The WishKeeper (The Paragonia Chronicles) (19 page)

Tiny black footprints were tracked along the back of the desk. Had the upcoming conversation with Miranda not been in his near future, he wouldn’t have shrugged it off so quickly. The handprint on the window and the sugar container breaking in the kitchen, peculiar yes, but this? What was going on?

Moving in teams with military stealth, Elanor lead her crew of Lost Fairies through the Maker’s home. Only the light of the kitchen was on, leaving the living room hushed with shadows from the street lamp outside. Creeping along the edges of the wall, she paused a few feet from the base of the sofa behind the long curtains that tickled the dark wood floors. Even before any danger or threat lurked within the darkness, it was a tricky assignment entering a Maker’s living quarters. A WishMaker is much more in tune and aware of its surroundings when at home. If something was out of place or a particular shadow didn’t feel right, they knew it and a WishKeeper, albeit naturally invisible to any Maker, needed to pay very close attention to its movements. One little mistake and it wasn’t just the Keeper’s life that would be threatened, but the existence and missions of all Keepers.

Hiding behind the sheer curtain, a floor vent was inches from her toes. She could hear Grayson’s voice from below and held up a fist, ordering her troops to halt and find cover. She rubbed her eyes, trying to force the retreating curse to slow, but the headache was quickly settling in. The only positive effect of the curse was that it made the pain in her throbbing head go away. Her blurred vision refocused as a clatter of footsteps was pounding up the basement stairs. With her heart racing for what seemed like the first time in years, Elanor waited knowing the True Love Wish would follow. Was she suddenly nervous? The curse was lifting, but did she want it to?

Miranda stepped out of the basement door first and then there it was. The wish. Elanor’s eyes flashed with a spinning cyclone of blackness again as she pinpointed it with sniper-like eyes. Concentrating on the Wish as it floated out of the basement, she slowly motioned for her troops to ready their wands. One by one, the Lost Fairies raised and pointed them directly at the excited wish. As Grayson emerged from the doorway, Elanor took her eyes off the wish and the cyclone of fog within them began to retreat once again. A different war was going on inside Elanor and at the sight of her WishMaker, the real Elanor seemed to be winning.

“You want something to drink? I can heat up some coffee. Made it this morning, but sure it’s still good,” Grayson said as he walked past Elanor.

“Let’s just sit for a bit. OK?” Miranda sat on the couch, waiting for Grayson to join her. He was surprised to be so reluctant to do so and immediately felt unsure of how close he should sit next to her. Settling on the other end of the sofa, Grayson finally found some amount of comfort.

Climbing up and out of the stairwell, Shea and Thane regrouped at the base of the door, huddling near an unused electrical outlet. Elanor’s gaze shifted to the little rebels and once again, her eyes flashed with darkness. A new mission was at hand for the moment, and she waved to her Lost Fairies.

“OK, well, they’re settled at least. The wish shouldn’t leave this room any time soon. Here’s the plan,” Shea whispered to Thane.

“Finally. A plan.”

“It seems the wish wants to settle a bit closer to Grayson, but don’t let that fool you. I have a feeling it will rest above both, possibly on that thing hanging from the ceiling.”

“I think they call that a light,” Thane said, sarcastically.

“Just, whatever. We wait for the wish to settle. You take to the air above Miranda and I’ll -“

Wrangling spells crashed around Thane and Shea, trapping them on the spot. Two Lost Fairies stalked closer and closer with the spells connected to their wands as Elanor walked out of the shadow of the curtain and approached. She removed her black hood and leaned inches from her daughter’s face. The curse was in full force, swirling in her deep black eyes.

“You never did listen. Always ignoring the wishes of your parents, but enough of this. You don’t belong, Shea.”

“Get away from her!” Thane winced as he tried to push back the strangling rope-like spell.

Shea stared at her mother, studying every inch of her face as if recalling a dream from her childhood. The vision she always held was of a youthful, strong and beautiful fairy. One that would tow the line between discipline and love and do it perfectly. She was always there, someone to run to and lean on and hug and be with in a state of wordless love for there wasn’t ever a need to define anything. It was simply in her eyes.

Her eyes. What happened? Wrinkles sagged under them, gray hairs curled over them, scarred skin stretched across a tired face.

“Mom. Where did you go? Please,” Shea begged and suddenly felt like her adolescent self again. The bright, hopeful little fairy that for so many years she tried desperately to shed and be rid of.

