A Reckless Witch

CHAPTER 22



Nell sat in a chair watching Aervyn’s birthday party in full swing and marveled yet again at the resiliency of Witch Central. “I can’t believe I was on a beach in Indonesia, covered in seaweed, just a few hours ago.”

Moira chortled. “Naps and cookies fix most witches up pretty quickly.”

Truth. Her cookie stash had been seriously depleted upon their return. She watched her birthday boy chasing one of his sisters around with his new fireman hose and laughed. “I’m pretty sure that hose didn’t come with a real water supply.”

Sophie giggled as Ginia, soaking wet, turned to retaliate. “Well, it has one now.”

The sight of her dripping daughter and laughing son sobered Nell. “Water seems so innocent most of the time.”

Moira clasped her hand. “As does magic.”

Nell squeezed back, glad her fears were understood. “He’s still so little.”

“He has time yet.” Moira paused, watching Aervyn’s giggles. “Time to fully know the joy of his magic before discovering its sadness.”

“She didn’t get that time.” Nell looked over at Sierra, heroine and giddy teenager. “We put her in the path of hell this morning.”

“Based on what I heard, she put herself there.” Sophie’s voice was quiet, but firm. “You saved twenty thousand people this morning, maybe more. That’s a miracle, Nell.”

It was. But her heart iced over with the knowledge that it probably wouldn’t be the only miracle asked for in her lifetime. Or that of her son.

And then thawed again, knowing how many witches stood between her son and that day. Sierra just added one to their number. “She was amazing. We’ve shaken her hard these last couple of weeks, and she just stood there in the face of a forty-foot catastrophe and figured out how to do the impossible.” It would be a long time before Nell erased the mental picture of the wall of water that had crashed down on the four witches Jamie hadn’t been able to port out of the way in time—and that had been a baby wave compared to what had originally threatened.

“As did every one of you.” Moira’s eyes looked off in the distance. “It is the calling of witches, the weight that comes with the gift of power. We must stand for others—and we must choose wisely when and where to take our stands.” Her words got very quiet. “It’s the second that is the far more difficult lesson to learn.”

Nell breathed deeply. “I think I’m still working on that one.”

Sophie laughed as Devin and Jamie intercepted Aervyn’s fire hose, getting thoroughly wet in the process. “Aren’t we all.” She threw up a shielding spell as water started to spray everywhere.

Nell just shook her head. All the furniture had long since been protected with waterproofing spells. And she had two brothers who were going to be heading up the clean-up crew. After the fun was over, of course. She grinned. “I have a spare hose.”

Moira chortled. “You might want to wait on that a moment, dear.”

Nell turned to see what Moira was looking at—and winced as a hose blast hit Retha Sullivan square between the eyes. Nell watched as the cascade of water poured down her mom’s face—and gave many thanks she wasn’t the one standing with a hose in her hand. Two minutes more, and she might have been.

Retha stood regally still, blinked three times—and then lasered in on the culprit. “Devin Theodore Roosevelt Sullivan. How many times have I told you that innocent bystanders aren’t fair targets in a water fight?”

“Hi, Mom.” Dev rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek. “I didn’t know you were there. Besides, how come you’re blaming me? I didn’t start this. Honest.”

“You’re holding the hose, my boy.” Retha grinned as her grandchildren started to giggle. “And you know the penalty for watering the innocent.”

The triplets scrambled. “We’re on Gramma’s team!”

Nell snorted with laughter as all the smart people in the room lined up behind them. Sullivan rules said that if you fired on innocent bystanders, you got to play against Retha. Without magic.

That left her two brothers standing alone. Jamie threw an arm around Devin’s shoulders. “Way to go, bro. We’re going to get soaked twice in one day. Matt, come on out.”

Her third brother emerged from the hallway, shaking his head. “Only you guys could get me in trouble before I even make it into the room.”

Devin grinned. “It’s a talent.”

Aervyn stepped out of the crowd, wearing his full firefighter gear. “I’ll be on your team. I’m getting big now, so I’m probably a Sullivan troublemaker too.”

Nell shook her head, laughing. Only in her weird and wacky family could a water fight on the sure-to-be-losing team be considered a proud rite of passage.

Devin hoisted her son up. “Excellent. Your job is to keep Gramma distracted with your cuteness while we steal the hose.”

Aervyn giggled. “You’re not a’posed to tell her your plan, silly.”

“Troops!” Retha held up one arm, pointed the other at the door. “Battle stations!”

Moira rubbed her hands together as the hordes stampeded out of the house. “How about we find that extra hose and go provide Devin with the distraction he needs?”

Nat wiggled out of a chair in the corner, grinning. “I could pretend to go into labor. That would probably work.”

That did it. Nell busted up laughing, and then lurched to her feet, headed into battle with a seventy-six-year-old witch and a woman about to go into labor at her side. They were going to get so wet.

