Chapter Twenty-One
They breathed deeply and could not only smell the essence of home, but could feel the vibrations emanating from the room of all the years of the family living within its walls.
"Come," Meifen said. "We have work to do this night."
"What do I do with Cally?" Alana asked. "He could wake and ruin everything."
"Maybe you should put him back out on the lawn chair," Kellan suggested. Alana nodded regretfully and walked back outside. They waited for her to return.
"What can we do?" Vevila asked as they walked through the house.
"First we need to stop them from hurting Celeste," Kane told them all.
"She is right," Stefan told them. "We don't know where she is right now, but we can create a barrier around her that they can't cross."
"How will she have her needs taken care of?" Dara asked him.
"It truly is like in the tales of the sleeping princess," Meifen told them. "Even in China we have such tales."
Meifen led the way into their mama and papa's bedroom. He didn't stop until he had reached the back wall. Here, he pressed the seventh flower petal on the seventh flower. A door opened towards them.
"How did you know that?" Kellan asked with surprise.
"I recognized it when you showed me this room," Meifen told her.
Unlike the dirty unused room at the manor, this room had been used very recently and was stacked full of ledgers and writings. Those little workbooks they had been searching through so diligently were only a tiny whisper of what filled this room.
While the sisters looked around with wonder, Stefan and Meifen were looking around for the proper tools to aid them with what they needed to do. They both seemed to know what they would need.
"A kiss?" Meifen asked.
"Yes!" Stefan answered.
The sisters watched amazed as they started drawing out very complicated figures and symbols. It was as if they both had always worked magic together.
:They're linked,: Alana sent into her own link realizing how they were getting this work done so quickly and in agreement.
:Of course!: Dara agreed.
"We need some blood from the eldest," Meifen requested.
Kellan came forward without any question. She stood firm as Meifen cut her palm and had her bleed onto the figure that represented Celeste.
"I don't think Caryn knows that Celeste is her sister," Rhoswen told them.
"What?" Stefan asked.
"Her half sister," Rhoswen corrected.
"Oh," Stefan tore off part of the paper and started again.
"She is also papa's half sister," Rhoswen told them.
They watched as his face turned white and sweat appeared above his brow.
"She is not your sister, either," Dara told him realizing what had made him look so sick. "You aren't truly an O'Byrne."
"Explain," he demanded.
"Well," Rhoswen started. "Sadie cheated with your father, and your mother cheated with a traveling minstrel. We—I realized this due to my gift. It is true. It has only been known since we went into the forest to train the girls."
"Oh," he said staring at the diagram.
"We will then need your blood here," Meifen told him.
"What will that do?" Kane asked mystified.
"Kellan's blood was meant to link to Caryn, but from what you just said, would also link to Celeste," Stefan explained. "My blood is the link to my brother, who we now know is also linked to Celeste, but not to Caryn. We can touch both Celeste and Caryn separately. Otherwise one action could touch both women. We don't want that."
Kellan nodded, but the others looked at him blankly.
"You can think on it later," Meifen told them. "We are finished."
They were startled when the magical plans burst into flames. Kellan was racing toward the table with the water pitcher, but just as fast, it was out again—leaving nothing behind but ash.
"You do like to burn things," Vevila murmured to herself.
"She used death magic," Meifen explained. "We used elemental magic. It is different. She will not know how to combat it. Tomorrow—no today—when she comes to collect you, we will be waiting."
"Collect us?" Alana asked alarmed.
"She has use of you," Meifen told them, "and the house. She will be here."
"In fact," Stefan told them. "She is approaching now."
"Eat this," Meifen held out a cup with what looked like orange little peas. "It will counter the dust I collected off Stefan."
They downed the peas without question. Meifen and Stefan also ate peas.
They had worked through the night. There was daylight now shining through the windows. They looked at each other surprised.
"What do we do?" Kane asked, ready to fight her.
"We need her alive," Stefan told Kane. "We can find Celeste, but it will be easier if we can persuade Caryn to lead us to her."
"She can no longer hurt her?" Kane asked.
"No," Dara answered excitedly. "I can see her now. She has a shield around her that Hagan can't get through. He can't move her, either. It's working!"
