by Brenda Trim
To my surprise, Sebastian stepped up to us. “That was unnecessary, Isidora. Hurting Fiona to get what you want isn’t going to change her mind. She’s selfless to a fault. She is always willing to jump into a problem with both feet without letting her fear or the risk to herself stop her. There would be far more killed in Cottlehill Wilds without her bravery. She will do what needs to be done to ensure your family doesn’t lose everything and the portal survives.”
Emotion clogged my throat for the hundredth time that night. I swear menopause sometimes sucked with the massive hormone fluctuations. I went from bawling to screaming in no time. Alright, so most of it was the bullshit Vodor and Thelvienne kept putting me through, but still.
“I would like your help, Grams. I refuse to let the legacy you passed down to me be decimated by that vile Fae.”
Grams sighed, her chest rising and falling and the sound leaving her mouth all without me feeling her breath on my face. She was close enough, and her exhalation deep enough it should have blown the hair framing my face. “Alright. Grab the big cauldron.”
I wanted to hug her but couldn’t, so I crossed to the bookshelves and picked up the large black spot on the bottom shelf. It looked exactly like the pictures showed. Rounded bottom with a lip on top and two horseshoe-shaped handles on the sides. It was also heavier than I anticipated, and I had to grab the holds with two hands. Along with the object's weight, I couldn’t stop the apprehension that shivered through my chest. The last thing I wanted was to turn dark. I didn’t even know what that meant.
My side protested the exertion, distracting me from my worries, and I nearly dropped the black, iron pot. Violet was there, helping me lift it to the table. “Do we need to use heat?” I didn’t see anywhere to create a fire in the attic and wondered if that was done downstairs. The few potions I had made with Camille had been in the smaller cauldrons, and we’d used a pot to contain the flames beneath it.
Grams bobbed her head. “Yes. I use magic to spell a fireplace in the corner there,” she pointed to an empty space in the far right of the attic away from the door. When I looked closer, I could see the black char marks on the floor.
“I hadn’t noticed that before. Now I can feel magic humming in that section. It’s different than the rest of the house. I think I can sense the protective structure that has been cast there for hundreds of years.”
Grams tilted her head and stared at me. Perhaps she was frozen again and continued to feel out the energy and then cast my spell. I kept in mind the stone fireplace and chimney as I muttered the incantation I thought would produce the enchantment.
Everyone in the room gasped, including my grandmother. “What?” I asked as I set the cauldron on the tripod I added, then turned back to the room.
“You shouldn’t have been able to feel a structure there. Our spells were merely protective, so we didn’t burn down the house.” Grams’ explanation was cut off by Violet.
“You actually created a fireplace, complete with a chimney. I’ve only been able to manage simple construction tasks, and I always had to have the supplies on hand to do them,” Violet added.
“What? Are you saying this is real? That it will stay here? All I did was think about the stone of the house and how they built the fireplace downstairs with it.” My heart was racing, and my breathing was bordering on hyperventilating.
Aislinn tapped the family grimoire. “We can discuss how Fiona’s power is getting stronger later. We have a potion to make.”
I nodded my head. “You’re right. Let’s get to work.” Violet and Aislinn helped me with the potion. Aislinn raced to the garden and grabbed some fresh garlic and cilantro. Violet started the fire, and I added energy to the flames. Before long, the pot was full and bubbling. It was also the same bluish color as Grams. The potency of the herbs mixing together made my head swim, and my stomach churned.
I used to think you could always use garlic in any given recipe. Now I wasn’t so sure. The odor wasn’t rancid but was strong as hell. Needing to get the heck out of the small room, I directed Grams to a spot, then I cast a circle of salt around her, calling on the elements.
Once the circle was done, I lifted my arms and, using telekinetic powers, made it stream from the pot to hover over Grams. “Vinculo animus corpori.”
