Doppelganger Blood (13 page)

An idea flits into my brain.  It’s stupid and rash.  It has the potential to bring about not just my doom, but that of everyone around me as well.  I shouldn’t even be considering it.  So, of course, I do it.

In a flash, I pull back the magic I added to my doppelgänger’s.  I redirect it before she has a chance to figure out what I’m doing.  Maybe I don’t do such reckless things in her universe.  That seems doubtful.  Preparing myself for impact again, I hit my target with everything I have.  And we both go flying.

Marble is hard.  Really, really hard.  There is absolutely no way to land on it as hard as I do without getting a concussion.  Or a fractured skull, which I am pretty sure I have.  Shaking the cobwebs that seem to have gathered in my brain, I pull my magic back and attempt to heal myself as quickly as I can.  I don’t want to be the one left without healing this time.  My doppelgänger must be thinking the same thing.  Even as she disappears once again, I feel her trying to heal herself.  Since I am left with a serious headache, she must have managed to do at least some healing of her wounds.  I believe I was at least able to heal my skull.

Kallen is by my side in an instant.  “Xandra, talk to me.  Are you alright?”

Holding my head, I sit up with his help.  “I’ve been better.”

The great hall is filling up once again.  The noise bringing many running.  “Stay back!” Kallen instructs as staffers and members of the King’s guard surround us.

The crowd separates.  Not because of Kallen’s words but because of the lumbering form of a red and silver Dragon coming this way.  Great, he’s probably going to attack me while I’m so out of it. 

To my great surprise and astonishment, the
Dragon bows his head so low, it almost touches my feet.  “I owe you a debt,” he rumbles.

Shaking my head before figuring out it’s a really bad idea to do so, I let Kallen help me up.  “You don’t owe me anything.”

Ryu slowly lifts his head to look at me with spooky, Dragon eyes.  I really don’t like being close to him.  “You were aware you would cause yourself harm attempting to save my life.”

I shrug.  “I’m always managing to h
urt myself.  Don’t worry about it.”  I could really use another nap.

“I will repay this debt,” Ryu continues, completely ignoring my protestations.

Sighing, I say, “How about if we just call it even?”

“Even?” he rumbles in his deep voice.

His baritone is not helping my headache.  It’s making my brain vibrate.  “I tried to kill you and now I’ve saved you.  That wipes the slate clean.  There is no debt owed.”

Confused, Ryu says, “Slate?”

Oh my god, if he doesn’t stop talking I’m calling my doppelgänger back to finish what she started.  “Ryu, please.  I would like to find a comfortable place to sit down and rest my head.  Can we talk about this later?”  The Dragon bows his head again and steps back, letting Kallen and me pass without another word.

We are just entering the throne room on our way to Dagda’s office so I can tell him about the epiphanies I’ve had, when cold arms embrace me.  Mom’s arms are as cold as the marble was hard.  A chill travels through me and I can’t help but shudder.  Yet another thing not helping my headache.

“Are you alright?” she asks.

“Mom, you’re supposed to be on your way back to Isla’s.”

“Leave when my daughter is fighting for her life?  I don’t think so.”

I turn tired eyes to her.  “Will you at least stay out of sight?  As soon as she realizes she can hurt me by exorcising you, she will do it.”  I have no doubt in my mind about this.
  “You must stay away from me.”

The hurt on her face almost makes me take back my words.  I stay strong.  After a moment, she nods her head.  “You’re right.”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I say quietly.

She reaches out and chills my cheek with her hand.  “You have nothing to apologize for.”  Pulling her hand back, she says, “I will be upstairs if you need me.”  Is there any guilt worse than ghost mom guilt?  I don’t think so.

Despite my aching head, a feeling of wellbeing is creeping up my spine.  I no longer want to sit and rest my head.  I want to dance and frolic.  Damn Elves.  I turn to find two of them following us.  “Yes?”  I’m snippier than I meant to be but I did just land on my head.

“We also need to offer you our humble gratitude.  If you had not stopped her, she would have come for us next.”

Probably.  “You’re welcome, but it’s my job to protect you guys.  You don’t owe me anything for it.”

The Elf on the right smiles and it makes me want to run off with her.  I shake my head and let the pain wash the enchantment away.  Damn Elves.  Opening her pretty mouth, the
red-haired Elf says, “By your noble heart you take care of us all, yet who takes care of you?”

“I do,” Kallen growls,
his voice almost as deep as Ryu’s in his irritation.

The Elf turns her megawatt smile on him, trying to lure him into a better frame of mind.  He resists and continues to glower at her.  Turning her attention back to me, she says, “From this day hence, the Elfin pledge their loyalty to you.  You are welcome into our realm and may choose an Elf husband of your liking.”

