Chapter 25

Gran gave me a nod and a grin when we returned to the table and the discussion of just how bad Diana Diamond wanted to be. While I’d been upstairs with my mother, the faeries and witches had taken the opportunity to fill in a few more details from our history, including my embarrassing trip to the weird side of my personality.

Standing now, and pontificating in somewhat florid tones, Fritzroy lectured. “Love makes the world go around. It’s not just an old standby, but an utter truth. If she has her way, Diana’s meddling with dark fates would bring about the end of love in the world, and that’s only the beginning.”

I had to give him credit for passionate speaking.

“Oh no, if that horrid demi-god succeeds in opening the gate to Olympus, she could rip apart the veil between all the worlds.” His voice fell to just above a whisper. “A void that might open up and swallow us whole.”

Fritzroy paused, and I was grateful he stopped talking for a moment so I could get a handle on the implications. He’d said would and could and might, and I had a feeling he was one of those who always expected the worst-case scenario. With half his face covered in beard, Garrick’s expression offered no enlightenment, either.

Before I had a chance to ask Fritz to define any other possible outcomes, the table erupted into chaos, and I let the noise reach a crescendo while I looked to see who was talking and who stayed silent.

Serena, Evian, and Kaine were no longer present, so I assumed they’d gone to the faerie’s quarters to get the baby down for a nap. Terra and Soleil argued against Diana having the power to end the world. Kin, Gran, and Aunt Mag cursed my father’s name for intentionally dropping this weight on my shoulders. My mother pressed her lips together during the Cupid-bashing, but was vocal enough about not wanting me to be in danger.

Vaeta, as per usual, watched everyone, but said little.

Eventually, Garrick had had enough. “Hush, all of you.”

Their concern warmed my soul, but I needed to think. Silence fell, but I could literally see steam pouring out of Soleil’s ears from the effort of keeping her lips zipped.

“You should be flattered that Cupid realized he could provide the world its best chance by getting on the good side of a Balefire witch. Unfortunately, none of your ancestors wanted anything to do with him.” Garrick hit that nail squarely on the head. Thanks to my little jaunt through time, I’d seen exactly what my great grandmother thought of my father. If witches were buried instead of burned on a pyre, she’d be spinning in her grave right about then.

“I’m guessing it was his vanity that turned them off. Father never bothered wasting time on humility. I think it galled him a little to produce son after son when he needed daughters.”

Gran and Mag exchanged a glance, one it seemed held an entire silent conversation, and then Gran spoke. “Our mother might have been somewhat short-sighted, but she did what she thought she had to do to protect our family line. It may be flattering, in a somewhat condescending way, but did it ever occur to Cupid that putting a Balefire witch in danger also put the fate of all witches on the line? Taking liberties with the fire keeper’s life—well, that was probably far too risky for a woman and a mother like Tempest.”

Is it okay to think your father might just be a total jackass?

Pouring out what he thought was the last of the tea, Fritz cocked an eyebrow at the pot when it refilled in his hand, and I knew Evian, wherever she was in the house, was still tuned into the conversation. He dosed his cup liberally with sugar and milk, then took a big sip while Garrick continued.

“We certainly don’t blame Tempest for feeling the way she did. While father focused his efforts on creating a daughter powerful enough to take on the scourge, those of us who were old enough to understand the situation knew we had to do something. Some of our half-brothers went out into the world to test the boundaries of our heritage.” Garrick’s face went about half a shade pinker. Only someone watching closely would have seen it.

“What does that even mean?” Testing the boundaries of their heritage? I didn’t get it.

Aunt Mag did, though. “It means they romanced a few witches in case a second-generation Fate Weaver might prove equal to the task.”

Garrick flushed again while his brother gazed so deeply into his cup I wondered if he was trying to read the tea leaves. I couldn’t begin to work up a mental image of Fritz bird-dogging the babes, and that was probably a blessing. Unless someone had perfected brain bleach, I’d rather not put anything else in my head that, once seen, could not be unseen.

No one said anything for a full minute until Garrick cleared his throat and went on with the story.

“Diana’s dark power continued to grow, and because of her blood connections, father could not terminate her without repercussions. There was, however, nothing to stop anyone else from acting. When a member of the Inter-Magical Alliance approached with an alternative, father decided if he couldn’t dispatch her completely, we’d just have to settle for neutralizing the threat.”

Vaeta’s head snapped up at the mention of the Alliance and she threw me a look before interrupting, “Which member?”

“A demon named Rhys.” Fritzroy replied.

Vaeta and I exchanged a meaningful glance, but let him continue without explaining.