"All you have to do is get her to enter the house," Stefan told them. "She will be trapped inside."
"Be natural," Meifen advised them. "She expects some resistance."
There was a banging at the door. Vevila jumped. Kellan led the way downstairs. She hesitated before opening the door.
"Open it," Alana told her.
Caryn smiled to herself—like hooking fish in a barrel.
Kellan opened the door and just stared at her.
"Not even going to invite me in?" Caryn frowned at her.
Kellan moved out of the way, waving her in with a sarcastic gesture. They were surprised and disappointed when she remained on the porch.
"So what is it?" Kellan asked her.
"You girls will come with me now," Caryn told her. "Arlen and I have decided that you will be living at the manor."
"Why is that?" Alana asked with her chin up.
Alana peered at her from Kellan's side. Something wasn't right. Caryn should have just arrogantly walked into the house and started throwing her weight around.
"We have talked," Kellan told her bluntly, "and we have decided that we don't want you to live with us. We don't need you, and we sure aren't going to live at the manor. This is our home!"
"Just because you happened to open up the house," Caryn told them. "Doesn't mean you are stronger than I. You don't want to mess with me, little girl! You and your sisters will come now!"
"Why would we do that?" Kellan asked confused.
"I have your little friend Davy," she told them. "I will damage him if you do not come out right now!"
"You what?" Vevila screamed at her and charged towards the door.
"She's lying, Vevila!" Dara yelled out. "She does not have him!"
Kellan and Alana tried to stop the berserked Vevila, but she shot right out past them. They tore out after her followed by Kane. Dara and Rhoswen had the sense to grab their staffs. Meifen and Stefan came pounding down the stairs. They heard Caryn laugh shrilly as they plowed into a wall. They had meant to trap her. Instead, she had trapped them.
"Dara," Stefan shouted, "open the door! Dara!"
:OPEN,: Stefan sent to them all, :THE DOOR!:
Stefan pounded against the invisible wall. He then tried burning his way through—without any success.
They were too focused on Caryn to hear him. He rubbed his face worriedly, and watched with frustration and fear.
Meifen left the doorway to try and find a different portal in which to escape. He wandered from the very top floor—to the cellar below. He knew there was an exit, but could not find its key.
They had set up the trap using the houses imbedded protections. They hadn't thought about Caryn using those same protections to trap them.
Caryn removed a device from her pocket and darted Vevila. Caryn felt her shoulder blaze up with pain. She looked at it with shock t
o see blood dripping from a wound. She snarled at Vevila who was staring off into space. Her dart was lodged into Vevila's shoulder. Caryn instantly knew what had happened—Aine! She would have to be more careful. She was lucky. If that dart had held a harmful poison, Caryn would be dead right now.
"AWW-EEE, AWW-EEE," Kingdom came from around the house and charged her.
Kellan watched Kingdom breathlessly as he rushed out to trample her. He screamed his aggression as he rushed her. Kellan started with surprise when Kingdom found himself stomping the empty earth. One minute her aunt was in his direct path. The next she wasn't.
Caryn swiftly threw a pouch to the ground. They watched horrified as weeds grew swiftly around Kingdom's legs and started pulling him down to the ground. He screamed as the plants dug thorns into his flesh. Alana quickly placed her hands against the earth. The weeds stopped pulling him down, but she couldn't get them to release him. She couldn't let go, or they would continue to grow up and choke him out. She sat on the earth and desperately concentrated on maintaining her control. Kingdom screamed with anger and frustration as he continued to struggle to get free.
"Don't give up," Alana murmured to him, "please, please—don't give up!"
Kane threw a rock and hit Caryn in the cheek. Caryn looked up startled and quickly pulled together a shield. Rhoswen hit her staff across the shield and was disappointed to find that it could not reach her aunt. She was shocked to see the malicious amusement in her eyes.
"We seem to be deadlocked," Caryn sneered at them. "Thought you were safe? Thought I was stupid? I've been watching you. All of you, all night long. I saw what you each could do. I saw you with Stefan. Meet my observer."
The rangy little dog crossed the field towards them. It was Skippy, Della's dog.
"Skippy!" Kane called out surprised.
"Here Skippy," Dara called. "Come to Dara."
