I was losing track of time, losing track of the sequence of events. It felt like everything that happened stretched out for at least half a year when, in reality, it had only been a couple of months. And yet, even coming back to visit my sisters, I felt like years had passed and we’d all grown so much.
Bella nodded, as though her conclusions were confirmed. “And did you hear it when you went to Fae realm?” she asked.
I nodded. This one, I knew. “Yes. Definitely... although I must admit, not as much as before.”
I hadn’t thought about not hearing Mother as much. I assumed it was because I had been so busy with training, so focused on hiding myself away from the danger the Council posed, that I didn’t speak to Mother as much as I had in the magic realm.
Bella’s lips pulled tight. “Then I believe the spell she created is linked to strong magic, perhaps Warlock magic, I’m not sure.” She shook her head, almost as though she was upset with herself for not knowing something. I wanted to pull her into a hug and tell her she didn’t have to know everything. “But it’s obvious it only works in certain realms.”
I jumped to my feet. “But... this is a magic realm!” I said. I spun on the balls of my foot, throwing my arms around. “Surely it should work in her own realm!”
This didn’t make any sense. How could the locket not work here of all places?
Bella shrugged. “I’m not actually sure what this place is,” she admitted, looking up at the ceiling as though she could find answers there. “It’s linked to the Earth and human realm, which means it may not be as magical as we think.”
“The human realm?” I asked, stopping.
“Think about it, Ava,” she said. “How did you and Tavlor access this realm?”
“By going through the portal,” I said.
“Which is where?”
The human world.
“Oh.”
Well, that made sense in a funny sort of way.
Courtney reached out a hand from her position on the couch, legs thrown over the arm, back hunched as it tried to mold to the back of the chair. “Can I see the locket for a bit?”
I handed it over to her. Part of me wanted to say no, wanted to keep it for myself, but I refused to do that. She wasn’t just my mother, and I had been lucky enough to get more time with her while Courtney and Bella had been on their own.
Courtney turned it over and looked at it with a critical eye. “I wonder why she gave it to you.”
I fought the need to be defensive and annoyed. I knew she was disappointed. I did my best to see it from her point of view. She wanted to connect with Mother in her own way. She knew Mother less than we did simply because she was the youngest. She sounded more hurt than anything else. It wasn’t about me.
I kept repeating that over and over in my mind. It wasn’t about me.
“Well, I don’t know,” I told her with a shrug. “Perhaps because I was physically with her when she had the strength to do the spell? Maybe because I’m the oldest...” I managed to smile at my youngest sister as I said, “Or maybe it was so she could say I told you so, when I escaped here, found our father, and all hell broke loose. I’m sure she knew that I’d be the first one to disobey her orders.”
That got a smile out of Courtney. “That sounds like something Mother would do. Reminding us how she was right even beyond the grave.”
I grinned back. “Right?”
She nodded and handed the locket back to me. “Yeah.”
My shaking had subsided, and I pushed the blanket away. I felt better. It was good to get my concern off my chest. At least I had not one, but two people I could bounce ideas off.
Bella probably had a good point. I’d never heard Mother’s voice in this realm. And I may not again until I stepped back into the magical realm. I just wish Mother had told me this. I wished I had known.
I rubbed my lips together. Once again, Mother kept something from me. Once again, I found out from someone else when I could have found out directly from her.
I glanced at Bella, needing to break free from my bitter thoughts. “Thanks for the reassurance Belle,” I said. “I was starting to freak out.”
Bella pursed her lips together. “And rightly so.” She nodded, her hair coming free from the loose ponytail. “It sounds like you’ve been clinging to her quite a lot. Has she helped you much?”
Clinging?