Page 22 of Wind and Water (Reign of the Witch Queen #2)

Chapter Eleven

Wren

I t’s not yet light when I wake up with the distinct feeling of being watched.

Arms crossed, and her hip jutted to one side, Momma stares down at me. She looks ready to burst out laughing or scold me.

I can’t tell which. The funny thing is, I’m not at all embarrassed. I could never feel shame over what’s happening between Liam and me. He may not be human, but he’s good and kind, and always does what’s right, even when it’s not what his mission calls for.

Liam’s arm is slung over my waist.

With a resigned sigh, I ease his hand up and over my torso. I get up and walk far enough away from the camp that we won’t wake anyone.

Momma wastes no time. “I knew you two were getting chummy in Scotland, but this looks more serious.”

“Why? We were just sleeping.” I toe the sandy soil and watch the dust carried off by a breeze. It’s nice to have a bit of wind after the unnatural stillness of the lost lands.

“That’s just it. You were sleeping. Once you were safe, you went to him for comfort, and he was more than willing to provide that service without any promise of sex.

To me, that means you’re either good friends or there’s deep feelings involved between you.

Care to tell me which it is?” Momma watches me, and I know she’s looking for lies or signs.

There’s no point in avoiding a subject with Birdie Martin. If she wants to know something, she will find out. “He’s a good man.”

“No one here will argue with that.” She raises her eyebrows and waits for more.

“Momma, I don’t know the answer. He’s a good man.

I’m probably falling in love with him. And we’re from two different worlds.

He’s not human, and I’m not an elf. Where can this lead besides heartbreak?

” My throat closes, and I swallow down the emotions clogging it. I sit on the ground and cross my legs.

Dropping down beside me, Momma says, “We never really know how anything will end, Wren. Maybe we’ll all die tomorrow. Would you wish you’d never met Liam if you knew that was the outcome?”

Would I? The idea of never having met Liam is too sad to bear. “No. I wouldn’t want to give up knowing him even if that were the inevitable outcome. It might well be, based on the last few days.”

“Saving a world ain’t easy.” She smiles and slaps my knee.

My gut is in knots. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you, Momma.” I lean into her embrace. “There was a moment when we first arrived and Liam knew that we’d been shifted forward in time, where I thought he’d drag me across the country to his home and leave you to your fate.”

“It would have been the logical thing to do for a soldier following orders.” She keeps one arm wrapped around me and plucks at the grass with the other.

“I was resigned to dying in that horrid tower. I hoped you’d one day find out what became of me.

I prayed you would understand that I couldn’t let that witch hurt those children if I had the means to prevent it. ”

Nodding, I say, “It was exactly the kind of thing I’d expect you to do. I always know you’ll do what’s right, even if it’s not what I want for you.”

“But Liam is another story?”

“He surprised me when he agreed we had to go after you. He surprised me when he was cordial and diplomatic with the centaurs. He surprised me when he believed in me and my abilities so much that he let me fight the witch queen. I guess I don’t know him at all if everything he does is a shock.

” It’s hard to breathe as I admit that the man I might love is a mystery to me.

Momma releases me and lifts my chin to meet my gaze.

“You know, baby girl, you’ve not had too many good men in your life, and that’s probably my fault.

I won’t apologize, though. If I hadn’t made all the mistakes that drove your grandma crazy, I would never have gotten you.

” She grins. “You know what I’ll do in every situation because you’ve known me your entire life.

Liam is new and pretty darn shiny. You don’t have to anticipate his responses.

He’s here and now, so watch and see what he does.

Don’t expect the worst just because other men have been low-down dirty dicks. ”

I laugh. Momma does have a way with words. “I can hear his thoughts. Well, I could, and then we decided it might be better if he locked that part up so we don’t get distracted.”

“This magic thing is interesting. You can move water and hear Liam’s thoughts?”

“I can move wind, too. That’s how I blew away the shadow demons. I don’t even really know how I do these things. Though I can feel the energy filling me before it happens.” I wish I could explain it better.

“It’s miraculous,” she whispers, and her eyes are far away.

“Momma? Are you alright? The things you endured, if you need to talk, I’m always here for you.”

Her smile is sad. “I appreciate that, Wren. I may take you up on that offer at some point. It’s just a bit too raw at the moment.

