Blood of Egypt (Witch Fairy Book 8) Read online

  We ride in silence for about ten minutes. I’m fine with that as I marvel at the fact that I’m back in my realm and in Egypt. When the Nile comes into sight, I’m practically giddy. I can’t believe I’m really here!

  I am a little surprised though when we cross a bridge onto an island in the middle of the Nile river. When I say island, I mean small city. We drive past an opera house and several embassies. I don’t recognize the flags for all of them. “Where are we?” I ask.

  “We’re on the island of Zamalek,” Eliana says. “We’re staying in a house here. Some friends of ours are on a business trip and they asked us to housesit. We usually live on campus.”

  I nod and continue to look out the window at the beautiful buildings. When we reach a residential area, the streets are lined with trees. The houses are about as big as the embassies we passed. They’re huge with immaculate, green yards and western style architecture. This is not at all what I expected from Cairo.

  “They live in one of these homes?” I ask. As soon as the words fall out of my mouth, the taxi comes to a stop in front of a two storied, tan brick home. The architecture is Tudor, emphasizing the effect the British once had in Egypt. The house isn’t quite as large as Isla’s, but it’s certainly magnificent.

  “The commute to campus isn’t great, but it’s worth it,” Josh says, pulling out cash to give the driver.

  “Here, let me pay,” I say, scrambling for the money I brought.

  Josh grins and shakes his head. “Nope, I already got it.”

  I nod in acquiescence. That gives me a moment to think about what he said about the commute to campus. College. I feel a pang in my heart. I spent my whole childhood planning on going to college. Not only was I going to get an education, it was going to be my escape from the lonely mountain I grew up on. I got off the mountain, but it doesn’t look like college is in my future any time soon.

  Kallen must notice the change in my mood because he puts his arm around my shoulder. “Someday,” he says quietly. I look up at him in surprise. I didn’t realize he knew how much I wanted to further my education.

  Eliana opens the door and steps aside so we can enter. The inside of the house is just as impressive as the outside. I guess I didn’t really expect less than that.

  The floors are hard wood in a dark mahogany and covered with beautiful Persian rugs. A sunken living room is to our left and a staircase to our right. The living room has a fireplace with two brown leather chairs on either side. There are two couches with lighter brown fabric facing each other with a small mahogany table between them. Egyptian artifacts are everywhere, on tables, shelves, and standing on the floor. Each one looks old enough to be worth more than the house itself.

  Eliana sits down on one of the couches and curls her feet under her, then gestures for us to make ourselves comfortable, as well. Josh sits next to her and Kallen and I sit across from them. Now we just have to figure out who’s going to break our awkward silence first.

  Of course it’s me. “I’m a Witch Fairy,” I say. “My mom’s a Witch. My dad’s a Fairy.”

  “You’re a Witch and a Fairy?” Josh repeats. Doubt is trying hard to dig in, but he somehow remains open-minded. He looks at Eliana. “Did you have any idea that either of those really existed?”

  She shakes her head. “Not a clue. I would have told you if I knew.”

  Josh turns assessing eyes back in our direction. After a moment, he asks Kallen, “Are you a Witch Fairy as well?”

  Kallen smiles and then chuckles. “No, Xandra has the monopoly on that distinction. She is the first to be born of both bloodlines. I am of the Fairy blood line.”

  “Really?” Eliana asks. “I’m an enigma too. I carry the essence of the Egyptian god Ra within me. That’s where I get my magic.”

  “Inside you?” I think of when I had another soul inside of me and I try not to shudder. “Does he talk to you and try to make you do things you don’t want to do?”

  She smiles. “Yes and no. I have dreams when the essence wants me to know something and when I’m in dangerous situations, it gives me the courage and confidence I need.” That sounds a lot better than my experience. “If I begin to lose control, Josh keeps me from doing harm I would regret.”

  I look fondly at my husband. “I have Kallen for that. Except he sometimes has to sacrifice himself to my magic to keep it from going totally out of control.”

  “You lose control?” Josh asks. I don’t miss the concern in his voice.

  “Not as much as I used to,” I admit. If we’re supposed to trust them then I have to be honest.

  Eliana chuckles. “Yeah, me neither.”

  “What magic do you possess?” Kallen asks Josh.

  Josh looks vaguely uncomfortable. “I don’t.”

  “He’s immortal,” Eliana says. “He can’t die unless I do.”

  “Impressive,” I say with a smile. I haven’t been able to get a straight answer on whether or not I’m truly immortal.

  “Have you always carried that essence inside you?” Kallen asks Eliana.

  She shakes her head. “No, it’s only been about a year. I’m still getting used to it.”

  I laugh. “I know the feeling. I didn’t even know about magic until I turned seventeen last year and mine became unbound. But now I live in the Fairy realm and am surrounded by magic. Oh, and my parents are ghosts.”

  “What?!” both Eliana and Josh say at once.

