Chapter Thirteen
“ W hat the fuck just happened?!” I manage to get out once I’m done spewing my guts, having never felt so nauseous in my entire fucking life.
I have also never magickally traveled before either, though, so there is that.
I take no comfort in the fact that not only is Blake getting sick too, but that he also seems just as freaked as I do.
“I have no fucking clue,” he says in a low voice. He is obviously trying to process everything just as quickly as I am. When I glance down, I notice that he is still holding Ori’s body carefully, but as firmly as you would when protecting a baby. After having to be so reliant on myself and Ori for these past few years, it’s nice to have someone here to help when it feels like the world is caving in around me. Someone I know for some reason that I can trust wholeheartedly.
BOOM!
The explosion shakes my thoughts for a minute and shocks me before I realize that it was the grenade Blake set off and not another new threat.
The grenade that just destroyed my house.
Closing my eyes, I try to will the tears away. Now is not the time to grieve over petty things. Even if it was the first home of my very own. One I built with my two hands and a whole lot of tears, sweat, and curse words. A lot of curse words. A lone tear falls down my cheek, but I quickly brush it away. There is too much going on right now, and not enough time to let myself fall apart.
It was just a house.
Maybe if I keep telling myself that it will feel better.
Eventually.
Blake, who is completely oblivious to my current inner turmoil, interrupts my mourning with a question. “Forsythia, can you hold Ori for a minute? I need a fresh shirt, then we can get Ori secured and get on our way.” Blake’s tone is gentle but hurried. He’s right. We are still nowhere safe for resting just yet.
I simply nod and hold out my hands. He gently places Ori’s body in my arms. For a bird, Ori is rather large. I would never be able to hold him in one arm like Blake can, but then I don’t have the huge arms he does either.
Blake wastes no time pulling on another shirt from his pack, but before taking Ori he hovers his hands above him and whispers intention words carried by his magick.
Praesidium Scutum
The air around Ori’s body snaps into place from the protective barrier Blake just placed around his body. He nods to me, and then gently slides his hand under Ori, lifting him away from me.
While Blake secures him in the bag that is attached to the bike, I take a few moments to attempt to center myself. A lot has happened so quickly. I am exhausted and in pain, mostly the little bit I feel through the familiar bond. I’m also incredibly grateful to have someone here to help me through this. Even if he is kind of an asshole, and mostly a stranger, with unknown magick and lots of secrets. I’m also still wary of this weird pull I feel toward him. One minute I want to kiss him so badly I can barely breathe. The next, I want to wrap my hands around his throat so he can’t.
Clearly, these are complicated emotions.
Checking things over, I realize that I can’t feel Ori as strongly as before. I just keep telling myself that he is weak and that it must be the shield. Basically, I have to believe that, or I don’t know what will happen to me. Some witches go crazy when they lose their familiars, but I can’t lose Ori. He isn’t just my familiar. He’s my family. He’s all I have left.
Chanting in my head that he will be fine, we just have to get him to the healer, helps me get my heartbeat to slow down to a more normal pace, so I stand to work my way towards the bike. Blake is gazing up at the sky, and I could have sworn I heard him whisper something. He doesn’t seem to notice me watching him, so I clear my throat to get his attention. His head whips toward me quickly, and it’s clear from the look on his face that he was having a private moment.
“Sorry.” I say quickly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but if everything is ready, we should probably get going…” I trail off and scrunch my face. “Umm, I’m not really sure where we should go, actually.” I hate to admit it, but since the village I had lived in with my mother was gone, and I had been living in isolation for three years, I don’t really have anyone to turn to. I look at Blake hopefully.
Our fate is in his hands now.
I’m not quite sure how I feel about that.
“I’ve got you.” It’s such a simple thing, really. But hearing it from him, spoken in such a confident but soothing tone, the words just wrap around me and squeeze. My heartbeats speed up a little and my mouth feels dry. I don’t even think I was breathing.
For the first time in as long as I can remember... I’m speechless. Before I manage to get my composure, the first pattering of raindrops begins to fall. That is so strange. While I can’t predict the weather with 100% accuracy, I can get pretty close. There wasn’t supposed to be any rain for a few more days. Oh well. I’m sure the Gods have seen to help care for their land. New growth will follow the destruction. I have to take comfort in that, and not dwell on the fact that we caused some of that destruction.
May the Gods be forgiving of our situation.
Giving myself over and taking a moment of comfort, I tilt my head to the sky, letting the little water droplets plop onto my forehead and cheeks. The sensation cools me and makes me feel just a tiny bit more grounded. After a few seconds, I let go of the comfort from the rain and turn my attention back to Blake, who happens to be watching me like he was mesmerized by something he saw. Once my eyes meet him though, he instantly begins fidgeting and fiddling with things on his bike.
