The Skye Trilogy: Isle of Skye, Isle of Night, and Isle of Dawn. * Bonus: Scrumptious Skye Confections Cookbook* (12 page)

I closed my eyes I searched out the Earth, Air and Water. I found them still gathered somehow in my subconscious and held out my right hand. A short burst of heat from my purple fire began to dance around in my palm. I opened my eyes and looked to my father who was grinning at me.

“Fantastic,” Cormac said as slowly a little blue light began to pulsate around his body. Soon enough larger but more refined flames began to appear in his outstretched palm. “Now look into the mirror and picture the throne room. See the distance across the land and sea. Imagine melting the glass with everything in you to open the portal. Open the door to our safety and new life.”

I looked into the mirror and saw not only my reflection but that of everyone else’s. At first it seemed impossible but the more I stared and the more I gathered the elements, I got it. I saw exactly what I needed to do, and more importantly I did it without hesitation. The power that raced through me was intoxicating. More potent than any buzz alcohol or drugs could ever give you. I felt it in every pore of my body.

I closed my eyes because the sensations were almost overwhelming me and my sense of sight. I could hear the whispers and gasps around me, but I ignored them. I focused on releasing every ounce of the elements that were coursing through my body into the mirror. My body was flying over the earth, its landscaping changing rapidly from desert to lush green in an instant. Then I was propelled over the surging sea, up and over massive waves until finally I abruptly halted and opened my eyes. I was shocked that I was still rooted to the same spot in the study. I looked into the mirror and saw the glass had changed.

The throne room was exactly like the photos. Except one thing, a woman was now standing a few feet from the mirror, and her eyes were locked onto my mother.

The woman, who I assumed right away was my grandmother Winifred, was of average height and built. She stood regally in a long old fashioned dark dress with a high neckline. Her heart shaped face was creamy in complexion, and her eyes were a dark brown like my mothers. Her hair, which was piled on top of her head in a large bun, is what drew me in though. While my mother’s hair was a dark red, Winifred’s hair was a lighter red with strands of brown, blonde and grays streaking through the strands.

Aside from the gray it was exactly the same unique shade as my hair. I grew up without any relatives, so I always assumed my features came from my parents. Seeing Winifred though, I could pick out a few features that I shared with her. The hair was evident. I could also make out a little dimple in her right cheek like mine as well an impressive bosom which, unfortunately, my mom missed out on inheriting.

Hair, dimple and boobs, yup, those were the things I saw right away that I had in common with my newfound grandmother.

“Mother, it’s so good to see you.” Cecily said tearfully. “I told myself I wouldn’t cry but seeing you is so overwhelming. I've missed you so much."

“As I have you,” Winifred replied rather formally. “There will be plenty of time for a good long chat. Right now we need to get you and Cormac here as quick as possible."

Huh? I thought. Apparently I was either invisible or maybe Granny had a touch of Alzheimer’s. Call me crazy but I’m pretty sure she was aware of my existence especially since I was standing right in front of her.

My mother was not going to let that slide. “Yes, of course, but first I want you to meet your granddaughter Willa. Who in the last few hours, not only called upon the elements twice for the first time but also practically opened the portal all on her own. A remarkable feat for one just learning wouldn’t you agree?"

That's when Winifred finally fixated her steely gaze upon me, and I have to be honest I was a bit intimidated. Something in her eyes made my stomach a bit uneasy, like she was mad at me or disappointed by my presence. A few minutes passed while we eyed each other like two kids on the playground locked in a staring contest, a contest that I knew that I could not lose. Finally, she gave me a slight nod and broke away eye contact.

“Yes, that is impressive. I look forward to exploring more of her gifts later. Now we must hurry Cecily,” Winifred looked over at my father with disdain before adding. “Cormac, how lovely to see you alive and well, I believe the last time I saw you I told your mother how proud she must be of her handsome son. It goes to show that even I make errors in judgment from time to time. Shall we?" she finished beckoning him over into the throne room.

“Winifred, you haven’t aged a day, speaking of the last time we met, is that the same dress you were wearing? It’s held up well,” Cormac said before turning his back on her and facing me he rolled his eyes. “Looks like I’m up kiddo just stay focused on this end, and I will keep the connection over there."

