Mina opened the door, and her best friend rushed in the door. Her blonde hair hung plaited in one long messy braid, and she wore a sparkly headband over her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed with worry as she rushed inside.
“Mina, you won’t believe what I found…” Nan trailed off when she took a long look at her friend’s swollen and red-rimmed eyes. “What happened? Are you okay? Is Charlie okay?”
Mina nodded her head. “Yeah, we’re fine. But my mom’s gone.”
“What?” Nan snapped and rushed into the living room and was greeted by Brody’s somber face as he stood with Ever. “How?”
Mina didn’t want to relay the tale. She looked to Ever, who pulled Nan to the side and told her in hushed tones. Mina stayed near the front door. As she closed it, something rushed inside and scurried up her pant leg.
“Whoa!” She screamed and fell backward, thinking the omen had returned.
The thing scrambled up and out her collar, and her hands flew up to guard her. But she wasn’t being devoured by the invisible beast. She was being nuzzled.
A second later, Anders, the Baldander, appeared as a large brown squirrel.
“Anders?” Mina let out a relieved laugh.
Nan came back to the front room and kneeled beside her. “Yeah, he showed up at my condo this morning, a little burned, but he was okay. He wouldn’t stop morphing until I promised to bring him to you. “It’s like he knew something bad was coming.”
Mina sat on the floor with Anders cuddled up in her lap. He seemed content and unwilling to move.
“I know that a lot has happened. I can’t even imagine how it feels to lose your mother, but—” Nan spoke softly.
“Nan, not now.” Mina tried to stop the lecture that was sure to come.
“If not now, then when? When your brother is killed as well?” Nan’s eyes burned with indignation and unshed tears. “Ever told me Charlie spoke. Mina, you saw what happened with the Godmothers’ Guild. I just want you to know that—when you’re ready, you’re not alone. We’re in this together.”
“I don’t think I can involve you anymore. The cost is too high.”
“That’s bull! And you know it. This isn’t about you versus the almighty Teague. This is about us protecting ourselves from a greater evil. So grieve, sort of quickly, and then pull yourself together and fight back.”
Mina nodded and hugged her friend. “We will. I will. Thank you.”
A second knock on the door had all of them turning and looking at the door in distrust.
“Were you expecting anyone else?”
“No.” Mina shuffled her legs, and Ander scurried off of her lap and onto the floor as she slowly stood up. She reached for the doorknob and was about to open it when Nan hissed, “Stop! What if it’s Teague?”
“He wouldn’t knock,” Ever said. “It’s not his style. He’d just blast the door in or appear in the room.”
Brody positioned himself next to the front door with a baseball bat he’d pulled from the hall closet, and he gave Mina a nod of encouragement. He twisted his hands around the grip, hefted it over his shoulder, and waited. Without questioning her, he was once again stepping in to protect them all.
Mina let out a sigh of worry and concentrated on the door, trying to let her senses feel beyond it. She didn’t feel the onslaught of Fae power that she got when Teague was near, but she did feel a tingle of something or someone Fae.
She opened the door to reveal a distraught Terry Goodmother on the other side. Dressed in head-to-toe white, she rushed into the foyer. Her white hair looked disheveled, and black streaks of mascara ran down her face. Mina quickly waved for Brody to lower his weapon.
“Oh my darling, Mina. I’m so sorry.” The elderly woman, who was both her mother’s boss at Happy Maids and her Godmother, came into the room and wrapped her chubby arms around Mina. Terry’s shoulders wouldn’t stop shaking as she started to cry big, heaving sobs, which only set Mina off on another round of her own.
“I knew as soon as it happened.” She held up her heavy ringed hand, and the sparkle of her diamonds almost blinded Mina as she placed her hand over her heart. “I felt it here, and it hurts so much. What happened?”
“An omen came for me. Mom saved us all by sacrificing herself,” Mina said as calmly as she could.
“She always was one of the most selfless individuals I’ve known. Which is why I’ve been trying to keep her from doing what she just did. By failing your mother, I’ve failed you. I’m so sorry.”