He rubs the back of his neck before moving toward the side of his bike. “Yeah, I kinda figured as much. I planned to bring you both to a village where some of my family is. They can help Ori and we can figure out our next steps, plus grab a meal and rest. It’s about a four-hour drive from here. I will need to stop for fuel, but we should be able to get a good distance before then.” He looks mildly panicked for a second and quickly adds on, “If that’s ok with you of course.”
“Oh, yes. Of course. That sounds like a solid plan.” I tell him honestly even if I am feeling a tad bit awkward about the whole thing. Looking around, I spot a small building close by. Thank the Gods. “I will be just a quick moment. I need to uhmm... take care of something.” I say as I quickly make my way toward the bathroom.
It’s small and could use a cleaning, but it has the essentials and I get the job done quickly. With an empty bladder and semi-cleaned face, I head back out and discover that the rain has picked up quite a bit. Thankfully Ori will stay nice and dry with his air shield at least, and a little rain won’t hurt. Maybe it will even help to get my clothes a bit cleaner. Too bad there isn’t a dry spot for my pack though. The contents are going to end up getting wet by the time we get to our destination.
Making my way quickly over to a suspiciously dry Blake, who is holding out a helmet for me, I find myself ready to leave this forest behind. Three years of my life spent here, and now it all feels like I was doing nothing, for... well, nothing. My house is gone and the creature is on the loose. Yeah, let’s get the fuck out of here before my emotions tip over into just anger.
I take the proffered helmet and give him a pointed look, as I slide it onto my head.
He chuckles before saying anything. “I already spelled it so that we can talk easily. Also, I can only air-shield us both if you are holding on to me. But it will help keep us a little drier for the ride.”
Hmm… that makes sense. I nod and speak over the sound of the rain, “Ok!”
He instantly covers his ears, cringing, and that’s when my brain catches up to what he said about the spelled helmet. Oops…
“Yeah, you don’t have to yell. I can hear you just fine.” He shakes his head and pats the seat behind him, then turns back and grips the handlebars.
“Sorry.” I say, forcing a normal tone. I carefully climb on behind him and verbalize my bit of confusion. “Ok, I’m just going to put this out there, I have never done this before. Where do I put my legs? And you said to wrap my arms around you? Isn’t that a little… intimate ?”
He chuckles and pats my leg. “It’s ok. Just put your feet on here.” He gently grabs my left foot and slides it onto a little peg. I look to my right and slide my foot on the peg on the opposite side. “Now wrap your arms around me and hold on tight. If I lean my body, let your body lean with me. The rest is all on me.”
Thankfully he ignores the ‘ intimate ’ part of my question. I slowly slide my hands around his sides, but he flinches so hard that I immediately pull my hands back as if I were physically shocked.
Wait a minute…
“Are you ticklish?” I know my face is skewed up in some crazed smile at the thought that this gruff dude could be ticklish. Thankfully no one can see me with this massive helmet.
He grumbles, then answers me. “Just put your hands around me so we can get going. No need to be all soft about it.”
“Fine. I prefer it hard anyways.” Why did I say that? It’s like my brain can’t comprehend how shit sounds sometimes until it’s already out of my mouth. He snorts and I can feel the snarky retort sitting right on the tip of his tongue, so I waste no time wrapping my arms around him, accidentally punching him in the gut as I go. Oops...
He lets out an ‘oof’ but doesn’t say anything else. Serves him right for being such a baby about a little tickle and then making me say dirty things. And now I am thinking dirty things. Yep, he deserved the punch and you can’t convince me otherwise.
When the engine starts, I flinch and squeeze him a little tighter. My arms are wrapped tightly around his abdomen, and I can feel the flex of his muscles with every movement he makes. I close my eyes and try to think about anything other than how much I want to run my hands under his shirt.
After a few steadying breaths and internally screaming at my vagina yet again, I open my eyes and realize that we have already started moving through the parking lot. With the air-shield, I hadn’t even noticed. I look around a little and realize that while I can see smoke in the distance, the steady rain should be doing a pretty good job of dousing all the flames.
I turn my attention back to Blake and realize that there are some questions I should probably be asking. “So, what kind of magickal are you? I know you aren’t a witch, but I don’t have as much experience with other factions.”
If I wasn’t holding on to him, I may not have noticed that he stiffens ever so slightly at my question, before he answers. “My father is the merfolk chieftain.”
“Mermaids?!” I squeal excitedly.
“Dammit Forsythia! Don’t yell! And that’s not a polite term. It’s merfolk.”
“Sorry.” I say sincerely.
Then cue the excited verbal diarrhea.
“They are just so secluded from the other factions. I have never met any merfolk before, but I hear they’re gorgeous and...wait. Does that mean you’re merfolk??”
“Uh… did you just call me gorgeous?” I don’t have to see his face to know that there is a huge smug smile on it. I can hear it in his stupid sexy voice. If I wasn’t wearing this damn helmet, this would be an absolutely called-for face-palm moment.
Why, oh why, did the Gods see fit to give me legs that act like a newborn baby giraffe and a mouth with no filtration system? Seriously, I should come with a warning label.
