Tethered (A BirthRight Novel)

by Hall, Brandi Leigh

  Once the envelope turns to ash, she begins again.

  “I call upon a breath of wind,

  empowered by the Spirit of Air.

  To carry my spell toward my kin,

  and gracefully deliver it there.

  By all the power that remains unseen,

  shall bind around and in between.

  To cause no harm, nor return on me,

  as I will, so mote it be.”

  We wait for something to happen, but there’s nothing.

  The monitor above Pap’s head appears just as it was before we started.

  I turn to Gram, but by her frazzled expression, she seems just as confused as I am.

  “We did everything perfectly.” She scratches her head. “Where did I go wrong?” She paces around the room more frantic than I’ve ever seen her.

  She heads straight for The Book of Shadows, flipping through the pages like a mad woman. “Here we go.” After a few minutes of mumbling, she closes the book and moves back to her place in the circle.

  “Okay. I’d like to try something a bit different from my original plan.” She closes her eyes for a second, taking a slow, calming breath. “Now, everyone needs to join hands so we can close the circle. But Instead of us forming the circle around your pap, we’re going to include him in the circle so our power can surge through him. Is everyone still with me?”

  She looks around the room at the faces of loved ones so willing to do whatever she asks. As Gram and I grab hold of Pap’s limp hands, everyone nods and joins hands to close the circle. She begins again.

  “I call upon the Ancient power,

  please help us in this final hour.

  Idle magic of the Moon family line,

  find a way to travel through time.

  Come to us and settle near,

  the past and present shall unit here.

  This mind is trapped and should be free,

  As I will, so mote it be.”

  As the last words escape her lips, the windows burst open, allowing a violent, howling wind to whip through the room.

  Out of nowhere, lightning crashes down in the distance as a tumultuous rain pelts the ground.

  “Whatever you do, you cannot break the circle!” Gram yells, lights flickering all around us.

  Chaos ensues like a mini tornado.

  Books and plants fly off the shelves, smashing to the floor with a vengeance.

  The windows angrily careen back and forth, glass shattering against the walls in their wake.

  Near deafening noise fills the air, but we hold tight, unable to lift our hands for protection.

  A high-pitched noise climbs through the air, becoming one with the bedlam.

  “What’s that?” Dhelia shouts, as the painful moaning becomes unbearable to hear.

  I attempt to look through the flying debris, hoping to see where it’s coming from. And then it hits me. “Pap!” I scream, his body thrashing on the table before us.

  The wind screams like an eerie beast, chills clawing their way up and down my spine.

  This can’t be right. Something must have gone wrong. I inch myself closer to Pap, but Gram yells, “Chloe, no! You must not break the circle!”

  “I won’t!” I holler.

  But I have to get closer. I have to do something to help him.

  Still clutching Aidan’s hand with my left, I pull him with me, leaning my body forward on the side of the bed. As Pap’s body convulses, I take my hand holding his, and I push down on his chest to quell the violent, involuntary heaving.

  Aidan squeezes my hand, but I can only think about one thing—and one thing only: helping my pap.

  As anything that isn’t tied down whips through the air, I lean my upper body down to place as much of my weight on Pap as I can.

  The thrashing lessens, but the agonizing sounds coming up from his lungs—tears my heart out—piece by tiny piece.

  I lean my forehead down on top of our clasped hands and squeeze—both his hand—and Aidan’s.

  “Please, God. Please help him,” I plead.

  Tears pour from my eyes with so much force, I can barely make out anything in front me.

  Before I know what’s happening, a warm, glowing light appears from under me, growing until it envelopes my entire family. Like a force field.

  I lift my head, desperately trying to see through my tears and the pandemonium.

  My eyes regain focus, and the first things I see are the mouths of my family, hanging open in complete awe at this unbelievable sight.

  As if someone flips a switch, everyone’s eyes light up the exact same electric-blue, when in darkness, glow like sparkling neon lights.

  What in the hell is happening?

