At this point, Grace's guardian angel is just watching with popcorn. She gripped the robe leading up to a stick that held up a large box, underneath the box was premium rare meat and fresh vegetables. She heard the faint sound of groaning, she looked over my shoulder to see Jared slowly blinked to open his eyes, Lydia standing over him with an ice pack on the side of his head.
"Morning, Jared," Grace said. "How's your head?"
Jared glanced at the contraption and then at her, "What's with the setup?"
"We're going to catch them," Grace explained. "The idea is to draw out the animated objects with something they can't resist. Once they're under the box, we pull the stick, trap them, and then knock them out. Or put them to sleep, as you say."
Lydia nodded. "It's the old box-and-stick trap, but with a magical twist. We use Eternabond on the box's end."
"Right and Eternabond are different from regular glue or..?"
"Oh yeah," Jared stretched his arms, his claws sticking out. "My brother and I were stuck to the pavement for weeks."
"Yikes, well then-" Grace handed Jared the bat. "-just watch the magic happen. Or, well, stop happening."
The trap was set, and they took their positions, holding their breath as the aroma of the food began to waft into the air. The clatter and commotion in the kitchen subsided as the enchanted utensils took notice, lured by the scent.
"One… Two… Three…" Lydia counted under her breath as spoons, forks, and a whisk with a will of its own hovered cautiously towards the box.
"Now!" Grace yanked the robe, pulling the stick away, and the box came crashing down, trapping a horde of curious culinary instruments.
Jared leaped up, swinging his bat with precision at a rogue ladle that escaped the trap, sending it to the ground with a resounding thunk. They worked in tandem, bats swinging and thuds echoing, until the last animated object lay still on the tile floor.
Lydia clapped her hands, her tattoos almost gleaming with her movements. "Great! Looks like your plan worked, thank you, Grace!"
Grace scratched the back of her neck, her heart warmed at the praise. "It's no problem, Lydia. I'm glad I could help."
Jared chuckled. "Well then, Grace, you've definitely got a knack for this—ever thought about a career in magical pest control?"
"I'll add it to my resume," Grace replied, tossing the bat onto the counter top. As Lydia began organizing the subdued utensils, Grace helped her sort them back into their proper places. It was then Lydia's curiosity got the better of her.
"So Grace," She started, "can I ask, how did someone like you end up meeting a guy like Carter? He's not exactly the kind you meet at a coffee shop much less take someone in as a guest."
"Oh er.." So Carter hasn't told her what happened then, "..let's just say I'm going to stay here indefinitely, we kind of a deal going on," Grace glanced away from Lydia's gaze. Then a piercing headache shot her.
"Yₒᵤ ₕₐᵥₑ ₜₒ ᵦₑ ₐᵦₗₑ ₜₒ ₕₑₗₚ ᵧₒᵤᵣₛₑₗ𝒻!"
Grace stopped mid-sentence, dropping the ladle with a clang.
"Grace? You alright?" Lydia's voice pulled her grounded a little, her hand waving in front of Grace's face.
Grace blinked vigorously, "Y-Yeah I'm sorry..I…" She massaged her temples, trying to shake off the sharp echo ringing in her mind.
In the corner of her eye, Grace spotted Carter entering the kitchen, his eyebrow raised. "I see the culinary arts have taken a turn for the combative," he quipped, the corner of his mouth twitching with a suppressed smile. "I had no idea my kitchen staff was so… animated."
Before anyone could respond, a sharp glint caught their eyes. A chef's knife, previously unnoticed among the subdued kitchenware, began to vibrate with a life of its own. Its handle rattled against the hard tile, and then, like an arrow loose from a bow, it shot toward Carter with deadly precision.
Time seemed to slow as Grace's instincts took over. She thrust her hand out, fingers splayed, and from her fingertips burst forth a shimmering azure light. The light expanded rapidly into a translucent elliptical barrier, its surface rippling like disturbed water as it solidified between Carter and the airborne knife.
The knife struck the barrier with a dulled thunk, its momentum abruptly halted. It clattered harmlessly to the floor, spinning lazily across the tiles as the azure barrier shimmered and pulsed with ethereal energy.
A flood of fragmented memories washed over Grace's mind…
A young Grace, squirming restlessly at a simple wooden desk as the stern voice of an older woman lectured on. The woman's words washed over her in a droning monotone as she expounded on the intricate concepts of bio-energetics.
"All living organisms are composed of a complex biochemical network," the woman stated firmly. "Within each cell lies potent energy in the form of ATP molecules, the very fuel that powers life itself."
"Why do I have to learn this boring bio-energetics stuff?" young Grace had whined, slumped in her chair. "Can't I just go back to reading my book?"
The stern-faced woman tutoring her frowned. "You mean those silly fairy tale books full of make-believe? It's time you learn something useful, young lady."
"But—"
"Grace." The woman cut her off sharply. "Please, I need you to pay attention to this. Try for me, honey. Please?"But Grace is trying, she may not understand or even be slightly interested in this stuff but the woman does and she can't help but want to make her happy so desperately. So no matter how tired, no matter how weary, or how much she's terrified to make one mistake and look like an idiot. She kept her mouth shut and nodded."Okay, mom."
The memory faded, and Grace found herself back in the kitchen. Carter and the others were gaping at the shimmering azure barrier now fading from view.
"Well, it would seem your awakening holds surprises," Carter murmured, studying Grace with a hunger burning in his eyes…
"I..I don't..what fuck was that?" "You..You're one of those transmigrated people." Lydia realized as Grace's eyes widened. "How did you—""All those people have some kind of unique ability, far from any regular Ethyrians."Grace processed this information and soon glared at Carter, "And you knew." She snared, "You know, and funny enough, you didn't think to tell me?" The man simply shrugged slightly, "I didn't you awakened your ability so soon, most of your kind take about a month or years.""Well, how do I do that again?" She demanded hastily, she stepped closer to him, "Tell me, please. If I could do that again I could—" She refused to go further, she didn't need to tell this man anything but if she could.. awaken her ability or whatever, she could…
She could remember her family.
"Please Carter." She finished.
The man merely hummed as if this sick bastard was amused, spoiler alert he was and he pulled out a small microscope from his lab coat and inspected her like she was an insect, "Well Miss Grace, I, for one, do not know, I don't know the full capacity nor the full content of your ability however if you allow me to do a few tests we could figure it as well as a full variety of books from my library."
Grace smiled and nodded immediately, "Perfect, then we can—""However," He placed his microscope back in his coat, "I need you to do something for me first. See there's this artifact, one with immense magical properties hidden deep in the forest of Tír na nÓg.""Yeah, and I care why?" She crossed her arms.The man chuckled, "Oh I suspect you would care very deeply because you are going to help me track it down before any of the tests or any access to the library will be granted."Her mouth opened slightly, "Excuse me, that's..that's not-""This is my estate, Grace. And the fact you dared to go and threaten me over my own roof is insulting at best."Her eyes narrowed, "You need me." "You need me too." He countered, "Like or not, we both need each other, I realized. I need your unique position and you need my resources and my protection. So either we help each other out or none of us get what we need."
His words hung heavy between us. That condescending face makes her regret she ever stopped that knife from slitting his throat. She gritted her teeth
"Fine," I conceded, my voice barely above a whisper, "But I need you to swear to me that you will help me in my pursuit. Or I won't be inclined to stop another attack for you."
Carter nodded, seemingly satisfied. "As long as our goals align, Grace, that's all that matters. James has finished preparing the carriage, it's off we go." He gestured his hand for her to follow, "To the Heart of Tír na nÓg,"