“Stay warm, it looks a little chilly," I quipped before giving him a quick hug

My father flashed me a quick smile and gave my mother a hug before he stepped through the mirror followed by Frank. At first I didn’t see him appear, and my heart stopped. A few seconds later his image shimmered in front of me, incredibly, in the room with Winifred.

“Looks good from here,” Frank said as he then walked back into the mirror and was once again in the study.

My mother walked over to me and pulled me in the corner. We both watched as the three Guardians carted boxes and bulging suitcases of luggage back and forth for a few minutes. She then began adjusting a black Chanel quilted backpack on my shoulders.

“What’s this?" I asked as she pulled the straps tight.

“Back up,” she replied. “Just in case anything happens, everything you need is in here."

“Why would I need a backup plan? Everything looks to be going pretty smoothly.”

“It’s always good to have a plan B Willa. Remember that. Things can change in an instant, always be prepared." Cecily said smiling at Mathias as he walked by to grab the last suitcase

.

“I taught you well,” he said giving my mother a small grin, showcasing briefly, his white even smile.

“You did,” she replied

“Well, I appreciate Plan B a great deal, this backpack rocks."

“Chanel never goes out of style,” answered Cecily

Finally, all our belongings were through, and Serena and Mathias came to stand by our sides once again. My mother turned and gave me a quick, hard hug and whispered, “I’m so proud of you, you are the bravest, strongest, person I know. I love you so much.”

I returned her hug just as fierce. “Thanks mom, I love you too."

She had given me one last glance before she turned to Mathias. “You do realize that there's no way I am going through that portal unless you stay here with Willa?"

“I figured as much,” Mathias shrugged. “Serena and I spoke a few moments ago so not to worry. I will stay by her side until she is safely through the portal."

“I’m counting on that,” Cecily said as she stepped through the mirror and was transported to the throne room. Winifred rushed over to hug her, but my mother only halfheartedly returned her embrace as she immediately turned and stared at me. My father joined her and gave me an encouraging smile.

“Ok, my turn, I guess." I turned to Mathias and was acutely aware that we were alone together in the study. I almost forget about the others who were waiting for us on the other side.

“The minute you step through, the portal will vanish, so we’ll have to go through together." Mathias explained as he grabbed my hand. The moment he did I felt electric shocks go up and down my body. An immense sense of satisfaction came over me as I noticed he too was just as affected as I was.

I can only blame what occurred in the next few minutes on what had passed between Mathias and me. At that moment there was nothing else in this world as important as him and I. Our eyes locked on each other intently, our hands so tightly clasped that I didn’t know where his started and mine ended. My body instinctively turned into his strong, lean, figure. My breathing became shallower and for a moment I thought I saw a flash of red in his eyes.

“Willa, Mathias, you must come quickly,” Winifred's voice broke through the fog that had built up in my brain. I was so wrapped up in the moment of being close to Mathias I vaguely registered the popping sound that appeared out of nowhere. Both of us had looked up right before the mirror shattered into a million pieces.

Chapter Eight

I stood frozen for a split second as glass and drywall shattered all around me. I was pulled down hard on the ground by Mathias, his body covering mine protectively. His voice was drowned out by the destruction that was going on around us.

“What the hell is going on?" I shouted wincing as I took my hands away from my ears.

“Gunshots," Mathias shouted back. “Stay down."

“Who the fuck is shooting at us?" I shouted. My voice sounded muffled because Mathias had my face rammed into the floor.

“Human servants for the Rau, hold tight and keep your head down we need to get out of this room," Mathias said. Before I could even register what he was saying, my body was being hauled up and around his back. My arms were tightly wound around his neck in a death grip, as he sprinted from the room with remarkable speed towards my parent’s enormous master bedroom closet.

He shut the door and untangled my arms from around his neck. I dropped on the floor like a sack of potatoes. Legs’ shaking, I decided that sitting down for a moment was a good idea.

“What are we going to do?" I asked as I watched him pace back and forth.

“I’m going to scout out the outside now. I need you to stay in here. Do not under any circumstances come out of this closet.” Mathias said sternly

“Seriously, you want me to stay in here? What if you don’t come back? What do I do then?"

