Her Warriors (20 page)

There was a bit of silence on the other end
of the line before the other woman answered. “You put me on the
speaker,” Sylvie reminded her friend. “Is everyone there
trustworthy?”

“Those present include my apprentice and her
mates,” Bettina answered. “Your grandson has an old friend here as
well, and seemed comfortable claiming herbalist knowledge in front
of him. I’m assuming it’s okay with you, Harper, that Ben now
knows?” Bettina nodded toward the other human.

“It’s fine with me,” Harper replied. “We
humans have to stick together.”

“Bette!” Sylvie drew attention with her
scandalized tone. “Did my impatient grandson infiltrate a group of
shapeshifters? Harper! How could you?”

“It wasn’t like that, Grams—” he began,
trying to defend himself, but Bettina held up a hand to silence
him.

“It’s all right now, Sylvie, but I think
you’re going to have to have a long talk with your grandson about
who to trust, and where to place his allegiances. He was working
for the
Altor Custodis
.”

“Harper!” The woman now sounded irate. And
it was telling that she appeared to know all about shifters and the
ancient organization of watchers. “How in the world did you get
messed up with those idiots? We’re going to have that long talk the
minute you get back home, young man. I thought I taught you better
than this. I’m very disappointed in you. Very disappointed.”

Harper didn’t look happy. In fact, if a
grown man could look like a chastised school boy, he was doing a
good impression of just that.

“I’m sorry, Grams. I wanted to know more,
and you wouldn’t tell me. I thought the AC was okay, but I finally
figured out something was very wrong with the organization,” he
admitted in a low voice. “I let myself get caught rather than file
a report.”

“You silly boy,” Sylvie chastised him, but
Jacki could hear the love shining through her words. “I didn’t tell
you certain things for your own protection. Why couldn’t you just
trust me?”

“I do trust you, Grams. You know I do. I
just…” he trailed off, shrugging, seeming unable to express himself
further.

Sylvie sighed over the phone. “You were too
impatient to wait for me to lift the ban on your further education,
weren’t you? I should have known when I didn’t see you for so
long.” The woman paused before continuing. “Well, as long as Bette
was there to catch you before you made an even bigger mistake, I
suppose you got off lucky.”

“I think more than luck was at work here,
Sylvie,” Bettina said softly. “I think maybe he was meant to be
here, with us, at this time. We have a very sick man in this house.
He’s been drained by evil magic, which we managed to stop, but he
still hasn’t come all the way back to us. We’re about to try a
reunification spell tonight, at the moon’s height. Does he truly
know the Way?”

The woman was very serious when she
answered. “He does. And he has a true and powerful gift, Bette. I
taught him everything I know about herbal magic and he’s
experienced in its use.” Then her tone turned more casual. “He can
begin to make up for some of his stupidity by helping your sick
man. And when you’re done with him, I expect you to ship him back
to me. I see there are still a few things I need to pound into his
thick skull.”

Bettina laughed. “Thank you, dear friend. It
warms my heart to know that blood of your blood will be here to
help us tonight. And I’ll be more at ease knowing he comes from
your family and has your teachings in his soul.”

“He’s a good boy, Bette. Willful, like most
men, but kind-hearted and brave,” Sylvie said about her grandson.
“I’m sorry he met you in such a way. Eventually, I would have
arranged a meeting under much more controlled circumstances, but I
suppose the Great Spirit guides our path in ways we cannot always
control. Something tells me he’s where he needs to be at the
moment.” Conviction rang in her tone. “Just don’t forget to send
him back my way when you’re done with him.”

“Will do, my friend. For now, he’s safe with
us and learning first-hand about the world. Maybe he’ll be able to
show you a thing or two when he finally gets back.” Bette laughed
and the ladies exchanged a few more pleasantries before they
finally ended the call with Harper promising to visit his
grandmother as soon as he was able.

Jacki was charmed by the entire exchange and
Harper seemed to take the inevitable ribbing from the other guys
with good grace. At one point he teasingly declared that
grandmothers were sacred and he dared any one of the other men to
defy their own grandmothers. They all laughingly agreed to the
premise that grandmothers could be scarier than drill sergeants and
eventually let the subject drop.

