That broke the tension. Kaz peeled away. Belle, Néne, and Sil converged on the couch and hovered over a cell phone. Wes caught my gaze then beckoned me into the hall and out the front door.
“Do you want me to try to reach Tanner?” he asked.
“You know he’s on his own search-and-rescue mission in France,” I said.
“Then I need to survey what each of us can do and figure out how our skills can work together. Kaz and I have been a team for as long as I’ve known him. River too. We have to get this group battle-ready within the next few hours.” Wrinkles mapped Wes’s forehead and the outer corners of his eyes. My predicament was responsible for at least half of them.
“I’m terrified, Wes,” I admitted. “The night of my party? What we pulled off feels like a fluke, and if Meribah comes for us again, she’ll come preloaded to combat whatever we can throw at her. At them.”
“Then it’s our job to fight smarter, fight with our heads.” He put his hands on his hips, looked at the trees crowding the sides of the long driveway, the cloudless sky, scuffed his toes in the dirt under our boots. “People we love are our blind spots. Meribah—and Doug—will count on you to lead with your heart. Instead, I want you to use your heart. Connect with every natural element on this land that responds to you. You’re Calliope Jones, Earth Witch. Pull on your Blood Blessing, pull on the vines that do your bidding. Use your connection to the very ground we are standing on.”
Wes’s observation struck a chord that resonated into my marrow. It was incumbent upon me to embrace what I was becoming. I was playing the part of the frantic mother, but I was more than that, more than who I used to be.
He scratched at his head. “These Fae, the Flechettes, they’re after land. They want access to the portals. If they take this orchard and the one near Brooks Farm, they’ll have access to the tunnels, more natural resources, more commerce, more Magicals. River, Kaz, Tanner, and I have been watching the earth’s magic get drained away—if not destroyed—at the hands of those who don’t understand or choose to ignore that when you take without putting back something of equal or greater value, resources dwindle. We’ve been chasing land grabbers, Calliope. And it turns out your ex’s family is one of the big ones here on the west coast.”
I added excessive greed to the list of my ex’s shortcomings and chuffed out a breath. I was no longer tied to the Flechettes but I was on the Magical clean-up crew, and I was okay with that.
Wes scuffed at the ground again, drew a mangled rectangle with the toes of one boot, and placed a rough X near the edge. “The four of us and other druids and Magicals have been pouring our energy into a massive Magical working. We are attempting to hide sections of Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories from the big industries. Shifters like your grandfather need wild places to live and train the coming generations. In order to do that, we need constant—and consistent—access to places that recharge our magic. This island is one of those wells, and this orchard, with its portals and tunnels, has got to be kept in magic-friendly hands.” Wes looked at me head on and clamped his hands to my shoulders. “I would give my life to this cause, Calliope, but I would much prefer to stay alive.”
Chapter 21
There was much to be gleaned from Wes’s words.
“Did you know my father, Benôit?” I had to ask.
Wes gulped as he fought to maintain eye contact with me.
“I did,” he said. “He was a good man. And that’s all I want to say about him right now. We have a fight coming, and I have knives to sharpen.” He wiped an eye. “Metaphorically speaking. We’ll talk about Benôit later.”
“Thank you for explaining all that to me, Wes. I’m going to plug in my phone and sit in my car and eat.”
He patted my shoulder and headed around the house. I started my car and backed as close to the porch as I could without crushing Abigail’s flower beds. I had seen two outdoor outlets near the front door. My car could recharge while my phone’s battery and my belly did the same.
Windows open, birds doing their full-throated best to lighten the mood, I plugged everything in and unpeeled my surprise lunch. I was swallowing the first bite of a roasted vegetable sandwich when my phone rang. I tapped to answer and put Kerry on speaker. My hello was impeded by the need for something to wash the food down.
“Calli, is that you?”
“Mm-hmm,” I said, feeling under my seat for a water bottle. “It’s me. I’m eating lunch.”
“Any word on your boys?” she asked.
“Not yet.”
“Then I won’t keep you. I wanted you to know a Rose de Benauge was here. She said you sent her. I gave her the kit with the soil samples.”
“Thanks, Kerry,” I said, unscrewing the top to the warmed metal bottle I’d located.
“There’s another thing. A package arrived marked personal, for your eyes only. I gave the package to Rose because she said she would be seeing you soon.” Kerry snorted. “She’s a little intimidating, Calli. I hope what I did was okay.”
“Rose is a friend, Kerry, and you did great.”
A package. I wondered if Jack could sniff for poisons. Or a bomb. I dialed Rose’s number.
“Calliope,” Rose started. “L’Runa and I are at her laboratory. Your office assistant gave me a package to deliver to you.”
“Yes, that’s one reason why I was—”
“The package contains books. Or something book-like. I will bring it to the Pearmains’ when we’re done here. Excuse me a moment.” Rose was silent, and I heard L’Runa’s voice in the background. “L’Runa is asking if you have any bears in your
