by J E Mueller
“I hope your evening goes well,” Mrs. Lawndale said pleasantly as she turned back to the task at hand. “And remember, try to end things on a good note.”
“I’ll do my best,” I assured her as I let myself out.
When I arrived Key was standing outside reading a piece of paper.
“What’s up?” I asked. I was surprised by how serious she looked.
“Nothing I can make sense of,” she replied as she shoved the paper into her cloak pocket.
I raised an eyebrow and waited for more explanation.
With a sigh, she quickly relented. “One of the seers here says the winds of change follow my shadow. Of course, they are out of town and provided no further explanation. Just a message for when I was due to arrive.”
I snickered. I couldn’t help it. “That is a bad one. I don’t even know anyone with shadow magic. It’s unlikely you’re going to encounter magical shadow problems. What else could it mean, though?”
She shrugged, but her eyes widened after a moment. “We’ll worry about it later. Let’s have some dinner.”
“What did you realize?” I asked curiously as she stepped around me to go inside.
“Nothing important.” Key closed off the conversation with a wave.
“Realize what?” Lee asked, peering out of the kitchen.
“Random note,” Key replied shrugging but gave Lee a ‘don’t ask further’ look. “How goes dinner?”
Lee watched her closely but chose not to question further. No doubt they’d go over what she had figured out later. “Done, just waiting for Marc now.”
“He isn’t here yet?” I asked, surprised. I had left before him but I did make a detour.
“Running behind as always, that one,” my mother complained as she came out of the kitchen. “I bet he didn’t go straight to a healer for his arm.”
I nodded. “He was at home when I stopped by.” I wondered why he’d stop at home if he was supposed to be getting it checked out.
“I told you it would have been fine for him to stay here,” Juni said from the kitchen. “Now who knows when he’ll be here?”
“How about now?” Marc replied, joining us in the living room. His arm was looking much better. A thin pink line was all that remained of his injury.
“What took you so long?” Mother asked, annoyed. There seemed to be more at play than just this instance.
“Everyone was busy.” Marc shrugged. “So, I went home, cleaned up the best I could until someone was free.”
Mother looked exasperated at him for a moment, but after seeing his arm was looking much better she eased up. “Fine, fine. Let’s go enjoy some food then. Dinner’s ready now.” She waved us into the kitchen.
After dinner, I helped my mother and aunt with the dishes. I could hear everyone else laughing in the living room. The kitchen was fairly silent. Juni’s small talk kept failing as tension mounted. At least I did hear that Marc recently seemed to be getting more clumsy. He had one mishap after another and he always seemed to be getting detoured on the way to getting things healed. Juni suspected a crush was to blame but Mother didn’t think so. Again the kitchen fell silent for several moments.
“What do you say to brunch tomorrow?” Juni finally asked something that might turn into a real conversation.
“I love the idea,” my mother almost snapped. Her words were harsher than needed. She turned her head slightly to glare at me. “Think you can stick around long enough for that?”
I was surprised by the amount of anger in her voice. “Yes?” It was more of a question than a statement. “I did want to visit.”
“Staying home would fix that. This nonsense is going to get you killed. I never know if I’ll ever see you again!” She threw her hands up in frustration. “I feel that there won’t be a next time. That I won’t see you again.”
“Don’t say that, Mommy…” I replied, heart caught in my throat, but I kept control over my emotions. “I will see you again.”
Juni looked torn for a moment but seemed to decide something. “Tella will see you again.” She nodded firmly. I knew that tone of voice. Her magic said it was true.
My mother sighed, knowing better than to argue against her sister's magic. Juni was never wrong. Still, her anger didn’t seem to subside. Instead, Mother seemed to permanently keep her lips pressed together to avoid more conversation. After another minute she walked out of the room. There wasn’t much left to do, but it still hurt that she was so mad at me. Juni gave me a comforting pat on the back.
“Having kids grow up is hard. She’ll come around,” Juni said soothingly, handing me another dish to dry and put away.
I hoped she was right.
The dishes were done quickly after that, and I joined the others in the living room. Their laughter and stories were captivating, but my smile didn’t reach my eyes. I was tired of these circular conversations. It was a small miracle Juni could end the conversation with such a simple certainty. Why couldn’t Mother just be happy for me? I needed to do this. Every fiber of my being begged that she would understand someday soon.
Chapter 3
I awoke early in the morning. Not a sound could be heard in the entire house as I happily slipped out, leaving only a simple note saying I would return for brunch. The chill outside was sharp, the sun not yet waking most of the sleeping town. Part of me debated dashing to my destination but I decided to walk. The cold air helped to clear my head – not that it was needed for this.
As I walked out of the back part of town and down a small path into the nearby woods, my mind drifted back to all the tension from last night. Leaving so early would probably add to Mother’s anger. She wouldn’t like that I was going here again. I didn’t blame her and even respected that silent wish by sneaking out extra early.
