Page 3

Doc

“W ell, that was fucking impressive,” Winston mutters.

I glance at him, narrowing my eyes slightly, “Why do you sound surprised? Aren’t you supposed to be all knowing? Are you even allowed to curse?”

“Because I am surprised,” he replies simply with a smile, not answering any of my other questions.

He waves and then Wallace and he blink out of existence.

Neith shakes her head, “Don’t bother. He likes to do that when you ask him a question that he doesn’t actually have the answer to. It’s infuriating as fuck.”

“I can imagine,” I reply drily.

“Okay. It’s approaching dinner time now, and I’m hungry,” Griff says in his no-nonsense manner, “the breach in the ward is now fixed. I think we should head back to the lake so we can leave the kelpies there and then head back home.”

“Agreed,” Evander says. “Let’s go.”

“Are we still going to the poker game at Sully’s?” Raiden asks curiously before we can make a move to go anywhere.

Neith shrugs, “I have to go. If I miss another one, Ernie’s going to be pissed. Besides, I want to ask Sully about the kelpies and see if there’s a reason why we all now know their names and they aren’t trying to eat us anymore.”

Mael rolls his eyes at Neith’s words.

I had no idea that kelpies could do that, and it looks weird as hell. Neith continues talking though so I don’t bother pointing it out.

“I am happy to go by myself though.”

Van shakes his head, “I’m sure the guys will agree that we could all do with a drink and some time to relax after today. Even if Sully doesn’t let us into the poker game.”

We all voice our agreement, and Neith smiles.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s get back to the house. I agree with Griff, I’m fucking hungry,” she admits with a wide smile.

“I’m not surprised. You just kicked off a fuck ton of magic. I’m actually surprised that you are still upright and haven’t passed out with exhaustion,” Raiden says.

Shit, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.

Neith shrugs, “I don’t feel any different than I did before. I’m just hungry.”

We all frown, she should be feeling something more than just hungry especially since it was her first real show of magic.

That thought makes me pause. Was it really her first real show of magic?

I mean, technically speaking, she has died and come back to life twice in the last few weeks, and that was obviously facilitated by magic. So she has been using her magic, just not intentionally. I wonder if she has even tried to use her magic deliberately. I shake my head, that’s not the issue that I need to be focusing on right now. I need to know if she is really okay or if she only thinks she is and is about to drop.

“Neith, could I check, please?” I ask her, “Just in case there is something going on that you might not be aware of?”

Neith doesn’t even hesitate, she just nods and holds out her hands for me. “Yeah, of course. I really do feel absolutely fine, but I’d rather know if I’m about to drop and not realize.”

“I know, but I would rather be safe than sorry, especially since we are going out later,” I explain, taking her hands in mine.

She nods, and I allow my magic to do its thing. I don’t have to worry about it hurting her because it would never do that. Frankly, I think it is more likely to hurt me than it is to hurt her. It has taken a liking to Neith, and it did from the first moment that I saw her. As always, it is eager to help her. The scan doesn’t take very long at all, and although the results surprise me, I am relieved.

“Well?” Raiden asks, looking worried.

I smile, “She is absolutely fine, just hungry like she said. I was just a bit worried it might be adrenaline or something that was masking an issue.”

Neith squeezes my hands, making me realize that I am still holding them.

“Thank you for checking for me,” she tells me, and I nod, smiling and then letting go of her hands.

“Alright, now that we’re sure that Neith isn’t going to pass out while we’re riding back, let’s get the kelpies back to the lake, and then we can get home,” Evander suggests again.

Everyone gets back on the same kelpie that they rode here on, and I find it curious that we have all managed to get to know one like Neith has got to know Mael.

As we start to head back to the lake, letting the kelpies lead the way, I glance behind me, looking into the woods behind the ward and frowning when I can’t remember what I’m looking for.

Neith

T his time, I am riding a kelpie, and it’s not because there’s a threat or a danger. That means that I’m purely enjoying it.

Leaning forward slightly, just to make sure that Mael can hear me over the sound of the wind, I say, “Come on, Mael, show me what you can do.”

Mael snorts and then kicks the speed up a gear. If I thought that we were flying before it is absolutely nothing compared to how quickly we are moving now. The trees are no more than just a blur going past me. I have no idea how he’s managing to miss them, but he is, and I am extremely grateful. He must be using his magic to make the wind go around me rather than battering me in the face, because although the wind is still making my hair stream out behind me, it isn’t stealing my breath, and it should be considering how fast we are moving.

I let out a whoop of excitement as I sit straight up in my seat, letting go of the reins. I want to put my arms out to the side, but I would most likely end up getting them ripped off by passing trees which would be extremely painful, so instead I settle for tipping my head back for a moment and just enjoying the feeling of complete and utter freedom.

