Tales from Shady Grove: Stories from the Trailerverse, Volume One

by Kimbra Swain

  “What are they?”

  “Wights from the Wild,” he said. “I’ll make the hole. You run.”

  “I’m not leaving you behind. You can come back from this,” I said.

  He turned and grabbed my shirt at the chest. He snarled in my face. “It’s either you or them. Choose!”

  “I choose you,” I said.

  He dropped me on the ground in a heap. Then, he kicked me in the ribs. I lifted my protections before the second kick. His foot bounced off my shield, and he laughed.

  “If I wanted you dead, I would have charred you from the inside out on that first day. You wanted her. You’ve tried to take her from me. Now you get to have her. Why aren’t you excited?”

  “I didn’t want her at the cost of losing you!” I shouted at him. The darkness and insanity in his head had taken over again.

  “Liar. Whether you thought it through or not, any future with her would have meant my death. You’ve wanted it from the moment she and I made amends. Admit it, Levi. You are giddy to get back home and make her yours,” he said.

  The rotting soldiers advanced on us. I pointed at him. “We have to fight them. Not each other. Her heart will never heal from losing you. How could you doubt her love like that?”

  It was like I’d hit him with a sledgehammer. His body stumbled to one side. I reached out to steady him. He pushed me away with magical force. I hit the ground and rolled. The soldiers converged on him. His wings ignited again, and he began to fight them.

  They swarmed him and paid no attention to me.

  “Run!” he screamed as he fought.

  I pulled one of them out of the fight and blasted it with a spite of ice.

  “Stop them!” Brockton’s voice rang out.

  I heard the pounding footsteps of another troop of trolls. They were closing in, and our window of opportunity was about to slam shut.

  The door across the room which was my safety swung open, and Finley stood there with Winnie holding tightly to his neck.

  “Levi!” he screamed. Winnie’s head lifted, and her little hand shook as she reached out toward me.

  Dylan fought, but he wasn’t winning the fight. He’d already taken a couple of blows.

  I turned away from him and ran to Winnie. I didn’t look back.

  “Bard! You promised me a snap! Levi!” Dylan yelled as he fought.

  Finley waved me toward the door. Behind him a glowing portal flickered in the cold darkness. I didn’t know who had opened it, but it was our salvation. I saw the bright warmth of summer on the other side.

  “Daddy!” Winnie yelled. She’d finally realized who was in the midst of the fight. When I got to them, I turned back to see Dylan.

  I lifted my hands, welcoming the cold of winter into my power. I poised my fingers. One of his opponents stabbed him with a boney sword.

  “Let me go!” Dylan begged.

  I couldn’t save him for her, and so, I snapped.

  Another blade pierced his neck, and he spat up blood.

  I snapped again.

  My bond to Grace was broken. I couldn’t release him.

  A large troll lowered his club upon his head, and his body dusted.

  Finley jerked me away and through the portal into Summer. Winnie cried, and I gathered her up in my arms. Tears rolled down my own face.

  “It didn’t work,” I muttered.

  Finley looked down on me sitting the middle of a field of pink and yellow flowers. The breeze blew lightly, and the sun shined brightly above my head.

  “Daddy. That was my daddy,” Winnie cried.

  “I can remove her memory. Things that happen in these realms are easily manipulated into dreams or nightmares for humans. Kind of a built-in safety net in the case a human does wander into our world,” Finley said.

  “We have to get him back,” I said.

  He knelt down in front of me. “Look. Your job is to protect Grace. Even if we did get him back, he’s never coming back from that madness. He is a danger to her. The Dylan we knew would never attack you. And yet, he went after you many times in there. You know that he’s gone. I can’t make up your mind for you, but Grace should be your focus. She was hurt in a battle here in Summer.”

  “She’s hurt? What about the baby?” I asked.

