Page 85 of Sett and his King
"Because. I…it's going to be okay. I've got this."
"If time is resetting, it means you're dying. If you're dying you don't 'got this'. You know it's not unlimited right?"
"What?" Drew looked up. "What do you mean?"
Yaya frowned.
"You think the house can keep saving you forever and ever? It doesn't work that way. If it was, your mom and dad would still be alive. Even the house has its limits. There comes a time when death becomes your fate and when that happens there's nothing the house or anyone can do to save you."
"But you're still alive."
"Yeah and look how that works out. I can't step out of the house or I'll turn to dust."
Drew pressed his lips together and pushed them from side to side and then took a bite of the stuffed pepper.
"So, want to tell me the truth or do you expect me to pull it out of you?"
"I'm ashamed."
"There's nothing to be ashamed of," I said and covered his hand with mine. "It wasn't your fault you fell victim to my brother."
Yaya raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
Instead, it was Drew who spoke. And once he started he didn't stop until he'd told her everything that had happened in the last few days.
"Are you mad?" he asked her.
She glared at him. "What do you think? Your brother was taken by a cruel god, you've been enslaved to him all this time, Sett here freed you and instead of coming to me and telling me everything you decided to keep things from me as if I'm what? Weak? Stupid? You think I can't take the truth? Do you have any idea what I've been through in my life? What I've seen?”
"Yaya?" Drew said, almost in a whisper.
"No. I wasn't abused, but I've seen others abused. I've rescued others from horrible, horrible creatures, from fellow witches, from helldemons that think they can do whatever they want. You should have told me sooner."
Drew apologized and Yaya returned to her meal as if this was nothing more than a casual family dinner. We both stared at her as she ate her food but I couldn't touch anything. Nothing would go down. Not until my brother was defeated and my son and Gene were free.
"I wish I could help you," she said after what felt like forever. "But I know I can't," she added before Drew could interject. "At least not physically, but…"
She pushed her chair back, took her plate to the sink and returned to the stove with a fresh pot.
Watching her at work, it wasn't hard to see who Drew had taken after. They both moved effortlessly around the cauldron as if they were born to brew potions. Ingredients flew from shelves and cupboards under Yaya Penelope's telekinesis and she added them into her pot with mastery and focus until the mix bubbled and the magic emanating from it was so potent I could feel it all the way to my toes.
She used a ladle to pour the black liquid into two vials and returned to her seat, placing the vials in front of us.
"Here. That should help you cheat death a little while longer," she said.
Drew studied the liquid for a moment before he murmured, "Athanation."
"Immortality," I said.
"Don't get too excited. It only lasts so long. But it should help you avoid dying until you can rescue our boys."
Drew looked up at his grandma and pressed his lips together.
"I'm so sorry, Yaya. I...I shouldn't have hidden things from you. Thank you for this. You'll have to show me how to make it one day."
Yaya raised an eyebrow. "I'm hoping after today you won't need it ever again," she said.
"Me too," he mumbled and lifted the vial, clinked it to mine and brought it to his lips a second before I did.