Thunder and lightning echoed throughout the attic right before a monsoon started. I let go of the potion, so it flowed over Grams. It coated her ghostly shape, and the second the liquid hit the floor, she was sucked away by some unseen force. A scream left my mouth. Oh no. I messed up the spell, and now I’d lost my Grams forever. I’d been so worried about going dark that I hadn’t listened to the rest of what Grams said. That I wasn’t ready.
My heart shattered in my chest. I’d lost her all over again. I was tired of losing people I loved. There was only so much grief anyone could handle, and I wasn’t sure I’d come out intact this time. Because this time, I lost Grams because of my hubris. It was my fault she was gone.
Sebastian raced from the room. I didn’t blame him for wanting to get away from me. I was a black widow. I braced myself on the table and tried to suck in a full breath, but I couldn’t manage to fill my lungs.
Pounding footsteps had me jerking my head up. Had he come back? No. What was left of my heart disintegrated. At least that’s how it felt. Everyone had left me in the attic. I heard the door slam a second later, confirming they were running from me.
The wind stopped suddenly, so did the monsoon rains. The attic remained dry, along with the books and vials on their shelves. Nothing was even wet. That is if you didn’t count me because I was drenched from head to toe.
With the noise of the wind and rains gone, I heard a commotion outside. Rushing to the window, I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing. Violet and Aislinn were dripping water into the dirt while they stood there and watched Argies and Bas digging into the soil. They were far too close to the bubble for my comfort.
I ran downstairs and outside. I barely remember flying through the house before I was standing next to my friends. Finarr had joined Argies and Sebastian in digging. Sand flew out behind them in handfuls. I opened my mouth to apologize for failing when they stopped.
My skin prickled with energy. Thinking it was Vodor and that he’d managed to get past my spell, I glanced up to see the shimmer of my veil still in place. My heart was beating faster than a hummingbird’s wings, and my chest was on fire once again. The broken ribs hadn’t healed enough for me to be running around like I was.
When I looked back down, I blinked in shock. “What the fuck?” I hadn’t meant to curse. It wasn’t something I did very often, but the expletive fit the situation. Finarr and Argies were pulling Grams out of the ground.
My gaze shifted to the marble stone, and it was at that moment I realized we were standing on top of Grams’ grave. Why were they digging her up? Her head lolled forward on her chest, and her silver hair was matted with dirt.
Sebastian set the lid off the wooden coffin and watched as the dragon and the elf wrapped an arm around her waist. I screamed louder than before when she lifted her head and blinked her green eyes at me.
I had been shocked at how good she looked during her wake and was doubly shocked now. I knew all too well how a body decomposes, but it looked like Grams hadn’t decayed much. Sure, her skin could use a thick layer of lotion, but that was pretty much it.
And I hadn’t had her embalmed either. She had taught me from an early age that Shakleton’s didn’t do that. I never understood why before seeing the crypt. If I pumped her body full of chemicals, it might strip the magic from her bones. And the bones and blood helped fortify our land.
My spell had shoved her back inside her body. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her midsection and started sobbing. “I can’t believe that worked.” Pulling back, I felt my cheeks heat as I looked up at my grandmother, who had begun tsking me.
“You can let go of me now.” All three of us released her, and she stumbled before rig
hting herself. How were her muscles working at all? I wanted to hug her again. I hadn’t listened for a heartbeat.
“Are you alive again? Or are you a zombie?” I wanted her to be alive and well once again, but I knew the chances were slim.
“I’m not entirely sure, actually.” Grams admitting that she didn’t know was disconcerting, to say the least. “I’ve never read about or heard of this happening before.”
Bas stepped up behind me, bathing me in his heat. “I think you’re technically a ghoul.”
Grams narrowed her eyes at him. “You mean an evil creature that survives on the flesh of the dead? Are you telling me I will roam graveyards searching for food and become a rabid beast?”
I was shaking my head back and forth so fast I became dizzy and had to brace myself with a hand on Sebastian’s chest. “She can’t be a ghoul. I didn’t cast a spell for one. I wanted to bind her soul to a body.” Clearly, I hadn’t thought that through. Of course, she would have gone back to her remains. That was her body.
