Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
“Oh, thank the gods! I was so worried about you,” I blurted out. “Where the hell have you been? Do you realize how worried I’ve been?”
Fancypants landed on the porch swing, avoiding the seat which was covered with snow—the wind blew it onto the porch. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were worried about me like that. Has something happened to give you reason?”
I sighed, shaking my head. “No. I understand there are dangers, but I don’t usually dwell on them. I guess May setting off the alarm and the fact that Faron’s back in my life have amped up my emotions. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you, either,” Fancypants said. He flew up to land on my shoulder. “How about we go inside, where it’s warm?”
“I’d like that,” I said, heading for the door. As we entered the house, I glanced over my shoulder. The winter seemed bleaker than usual, and I wondered how long the snow would last.
* * *
May had invited us to her place for dinner. She included Faron as well, but he stayed home and give us some time alone.
“I’m not going to start interjecting myself into every part of your lives,” he said.
“At least, not until we’re settled. Give May my love and tell her thank you for the invitation.
” He paused, then added, “If you happen to bring back dessert, I wouldn’t say no.
She’s an incredible cook, and I’m happy to eat anything she makes. ”
Bran laughed as he pocketed his keys. “Will do. Have fun.”
“And don’t let Fancypants stay up too late. He’s still a very young dragonette, even though he likes to think otherwise. He needs his sleep.” I shrugged on my jacket, slung my purse over my shoulder.
“And don’t forget to feed the cats—yes, yes. I will remember.” Faron waved us out.
Bran and I walked over to his truck. While May’s house was less than a ten-minute walk away, it was icy, and neither one of us felt like slogging through a snow-covered thicket while the temperatures dropped below freezing.
Entering the farm country kitchen was like entering a beloved childhood memory. Even if it was a memory that you only wished for in your dreams, it still felt like coming home, returning to the hearth where all good things happened and the dangers were kept at bay by those who protected you.
I dropped my coat on a side chair and immediately jumped in to help her. Bran stoked up the fire. After that, he headed out to check the mailbox for May.
“So, how are things working out with Faron?” May asked.
“Better than I imagined it would. The men get along fairly well, and sometimes they gang up on me.”
“That’s because you’re such a strong woman that they don’t stand a chance of getting their way if they don’t try to hold their own.”
While Bran was out gathering the mail so May wouldn’t have to make the frozen trek, I asked her a question that I’d been too afraid to voice.
“Do you mind? I wouldn’t normally ask, except…well, I love you. And I love Bran.”
She hesitated for a moment, then squared her shoulders.
“Love has a way of its own. Not everyone can satisfy every need. And I suppose, when I think about it, you have enough love to go around, and my son is happy with the situation, who am I to interfere? Love is a good thing. There’s not enough of it in this world. ”
I helped her carry dinner to the table—fried chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and gravy, Brussels sprouts roasted with bacon, and for dessert—a fruit salad and pound cake.
Everything May touched in the kitchen tasted fantastic, and it was easy to tell it was made with love.
Kitchen witches were truly gems, and their families were usually happy and healthy, and nurtured.
“It’s unconventional, but I hope you realize that I will never hurt either of them, if I can help it.” I paused, then wrapped my arms around her. “And I’ll never do anything to hurt you.”
“Of course, dear.” She glanced over at the door as Bran returned with the mail. He placed it on the counter, and we gathered around the big country table to eat.
“Ma, can you cast a protection spell for the chickens? There are a couple of foxes around and I’d rather not have to go after them,” Bran said. “I’ve set up some extra fencing, but they’re freaking smart.”
“I’ll do that tomorrow morning,” May said. “Those foxes are clever little kits.”
We had almost finished eating when May suddenly froze. “Something’s wrong—”
Even as she spoke, I sensed Fancypants connect to me. He screamed my name, his voice echoing through my thoughts, and something hit me hard…only it wasn’t me. Somebody was attacking Fancypants. He was so afraid.
“What the hell!” I scrambled up so fast that I sent my plate spinning off the table, where it crashed to the floor. But I didn’t notice. I was already half out of the door, panic spurring me on.
