idea that Cambions had their own judicial system, but she guessed that made sense. Murder was a crime, of course. As well at attempted-murder.
‘We have laws too, Hella. We can’t just go around killing people. There are consequences,’ Tommy said, his voice hard.
‘Well, what are they going to do with him? It wasn’t his fault,’ Hella insisted. ‘Do you have jails?’
‘Not really. Just the cells, but they’re meant only for temporary use. We know it wasn’t his fault, but the council might not. I just tried to explain it to Tahlia—one of the most openminded people you’ll meet—and I don’t think she believed me. This kind of thing doesn’t happen, Hella. We have to do something.’ Something like terror burst in his grass-green eyes. ‘Oh, no.’
‘What? What is it?’
‘I just had a thought. Depending on the trial, on The Force, if they find him guilty of breaking the laws of secrecy, murder, and attempted-murder on two accounts, that could be grounds for an Imperium Ceremony. Holy shit.’
Hella had rarely heard Tommy curse. ‘What does that mean?’ she asked, tired of not understanding.
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