by Bonnie Lamer
Thinking of Zac causes a little ping in my heart. He and my Aunt Barb are down in Denver trying to wait out this whole mess. They’ll come back home when it’s safe. And I want that to be soon. Thinking about that gets me all riled up again and I shoot Grandma a dirty look because she’s the only one I can vent on right now.
Reluctantly, I show Kallen where my parents’ room is. I open the closet door and another ping hits my heart. Mom and Dad’s clothes are still in the closet. No one has ever brought up the idea of getting rid of them now that they don’t really need them. I guess it would be an acknowledgement that they don’t belong to this plane of existence anymore. And that they never will again. We’ve tried not to focus too much on that over the last three years. We’ve all pretended that it’s perfectly normal to have your parents be ghosts. It’s amazing what we can teach our brains.
Kallen pushes a few boxes aside on the top shelf and finds the ceramic bowl that we used when he took his blood oath. Aunt Barb must have tried to hide it when she put it away. Maybe she thought the Fairies would be able to do something with it, I don’t know. Kallen hands the bowl to me as he reaches up for the athame. It’s a double edged knife with a sharp point and it looks old. It’s made of silver and the handle has intricate designs that I’m sure mean something, but I haven’t had the chance to ask Mom about it. It’s a pretty cool looking knife, though.
He puts the knife in the bowl and then puts his hands on my cheeks. “This will all work out. You are strong enough to take on a hundred Witches, if necessary.”
I don’t really think he means that literally, but it is nice of him to say it. He ducks his head to give me a kiss and without thinking I take a step back. My words jump out of my mouth as if they had been waiting on the tip of my tongue for my lips to open so they could make their escape. “Did you stay because of the blood oath?”
He’s definitely not keeping his face blank at the moment. Torrents of emotions are washing over it as quickly as a blink of an eye. First I see confusion, then understanding, then incredulity, and finally, anger. A lot of anger.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he looks down his nose at me from his immense height. I hate it when he does that. It makes me feel really small. “You still do not trust me,” he huffs. “After coming here to save you, after giving up the chance to return to my home and my family, you still do not trust me. And, just so you know, blood oaths do not travel from realm to realm. If I had returned to my own realm, I would have been free of any responsibility for keeping you alive. I could have left and never looked back or worried about you ever again. It is only in this realm that my life is at risk if I do not do everything in my power to save yours.”
Oh, I didn’t know that about the not crossing realms thing. Now I feel terrible. But instead of saying I’m sorry, my mouth says, “Why didn’t you tell me that before?” I think I may have more trouble controlling my mouth than I do my magic.
His eyes narrow and his face is granite. “I did not think it necessary. I thought the reason I stayed was quite clear, but apparently, this time I was the naïve one. What an unusual twist for us.” He takes the bowl and athame from me and starts walking towards the door.
“You didn’t have to be such a jerk about it. I was just asking.” See, no control whatsoever.
Kallen turns back towards me and he still looks really mad. He opens his mouth to make what would probably be a cutting remark, when Dad comes in. Taking in our faces and the emotions filling the room, his eyebrows raise. “Trouble in paradise?”
“No,” I lie. “Dad, are you going to follow us around the house whenever we leave a room?”
With a chuckle, Dad says, “Possibly. But I actually wanted to ask Kallen a couple of questions.” It’s good to see a smile on his face, but I’m getting really tired of the guys in my life laughing at me, which I hope I’m conveying with the dirty look on my face. Kallen is still glowering at me as well.
Ignoring what’s going on with us, Dad asks Kallen, “Is there a way to, I don’t know a better way to say this, cheat when taking a blood oath?”
Kallen nods. “In a way, yes. The wording is very important. For instance, the blood oath that I took,” he pauses here to narrow his eyes accusingly at me again,” I swore to protect Xandra’s life as I would protect my own. If I had decided that the only way to keep her from opening the gateway between realms was to sacrifice my own life, I would not have had to protect her life.” Now that he’s said the words out loud, he actually has the decency to look a little sheepish as he admits that to my dad. He came to this realm believing that he may have had to do just that until he figured out that I was on his side.
So, he had purposely spoken the oath like that.
Dad crosses his arms over his chest as he looks evenly at Kallen. I think he’s going to pounce on that as a reason to tell Kallen he can’t stay, but he doesn’t. He’s too preoccupied with what he came to ask, apparently. “Are there any spells or amulets or anything like that that could be used to negate a blood oath?”
Kallen thinks for a moment then shakes his head. “I have never been told of one. But Fairies have not been in this realm for several hundred Cowan years. It is possible that I am ignorant of magical charms or spells that may have been stumbled upon to prevent the binding of the oath.”
I’m still feeling snippy so I’m tempted to make a comment about him admitting he’s ignorant about something. It so rarely happens. But I don’t because that would be mean, and this whole argument was my fault in the first place for thinking he had ulterior motives for staying here. “Do you think Grandma is going to try to weasel out of the blood oath?" I ask Dad. I hadn’t even thought of that. Dad’s thinking about all of this way harder than I am apparently. Then again, he’s had eighteen years to think about what if’s. I’ve had a week.
