Blood of the Exiled (Witch Fairy Book 10) (28 page)

“Why did you come warn us about my grandfather in cat form?” I ask.
 
“You could’ve just knocked on the door.”

“I was trying to give you a clue,” Jadyn replies, “as I have tried to do with the security team here for quite some time, but my attempts have been futile.”

I shake my head.
 
“All you did was make Aiden think he was going crazy.”

Jadyn nods her head once.
 
“So I discovered.”

“Do you know where your brother is now?” Kallen asks.

“Somewhere on the grounds is all I can tell you.”

“What does he look like in his true form?” Kegan asks.
 

Jadyn turns to him, “It does not matter for he has not been in his true form in quite some time.
 
He is constantly changing, making it difficult to keep up with him.”

Frustrated with her answers, my words are short and clipped as I say, “If you can’t be more helpful than that, how do you expect us to stop him?”

“Oh, a mouse,” Alita gasps.
 
She gasps louder when the mouse elongates until it becomes a man.
 
There are a few other gasps around the room, as well.

Kallen and Kegan are on him instantly.
 
Each grabbing an arm, they hold him in place and I feel magic rushing from both Fairies.
 
They are making sure the Skin Walker cannot change shapes again.

“Conor,” Jadyn snaps, “I told you to let me handle this.”

After a glare in both cousins’ directions, Conor says, “Andrew is hitting critical mass.
 
We do not have time for lengthy discussions of heritage and family relations.
 
We must act now.”
 
Kallen nods.
 
He may not trust the Skin Walker, but he feels the same way about the situation.

“Who is this?” I ask Jadyn.

Clearly not happy with him, she says, “He is my impetuous little brother.”

“Do you know where your brother is?” Kallen asks him.

“Yes, I do.”

With a silent communication, both Kallen and Kegan drop their hold on the Skin Walker.
 
“Take us to him.”

“First, why is he so gung ho to kill off the Witches?” I ask, still needing some back story for this to make sense.
 
“I thought you were tricksters, not killers.”
 
I leave out the malicious part, it seems contraindicative to the conversation.
 

“As I explained, there are those among us who harbor resentment against the Witches for exiling our kind,” Jadyn explains.
 
“As for us being tricksters, yes, there were those among us.
 
It is important to note, though, the concept was greatly exaggerated in the magical community.
 
It was a small faction really that caused our exile.
 
Most of our ancestors who evaded that fate were not tricksters at all.
 
They wanted to live simple lives, away from everyone.
 
Many were what the Cowans called Gypsies.”

“Okay.”
 
I understand the exaggeration part.
 
I had no clue about the Gypsies thing.
 
But I keep going back to a key point that makes her story farfetched.
 
“But it’s been a
thousand
years.
 
Why are Skin Walkers attacking the King and the Witan now?”

Conor answers.
 
“There has always been some violence against Witches in certain areas.
 
A Witch death here or there has gone unnoticed for centuries.
 
Our brethren have not sought them out, but they have exacted revenge for past sins on those who happened to cross their paths.
 
It is only
now,
” he pauses and looks at his sister, “that one of us is seeking war in an effort to reestablish our place in this realm.”

“Well, that’s stupid,” I say, making all eyes turn to me.
 
I shrug.
 
“Well, it is.
 
Today’s Witches don’t even know what a Skin Walker is, let alone that they were once exiled.
 
This isn’t war.
 
It’s murder.”

“Why wait until we came?” Kegan asks.
 
“How do we fit in this?”

“We have always paid close attention to the Witch community, mostly for self-preservation.
 
The rumor of the Witch Fairy being alive and well has spread quite far,” Jadyn says.
 
“When your grandmother left abruptly, my brother correctly assumed that you would be returning.
 
If tales of your power are true, he felt he had to wait until he could kill you along with the Witches for his plan to work.”

I shake my head and mutter, “It is amazing how I jump to the top of everyone’s ‘To Kill’ list.”
 
Doesn’t anyone have a ‘Maybe I’ll
Like
Her’ list?
 
I’d like to be on top of one of those for a change.
 
“How did you know my grandmother is an Angel?”

“As I said, we kept close tabs on the Witches.
 
There were rumors.
 
I was not one hundred percent sure until you confirmed it,” she says with a guilty little smile.

“Why did you keep this from us?” Kallen demands.
 
“If you had come to us and explained the situation, a lot of violence could have been prevented.”

Conor snorts.
 
“Yes, because Fairies have always been our allies.
 
You would have killed us on the spot as your ancestors did ours.”

Anger slithers across Kallen’s face despite our earlier conversation where he defended the Witches and Fairies for committing genocide.
 
At least, they tried to commit genocide.
 
Obviously, they didn’t.
 
