Spell Hath No Fury

by ReGina Welling

  “It looks perfect to me, what’s wrong with it?”

  “Lost too much of the family essence and there’s no time to recharge it with enough blood to make it reliable. Not even the best skimmer in all of witchdom could get the job done in time.”

  “Well, Calypso’s right here, can’t she—I don’t know—top it off with her blood?”

  “We’d need at least three more blood ties to make it strong enough. There is another way, but I don’t think Serena will be happy about it.”

  “I’m a little fuzzy on this whole process.” Aunt Mag and Salem’s you-don’t-study-enough faces are remarkably similar. There must be a trick to raising your eyebrow and squinting at the same time. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I should have read up on interspecies births. Is it for binding?”

  “I don’t have time to be teaching you lessons you should have already learned, young lady,” Mag lectured. “That familiar of yours ought to be spending less time chasing tail and more time on your studies.” I wanted to snort at the chasing tail reference, but then I realized she meant it in the cat context, not the human one and it made more sense.

  “What can I do?”

  Aunt Mag’s gaze strayed to Jett, who had given up struggling and now stared at the backs of the women clustered around Serena with enough naked longing and misery on his face that I almost felt sorry for him—even after what he’d done to Kin.

  “Did I hear Vaeta advocating for Jett earlier?” She asked.

  "Why are you changing the subject?" My head spun trying to keep up.

  “She’s got a soft heart and a willingness to trust that makes her an easy mark.” I’ll admit I’d taken my opinion from her sisters who all seemed to think Vaeta’s air element made her a bit ditsy at times.

  “And you’re an idiot.” Mag shot back.

  “Well, thanks for your extra special vote of confidence, and what is the point of this? We should be concentrating on the talisman."

  Judging by the way Clara's chanting had increased in speed, it sounded like we were getting close to the birth.

  Still poking her point, Mag asked. “Upon what evidence did you base this theory? She was right about Rhys, wasn’t she?”

  “Um, yeah. I guess she was.”

  “If she says he,” Mag indicated Jett with a nod of her head, “has something of value to say, she’s probably dead on.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell Delta to let him talk, but what does that have to do with this?” I waved a hand toward the repaired talisman.

  “Strongest Fate Weaver in history and dumber than a box of rocks sometimes.” Eyes rolling up to the heavens, Aunt Mag dropped a knowledge bomb on me. “Did you really think it’s all about hearts and love? That you’re matching people so they can have a magical kiss and live happily ever after and that’s all there is to it?”

  "No. Okay, maybe I did, but not anymore."

  “Idgit. Did it never occur to you that man,” she waved toward Jett, “plus woman,” then toward Serena, “equals baby?”

  “Come on, I'm not that naive. I do know where babies come from.”

  To my utter shock, she flicked me on the forehead very much like Delta had done with Jett earlier.

  “You’re mixing blood with blood. Combining this power with that to make what’s needed in the world. Humans may not have magic, but if you think they don’t have power, you’ve been lax in studying history. Hitler had parents. So did Mother Theresa. Sure, there’s merit in the nature vs. nurture theory, but it starts with the blood. Different parents, different baby.”

  A lot of things tried to click into place in my head. Things about Diana Diamond and about the match that I’d felt so strongly compelled to make, but I didn’t have time for following through with the enormity of what I all meant. Especially not now, not with Serena’s breathing whistling through the air and the need to fix the situation we were in right now.

  “Okay, I get that I’ve been missing some of the finer points of Fate Weaving. What do you expect when all I get are riddles and hints about what I’m supposed to do? But I can’t see what all that has to do with the problem at hand. The baby is coming, it’s a little too late now to be worried about preventing or fostering the right genetics.”

  “Blood, Lexi. Think about it. The baby carries Jett’s blood and Serena’s and all that have gone on before.” A surprisingly strong hand clutched my arm, given the frailty of my aunt’s appearance. I keep forgetting her age was magically enhanced. Her touch triggered one of my visions. Not the kind that plays like a movie in my head, but the symbolic kind.