Elanor pulled back at the sound of her daughter’s desperate voice. Her eyes swirled once again - a storm retreating - but she quickly rubbed them and shook it off. Her little daughter’s voice rang between her ears and for a moment the shadow in her mind slipped away, but like a rush of a violent wave the darkness swept back in. She grabbed Shea by the arm, ready to pull her away.

“That wish needs to be granted, Mom! You know it!” Shea was desperate.

“How are you?” Miranda said from the couch. Elanor paused a moment, as did the rest of the fairies.

“How am I? My wife left me. Not so good. You?” Grayson returned. A pang of resentment was impossible to miss.

Miranda stood up from the couch and paced in front of Grayson as Elanor stopped tugging Shea and stared at nothing in particular, listening.

“We have problems, Gray. That’s obvious. But don’t you ever feel like there’s just something missing?”

“I always feel that way.”

“You do?”

“Of course. And when you left, it was obvious what it was,” Grayson said, folding his arms.

“Don’t put this on me. And I’m talking about something…else. I don’t know, but it’s weird. I know something is off, but I can’t figure out what it is.”

Tears were forming in Elanor’s eyes as her grip on Shea’s shoulder weakened. Leaning a bit closer, Shea noticed that the darkness in her mom’s eyes was softening. Even though the confusion was still there, Shea could tell that whatever it was that was haunting her mom wasn’t permanent. At least she hoped.

“I thought they made a True Love Wish? It sounds like…” Thane said, but the Lost Fairy tightened his wrangling spell’s grip.

Shea looked at her mother. “You still care. Don’t you?”

A gliding tear was quickly wiped as Elanor’s anger returned. She tightened her hold once again and pulled Shea along the base of the couch. Nearing the edge, a sudden violent winter wind rattled the house, flickering the lights. A winter storm was quickly brewing outside.

Getting up from the couch, Grayson headed to the kitchen. “Maybe we should stop trying to figure it out, Miranda. It’s like all we do is try to figure things out. Do we have any candles?”

“In the pantry. I can’t help it, Gray. There’s something else. Something deeper is just wrong.”

His voice trailed from around the corner as Grayson searched the pantry for a couple candles. “I know what’s wrong, Miranda. My wife, the only person I’ve ever truly loved, isn’t sure if she loves me anymore.”

“Grayson, I…”

“Why is the window open?” he asked, as he set two candles on the kitchen table and shut the window, cutting off a strong, cold breeze. Just before the window closed completely, he thought he noticed a flash of light fly in. Another blast of wind rattled the house, flickering the lights and finally the window clasped shut.

Hiding behind a teapot, thoroughly out of breath with rosy, wind-whipped cheeks, Beren and Avery landed and surveyed the small home. The Wish was hovering near Miranda’s shoulder. Jumping and crouching behind a ceramic bird salt shaker, they caught a glimpse of Elanor pulling Shea along the base of the couch.

Peeking around the corner of the sofa, Elanor spotted the floating Wish. She pulled Shea in close. “This isn’t a little fairy game. It ends now.” She whipped her wand from her sheath. It immediately charged up, sparking light from its end.

Shea knew her mom was in there somewhere, but what could she do? She had come this far only to have the wish stolen out from under her. A slow panic was building inside Thane as he watched the charging wand. He needed to do something, but what?

Shea closed her eyes, fighting the waterfall of tears, but suddenly felt a kick at the back of her leg. Thane was trying to tell her something, but if she tried to turn around - Dad!

Slowly landing on the windowsill behind Elanor, Beren crouched and nodded to her daughter. Thane’s smile couldn’t have been bigger as Avery joined him, but he quickly forced a frown as his captor gave him a strange look. He knew he had to keep the attention off of Beren.

“She does still care, Shea. I see it too,” Thane said, attempting a distraction.

Shea didn’t miss a beat. “The wish matters to you, Mom. It matters to you more than Erebus. Than Dad. Even me.”

“You’re catching on,” Elanor said as she raised her wand to her daughter’s throat.

“Dad!” Shea screamed and blasts of spells fired from the end of Beren and Avery’s wands, knocking Elanor and her Lost Fairies back. She dragged her daughter to the ground, but Shea wrestled to break free. Beren jumped, rolled across the floor and forced the Lost Fairies back with a defensive blast. Avery smashed The Lost Fairies against the wall and sprinted to Shea, helping her up.

