Paloma nodded getting her bearings. She looked up suddenly. "Stanley!"
"-is fine. We took him home last night and met his Baba." Camila frowned as that encounter still haunted her.
"Baba? Is that a term for 'Grandmother'?" Paloma asked missing her mother's expression.
"Yes, she was... his grandmother. She was also Baba Yaga," Camila fixed her eyes on her daughter and saw the shock and fear there. Good. She was pleased Paloma recognized the danger.
"Stanley is related to Baba Yaga?" Paloma squeaked.
"I believe she... adopted him. For what purpose, I don't know. She mentioned he was somehow involved in a long-term plan that we disturbed." Paloma gasped in fear but Camila raised her hand to calm her daughter. "Stanley convinced her not to hurt us."
Camila watched her daughter's eyes, pale blue since her transformation, begin to glow at the mention of Stanley's rescue. "Don't!" she barked.
Paloma blinked back at her in confusion.
"He's part of something Baba Yaga is cooking up! I don't want you getting involved with him! It's too dangerous!"
"I'm his executive assistant. I work for him." She recalled something important. "He'll need the notes we made yesterday!" Paloma insisted, trying to bypass her mother's intervention without directly confronting her, something she couldn't do.
"No, you work for me. I'm the CEO, remember?" Camila insisted.
"But... I like working with Stanley and we are a great team. He needs me to meet the deadline you set for him. You know how effective I am," Paloma said quickly before her mother's mind was set.
Camila closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She did know how good her daughter's work was. It had made her indispensable to their previous CIO. Even if the bastard had been embezzling from the company with that snake Pfister, something Paloma had suspicions of and brought to her attention.
"Fine. You work with him. That's all! I think it's abundantly clear that you can no longer feed from him. His energy is far too... potent." Camila looked away from her.
Paloma's eyes went wide. "You fed from him too!"
Camila looked sharply back at her daughter but she could not deny the truth. "You were overdosing! I had to confirm if his energy was toxic!"
"And after the first small amount to confirm this you stopped?" Paloma pushed.
Camila's eyes narrowed as she realized her daughter was becoming testy. "Paloma!"
The girl dropped her eyes. "Sorry, mother."
They each took a few deep breaths to calm down.
"Truthfully... it was fortunate Stanley was almost finished when he was pulled away from you. If I'd fed any more I might have passed out as well," Camila said to ease the tension. Paloma smiled as they shared the memory.
"My next concern is the effect it had on you. Your pigmentation has altered dramatically! Your glamor may not be able to cope with this sudden change. How do you feel?"
Paloma closed her eyes with a wide smile and stretched in satisfaction like a cat sleeping in the sun. "Sooooo good!"
"But what about your glamor?" her mother insisted, though she struggled to keep the smile from her lips.
Paloma opened her eyes and pouted. "Fine." Concentrating she felt for the glamor spell bound to her... and discovered it was gone. Actually, a few wisps remained but as she watched the edges slowly faded away. She looked at her mother. "It's gone."
"Gone?" Camila exclaimed.
"Yes, it's- it's dissolving," Paloma said faintly.
Camila frowned. That wasn't supposed to be possible. She'd have to contact the Fae who bonded the spell to Paloma when she was only a baby. These spells grew and evolved with their owners and never, ever failed. A trustworthy glamor was their best and only defence. "I'll arrange to get a new glamor for you. Until then you'll just have to stay inside your home."
Paloma nodded distractedly then yawned widely. Her eyes suddenly felt heavy. "I'm so sleepy."
"It's ok. Rest. Stay inside. Don't answer the door. I will return at lunch," Camila said as she pulled the covers up to her daughter's chin.
Paloma smiled as she felt the familiar gestures from her mother and soon she was asleep.
Camila did return at lunch and Paloma watched her speak to one Fae official after another trying to reach one that would take her seriously. A glamor spell fail? Impossible! Finally, she reached someone senior in the organization that seemed more shocked than dismissive. She arranged to visit that night. She asked that the subject meditate to clear her mind of all worries as to apply a new spell at this stage of one's life required a good amount of mental assistance from the subject. Infants were easily bonded to their glamor spells as their minds were far more malleable.
