Blood Prophecy: Kallen's Tale (3 page)

“You didn’t have to be such
a jerk about it.  I was just asking.” 

Those words stop me in my
tracks.  Turning back around, I am about to tell her what she can do with her
questions.  Lucky for her, her father chooses this moment to float into the
room.

He looks back and forth
between the two of us.  “Trouble in paradise?” he asks.  I hear the underlying
pleasure in his voice.

Xandra does not answer him
truthfully and then she tries to deflect the topic.  “No.  Dad, are you going
to follow us around the house whenever we leave a room?”  I do not see what
difference it makes at this point.

Her father chuckles.  Glad
someone is enjoying this conversation.  “Possibly.  But I actually wanted to
ask Kallen a couple of questions.”  Great.  “Is there a way to, I don’t know a
better way to say this, cheat when taking a blood oath?”

Nodding curtly, I say, “In a
way, yes.  The wording is very important.  For instance, the blood oath that I
took,” I cannot help glowering in Xandra’s direction again,” I swore to protect
Xandra’s life as I would protect my own.   If I had decided that the only way
to keep her from opening the gateway between realms was to sacrifice my own
life, I would not have had to protect her life.”  That sounded a lot better in
my head.  Saying it out loud, to her father, makes me feel like an ass.  I
suppose my behavior in the last few minutes has been a little over the top
considering I have not been completely honest with Xandra about some of these
things.

Her father crosses his
transparent arms over his chest, and I wait for the berating to begin.  It does
not.  Instead, he asks, “Are there any spells or amulets or anything like that
that could be used to negate a blood oath?”

I have to think for a
moment.  Has Grandmother ever spoken of such a thing?  I do not believe so.  At
least not in my realm.  “I have never been told of one.  But Fairies have not
been in this realm for several hundred Cowan years.  It is possible that I am
ignorant of magical charms or spells that may have been stumbled upon to
prevent the binding of the oath.”  I seriously doubt the possibility, though.

“Do you think Grandma is
going to try to weasel out of the blood oath?"  Xandra asks. 

“Let’s just say that I
believe anyone capable of allowing their daughter to be held captive while
others determined the fate of her child, may not be the most trustworthy
person.  From what I know of your grandparents, I believe caution is wise.” 
Smart man.  I believe I could grow to like him.

Xandra pulls her bottom lip
between her teeth, and I will admit, it is sexy when she does that.  Definitely
difficult to remain upset with her when she does these things.  Turning to me,
she asks, “What happens if a Witch and a Fairy make a blood oath?  Could the
Fairy magic involved in the oath prevent a Witch from using a spell or anything
to make it not real?”

I see where she is going
with this, but I do not believe it will work.  “It is likely.  But as you are
only half Fairy, there is no guarantee that your Fairy magic would work that
way.”

She rolls her eyes at me as
if I am the ignorant one.  I believe that negates the whole biting of the
bottom lip sexiness thing.  “I figured that out myself, thanks.”  Her attitude
has just knocked the sexiness factor completely out of the water.  “I meant,
what if Grandma made a blood oath with you?”

What is wrong with her? 
Have her brain waves become crossed?  I feel as if I am speaking to a child,
now.  “How would a blood oath with me force your Grandmother to protect you?  I
realize you have not had much magical training, so I will explain.  A blood
oath is supposed to be between the two people who are directly affected by the
oath.”  I thought we had covered this.

Her face has turned even
more sour.  “I’m not a moron, thanks.  I figured that out all by myself as
well.  But if you are already sworn to protect me as you would your own life,
couldn’t the blood oath be worded so that Grandma would agree to help you
protect me?  Sort of like a backup plan?  Protect you as you’re protecting me
or something?”

She has stunned me again. 
Perhaps she functions best when her brain waves are crossed.  “That is a very
good idea.”

“I do have them from time to
time,” she says dryly.

Ignoring her comment, her
father asks, “Do you think it would work?”

I shrug.  “If worded
correctly, yes, I believe it would.”

