by Bonnie Lamer
I turn my smile to my biological father. “Don’t worry about it. If you hadn’t been such an idiot, Kallen and I wouldn’t be married and happy.”
Dagda narrows his eyes. “I see backhanded compliments are not limited to those born in the Fae realm.”
I laugh. “I guess not.”
Eager to get going, Dad floats over and glances at the papers in my hand. “The top one,” he says of the map. “That one will do.”
Moving to the table, I lay the map down and set the others aside. Dad reaches a translucent hand around me and points to a spot. “There. We slid off the road right around there.”
My heart does an uncomfortable flip. I don’t know that area. That’s not somewhere Dad ever brought Zac or me on a hiking or camping trip. Which means, I don’t know what kind of obstacles need to be avoided when I teleport. I don’t want to end up with only three of us on the road and someone sliding off a cliff, or someone in the middle of a giant rock. Grimacing, I tell everyone, “It’s going to take a few minutes to get there. I know this area,” I draw an imaginary circle on the map. “But farther up the mountain, I’m not familiar with the terrain. I’ll want to do small ‘hops’ to be safe.”
Dad nods. “Fair enough. It will take your mother and me a bit to catch up, anyway.” I can’t teleport them as they are on a different plane of existence, but they move fast when they want to and can go in a straight line through rocks and trees. It won’t take them long.
Behind us, the teakettle whistles. I move to the cupboards and find several travel cups with lids to keep the coffee warm. Kallen fills them to the brim after adding old fashioned instant coffee, and I put the lids on. When they are done, I tell Dagda and Tana, “As soon as you have warmer clothes on, we can go.”
In an instant, they are dressed as warmly and Kallen and I are. I lead the way back outside and encourage them to gather around. “Give me your hands.” Kallen and Dagda place their hands in mine and Tana holds tight to Dagda’s. To Mom and Dad, I say, “We’ll see you there.” Dad nods and they take off. Concentrating on the closest place to the accident scene I remember, I pull magic. With a whoosh, we are no longer in front of my childhood home. We are on an icy road high in the mountains.
A really icy road. When we hit the ground, Dagda, who put on warm clothes but is still wearing his dress shoes, slips. He falls hard on his butt, nearly bringing me with him. If Kallen didn’t have my other hand, I would be on the ground. Tana is not as lucky. She has no one else to steady her, so she ends up on the ground next to him. I try not to giggle at the two of them. Kallen covers a snicker with a cough into his sleeve.
Tana glares at her husband. “I believe you need more appropriate footwear.” She picks herself up from the ground and brushes the snow from the warm pants she put on before we left the house. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen her wear pants.
Embarrassed, Dagda stands, as well. Wordlessly, he adjusts his attire. He is suddenly wearing boots with sharp little cleats on them like a mountain climber would wear. Kallen nods in approval. “Better.”
Looking around, the King of the Fae notes, “You did not exaggerate how isolated it is here. Are there any homes other than yours?”
“Very few and none around here. The house Mom and Dad went to that night was one of the closest and it was over an hour drive from our house in the best of weather,” I explain.
Dagda shakes his head. “What would your life have been like if they did not live in fear of me all those years?”
“Enough already,” I insist. “I get it. You feel guilty. But, I turned out fine and I’m happy. I’m also cold,” I add pointedly.
Clearing his throat, Dagda asks, “How much farther?”
I pull out the map I shoved in my pocket before leaving the house. I study the curves of the road. “I don’t know how narrow this stretch is, so we should walk for a while. When it’s safe, I’ll do small hops with teleportation.” No one is thrilled about the prospect of walking. I estimate the temperature where we are is around ten below zero. It’s certainly not going to get warmer the higher we go or the darker it gets.
Tana pulls her scarf tighter. “The two of you survived in this weather for a week?” She sounds impressed.
“We found ways to keep warm,” Kallen says with a wink and I blush deeply.
“Not that warm,” I insist. “Okay, give me your hands again.” When they do, I teleport us to the next spot.
