Though the unnatural feel of his skin almost made her cringe, Mattie let him reposition her hand into the palm of his own until their grip was secure. Since she was already touching Garin with the other, there was little need to waste time. The spell was out of her lips a second later:
Mind to mind; Soul to soul.
Grant me the soft touch to make this one whole.
***
Almost smacking her face against a mountain was not what Mattie had been expecting when she landed in Garin’s mindscape. The fact Emory had changed in this transition also shocked her. His form was still distinguishable, but it had become made of little more than lines of white mist. A noise of surprise came from him when he inspected the wispy appendage that resembled his hand.
“Now I really do look like a ghost,” he said with a snort.
Shaking her head at his comment, Mattie started to inspect the rocky obstacle. Her frustration grew as she walked around the full edge of the monstrosity. There was no way to get inside.
“What happened before he passed out?” she asked Emory, hoping the answer would help her understand what the hell was going on.
The ghostly form crossed his nonexistence arms. “Leto told him to remember what someone named Metis taught you.”
Mattie’s brow furrowed. The three-foot-tall, white-haired creature had trained her and could be one hell of a taskmaster. If Garin’s mind was in the process of being attacked, which lesson would come to him?
Realization dawned on Mattie then, causing her to smack her forehead with a palm. “My husband is a damn overachiever.”
“He always was,” said Emory, tilting his head and aiming those strange smoke-like eyes at her. “But tell me how that quirk of his applies in this case.”
Mattie rested a hand against the stone as she gazed up to the top towering far above the ground. “The barrier he built to keep Iantha from entering his mind definitely does as he intended, but he went a little overboard with it. He forgot to leave an opening for himself to get back out.”
“Which means he’s stuck in there since we can’t get in.”
Mattie’s worried sigh was cut short because realization suddenly dawned. She looked over at the spirit and chuckled, “So that’s why I needed to bring you along.”
He looked rather cross when he barked out, “What are you talking about?”
“I can’t get in to tell him what went wrong, but very little prevents a ghost from entering where he wants to go.”
Emory smiled and approached the mountain. After he experimented by sticking his arm halfway through the rocky wall, he chuckled, “I do believe you’re right.”
The next thing Mattie knew, she was standing alone. The shade had wasted no time to get to his brother. A breath of relief came out of her lungs. She hoped this insane plan would work, mainly because Garin’s power had been the one to bring Emory back to semi-life. Connections like that were hard to break.
Mattie had just started to wander about to keep her impatience at bay when the shade finally re-emerged. “Garin understood the message,” he said a little too gleefully. “If the fact he called himself an ‘idiot’ is any indication.”
That brought a smile to Mattie’s face. “Definitely a good one. Thank you, Emory.”
“What else are brothers for?” he said with a shrug.
A shift in the air around them made Mattie shiver. Something told her that it was time to go, and she quickly crossed the space between the spirit and herself. The second after she had grabbed him and tugged at the thread to her body, Mattie’s eyes were assaulted by the worried faces of those she called family.
Emory’s shaking hand quickly let go of her before he almost fell into a nearby chair. Mattie’s legs weren’t doing any better as she had to fully lean against the table to keep them upright. Her eyes caught her father’s questioning expression, and she merely gave him a nod in response.
Leto was a little more vocal with his inquiry. “Did it work?”
“Yes,” Mattie said breathlessly, not sure why the Soul Walking’s aftereffects were so much worse this time around. “The rest is up to him.”
Everyone turned their attention to Garin as his breathing became a little faster, the movement of his eyes behind those lids readily apparent. A sharp gasp left his lips before he abruptly sat up, almost knocking Mattie off the table. Somehow, his arm shot out and managed to catch her first, his embrace warm and sheltering.
Mattie’s relief at getting her husband back was short-lived. The familiar face and the voice that went along with it were troubled when he bluntly said, “My so-called mother knows we’re in Crosshawk, Mattie. And I think she has already sent someone to come after me!”
