Relentless (9 page)

16. TELLING ALL -- ALMOST

JUDY’S FACE LIT UP
when she opened the door to see Leesa and Rave standing there.

“Sweetheart! What a nice surprise.” Her eyes narrowed worriedly. “Nothing’s wrong, is it?”

Leesa shook her head and smiled. “Nothing’s wrong, Mom. Can’t a girl visit her mother without something being wrong?”

“Of course, of course. Come in.” Judy and Leesa shared a loving hug in the doorway before Judy stepped to the side so Leesa and Rave could enter.

“Bradley!” Judy called. “We’ve got company.” She turned back to Leesa. “Your brother is studying in his room. I know he’ll be happy to see you.”

Bradley came hurrying out of his room and enveloped Leesa in a warm embrace. “Hey, Pumpkin. To what do we owe the pleasure?” He nodded a greeting to Rave over his sister’s shoulder.

Bradley released Leesa and backed up a step so he could see her face.

Leesa decided there was no point in putting things off. “I wanted to talk to Mom. I’m going to tell her about that thing you and I talked about a couple of weeks ago.”

Bradley glanced at his mom for a brief moment before turning back to Leesa.

“Are you sure?”

Leesa nodded. “Yeah. There’s a reason I need to.”

“Tell me what?” Judy asked. “Have you two been keeping secrets from me?”

“Not really the two of us,” Leesa replied. “It’s been mostly me. I only told Bradley a little while ago.”

“Well, out with it, then,” Judy said. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“I think we should all sit down first.” Leesa moved toward the couch. “This may take awhile.”

“Whatever you say, dear.” Judy settled down onto one end of the couch.

Leesa was bit puzzled by the look she saw on her mom’s face. She didn’t appear upset, or even surprised. Instead, her expression was almost smug. Leesa didn’t know what to make of it, so she brushed the thought aside and sat down beside her mom. Rave sat on Leesa’s other side and Bradley plopped down onto the recliner, which he kept in an upright position.

“This is all probably going to sound a bit strange, Mom,” Leesa began, “but it’s all true, I promise you.”

Judy’s brow furrowed. She looked perplexed now, which was more in line with what Leesa had been expecting to see earlier. Finally, her face brightened.

“Stranger than being bitten by a one-fanged vampire?” Judy asked. “Stranger than Bradley being kept captive by a vampire? Stranger than my daughter marrying a vampire hunter with magical blue fire inside him? Just what do you think you can tell me that’s going to sound stranger than any of that?”

Leesa grinned. “Point taken, Mom. Maybe strange was the wrong word. Still, I think you’ll be surprised.” She paused for a moment and then decided just to come out with it. “I’m a wizard, Mom. I have magical powers.”

Judy’s jaw dropped slightly. Leesa was right—her revelation was indeed a total surprise.

“You’re a wizard?” Judy asked after she collected herself. “You mean like Harry Potter?”

“No, not like…well, I guess a little like Harry Potter. We both can do magic. I don’t need a magic wand, though.”

Judy thought about it a bit more. “How long have you been a wizard?” she asked finally.

Leesa had to think about how to answer that. “Technically, all my life, I guess. But I only found out last year.”

She repeated the story she had told Bradley, about Dominic imparting magic to her while she was still in the womb, about how her powers started materializing when she turned eighteen, and about how Dominic had finally found her and began training her.

“Can you do magic pretty much anytime you want?” Judy asked when Leesa was done explaining that part of the story. “What can you do? Can you show me some right now?”

Leesa was surprised and happy her mom was taking all this so well. “Sure.”

She called up a yellow illumination globe with her right hand, and then a blue one with her left. She let them both float there for a moment.

“Go ahead and touch one,” she told her mom. “They’re not hot.”

Judy reached out and cautiously stuck the tip of her index finger into the yellow sphere. She held it there for a moment, then pushed her finger farther in.

“I don’t feel anything. It’s like it’s not even there, yet I can see it.” She pulled her finger out. “What else can you do?”

Leesa used her telekinesis to lift a book off the coffee table. She guided it smoothly into her mother’s hands.

