by Bonnie Lamer
Adriel sighs. “He is not hiding. He is overwhelmed. When you and your doppelgänger met, things sort of went wonky for him.” Wonky? I’m getting to her with my slang.
“What do you mean?” Kallen asks.
“He is still seeing two destinies, but when this Xandra and the other Xandra are together, he seems to get an explosion of possibilities in his head of what might happen.”
That sucks. “Does it help if he’s away from me?”
Adriel shrugs. “A little.”
“Should you be with him?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No, he is in sensory overload right now. It is best if he is left alone.” Sadness rims her eyes as she says this. She wishes she could help him. I wish I wasn’t the problem.
Finally, we find the table laid out with the foods I am accustomed to. There are eggs and bacon, pancakes and juice and an assortment of pastries. My stomach growls loudly, demanding I hurry up and fill my plate. As I’m putting the last strip of bacon on, Grandpa and Mohana approach. Gunnar is trailing them. I can’t help but notice how is eyes seek out the Elves.
I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but I’m relieved they sought us out. Quinn was on his way over and things never go well when he and Kallen are together. This makes Grandpa the lesser of two evils. I’m pretty sure Kallen isn’t going to kill him. But the day is still young.
“What is that smell?” Mohana asks in lieu of a greeting.
“Steak drenched in Goblin sweat,” I tell her taking a small amount of pleasure in the disgust washing over her face.
Grandpa pats her arm. “She is just trying to upset you.”
Putting the hand that is not holding my plate on my hip, I say, “I am not.” Wow, I sound mature.
“It is indeed steak soaked in Goblin sweat,” Kallen confirms getting his own amusement out of the situation. Gunnar is laughing silently behind the Witch couple.
“I cannot eat with such a stench,” Mohana pouts. “Perhaps we can take a plate upstairs?”
“Anything you want, my sweet,” Grandpa says. I am going to barf all over his shoes.
“Good morning Princess of the Fae and the Witches,” a sexy voice croons behind me. It takes a great force of will to keep from breaking out in excited goose bumps all over my body just from hearing her speak.
I incline my head in the Elf Queen’s direction. “Good morning,” I say trying not to sound annoyed. I would really like to sit down and eat. Kallen would very much like the Elf Queen to implode. Sometimes his body language is easy to read.
The Queen’s eyes travel over Mohana. “Seductress, you are weaving quite the charm. Be careful you do not call down the ire of the Angel of Love.” Meaning Grandma but Mohana doesn’t know that. Neither does Grandpa.
I knew Mohana was doing something. “She put a charm on him?” I ask Queen Addylyn. I can’t sense a spell.
Reading my mind, the Elf Queen smiles. “It is not always magic which weaves a charm. A Seductress is cunning and this one will become whomever she needs to be to win the heart of this King.”
“Stop talking about us as if we are not here,” Grandpa growls.
A burst of enchantment radiates from the Elf Queen and her eyes glaze over. “Once loved by love herself, an endless abyss fills him now. Paths taken by this lonely heart will be forever forsaken, true love never to be found.”
Whoa, that’s ominous. “Can Elves see the future?” I murmur to Kallen as Addylyn’s eyes return to normal.
“Queen Addylyn can,” he whispers back, her name on his tongue is like used flypaper.
“What is this nonsense?” Grandpa demands. It is him now who wants the Elf Queen to implode.
“Basically, she’s saying that because you screwed over Grandma, you’ll never find real love again,” I explain.
My grandfather’s face is now several shades of purple and Mohana’s cheeks are flaming. Probably because she’s been exposed as a fraud. At least, in everyone’s eyes except Grandpa’s. He is holding onto her arm tighter than ever.
Addylyn has moved her eyes in a new direction. It is Gunnar who has captured her attention. Uh oh. It’s his eyes that are unfocused now. I move to position myself between them, much to the chagrin of both Elf and Witch. “Gunnar is off limits,” I tell Addylyn.
This, of course, simply makes the Elf Queen emit more enchantment. Grandpa is looking at her all doe eyed now instead of Mohana. Great, just great. “The Elves are not the enemies of Witches,” she purrs.