“I don’t think you created a ghoul. I don’t feel anything malevolent coming off of her. And I don’t feel her being animated by an outside source.” Now that Violet mentioned it, I sensed only my Grams. Nothing more. That eased the vice around my heart. “We will need to research this more. But right now, we have bigger fish to fry.” Violet was right. The rest of this could wait. We had to stop Vodor before he destroyed all of Pymm’s Pondside and killed me in the process.
“Do we have time for me to change? I’m showing more flesh than a stripper.” I wanted to laugh at the image Grams painted but couldn’t. Scanning her more thoroughly, I saw that her dress decayed where her body hadn’t. It looked like swiss cheese with all the holes in it.
“I can conjure you a tree of leaves,” Theamise offered, startling me. “I’m glad you’re back, Isidora. I’ve missed you.”
I looked over to see her and Kairi watching the exchange. “I missed you as well and am pleased to see Fiona added a mermaid to Pymm’s. I always wanted one to make their home in the pond. Ever since I was a little girl.”
“Let’s get you changed so we can kick Vodor out of our portal,” I interrupted and headed for the back door. I had no idea how I managed to bring Grams back or if it would last. My gut was an uneasy knot. Instinct told me Grams and I had a lot of work ahead of us to undo what I’d done or keep her from becoming a flesh-hungry creature.
I shook my head at my life. Why had I ever thought bringing Grams back to help force Vodor back was a good idea or was going to be easy? Because I’ve lost my mind. I had to force the panic aside and roll with this magical twist. There was no other choice. I had more than my house on the line here.
Chapter 5
I watched Grams climb the stairs far better than I remembered over the past five years. Her muscles and tendons should be nothing but mushy pulp beneath her skin, which shouldn’t be intact at all. There was a reason I never considered her animating in her own body. It should be a goopy mess in the bottom of her coffin with little bits of hair clinging to her scalp.
I’d seen magic do some unbelievable things, but this topped them all. I had magically reconstituted Grams’ body. Disbelief washed over me as I moved to follow her and tripped. The ground was coming up to meet me, and I was scrambling to catch my footing when strong arms banded around my chest.
I knew the feel of that hold anywhere. I glanced up and smiled at Sebastian. “Thank you so much. I’m afraid I would have landed on my face if you hadn’t caught me.”
Argies snorted from a few feet in front of me. “Of course, you would have. You just did something no one else can manage without killing themselves.”
“What do you mean?”
Bas glared at the dragon shifter as I tucked my arm through Sebastian’s elbow and started walking. “What Argies is trying to say is that there is a reason no one has ever heard of this happening. It takes more power than any being possesses. I’m not entirely certain of Vodor at this point, but I doubt it.”
“Oh crap! What if he brings Thelvienne back to life? We tossed her rotting corpse through to him.” My heart raced so fast in my chest I got dizzy.”
Bas rubbed soothing circles on my back. “I don’t know much about the process, but I don’t think he can, even if he tried. There was nothing left in that body that resembled life. She decomposed like she did because she was rotten from the inside out. There is nothing left to bring back.”
“Bas is right. If I had to guess, I’d say she turned to ash not long after you punted her back through the portal to Eidothea,” Finarr added.
Violet shook her head. “One problem at a time, Fi. There is no reason to go borrowing trouble. We have more than enough in front of us.”
“You’re right. I need some coffee, so Grams and I can cast Vodor out. I’m running on a quarter tank.” My entire body sagged and longed to crawl into bed. I could barely lift my hand to twist the back doorknob. How the hell was I going to perform a spell that would block Vodor from perverting the portal and using it to suck the power from me and my land?
Inside the backdoor, I made my way from the mudroom into the kitchen. My heart dropped when I didn’t see my Grams. There was no noise coming from upstairs either. We’d been stupid to wait to get rid of Vodor.
