04 Shadow Blood - Witch Fairy (17 page)

Chapter 19

If Aunt Barb was a Fairy, or a Witch using magic, Kallen would be able to sense her power.  I would, too, but that’s another thing I’m not as good at as he is.  Since Aunt Barb is neither of those, we have to rely on our physical senses instead of magic.

About ten feet ahead of us, something big moves in front of Kegan, causing him to stop again.  And then something else leaps out of the dense area of trees to our left.  I know I’m supposed to be quiet, but when something as tall as you comes jumping out at you going about a hundred miles per hour, I think it’s well within normal behavior to let out a small shriek.  The narrowing of Kallen’s eyes in my direction tells me that we differ in opinion on the subject.

“It was only a pair of kangaroos,” he says as if I’ve committed some faux pas.

I put my hands on my hips and glare up at him.  “Yeah, well, we don’t have kangaroos in Colorado.  Excuse me for reacting to something out of the ordinary for me.”

“We disturbed some red kangaroos having their dinner,” Kegan explains.  “They like to feed at night.”

Ignoring Kallen, who I’m now annoyed with, I ask, “Are they always that big?”

Kegan nods.  “They can stand as tall as me and can weigh close to two hundred pounds.”

“Do they bite?” I ask, and I get an eye roll from Kallen.  I give him an even dirtier look and move away from him. 

Kegan smiles.  “They prefer not to be that close to you.  If disturbed, they will generally run off.  They are only dangerous if cornered.”

“Can we continue?” Kallen asks, his words short and clipped.

Kegan ignores him.  “If you corner them, they will first attack you with their front legs which have sharp claws.  If that is not effective, they will kick you with their hind legs.”

Ouch.  I saw the size of those legs.  That would really hurt.

“Are we finished with the kangaroo lesson now?” Kallen asks.

I wrinkle my nose at him.  “Why are you being such a jerk?  I’ve never been to Australia, I don’t know what the animals here do.”

“This is not Australia,” he says, obviously taking offense at the jerk comment.  “It is simply located in this realm where Australia would be in your realm.  Furthermore, as none of us have had much sleep, I am not in the mood to be in the forest any longer than necessary.”

“Well, I’m not in the mood for you not being in the mood.”

“What?”

I huff loudly.  “If you don’t want to be here, I’m sure Kegan can help me find my aunt.”  I don’t miss the grin Kegan gives Kallen.

“I would be happy to accompany you for as long as necessary.”

Okay, that wasn’t such a great idea to say that considering how murderous Kallen looks.  “You will accompany her nowhere.”

“Really?  You’re going to decide who I can be around?  I don’t think so.”  I don’t care how upset he’s getting.  He can’t tell me who I can and cannot spend time with.

“My apologies, I did not realize you were so eager for my cousin’s company.  Perhaps you were more conscious than you led me to believe when I came upon you in the kitchen.”

Oh, he did not just say that.  “You’re a jealous, pompous jerk.  And if you really believe that, then you should go back home right now.  I’ll find my aunt on my own.”

Kallen takes a deep breath and runs his hand through his hair.  I think he’s struggling to find the words that should be coming out from between his lips.  If he doesn’t say it in the next thirty seconds, I’m going to use my magic to send him home.

Knocking me to the ground is definitely not the same thing as an apology.  “Stay down!” he says as he gets up, and suddenly, he and Kegan are both armed with crossbows.  Using the tree in front of us as a shield, he leans out and lets one of his arrows fly.  Kegan does the same.  I have no idea what’s going on until I see the arrow stuck in a tree about a foot and a half from where I was standing.  Good thing they have experience with these things.  I had no idea what was going on.

A thought hits me.  Hard.  Please don’t tell me that I have another relative who wants to kill me.  Yes, I realize Aunt Barb isn’t quite herself right now, but since she’ll be the fourth, I’m starting to get a complex.  It feels like I got my family from Dysfunctions R Us.  On clearance.

Sitting up, something small and pointy zooms past me, grazing my right arm.  I’m pretty sure it’s only a flesh wound, but it sure does sting.  I look around me to find what it was and I find a narrow, six inch long arrow.  What would shoot out something like that?

“Xandra,” Kallen says, pulling on my hoodie.  “She has a blow dart gun.  You have to get behind me.  They are probably dipped in Zyleakia.”

Great, because I haven’t had enough of that in my system tonight.  I’m pretty sure this has been the longest night of my life, and from the looks of it, it’s going to get longer. 

While I am having my little reverie in my head, Kegan and Kallen are continuing to exchange arrows with Aunt Barb.  I wonder where she got hers?  I don’t think she had time to whittle them out here in the forest.  There must be some closet or something in Isla’s house where they keep ones that aren’t made of magic.

