That was the first I’d ever heard Eva talk about the land of Faery. It reminded me how very old everyone was, but I thought it was best to keep that to myself. If Faery fell during the 1918 Spanish influenza, then she was at least a hundred years old, and likely wouldn’t want to be reminded ofit.
Isaac was looking at me differently. With concern or awe, I couldn’t tell. “Racine McCallister. A legend,” hebreathed.
I looked at him withconfusion.
“That was your mother’s name,” he stated. “She probably changed it after thewar…”
My mom’s name was Lily Murphy. Racine was her middle name. Chills broke out on myarms.
“War?” I wanted to hear the story. I wanted to know everything about the sweet woman who folded my clothes and commanded a room of twenty-six eight-year-olds like it was no bigdeal.
“I was a young teenager when the Faery war consumed our world,” Isaac declared, “but my parents told me stories growing up … of a formidable queen who loved the humans, and her battle druid who fought forthem.”
I leaned forward, afraid to miss even aword.
“A fire druid with red hair, who could command lava as if she were a living volcano. Could set people or buildings on fire from miles away. She could lay waste to entire civilizations if she pleased. Racine McCallister was the queen’s last line of defense to save Faery when the druids rebelled. I thought she perished with thequeen.”
What the what? Lava? Lay waste to civilizations? That was notmymother.
I barked out a laugh. “My mother tended a garden. She was a schoolteacher. The most violent thing she’d ever done was flip off Mr. Cleary behind his back for teaching his cat to crap on ourdoormat.”
Isaac threw up his hands. “I’m just telling you what I know about the queen’s battledruid.”
Eva had been silent this whole time, and when I looked at her she was lost inthought.
“What is it?” I asked her. I knew her looks by now. She had anidea.
“The Eye is a temperamental object of power constrained by many rules. I cannot look forward, only backward or parallel. I can’t look where I’ve never been, unless a loved one’s energy signature is there—It is how I searched for Logan, to make sure you were all okay, and found him in the elf’s backyard. And lastly, I cannot look to people I do not know, as I don’t know what energy signature to searchfor…”
That didn’t sound too positive, but I trusted she was going somewhere withthis.
Eva smiled a little. “I can, however, look back into the land of Faery, because I’ve been there, and I think I could search for your mother’s signature since it’s so close to yours, and I know yourswell.”
My heart leapt at her words. “Yes. Please! I want to see her, in the past. I have to know if that’s who shewas.”
Eva nodded, but Isaac put out a hand. “Not here. On thebus.”
Isaac knelt down and began to fold the little elf’s clothes. “Sit in the tree for a bit, Sloane. It will healyou.”
I was excited to use the Eye to see my mother but I obeyed. I didn’t want the headache or the loss of vision coming back. So, setting my staff down, I climbed onto one of the many low-hanging branches and let the healing vibrations soak into my palms and the soles of myfeet.
Isaac looked at Eva. “Where were you when Faeryfell?”
“In England with Logan. I’d been gone from Faery for a few years when the war broke out. I preferred this world and its people.” She looked wistfully at thesky.
Something twinkled in Isaac’s eyes. “You nearly killed me the first time wemet.”
Eva grinned. “I thought you were one of the badones.”
Isaac smiled brightly. “I couldn’t walk right for a fewdays.”
At that she tipped her head back and laughed a carefree laugh, and I found myself smiling at their banter. They were totallyflirting.
“You healed just fine,” she mused, looking his body up anddown.
Okay,gag.
“I’m feeling muchbetter.”
