Two days later…
“The babies are here!” Rose shouted from the garden. “It’s happening!”
I grabbed Keir’s arm and dragged him out of the kitchen. One by one, the piskys with their pixie parents began to exit the pentagram area. Annibish chased after a tiny thing, her laughter making my heart burst with joy. “Iverlee,” she shouted. “Get back here.”
“That girl is going to be a handful,” Dahlia muttered. “Much like her godmother.”
I didn’t care if it was a little dig. I beamed with pride. I might not have hatched the girl or whatever happened in those pouches, but I’d done everything but die to protect them and get them safely into the world.
Linda and her donsy had shown up for the event as well. Luckily, Michael was at school, so it didn’t affect the gnome’s ability to animate and enjoy the spectacular finale to the fruit baskets rites. I smiled. I knew what it was called, but in my head, it would always be the time of fruit baskets. I glanced at my oldest sister.
“You know, this won’t happen again for a thousand years.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yep. What you’re witnessing is a rare phenomenon.”
She smiled. “It feels like it.” Dahlia slipped her hand into mine. “Thank you, Iris.”
“For what?”
“For sharing your life with us.” She gave my hand a squeeze before letting go and joining Rose near the circle.
Marigold came over. “Did you know there are children in that group named for all of us? There is a pixie with my name in there.” She was wonderstruck.
Frankly, so was I. I can’t believe I ever thought of pixies as anything but amazing. I was sad Lu had to miss the extraordinary miracle. She’d taken Yolanda and Maddie back to their coven in Nevada. I knew her swift action had more to do with trying to find Bogmall than transporting the ignis-craft witch and her daughter, but I was glad they had Lu to protect them until they were home safely. Michael had been a little heartbroken, but he and Maddie were going to keep in touch. Yolanda invited me to meet her coven if I was ever in the area. I had a lot to do before that could happen.
I was no longer going to be at the mercy of my magic.
Rowan was laughing and joking with Keir. Even Zev seemed happy. The only thing missing was my dad. I wanted him to see this part of my life. To be a part of it. But like with Michael, his presence would’ve made it impossible for the gnomes to be here. Linda and her donsy had earned the right to see the pixies’ rites to the end, and I wasn’t going to take it from them.
I’d made a promise to myself that I would make sure Dad got to experience so many wonders. I wouldn’t distance myself from him or any of my family again. Not ever.
How the worst weekend had turned into the best week was beyond me, but I was going to take it. In a week, I would go to the Iron Grove. I’d visit Thomas and meet the archdruid, Keir’s grandmother. It was the only cost the aero-craft witch had asked for when he’d offered me his wisdom and his advice. I agreed to stay for one week. After all we’d been through the past few months, it seemed like a small price to pay.
Fair Konig flew over to me. He held out a small silky pouch. “This is for you, Iris Everlee.”
“What is it?”
“It’s my part of the bargain. It is the ritual payment for those who protect us when we are unable to protect ourselves.”
I took the tiny pouch and examined it. “It’s cute.”
“It’s feenstaub,” he said.
I blanched. “Pixie dust?” Aka magic stem cells. “I can’t accept this.”
“Yes, you can.” He stroked his beard. “I will be offended if you don’t.”
“But won’t it bring all the monsters to my yard?”
“No. There isn’t enough there to put off a signal, as you call it. It’s just enough for a small miracle if you need it.”
My voice was hoarse with emotion. “Thank you, Fair Konig. I accept.”
His wings hummed loudly as he flushed with pleasure. Annibish yelled, “Iverlee!”
Fair Konig grinned. “I better go help.”
“Good idea.” I walked the garden path to my kitchen and went inside. I didn’t want to lose or misplace the pixie dust, so I took it back to my room and put the dust in my closet safe. It would be my rainy day stash. Hopefully, I would never need it, but it was nice to know it was there.
My grimoire was on my bed where I’d left it. I was no longer afraid of the book. I wrote all the air spells I had crafted over the past few days. The book, if a book could have feelings, seemed much happier with me as well. Bob was on his back next to it, licking his chest as he wiggled back and forth in an effort to groom himself.
I sat down and picked up the grimoire. It had three symbols, earth, fire, and air. It stood to reason that I had the potential for five elements. The next one, the one that had been calling to me, was nero-craft. I glanced over at Bob and gave his belly a rub to steel my nerves.
Then I licked my thumb and wiped a trail of spit over the leather-bound cover. “Water,” I said. My heart fluttered as an inverted triangle began to glow as it joined the other three symbols. “Yes,” I hissed.
“What are you up to?” Keir stood in the doorway, and for a moment, I felt like a kid caught stealing candy from the store.
“I sparked nero-craft,” I told him.
He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips, then said, “Well, shit.”
The End…until Spell Over Troubled Water
Note from Renee:
Hi, Readers!
If you enjoyed When The Spell Blows, I would love for you to help me get the word out to other readers. There are a couple of easy ways to make this happen:
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It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyways, readers and fans of my books are the #1 reason I love my job. So thank you so much for your enthusiasm for my worlds, and thank you for buying this book!
Hugs and gratitude,
Renee George