  “He’s coming, but she’s given up.” Finley looked across the meadow where I saw a group of centaurs standing. He waved at them. One of them waved back. I’d seen them in my short stay in Summer. They were the royal soldiers of Queen Rhiannon. I had to think they were defying the queen by helping us. They marched away, leaving us alone. I hoped we wouldn’t see her while we were here.

  “Given up?” I asked.

  Finley reached down and took Winnie from me. “Come here, Little One. Uncle Finley is going to make this go away.” I grabbed his arm.

  “Tell me,” I said.

  He waved his hand over Winnie, and she promptly fell asleep on his shoulder.

  “Her bond with you was broken. They used a jar of ashes to taunt her during the battle. She’s lost Dylan. She thinks she’s lost you. The life inside her is a joy and a pain. A reminder of what she’s lost. She pushed herself too hard. Plus, the wound on her has a spell that the doctor cannot break. She needs you, Levi. You are the only one that can bring her back to us. You’ve seen Winter. You know this is bigger than just you, or Winnie, or Dylan.” His eyes grew distant and his pale face hardened into stone. “My father knew this day would come. Brockton would make his move. But he could never outmaneuver my father. I think Father allowed him to win this round. I think Father was tired of fighting. I think that Oberon believed that his daughter, Gloriana would be a better ruler than he ever was. But he knew she’d need help. He kept me on the edge of darkness so that I could be whatever she needed. He sent a phoenix to warm her heart. He placed her across the street from a child who would bring light into her life like she’d never known.” He touched my cheek. “And he sent her a bard. A royal bard that has the ability to protect her in ways that none of us can. A royal bard who loves her more deeply than any of us has ever experienced. He knew your time would come, Levi Rearden. Now is that time. What say you?”

  “I need to get her,” I said.

  “That’s what I thought,” Finley said with a sly grin.

  I jumped up off the ground. “How do we get back?”

  He led me across the meadow into a grove of tall trees. I recognized it as the grove where the druid in Shady Grove held his services.

  “I’ll take Winnie. Make sure that the memories fade. You get to Grace,” Finley said.

  “What do I tell her about Dylan?” I asked.

  “I leave that up to you, but don’t lie to her. Do what is best for her. Do what is best for Winter. Whatever you decide, the fate of the human race depends upon it.”

  I didn’t want to weigh that burden. So, I sprinted to the magical portal doors leading to Shady Grove.

  “She was at my old apartment with Jenny the last time I saw her,” he yelled as I passed through the portal into the vestibule of the Shady Grove Baptist Church.

  I reached out with my feelings. I couldn’t feel her. That emptiness drove me forward. I couldn’t calm my mind, but I ran. I ran as fast as I could to get to her.

  Nothing else mattered but Grace.

  47

  There was no good time to tell Grace what happened in Winter. When I returned, I learned the whole and true story about Oberon who was once Arthur. My mind reeled with the information that she’d told me. She’d learned it all from Astor.

  In those days, I hated him. He was the epitome of truth and purity. A stark reminder of everything I wasn’t. I doubted my place in her life. I doubted Dylan’s dream.

  From the moment I returned home, I feared that someone else would tell her what happened in Winter before I could. I thought one day at the tree, the ghost of her father was going to do it. He’d definitely turned his eye from me to Astor, his first choice for her.

  I learned that I was a
ctually third on the list in her father’s great plan.

  My experience in Winter changed me. It shaped the way I saw the world. I always knew it was bigger than just me. Something about being in that tiny cell helped me see the vastness of the world and the impacts we had on it.

  I had nightmares. I grieved. Not just for Dylan, but for what I had lost while I was there. I had lost my humanity. Finley and I talked about it not long after Aydan was born. He saw it as the only way to get us both out. I couldn’t blame him, but I did hide it from Grace. She hadn’t noticed. I think occasionally she picked up on my enhanced abilities, but she saw it as a result of my blood bond with her. I also lost my youth. I had held on to the immaturity excuse for too long. I went from being a boy pretending to be a man, to accepting that my life was forever altered, and forever meant forever.