Another blow dart zipping past me brings me again back to the present.  This is ridiculous.  Standing up, I put out my hand as magic flows through me and a solid wall instantly forms, stopping any arrows Aunt Barb sends this way.

Even though most of my Witch magic goes wonky, when I’m really annoyed, the right spell for me to do sometimes pops into my head.  “Bound by anger, twisted with menace, trapped by Shadows alone in the darkness.  Still your body, find no flight in this endless night of bitterness and spite.  Weapons of wood, drawn to flame, end now this tiresome game.  Body and soul shall move no more, your freedom of motion I have forsworn.”

A burst of flame lights the forest as the blow gun in Aunt Barb’s hands burst into flames and is then dropped to the ground.  She is not far behind as her body becomes rigid and she is unable to move on her own.  I hope she didn’t get hurt in the fall.

I’m pretty sure she didn’t because instead of howling in pain, she starts cursing me and everyone else in this realm.  She has quite the mouth on her.  Her threats and name-calling have reached Olympic level in their ferocity and originality. I know I’d give her all tens if I was judging her category.  I hate to do it, but I create a gag for her.  There are some words I simply don’t want to learn. 

Letting my wall down, I start walking towards her.  Kallen and Kegan follow.  I stop a couple of feet away because I can’t stand to see my sweet aunt’s face contorted with such anger.  It actually brings tears to my eyes which I hastily wipe away.  I have to be strong in the face of whatever evil is attached to her soul.

Kallen puts a hand on my shoulder in support, our moment of tension forgotten.  “Kegan and I can take it from here.”  I nod, relief rushing through me.  I turn my back on my aunt and walk several feet away as Kallen and Kegan lift her onto something resembling a litter that Cleopatra would have used, except a lot less ornate.  Basically, a piece of wood that’s floating three feet above the ground.  I’m not sure whose magic is making it float.  Frankly, I don’t care.  I start walking back in the direction we came from.

Kallen catches up to me and takes my hand in his.  He gives it a gentle squeeze, but he doesn’t say anything.  We walk back to the house in silence.

I’m feeling really guilty right now.  I have to keep reminding myself that it’s not Aunt Barb running the show in her mind or body.  For some reason, her soul barnacles are stronger than mine and can control her when she’s awake.  Maybe it’s my magic that makes that difficult with me.

“Or we’re not evil.  We simply want to have fun.”

“Um, I picked you up in the Shadow realm.  Pretty sure you’re evil.”

“Because you didn’t place your hand on us before you left the Shadow realm?”

No, it can’t be that easy to pick up pieces of other people’s souls.  All I did was touch a wall.

“With us on it.”

“Okay, let me get this straight.  While I was thanking you for helping me, you were crawling inside of me?”

“Um…yes.”

“You were really the lightness that Adriel was helping?”

“Yes.”

I guess that makes sense.  Still incredibly invasive and annoying. 
“I’m still getting rid of you.”

“We know.”
  For the first time, the voice sounds sad.  Great, something else to feel guilty about.  Sending the lightness back to hell.  I don’t know if I can do that.

“So, we get to stay?”

“I don’t think I feel that guilty.”
  I’m a liar, I do feel that guilty.  I just want to find a way to keep them from going back to hell that doesn’t involve staying in my body. 

I look back at Aunt Barb.  I hate to see her on that board.  The looks on both Kegan and Kallen’s faces, though, suggest that they would be willing to put a few rusty nails on it if they didn’t think I would stop them.  But then again, she did try to kill the woman they both look to as a second grandmother.  If she wasn’t a woman I’d known all my life to be sweet and kind, I probably wouldn’t want to be gentle, either.  This blows.  I hate my life right now.  Again.

I’m relieved when the house finally comes into sight.  Its massive height, light colored walls and bright windows are like a beacon calling to us.  A safe haven in the cold, dark night.  Only, its promises of warmth and comfort aren’t going to be truly enjoyed by any of us in the near future.  Aunt Barb is going to be incarcerated in one of those rooms.  Everyone in the house is on edge, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to curl up and go to sleep anytime soon.

“We’ll sing you a lullaby.”

“Don’t you ever sleep?”

“Eh, not much.  I’d rather watch over you while you’re sleeping.  Keep you safe.”

“Yeah, right.  I’ve learned how you keep me safe.”

“Okay, safe for you and entertaining for us.”

“Please be quiet.  I have other things I have to concentrate on right now.”

“Fine.”

I almost run into Kallen when he stops suddenly and turns around.  Kegan has the same problem as he walks along with Aunt Barb.  I frown up at Kallen.  “Why did you stop?”

He runs his fingers through his hair and turns to Kegan.  “I am not upset with you, cousin.  I am simply jealous that you were offered what I want to only be mine.”