1.5 True of Blood: Kallen's Tale Page 2

  “Grandmother, there must be a way to avoid this,” Kegan says.

  Turning towards her, I see her eyes are beginning to fill with tears again. Which, by the look on his face, is as much of a surprise to Kegan as it was to me earlier. “This must be done,” she says quietly. “Kallen, I am sorry, but this truly must be done.”

  My life is about to go to hell and there is nothing I can do about it. Except be angry and resentful. Two emotions I suspect will make my stay in the Cowan realm even more intolerable. “Then you will have no more argument from me.” Icicles could have been made with these words, as cold as they sounded.

  Isla looks like she is wavering, but, squaring her shoulders, she says, “I appreciate that. We will proceed first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Kegan looks like he is about to argue, but I shake my head. “There is no point,” I say. I turn on my heels and walk back outside. Kegan is soon to follow.

  We make our way down to the sea shore that abuts the house I grew up in, and I let the cool salt water wash onto my feet as we wander along, hoping it will soothe the fire burning in my heart. We walk in silence again, neither of us knowing what to say.

  Relieved to see a friendly face as we round a bend, I shout a greeting to Alita over the crashing waves. Tall and willowy with shoulder length black hair and a pretty face, she has been a good friend of both mine and Kegan over the years. We basically grew up together.

  Today, it appears she has been walking along picking up shells. She has made a basket with part of her bright yellow sarong that compliments her figure well. I barely notice, as she is like a sister to me. Kegan, on the other hand, has always thought of her in a different light. Unfortunately, his father will not approve a match, as Alita’s blood is more tainted than Kegan’s.

  “What has the two of you so out of sorts?” she asks when we are in hearing distance. “I have never seen such long faces.”

  “Nothing,” I say, as Kegan says, “Kallen is being shipped to the Cowan realm.”

  Shock washes over her pretty face as she drops the shells she was holding in her sarong. “Why would you say such a horrible thing?” she asks Kegan. “It cannot be true.”

  I shrug, trying for nonchalance. I fail. “It can be, and it is. I leave tomorrow.” Bitterness litters each word.

  “Oh, Kallen, I am so sorry,” she says, rushing over to give me a sympathetic hug. Over the top of her head, I do not miss the touch of jealousy in Kegan’s eyes as he narrows them at us.

  Pulling back gently from her embrace, I say, “Perhaps I will be allowed to return some day. In the meantime, my cousin is going to need someone to keep him out of trouble. So, I am begging you to keep close tabs on him. He is prone to disaster as he is somewhat dim witted.” I laugh as I rub the spot on my arm that Kegan just punched.

  Alita’s cheeks are a nice rosy color as she peeks at Kegan shyly from under her lashes. Then she turns to me. “Kallen, that was not nice nor fair,” she admonishes, but her face is full of good humor. “I believe more often than not, you have been the one to instigate the trouble the two of you have found over the years.”

  “Yes, and you dragged me along as an unwilling partner in crime,” Kegan adds, earning him a disbelieving snort from Alita.

  “I believe you both need keepers. Now, I want all the details. Why has this fate fallen to you?” she asks me. She sits down in the sand with her legs extended in front of her and her toes just barely touching the water. Kegan and I join her, sitting on either side of her as she leans back on her hands.

  I give her the abbreviated version, and with each sentence, her face becomes sadder. “Kallen, that is awful. Isla is positive this is the only way?”

  I nod. “Apparently.” I am still not sure I believe that.

  “What do you know about the girl?” she asks.

  I sigh. “I know her name is Xandra and she is just seventeen. With her birthday, her magic is now unbound, giving her the power to do as Dagda wishes. That is about it.”

  Alita shakes her head. “I cannot imagine you being gone. Life will not be the same around here without you. Who will make me laugh now?” she teases.

  Kegan raises a brow. “I believe you are mistaking which cousin actually has a sense of humor.”

