by Bonnie Lamer
With a snap, I am jolted into real time. I pull magic so fast, the other me doesn’t even have time to turn around before it hits. She is thrown twenty feet away but she comes up ready for a fight. The force of the blast even sends me falling backwards. With even more magic, I send it spiraling toward her, trying to predict her next move. She is me, after all.
But she’s not really me. She is an evil, twisted version of me. Her magic hits mine and the two meld into one, recognizing it comes from the same DNA. Using my momentary confusion, my doppelgänger shoves the magic back to me, willing it to harm me. The magic slashes at my face and chest, causing deep lacerations. A couple I believe are down to the bone. I need to regain control. It takes all my concentration to lasso the magic and force it to bend to my will instead of hers. It whirls back to her, sharp as knives, ready to inflict harm. She teleports away. Coward.
I know I should heal my cuts before I lose too much blood, but I don’t know where she went. She could pop up behind me and take my head. Making my way to the kneeling Chieftain, I touch his shoulder which is covered in blood. I believe it’s his guard’s blood, not his. Or mine. My other hand on the unconscious Giant, I teleport us all back to the Palace where I collapse to the marble floor.
Kallen, who must have been waiting for me in the great hall rushes to my side, pushing away the curious and concerned alike. “Xandra, what happened?” He slides his arms beneath me and lifts me to cradle against his chest.
“I found her,” I say with a bloody smile. He’s as happy about it as I currently am. Closing my eyes, I use the last of my energy to focus on healing myself. It takes longer than usual and I am exhausted by the time I’m done. But every single cut is now closed without even a trace of a scar to show they were ever there. When I am finished, I wrap my arms around Kallen’s neck and lay my head on his shoulders. “I really need a nap.”
He chuckles, holding me close. “I think that can be arranged.”
“If she cannot protect us then we are all doomed,” a voice near me says. I look over Kallen’s shoulder to see two Sasquatch standing side by side watching the scene unfold.
“I was caught by surprise. Next time will be different,” I assure them. It would be more convincing if I didn’t yawn my way through the words.
Completely ignoring the Sasquatch, Kallen says, “I’m bringing you upstairs.” He gets no argument from me. I don’t even mind that he brings me to the elevator operated by the elderly Fairy whose magic I am always afraid is going to falter mid-rise.
He carries me to the Princess bedroom. He barely has me on the bed before Dagda, Mom and Isla come rushing through the door. Wow. They’re fast. Oh, Kallen probably sent telepathic messages to them.
“Is she okay?” Mom demands of Kallen as if I can’t answer for myself.
“I’m fine, Mom.”
“They said you were a bloody mess when you returned,” she exclaims, doubting my self-assessment.
“She had some cuts, but she healed them,” Kallen assures her. He changed me out of my bloody clothes on the way up here.
“What happened?” Isla asks.
Before I answer that, I need to know, “Is Ellu okay?”
“We will worry about him when we are certain you are well,” Dagda says firmly. Meaning he hasn’t bothered to check.
“Really, I’m fine. She just caught me by surprise. After bringing Quinn and Orwick here, I went back for Ellu. I found him kneeling in front of my doppelgänger with his guard lying on the ground. I think she was about to kill him.” Bile gathers in the back of my throat.
“Are you certain she wasn’t there before you teleported back with Quinn?” Dagda asks. “It doesn’t make sense that she popped in at exactly the right place at the right time to kill the Chieftain.”
“You think she was there watching, waiting for the opportunity?” Kallen asks.
“Wouldn’t I have sensed her?” Someone as powerful as me should show up on my Fairy radar.
“Not necessarily,” Isla says thoughtfully.
“What do you mean?” Dagda asks.
“It makes sense Xandra would not be able to sense her own magic.”
Isla’s right. I bet my doppelgänger already figured this out. She probably was waiting for me to take one of the Giants away so she could go after the other. He’d be easier prey that way. “Meaning she can sneak up on me any time she wants.”
“From now on, anywhere you go, I go,” Kallen says. “Until we are able to capture your doppelgänger.”