The dog growled and bared its teeth.
"He's mine now," Caryn told her. "If you come repentantly," her voice lowered, "you will be left to live a pretty normal life. You will do as I say. You will marry whom I tell you to marry. Your children will be raised the way I see fit."
"Why would we do that?" Kellan asked her angrily.
"I have your beloved little Celeste," she told them. "I will kill her, and I will do it in such a way that she will wish she were dead long before I finally thrust the knife into her heart."
"We know you have Celeste," Rhoswen told her. "I think you've taken on more than you can control. She is one of Druantia's priestesses you know."
"Druantia!" Caryn scoffed. "She's too busy letting us all have free choice to save Celeste. She let your mother and father die!"
"Regardless," Dara told her. "We will not go with you."
"I will kill her," Caryn told her, "and then I will kill all your little friends. I could have had Davy." She paused in thought. "In fact that would have been smarter than grabbing Celeste."
Kellan stepped forward. "We will hunt you down," she told her angrily, "you must sleep sometime."
"For all your strong words," she sneered. "You're too squeamish to do what would need doing. I'm too strong for you—even with your little sticks."
:Druantia's hunting,: Rhoswen sent her sisters an image of Druantia tracking a creature so vile, that it made Caryn look puny. Druantia was between the heavens. :It is up to us.:
:Let's just bombard her and try to take her out,: Kane suggested.
:I agree,: Kellan told them.
Kane started the assault by bombarding her with every rock she could pick up. Dara and Rhoswen started beating on Caryn's shields with their staffs. Kellan tried to pull her body down hard against the earth, but the bonds would not attach. She then tried to cut the bonds away, but the shield held her in place. They couldn't touch her. All the bombardment did was rock her to and fro.
Dara sent sparks of power into her, but quickly stopped as she realized that the shield absorbed them and became stronger. Instead she started siphoning off the energy and sending it into the ground. She could feel the shield weakening. Caryn seemed unaware that her shield was growing thinner.
Caryn was shocked when one of Kane's rocks whirled through her shield, shocked again when Rhoswen's staff slammed down onto her shoulder. She dropped to one knee. They stopped to glare at her—waiting for her to make the next move.
"You need to set Celeste free," Rhoswen told her, "and to not bother us again."
Caryn had never seen her nieces so enraged before. She looked at them confused. Why did they hate her so much?
"You are mine to do with as I please!" She yelled at them. "Aine didn't deserve him. He should have been mine! You—should have been mine." She stared at every one of them. "Well, your mine now!"
"Papa loved mama!" Kane yelled at her. "He would never have chosen you!"
"Mama would never have chosen you as our guardian had she known how perverse you were!" Alana glared at her.
"Now release Celeste," Kellan commanded her.
"I will not!" Caryn yelled at them.
Dara stepped forward and swung her staff into Caryn's stomach. Caryn doubled over, her eyes reflected the shock from the blow. She realized that these girls meant to kill her if she did not do as they said. Between her confusion of their betrayal, and her hate for Celeste—she could not think! In a panic, she pulled out her only remaining tool. She closed her eyes and threw it to the ground.
"Rassptishae," she shouted. "Rassptishae , Rassptishae!" She started laughing. Mother had never had the nerve to use it, although she had taunted her with it time and time again. She—the useless daughter—was stronger than her mother!
"Back away!" Rhoswen screamed out.
Kellan ran towards Vevila and scooped up her limp body. She ran with her to the porch.
"Alana!" Dara screamed. "Let go!"
Alana knew that if she was to let go, the weeds would finish pulling Kingdom down and kill him. She refused to let go. She could hear her sisters screaming at her to get out of there—but she couldn't.
"Seal the porch!" Alana shouted at them. "I will not leave Kingdom!"
Rhoswen screamed as a creature's harmonics pierced her natural shielding. Dara dragged her further up onto the porch. Kellan tapped the symbol on the porch which would seal it the same as the house. Caryn was laughing at their horrified expressions.