  I also learned that Dylan was wrong once I returned. The truth had its place, and the gods below knew that the day I told Grace everything, a burden was lifted from me. But hope wasn’t to be discounted.

  Hope bloomed in the face of a baby boy I watched being born. Hope grew in the little body of a human girl who would become something great and powerful. Hope burned a scar into my body that I would never heal. I might hide the marks, but I wanted them to remain. As crazy as it sounds, it reminded me of him. Of his faith in me. Of my responsibility and my promise.

  My hopes didn’t die when Dylan did. I hadn’t forsaken them. I had to hold on to them so that when Grace was ready, she could embrace hope again. She did, and I was lucky enough to fulfill the role that I’d always wanted and needed. And I know that when the day comes that I walk down the aisle, that his dream will finally be fulfilled. It wasn’t just about a marriage, but about a future.

  And while my time in Winter seemed like a month of Sundays, it painted the picture of forever and a day.

  Note from the Author

  Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Yule, and Happy New Year to the wonderful members of Magic and Mason Jars.

  This story was written just for you. I had a blast taking Grace and Levi to Las Vegas. Tennyson, Stone, and Bronx go along on this short for a wild ride in Sin City.

  Jingle in Your Jangle takes place about three weeks after the end of Fuller than a Tick. If you haven’t read the series to that point, this story will contain spoilers. The story also has a few key revelations about Grace’s world that will effect the plot of the story so don’t skip this fun little short.

  Jingle in your Jangle was written in December 2018.

  Best Wishes for the season, and may the Yule Lads bring you gifts and not mischief.

  -Kimbra

  48

  Fumbling with my seat belt, Levi grabbed my hands and made me look at him.

  “Don’t tell me,” he said.

  “No,” I replied. My nerves were making me jumpy.

  “Never?” he asked. “Do you know how long you’ve lived?”

  I slapped him on the shoulder, but he laughed. “That is rude,” I replied.

  “Would you hurry up, please?” Tennyson requested dryly.

  “Yeah, I’ve got her,” Levi replied, snapping my seatbelt. “First-time flyer jitters.”

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I replied.

  “Me either,” Levi smirked as he fastened his belt.

  “Marisol, please tell the pilot we are ready to go,” Tennyson told the sole flight attendant.

  She walked to the cockpit, spoke to the pilots, then returned to us. “Will there be anything else before take-off?” she asked politely.

  “Alcohol,” I said.

  She smiled but informed me that she couldn’t serve it until after the plane was in the air. Then, she walked to somewhere behind us and sat down. I heard the click of her seatbelt just as a voice came through the speakers.

  “We are cleared for take-off. Our flight will be approximately 4 hours, and we have clear skies. It should be around 4:00 pm when we arrive in Las Vegas,” the pilot announced, then the intercom clicked off.

  “I’m excited,” Levi said.

  “First time to Vegas?” Tennyson asked.

  “Yes,” Levi replied.

  I stared out of the window watching as we pulled away from the terminal. Pushing back the fear of flying in this machine, I closed my eyes as the pressure built in my ears when the plane launched off the runway.

  “Are you okay?” Levi’s voice spoke softly in my head. I nodded in response and felt his hand thread with mine.

  “I’m sorry, Grace. If you had been there, we could have skipped, but since you haven’t, this is the quickest way,” he said.

  “Your sword?” I managed to squeak out.

  “I don’t take my sword to Vegas. It’s too dangerous. That’s why I told Levi to leave Excalibur in the vault,” he said. “The darkness in Vegas is much darker than you would expect.”

  “I can expect a lot. I’ve been to Paris,” I replied.

  “It isn’t as bad as it used to be,” Tennyson replied. “Look, we will get to the city, talk to my contact, and get back out as quickly as possible. The beauty of it is that you can skip back without any issues. If there is trouble, that is exactly what you do.”

  “We will,” Levi assured him. “We aren’t taking any chances with this, Tennyson. Taking her out of Shady Grove isn’t the best idea in my opinion. If someone gets wind of it, we will have more trouble than either of us can handle.”