  She laughs at that. “I believe you are both equally matched.” Turning to me, she asks, “What would you like to do on your last night here?” As the words tumble out, her face sobers once again. “Is there anything, or anyone, special you would like to spend the evening with?”

  Alita is always trying to make other Fairies more comfortable. It is her way. But, I shake my head. “The only two I truly care about are sitting here with me. Perhaps a quiet night on the beach, with a fire later?”

  She nods. “That sounds lovely.”

  “If a tad boring,” Kegan says, but his jest is half-hearted.

  “I know,” Alita says. “You can tell us what you will miss the most when you are gone.”

  “That is a bit morbid, is it not?” Kegan asks. “Seems a bit cruel, at the very least.”

  “Nonsense,” she replies. “It is good to talk about your feelings. And yes, it may be a bit morbid, but why should Kallen not mourn what will be lost to him? Perhaps that will make his journey easier if he acknowledges what will pain him the most.” Kegan rolls his eyes, but he does not say anything else, so Alita turns back to me. “What will you miss the most?”

  I push my shoulder into hers playfully. “You top the list.”

  She swats at my arm. “Be serious.”

  “I am serious. I will miss you greatly. I will also miss my cousin, I suppose, but not nearly as much.”

  “What things about this realm will you miss?” she pushes, wanting me to be serious.

  I think for a moment. “I believe I will miss the magic, most of all. Living among non-magical beings, I imagine, will become tedious quickly. I do not want to have to hide what I am for the rest of my life. My long, long life in the Cowan realm.”

  Alita gasps and puts her hand over her mouth. “I forgot about that. It will be as if you are living thousands of years!”

  I groan. “Do not remind me, please.”

  “Perhaps that will finally give you enough time to work out all of those character flaws of yours, such as being more personable,” Kegan says with a grin.

  “Alita, will you please lean back for just a moment?” I ask. With a little giggle, she leans back far enough for me to punch my cousin in the arm.

  “Ow,” he says. “Precisely my point, you are far from pleasant to be around.”

  Looking at Alita, I ask, “Do you find me lacking in charm and wit?”

  She laughs. “For fear of a giant bruise on my arm, I believe the only answer to that is, no, I do not find you lacking in either.” I grin in satisfaction.

  “I believe her answer was coerced,” Kegan gripes.

  “By me?” I ask, feigning innocence. “I would never do such a thing.” That earns me a snort from him.

  We sit quietly for several minutes before Alita asks, “What else will you miss?”

  “I will miss this,” I say with a sweep of my hand, indicating everything around us. “The serenity of the ocean and the mystery of the forest.”

  Kegan laughs. “I believe they have oceans and forests in the Cowan realm.”

  “Yes, but are they this pure? From what we have learned over the years, we know them to be tainted with chemicals and debris. The forests are rapidly being divested of their trees, soon to be completely devoid of timber.”

  “He does have a point,” Alita says. “What else?”

  “I will miss not seeing the two of you hand-fasted, as it is inevitable.”

  This time it is Alita who punches me in the arm. It does not hurt at all, but I grasp my arm as if she landed a death blow. “You are angry with me for speaking the truth?” I ask, not being able to hold back my grin as her cheeks pink and Kegan glowers over at me.

  “You know that could never happen,” Alita says quietly, giving her full attention once again to the ocean.

  “I know no such thing.”

  “I would like to suggest a new topic,” Kegan says, with an edge to his voice. “We should discuss what neither of us will miss about you, when you are gone.”

  I chuckle. “As I am near perfect, that would have to be an extremely short list.”

  We fall into silence again. A comfortable silence that is only possible amongst family and good friends. Every once in a while, one of us will speak, but not about anything important. I find a lot of peace sitting here with them. My heart does not feel quite as heavy as it did earlier. I imagine that will change tomorrow morning.

  Chapter 2

  I spend the night on a comfortable, reclining chair on the terrace outside of my bedroom. The sound of the waves occasionally lulls me into a light sleep, but my mind refuses to be still for long. Kegan, Alita and I stayed on the beach until late, sitting around a fire, reminiscing about past events. As the evening wore on, it became harder for us to be jovial as we remembered how much we had shared over the years. It began to feel as if I am dying, not leaving for another realm. Essentially, I will be dead to this realm, I guess.