“As long as you are able to enslave them, you mean,” Kallen growls. “How many here have you taken already?”
Addylyn laughs and it makes me want to hug her. Damn Elves. “Stop it,” I tell her, annoyed she can get to me. “Have you enchanted others here?”
The smug smile on her face is answer enough. I can’t let this go. Even if it means majorly pissing off the Elf Queen. “I’m going to sever your hold over them.”
Her smile only broadens. “There has never been one who could break the hold of an Elf once the bond is agreed to on both sides.”
Shaking my head, I say, “Agreed to? I seriously doubt all of your victims agreed to it.”
“I will join you,” Gunnar says proving me wrong, and the bear of a man drops to his knees in front of Addylyn, much to her amusement.
If it was Grandpa, I might let it go. I mean, what difference does it make if he’s being controlled by a Witch or an Elf? Gunnar, on the other hand, does not deserve a lifetime of servitude. My words clearly contain a threat as I say, “Let him go.” Or I will make you let him go is the rest of that sentence. It doesn’t need to be spoken aloud, though.
“Is there a problem here?” Dagda’s velvety voice says behind me, making me jump. Seriously, what is wrong with me today?
Practically roaring, Grandpa exclaims, “This, this Elf is trying to enslave my security!”
Turning perfect, emerald colored eyes to Addylyn, Dagda says, “We have a truce in place. You may only take the willing, the ones who seek you out.”
Addylyn laughs, again making me want to hug her. Damn Elves. “He has sought my presence since his arrival. He fell to his knees before me as his choice, not mine.”
“After you enchanted him,” Kallen barks out.
Behind me, I hear the distinct sound of metal clashing against metal. I know what I’m going to see before I even turn around. Yup, it’s a sword fight. A real one with real swords that are drawing real blood from both a Centaur and a Sasquatch. The Sasquatch’s hair isn’t quite so white anymore. As this fight continues, several more break out. I can’t see who’s fighting with the Dragons, but I do see the flames. Someone cries out desperately and is now running for the river to put out the fire consuming him. The Giants Chieftains are exchanging blows in a far corner. It’s as if the great hall was a pile of kindling someone lit with a match. It is total chaos in a matter of seconds.
Kallen and Dagda pull magic and enter the fight, taking down being after being as they try to restore peace. Me, I’m oddly fascinated with the whole affair and stay rooted to my spot. Fascinated? Damn Elves. Shaking off the enchantment yet again, I whirl on the Elf Queen. “That will never happen again.” I don’t know what she sees in my eyes, but she takes a step backwards.
My eyes are drawn back to Kallen who narrowly avoids the edge of a sword. More Fairies are rushing in and I even see Isla making her way through the crowd, putting down being after being with a savagery I hope to never be on the wrong side of. My eyes fly to Dagda as I sense pain from him. His arm is gushing blood, having caught the tip of a Centaur’s sword.
Enough. Words slam into my brain and magic rushes into me. “Realms of beings bold and brave, brought together for this conclave. Hear me now, my spell be true, from whence this anger and hatred came, on this day its power I do disclaim, protection from each other I give to you.”
A flash of blinding white light illuminates the great hall. My Angel magic is fueling this spell. I can’t help but smile as my wings firmly attach
themselves to me. There is no other magic which feels as pure as this. As it flows from me, it takes away the anger, it absorbs the pain of those around me. When this is done, I will have one more black feather among the beautiful white ones and that’s okay.
“Finally,” I hear my own voice say. Except, I didn’t say it.
Opening my eyes, I have no words with which to respond. There, only a few yards from me, is my doppelgänger. She is basking in the white light of my Angel magic. Whirling and dancing, I watch as the scars from her face disappear. She is using the power of the Angels to heal herself. She doesn’t know how to call my Angel wings in this universe. She probably wore hers all the time in her universe will.
When I am able to connect the right synapses in my brain to make my vocal cords work again, I say, “You started the fighting.”