My brow furrows. “How will you be able to tell the difference between her magic and mine? The way our magic combined when we fought, and the fact we were both able to control it, even magic doesn’t know the difference between us.”
Obstinate, my gorgeous husband says, “I will be able to sense, for lack of a better way to explain it, more of you. Your magic will seem to come from two different directions.”
I raise questioning brows to Isla. “He may be able to tell,” she says. I’d give her a million bucks to say that again with more confidence. Though she’d have nowhere to spend it.
“Regardless, I agree with Kallen. You should always have someone powerful with you. If Kallen is needed elsewhere, either Isla or I will be with you,” Dagda says, using his Royal Command voice.
I shrug. “I’m fine with Kallen being with me all the time, but I don’t think a babysitter is going to help. When she and I meet again, I don’t think anyone else is going to be a part of the show.” I’m thinking they will be collateral damage if anyone tries to intervene. “Would you guys mind terribly if I took a short nap? It’s been a really long day.” It feels like a millennia instead of a day since I woke this morning in Kallen’s arms.
A half smile forms on Dagda’s face. “I believe you have deserved it.”
“I will see to the Giant Chieftain,” Isla says. With a nod to us, she turns and leaves the room.
“I will do my best to calm down our guests,” Dagda says. Stopping at the door, he adds over his shoulder, “Please make it a short nap.” He leaves and closes the door behind him.
“You must be exhausted, too,” I say to Kallen and hold my arms out to him. “Nap with me.”
“Excellent idea,” he says, crawling onto the large bed next to me. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. I am asleep as soon as I close my eyes.
Chapter 17
It feels like only three minutes have gone by when Kallen whispers in my ear, “Xandra, we are needed downstairs.”
“Mmm,” is my intelligent response.
He chuckles softly. “We have been sleeping for two hours. As much as I would love to lie here forever with you, we need to help keep the peace.” This time I don’t bother with vocals. I simply curl my body closer to his and keep my eyes firmly closed.
Groaning, he says, “Xandra, my will power is shattering.”
“Good,” I mumble, lifting my head to kiss him. But as much as I would like to seduce him right now, I know he’s right. We need to go back downstairs and join the melee. “Fine,” I grumble, sitting up. I feel more refreshed than I thought I would, at least.
Rising from the bed, Kallen walks to my side and offers me his hand. I take it and let him pull me up. Wrapping his arms around me again, he says into my hair, “Please do not wander around without me.” I hear the worry in his voice.
I smile against his chest. “Okay.”
In the hallway, we run into Tana. She gives me a tight smile but her face relaxes when she looks at Kallen. “Good evening, Nephew.”
Kallen leans down and kisses her cheek. It’s amazing how the effects of black magic have completely disappeared. She is once again the beautiful Fairy Dagda married. I guess forgiveness was the key element in her recovery. “Good evening. Have you been downstairs?” Kallen asks.
With a deep sigh, she says, “I find it difficult to be among so many. I do not want to…slip into old habits if I become angry.” How self-aware she is. “I did, however, run into Xandra’s
grandfather. I see he has openly acknowledged his relationship with the Seductress.”
My mouth drops open. “You knew?”
Shrugging, Tana says, “I suspected.”
“I think she’s vying for Queen.”
A sad smile touches the Fairy Queen’s lips. “Perhaps I should speak with her about this. Being Queen is more difficult than it may appear. King’s do not always make wise choices and we are usually affected by the fall out.”
She probably can’t help the accusation in her eyes when they find mine. I doubt she will ever completely get over her resentment. But, she doesn’t seem to be plotting my painful, horrific death so I consider this progress. “I doubt she’d listen. My grandfather has a mind that is easily led astray. She’ll have him completely under her control soon.”
“My private life is none of your concern,” an angry Witch growls behind me.
Grandpa has impeccable timing. Turning slowly, I find him and Mom coming down the hall toward us. I’m pretty sure Tana saw them coming. She could have warned me, but that’s okay, everything I just said I will gladly repeat to his face. “When it affects the welfare of the Witch population, it does concern me.”