A huge serpent with venomous fangs broke through the earth and stood swaying to and fro. Its black fathomless eyes trained on Caryn. Its scales shimmered with rainbow illuminations. Its huge green head momentarily turned towards Alana sitting helplessly on the ground. Alana stared back at it mesmerized. Its black eyes with the white slit pupils seemed uncannily intelligent as it stared into her eyes. She heard Kingdom scream as the weeds started pulling in on him again. Determinedly, she broke free to stare at the ground. She jumped with surprise when the serpent's tail snapped down into the weeds. They immediately withered and died. Kingdom stood free. They were surprised when Kingdom bowed towards the serpent and retreated, stepping backwards. Alana stood to stare at it, unsure of what her next move should be.
It returned its gaze towards Caryn. Its black tongue flickered out.
:You summoned me?: the serpent hissed at her. :Where is my offering? Where are my servants?:
Caryn stared at the serpent flabbergasted. The book said nothing about an offering—only a summoning. It had not even mentioned the fact that it could speak. She pointed helplessly at the girls on the porch, and then pointed at Alana standing vulnerably nearby.
The serpent hissed angrily and sprang on her, coiling its body tightly around her. They could hear her screaming as it retreated down the hole it had ascended from—taking her down with it.
They stared in shock and silence towards the large gaping hole. The serpent and their aunt—gone.
"Is she dead?" Alana asked.
"Not likely, it will want a servant," Meifen said from the doorway. "Now, would one of you please—open the door?"
They stare
d at Stefan and Meifen speechlessly. Kellan reached over and opened the door. It swung open easily.
"Is that all we had to do?" Kellan asked.
"Yes," Meifen told her.
"Come here," Stefan commanded, and then pulled them one by one into his large arms and held them close. He peered into each girl's eyes to insure that they were truly okay.
Dara walked over to Vevila and gently removed the dart from her shoulder.
"Is she okay?" Kane asked worriedly.
"She will be fine," Dara told her. "At least she won't be having nightmares of being dragged down a hole by a great snake!"
"Serpent," Kellan corrected.
"Whatever!" Dara answered edgily.
They heard a whimper and saw Skippy laying listlessly in the field.
"Careful," Stefan called as Alana ran from the porch.
She was kneeling down beside him, petting his head. The others joined her.
"He fought it," Dara said sadly. "See how much he's aged. He's only a year old, but has the body of about ten. She used him hard."
"What can we do for him?" Alana asked.
"Nothing," Dara said sadly. "He has just gotten too old, too fast."
"Does she still have a mental connection to him?" Kellan asked Meifen.
"No, it is broken," he answered her, "but he is vulnerable to further tampering. He would be helpless against her."
"We will keep him inside," Alana said through her tears as she picked up the dog. "She cannot come inside."
"If she ever gets free," Kane said looking down into the hole.
"Kane!" Kellan shouted, "Get back from there."
Kane just shrugged and joined them back on the porch.
"Come," Meifen called. "We have a lot to plan. This battle is won, but the next must be prepared for. We are not finished."
"Indeed," Stefan's voice lowered. "We have much to do!"
"We have to rescue Celeste!" Rhoswen insisted.
"And set Walt's brother and cousin free," Dara added. They looked at her confused. "The sailors!"
"And Hagan," Alana mentioned, "What's to be done with him?"
"And find where Davy belongs," Kane stated firmly.
"And find out who's bones are in the evil room," Kellan whispered.
:And what about me?: Cally-cat asked querulously.
"Cally!" Rhoswen ran and cuddled up the big cat. He purred blissfully.
"And what about our aunt?" Kane asked staring out toward the gaping hole.
Her question was met by silence. They stood looking at each other with baffled expressions.
"She created her own fate," Meifen told them, "she must find her own way out,"
"Good thing," Rhoswen told them. "I was beginning to think that we were going to have to save the whole world!"
Stefan and Meifen exchanged looks. Indeed—change the world!
Return to Toc
From the Author
Hello, I live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon with my husband and a loyal following of cats.
I found my passion in creating and writing stories. It is on ongoing challenge for me to entice non-book readers into finding themselves lost inside my worlds. My stories are a little complex so I acknowledges that maybe they are best to be read by those who are young adults or older.
If you find yourself with an autographed book in hand, it will probably say, "Embrace Joy." I say this, because joy is our most fleeting, but marvelous of emotions. If you find it, hold it and cherish it for as long as you can.
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