by Casey Herzog
“You’re going to need all the strength you can get to finish what you started. I will be more than happy to come with you since I’ve been there more times than I can count. Coming here at this time of year is only going to give you one chance. One flower blooms and survives the weather, but the same flower flourishes when the weather is nicer.”
I didn’t realize there was any time the weather could be nice up here with the ancestors watching our every move.
“I don’t know what my father is going to say to your proposition, but I wholeheartedly accept the invitation to show us the way.”
My response was unilateral, and I didn’t consider what my father was going to have to say on the subject. It didn’t seem to matter. If he wanted me to be happy, then he would hold onto any time we could have with my mother.
“It’s not up to your father whether or not I come along on this expedition with you. If you want me there, then he won’t be able to stop me no matter what he says. I knew you were going to be a strong and resilient woman. How could you not with a role model like me,” she said, as she lifted a piece of the meat, tearing it off the carcass and eating it with the ease of a tiger tearing into its prey.
“If anybody would know how my father will react to certain things, it would be you. The love between the two of you has always been a battle of wills. Nobody could stand against you without feeling your wrath.”
I helped her to get ready and found myself draped in one of her discarded fur coats. It was far warmer than anything we had brought with us. We made quite a sight when my father returned to look at his family standing stubborn and together as a unified force.
“I know I’m not going to like this. You both have the same look when you think you have me where you want me,” he said, as I offered another fur coat for him to wear.
I had to wonder how he was going to take having my mother tell him what to do.
“Your daughter wants us to be together for as long as possible. I don’t think you can even deny her that request.”
My mother was standing by my side and she was the one giving me the courage to continue on.
“I’m not even going to bother to argue. It wouldn’t do me any good anyway. I’ve learned a long time ago not to get in either of your ways. The reason I wasn’t there for our daughter was because she reminded me too much of you. I couldn’t bear to look at her without feeling like I had lost my best friend,” he said, taking both of our hands and giving me the impression family really did come first.
“I can’t believe how much you haven’t changed, Michael. Of course, I can’t say the same thing for Gillian. She was so young when I last saw her. I was afraid she would never remember me. I can only hope you did your best to keep my spirit alive. I’m sure you’ve told her some of the stories, but maybe you were too afraid to give her ideas,” my mother said, as she took the lead. After all, she knew where she was going.
Chapter Seventeen
The fur coat I was wearing made me feel like I was being cradled by warmth itself. I felt like things were finally going our way. The one thing I’d learned, the painful way was happiness was usually short lived.
My father was looking at me over his shoulder from time to time, and for some reason, I felt it was necessary to give him the cold shoulder. I knew he was in a tough position, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t show me the courtesy of being honest. It was just one of many times he had done things behind my back without my knowledge.
“Gillian, I know you think I could’ve fought harder for your mother, but you have no idea what you’re talking about. Had I done anything at all, the Elders would have made it impossible for me to stay in your life. They made it very clear, and I didn’t want to take away both of your parents.”
The look on his face was tearing my heart apart and making it impossible for me to stay mad at him for any length of time.
“You and I both know I will get over this in time, but these kinds of wounds don’t heal without necessary scarring. I will always remember you were the one responsible for keeping her from me, even if you didn’t have a choice.”
I didn’t want to be harsh with him, but I did leave him the hope that we would keep our relationship alive.
“I did the best I could without sacrificing my principles or the well being of my daughter, Not even your scowl is going to make me regret my decision.”
He was always a logical man, and it was a trait passed down to the next generation. I didn’t know if my child would be destined to follow in my footsteps, but I was determined to give it a normal life.
I wasn’t with child, but William and I had spoken of the possibility of a big family. At first, I was reluctant, especially after everything that happened with my father and me, but then I realized I couldn’t let him keep me from having a family of my own.
“I know you think you did what was right, but there had to be another way. You just didn’t see it. Again, I wasn’t there, so I have no idea what you went through, but it couldn’t have been anything like what happened to my mother.”
I felt like I had to come to my mother’s defense. She deserved her daughter to give her the benefit of the doubt.
I heard what sounded like a wild animal. It didn’t seem pleased by how far we had come. My mother showed remarkable restraint by standing still and shivering in place, no doubt knowing the sound, and not exactly willing to tangle with it.
“I’ve always been one step ahead, but I can imagine what this thing feels deep down inside. I didn’t exactly show mercy to his brethren, but it’s not like I enjoyed eating them to stay alive. I can see how hunting me down and killing me would give him a modicum of peace,” my mother said, with her hand up to indicate it was time to listen and become one with nature.
The sound I had heard earlier was there, very much like it was using its environment to its advantage. This was their home, and trespassing was not going to make them trust us. I was sure it was watching carefully. I would’ve done the same thing to find out if the threat was viable. He would determine what kind of enemy he was dealing with, and then, he would deal with it accordingly. It was the way of the wild, where the strong would survive and the weak would perish.
