by Bonnie Lamer
I am flanked by my husband and my biological father as I enter the war room which is already filled with beings. Dagda organized this with amazing speed. All eyes turn to us as we take our seats. Each of the Kings and Queens have a guard standing behind their chairs, but no others. Their entourages are not invited apparently. Good.
I scan the faces at the table. Isla is to Dagda’s right. Standing next to her is the Centaur King, a brute of a man with dark hair and the sleek bottom half of a stallion. His skin is a deep tan color. Next to him is a Faun. He is barely tall enough to see over the table. To his right is the Goblin King sitting in what looks like a booster seat. I can smell him from way over here. I feel sorry for the Faun being so close to him, but not for the Elf Queen who sits to his right. To her right is the Sasquatch King or Queen. I really should find out which. Unable to fit at the table, Quinn and Ellu are behind the others sitting in chairs more suitable for their size. There is another door on the far side of the room and Ryu is sticking his large head through it. It’s all that will fit. I assume the others will arrive shortly.
“What have you done to us?” the Elf Queen demands, her voice no longer sultry and amused.
“Done to you?” What is she talking about?
“How have you taken away my enchantment?” Oh. I forgot about that.
“Why am I not able to raise a weapon against my foes?” the Sasquatch King or Queen asks.
Before anyone else can say anything, I shake my head and exclaim rather loudly, “Really? Every single one of you was almost killed out there,” I point a finger toward the door, “And what has you the most upset is that I made it so you guys can’t hurt each other for a day? How ungrateful and selfish are you people? You know what, if you want to kill each other before the other me comes for you, go ahead!” I pull magic to reverse the spell.
“Stop!” the Centaur King bellows. “Leave it be.” Looking around the table, he says, “The girl is right. We have a much greater foe to be concerned about. If we do not have to worry about being attacked in our sleep by each other,” his eyes stop to rest on the Sasquatch, “perhaps we will have the brainpower to save our realms and ourselves.”
I sit back in my chair and fold my arms over my chest. I’m staying out of this part of the conversation. They can argue amongst themselves and tell me what they decide. I don’t care either way at the moment. Kallen’s hand finds my thigh under the table and massages it softly, trying to help me calm down. After a moment, I take a deep breath and drop my arms. I place my hand over his and he curls his fingers around it. While I am tamping down my murderous feelings, Jadyn and Conor quietly enter the room and slide into two of the chairs left at the table on the other side of Kallen. Their presence, being allies of mine, helps me relax a tiny bit.
Feeling more diplomatic than I did just minutes ago, I speak over the crowd. “I promise, tomorrow you may kill each other at will,” okay, not so much diplomatic as pragmatic, “but today, can we please concentrate on the bigger picture? If you don’t, you are all going to die. Soon.” It dawns on me that Dagda and Isla are being conspicuously quiet. Why are they letting me do all the talking?
Seeing the concern and confusion on my face, Isla leans across Dagda to say under the din of arguing rulers, “You must lead here. Not the King of the Fae.”
What? Oh. It’s a political thing. All the Kings and Queens present need to feel like equals. One King being in charge implies he is the King of all, not just his own realm. Seeing I figured it out, Dagda gives me a grim smile. “You can do this.”
Maybe we should have done the pep talk thing before entering the war room. I have several questions that are not for the general assembly. Like, when did this become about politics instead of saving lives? Since I can’t ask my questions, I guess I just have to wing it. “Let me put it this way,” I say over the arguing that has amped up again. “Which of you wants to die first?”
This gets their attention. “Why are you asking this, Witch Fairy?” Ryu asks from the doorway.
Moving my eyes around the room to look at each of them in turn, I say, “Because I will only lift the spell today for those who wish to return to their own realms. There you will be left to your own protection. Meaning, you will die.”
“Not five minutes ago you agreed to lift the spell if we so choose,” Ellu barks.
Shrugging, I say, “I’m fickle. Deal with it.”
“Now we must do as you say?” the Sasquatch asks. “Twice you have fought against this doppelgänger and twice you have lost. Why should we listen to you?”