I never should have allowed her to change her clothes. No one gave a crap if she wore a dress that had more holes than a honeycomb. Adrenalin dumped into my system, boosting my energy stores. “Grams! Where are you.”
Sebastian ushered me further into the house. “She’s upstairs. Can’t you hear her making a…”
Bas was cut off by my grandmother shouting at me. “I’m in my bedroom.” My heart dropped back inside my chest, where it continued pounding a million miles a second.
My legs carried me far faster than I thought they could as I hurried to the stairs and up them. I stopped short in my room when I saw her tossing clothes from the armoire onto the floor. She hadn’t seen the closet I had magicked into existence with Camille’s help.
“What are you doing?” I hadn’t meant to use my ‘mom’ tone with her. It slipped out when I saw her making a mess of my stuff.
Grams rounded on me and thrust her hands on her hips. It hit me as she turned that she was slimmer in real life than as a ghost. And she had more wrinkles around her eyes and mouth.
It made me think that she chose how she appeared when her spirit returned. Or perhaps that was the age at which she started the spell I used to call her back from the other side. I’d have to ask her about that later. Right now, she was lecturing me.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Shaking my head, I entered the room and bent over to pick up the pile of sweatshirts. My bad knee protested, and I ended up sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry I missed that.”
“She’s exhausted, Isidora. You know the spell she performed would have killed a normal witch or Fae.” My head snapped up hearing Sebastian defend me to my grandmother. He was gruff and all hard edges. I never would have imagined him taking any steps to preserve someone else’s feelings. Hell, he’d chastised me more than once about my ignorance and mistakes.
At first, I didn’t like him because of it, but it made me grow thick skin right from the start and made it easier to deal with all the crap thrown at me. He forced me to look inside for the answers instead of asking or expecting someone else to come to my rescue.
Of course, he also came to my rescue when I was pulled to Eidothea and struggled to find my way back to Earth. I had the situation covered, but it still meant a lot to me that he returned to a place he had left behind to make sure I was alright.
Grams’ shoulders stiffened as she continued to paw through my stuff. “I understand that, but how the hell am I supposed to function if I don’t have anything to put on? I can’t very well go around doing spells skyclad. I’m not sixty years old anymore.”
I choked on the laugh that bubbled up my throat. “What was I supposed to do, Grams? Keep
everything in your room as a shrine to you? You died and weren’t supposed to come back to life. Are you even alive? Do you have a heartbeat? Most importantly, are you staying alive? There are so many unanswered questions, but the fact of the matter is I took over Pymm’s Pondside because I knew it was what you wanted me to do.”
“Now that I know there is no danger up here, I’m going to put on a pot of coffee,” Bas announced once my little tirade ended.
“Do you even know how to make coffee?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. I’d never seen him cook anything. He was the master of a forge and poured a mean scotch. That was the extent of what I’d seen him do.
Sebastian graced me with a sexy smirk before he leaned down and placed a brief kiss on my lips as if we were officially a couple. I was wildly attracted to the guy, and that was as far as I’d gotten. Shit kept happening, and I hadn’t had a chance to think things through.
You aren’t ready to admit you want more. No, I wasn’t. I’d had my one great love in life. You didn’t get two, did you? “I think I can manage to put some grounds in the machine and fill it with water. It’s not rocket science.” Sebastian’s reply distracted me before I could get lost down that particular rabbit hole. Once again, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about a relationship. I had to save my home and family’s legacy.
Violet chuckled at that. “I’ll make something to eat. You need sustenance before you go back out there and do more magic.”
Aislinn bobbed her head. “Yeah, we don’t want you burning yourself out.”
I focused on my grandmother while everyone else drifted out of the room. “Look, Grams. I’m sorry about all of this. It was difficult for me to pack your stuff up, but I had to move on. Keeping your clothing would have made it impossible for me to start to rebuild my own life here. I would have been crippled by grief every time I opened the cabinet.”