Chapter 20
What was promising to be the last warm day for a long while had everyone spending it outside. Garin and Leto had gone to warn the elves about Iantha’s plans to send someone this way, while Tobias and Bran had gone to town on some secret errand. Currently, Mattie was enjoying the sounds of frustrations from the three youths in regards to her father’s various instructions in physical training.
A smile crossed Mattie’s lips while she rubbed her eyes, giving the orbs a much-needed break from reading. It wasn’t that long ago when those grumbles would have been hers. And though a part of her wanted to be out there with them, the Soul Walking from yesterday still had her weary to the bone. In fact, she had only moved to shift her position whenever a small pain in the back indicated that she had been sitting still for too long. Yet in an effort to at least be somewhat productive, Mattie had lugged the mound of parchments to the bench with her. Though she was now a quarter of the way through the complicated treaty, any answers to their many questions still eluded her.
Selina threw a final knife at a target before suddenly deciding she had enough for the day and stalked towards Mattie. Gregory barked at the girl to retrieve her weapons, but she waved him off. Surprisingly, he only stood there with a face turning an angry shade of red. A swift kick in the behind had been his answer when his daughter had given him that kind of attitude, making Mattie wonder if her assumption that he would be lenient with Selina was turning out to be correct. A second later, the two boys were ordered to begin sparring with practice swords before the man stormed off towards the woodland section of the estate.
The girl sat down on the ground next to Mattie, letting out a weary moan as she used her arms for support when she leaned back. “That man you call father is nothing but the devil.”
“You might have just sold your soul by leaving your weapons behind,” Mattie pointed out with a smile. “That’s a bad habit to get into, and you know it.”
“It’s just this once,” Selina groaned, sitting up and taking a sip from the leather water bottle that had been hanging from her side. “Besides, I wanted to get away from Emory. Death Boy gives me the creeps.”
Mattie had to admit that a part of her was also uncomfortable with the fact Emory was still around. Garin promised that the day after Yuletide was done would be when he released his brother, giving him about a month with the young man. But after what had happened with Iantha, Mattie couldn’t help but wonder if this decision was going to come back and bite her husband in the ass. After all, Hell had that famous way paved with good intentions. But if Mattie had a chance to have her mother around for one last holiday celebration, no one would have been able to stop her from seizing the opportunity. So she respected Garin’s position and hoped to hell he would be able to do the hard thing when it came time to say goodbye.
“He’s a guest for now,” Mattie said as she watched the shade in question become frustrated when Dougal didn’t listen to his advice about paying attention to their surroundings. Then she winced as a fresh ache caused her to twist to the side a bit. “So at least try to be civil.”
Selina huffed and turned her head just in time to watch Dougal trip over a nearby rock, finding one of the few muddy puddles in which to land. Laughter at his predicament left her lips, causing the black
-haired youth’s cheeks to burn. The red-haired one merely shook his head and reached down to help the other up. Surprisingly, Dougal accepted and the two soon resumed their practicing.
Observing them for a moment, Selina finally asked, “So did Death Boy learn to fight from his brother, because his style certainly reminds me of Garin’s.”
Making a noise of agreement, Mattie added, “And from my father as well.”
“I wonder if that means Dougal will also become a force to be reckoned with when he’s older,” she mused a little too wistfully. “Can’t wait to see what he looks like when he finally fills out a bit.”
Mattie lifted her eyes up to the sky and begged Adonai to save her. Choosing to keep her voice sounding both bored and frank, she said, “We’ll just have to wait; he’s only twelve after all.”
Mattie’s sigh was swallowed as she watched the expression on Selina’s face fall before the girl groused, “Oh, yeah. That’s right.”
Mattie’s eyes returned to the boys still circling each other. Despite the strange stirrings of puppy love in the air, she couldn’t help but smile. Dougal was holding his own against Emory at this point, though Mattie could tell that the latter wasn’t bringing his full knowledge in swordplay to bear. While his moves would have been easy for her to defeat, a true beginner would have had more of a struggle.
