Shadow Blood: Kallen's Tale (Witch Fairy #4.5) (2 page)

When it is finally settled, I follow Xandra through the gateway and into the cold Cowan winter of her realm.  The snow is knee deep so my shorts and t-shirt are not quite compatible with the weather.  I do not plan to be here long enough to bother changing though. 

Xandra opens the front door and leads me to the far end of the house where the garage and her aunt’s lab is.  I had not been in this part of the house during my brief stay.  Mostly out of lack of interest but also to respect her aunt’s work space.  Assessing the room, I have to say that her aunt has some rather clever looking machines.  I have no idea what they do nor do I care enough to ask.  All I know is that they helped make this mess that Xandra now has to fix.  I am tempted to take my frustration out on them but I somehow refrain.  Mostly because I believe it would anger Xandra.

Her brother and aunt are sitting peacefully on reclining chairs.  It is hard to imagine that their bodies are just empty shells right now.  They are still breathing on their own and they do not seem to be in any physical distress.  There are simply no souls in their bodies.

“I can’t believe Aunt Barb let Zac be in here when she tried this,” Xandra says shaking her head.

Her father, whom we did not know followed us in here, startles us when he says, “We thought the same thing, but I believe she was tinkering and it just sort of happened.  She hadn’t said a word to your mother or me about doing any experimentation today.”  She should not have been doing any type of experiments at all on things she does not understand.  I wisely keep that thought to myself.

Xandra looks up at me.  “I’ll take Zac if you’ll carry Aunt Barb.”

That is already a given.  I smile to myself at the thought of Xandra carrying a woman taller and a bit stockier than herself.  Scooping her aunt up into my arms, I wait for Xandra to lift her brother.  It takes her several attempts to find a position where she can carry his unconscious weight.  I keep my face schooled the entire time.  With the way her nerves are stretched at the moment, she would probably draw enough magic to toss me over the mountain if I laughed at her expense. 

I walk slowly to make sure that she can keep up with me.  I wait outside the front door for her to pass and then I pull the door closed after us.  Xandra and her parents would be greatly displeased to have their house invaded by animals seeking shelter from the cold.  I use magic to turn the door lock as well. 

Stepping back through the gateway, I gesture to Kegan with my head and he takes Zac from Xandra’s arms.  With a quick nod to Xandra, Kegan and I bring her aunt and brother into the house.  We carry them upstairs to one of Grandmother’s many guest rooms and set them both down on the large bed.  Neither of their bodies has shown any sign of life this whole time other than their soft, shallow breaths.  Eerie is the best word to describe them at the moment.  Their skin is deathly pale which is emphasized by the forest green comforter underneath them.  That is definitely going to up the worry quotient for Xandra and her parents.

Chapter 2

We are soon joined in the room by Grandmother, Xandra and her parents.  Her mother comes to hover next to the bed and her son.  Without looking up, she says, “Will you please move his arms slightly closer to his body?  He doesn’t look comfortable.”  I am sure that it does not matter either way, but I move them just the same.

When I finally have Zac adjusted to her liking, Xandra’s mother says, “What’s the plan?”

“Kallen and I are going to the Shadow world and we’ll get them out.”  Xandra sounds a lot more confident than I know she really is.  Impressive.

“Kallen, will you please send Dagda a message?” Grandmother says.  The tension level in the room has just increased to supernova status.  Easing into this conversation would probably have been better than just ripping the scab off the relatively fresh wound Xandra’s family has suffered because of Dagda.

“I thought you said he wouldn’t be a problem,” Xandra’s mother accuses the room in general.

Grandmother inclines her head in agreement.  “There will be no problems.  But he is King of this realm and if we are going to possibly set Shadows free within it, he should have a plan in place.”

While the two of them work this out, I go ahead and send Dagda a message.  He hates it when I do this as much as Kegan does.  I give him a brief description of the situation and suggest politely that he monitor the situation from afar.  I am sure he will completely ignore my suggestion.