In this universe, I have definitely not mastered the façade of pure evil this other me now wears. Coming closer, she says, “Your bleeding heart could not let this continue.” She sweeps her arm around the now quiet room. Her lips form into a malicious smile. “But now it’s my turn.”
Wresting the Angel magic from me so fast I fall to my hands and knees, she wields it like a bulldozer, shoving every being in the room toward the river. I fight to get it back, but I cannot loosen her grip. I watch in horror as bodies fall into the rushing water. They are not washed out of the palace, though. She dams the river and covers it with magic. As the water rises inside of the enclosure she made, those within are doomed to drown.
“What the hell, Xandra!” I hear Taz’s shout from across the room. I know it’s my Taz when he says, “Take it back!” I have no idea where he’s been but I’m awfully glad to see him.
In the bravest act I have yet to see the Tasmanian devil perform, Taz lunges into the magic like a sponge and begins soaking it up. As it fills him, as it fills my Familiar, the other me screams in frustration. The force with which she is trying to take the magic back is sure to bring Taz’s insides with it. I can’t let her harm him. Taking advantage of her distraction and loss of control, I am able to wrest the magic back to me. Without hesitation, I shove it back to the earth and use my will to keep it there, setting everyone in the water free. Try as she might, my doppelgänger cannot regain control. Knowing this as well as I do, she disappears yet again. Like a coward. I really wish I knew where she goes when she does this so I could follow her. It would be so much better to fight in a place where collateral damage would be minimal.
Drenched bodies are beginning to emerge from the water. I drag myself to my feet and rush to the one I’m most concerned about. Kallen wraps his wet body around me and kisses the top of my head. “Thank you,” he whispers.
Stepping back, I scan the crowd for Adriel and Dagda. I find them both safe, assisting others out of the water. The Sasquatch appear to be quite heavy when all of their hair is wet. Isla is on the other side of the river doing the same. I’m not sure when Kegan and Alita arrived, but I spot them helping as well. The fear clutching my heart eases now that I know those I care about are safe.
Oh, crap. Where’s Grandpa? I stand on my tippy toes trying to scan the crowd better. Reading my mind, Kallen points to my favorite bench along the river. There is my grandfather, gasping for oxygen in between vomiting up water. A sure sign of how much Mohana loves him? The fact that she’s standing a good twenty feet away disgusted with the sight of him like this. Wake up, Grandpa. This is the Witch you want to be with?
“I am going to assist Dagda,” Kallen says, letting me go after a quick kiss and joining the efforts to retrieve everyone from the water. I suspect a few were carried away when the dam broke. Hopefully they can swim. At least well enough to get to the river bank. I should probably organize a search party. But, since I have collapsed into a useless heap of exhaustion on the floor, I won’t be doing that. I’m certain Kallen or Dagda will think of it if they haven’t already.
The palace staff is passing out towels to those who can’t dry themselves with magic. The Giants, Centaurs, Fauns and Sasquatch fall into this category. The Goblins can surprisingly perform this small magic. The Dragons prefer to air dry.
I’m surprised when Gunnar comes and bends down on one knee in front of me. “Thank you,” he says quietly. “I couldn’t fight the enchantment on my own.”
I smile as best I can. “Glad I could help.”
Surveying the room, he chuckles. “You do know how to make a mess, don’t you?” Some of the marble is cracked and broken but I think this is mostly from yesterday even though I’m certain the Palace staff worked all night on repairs. What’s left of the tables and chairs is nothing but broken bits of firewood now. Most of the wood fell into the river. Food is everywhere, smeared on the floors, on the walls. None of it is still edible. So much for breakfast.
“Another of my many gifts,” I mutter.
“I believe this belongs to you,” Tana says softly. She is cradling Taz in her arms. There’s a tinge of guilt in her voice since she’s the one who created my Familiar with black magic, but she knows I’ve grown to like the little guy. She lays him down next to me.
“Thanks,” I say. I probably should have searched for him but it seems like I would know if he was seriously injured, wouldn’t I?