“I am dead serious. I will come back for you. You have my word. I will get you out of here.”

“I am not staying in here. I’m like a sitting duck. Besides haven’t you seen any horror movies? All the guys say that to the poor, frightened girl that they leave in some supposedly safe place. Then when the door does creakily open it’s either him dripping with blood from a machete in his back or a bad guy wearing an evil smile. No way, I am so not going to be that B movie victim chick."

Mathias just stared at me before saying. “We have no options; I need to see what is going on to assess the situation, and you will stay here. I WILL be right back. Besides a machete in the back wouldn’t kill me, it would just piss me off."

“Please,” I said jumping up and grabbing his hand. “Please don’t leave me in here by myself.”

Mathias fell silent as the sounds of gunfire and shattered glass raged all around us. I could tell he was thinking for a way to keep me safe and get us out of there.

For the first time, I could remember; I was helpless. I racked my brain wishing there was some way I could help. Someway I could get us out here quickly.

The minute I started thinking those thoughts the most peculiar thing happened, all of a sudden Mathias and I were caught up in this tiny whirlwind that I can only describe as a small tornado. I was like someone had jammed a wire hanger in my belly button and was twirling me around like a rag doll.

Then as quickly as it started it was over. The only difference now was we weren’t in my parents’ bedroom anymore. We were standing outside on the beach under a bridge. The sounds of gunshots and destruction left us and instead replaced with children’s voices and the humming of cars over our heads.

“Gateway Park," I murmured taking in my surroundings. The park was just a big beach on the river right next to the freeway bridge. A favorite swimming hole, I, like most of Yuma’s resident’s had spent more than my fair share of time here during the sweltering summers, swimming and hanging out with my friends.

“When did you learn to teleport? I thought Cecily only released your magic earlier today?" Mathias asked incredulously as he looked around us searching for any threats.

“I have no idea what just happened. One minute I was thinking about how I could help get us out of there and the next thing I knew we were sucked into that mini tornado thing." I said looking over Mathias's shoulder.

“What are you looking for?"

“The yellow brick road?
God, that was the freakiest thing ever, how does my hair look? Because I’m pretty sure I now have windblown hair… with knots, ugh.” I said as I ran my fingers through the thick strands.

Mathias rubbed his forehead and sighed. “How far are we away from your house?"

“About two miles or so,” I answered

“We need to keep moving,” he said

“OH, I almost forget the backup plan backpack,” I exclaimed as Mathias swiftly helped pull it off my shoulders.

He gave the bag a shake and then opened up the small front pocket pulling out a set of keys and a small piece of paper.

Mathias glanced at the paper before handing it to me. “Do you have any idea where this address might be?”

I only had to look at it quickly before answering. “Of course, it’s only a few blocks from my bakery. It’s one of those long-term storage places. A lot of winter residents store their vehicles there when they leave in the summer. It’s probably about five miles from here."

“It’s still too light out for me to sprint or fly unnoticed…"

“Fly? As in wings?" I interrupted while flapping my arms like a bat.

“I left my wings at home. Can you teleport us there?"

“Uh, I don’t even know how I teleported us here, much less be able to perform an encore."

“There had to be a trigger, something that made you be able to use your power. We just need to figure out what it was and soon."

“Like I said, I was scared and feeling helpless. I wasn’t even thinking of being able to do something like that. My dad did mention, briefly, that adrenaline does help with long distances. As far as just conjuring it up again I think I’m pretty tapped out right now."

“Fear and adrenaline? How about this Princess, right now there are several human pieces of scum shooting at your house and possibly torching it. When they realize, no one is inside they are going to come looking for us but not before they call the evil fuckers they work for who in case you haven’t noticed will be rising as soon as the sun sets which is in about twenty minutes. I’m not sure if Cecily told you this but when you do magic, your scent leaves a trace and right now you are emitting probably the most glorious perfume ever known to a vampire."

"And just in case that doesn’t send your pulse racing, picture yourself lying on a cot in a windowless cell belowground for the rest of your unnaturally long life playing blood whore to the foulest, sickest, twisted evil beings to walk the earth."

