Page 55 of Of Blood and Bone (Chronicles of The One 2)

“How’d you manage that?”

The ease of the question, the simplicity and ease of it, relaxed her tensed muscles.

“You know, magicks, Samhain, ritual, stuff.”

“Uh-huh.”

“We had most of the night to walk and talk.”

“Good.” He opened the stable door. “That’s good.”

“You’re not going to ask what we talked about, what he said to me?”

“Honey, he’s your father.”

“So are you.”

“That’s right.” He grabbed her face, kissed her. “You got two for the price of one.”

Just that simple, she thought. Just that simple with him. That was strength, she realized, knowing at that moment every man she met, any man she considered, would be measured by this one.

Any man, every man would have a high bar to scale.

She moved to the stall, to Grace, stroked the mare’s head, offered one of the carrots in her pocket.

“You told me Max Fallon was a hero.”

“He was.”

“He said the same about you. He said you were a hero.”

“I’m a farmer.”

Tears shined in her eyes, but good ones. Loving ones. “You’re my hero.”

He drew her against him. “There can’t be anything that means more to a father than hearing his daughter say that. Nothing tops it.”

They walked to Laoch. “Must be twenty-two hands. Back in the day, I’d’ve pulled out my smartphone, got a video of you on him.”

“You taught me to ride, to build with wood, to throw a ball, to block a punch, to love and respect the land, to be generous and not to take any bullshit.”

“I didn’t teach you that mouth.”

“Sure you did.”

He had to laugh. “Guilty.”

She offered the second carrot to her father. “You give it to him.”

“Here you go, big guy.”

“I know Max Fallon now. I love him now, not just as a picture on a book or the words inside it. Not just from stories I’ve been told, but through the man. I know you. I know now everything you taught me mattered and helped me to be who I am. I know more of you, through the man you are, from being away.

“Max Fallon was my sire. You’re Daddy. And I love you.”

He held her close, held her tight. “You just found something to top it.”

* * *

She knew her parents, their habits, doubted they’d changed. She waited until her brothers slept, until her parents assumed she did. Then she went out to the kitchen.

They sat, as she’d known they would after a momentous day, at the table, drinking wine and talking.

“Can’t sleep? You must be overtired,” Lana said, rising. “All the excitement after a long trip. Nearly two days’ ride, you said. The cottage where you stayed. Let me get you something to help you rest.”

“I’m not tired. It was over a day’s ride to get there. We didn’t ride back.”

“Did you actually fly all that way on the stallion?”

She shook her head at Simon.

“This is a good place to start,” she decided. “Even though it’s the end instead of the beginning. Have you ever flashed?” she asked her mother.

“In what way?”

“Well, like…” She flicked her wrists, vanished, reappeared across the room.

“Oh my God,” Lana managed while Simon let out a delighted laugh.

“Do it again.”

“Simon.”

“Come on, seriously. Do it again.”

Lana pressed her fingers to her eyes. “I’m going to need more wine.”

Obliging them both, Fallon flashed to the pantry, flashed back with the bottle. “I had some wine.”

“Did you?” Lana asked, very coolly.

“Really watered down. Sort of medicinal. Anyway, I could teach you to flash.”

“I’ve heard some can, but as I’ve never seen it myself, I thought it was just a legend.”

“No, and I can teach you. You have more power than you use, and what you’ve used since … for a long time it’s almost always been domestic or healing or growing. You have more than Max did because—”

“You grew in me.”

“Yeah. So I can teach you that, and other things. Not everything,” Fallon qualified, “but more things.”

“You said something about elf blood before. What did you mean?”

“I have some of all. Mallick said that’s part of the meaning of The One. Some of all in one. Me.”

Simon decided more wine wouldn’t hurt, and poured it. “Are you going to grow wings now?”

“I don’t think so, but … maybe. I’ll be able to shift when that comes into me.”

“Into what?”

“The three I brought with me. All of them, Mallick said. I should go back to the beginning. We were attacked on the way to the cottage. Raiders.”

She took them through the two years as best she could. The hard things she’d left out. She watched her father cover her mother’s hand when she told them about going to the prison, what they found there, what they did there.

As time passed, Lana rose, brewed tea.

“Dad taught me the basics of hand-to-hand. You know more than you taught us. You didn’t teach us because you thought we were too young. I’ll need to keep up my training. I can bring the ghosts, but you could help teach the boys. And they’ll need to know how to use a sword.”

“Why a sword?” Simon asked.

“There are still plenty of guns, but they’re not always easy to find now, and ammo’s even harder. We can make it. But blades, arrows, fists, feet, they can and are just as lethal, and easier to come by. Some are already using them, even prefer the sword or the bow.”

She told them what she’d seen in dreams. The man with the sword speaking to her from outside the circle of stones, how she’d seen that same place through the crystal.

“I can go into it, into the crystal, go to what I see in it. I’m there, and here, both. It’s hard to explain.”

“Not astral projection?” Lana asked.

“No, different. It’s like a split, but I’m in both places. It’s how I met the rescue party. How I met people from New Hope.”

“You … New Hope?”

“Eddie,” she told Lana. “Flynn.

Others.”

“You met Eddie.” For a moment the worry cleared. “He’s alive and he’s well?”

“Both. He asked about you. I couldn’t tell him where you are, not yet, but I could tell him you were okay. I met Duncan and Tonia.”

“The twins.” On a happy laugh, Lana pressed a hand to her heart. “Katie’s twins? And Hannah?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh God, Katie’s babies. They’re almost grown by now.”

“They’re warriors—I don’t think Hannah is. Duncan drives a motorcycle and uses a sword. Tonia uses a bow. They’re trained in other weaponry, but that’s their preference.”

“Katie must be … You didn’t meet her?”

“She wasn’t in the rescue party.”

“Or Arlys or Fred, Rachel, Jonah?”

“Not them. Will Anderson. He leads them now.”

“Will.” Lana nodded. “Yes. Yes, I can see that.”

“It was an ambush.”

“What? Oh God. Was anyone hurt?”

“I saw through the crystal what the Purity Warriors had done, how they planned to lure the rescue party in, ambush them. I went to Mallick. He let me go through to warn them, and tell them how to turn the ambush into an ambush.”

“You figured that out?” Simon asked.

“I’ve trained, and studied, and I had the advantage of seeing where the enemy had their lines, their positions, so I could plan and map it out.”

“You could walk me through that sometime.”

“I will. None of your friends were hurt, Mom. And they rescued people who were being tortured, enslaved, people who’d be executed.”

“You’re glossing it over.” Lana folded her hands together. “You fought. You fought with them. I may have channeled my power into softer things, Fallon, and done what I could to build a safe life for my children, but I’ve been in the war. I’ve seen death and caused it. Don’t think to wait until you have your father alone to say the rest.”

Lana turned to Simon. “She walks us both through.”

“You’re right.” Simon took Lana’s hand, brushed his lips over it. “Your mom’s right. Lay it out now.”

“Okay. They had fuel tanks,” she began.

She took them through it.

“They’re strong soldiers, the people of New Hope. You’d like them, Dad.”

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