Chapter 11
"Tarja," I called softly, settling back against the pillows as Tseki left with Murtagh carrying the anchors. "I need you."
The sound of claws on hardwood announced my familiar's approach before she appeared in the doorway. Her tabby coat was slightly ruffled, and her green eyes immediately narrowed with that particular feline irritation that meant I was about to get lectured.
"Finally," she said, her mental voice carrying wounded dignity rather than outright disdain. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten I existed entirely."
My stomach dropped. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Tarja padded into the room with deliberate slowness, her tail doing that agitated twitch that never boded well for my immediate future.
"It means, my dear witch, that for the past three days you have been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders without once asking for help from the one being magically bound to share your burdens. "
She leaped onto the bed and settled beside me, radiating dishonored pride like a furry storm cloud. "I thought we were partners, Phoebe. I thought you trusted me to stand with you when things got difficult."
The weight of my mistake settled in my chest like a lead blanket. She was absolutely right, and we both knew it. I'd been so focused on protecting everyone, so wrapped up in crisis management, that I'd completely overlooked the one ally who'd literally bound her life to mine.
"Oh, Tarja, I'm so sorry," I said, reaching out to stroke her soft fur. "I should have asked for your help from the beginning. I think pregnancy brain combined with magical crisis mode just... I wasn't thinking clearly."
"You were thinking too much about protecting everyone and not enough about using all your available resources," she replied, her mental voice softening as she leaned into my touch.
"I chose you, Phoebe. I bound myself to you and your chaotic family knowing full well the dangers that would follow.
When you shut me out, it feels like you don't trust the choice I made. "
"It's not about trust," I protested. "I trust you more than almost anyone. Leaving you out wasn't intentional. I've been struggling to keep up with everything that's been happening. It's not an excuse, but it's occupied my mind entirely. I haven't even remembered to eat."
"Well, when you put it like that," Tarja purred, her offense clearly melting away, "I suppose I can forgive your temporary lapse in judgment. Now, what is this plan that finally requires my considerable skills?"
I took a deep breath as the tension between us eased. "Tseki needs to place the anchors at Mount Katahdin. It's dangerous, and he'll be working blind once he gets there. I need someone I trust absolutely to guide him through the process."
Tarja's ears perked forward with genuine interest. "What exactly do you need me to do?"
"I need you to make sure he places them in the exact right spots.
And to be our communication link," I said, placing a hand on my belly as the triplets stirred with sudden attention.
"Your telepathic abilities are the only way I can stay connected to what's happening without risking magical detection. "
"I'd be happy to maintain a link with the dragon," she said, her purr deepening with satisfaction. “In fact, he’s ready.”
Tseki's voice suddenly filled both our minds with characteristic draconic directness. “We've reached the base of the mountain.”
I felt Tarja's mental presence expand, creating a three-way connection between us. Through her abilities, I could suddenly sense Tseki's dragon form circling the sacred site. His massive wings cut through air that felt thick with ancient power.
“I can feel the ley lines from here,” he continued, his mental voice tight with concentration. “They're more corrupt than we anticipated. The whole area feels like it’s dying.”
“That's exactly why we need the anchors placed precisely,” Tarja responded with feline authority. “Land near the eastern face, where the old-growth forest meets the stone. You'll feel a pull toward the convergence-point.”
Through the connection, I experienced Tseki's landing as if I were there myself. The jarring impact as his claws found purchase on granite was so tactile. The immediate assault of corrupted magic against his senses made me shudder.
“The first anchor goes where you feel the strongest resistance,” I added, letting my voice join theirs through Tarja's link. “That's where Lyra's corruption has the deepest roots.”
“Got it. Moving to—” Tseki's mental voice cut off abruptly.
“What was that?” Tarja demanded, her mental voice sharp with concern.
“Lyra’s guard. Shit.” Even through the telepathic connection, Tseki's draconic growl was intimidating. “Murtagh's engaging them, but there are more than we expected. I need to place these anchors fast.”