Relief floods his face.  I
am glad that he is not taking the situation at face value and not letting his
emotions sway him into blind faith.  “Do you think you could word it in such a
way?”

That is an easy answer.  “Yes.”

“Great, let’s get this going
then.  The sooner we decide what we’re doing about that woman, the better.”  He
floats back out the door to break the happy news to the two in the living room.

I am not quite ready to
follow yet.  If I want Xandra to be honest with me, then I have to be honest
with her, as well.  Putting a hand on her arm to stop her from going into the
hallway, I lean in as if I am going to kiss her.  Instead, I push her hair back
and whisper in her ear, “I stayed because I wanted my body to be in the same
place as my heart, despite the oath.”  Without waiting for a response, I turn
and walk out the door.  I guess I will find out soon enough if I made the right
choice or not.

A heated discussion has
begun in the living room between Xandra’s father and her grandmother.  She is
not pleased to be taking a blood oath with a Fairy.  I did not think that I
could like her less.  I was wrong.  “You expect me to make a blood oath with a
Fairy?  That’s outrageous!  Fairies can’t be trusted.  That’s why they were
banished from this realm!”

Xandra comes in on the tail
end of her tirade.  “I don’t know about all the rest, but Kallen is
trustworthy.  And I know he wants me to stay alive.”  Perhaps I was not wrong
in staying.  I try to suppress a smile as she slides her hand in mine.  I wrap
my fingers around hers and give them a gentle squeeze.

“Xandra, dear, I’m sure you
believe that, but isn’t your mother’s experience with Fairies enough to show
you their true nature?”

The woman has just accused
me of being no different than a Pooka Fairy.  My entire body tenses, and with a
clenched jaw, I grind out, “Do not presume to know my nature.  I am a Sheehogue
Fairy and we have never had a quarrel with Cowans nor Witches.  It was my
grandmother who worked the magic that closed the realms, protecting Cowans and
Witches alike from the Pooka Fae.  It was also my grandmother who sent me here
to help protect Xandra and keep the realms closed to each other.  So you see,
there is no doubt in anyone’s mind what my or my grandmother’s intentions are. 
Xandra is unable to say the same about her grandmother.”  Too my great
surprise, Xandra’s father laughs at the woman’s taut face as she digests my
words.  Yes, I may grow to like him very much.

Through her own clenched
jaw, she says, “I apologize if I offended you and your kind.  I have been told
tales of Sheehogue intervention between the Pooka and the humans, on occasion. 
But I also understood from these tales that the Sheehogue prefer to remain
neutral, and are not prone to intervention unless the situation has become
dire.  So, you can understand my assumption that you are of the Pooka Fae.  I
did not realize that the situation had reached the point where the Sheehogue
would intervene.” 

I try to loosen my grip on
Xandra’s fingers, because if I keep squeezing them like this, I may end up
breaking one.  Or two.  “And as I have heard tales of you and your husband’s
treatment of Mrs. Smith.  And personally witnessed your husband try to kill
Xandra.  You can understand my hesitation to believe you to be anything more
than a distraction while your husband gathers seven other Witches to take on
one Witch Fairy.”

Her eyes are full of pure,
unadulterated hatred, but her words are wheels made for backpedaling.  “Yes, I
can understand why there is hesitation to trust me.  It simply took me by
surprise that I would be making a blood oath with a Fa…with you.” 

Xandra tries to wiggle her
fingers, letting me know that I am squeezing too hard again.  Just as I am
ready with my retort, Xandra’s father crosses his ghostly arms and says, “That’s
the deal, Athear.  Take it or leave it.” 

Correcting her posture so
that she is sitting bone straight, the woman says, “I will make a blood oath
with whomever you would like.  I am here to help.”

The one that looks the least
sure about this is Xandra’s mother.  She may desire her mother’s company, but
the worry lines on her face go a long way to prove that her doubts are almost
as great as the rest of ours.  “Are you sure, Mother?” 

Squaring her shoulders
again, the woman says.  “Yes, Quillian, I am.”