The moment of pride Mattie had for her younger brother was interrupted by cramps of sharp pain, both in her back and side! Maybe her body was saying that it was time to get off her ass and walk around. Standing had all the tightness of her muscles screaming at her, so she started to do some simple stretches. The reason the exercises hurt Mattie’s back even more soon became apparent when her eyes finally fell on the seat of the bench.
The shriek at the sight of the tiny puddle of blood pooling there was loud enough to wake the dead!
No. No. NO! Mattie thought while her arms protected her belly when her legs gave out on her. Kneeling there, she quickly sought the tiny light of life within. Sweet Adonai! Why hadn’t she noticed that Isabelle’s pulse had gotten weaker!?
Selina was the first at Mattie’s side, not bothering to ask what was wrong. She must have seen the problem’s evidence along the way. “Let’s get you inside,” she said, barely keeping that young voice of hers from cracking. “Lying down would probably be the best thing to do.”
The boys were standing there soon thereafter, but she missed the conversation between the three youths because Garin was screaming through the bond: Mattie! What’s wrong? Both Elita and I can feel your panic!”
Why in the hell did Mattie suddenly feel shame as well as fear? The baby, Garin. Something’s wrong with Isabelle!
Terror came from him at that news. We’re both coming to you right now!
Mattie almost missed Dougal’s hawk flying like a shot towards where their father had gone earlier. And when Selina gave Emory a nod before disappearing into the house, she knew the girl had taken charge of the situation. The red-haired youth was soon crouching down, squeezing Mattie’s shoulder lightly.
“Hey,” he said gently as her tear-streaked face turned his way. “Do you want to be carried or to try going back in under your own power?”
“She needs carried!” snapped a female voice that had Mattie’s eyes widening in fearful surprise!
Gram!? Mattie wildly thought when she turned her head in time to watch a woman she hadn’t seen in nearly a decade come out from the shaded side of the house.
Though her arms and face were covered with a few wrinkles, the woman hurrying towards them carried herself tall and with purpose. A shieldmaiden in a past life, perhaps, but she was currently wearing a pale blue sundress covered with delicate yellow flowers. The matching bandana might have covered half of her hair, but the auburn and white streaks were still visible.
Emory stood up and placed his body between the newcomer and Mattie. “Who in the hell are you?”
“Someone not to be trifled with, lad!” the woman growled, those emerald eyes of hers flashing. “And the only member of Mattie’s family that everyone should listen to right now!”
Even though he was shaking, Emory didn’t take his eyes off the scary woman when he asked, “Mattie, is that true?”
There was no point in denying it. “Yes.”
“Now that we cleared that up,” snarled the woman. “Pick her up and take her inside the damn house!”
Emory’s blue eyes shot back at Mattie, questioning the woman’s order. Sighing, Mattie nodded her head. He muttered an apology before gently lifting her up into his arms, easily handling the weight. The older woman snapped her fingers and pointed at the back door, impatient to get the younger one to safety.
Once he got a few steps ahead of the enraged figure, Emory whispered in Mattie’s ear, “Who in the hell is she?”
“She can hear you,” Mattie said with a quiet sigh. Shifting her head, she saw the woman grin a little too readily at the comment. “Gram, this is Emory Von Bos. Emory, this is my great-grandmother, Belladonna Westend.”
The sputter of shock luckily didn’t have him dropping his passenger. “How can that be?” was about all he could manage.
“Get the girl comfortable first,” chuckled Belladonna. “Explanations later. Prefer to say my piece only once if I can help it, so that will wait until after the others arrive.”
“Just do what she says,” Mattie said after he stood there for too long, pondering the woman’s words. “She’s famous for giving everyone in Crosshawk a headache from time to time. Easier to let it be until she’s ready.”