~ ~ ~

Sierra looked up in gratitude as Govin finished the quick-dry spell on her clothes. “Thanks. I wasn’t getting very far myself.” Her fire talents were pretty miniscule. And she’d gotten seriously drenched in the water fight.

He smiled. “Even teenagers don’t have unlimited magic. You’ve been kind of busy today.”

Yeah. What a totally weird day. “How do you do it?”

He looked up from drying her shoes. “Do what? The quick-dry spell? It’s pretty simple.”

She shook her head. “No. How do you do the work you do?”

“The weather work?” He sat down on the grass beside her, eyes serious. “I don’t know. It’s what I’m meant to do, I guess.”

Just like Oma had been born to water dance—to keep her village safe from the ravaging waters, and to someday give her life to the waves.

Like Momma had done. She’d felt the truth in the water—Momma had danced and lost.

Sierra didn’t want to die. “Does it scare you?”

Setting his chin on his knees, Govin picked up a couple of small stones and rolled them around in his hands. His smile was sad. “I’m not brave like you, Sierra. I’m a very cautious witch and a math geek. I only do magic when the models say it’s probably going to work. Mostly that keeps me safe.”

She knew that wasn’t true. “You came today. The models said everybody was going to die.”

Now his eyes were sad. “The models are based on my magic—on what I can do. We’ve never had a witch with your skills. Or the ability to travel through Realm to get close.”

Those should be good things. “Won’t that help you save more people?”

He nodded. “It will.”

There was a weight in his eyes. She frowned, puzzled. And then the dead baby bird flashed into her mind, and she understood. “But not all the people.”

“Never all the people. And it will be more dangerous for the witches on the front lines.” His head bowed under the weight of the magic he carried. “Today we won. We don’t always.”

“You’ll win more if I help.”

It was a long, long moment before he nodded.

Sierra sat quietly, thinking. Of Oma, and the waves that would come next year. Of Momma, and the waves she would never see. “You are brave. You stay alive. So you can help the next time.” She met his eyes, and for the first time, appreciated the strength in them. “You stay alive. Teach me how to be that kind of brave.”

~ ~ ~

Retha watched her two sons sitting nonchalantly in their still-wet clothes. Such different men—and right now, their minds tangling with exactly the same worry.

How to love in a world that wasn’t always safe.

She sat down on the couch between them and started with what she hoped was the easier tangle. “It won’t be long now.”

Jamie looked over at his wife, cuddled under a blanket and pampered by three nine-year-old waitresses. “Is that mom intuition, or something more?”

He’d learn more respect for parent intuition soon enough. “Your little girl’s a Sullivan. Do you really think she’s going to arrive the day after Winter Solstice and miss her grand entrance?”

He chuckled. “Nat thinks it will be today. She’s ready.”

As always, she heard the words he didn’t quite say. “You’re more ready than you think.”

He blew out a breath. “What’s that you used to say? That you wished sometimes you’d stood in the line for nice, normal, boring babies?”

“Never did find it.” Her lips twitched. “I had hopes for Nat, but apparently she found the same line Nell and I did.” She grinned. “You’ll survive. Probably.”

Devin snorted. “Way to make him feel better, Mom.”

Retha smiled, well aware she already had. “And how about you? Other than watering your mother, adopting a new sister, and falling in love, gotten into any trouble lately?”

He just gaped.

She grinned. “Mom intuition. Never underestimate it.” And then took pity on him. “Sierra’s a lovely girl.” They’d get to the other girl in his life in a moment.

“Scared me spitless today.” He scowled. “Standing out there in front of a killer mountain of water, waving her magic wand.”

She didn’t bother to point out that he’d been standing right beside Sierra. Or how knowing that would haunt her dreams for a while. “She shares some of your adventurous heart.” And his huge need to rescue others.

“Her magic’s a lot stronger than mine. She’ll be more at risk.”

Again she heard what he didn’t say. “The burdens of power can be heavy, and they don’t always wait for the witch to be ready.” She took his hand. “The world needs those willing to live on the front lines.” And those able to watch as the ones they loved stood in the way of danger.

Both her sons would learn soon enough that watching and loving was its own act of bravery.

And that was more than enough seriousness. She patted Jamie’s hand, looking at Devin. “He’s finally given me a grandbaby. How does Lauren feel about children?”

Jamie cracked up laughing as his brother swallowed his tongue. “Told you, dude.”

“She’s… I… We’re…” Dev just spluttered, much to his mother’s delight. Not much tongue-tied her wild boy. He turned a lovely shade of pink, and then stomped off. “I need cookies.”

Retha nestled deeper into the couch, well pleased. “I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.”

Jamie’s voice held a note of warning. “It’s not a done deal yet, Mom.”

