Page 80 of Shifting Winds
That’s what I was afraid of. “Tell me how to send you on.”
“Quite simple.” She held out her hand. “Touch me, think of the tree, and open yourself to the magic. You don’t need to know where the other person is going. You only need to act as the conduit.”
A thought occurred to me as I took her hand. “Can I go wherever I want?”
Mom’s grip tightened. “Yes, but I urge you to think long and hard before ever venturing into any of the other worlds unless you have to. Far more dangerous things prowl outside of the realms of your world, Evie.”
That might be the first true warning she’d ever given me. “Noted.”
“Ready?” Her grip was cool and tight. Magic pressed against me, the feel of it familiar and as staggering as it ever was.
I glanced up at her. “Mom?”
“Yes?”
I chewed on my lip for a moment. “You should come to lunch with me next week.”
Mom’s lips parted in surprise. “Err. Yes. I—I will. If you’re sure.”
I wasn’t sure of anything these days. “I am,” I lied. “Meet me in town at Marnie’s restaurant. How about Wednesday at one?”
Mom nodded. “I will be there.”
Our identical gazes met. “Good,” I said and spiraled down into my magic. Like she said, it was easy enough to find now that my power had refilled. The seed’s magic had mixed within my own power easily…too easily. I thought of the world tree, standing at the edge of Caelan’s property, the massive low-hanging branches and the strange ethereal glow.
A slight tug and a pop, and Mom was gone, disappeared into thin air.
I blinked in surprise. “Cool trick,” I murmured to myself as I wondered how it might benefit me in the future.
A rustle in the brush had me stepping quickly through my wards.
Cernunnos stood there in stag form. One quick flash of light and my father appeared, dressed in his preferred casual wear—joggers and a t-shirt. “Evangeline.”
“Want some coffee?”
He inclined his head. “I would.”
“Come on in.”
As he passed through the wards, it occurred to me that maybe I shouldn’t blindly trust him. My mother didn’t have access, and she’d been in my life forever. I’d only known Cernunnos for a few months.
“You’re thinking so hard, I can almost see your thoughts,” he said as he held the screen door open for me.
When we were inside, I started up the coffee pot. “How do you trust anyone?” I asked.
My father blinked and settled into his favorite chair, my oversized reading lounger. Every time I sat in the thing, it felt like a warm hug.
“A loaded question,” he murmured. “What would you say if I told you I don’t?”
My hands stilled. “Not even me?”
“You are different,” he acceded.
“There’s no need for flattery. If you don’t trust me, it’s okay. We haven’t known each other that long.”
Cernunnos’ eyes swirled. He curled his massive bulk into the oversized chair and smiled. “I’ve known you since before you were in the womb, daughter. There is no other I would trust more.”
My breath caught. No one had ever said something so kind to me. Tears swam in my eyes and caught in my throat. I swallowed hard and still couldn’t say anything.