“How can you consider it a loss when Xandra saved the lives of everyone here? Could you have lifted the magic willing us to drown?” Isla asks.
“The way he was flailing about, it is a wonder he did not drown regardless of the girl’s help,” the Centaur jests. Well, at least I know the Sasquatch is male now. Unless the Centaur is using the generic ‘he’ due to his own lack of knowledge considering the Sasquatch’s gender.
“The girl is our only hope,” Ryu says, surprising the heck out of me. “No one in this room could stand against her.” Technically, most of him is in another room but I won’t quibble over details.
The Centaur crosses his arms over his bare, muscular chest. Why don’t they wear shirts? Their lower halves are covered in fur to keep them warm but you’d think the rest of them would get cold. “Are you suggesting a mere girl could stand against the might of the Centaur?”
I roll my eyes. “Let’s play a game,” I say suddenly, the idea crashing against my brain like the tide coming in. Isla and Dagda are just as suddenly concerned they put the wrong person in charge. Even Kallen is having trouble keeping his face calm and supportive. Before they can mentally fit me for a straitjacket, I continue. “I only took your ability to fight with each other away for the day. I did nothing to keep you from harming me.” Doubt abounds on their faces. I guess they need proof.
Rising, I walk around the table to the Centaur. He’s at least twice my size and ten times my weight. Good thing I have magic. “You cannot raise your sword against the Sasquatch, correct?”
“Aye,” he says, searching for a trap in my words.
“Raise your sword against me. Attack me.”
He considers me for a long time. Finally, he says, “You do not know what you ask, girl. I have hunted prey larger and stronger than you in the past and I have the skins to prove it.”
“Ew. No need to overshare,” I grumble.
I can always count on Kallen coming to my aid in situations like this. Even though my back is to him, I hear the swish of the arrow leaving the crossbow he created. Apparently, this never gets old for him. So, it has become second nature to defend myself from these attacks and my charming husband knows this. His arrow hits a solid wall of magic and clatters to the floor.
Shocked, the Elf Queen says, “You raise arms against your own wife?”
“Only because I know she will always win,” Kallen replies.
Aw, I love the confidence he has in me when he doesn’t think I’m crazy. But my eyes have not left the Centaurs during this exchange. “Your turn,” I say to him. “Attack me.”
After another moment of consideration, the Centaur complies. He pulls his sword from its sheath and brandishes it in front of me. Okay, he’s not quite doing what I asked. I roll my eyes in an attempt to annoy him into action. “Don’t just wave it about, try to stab me with it.”
With all eyes on him, the Centaur has no choice but to answer my taunts. With a mighty swoosh, his sword rushes toward me. I let it get about three inches from my chest before I throw up a wall of magic. When his sword hits it, the sudden stop of the sword’s forward motion wrenches the Centaur King’s shoulder back painfully. His grip on his sword is lost and it clatters to the floor like Kallen’s arrow did.
Rubbing his sore shoulder, the Centaur King asks, “What trickery is this?”
I turn my back to him and walk to my seat. “No trickery, I’m simply stronger than you. And if I�
��m stronger than you, so is my doppelgänger.”
“It proves nothing for you to win a battle against such a creature. The Centaurs are weak,” the Sasquatch claims.
If I fight the Sasquatch and win, the Giants will say they are weak and on it will go until I have proved absolutely nothing to any of them. Something irrefutable is called for. This is so annoying.
With a swish of my hand, the large round table disappears. Dagda is trying hard not to be upset. Ignoring his narrowed eyes, I step into the middle of the now empty space. “I will stand right here and each of you may attack me at will. All at the same time if you like.”
“Xandra, we don’t really have time for this,” Isla says tersely.
“They need to understand,” Kallen says. He’s amused by my antics.
“What will this prove?” the Goblin asks in his squeaky little voice. He already knows I’m stronger than he is.
Dagda has relaxed back in his chair. He’s as amused as Kallen is. “It will prove the unlikelihood of anyone besides Xandra being successful in ridding the universe of this new threat.”
