by Bonnie Lamer
“Yes, we can now,” he says as if I’m a toddler. “An hour ago, it was a different story.”
I still don’t believe him. “How on earth could I have blinded all of you?”
Now that the hard part is out of the way, Grandma joins the conversation. “It was as if your magic became pure light and we were not prepared to shield against it.”
“It caused flash blindness,” Dad explains. “It burned our retinas. My guess would be, considering the effect on your grandmother and Kallen, the intensity was around that of a nuclear explosion. It even affected your mother and me.”
“If Kallen hadn’t immediately harnessed his magic to create another protection circle here in the kitchen, the effect could have been permanent,” Mom says quietly. I think she’s afraid she’s going to upset me again.
But she doesn’t. I can’t change what happened so there’s nothing to do but move forward. “See, another reason it’s good that he stayed here,” I say with a smile in his direction.
Mom chuckles now that she knows the news isn’t going to permanently damage my psyche. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
Kallen’s quiet, but he has a smile of his own. At least, until he tells me the next part of the bad news. “Yes, the blindness was temporary but there’s more. Before your aunt and brother arrive, we have to let down our protection circles.”
“What?” I am positive I didn’t hear him correctly.
“Before your aunt and brother arrive, we have to let down our protection circles,” he says as if I didn’t hear him the first time.
I roll my eyes. “I heard you. Why?”
“Because your circle creates a physical barrier they will not be able to cross and my protection circle sits between realms and cannot be seen from either. To them, it would appear as if the house is not here and they would not be able to find it.”
Stupid protection circles. They’re becoming a lot more of a hassle than they’re supposed to be. I can handle this. I just need to breathe. A lot. Well, not this much. I might hyperventilate. “Okay,” I say slowly. “What do we do if the Witan attack while the circles are down?”
“Hopefully, we will be able to hold them off.”
“Hopefully. That’s comforting,” I mumble.
“I’ve called Barb and they’re only about fifteen minutes away,” Dad says. “Whatever we’re going to do, we need to hurry.”
“You guys do realize that Grandpa and the Witan could be right behind them, right? My magic that was keeping them asleep retracted when I left Aunt Barb’s apartment.”
Grandma nods glumly. “Yes, we’re assuming that they are.”
Great. Fantastic. This isn’t going to be ugly at all. But, I’m not going to let it get me down. I’m going to move forward. “What do I have to do to lower the protection circle?” I ask Grandma.
“It’s very simple. You need to mix your blood with the clay again and draw a line through the pentacle.”
Wonderful, more of my blood going into a spell. Maybe I should create my own blood bank. “Let’s do it then. I don’t want Aunt Barb driving into it.”
I get up from the table and walk to the door where I left my boots earlier. I slip them on but I don’t bother with a coat. If all I have to do is draw a line, I’m not going to be out there long. Pulling the door open, I go outside. I assume Grandma’s following with her slimy clay.
When I’m next to the elder, I take Mom’s athame from Grandma and poke my finger. I let the blood drip into the clay and then I use my finger to stir it a little. This stuff is so nasty. And I know I’m never going to get it all out from under my fingernails.
With a glob of clay on my finger, I draw a line through the pentacle. As I do, a rush of magic hits me so hard and fast that I’m flung about twenty feet back towards the house. Thank god there weren’t any trees in the way. I’ve already had a broken rib from being slammed into a tree by magic.
As I lay in the snow wishing I had worn my coat, the magic seems to hover over me instead of rushing back to the earth. I try willing it back but it won’t go. That’s not a good sign.
Kallen must be thinking the same thing. “Xandra, are you going to let that go?” he asks from the elder tree. I don’t blame him for not wanting to get closer with this much magic hanging around. Literally.
“I’m trying,” I say. The snow under me is making my clothes uncomfortably wet, making me even colder, but I don’t think I can get up. I try to move to a sitting position but nope, can’t budge. “Um, anyone have any suggestions about how I can get this magic off me?”
“Magic is not an elephant. It cannot sit on you and hold you down.”
I glare up at him. “Well, apparently mine is because it won’t budge.”
Mom puts her hand over her face to hide her smile. “It’s not funny,” I tell her including her in my glare as well.
“Have you tried simply returning the magic to the earth?” Kallen asks in that lovely condescending voice of his.
“Was I just saying that it was good you stayed? I’m seriously reconsidering that opinion at the moment.”
“Be that as it may, but you are the only one who can return this magic to the earth.”
“Really? Because I thought little elves came along and did it for me.” Me, sarcastic? Nah. And then another thought hits me. “Isn’t this the same magic that knocked me out cold for almost a day? What if I take it all back through me and it does the same thing again?”
Huh, I seem to have stumped him on that one. Not even the tiniest of condescension on his face now. Mom’s not laughing anymore, either.
Grandma’s the first to respond. She looks thoughtful as she says, “It very well could be that your mind and body are refusing to process the magic for that reason.”
“Mother, I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Mom admonishes gently. I don’t know, it seems plausible to me.