  I spend the next few minutes explaining my interesting, and at times dysfunctional, family and how I came to know about magic. Then Kallen explains that there are many realms other than this one. It’s a lot of information to take in at once. I know that from experience. Josh and Eliana seem to handle it well, though, as only those who have seen a lot of magic can.

  “Amazing,” Josh says. “Until Eliana, I thought magic was only in fairy tales.” Suddenly sheepish, he says to Kallen, “No offense.”

  Kallen shrugs. “None taken. It is best if most Cowans believe that Fairies are nothing but lore.”

  “Cowans?” Eliana says.

  “Humans. Other races have a really annoying habit of saying Cowans instead of humans.” That earns me a ‘look’ from Kallen, which I completely ignore. “What kind of magic does the essence give you?”

  “I can control the elements. I can create wind and fire at will, and I have power over water and earth. I’m also really strong. What can you do?”

  “I can create things at will, open realms and a bunch stuff like that.” I laugh. “We sound like we’re filling out magical resumes.”

  She laughs. “Yeah, it does.”

  “So, you’re students?”

  Eliana nods. “We attend the American University here in Cairo. It was a difficult decision leaving my parents in the States, but I wanted to be closer to where my magic began. I still have a lot to learn about it’s origin. The woman who owns this house is helping me.” That’s nice. I don’t know what I’d do without Kallen and everyone else. Probably blow up a realm or two.

  “The only problem with being in Egypt is that the Egyptian government wants her to be their ‘superwoman.’ One of their agents calls at least once a week to try to convince her,” Josh says. He is definitely proud of Eliana.

  “You do not want to work for them?” Kallen asks.

  She shakes her head. “No. If I do, I’d never have a life of my own. I think I can do as much good without working for the government.”

  I think about Dagda and how he’d like to have me at his beck and call all the time. “Yeah, I basically tell my biological father the same thing.”

  “It must be more difficult for you. You’re actually a Fairy princess. I’m still amazed by that,” Eliana says.

  I shrug. “I don’t feel like a Princess. I’m just me.” Lame. I sound like I’m trying not to be a snooty princess. Great, now I feel awkward.

  “Do you mind if I change subjects?” Josh asks. I’m guessing he noticed my embarrassment. Thank you. When none of us disagree,
he continues. “If you just got here and you’ve never been to Egypt before, why was that guy shooting at you?”

  My embarrassment becomes discomfort. I vowed to myself to tell them the truth. “I kind of pissed off the Archangel of Ruin and Darkness.”

  Between the two of them, Josh is the first to recover his ability to speak. “Archangel? Of Ruin and Darkness?”

  I scrunch my forehead unconsciously as I say, “Did I forget to mention the Angels?” I know I did. I was hoping to avoid this conversation for at least a little while. My Angel heritage isn’t something I like to make readily known.

  Josh nods. “Yeah, you did. Was it him that threw you across the sand without us even seeing it happen?”

  “Yes and no. Yes, he threw me at the pyramid, but it didn’t happen in this time. It happened in Angel time. When I get pulled into it, no time passes in the realm I was in.” I hope that made sense.

  “Then it wasn’t just a millisecond for you.”

  I shake my head. “Nope. I got to have words and fling magic back and forth with him before he was pulled away.”

  “Pulled away?” Kallen asks. “What do you mean?”

  I shrug. “There was a bright white Angel light and it wrapped itself around him and dragged him away. I have no idea who did it. My guess would be Tabbris, since he probably affected that guy’s freewill.” I turn to Josh and Eliana. “Angels and Archangels can suggest things, but they can’t take control of other beings and make them do what they want them to do. They can lose their wings forever for that.”

  Josh shakes his head and leans back on the couch. “Xandra, I think you’re going to make my head explode.”

  “I know the feeling,” Kallen says, earning him an elbow in the ribs and a dirty look from me. “Ow.” He rubs his ribs dramatically even though I know it didn’t really hurt him.

  Changing the subject to something non-magical, I ask, “Can you recommend a good hotel? You must want us out of your hair and we haven’t had a chance to look around yet.” They’re being so nice; I don’t want to overstay our welcome. I hope they want to meet up with us again, though.

  Eliana shakes her head and says solemnly, “No way.” Well, that’s not very nice. Being as tactful as I am, I’m about to say something along those lines when she says, “You can stay here. I know the Hatsheputs wouldn’t mind. And it sounds like you might need some help dodging people this Archangel encourages to do you harm.”

  Now I feel guilty that we came here. I don’t want to be anyone else’s problem, or have innocent people get hurt. Reading my mind, Kallen says, “We could not put you out like that. You have been kind enough already.”

  “Sorry, man. When Eliana has her mind made up, it’s like trying to pull peanuts away from an elephant to change it.” That earns him an elbow in the ribs. I don’t think he’s faking his ‘ow’ though. She did say she’s really strong.

  “There’re a couple of guest rooms upstairs. You can each have your own or you can share like Josh and I are.” Her cheeks turn a little pink when she says the last part.