I was trembling, but what else could I do when I was feeling alone, even though my mother and father were right here to protect me with their bodies. It was like my limbs had soaked themselves in cold water up to my neck. It was that crippling fear that made me desperate to cling to my parents for safety.
Nonetheless, everything I had gone through made me learn and grow from the experiences. My father was there, but then he wasn’t, and that made me bitter and unable to see straight.
Stepping into my father’s shoes was not easy, but necessary for the betterment of magic in the community. I had cordially invited the committee to witness what I was doing with the school, but the committee had not been fully formed. My father was still making his determination and giving careful consideration to each candidate. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened with the Elders. And now, I can only imagine things will change with the reappearance of my mother.
“I was hoping if we stood still it would get bored and move on, but it hasn’t. It’s trying to make us complacent, but I can smell him in the air,” my mother said, as she took a few tentative steps forward with her head moving from side to side to alert us to any persisting dangers.
“I hate to say this, but aren’t you a bit paranoid? I know you’ve been through a lot, Madeleine, but sometimes you can be your own worst enemy.”
My father was clueless; there was no way he could possibly know what my mother went through. However, she had my undying loyalty and she deserved our trust along with our love.
“I’ve always been the optimist, but recent events have made it necessary to rely on the pessimist side of my personality. This thing has been getting closer with each breath I draw, and I know we’re going to have to finish this. It means one of us is going to have to die and I don’t want
it to be me.” My mother continued very slowly, stopping at intervals to lean down and touch the snow like she knew something was there.
“I thought there was nothing you could do to surprise me, but the way you’re acting is definitely more animal than human,” my father said, relying upon his scientific mind and not letting the will to survive talk for him.
“Michael, for once in your life, you’re going to have to listen to somebody other than yourself. I know how difficult you can be, but this is no time to give me attitude.”
I was beginning to see where I got my attitude from, and how it could be off-putting to some. It made me think of home and what was happening in our absence. Penelope and Tabitha worried me, and I could only hope Julian was up for the challenge.
“You’ve always been about what is best for you, and sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing by being with you. Believe me, there were people arguing against it loudly. It was hard to ignore them when the evidence was overwhelming. You were constantly threatening our way of life, but I thought your rebellion would open up people’s eyes to the possibilities.”
My father understood my mother better than anyone, and getting through to her was not easy.
“I’ve been wondering when you were going to bring that up. It’s not like I forced you to come along for the ride. You could have shopped around; there were other girls looking at you with admiration in their eyes.”
I had no idea my mother saw him as a ladies’ man … he certainly didn’t give me that impression. Of course, he is my father.
“I don’t know when I’m ever going to live that down. You’d think after all this time apart we might be able to get along for our daughter. I see how some things have changed, yet many things have stayed the same.”
They really did go after each other’s throats with no regard to how that was going to affect their feelings for one another. I could only hope William and I would not walk the same path even though we had had our fair share of fights, which always ended amicably.
“You can’t blame me when you didn’t exactly push them away. I’m not usually the jealous sort, but you really did tax my patience.”
Her usual calm demeanor was replaced by that of a woman spewing venom like it was a defense mechanism.
“Madeleine, we never learn from past mistakes and it has always been a stumbling block between us. We both have long memories and we use what we know about each other to hurt one another.”
I wanted to interject, but it seemed counterproductive to give them my 2¢ worth.
“I’m going to ask you this one time to trust me, and I know what I’m talking about when I say this thing is ready to attack. You don’t have to believe me, but the proof is going to be undeniable.”
I saw what she was talking about, aware of the very deadly serious, red, glowing eyes staring at us from within a darkened alcove.
It came forward with its jaws unhinged; we were sitting ducks.
“I suggest nobody make any sudden moves; it tracks movements. It’s the reason why I made all of us slow down, even though it means keeping your friend from getting the necessary treatment he needs. This thing has been the bane of my existence from the moment I arrived here. They may seem stupid, but they’re not. It’s what they’re counting on, to catch any unsuspecting victim unaware.”
My mother was speaking the truth, but everything in my being wanted to run despite the danger.
“You won’t hear me say this often, Madeline, but you were right. I hope you know how hard it was for me to admit that, but now I wonder what you’re going to do.”
My father wasn’t the only one looking to my mother for answers. She seemed to be gauging her prey and watching it closely for anything resembling weakness.
“They say these things are guarding the flower, but I think they are here mostly because this was where they were raised. I’ve killed a few of them, but nothing of his size. I don’t know what they’ve been eating, but thankfully, it wasn’t me.”