Judy grinned like a little kid as she accepted the book. “That’s pretty useful.” She put the book down on the arm of the couch. “So, where’s this Dominic guy now? Why haven’t I seen him around? Why haven’t I met him?”

Leesa sighed. “That’s another long story.” She recounted their battle with the black waziri and Dominic’s final confrontation with the Necromancer. “Dominic followed the Necromancer into the table right before it shrank down. That’s the last I saw of him.”

Like she had done when she explained this to Bradley, she pulled her invisible ring off her finger. Judy grinned again when the beautiful jeweled ring popped into sight, seemingly out of nowhere.

“Dominic is still alive,” Leesa explained. “Or, at least he’s not dead. If he were, I’d feel it in the ring. Rave and I have the table tucked away in a safe place, in case I ever figure out a way to help Dominic.”

Judy took a moment to digest that last part. “Just promise me you won’t do anything foolish,” she said finally.

“I promise, Mom. Don’t worry.”

Judy turned her head toward Bradley. “You’re not going to tell me that you have some kind of magic now, are you?”

Bradley grinned. “No, Mom. I’m just like you—an ordinary person with a somewhat extraordinary story in my past. Accent on ‘in the past.’”

“Amen to that,” Judy replied, smiling.

“There’s something else I need to tell both of you,” Leesa said. She paused for a moment, while Bradley and her mom looked at her expectantly. “I’m pregnant. Rave and I are going to have a son.”

Judy smiled knowingly. “I was wondering when you were going to get around to telling me.”

Leesa stared at her mother. “What? You knew? I don’t understand. How? I’m barely showing. In clothes, you can’t see it at all.”

Judy leaned toward Leesa and put her hand gently on Leesa’s stomach.

“I’m not sure how I knew, honey…I just knew. Maybe it’s a mother-daughter thing. Maybe it even has something to do with you being given magic while you were inside me. Whatever it is, I could just sense that you were pregnant.”

“Sis, that’s great news,” Bradley said. “You’ll be an awesome mom. When are you due?”

“I’m not sure. Volkaanes babies only take six months before they’re born. I’m not quite two months pregnant, so it could be anywhere between four and seven months.”

“Have you seen a doctor yet?” Judy asked.

Leesa shook her head. “That might cause problems. We already know the baby has magic. What kind, I’m not sure. It might be a mixture of Rave’s and mine. The energy is light green—what you would expect if you combine volkaane blue with waziri yellow. Whatever it is, I’m afraid doctors might not understand what they see in any exams. Our son is healthy—my magical bond with him tells me that. As long as it stays that way, I’m not going to any doctors.”

“I guess that’s wise,” Judy said, “but as a grandmother to be, I have to say that makes me a little bit nervous.”

“That’s one reason I waited to tell you, Mom. I didn’t want you to be worried.”

Judy thought for a moment. “So, is there a reason you’re telling me now? Are you trying to distract me from the fact that my only daughter is some kind of wizard and has been battling zombies and evil wizards behind my back?”

Leesa grinned. “No, Mom. Though I guess it worked for a little while, huh?”

“Why
ARE you telling us now?” Bradley asked. “You’re not showing—you could have waited. So why now?”

Leesa put her hand on her stomach and rubbed it slowly. “Because the little guy is beginning to get kind of frisky. Twice now, Rave and I have seen magical green energy coming out of here.”

Judy leaned forward to look more closely? “For real?”

Leesa removed her hand. “For real, Mom. But there’s nothing to see now. Rave and I figured we’d better let you know what was going on, just in case. It was either that or stop visiting you guys—and I didn’t want to stop visiting.”

“What does it look like—when the energy leaks out,” Judy asks. “Does it do anything?”

“Once it was a glowing spiral, which was kind of cool. The second time it was sort of like a roman candle. So far, it hasn’t done anything. I’m pretty sure he’s not controlling it—not yet, at any rate. It just sort of happens, without warning and for no apparent reason.”