  Lines formed from light appeared above the heads of everyone in the room. They reminded me of the lines connecting boxes on a flow chart. Yellow lines connected the four faeries and Flix. Blue connected Mag and Clara to me. Pink ran from me to Jett and Jett to Serena. Green laced between Serena to her mother. A second strand of pink joined me to the baby via Jett.

  “Oh, I see. I’m connected to the baby through Jett, and since Jett’s connected to Serena, we could use the Balefire talisman, right? But wouldn't that have consequences?”

  “Now she’s catching on. Not as a primary focus, but I think it would provide the added strength. Only there’s a drawback...”

  You don’t have to beat me over the head with a point, I'm not a dunce. “The connection between Jett and me will come into play, and you don’t think Serena will go for it. Is there another option? What happens if we don’t try it and hers doesn’t hold?”

  “Wild magic.”

  “Like a Raythe?”

  “Worse. So much worse. There will be consequences for the baby, though. Fate Weaver-type consequences. And I think Vaeta was right that Jett has something to say about all this. Something important. We’re going to have to let him talk.”

  As much as I hated to admit it, Aunt Mag had a point. “Go tell Delta to let up on the reins a little. She needs to still keep a leash on him, though. I'll go prepare Serena for what’s coming. Tell Jett he needs to talk fast.”

  Strong magic rode the air, I could feel it gathering and condensing. If I wasn’t mistaken, the baby was about to arrive. Mag handed me the talisman and hurried toward Delta and Jett while I turned back to the center of the summoning circle.

  Stepping over the outer ring reminded me of the time our school had taken a field trip to a sheep farm, and I’d accidentally brushed up against the electrified fence. Not a pleasant sensation.

  Leaning down, I whispered in Vaeta’s ear, “I’ve got it from here. Stay close, though, we’re going to let Jett speak.”

  “Listen to him with an open heart, please? Trust me on this.”

  “I’ll try. He hurt Kin.”

  “I know. Hear him out, anyway.” Like a puff of smoke, Vaeta faded back, leaving me to kneel and stroke Serena’s damp brown hair.

  “Honey, I know you’re tired, but it’s almost over. I need you to listen, now.” I caught Calypso’s eye to include her in the conversation. She couldn’t have been comfortable in the position she’d taken behind Serena to lend support, so I called a couple sofa cushions to pile behind her and received a grateful nod. Everyone had been so focused on the baby, no one noticed the strain on Calypso’s face or her veritable silence throughout the process. This was her only daughter and not a regular birth.

  “There was a little scuffle when I went back to your place for this," I showed her the book with the silver clasp, "and it broke. Aunt Mag fixed it,” I reassured when panic set in. “It’s just...it’s not quite strong enough for what we need it to do. We’re going to refresh your blood ties to the talisman, and that will help, but we need more, so it’s a good thing Jett is here.”

  Serena muttered something under her breath that would have been a curse if she’d had any spare power to put behind it.

  “I know. I feel the same way about the jerk. There’s more. Since Jett and I share blood, we can use the Balefire talisman in tandem with yours. Is that okay? I already love the baby like family, and you, too.” I was surprised t
o find out I felt that strongly.

  “Yes, do whatever you need to do.” My fingers creaked under the pressure of hers when another birthing pain made her bear down on them. “And Lexi, hurry. You need to hurry.”

  I motioned for Jett to come closer, and for Terra to make space for him, but I also noticed Mag pulling out her wand. Let Jett try and pull something, Mag was more than his match.

  “Thank you. Thank you. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to break the book, and I'm sorry I hurt Kin. I didn’t know what else to do because I didn’t think you’d let me in, and all I wanted to do was see my baby. Everything changed when I found out I was going to be a father. I want to change, I swear it.”

  “He’s telling the truth,” Vaeta assured.

  “I don’t care.” Goddess love her, Serena let go of my hand, reared back, and landed a well-aimed punch. Jett’s nose fountained blood, and I heard cheering inside my head. “How could you do this to me? The nursery isn’t ready. Now there’s a giant hole in the house, and most of all, you lied to me about wanting to be the kind of father you didn’t have. I believed you, you jerk, and then you used magic on me to make the baby come before its time.”