“You’ve been the one adding the charms to her bracelet,” Mina stated.
Terry nodded. “Yes, I’m also the one who’s made her just fearful enough to run with you and hide from the Fae. Otherwise, she would have sacrificed herself long ago to fight the curse upon you. I couldn’t let her leave the two of you orphaned. I added another one after the attacks on the Guild.”
“You made her fearful?” Mina said in disbelief.
“She wasn’t weak as you believed. In her younger days, she fought alongside your father against the Story’s wrath. But when your father died and your mother was pregnant, we needed her to stop and go into hiding to protect you. So we turned all of her passion and fire into self-preservation for you and Charlie.” Terry started to wring her hands and pace the room.
“But you made her forget about the curse, forget what was happening.” It felt good to finally be able to confront her mother’s Godmother.
“The last year has been rough on your mother. She came to me for help. She’d been running for so long, she didn’t think she had it in her to fight anymore. So we did what we could to make her non-interesting to the Story, so she wouldn’t become a target—so there would always be someone here to protect your brother.” She looked up at Mina, her eyes pale with age. “Now that job falls to you.” Terry seemed a little unstable on her legs, and she kept grabbing her heart.
“Are you okay?” Nan asked, worried.
“Oh yes, dear. I just need to sit. ” Mina helped Terry into the living room, and she sat in the high-back chair by the fire. “I’m very old, you know. My joints don’t work like they used to.”
Mina looked Terry over with suspicion. “No, I don’t quite believe that. You’re hiding something.” She sat in the other chair across from Terry. “Who are you really?”
Terry’s eyes flicked between Ever, Brody, Nan, and then to Charlie sleeping on the couch. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do,” she accused. “I know this is a glamour over your Fae self. Mei was a brownie. Constance told us you’re a house elf.”
Terry looked scared, and she twisted the bracelets on her wrist. She seemed like she wanted to be anywhere but in this room.
“Terry, it’s safe. You can trust us.” Nan piped up and smiled widely at the old Fae woman.
Terry nodded, blushing softly. She released a long sigh and glowed white before her body began to shift. The wrinkles softened but didn’t quite disappear, her body became slimmer, and she started to shrink. The smaller she became, the brighter she appeared, until only someone the size of a small doll sat perched on the edge of the cushion. Her skin was a creamy opaque color, and her ears were pointed and long with a cute dip on the tip.
In her house-elf body, it was even more apparent that something was wrong with her.
“Terrylin,” Mina spoke her real name, and the house elf smiled softly and shivered. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m dying. Your mother’s death has affected me more than I thought it would. We’ve been together a long time, and we’ve become connected. I can feel her loss, and it’s tearing at my soul. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes, when we Godmothers lose our Grimm, we lose a huge part of ourselves. It’s a risk, but we are all willing to take it.” Her eyes scanned the room and seemed to land on Ever as the only other Fae in the room. Nothing was said between the two, but an understanding seemed to pass between them.
Ever nodded once.
“Oh, Terrylin, what can we d
o?”
“There’s nothing you can do for me. My time is short, but I must speak to you alone, dear.” She gave the others a pointed look, and they got up and went to the kitchen.
Ever stayed where she was on the arm of the couch. “I’m her acting Godmother. I should be here.
Terrylin shot Ever a condescending look. “When you’ve dedicated your whole life to the cause, then I’d say you’ve earned your place. But you’ve been a Godmother what? All of a day?”
Ever looked away uncomfortably.
“That’s what I thought,” Terrylin said smugly.
When they were alone, Terrylin leaned forward and looked over to Charlie. “He must be protected.”
“He will be,” Mina answered.
“Do you really think you can protect him when Teague attacks again? He will. Make no mistake about that. He wants his revenge. He wants you my dear.”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“I think you know what must be done,” Terrylin said softly as she started to fade in and out.
Mina couldn’t help but cry at the prospect of what had to happen. “I’m not ready for that yet.”
