Life After Death

Quinn: not Galahad

{Quinn}

I had a weird pit in my stomach that wasn't going away. Mikaela seemed to sense it too, which on one hand was reassuring and on the other was more worrisome. If Mikaela could sense it, something was probably wrong.

Nick appeared at the table just as we were finishing the raspberry white chocolate cake. The boys were still here; he very rarely appeared when they were in the room.

"Something is wrong," Nick said. "I don't know what, or what to do about it. Which is worrying me, because I should see things like this in advance, and I've had no warning until right now."

I opened my mouth to reply, but Mikaela put her hand on mine, glancing at the children. But was keeping Nick a secret from them worth the risk?

"It's all right, I can hear your thoughts," Nick replied. "You don't want to add any more panic with a blue avatar they have never seen before. I don't have any answers." But his orange eyes grew wide as he glanced at the table. "It's change magic."

He vanished without another word. I glanced at Mikaela who was gripping my hand tightly.

"Mom, is everything all right?" Lionel asked.

She shook her head and leaned closer to me.

"Your wedding ring," she said. "It absorbs change magic."

"But how will we know..." I began but then remembered. "Galahad has that change spell still."

"What?" Corryn interrupted and then turned sharply to look at our adopted son. He was staring down at his hands, which were trembling.

"I don't have any more future," Galahad said, sounding frightened. "Mom, I..."

Suddenly a flash of light blinded us, and everything was dark. Guinevere and I stood at the same time; she finished a light spell as soon as I had pulled out a dagger.

"Boys, go with Gawain," Mikaela ordered, and pulled out some sort of light spell herself.

"Mom, I can help," Dagonet protested.

But my wife's shadowy face offered no room for argument and he and Parsifal stood from the chairs, corralling the twins and Hazel. Guinevere sent her light spell to where Galahad had been sitting, but he was no longer there.

"Let there be light," came a mocking voice. I closed my eyes just in time; the light flooded the dining hall once more. When I opened them again, I still had to squint. Gawain had his arms around the twins. Guinevere had Hazel and was standing behind Lionel. Dagonet and Parsifal looked ready to fight.

"Galahad," Mikaela said firmly.

I turned to see my son, and his drastic change. His blonde hair had the color leached out from it and his blue eyes were black. But it was more than that. He didn't look twelve, or twenty for that matter. He was holding a bubbling black substance in one hand and had a smirk on his face.

"Stop it," I said, and the strange boy spoke at the same time. I glared.

"Galahad..." I tried again.

The boy laughed.

"Do you really think that I'm your beloved perfect child?" he sneered. "You faeries are thick."

I took a step forward, but he pointed at me with a smile.

"I can see the future; don't move, Father," he said. "So you can kill me where you stand. Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"So you know how to work change magic?" a voice countered. Corryn stepped away from Gawain, and after glancing at me, continued. "I've seen the spell that keeps you here. It's weak, weaker than Galahad's own magic, that's for certain."