Chapter Twenty-Seven
H ave you ever seen those scary human movies that depict zombies coming back from the dead?
If my time dead has taught me anything, it’s that zombies do not actually exist. They are just some weird myth thought up by bored and lonely humans.
Another story created by them is where these fairytale princesses fall into a deep sleep, and somehow manage to wake up with perfect hair and makeup, smelling like flowers while forest creatures clean their homes.
Yeah, that shit doesn’t actually happen either.
At least, not to me.
Instead, I sit straight up, flinging my arms around wildly, and screaming with every speck of oxygen that’s capable of filling my lungs. When I finally have to stop and inhale again, I manage to look at my surroundings and am able to calm myself down a little. I drop my arms to my lap and hope that the tingling numbness filling them recedes soon because I hate this pins and needles feeling. It’s really awful. And it’s not just in my arms. It’s everywhere.
So that may have been a bit dramatic with the screaming and flailing, but to be honest, my last thought as I woke was panic that someone may have buried my body and I was going to have to claw my way out. Yeah, I know. I may have gone through a tiny phase in my teenage years where I was a little obsessed with sneaking into human movie theaters and watching scary movies.
What can I say? I was bored and had no friends.
Looking around, I realize that I am in a room at the merfolk village healer commorancy. That’s a huge relief. Another one comes when I realize no one is around to have witnessed my rebirth panic attack. Undead panic attack? Whatever you want to call it, I’m just grateful no one saw.
Based on the sunlight coming in through the window, it’s only been a few hours since the attack. My stomach growls and I clutch it at the painful feeling. Ok, so maybe my first task should be food. I swing my legs around to dangle off the bed and hop off to stand beside it.
Which lasts a total of five seconds before my legs completely give out on me and I land face-first with a groan.
See ? Clumsy as fuck.
Alright, maybe that one is less clumsy and more that my body hasn’t caught up to the fact we aren’t dead yet.
I push myself up on shaky hands and realize how tight and weak my muscles all feel. I will have to remember this in case I die again.
Hey, I know my weaknesses. I’m not going to be delusional and think it won’t ever happen again, ok? And I did say ‘ in case ’ and not ‘ when ‘. That’s being pretty damn optimistic about the whole thing if you ask me.
Sitting up feels like a feat on its own and I’m panting by the time I lean my back against the wall. I call on my magick and attempt to transport myself. Unfortunately, I only manage to make it as far as the other side of the wall I was leaning on. Ok, so that’s it for now. I’m in the hallway and must have been in one of the first rooms because the door is only about 20 feet away. Easy peasy. I just have to scoot across on my ass all the way to Cordelia’s house in a dress.
Fuck , this blows.
I take a steady breath and brace my arms to begin my scooch-a-thon, when the door opens and a haggard Cordelia steps inside.
“Oh, thank the Gods! This was going to suck. Is there any way you can give me a hand?” I say, reaching out to her.
Her eyes quickly expand to the sizes of saucers and she opens and closes her mouth a few times, but no words come out.
Ah shit... I think I broke her.
Showing her nerves of steel, she recovers and walks over to me but instead of helping me stand, she pokes my outstretched arm.
“Uhmm… Hi Cordelia. What are you doing?” She mumbles something incoherent and shakes her head. Ignoring my question, she bends down to check the pulse in my neck. I let my arm fall while she does her assessment. After a few moments, she removes her fingers from my skin and sits down on the floor with a humph . Her eyes meet mine and they are filled with pure awe.
“Forsythia?” I nod in response and she continues. “How is this possible? You died. I held you. I watched your essence leave. How are you here? When did you get here? Where were you?”
I shrug my shoulders. “All very good questions. Well, apparently being the Noctifer Witch has an unforeseen perk. The message I received basically said that I am a little harder to kill than we thought.” I smile at her, but she doesn’t return the gesture, so I panic and start answering the rest of her questions as quickly as I can. “My mother helped guide me. I can travel to the Between, which is like a limbo space between the living world and the Ether. I just got here a few minutes before you came in. I think that was all the questions you asked?”
And then she slaps me hard upside my head, before pulling me against her tightly in an embrace that shows just how much she hated losing me. “You stupid, stupid girl! Why did you do that? Do you know how much it broke my heart to lose you?“ Her voice is so full of emotion that it makes my heart swell.
“The curse. It was the same one. And it was... it was coming right for you. I couldn’t lose someone else. I couldn’t lose you . I won’t ever apologize for what I did.“ I pat her back lightly. She continues to hold me for several minutes, and I relax into the embrace. Her tight grip around my body shows how afraid she is of losing me again.
“Cordelia, I thought it was pretty obvious.” When she doesn’t answer I start getting nervous. Maybe I misread our dynamic, and she only sees me as her grandson’s friend.
I just died for her though, so I figure that gives me free rein to continue with my admission. “I miss my mother each and every day, and I never got to experience the whole grandmother thing. So I guess I just kind of adopted you . Congratulations!“ She chuckles and lets go of me.
When she leans back, she is smiling so fully that I notice she has a dimple on her left cheek.
Awe. That’s so damn cute.
“I love you too, Forsythia. Now, let’s get you off this floor and over to the house. You smell terrible and need a shower. Also, your stomach is making some noises that are making me a little nervous.” She stands and reaches her hand out to me, but then pulls it back in before I grab it. “You don’t have any odd urges, right? Not thinking about trying to eat me or craving anything... odd?”
Oh. My. Gods.
I fall over laughing hysterically. “I’m not a zombie!” I yell out between breaths. If I was on the fence about my affection toward Cordelia before, that certainly sealed the deal.