“I know, dear, but you need to think about what I’ve told you and put a plan in place. Do you understand?”
She nodded her head.
“Good girl.”
Ever popped her head in from the foyer and frowned at Mina sitting on the floor crying over Charlie.
“Hey, Gimp! Can I come in now?”
Mina looked over to Terrylin, who nodded her approval. Ever strode in and perched back on the armrest of the couch, glaring at the small house elf.
Terrylin smiled at Ever. “Are you ready to be sworn in?”
Ever stilled, only her eyes moving as she thought about what the elder Fae was asking. She didn’t take long to answer. “Yes, I am.”
“You know that this will bind you two together? As her Godmother, you will always be able to find her, no matter the plane you’re on, but it comes at a great price.”
“Ever, what’s going on?” Mina asked. “I’m not so sure this is such a great idea.”
Ever turned, wings fluttering. She made a shushing noise and waved her hand at Mina. “Hush, before I change my mind. Someone has to keep tabs on you, and it might as well be me.”
Terrylin moved up to the top of the chair cushion and beckoned Ever to come closer. “Hurry, girl, hurry!”
Ever kneeled on the chair before the house elf, and Terrylin raised a finger up in the air and whispered a few words that only the two of them could hear. Her finger glowed brightly, and, as she touched Ever’s forehead, a bright light emanated from the touch and encompassed the room. When the light dimmed, Terrylin was gone, her chair empty. Only a small silver ring sat in her place.
Ever bowed her head in respect. She reached forward and picked up the ring, sliding it onto her middle finger.
The ring was in the shape of an infinity symbol. On Terrylin, the ring had been covered with diamonds. On Ever’s hand, the Godmother ring was simple silver. She had noticed a gold ring on Mei’s hand, but never before had she put two and two together. Ever had just taken the Godmother oath and bound her life to Mina’s.
She had just promised to guard her with her life…forever.
Chapter 4
Charlie slept through the night and into Sunday morning. Mina had taken the chair and spent an uncomfortable night curled up with a blanket, checking on her brother every few hours. Around four a.m., his fever broke.
Brody slept on the floor by the fireplace in a sleeping bag, so he could stoke the fire throughout the night. Nan lay by Charlie’s couch in another sleeping bag, still snoring quietly.
Ever hadn’t slept. She paced and patrolled the house.
Each time the front door opened, Mina woke up in a panic, but it was just Ever checking the wards. It was odd to see their group, all piled into the living room like lost puppies. Sometimes she felt like that’s exactly what they were. They had refused to leave her and Charlie alone after just losing their mom. Mina didn’t know what excuse they were giving their parents. Frankly, she didn’t want to know. But there was something comforting in seeing their band. Their mini army.
When sunlight streamed through the curtains, illuminating the dust swirling in the room, Charlie finally began to stir. Nan’s uber-sensors went off, and she sat up, watching him intently. Mina uncurled herself from the chair, her leg muscles cramping as she walked across the room. When she passed Brody, still on the floor, he met her gaze and gave her a sad smile.
Charlie opened his eyes and looked up at Nan and Mina’s expectant faces. His alert eyes darted here and there around the room. They noticed Brody and Ever, then continued, as if searching for someone. When he didn’t find what he was searching for, he closed his eyes, lay back down on the couch, and pulled the blanket over his head.
“Oh come on, little buddy,” Nan coaxed gently. “It’s time to rise and shine.”
The blanket wiggled back and forth in a negative answer.
“Okay then,” Nan continued teasingly. “You don’t have to shine. How about you rise and glower or grumble and growl.” Her voice became soft. “Or how about just breathe. Rise and just breathe. Like this—” Nan exhaled and was about to take another dramatic breath in when the blanket launched itself up and wrapped around her in a hug.
Charlie’s little shoulders shook, and Mina crawled up on the couch next to him to rub his back. Nan had always been the best at communicating with Charlie and reading his moods. Mina didn’t know what to say to comfort him. How was she going to help him cope, when she could barely cope herself?