“Thane! Behind me!” yelled Beren, and Thane quickly followed orders. He jumped behind Beren and the duo fired spells at the incoming blasts of the Lost Fairies. A firestorm of spells lit up the rear of the couch as Avery pulled Shea from Elanor.

“Go!” Avery yelled.

Shea fired a grappling spell at the light fixture in the center of the ceiling, swinging herself toward the wish.

The wish fluttered and buzzed as Shea chased it, firing wrangling spells at will. One spell crashed against a teapot, exploding it into pieces. Miranda screamed as the glass crashed against the walls.

Avery jumped on top of Elanor, trying to hold her down, but Elanor was stronger. She twisted Avery’s broken arm, and popped her shoulder out of its socket. She cried out, and Elanor easily pushed her off, immediately firing a spell at Beren. He met it head on with an equal spell, but was thrown back by its force. Elanor watched her daughter gain on the retreating wish and panic over losing it set in. She shot off in the same direction with a grappling spell of her own and swooped through the house.

Beren and Thane flew after her, but the Lost Fairies’ spells kept them from tailing too close and forced them to fire in defense. The cold, hard-hearted Avery suddenly returned. She popped her shoulder back into place with barely a cringe, and stood with a purpose watching Elanor flash spells at Shea. Avery could still fly, despite the pain. Floating slowly up into a ready position, she darted after Elanor.

The wish was masterful in alluding Shea as the little fairy swung from light fixtures, doorknobs, and curtain hooks and left a path of mini-destruction in her wake. Her wild grappling, while perfect in the open air, wasn’t suited for anything remotely domestic and Grayson’s house was quickly turning into a war zone.

The wish scurried out of the way of a powerful wrangling spell as it exploded a small lamp. Elanor was gaining on it. Shea knew deep down that she was a better flyer than her mom, but this wasn’t a contest. That wish needed to be wrangled by her and her alone.

The wish landed on the fireplace mantel and a race was on as Shea rallied her strength and followed her mom’s grappling pattern. A Lost Fairy lunged at Shea, but an explosion knocked him from the air. Shea landed on the mantel, looked back and saw Avery close behind with her deep, frustrated eyes peeking out from her dark cloak. If Shea hadn’t noticed two healthy wings, she would have thought it was a Lost Fairy. Shea barely knew Avery, but she was happy for the help.

Thane suddenly grabbed her and woke her up. “Would you go, please?” He pushed her toward the wish and Shea lunged. Another explosion just missed Shea and the wish, knocking Shea back. Reacting to the explosion, the wish zoomed off the mantel just out of the reach of Elanor as she tried diving for it. Shea knew this was her chance. She knew the wish would circle back to the center of the room and she needed momentum to cut off her mom’s pursuit.

Hurling a grapple to the kitchen table, Shea flung herself and landed, getting a better angle on the fleeing wish. Taking aim, she fired a spell at the chandelier and careened toward it. Reaching her arm out, ready to meet the wish head on, a blast of light knocked her out of the air, flinging her to the floor. Crashing hard to the floor, she looked up through dizzy eyes and watched Elanor and Avery struggle for the wish. They both had it in their arms, falling fast.

When they hit, the wish bounced out of their hands, dazed from the impact. It slid on the floor, momentarily slowed. Shea stood and ran for the wish, but Elanor, again, was too fast. She shoved Avery off of her and flashed a perfect wrangling spell around the wish, pulling it into her arms.

“No!” screamed Thane. He dived to Shea as he watched a Lost Fairy take aim and fire a spell square into Shea’s chest. Shea fell back, immediately unconscious, lying in the middle of the living room. Beren grabbed Thane, pulled him back, knowing what was to come next.

Elanor rushed behind a potted plant, holding the True Love Wish tight in her arms. Her Lost Fairies suddenly scattered and hid, and Avery rolled under the coffee table. The fairies were scattering, but what for? Elanor was about to escape as well, but quickly froze.

In the middle of the living room, Miranda and Grayson held each other, staring in fright. Their faces were pale white as they looked at something on the floor. Heaving breaths of confusion and panic, they didn’t know what they were looking at, but Beren knew as he hid with Thane near the base of the living room window. He wanted to rush in and pull Shea out of there, but he was just as frozen as his wife. What now?