  Chapter 14

  The Gemini Prophecy

  The warmth from underneath me grows hotter by the second.

  The turmoil in the room becomes insanity, out of control and frightening as we struggle to stay planted beside the bed.

  Then, as fast as it started—it stops.

  The room is pitch-black, our eyes dimming back to normal.

  Even the storm outside has grown still.

  Stone-cold silence surrounds us.

  “Is everyone okay?” Gram asks in a shaky voice.

  The second the lights come back on, everyone releases their hold on each other’s hands.

  I step back to view the state of the room, but the most unbelievable sight startles me.

  Like something you’d only see in a horror movie, we’re surrounded by hundreds of people.

  I look closer, squinting to make out the faint details.

  Wait a minute. They’re not people. Well, not exactly. They’re transparent and fuzzy, with faded white color—like clothes washed one too many times.

  They’re ghosts! “Holy shit!” I mutter aloud.

  My heart’s pounding so hard I can barely breathe.

  Gram walks around the altar to stand at the foot of Pap’s bed. “Never in my wildest dreams have I have ever imagined something so magnificent.”

  Movement from within the sea of ghost-like images catches my eye.

  The translucent figure moves towards us, forcing every hair on my body to stand on end.

  The closer it gets, the easier it is for me to see it’s a woman. Yes, definitely a woman.

  Now about twenty feet in front of me, I can plainly see who it is. “Mom?” I ask, mystified at the sight now before me.

  Oh my god, this is so unreal.

  As reality settles in, my thudding heart begins to slow.

  Fear, is now replaced by overwhelming happiness.

  The family mumbles, but I’m so entranced by her presence I can’t make out their words.

  My mother makes her way towards us—but stops in front of me. “Chloe, I knew you could do it. I knew it! You see, you are strong enough.” She smiles, affection radiating from her clear, safflower-blue eyes.

  But what is she talking about?

  Clearly, by the dumbfounded expression on everyone’s face, we’re all confused.

  “What do you mean? I don’t understand.” I shake my head.

  She lifts her hand, pointing towards Pap’s bed. “Look for yourself.”

  We follow her pointing finger, only to find the most unimaginable sight there ever was.

  “Oh my god!” Dru yells. “Pap’s alive! And awake!

  He lays there watching us with a humorous smile stretched across his wrinkled face.

  I cover my bursting heart with my palms. “It worked, Gram. Your spell worked!”

  I could bounce off the walls right now I’m so excited.

  Gram seems perplexed as she scratches her head, eyebrows scrunching.

  My mom moves closer. “No, Chloe. It was you.”

  Huh? What’s she talking about?

  Now more baffled than ever, I look at Gram, then back to my mom again. “I don’t understand. I didn’t do anything. Gram did, with her spell.”

  “You’re partly right.” Her full pink l
ips curl up. “What your gram did was tap into the Moon ‘Power-Well’. She found a way to release the unused power from our ancestors who were buried on this land over the last three hundred years.” Then she lifts her hands up in the air, spinning around in circles as she points out the other spirits. “Which is why we’re all here.”

  Wow, there are so many of them. Both in the house—and outside in the yard.

  She walks around the room. “There’s a lot this family doesn’t know, and it’s now become important that you do.”

  Other than me, no one seems able to speak. “Go ahead, Mom. We’re listening,” I say, but what else can there be?

  “This family is destined for greatness, and it was foretold centuries ago. There’s a Prophecy which explains everything, but your gram can show you that part later.”

  I turn to Gram. She’s wearing a pleased look on her face, shaking her head in agreement with my mom.

  “These things destined for your future were not possible until today’s events took place,” Mom says. “What you witnessed moments ago with the bright light—and everyone’s eyes glowing at the same time—was this family’s Ascension. Your powers have all become one, which also means it’s unlocked an additional power you and Morgan have both had since the loss of your twins.” She pauses, clasping her delicate hands against her chest. “You see, when a normal Witch in our family dies, their power stays on our land and lives within the elements, until surviving family members invoke it. Like you did tonight. But when a Witch dies who’s a twin, their power automatically transfers to the living twin—provided there is one, of course. This is something we never knew before.”