I was glad she hadn’t become a victim of these things, but how we were going to get out of this was anybody’s guess.
Chapter Eighteen
I really had no idea any of this was going to happen when I went after the flower. The elation of seeing my mother alive was now marred by a snarling animal with three horns and what looked like very thick and dangerous looking thorns in its fur. It was no wonder my mother had skinned the animal before consuming it.
“I don’t know if you will believe this, but it’s more afraid of us,” my mother said, as she pulled out a knife, while my father prepared himself with the crossbow he had used to save us earlier.
“Your mother and I will take care of this, Gillian; there’s no reason for you to get involved.”
My father was once again treating me like a little child, but it did feel nice to see them working together instead of at odds.
“I would like to help.” I had no idea what I could do, but standing there doing nothing seemed pointless.
“Your father is right; we wouldn’t be parents if we didn’t protect you.” I felt like they weren’t giving me enough credit, but I would have loved to close my eyes and make this all go away. Maybe I would let them handle it.
The animal had its mouth open, and its drool was now touching the snow underneath its feet, melting it on contact. I had no interest in seeing what it would do to human flesh.
My father broke free from the two of us and went around to the other side with the animal still watching. It seemed more amused and not at all concerned about the numbers being more than a match for it. I had to assume the reason for its confidence was something we couldn’t see. While they were concentrating on it, I surveyed my surroundings and tried to come up with anything resembling a trap.
“Michael, we will close in on it, and when one of us gets the chance, we’ll kill it before it kills us. You’ve never been one for hunting, but there’s always a first time for everything. You can do this; it’s all about showing confidence.”
My mother was giving my father some encouragement, and it seemed like they could get along when things looked the bleakest. It was always darkest before the dawn; that was never more apparent than facing down an animal like this.
My father might have been scared, but he wasn’t showing it in the face of an overwhelming adversary. The way he stood strong and leveled his gaze on this animal was giving me hope that things were not as dire as they seemed.
“I really don’t care which one of us gets him, but I would rather run it off than to kill it. Don’t get me wrong, I can fight for survival, but I would like to find a more diplomatic solution.”
I had never seen him lift a finger against anyone, but he did have a temper, which I had witnessed in his study when he went on one of his tangents.
“I understand your hesitation, and believe me, I was exactly like you when I first came here. Things change quickly when you realize your life is more important. I haven’t survived this long by letting anything come between me and my next meal.”
She was a very strong and capable woman with an aged wisdom that was going to come in handy.
I thought I peaked when I was younger, but I hadn’t even begun to find my purpose. My father’s fake death had pushed me into growing up and taking responsibility for my actions. It wasn’t easy, but I’d learned the best things in life never were.
I was a little perplexed. The animal was standing there on all four legs, looking back from my mother to my father. It never advanced or showed any signs of being a threat, but that didn’t mean it didn’t have something hidden.
I wasn’t the only one to hear my father’s sigh of resignation before he took the shot. Somehow, the animal sensed what was going to happen and moved to avoid being impaled. The arrow barely missed my mother; it would’ve been far worse had he had the crossbow angled higher.
“You almost got me, but I admire the courage it took you to take the shot.”
She was criticizing him, bu
t then, in the same breath giving him something positive to hold onto. It was a brilliant strategy, and one meant to give him a pat on the back.
“I would like to see you do better.”
He really didn’t have a chance to finish his thought as my mother leaped into action, pinning the animal to the ground. She was holding it with her hands on the only two places on the animal’s body not covered with thorns.
“Sometimes it takes…a woman’s touch.”
She was trying to stab it, but the animal was not about to die without putting up a fight. They thrashed on the ground, covering themselves in snow. It became very difficult to see where one started and the other ended.
“I didn’t mean for you to attack it without thinking things through.”
This was something my father had told me several times, and I had only begun to give it the necessary thought.
“Don’t you see I’m busy here, maybe you could do something to help,” she said with the knife barely between two of her fingers. The blade had broken the skin of the animal, but not even the pain was enough to secure a victory.
“I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” My father was circling the both of them on the ground, looking for his opportunity and finding none.
“Don’t worry about me; take the shot. I’m a big girl and I can handle anything. If what I have been through doesn’t show you my survival instinct, then I don’t know what will.”
I was anxious for him to take the shot, especially when she was close to the line of fire. Missing the beast would be too easy.
“I just always believed it was supposed to be the man who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress. I will never forgive myself if I make the costly mistake of hurting you. Spending time in the asylum changes a person, and I was no different.”
We hadn’t talked about his time in the asylum, and I wasn’t sure how to bring it up without opening old wounds.
“I didn’t know…and I’m sorry I wasn’t there, but I was otherwise engaged,” she said having the advantage, but still having a hard time restraining the animal long enough to plunge the blade deeper than a flesh wound.