Chapter 157: Do You Have Something For Me?
Quaid surged forward before Pain could reach me, arms locking around her and holding her tight. She screamed and snarled her rage, thrashing against him as he grunted with the effort to control her.
I spun back to my demon, even more desperate than before. "You have to come back," I said. "We need to fix this."
Her flat amber eyes smoldered with quiet rage. "One more reason for me to stay put," she said. "Take your damned Sidhe magic and leave me alone."
No, it wasn't like that! But she was already turning away. And I had nothing to say.
Lucky for me someone else did.
"Why is this magic protecting you from yourself?" Sassy's amber eyes met mine. As soon as he spoke up, my demon paused. "We know for some reason it's repelling your demon. Could it also be the source of your discomfort with magic?"
Of course. But why? And where had it come from?
"Only one way to find out." My demon surged forward and grabbed my hand. She linked with my mind in that instant and dragged me into battle.
We struggled against the web as it fought us off, lost in the fight. Time stood still, the world went away in the long and aching moments we tore at the protective spell keeping me latent.
I felt my demon slipping free and tightened my grip on her, felt her fear rise as the thick and horrid stuff making up the net tried to drown her. I gathered the green magic and fought back, driving a wedge between her and the magic wanting to consume her, pulling her free and surrounding her with my energy. She held tight and opened herself wider.
Our own storm swirled around us, buffeting us from side to side, trying to keep us from the center of the net, from the truth. Together we dove straight for it though I could feel her fear matched my own.
We broke through into darkness and memory.
A beautiful woman bends over a cradle. She looks familiar. Like Mom, only older, with silver hair. She reaches out, touches the cheek of the infant lying there, whispers, "Keep it safe for me." Blue and green power trace a thread through the child's skin, warring with amber and red until the baby bursts into tears. The woman staggers and sighs. "Forgive me."
The memory shattered outward as the protective net collapsed. We didn't need it anymore. We finally understood.
I opened my eyes in the back yard with my family fighting to protect us all around me. My demon nodded and let me go do what I had to.
I turned and approached the huddled old lady with the pale blue eyes and wispy white hair who looked up at me with innocent hope on her wrinkled face.
"Do you have something for me?" How many times had I heard that question? One I finally had an answer to.
I smiled and cried as I touched her cheek.
"Yes, Gram," I said. "I do."
***
