Budding Magic

  ****

  That evening she went into labor. Haley resisted being delivered until late the next morning. With Rae occupied with Haley, it was easy for her to use the placenta blood mixed with her own blood to activate the wards she and Keegan had drawn into the floor. They had drawn them so that the tail would be just within her reach, the rest hidden by the bed. They had no idea at the time that Keegan would not be there to initiate the spell.

  "There you go, little girl," Rae returned and placed little Haley on her mother's chest. Rae looked grandmotherly, a bit pudgy with a kind smile and sparkling bluish eyes. Her graying hair was usually pulled back into a tight bun. There had been many a baby that had pulled her hair out by the roots before she started pulling it back. She had been delivering babies for most of her life. It was her passion. She had arrived yesterday evening just before Aine went into labor.

  "I will always love you," Aine whispered into her infant's ear. She kissed her infant daughter's curly red head, and then with her hand dangling into the pattern below, she passed into the other realm. As she knew—Keegan was waiting there to receive her.

  The others in the house had not even known that she had passed when there was an explosion of energy. The wards which had been drawn months earlier flared brightly—death magic with birth magic.

  The whole house shook violently. Kane stumbled out of the house to watch—astounded—as the very earth on their side of the wall, cracked open and sunk downward. Her stomach lurched as she realized she was falling. Just as suddenly it stopped, making her fall to her knees. She looked over to see Alana sitting down as well, her face white.

  For Alana it was not just that the earth fell, which was bad enough, but that the wild energy of the land erupted outward. Alana had felt an unease with the land ever since that old bell in the tower had fallen, but nothing like this. Alana just hoped it would settle down. It felt as if her skin was inside-out.

  They looked at each other and walked toward the wall. The broken earth was chest high on Kane—they had sunk that low. The wall, which was only a mimic of a wall, was a step past the break. Alana pulled herself up to peer over the wall and shrugged.

  "Nothing looks different over there," Alana told Kane, puzzled as she looked at the old stable. "Let me lift you over and you can tell me what you see,"

  Kane nodded, and Alana lifted her over the wall. Kane looked curiously at the stable. She didn't see anything unusual, either. It was as if nothing at all had happened. She looked back toward Alana and screamed in fear. It was all gone, everything. She looked down at the perilous ocean, instinctively moving away from the edge. The surf was crashing against the rocks. Their house, their land, had fallen into the ocean, and where was Alana?

  "Kane!" Alana shouted, "Kane!"

  Alana watched as her little sister ran back and forth to look over the edge of the wall. Her blue eyes wide with fear. She was pulling at her long blond tresses with distress. It was obvious that Kane couldn't see, or hear her. Alana stared at her with fascination—she could see and hear everything that Kane was doing. With a sigh, she pulled herself up and over the raised earth.

  Kane ran backwards screaming as Alana's started to materialize before her. Alana finished climbing over the wall and looked back towards the house.

  "Wow!" was all she could say as she sat down and watched the surf pound against the rocks.