  “Oh, baby. I'm sorry. I had to do it, but I should have trusted you enough to tell you why. From the minute I knew you were pregnant, I’ve thought of nothing else, but how best to protect you and the baby from...”

  Another pain rippled through Serena, this one stronger than any that had come before. Clara glanced up at Mag. “It’s time.”

  “Lexi, the talisman, hand it to me, please.”

  One hand still clutched by Serena, I handed off the one and used the other to yank the Stone of Blood amulet from around my neck, but it was the Snodgrass one she wanted.

  “Ouch!” The exclamation slipped out when Mag pierced my finger to mingle my blood with Serena’s and those who had come before. She did the same with Calypso and Serena. When she approached Jett, he stood impassively and let her dip into the blood pooling on his upper lip.

  “Thank you,” he mouthed, and Aunt Mag nodded her head slightly in response. I vowed to tear the Sanctum apart to find more information about Fate Weaver births. So much had happened that I didn’t understand.

  With each addition, the talisman glowed brighter, and when Mag pressed the anointed object into my hand where I still held the Balefire amulet, the pair dazzled my eyes. Raw power poured over and through me, touched the Goddess and redoubled. My head echoed with the feel of it.

  On a low scream, Serena announced, “The baby is coming,” and Clara started up the chanting again. To my surprise, Jett joined in. Serena might not have forgiven him, and I certainly had no intention of doing so, but for now, he was part of what I hoped would be a miracle and not a nightmare.

  There was a rush, a piercing sense of teetering on the brink of a mile-long fall, and then I heard the first lusty cry from the newborn babe. The Goddess guided my hand, still holding the light-filled conduits of blood magic, to the wet brow of my new nephew.

  May all the blessings shower thee

  By my touch may I empower thee

  In this time and in this place

  The moon and shine upon your face

  Earth and air and fire and sea

  As I will so mote it be.

  Bow-song swelled, turned the invocation into a song. I think I’m the only one who saw what happened next, and then, only because of my connection to my father. Slack-jawed and wide-eyed, Jett shook like a leaf in the wind as the baby’s wild magic blew through him as though testing his potential before turning to Serena and doing the same.

  I realized I wasn’t the only one in the know when Evian cast a water dome over the group to contain the untamed power and the other three faeries added their own elements. Inside the protected space, magic tickled over my skin, measured me, caressed my cheek fondly, and quested on. The whole thing lasted a couple of seconds at most but was one of the more intense sensations I’ve ever experienced.

  Glittering twinkles rained down over the baby and Serena. It was then that I noticed Jett lying senseless on the floor, but no one seemed inclined to help him as the magic funneled into his child with a sigh. Clara laid the babe in its mother’s chest, and Serena began to glow. Not with residual magic, but with the absolute purity of a loving mother.

  The dome of elements popped in a shower of rose petal confetti that melted on contact rather than littering the space.

  “A walk in the park compared to the last time we did this, eh?” Clara and Terra exchanged the kind of smile that suggested they’d accomplished something great. “It really went very well, all things considered.”

  What on earth had happened on the day I was born? One of these days I was going to have to pin my grandmother down and get the gory details.

  For the first time ever, Serena resembled her name. Calm-faced, and absolutely glowing, she cradled the baby gently, leaned back into her own mother’s warm embrace. Looking at them now, I wondered if Calypso’s aloofness had more to do with fear for her daughter than anything else. A smile split her face, transformed her eyes from their normal cool tones to a warm twinkle. A doting grandmother in the making.

  “Do you mind?” Clara did not try to take the newborn, she merely waved her hands over him, and when she was finished, Serena held a clean baby wrapped in a warm blanket.

  “Thank you. For everything.” Heartfelt words from Serena.

  “My pleasure. Now, you’ll want to hand him to Evian for her special blessing while we take care of the final details.”