  I already have a strong loathing growing in the pit of my stomach for this girl who is going to ruin my life. This girl who Isla wants me to kill if she cannot be stopped. I still cannot reconcile the grandmother from my childhood – loving and overprotective, with this grandmother who has asked such a thing of me. The fact that she is willing to say good-bye to me, forever, for the sake of this girl she has never met, makes me question the sincerity of her actions over the years. Was she simply grooming me for this day? I try not to believe that, but it becomes more difficult as the sky lightens.

  Morning has come all too soon. The rising sun finds me now pacing my room, frantically trying to figure a way out of this inane journey. I could run from it, but I am not a coward. Nothing short of a logical solution will suit. So far, my mind has come up with nothing.

  Noting the time, I find that the hour has arrived. I must go downstairs to face the task asked of me, feeling no less bitter or resentful than I did yesterday. Taking a last look around at my spacious, comfortable room, I go in search of Isla.

  I find her in the kitchen, drinking a cup of tea with Tabitha. As she brings the cup to her lips, I note how her hand shakes. Her eyes are full of pain. She seems to be trying for stoicism, but her face is having a hard time concealing her guilt.

  “Good morning, Kallen,” she says as her teacup clatters back onto its saucer.

  “Grandmother,” I say with a slight nod. Giving Tabitha a quick kiss on the cheek, I sit down on a stool and help myself to the pancakes she has prepared. Spreading blueberry jam on them, I dig in, ignoring the two sets of eyes trying to bore holes into my brain.

  “You be sure to eat naturally,” Tabitha says gruffly. “Not that Cowan food that comes in those little containers.” I have no idea what containers she is talking about, but I nod anyway, putting another mouthful of pancakes into my mouth.

  “Kallen,” Grandmother says softly. I look up at her, not even trying to hide my anger. “I am sorry.”

  “Of course,” I say, taking another forkful into my mouth so I do not have to say anything else.

  “We should hurry, Maurelle and Olwyn may have found her by now.”

  Apparently, I am not even granted the decency of finishing my last meal in this realm. Laying my fork down on my plate, I ask, “Where?”

  She knows what I mean. “This will best be done outside,” she says, rising from her stool. She turns and walks through the large living room to the terrace outside, and then down the few steps to the shore. I follow because my feet are taking it upon themselves to move one in front of the other, completely ignoring my mind which is telling them to turn around and run. But despite what I was feeling earlier, I know in my heart that Grandmother would not ask this of me if there was another way. I am still angry and resentful, though.

  Isla stops near the water of the ocean that washes up almost to the terrace at high tide. Turning to me, I notice that she has a long strand of hair in her hand. Horse hair. “I did not know that you kept any of Dagda’s personal effects,” I say with a frown.

  She smiles sadly. “Neither does he.”

  “Did you know this day was to come when you sealed the gateways?”

  She nods. “Yes.”

  Kegan speaks up from behind me. He must have come to say good bye, even though we had done that last night. “And you could not have kept two so that he could use it to come home?” His tone is sharper than I have ever heard it be with Grandmother.

  “Kallen is not meant to come home this way.”

  I would ask what that means, but she probably would not answer me. Not to mention, I probably do not want to know. “What do I need to do?”

  “You will take this hair from Dagda’s tail,” Dagda’s animal form is a horse, “and you will combine your blood with mine, for only those who closed the realm may allow passage back and forth between them.” It was powerful magic that closed the gateways. It would make sense that it will take powerful magic to open one. Mine and Isla’s specifically.

  I nod and Tabitha hands me a knife she takes from her bulging apron pocket. I wonder what else she keeps in there; she seems to always pull out something handy. This is no time to be thinking such mundane thoughts, though. I have a badly planned destiny to follow. I use the point of the knife to stab my finger until a steady stream of blood is meandering down to my palm. Isla does the same. When she is ready, we combine our blood over the hair, letting it dribble over it.

