by Bonnie Lamer
Dad grins. “I was sent in to tell you that.” He holds his ghost arm out for me and I do my best to wrap my bare arm around it without going through it. I suddenly regret not designing a dress with sleeves. I believe I’m going to have frostbite by the time I get to the altar.
Mom and Isla bustle out ahead of us to make sure that everything is perfect. I don’t doubt that it will be. I don’t think Dagda would settle for anything less. Forgetting about the maid in the cage until after the ceremony, I walk out the door and down the hallway to my soon to be husband.
Chapter 7
There are about ten people in the great hall that I don’t know but I don’t care. I only have eyes for Kallen. My god, he is absolutely gorgeous. He is in a picture perfect white tuxedo style suit. The only splashes of color at the altar are Alita and Kegan who are both dressed in royal blue. But even their vividness is not enough to draw my eyes away from the Fairy I love. The fact that he is grinning from ear to ear with love in his eyes tells me that he only has eyes for me as well.
It seems to take forever to get to him. I want to let go of Dad’s cold arm and run to the altar but I try to maintain a steady pace. When I’m finally there, Kallen holds his hand out to me and Dad disappears into the background. I can’t help it; I have to kiss him right this moment. So I do. I stand on my toes and bring my lips to his. It’s a sweet kiss. The kind of kiss that makes you smile when you remember it.
When I finally drag myself back and turn to Dagda, who will perform the ceremony, I see that I’ve amused him and probably everyone else in the room. A quick peek at Kallen though, tells me that he loved it.
Dagda begins to speak. “This couple standing before you has already pledged their love in a left hand-fasting. They choose now to be bound for eternity. Their love has set them on a fiery, passionate path and they will travel this path together always, never wavering in their conviction that their love will last.”
Turning to me, he says, “Xandra, you came to this realm a stranger but you have proven your loyalty to the Fae many times over. You have found your way into my cold heart and the hearts of many others. You are everything that a Princess should be. You are honest, kind, intelligent. You are strong in the face of your enemies and compassionate with those you love. Your temper runs hot, your logic often saves you and your presence lives on in the memories of those who love you and those who fear you. You truly are a Princess of this realm. Yet, you are so much more. It will take your husband an eternity to unravel all of your mysteries.”
To Kallen, he says, “Kallen, you have been like a son to me. You are strong, but yield when necessary to let your wife learn. You are wise and your opinions are well respected yet you also know when to hold your tongue. I have always considered you a Prince of this realm and you were to be my designated successor. Now, I am able to sleep soundly at night knowing that you will sit on the throne someday next to Xandra, using your strength and wisdom to guide her when necessary and support her when she is forced to make difficult decisions.”
To both of us, he says, “Please join hands.” Kallen takes my hands in his and Dagda continues. “A match made for eternity, a love to withstand the effects of time. From this day forward, you will be Prince and Princess, the sole heirs to the throne of the Fae realm and you will put the kingdom above all else except your love. You will seal this bond with a kiss as proof of your promise that your souls will cherish each other through whatever life may bring to you. Once this is done, you will be right hand-fasted forever more.”
This is it. He’s my husband! Well, as soon as our lips meet. I stand on my toes again, seeking his when a sudden flash of light explodes inside my mind. The pain is unbearable for a split second. Then it’s gone.
Kallen’s lips are on mine. “Well, I did not see this coming,” I mutter.
Kallen jumps back from me. “What the hell!” My thought exactly. I was certainly not planning on getting married today. If I had been, I would have chosen Xandra, not Kallen.
Chapter 8
“Kallen, what is the matter with you?” Dagda growls.
Kallen looks at him as if he has lost his mind. “What do you mean, what is the matter with me? Look at her!” He waves his hand towards me. “Or him, I should say.”
Isla is now at his side. “Kallen, are you ill?”
“Is he under a spell?” Dagda says, looking at Alita.
She shakes her head. “If he is, your Majesty, it is not a black magic spell. I do not even feel a twinge.” Poor Alita. She looks as if she has failed him.
“You are correct, Alita. There is no dark magic here,” I say trying to reassure her. “It is more of a cosmic anomaly.”
“Xandra, what are you talking about?” her mother asks me. Hmm, I guess the only one who can see me in my true form is Kallen. This is awkward.
Kallen points an accusing finger at me. “That. Is. Not. Xandra!” he practically shouts.
“Isla, what is happening to him?” Dagda asks. “Has he lost his mind?”
Isla looks as confused as everyone else. But she does reach a hand out to attempt to take Kallen’s temperature. He swats her hand away.
The small crowd behind us begins to murmur. Focusing on that, Dagda gestures to one of his guards and the guests are being escorted out of the great hall. Now, it is only family and close friends. They all look so lost. I believe it is time for me to interject. What I am going to say I do not know, for this is the first time in my existence something has happened without my knowing beforehand. I am not sure what has happened nor how it will end. This is rather exciting for me. “Excuse me.”