The graveyard was quickly within sights, and I slowed my pace even more. It wasn’t much in the way of a place for the dead, but the town made due. Headstones of varying shapes and sizes were in neat little rows. Flowers were placed directly on some of the grave sites, while the forest was slowly reclaiming the others. My destination was one of those unkempt graves. Moss covered the small, cracked headstone. Weeds and wildflowers alike almost completely hid the grave hidden. I didn’t bother to clean it off when I sat down next to it. It didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve it, and yet… Here I was.
“You’re back,” a familiar voice greeted me.
I didn’t turn around to greet her. “And you are as well.”
“It’s been a while since you’ve stopped by.” Her voice was casual.
“You haven’t aged a bit,” I replied just as casually.
“You haven’t even looked at me.” I could picture her rolling her eyes.
“Does that make it less true, Marella?” I sighed, glancing over as she walked by me.
Marella shrugged and ran her fingers through her dark auburn hair. She was exactly as she had always been. Tall, pale, and deadly.
“Why do you haunt this place but never get vanquished?” It was a curious question – not one you often got to ask a demon.
Marella smiled slyly. “You have to be bad to be vanquished, and I have done nothing wrong.” Her chuckle made me believe otherwise.
I knew little about her. She was a very powerful demon – one of the few that could take a human form while in this realm. I never saw her too close to the town, but sure enough, the second I was here alone she’d appear. It started when I first visited the grave alone when I was about six, a few months after my father passed away. I was angry, and had come to yell at him. While I had succeeded in doing so, Marella appeared.
She wasn’t surprised I was angry, and didn’t fault me for it. Instead, she told me to seek comfort from my family. It was years before I realized she was a demon. Her attitude towards me had never made me think she was anything but a wandering person until I was old enough to question why she was always here.
“What brings you by this time, small child?” she asked me.
/> It was my turn to roll my eyes at her. “I’m hardly a child.”
She clicked her tongue. “Oh, but you are still. I believe you’re at least several hundred years younger than me.”
I blinked at her. “What brings you here?” I asked instead of responding.
“I wanted to visit my favorite friend. It’s not often you stop by anymore,” she replied sweetly. Her tone seemed genuine, but I had little to say in reply.
“Life has been busy.”
“Traveling with the Blessed does that.” Marella smirked.
“I’ve no idea where you get this information.”
“I’m not without my sources.” She grinned. “Now, back to you, dear friend. What are you doing here today?” Marella leisurely walked around me.
“Probably should have you vanquished,” I grumbled.
“I’m too quick and strong for that. Now, stop avoiding the subject.”
“Isn’t it obvious? The same as always,” I replied, motioning to the graveyard. “I’m here to… visit.”
“What good does it do you?” There was genuine curiosity in her voice.
“We get to have these pointless little chats.” I shrugged. That really did sum up what happened every time I visited.
For a moment she said nothing. Then she laughed. “Well then, as long as you look forward to yelling at the stone and arguing with me.”
“I’m not here to yell at the grave,” I replied. I watched her continue her slow walk around me. “He’s long gone. There’re no more answers than there were yesterday, but I don’t think much would be different if he was here.”
“That may or may not be.” She smiled. “I do have the answers you’re looking for.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s what you’ve said before. I don’t care to know your price.” I got up and started walking away.
“Here’s an answer without a price. Your answer starts here.” I stopped and turned to watch her point to my father's grave.
“I believe I narrowed down that much when I was six,” I replied as I started walking away once more.
“But did you turn it into a question you could use?” Marella asked as she chuckled. “Maybe look less for spoken answers, and more for similar tragedies befalling the young.”
I paused. I didn’t like how this sounded. I refused to turn to look at her. “Are you saying that this… magic as it seems to be called, that this gift is only for children who had my same… history?” I struggled to choose my words.
No response came. When I turned to look at her, she was gone. Damned demons. At least the weaker ones were quick to get to the point. They wanted to fight the Blessed. I traveled with the Blessed, so they wanted to fight me. Easy. Done. Marella made no sense. I had no idea what her game was, and despite her tendency to be annoying, she did genuinely seem to be harmless to me. Why would a demon go rogue and choose to be neutral?
With more questions than answers, it was time to leave. I couldn’t help but be curious about her free advice. It was true, I hadn’t been directly looking for someone with a similar situation. It wasn’t a very polite conversation. Did you have a parent go insane and nearly murder you at a young age?
Psh. There was no way I was going to ask something like that.
But Marella had a point. I was looking for someone who was known to see spirits instead of looking for what could be tell-tale signs of someone like me. I’m sure they would have similar reasons for hiding their magic like I had for so long.
I noticed Lydia standing at the edge of the forest. “What are you doing here?”
She nodded back the way I had come. “I figured you would be visiting.”
“That obvious?” I sighed, stopping a few steps in front of her.
“Anytime things get heated with your family,” she agreed, walking up to me. “There’s nothing wrong with a visit, right?” Lydia looped her arm through mine and we walked back toward the village. “How did it go?”
“Marella was there.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were making her up.” Lydia sighed. “I never sense her, and I can sense demons from a pretty fair distance.”