To Xandra, Grandmother says, “You can fill your parents in on what we know and I will wait downstairs for Dagda’s arrival.”  She knows as well as I do that Dagda will be here as quickly as his carriage can bring him.

Xandra hesitates a moment before saying, “Do you guys know what the Shadow world is?”  You guys.  What an odd expression considering her mother is female therefore not a ‘guy’. 

Her mother says yes and her father says no.  I am impressed that her mother is so well informed.  I did not think Witches still taught their children of such things.  I suppose with an Angel for a mother, she was privy to a lot of information other Witches were not.

As Xandra explains the Shadow world, her father’s usual pallor is quickly replaced by several shades of vivid red.  When she is finished, he turns to his wife and grinds out, “Julienne, how can we send her in there?  Can’t we try to find them first?”

Xandra’s mother shakes her head sadly.  “Without a body waiting for us in another realm, we would be stuck there forever.”  I suddenly have a problem withholding my irritation.  If she knew this much about it, why did she allow her sister-in-law to continue with her research?  Especially in her home with her children around.  If I continue to bite my tongue like this it may stop being able to function at all.

“I would rather have that than have both of our children in Hell,” Xandra’s father growls.  I feel badly for him.  He is truly helpless in all of this.  At least her mother has retained most of her ability to perform magic, but being a Cowan, he has no power whatsoever.  And even less knowledge of what is now going on around him.

Xandra feels his helplessness as well; I can hear it in her voice.  Gently, she says, “Dad, really, this is the best plan.” 

Tabitha is a little less gentle but still reassuring.  She says firmly, “I am afraid Xandra is right.  But, we will all do our best to make sure the four of them come back safe and sound.”  Xandra’s father has no choice but to nod his consent whether he is happy about it or not.

No one knows what else to say and the silence in the room is becoming suffocating.  “Would you like a tour of the house?” Tabitha asks to fill the void. 

Xandra’s mother shakes her head.  “Maybe later, but thank you.”

Tabitha nods.  “I will be downstairs if you need anything.”

Xandra walks to her mother and attempts to put a reassuring arm around her ghostly figure.  I see her stifle a shiver as she comes into contact with her mother’s icy cold form.  “I’m sorry, Mom.”

“This is not your fault,” her mother says.  “I should have steered Barb away from this research a long time ago.  I was always afraid something like this would happen.  I just can’t believe Zac got caught up in it as well.  I’ve tried so hard to protect you two from magic.” 

My temper starts to rise.  She should not have been protecting them
from
magic.  She should have been teaching them how to
use
their magic to keep themselves safe.  I literally bite my tongue this time to keep from voicing my opinion.  And admitting that she knew this research was dangerous yet she let it continue?  My respect for her is diminishing by the second.

“I’ll get him back,” Xandra reassures her yet again.

Her mother is still not convinced.  With a half-hearted ‘I know you will’, she suggests that Xandra and I leave her and Xandra’s father to watch over the two bodies on the bed.  My anger flares again at the hurt in Xandra’s eyes that her mother just flat out does not believe she will be successful in saving them both.  Absolutely none of this is Xandra’s fault yet it is she who feels the guiltiest.  Horrendously unfair on her parents’ part.

Trying to hide the hurt in her eyes, Xandra says, “Okay.  I’ll let you know when we’re ready to leave.”

Taking Xandra’s hand in mine, we walk out of the room and close the door behind us.  Before we reach the stairs, I pull her close and rest my chin on her head.  “You are strong enough to do whatever needs to be done.  It may not always feel like it but my confidence in you is unwavering.  I simply get caught up in the idea that I cannot live without you sometimes.”

