Page 54 of Legendary

Dani coughed a few times, sticking out her tongue as if she couldn’t get rid of the taste as fast as she wanted to. “That’s disgusting.”

“There are better ways to cure mild hangovers than this weird shit,” Elise pointed out, wiping a hand down her mouth. Beetee explained to us that while coffee and denial were Elise’s hangover cures, this brown liquid was an Enchanter’s concoction and she had seen it be the most effective.

I cleared my throat so I could have everyone’s attention. I really didn’t understand why I was so nervous; we all knew that we would have to do this at some point. “I think it’s time we spoke with Natalia.”

“Natalia?” Elise raised one of her eyebrows.

“Yeah, I think now is as good as any to bring her into the loop. We all want to know what Lilith is keeping Isabel for, besides obviously fucking up portals and dropping in to cause issues. Plus, we should check in if anything else.”

Dani stood up from her seat on slightly wobbly legs. “If that’s what you want to do, then we’ll do it.”

Beetee started to clean the glass that I guess the girls had broken on the table last night. “How do you plan to speak with your High Priestess?”

I broke down how exactly we would be able to communicate with Natalia, which she seemed intrigued to hear. Her full attention was on me the entire time I spoke. She was a solid listener, it made sense given the level of hospitality she’d shown us and everyone else here. At least half of the creatures I spoke to all had something wonderful to say about her, the other half weren’t as interested in talking to me, but I understood that as well.

“Alright ladies, single file line up the stairs,” Reese ordered, pointing towards the stairs in the other room.

Elise shoved her chair back, causing it to land right into his chest before she strutted out of the room. Dani gave me a look before she followed after Elise, brushing her hand against mine as she passed me. It was subtle and likely unintentional, but I felt a small jolt of electricity run through myfingertips, so I took it as a good sign. Before we could make it towards the stairs, the sound of large and small footsteps were heard descending them.

Leah and Garrett caught my eye and waved. Their children were closely behind them, nearly on their heels. There was a mild shift in the air when I looked from Dani to the young Enchanters who were staring up at her. Yuri barely reached his father’s back, but he hid behind him as best he could. His sister, Jasmine, did the same, but Yuri made a point to not remove his eyes from her. Dani didn’t speak but she also didn’t move. I knew she meant well, and I knew that what happened and how she had behaved was eating away at her.

After a moment, she spoke. “I think it’s for the best if you all stay here.”

Leah and Garrett looked at each other with confusion.

“Lilith knows where you are, or at least where you were. I don’t think she’ll come for you, but I’m thinking about your—” she peeked down at Yuri and Jasmine again but didn’t say anything else.

Beetee clasped her hands together in front of her chest, stepping into our awkward circle. “You can stay as long as you’d like. You know it’s never an issue.”

I heard padding down the stairs, and I expected to see another child, but what I actually saw didn’t have two feet, but four paws.

“Oh, fuck me,” Reese complained, right before Axel ran across the floor and lunged at him. Luckily this time Reese was a bit more prepared and held his arms out to catch him. “Why do you fucking like me?” Axel licked his face and wagged his tail incessantly. I scratched his head which he thoroughly enjoyed. Little spaces of hair were missing from around his eye, where he had gotten attacked by another hellhound, but other than that, he was perfectly fine.

“I’m wondering that as well,” Elise muttered, patting her pet on the head and pulling him out of Reese’s grasp. Axel swiveled and squirmed in her grip, but his black eyes locked onto Dani’s brown ones, and he started to growl. He didn’t make a move towards her, but he just growled in a more protective nature.

Dani stood there with her eyebrows furrowed but her feet were planted firmly on the ground like she was willing to take whatever grilling came her way, from either Yuri’s parents or the hellhound in front of her.

“Ugh, Axel. Stop,” Elise scolded, tilting her head towards the hound’s floppy ear and speaking into it. Her words were hushed, but once she was done, his barking ceased. He wiggled out of her arms and propelled himself into Dani’s unsuspecting ones. He licked a long stripe up her face, then jumped out of her arms and headed towards the kids, who were more thanhappy to be occupied by him.

“What did you say to him?” I asked Elise, who was already starting to walk past us and up the stairs. She shrugged as she sat her foot on the bottom step.

“Nothing of importance, Nicholas.”

Garrett turned to Beetee. “We’ll stay here, thank you for the warning.” He nodded over to Dani but turned around to focus his attention on his children. Dani trailed after Elise and Reese followed after them. I was about to head that way myself, but Leah caught my arm. Her two braids from before were now out of their confinement and her hair was now in long glossy waves that framed her face. Her eyes scanned my face as if she was trying to find the right words for whatever she was preparing to say to me.

“I was going to say it back at the house, but I never got the chance.” Her eyes dug into mine so deeply that I almost admitted how uncomfortable I started to feel. “You look so much like someone I used to know.”

I’d heard that before. Not in those words exactly, but I’d heard a form of them by the very person I was getting ready to speak to. I really didn’t know what she wanted me to say back. “I assume you’re speaking about my mother.”

“Perhaps. I can see a resemblance even in the smallest form, like your eyes. I remember Moira and her were inseparable. She was in Oculus probably more than any angel I’d ever seen. There was a man that used to visit and speak with Moira as well and he would follow your mom around like a puppy dog sometimes.” She tilted her head to the side, seeming to try to get a better angle of my face. “Come to think of it, you kind of look like him too. You actuallyreallylook like him.”

“Yeah, probably my dad.”

She nodded thoughtfully and then started laughing. It wasn’t a loud, boisterous laugh, but a laugh more to herself. “If I remember things correctly, she was the headstrong type, so I can tell where you get it from. I know it may not be much coming from me, but your parents must be so proud of what you’re trying to accomplish here, if not a bit scared out of their minds.”

I didn’t try to correct her by saying thatparentsshould be corrected toparent. I knew that she was speaking with a mother’s heart, and I appreciated it more than she would understand. I had just my father for so long that I hadn’t realized how different those words could sound coming from her. She reached for my arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, placing my hand over hers. She looked over her shoulder as Jasmine called for her mother. She gave me a small smile which I reciprocated before she turned away from me.

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