The pouch at our hearts warmed, the leather softened. Spring-green tendrils peeked through the whipped stitching edging the square and began to curl around the cords.
“Uh-uh, children,” cooed Idunn, “that’s enough for now.”
Tanner’s eyes grew wide as saucers. He grabbed my hand and turned us to face Idunn as she removed the cords from our necks and looped both around her own. The stems emerging from the pouch reached for sections of the hair falling over one shoulder, and intertwined themselves throughout the pale golden strands.
Idunn patted at the curlicues and leaves absentmindedly, whispering in a language I’d never heard, until the movement stopped with an audible sigh. The goddess kissed the inquisitive leaflet budding near her lower lip, and tucked it behind her ear.
“Though it is time for you to return to your teacher,” she said, her smile for Tanner tight, yet not without…hope, “I think we may have to renegotiate the terms of your indenture.”
I squeezed my wolfy druid’s fingers and tried to bring him close for a parting kiss. But a goddess’s will pulled harder than an earth witch’s connection to gravity. Tanner and Idunn were gone in the space between heartbeats, swallowed into the gloom of the underland, and I was left with the imprint of an apple seedling over my heart.
“I think we should call Malvyn to come get this one,” said Maritza, tilting her head in the direction of the cage housing Meribah. With a flick of her fingers, she orchestrated a hands-free cleanup of the tea table, returning the underland to its original state.
“I would be pleased to escort Malvyn here.” Alabastair’s baritone spread like warm caramel as he approached us from the far end of the underland.
“Thank you, Alabastair. Before you do, would you please assist with moving this cage? I find this place is giving me a headache.”
Maritza had shrunk, perhaps from all of the magic she’d expended, from helping Bear take form to stitching my aunt’s memories back into her quilt, to restraining Meribah and helping in some way to bring Idunn here from wherever the goddess resided.
“I can help as well,” said Christoph. His wing brushed my side as he stepped forward. He and Bas grasped the bars of the cage, lifted, and walked toward the entrance. Meribah’s eyes were closed, her arm was bandaged and she didn’t even twitch as she was being transported. “Shall we bring the prisoner to the portal?”
“Yes. Please.”
I left Maritza, Bas, Christoph, and the cage at the portal tree with the excuse I wanted to see if anyone was at the farmhouse. I assured them I could drive myself home and added that a checking in superseded a hot bath.
Memories had been unspooling all day and into the night. I used the time walking the path from the oldest section of the orchard to the newest, winding them into a ball, like I did when Aunt Noémi asked for my help with her yarns.
By the time I reached the warm yellow glow of the porch lights, I was ready to crawl the rest of the way to my car. I mounted the steps, let myself in, and listened for voices.
Belle rounded the corner from the pantry, dessert bowls in each hand. “Wes is resting upstairs,” she said. “L’Runa and Rose left a while ago. Both of them said you’re to call no matter the time if there is anything you need.”
I plopped my sore butt onto the kitchen chair she offered. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“I don’t have all the details, but I can tell you the LaFleurs insisted the girls come home and invited Hyslop and Peasgood to go with them. Vadim was adamant they would be back in good time.”
“Was anyone injured?”
Belle blew out a breath, set the stack of bowls on the table, and pulled out a chair for herself.
“Doug’s in bad shape. There’s a psychiatric wing at the Grand St. Kitts Clinic, and two of the Fae guards will escort him there in the morning.”
“Where is he now?” I asked.
Belle looked at the ceiling. “Up there. Tied to the bed and knocked out. Good thing I brought an emergency stash of elixirs with me. The guards are with him.” She patted the hand picking at the dried streaks of dirt disguising the original color of my pants. “There’s no reason in the world for you to see him, Calli. Wait until he’s of sounder mind.”
I nodded, my chin quivering. “How’s Wes?”
“Banged up but otherwise well. Kaz has been in touch with me since he arrived at your house. Your Thatcher’s quite the empath, and Harper will recover. Though what Doug put him through…” Belle tsk’d.
“And Roger and Adelaide?” I had to ask, had to know what kind of protection we would need in the coming days and weeks.
“You took after Meribah, and all hell broke loose between those two, the LaFleurs’ Fae, and that wolf, the brown one.”
Jack. “Is the wolf okay?”
Belle slapped the table and laughed. “Man’s got an appetite, that’s for sure. It’s a good thing you thawed all those steaks,” she said. “By the time he was done with Adelaide, he was missing a lot of fur, but he got her. One of the guards used the chains on Adelaide and bound her up good. Jack brought her to the jail, said he’ll call you tomorrow.”
“And Roger?”
Belle snapped her fingers. “The way Jack and Wes described it, Doug’s brother went berserker then disappeared. It was his knives that carved up Wes, but like I said, Wes is resting.”
“Do you think he’d mind if checked on him?” If any permanent damage had befallen Wes, I wasn’t sure