As if reading my mind, his scratchy little voice says, “No thanks, no medical care. I almost died!” He coughs trying to sound as pathetic as possible.
“Yes, you and fifty or sixty others.” A flash of guilt hits me. He is mine to take care of and I should do a better job of it. “Are you hurt?” I ask.
“Only in my heart,” he grumbles.
“I need to check on the King,” Gunnar says, rising to his feet again. I believe watching me have a conversation with Taz makes him uncomfortable.
I turn my head toward the bench. Grandpa has stopped retching, but Mohana is still keeping her distance. I really hope this is a wakeup call for him.
In less than a heartbeat, everyone in the room stops moving and silence fills the hall. “Do you have pity in your heart for him?” a soft, Angelic voice asks.
“Yes,” I reply turning my head to face my grandmother. I wonder if I will ever get used to seeing her in her Angel form.
She reaches out and places a hand on my cheek. “Trouble certainly has found you this time, hasn’t it?”
“You could say that.”
I find comfort in her pretty, tinkling laugh. “You are strong, Xandra. Strong enough to face anything, even yourself.”
The doubt on my face must be palpable by now. “I can’t really fight her. I don’t know what to do to stop her.”
To my surprise, Grandma sits down next to me on the floor. Her glorious wings folding to adjust to this new position and her beautiful, blonde hair cascading down her back between them. Despite her years with the Witches, she looks more like a teenager now than a grandmother. “I fear there is no easy answer.”
“That’s helpful,” I grumble.
She responds to my snark with another tinkling laugh. “I would give you all the answers if I could, my darling. Unfortunately, this is unprecedented. Even the Angels are at a loss.”
Should I tell her what Haniel said about bestowing Divine Grace when the time is right? Probably best if I don’t. I sure would like to know when the time is going to be right, though. What is the Seraph waiting for?
“Do you hate Grandpa?” I ask.
Grandma is quiet for a moment. “Hate is a harsh word. Disappointed is a more apt description of how I feel.”
“You asked me if I pity him. Do you?” My question is met with silence. “You know, don’t you?”
When she speaks, there is a combination of anger, disgust and shame mixed into her words. Shame for Grandpa, not herself. “He is a foolish old man.”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I already knew. “How can Mohana do it? How can she face having to disguise herself as someone else to get him to love her?
“You are not so naïve, my darling. You know it is not love she seeks.”
“Did you come to tell me you know?” I ask.
“Mostly I came to comfort you in your time of great stress. But I thought it may ease your mind to know you do not have to keep his secret from me,” Grandma says softly.
“It is a relief, thank you.” One less thing to worry about. I’m still disgusted, though.
Laying a hand on my cheek again, she says, “Forgive him his shallow heart and weak mind, Xandra. These were forced upon him by destiny, they were not of his choosing.”
“Did you feel like forgiving him when you lived with the Witches?” I ask.
Her laughter peals again. “You are too wise, my darling. I will change my plea. Suffer his shallow heart and weak mind with grace, for they are not of his choosing.”
“I’ll try.” That’s the best I can give her.
Leaning over, she kisses my cheek lightly. “Take care, darling.” The room is once again flooded with sound and movement. I am so ready to go back to bed.
Chapter 21
I have not moved from my spot on the floor when Dagda comes to talk to me. He drops to one knee so I don’t need to crane my neck as much. “How are you?” he asks.
“Frustrated, annoyed, anxious, scared and everything in between.”
“Then you are handling this better than I would,” he teases. “Are you well enough to meet with the other Kings and Queens in the war room?”
“Can I say no?”
“Only if you are truly not well enough.”
I groan. “Fine.”
Dagda stands with more grace than I do. He has to grab my elbow to keep me from stumbling. “Are you certain you are well?” he asks, true concern in his voice.
I nod. “I feel a little weak but I think it’s because of the whole unable to heal fully thing.”
Kallen joins us and he automatically slips his arm around my waist. “You do not have to meet with them if you do not feel well.”
“I’m fine, really.” He is not convinced but starts walking with me anyway.