Blood Lines: Kallen's Tale (Witch Fairy #3.5) (6 page)

Chapter 7

I can still hear the blow dryer going when we are inside the house.  I have refrained from telling Xandra that she could dry her hair with magic.  I am afraid that she will set her head on fire and wind up bald.  I would still love her bald as we waited for her hair to grow back, but that is not the point.  My concern is that she would be unhappy with that fashion choice.  Growing hair is not a process that can be hurried by magic.  She would have a prickly head of hair for weeks before it grew out long enough to style.

When Xandra comes into the living room several minutes later, she looks tense.  I raise my brows in question but she shakes her head slightly.  I assume that she is simply nervous about traveling to another realm.  Maybe I should have explained that even though there is magic, my realm is relatively similar to hers.  With better food.  I walk to her and slip her hand in mine.  I give it a small squeeze and her face eases a little.

Grandmother chooses to ignore her nervousness.  “Are you ready to bring us home?” she asks.  At least she is smiling.

Xandra’s brows knit together.  “What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you ready to open the realms for our return?”

The nervousness is back on Xandra’s face.  “Um, I’m not sure if I can do that.  I was drunk the last time I tore through the realms.”  On Fairy darts, not alcohol. 

“Nonsense, of course you can,” Grandmother says with her trademark impatience.  If a measure was taken of both hers and Xandra’s patience levels, I honestly cannot say who would win.

Xandra’s father gives Grandmother a dirty look and then floats in front of Xandra.  “You be careful, understand?  We love you and we expect you back in one piece.”

“Okay, Dad.”

There are several more family good byes before we are able to go anywhere and Grandmother’s attempt at a patient smile is wearing thin after the fifth one.  Finally, Xandra’s father does that ghost pat on my back that goes through my skin.  I try not to visibly shiver from the cold.  “You take care of my daughter.  Don’t let anything happen to her.”

I would sooner die myself.  “I will do my best.”

He smiles.  “I believe you will.”

“We really must be going now.  We are due back and I do not want anyone to worry.” 

I smile.  Tabitha is probably pacing the terrace.  There would not have been a doubt in her mind that Grandmother would be successful in bringing me home. 

“There are others who know I’m coming?” Xandra asks.  I believe she has passed nervous and there might actually be a little bit of fear shining through her eyes.  I want to pull her close and assure her she will be fine.  I do not believe she would like me to call attention to her fears, though.

Grandmother gives her a curt nod.  “You have been expected for quite some time by a select few.”  I wonder who those select few are besides her and Tabitha.

“You mean people you’ve shared your visions with?”  Now Xandra is annoyed.  I cannot believe how quickly her emotions can change directions.  Though, I am annoyed as well that Grandmother chose to share her visions with others but not me.  It would have made things a little bit easier when I arrived in this realm.

Grandmother inclines her head and says, “Yes.”  Simple as that.  No apologies. 

I shake my head and turn so I am facing Xandra.  “It will be fine.  Grandmother would not have shared anything with someone she did not trust wholeheartedly.”  That is true, but that does not make it right that she left Xandra and me in the dark.

In her best snarky tone, Xandra says, “Fine, let’s go meet the Fairies who want to kill me this time.”

Grandmother chooses to ignore that last comment.  Without a look back at us, she walks to the door and goes outside.  Apparently, we are doing this in the snow and cold.

Chapter 8

Grandmother stops just outside the door and we almost run into her.  “Alright, Xandra.  Take my hand.”  She holds her right hand out to Xandra and after a pause, Xandra places her hand on top of it.  “Now, I will send you an image of where we need to end up.  Keep that image in mind while you open a passage to the Fae realm.”

Xandra’s confidence seems a bit shaky at the moment.  That is probably why she has closed her eyes as she waits for the image.  This is a skill that Grandmother gained after many years of practice.  She is not able to send telepathic verbal messages like I am and I have always been glad about that. 

I can tell the moment the image Grandmother sent her hits Xandra’s brain because she is startled and almost loses her balance.  Regaining her focus, Xandra reaches a hand out in front of her.  I have seen her do this once before and it is surreal to say the least.  Gateways require a great deal of magic and are similar to blowing a whole through both realms with explosives.  The fact that she can simply peel back layers between the realms as if they are onions could start a whole new field of metaphysics.  Xandra pulls her hand towards her and it looks like she is turning a page in a book.  Suddenly, the trees and snow have disappeared and the beach and ocean that I love are there right in front of us as if we are looking through a window.