Dad shrugs. “Let’s just say that I believe anyone capable of allowing their daughter to be held captive while others determined the fate of her child, may not be the most trustworthy person. From what I know of your grandparents, I believe caution is wise.”
Great, now we can’t even be sure that a blood oath will really tell us if Grandma’s telling the truth or not. Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, I rack my brain for something that would be better. Turning to Kallen, I ask, “What happens if a Witch and a Fairy make a blood oath? Could the Fairy magic involved in the oath prevent a Witch from using a spell or anything to make it not real?”
Kallen’s brows draw together. “It is likely. But as you are only half Fairy, there is no guarantee that your Fairy magic would work that way.”
I roll my eyes. “I figured that out myself, thanks.” Okay, I’m still a bit snippier than I should be. “I meant, what if Grandma made a blood oath with you?”
Dad and Kallen are both looking at me like I’m crazy or stupid. It better not be the latter. Kallen speaks first. “How would a blood oath with me force your Grandmother to protect you? I realize you have not had much magical training, so I will explain. A blood oath is supposed to be between the two people who are directly affected by the oath.” There’s that lovely condescension of his again. Yup, still has a lot to work on if we’re going to date.
At least I don’t feel badly about being snippy now. “I’m not a moron, thanks. I figured that out all by myself as well. But if you are already sworn to protect me as you would your own life, couldn’t the blood oath be worded so that Grandma would agree to help you protect me? Sort of like a backup plan? Protect you as you’re protecting me or something?”
Dad looks impressed and Kallen almost looks shocked. “That is a very good idea.”
“I do have them from time to time,” I say dryly.
Dad turns to Kallen looking hopeful. “Do you think it would work?”
“If worded correctly, yes, I believe it would.”
Dad looks relieved. “Do you think you could word it in such a way?”
Kallen looks confident now that the idea has sunk into his brain. “Yes
.”
“Great, let’s get this going then. The sooner we decide what we’re doing about that woman, the better.”
I suspect that Dad would be happier if it turned out that Grandma does have something up her sleeve. He’s definitely not going to be as forgiving towards her as Mom seems to be, if this turns out in her favor. He has a determined look as he floats out the door and back towards the living room.
I begin to follow him, but Kallen puts his hand out to stop me. He still looks upset with me but he leans down like he’s going to kiss me. He doesn’t kiss me, though. Instead, he pushes my hair away from my ear and whispers, “I stayed because I wanted my body to be in the same place as my heart, despite the oath.” With that, he turns and strides out of the bedroom with the bowl and the athame.
Okay, did he just tell me that he loves me, or am I reading too much into that? If that is what he meant, this was a heck of a time to tell me. Not only were we arguing, but we’re right in the middle of dealing with this whole grandma mess. And am I in love with him? I’ve never been in love, so I really don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like. I know I like him. A lot. But love? With a heavy sigh for all the confusion and emotions piling up in my life, I follow Kallen back to the living room.
Dad must have already announced what we talked about because Mom is looking unsure, but Grandma looks mad. “You expect me to make a blood oath with a Fairy? That’s outrageous! Fairies can’t be trusted. That’s why they were banished from this realm!”
I give Grandma a hard look. I definitely don’t have any warm and fuzzy feelings for the woman and insulting my boyfriend certainly isn’t going to create any. “I don’t know about all the rest, but Kallen is trustworthy. And I know he wants me to stay alive.” Implying that I’m not sure she does. Hope she caught that.
The right corner of Kallen’s mouth hikes up slightly in a half smile. I think I may have just made up for what I asked him in Mom and Dad’s bedroom. I slide my hand in his in a show of solidarity and he wraps his fingers around mine. I try to give Grandma a withering look, but I’m not sure I’m successful. She doesn’t look cowed at all. She just still looks mad.
“Xandra, dear, I’m sure you believe that, but isn’t your mother’s experience with Fairies enough to show you their true nature?”
Okay, maybe holding Kallen’s hand may not have been such a good idea, because now, he’s squeezing mine like he’s trying to pop a water balloon. I think he’s trying to hold back from starting a magical confrontation with Grandma, so I try not to complain. “Do not presume to know my nature. I am a Sheehogue Fairy and we have never had a quarrel with Cowans nor Witches. It was my grandmother who worked the magic that closed the realms, protecting Cowans and Witches alike from the Pooka Fae. It was also my grandmother who sent me here to help protect Xandra and keep the realms closed to each other. So you see, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind what my or my grandmother’s intentions are. Xandra is unable to say the same about her grandmother.”
There are two types of Fairies in the Fae realm – the Sheehogue and the Pooka. The Sheehogue are ‘live peacefully with everyone’ kind of Fairies, and the Pookas are ‘who can I bully today’ kind of Fairies. My biological dad is a Pooka and he was willing to kill me to open the realms. They really aren’t very nice.