  I didn’t get to see that part because Delta collared me to help her with Jett while Serena delivered the afterbirth.

  “Wakey, wakey.” I envied Delta giving the new father a few not-so-gentle slaps to bring him around. “It’s time to go.”

  “So you’re still taking him away?”

  “He’s committed several crimes against his own. You, the baby. There are crimes against humans he needs to answer for, but I suspect his sentence will not be as harsh as it would have been given the events today. Consider it a rehab period, if you will.”

  During Delta’s explanation, Jett blinked away the fog, and when he saw my hard expression—despite his supposed change of heart, I mustered up very little forgiveness—his face fell.

  “You’re right to hate me, Lexi. I deserve no pity from you, and I ask none. Just know I’ll find a way to make it up to you somehow. And to Kin. I am sorry for what I’ve done.”

  “It’s the truth.” Her element of air must carry all words to Vaeta’s ears because she called out from the other side of the room. I’d have to remember that about her in the future. A faerie with super hearing might come in handy. Or annoying, depending on the situation.

  Turning to Jett, I addressed him finally, “If Kin suffers any lasting damage from your actions today, I’ll...”

  “I really am sorry.”

  “Even so, you’re not forgiven yet.” To Delta, I said, “Give him a minute with Serena and the baby before you take him off to what I hope is a worthy sentence. He should at least get to kiss his son before he goes.”

  Jett cradled the baby gently and leaned in, then looked up at Serena, his eyes pleading, “What is his name?”

  “Kaine. Kaine Striker.” Tears formed in the corners of Jett’s eyes as he bestowed a kiss on his son’s forehead, his finger trailing over the babe’s cheek in a gesture so filled with pure, gentle love that I almost had to look away.

  “Thank you, Serena. You have no idea how much this means to me.” Jett collected himself and deposited one more kiss on Serena’s forehead before resigning himself to his fate. “One more thing. Take this,” Jett reached under his shirt, pulled out a small stone affixed to a leather strap and held it out to me.

  “What is it?” Excuse me if I still didn’t trust the jerk, I had good reasons.

  “Honestly, I'm not sure. The Fae I got it from said it would help me find our father, but I couldn’t get it to work. Maybe you’ll have better lu
ck with it.”

  “Yeah, okay. Um, thanks, I guess.” Don’t ask what made me do it, but I pulled Mag’s protection charm from my pocket and handed it to him in trade.

  Since it seemed my work here was done, it was time to clean up and go check on Kin. I hit the shower, changed clothes, and headed for the hospital where the next wrinkle in my day waited.

  If I'm honest, I still had no idea how to break Diana’s hold on Kin, but I was riding the high of helping Serena through a fairly seamless demigod birth and felt as though nothing could stop me now. With little time to process what I’d seen in Delta’s vision, of one thing I was sure: Diana was, indeed, the Darkest Heart, and even though I loathed the idea of trusting anything that came from my mother’s mouth I knew in my Fate Weaver gut she was telling the truth.

  The Kin who loved me was inside there, somewhere, and I was running out of time. If I already had what I needed to defeat Diana, dilly-dallying around to figure out a plan could run the timer down to zero. My only option was to wing it and hope my improvisation skills would kick in at the opportune moment.

  Diana, if my calculations were correct, carried only a quarter share of Psyche’s blood plus whatever extra strength she gained from the Tarot cards. Between them, they might even out the playing field against any other Fate Weaver—but not me. The time had come to live up to my potential.

  There was a vial of invisibility draught safely tucked into the messenger bag I’d grabbed before sneaking out of the house. The potion would provide unimpeded entrance to Kin’s hospital room since visiting hours were long over. I couldn’t take the chance of skimming in; appearing out of thin air in front of humans is strictly forbidden.

  Swallowing the clear liquid in one gulp, I felt a trickle of magic begin to spread from the top of my head all the way to the tips of my toes, my body disappearing inch by inch on its way down. I sidestepped the meager hospital staff tending the night shift, and prepared to search behind the reception counter for Kin’s room number when a familiar, frigid chill stole my breath away.