CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
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“Thomas,” Tammy murmured as she fought her way to consciousness. Where was she? Why was Michael carrying her? What had happened? Where was Thomas? She felt distant, removed from herself, as if Mom had been healing her flu, but way more pronounced.
Healing! It all came rushing back—Morgan stabbing Thomas, the rift in the compound, the horrible creatures lurking there and the lava, the explosion, then waking to see the light go out of Thomas’s eyes and the terrible ripping of her mind and her soul as his departed. “Thomas!” she wailed and struggled in Michael’s arms. “Put me down!” She gave Michael no choice but to set her on her feet, but her knees buckled and she was glad to have his strong arm to support her. The pain of loss overwhelmed her. She wanted to run to Thomas, lying naked and bloody and still in the center of the circle of her family, but the same arm that supported her also restrained her. “Thomas…” she sobbed. Life would never be the same. She knew that with a certainty that tore at her sanity.
Drew stalked over and took her by the shoulders and gave her a good shake. “Tamsen Tremaine, you just get a hold of yourself. We’re going to try to help him, and we don’t need the distraction of trying to take care of you too.”
“Help him?” Tammy asked in a small voice, surprised out of her sobs.
Michael now squeezed her shoulders. “I know what you’re going through.” Tammy looked up at him as tears spilled over her cheeks. Yes. He did know. “We’re gonna try sharing power with Brina.”
Bring him back? It couldn’t be done. Morgan could have done it, but she was dead, or maybe immortal in the hell on the other side of the rift that had closed. Tammy would have sold her soul to Morgan to bring Thomas back. But even that was denied her. Mom was a Healer, not a Resurrectionist.
She looked around the circle at her family, whether by birth or marriage. They were dead serious about this. She so wanted it to be true! Could they?
“You stand back,” her mother said. “You’re still feeling the effects of the Healing.”
Faces around the circle grew grim as the enormity of what they were going to do sank in. Tammy swallowed and stood on her own. “No, Mom. Sorry. But you need every bit of power you can get. I may not be much, but I have to try.”
No one had the heart to refuse her. She counted on that.
“Join hands, like we did before,” Daddy said. Michael took Tammy’s hand and Daddy grabbed her other one as they all formed a circle. “It’s up to you, Brina. Our job is to concentrate on sharing power with you,” Daddy said, nodding encouragement to his wife.
Mom looked frightened. Tammy saw her as if she wasn’t her mom, but a strange, beautiful woman with dark hair streaked with white. Even with the flashlights that created light and shadow in the circle she couldn’t see her mother’s eyes, but she knew they were turquoise like her own. No one would guess that this woman had magic running in her veins. But she did. People would call her a witch if they knew.
“You hang on to us and our power, Brina,” Michael said.
“Maybe you could use some extra,” a hard voice drawled.
Jason and Duncan stood just outside the circle. They were Clan, enemies of Tremaines for so many years now that it seemed like forever. What if they poisoned the effort somehow?
“Guess we know what it’s like to lose the One,” Jason said. “Don’t we, Duncan?”
Duncan nodded. The sorrow in his eyes was naked and raw. He held the arm of his dislocated shoulder across his chest.
They shared much with the Tremaines. Magic genes, loss and pain that Tammy was just beginning to understand. And they’d just helped the Tremaines against Morgan, maybe for their own reasons, but still.
“Make room,” Brina said and Tammy was glad.
Luc made his way over to Jane. He had no power to give to the circle, but by that move he said that he would be there for Jane and the baby if something happened to the family. Did he think they’d all blow up? Or maybe rip a hole into another dimension and be eaten by whatever those things were? Kemble nodded curtly to him.
Jason grabbed Maggie’s hand on one side and Dev’s on the other. Duncan stepped up to Kee, but her broken arm prevented her taking his hand. Brina stood. “I’ll take care of you first Kee.”
“No way,” Kee hissed. “What if we wait too long and we can’t get him back?”
Oh, God. Tammy hadn’t thought of that!
Duncan said, “I’ll hold your arm up here. That okay?” He gripped Kee’s upper arm with his good arm. Lan, on the other side, gingerly gripped Duncan’s upper arm just under his dislocated shoulder.
“Then let’s get to it. You think about sharing power,” Daddy said to the newcomers. “Even now you can feel it humming between us.”