“Xandra, perhaps now is not the time,” Mom says. I believe she is less uncomfortable about my opinions regarding Grandpa’s love life than she is about coming face to face with the woman whose husband she slept with. She didn’t know he was married, but it’s still awkward all around.
Eager to be anywhere but here, Kallen says, “Xandra and I are heading downstairs.”
“We will join you,” Mom says.
It dawns on me that Mom and Grandpa would have no reason to be at this end of the hall. This area is reserved for the Royal Family and the only rooms here are the King and Queen’s, mine and an empty one reserved for a son who hasn’t been conceived yet. “Did you need something, Mom?” I ask.
Biting her bottom lip, she says, “We can discuss it as we walk.”
Okay, she doesn’t want to talk about it in front of Tana. I doubt she wants to talk about the weather in front of Tana, so I don’t panic about what she might have to say. “Okay.” Taking Kallen’s hand, I start walking toward the stairs. No more elevator for me today. I’m afraid my luck will run out if I keep tempting it.
When we are far enough away Tana will not be able to hear us, Mom says, “After speaking with your grandfather, I understand his need to finally move on from your grandmother. I believe we both need to respect his decision and who he has chosen as a partner.”
Wow. What the hell did he say to her? Eyeing my grandfather suspiciously, I ask, “Did he tell you everything?”
“He told me is happy for the first time in years and Mohana has much to do with this.”
So, no, he did not tell her everything. My grandfather’s jaw is clenched so tightly, I believe his upper and lower gums are touching. He’s waiting to see if I rat him out. I don’t, for now. “As long as there’s no evidence Mohana has an agenda other than to be his girlfriend, I really don’t care if they’re together or not.” Relief washes over my grandfather’s face. “If she does,” I add, not wanting him to get too comfortable, “we will need to dissect the relationship more closely.”
Temper rising now, Grandpa huffs, “I will not be discussing any such thing with you.” Yeah, we’ll see.
Mom scowls at me. “Xandra, why can’t you let this go?”
Looking pointedly at my grandfather, I say, “He knows why.” Mom’s eyes dart between me and her father. She’s just about to ask what I mean when I say, “Mom, it’s fine. You don’t have to worry about it.” Wanting to drop the subject, I ask, “Where’s Dad? And Zac?”
“I convinced your father they are both safer at the mansion than here.”
They probably are. Hesitant to say this, I force myself to push the words out. She is not going to like this. “Maybe you should join him.”
It’s Mom’s temper starting to rise now. “I am perfectly safe right where I am.”
We’ve reached the stairs and using the excuse of balance, I watch the stairs instead of her face when I say, “Mom, it’s my magic holding you and Dad here.”
“I know this,” she snaps.
“My magic could make you move on.”
In my peripheral vision, I can see Kallen’s grim expression. He knows where I’m going with this. “Your daughter is right,” he says.
“I do not understand why you are both…” Mom’s words trail off as she gets it. “Your doppelgänger’s magic is the same as yours.”
“When our magic met earlier, it melded together to become one. This leads me to believe she could send you and Dad on as easily as I could.”
Her ghostly pallor becoming almost invisible, she places a hand on her cheek and says, “Oh, my.”
“I will arrange for someone to take you back to the manor,” Kallen says. “There is every reason to suspect the doppelgänger will show up here but it is less likely she will go to Grandmother’s home.”
In shock, Mom says, “Do you really believe this other you will harm me or your Father?”
I shrug. “She wasn’t raised by you and Dad. I don’t know what happened to you two in her realm, but I doubt you were close. Tabitha can help keep you safe.” If not with her magic, then her knowledge of the house and all its hiding places. I’m not above asking her to stash my family away so I have one less worry when fighting my doppelgänger.
A new horror crosses Mom’s face as she realizes both her husband and son are absolutely in great danger. “I must go to them at once,” she says speeding ahead of us.