Kallen ignores me. “Are you blind?” he growls to the others. He spins towards Dagda. “You just married me to Raziel!” I believe he is about to go into an apoplectic fit. I can tell from here that his blood pressure is abnormally, and dangerously, high.
“Isla, do something!” Dagda growls.
She puts her hands on her hips and glowers at him. “What, exactly, do you expect me to do?”
“Cure him; check him for spells, anything.”
“Excuse me,” I say again a bit louder. All eyes are suddenly on me. “Kallen has neither lost his mind nor is he under any type of spell. He is simply seeing my true form, for I am Raziel.”
“It has affected her too?” Dagda says with mouth agape.
“Tell them!” Kallen shouts at me.
How do we make them see what they cannot see? “I will attempt to explain but I fear I do not have all of the answers. Well, none of the answers to be precise.”
“You are supposed to know everything,” Kallen growls.
“That has always been the case. Until now.”
“Maybe they need to lie down,” Xandra’s mother says in an exaggerated whisper.
“Is it contagious?” Zac asks. He looks more excited than scared.
“I do not believe so,” I say to him but I get doubtful looks from his elders.
“So you’re not really Xandra?” he asks me. “I was someone else for a while. It sucked. I tried to kill my sister.”
I kneel down to his height being careful not to ruin Xandra’s wedding dress. “I promise nothing bad will happen because of this. I am not sure why this has happened, but there is nothing sinister going on. I believe Xandra and I simply swapped bodies. Once we figure out why, we can swap back.”
“And in the meantime, I am married to Raziel instead of Xandra.” Kallen turns his ferocious face to Dagda and Isla who are both wearing grim expressions. “Right?”
Isla sighs deeply. “Technically, whoever sealed the bond with a kiss is your mate for life…” Kallen opens his mouth to go on a tirade so she hurries to say, “But the lips that sealed the promise were Xandra’s. I will have to do some research regarding our laws of hand-fasting whether it is the physical manifestation or the psyche that creates the bond.”
Kallen moves his glare to me. “Why did this happen. You supposedly know everything.”
“Like I have said, I did not s
ee this coming. My best guess is that this is a side effect of changing Xandra’s destiny.” He looks as if he wants to kill me. I am afraid he would not have much luck with that. Archangels do not die easily.
“Why now? Why did this happen at the exact moment that Xandra and I were to be hand-fasted.”
Good question. I can levy a guess but he is not going to like it. “I believe that the three of our souls are somehow connected due to the unusual circumstances in regards to Xandra’s destiny. Which I believe is why you can see me in my true form. Because of this connection, I believe the deep sorrow I felt as you and Xandra were to be wed may have called her soul to me.”
“Then why are you here if you called her soul to you?”
I will hazard another unpopular guess. “Because I cannot undo what has been done. She is not mine. Therefore, when I called to her, I was sent out of her reach. We swapped bodies.”
“Are you just making this up as you go along?” Kegan asks me. His eyes are filled with the same doubt as the others.
“Yes, I am.”
“Wish yourself back,” Kallen says in a tone of voice that tells me he is only seconds from losing any control he may have over his Fairy emotions. I may be hard to kill but I believe he will give it a good, solid effort.
“If it was that easy, you can rest assured that I would have done so already.” I do not know why I cannot simply return to my own body by willing it, but I cannot. Definitely a cosmic anomaly.
He takes several long, deep breaths. Turning to Isla with a newfound calm, he says, “In that ancient grimoire of yours is there a way to switch souls?”
Isla is thinking about it but I already know the answer. I have not lost all of my knowledge. “There is not,” I say. “It is possible for more than one soul to inhabit a body, but there is no spell that will swap souls.”
Kegan asks the question they are all thinking. “You are not saying this because you want Xandra for yourself?”
It is the nature of Angels to be honest. “I admit that I have often second-guessed my decision to change Xandra’s destiny. But what is done is done. I have to live with my decision and I have come to terms with that. There is no way for her to be mine.”
Dagda scoffs. “Pardon my skepticism, but Angels are known for putting backdoor clauses in their deals.”
I cannot argue that Angels do try to keep a reasonable amount of flexibility in their dealings with other beings. “I can understand your skepticism. In this instance, I can assure you that is not the case.”
“Then why is your soul still connected to Xandra?” Kallen asks. His voice is remarkably even. Even like a being who is about to have a psychotic break.
“Do not forget that it is also connected to yours. As to the reason, I still do not have an answer.” I will not acknowledge aloud the awe I feel to be in this position. I have prayed for a day when I would be able to reason something out instead of always knowing the answer. I probably should have been more specific regarding the circumstances.
Chapter 9 - Xandra
“Raziel, why do you not answer me?” Is she talking to me? I think she is. So why is she calling me Raziel then? And what happened to my beautiful wedding? I spin around slowly and see that I am standing amongst a small crowd of Angels. We’re in a courtyard with lush green grass and what l think are cherry trees. Where am I? And who brought me here?