Tammy could feel it all right. It warmed her core and shot out to Michael and Daddy, and back through them to her. Right around the circle a blue glow began to spread. You could hear the power humming in the air out here where it was quiet and there was no chanting or weird music. The signs of success emboldened them all. Tammy redoubled her efforts. The power leaped up and created that same blue bubble as they had achieved in the compound, with Brina and Thomas’s body in the center. Tammy stood up straight now, surer of herself. There was power in their circle, even without the presence of the Talismans. Could they do it? She would just die if after all this, Thomas were still dead.
“Power to Brina,” Brian growled.
Mom started to glow blue herself. Tammy didn’t dare ask herself what that meant or whether that was good for her mother. They were playing God here. Just like Morgan had. And that hadn’t worked out so well for Morgan in the end. But Tammy didn’t care. She just wanted Thomas back. There was a hole in her that blue light couldn’t fill. Nothing could fill it but Thomas. She strained to put forth power, not the specific power needed to see through an animal’s eyes, but just power, the kind that lived in her bones and her blood and her chromosomes, the power she’d gotten from her ancient ancestor, and now shared, one way or another, with everyone in the circle.
Mom knelt beside Thomas and placed her hands on his body. Her eyes closed. She began to shudder violently. Thomas’s body arched under her hands. It was more like electricity making the muscles on a dead frog twitch than life. A cold doubt crept into Tammy’s belly.
Then Mom opened her eyes, and they weren’t just the lovely turquoise Tammy saw in the mirror. They glowed with the otherworldly light of the power that hovered in the air around them all, palpable. It was the most intense blue Tammy had ever seen, like rays would shoot out of her eyes, if this were a cheap horror movie.
No rays, but Mom stared down at Thomas, and through her, they all willed Thomas alive. In fact, Tammy could feel the damage in Thomas’s body, as if the power flowed two ways, and she was feeling what Mom felt when she healed. She felt organs sorting themselves out, and muscle knitting together, cuts sealing themselves.
But she didn’t feel Thomas. So what if his body is whole if he’s not in it?
Jane’s baby cried behind the humming power.
A hand on her wrist made her jump. Mom looked up from Thomas. Jane. She ducked a little unsteadily under their hands and tottered over to stand by Mom, something carefully cupped in one hand.
“Eyes on the prize,” Daddy growled and everyone refocused. Mom’s glowing blue eyes turned almost white as she gazed back down at Thomas. The humming ramped up to something almost painful.
Thomas’s body trembled as it arched.
Jane squeezed her cupped hand and something dark trickled down onto Thomas’s chest and belly “Live!” Jane shouted. It was so unlike Jane to shout.
And Thomas’s chest heaved. His eyes snapped open.
Mom jerked her hands away from his body as if she’d been electrocuted. Her glow faded immediately. Thomas collapsed, groaning. Tammy had never been so glad to hear anyone groan. She trembled as the hole in her soul was filled, abruptly, with Thomas. She broke the circle and ran to him. The blue glow faded into the desert night.
“Mom, you did it!” she shouted. But she had no time to hug her mother. Thomas was looking around, bewildered. She knelt and threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, still slick with blood. She sobbed uncontrollably, murmuring his name over and over.
She looked up at her family to find everyone gathering their senses.
“Wow,” Tris said.
“That pretty much says it,” Drew drawled, just as if it were a summer afternoon at the swimming pool and none of this had happened at all.
“Now, Kee, let me see that arm,” Mom said.
Thomas hugged her. “Tammy,” he whispered. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“Me too.”
“Did I black out? What happened to Morgan and the Talismans?” He looked down at his body and all the blood. “I thought I was going to die. But I feel fine.”
“Mom Healed you. I’ll tell you all about it. But right now I need some serious hugs.”
Thomas obliged. His lips found hers, and his tongue delved into her mouth as though it was coming home from a long journey.
“What did you do, Jane?” That was Kemble, behind them.
Thomas broke the kiss, but held Tammy tight. Tammy looked up to see Jane looking very satisfied from her place in Kemble’s embrace.
“Well, when I figured out what you were trying to do, I wanted to help. You seemed very close to success. And then I remembered that Morgan thought blood intensified the power. What could be better than the blood of new life?” The baby wailed in the background.
