The Ether Witch Volume 2

"I'm sorry, Lord Tamlin."

Tam felt his heart stop.

"Lady Eli, is not going to have an easy recovery if she does manage to pull through. And I'm afraid the infant… While still alive right now, it is not likely they will survive the next few weeks."

Tam staggered backward.

The physician stared at him sadly. "If Lady Elisara survives the next two weeks, then her odds of making it through the removal of the child is greater."

"No… No, there has to be… There has to be a chance that they both make it," Tam rasped.

"I won't ever say never. Miracles happen. But it is not likely."

Tears blurred Tam's vision as he felt his world start to crumble around him.

"Thank you for caring for my betrothed," he forced himself to say.

"Of course, my lord. I will continue to treat Lady Eli to the best of my ability."

Tam nodded. "When can I see her?"

"Tomorrow morning may be best, my lord. Lady Eli needs a great deal of rest." The physician proceeded to bow.

Tam trembled. "Alright. Please, if you… If you speak with her before I do, let her know I love her."

The physician straightened and gave a sympathetic half smile. "Of course, my lord." He then turned back to the door to Eli's room, and quietly disappeared back inside.

Tam raised his hands to his eyes and slowly slid down the wall to the floor.

He wanted to shout.

He wanted to curse the Gods. He wanted to beg and barter… He wanted his world to turn right again.

It hadn't ever been right before her.

The murmur of the castle activity drifted over Tam, reminding him that everyone's life continued on despite his own falling apart.

At the same time, there was silence. A silence that brought a strange groundedness to his suffering. It felt as though there should be noise and chaos. Sounds that echoed the monstrous amount of things inside of himself. How was it so… calm?

Tam stayed on the floor for a while, his head tilted back to rest against the castle wall.

They had made it home to Austice.

Yet that was when things were falling apart.

Tam swallowed. He needed to drink something, and he needed to check on both Luca and Penelope.

On legs that felt both heavy and unsteady, he came to stand, and began to move away from the room.

He passed a maid who happened to be carrying a pitcher of water and a goblet to deliver to one of the nobility in the castle. Tam intercepted it after quietly asking for permission, and then continued on to the main hall of the castle.

He wondered where his family was.

Where was his father? His mother? Why weren't they there? Why weren't they trying to help?

His throat tightened. His hands shook.

He arrived at the castle entryway to find all of them. His father, mother, Kat, and Eric were standing and talking… or… fighting.

"Eric, we are not handing over that boy to her! He's Tam's son! By blood!" Fin argued vehemently.

"He's still the devil!" the king shouted.

Tam stilled.

"No! He isn't the same, Eric! He isn't who you're remembering, he's just a lovely little boy who—" Kat continued to argue only for Eric to round on her.

"He's the one who made Alina miscarry! He tried to kill you multiple times! This is why he is dangerous! He gets reborn as a child and he—"

"The first witch has done a lot of those crimes as well and other horrible things like creating a drug that kills people and ruins their lives, but you still made a deal with her!" Kat seethed.

"Because she's offering to leave! She's going to go away and it will end! The devil is still here! He isn't trying to leave!" Eric enunciated, his frustration pronounced.

Tam stood rooted to the spot.

Eli and his daughter were dying.

And they were here arguing what to do about his son?

The first wave of emotions brought with it fresh pain.

Why did he think things would be different?

Why did he think he had found his place with his family so everything would work out?

He would always be the outsider, and that was fine.

But in that moment he realized it meant his family, his own children and spouse, would be outsiders too.

I guess… I guess I have to protect them on my own.

Something tore inside of Tam. A faint hope he had clung to whether he had been fully aware of it or not for a long time disintegrated in his chest. The hope that he would find his place with the family he'd come from. That he would one day be a part of them. Feel equal in importance with them. And more recently… That he could bring his own family into their warmth.

If it had been another day, a day when he wasn't about to lose Eli and his child, it would have brought him to his knees.

It was not one of those days.

The longer Tam stared at the faces of his family, the slower they seemed to move. The faces of people he had always done everything he could for. Faces he'd loved. Supported.

Even Eric.

The addict king.

Eric who had never trusted Tam because Tam took part in his mother's espionage work. Tam had always known Eric was uncomfortable with the unknown amount of power he held. As well as his close relationship with Kat.

Well. Eric hadn't needed to fear him before today, but Tam would show him.

A chain of control Tam had always maintained, dropped. The principles that had guided him turned meaningless.

Tam stepped into the void, and stepped back out in the middle of the argument between everyone.

Tam watched Eric stumble back, his eyes widening.

Tam knew he looked terrifying. He had Eli's blood across his neck and on his hands, and he had no doubt his eyes were filled with black.

Kat was the first to splutter. "Gods, Tam, what—"

"Eli is dying. As is our unborn daughter," Tam heard his voice echo with an otherworldly warble around the entrance.

"Tam, I'm sorry—" Finlay Ashowan's voice sounded behind him.

But Tam didn't look at his father, he continued to stare at the king.

"I see that we aren't on the same side anymore, Your Majesty. So I suggest you leave. I'll return your castle once Eli has recovered. The boys are welcome to stay, but it sounds as though you don't want them near myself or my family."

Eric's brows lowered, his hazel eyes assessing. "Tam what the hell is going on? I'm sorry about Eli, but that child is not your son. He has manipulated you—"

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"You can leave on your own or I can make you leave." Tam felt his dark aura flutter from his skin.

Eric straightened, his tone and presence turning kingly. "Tam, this whole thing involves not just you, but the entire world. The devil and the first witch are forever going to hurt people."