Grandma shrugs and shakes her head. “Your daughter is an enigma, Julienne. Who is to say that it doesn’t work that way for her.” Now Mom looks stumped, too.
“Hey, can we have the philosophical debate later and right now figure out what I’m supposed to do? I think my back is getting frostbitten.”
“You are literally pinned down by your magic?” Kallen asks as if he still doesn’t believe it. Well, that’s annoying.
“Yes, I am literally pinned down. As in, I can’t get up. As in, there is a large amount of magic hovering over me like a giant elephant butt about to sit on me. Would you like me to paint a better picture of it or is it pretty clear now that I’m being pinned down by my magic?”
He narrows his eyes at me and says dryly, “Yes, the mental image is perfectly clear now, thank you.”
I’m about to say something else, maybe apologize for being so snippy, when there’s the unmistakable sound of tires on gravel and snow. Please let that be Aunt Barb and not the Witan. Is it possible to get that lucky while I’m being held captive by my magic? That’s a no brainer. Of course not. The car slows as it approaches the driveway and then stops.
“Oh my god,” Mom whispers. “It’s Fatin.”
They can see the driveway from where they’re standing but I can’t from where I’m lying. I need to get up. Now if I can only get this magic to understand that. I roll over onto my side, just barely and with much effort, and then flop onto my belly. But I still can’t get up. All I managed to do was get the other side of my clothes snowy and cold.
“Quillian, Athear, you know what needs to be done,” a smooth, deep voice says. “Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
Why do the bad guys always say that? Do they really think people are just going to roll over and let them do exactly what they want to do? Okay, well, I guess that’s a bad analogy, because in this case, the only thing I can do right now is roll over. But that’s not the point.
“Stay here,” Grandma says quietly to Mom and Dad. Mom looks like she’s about to refuse until she glances over at Dad. Then she nods. Her face is filled with
fear – I’m assuming at the thought of him being exorcised. Ultimately, she lets Grandma and Kallen walk towards Fatin without her.
“This is the Fairy I’ve heard so much about? He is a tall one, isn’t he?” There’s not a hint of distress in Fatin’s voice. “Athear, you know how this is going to play out. I’m going to threaten your daughter and her husband, and then you and the Fairy are going to try to stop me, and things are going to get tedious from there. I was hoping to avoid all of this, which is why I haven’t made my presence known until now. But, alas, here I am, and we both know, Athear, the Witan never loses. Are you willing to lose both the daughter you have mourned for the last eighteen years as well as this sin against nature we seek?”
“The only sins against nature are you lot who have abused your power over the years. Xandra has committed no crime. You have no business here and as queen, I demand that you leave.” Grandma’s voice is even but there is definitely an underlying threat in it.
Which Fatin ignores. “You haven’t really served as our queen for these past eighteen years, now have you, Athear. Nor are you a member of the Witan, so you don’t actually get a vote. You may offer your opinion, which you have done on several occasions, and it was taken into consideration. Then we voted to disregard it.”
“The Witan seem to disregard any opinions other than their own, Fatin. You’re not exactly what could be called a fair and impartial jury, now are you,” Grandma says in the same patronizing tone Fatin had used.
“We keep the world safe from those who would cause harm, Athear. Nothing more than that.”
The distinctive sound of tires on gravel and snow can be heard again, cutting off whatever Grandma is about to say. Okay, this is crazy; I really need to stand up. I push my hands against the snow covered ground but it’s no good. I’m still trapped.
“Ah, finally,” Fatin says. “I knew they couldn’t be too far behind.”
He can only mean Aunt Barb and Zac. He specializes in ghosts; he can’t hurt them. Right? I can dream, can’t I?
Grandma’s gasp is my first clue that things aren’t right. “Surprised, Athear? It was a simple matter for Beren and Davina to find them and compel them to give themselves up.”
The Witan have Aunt Barb and Zac. I didn’t even think about the fact that they could be tracked. I should have stayed in Denver until they had enough time to safely reach us. This is all my fault.
“Have you hurt them?” Kallen asks. His voice is completely void of emotion, not like mine would be if I was over there. I have to get up. I push harder and I can get to my knees but the magic is pushing hard against my back.
“We have no wish to harm them,” Fatin says. “We simply want to offer a trade.”
Kallen’s voice turns to steel. “Trade one death for another, how sporting of you.”
There’s the sound of car doors closing and I can hear muffled screams coming from Aunt Barb and Zac. They must have them gagged. Mom and Dad rush past me, no longer willing to hide behind Grandma and Kallen. It’s my job to protect them and here I am struggling with my own magic, defeating myself.
“Ah, Quillian, how lovely to see you again,” Fatin purrs. Eew, it kind of sounds like he has a thing for Mom. So many reasons it’s good she left home.
“Let our son and my sister go,” Dad demands in his best ‘I’m going to kill you the first chance I get’ voice.
“We would like nothing better.” I know that gravelly, my teeth are going to fall out of my mouth soon, voice. It’s Louhi. Great, the whole gang is here. I push harder and I’m able to kneel.
