Witch Fairy book 3 (26 page)

Dagda gets up.  “Try to let me get closer this time.”

He gets about three steps this try.  That’s how it goes for the next ten minutes.  I let him get closer as my confidence in my defensive magic allows me to focus more on the offensive stuff.  I can’t believe that Dagda lets me keep hurting him like this.  Maybe it’s some kind of weird penance or something.

Finally, I let him get close enough to brandish the dagger before I throw him to the ground.  I hold him there, trying to use as little magic as possible.  I let him go after a minute.

“Excellent,” he says, still sounding out of breath.  Rising on shaky legs, he stands up.  “That was the right amount of offensive magic.  You did not send me across the room.  You simply incapacitated me.  No one around would be able to tell that you could have sent me flying through the wall if you had desired.  Considering your size and youth, others would probably think that you were simply lucky in taking me down at all.  You can use that to your advantage if you do not show your cards all at once.  Now, I want you to use the same amount of magic you used just then while I am still over here.”  He’s moved back to his original position about fifteen feet away.

I carefully pull magic, making sure I have the same amount, and fling it at him.  He goes down right where he is instead of going flying.  I hold him for a minute and then release him.  I can tell he’s getting tired, but he’s grinning.  “Perfect,” he says.  “Now, try it with Kegan.”

I scowl.  “No, I don’t want to hurt him.”  Dagda’s eyebrows crawl towards his hairline as what I said sinks in.  It’s okay to hurt him, but not Kegan.  In my defense, Kegan only tried to kiss me, not kill me.

“I would like to volunteer,” Kegan says.

I sigh.  “Kegan, if this is about last night…”

“No, I agreed to help with your training.  This is a way to help.”

I shrug.  “Okay, but trust me, it hurts.”

“I am ready.”

I pull the same amount of magic I used with Dagda and fling it in Kegan’s direction.  He drops like a fly to the mat.  Hmm, maybe I should have used a little less with him since he’s not as strong of a Fairy when it comes to magic.

“Very good,” Dagda says.  He turns around towards Isla.  “I would like to try something different now.  I will need your, Kallen’s and Tabatha’s assistance.”

They don’t look thrilled, but they join in.  Dagda arranges them so that they are crowded in front of Kegan.  “Alright, Xandra, now I want you to take Kegan down again without affecting the four of us with your magic.”

That’s going to be trickier.  I’ve never had to pick an enemy out of a crowd before.  I’ve always had a direct target.  It takes quite a few tries before I can do it without anybody else feeling the pain of my magic.  Even though Kallen’s still annoyed with Kegan, he takes pity on him several tries in and replaces him as my guinea pig.

This is how we spend most of the day.  We stop briefly for lunch, but then we’re right back into the training room.  I hate, hate,
hate
to admit it, but Dagda is a really good teacher.  He’s patient and he’s not afraid of being in the line of fire if that helps me learn, just like Kallen.  He also knows a lot of dirty tricks, on top of the more common war strategies, that I think could be helpful in desperate times.  By dinnertime, I feel like I have a much better hold on my magic.

The training has also kept us from dwelling on the fact that we might get blown up tonight.  That is, until around dinnertime when a wave of ear numbing blasts starts to occur.  We all start to run for the door, but Isla stops us.  “We need to make sure that the entire web stays intact.  I want someone on each side of the house.  If you see any cracks or holes, you let the rest of us know immediately.  Xandra and Kallen, you take the front of the house. Dagda, you and Tabitha take the back.  Kegan, you and Alita take the west side and I will take the east.”  We all murmur our agreement so we can get out of this room and discover our fate this evening.

Kallen and I split off from the group in the foyer, going through the large living room and out onto the first floor terrace.  From what I can see, it looks like the web is holding.  But, through the opaque wall of silk, it looks like a fourth of July fireworks display.  One after another, colorful streaks can be seen shooting off in all directions as bomb after bomb hits the external wall of the web.  It would be beautiful if its sole purpose wasn’t to kill us.

For several long hours, we watch and listen as the torrent continues.  I don’t know what they are making these bombs from, but they seem to have an endless supply.  I keep expecting the webbing to burst open and start letting them in, but it doesn’t.  It holds hour after hour.  Kallen has created a lounge chair and we’re snuggling together on it now that we have more confidence in the web.  His arm is around my shoulders and I’m laying my head on his chest.

It’s close to midnight when the bombs begin to let up.  Xeniaa and her followers must finally be figuring out that they aren’t going to get through.  A few minutes later, they stop altogether.

Relieved, Kallen and I stand up to go in the house and find the others.  A loud, sultry voice stops us in our tracks.  “Kallen, you will not be able to stay in there forever.  You will have to come out sometime.  You could end all of this right now by abiding by the hand-fasting that occurred in our infancy.  Once Dagda is out of the way, you and I can rule this kingdom together.  I will even forgive you for breaking the vows of our hand-fasting with the Witch Fairy that somehow managed to catch your eye.  Her magic may be strong, but she has only fought against Cowan Fairies.  She will not be able to stand against the army of full-blooded Fairies I have assembled.  End this before innocent lives are taken.  You and I together will be the strongest rulers this realm has ever seen.”

I look up at Kallen’s angry face.  “What did she mean by innocent lives?” I ask.

Through a clenched jaw, he says, “I do not know.”