“Slow down.” Tarja's mental authority cracked like a whip. “If you rush this, you'll place them wrong. If that happens, we'll have accomplished nothing except getting you killed. Murtagh can handle a few of Lyra’s goons. Focus on the task.”
“But—”
“I know he’s your mate, Tseki.” Her mental voice carried the same tone she used when I tried to give her discount cat food. “He needs you to do it right more than we do. Breathe. Center yourself. Feel for the convergence point.”
I could sense Tseki's reluctance. His instinct to help his partner was warring with the knowledge that Tarja was right. Through the connection, I felt him force himself to stillness. He let his magical senses expand outward.
“There,” he said after what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds. “I can feel it. Like a wound in the earth itself.”
“Perfect. First anchor, right at the center of that wrongness,” Tarja instructed. “Let the babies' magic guide the placement. They'll know exactly where it needs to go.”
The triplets responded immediately, their combined power flowing through our connection to Tseki. I felt their magic merge with Tarja and then his. All three wrapped around the first anchor as he pressed it into the corrupted ground.
The effect was immediate and dramatic. Even from miles away, I could feel the anchor's purifying energy beginning to work. It was like an infected tooth finally getting treated with the right antibiotic.
“One down,” Tseki reported, his mental voice carrying satisfaction despite the ongoing sounds of combat nearby. “The corruption is already starting to recede around the first placement.”
“Second anchor goes fifty yards northwest,” Tarja directed with the confidence of someone who could see the magical landscape as clearly as the physical one. “Where the ley lines cross beneath that cluster of ancient pines.”
Through the connection, I felt as he moved to the indicated spot. “Here?” he asked, hovering above the spot.
“Perfect. Same process—let the babies guide the placement.”
The second anchor went in more easily, the purifying energy from the first one having already begun to weaken the corruption's hold on the area. The magical landscape was starting to shift. Like a fever finally breaking.
“Now, the third anchor,” Tarja continued. “It goes directly south of your current position. You'll know the spot because it will feel like standing next to an open grave.”
“Charming,” Tseki muttered. The corruption there was exactly as Tarja described.
The third anchor slammed into place with an almost audible sense of completion.
He moved on and placed the final anchor without issue.
Through the connection, I felt the moment when all of the anchors activated simultaneously.
Their combined power formed a square of purifying energy that began spreading outward in waves.
“It's working,” Tseki reported, wonder creeping into his mental voice. “The corruption is dissolving. I can actually see the ley lines clearing.”
“How's Murtagh?” I asked, suddenly remembering the ongoing fight.
“Fine.” The relief in his voice was palpable. “The constructs dissolved the moment the anchors activated. They were powered by the very corruption we just cleansed.” Relief flooded through me so strongly that the babies began doing what felt suspiciously like victory laps against my ribs.
“Well done, both of you,” Tarja purred, her mental satisfaction radiating through the connection. “Now get back here before something else decides to take an interest in what you've accomplished.”
“On our way,” Tseki replied.
“Was that easier than it should have been?” I asked Tarja, not trusting how smoothly that went.
“It’s too early to tell. I think we caught her by surprise. She likely thought you would continue working on personal protection,” Tarja replied.
Footsteps pounding up the stairs interrupted our conversation. Both of us turned our attention right as Nina burst through our bedroom door without bothering to knock. "Mom! Tseki did it—" She stopped mid-sentence, taking in our expectant faces. "Oh. You already know."
"Tarja helped guide him," I explained, then winced as the babies decided to celebrate by practicing their future soccer careers against my ribs.
"People across New England are posting about feeling lighter," Jean-Marc announced as he strode into the room, his usual composed demeanor cracked with barely contained excitement. "There are also reports of withered plants suddenly blooming, polluted streams running clear again."
Thank the goddess for small miracles. Hopefully, this magical spring cleaning was royally screwing with Lyra's twisted plans. "How long until the purification is complete?" I asked, trying not to sound as desperate as I felt.
"At the current rate? Sunset. Possibly sooner if your offspring grow impatient and add more power, which they seem inclined to do," Tarja reported.