“Sveargith, you know this is wrong. You’re the king, you can make this stop,” Grandma pleads. That must have cost her a lot of pride considering how much she dislikes Grandpa right now.
“The Witan has made a ruling. King Sveargith is unable to change it on his own,” Maeva says in a catty voice. “Your pleas will do no good, Athear.” She says Grandma’s name like she rolled it around on her tongue and found out it had dirt on it.
“Athear, you have to understand,” Grandpa says and he sounds unsure, like he’s wavering.
“I do not have to understand. You are being led around like a stray dog by these Witches.” Hmm, she says Witches the same way Maeva had said her name. I have one leg with my foot on the ground and I’m getting closer to being able to stand up.
“Enough of this talk,” Midar growls. Actually, it sounds more like a whine but I think he was trying to sound like he growled. He’s just not a tough sounding man, especially with the fake English accent he tries to pull off. I’m on my feet now but walking seems like a task that is far beyond my capabilities. “Where is that girl?”
“You will have to go through me to get her.” Okay, Kallen is pretty good at growling.
“I’m not afraid of you, Fairy.” I don’t know, he sounds pretty scared.
“Davina, get your hands off my son.” Mom’s pretty good with the growl, too. Poor Midar, he’s way out of his depth right now.
“Spirit in unrest, soul in pain, come to me, find peace again. Leave this world of longing and woe, sorrow filled days no longer you’ll know…”
“Jim, no,” Mom cries followed by a scream from one of the women in the driveway.
“Focus on the Fairy!” Fatin shouts. He sounds muffled and farther away. Is he hiding behind a tree at the end of the driveway or something? I put a foot forward and I’m able to take a step. My legs are shaky and I feel as if I have the weight of the world on my back, but I’m moving forward.
An explosion rocks the ground. Actually, it’s several explosions. Must be more of Mom’s Witch Bottles. Seriously, when did she have time to do all that? The earth shaking just that little bit is enough to bring me to my knees again. Why won’t this magic let me go? I swear, I am never trying one of Grandma’s spells again.
“Kallen, watch out!” Grandma yells.
“Child, hold still!” I think that was Beren. Good for Zac, he’s fighting against him.
“He has some sort of dart!”
“Get behind the cars!”
Kallen has Fairy darts. They can bring down a Fairy so they can certainly bring down a Witch. They don’t work on me, though. They just make me feel drunk. This is so frustrating – I have to get over there and join the fight. They need me. I’m on my feet again but walking isn’t getting any easier.
“Let Jim and Zac go!” Mom yells. “Or I swear, I will blow this entire area away. Kallen, they’re setting a trap for you, make a circle.” Oh god, Fatin has control over Dad, Beren has Zac and now they’re going after Kallen. I’ve taken four steps now. I can do this.
“Mom, help!” Zac sounds so scared.
“Shut up,” Beren snarls and I hear a sickening smack. I’m pretty sure he just hit Zac. Are you kidding me? Who hits a little boy?
“What have you done? Zac, wake up!” Mom cries.
“The Fairy’s down, finish him off!”
With the force of a hurricane, the magic comes into me. The pain is immense for several seconds, as if someone has stabbed me in the back – twice. And then the magic rushes through me and I feel like a bolt of lightning must feel. I’m awash with electricity. The air is crackling around me as I am able to walk freely towards the melee in the driveway.
As soon as I round the house, it’s not just electricity I’m awash with. Anger surges through me and suddenly I’m seeing the action in slow motion. Kallen is on his knees and looks to be in a great deal of pain as a complicated web of magic immobilizes him. Aunt Barb is sitting in the snow with her arms and legs bound and a gag still in her mouth. Dad is hovering near Fatin and has an eerily blank face. Grandma is defending herself from a spell that seems to be coming from either Maeva or Davina. My money’s on Maeva. And then there’s Zac. My precious little brother with his sandy brown hair and blue eyes like Mom and Dad. He’s lying in the snow. Tossed aside as if he no longer matters. His eyes are closed and I don’t know if he’s alive or not. His skin is so pale and his small chest is still.
All at once, time catches up and my senses are flooded. It’s too much; I have to expend some of this energy. Focusing on a tree behind the two black cars in the driveway, it explodes in a shower of wood the size of toothpicks. That got everyone’s attention. Now, all eyes are on me. Wide, shocked eyes. Did they not think I’d join the fight?
As I walk past Kallen, I run my hand through the web of magic and it dissolves like cotton candy in the rain. He falls to his hands and knees and takes gasping breaths as his body recovers from the stress and pain. I keep walking.
Finally, I’m in front of Zac. I kneel in the snow and gather him in my arms and press my cheek to his chest. He’s breathing, but barely.
I look up and my eyes meet Louhi’s. I can see the cruelty that lives in his soul. The curl of his lips tells me that he’s been waiting for this moment for eighteen years. I’m on my knees in front of him and he thinks he holds all the cards. Silly man, I just came for my brother.