That certainly didn’t improve Kallen’s mood.  I have to pry my fingers away from his so I don’t end up with permanent injury.  “Um, that’s very generous of you but I already have a husband.”

“Only one?” the surprised Elf asks.  “A being of perfection such as yourself cannot be limited to the love of one male.”

Despite the risk of permanent nerve damage due to compression, I force my hand back into Kallen’s so he doesn’t use it to strangle the Elf.  “One is enough for me, thanks,” I manage between gritted teeth.  I might be able to save my pinkie if I can pull it free.  The rest of my fingers are goners.

“Queen Addylyn, we should get you upstairs.  You need rest after such an ordeal,” the other Elf says.

I didn’t realize I was speaking to the Queen of the Elves.  That must be why her enchantment is strong enough to impact me.  Nodding assent to her companion, the Elfin Queen says, “Please consider our gift.”

I am definitely going to tease Kallen about this someday.  In about a hundred and fifty years.
  In the meantime, I’m going to pretend like this never happened.

Kallen has not cooled off one bit by the time we reach Dagda’s office.  He’s not here so I sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk and ignore my fuming husband.  I wonder where Dagda is.  My head hurts and I want to go back to bed.

As if on cue, the door to his office opens and he and
Tana enter.  “Thank god you’re alright,” he says, looking me over for permanent damage.  “Kallen waved me off when I came to help,” he adds, wanting to be sure I know he attempted to come to my aide. 

“Yeah, anyone trying to come between our combined magic is going to get seriously injured,” I say, noting that even Tana seems to be concerned for me.
  Is she really or is she just putting an act on for Dagda?  I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Kallen, are you well?” Tana asks him.

“Fine,” he snarls, his arms crossed tightly over his muscular chest.  The veins in his biceps look ready to burst.

Taken aback
by his harsh tone, his aunt says, “I understand this is stressful for everyone, you especially…”

I cut her off.  “The Elf Queen offered me an Elf husband.”
  So much for pretending it never happened. 

“Oh.” is all Tana can manage.
 

Dagda, on the other hand, has to cover his burst of laughter with an impression of someone with tuberculosis.
  Kallen and I both glower at him until he can get it under control.  It takes a while.  “Sorry,” he finally says to his nephew who is about a millisecond away from killing him. 

Not in the least amused, I say, “Can we please get back to
the problem of my doppelgänger?  I have a headache and would like to lie down.”

Nonplussed, Dagda asks, “Why have you not healed it?”

“That is what we came to explain,” Kallen says.  His words are so cold, I can’t believe the windows aren’t frosted over.

Sobering completely, Dagda sits back in his chair.  “You are not able to heal yourself?”

“That’s not quite accurate.”  I explain my theory of the universe only recognizing one me.  I know it sounds far-fetched and I don’t blame him for having serious doubt on his face.  “Basically, she and I can’t coexist in the same universe.”  Which everyone already knew.  This is simply more proof.

Pondering my theory, Tana says, “It does make sense.”  Glad someone thinks so. 

Dagda looks at his wife.  “Why?”

She shrugs her thin shoulders.  “
Because of Newton’s third law.”

Amazed, I can’t help but blurt out, “You know about Newton?”

Dagda smiles patiently.  “Isaac Newton was Fae.”  Well, that shuts me up.  He was?  No way.

Kallen nods his head
and says, “Right, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

“In pairs,” Tana says.  “It always happens in pairs.  For each action there is only one opposite reaction.”

Dagda nods.  “The universe cannot change its nature.  If everything in the universe is singular, every reaction is singular.  This doppelgänger is not a clone or a twin, she
is
Xandra.  But Xandra must exist in a singular form and each of her actions may only have one reaction.”

“Meaning we can’t both try to heal the same wound,” I say.  “Just like any injury to me affects her because the universe sees us as one.”  We’re talking about the universe as if it’s sentient.  Maybe it is.  “Was Newton really a Fairy?”

“Yes,” Kallen says only slightly less grumpy than when we came in here.

“Can I go back to bed?” I ask.

After determining I am, in fact, serious, Dagda asks, “Do you believe she also needs time to recover from your confrontation?”

“Oh, yeah,” I say.  I healed most of my wounds which means she didn’t.  “She’s still recovering from the first time we met.”

“Then perhaps we can all get a good night’s rest,” Tana says.

Standing up, I need to grab Kallen’s arm to keep my balance.  I shouldn’t move too quickly.  “We’ll see you in the morning unless there’s a disaster before then.”

