by Bonnie Lamer
Placing my hands on my hips, I snap, “Then what other creature besides a Dragon has reptilian legs? Are you guys holding out on me about another race of beings?”
His brow wrinkled in thought, Dagda responds almost absently, “You are now aware of all of the realms we know about.”
Hmm. Interesting choice of words. “Meaning there could be other ones you don’t know about?”
My biological father shrugs. “It is a possibility. We certainly were not aware of the realm of Pixies until just recently.”
That’s true. Great, I’m not sure what’s worse. Facing the idea of bringing a dinosaur to the Cowan realm, or trying to find a new realm before our time runs out. My eyes fly back to Raziel. He was trying to tell me something a minute ago. Meeting his stare again, I find even more humor there than a moment ago. With a sigh, I announce, “Nope, it’s the dinosaur realm.”
“How can you be certain?” Isla asks.
“A little Angel told me so,” I mutter.
Isla’s eyes fly to Raziel, but he has a perfectly innocent expression on his face. Too innocent. Innocent enough to convince her that I’m right. With a shake of her head, she says, “The Phoenix has set out an impossible task knowing you could not possibly complete it.”
“It would have been difficult enough assembling a member of each race to travel peacefully to the Cowan realm, but capturing and taming a dinosaur to bring along?” Dagda shakes his head in disgust at the impossible task.
Sam, obviously the most outspoken of the Cowan group, asks, “Are you serious? There’s really a realm that still has dinosaurs?”
I nod. “Yeah. Raziel even has a pet pterodactyl there.” My eyes open wide, and I whip around to face the Fallen Angel again. “Do you think your pterodactyl is tame enough to bring with us?”
A large grin forms on Raziel’s face. “I believe the Phoenix is unaware that I have made such a friend.”
So, the impossible task is not so impossible after all. Who knew Raziel’s ability to communicate with dinosaurs would come in handy? And a pterodactyl would be much less obvious than a brachiosaurus in the Cowan realm. Even if it flew away. Imagine what excitement it would cause in the field of paleontology if it was found. I can almost feel the scientists salivating. Which is disgusting now that I think about a bunch of scientists salivating on me.
“Would that constitute interfering if you helped retrieve the dinosaur?” Kallen asks Raziel. Good question.
Raziel shrugs. “I believe I am allowed to do a favor for a friend. After all, it was not my idea.” A hint of a smile touches his lips. It most certainly was his idea. I won’t tell the Phoenix if he doesn’t, though.
“I hate to bring this up,” Sam says hesitantly. “But, what if the Phoenix truly thought she was setting forth an impossible task. If you are able to assemble this group and return to her, do you think she will still honor her word and not just kill you on the spot?” A good, even if depressing and terrifying, point.
Isla nods. “Yes, she is bound by truth and her word as are the other immortal beings.”
With a grimace, I mutter, “It is amazing how the truth can be twisted, though.” Kallen reaches out and gives my hand a squeeze, but he doesn’t disagree with me.
Nor is he a bucket of sunshine with his next words. “Now that we have solved the riddle, I think we need to think about the bigger picture. Assembling this group simply gets us an audience with the Phoenix, it does not mean she will agree to be reborn,” Kallen points out.
I scowl at him. “Thanks for raining on our already miserable parade.” I get a helpless shrug from my gorgeous husband. I hate it when a situation is so dire all he can do is shrug helplessly.
“He does have a point,” Dagda argues. “The Phoenix laid out an impossible task to get just an audience with her. What do you think she will demand to rethink her decision?”
“On the other hand, seeing the impossible performed could give her hope,” Eliana challenges. I have always liked Eliana for good reason. She tries to see the best in people. Or in immortal birds, whatever the case may be at the time.
“True,” I agree, trying to gather some hope inside me again. “Let’s go with that theory for now.”
Rising from the table in unison, Kallen and Josh both say as if they were twins separated at birth, “We should get going.” Eliana and I look at each other and laugh.