Xandra’s family gasps at the site.  I am sure I did the first time I saw this as well.  Grandmother, however is standing to the side with a smug smile.  She had no doubts.  “Perfect.  Shall we?” she asks, ignoring the amazement on Xandra’s face over being successful.

Giving her family a final smile and wave, she turns toward the passageway but she stops abruptly and Grandmother almost runs into her.  An apologetic smile in place, Xandra says, “I almost forgot.”  She reaches out a hand and runs it through the passageway, clearing it of the magical residue that burned Olwyn and Maurelle when she sent them flying back to the Fairy realm.  Looking back at Grandmother, she says, “It would have burned us if I hadn’t cleared the residue.  It should be okay now.”

Tentatively, Xandra puts one foot forward through the opening.  Determining that she has indeed cleared all of the residue, she steps through.  I admit I am a little nervous as I follow her.  Xandra is impervious to a lot that will cause harm to other Fairies.  She is not the best divining rod for magical booby traps in the realm. 

When Grandmother and I have passed through unharmed, Xandra turns back towards her family and gives them a final wave.  Then she reaches out her hand, grabs the torn piece of the realm and pulls it back, leaving no trace that a passage ever existed in this spot. 

Xandra’s face as she turns in a circle taking in where I grew up is every bit as astonished as I thought it would be.  I try to see it through her eyes – as someone who grew up in the mountains and has never seen an ocean.  The wide expanse of sand stretching seemingly forever in both directions.  The perfect blue of the ocean as the light of the sun gleams off from it.  And finally, the mansion set back from the shore and surrounded by forest on three sides.  Wide terrace steps lead up from the beach to the house.  I have never been so proud of my home.

With a mouth that does not seem to want to close all the way, Xandra asks, “Is this the palace?”

Grandmother smiles and shakes her head.  “No, this is our humble home.”  I believe Grandmother is suffering from the same bout of pride as I am.

“Come on,” I say grabbing her hand.  “I will show you around.”

“Put her things in the yellow room,” Grandmother says as she walks on ahead of us.  “She will have a lovely view of the sun setting each night.”

I roll my eyes.  Yes, that is the reason.  As soon as she is far enough away, I whisper to Xandra, “It is also the farthest room from mine.”

She giggles.  “Yeah, I think our days of being able to sleep together are over.”

“Do not give up so soon.  I can be rather stealthy when I need to be.”  I give her a wink and she grins.  Yeah, I am definitely sneaking into her room tonight.

As we move through the curtains into the large, mostly unused, living room Xandra stops.  “Where are we?” she asks.

I thought that was obvious.  “We are in my home.”

She rolls her eyes.  “I mean, where are we in the world?  We obviously aren’t in Colorado anymore.”

“Ah.”  Now I get it.  Thinking back to my Cowan geography lessons, I say, “We are near what you would call northern Australia.”

A huge grin is back on her face.  “So, the water is warm enough for swimming?”

“Yes.”  I lean forward and whisper in her ear, “Fairies prefer to swim sky-clad.”  That is mostly not true, but the colors that are washing over her face are worth bending the truth.  She has not commented in return, perhaps she is considering the idea.  Nah, I doubt it.

I am going to kill Kegan.  The arrow that is about to wizz past us is not exactly the welcome home I expected.  With a reaction based on many years of ambushing each other, I have a crossbow in my hand and I throw up a protection circle around Xandra.  Now I am returning the welcome home gift in kind.  Kegan avoids it and rushes me with the broad sword he now has in his hand. 

I admit I am glad to be exercising muscles I was concerned would go soft in the Cowan realm.  I enjoy the feel of the heavy broad sword in my hand as it clinks against Kegan’s.  I back him into the far corner of the room.  Obviously he has not been practicing in my absence either.  My overconfidence dissolves as he avoids a jab and falls to the ground, does a somersault and is suddenly behind me.  Spinning around, I barely miss the tip of his sword that is aimed at my chest.  Okay, the stinging on my chest tells me I did not barely miss him.  A brief look down reveals the thin line of blood now coming through my t-shirt.

Now I am pissed.  I step up my game and we lunge back and forth, knocking furniture out of our way.  I am moving my sword so fast that Kegan is not paying attention as he tries to return my blows.  That means he does not notice that he is once again in the corner.  He tries the same trick he used before but I am ready for him this time.  I catch his chin with the end of my sword.  “I do not think so,” I say between breathes that would not have been this heavy a few months ago.  I have gotten soft.  “Looks like I win.”