Bran jumped up. “Elphyra?”
“Fancypants! Hold on, I’m coming!” I raced out into the night, slipping on the icy porch. I managed to stay on my feet, leaping down the steps to land in the snow. “Damn it!”
Searing pain sliced through me.
I stumbled, falling to my knees as I slipped into a fog of confusion and anger.
We were bound together now. The whirl of fear and anger overwhelmed me, and I curled into a ball in the snow, too confused to move.
Bran knelt by my side—I saw him through the haze of pain.
He scooped me into his arms. I leaned against his chest, holding onto his shoulders.
“Fancy…Fancy…he needs me,” I whimpered as Bran carried me inside.
“I’ll go,” he said. “Ma, take care of her.”
“She’ll be all right. Put her on the sofa. We’ll be fine. Go start the truck and we’ll be out in a moment,” May said.
Bran deposited me on the sofa. May brushed my hair out of my face and sat beside me. She pressed her hands to either side of my head and whispered something soft, like a chant. A few seconds later, my mind began to clear, and the pain receded. I whimpered again, trying to speak, but she shushed me.
“Come on, let go of the pain. Let it go. It won’t help you or Fancypants,” she said, her voice soft but commanding.
I tried to resist, afraid to let go of the bond—terrified that I wouldn’t be able to help him. But after a moment, she reached into my aura and yanked the pain away, pulling it out by the roots. I let out a brief cry, but within seconds, everything began to clear.
A moment later, I sat up. “Fancypants! May—what’s happening?”
“I don’t know, but I needed to dampen your bond so you can focus. Can you still sense him?” She pulled me to my feet.
I took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm myself. Fearing that I wouldn’t be able to reach him, I cast out—searching for the bond. A few seconds later, I let out a gasp. There he was—still afraid, calling for me.
Fancy… can you hear me? I’m here, hon, I’m here. Your Elphyra’s here. Can you tell me what’s going on? We’re on the way.
After a moment, Fancypants let out a whimper. I don’t understand what happened. Everything was going fine; then the door slammed open and two men came in. I yelled for the cats to run and hide, and I tried to fight back, but whatever they sprayed on me sent me into a spiral…
Where are you? What did they do?
Where am I? I’m scared. They locked me in a cage and I’m in the back of a van—I saw it when they carried me out. I can’t make fire right now, and I can’t fly. My wings are so heavy.
May and I were outside by now, where Bran had brought the truck around. We climbed in, and he put it in gear as we maneuvered down the driveway toward the road. I struggled to keep contact—Fancypants sounded slightly garbled, like he was tripping over his words.
What did the men look like? What color is the van? We’re on the way.
The van’s green. The men… The next moment, an image appeared in my mind of two men. It was blurred, but I vaguely saw their features. Fancy yawned so deeply that it scared me. I can’t…I’m…
The next moment, the connection dropped.
“All right, someone kidnapped him. Why didn’t the alarm go off? We armed it,” I said, brushing away my tears. Fancypants needed me, and he needed me ready to help.
“I don’t know, but let’s drop May off at the house, and she can call us with the details,” Bran said.
“What if someone’s still prowling around? Let me call Faron, so he can come back and make sure that nobody’s waiting for us.” I pulled out my phone and dialed Faron. “Hey, can you come home?” I asked when he picked up. “It’s an emergency.”
“I just checked out and I’m on my way,” he said, not even stopping to ask what was going on. “I’ll be there in five.”
“When you get there, May will tell you what happened. Please hurry and be ready for a fight just in case.” I hung up as we bumped our way along my driveway, coming to the house. The door was open. “The cats!”
“I’ll make certain they’re okay. Go now. Faron’s on his way,” May said, carefully getting out into the snow. She slammed the door and waved us on.
“Will she be okay till Faron gets home?” I asked.
Bran nodded. “They’re gone. She’ll look after things. But now, I need you to do something.”
“What?”
“I need you to ground yourself and consult your intuition. When we come to the end of the drive, which way do we turn? Which way did they go with Fancy?”
I started to ask how I was supposed to know, but then I understood.
