“Flix, please. Nobody was hurt; Carl is fine. Given her condition, I think we need to let this go.”
He turned his head slightly in my direction and raised an inquisitive eyebrow over an arctic gaze, “You’re siding with her?”
“You shut your mouth right now, Lexi Balefire! I don’t need you to defend me. And I definitely don’t need your pity.” Serena spat in my direction while getting back on her feet and facing Flix head on, “Do whatever you’re going to do. But remember the rule of threes. Faeries aren’t immune. Maybe I deserve to be punished, but at least I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’ll be held just as responsible for my fate.”
Carl stepped up and laid a hand on Flix’s arm, “Please, babe. Let it go. She wasn’t going to hurt me.” Conviction ran so strong in Carl’s voice that I gave him a probing look. How could he know what was in Serena’s heart with such certainty? “Besides, being pregnant, it was probably a hormonal thing.”
He might have been willing to tick me off by ignoring my request, but Flix wasn’t about to argue with Carl, especially not after the harrowing experience he’d just endured. “Fine. I’ll leave it alone,” he promised, turning to Serena, “but if you ever show your face in our office, our homes—or, better yet, within a five-mile radius of any one of us, not only will you wish you’d never met me, you’ll wish you’d never been born.”
“Too late,” Serena muttered under her breath before beating a hasty retreat through the door and down the stairs.
Kin’s arms were around me the second the door closed behind her, and for the next several minutes we took turns hugging one another and making sure Carl was, indeed, just fine.
“Carl, I’m so sorry you got dragged into all this. And I’m sorry she used my face to trick you.” I’d need about fourteen showers to cleanse myself of the image of Serena pretending to be me, and another several to wash off the smell of sordid past.
“No, I’m sorry for accidentally telling her about the ring. I had no idea, although I should have. Something was off—I thought maybe you were a little tipsy from the bar or something. I should have known better.” He repeated, accepting my hug and insistence that not realizing someone who looked exactly like me wasn’t me, after having only known me for a few weeks wasn’t a major crime.
“How could you have? It’s not your fault. But it is a problem. Flix, please fill Carl in on all the details. He’s one of us now; he should have all the information. Not that it matters, anyway. Serena blew my last chance.” I held the ring up so everyone could see its darkened surface and the five newly-filled circles indicating full deactivation. “There’s no way to get the living gold, and that means we can’t fix the Bow of Destiny. I’ve failed.”
“Um, Lexi, I have an idea. I tried to tell you before—Mag’s familiar, Jinx, sent word through the grapevine that your aunt wants to see you. I think she might be able to help.”
A spark of hope activated my magical adrenaline, and suddenly I felt that sense of intuition I’d always relied upon so heavily in the past. This was the answer, I could feel it—practically taste it. Clara’s necklace held one last piece of living gold, and I could only think of one witch I’d trust—or even feel comfortable confiding in—and that witch was my Aunt Mag. The new name still felt strange on my tongue; I’d never referred to anyone else as Aunt before, except the faeries when no other explanation had made sense, and that didn’t count. Now that I knew she wasn’t resisting contact, it felt all the more real.
“Well, where is she? How do we get in touch with her? I’ve tried scrying—no dice.”
“Jinx gave me this,” he held out a gold coin stamped with the family crest, and when I took it in my hand and flipped it over, it felt warm to the touch. The entwined letters “MTB” scrolled across the flip side—Mag’s initials, I supposed. “It’s almost like the witch version of a pager—she’ll be able to find you if she wants to answer.”
“Let’s get back to the house. I need to fill the godmothers in, and we should at least warn them we might be expecting company.” Plus, I wanted to see how the party had turned out after I’d dropped the ball by taking off in the middle. And I needed to call my insurance company about Pinky.
Flix obliged but continued treating me coldly all the way home and sped off with barely a goodbye. One more item on the list of things I’d screwed up lately. Some days I feel like a firebug trying to put out fires. Something circular in my nature creates more problems than I solve. Flix would come around. I hoped.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“HERE GOES NOTHING,” When I held my breath and pressed the side of the coin with Mag’s initials on it, a fleeting rush of air whipped my hair away from my face. Before the last strand settled back into place, the doorbell rang. Terra, Evian, Soleil, and Vaeta stayed in full-on faerie mode, dropping their glamours out of respect for my Aunt Mag.
Their response to my desire to contact her was night and day from their reaction to my mother having shown up. I assumed either they were making leaps and bounds in their attempts to remain neutral and allow me a chance at a relationship with my only other known living relative, or they’d decided an aunt wasn’t as big a threat as a mother and it might be best to let it go.
Leaving Kin, Salem, and the faeries in the kitchen, I took a deep breath and made my way to the front door with butterflies—or, since the sensation was sharper, bees flying complex formations—in my stomach. Come on, Lexi. She’s family, how hard could it be?
Common sense might be the voice of reason, but I was past reason and in the front seat of what might become an emotional roller coaster. It was time to either shoot my hands in the air and enjoy the ride, or close my eyes and hang on for dear life. Given the course of recent events in my family, I’d probably end up exercising both options.