  From out of nowhere, a gateway opens. For a split second, I feel my world spinning and suddenly, I am on the other side of the gateway, staring at the Fairies I call family. “I love you,” Grandmother says.

  “You had better find a way to make it back here,” Tabitha says, with absolutely no threat in her voice, as she dabs her eyes with a tissue. There is a significant amount of hope in her voice, which makes me smile.

  “I second that, cousin. You owe me a rematch in archery. Do not loll in the Cowan realm to avoid it.”

  I smile at them each in turn. I’ll admit, I find it a little harder to smile at Grandmother than at Tabitha or Kegan. The tightening around her eyes tells me that she noticed. “I will be home soon,” I say. I am a liar. I will never return, and the three Fairies standing in front of me know that as well as I do. With final goodbyes, the gateway closes, sealing my fate.

  Chapter 3

  I find myself in a forest with snow at least two feet deep all around me. Considering the thin air, I am assuming I am in a mountain range. Grandmother could have at least given me a map.

  Perhaps a map is not necessary. The back of my head begins to tingle, letting me know that other Fairies are near. Not all Fairies can do this, and none of the Cowan Fairies have the ability, so I have the upper hand in that regard. I can sense them, but they cannot sense me. I now know that Maurelle and Olwyn are definitely here.

  Not wanting to alert them of my presence for as long as possible, I shift into my animal form. I become a raven. I fly up the mountain in the direction I know the Cowan Fairies to be, and I come upon them shortly. They are chasing a girl through the forest, and Maurelle is almost on top of her, while Olwyn and his brawn trail behind.

  I cannot help noticing that this girl is the most beautiful female I have ever seen. Her long, bone straight black hair is flying behind her as she runs. Her bright green eyes look as if they hold secrets that I would like to know, and her creamy, flawless skin glows brighter than the snow. Her face is perfect, her bone structure delicate yet strong and her lips are full and red. Kissable lips. That is the only way to describe them.

  I am so absorbed in assessing her physical assets, it takes my brain a moment to comprehend the situation. She must be the Witch Fairy. And for some reason I cannot ascertain, that makes me angrier than I already was.

  Maurelle has her pinned to a tree now. Or, I should say, she has used the tree as a weapon, smashing the girl’s face against it, leaving her stunned. Maurelle grabs this beautiful creature by the neck, intending to cause harm. I am about to rush to her rescue, but a bright flash of light proves that the girl is not stupid. She is wearing a Fairy repellent amulet.

  I fly to the lowest branch of the tree to observe, when Maurelle notices me. Most would have a problem identifying me as a raven, as I have no distinguishing marks in this form. But, Tabitha was correct; Maurelle has made it her life’s mission to study me in the hopes of luring me into a hand-fasting. Something that will never happen. Not even if she was a full-blooded Fairy. Not only do I find her physically unappealing with her square features and shapeless body, her personality is that of a Tasmanian devil – ready to snap at the slightest provocation.

  “Kallen,” she says, momentarily losing interest in the girl.

  “Maurelle,” I say evenly, as I morph out of my raven form. I jump to the ground, just a few feet away from her. “I will not let you take her,” I inform her. Though, I should, the back of my mind is telling me. This girl is responsible for ruining my life. The fact that she is gorgeous has completely left my mind, now. For the most part.

  “There are two of us, Kallen. You cannot fight us both and expect to win,” Olwyn says, pulling himself up to his full height.

  What a joke. A Cowan Fairy thinking he is a match for me. I am tempted to use magic to prove him wrong, but I do not want the girl to know how strong I am yet. It is always best to keep your enemy ignorant of your skills for as long as possible. Better to take them by surprise later. “Maybe not, but I can slow you down,” I say, pulling two Fairy darts that I had carried in my feathers. I hit both him and Maurelle in the chest. That will definitely slow them down. If I used two, they would be close to death, but I want to scare them at this point, not kill them.