“Sleep well,” Dagda says.

Kallen and I slowly make our way upstairs.  He doesn’t say anything the whole way up.  He doesn’t say anything when we get to our room. 
He doesn’t say anything when I go to brush my teeth.  He doesn’t say anything when I crawl into bed and he goes to brush his teeth.  He doesn’t say anything when he climbs onto the bed and lies with his hands behind his head propped up on two pillows.

“If you keep this up, I will be forc
ed to kiss you into a better mood,” I say.  It would’ve sounded sexier if I hadn’t yawned halfway through. 

Silence.  Making good on my threat, I move so I am straddling my currently annoying husband.  Leaning over him, I press my lips to his and am happy to find his pliant and responsive.  It doesn’t take long for his arms to wrap around me, pulling me closer.  Our kisses are long and sensuous.  Each one confirming our place in the other’s heart.

Nipping at his bottom lip, I whisper, “You are the only one I will ever want.”

“I know,” he says, some of his cockiness returning.

I pull my head up in surprise.  “Then why have you been acting like a jealous husband?”

He laughs.  “I was not jealous
. I was furious the Elf Queen showed such disrespect toward me.  Then you offered to kiss me into a better mood.  I didn’t want to say anything to keep you from doing so.”

I shake my head.  “Shameless.”

Pulling me back to his lips, he kisses me again for a long, long time.  Finally, he murmurs against my lips, “I will never doubt our love for each other.”

Exactly what I wanted to hear.  As the hour grows later, our kisses lead to
even more aspects of love making.  It’s quite some time before we fall asleep.

I’m surprised it’s my eyes which open first.  Last night I thought I would need to be dragged from this bed kicking and screaming.  Instead, I wake refreshed and ready to start the new day.  Trying not to wake Kallen, I slide out of bed and take a shower.  He’s still sleeping when I’m done.  I consider letting him sleep in, but I know he’ll be mad if I do. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I lean down and press my lips softly to his.  “Wake up, sleepyhead.”  It’s his turn to mutter unintelligibly and refuse to open his eyes.  I kiss him again.  From the smile forming on his lips, I figure out this is exactly what he wants me to do.  And more.  Tempting, but not reasonable at the moment.  “Time to get up.”

He stretches like a cat and my eyes are drawn to the sleek, hard muscles of his abdomen as the sheet falls away from him.  When it slips past his navel, I force myself to look away.  If I don’t, I’ll be crawling back into this bed and won’t leave for a while.  Bringing my eyes back to his, I blush when I realize he knows exactly what I am thinking. 

Smug smile very much in place, he purrs, “Since you like what you see, feel free to uncover more of me.”

Rolling my eyes and rising before I do just that, I say, “You are way too sure of yourself.”

Grabbing my arm, he pulls me back until I am sprawling over him.  He steals another kiss.  “If you do not like it, you can always leave me and take the Elf Queen up on her offer.”

I feign shock.  “Leave you?  She said I could have an Elf husband while still keeping you.”

With a playful growl, he begins to tickle me mercilessly.  “I do not share,” he says when he finally lets me go.  Good thing he does, I was about half a second away from peeing my pants.

Reaching over, I grab a pillow to smack him with but he pulls it out of my hands.  “Are you going to keep me in bed all day?” he teases.  “There are things to do and people to protect.”

I groan as I once again stand up.  “Do I really have to protect
all
of them?”

He raises his brows.  “Is there one in particular you do not wish to protect?”

“Several,” I mutter.

He laughs.  “Too bad, my little Witch Fairy.  You have a destiny to fulfill.” 

“You are such a supportive husband.  My heart is all aflutter.”

Getting out of bed, he stands before me gloriously nude.  “I do what I can.”  He kisses my cheek and walks to the bathroom to take a shower leaving me very unsatisfied.

We eventually make our way to the first floor and I stop to gawk at our surroundings.  The great hall has been transformed into a dining hall.  Tables have been set up and along the walls are several banquets of every type of food imaginable.  Looking them over, I try to determine which feast looks the most edible.  Peeking at the food the Dragons are enjoying, I am relieved to see it is steak and not Goblin.  At least, I’m pretty sure it’s steak.  Either way, the awful smell of the marinade is enough to turn my stomach.  I’m going to search for food on the other side of the hall.

A vegetarian feast is laid out on one table.  A smorgasbord of
raw vegetables.  That’s not so bad.  On closer inspection, I see they are raw, dirty vegetables.  The Sasquatch don’t wash them before eating them?

Following my eyes, Kallen says, “They seek the nutrients of the soil as well as the plants.”