“Hello again, Alexis.” Mag’s eyes glimmered with unshed tears, and I could feel wetness beginning to form in the corners of my own as we gazed at each other across the threshold. Anxiously, I checked her over for signs of injury after the destruction of her home, but she looked about the same as the last time I’d seen her. She stood a good six inches shorter than my own five-and-a-half feet and wore one of those fluffy shawl-type things over her shoulders. Mag’s pink cheeks peeked out beneath dark eyes that held immense power. Now, they were also full of emotion. “I’m sorry you’ve been alone all this time. I truly wish I could have come to you sooner, but there were circumstances.”
Maybe I should have been mad, but if my recent excursions to the past had taught me anything, it was that one event could cause a ripple effect, and to dwell on whether things would have turned out better if only this or that had or hadn’t happened was naive. Serena’s life hadn’t turned sour at the very moment she’d wished to return to; the events of that day were the culmination of her spending years feeling neglected and abused. Hindsight might be 20/20 in theory, but it also had a way of playing tricks on you.
Hope for a future spent with more family than I’d ever expected to meet erased any animosity I could have directed toward Mag, and I vowed to start being more grateful for the things I did have instead of lamenting what might have been.
“It’s okay; I forgive you. And I was never alone. Would you like to come in and meet my family?”
Mag swallowed hard, nodded in assent, and followed me inside. Each of the godmothers took turns introducing themselves, and when Kin offered his hand in greeting, Mag covered it with her own and tossed a knowing grin and a mischievous wink at me over her shoulder. Salem received a pat on the head and made the rumbled purring noise that sounded more than a little strange coming from a fully grown man.
We were all here for a reason, and it wasn’t just about family bonding, but one thing I’ve learned in the short time since Awakening to my full power is that you never know what the next adventure is going to bring. Clara had been encased in stone for years, and despite the insistent noises it made in my head, the Bow of Destiny could wait just a little longer for its f
inal repair. This meeting was well past due, and I needed to make the most of it.
Surprising us all, Mag sincerely thanked the faeries for having gone above and beyond their job description. “I wish I had been in a position to take care of Alexis myself, but I was...otherwise occupied.” She turned to face me before continuing, “Time folds in on itself sometimes. One day you were a tiny baby and the next, you were all grown up, and I’d missed it. I planned on approaching you, even visited Clara a couple of times, and observed you from across the street.
“You seemed happy and healthy, and I had no idea what to say after all that time had passed. I’d have told you about our connection that day you magicked yourself inside my hut, but you were with Sylvana and I wasn’t sure if I could trust you. I’m sorry for scaring you, but I couldn’t resist having a little fun. Took it like a champ, you did. But the look on your face, I tell you.”
Mag looked around appreciatively, “Anyway, I can see you were far better off with your faeries than if you had been raised by an old hag like me. I hope you can forgive me for keeping my distance, Alexis.”
“I’m not angry, Aunt Mag,” I repeated the sentiment. “I’m just glad you’re here now.” And I was. I’d always thought of myself as an orphan, but it turned out that I had more family than I’d ever imagined. Some good and some bad, just like the dysfunctional families I’d seen on television. “Let’s not lose each other again.”
“Agreed. Now, I’m guessing you had another reason for hunting me down.” Mag indicated it was my turn to explain myself. “I’d wager it’s a long story, dear. Let’s have a seat and sort it all out. Your friends are welcome to stay.” Her manner had taken an 180-degree turn from the night I stood in her living room thinking I was invisible to her wise eyes. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t recommend going up against her, but for today at least, she’d softened into the sweet little old lady I’d taken her for the first time we met.
Evian filled the kettle with a flick of her finger, and Soleil set it to boiling while Vaeta whisked the old Balefire family tea service into the parlor. Terra gave me a quick squeeze and suggested giving me some alone time with my aunt.
The room seemed quiet when we were left in it alone (Salem opted to curl up on the hearth and pretend to fall asleep, even though we both knew better), but when the two of us settled around the hearth Mag’s shoulders finally relaxed.
“You gave me the time travel ring, and I’ve been using it to collect living gold from the past, to fix the Bow of Destiny, which got dashed to pieces by a bit of inadvertent Fae magic.” I knew the godmothers felt incredibly sorry for having caused so much trouble, but if they hadn’t gotten the bow from my mother, who knows where it would have wound up by now. “Sylvana betrayed me—I’m sure you’re not surprised—and I had to choose between the bow and Kin. It was an easy choice, and I’d make it again in a hot second, but it certainly did throw a wrench in the works.”
I explained how the bow had fractured when the faeries stopped Sylvana from making off with it, and how I’d needed three deposits of raw ore to repair the breaks.
“I got to see this house when it was still just a tiny cottage, and I watched Tempest forge the casting ring. That’s how I mended one of the cracks. Then, I saw you and Grandmother when you were teenagers. There was still gold in the sanctum then, but there’s none left now.”
“That explains how you figured out who I am. I’d wondered where your travels with that ring would take you. My own were exceptionally interesting. Pity you only get five journeys. I tried for years to figure out a way to either trick or recharge it, but it outsmarted me every time. When your turn is over, it’s final.”
