Chapter 41

Tavik stood up to face Agatha. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he stared across the room at her. “Errilol made me the man I am.”

“I wouldn’t be so proud of the man I was if I were you. Having your people fear you and wonder if you were a fiend is not something to be proud of.”

He clenched his jaw, and Naomi hoped this didn’t go beyond a heated argument. “I became the man I needed to be.”

“And what need pray tell required you to become a barbarian who has slain hundreds of men and destroyed countless lives?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask my mother?”

Agatha’s eyes grew wide as her face thinned. She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “How dare you. I taught you to respect your fellow man and care about the people around you. How dare you insinuate that I prompted your descent into this madness!”

Naomi and Yula’s eyes caught each others in a wide stare. “She’s your mother?” Naomi said.

Agatha’s eyes didn't leave Tavik's angry face. “I have no son.”

Tavik jerked as if hit. Naomi winced in sympathy. She crept from behind him over to Yula. “Did you know this?” she hissed to the other woman. Yula dumbly shook her head.

When Naomi looked again, she saw Tavik and Agatha had stepped toward each other to better shout at one another. Both were beyond angry. Tavik’s body was a mass of tense muscles while Agatha’s face was red, bordering on fuchsia.

“You can deny me all you want, but it was the only way to save the town!”

“No, it wasn’t! There are always other options. I was working on something!”

Tavik kicked the table. It jumped three feet. Naomi and Yula backed further away from the two. “There wasn’t any time! The army was approaching!”

The witch crossed her arms and gave him a narrow look. “Well, where’s the army now?”

In a cold voice, Tavik said, “Every solution has a price. You taught me that.”

Agatha’s back stiffened. “I also taught you that if the price is too high then you don’t take it!”

“I HAD TO!”

In response, Agatha silently turned her back on him. Tavik turned away as well.

Naomi cast her eyes to the familiar. He had his paws over his head. She scooped him up and brought him to her nose. “How do we smooth this over?”

“Trust me, you don’t wanna get in the middle of that,” he said.

“They won’t do anything to each other,” Yula said, but she didn’t sound too sure.

“You think?” Mr. Squibbles said.

Yula’s eyes darted between the mother and son. “Of course they wouldn’t hurt each other, they’re family.”

Mr. Squibbles snorted. “May I remind you that the witch kidnapped her son to use as unicorn bait. She wouldn’t think twice about cursing him if he made her mad enough. She probably has a few on the tip of her tongue right now.”

“Then maybe we get’em away from each other,” Naomi suggested. “Yula, you take Agatha. Mr. Squibbles help her. I’ll take Tavik.”

“Remember he needs to stay a virgin,” Mr. Squibbles said.

Naomi gave the mouse a disbelieving look. “Well, there goes plan A.”

“I mean it. No hanky panky. I’ll have my eyes on you two.” Naomi huffed and gave the mouse to Yula.

She approached Tavik with trepidation. His left eye had begun to twitch, and he kept flexing his jaw. She didn’t want him to direct any of that anger her way. She liked all of her limbs just where they were. “Tavik?” She stroked one of his arms to draw his attention. His eyes snapped down to her, and she cringed. As gently as she could, she turned him away from Agatha. She could hear Yula and Mr. Squibbles murmuring to the witch to calm her down.

“Take a deep breath,” she said. He did, and his shoulders slumped as he exhaled. She rubbed his arms to comfort him. She sort of understood how things had gotten so messed up between Tavik and Agatha, but she knew that trying to reason or talk about it anymore wasn’t going to help matters. Tavik stepped closer to her and bent his head to rest it on top of hers. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed his back in slow circles.

“Hard to believe we’re family isn’t it?” Tavik murmured into her ear.

She squeezed him before answering. “No, only people who love each other can get this mad at one another.”

“Yes, but how long do you think it takes for the anger to burn all the love away?”

“Has it burned all your love away?”

In answer, he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Naomi ran a hand over his head gently. From across the room, soft sobs traveled to them. Hearing them, Tavik shuddered in her arms. God, they were tearing each other apart, Naomi thought looking over his shoulder at Agatha. Yula was hugging her and patting her on the back as the witch’s shoulders shook.

Naomi backed up against the wall and slid down to sit. Tavik moved to the floor with her. She looked at his face and saw how ragged he still was. “Lie down,” she said softly. He grimaced and began to move away to do so, but she pulled him back and patted her lap. He gave her an empty look before setting his head in her lap. He turned his face toward her and snuggled into her stomach. She felt him sigh against her. She caressed his head and hoped he fell asleep easily. She watched Yula’s progress with Agatha. The witch was wiping her eyes and nodding at what Yula was saying. She glanced Naomi’s way and saw Tavik stretched out on the floor with his head in her lap. She rolled her lips, her eyes watering again, and wandered over to the pot. Quietly, she and Yula went back to work on the spell. Naomi heard Yula softly protest that they could do this another night, but Agatha didn’t pay attention to her. Naomi dozed off as the two worked. She didn’t dream.

Continue to Chapter 42.