No one falls this time, but Kallen does land dangerously close to the edge of the road. Dagda reacts quickly and tugs on my arm, which makes me tug on Kallen’s. We run into my father and Tana, but Kallen doesn’t slide down the mountain. “Now you see why I think we should walk for a while,” I grimace.
“Indeed,” Dagda agrees.
The four of us begin walking. The road we are on hasn’t been driven since the last big snowfall. Meaning, there is a good foot of snow on the ground to trudge through. The going is slow. There is no conversation as we walk. We’re too afraid that our chattering teeth will bite through our tongues if we try to talk. Not to mention, the air is less oxygenated up here and it takes some getting used to for everyone. Kallen holds my gloved hand and we walk close together, trying to combine our body heat to keep us warmer. Tana and Dagda are doing the same thing.
The road takes several twists and turns and we are quickly losing daylight. I am relieved when we finally reach the next stretch on the map I feel comfortable using teleportation. Everyone is a little stiffer and a whole lot colder when they take my hands again. I bring us to the next spot. We do this several more times, alternating between walking and teleporting. I’m not wearing a watch, but I estimate it takes us a good two hours to finally make it to our destination. We are basically walking icicles when we do. I honestly forgot how freaking cold it gets here.
When we round a bend in the road and catch sight of Mom and Dad, my heart skips a beat. We’re here. We are at the spot where they died. Or, didn’t die. It’s time to find out. Am I ready for this?
“Xandra?” Kallen says softly.
I glance up at him. “Huh?”
“You stopped walking.”
I glance down at my feet. Sure enough, they’re not moving. I look back up at Kallen. “I think I’m stuck.”
Gathering me in his arms, he pulls me close. “You do not need to do this. You can hang back here and we will do what needs to be done.”
“He is right,” Dagda agrees. “You do not need to do any of this.”
They are both sweet. But, I can’t let them do this alone, it wouldn’t be fair. I shake my head. “No, I need to help. For my parents’ sake,” I add.
After considering me for a long moment, Kallen nods. “Okay.” Hand in hand, we join my parents at the site of their crash.
10 Chapter
“Down there,” Dad says, pointing over the steep cliff.
“We hit that tree.” Mom points to the one she means. “You can still see the damage our car did to it.” Sure enough, a large section of the tree’s trunk is missing and stubby branches which were broken off during the accident make one side of the tree look dead. My stomach twists into knots as I imagine their car sliding into it and then going over the side. Kallen wraps an arm around me and hugs me tight.
Dagda walks to the tree in question. He pushes against it, even kicks it a couple of times. It takes me a moment to figure out what he is doing. Not until he creates a rope and ties it around the large tree do I understand.
“Do you believe it will hold?” Kallen asks, letting go of my hand and joining Dagda. He repeats the older Fairy’s actions, double checking the sturdiness of the tree.
“Seems so,” Dagda replies, already tying the rope around himself.
Aghast, Tana asks, “What are you doing?”
Dagda raises a brow. “We came here to assess the situation, did we not?”
Dad floats forward. “It is too dangerous. I will assess the situation.”
Cocking his head, Dagda says,
“That seems a bit much to ask of you.” He glances briefly at Mom. “I am certain the scene will be traumatic. No one should be forced to see their own bodies in such a state as the ones below us may be in.”
Kallen steps forward. “It is still too dangerous for you to do it. You are King. You cannot take such risks. I will do it as it is too windy and cold for me to use my raven form.”
This is ridiculous. “Considering the fact that the only one of us who can teleport is me, I should be the one to do it.”
Frowning, Dad asks, “Can’t you just use magic to bring the car up here?”
Um, yeah. Kind of forgot about that. Before I can open my mouth to respond, Dagda shakes his head, “Without knowing where the car is and what impediments there are to bringing it back up the mountain, it would be dangerous and maybe even impossible.”
I consider his words for a second and then blurt out, “Impossible for you or for me?”