By the time they were ready to do the spell
later that evening, everyone was gathered in Tom’s sickroom. Harper
had been put through a bit of a quiz on the herbs they had gathered
and Bettina had smiled in satisfaction when he passed her test with
flying colors. She put the herbs in his care and let him take the
lead on laying them out around Tom’s prone body.

Bettina explained to Jacki that they had to
be put in a certain order, in certain places. She offered a
low-voiced narration as they watched Harper prepare the room.

“I was going to have you do this, because of
your relationship with Tom, but it’s best done by a warrior. Your
energy is of healing and care. What we need here is a fighter,
willing to battle for your brother’s soul. Your mates will be of
help there too, but I think the spell will be even more effective
now that we have a warrior mage to lead it.” Bettina watched
Harper’s actions with approval. She seemed very happy that he was
there and Jacki hoped and prayed Bettina’s enthusiasm would be
rewarded with Tom’s speedy recovery. Jacki wanted her big brother
back.

After the herbs were laid out, Bettina spent
a moment arranging the people in the room exactly where she wanted
them. Harper was at the head of the bed, Bettina to one side
between Tad and Mandy, with Jacki on the other, between her mates.
Even Ben had been invited, standing at the foot of the bed with a
sort of quasi-bewildered expression on his face.

When she had them all placed where she
wanted them, Bettina spoke.

“What is the ceremony we are about to
enact?” she asked, in ritual tones.

“We seek reunification of this man’s spirit
with his body. He is lost in darkness. We will show him the path
back to the Light,” Harper answered in a strong voice as Bettina
smiled.

“We have quite a collection of warriors and
healers here to witness and lend their strength to this gathering.
Ben and Harper are the humans who ground us. Jacki and I are the
priestesses that represent the Mother of All. Tad and Mandy are
healers, but warriors as well and Master Geir and Beau are
warriors, pure of heart and purpose. Tigers all, our shifter
friends will connect with the wild side of Tom’s selkie spirit, as
will his sister’s inner beast. It is a good balance of virtues and
roles. Begin when you are ready, Harper.” Bettina nodded toward the
man standing above Tom’s head, holding a sprig of mixed twigs and
stems in his hands.

Harper began to chant, but it was in no
language Jacki had ever heard before. She recognized the power in
the syllables, though. He must be chanting in some ancient Native
tongue that evoked the same elemental power as the magical words
and chants that Bettina had been teaching her, just using a
different language.

Jacki was fascinated by the guttural words
that roused such immense magical power from the earth and sky,
using them all as conduits. She recognized the goodness of the
magic and any remaining worry in her heart was put at ease. Harper
was doing good here. She could feel it.

Time passed. Jacki wasn’t sure how much.
They were all locked in place by the power of the chanted words.
Bettina joined in and after a little while, Jacki got the hang of
the foreign syllables as well, adding her voice to the chorus as
the power swelled and built.

She could feel the drain on her own internal
power but was glad to give of her own energies if it meant getting
her brother back from the darkness. She could feel the power
gathering at the head of the bed, shaped by Harper’s words. It was
a slow build, but when the crescendo was almost upon them, he chose
the most opportune moment to loose all the energy he had
gathered.

Jacki could almost see it flowing into her
brother, seeking. Finding all the places inside him that were
strangely empty, and…filling them with the combined goodness of all
those present. She felt the way the power coaxed her brother’s
spirit—at first very far away, then slowly, painstakingly, growing
closer and closer until…it was almost there.

The power rose and lassoed around Tom’s
spirit, taking it downward, away from the other realms and back
into his earthly body. Tom jolted on the bed, but Harper reached
forward, touching Tom’s forehead with a sprig of evergreen, running
the small bouquet of leaves and needles over him, pausing on
certain key spots. The pulse points. The third eye. The chakra
points. The meridians.

Little by little, her brother’s spirit was
reunified with his waiting body, sealed in place by the benevolent
magic Harper had gathered and wielded with skill. He was definite
in his movements and sure in his will. Jacki admired his power and
the way in which he battled gently with Tom’s powerful spirit,
which seemed at times to not want to listen.

“It must be beautiful where he is, for him
to fight so strongly against coming back,” Ben muttered. It was
then that Jacki knew they could all see what was happening.
Powerful magic, indeed.