“Her name is Juilienne,”
growls Xandra’s father. 

She inclines her head
towards him.  “Of course.  It will take some getting used to on my part, but I
will adjust.  Are we ready to begin?”

That is my cue.  To the
Witch spirit, I say, “If you do not object, I would like to set the terms of
the blood oath.”

She hesitates a moment, but
it does not take her long to relent.  Honestly, I cannot believe she hesitated
at all.  This is Xandra’s safety we are dealing with.  Surely, that comes
before a mother whose actions have had her on the run for all these years.

“Okay.”  Then she turns
towards her mother.  “Mother, please take the knife and add your blood to the
bowl.”

The woman is about to grab
for the knife when she pulls her hand back and her breath catches.  Accusation
clear in her voice, she says, “You are using your athame for a blood ritual?” 

“It’s a little late to be
concerned about that.”  The Witch Fairy says pointedly.  Xandra has told me
about how her mother had to stab two guards to get away from her parents.  “It
has already shed blood.  A little more will not make a difference.”

Good lord, is the woman
actually going to cry over a knife?  There are bigger things for her to be
worried about at the moment.  After she finally drips several drops of blood
into the bowl, she hands me the knife.  Athames are a Witch thing.  It does not
bother me at all to use it.  I repeat the process of stabbing my finger and
letting the blood drift in the bowl.

“Speak the words of the
oath,” the Witch spirit says.

Gladly.  I am going to make
sure that this woman can cause no harm to Xandra or her parents.  Trying not to
look smug, I begin.  “By this blood, let Queen Athear Levex join me in my oath
to protect Xandra Illuminata Smith from harm or death, whether by magical,
natural, spiritual, Cowan, blood relative or any otherworldly means.  This
binding will forsake previous loyalties forged by blood, marriage, debt or
friendship.  If we choose to sacrifice our own lives for our cause, our dying
breath will be spent in an effort to fulfill the promises set forth with this
binding.”  Death can be painful, but death from a broken blood oath?  Much more
so.  It is like burning from the inside out.  Slowly.  “Let the laws of the
Sheehogue take precedence over Witch law in concerns to this binding, and let
the Witch and Fairy magic come together as a force to hold this oath true and
unable to be unbound by either.”  Suddenly, the woman looks smug.  I have a
very bad feeling about this. 

As Xandra’s mother recites
the words for the blood oath binding, I go over the oath in my head, trying to
figure out why the woman is smug.  “Bound by blood, moon and tide, by this oath
you must abide.  If by traitorous heart you deceive, or by lack of courage you
mislead, count that breath to be your last, as the earth will claim its next
repast.”  

Our blood sparks as it comes
together and a billow of smoke rises from the bowl.  When it clears, the blood
has turned the color of amber.  Why?  Because I just got my answer as to why
the woman is feeling smug.  Angel blood reacts differently to blood oaths than
any other magical being’s.  She is an Angel.  And even her daughter does not
know this.  And now, because I was so meticulous with my oath, I am bound under
Sheehogue law to keep her secret according to a treaty created centuries ago. 
I cannot even imagine how pissed Xandra is going to be about me not explaining
what just happened.  I lock my eyes with the Angel’s and I know she senses the
cold fury rising behind mine.  I will find a way to get even with her for
this. 

Leaning over the bowl,
Xandra asks, “What was that?”

Xandra’s mother turns to the
Angel.  “Did you attempt to nullify the oath?”

The Angel closes her eyes
and sighs.  “No, I did not."  Opening her eyes again, she tells a lie so
outrageous, even I am stunned.  “That is what happens when a Witch and a Fairy
form a blood oath.”

“Is that true?” Xandra asks.

Bound by Sheehogue law, I
may not willingly identify an Angel to others.  So, if I say that she is lying,
I will simply have to come up with yet another lie to cover this up.  I weigh
this in my mind and decide that one lie is better than two.  I will most
definitely seek revenge for this.  Soon.  “It can.” I say through tight lips.  Then
add, “The oath is complete.”