“You do not know me; do not assume you know what I would do.”

Mmm, smell that testosterone in the air.
 
There’s enough of it to send three or four boys through puberty.
 
Ignoring them, I say to Jadyn, “Why didn’t you warn us about the iron?”

Her face pained, she says, “I didn’t know Andrew was going to do that.
 
When I felt it in the air, I raced to the library but you and the Angel already had things under control.”

I’ll buy that.
 
“Is your brother the leader of the ones who want war?” I ask.
 
“If we stop him does that mean the Witches will be safe?”

Almost unperceptively, Jadyn nods her head.
 
“It would go far.”
 
Her eyes fill with tears.
 
“Must you kill him?” she asks.

I’m taken aback.
 
“Kill him?
 
Why would I do that?”

Conor snorts again.
 
“Come on, that’s what your kind does to mine.”

“My kind?
 
I’m pretty sure you’ve never met
my kind
before,” I snap.
 
That shuts him up.

Pulling the conversation back to where it should be, Kallen asks, “How do we find your brother?”

As if on cue, a distant scream has us scrambling for the door.
 
Wrenching it open, we tear out into the hall and towards the sound.
 

What we find is not as bad as I feared, though it has potential to be tragic.
 
We find Glinda in her room, out on a balcony, desperately holding onto her husband’s hand.
 
He’s on the wrong side of the balcony dangling.
 

“I’ll get him,” Kallen says, striding to the couple.
 
With a little bit of magic and physical strength, he pulls the man up and back onto the balcony.
 
Glinda is in her husband’s arms in a heartbeat.

“What happened?” Alita asks.

“Someone pushed him while I was in the bathroom,” Glinda sobs.
 
“I heard him shout and I rushed out here.
 
I…I couldn’t pull him back over the railing.”
 
Her husband begins murmuring comforting words in her ear as he holds her close.

I throw my hands up in the air.
 
“This is ridiculous!
 
I’ve had it.”
 
I turn around and stomp out of the room.

“Uh, where is she going?” I hear Kegan ask.

“To do something inane, I am sure,” Adriel says, but I can hear the smile in her words.
 
She only half means it.

I walk down the hall, down the stairs and out the front door.
 
I am going to end this and I know how I’m going to do it.
 
I know because I’ve seen myself do it already.
 
The only think I got wrong was who I had to summon.
 
I get the nagging suspicion that the nightmare I had wasn’t random.
 
I think a certain Archangel planted the seed in my dreams so I would know what to do.
 
I didn’t know he could do things like that, especially without getting in trouble.
 
I suppose it’s not really telling me the future if I think I’m dreaming.
 
I don’t know whether to be mad at him for making me have a nightmare or thank him when I get home.
 
Maybe I’ll do both.

When I am outside in the dewy grass, I stop and close my eyes.
 
Before I can think about anything, a hand encircles my arm.
 
“Xandra, what are you doing?”

I open one eye to peek up at Kallen.
 
“Summoning the Skin Walkers.”

His brow rises in shock.
 
“Why?”

That’s a stupid question.
 
“To sort things out.”

An amused smile is trying to quirk one side of his mouth upwards.
 
“Perhaps it would be better to have a plan in place first.”

“Don’t you want to go back inside?” I ask him sweetly.

He chuckles.
 
“Is that your way of telling me you are going to do this regardless of my opinion?”

“Yes.”
 
I groan loudly.
 
“No.
 
Fine, let’s make a plan.”
 
I say this as if he has suggested that I fling myself on a giant funeral pyre.

“Amazing how well you take criticism,” Adriel snarks.

I ignore her and Kegan’s chuckle.
 
“What do you suggest?”
 
I say this to no one in particular as everyone has followed us outside, including Jadyn and Conor.

“What do you mean when you say you are planning to summon the Skin Walkers?” Conor asks.

Is everyone going to be stupid tonight?
 
“I meant that I would summon them here.”

“All of them?” he asks, sounding doubtful.

I shrug.
 
“All of them in this realm.”

Now he looks almost impressed.
 
“You have that much power?” Conor asks.

Pride in his voice, it is Kallen who responds.
 
“Yes, she does.”

“What are you going to do with them when they are here?” Alita asks.
 
Good question.
 
I’m sure I would have thought of something when they got here.

“Admit it,” Adriel says with a shake of her head.
 
“You have no idea.”

I give her a sour look.
 
“I am so glad we brought you along.”
 
She just laughs.

“Perhaps you could arrange a summit between the Witches and the Skin Walkers?” Jadyn suggests.

The Witches are bad enough on their own.
 
Do I really want them to initiate diplomatic relations with anyone right now?
 
I sigh loudly.
 
“Have I mentioned to anyone lately how much I love my life?”