“Well, this is a first for me. I have to make sure I am covering all my bases here, child.” She reaches down for my arm again, and I get my laughter under control enough to grasp it.
She helps me stand, but my legs are still a little weak, and when I begin to wobble she wraps her arm around my back to hold me steady. We make quick work of shuffling over to her house. I must really stink though because she directs me right to the bathroom and helps me lean against the wall, while she hurries out. She returns quickly with a chair, towel, and change of clothes. It’s clear that she and Blake share many more traits than just their eye color. I wonder what role she played in his life when he was a child?
The thought of Blake leaves me confused and worried. I will help him. I just have to get myself back to 100% first. Starting with a shower.
She puts the towel on a rack close to the shower, and sets the clothes on the counter, before moving the chair and placing it right inside the showering space. Once she’s finished, she claps her hands together and turns to me.
“Alright, so the chair is for my peace of mind. I am going to make some food for you and a strong drink for myself.” She pauses a second and holds out her hand. A little water bubble appears in the middle of her palm. She holds her hand against the wall beside the towel and it attaches there. She looks back at me and continues her instructions.
“I am going to help you get settled in the shower, but once you are done just touch the bubble and I will come help you get back out.”
I nod at her but can’t help the little laugh that escapes me. “Your magick is weird.”
She laughs in return, but it sounds a little nervous. “Yeah. I didn’t just come back from the dead miss judgy pants.”
Touché.
She helps me out of my ruined clothes and over to the chair. Once I’m inside, I flick the spray on and turn it to the hottest setting. While the cold feeling from the Between wasn’t uncomfortable, I need the intense heat right now. Maybe even just to confirm in my mind that I am alive.
I spend longer in the shower than I intended, but the heat feels so damn good. I can feel my muscles relaxing and flexing properly again. I even stand on my own and grab the towel.
I’m sure that I can dress on my own, but the bubble is still here. Unable to help myself, I gently touch it, and it gives an audible pop !
Cordelia comes in and smiles at me instantly. “Oh thank the Gods, you look so much better, child. Do you still need my help?”
I shake my head and answer, “No, I think I have it all under control now. Was I really that dirty though?” I ask with a chuckle.
She rubs a hand down the back of her neck in a nervous gesture that mimics her grandson’s. “Well yes, but dear, you were pale. As in, deathly pale, and yes I hear the irony in that. It’s understandable given the circumstances, but it was still...well frankly it scared me shitless.”
I chuckle at that, wishing Blake were here to tsk her use of profanity like she did with him. “Same. Being dead is not all it’s cracked up to be.” And the room falls silent.
Huh... so I must get my shitty humor from my mother after all.
I’m not sure what to say to offer her the reassurance she seems to need right now. I try offering her a little smile, hoping it helps to ease her worry some. “Well, I will just get dressed and meet you out there then.” She nods and leaves the room.
I make quick work of dressing myself and braiding my hair. I’m starving, and Cordelia makes the best food, so I’m anxious to get out there. When I join her at the table, she has a delicious-smelling soup and an enormous sandwich set out for me. My stomach rumbles at the sight, making Cordelia laugh again.
“I guess that means this is an acceptable late lunch then?” she asks. I give her a puzzled look. Late lunch? That can’t be right.
Wait, didn’t my mother say something about time moving differently?
I nod at her slowly and sit down in my chair, wasting no time before taking a big bite of the sandwich.
Fucking yum that is good!
Her homemade bread just melts in my mouth and I can’t stop the groan of pleasure at the buttery, herby flavor. Looking up at her, I watch as she takes a sip of her tea.
“So how long was I... uhmm…” I’m not quite sure how to phrase it, but I need to know, because I have a bad feeling it has been more than the few hours I originally thought.
“Dead?” she offers helpfully. Her eyes take on a sad look again. “It’s been three days. I held off on your ceremony, while I tried to contact your old village. But I never heard anything. I don’t think there is anyone there anymore. I had decided that I was going to do your ceremony tonight.” She looks up at me apologetically and adds, “I had no idea you could come back.”
“Yeah, me either,” I tell her around another mouthful of sandwich. “ Three days … that’s not good. Before I died, that demon told me they had Blake.”
She lowers her gaze and an angry look crosses her face. “Yes, they took him.”
Looking back at me, I see the anger is quickly replaced by worry, and maybe even a little hope. “But child, when you died, he would have felt your bond break. I am worried that the broken bond may have broken him . If he is too lost in his grief, he may not even feel the bond reignite with your return. He has had to deal with far too much already in his life. I’ve also heard a rumor that Orobas was taken captive by the same group of beings.”
Unsure of how to respond to that new nugget of information, I continue to eat my lunch while I think.
So I’m not willing to let some weird bond dictate my love life, but if Blake thought I was dead…
Well, I know how I would have felt in that situation. And I can’t deny how I do feel about him in general.
Stupid heart and its stupid needs.
And then there is the matter of my father .
I guess I’m going to have to find Blake and ‘Daddy Dearest’.
Let’s just hope Blake hasn’t done something stupid and that I can save him from himself before it’s too late.
I pop the last of the sandwich into my mouth and smile to myself.
Don’t worry boys, I’ll save you.
Everything may have gone to total shit faster than we could blink, but at least this isn’t some stupid damsel in distress rescue mission.
Oh no.
This isn’t that kind of tale.
You see, I’m fucking crazy, and I don’t bother hiding it.
Those cultist bastards had better be ready for me, because in this story...
I won’t be rescued from the dragon.
I am the dragon.
This is a war, and I am the wrath they never knew was coming for them.