I again tried to say something. Christoph shut me down. “Granddaughter, let me finish. You scared the crap out of me and in turn, I scared the crap out of these four.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted. Now, tell us where you were.”
“First I have to tell you about what I did earlier today. I went into town and had a meeting with someone who upset me very much.”
“That was the one with Odilon, right?” asked Christoph. When I nodded, he added, “What did he say to upset you?”
“A lot, most of it having to do with his land acquisition plans.” I went to sip my tea and mumbled the rest as I blew at the steam. “And he’s forcing me on a date.”
Damn Christoph’s heightened hearing. “He’s forcing you? How?”
“He wants to have dinner with me on Thursday night.”
“Tell him no.”
“I can’t.” Both our voices were escalating in volume.
“Of course, you can. Just say—”
“He’s got pictures of the kids, Christoph,” I yelled, sloshing hot tea on my hand. “And you, and Wes. From the mentoring weekend. What the hell else was I supposed to do?”
Christoph exploded out of his chair and stomped toward the hallway. “Harper, give me your phone. Calliope, I’m calling Malvyn.”
“Mom,” Thatcher said, sitting in the chair Christoph had vacated. “Tell us about the rest.”
“When I got home from my meeting with Odilon, I was frustrated and feeling completely outwitted and disempowered. I decided the best way to combat those feelings was to do something that made me feel brave and strong.”
Sallie and Azura exchanged glances between them, and with my sons. I think they were looks of understanding.
“I had a portal adventure last night, after you kids let me know you weren’t coming home,” I said, “and it was successful. Bas gave me directions for how to get to where I wanted to go and sent me on my way. I figured if it was okay with him, I could travel with very little risk and get myself home safe and sound.”
“Wait. Mom. You took a portal last night, too?”
“Yes. I wanted to see if I could do it, and I decided a visit to Tanner would be a good experiment.”
“Tanner’s in France.”
“I know. And I wish my first trip to Paris wasn’t so crazy quick, but there you have it. I arrived in Chamonix safely, returned home in one piece, and thought I could duplicate the experience. I packed water and snacks. I even packed my dagger. When I put my hand on the crabapple, in the exact spot Alabastair showed me, I slipped. I ended up making contact with the opposite side of the tree. One of the thorns poked my hand and by the time I noticed, I was in a very strange place.” I paused, then added, “The thorn took my blood.”
“Creepy.” Azura’s comment had all four teens nodding in agreement.
“Very creepy,” I said. “It didn’t take me long to realize I had made a mistake. I cut my hand before I stood up, and then I must have stepped on more of the glass. My wand’s a portal key. That’s how I got home.”
Christoph reentered the living room. “I’ve spoken with Malvyn and James, and I left a message with Wessel. We need to talk about this dinner date, Calliope, and we need to speak with a Portal Keeper.”
“Try Bas. He’s on the island.”
Christoph nodded. “Let me see to your hands first, then we can reach out to Alabastair.”
As my grandfather cleaned the little cuts and applied the same salve, I described where I had been. I recalled more details, including the fiery color of the sky and the bloodred body of water.
“You might have landed in one of the Fae realms,” Azura said. “Or maybe one of the Demons’.” She stopped short of musing why a portal to another realm was based in my lone crabapple tree.
“What worries me is the blood, Calliope. It’s one thing to prick yourself on a thorn and bleed. That’s normal.” Christoph finished one hand and started on the other. “Pricking yourself on a thorn that draws your blood is not human-normal. There is magic afoot in that quadrant of your tree. Blood magic.”
“Du Sang, du Sang.” I whispered my family name as he unrolled a length of gauze. “Is there anyone you know who could tell me more about the du Sang side of my family?” Between Odilon Vigne, Maritza’s dress of needles, and the Old One’s thorns, there was a growing list of beings and objects wanting my blood.
“Your mother and her sister were the last of their generation. Their parents are long buried.” He shoved at the chair as he stood. “We need a plan for Thursday, we need to find your mother’s grimoire, and we need a witch who knows their way around blood magic.”
Chapter 13
“L’Runa,” I said. “I’ll start with her.” The witch who had given me hours of her time only days ago answered my call on the first ring.
“Somewhere in your family’s records would be a genealogy chart. We need that information.” L’Runa went quiet, then added, “And if you know anyone who has access to the Fae network, ask for their help. Just because you’re not Fae doesn’t mean we should ignore the possibility one of your ancestors was.”
I glanced at Sallie and Azura, seated on the floor, heads together over Sallie’s cell phone.
Faebook.
“And I should draw a fresh sample of your blood, Calliope. I can bring it to the lab.”
“The one at Grand St. Kitt’s?” I asked. Hours of ferry rides would mean a minimum of
