26. A Magical Homecoming

Chapter 26

A Magical Homecoming

G alahad flew up the stone stairs as fast as he could. Around and around, they went. A dizzying display of unending and unrelenting steps. They could have flown straight up, but the climb was too steep. They would nearly be vertical and run the risk of falling off. Hugo doubted there would be enough room for Galahad to rescue them before slamming into the ground below. So up the stairs at a dizzying display they went.

"How much further?" Hugo asked.

"I don't see the light yet. It was a long way down."

Hugo focused his mind elsewhere. He thought of Max and her rambunctiousness. No doubt she would jump all over him, showering him in endless kisses. Or she would jump and tackle him to the ground to roll all over him. He missed his dog, his friend, his good buddy.

His thoughts drifted to the Raskins. How much they must have hurt, suffering with grief like he had when Elizabeth died. He cut off communication with them once he became a vampire. He couldn't tell them about his condition. How his life would change. He couldn't imagine how they took the news. How devastated they would have been to lose yet another close friend so young. No. Not a friend. A family member. After all, to Hugo, they were his family.

He pressed his tongue against his incisors. They were still there—the sharp, pointy teeth used to drink blood. His cravings had returned. All the bodily urges of being a vampire had disappeared while he was dead. The bloodlust cravings. The heightened surge of emotions. However, they might have been useful. A frenzying vampire could have taken out the banshee's entire army on bloodlust alone.

"The teeth are still there," Hugo said.

"So you're still a vampire?" Alice asked.

"Yep. Nothing but fun filled nights from here on out."

"After all of this, I could use a weekend of nothing but fun filled nights."

Hugo laughed. "Funny, I told your reflection the same thing."

"How did you communicate with her?"

"The house looked like ours, but it was slightly off. Small details. Like your wine cellar wasn't there and things were out of place. I hid in our bathroom a couple of times, and I heard her through the mirror on my side. I was talking to her up until Thaddeus found me and smashed the mirror."

"She'll be glad to see you."

Hugo thought of Alice's reflection. How he made a promise to her. He would get his reflection back for her.

"What about her? I'm still a vampire. My reflection won't return."

Alice was silent. "We'll figure it out next."

"Damn right we will. No one gets left behind," Hugo said.

"No one."

They circled and circled up the steps. A light appeared in the darkness.

"Up there. I can see the light from the hole," Alice said.

High above them was the brilliant, bright light of their escape from the underworld. The light leading to home. The closer and closer they came to the light, the clearer it became. A sunny light. A daytime light.

"Alice, where did you say the hole was?"

"In a clearing of trees in the Oaken King's realm."

"Who's the Oaken King?"

"The fairy king of eternal sum—" Alice paused. "Oh, no. No. No. No. You're still a?—"

"A vampire," Hugo finished. "Alice, I'm still a vampire, and we're heading right for the sun. What do we do?"

"We can't stay here. The Oaken King is only going to hold it open for so long."

Hugo's breathing quickened as the source of the light grew bigger and brighter. He had escaped the land of lost souls, and he had no intention of returning. His heart pumped and pumped. A surge of energy flowed through him. Sweat trickled down his back. A heat surged through him. He was racing toward an unknown fate.

"I have an idea. As soon as we exit, hit the ground and curl up into a ball. I'll throw my coat over your exposed skin. It's not perfect, but it's something," Alice explained.

"I'll take something over nothing."

The light grew brighter and brighter. They were almost free. Only a few turns left of the staircase.

"Alright. On the count of three, Gally, you dump us to the side. I'll curl into a ball, and then, Alice, you cover me up."

"Got it."

The light grew closer and closer.

"One!"

Freedom was within reach.

"Two!"

The sounds of birds and other wildlife echoed through the last remaining steps.

"Three!"

Galahad zoomed through the opening and banked to the right, spilling Hugo and Alice into the plush grass of the clearing. Hugo curled into a ball, his head tucked under his arms.

"Cover me!" Hugo yelled. "Cover me. Cover me."

Alice rolled and sprung to her feet. She flung off her coat and threw it over Hugo. She jumped on top of him, shielding him from the sun's rays. "Are you okay? Does it burn?" she asked. "Help. He needs to get out of the sun. He's still a vampire. Help!"