  “You can handle more than you choose to admit,” Tennyson insisted.

  “I will leave your ass in a heartbeat to keep her safe,” Levi continued.

  “Easy there,” I warned him.

  “I mean it, Grace. This better be worth it,” he said. Up until now, he had been excited about the trip, but I knew his excitement was fifty percent fear. I was right there with him. Despite recent events, Shady Grove still held a measure of protection for us, that we wouldn’t have in the human world. Especially in a massive tourist hub like Las Vegas.

  “As I would expect you to do, Levi,” Tennyson said. “Grace is your priority.”

  We sat quietly listening to the rumble of the engines as Marisol began moving around behind us. She pushed a cart down the large aisle. She lowered the tray in front of me and offered me a glass with brown liquid.

  “Thank you,” I said, eagerly taking the drink from her.

  “Levi, would you like anything?” she asked.

  “Just a glass of water,” he said.

  “Here you are,” she said producing a glass identical to mine with ice. She then sat a small bottle of fancy water next to it. “And for you, Sir?”

  “D’Useé,” he said.

  She took a bottle of liquor from her cart which was emblazoned with a golden two beam cross. She poured the rich brown liquid into a snifter.

  “Thank you, Marisol,” Tennyson said. “That will be all for now.”

  Looking through my sight, I was surprised to see that she was human. Once she returned to her seat, I was determined to question Tennyson about it.

  “What is the plan?” Levi asked before I could get my question out.

  “When we land, a car will pick us up and take us to the Bellagio. I have rooms there whenever I need them. Our contact will call us, once he finds out we are in town. Trust me. He will know the moment we touch down on the tarmac. Then, we go from there.”

  “This better be worth it. I left my children,” I said.

  “Aydan is hardly a child anymore. Plus, Nestor and Jenny are staying with them at the house. Nothing will get past her,” Tennyson assured me.

  I’d seen his grindylow in action, and I had no doubt that I hadn’t seen her full capabilities yet. The kids were safe. I just hoped this foray into the human world was worth the cost.

  “The attendant is human?” I asked.

  “She is. The government and the TSA are strict about who works in planes across this country. It is understandable considering all the aircraft incidents that they have had in the near past,” Tennyson expla
ined. “The pilots are human as well.”

  “I see,” I said. “Do they know what you are? What we are?”

  “No. Well, they know that I am a powerful and rich man with contacts across the world. They are paid enough money not to ask.”

  “You sure about that?” I asked.

  “Without a doubt,” Tennyson replied sternly. “I wish you would trust that you are in good hands.”

  “It’s not that I don’t trust you,” I tried to explain. Levi squeezed my hand.

  “She doesn’t trust anyone,” he said. “Don’t take offense.”

  “Don’t answer for me.”

  “I answered on your behalf. Not for you. Big difference.”

  “You cannot fool me with that golden tongue of yours.”

  “No, but I can do a lot of other things to you with it.”

  “Levi!” I blushed. Tennyson grinned as he watched us. I saw the light in his eyes. He was definitely on Team Levi.

  After kissing Levi at the creek, I feared that there would be a push by him to move the relationship faster. However, despite his Love Talking abilities, he hadn’t pushed the issue. There had been a few more kisses, but nothing serious. Mostly it was curled up together on the couch watching television with the kids. We had gotten a bigger bed for Aydan, so he had moved out of Levi’s room. We debated on moving Callum upstairs too, but he insisted on taking Astor’s old room. I hated it because I wanted him to feel more like family instead of separating himself from us.

  With Aydan’s transformation, it thrilled me to know that he had made friends with Callum so quickly. On the other hand, they were teenage boys. They ate a lot, they smelled funny, and they were constantly getting into trouble.

  “When we get home, let’s have Troy look at the Camaro. Make sure it’s tuned up,” I said.

  “For Aydan?” he asked.

  “For both of them. They will have to share,” I said. He knew I meant Callum.