“So it’s hopeless, then. I failed to get any gold on my last two trips back, and if I can’t make it work again, the ring is nothing more than a bauble.”
“Oh, no, do not mistake it for that. That ring is still very powerful. Belonged to King Solomon, it did. Legend says it’s what he used to trap the Genie in the lamp, thousands of years ago. Just because it doesn’t work for you, doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else. I’d wager we don’t have the time it would take to recharge enough to accept a new master, and I’d be careful with it lest it winds up in the hands of someone unworthy.”
I nodded, silently vowing to consult the Grimoire for a cloaking spell. “Lamiel said all the living gold has been gathered up and taken to Olympus. There’s not another known deposit left in this dimension, save for one. Unless I can figure out how to access that one or get to Olympus, I’m screwed. You’d think the gods would lend a helping hand—or even a pinkie finger, but it seems they’re leaving me to my own devices. If Grandmother wasn’t encased in stone, I could use the gold from her amulet.”
Mag reached for her throat and pulled a recognizable necklace from beneath her collar—an exact match to the one coiled around Clara’s neck. “If I hadn’t already had to use my own cache, I’d give it to you. What about your fifth chance? You only mentioned four transports—the two where you were successful and the two where you failed—what happened during the fifth one?” Mag raised an eyebrow, her shrewd mind proving itself once again.
“That’s another reason I wanted to see you. The first time I activated the ring was purely accidental. I was playing with it and wishing I knew what happened on the day Sylvana disappeared, and grandmother turned to stone.” The scene replayed in my head.
“Clara didn’t kill anyone.”
Without missing a beat, Mag replied, “Well, of course not, dear.” If she’d had a skein and a pair of needles in her gnarled fingers, she’d have kept right on knitting.
“What do you mean, of course not?”
“You didn’t think I bought that pile of steaming horse manure the Snodgrasses tried to spread around, did you? My sister would never have harmed another witch, much less her daughter, even if the little wench could have used a good swatting. There’s no love lost between your mother and me, lass, I won’t lie about that. Tell me what did happen. Perhaps there’s still hope.”
I obliged, calling on Salem to fill in the specifics of the spell that bounced between Sylvana and Clara.
“Black witchfire. Always was one of Sylvana’s favorites, and damned hard to counter or reverse. I’m assuming you’ve already tried?”
I nodded. “Reversal, and then I tried something else. Maybe it was stupid, and it didn’t work anyway. I thought maybe my prophetic abilities had something useful to say about bringing her back, but I was wrong. See, I’ve been having these dreams. I’m not entirely clear on what they mean, but there’s something there.” I described both dreams in detail, while Mag’s mouth formed a gentle smile.
“These are the types of questions you’d have needed a Balefire to answer. Again, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to help you. What you saw and felt was the Balefire Blessing. We all received one as an infant; we were all bathed in flame, our hearts infused with the essence of the Balefire. Flame feeds witch, and then witch feeds flame; that’s how Esmerelda designed it.”
One question niggled at me, “What made you decide not to become the Keeper of the Flame?”
“Ah, so you didn’t see that part of my past. Fate called on me for another kind of work, and I embraced a different future because chose adventure over being forced to stick close to home. There was a big argument, and Clara and I didn’t speak for years. Your mother felt the same way about tending the flame, which is why, I’m guessing, Clara passed the torch along to you. Your mother and I are more alike than I wish we were. It’s probably why we don’t get along.”
“Was she the one who blasted your hut in the Fringe?”
“Oh no, dear, she won’t come around to see the Mudwitch again—her little nickname for me.” Mag chuckled.
“So what did happen? Are you safe?”
“As long as I remember to wear my glasses when brewing potions. The hut’s current condition is my fault, I’m afraid. Luckily, I listened to Jinx and got outside before the place went up in
flames.” Mag’s cheeks flushed a bright shade of red, and I made sure to stifle the giggle threatening to escape my lips.
Mag swiftly changed the subject. “You said you’ve had dreams that aren’t just dreams before? It’s clear you have a great many skills at your disposal. You’ll be quite the force one day. I believe there’s a way to get the living gold out of Clara’s amulet using, of all things, a tool forged from the same material. My mother had a chisel that would slice through even the hardest stone.”
“You mean like chip away the granite without harming Clara? Couldn’t we use the chisel to free her, then?” If this was a possibility why wouldn’t Mag have come forward before?
“No, child.” She must have seen the dismay written all over my face. “I would never leave my sister trapped if I had the means to help her. It’s going to take both of us, speed, and precision to release the amulet. The granite will reclaim it if we aren’t careful.”
After seeing the way the stone had eaten Clara the first time, I considered that a valid assumption.
Between us, we mapped out a plan.
“The uses of living gold are plentiful. It’s a shame those greedy gods are hogging it all. Now, open the hearth and let’s see if Mother’s chisel is still where she used to keep it.”
“Aunt Mag, can I ask you one more personal question?” I gathered all my courage and prepared for either response.
“You want to know why I look like this, don’t you?” she asked, running a gnarled, bony finger over her cheek, caressing skin once soft and rosy but now wrinkled and worn to leather.
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