“Rhys offered up the location of a little-used nexus leading to the underworld. Of course, in those days, this area was nothing more than a few scattered settlements. This happened in the 1770s, not too long after the Balefires relocated from Ireland. Father approached Tempest and begged for assistance, but at first, she demurred.” He might be my half-brother, but after giving me the side-eye, it looked like old Fritz could be a bit of a snot.

Assistance. Who was he kidding? My father hit on my great grandmother like a hammer on a nail. While she was married and carrying Aunt Mag. Nothing like slapping a little whitewash on a broken fence and calling it new.

“Eventually, she agreed to forge us a cage made of iron and magic and living gold, but on one condition. Father had to promise to leave the Balefire women out of his romantic plans—which he did, for a time, but I guess you already knew that.”

Five or six sarcastic answers popped into my head, and while I set about choosing one, Garrick picked up the story. From the way Fritzroy jumped and winced, I suspected our brother delivered a not-so subtle kick under the table.

“We lured Diana to the nexus and trapped her in the unbreakable cage.”

We all waited for him to tell us how, but it seemed that information would not be forthcoming.

“Anyway, things were quiet for a time, and for some reason, even the twins kept their distance. But then the city began to grow up around the Nexus, and people started getting too close. The legend of the Darkest Heart was born. Diana seized the opportunity, summoned her minions, and lured two of our brethren to their deaths.”

I held up a hand to halt the explanation. “Beatrice and Reginald, I presume?”

“Yes.” Fritzroy frowned, but confirmed.

Months before, Mag had given me a ring that allowed me to go back in time. I’d seen many things I never should have had the opportunity to witness, including the events that had orphaned me. During the altercation between my mother, my grandmother, and my father, Gran had thrown Cupid’s failure to protect his kin right in his smug face. Given what I’d just learned, it might have been somewhat harsh, but I wasn’t sure if she had known the whole story at the time. Even if she did, there was no way I was going to say that to Clara Balefire.

“We realized we needed to close off the Nexus because it wasn’t enough that Diana couldn’t get out. We had to make sure nobody else could get in. That’s when I lost my wand.” Fritzroy squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, and glanced at his brother, who gave a subtle head shake.

What was that all about? Maybe Diana scared the wand off of him.

“The portal worked until—” Garrick trailed off.

“Until we”—I indicated myself and my godmothers—“came along and undid all your hard work. We didn’t plan to let Diana out, but it happened, and there’s no time to debate or disparage ourselves for the mistake. All we can do now is clean up our mess, starting with the Balmorrigan.”

Garrick cleared his throat. “Well, we should be able to kill them by regular means. I would assume, as you are in possession of the Bow of Destiny, you have some weapons training. Their horses are fast, the scythe cuts the soul from the body so it can be trapped by the lantern, but they’re flesh and bone, just like us.”

Ignoring the question about weapons training because I didn’t want to admit my best weapons were people, I asked, “How did you get past them to trap Diana the first time, and why didn’t the twins come after me while I was magic-less?” When both men seemed confused, I had to explain how I’d come into my power rather late life. Almost too late, actually. When I finished, I repeated the question and waited for Garrick to explain.

“If I had to guess, I’d put it down to you being under your godmother’s protection, but going radio silent for long periods of time is part of their pattern, from what I understand.”

The word pattern struck a chord and I remembered what Carl had said about the Balmorrigan disappearing and then reappearing throughout history. Something niggled at the back of my mind, and I searched for some fragment of information that might make all the pieces fall into place, but came up empty-handed.

“As for Diana, putting her in a cell took a great deal of magical cooperation. And, of course, we had Father on our side.” His voice dropped lower. “She fears him more than she fears a female Fate Weaver.”

Now, that I could believe. She’d never shown me an ounce of fear, at least not in person, and that made me wonder if my brothers had the right of it.

“This is all very interesting.” Now that it seemed the men were winding down with their story, Terra finally spoke. “But what is it you think Lexi is supposed to do? If I’ve heard you correctly, you’ve said Diana believes a female Fate Weaver will be her downfall, yet you’ve never said how she’s supposed to make it happen.”

“I say we mount up and go take the—” Vaeta jumped when Evian jabbed an elbow in her side.

“Watch your language in front of the baby.” On any other day, those might have been fighting words.

Instead, Vaeta merely shot her sister a sideways look and continued, “—take care of the problem.”

“A slipshod plan will never work.” Fritz lectured. “And I suspect we don’t have the luxury of time on our side. She’s had three days unchecked by Lexi to get closer to her goal.”