Poor youth looked even more confused, but he did as instructed. Selina’s relief at Mattie’s entrance became an expression of fear at Belladonna’s appearance. Introductions were made and then confusion permeated the atmosphere again until Belladonna snarled. Selina readily gave the woman plenty of space and let everyone enter the room.
“Now get out until her husband arrives,” Belladonna said with a tone that brooked no reproach once Emory had softly deposited Mattie onto the bed.
Selina’s expression loudly declared her unease in regards to the situation. “Go ahead,” Mattie told her after sitting up to allow Belladonna the ability to place a pillow behind her back. “I’ll be fine.”
“We’re right outside if you need us,” snarled the girl before she obeyed and shut the door behind her.
Selina’s antics caused Belladonna to shake her head and chuckle. “She’s a feisty one, like someone else I know.”
Mattie crossed her arms and glared. “Gram, why in the hell are you here?”
“Because Henriella waited until this morning to tell me you were pregnant and how far along you were,” she tsked while laying a hand on Mattie’s abdomen. “Poor idiot didn’t realize I should have known as soon as possible.”
When one of the most powerful beings in Crosshawk insulted someone’s intelligence, Mattie couldn’t help but worry. “You didn’t do anything bad to her, did you?”
“If she wasn’t married to my grandson, I would have done something from which that cradle robber couldn’t have escaped,” she said with a hum as a warmth spread over Mattie’s middle. “All I did was verbally reprimand her and made her leave after she Shadow Jumped me here. She’s suffering from nothing more than being overly distraught; so don’t worry. She was pissed at herself when I explained that her stupidity had put you in danger, and that’s punishment enough.”
“How does having a baby put me in danger?” Mattie snarled, unsure where in the hell this was going.
“Because Agnes absolutely needs to help remove those blocks on your powers as soon as possible,” she said calmly as relaxing heat spread deeper into the younger woman’s body. “Your mother made a right royal mess of things, all the way around.”
Mattie felt a tentative questioning from her unborn daughter, and a little bit of nervousness too. Isabelle was already getting stronger, and Mattie sent a comforting sensation her way. Then she looked up at the older woman and asked in frust
ration, “Why does everyone keep saying that about her?”
“After the third month of pregnancy, Soul Walking can be dangerous to the growing child if the mother is missing the aspect of it that helps to protect the baby in the womb,” she explained with a sigh. “While not the only power still tangled up in that head of yours, that part has become the most crucial one to unlock. Your mother did a lot of damage to these abilities of yours.”
“Then why in the hell didn’t Agnes warn us!? Garin saw her just yesterday!”
“Because Henriella didn’t tell her about the child being conceived outside of wedlock. Because of your aunt’s oversight, the woman thought she had more time to warn you of that problem.” Then Belladonna paused and slyly grinned before adding, “Maybe I’ll change my mind and blind that cradle robber for a week or so anyways. That seems like a fitting punishment, doesn’t it?”
Mattie covered her face with her hands and screamed, “My family is going to do nothing but drive me insane!”
“And admitting that is the beginning of wisdom,” Belladonna said with a chuckle as she continued to heal mother and child.
Chapter 21
Garin wasn’t sure what he had been expecting when he rushed into the house after he had found a place to safely tie up Blackheart. However, the strange scene in front of him hadn’t been anywhere in his contemplation. Everyone seemed too damn calm!
Lord Gregory was in the kitchen cutting up some meat and speaking in hushed tones to a strange and brightly dressed woman. She was wearing a sundress of all things, an unusual garment for this time of year. A pot was on the counter beside her, receiving bits of vegetables as she threw them in. Dougal and Emory had dug up a chess set, the pieces of which they were intently studying while they sat at the kitchen table in companionable silence.
“They’re in there,” said Selina, who was pointing a knife at the room he shared with Mattie before she resumed to clean her fingernails with the tip of the blade. At least the girl had the most normal reaction to this day as she was seated next to the fireplace. Those brown eyes of hers were red and puffy around the edges as if she had been crying her heart out.
Unraveled Homecoming Page 14