Hugo pulled the coat tightly around himself, sealing off the attack of the sun—the evil, cruel sun seeking to boil his blood and destroy him. He dug his face into the soft, plush grass to conceal as much of himself as possible.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," the Oaken King said. "While you are in my kingdom, you shall find solace under my sun, for it shall not burn your friend."

"What?" Alice asked. "He'll be okay?"

"Kiddo, I think you can let him up," Ez said.

Alice rolled off Hugo. She breathed heavily, leaning against Hugo's back. He could sense her blood pumping through her body. He smelled it. He could smell everyone. Hugo never thought he would be so happy to smell blood pumping through people's veins, but he was.

"Hugo, darling, I think you can come out now." Alice sat up and rose to her feet.

A cold, wet nose dug under the black tailcoat. It sniffed and searched for its query. Finding its target, the rest of the playful golden retriever followed. Her whole body shook. A happy whine with numerous kisses greeted Hugo as she sought refuge under the coat.

"Hey, good buddy," Hugo said.

He threw the coat off and rolled over. The sun's warmth greeted him on his second chance at life—a far cry from the cold breeze whipping around in the land of the lost souls. The ground was like a pillow, soft and forming. It cradled him and soothed him. He could sleep on the ground for a long, long time.

The impish golden retriever threw her whole body on top of his chest. She wormed her head as close to his as possible, pressing harder and harder. Her tail thumped off the ground. Her front paws outstretched, pushing against the ground to move closer to Hugo. He caught a glimpse of her brown puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, I missed you," Hugo said. "I missed you too."

Ez stood over Hugo with a smile on her face. Her blue eyeshadow-covered eyes beamed down at him. "I want you to tell me everything about the land of dead. Every detail about who was in charge. How you escaped. Understood?"

Hugo stared right back at her. "Yes, ma'am. Maybe I could catch my breath for a moment."

Ez laughed. "Of course. In due time. Welcome back to the land of the living."

"Good to be back." He shifted to the side. "You've got to let me up, Max. Come on. Watch out."

The golden retriever popped to her feet, excited at the prospects of going home or for a walk or throwing the ball. Maybe all three.

Galahad swooped in and greeted his best friend. The golden retriever and broomstick were reunited once again. Galahad tapped the pup on the back, scratching down her back. Max barked thanks in return. They both spun around in circles in excitement.

Guinevere floated over to introduce herself to the other broomstick. Max bounced up and down, tapping her feet on the ground. Galahad and Guinevere met face to face. The bent, charging horse like head of his hickory stick to the straight, ash broom handle of Guinevere. Galahad backed away, as if he were taking off, and stopped. He repeated the process a few times until he took off, and Guinevere followed. They spun around the clearing, chasing each other. Max barked and joined in the chase. The woodland sprites and fairies giggled from the tree line.

Alice and Hugo chuckled and then glanced at each other. "Kids," they said in unison.

Alice reached out her hand and helped Hugo to his feet.

Hugo's eyes found the Raskins. Carol held her fist in front of her mouth, her other hand closer to her stomach. Her eyes watered. Oliver draped his arm around her shoulder, holding her close. A big smile was on his face, and tears were in his eyes. Hugo smiled and held back tears.

"Umm . . ." Hugo began. "I suppose I owe you two an apology. I should have told you. It shouldn't have been Alice's burden."

Hugo scratched his shoulder, glancing down at the soft grass beneath his shoes. After a moment, he raised his head to meet them once more.

He said, "We should have done this together. As a family."

"Can I see them?" Oliver asked.

Hugo lifted his head back in shock at the statement. "See what?"

"I want to see the teeth," Oliver said.

"Oliver!" Carol said as she rushed toward Hugo. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly, nearly forcing the air out of his lungs.

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Hugo said.

After a moment, Carol pulled back. She took her index finger and shoved it into Hugo's chest, the spot where the stake had poked through. It was still soft and tender, even though it was fully healed. She hit him a few times.

"Don't you ever do something stupid like getting yourself turned into a vampire again. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," Hugo said.