“No, I do not believe you have,” Kegan says, hiding a smile.

“Good.”
 
That earns me a look from Kallen but I pretend I didn’t see it.

Turning to Jadyn and Conor, I ask, “Who is in charge of the Skin Walkers?”

“There are two sects, each with their own leaders,” Conor explains.

“The good guys, who leads the good guys?”
 
Why can’t people spout off the answers to all of the questions in my head without all this tedious discussion?

“My brother and I have taken on that role as our parents before us had,” Jadyn says, standing taller and her eyes flashing with pride.

“Okay, who leads the bad guys?” I ask.
 
I’m pretty sure I already know the answer.

Pride washed from her eyes now, Jadyn says, “Andrew.”

“It’s nice to know mine isn’t the only screwed up family around here,” I mutter.

“Do you think your brother will talk to us?” Kallen asks.

Jadyn shakes her head in disgust.
 
“Not without a great show of strength.
 
He only bows down to someone more powerful than himself.”

I shrug.
 
“I think I can manage that.”
 
I always sound like I’m bragging when I say these things.
 
Who knows, maybe I am.
 

“I believe he will agree to parley,” Conor says.
 

“Ah, parley.
 
The greatest gift of the pirates, those noble men of the sea,” Kegan muses.
 
Alita rolls her eyes but can’t hide her amusement.

“Are we decided then?” I ask.

Adriel quirks one eyebrow.
 
“You are an impatient one.”

I cock my head.
 
“Well, I don’t have eternity to get things done.” I may be immortal like her, but I can’t get a straight answer from anyone about it.
 
I get narrowed eyes from Adriel in response to my snarkiness but nothing more.

“Our brother is not a nice man,” Conor warns.

My turn to roll my eyes.
 
“Don’t
worry,
I’m willing to bet I’ve met worse.”

“Whenever you are ready,” Kallen says.
 
He’s not thrilled but he’s resigned.
 
Good enough for me.
 
I feel him, Tana, Kegan and Adriel pulling magic, just in case they need it.

I close my eyes and let power build inside of me, a rush of magic so strong I should not be able to hold it all, just as I felt in my dream.
 
But I do.
 
I also call my wings to me now, ignoring the gasps of surprise from the Skin Walkers.
 
I must tap all of my power to do this – Witch, Fairy and Angel.
 
As expected, the magic inside me is like molten rock, hot and heavy.
 
My fingers and toes begin to tingle as I hold back, not releasing any of my power yet.
 
The air crackles around me, waiting to explode.
 
Finally, I open my eyes once again and say the words I spoke in my dream.
 
Making several small changes, of course.
 
“
By my blood and ancient rites, I call the creatures of exile to me tonight.
 
Earth, water, sky and fire, bring me now my desire.
 
Enemies anew and those of old, come to me strong and bold.
 
Show me your faces, the magic in your soul, come to me and atone for the lives you almost stole
.”

I drop to one knee and touch my hand to the ground.
 
Light shoots from me in many directions, making everyone jump out of the way the best they can.
 
I can’t blame them.
 
I wouldn’t want to get zapped by this either.
 
My magic disappears into the night, searching for those I seek.
 
It will bring them to me whether they are on land or sea, close or far.
 
They will not be able to resist.
 

My eyes let go of the light and travel up the house to a window shining brightly in the night.
 
There are three Witches watching me.
 
I can tell from his size that one is Gunnar.
 
I assume the other two are Aiden and my grandfather.
 
They don’t make a
move,
just watch me as I pour my magic out into the world.
 
I wonder what this looks like to them, this sea of magic flowing through the grass.
 
Do they think I’m doing harm instead of good?
 
Probably.
  

All around me, beings are beginning to appear.
 
They are young, old, heavy, thin, strong, weak, Humanoid and animal.
 
No matter what their form, not one of them is happy to be here, but none can escape my hold.
 
Peeking back up at the window, there is no longer anyone watching.
 
I assume they are on their way down here to find out what’s going on.
 

The Skin Walkers are silent in their fury.
 
Good.
 
Staring down the one who looks the angriest, I begin to speak.
 
“You all probably know me by name if not by sight.
 
I am Xandra Illuminata and I am granddaughter of the Witch King and his only surviving heir to the throne.
 
I wish to parley.”

“We do not recognize the monarchy of the Witches.”
 
This comes from the most irate Skin Walker who looks an awful lot like Jadyn and Conor.
 
Enough like them to safely assume this is their brother.

I cock my head to the side in acknowledgement of his opinion.
 
“Be that as it may, I am here to make sure that the Witches I will serve are being treated with the dignity and the respect they deserve.”
 
Not killed off by your kind, I want to say but I refrain.
 
“In return, I will expect the same from the Witches towards you.”