I shook off his sarcasm. Bear growled again, the sound moving through its chest, into mine, and out of my throat.
My throat. I was the one growling. And holding up a stubby crabapple stick against magic-infused metal and an overflow of rage. My dirtied toes tried desperately to hold ground with what strength the little digits had left.
Shit.
Roger tapped his brother’s extended, weaponized fingernails with his own. “If she gets away, it’s your ass on the line.”
I pointed the tip of my wand at Roger, ready to buy myself a few extra seconds with my full-name spell, when my waist was circled by a steady arm corded with muscles of steel.
“Got you,” Bas said, squeezing me hard. The air punched out of my chest. “Close your eyes. This is going to be a bumpy ride.”
Doug’s roar, heard way too often this summer, echoed in my ears.
Bas held me, and I held the bagged cat—that much I was aware of—and the suction I’d felt on my first portal ride returned. This time we landed at the ocean’s edge, scrambled across barnacled rocks and up an embankment to an Arbutus tree, and were pulled into the suction again.
I opened my eyes when we stopped. My feet slipped on astroturf in a lit-up sculpture park in what looked like Seattle. I dry-heaved, closed my eyes for another leg of Portalmania, and finally caught my breath under the familiar arms of my crabapple tree.
Bas let me go. I rolled to my side and lost my cookies in the grass. Throwing up was becoming a thing, and I was tiring of it, fast. Belle must have an herbal remedy. Or maybe the combination of both real and existential nausea were part and parcel of awakening one’s magic.
While I philosophized in my head and waited for another wave of queasiness to pass, Alabastair called to me. “Calliope Jones, you are magnificent. Let’s get you washed up.”
“Where’s Jasper?”
Bas held up the bag, still zippered shut. “In here. You might want to wait to let him out. I think he’s a bit peeved.”
“Where are the fairy sisters?”
Before Bas could answer, headlights swept the driveway. A car engine cut out. More lights, higher up, signaled the arrival of another vehicle. A truck engine choked, four doors slammed one after the other, and familiar voices called out across the front of the house.
“They’re back,” I said.
“Are they good guys or bad guys?” asked Alabastair.
“Really good guys.” I wiped my mouth with the bottom edge of my long-sleeved T-shirt. “Come and meet some of my family.”
Bas passed me the handles of the canvas bag. “Another time,” he whispered. “I took the fairies to their boyfriends, and I must go back. Maritza will expect me to ask them all the questions, and I want to have all the answers. She’s that thorough, and I’m that eager to please.”
He probably couldn’t see my weak smile, but I was pretty sure my new friend had a crush on his teacher.
“Will I see you again?” I asked.
“Yes, my dear Calliope, you will see a lot of me in the coming months.” Bas gave another dramatic flourish of his cape, touched the crabapple tree, and winked away.
“C’mon, Jasper.” I hauled the bag across the grass to the accompaniment of growls. “The kids are home.”
Rounding the side of the house, I waved at Wes and winced. Barnacles had cut up my feet. Christoph gave me a hug and a worried glance. “Did you just throw up?”
“Puked right over there in the grass,” I said. “I’ll tell you about it later. Did you find everything you need?”
“Let’s just say it’s good that I have a bottomless credit card.”
I must have looked confused.
He wiped his hand over his face. “Endless? Wes, what’s the word I’m looking?”
“No credit limit,” answered Wes. “And I say we leave everything in the truck overnight and unload in the morning.”
I agreed and bent to unzip the bag holding the cat.
Thatcher came barreling out of the house, “Mom, where’s Jasper? I can’t find him, and I’ve looked everywhere.”
A feline wail split the air. Jasper hissed at me before tearing up the porch stairs and launching himself into Thatcher’s arms.
“Hey, boy, where you been?” said Thatch.
“We had an adventure,” I said, “and I think he’s upset. It took us three portal stops to make it home.”
“Mom! You got to try out the portal? Which one, the crabapple tree?”
“Yes and yes. And right now I need to get some antibiotic ointment on my feet and go to sleep. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”
Thatcher waved and ducked into the house.
I turned to Wes. “I met that Portal Keeper you and Kaz were talking about. His name is Alabastair. Malvyn sent him here, via Maritza. We ended up at Meribah’s estate near Victoria, located the two fairies we were sent to find, and liberated them using Jasper’s spit.” I paused, took in a breath, and let it out. “Yes, you heard that right. Cat spit. Doug and Roger caught us, caught me—Bas was portaling the fairies to the Pearmain’s—and…”
“Calliope, stop.” Wes held up his hand then opened his arms.
I accepted the offered hug. “I was scared shitless. They were out for my blood. Bas got me out of there just in time.”
Wes patted my back in a brotherly way. “You need to wash your feet and sleep,” he counselled. “Ro’s on her way over. We’ll take turns on watch. We already discussed it.”
“Doesn’t she need to sleep too?”
“She got another doctor to take her on-call shift for the rest of the weekend.”
I collapsed with relief. One part of my brain cowered in fear of what Doug’s—or his mother’s—next step might be. The rest of my brain wanted to check out. “I wish I didn’t have to rely on all of you all the time. But thank you.”
I went for a second shower of the night and made it a quick one.