“And that’s what kicked the Healing up and over into Resurrection,” Mom said, nodding. She smiled at Jane. “You are a wonder.”
“Where did you get blood?” Kemble looked thunderous. He swiveled, looking for the baby.
Marrec walked up, cradling the bawling bundle awkwardly in his big arms. “This one is strong. And he is fine. He wants his mother.” He passed the bundle carefully to Jane, who bobbled it and cooed.
“It was placental blood, silly,” Jane said.
“Gross.” Lan made a face.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Tammy said, looking back into Thomas’s eyes.
“What does your mother mean, resurrection?”
“That’s what we have to talk about,” Tammy whispered.
“No time,” Jason interrupted. “Got to go. We’ll have company soon.”
“Don’t want to do any explaining to outsiders.” Daddy chewed his lip. He scanned the area. “DNA all over these vehicles. Let’s dump them in the lava.” He saw Jason’s look of doubt. “Our three are about two miles north.”
“I’ll get going and bring them back,” Tris said.
“I’m with you,” Maggie said.
“Me too,” Dev chimed in.
“You are going to stay here,” Tris growled to Maggie. “Besides, we’re moving fast.”
“I don’t think it’s particularly safe here,” Maggie replied, “and when has your big carcass ever been able to keep up with me?”
“Go!” Daddy interrupted. Tris rolled his eyes, but Maggie had won, which was not surprising, and they took off at a trot.
“Everybody, load every shred here into the vehicles,” Daddy ordered. “Bury any traces of blood with sand. And Tammy, pull up that blanket.” He smiled at Thomas. “Sorry, son, but you’re offending the ladies.”
Tammy could feel Thomas blush and nothing had ever felt so good as his heat.
Daddy had his arm around Mom while everyone else scurried around the makeshift campsite. “You okay, honey?” When she nodded, he kissed the top of her head. “I’m so proud.”
“Looks like you’re back in action yourself. Driving tanks and delivering babies.” Mom looked up at her husband fondly.
Daddy raised his brows and considered that. “Yes. I guess I am.”
“I thought you might be. At least after I threw the cards that last time.”
Daddy looked askance at her. “All I heard was doom and gloom.”
“Well, to be fair, I didn’t tell you that I also saw the King of Pentacles. It would have put too much pressure on you.”
“And the King of Pentacles is me?”
“One version of you. The one where everything you touch turns to gold.”
“Good. I like that one. I won’t ask you about the other versions.”
Duncan and Jason came up. “Hate to break this up, but Duncan and I are taking the pickup.”
Mom turned to Duncan. “How could I be so forgetful?.” Come here, young man, and let me just take care of that.” She guided Duncan off to the side and laid her hands on his shoulder.
Daddy turned back to Jason. “And where will you go?”
Jason shrugged as though he didn’t care—like the bleak look in his eyes didn’t tell a different story. “Does it matter?”
“Come back with us to The Breakers, at least until things die down. Take a while to figure out what’s next for you.”
Jason looked suspicious.
“Come on. Take a chance. We owe you more than we can repay. We couldn’t have gotten into the compound without you. We needed your power to resurrect Thomas.”
“Didn’t do it for you. I got what I wanted. I’m free of that bitch.”
“Free is good,” Daddy said, thoughtfully. “It just isn’t enough.”
Jason’s hard eyes showed a flicker of shock.
“Besides, I want every one of those vehicles buried in lava when people come looking.”
Jason gave a curt nod.
Daddy looked over to Duncan, who was rolling his healed shoulder and looking amazed. His burned arm was now flawless. “Kid could use support. He doesn’t know anything but Morgan.”
Jason turned his hard, light eyes on Duncan, then back to Daddy. “Deal. For a day or two. Come on, kid. You drive the truck. I’ll drive the Bronco.”
“I’ll get the SUV,” Greta said.
Lan grabbed her hand. “I’m on for the other one.”
“I’ll go up and send the helicopter over the edge,” Luc growled. He started up the hill.
“We’ll pick you up on our way out,” Daddy said.
Out, Tammy thought. That sounds wonderful. Out from under ten years of living in fear, ten years of disappointment and tragedy. What does that even feel like? She glanced to Thomas and saw love in his eyes. He had such love he’d sacrificed himself for her and her family.
What does freedom feel like? She was about to find out. And love for Thomas was what made it more than enough.