Scanning his face for signs of censure, I found none, but for all I knew, Fritzroy was a consummate actor. “About that. Why doesn’t she just leave Port Harbor? She must know I’m tied to the Balefire enough to keep me from traveling much. She could go anywhere, wait for me to have to leave, and fling her cards every which way.”

“I have a theory on that.” I’d forgotten Delta was still there when she piped up from the other end of the table. She proceeded to lay out a Harry Potteresque theory about how Diana was tied to me because she’d used one of her cards on Kin. A cardinal mistake she might not even realize she’d made. “Or, she’s just arrogant enough to want to shove her victory in your face.”

While I contemplated whether I was Harry or Voldemort in her scenario, Fritz speculated. “You said she’s skipped town, so your theory only holds water if she’s still in the area. Either way, it seems the ball is in her court.”

“So what are you saying? That all we can do now is prepare and wait, like ducks in a row? Fabulous.” I tend to get snarky when someone tries to put me on the sidelines.

“You’re putting words in his mouth, Lexi.” Gently, Garrick chided me. “Diana won’t fall for the same tactics a second time, so erecting a new prison would be a fool’s errand. Even if we had the resources, we’d need help, and since my brother and I’ve been in…seclusion,” he was going to say hiding, but opted for a more manly sounding word, I was certain, “we’ve lost contact with the Alliance. It would take too long to reestablish our good standing, even if we knew how to locate the demon Rhys.” Again the shared glance between the two brothers.

I caught Vaeta’s eye, but she shook her head, so I didn’t mention Rhys was sort of on our friends-and-family list. He’d also been on another one of her lists lately, though I knew if he was needed, she wouldn’t hesitate to call on him.

Thankfully, Serena interrupted that thought when she stomped back into the dining room with Kaine in her arms. I could tell she hadn’t had much rest lately based on the bags underneath her eyes, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears. Instead, she just plain burst, “I’m really happy you’re all enjoying your Earl Gray and everything, but what about me? What about Kaine? You might not be defenseless, but he sure is.”

“I’m sorry, Serena, you’re right.” She was, and even if she hadn’t been, I wasn’t about to cross a cranky, sleep-deprived single mother.

I told my half-brothers all about Kaine’s unusual birth and his extreme effect on just about everyone he met. “Is that normal for a Fate Weaver baby or did we mess him up during the birthing ritual?”

I’d been hoping for reassurance, but none was forthcoming. Garrick scratched his chin and Fritzroy feigned sudden interest in the drapes while I exchanged worried looks with Serena.

“We did the best we could under trying circumstances,” Clara reminded me, and I felt a twinge of guilt at dragging the Fate Weavers into such a large group. My family was a lot to take all at once.

“An unprecedented birth, so I can’t say for certain if there were other choices to be made, but surely it can’t be as bad as all that.” Garrick wasn’t quite stupid enough to say we women were overestimating the situation, but he didn’t need to because his tone said it for him. “All babies are charismatic.”

Giving the male Fate Weaver an arch look on her way by, Serena retrieved the baby from Evian in the faerie wing of the house. I couldn’t keep the smirk off my face when she deposited the baby in Garrick’s arms and Kaine’s unique brand of magic went to work.

Hearing Fritzroy singing the witch equivalent of the Alphabet song in a high-pitched tone was fun, but not half as much as watching the little bugger wrap Garrick—and that long beard—around his little finger. Or in the beard’s case, his whole hand.

The kicker came when Kaine screwed up his little face and filled his diaper with what Fritzroy described as a charming mess. With the lesson sufficiently driven home, Serena gently pried Kaine away and waited for the men’s sanity to return.

“Still think we’re exaggerating?” Garrick watched Evian’s retreating back as she carried the baby away to change him, and Vaeta whirled a finger to freshen the air. Repeated contact had let us develop enough immunity to keep from spending hours besotted by the baby’s face, but I still fought the urge to kiss his little cheeks every time I laid eyes on him. “Or do you think he doesn’t need your help?”

Pink-faced with chagrin, Garrick allowed the situation might be a little more serious than he’d thought.

“Oh, I think we got the point, and help him we will. We’re family, after all,” Fritzroy said gently. For a few moments, I’d managed to forget these were my half-brothers and Kaine’s uncles. Suddenly, the term Fate Weaver took on a new aspect. Should I have hugged them hello? What was the protocol when meeting long-lost family you never knew you had?

Awkward!

“In the meantime,” Garrick approached the fireplace. “It’s been years since we’ve attended Beltane.” He held his hands out toward the warmth of the crackling balefire. “Warms the heart, and feeds the soul.” He was a witch, after all.

While Garrick communed with the fire, Fritzroy got down to business.