“Um, do either of you know where we’re going?” I can’t help but ask the pair of dark haired, handsome and incredibly well built guys. Damn, Eliana and I certainly lucked out in the boyfriend/husband looks department. Not that looks is all that matters. They are also supportive, intelligent, and funny. Why am I justifying this to myself? I know why I love my husband, but it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s gorgeous.
“We should start with our allies,” Kallen responds. “The Mermaids, the Giants.” The last word sticks to his tongue like a stray dog hair. He doesn’t care for the leader of the Giants much. Mostly because the guy wanted Dagda to force me to marry him instead of Kallen. Obviously, that didn’t work out for the Giant Chieftain.
“Ugh, can’t we do the Giants last?” I ask hopefully. I don’t care much for Quinn, either. He’s arrogant and obnoxious. And he tends to leer.
“Kallen is right,” Isla says, crushing my dreams. Now that I think about it, she often excels at dream crushing. Mine, at least. I wonder if she took a class in it. After all, she did see me coming in her visions. She could have prepared with a ‘How to Crush the Hopes and Dreams of Xandra’ class. She does like to plan ahead. Hmm, I should probably be listening to her instead of thinking about this, though. “The more beings you already have standing with you when you go to the more resistant of the groups, the better,” Isla continues.
I know if I don’t agree, she will only come up with ten more good reasons why we should do it this way. “Fine,” I sigh from the very depths of my soul. Deep down in that soul of mine, I know she and Kallen are both right. I do not, however, need to pretend I am happy about it. Huh, I wonder if my maturity is stuck at this level.
Eliana leans toward me and asks quietly, “Are the Giants really that bad?”
“No, not most of them,” I reluctantly admit. “They’re a bit chauvinistic, but mostly Kallen and I just don’t care for one of their leaders.” Eliana nods in understanding and lets the subject drop for now despite the fact that she probably has a zillion questions like I do whenever I encounter a new race. She is so much politer than I am.
Catching Eliana’s attention, Isla warns, “Some of these groups are distrustful of strangers. They may want to test you.”
“I understand,” my brave friend nods. I give her an encouraging smile. I know she is more than up for whatever challenges are thrown at her. Even if she wasn’t, Kallen and I would never let anything happen to either her or Josh if we can help it.
“Okay then, who’s ready for a breathing under water spell?” I ask. Oops, I didn’t mean to imply everyone can go. Before they even have a chance to respond in the affirmative, I turn to Jenna and Sam. “I’m afraid we need to leave you guys here for now. Isla’s right. Some of the beings we’re going to meet are not going to be very nice.” The Merpeople closed their realm off from the Cowan realm a long time ago. Not so much because they hate them, but because the oceans in the Cowan realm were becoming too dangerous and polluted. Something that disgusts the Merpeople down to their marrow. If they have marrow. Maybe they do in the upper parts of their body. Anyway, they’re not exactly fans of Cowans, either. Bringing one Cowan with us is probably pushing it.
Though disappointment washes over both their faces, Sam and Jenna nod in agreement. “We get it,” Sam says, trying really hard to mean it. With a hopeful glint in his eye, he adds, “I was kind of looking forward to seeing the dinosaur realm, though.”
Strangely enough, that one is probably the safest one to bring a non-magical person. At least, with Kallen, Eliana and me there to protect him from a stray T-Rex, it is. Giving him a b
road smile, I make Sam’s day. “We’ll go there last, and you can come along.”
“Really?” he asks excitedly.
“Really,” I promise.
“Before you rush off, I believe there is one thing you have not discussed,” Tana drawls. She has been surprisingly quiet throughout this conversation. Honestly, I kind of forgot she was here.
“What’s that?” I ask impatiently, eager to get going now that we know what we have to do.
Glancing down at the handwritten riddle before her, Tana points out, “The Phoenix is very specific about the pronoun she uses.”
Oh, good lord, she’s right. The rest of us in the kitchen exchange worried glances. Well, that just complicates the hell out of our plan.
12 Chapter
“You are right, my dear,” Dagda concurs, shaking his head in defeat. “As if this was not going to be difficult enough.”
“Do you mean we must bring back all females?” Eliana asks for clarification.