“Do you think it could be affecting your magic at all, Sis?” Bradley asked. “I’m thinking about the maple syrup thing.”

Leesa drew in a deep breath. She had been wondering the same thing. “I’m not sure. At the time, I just thought it was my magic going a bit rogue, like it had done in the past, but now I wonder if maybe it wasn’t me who moved the pitcher. If it was the baby, it certainly couldn’t have been intentional.”

“I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear,” Judy said, “but I’d love it if it happened right now. All this magic stuff is so new to me. I’d love to see it.”

Leesa smiled. “You’re right, Mom. The fewer times it happens, the happier I’ll be. How about if I show you a little more of my magic instead?”

Judy nodded enthusiastically. “That would be great.”

Leesa looked around the living room, seeking something she could perform some wizardry on that her mom would enjoy. Her eyes lit upon a bedraggled philodendron hanging from the ceiling in a macramé basket. Judy didn’t have the greenest of thumbs, and the plant had definitely seen better days.

“Keep an eye on your plant, Mom.”

By now, Leesa could perform the plant growth spell merely by thinking it, but she thought chanting the spell would make for a better show.

“
Blitha egras sumuss
,” she said, waving her right hand in front of her with her index finger extended to enhance her performance even more.

Several healthy, dark green leaves began sprouting from the ends of the hanging limbs of the philodendron. They continued growing until they were as big as any of the older leaves on the plant.

“Wow, that’s pretty neat,” Judy said, her face bright with enthusiasm. “Not as neat as seeing my grandson do magic, mind you, but pretty darn neat.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I have a feeling your grandson will be doing plenty of magic, believe me.”

Leesa had no idea how true her words would turn out to be.

17. A NEW WORRY

THE BABY’S MAGIC LEAKED
outside of Leesa’s body twice more in the next three weeks. Both times were different from the first two incidents, as well as from each other. The first occurred early in the morning, just after Leesa had woken up but before she had gotten out of bed. She and Rave were lying next to each other talking when concentric rings of the familiar light green energy began emanating from Leesa’s stomach. The circles expanded in diameter as they floated up into the dimness before fading away. They reminded Leesa a little bit of the smoke rings a guy back at school used to blow when he was showing off. Leesa and Rave both touched the rings, and just like before, felt nothing but a little warmth for Leesa and a slight coolness for Rave.

The second occurrence happened when Leesa was out in the woods with Rave practicing magic. This time was different from the previous three in more than just the form of the energy—and it was much more disturbing, too. Leesa had been standing close to a small grove of mountain laurel bushes—the only greenery left in this part of the forest as winter began to tighten its grasp on New England. She was using her magic to make the nearest limb blossom with small pink and white flowers, even though it was long past the flowering season. Just as she was about to lean forward to sniff the new blossoms, several lightning-like bolts of green energy shot from her belly, striking the shrub. The flowers immediately shriveled up and fell to the ground. Even the tough, waxy green leaves withered and turned brown from the magic. Rave hopped up off the rock he was sitting on and hurried to Leesa’s side. The green bolts had ceased, but the damage to the plant remained.

They both stared at the withered branch for a moment, stunned by what they had just seen.

“I don’t suppose it was your magic that caused those flowers and leaves to dry up, was it?” Rave asked hopefully.

Leesa kept her eyes on the damaged limb. “No. It certainly wasn’t.”

Rave reached out and touched one of the shriveled leaves. Brittle and dry, it crumbled at his touch.

“I guess it had to be our son, then. Did it feel any different to you this time?”

Leesa shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. I wasn’t really paying any attention to the baby—and his magic ended so quickly.”

“Well, the effect was certainly different than the other times. It appears our son’s magic is no longer merely a visual thing. It has real consequences now.”

Leesa placed her palm on her stomach and turned her focus inward. Her bond with her child told her that everything was still okay. Their son was growing, for sure, but she couldn’t sense any other changes.

“Everything feels fine,” she assured Rave. “I guess I’m going to have to start paying more careful attention to the little guy, though. This could be embarrassing if it happened again in the wrong place.”

