Chapter 33
Tremaine charged through the racks of books and found Ceridwen and Draecyn talking over a book full of artifacts. Of course. Damned thing probably had a description of what Bran now owned.
“Does the book have anything to do with Endringsblad?” Tremaine asked.
“Endi-what?” Preston demanded.
“Another magical weapon.” Tremaine pushed his hair back. “This one is a battle-ax. Not supposed to grant special powers, but it can bend the fuck out of reality.”
Ceridwen smirked. “I take it Bran now has ownership?”
“We believe so. But what does it mean?”
“Only that he’s the true mate of Evangeline. Merova created it for her one true mate. Only Halstein either locked himself in another realm or died. No one knows, not even me. He’s a mix of the same Fae who helped create druids and mystics who helped form mages. So, something like a Rift Bender.”
Tremaine nodded slowly. “Okay, so if the battle-ax is here, is it likely he’s dead? Doesn’t it implant itself like a tattoo?”
Draecyn shook his head. “Sometimes that kind of magic allowed the owner to leave a weapon for someone else.”
“So, he’s alive?” Tremaine asked.
“I’m not sure.” Draecyn looked at each of them and shrugged. “No one knows what happened to Halstien. He may have died. He may have left the battle-ax for someone who could help Merova. Maybe even himself.”
Robert leaned against a shelf. “Okay, so how many artifacts do we need to look for?”
“Directly related to Merova and Halstein? Nothing else. That doesn’t mean Olivier didn’t find other things that belonged to their people on that mountain.”
“Shit,” Tremaine muttered.
“Let’s hope Olivier doesn’t have a relic on him that can grant him escape,” Draecyn muttered.
“Don’t tell me that,” Robert blurted out.
Draecyn shrugged. “No way to tell, though I imagine the Council would let you know if a prisoner escaped.”
“True. I don’t like this, though. How would we even know he had one on him?” Robert asked.
“You wouldn’t,” Ceridwen explained. “That’s the problem. Especially with the way some of the old artifacts work,” Ceridwen warned. “Now, we should get to Evangeline before she takes herself, Nate, Savon, and Bran to France. Hell may well break loose, and it would be better if we were with them.”
* * * *
Home two minutes and someone banged on the door. Evangeline hurried to see who. It was too soon for Tremaine.
Nate and Savon stood on the porch dressed casually and ready to walk.
“Wasn’t expecting you,” Evangeline admitted.
Nate nodded inside. “We’re here to help. I saw what you were dealing with back in New York.”
She snorted. “I thought I felt you in my dream.”
Savon closed her eyes and plastered a smile on her face.
Evangeline laughed. “Not like that. He checks up on me sometimes, to make sure I’m not beating myself up over something I can’t control. I do the same to him, though less since you came back into his life.”
“I know. I trust you both. My brain just doesn’t shut off, though. Stupid shit pops into my head, and I know better.”
One corner of Evangeline’s mouth lifted. “Don’t worry about it. Come in. I’m not sure you really want to help, but I’ll leave that up to you.”
“What about Jay?” Bran asked from behind her.
Evangeline moved inside, pulling Bran with him. “I don’t know. I mean, I promised to call, but I don’t want to drag him further in.”
Nate scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s his choice.”
Evangeline ducked her gaze. “Yeah, but if we’re not waiting on Robert to take us…”
“Wait, why wouldn’t Robert take us all?” Savon asked.
“Because I can do what he can,” she whispered.
“Whoa, I knew you had some magic back, and I saw you translocate by yourself, but translocating others is rare even for mages. It’s not a witch thing.”
“Yeah, but I seem to be gaining everyone’s abilities. Anyone I come in contact with. I don’t know, I haven’t actually tried to do much yet.”
“Oh fuck,” Savon whispered. “Sorry, my shit might freak you out.”
Nate chuckled, but then he got serious. “Yeah, the auras are strange enough, but now I have voices whispering in my ear, and I can’t see them.”
Bran blinked slowly. “Really?”
“Since we mated. Yeah.”