I groan and tell her, “Yes, which could be a problem.”
With a frown, my friend asks, “Why?”
“Because some of the realms are not exactly up to date on female rights. The Centaurs just recently had a rebellion of their females because they had no recognized rights whatsoever,” Kegan explains.
“It won’t be a problem in all the realms,” I hurry to add, not wanting Eliana and her friends to think that all supernatural beings are behind in their equal rights status. “Only a couple of them.”
“The Giants will not like it,” Kallen says thoughtfully. “Nor will the Centaurs or the Sasquatch. Or the Dragons.” So much for my ‘only a couple of them’ theory. Man, I really hope Raziel’s pterodactyl is female. I’m pretty sure he would have mentioned it if it wasn’t. At least the dinosaurs probably don’t care if we take a male or female with us. Their minds are still stuck at ‘is it food or not food?’
“Isn’t that about half of the beings we need?” Josh asks in amazement.
Squaring my shoulders, I set my determination level to maximum. “Too bad. They are just going to have to deal with it.”
Kallen chuckles and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “I know that look in your eyes. Yes, I believe you will make them ‘deal with it.’”
I am pretty sure that was not a compliment. I scowl up at him. “You make it seem like I’m a tyrant.”
“You are,” Kegan smirks across the counter.
Smiling sweetly at Alita, I ask her ever so politely, “Would you mind taking your son from your husband for a moment?”
Laughing, Alita shakes her head. “No way. I want my husband in one piece. Even if he does not always know when to keep his mouth shut.” She gives Kegan a warning glance, which he wisely heeds. Being a father has made him at least a smidgen smarter.
“Um, what would you like us to do while you are gone?” Jenna asks. “We would love to help any way we can.”
The sincerity in her voice is heart-warming. “Jenna is really good at research,” I tell Isla. “Maybe she can work with the scribe to find out more about the Phoenix and possible reasons she would not want to die. The Phoenix, I mean, not Jenna,” I hurriedly add as color rushes to my cheeks. Sometimes it seems like English is my second language. “The more information we have when we confront her, the better.”
“You would like to give a Cowan access to the archives?” Tana asks in surprise.
Sure, now she joins the conversation with a vengeance. Where was here voice when we were trying to make a plan? “Yes,” I reply icily, growing more annoyed by the second. We are going to be dealing with enough prejudice in the other realms, I did not expect it in our own kitchen.
“I believe Tana’s reluctance stems from a fear of Cowans discovering too much about how to harm supernatural beings, rather than where your mind has gone,” Dagda says dryly. “That is a lot of power to simply hand over.”
Oh, that makes much more sense. My face pinks up a bit again for making an incorrect assumption. Clearing my throat, I push past my embarrassment. “Jenna and Sam have been very loyal in regards to keeping Eliana’s secret. They have also come face to face with several supernatural beings other than Eliana who were pretty evil, and they had no information on how to deal with them. They could use a bit more information than they have at their disposal back home to help keep their realm safe. I don’t think either of them would use the information they gather to do anyone who is good any harm.”
Jenna shakes her head adamantly. “We would not.” Sam seconds that.
Dagda narrows his eyes and studies the Cowans before him. After a long, too long in my opinion, appraisal, he finally says, “I will trust you based on Xandra’s assessment. Do not disappoint either of us.” The last words have more than a hint of menace in them.
“We won’t,” Jenna promises. Her voice is a little shaky, but she is sincere. She even crosses her heart like she did back in her living room when we first met her, which is too cute. Dagda has no idea why she does this, though, and just gives her an odd look. That gesture isn’t used in the Fairy realm.
Dagda glances over her head at me and raises his brows. “She’s telling the truth,” I assure him. When Eliana and her friends turn their questioning gazes to me, I explain, “I’m a walking lie detector. I feel like bugs are crawling all over me if someone tells a lie.”
With a grimace, Kallen remarks, “Be prepared to have that feeling often as we travel between realms.” Unfortunately, he’s right. The Sasquatch are notorious liars. A few other beings aren’t the most trustworthy, either. The Pixies are the worst. They like to lie just to make me feel like I have bugs crawling on me. Miserable little creatures, they are.