Kallen chokes on a laugh and when he sees Dagda’s annoyed face, he shrugs, “She has a point.” Sobering, he says to me, “This will take a great deal of magic. As Dagda said, you do not know where the car is, what condition it is in, or what exists around it to cause resistance to your magic. One of us should still assess the situation before you try doing any type of spell. For all we know, removing the car from its current position could cause an avalanche.”
I hadn’t thought of that. “Okay,” I nod. “Then it will still be me going over the side of the cliff.”
Horrified, Kallen immediately responds with, “Not a chance.”
Frowning, I point out again, “I am the only one here who can teleport if things start to go badly.”
Tana lays a hand on Kallen’s arm. “She is right. It is safer for Xandra to do this.”
Mom and Dad are surprisingly on my side. “Kallen, Xandra spent most of her life in these mountains and she has been rock climbing. She understands the risk,” Mom insists. “All she is doing is searching for the car. She is not going to perform any magic or do anything stupid if she finds it.” She gives me a look that tells me I had better not do anything stupid if I find it. Geesh, do a few dozen stupid things and people never forget.
It takes several minutes of convincing both Dagda and Kallen this is the right thing to do. In the end, I win the argument and the rope is tied securely around me. As I ease to the edge of the cliff and look down, I seriously consider the wisdom of my choice, though. Kallen and Dagda have a tight hold on the rope and are prepared to lower me slowly over the edge. All I need to do is go over. Stupidest thing I have ever offered to do. I hate heights. But, I do it. Ever so slowly, I back over the edge and begin my descent.
Tana has moved close to the edge and is lying flat on her belly. Pulling magic, she creates a light to guide me. Frowning, she comments to Dagda, “Magic is diluted here.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” I call up and when I glance back at her, she has the decency to look embarrassed.
“Not your magic, of course,” she amends.
“Of course,” I say dryly. Refocusing on what I am doing, I continue my descent until I reach a small ledge. When I get my feet on it, I brush at the snow until I find outcroppings to hold onto so I can find my balance enough to turn and search downward. There is so much snow and it’s so dark. Before climbing down, I seriously considered turning into my Pegasus shape, but decided against it. My large wings could cause enough air pressure to dislodge snow. Not to mention how hard it is to see down there. I could easily fly into something.
I shake my head. There is no way I am going to be able find anything in this darkness, even with the meager light Tana is shining on the area. As I stare down the mountain, it dawns on me that we are assuming the car didn’t fall very far. For all we know, it could be a mile down the mountain or more. I won’t find it this way. Kallen and I will need to suck it up and fly in the dark and cold. I hang my head and sigh. “Pull me up!” I call.
“Did you find it?” Dad calls back.
I open my mouth to say no when something catches my eye. Something red. Straining my eyes to make it out, I yell up to Tana, “Move your light to the right.” When she does, I see it more clearly. It is definitely a car bumper. The car only fell a few hundred yards from the edge of the road. “Found it!”
“What do you see around it?” Kallen asks.
“Lots of trees.” The car landed in a small group of pines growing on an outcropping on the side of the mountain. The trees are old and large. Large enough to keep the car from slipping all these years. Unfortunately, they have grown even more since the accident. The car is entrenched in their midst, limbs and branches growing in and around it from what I can see. Most of the car is covered in snow, so I can’t tell the extent of their hold on it.
“Pull me up now,” I call again. Kallen and Dagda do as I ask. The rope pulls and I spin back around so I can put my feet against the snow and rock so I don’t get dragged against it. As much. It’s a good thing I’m wearing such a heavy coat, because I would get pretty banged up if I wasn’t. I am relieved when my head finally makes it above the cliff again. Kallen leaves the rope to Dagda and comes to me. Placing his hands under my armpits, he drags me back up. Tana holds the back of his coat to keep him from slipping over the edge himself. I could have teleported, but I suspect I am going to need all of my magical energy to get the car up here.
When I am back on solid ground, I explain what I found. “It’s wedged in there pretty well, but I think I can bring it up.”
Kallen eyes me nervously. “Without causing a natural disaster?”