She continued, "And don't you ever keep it a secret from me."

Hugo rubbed his chest. "I won't. Trust me."

Oliver moved in and gave Hugo a hug. "Good to have you back." Oliver gave him a few pats on the back and then took a few steps back.

Hugo opened his mouth and elongated his vampire fangs.

Oliver whistled. "You know, we could make some money off those teeth. We could move some wine with a vampire as a spokesman. The Neighborhood Vampire of Newbury Grove. Think of the potential. Think of the potential ."

"I appreciate the offer, Oliver, but I think Newbury Grove has had enough wine from a vampire for a while."

Hugo turned to Alice. "What happened with the Savinos? Come to think of it, how long have I been gone?"

"Too long," Carol said.

"Your fiancée here kicked the crap out of the vampires," Oliver added.

Hugo held his gaze with Alice's emerald green eyes. "Oh, yeah? Did you wipe the floor with them? I bet you looked sexy as hell doing it." He winked at her.

Alice bit her lower lip and batted her eyes. She approached Hugo with a sultry walk, one foot in front of the other and hips swaying with every step. She pulled her purple hair back behind her ears. Alice leaned in and whispered into Hugo's ear, "Maybe I'll show you my moves later."

Hugo grinned at her. "I look forward to it."

She returned the wink.

"She's your fiancée?" the Oaken King asked. "Excellent, we shall have a wedding."

He snapped his fingers and gave a whistle. The brightly colored woodland sprites and fairies emerged from the tree line. They were shades of green and yellow, allowing them to blend in with their surroundings. They poured out from the tree line, more numerous than Hugo originally assumed.

Galahad and Guinevere stopped their game of chase to observe the sprites and fairies scurrying about. Max barked at the added commotion. They fluttered and flew about the area above. They spoke in gibberish and excitement.

"Fairies of the woods, listen to me," the Oaken King commanded, his arms raised in the sky. "Go forth and send word. We shall have a wedding between this witch and this vampire. Now go. Tell the palace to prepare."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I just got back, and there are a lot more preparations that need to occur," Hugo said.

"Right, for example, I don't have a dress. I don't have invitations sent out. I—I want my friends and my parents to be here. I haven't seen them since I went into hiding. I don't want them to miss it," Alice added. She turned to Hugo. "What about you?"

"The Raskins are family to me," Hugo said, smiling at Oliver and Carol.

The Raskins held each other close together.

"They're all I need there." Hugo turned to face the Oaken King. "We appreciate the offer, but this isn't exactly what?—"

"We had in mind," Alice finished.

"Nonsense," the Oaken King said. He clapped his hands, and the woodland fairies and sprites dissipated. "I insist. We have the finest tailors who will build you the most beautiful dress you've ever seen. We have the finest food and wines . . ."

"Debatable," Hugo said.

All eyes focused on him.

He pointed to Alice. "Did you really expect me to say hers isn't the best?"

Alice smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, dear."

Alice and Hugo gazed into each other's eyes. They shrugged and smiled before nodding. Not a word needed to be spoken. They both knew. They were going to get married here.

"Oaken King, your highness, I have one request. Can it be a night wedding under the moon?" Alice said.

The Oaken King clapped his hands, and the bright sunny sky changed to a beautiful night with a glowing full moon. Stars dotted the sky and twinkled with a brilliance not seen before by human eyes. Shadows of blue and red and yellow and orange flickered in the bright white light of the stars.

"You may use these trees to travel and gather your wedding party. The wedding shall commence in one night hence," the Oaken King said.

He turned and meandered back to his palace, zigzagging in the fields. He stopped to observe the occasional plant bathed in the light of the full moon.

"Looks like we're getting married," Hugo said.

"I'll have my people start working on this right away," Ez said.

"I always wanted a wedding at Christmas time," Alice said. "I imagined more . . . snow."

Hugo turned to Alice. "It's Christmas time? So, I haven't missed it?"

"Christmas is a week away," Alice said as she winked at him. "At least, it was when we entered here. This place is a little strange. I mean, it should still be a week away. Time moves differently here."

Hugo chuckled. "Talk about a Christmas miracle. I haven't missed it."