The faery watched from the edge of the woods. Evangeline let the crisp breeze of wind play with her black-as-night hair as she leaned against one of the mulberry trees. She watched the house where her sister lived. Shaking her head, she smiled as she thought about living in the human world. Her mortal sister had chosen that life, and she hadn’t. They had both grown up in Faerie until she was around seven, then they had moved to this house with their mother, near the edge of the human and Faerie borders. Jade had stayed, and Evangeline had left as soon as she could to live and work in Faerie. Now, staring at her human dwelling brought a rush of memories of them as young girls, laughing and dancing around the backyard. Their giggles echoed in her head as she stared at the soft glow of lights from the kitchen as they blinked off.
She knew why Jade had remained in the human world. She knew all about Verenis and how hard Jade had fallen for the handsome Faerie King of the Southern Realms. She had warned her about falling in love with fey. Watching her sister fall had not been easy. Even when Aveta had ordered Verenis be hunted down, no one could’ve gotten Evangeline to reveal Verenis’s love for Jade. She had remained silent.
The Queen was still none the wiser about Jade. Unfortunately, Verenis’s presence around Jade wouldn’t have gone unnoticed for long. Verenis had realized the danger of Jade’s discovery, especially with her pregnancy at stake. Vange had watched him erase her sister’s memory, watched her forget everything under the spell, even her own sister. She knew immediately Jade wouldn’t remember who she was or who Vange was, either. It had pained Vange to turn away and leave, never to speak with her sister again for fear that Queen Aveta would kill Jade and her unborn daughter.
It had been eighteen years since that fateful day. Now Vange was on the hunt for her niece on the Queen’s orders. She never would’ve guessed Shade was the baby she had turned from to protect so long ago. Vange smiled, looking up at the twinkle of stars which gazed down at her. Oh, the irony of it all, she thought. She knew the moment she’d seen Shade up close, she was Jade’s daughter. She looked like Queen Lana, but Jade’s features stuck out from her like a knife. Vange had hoped Shade wasn’t her long lost niece, but alas, fate was not so kind.
Pondering what she would do or even say to Jade, Vange began her walk down to the house. Her long coat kept out the chill of the night, and she cast a floating witch light in her path to illuminate the way. Vange’s fire powers from her mortal mother were strong in her, just as they were in Jade. The fey blood amplified them even more. There was nowhere she could go that she would ever be in the dark or cold with power like hers. She wondered if Jade was starting to remember anything. Memory charms fade with time, and it could very well be near the time to replenish the charm’s powers. She’d have to do it since Verenis was now long dead. She didn’t want to, but if Shade was to stay safe, she had to make sure Jade remembered nothing.
Vange stopped abruptly, watching her witch light suddenly bounce off an invisible wall. Tilting her head, she scanned the dirt until she spotted what she was looking for. Crouching down, she lit the ground around her with the witch light and frowned, noting the trail of salt and the specks of still-drying blood. Standing again, she reached out to touch the invisible shield before her.
Damn! Jade already knows.
The shield rippled under her hand and sent a vibration of pain up her arm. Pulling her hand away, she winced from the slight shock. Vange had no choice now but to call her sister out of the house and speak with her. The protection shield was strong. Even she could not penetrate it. She concentrated on the shield, feeling not one but three powerful essences embracing the spell. If Jade had found two other Witches to perform the spell with her, they were now as safe as anyone could ever be from faeries, aside from hiding in an oubliette. No one could enter the home without their permission. No one and nothing could penetrate its magic.
Vange paced back and forth for a moment, thinking hard on what she would say to her sister. Maybe she could enter if given permission. She ran her power along the barrier again and found it laced with a disabling spell. Jade had foreseen something. Maybe she had known Vange would come back here for Shade. If she were allowed to enter the grounds, she would be stripped of her powers while within the shield.
Clever, Jade. Very clever.
Vange swallowed back her frustration as she stared at the house beyond the barrier. It had become worn with the years. The exterior structure boasted old, peeling paint and fading bricks. She felt a twinge of longing as she scanned her childhood home. She hadn’t felt the homesickness in so long that it felt nauseating and made her lose her breath as it roiled in her stomach. Squeezing her eyes shut, she breathed in until the pricks of pain eased away. Her eyes fluttered open and narrowed as she called out to her long lost kin.
“Jade! Jade, I need to speak with you! Jade!” Vange paused, waiting for movement from the darkened house. The lights flickered on inside and lit up the living room window. She grinned as she saw shadows shuffle behind the curtains, waiting patiently to see her sister once more.