It only lasts for a few moments though before I decide that I have pushed my luck far enough, and grab the reins again, quickly realizing that we’re already at the lake as we break through the trees and head for the water. We don’t slow down like I expect, but I don’t panic, somehow I instinctively know that Mael would protect me before he would harm me. Which I admit seems a strange thing to be sure of considering that it wasn’t that long ago that he and the other kelpies were trying to eat me.

We hit the lake, and instead of diving under the water, Mael runs on top of it, as we speed around the lake, icy cold water droplets tickling my face, and now that we are in such a wide open space, I do what I wanted to do in the woods and sit up in my seat, my arms out to the sides as a laugh of pure joy bubbles free.

“This is amazing!” I yell and Mael whinnies back to me happily, he is clearly enjoying this as much as I am.

I hear a kelpie call from the shore, Mael turns around and I see the guys all on the shore. They all have huge smiles on their faces.

“That was so fucking cool,” River exclaims as soon as we are back and standing with the others.

“It really was,” I reply.

“They have got to be hungry by now, they have expended a lot of energy staying out of the water, and before that, they battled the Scavengers as well. Let’s leave them to it and head home,” Raiden says as he gets off his kelpie.

When my feet hit the floor, I move to Mael’s head, and he dips it, gently resting his forehead against mine, “Thank you. I will come back soon. Come and get me if there are any more issues.”

He huffs which I am assuming means that he will, and I step back, watching as they all disappear back under the surface of the lake.

When I turn back to face the guys and get a good look at the rocky beach where the battle happened, I ask, “Where have all the Scavenger bodies gone? The beach is spotless. There’s no sign of them.”

Raiden smirks slightly, “It’s the kelpies, they would have taken the Scavengers under the water to feed.”

“Okay, I get that they have to feed, and those Scavengers were nasty, but the idea of all those dead bodies under the water freaks me out a little bit,” I admit.

Griff shudders, “Me too.”

We all head back to the house, and I’m surprised that I’m not nearly as tired as I should have been. I’m fine. I am hungry, and we’re going to need something good if we’re going to Sully’s tonight and may end up drinking, especially after all the energy that we have just burned. There are only a couple of dishes that I know how to make, and only one of those is one that I’m sure the guys are likely to have the ingredients for.

As we walk through the front door, I ask, “Do you guys like pasta?”

“Who doesn’t?” Doc asks me like my question is ridiculous, which makes me smile.

“Crazy people,” I reply seriously, although my lips tip up into a smile, giving away my amusement.

“Why?” River asks, wrinkling his nose in the most adorable way.

“Can I make dinner?”

Evander shrugs, “Sure, I don’t know if we have anything in, but you’re welcome to have a look.”

“Awesome,” I reply, heading straight there.

“Do you want some help?” Ransom asks.

I glance up at him, “If you have the ingredients I need then there isn’t really much that you can do to help. It’s a really simple recipe but I would never say no to the company.”

“I can do company,” Ransom says.

Everyone disperses to do their own thing, and I’m pretty sure I can guess where a couple of them are going. Van will be going to recharge his magic, probably in a pool or something that the guys have neglected to tell me exists again. I really need to get them to give me a tour or a map or something. I have no idea where everything is. It’s not the guys fault, we haven’t really stopped properly since I arrived.

Raiden and I’m going to guess maybe Reed, Doc, and Griff will be in the library looking up all things to do with kelpies, no doubt. That just leaves River, my wondering question is answered when Ransom and I enter the kitchen and River ambles in after us and sits on the big counter that splits the dining area from the kitchen side.

Ransom shakes his head, “You really shouldn’t sit on the counters.”

River smirks and I can tell that this is a conversation that happens regularly. While they both argue and my smile gets bigger as I get more amused, I search through all the kitchen cupboards and the guys fridge to find the ingredients to make my awesome pasta dish. I find almost all of the ones that I need, and the ingredients that I don’t have I can compensate with other ingredients.

At least, I think I can.

To be honest, I don’t really know what I’m doing. I have a vague idea, and I just throw stuff in the pot until it tastes good. That’s why this dish is called My Awesome Pasta and not chicken pasta or something. The ingredients change every time I make it.

As I’m pulling out the noodles, I realize that I am going to have to make considerably more than I usually do when I make it just for me.

“Guys,” I start, interrupting their ongoing argument about the benefits of sitting on the kitchen countertop. They both turn to look at me, and I ask, as I shake the box of bowtie noodles that I’m holding, “Have you guys got any more noodles, or is this it?”

River nods and hops off the counter, “Erm yeah, I think we have some more in here,” he rummages around a cupboard that I hadn’t even realized existed because it blended in seamlessly and doesn’t have a visible handle. “We’ve got this but it’s the twisty kind?”

I shrug, “Yeah, that will do. It doesn’t really matter if the noodle shapes don’t match.”

“What exactly are you making?” Ransom asks curiously, as he side-eyes River who sits back on the counter where he was originally and smirks at him.