I feel my circle break meaning Xandra just dissolved it.  Oh god, she is pulling an earthquake inducing amount of magic through her.  I barely register Kegan’s gasp when he sees Xandra, and I assume he feels her pulling as well. 

She cannot possibly contain this much magic.  She proves that by collapsing to her knees as she is overwhelmed with it.  In an effort to rid herself of it, she sends it forward.  Right towards Kegan.  Damn, I was not serious when I said I wanted to kill him.  There is a distinct possibility of it happening now though.

 “Xandra, no!” I scream as I charge her.  I use my greater physical strength to break her concentration.  I push her to the floor and my body follows so I am lying on top of her.  Any other time I would enjoy this.  The fact that she is trying to kill my cousin takes some of the passion out of it.  “Stop, he was not going to hurt me!”

The look on Xandra’s face is pure disbelief.  The chilling scream behind me that escapes Kegan’s mouth when her magic hits him tells me she found her target.  And she is not going to back down unless I can convince her to.  In her own twisted way she is only trying to protect me.  I grab her chin and turn her head so her eyes are focusing on me.  “Stop it!  He is my cousin.”

She is confused.  “Cousin?  Why is your cousin trying to kill you?” Her eyes fly to Kegan who is writhing in pain. 

“He was not trying to kill me.  We do this all the time.”

“Do what all the time?” 

Between a clenched jaw, I say, “If you will stop torturing him, I will explain.”

“Fine,” she snaps.  I feel her pull her magic back and it takes a few minutes, but she is finally able to push the last of it to the ground. 

I sigh in relief as I roll onto my back on the floor.  I take a few deep breaths to help calm the adrenaline that is coursing through my body.  Turning my head towards Xandra, I tell her what I should have told her before we got here.  “Magic is stronger here.  There is less interference.”

“What do you mean?”  She is clutching her chest.  I assume it burned having that much magic flow through her all at once.

“I mean, without all the pollution and chemicals that exist in your realm, magic here is not diluted.  What would have injured someone in your realm will kill someone here.” 

I get up off the floor and walk over to Kegan.  I kneel down next to him and the magic holding his mask disappears.  I hear Xandra’s sharp intake of breath.  Perhaps I should have told her about my cousin who is almost an exact replica of me.  I sigh.  I am sure the list of things I should have told her will just keep growing.  One thing in particular is hanging over my head that I have not been able to find the right words to explain.  That will have to wait until later.

Xandra is standing next to me now.  “Who is he?”

I scowl at her.  Was she not listening to me?  “I have already told you.  He is my cousin.”

“He doesn’t have a name?  And why would your cousin attack you?”

Because he can be an ass sometimes.  Probably best not to lead with that.  “Because we have trained together since we were children.  I probably would have done the same thing if he had returned home after a journey.  It is what we do.”

She gives me an exasperated look.  “Wouldn’t it be nicer just to say hello?”

I am saved from making the snarky comment I want to make because Kegan returns to consciousness and groans loudly.  “What happened?” he asks as he rolls over onto his back with his eyes firmly closed.  Since I have felt Xandra’s magic burn through me like that, I cannot help but be sympathetic.  “What did you hit me with?”

“With my girlfriend.”

His eye opens a fraction.  “Seriously, who would date you?”

Ungrateful jerk.  I look up at Xandra.  “Perhaps I should have let you finish the job after all.”

Kegan’s eyes fly open and he stands up in surprise.  “You were not joking?”  He looks from me to Xandra and all thoughts of pain have obviously left his brain.  “Hello,” he manages after he has found his tongue again.  The one that I am tempted to cut off along with other parts of him if he keeps looking at her like that.  Do I look that lustful every time I look at her?  Probably.  “Please excuse me, I have never before heard Kallen use that word when referring to a woman.  And it is hard to believe that a woman as beautiful as you would be interested in such a bore as my cousin.”

“Back off,” I warn.  He gets the implied threat behind my words.  “Xandra, this is my cousin, Kegan.  What is left of him anyway.”  I cannot help a smirk now that all sympathy for him has left my mind. 

“You certainly do pack quite a punch with your magic,” Kegan says as he rubs the back of his neck.  “It felt as if an army of Pooka warriors attacked me.  I would love to see what else you could do to me.”

I reach out and smack the back of his head and he swears loudly.  Rubbing his head now instead of his neck, he says, “I meant with magic.”