Tam tilted his head, unmoved. "Humans forever hurt people. That was what the devil always said. Yet people like you still are allowed to live."

"Tam!" Kat burst out.

Tam didn't look away from his brother-in-law. "I'm not much better, but my point is: why do you think you're any better? If you choose to go against my son, you're against me. So I'm telling you to leave. I won't say it again."

"Tam," the duchess's quiet voice drifted over to him.

It was the only time Tam broke away from Eric's gaze, and stared at his mother.

He showed her in his face his deeply felt betrayal, and his disappointment.

A slight movement out of the corner of his eye had him looking back at Eric to see he had reached for the sword at his side, and Kat had seized her husband's wrist, her expression a warning.

Tam didn't bat an eye at the fact his brother-in-law was willing to draw a sword on him. "Kat, go get the boys. I'll move your husband outside the grounds."

"Tam, just wait—"

Tam didn't hear the rest of whatever it was his sister would say as he took Eric with him into the void without wasting another breath.

Predictably Eric's shock rendered him temporarily immobile. Which allowed Tam to grab him by the arms and haul him in a blur through the void. He felt his way over the castle, over the lawn, all the way to the road in Austice, and reappeared with Eric there.

He dropped his brother-in-law on the cobblestones, and before the king could say another word, Tam shifted back to the castle.

When he reappeared back in the castle entryway, he discovered that knights and guards had gathered in alarm and Kat was shouting to try and instill some calm amongst everyone.

However, Tam's reappearance instantly cast a hush amongst the chaos.

He looked over them all dispassionately. "Leave now. Or you will be trapped in this castle with me. The choice is yours."

Two knights took uncertain steps toward him.

Tam waved his hand and sent them into the void.

"TAM!" Kat appeared in front of him, her aura blazing. "KNOCK IT OFF! WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THINGS! CALM DOWN!"

"I am calm. Your husband is unharmed, but he was threatening Luca and I will not allow him to stay near him."

"I wasn't going to let him give over Luca to the first witch! I know Luca isn't bad! And neither is Eric! He's just a human processing stuff from the past!" Kat argued.

Tam stared at his sister, then looked at his parents who watched him with unreadable expressions on their faces. "Everyone expects me to just sit around while you ignore Eli's condition? While you ignore me? After I got involved in this mess for all of you? Now you threaten my son and think I should sit back. Would you if you were in my position?"

"I'm not threatening Luca! I'm trying to protect him!" Kat persisted, though the edge in her voice had gentled. "Tam, I know the past few months have been a lot for you, but this isn't the way."

Tam shrugged. "Why not? No one is getting hurt. Eli is going to rest and recover, and then the kids, she, and I, are going to leave. You all can deal with the first witch on your own. I'm done. You've made it all very clear where I stand."

"Tam, we care about you and your kids, it's just—" Kat's words were cut off as everyone save for himself in the room vanished in clouds of black smoke.

Tam closed his eyes, and pushed with all his might, dropping them all around the same place he'd dropped Eric.

The castle entryway was blissfully silent.

Tam turned toward the stairs and set to climbing. He would tell his nephews what was going on and let them choose where they would like to be.

But first, he needed to ensure his family was hidden.

Tam eyed the windows that displayed the storming day outside.

He knew what he was about to do would most likely drain all of his power.

But it was worth the risk.

He closed his eyes, and reached through the castle. Through the stones, through the wood, through the tapestries… He allowed himself to dissipate into the castle, he scattered himself through the entire building.

And then he dragged it into the void.

Despite no longer being assembled in his physical body, Tam felt himself tremble.

He was exhausted, and pulling himself back together took significant effort, but when he did, he listened to Penelope and Luca's voices, and reappeared in their room.

He nearly fainted on the spot.

"DAD!" Both Penelope and Luca shouted.

Tam's vision blurred, then cleared, but he still felt horrible. He heard their footsteps pounding across the stones to reach him.

"Dad, what's going on? It's black outside the castle! It looks like your void!" Luca asked, his eyes wide.

Tam gave a weak smile as he managed to wrap both children in his embrace. "That's because the entire castle is in the void."

"What? Why?" Penelope's voice was filled with alarm.

Tam did his best to steady himself as he vaguely noted the shrieks and hollers elsewhere in the castle becoming louder.

"Well, it turns out, the king doesn't want to help us."

"I knew it!" Penelope declared righteously. "I knew he was a jerk!"

"Eli is…" Tam trailed off, his emotions surging once more.

Luca pulled away from him and stared at his father with open fear. "Is mom… Is mom okay?"

"I… Um… We… We're hoping she will be," Tam's voice cracked. "In the meantime, we need to wait here until we can travel again."

Penelope and Luca exchanged a look. "Where will we go?"

Tam did his best to make a smile, though he could tell his eyes were starting to water again as he reached up and touched Luca's face. "I'll figure it out. Eli mentioned going to see Lobahl, so who knows? Maybe that's where we go."

"Oh! Where Hamil and Bes are from?" Luca asked curiously.

Tam nodded.

"That could be fun. Could Jeong and Bong visit us?" Luca grasped his own hands and fidgeted.

He was nervous.

Well, he's nervous for good reason.

"Maybe they can," Tam forced a small laugh.

A sudden pounding on the door instantly stopped their conversation.

"OPEN UP!"

The thundering voice most likely belonged to a disgruntled guard.

Tam guessed they were about to blame Luca for the sudden darkness outside the castle.

Gritting his teeth, Tam shoved himself up off the floor to his feet. He staggered, and leaned his arm against the wall to help himself balance, but he refused to faint. There was still much to do.

I better go set the record straight about who moved the castle, and then… I'll go talk to my nephews.