  Say what? I’ve never heard of such a thing.

  Aunt Morgan and I stare at each other. I’m sure my expression must be just as flummoxed as hers is right now. If not more.

  “Morgan, you now have my power. Which, we all know what that is. The surprise, however, is the power Chloe received from her twin when she died at birth. No one ever knew what it was.” She steps closer to me. “It’s actually always been there, you just had no clue.”

  She pauses for a moment, turning toward Gram and Pap who listen with such interest.

  “Chloe. In addition to being a Seer...you’re also a gifted Healer.”

  Excuse me? “You’re kidding me, right?” My mouth falls open.

  Mom giggles. “I’m telling you the truth, sweetie. That’s why your pap is awake after the doctors told you he was brain dead. Do you recall the warmth and light that radiated from underneath when you held onto to him? Well that’s what happens when you heal. At that moment, all you wanted was to save him. You wanted to help him because you thought he was in pain. So you did. You healed him, Chloe.”

  “I...I...I don’t know what to say.” There are no words. Nor any sense of reason.

  “Do you remember last week when you were on the way to the hospital with Dru and Dhelia? The day you calmed Dru?”

  I nod.

  “Well Dru’s the one who helped Dhelia, but it was you who healed Dru’s pain after he absorbed Dhelia’s panic attack.”

  How? “But there was no glow or warmth that day, so how could it have been?” I’m so confused.

  “Well, it’s not always the same. The more power you need to use, the stronger the reaction. It was nothing that day. What you don’t realize is, your eyes did light up. You just couldn’t see it.”

  “I knew it!” Dru yells.

  No way. “Wow. This is just so crazy. It’s gonna take me a while to digest this.” If I can digest it at all.

  “That’s part of why this whole thing needed to happen tonight. You all need to be aware of your abilities and learn how to use them. When I told Chloe last week there were difficult things ahead, that was putting it mildly. There will be a series of events to come. And no, I can’t tell you what they are. The prophecy needs to unfold organically. The only reason I’m able to tell you this now is because you’ve gotten this far on your own. I’m just telling you the ‘how’s’ and the ‘why’s’. The rest you’ll need to figure out as you go.”

  She pauses, turning her head as if she hears something from afar. Then she turns back to us. “It’s time for us to go now. But just remember you’ll always be able to ‘drink from the well’ so to speak, whenever you need to. And trust me, you will. Once your gram explains the prophecy, it will make a lot more sense.”

  She walks around the room to hug everyone and tell them how much she loves them. Since she isn’t corporeal, I’m not sure how she’s able to pull it off. But she does, somehow.

  Gram moves to stand beside Mom, facing our sister Witches who now stand before us. “Thank you so much for coming. And for helping us during our family’s hour of need. Blessed be.”

  A simultaneous “Blessed be” echoes through the air around us.

  And in the blink of an eye, they vanish.

  As my mom begins to shimmer, she winks. “I’ll be watching you,” she says, then disappears as she blows a kiss.

  I turn towards my loved ones, looking just as bewildered as I feel. I can’t help but ask, “Did that really just happen, or did I just have the most insane vision of my life?”

  They all laugh, the most beautiful laughter I can ever recall.

  “No dear, it all happened. Every single second of it.” Gram wraps her loving arms around me. “Thank you, Chloe. Thank you for bringing your pap back where he belongs.”

  “Um...I’d say it was a collective effort. We all did it, together.”

  Before another word is spoken, we rush towards the bed to greet Pap.

  We smother him with hugs and kisses, but he just laughs. “Miss me or something?”

  As we back up a bit to give him room to breathe, Gram leans down to kiss him on the cheek. “Don’t you ever do that to me again, old man. You hear me?” She tries to look tough with her pursed lips and crinkled brow, but she can only maintain the facade for a few seconds. “How are you feeling, my darling?” she asks, resting her loving palm on his leather-like cheek.