Jade flung the front door open. The crack of the door slamming on the wall echoed across the empty yard. Shade, Soap, and Benton popped out behind her, eyes wide in surprise and puffy with sleep. They stopped as she came into their vision. Gaping at Vange, Shade looked the most baffled by her sudden appearance. She gripped her mother’s arm, but Jade shook her off. Nothing but recognition danced furiously in Jade’s tiger-brown eyes.
“Vange, I should‘ve known you would eventually come by here.” Jade’s voice dripped with resentment. Her face crinkled into a scowl as she eyed her sister. Realizing suddenly that Vange had remained outside the protective shield, she smirked and started walking toward her sister.
“Mom, wait! Don’t go near her, she’s Aveta’s lieutenant! She’s here to kill us!” Shade gulped back her panic as her mother waved her away. Jade came to stop near the barrier’s edge and gave her sister a once-over. Jade’s lips pressed together tightly as she took a moment to gather her thoughts.
“Sister, how good to see you after all these years,” Vange said. “I never thought I would ever see your shining face again.” She gave her a sinister grin as she patiently waited for Jade to decide what to do about her.
“Why’d you come here, Vange?” A glimpse of pain flashed across Jade’s eyes as she glared at her sister.
“You know why. Verenis’s memory spell has obviously worn off. Unfortunately, I have come too late to salvage it. It could not be helped, Sister.” Vange’s face became serious as she watched Jade fume. She didn’t want to underestimate her, but she had to speak with her at all costs. She sighed. Diplomacy was going to have to win out tonight. “Look, Jade. I swear I’m not going to hurt you or your daughter. I need to speak with you.” Vange glanced around, suddenly aware of how exposed she felt standing outside the barrier wall. “Please let me in, and I can tell you.”
“What makes you think that I would let a lieutenant of Aveta’s near my home? You work for her, Vange! Why should I even trust you?” Jade frowned, ready to march back into the house and forget her.
Evangeline sighed. Her loyalties battled within. She watched her sister, her best friend until she’d left at the age of eighteen to explore the Faerie world. She felt a tug at her heart in a place which had remained cold and dormant for what seemed an eternity. Longing bubbled up into her chest and caught her in a state of panic as Jade began to turn and walk away from her.
“Jade, stop! Please, I’m still your sister,” Vange pleaded. “Nothing will ever change that. Not even Aveta. I swear to you, as my own fey blood binds me. I will do and say nothing to harm you or anyone else in your home. Ever. I promise you this.” She tried to swallow as her mouth turned dry and her heart quickened in desperation.
Jade stopped in her tracks, seemingly torn between returning to the porch where Soap, Shade and Benton waited. Staring down at the grass in the dark shadows cast by the illuminated windows, Jade wrestled with uncertainty. Turning ba
ck to her sister, she knew just what Vange had sacrificed in that one moment. Searching her sister’s eyes for absolution, she saw what she needed. Fear and sadness mixed and swirled in her sister’s dark eyes. Jade approached the barrier once more.
“Mom, no!” Shade yelped from the porch. Jade shushed her and waved her away, her eyes never leaving Vange’s. Her intense stare stabbed back at Vange, but the Faery Witch stood her ground. Finally, Jade sighed, releasing a breath that she’d been holding for a while.
“Alright. I hold you to your oath, Evangeline. You will be powerless when you enter here. I made sure of it.” Jade’s hand pierced the barrier as she held it out to her sister. Vange nodded and took it, gripping it tightly, and stepped through the threshold. A slight tingling rush swept through her as she crossed the barrier, making her dizzy for a moment as the magic swept over her, binding her powers completely. She shook her head and glanced up at Jade, a twinge of panic searing through her dark eyes.
“Don’t worry, it isn’t permanent,” Jade stated blandly. “You will be right as rain when you leave our home. Come.” Jade waved her on and turned back toward the house.
Shade released her bite on her bottom lip. The coppery taste of blood tainted her mouth as she realized she’d been clamping on it too hard. She eyed Vange as she passed her and ducked into the house, not giving her a second’s look. Glancing at Soap, her displeasure spilled across her face.
“We can’t trust her, Soap. What are we going to do?” Shade said.
Soap stepped forward, embracing her tightly as his long golden-brown hair swept over her like a cape. “There is nothing to do, Shade. I think you shouldn’t underestimate your mother. She looks like she could probably handle herself quite well if need be. Besides, she has made sure we are protected here. I won’t let anything happen, okay?” He loosened his embrace as Shade nodded. She was slightly reassured, but still alarmed. She sighed as they turned to enter the house.
Chapter Twenty