Harper looked up at them. “Call him back to
you, Jacki. Make him listen. I have fought the battle with his
spirit, but the rest must come from his heart. Only you can appeal
to that, blood of his blood.”

“Tommy, don’t leave me,” she whispered.
Jacki reached out to take Tom’s hand in hers, feeling her mates’
hands on her shoulders—one on each side, lending her their
strength. “Tom. I need you. Our family needs you. Our Clan needs
you. Don’t leave us here to fight the threatening darkness on our
own. We need you here. Come all the way back to us.” She could feel
him wavering, not exactly consciously defying her pleas, but being
tugged by forces she didn’t understand to stay in the realm his
spirit had hidden in for days now. “I love you, Tommy. Please don’t
leave me.”

That did it. She felt him make up his mind
as his spirit flowed back into his body, joining firmly and
settling in his heart. Tom’s eyes blinked open slowly as he looked
around at the gathering with confusion.

“What is this? Some kind of intervention?”
His voice was ragged with disuse, but he squeezed Jacki’s hand even
as he squeezed his eyes shut and seemed to try to regroup.

Chapter
Twelve

“How long was I out?” Tom asked when he
opened his eyes again.

“Three days,” Bettina answered in her
lilting voice, drawing all eyes. “We have worked great magics to
bring you back, Thomas. How do you feel?”

“Like I got run over by a truck,” he
answered raggedly. “A couple of times.” He tried to sit up in the
bed, but gave up after a quick, failed attempt. “Jack, sweetheart,
is there any water?” He squeezed her hand again and she felt tears
running down her face. He swore under his breath and tugged on her
hand so she leaned over him. “Don’t cry Jack-in-the-Box. I’m okay.
Just thirsty.”

“I’m so glad you’re back.” She punched his
shoulder with no force at all. “Don’t you ever scare me like that
again, Tommy. Not ever.”

“I’ll try my best, Jacki-bean.” He suffered
her kisses on his cheeks and even wiped away her tears for a moment
before Jacki became aware of all the people still in the room.

Tad held out a glass of water with a bendy
straw in it. Jacki took it gratefully as Mandy reached down to
stuff a few pillows behind Tom’s back while Harper helped lift his
shoulders so he could sit up a bit. When he was at a reasonable
angle, she sat on his bedside and held the water glass out to him.
He drank happily, seeming to enjoy each sip as his dark eyes
examined every face in the room. His nose twitched too, so she knew
he was sniffing out all the various beings.

“I guess you’re wondering who some of these
folks are,” Jacki said as he continued to drain the glass. “Tad and
Mandy are doctors. They helped take care of you. You know Ben,
Bettina, Beau and Geir. This is Harper, a recent arrival. He led
the final spell we did tonight to bring you all the way back. He’s
human, but we won’t hold it against him.” She smiled up at Harper,
joy in her heart and great respect as well. “Thank you, Harper,”
she said softly. “You’ve given me a great gift, bringing my brother
back to me.”

Harper bowed his head in acknowledgment, but
said nothing. Bettina took over and announced that she was leaving
the room, since Tom was so much better. She took everyone with her
except Jacki, Beau and Geir. When the door closed behind her, Tom
frowned at Jacki.

“What’s going on with these two guys and why
are their energies blended with yours, Jack? What happened while I
was out of it?”

He sounded suspicious and almost a little
angry, but Jacki knew they were going to have to deal with this
sooner or later. It seemed like Tom’s walk on the spirit side had
left him with some lingering effects if he could sense the energies
around her and her mates, but she’d discuss that with Bettina
tomorrow.

She had to face this head on. All at once.
Like ripping off a bandage. She took a deep breath.

“They’re my mates.” She scrunched up her
face, waiting for the explosion, but it didn’t come. She hazarded a
look at Tom’s face and he seemed both a little stunned and a whole
lot angry, though over it all was a wary sort of confusion. She
decided to press on with the news. “And I’m in training to be the
next High Priestess. I’m Bettina’s apprentice, so she thinks that
maybe the Goddess intended for me to have two mates—like Allie and
the Lords—so I’ll be better able to deal with taking over from
Bettina, if I ever should have to do so.”