I nod, ignoring his skepticism. “I believe so. The trees should keep an avalanche from occurring when I move the car.” I hope.
“It will take a great deal of magic. Are you certain you can draw enough here?” Dagda asks.
“Xandra has proven on several occasions that the diluted magic here does not inhibit her abilities,” Kallen says proudly.
“We’ll see if my streak holds,” I mumble. I’m more concerned about how the fact I am freezing to death will hamper my ability to perform magic. Being on the side of the cliff certainly did not make me warmer.
Dad floats closer but doesn’t touch me. He doesn’t want to make me even colder. “It’s okay if you can’t do it,” he assures me. “Just do your best.” I love that he means it.
“Thanks, Dad.” Closing my eyes, I concentrate on the magic flowing through the earth. Slowly, I begin calling it to me. I remember the last avalanche I started with magic. I have no intention of causing another one.
“We should stand back,” I hear Kallen telling the others. “Give her plenty of room to work.”
A spell forms in my mind and I open my eyes. Glancing around, I make sure Kallen has indeed moved everyone to safety. They are about a hundred feet away, but I’m still worried. “Make a circle,” I call. “Just in case.” With a reluctant nod, Kallen does. He is nervous about leaving me outside of the circle. I appreciate his concern, but I can’t very well do the spell from inside it and we both know it.
Having pulled what I hope is enough magic to do the spell without causing an imbalance, I let words flow from my mouth. “Held in the boughs of the strongest pines, caught in a cradle all this time. A tomb, once thought, may now hold, a treasure unimagined or foretold. I call to the forces of nature entwined, all the miracles of earth which have combined, to keep safe the bodies of those I hold dear, now that the time to be reunited draws near. With the gentlest of magic these boughs unwind, freeing the vehicle they have enshrined. Cause no harm to tree or rock, no dam of snow to be unlocked. Preserve all that nature has wrought, while returning to me what is sought. My magic sent forth to finally retrieve, the vehicle that has caused such grief.”
The mountains are quiet at night in the winter, especially when the wind dies down like it has. Very few creatures venture out into the cold. Tonight is no exception. Which makes the sound of branches bending hundreds of yards down the side of the mountain echo loudly. I desperately wan
t to rush to the edge of the cliff, to see if my spell is working. I feel the hard pull of magic as it attempts to do as instructed, but it is nerve-racking not to be able to see what is happening.
“Xandra, don’t!” Kallen calls out. He knows me too well. “Put yourself in a circle now,” he instructs.
I turn to scowl at him for his lack of faith in my magic. Still, I do as he instructs. Better safe than sorry. Now, all there is to do is wait. And wait. The sound of wood scraping against metal rises up to us. The car is moving. When the sound stops, I once again want to rush to the edge to discover if it stopped because the car is stuck or because it has risen above the trees. I hold my ground, though. Considering how hard the magic is pulling on me, I probably wouldn’t make it all the way to the edge, anyway.
Finally, about twenty feet away, I see a splash of color against the blowing snow. Red. Red metal, to be precise. The car has made it back up the mountain. Slowly, ever so slowly, my magic brings the car higher and closer. After a moment, it is on the road before me. Calling it a car, though, is generous. What sits on this mountain road is a mangled mess of metal. And trapped inside, I can just make out the outlines of two shapes.
11 Chapter
I feel Kallen drop his circle. I dropped mine as soon as the car surfaced. The sound of feet in the snow tells me they are coming nearer, but I can’t turn to look at them. My eyes are fixed on what is before me. I have never been so grateful for night. Because of the dark, I cannot see the details inside the car. I cannot see the damage done to my parents’ bodies from the crushed metal.
Arms wrap around me from behind and I am pulled back against Kallen’s hard body. “Let Dagda do it.”
My biological father is already approaching the car. To my surprise, Tana is by his side. He tries to encourage her to stay back, but she simply takes his hand and walks with him. When they reach the car, her hand goes to her mouth and she gasps. I can barely make out the tears that spring to her eyes in the moonlight.