He took in my stricken face before setting the pack on my back and grabbing my hands. “Now get us the fuck out of here."

Breathing heavy with fear, I closed my eyes and pictured the storage building. Before I knew it, we were once again thrust into a tiny tornado. This time it took me a little longer to get to where we were going. Sure enough, when the wind died down I opened my eyes, and we were standing on the street outside of our destination.

The Yuma Long Term Storage Facility was well maintained and secure. An iron gate guarded the front entrance with a keypad while the rest of the area had a tall white cinder block fence. As we walked up to the gate, I wondered how we were going to get in through the gate. Sure enough, my mother had written the keypad code down on another small piece of paper that Mathias found and seconds later we were walking thru the gate.

“So what unit number are we looking for?” I asked

“Stay here,” he said as he took off in a blur.

A few minutes later I heard the low purr of a car engine and turned to see a sleek black Mercedes two door sedan roll to a stop beside me. I opened the passenger door, climbed in the leather bucket seats and slammed it shut.

Mathias turned towards me. “Does this car offend you in some way? Is there a reason you almost took out the window by slamming the shit out of the door?"

“This is a C250 Coupe. 1.8 Turbo direct injection. This is the car I wanted to buy for myself a few months ago but no my father convinced me that my little Audi was still in good shape and more practical. I can’t believe the balls on him. He set this up as a getaway car that might not have gotten any use."

“Sounds like Cormac,” Mathias smirked as he drove through the gate and headed north.

Still fuming I asked rather sharply. “So where are we going now? The airport? How about a gym? They have those big mirrors in the workout rooms. I’m sure we can find one that’s empty and use that for another portal."

“Airport is out. In fact, any airport is out right now. We have to believe they will be watching all obvious exits out of here. A portal is our best option. Unfortunately, you do not have the ability to open one by yourself yet."

“But I practically did it myself before. I’m sure if I concentrate I can do it alone next time.”

“You did impressively almost open it yourself. Your father though, once he picked his jaw up off the ground, had to help in the end. Our only choice is to go to one of the two Fae dimensions located in North America, seek refuge, and ask for help.”

“Where in North America?"

“There is one in Florida and another in Vermont."

“OK, so it’s either Mickey Mouse or Ben & Jerry’s. That’s a tough choice.” I mused.

“You have no choice in the matter." Mathias said

“You know how to make a girl feel special. I’m going to take it by the caveman attitude that you're still single."

He ignored that. “Florida is more direct because the route south is warmer and sunnier. If these are older Rau, they probably have Casters and Fae on their payroll. They may even have a vague notion as to where the entrance to the Southern Reserve is located."

“How do you know they are older?"

“Cormac and Cecily only saw them for a quick second but they both agreed that the Rau they saw was much more powerful than they have encountered in a longtime. As a Fae or Gypsy you will be able to tell the difference between a young fledgling to an older vampire."

“Great, Rau Spidey sense, I just don’t see how they are going to hunt us down or what the purpose is now. They don’t even realize who or what I am."

Mathias gave a short, harsh laugh. “You don’t get it do you? This is their life’s work, and this is what keeps them going. If they have any hint, any hint at all, of a Royal Fae or Gypsy around them they will stalk that scent for eternity. Right now we have to think that they know something, and we are number one on their most wanted list."

I fell silent; Mathias was right. I had no clue. The first violence that I had ever experienced in my life happened about an hour ago. That someone would go to such great lengths was inconceivable to me. I was out of my depth here and it made the control freak in me squirm.

“So we’re not going to go to the happiest place on earth?" I asked curiously

“No. Vermont is our best bet. Check the backpack and see if there is a phone."

“Only if you say pretty please with a cherry on top," I said sweetly. From his annoyed expression that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. I slid the zipper open around the large pocket and found some clothes, toiletries, and a big wad of money with two credit cards wrapped on top. I rummaged on the bottom and spied a small basic mobile phone.

"Here you go,” I nearly threw the phone in his lap.

“Thank you and by your petulant attitude I’m going to assume you’re single as well," he said as he pushed the power button on the phone and waited for it boot up.

I rolled my eyes and flipped him off. I was astonished to earn a broad smile that set my stomach off doing cartwheels again.