The First Spell Weaver of Airendell: Book Two of the Airendell Chronicles (55 page)

Bellona sighs, and says, “I am not as strong as the others here.  I am ready now.  Vali, would you come with me?  I would like to talk to you for a bit.”  Vali comes to the Lady and extends his arm to her.  She lightly places her hand on it and bids everyone a good night, and then allows Vali to lead her to her chamber.

The group resumes light chatter for a few minutes until Tena returns with the cup of warm milk for Morna.  She looks around in surprise.  Kylor stands and says, “Dear Tena, I am to have you show me to my parent’s quarters and deliver the milk to my Mother.”

Kyle stands and takes the cup from the confused Tena, “Thank you Ma’am,” he tells Tena politely.  “I can show my brother to Mom and Dad.  I am almost ready for bed myself.”  He walks towards the door and says, “Come on, bro.”

Kylor joins him, “Kyle, I am truly gratified by the reception I have received.  I am so happy you, Aiden and Nora live.  I thought I had missed the chance to get to know you.”

Kyle chuckles, “Bro, I can’t tell you how happy we are to find we have a big brother.  Mom and Dad are out of their minds with joy.”

When Kyle and Kylor arrive at their parent’s suite, Luca quickly takes the milk to Morna and then brings his sons into the small study.  He has been going over the prophesies again. Kylor and Luca sit on the sofa and chat quietly about Bellona and her work with women and children that are devastated by wars.  Kyle is listening but wanders over to the desk.  At first he skims the notes that Luca has made in his perfect handwriting, and then he starts looking at the copies of the original prophesies.  “Hey Dad, is this stuff supposed to be accurate?”  He asks holding up the originals.

“Kyle, can you read that?” Luca asks.

“Yeah, I don’t know how I am doing it, but I am.  I can read these symbols as easily as I can read your notes on it.  But I think you made a couple of mistakes in your translation.”  Kyle says as he continues to read intently. 

Luca joins Kyle at the desk and says, “Show me, Son.” 

Kyle points out a couple of minor grammatical errors in Luca’s translation and then finally points to the part about Aiden, with the help of his older brother, delivering the final blow to Valgullveig, “That should be plural.  The original says brothers.  I guess it means Kylor and me.”

Morna had come to the doorway by then and had been listening to their conversation.  “Luca, I was going to mention that to you.  I thought it might be saying that.  But it didn’t make sense until we found out Kylor lives.”  Morna pads into the study and strokes Kylor’s cheek, “Welcome to your home, my son.”  She crooks her finger at him and he bends down and she kisses him on the cheek.  She walks over to her mate and other son, and kisses both of them. 

Kylor watches her move across the room with the smooth grace that most great warriors exhibit.  Her hair is wet and wild looking.  She isn’t wearing any make up or a fancy suit.  Instead she is wearing shorts, a tank top, and no shoes.  There are no traces of the vicious scars he had seen on her body when he saw her last in Oklahoma.  “Mother, was it the venom that healed your scars?”

“What scars?” demands Kyle.

“From the crash, baby,” Morna says quietly.  “Yes Kylor, your father’s venom healed me completely from all of those injuries.  He and I can still see faint traces of the scars, but the naked human eye cannot.”

“How badly were you really hurt, Mom?” Kyle asks.

“I should have died Kyle.  The witch healed me just enough to allow me to survive.  If I had died by her hand, she would have lost her immortality.  The UCI would have tracked her down.  It’s a rule among immortals of our kind.  We can only take the life of another ascended immortal if they are threatening our own lives.  It keeps us from petty squabbles, well usually.  She is a former Spell Weaver.  Her hatred for me is strong, but not strong enough to willingly give up her immortality.”

“I saw that jagged piece of metal get plunged into your chest.  What other injuries were there?”  Kyle asks persistently.

“Baby, you really don’t want to know all of the details,” Morna says in a quiet but firm voice.  Kyle looks frustrated and a little bit angry at his mother’s response, but he doesn’t argue with her.

Kylor looks at his brother, and then to his mother.  “I know that I only just met him, but he seems strong enough to handle it.  I would like to know as well.”