“I call it My Awesome Pasta dish, but really, it changes every time I make it. I just add stuff until it tastes good,” I explain quickly before they start up their argument again.

They just nod and look intrigued.

“Where is your sword?” River suddenly asks.

I smile, “I would assume back in my room next to Betty. That’s where it ended up the last few times that it came to my aid and then disappeared again. It sort of just comes and goes as it pleases and ends up in my room, exactly where I left it, and clean.”

“That’s pretty fucking awesome,” River replies.

My smile widens, “I know.”

“I have heard of magical weapons doing that. They appear when you need them and then, in some instances, disappear completely, only showing back up when you need them again,” Ransom explains.

“Huh, that’s interesting. I’m glad that my sword doesn’t disappear completely. I think he might be too jealous for that. I really do need to name him, but I have no idea what his name should be.”

“I’m sure it will come to you,” River says with a smile, and I nod in agreement.

Ransom puts some music on, and I get on with what I’m doing. All of us end up singing along to some of the songs that come on and laughing when we inevitably get the words wrong. It is the most fun that I have had cooking in the kitchen ever.

We are making so much noise that by the time I am actually finished and ready to call everyone for dinner, everyone is already sitting at the table, and either joining in with our off-key singing or just watching us and smiling.

They all get up to help lay the table, and soon, we are all tucking into the dish. I honestly didn’t think that I would be this nervous about having them try something that I made. I am though, and I don’t actually take a bite of it myself or relax until they are all eating it and making good noises, not spitting it back out. It’s only then that I release the breath that I was holding and start eating myself.

Huh, not too bad at all.

Eventually, the conversation turns to the breach.

“I know we have fixed the breach and everything, but in the excitement of Neith showing off,” Evander starts, grinning at me and making me smile before he continues, “anyway, we need to figure out how it happened in the first place.”

“Fuck, you’re right. We were so focused on getting it fixed and then Neith’s power that we didn’t even think about it,” Ransom replies.

“So, what could have done it then, and why?” I ask. “Was it just the Scavengers?”

Griff shakes his head, “No, Scavengers are strong enough to break through weak wards, but Ransom’s wards aren’t weak.”

“What about the actual hole in the ward?” Reed asks, “Was there any sign on there that could tell us anything?”

Ransom shakes his head, “No, there was no magical trace at all. I would have noticed it.”

“There is a small chance that the ward just wore thin in that area, and the Scavengers took advantage of it,” Raiden suggests, although judging from the look on his face, he doesn’t really believe what he’s suggesting.

“I don’t know, but I didn’t scent anything unusual, so there may be a chance that it happened like that,” River replies.

“I guess we are just going to have to keep an eye on the ward and trust that Winston knows what he is talking about. Nothing but the Scavengers came through,” Evander replies.

“I have lots of alarms set up on the ward now, and Neith’s magic made it practically impenetrable. Reed proved that when he went supernova on it, so if something did deliberately do it, they won’t be able to do it again, and I will be able to catch them trying,” Ransom explains.

“Good,” Evander says, and then looks confused as he glances at a silent Doc, “Why are you frowning?”

Doc’s frown gets deeper, “I don’t know. I feel like I’m forgetting something important, but I’ve got no idea what.”

“That’s strange,” Griff mutters, “especially for you. You never forget anything.”

“Exactly,” Doc replies. His expression clears, “I’m sure that I will remember it eventually if I really have forgotten something.”

“It has been quite a stressful few days,” I point out.

“That’s very true,” Doc replies. “Speaking of stressful days and needing to de-stress, we should probably all get ready to go to Sully’s.”

“Good point,” I say.

We soon have everything cleared up and we all split up to get ready to go, arranging to meet by the front door.

I don’t know about the others, but I definitely need a shower. Thankfully, my hair isn’t absolutely full of grossness, as it has been the last few times that I have battled something.

As I walk into my room, I realize that I was right earlier and once again my sword is back in his place next to Betty, and clean.

“Thank you once again for coming to my aid today,” I say to it. I think it’s important to thank it even if it has no way of actually understanding me. It feels right to do it, so that’s what I will do.

I move from my intended path to the shower and instead sit down in front of Betty and my sword.

“I’m sure the sword has filled you in on everything. It’s pretty fucking insane,” I say to Betty and then turn my attention back to the sword. “I really need to name you. Let’s do it now, it’s been too long, and you definitely deserve a name. Fred? No. Reginald? No, that doesn’t fit either. Aloysius? No, that’s super weird, plus how the fuck do you spell that? I bet it’s not like it sounds. Al-oh-wish-us.” I shake my head, and cycle through a few more names silently.

I am a really big believer in the fact that names have power, so you need to be really careful what you name something.The last thing that I want to do is name him something that means death bringer or something like that. I need to choose his name with care.