“I will stand against you,” the Sasquatch says. He’s eager to prove the weakness of the Centaur.
“Great,” I say. As he, or she, approaches me, I put an invisible wall of magic in place all around me. Since it is invisible, the Sasquatch is as surprised as the Centaur was when his sword hits an immovable force. At least he is able to keep his sword in his hand. Stalking around me, his white hair swishing softly with his movements, he tries to find a weakness in my defenses. He doesn’t.
Eager for her turn, Addylyn sends out her enchantment. I don’t feel a thing. When she can tell I’m not affected, Addylyn moves closer to me but of course it doesn’t make a difference. Ellu joins them in their attack. Wanting this chance at me for my doppelgänger almost killing him, he rises from his Giant chair and comes to pound on my wall of magic. All he manages to do is frustrate himself. The Faun doesn’t seem interested in participating. Jaden and Conor are definitely not going to test my limits. Quinn, who already knows how strong my magic is, remains seated. Ryu keeps his flames to himself.
After I give them enough time to wear themselves out, I go on the offensive. Expanding the walls of my magic to press against them, I shove them back toward the chairs. But this is not all I’m going to do. Pulling more magic, I send it forward like lightning and capture each of the Kings and Queen who chose to attack me. My magic slams them back against the walls of the room and holds them there several inches off the ground. They fight in vain against my power. Just for fun, I use my magic to tickle them. Even Isla is amused by this.
“I believe you have proven your point,” Dagda says after a moment.
And I was just beginning to have fun. Pulling my magic back, I release the Kings and Queen. As I glance around the room at some pretty angry faces, I wonder if all I have done is manage to make new enemies. The Elf Queen certainly doesn’t look like she wants to be my friend anymore. The Sasquatch just may try to kill me in my sleep tonight.
“Do you understand now what you are up against?” Quinn asked the room. “This girl standing before you already has you at her mercy and you don’t even know it. The problem is her doppelgänger is her identical twin. Can any among you know with certainty you could best yourself in a fight?”
Wow, I didn’t realize Quinn was so perceptive. I stop being impressed when I see the leering smile on his face that’s all for me. Still, his words seem to go a long way in quieting down the other leaders.
“I, for one, am certain I would not have the first clue how to do it and I can become anything I want,” Conor says. “The expression ‘you are your own worst enemy’ applies well to this situation.” I’m not sure that’s a saying anywhere other than the Cowan realm.
Crossing his arms over his broad chest, the Centaur asks, “If we are not able to defend ourselves and she,” he nods his head in my direction, “is evenly matched, we are all doomed.”
I scowl up at the large being. “Didn’t your mother teach you to think positively?” Next to me, Kallen clears his throat to cover a chuckle.
“Are you implying optimism will save the day?” the Sasquatch asks snidely.
I believe I’m going to side with the Centaurs when I have time to deal with the war between them and the Sasquatch. “No, but if we believe there is no solution to the problem, then we will find no solution to the problem.”
“I believe what my daughter is trying to say,” Dagda begins. I give him a sour look which he ignores. “Is that she is not ready to give up the fight. Nor am I. She may be currently in a stalemate with her doppelgänger, but that has not stopped her from keeping all of you alive.”
“It is her dedication to keeping the lot of you safe that guides her when her doppelgänger attacks. If she had no goal other than the defeat of her foe, Xandra could use her magic more forcefully and perhaps put an end to this whole business,” Kallen growls to the Sasquatch.
The King of the Sasquatch holds his androgynous head high and asks, “Are we to live out our days amongst the Fae then in hopes that Xandra will be able to keep us all safe forever?”
“Do you know how much time you have taken away from any planning we could do simply because you want to be a jerk?” I ask. The Goblin King snickers and Queen Addylyn covers her mouth to hide her broad smile.
“Sit down, Sasquatch,” Quinn says. “Your opinions have been noted.”
“I will not be told what to do by the likes of you,” the Sasquatch growls.