I laugh to try and recover, but the sound comes out a little nervous. “No. I absolutely did not say that. You mentioned they were your family, so I just assumed. Please don’t let that imagined compliment inflate your ego, or I fear our air shield might burst under the pressure of your enormous head.“ Ha! Take that Mr. Snarky. I know I don’t sound nearly convincing enough, but I take comfort in the fact that he can’t read my facial expressions at least.
He laughs, and the sound is nothing short of beautiful. I can’t help joining in a little, even if we are laughing at me.
“You are one-of-a-kind Forsythia.” He finally manages to say. “Yes, I’m half merfolk. While my family may keep their land villages secluded, they don’t turn away outsiders, especially those in need. A huge portion of merfolk abilities lie in the realm of healing. It’s in their nature to be open and caring.” He speaks of his people fondly, but I hear a slight strain in his voice.
Wait a second. He said ‘ half merfolk ’ meaning... “You’re the half-breed. Like the voice in the fire said.” I say voicing my suspicions out loud, and then as my brain rolls that tidbit around, more thoughts pop loose. “Those are very rare. Are you more merfolk then, or do you have abilities from your mother as well?”
“Yeah, not many magickals get excited about the fact that I’m a half-breed. Hence the ‘abomination’ portion of the title that flaming asshole said.” He sighs for a minute, but continues, “I’m more merfolk, although I can’t fully shift or stay in the water as long. A lot of my abilities are related to that part of me, but there are some that are a gift from my other half. But then I also have some unique abilities that come from the combination of the two.”
Hmm... I’m not the only one omitting some information and not really willing to chat about our complete lineage. The big difference here is, it sounds like he at least knows his mother. My father could be a human for all I know. Although that theory kinda gives me the willies. Still, that doesn’t mean I can’t prod him a little after he was pressing me for information earlier. “Not interested in spilling the details of your other half?”
He’s silent and I’m almost certain that he won’t answer me. We approach a gas station and he begins to slow down. He did say that we would need to make a stop to refuel so I think nothing of the slight pit stop. When he stops by a pumping unit, he motions for me to get off the bike. My legs and thighs are stiff, so I try to stretch them out a little first.
He swings his head around and stares at me for a minute. I’m almost sure he is going to bitch about me taking forever to get off his precious bike but instead, he hits me with a low blow. “I’ll tell you about my mother when you tell me about your father,” he says in a gruff tone that clearly says I’m pushing his buttons. But the statement was a punch in the gut if I am honest. It’s not like I have purposefully been withholding information about my father.
“I already told you everything I know about him. That is hardly the same thing.” I say, trying to wrangle my emotions.
Blake turns, leaning in really close to me. Once he is only inches from my face, still thankfully shielded behind the helmet, he whispers. “It is the same, when the only other half-breed I have met in my entire life, is staring back at me with no clue as to what she is, or what is going on.“ He doesn’t wait for my response or even for me to pick my bottom jaw up off the cement. Instead, he hops off the bike with grace I would never possess and heads right into the station building. Probably to pay for the fuel, but part of me feels like he is running away from the bomb he just dropped on my head.
Too bad the helmet didn’t do anything at all to cushion that blow.
I’m a half-breed ?
That information’s not completely outrageous since my mother never told me anything about my father, and the little snippets I do know came from Ori. I have never been interested in learning more about him, because he abandoned me and he hurt my mother, so I never really prodded for answers either. She never admitted it, but I would hear her cry at night sometimes. She was lonely and she desperately missed him, but dammit I should have asked. Now I can’t.
I hated him for the hurt he brought us, and more importantly her . I had always assumed he was just some rogue witch.
But if he was another faction…
Did my mother know? And what does that mean about my magick?
What am I?
Blake comes back and hands me a pair of sunglasses before getting back on the bike. It’s not that bright out right now, so I put them in my pack and climb on behind him. He starts the engine, but before he pulls back onto the road, he glances over his shoulder at me and speaks. “Merfolk are caring people, but you will need to wear those in the village at all times. We don’t want to push the limits of their patience when Ori needs help. And we need some answers that I think he can give us.“ He turns back around and we leave the station behind without another word.
As the miles pass us by, my mind is a hurricane of thoughts. Blake’s words all play back through my mind on a loop. As if I am trying to make sense of it all.
Ori can give us answers?
Yeah, I don’t think so. Any light my familiar can shed on this whole clusterfuck of a situation I seem to have found myself in, is for me, and not ‘Mr. Entitled Not-Quite-A-Mermaid Asshole’. Besides, I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that he seems to think I’m a half-breed. A half-breed what? They are supposed to be like magickal powerhouses, but my magick is subpar at best and totally fucking wonky at worst.
He was stern when he gave me the glasses, but the look on his face was filled with concern, so I can’t help but worry at the question nagging me the most right now...
What the fuck is wrong with my eyes that makes other magickals so uncomfortable?