Morna sighs, “Okay.  My skull was fractured, the left half of my face was injured.  My left arm, pelvis, and left leg were all damaged.”

“She means crushed and half of her face was ripped off,” says Luca quietly.

Morna flashes a look of irritation at Luca, but it is gone in an instant.  Morna looks back at Kyle, “It was bad, baby.  Luca wove a lot of healing spells in the hospital or I probably wouldn’t have survived in that mortal body.  When I started getting my memories back, my body started getting stronger.  I guess I spontaneously started healing.  And then the venom finished the healing.”

Kyle looks at Luca, “Did she suffer a lot?”

“Unspeakably.” Luca says honestly.

“Really, Luca?”  Morna snaps.  “Sorry darling.  I just didn’t want them to know that.”

“Sorry Morna, they are grown men and deserve to know the whole truth.”  Luca says quietly.

“I know, mo chroí, and I am sorry I snapped at you.  But these young men are my babies.  They may be grown men, powerful ones at that, but they are my babies,” Morna says with deep feeling.

Luca takes her into his arms, and says, “I don’t care if you snap at me you old harridan.” And then he kisses her gently.  “Sorry baby.  I know Kyle is young and you want to protect him, but he is more mature than any other fifteen year old I have ever met.  And he will have to be because he has a lot ahead of him.  And Kylor is six hundred and forty seven years old, he can definitely handle the whole story.”  Luca and Morna both look stricken when Luca says that last part.  Luca looks at Kylor and says, “I can’t believe Valgullveig robbed us of all that time with you.  We can‘t let my grandfather or anyone else keep this family apart ever again.” 

Kylor goes to them and wraps his arms around both of them, “Mother, Father, I am sorry.  I should have come to you sooner, but I was fearful for Bellona.  She risked everything to keep me safe.  But I should have confronted Mars sooner.”

Morna turns to him and pats his cheek.  “But you did come to us.  I think you came to check on us many times.  I felt you many times over the centuries, I just couldn’t understand what I was feeling.”

“That’s true.  But I couldn’t stay long because Valgullveig and Mars have had a very long standing, on again, off again affair.  I couldn’t risk leading either one of them to you.  Not until you were powerful enough to deal with them.  When I heard you were in Asgard, with Father, and were described as a powerful warrior goddess, I hoped that now was the right time.  So I challenged Mars, barely defeated him, and gained Bellona’s freedom.”  Kylor says humbly.

“Wow!”  Says Kyle with a grin on his face.  “I have some bold footsteps to follow with you people for my family.”  Everyone laughs.  And Kyle says, “Mom, you need anything?  I was going to go get a coke.  You want one?”

“Sure, son, thank you.” Morna says with a laugh.

“Kylor?” Kyle asks. 

“Nah kid, I am good.  Thanks though.”  Kylor says, quickly picking up on the vernacular.

Morna and Luca look at each other and Luca says, “We have company coming.  The twins want to meet their cousin.”  Morna gets an indecipherable look on her face, and looks away quickly.  Luca looks to Kyle, and says, “Can you show them the way in before you go to the kitchen?”

“Sure Dad.  Be back soon Mom.  I may get a sandwich while I am at it.  I am hungry again,” Kyle says blithely as he sails out of the study.

“Who are the twins?  How do I have any cousins?”  Kylor asks in confusion.

“Valgullveig’s children.  She mated with Lootz, the leader of the giants.  They were present today, with the envoys from Utgard.  Lootz was in Airendell today, and will be there for our vow renewal ceremony.  He is a good friend of mine,” says Morna.

“Can we trust her children?” asks Kylor.

“Yes, they were raised by their father.  They have cut all ties with their mother long before I was even born,” Morna says with an uncomfortable expression on her face.

“Don’t you trust them Mother?  You get a funny look on your face when you talk about them,” Kylor asks.

“Let’s just say your Mother has reasons to have mixed feelings about them.  But they are firmly on our side and she knows that.  She tries to make them feel welcome,” Luca says tactfully.

Kylor nods and doesn’t ask any more questions because he can hear Kyle leading them into the study.  When the twins walk in, Kylor almost chokes.  Morna meets his eyes, and looks away quickly.  They all greet the newcomers and engage in small talk for a few minutes before Morna excuses herself.  Kylor watches after his mother thoughtfully.  She is very uncomfortable, but hiding it well.  After a short while she excuses herself, saying she is tired. 