“She is more powerful than your average coal looking creature,” I reminded her.
“Yeah, you’ve said. And I know you know the difference, it’s just weird. Why would she hang out around here, and why has she talked to you and you alone for so long?” Lydia wondered aloud, not for the first time.
“Let me know when you figure that out.” I laughed tiredly. The mystery continued. “Anyway, we don’t know if she talks to others or not. All we know is she’s never actually said anything about a pact to me. Nothing. She didn’t even want to admit to being a demon until she knew I was certain about what she is.”
“She’s a strange one for sure. I wonder why she never visits if I’m with you,” Lydia mused.
“Might have something to do with you being Blessed,” I suggested.
“Maybe.” Lydia considered the idea. “But if she really is so much stronger than most demons, why would it matter? I wouldn’t be able to do anything, right?”
“Maybe she is hiding because if you had more information about her you’d hunt her down?” I asked, throwing the most logical idea out there.
“Actually, yes. That would probably be the best bet.” Lydia nodded. “Even if she has turned a new leaf, there is probably much too long of a list of sins to ignore. She should be taken down. Sure, I’d have to get more than a little help, but it would be worth it.”
“That might be the exact reason to hide.” I considered her side for a moment. “If you saw her, you might be able to recognize her and her past sins. While you alone couldn’t stop her, you could bring reinforcements and track her down. If she’s turned a new leaf, she wouldn’t want you to see her because then she’d have to kill you. That wouldn’t do this new path she’s on any good. Can a demon be redeemed?”
“No,” Lydia replied fiercely. “It takes too much to be that evil, even at a lower level. To be as strong as she is now. She has done unspeakable things. Nothing would right her wrongs.”
I dropped the subject. Lydia’s heated opinion had been formed by a lifetime growing up learning how to track and slay demons. While I couldn’t argue that Marella had to be pretty horrible at one point to have been as strong as she was, I was still interested in her side of the story. It was unlikely I’d ever hear it, though.
Surprisingly, brunch went without incident. My mother decided to ignore the fact I was leaving for an undetermined period of time and said she’d see me soon. She left before much else could be said. Juni gave us a proper farewell.
“Travel safe, girls!” Juni stated cheerfully. “Will you be traveling with the others?”
“Nah, they’re too noisy.” Lydia dismissed the idea.
“Really, now?” Juni raised an eyebrow skeptically.
“I wouldn’t say they are too noisy,” I attempted to explain. “But when we are all together that’s usually the case.”
“I blame them.” Lydia shrugged.
“I think it’s ninety percent you debating with Emmyth.” I rolled my eyes at her.
Juni smiled. “Are you interested in Emmyth? He seems nice.”
Lydia couldn’t help but laugh a bit too loudly. “Oh no, not at all. I’m not interested in men.”
“Oh, okay then.” Juni laughed in surprise. She continued to laugh for a moment before just smiling. “Well, I hope you find someone. Emmyth does seem like quite the debater.”
“Ugh, tell me about it.” Lydia rolled her eyes. “At least he’ll argue both sides. You never know what points he’ll make. It can be fun.”
I had known that about Lydia for several years. However, unless asked, Lydia was never interested in talking about relationships, so it made sense that Juni hadn’t heard.
“What about you, Tells?” Juni asked me curiously.
I shrugged. “I’m not overly interested in any of that right now.”
&nbs
p; I hadn’t considered a relationship at all recently, to be honest. Not that there weren’t some good options on both sides of the spectrum, but I didn’t think most would work out. Randomly having a conversation with a spirit someone else can’t see seemed to set people on edge. A crush would have to accept that part of me before I could ever consider anything else.
Juni, ever supportive, nodded. “You seem happy enough doing what you’re doing. That’s all that matters.”
“You’re the best,” Lydia declared as she waved and started to head out of town.
I smiled at my aunt. “Thank you. I am.”
She smiled and started to wave before she froze. “I almost forgot!” She quickly disappeared inside and returned with a small bag. “For your travels.”
I went to open it, but Juni shook her head. “Go catch up with your friend. I’m sure it’ll serve you well.”
Confused for a moment, I shrugged. “Okay. Thanks, Auntie!” I hugged her and dashed to catch up with Lydia.
Lydia glanced over as I caught up. “What’s that?” She nodded toward the pouch.
“Let’s find out,” I replied as I opened it. My hands slid across several stones and I smiled at Lydia. “I think we may have some luck on our side.”
“Enchantments?” Lydia’s eyes widened.
I pulled one of the stones out and glanced at the rune. It was a simple one – the top looked almost like a pickaxe and the bottom the same in the opposite direction. “I think this one is for defense.”
“So what, you wear it and it adds to your defense?” Lydia questioned as we made our way out the front gates.
“That’s the general idea. It’s supposed to keep you safer and ward away things that intend you harm. But with a twist.” I smiled slyly at her. “Say we were circled by a few too many demons. We could break it and it would provide us with a temporary magical barrier. A few extra minutes to catch our bearings could be the difference between victory and death.”