She glanced over and noticed Brody watching her silently from his sleeping bag. He got up and started rolling it and stuffing it back into its carrying bag.
Ever came in, very somber, though her outfit was unusually bright. Little pink flowers flecked her hair, and her normal black attire had been replaced with a bright yellow sundress. “Um, can everyone come to the kitchen please?”
Charlie’s curiosity at Ever had him leading the pack into the kitchen. He stopped short. Mina bumped into his back, but she was momentarily stunned as well.
Ever had transformed the country kitchen into a happy garden full of plants of all kinds. Bright paper lanterns hung from the ceiling with little tea lite candles burning. On the kitchen table in the middle of the room was a picture, framed in mint green, of her mother laughing and hugging Mina and Charlie.
Mina remembered that day. She and Charlie were thirteen and five. That windy day, they had gone to the park and were trying to fly Charlie’s homemade cardboard kite. Of course it didn’t fly, but that didn’t stop them from trying to get the diamond shaped piece to go up in the air for more than five seconds. Just when Charlie was about to cry, the kite had taken off and hung in the air long enough to make him smile.
That had been a good day, filled with lots of laughs and memories. Mina wasn’t sure where Ever found the picture, but she was glad she did. It was a great one of their mom. That’s how she wanted to remember her.
“Ever, it’s beautiful.” Mina softly touched the edge of the frame and then ran her fingers over the blooming flowers that curled around the table. It took her a second to realize there wasn’t a single vase in the room. Ever had made all of the flowers appear and bloom magically. “Thanks.”
Ever blushed. “I felt it was only right to honor your mother’s passing with a celebration.”
“A celebration?” Nan asked. “That doesn’t sound like the right kind of thing to do at the moment.”
Ever looked like she was struggling to hold back a snappy retort. She took a deep breath and slowly explained. “Well, Fae live for a very, very, very long time. Deaths aren’t usually sudden and unexpected. By the time we pass on, we’ve lived a very long and fulfilled life. The passing of Fae is usually a great honor. I know her death was sudden, but I want to give tribute to your mom with the best the Fae can offer.” She gave a stern glare to
Nan, and Mina knew there would be no arguing this.
Unsure what to do, Mina took a seat in one of the kitchen chairs that had been pushed to the side, and Charlie scurried up next to her. Brody and Nan sat in the row behind Mina and Charlie, while Ever stood in the middle of the kitchen next to the table and cleared her throat.
“Um, sorry. I’ve only been to a few of these. And I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare.”
“It’s fine,” Mina reassured her.
Ever smiled wide, and her hair moved about as her wings started to flutter in excitement. She smoothed her hands over her dress before turning to a small pearlescent seed on the table in front of the frame.
Ever waved her hand, and the seed moved to float above her fingertips. “Once upon a time, there was a seed. Small, insignificant, helpless. But Mother Earth took it into her womb and kept it warm and protected.” Ever cupped her hands over the seed and continued the story. “Then, Father Sun spread forth his love from above and nourished the seed with light and sent the rain and whispered for the seed to bloom and grow.”
She opened her hands slightly, and bright green vines began to stretch out of her hands. “Our path dictates how strong we will be and how tall we will grow. Will our life grow into something beautiful, or will we develop thorns for protection?” The vines bloomed into bright pink flowers with orange tints. “Each journey is different.”
Mina turned to watch her younger brother get up and spin under the giant flower buds that continued to blossom and erupt. He held his hands up in the air to catch the colorful burst of Fae pollen. Nan and Brody followed suit as each they stood and stared above them in wonder.
Nan squealed as some of it touched her lips and she tasted it. “Cotton candy?” She giggled.
Charlie opened his mouth to do the same. He shook his head. He obviously didn’t taste cotton candy, but whatever he tasted on his tongue, he enjoyed. He kept his mouth open.
Brody let some fall on his finger and brought it up to his mouth. “Pineapple upside down cake. How are you doing this?”