“Raziel, please,” the Angel in front of me says, “I know you do not impart the future. I am only asking for an opinion.”
“My opinion?” I guess I got here after she asked the question. “My opinion on what?”
She looks puzzled. Eh, join the crowd. Rattled, she says, “I deplore my duties as an Angel of Death. I am always being called away from anything remotely fun and the hours are harsh, to say the least. I do not believe I will ever be able to scrape the residue of black souls from under my fingernails. Should I ask for a different assignment?”
I can’t think with this Angel is annoying me with her question. I scrunch my forehead and shake my head. “Are you always this whiny or am I getting special treatment?”
Her eyes open wide. “I, um, I did not mean to complain.”
I so don’t have time for this. I need to figure out what is going on and how I can fix it so I can get back to my wedding and then save Tabitha. “Okay, fine, here’s what I think. I think you should suck it up and do the job you were assigned. Now, do you know where Adriel is?” Adriel is also an Angel of Death but she never whines like this one. Though I am careful whenever I hug her to not let her nails get too close. She has dark soul gunk under her fingernails as well.
Looking down at myself, I am no longer in my wedding dress. In fact, I am no longer female. Don’t ask me how I know. I just do. I guess this explains why this annoying Angel keeps calling me Raziel. I’m pretty sure that I’m inside his body. Not exactly how I planned the day to go.
I’ve caused the Angel to stutter as she answers my question. “Yes, um, uh…”
“Oh for goodness sake, just say it. Where is she?”
She points a shaky finger over my left shoulder. “Th-there.” I turn in that direction and begin to walk away when she grabs my arm. “Raziel, you will not bring this to the other Archangels, will you? I did not mean to complain. I like my job, I do.”
I snort. “Sure you do. Look, if you let go of me so I can find Adriel, I won’t tell anybody we even spoke.” Relief washes over her face as she lets her hand fall back to her side.
Finally, I’m free to find a friendly face that can maybe help me figure out what happened. I start walking through the other Angels and I notice that a path opens for me in the crowd. Sort of a parting of the seas. Why, I don’t know.
I find Adriel enjoying a cup of something with another Angel. Both stop speaking when I approach. Adriel looks up at me and says in the sweetest voice I have ever heard her use, “Hello, Raziel. It is an honor that you have sought us out. Is there a task you would like done?”
Her too? I get tossed into the middle of an Angel masquerade and now everyone’s acting differently. This is crazy. “Adriel, it’s me.”
Adriel is now wearing the same puzzled expression as the other Angel did. “Yes, Raziel, I recognized you instantly.”
I growl in frustration which causes both Angels to lean back from me. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”
I think Adriel is close to stuttering now. “Yes, of course. We can walk amongst the orchard.”
Finally, I’m getting somewhere. “Lead the way.”
She is unsure as she stands up. “You would like me to lead the way?”
I roll my eyes. “Since I don’t know where it is, yes.”
Adriel shakes her head a little bit as if trying to shake something out of her ears to hear me better. “You do not know where the orchard is?”
I wonder if I still have my magic. Or if I have Raziel’s magic? Either way, if I do I am seconds away from using it on Adriel. “Just take me there,” I growl.
Instantly, she is on her feet. “Yes, of course.”
“Raziel, is there a problem with Adriel’s work?” Rashnu asks from behind me. She sounds genuinely baffled. “If there is, I am sure that I can rectify the situation immediately.”
I turn in time to see the harsh look she gives Adriel. Adriel shrinks back. I want to as well. Rashnu is one crazy mean Angel of Judgment no matter how sweet and pretty her exterior is. Silvery blond hair and beauty cannot hide her crazy.
“No, there is not a problem with her work. I just want to talk to her in private.”
Rashnu’s face is emitting confusion. My god, is there a pandemic of confusion occurring in the Angel realm? Are they all inflicted with it? Because I don’t think asking to speak to someone in private is something to get confused over.
In frustration, I stomp my foot like a two year old. Unlike the stomp of a two year old, the ground beneath us begins to rumble and a schism begins to develop. There are gasps all around. Crap. It’s getting big
ger. And wider.
In an effort to stop it, I pull magic. Pure, white magic that fills me with a sense of peace and love. And then I fling it at the schism to try to stop it.
Turns out, magic doesn’t stop schisms. It just makes them widen faster. I pull the magic back and it flies through me almost knocking me to the ground. I stumble and end up falling into the schism that is growing between my feet. Ow. I grasp the edge of the schism, which is now probably half a mile deep and look down. That was a poor choice of things to do right at this moment. Down is really far away and full of what looks like lava. What I wouldn’t give for that lava to turn into Jell-O. Oh, look. It is Jell-O now! My stomach rumbles as I hang here. I never ate breakfast.