Chapter 620: Denied Entry
The cool, dark of the basement welcomed me, Charlotte stepping out beside me into our plane. I immediately felt Gram's touch, knew she was home, felt her summon me to the kitchen.
Only problem? I was aware before I finished the climb to the top of the stairs her trip with Varity didn't go as planned.
Surprising how the first rays of daylight shone in the kitchen window. How easy it was to forget time moved differently both in the Sidhe realm and on Demonicon. I'd lost the entire night to my travels. Odd, I didn't feel tired, not even a little. Knowing there would likely be slim opportunity for sleep in the next day or so, I figured my unusual wakefulness was a good thing.
Gram thudded the lid of the waffle maker so hard the thing bounced. Varity sat, cross-legged and clearly irritated, from the way her magic vibrated at an erratic frequency. She slumped in her seat at the kitchen table while Shenka met my eyes with a little shake of her head. Her magic set out plates and cutlery as Gram grunted her frustration.
"What happened?" What were they up to again? No, seriously. I'd been to two different realms since I left the house and it took me a second to shift back to problem number one.
Gram's right foot, sheathed in a fuzzy purple sock, stomped against the floor tile. A sliver of earth magic, triggered by her act, sent a shudder through the house. "Applegate happened."
Uh-oh. The leader of the European Council should have kept her nose out of it. But that obviously wasn't the case. Which meant Gram was right telling me to stay home.
"Absolutely refused us admission into her territory." Varity looked about ready to shake apart she was so furious. Her lean face pinched even thinner, two furious eyes glaring as energy skipped over her, puffs of smoke rising as it did. "Imagine."
Gram jerked open the machine top and peeled off the first waffle before dumping batter into it and slamming it shut again. "Met us at the border with Enforcers."
Varity's crossed leg bounced with growing violence. "Not even a sniff of courtesy in that woman."
I felt my own anger rise as they talked back and forth. "This is ridiculous," I said. "And none of her damned business. By witch law."
Gram just scowled at the waffle maker while Varity sighed.
"Technically," she said, "we do need permission. Regardless of our destination. And because Ethie and I are witches and not vampires..." She dropped her foot to the floor, leaning forward with her hands on her knees, expression tight and angry. "Damn her."
"Which means I could go after all." I was a vampire, wasn't I? And officially of the Blood Clan Wilhelm.
Gram whirled, pointing at me with the spatula she held in a death grip, a drip of batter falling to the tile floor with a splat. "You," she snarled, "and I and Varity are going to eat waffles. And then we're going to go see your mother."
Wow. Gram suggesting talking to Mom?
She had to be pissed.
"There's more," I said, taking a seat, rubbing my face with both hands as my mind whirled. The old ladies fixed me with their baleful stares like I'd done something terrible on purpose while Shenka took the plate of waffles from Gram and calmly began to serve breakfast.
Thank the elements for my second. Normalcy felt great right about now.
I forced myself to eat while I talked, telling them about the Sidhe, feeling my desperate need to help the Fey rise again now it hung in the forefront of my mind. Then, shared my little side-trip to Demonicon. Gram tapped her fork against the side of her plate in irritation before nodding sharply.
"I couldn't stand the old bat when she was alive," she said, "but death seems to have given her some sense." Gram jabbed the air with her fork, the tines ringing as she used magic to spray sparks at me. "You and your sister were both looking for butt kickings. With things the way they are, you're going to need her, girl."
Bully. Except, she was right.
Speaking of bullies, once breakfast was over, we packed up ourselves, marched out to the back yard and I did the honors, leaving Shenka behind as we crossed to Harvard. Gram and Varity took the lead, leaving Charlotte and I to trail behind them, shoving their way into the elevator with so much aggression I worried they might bring down the building before stomping into Mom's sitting room where they came face-to-face with Maurice.
Mom's secretary's grumpy and arrogant expression lasted about three seconds, just long enough for the pair of unhappy witches to shove him to one side and barge past him while he fish-lipped, gaping and spluttering. I smiled at him, gave him a happy wave while Charlotte growled low and threatening on the way past.
If only it would be so easy to deal with Mom.