  “Surprisingly enough, I feel pretty damn good. Well, other than the bedsores on my boney ass. Why the hell didn’t you heal those bastards?” He winks at me.

  “Oh, Pap, it’s so good to see you awake. Do you need anything? Are you thirsty?” Great. Now I sound like Gram.

  Everyone chimes in asking him questions, but he just keeps laughing. A sound I never thought I’d be hearing again after the news last night.

  Aunt Morgan moves beside Gram. “Well, now you’ve proved you’ll do just about anything to have your entire family under one roof.” She turns towards the boys who are both beaming as they watch the playful interaction.

  His face lights up. “Boys! Aren’t you a sight for cataract-eyes?” He turns to face Aunt Morgan again, this time with a more serious face. “So I guess things must have been pretty bad then?”

  She pauses before answering. “Well, when you didn’t wake up after the surgery, I got a little worried. Then once they said you were in a coma, Mom told us about the promise she made you. Not that she ever doubted you’d be okay, but she knew how much trouble she’d be in if she didn’t keep her word. But just so you know, I was planning to bring them here anyway. It just happened a few weeks earlier than I’d planned.” She sends the boys a sympathetic smile.

  “Mom. Seriously. It’s okay. We don’t care about a stupid graduation ceremony.” Ash tries to ease her guilt.

  “They’re lame anyway,” Aidan adds.

  “Graduation? How the hell long was I out?” Pap asks, his bushy eyebrows moving like caterpillars across his forehead.

  Morgan looks up, most likely trying to figure out how to respond. “Almost two weeks.”

  “Really? I guess I did freak you out a bit then. I’m sorry I worried everyone so much.” He rubs his freshly shaven cheek, thanks to Gram. “Moira told me I needed to take a little trip. But she was with me most of the time, you know.”

  “She was? That’s so cool.” Dhelia’s face lights up
. “Where’d she take you?”

  “Oh, she took me everywhere. Don’t worry though, I’ll tell you all about it later. I just want to enjoy seeing my family together again. I’ve prayed for this day for years.” He gets all choked up staring at his long-lost grandsons.

  “Pap, how about we move you somewhere more comfortable. Like to the living room or upstairs to your bed?” Dru holds Pap’s blanketed feet, awaiting a response.

  “Okay, but only on one condition.”

  Dru’s face lights up. “Name it.”

  “Let’s plan a fishing trip while the boys are here.”

  Dru turns to Ash and Aidan, both nodding their heads with the same childlike enthusiasm. “I think that can be arranged.”

  “All right then. Off to the living room we go.” Pap points towards the destination.

  We turn to walk out, but Gram stands like a granite statue in the middle of the floor, staring at her sunroom.

  “What’s wrong, Gram?” I ask.

  “Would you look at this mess?” She shakes her head so hard I swear something might fall out.

  Everyone giggles. The room was nearly destroyed, but it can be fixed. And herbs can be replanted.

  “Well, I’m so sorry I messed up your precious room. Next time kids, the plants and windows come first,” Pap spouts with a huff.

  Gram relaxes, turning around to look at Pap. “Don’t sass me, old man. You know you come first. But I think it’s only appropriate you help me clean it up since you’re feeling so much better.

  “Ha!” he blurts out. “Let me know how that works out for ya.”

  Gram shakes her head again. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

  Once in the living room, Pap says, “So, what have I missed since I’ve been out of it? I have the sinking suspicion it’s a lot.”

  We look around the room at each other, unsure of what to say.

  But Aunt Morgan answers. “Oh, we can fill you in tomorrow. Tonight, we should talk about the cool stuff that happened here. I’d say we’re all dying to ask Gram about this so called ‘prophecy’.”

  A smile curves up on Gram’s lips. “I’ve been waiting for someone to bring that up. But first…you shouldn’t be hearing such important information on an empty stomach.”