Well, at least he hasn’t kept anything more from me.  “Maybe you should respond to her.”

“I agree,” Isla says from behind me.  She scared me to death.  She’s way too quiet.

“Grandmother, I do not believe she is willing to hear what I have to say.  Nor how I want to say it to her.”

Isla purses her lips, trying to discern how serious he is.  “Very well, I will respond.  You two may want to cover your ears, this will be quite loud.”  As if she’s using a megaphone, Isla’s voice rings out loud and clear.  “Xeniaa, this is foolishness.  There was not a hand-fasting, and there never will be one, between you and Kallen.  End this madness.”

“Dear Isla,” Xeniaa says, the name slipping out of her mouth as if she had just coughed up some bile.  “You will be the first to go in my new regime.  I know that Kallen cares for you, but he will soon see that this is all for the best.  Oh, and Isla, all those precious Cowan Fairies you are always standing up for?  I am going to rid this realm of them one at a time.  Though, I may be willing to simply let them free when the gateways are reopened if you and Kallen learn to cooperate.  If not, I will have to start killing them as soon as tomorrow morning.  All Kallen has to do to stop me, is walk out of that atrocity by 9:00am and be ready to repeat our vows of hand-fasting.  Otherwise, I believe I will begin cleansing the realm with Alita’s mother.”

Now, I’m really mad.  I was pissed just to hear her voice, but now she’s gone too far.  She’s not going to threaten to kill Alita’s parents and get away with it.  A sob from behind me makes me turn around and gather her in a hug.  “It’s going to be okay.  I won’t let her hurt them.”

Magic is flowing into me at an alarming rate.  I’m going to lose control any second now.  Dagda’s smooth voice cuts through Alita’s sobs.  “Xandra, we need to be smart about this.  You cannot let your magic cloud your judgment.  Who knows how many lives it will cost if you go barreling out of here with unchecked magic.”

Wow, who would have thought that Dagda would end up being the voice of reason here?  “What do you want me to do then?  I know you don’t value human lives, but I do.  I will not let her kill Alita’s mother.”

“Nor will I let her take my Kingdom.  We have nine hours to figure out how to accomplish both things.”

I want to growl and stomp my foot, I’m so frustrated.  Instead, I focus on letting my magic go.  It’s so hard.  I’m just so mad.  I do manage to force it back down eventually.

“Now,” Dagda says as he sweeps his hand towards the doorway, “shall we retreat to the kitchen for sustenance as we plan Xeniaa’s defeat?”

I don’t like him like this.  My feelings were much clearer regarding him when I first got here. Now, there’s a teeny, tiny part of me that wants to like him.  I’m going to suffocate that part of me and then squash it for good measure.  I cannot let my guard down around him.  “Fine.”  I walk past him towards the kitchen.  I’m definitely hungry now that I’m not afraid of further attack right now.

It takes several hours for us all to agree on a strategy.  Rhiannon has stayed in her room all day, but I lock her door anyway to keep her from coming out and hearing our plan.  When the last detail is ironed out, and each of us has lost our pound of flesh, we retire for the evening.  I should say, for the early morning.  Either way, I don’t think any of us are going to get much sleep.  This is not a situation where we all walked away from the table happy with the plan, even if it is the best plan possible for everyone involved.

When Kallen and I reach the top of the stairs, no one says anything about him following me to my room.  Good thing, because I’m not in the mood to argue about it right now.  Closing the door after him, Kallen gathers me in his arms and holds me tight.  “I am sorry you have been put in the middle of this.”

I can’t help a short laugh.  “I believe I’ve put you in the middle of several dangerous things.”

He chuckles softly.  “Are you saying we are even?”

I nod my head against his chest.  “Yes.  Would you mind terribly if I take a hot bath?”

Stepping back, he says, “Of course not.  That will do wonders for your current anxiety.”

Me?  Anxious?  Nah, this is becoming my normal state of being.  I give him a smile that I hope isn’t sad and I retreat to my bathing room.  Taking off the clothes Tabitha had made for me, I slip into the water and lay my head back against the tub.

About five minutes later, I’m surprised when the tub fills with perfumed bubbles.  I smile.  These must be Kallen’s doing.  I lean my head back again and close my eyes, enjoying the relaxing scent of lilacs.

That’s why I’m so startled when Kallen says next to my ear, “If I promise to stay on my side of the tub, may I join you?”

My eyes fly open and the first thing I check is how exposed I am.  Looking down, all I can see is bubbles, thank goodness.  That must be why he created them; so I wouldn’t be embarrassed when he came in.  It didn’t work.

“Um, okay.”  I notice he has swimming trunks on.  That makes me feel a little better.  And now I’m wearing a bikini as well.  I smile.  “You think of everything.”

He grins as he steps into the tub and sits opposite me.  The tub is so large, our feet don’t even touch in the middle.  “I did not come in here to pressure you into a compromising situation.  I simply want to relax with you.”

I understand that, but I still frown.  “Wouldn’t Isla consider this a hand-fasting offense?”

He closes his eyes as he leans his head back.  “Regardless of what happens between us, I will not force you into a hand-fasting and neither will my grandmother.”  He opens his eyes again and looks at me with his serious eyes.  “The only way you and I will ever be hand-fasted is if you are one hundred percent sure that is what you want.  Not a moment sooner.”