“No,” Kallen says firmly, causing Mom to stop and turn around. “You need to be accompanied. Wandering through the woods alone is not safe. Both Xandra and I will feel better having you safely returned in a guarded carriage.”
Mom wants to argue but after a moment she gives in. “Please hurry.”
Near the bottom of the stairs, Kallen finds one of the Palace staffers and puts things in motion for Mom’s departure. While he’s doing this, I scan the room, marveling at the idea of so many supernatural races under one roof. Despite this, it is surprisingly quiet in the great hall. It seems most of the guests have retreated to their designated rooms. Hopefully with guards at all their doors. Not that it would make a difference, but it gives the illusion of safety.
The only ones left down here are the Dragons and a couple of Elves. I’m glad Gunnar isn’t with us. Grandpa must have told him to stay with Mohana. I bet he’s loving that. One of the Elves is speaking to Ryu and the Dragon’s eyes are slightly clouded. Apparently even Dragons aren’t immune to the Enchantment of the Elves.
It’s on my tongue to speak aloud about how quiet the hall is, but the universe sucker punches the words back down my throat. Something close to a sonic boom explodes in the room, shattering most of the marble floor and blowing out the windows. The Elves take shelter under Ryu’s massive chest. The staff in the hall run for cover.
“Take Mom back upstairs,” I hiss to Grandpa, wanting them out of here before my doppelgänger sees them. When Grandpa begins to argue, Kallen gives him a shove in the direction of the elevator. The look on Kallen’s face stops any more words from coming out of his mouth. He does what he’s told and Mom follows him reluctantly. They would be seen on the stairs but the elevator is tucked around the corner. By the time the dust settles, they are out of sight.
Shock is the first thing I feel when I see my doppelgänger standing amongst the rubble. She has scratches on her face and her clothes are torn. There is blood on her skin. Did the falling glass harm her? Why didn’t she protect herself? I did.
“What did you do?” she demands, looking straight at me with hatred in her eyes.
“What are you talking about?” It’s strange having a conversation with myself.
“Look at me,” she growls.
“Am I supposed to see something other than a mirror image of me?”
“Look at my face!” she screams.
&nb
sp; “What do you want me to say? So you have cuts from the glass. Heal yourself.” Surely my doppelgänger knows how to do this.
Reading my mind, she says, “They are not from the glass and I cannot heal them.” Her voice is low and dangerous now.
Confused, I ask, “You don’t know how?” Studying her face, I realize what she wants me to see. The cuts on her face mirror the ones she gave me. They must have appeared on her as well. That’s why she teleported away. “I healed mine.”
“So I see,” she grinds out, moving closer to me.
“Whatever we do to each other, we do to ourselves,” I say more to myself than my doppelgänger. But why can I heal myself and she can’t? A thought strikes me. No, it can’t be. Can it? I’ll throw the idea out and see what Kallen thinks. I’m speaking to him more than my doppelgänger now. “But if I use magic to heal myself first, the universe won’t let her do it. It only recognizes one of us at a time and we can’t perform the exact same magic because the universe sees it as redundancy.” Did that make sense? I can’t tell from Kallen’s expression.
“Well, aren’t you quite the scholar,” she spits out. Good to know my grammar’s not any better in the other universe. She uses contractions like I do.
This is not good news. If we can’t hurt each other without hurting ourselves and our ability to heal is limited, how will I stop her? “Why are you doing all this? You’ve been given a second chance, take advantage of it.”
Snidely, she says, “A second chance to do what? Frolic with our pet?”
I think she means Taz, who I haven’t seen in a while, until I follow her eyes to Kallen. Turning back to her in shock, I say, “Kallen’s not my pet. He’s my husband.”
I had no idea I could laugh as ugly as she is. It’s like a vat of evil being stirred with dead babies. I shudder at the terrible sound.
“You wed him? A mortal? You fool. The universe is yours for the taking and instead of doing so, you hide among the Fairies mating with your lesser.”
Mating? Now she’s managed to make my relationship with Kallen seem ugly. “Instead, I should commit murder at will and end up having to flee my universe because I’m so nasty? No, thanks.”