Oh, she knew that. But she also knew her son. He never walked when he could run. He never took the path of least resistance. And Sierra had not been the only witch who had scared Dev senseless with her bravery today.

If she knew her son, he would find that irresistible.

~ ~ ~

Sierra stuffed in more cookies. It was time to give Aervyn his birthday presents, and she was still kind of low on energy. But no way was she going to miss out on the arrival of the Red Rocket. She’d helped Devin with the magical paint job.

It was the coolest flying broom ever. And fast, probably because it was designed with flying in mind instead of sweeping. Sweepers didn’t care so much about all that aerodynamic stuff.

She watched as Aervyn tore into his first gifts, totally in love with each one. A set of Harry Potter books from his grandparents—bespelled to read with their voices. The invisibility cloak from Jamie and Nat—he looked totally goofy with only his sneakers sticking out. Hide and Seek had just changed forever.

From his parents—Harry Potter pajamas and his very own laptop. “This one isn’t for taking apart,” Nell said sternly. Sierra giggled. Nell’s whole strict-mama thing wasn’t very convincing.

A pointy hat from Sophie—she and Mike had built in a ton of head protection. With two earth witches behind those spells, not much was likely to dent Aervyn’s head. Even big rocks.

Nell listened to Sophie’s careful explanation and snorted. “I’m guessing one of the other presents will explain why my son needs the best-protected head in the universe?”

Sophie held up her hands, laughing. “That one’s not on me. I’m just averting head injuries.”

Sierra figured Nell probably didn’t feel any better as Aervyn opened his next gift—a bunch of healing salves from Ginia and Moira, and hand-drawn dragon Band-Aids from Mia and Shay. Aervyn bounced up and down. “Do I have to wait ’til I get a boo-boo to wear one?”

Mia giggled. “Nuh, uh. We can make more if you run out.”

And then Aervyn got to the last gift, his eyes widening in glee as he tore the paper off the Red Rocket. “Uncle Dev, is it the fastest broom ever? In the whole wide world?”

Nell grabbed the broom as he swung a leg over. “Nice try, superboy.” She pinned her brothers with a look. “And exactly who’s going to keep up with him and dig him out of trouble?”

Devin’s grin was pure mischief. “We’ve got that covered, actually.” He waved a hand at Matt, who stood holding another broom. This one was purple and shiny. “Sierra gets to be his wingman.”

For her?

Sierra’s insides melted. And every inch of her itched to fly.

Nell looked out the window at the darkening night, looked back at her quivering son, and popped up two fireglobes on her hands. She set one on the end of the Red Rocket and the other on the end of Sierra’s new ride. Headlights. “Go for a ride, superboy.”

Sierra giggled as everyone in the house dashed for a window, a camera—or a broom.

~ ~ ~

“Remind me that I want to get more sleep before his sixth birthday party.” Jamie plopped down beside his wife, feeling the seeping tiredness in his bones. Broom riding was for the young, especially at the supersonic speeds of the Red Rocket. He put his hand on Nat’s belly. “Gramma’s here, so you can come on out any time you like now.” He yawned. “I wouldn’t mind a nap first, though.”

His wife grinned. “You guys keep having this much fun and she’s not going to be content to stay in here much longer.”

He lit a small fireglobe up on his palm, delighted when an answering ball of light formed over Nat’s belly. They’d played this game for days now. It was pretty much the coolest thing ever, and made his actions of the morning feel even more insane.

He’d been wrestling with that decision all day. “I shouldn’t have gone this morning.”

“I was alone for all of three-and-a-half minutes.” Nat’s eyes sharpened. “That’s not what you mean, though.”

It wasn’t. “Being a witch is about balance. Power and life. Responsibility and fun. Possible and not.” And just as he’d almost gotten it figured out, the rules were changing. “It’s different now. I wasn’t thinking like a parent this morning. Nell was—she only went to drag me and Dev back home in one piece.”

“You underestimate your sister.” She paused, rubbing her belly again. “And going was the right thing.”

She sounded so sure. “We could have died, Nat.”

“I know that.” Her eyes never wavered. “But you didn’t. I don’t think I really understood the line you have to walk until today.”

He studied her, bewildered. “And that sits okay for you?”

She smiled, and the look in her eyes made him swallow. “One of the things I’ve always loved most about you is your capacity for joy. But I’ve never really understood why it was there.” She took his hands, tears in her eyes. “Until today. Teach your daughter, Jamie. Help her find that joy so she’s able to carry the load that comes with her magic.”

Whatever he’d done to deserve her wasn’t nearly enough. “I’ll do my best.” His grin was a bit wobbly. “Assuming she ever comes out.”

Nat grimaced. “Oh, I think she’s on her way.”

His brain shattered. “Now? Right now?”

Every head in the room turned. Nat giggled even as she bent over, blowing out strongly. “Yup. Pretty sure this is what labor feels like.”