Chapter Three
Neith
"P lus, we aren't used to having them and being able to call on them in dangerous situations, so it wasn't our first thought," Doc adds.
River grins, "Plus, if they had turned up, then Van wouldn't have done his awesome waterspout trick."
Van chuckles, "I also wouldn't have nearly gotten eaten by that giant thing with teeth as big as I am."
"Oh yeah. Good point," River replies with a frown.
"We should probably test it to see if they do come when we call them. We don't want to call on them in the Choosing, thinking that they will come and them not turn up," Ransom suggests.
"That's a good idea," I reply.
"Well, since we're heading back, we should probably do it now," Griff points out.
"You're right, but where?" Evander replies. "We don't want humans or supes to see the kelpies if they do turn up. It's not like they are well received by anyone since they are very well known for eating humans and supes alike."
I frown, "I can't really think of anywhere nearby where we would be guaranteed not to be witnessed."
"What about going back to House?" Reed asks. "We've only just left, so it's not going to take too long to go back, and we know that the grounds there are safe."
"We didn't actually explore the grounds to know that for certain," Ransom points out. "But I see what you mean, and it is most likely the safest space to do it."
I nod, "Yeah, it is. I'll turn around. I don't know whether we will get a better opportunity to test it than now, especially without being in danger."
"Agreed," Evander says.
Fortunately, it's not long until House's gates are opening for us again. I have always wondered why the gates work, but House hasn't been able to do anything with the grounds. I asked Ethel about it once, but she only answered me in her roundabout way, which didn't actually answer any of my questions. She likes to do that when she has the answers, but she doesn't want to or maybe can't tell me.
We all climb back out of the van.
Before we do anything, I head back up the steps and open the door, shouting, "It's just us!"
"Who else would it be, Dear?" Ethel shouts back, "No one else would dare to come here."
I chuckle, "Good point."
I close the door again and then head back to the guys, in all honesty, Ethel probably has a point. This house was well known by the locals for being somewhere that even supernaturals wouldn't dare to come, even teenagers on a dare refused to come here, especially after I started to stay here. For some reason, that just seemed to make it even more scary. I don't know why since I'm human. Although some of the supes around here were aware that I ran with Dimitri, so that probably helped. No one messes with Dimitri.
"Okay, so how do we do this?" River asks, a giant smile on his face and his eyes sparking with excitement.
"I have no idea," Ransom admits.
Raiden looks at Griff, "Griff? What did the books say?"
"Well, they pretty much just said that supernaturals that were bonded with kelpies could whistle and call them to their location if they required assistance or just wanted them," Griff explains, a slight furrow in his eyebrows as he tries to recall what he read.
"That's it?" Van asks.
"Well, in all fairness, it would be quite difficult to write how you would whistle," Doc replies.
"True," Van says. "Wait, didn't Sully mention having a kelpie? Couldn't we just ask him if there are limitations to where they can travel?"
I nod, "We could, but I kind of want to see it for myself. Especially since if we do call them, then chances are we will be in trouble. I want to know with absolute certainty that they will show up if we call."
"Yeah, I agree. I would like to know without a doubt that we can call on them too," Doc replies.
"I agree too. Well, even though we want to find out for ourselves if they come, we can still ring him and see if he can tell us the whistle," Ransom points out.
I grin, yeah, that probably should have been more obvious. In my defense, my mind has been full of the Choosing and, admittedly, the fact that we're going to be bringing in Dimitri. A pang of guilt spears me, and I shake it off, he's not who he was. I know that he's done stuff, really bad stuff, but there's still a part of me that's clinging on to who he was, and no matter what I say to that part, it refuses to let go completely. I honestly don't think that it ever will.
Pulling out my phone, I dial Sully's number, and I copy what Van usually does when he makes a call to Ty and put it on speakerphone so that we can all hear.
"Neith, are you on your way back yet?" Sully asks.
"No, not quite. I'll send you a text message when we're at the portal at Niamh's, like usual," I tell him.
"No problem. What's up?" he asks.