Rave pinched a second brittle brown leaf and felt it turn to dust between his thumb and fingers.

“And potentially dangerous,” he added. “Anyone who gets too close to you at the wrong moment could be in danger. Including me.”

Leesa felt a chill that had nothing to do with the winter air. She didn’t like the idea that Rave might have to keep his distance. No, she didn’t like that at all. But he was right. Until she figured out how to tell when her son was about to use magic, she was going to have to maintain a safe distance from everyone.

“My mom, Bradley and Cali will understand if I explain it to them,” she said after a moment. “Balin, too, of course. But what about Aunt Janet and Uncle Roger? Or Stacie and Caitlyn? How am I going to explain why I can’t give them a hug or stand too close to them? I may as well become a hermit.”

Rave wanted nothing more than to give Leesa a hug right then, but wasn’t sure it would be safe.

Leesa recognized the troubled look on his face immediately. She was pretty sure she knew what he was thinking.

“This sucks. You and I can finally do anything we want physically, and now we have to worry even about merely touching? This bites worse than when we couldn’t kiss because your fire might have fried me.”

Rave moved behind Leesa and circled his arms around her, embracing her from behind. He was careful to keep his arms away from her stomach, settling them just above her breasts instead.

“So far, all the magic has come out through your stomach. Maybe it’s safe back here.”

Leesa squeezed his muscular forearms, enjoying his touch even more than usual now that it seemed like it could be taken away from her.

“This feels really good, Rave.” She smiled, despite her new concerns. “I’m not sure this kind of hug will work with my family and friends, though.”

Rave tenderly lifted Leesa’s hair to the side and kissed her softly on the nape of her neck. She sighed as a shiver ran through her.

“Probably not,” he said. “But it works for me.”

Leesa arched her neck backward so that her cheek was touching his. “It works pretty well for me, too.” She reached behind him and grabbed his butt, pressing him forward against her. “I guess we’ve been married long enough now that we can try some new positions for making love, too.”

So that’s exactly what they did, right there in the privacy of the forest.

“Now THAT’S what I call magical,” Leesa purred as she lay on her back alongside Rave atop a soft carpet of dead leaves. Her clothes and Rave’s provided a blanket of sorts underneath her to keep the dry leaves from irritating her skin. Rave’s tougher flesh didn’t need any such protection. His heat kept them both warm, despite the chill air.

“Variety is the spice of life,” Rave replied. “Isn’t that something you humans like to say?”

Leesa smiled. “We do indeed. And I’ve never been more of a believer in it than I am right now.”

They lay in silence for a few minutes, staring up at a cloudless blue sky through a spiderweb of bare tree limbs. Finally, Leesa spoke.

“We’re going to have to move, you know.”

Rave turned his head and ran his finger down the outside of Leesa’s bare thigh.

“Why? I kind of like it here. Let’s stay here just like this and watch the seasons turn.”

Leesa leaned over and kissed Rave’s lips. “It’s tempting. I think I’d eventually get hungry, though.”

Rave grinned. “Yeah, there is that, I guess.”

“Besides, I wasn’t talking about leaving here. We’re going to have to move out of the volkaane settlement.”

Rave propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Leesa’s face. She could see the wheels turning behind his eyes as he processed what she had just said.

“Our son’s magic again,” he said finally, having put the pieces together. “And the power that slumbers beneath our village.”

“Exactly. We have no idea what kind of magic our son might release next. We can’t risk a sudden, stronger outburst disturbing that sleeping power. Dominic warned us about awakening it.”

“You’re right, of course.” Rave lowered his head back to the ground. “We need to get out of there—and sooner rather than later.”

“Let’s stay here for a while longer, then you can drop me off at my mom’s. I’ll sleep there tonight. And I’ll get on the computer and start looking for a place to rent. It shouldn’t be too hard to find something—I know you don’t need much in the way of amenities.”

“The fewer, the better.” Rave grinned. “Maybe you can even find us a place without electricity.”

Smiling, Leesa snuggled her cheek against Rave’s warm shoulder. “That’s the man I love.”