After about five minutes, Kylor excuses himself to go after her.  Luca wonders what the hell all that is about, but focuses on talking strategy with Annie and Lou.  Annie has actually encountered Mars before.  She had watched him in battle and is relaying what she observed to Luca.  Luca is confident that Morna is hearing all of this so he asks numerous questions. 

Kylor can’t find his mother in the dining room, sitting room or the bedroom.  Finally, he realizes she must be holed up in the bathroom.  He knocks on the door softly but she doesn’t answer.  “Mother, I know you are in there.  I am coming in.”  He finds her sitting cross legged on the floor with her face buried in her hands.  He sits in front of her quietly for a few minutes.  He becomes concerned and tries to pry her hands off of her face. 

At first she won’t allow him to budge her hands, and finally she drops her hands and says, “Oh Hell!  I guess I must face another round of shame for my past indiscretions.  You recognize Lou, don’t you?”

“Yes I do, Mother.  But you won’t face any shame on account of me.”  When she looks away, Kylor says, “Mother look at me, please.”  Several seconds pass and she still won’t meet his eyes.  “Mama, please look at me.”

She slowly turns to look at him and his heart is broken by what he sees.  Tears of shame are streaming down her face, and she can barely look at her own son.  “Kylor, I swear I didn’t know, son.  Lou didn’t know either. I swear.”

Kylor picks his mother up and pulls her into his lap.  “Mama, I knew that before you ever said anything.  You had three husbands, and a few lovers in different incarnations.  Every single one of them before Father found you.  You never even looked at another man after Father found you each time.  I am sure he knows that, if I do.  You were reborn a mortal each time with no memories of lives that had gone before, how could you have known.  You didn‘t even know the world of magical beings even existed.  You didn‘t even know you had a sister, much less a niece and nephew.”

“Kylor, I am so, so very sick with shame over this.  I feel dirty.  I feel physically sick every time I look at him or think of him.  Breena and Rinda were able to remove his memories of what happened.  But the technique they used won’t work on me.  I am stuck with those memories for as long as I live.  And I suspect that will be a very, very long time.  It is not just who he is that makes me feel that way, but the fact that he was in love with me and I didn’t have any feelings for him but casual friendship.  I used him.  I was trying to fill some huge, indescribable emptiness in my life.  Good people just don’t do things like that.”

“Mama, did you ever deceive him, trick him, or intentionally harm him in anyway?” Kylor asks softly.  Morna shakes her head no.

“Well, I saw you two together.  It was obvious that he was in love with you, but it was also obvious that you just didn’t see it.  You were totally oblivious.  To you, he was just a friend,” Kylor says softly.

“I keep telling myself that.  Breena and Rinda have told me that.  Your father has told me that.  I know that, but it doesn’t change the way I feel.  I will always, always feel dirty because of it.  In time I will come to cope better, I am sure.  But it will never, ever go away,” Morna says despondently. 

Morna starts to move away from her son, but he holds her firmly and starts humming softly.  “Rest, Mama.  Just rest.  It will look better in the morning.”

After an hour Luca decides whatever exactly is going on between his son and his wife, he must go check on Morna.  After they left the study Luca continued to chat with Annie and Lou about tactics to use with Mars.  When Kyle came back, he was troubled by emotions he was feeling from his mother, Luca told him telepathically that she would be fine, and she would really appreciate it if he would use his off switch, so she could heal in private.  The youth complied eagerly, grateful for the off switch because Morna’s pain was intense.  The boy goes to bed and Luca makes excuses for Morna and Kylor to Annie and Lou.

“I can’t imagine how much I would want to spend time with my son if he was returned to me after over six hundred years.”  Annie says as she ushers her brother out of their suite.  She suspects that Lou’s presence is causing Morna the pain and shame she feels.  But what really confuses her is that it is obvious that Kylor knows their history.  She prays Kylor can say something that will give Morna peace.  Annie really likes and respects Morna, but is afraid that she and Lou will have to leave, because they are painful reminders.