“That would be a handy skill to have,” Josh observes.
“Yeah, until people start lying and I have to try not to dance around like an idiot,” I snark. Giving him an apologetic smile, say, “Sorry, it’s not my favorite ability.” Useful, but far from my favorite.
Josh laughs. “I understand.”
“Okay, so now we know we need to bring back only females. Does anyone have anything else to add to the list before we go?” I ask the room in general. My eyes linger on Raziel hoping for another clue, but he is staying tight lipped and keeping his eyes as expressionless as possible at the moment. He is done giving clues for the day. I’ll have to check back tomorrow. Maybe his guilt will get the better of him over night. Probably not.
“I believe you have all the information we can decipher at this time,” Isla hedges, leaving room for the possibility of other issues arising. Like they always do.
Figuring that is the best response I am going to get, I turn to Kallen, Eliana and Josh. “Okay then, I hope you don’t mind swimming in the ocean. We’re going to see the Mermaids first.”
“I love the water,” Eliana says with an eager smile. She may not show it as much as Sam and Jenna do, but she is just as curious and excited as they are. If the situation wasn’t so dire, this could actually be fun introducing Eliana to these other realms and doing some sight-seeing. I suspect we are not going to have much fun on any of these trips, though. And the only sights we are going to see will be angry and/or scared realm leaders. What fun.
“Good. Oh, and just so you’re prepared, most of the Mermaids don’t wear shirts.” With that little tidbit out there, I make my way past a now blushing Josh and head out to the beach to make yet another tear in the fabric of the realms. Everyone in the kitchen rises from their stools and follows me out.
Now that I think about it, I stand in the same approximate area on the beach every time I do this. I really hope I’m not creating a frayed spot here. I would hate to have a permanent opening into another realm right in front of the terrace. Not only would that ruin the view, it could be rather dangerous depending on which realm it happens to be. Hmm. Maybe I should move a few yards down from my usual departure spot just in case. I get an odd look from Kallen when I suddenly change spots, but I can explain my theory to him later. If there is a later.
13 Chapter
I need to rack my brain for a minute until I am finally able to recall the spell the Mermaids use to make it so that other beings can breathe underwater when visiting their realm. Gathering Eliana, Josh and Kallen close, I have everyone join hands. I pull magic and recite aloud, “Bodies of land, born for soil and sand, foreign to the sea, yet protected we will be.” I can’t believe I had trouble remembering something so simple. I will put it down to the stress of the universe possibly ending.
“Ah!” Josh exclaims, shaking himself as my magic burns through him. He keeps a firm grip on my hand, though. He is one strong Cowan, that’s for sure.
With a wry smile, I admit, “My magic doesn’t come with a friends and family disclaimer like Eliana’s does. My magic hurts everyone equally.” In the future, I should probably make sure Eliana and Kallen serve as buffers between Josh and me. He may be strong, but there also may be a limit as to how much of my magic burning through him Josh can handle in a single day. Eliana would be more than a little pissed if I accidently maimed her boyfriend. On the positive side, she could probably heal him. She still wouldn’t like it.
“It wasn’t so bad,” Josh lies. He glances down at himself while touching his neck, I suspect he is looking for gills, and asks doubtfully, “Was that it? We can breathe underwater now?”
I nod. “Yup. You can now breath like a fish.”
“I am afraid that does not make the sea warmer, nor easier to swim in without the proper attire,” Kallen says wryly. He has already changed into a wetsuit. Damn, does he ever look good in a wetsuit. He notices me checking him out and gives me a wink. My cheeks flush a little, but I still like what I see. Shifting gears, Kallen gets back to business. To Josh, he says, “I will magic you a suit like this one if that is okay with you.”
“Cool since I forgot to bring mine,” Josh says with a grin, relieved to find out he isn’t going to have to swim in his jeans. We did forget to tell them to they would need wetsuits. I wonder if he really has one at home. Considering they live by one of the Great Lakes, I bet he does.