Chapter 17
Deanna lingered just inside the doorway, still catching her breath from the run across town. She left her car just by the Welcome to Hollws Edge Sign, just outside of town. Her eyes locked on Rebecca and Nathaniel, the tension in the room humming in her bones.
"I can feel it," she whispered. "The bond between you it's alive. It's like standing too close to lightning."
Rebecca steadied herself against the counter, one hand pressed over her belly. "Mom you came."
Deanna nodded, then froze. Her expression went distant, her lips parting as though someone whispered in her ear. Her hands trembled. "Oh my God. I hear them."
Rebecca straightened, her breath catching. "The babies?"
"Yes." Deanna's eyes widened with shock and wonder. "Three voices. Clear as bells. Bianca, Penelope, Gabriel. They told me their names." She pressed her hand hard against her chest, tears forming. "They said they would carry both names. Weatherman and Edgeworth. As if they already know what they are."
Rebecca's eyes filled with tears, and Nathaniel moved closer, his hand resting on her shoulder, steadying her.
Deanna looked between them, her voice breaking. "Rebecca they're strong."
The lavender scent deepened, curling through the kitchen, and Tina's form steadied brighter now, almost tangible. Her gaze fell first on Rebecca, but then shifted and locked on Deanna.
Deanna froze. Her breath caught, her hand flying to her mouth. "Mom?"
"Yes, my darling," Tina whispered, her voice breaking. "It's me."
The satchel Deanna had been clutching slid from her shoulder as she stumbled forward, tears spilling fast. "I thought" Her words tangled in sobs. "I thought you were gone forever."
"I was taken," Tina said softly, her eyes full of grief and pride all at once. "But not gone. I've been with you, every moment, every breath. I watched you grow from the shadows where I was bound. And now now I can finally speak to you again."
Deanna reached for her, though her hands only brushed through light. Still, she held them there, as if she could press her palms into the warmth of her mother's glow. "I missed you so much."
Tina smiled, though it trembled at the edges. "And I missed you. More than you'll ever know. But you are stronger than I ever was, Deanna. Strong enough to answer the call."
Rebecca's throat tightened, tears burning her own eyes as she pressed her palm over her belly. "The babies spoke to her," she said, her voice hushed. "They gave their names. Bianca, Penelope, Gabriel. And they said they would take both our names. Weatherman and Edgeworth."
Tina's gaze softened, shining with awe. "They are wise, even before they draw their first breath. They will carry what I could not a bond unbroken."
Listen to me," she said sharply, her voice cutting through the emotion. "He is coming. The Hollow stirs harder with each breath you waste." Her gaze darted to Rebecca, then to Nathaniel, then finally to Deanna, as if measuring the weight of them all.
Rebecca's throat tightened. "Who's coming?"
Nathaniel stepped closer, his hand still steady at Rebecca's waist. His voice was low but urgent. "Tina, you said he's coming. How soon?"
The glow dimmed, her face tightening with sorrow. "Harry walks again. The Hollow feeds his return. By nightfall, he'll seek this bond. If you're not within the mausoleum by then, nothing will keep him out."
Deanna gasped, clutching her chest. "But the cemetery Mom, that's where it started. That's where they lost you."
"Yes," Tina whispered. "And that is why you must go back. The mausoleum is the only place strong enough to hold the Nine when they gather. It is both prison and shield."
Her glow flickered as if the Hollow itself pulled at her edges. She reached toward Deanna once more, her voice trembling. "I love you, my daughter. Remember that when the shadows try to twist me against you. My love is yours, always."
"Mom," Deanna gasped, her voice breaking. "Please don't fade yet."
Tina's gaze found her daughter first. "I'm not gone, my darling. Not yet. I wanted to see you like this. To tell you what I never could." She stepped closer, her glow brushing the edges of Deanna's shoulders like sunlight through glass. "I am proud of you, Deanna. More proud than words can hold. You are stronger than I ever was."
Deanna's tears spilled freely, her hand rising as though she could touch her mother's cheek. "I grew up without you. But I never stopped needing you."
"I know," Tina whispered. "And I never stopped loving you. Every moment I was gone, I carried you here." She pressed her hand over her own chest, her glow pulsing once. "That love is yours still. Always."
Rebecca swallowed hard, her eyes stinging. "Tina"
Tina turned then, her gaze resting on Rebecca, then Nathaniel. "You two. I've seen the bond. It is strong, and it is right. Rebecca, you chose where I failed. You chose light joined to light."
Nathaniel's jaw tightened, his voice low. "You approve, even knowing what I am?"
Her smile softened. "You are more than what the Hollow tried to make you, Nathaniel. I see the steadiness in you, the devotion. You will guard them her, the children, the circle. And for that, you have my love as well."
Rebecca's breath trembled, and Nathaniel's hand found hers beneath the table, squeezing once.
Tina's glow flickered, her edges fraying. "My time grows thin. But I needed you to hear this before I go. Tonight, the Nine must gather. The Hollow will not wait. But know this" Her gaze swept over them all, fierce and steady. "Love is what binds us stronger than shadow. Hold to it, and you will endure.
Then she was gone, leaving only the lavender and the silence.
Deanna fell into a chair, her face pale, her eyes wide with both grief and fire. "She called me daughter. After all this time" She looked to Rebecca, her voice firming. "We have to do what she said. Before nightfall."
Rebecca pressed her hand harder against her belly, feeling the faint flutter within. "Then we'll go. Bianca, Penelope, Gabriel deserve to be born into a circle that holds."
Rebecca leaned against the counter, Nathaniel steadying her with a hand at her waist. Deanna drew a shaking breath, her eyes shining with both fear and determination.
"The babies spoke," she whispered again, as though grounding herself. "They told me their names. And they weren't afraid."
"No," Nathaniel said firmly, his gaze steady. "Because they already know who they are."
Deanna pressed her hands to her face, her shoulders shaking. Rebecca leaned across the table to hold her mothers hands, while Nathaniel remained still at Rebecca's side, his eyes dark with unspoken vows.
"She approves," Rebecca whispered at last, her heart pounding. "She blessed this bond."
Nathaniel bent close, his lips brushing her hairline, his voice low. "Then let no shadow take it from us."
Nathaniel's gaze swept over both women, dark and steady. "Then we begin today. The Nine must gather, or the Hollow will devour us all."
The shrill ring of Nathaniel's phone broke the stillness. He pulled it from his pocket, his gaze flicking briefly to Rebecca before answering.
"Greyson," he said, his tone clipped
The voice on the other end was brisk, strained. "It's happening, Nathaniel. The call was answered. The families are gathering at the estate. The courtyard is filling already."
Nathaniel's shoulders straightened. "How many?"
"More than I expected," Greyson admitted. "Mercer is here. Alden too. The Whitlocks are restless, but they came. Star Berkshire just walked through the gates with her brother Steven. Even Millie brought her loom-bag. They know what this means."
Rebecca's breath caught, her pulse quickening. "They're already there?"
Nathaniel tilted the phone slightly so she could hear Greyson's voice. "Yes. And the Hollow won't wait. You need to be here before sundown. I'm sending the car."
Deanna straightened, her face pale but determined. "Then it's real. All of it."
"More real than you want it to be," Greyson replied. "Stay sharp. And hurry."
The line clicked dead. Nathaniel slid the phone back into his pocket, his expression carved into resolve. "The car is on its way. We leave as soon as it gets here."
Rebecca glanced at Deanna, then back at Nathaniel. "Then tonight, the Circle truly begins."
Nathaniel's hand brushed hers, steady and sure. "And Harry will find us ready."