Yuk.  “How can they eat black dirt and still have pure white hair?” I ask more to myself than Kallen.

“Be assured our diet is a careful balance of nutrients and minerals.”  I jump about a foot. I didn’t notice the
Sasquatch sidle up to me.  I need to be more aware of what’s going on around me.  “We dearly value the purity of our race.  We do not take risks in this regard.”

I’m about to ask what he means but I figure it out on my own.  He means their coloring. 
Or, I should say, their lack of coloring.  Frowning, I ask, “What if a recessive gene causes one of you to be a shade or two darker?”

The
Sasquatch’s perfectly androgynous face becomes stony.  “This does not occur.” 

Great, yet another race that has prejudice embedded in its culture.  What is wrong with the universe that this happens so often? 
I am about to ask if this is because they weeded out all the recessive genes or because they kill off the ones who don’t fit into their conception of beauty.  A voice not my own stops me.  “Pick your battles,” Adriel whispers.  I whirl around.  I didn’t notice her approach, either.  I am definitely not on my game today.  What’s wrong with me?

Adriel’s right, though
.  I have enough battles on my plate, I will tackle Sasquatch prejudice once I make sure their leader isn’t slaughtered.  To the Sasquatch, I say, “I don’t want to keep you from your breakfast.  Let’s check the next table,” I say to Kallen.  There is no way I’m eating dirty food.

“Where’s Raziel?” I ask Adriel as we make our way to where several
Centaurs and Fauns are filling plates with food.  Adriel doesn’t answer me right away and she has become quite interested in the feast in front of us.  “He’s hiding from me, isn’t he?”

Adriel sighs.  “He is not hiding.  He is overwhelmed.  When you and your
doppelgänger met, things sort of went wonky for him.”  Wonky?  I’m getting to her with my slang.

“What do you mean?” Kallen asks.

“He is still seeing two destinies, but when this Xandra and the other Xandra are together, he seems to get an explosion of possibilities in his head of what might happen.”

That sucks.  “Does it help if he’s away from me?”

Adriel shrugs.  “A little.”

“Should you be with him?” I ask.

She shakes her head.  “No, he is in sensory overload right now.  It is best if he is left alone.”  Sadness rims her eyes as she says this.  She wishes she could help him.  I wish I wasn’t the problem.

Finally, we find the table laid out with
the foods I am accustomed to.  There are eggs and bacon, pancakes and juice and an assortment of pastries.  My stomach growls loudly, demanding I hurry up and fill my plate.  As I’m putting the last strip of bacon on, Grandpa and Mohana approach.  Gunnar is trailing them.  I can’t help but notice how is eyes seek out the Elves. 

I can’t believe I’m
thinking this, but I’m relieved they sought us out.  Quinn was on his way over and things never go well when he and Kallen are together.  This makes Grandpa the lesser of two evils.  I’m pretty sure Kallen isn’t going to kill him.  But the day is still young.

“What is that smell?” Mohana asks in lieu of a greeting.

“Steak drenched in Goblin sweat,” I tell her taking a small amount of pleasure in the disgust washing over her face.

Grandpa pats her arm.  “She is just trying to
upset you.”

Putting
the hand that is not holding my plate on my hip, I say, “I am not.”  Wow, I sound mature.

“It is indeed steak soaked in
Goblin sweat,” Kallen confirms getting his own amusement out of the situation.  Gunnar is laughing silently behind the Witch couple. 

“I cannot eat with such a stench,” Mohana pouts.  “Perhaps we can take a plate upstairs?”

“Anything you want, my sweet,” Grandpa says.  I am going to barf all over his shoes.

“Good morning Princess of the Fae and the Witches,” a sexy voice croons behind me.  It takes a great force of will to keep
from breaking out in excited goose bumps all over my body just from hearing her speak. 

I incline my head in the Elf Queen’s direction.  “Good morning,” I say
trying not to sound annoyed.  I would really like to sit down and eat.  Kallen would very much like the Elf Queen to implode.  Sometimes his body language is easy to read.

The Queen’s eyes travel over Mohana.  “Seductress, you are weaving quite the charm.  Be careful you do not call down the ire of the Angel of Love.”  Meaning Grandma
but Mohana doesn’t know that.  Neither does Grandpa.

I knew Mohana was doing something.  “She put a charm on him?” I ask
Queen Addylyn.  I can’t sense a spell.

Reading my mind, the Elf Queen smiles.  “It is not always magic
which weaves a charm.  A Seductress is cunning and this one will become whomever she needs to be to win the heart of this King.”