I’m pretty sure that Dad’s chuckling isn’t helping to take the sting out of Kallen’s words for Grandma since her face is bright red. But who cares about Grandma. Maybe there’s hope for my parents liking Kallen after all. At least Dad, anyway.
After taking a deep breath, which I doubt helped, Grandma says between tight lips, “I apologize if I offended you and your kind.” Your kind? That’s just a tad bit insulting. And I don’t think it’s going to win her any points with Kallen. “I have been told tales of Sheehogue intervention between the Pooka and the humans on occasion. But I also understood from these tales that the Sheehogue prefer to remain neutral, and are not prone to intervention unless the situation has become dire. So, you can understand my assumption that you are of the Pooka Fae. I did not realize that the situation had reached the point where the Sheehogue would intervene.” Wow, that was not the world’s greatest apology. I wonder if Kallen is aware that I like to have the use of all my fingers, not just the ones that aren’t being crushed in his grip right now.
“And as I have heard tales of you and your husband’s treatment of Mrs. Smith, and personally witnessed your husband try to kill Xandra, you can understand my hesitation to believe you to be anything more than a distraction while your husband gathers seven other Witches to take on one Witch Fairy.”
Grandma’s eyes flash. If it turns out that she is on our side, I don’t think she and Kallen will ever bond after this exchange of words. “Yes, I can understand why there is hesitation to trust me. It simply took me by surprise that I would be making a blood oath with a Fa…with you.” Oh, good catch on her part.
Dad crosses his arms over his translucent chest and he has a don’t mess with me expression on his face. “That’s the deal, Athear. Take it or leave it.” I didn’t know Dad even knew her name, as he’s been calling her ‘that woman’ for the last half hour.
Glancing over at Mom, I wonder why she’s been so quiet. That’s not normal for her. And I’ve never seen her bite her nails before like she is right now. I wonder if she can change the length of her fingernails by biting them. Do they feel solid to her? Does anything feel solid to her? I’ll have to ask her that later. We haven’t talked a whole lot about what Mom and Dad can feel. Again, part of that trying to seem normal thing we’ve had going on. We just pretend that everything’s the same for them as it is for the rest of the family.
Straightening her shoulders, Grandma says, “I will make a blood oath with whomever you would like. I am here to help.”
“Are you sure, Mother?” Mom asks quietly. There’s the implication in her question that she believes her mother may not be telling the truth, and will suffer the consequences of the blood oath. Which is always death. I wonder how a person dies from a blood oath gone wrong? Do they just drop dead wherever they’re standing from a heart attack or stroke or something? Or is it some kind of slow painful death? I’ll add that to my list of questions to ask later. It kind of ruins the effect if I seem ignorant about what is going on.
“Yes, Quillian, I am.”
“Her name is Juilienne,” Dad practically growls.
Grandma inclines her head towards him. “Of course. It will take some getting used to on my part, but I will adjust.” Turning to Mom, she says, “Are we ready to begin?”
Before Mom has a chance to respond, Kallen says to her, “If you do not object, I would like to set the terms of the blood oath.”
Mom’s brow furrows. I don’t think she’s a hundred percent on board with this plan. But, I’m pretty sure she knows she’s outnumbered if she disagrees with it. She nods at Kallen and says, “Okay.” Then she turns towards Grandma. “Mother, please take the knife and add your blood to the bowl.”
Grandma looks down at the bowl and knife for the first time and her breath catches. She looks back up at Mom. “You are using your athame for a blood ritual?” Apparently, athames are never supposed to draw blood.
“It’s a little late to be concerned about that.” Mom says pointedly. She had to stab two guards instead of using her magic to escape my grandparent’s house. “It has already shed blood, a little more will not make a difference.”
Grandma looks down at the athame again. Is that a tear in her eye again? Over a knife? Or is she feeling guilty about what Mom had to do. I hope it’s that one. I would hate to have my opinion of her drop even lower.
Picking up the knife, she holds the index finger of her left hand over the bowl and uses the tip to cut her skin. Several drops of her blood drop into the ceramic bowl without making a sound. She turns and hands the knife to Kallen. He has no hesitation about using the athame to draw blood. It doesn’t seem to be a thing for Fairies. He repeats the process and h
is blood joins Grandma’s in the bowl.
“Speak the words of the oath,” Mom directs him.
“By this blood, let Queen Athear Levex join me in my oath to protect Xandra Illuminata Smith from harm or death, whether by magical, natural, spiritual, Cowan, blood relative or any otherworldly means. This binding will forsake previous loyalties forged by blood, marriage, debt or friendship.” Looking over at me and Dad briefly, he continues. “If we choose to sacrifice our own lives for our cause, our dying breath will be spent in an effort to fulfill the promises set forth with this binding.” Turning back to Grandma, he adds, “Let the laws of the Sheehogue take precedence over Witch law in concerns to this binding, and let the Witch and Fairy magic come together as a force to hold this oath true and unable to be unbound by either.” Grandma’s eyes spark when he finishes, but she doesn’t say anything.