Right now, I’d like to push it aside. Maybe when we get where we’re going, I’ll tell you everything.

” She chuckles. “Or maybe there’s an elf psychologist who I’ll spend a week or so with. ”

I want to help her. I can see there’s pain and more behind her eyes. Momma is the kind of person who is so full of joy that her pain can sometimes be stuffed away for a long time. “Maybe so.”

To the east, the sun crests the horizon.

“Do they have a sun over there, too?” Momma points west across the lost lands.

A ball of red moves toward us, growing larger, and it doesn’t rise into the sky, but pushes fast and with purpose. “Liam!”

The camp wakes at my scream.

Liam rushes to us. He looks in the direction Momma is still pointing. “Kron from Coire! Get ready.”

“What is it?” I squint, trying to figure out what the fiery thing is.

“It’s a fire demon.” He grips his sword in his right hand and one of those golden energy balls in his left. “You need to stay back, Birdie.”

“I’m already going.” Momma rushes around the centaurs and stands beside Wellon.

“How do we defeat it?” It’s still too far away to see exactly what it is, other than it appears to be made of fire or lava. It glows bright orange and moves steadily toward us. “Can we outrun it?”

He shakes his head. “It’s moving faster than you think. By the time we reached the river, we’d be exhausted, and it would have caught up. We must make our stand here.”

Finally, the shape of the demon becomes clear. A round body, with spindly legs like a giant spider. “I hate spiders.”

“Can you push it with the water?” Liam sends his magic across the lost lands, and as it hits the demon, it explodes.

Pausing, the demon rears up on several legs before continuing toward us. If the magic had any effect, I’d say the spider got bigger.

I’m about to say so when Liam fires off another round. This one grows with centaur magic, and the explosion sends water and sand flying in every direction.

Adhar screeches above us. Her warning is also too late.

The Kron is double its original size.

“Stop. It’s feeding off the energy.” I grip Liam’s arm and push past the barrier he put up to block my thoughts. You cannot defeat it this way.

The muscles in his arm ease as he looks at me. For a moment, he looks as if he may argue with me, but then his eyes soften. “What do we do?”

You’ve gotten yourself into shit now, Wren.

“I don’t know.” I look from him to the demon barreling toward us with flames bursting from its center and steam rising from the water.

I push down the sense of utter panic rising inside me.

I’m just a jewelry maker. But that’s not true.

I’m more than that now. Maybe I’ve always been more than what I believed.

Everything in my new reality seems like a dream-slash-nightmare that I should be waking up from.

The centaurs continue with a barrage of arrows that barely slow the demon.

I slip my hand into Liam’s. He is solid and strong. He’s the most generous, wonderful man I’ve ever known, and he needs me.

Letting the tingle of magic rise inside of me, I pray that water will douse the fire within the demon. I close my eyes and imagine the shallow water drawing toward the spiderlike creature from this world’s hell. When I open my eyes, I thrust my hands forward.

The lost lands shimmer. The damp wetlands beneath our feet crackle as the moisture seeps away.

At least ten feet tall now, the demon’s legs were easily managing the two feet of water, but now that level is at least five feet, and it’s slowing the monster down.

“Yes, Wren. You’ve got the idea.” Liam squeezes my hand, and his bold magic flows through me, adding to mine.

My heart pounds, and a bead of sweat rolls along my hairline. I imagine the water rising higher and enveloping the beast.

Foot by foot, the waters of the lost lands rise around it. When its legs can no longer keep its body above the growing waves, it flounders.

The centaurs stop their assault and cheer my accomplishment.

“How do I kill it?” A sharp jolt of doubt rushes through me. “Will it drown?”

Liam transfers my hand from his right to his left.

He steps behind me so that his front is firmly against my back.

He puts his right hand under my arm, where I’m directing my energy toward the water.

“Somehow, you are the key to this, my love,” he says softly in my ear.

“Inside you is the knowledge of how to defeat this demon. Pray for the result you want. I will go with you wherever your magic takes us. I am with you. Don’t be afraid. ”

And there he is. His mind, at the edge of mine, making me see my potential, lending me strength without forcing my hand.

No demon or witch is going to take him away from me. I’ll die first. With the water still rising, the monster is slowed, but not stopped. I can’t hold it like this forever. It will make its way ashore and burn everything in its path. Eventually reaching us or some other innocent beings.