“Stop talking about us as if we are not here,” Gran
dpa growls.

A burst of enchantment radiates from the Elf Queen and her eyes glaze over. 
“Once loved by love herself, an endless abyss fills him now.  Paths taken by this lonely heart will be forever forsaken, true love never to be found.”

Whoa, that’s ominous. 
“Can Elves see the future?” I murmur to Kallen as Addylyn’s eyes return to normal.

“Queen Addylyn can,” he whispers back, her name on his tongue
is like used flypaper. 

“What is this nonsense?” Grandpa demands.
  It is him now who wants the Elf Queen to implode.

“Basically, she’s saying that because you screwed over Grandma, you’ll never find real love again,” I explain.

My grandfather’s face is now several shades of purple and Mohana’s cheeks are flaming.  Probably because she’s been exposed as a fraud.  At least, in everyone’s eyes except Grandpa’s.  He is holding onto her arm tighter than ever.

Addylyn has moved her eyes in a new direction.  It is Gunnar who has captured her attention.  Uh oh.  It’s his eyes that are unfocused now.  I move to position myself between them, much to the chagrin of both Elf and Witch.  “Gunnar is off limits,” I tell Addylyn.

This, of course, simply makes the Elf Queen emit more enchantment.  Grandpa is looking at
her
all doe eyed now instead of Mohana.  Great, just great.  “The Elves are not the enemies of Witches,” she purrs.

“As long as you are able to enslave them, you mean,” Kallen growls.  “How many
here have you taken already?”

Addylyn laughs and it makes me want to hug her.  Damn Elves.  “Stop it,” I tell her, annoyed she can get to me.  “Have you enchanted others here?”

The smug smile on her face is answer enough.  I can’t let this go.  Even if it means majorly pissing off the Elf Queen.  “I’m going to sever your hold over them.”

Her smile only broadens.  “There has never been one who could break the hold of an Elf once the bond is agreed to on both sides.”

Shaking my head, I say, “Agreed to?  I seriously doubt all of your victims agreed to it.”

“I will join you,” Gunnar says
proving me wrong, and the bear of a man drops to his knees in front of Addylyn, much to her amusement.

If it was Grandpa, I might let it go.  I mean, what difference does it make if he’s being controlled by a Witch or an Elf?  Gunnar, on the other hand, does not deserve
a lifetime of servitude.  My words clearly contain a threat as I say, “Let him go.”  Or I will make you let him go is the rest of that sentence.  It doesn’t need to be spoken aloud, though.

“Is there a problem here?” Dagda’s velvety voice says behind me, making me jump.  Seriously, what is wrong with me today?

Practically roaring, Grandpa exclaims, “This, this
Elf
is trying to enslave my security!”

Turning perfect, emerald colored eyes to Addylyn, Dagda says, “We have a truce in place.  You may only take the willing, the ones who seek you out.”

Addylyn laughs, again making me want to hug her.  Damn Elves.  “He has sought my presence since his arrival.  He fell to his knees before me as his choice, not mine.”

“After you enchanted him,” Kallen barks out.

Behind me, I hear the distinct sound of metal clashing against metal.  I know what I’m going to see before I even turn around.  Yup, it’s a sword fight.  A real one with real swords that are drawing real blood from both a Centaur and a Sasquatch.  The Sasquatch’s hair isn’t quite so white anymore.  As this fight continues, several more break out.  I can’t see who’s fighting with the Dragons, but I do see the flames.  Someone cries out desperately and is now running for the river to put out the fire consuming him.  The Giants Chieftains are exchanging blows in a far corner.  It’s as if the great hall was a pile of kindling someone lit with a match.  It is total chaos in a matter of seconds.

Kallen and Dagda pull magic and enter the fight, taking down being after being as they try to restore peace.  Me, I’m oddly fascinated with the whole affair
and stay rooted to my spot.  Fascinated?  Damn Elves.  Shaking off the enchantment yet again, I whirl on the Elf Queen.  “That will never happen again.”  I don’t know what she sees in my eyes, but she takes a step backwards.

My eyes are drawn back to Kallen who narrowly avoids the edge of a sword.  More Fairies are rushing in and I even see Isla making her way through the crowd, putting down being after
being with a savagery I hope to never be on the wrong side of.  My eyes fly to Dagda as I sense pain from him.  His arm is gushing blood, having caught the tip of a Centaur’s sword.

Enough.  Words slam into my brain and magic rushes into me.  “
Realms of beings bold and brave, brought together for this conclave.  Hear me now, my spell be true, from whence this anger and hatred came, on this day its power I do disclaim, protection from each other I give to you.”