So here Paloma sat in the dark, focusing on the candle, working on disciplining her mind, preparing for her new glamor spell.
"Child..."
Paloma blinked and looked closer at the flame. There was nothing special to see there.
"Child..."
She looked to the darkness beyond as the voice seemed to be coming from the darkest shadows. A chill ran down her spine.
"Yes?"
"Good child. You like my boy?"
Paloma froze. It was her.
"Yes," she squeaked, afraid to speak anything but the truth.
"What do you see when you see him?" the voice asked.
Paloma heard the emphasis on the repeated word and knew Baba Yaga was aware of her ability. Her mouth went dry but she had to answer. "I see- I saw something special..."
"But you don't know what it is?"
"No. I never do. I just see the potential."
"Good... That's good, child."
Paloma found herself holding her breath. She took a gulp of air.
"Be kind to my boy... Life won't be."
The candle went out and Paloma might have screamed. Just a little. When she found the courage to move she reached out in the darkness to touch the lamp next to the couch and its soft light filled the area around her. The candle's wick had simply drowned.
She rose from the couch and checked the rune by the front door. It wasn't active. She set it and wondered if her mother had forgotten to set it when she left. Perhaps Baba Yaga turned it off herself. Someone as powerful as her was not likely to be stopped by this simple rune.
Paloma took another candle from the drawer and went back to her meditation. Now more than ever she needed to settle her mind... and nerves.
Two hours later she was finally returning to a calm and floating state when she felt the gentle ping of the door rune being deactivated by her mother. She could feel Camila's presence through the rune's magic which gave her some additional peace of mind. She wanted to tell her mother about her afternoon visitor but something warned her to keep silent. A compulsion! Sneaky witch!
She sighed and turned on the light as her mother entered the apartment.
Walking to the windows Camila opened the blinds. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. Calm."
"Perfect. The specialist should be here shortly." The doorbell rang and Camila raised an eyebrow as she smiled. "I'm pretty good!"
Paloma smiled at her mother and rolled her eyes.
Camila went to the door and returned with a slight, grey haired woman, maybe 4' 10", dressed elegantly in a tan raincoat over black slacks and shiny leather shoes. She was leaning slightly on an ebony walking stick. With the merest flick of her fingers the raincoat she'd appeared to be wearing disappeared to be replaced with a black business jacket over a gray silk shirt. Everything about this Fae was hidden behind a glamor. This wasn't too surprising considering her occupation.
"Hello, I'm Investigator Heriahn. I understand there is a claim of a failed glamor." Her voice was light but crisp.
Looking at the wispy aura around the woman Paloma was struck by the feeling of despair. The potential in the woman seemed to be almost gone. She'd never been able to see the auras of the Fae before. Now she wished for that to be the case again. She held her tongue as keeping her secret was far more important. "Yes, my glamor has dissolved," she said. She and her mother had decided Stanley's name and nature would be kept secret if possible.
"Dissolved?" the investigator said with a disbelieving tone.
Paloma shrugged. "Please see for yourself."
The Fae nodded, speaking words softly to itself, and looked closer. Her eyes began to gleam oddly. Then they flew wide. "It is dissolving! Only the barest hint of it remains!"
"Will you build upon the original glamor or will you create an entirely new one?" Camila asked.
Heriahn shook her head slowly. "There is nothing left to anchor to with the original binding. It must be removed first. Let us sit down. We must prepare. Did you meditate and clear your mind?"
"Yes, I'm ready." Paloma said.
"Good." The woman sat on the couch next to her facing her and reached for her hands. Once they were linked she looked into Paloma's eyes. "First we will remove the original binding. It will have a deep connection and it may be painful to remove so please be prepared to remain calm and strong. I will guide you."
Camila took the seat across from the couch and watched nervously.