“And my sense of smell is ridiculous now,” Savon muttered.
Evangeline shook her head. “I didn’t think that was supposed to happen with mated pairs.”
“Depends on what you are, I guess?” Savon answered. “The only dreams I’ve been in are Nate’s, so I don’t know.”
“Yeah, but you’re my Sleepwalker,” Nate murmured, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
“Right, well, I guess you call Jay, Bran. Let him decide. I just…I don’t know how the whole translocation thing will work with that many, other than you all have to touch me.”
“That’s easy enough.” Savon smiled. “Now, someone please tell me what the hell we’re dealing with where we’re going.”
Evangeline and Bran took turns telling Nate and Savon everything they had learned. Then she got to the battle-ax that had attached itself to Bran.
“So, you both have magic weapons that are always on you?” Nate prompted.
Evangeline nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”
“What do they look like?” Savon asked.
Bran looked at Evangeline. She shrugged.
“How do you take yours out?”
She reached down and wrapped her hand around where the hilt was now tattooed into her skin. Then she pulled as if drawing the weapon. It appeared in her hand. “Just imagine grabbing it.”
He filled his lungs with air, then did the same. Grabbing the haft, he pulled. The battle-ax was there, malachite glowing in the etched design.
“Wow, that’s…wow,” Nate stammered.
Savon tipped her head, a wry smile lifting one side of her mouth as she looked off into the distance. “Tremaine told me about the ax. There were some interesting stories tied to it. You were given the battle-ax because you found the other half of your soul, and she claimed the Dagger of Change.”
“Something like that. Though Tremaine is supposed to tell me more. But the journal might have some information in it. And if Bran hadn’t had a seizure on the floor when the battle-ax burned its way into his skin, I would have read it.”
Savon examined Evangeline’s blade without touching it. “That is seriously cool.”
Evangeline shook her head. “Yeah, I guess. I’m still not sure why me. But I managed to pass Merova’s test.” She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe we’ll find out if I help free her from between the realms.”
“Hopefully, but what’s the plan?”
“Go to France and find the lighthouse. But I guess it’s a small port village, so it shouldn’t be hard to find it when we get there.”
“But it’s an island, right?” Nate asked.
“We’ll find a way there. I’m sure I can just translocate to it.”
“What if it’s a trap?” Savon asked.
“Really think she’d give me the blade, then find a way to trap me on the island?”
“Who knows,” Bran muttered.
Another knock brought her head up. Evangeline went to the door and found Jay there.
“Come in,” Evangeline said.
Tremaine, Robert, Preston, and Ceridwen appeared behind him.
“Okay, everyone in.” Evangeline moved out of the way and met Bran’s gaze.
He offered a smile.
Part of Evangeline wanted to go out there without everyone, but it didn’t look like that was an option anymore. But, if they got into too much trouble, they could provide backup.
“You look stressed,” Tremaine stated.
“Yeah, um…still worried I can’t get all of us to this town.”
Robert wore a knowing smile. “Already went there. Figured I could show you how we get there first.”
She nodded.
Ceridwen spoke up, “You focus on getting there, and I’ll make sure we all follow.”
“And what if I mess it up?”
“You won’t,” she stated simply.
“All right.” And all she could think was, wish I had that much confidence.
Bran moved to her and captured her face. “Relax. You got this. I know you do.”
She really hoped so. She turned to Robert and touched his face, closing her eyes. Then she saw the town in his mind, and her mind’s globe spun, then zoomed into the right spot. She could see the rocky cliffs before the lighthouse.
She reached for Bran, then imagined herself there with her mate. There were a series of pops, and she looked around. They were all there.
“Told you,” Bran murmured against her ear.
She leaned into his solid chest and smiled. “Now what?”
“Do you sense anything?” Tremaine asked.
She shook her head. “Not here. Not exactly.”
Ceridwen nodded. “You all have the right phone numbers, so call one of us if you need us. We’ll go into town and see if we can find anything.”
“Yeah,” Evangeline answered. “Bran is coming with me, though.”
“Of course,” Ceridwen answered.