“We really are not accomplishing anything as long as you refuse to move the conversation forward,” Jadyn says to the giant fur ball.
“Now I must take orders from a trickster?”
“Neither my brother nor I are tricksters,” Jadyn says. Clearly, the Sasquatch has not made a friend.
“You have forced me to take drastic measures,” I tell him. Or her. Using one of my favorite tricks, I take his voice away. “You can have it back when we all believe you have something to say that is worth hearing.”
“Xandra,” Isla admonishes quietly. “This may not be wise.”
Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s not. But I’m also sure I don’t care at the moment. To be fair, though, I scan the room. “Please say aye if you would like me to give his voice back.” A resounding silence fills the room. The angry Sasquatch storms toward me but he doesn’t get very far. Before I can even think to draw magic, Kallen has already used his magic to lay the Sasquatch out on the floor. I give him an appreciative smile. I get a slight nod in return.
“Can we draw up some kind of treaty to propose?” The Goblin King asks. “If we and the Dragons can work things out anybody can.”
In a perfect universe this would be true. Unfortunately, I don’t believe any of the universes are perfect. “I really don’t think she’s in the right frame of mind for a peace treaty,” I say. “An entire universe wanted her dead. That’s not the type of person who is interested in keeping the peace.” Besides, I already asked her to stop. She declined.
“Then what do you suggest,” Ellu asks.
“We need to find a way to send her home,” I say. I know I’m supposed to kill her for being in this universe but I really don’t see myself doing that. Who could?
“We do not even know how she came to be in this universe,” the Elf Queen says. “How are we supposed to send her back?”
Actually, I do know how she got here. Again, it’s probably best to keep the whole Divine Grace thing myself. Or at least share it with as few people as possible, meaning I can only talk to the people I care about. “If she could get here there is definitely a way to send her back.” Maybe I should tell them about the Divine Grace. No. I don’t think so.
I notice Isla, Dagda and Kallen are trying not to look worried. What did I do now? “Are you certain this is the path you are supposed to take?” Dagda asks me. Apparently, he is still very much on the killing side of things. “Do we not risk the possibility of her returning if we d
o not put a more permanent end to the situation?”
“Here, here,” a grouchy voice says from the doorway. Still a little green around the edges, my pale grandfather finally joins us. I’m sure he’ll have useful input. Sarcastic? Me?
“I believe her ticket here was a onetime deal,” I say. I am positive the Seraph who helped her has been dealt with. I hope, anyway.
It’s Isla’s turn to try to put me back on the killings side of things. “When you became aware of the situation, it was made evident there is only one way to resolve this.”
Technically, the Seraph didn’t say that. She strongly encouraged it. But why must I become a killer? I’ve come up against some pretty nasty beings and I’ve never killed one of them. Not one. There was always another way and there must be another way this time, as well. I just need to figure out what it is. “I prefer to think of that as a last resort,” I say to Isla. The Sasquatch is mouthing something at me but I doubt it’s anything I want to hear, so I keep his voice safely tucked away in my magic.
Kallen’s entire body stiffens. “She’s here.”
Not again so soon. “Are you positive?”
“Will you listen to the bloody wanker!” a scratchy voice calls out from the hall. “She’s trying to kill me!” Taz? She’s trying to kill Taz?
Leaning close to Kallen, I say, “Seal the door after me. Keep everyone in here.” He nods with the grimmest expression I have ever seen on his face. He would like to keep me sealed in here, as well. It is a great force of will which keeps him from trying.
Pushing Grandpa aside because he’s still blocking the doorway and is now gaping at the Tasmanian devil practically flying toward the room, I step out and feel Kallen’s magic close the door behind me. I pull magic to slow Taz down so he doesn’t slide into the door or me. His sharp nails don’t have any traction on the smooth floor.
Scampering behind my legs, he wheezes, “Other…Familiar…wants…me…dead…”
“She sent her Familiar to kill you?” I ask, dumbfounded I hadn’t thought of this possibility. In my defense, she hasn’t had her Taz with her the times I’ve seen her so I kind of forgot about him. Oops.