I feel her smile against my chest as she wraps her arms tightly around my waist.  “I’m not gullible enough to believe that you never have doubts but thank you.”  Leaning back in my arms she rises on her toes to bring her lips to mine.  Our emotions running rampant, we try to tell each other with this kiss that nothing will stop us from having a happy life together.  Not even hell.  With great disappointment, we finally separate and walk hand in hand down the two flights of stairs and down the hall to the kitchen. 

Chapter 3

Grandmother, Tabitha and Kegan are waiting for us.  Taking a seat at the counter, Xandra asks the room in general, “What do we have to do?”

“I do not believe getting to the Shadow realm will be a problem.  You will simply open a gateway,” Grandmother says.

Xandra’s brow crinkles.  “You think I can do that?”

“Yes,” she says firmly obviously realizing that she has to do her best to bolster Xandra’s confidence level.  “The tricky part is what do we send in with you?”

“What do you mean?”

I have to smile at her naivety.  “She means that we need to be armed with something that will protect us from the Shadows.”

Xandra is even more confused now. “Why can’t we just use magic?”

Her magical education is so desperately lacking.  My anger towards her mother flares again.  “Just as magic is different here than it is in your realm, the magic may be different in the Shadow realm.” 

“If there is magic at all,” Tabitha says as she gets up to get the whistling teapot from the stove.  I was trying to avoid saying that because I did not want to scare Xandra even more than she already is.  Too late now.

Xandra is aghast.  “There might not be magic?”

I sigh and try to explain it in a way she can understand.  “It is likely that the Shadow realm is devoid of magic.  The Angels would not want to let loose pure evil into a realm where it could combine energies to create spells.”  For some reason, she gives me a sour look.  What did I do?

“That is why we will have to send you in with something to protect you,” Grandmother goes on to explain.  Now she gets a sour look as well.  Is this one of those situations where we are trying to explain something and Xandra thinks we are being condescending?  If so, that is rather annoying.  How will she learn if we do not explain things to her? 

“Okay, what do you suggest?” Xandra asks with a fair amount of snarkiness in her voice.

“I believe that my crystals will be of some use.  Crystals carry their own magic,” Tabitha says.  “You can syphon some off if you need it.  You would have to be extremely careful not to let the Shadows get them away from you, though.”  Crystals are generally only used to anchor spells.  The amount of magical energy contained in crystals is slightly above insignificant but it cannot hurt to bring them along.  Even if it is just to make Tabitha feel better.

“Okay, anything else?” Xandra asks.

Considering it is the Shadow world, I am fairly certain the realm is rather dark.  “We will need light,” I say.

 “Anything else?”

I am about to respond when Dagda’s angry voice rumbles from the doorway.  “Isla, what is going on?”  Turning to me, he says.  “You know that I do not like to receive messages in my head.”  I bite the inside of my lip to keep from smiling.

Xandra speaks first.  “My brother and aunt are in the Shadow realm and I’m going there to save them.”

“What?!” Dagda bellows.

Xandra sighs dramatically and says, “I said…”

“I heard what you said.  I am just wondering why you said something so incredibly stupid.”  My turn to sigh.  Does he have a death wish?  The only person whom I know that has a temper as volatile as his is his daughter and he just keeps on provoking her.

Xandra glares at him.  “I don’t like you enough to let you get away with calling me stupid.”  That is a gross understatement.  Actively despises him is still a bit more accurate though her feelings may be softening slightly.

With the most self-control I have seen Dagda use in more years than I can remember, he says calmly, “Why on earth would you want to willing go into hell?” 

“I already told you,” Xandra says as if he is the stupid one.  She is not always the one on the receiving end of condescension; she gives as much as she gets.  “I’m going in after my brother and aunt who are stuck there.”

Frustration is barreling its way back into Dagda’s voice.  “If your brother and aunt have enough darkness on their souls to end up in the Shadow realm, why would you want to bring them out of there?”  I almost laugh at the misconception he has been laboring under.  I guess I was rather vague when I sent him my message in the name of brevity.  That was out of consideration for his pain, not to mislead him.