He wanted me to follow my intuition—to reach out and trust myself to know which way Fancypants had been taken.
I closed my eyes and began to ground and center myself.
I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
Three more deep breaths later, I sank into the welcome mist that surrounded my trance.
I dug deep, sending tendrils from my feet and hands through the truck, through the road, deep into the earth itself.
It didn’t matter that we were moving; the grounding was energetic, holding me fast. Slowly, a warm glow rose from the center of the earth, like glowing magma, except I was protected from the heat, except for a warm glow.
I cast about, seeking the energy signal that would indicate Fancypants had passed by.
Would I find him? Would I be able to sense him?
The fear ran deep, but out of the corner of my mind’s eye—I caught a glimpse.
A flash of dragonette scales and fire, a hint that he had been at the end of the drive and turned to the right, onto the main road.
“Go. Right at the driveway,” I said, trying to keep hold of that tiniest of connections. He felt like he was asleep, and I had the impression they had drugged him. “They’re doing their best to sever the bond so I can’t track him.” My fear was giving way to anger.
Bran sensed my mood change. “Elphyra, keep your wits about you. You don’t want to go in swinging at the wrong time. We need to keep him safe while we hunt for him,” he cautioned.
“I hate that you have such a level head,” I grumbled. “But you’re right. I’ll try to keep my emotions in check.”
All I wanted to do was find Fancypants, and tear the head off whoever had kidnapped him.
Severing the bond between a witch and a dragonette could kill either, or both.
May had gone through such a loss, but it was because of a birth defect, not because someone deliberately severed the bond.
Melda’s death had torn her up, and she seldom spoke of the little green dragonette.
But the pain still lingered in her heart.
“Keep as focused as you can,” Bran said. “If you lose the trail, tell me.”
I brought my focus back to Fancypants, following that one tenuous thread of connection. We neared another junction in the road: the right way towards the center of Starlight Hollow, the left—toward the highway and the Olympics. Bran pulled off onto the shoulder of the road as we neared the turnoff.
I tried to determine which way to turn. It was like following a trail with a few scattered breadcrumbs, but now, the forest floor became cluttered with debris.
I wasn’t usually quite so empathic, but now, all I sensed was a whirl of emotions was drifting on the wind from everyone who had passed through the area.
I tried to capture the traces of Fancypants, and—after a few minutes—I finally sensed the faintest connection.
“They turned left,” I said. “Toward the mountains.”
Bran hesitated. “Should we go, or should we turn around and see what we can do from home? How strong is the lead?”
I wanted to go on, wanted to drive blindly through the night searching for him, but I already knew that I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint him next time, unless they had stopped somewhere.
If we continued on, I might have the chance of tracing him again, but chances were likely that he was beyond my detection.
If we turned around and returned home, we could enlist May and Grams’ help.
We should also call Daisy to ask her to check her files and see if there were any poachers around.
Given where we lived, that wouldn’t surprise me.
With a sigh, I shook my head. “Home. My instincts tell me I’ve tracked him as far as I can this way. There are so many emotions around here that I can’t filter through all of them.” Tears flecked my eyelashes again as I stared glumly into the night.
“Home it is,” Bran said. But before he pulled back onto the road, he took my hand in his. “You aren’t failing him. We’ll find him. It makes sense to enlist all the help we can get before anymore time gets away from us. Promise me you aren’t blaming yourself.”
But he already knew I was.
“If I had only…”
“Only what? We locked the door. The alarms were set. We did everything right, love. There’s nothing to take the blame for. You didn’t leave the window open; you didn’t invite the kidnappers in. Try to stay strong. We need to be at the top of our game to bring him home.”
“Home,” I whispered. “I need him, Bran. I need that little dragonette. I can’t imagine my life without him in it.”
“We’ll find him,” Bran said, putting the truck into gear.
As we backed out onto the road, turning around, I cast one last glance behind us. The road seemed so long and dark.
“I love you,” I whispered. “Come home to me.”
But I was certain my words never reached their intended destination, and I could only wonder whether whoever stole him was someone I knew—and what lengths they would go to in order to keep me from finding him?