I am so tempted to ask all of the things that we want to ask him, but I remind myself that it's better to ask him in person so I can see his facial expressions in case we ask something that falls under the silencing spell and if he can't tell us, his facial expressions will.
"While we are still here, and since we aren't going to be able to come back here for a while, we thought we would call the kelpies," I begin to explain.
"That's a smart idea. It can sometimes take a while before they will respond, and that's something that you want to figure out now and not when you're in the thick of it," he replies.
"Exactly," I reply. "The only problem is that we don't actually know how to do it."
Sully chuckles, "That's easy enough. Do you remember me saying that all supes that were bonded with kelpies were taught the same whistle to call them?"
"Vaguely," Reed replies, while I nod in agreement because I have no recollection of that, and I'm glad that I'm not the only one.
"Well, I can teach you the whistle that we're taught, but don't panic if yours sounds different," Sully continues to explain. "There is old magic in the tune that will shift and change it so that you only call your kelpie. It's specific to you, and even if someone tried to replicate it, they wouldn't be able to do so."
"That is so cool," Raiden grins.
"It is," Sully agrees, a smile in his voice. "Are you ready?"
"Hell yeah," River replies immediately.
Sully chuckles. He takes a breath and then whistles, it's a haunting tune and beautiful.
"I recommend that you do it one at a time," Sully says. "Just the first time that you call them. You don't have to, but I always find it interesting to see how the whistles differ even though you are all doing the same tune."
"Can you do it one more time, please?" I ask. "I want to make sure that I remember it right."
"Of course," Sully replies.
We all listen intently one more time.
"Thanks, Sully," Evander says, looking like he's concentrating hard so he doesn't forget it.
"No problem. You can tell me how it goes when you get back," Sully says. "Give me another call if you forget how it goes. It can take a couple of tries to get it right anyway."
"We will," I reply and then hang up.
"Okay, so who goes first?" Griff asks.
Raiden looks at me, "I think Neith should. If any of the kelpies are likely to reply, it's going to be Mael. He's got a stronger bond with Neith than we have with our kelpies."
"Good point," Doc agrees.
I shrug, "To be honest, I'm probably the most likely of us to forget how to do the whistle if I leave it for too long anyway, so I'm good with going first."
"Wait, should you tell House?" Ransom asks, just as I'm about to start, "It's quite protective of you, we don't want it smiting the kelpies or something."
"Is House even capable of that?" Doc asks, looking more intrigued than worried.
Ransom shrugs, "I have no idea, but I don't think we should risk it."
"Yeah, I have a feeling that even we would be surprised about what House is really capable of," Griff agrees. "I think it's best not to find that out when what we're calling to us is a friend and not something attacking."
"Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea," I reply.
It is entirely likely that House would do something if it thinks that I am under threat. I don't know whether it's capable of doing something if we are in the yard since its magic hasn't extended this far to fix the grounds, but I do know that it is capable of protecting the building. That was proven the very first night when I found this place when it protected me and attacked the supes that were after me.
"You had better warn House and Ethel just in case. I mean, we have no idea what she's capable of either," Van agrees with everyone else.
I smirk, "Yeah, I think she likes to pretend that she's nothing more than a talking skull, but she definitely knows more than she lets on."
"I completely agree with that, and I haven't even known her for that long. I would say that she definitely knows things. Lots and lots of things. She won't even tell you why she is in the house in the first place. I think that's a dead giveaway," Doc says.
"Exactly, it's why I love her," I reply. "Alright, give me a minute, and I'll go back and tell House and Ethel what we're up to."
The guys nod, and as I walk away, I hear them all start to throw around theories on who they think Ethel really is and what she's capable of. Some of the suggestions are really out there. For example, Ransom suggested that she may be an alien, and then River just ran with the idea. By the time that I get to the front door, I'm smiling. I head into the kitchen to talk to Ethel since I feel like it would be a bit weird to just yell from the hallway, and House can hear me no matter where I am.
"Come to say goodbye again?" She asks me as soon as I walk into the kitchen.
I have no idea how she knows that I'm here since she doesn't technically have eyes and is just a skull, but I have sort of just always assumed that it's magic, and I don't question it, which is what I do for most things when it comes to this magical house of mine that's not technically mine.