  I laugh. “We’re married, so we’ll stay together. We’re here on our honeymoon.” Other than a rising of eyebrows, neither of them comments on that. We are pretty young to be saying those words. It feels stranger here than it did in the Fairy realm where it was expected.

  “Then that’s an even better reason why you should stay in such a beautiful place, with your very own tour guides. And don’t worry, we’ll give you lots of privacy,” Josh says, with a knowing look. “Let’s get you settled in. Do you have any luggage?” Josh asks.

  “No, we are able to create our clothes with magic,” Kallen explains. “Xandra just has a few toiletries in her purse.”

  Josh shakes his head. “I guess we have a lot to learn about the two of you. I’m looking forward to it.”

  Chapter 13

  “Is it rude that we accepted their invitation?” I ask Kallen. Eliana and Josh showed us to our room so we can ‘freshen up’ and are now waiting for us downstairs. I guess we’re going to go get coffee and try to get to know each other better.

  Kallen shrugs. “The invitation seemed genuine. Considering all the people who have come to stay at Grandmother’s, it seems the thing to do nowadays.”

  I can’t stop the blush rising to my cheeks. I’m glad I’m standing by the window looking out at the Nile with my back to him. Why have people come to stay at Isla’s? Because I invited them. My mom and dad, Zac, Raziel and Adriel have all moved in because I wanted them close. I even invited a soul remnant to come live with us. But, I’m pretty sure that Isla would say something if she is unhappy with the permanent guests.

  Reading my mind, Kallen comes over and wraps his arms around me and rests his chin on my head. He pulls me close with my back against his chest. “Grandmother has spent many lonely years in that house. She is happier now than she has ever been.”

  I snort. “She wants to strangle Tabitha and I’ll be surprised to find Garren still alive when we get back.”

  He chuckles. “Point taken. At this moment, she is not happy. Overall, her mood has lightened immensely with each new resident.”

  You mean she used to be crabbier? Glad I wasn’t around for that. “What do you think the chances are that she’ll get together with Garren?”

  “I prefer not to consider my grandmother’s love life.”

  I laugh. “Fine.”

  Dropping his arms to his side, Kallen says, “We should be going. We do not want our hosts to think we have forgotten about them.”

  Or think that we’re taking too long because we’re up here having sex. And now here comes another blush. Great. I nod and turn around. “Okay.” Kallen takes my hand in his and we walk downstairs.

  Eliana and Josh are waiting for us in the living room. “Ready to go?” Eliana asks.

  “Yes, we are,” Kallen says. His voice and speech patterns always seem more formal when we’re in my realm for some reason. Probably because he’s the only one who doesn’t use contractions.

  “There may be something more interesting that we can do besides go to a café,” Josh says with a mischievous grin.

  “Josh,” Eliana admonishes quietly. “We need more time to get to know each other first.” That moves my curiosity up a few notches.

  He puts an arm around her but continues. “Eliana is afraid you’ll think this is too pushy, but we were talking about how we know so little about your magic and you know so little about hers. I’m hoping to rectify that while we get to know each other better.”

  Kallen is instantly on alert. “What are you suggesting?”

  Eliana’s cheeks are pink now. “He wants us to go to a remote area of the desert where I normally practice and compare our magic.”

  Hmm. That could be interesting. I’ve often thought that someone should catalog the magical powers of different beings so I know upfront what I’m getting into if I have to stand against them. Being ignorant has certainly not been helpful. Not to mention I’m really curious about Eliana’s power. “Okay,” I say with a smile.

  “Xandra, this might not be wise…” Kallen starts.

  “Oh come on, I know you’re just as curious as I am.”

  “That may be,” he acknowledges. “That does not change the many reasons why this is not a good idea. What if we are seen by Cowans? What if your magic spirals out of control and you destroy the ancient sites you have come to see?”

  I glower at him for that one. Shaking my head, I grumble, “You worry way too much.” Turning to Josh, I ask, “Do you know a place that’s remote enough to do this?” I can feel Kallen scowling at the back of my head.

  “We do. There’s a place Eliana and I go so she can hone her skills.” If it’s remote enough for her powers, then it should be remote enough for mine. Though the possibility that I will create a natural disaster large enough to level the pyramids is there, I’m sure Kallen will help make sure that doesn’t happen. Even if he’s not very happy at the moment.

 
Chapter 14

  When Josh said remote, he truly meant remote. We haven’t seen signs of civilization, including roads, in over half an hour. Yet, he keeps driving. Good thing I can teleport just in case they decide to leave us out here.

  Ten minutes later he finally stops the Land Rover in the middle of the desert. “This is it,” he says opening his door.

  To me, it looks like any other part of the desert we’ve passed. “You come to this place over and over? How do you find it?”

  “Global GPS,” he says, tapping on a small computer screen on the dashboard. “The closest oasis is thirty miles from here. Not many people are going to stray that far from civilization into a desert.”