I almost ran into Gram as she and Varity came to a halt in front of Mom's desk and, for a moment, my heart stopped beating.
Mom sat behind it, but it wasn't my mother. Not the woman I knew and loved. She looked even worse than the last time I saw her, face drawn and aged, twenty years added to her sagging skin, her dull eyes that nonetheless flashed with blue fire as we faced her down.
"Why am I not surprised?" She sounded tired, bitter. "I've just heard from Margaret Applegate."
I wanted to go to her, to offer her support, knowing now the Council power was breaking her down. That it wasn't Mom, not really, who refused to help or act. She fought the control of the Council's centuries of habit, law, and stubbornness with her own will, but it was clear to me now, oh so very clear, my mother was losing.
Before Gram or Varity could speak, I pushed past them. Leaned forward and touched her hand across her desk.
"Mom," I whispered. "It's not worth it."
She shuddered, light leaving her eyes.
"This is killing you." I tried to offer her energy, but she pulled away from me, mouth turning down into a scowl so deep the lines in her face cast shadows.
"You two," Mom looked past me, glaring at Gram and Varity, "tried to illegally enter European territory."
"Since when is it illegal?" Varity was shaking again, voice vibrating with her outrage. "I've been an Enforcer for most of my life, Council Leader, and I've never, ever been denied access to other territories. Ever."
Mom sat back, still scowling. "Times have changed," she said. "And so have the laws. You are no longer permitted to enter another territory without the express permission of both your Council Leader and the Leader of that territory."
Holy crap. What the hell happened to trigger the change?
"I thought we were trying to create openness and union," I said. "Not more separation."
Mom flinched, but not from guilt. Her whole body twitched from it, Council power pooling around her where she sat. "You dare question the laws of your Council?"
Fine. Whatever. I couldn't get through to her that way. So I had to try another.
"Did you know Celeste Oberman is the leader of Sebastian's old blood clan?" I didn't really have a plan, outside of hitting Mom with everything I had. To see if I could somehow shake her-the real her-loose from the death grip of the power she was trying so hard to wield. "Or that the Brotherhood is right now trying to destroy the Sidhe realm?" I wasn't holding out much hope, but I'd tried to reason with her before. Even tried yelling. Smacking her with facts was the only course of action I had left.
Mom twitched again, one hand going to her throat before she choked. "Neither the vampires," she gagged, "nor the Sidhe," her face turned dark red as she struggled to speak-and yes, I had no doubt it was Mom, my mom, choking behind those words, "are any of our business." Mom gasped for air after she finished, sagging in her chair. Thudded both fists down on the arm rests in clear frustration.
But whether it was frustration at us or the fight I know had to be going on inside her that triggered the physical reaction, I had no idea. Though I had a terrible feeling my mother was fading fast and, if nothing was done, she'd soon be lost to the Council power forcing her to do its bidding.
Could I live with that? And what would happen if I took matters into my own hands?
The stake. The pyre. For trying to save my mother.
Couldn't win for losing.
"Miriam." Gram's voice grated as though she fought for emotional control. "This is absolutely ridiculous and you know it." Varity shifted next to my grandmother, face tight but blank. "Where's your sense, girl?"
I watched Mom clutch at her throat again, my chest tight with the need to help her, to do something, before she looked up and met my eyes, completely ignoring the two old witches. "You have been ordered to mind your own business," she said, voice low and deep, roughened by her struggle. "I warn you, Coven Leader, you're very close to breaking laws that will see you burn." Mom writhed in her chair before her hand dropped and she sagged one more time. "Yes, you are part Sidhe, demon and vampire. But you are also a witch, and subject, above all else, to our laws. First and foremost, your meddling will be weighed as a coven leader." She wrenched her head to one side, jaw grinding. "Dismissed."
I wanted to protest, and opened my mouth. This couldn't go on. The Council power was going to kill her, in spirit if not in body. But a giant wave of magic rose, a solid wall of pulsing blue shoving me back. Gram, Varity, Charlotte, too, until we were all forced to retreat, leaving Mom behind her desk alone as the door slammed shut in our faces.
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