"We're not leaving just yet." I pause, I probably need to fill both of them in a bit before I just say that the kelpies are coming. "We're all bonded to kelpies, and since we're here, we wanted to see if we could call them. I just wanted to warn you and House so you didn't think that something was attacking us and do something about it."
"We would have absolutely done something about it if we thought that you were being attacked," Ethel confirms with amusement in her voice while House bangs doors somewhere else. "I am entirely unsurprised that you have a kelpie bonded to you, Dear. Have fun, and don't forget to come and say goodbye to us before you go."
"Of course," I say with a smile as I turn on my heel and once again head for the door.
I jog down the steps and back over to the guys, repeating the whistle in my head as I make my way over. I am really worried that I'm going to forget it.
"All sorted?" Van asks.
I nod, "Yeah. She said that they definitely would have done something about it if they thought that we were being attacked, so I think that it was the right call to tell them that the kelpies were coming."
"We hope they are," River adds.
"Well, yeah. Sully said that when a bond is new they don't always respond to the whistle," Raiden says, and then looking excited adds, "there's only one way to find out. Come on, Neith, give it your best shot."
I grin, catching his enthusiasm quickly, "Do you think it really is as simple as just whistling?"
Doc shrugs, "That's what Sully said to do."
"I imagine that it would be a good idea to put some intention behind it," Ransom replies since he is the one who is used to doing this kind of spell work and magic as a warlock. When I look confused, he adds, "So instead of just whistling, make sure that you are whistling because you want to call your kelpie. Does that make sense?"
Understanding dawns on me, and I nod, "Yep, that makes sense. Let's give this a shot."
It's a good job that I'm not a shy person because they all fall silent and watch me intently, and if I were someone who didn't like being the center of attention, it would freak me out, and I wouldn't be able to whistle anyway.
Thanks to that very unnecessary thought, I realize that I'm actually a lot more nervous than I would like to admit.
I take a breath as I find my center, and not for the first time do I feel something that I'm calling my magic stir within me and answer my call. It doesn't come to me completely, and it still feels like it is well and truly buried, but every time that I feel it, I feel reassured that there really is something supernatural about me and that there always has been. I know that may seem a bit ridiculous, but after being told my whole life that I was human, even when I did or experienced things that no human would, it has left fear behind, and now I don't think I will fully believe it until I have irrefutable proof. So that little flicker that appears every time that I call for it gives me the small reassurance that I need and stops me from spiraling.
As soon as I feel like I am properly focused on Mael and the kelpies and my intentions, I whistle.
I know I shouldn't be surprised since Sully did tell us that it would happen, but as soon as the whistle leaves my lips and it's different than the tune that I was trying to make, I am surprised. I have to admit that it's kind of weird to hear something different out loud than what I'm hearing in my head and trying to copy.
Magic is really fucking trippy sometimes.
I whistle the last note and then glance back at the guys.
Shrugging, I say, "I guess we're not bonded enough yet."
"Give it a moment. They are all the way back home," Griff suggests.
I hear a familiar whinny moments before Mael appears and gallops toward me happily, nuzzling me and then jumping around me like a ginormous excitable puppy.
"Hey buddy, you came!" I greet him excitedly, pride swelling in my chest, I did it.
"Erm, Neith," River starts, with a slightly confused but excited tone to his voice.
I chuckle as Mael carries on running around me in circles, I actually can't see the guys since Mael is moving so quickly he's a blur and is all that I can Mael.
"Yeah?" I call out to River.
"They're all here!" River yells excitedly.
I freeze and stop trying to follow Mael around in the circle, "What?" I ask, wanting to make sure that I've heard him right. I still can't see anything, and so speaking to the extremely excited Mael, I say, "Buddy, I know you're super excited that it worked. I am too, but could you please stop for a moment so I can see what River means?"
Mael stops immediately, making the grass and mud fly everywhere since he stops so suddenly, and I laugh again as he gives me a somewhat apologetic look. I pat his neck and then freeze as my eyes land on the scene in front of me.