by Abby James
My hands found his buckle. Goddamn. It had a lot of fiddly bits. When his hands came down around mine and gently pushed them away, I cried out. No, no, no, you can’t do this?
“What the fuck?” It was a woman’s voice.
I opened my eyes. “Holy shit.” I lurched away.
“You’re back,” Emrol said. “And very glad to see me.”
25
Juliet crouched next to me. “We lost you.”
“And it seems you were having a much better time of it than us,” Honus said, chuckling to himself.
I glanced around to find myself sitting at the base of a large tree in the Darkwells forest.
“What happened?” Juliet asked. “We all ended up at the base of the temple except you.”
I grasped my chest, then took a big lungful of air to find there was no pain and my lungs worked fine. “I’m—” I had to get my head around this.
“I thought something had happened,” Emrol said, sitting back on his heels. “We were supposed to end up together. I joined you all in the one glamor so we could move together as a team. Somehow you ended up in your own separate creation.” His eyes drilled into me. “That’s never happened before.”
“Weird,” was all I could say.
“Turns out we didn’t need you,” Mila said as she held out her hand. Balancing on her palm was an old fashioned looking key. “We retrieved this while you were lost in your private porn.”
The heat raced up my neck and flooded my cheeks within seconds. Jesus, how much of that kiss I had given Emrol.
“We found another map as well,” Juliet said, still including me in the task.
The sudden sound of a twig snapping, and we jerked around to see Dean McGilus coming through the trees.
“Dean McGilus,” Juliet gasped, getting to her feet.
“Very good, Silver Birch. You’ve all done extremely well to get this far and to still be together.”
He smiled at each of us. “You still have some steps to go before this task is complete, and I am sorry to say Miss Wright will not be participating in the tournament going forward.”
“Oh that’s all right, Dean McGilus. We can cope without her,” Mila smiled, using that saccharine sweet voice.
Everyone else stared at me, then at McGilus in total confusion.
“Come along, Miss Wright. We do not want to detain Sliver Birch any longer.”
I scrambled to my feet, casting a look at my team. “Good luck, guys,” I said as I scuttled after McGilus, as keen to get out of the tournament as I was keen to talk about what had happened. No doubt that is why he was here.
I came along side him. “I thought you were overseas.”
“I’m not long back. And it seems I returned just in time.”
“How did you know?”
“The moderators felt an outside disturbance, but they were blocked from probing further. It was a good thing Luca had the foresight to mark you.”
“Mark me?”
McGilus waved his hand as if to dismiss my question. “It’s a vampire thing. Turns out the tag didn’t work on you. I should’ve suspected, but I was too preoccupied with other matters and it slipped my attention. I am sorry, Miss Wright, I feel I am to blame. I should’ve kept you out of the tournament.”
“That’s all right. It was a good experience.” That was a partial lie. Mila I could have done without, but I liked making friends with the others. I wasn’t sure I’d ever had that many friends before.
We exited the forest a distance away from the tents, which had been erected for the tournament. McGilus kept a fast pace across the lawn, and I was forced to jog sometimes to keep up.
“I don’t understand how Scullion managed to get inside the glamor.”
“Sorcery, Miss Wright, powerful sorcery. And dangerous too. He could’ve trapped himself in there or easily killed you by overloading your brain.”
He puffed under his own pace. “I’m aware Luca did the same.”
“He had no choice. I’m glad he appeared or I would still be stuck with Scullion.”
“Yes.” He exhaled. “I blame myself for all this.”
We’d reached the castle and Nathan ushered me through one of the giant doors. I looked up as I passed through to see an ugly gargoyle peering down at me.
For an older man, Nathan set a pace, weaving through the labyrinth of corridors until I was lost. I felt I was spinning in circles, but soon enough he was holding the door to his office open and waving me inside.
“Now, Miss Wright,” he said as he made his way to his desk. “You must tell me everything.”
He kept his back to me and busied himself with a mahogany cabinet behind him. I slid down on the seat I’d occupied numerous times before and waited for him to turn around, intrigued by what he was doing until I heard ice cubes hitting the bottom of glass, then the glug sound of liquid being poured.
McGilus turned back, two glasses in his hand. He leaned over his table and placed one down on some of the paperwork, which was scattered in front of me.
“A little something to soothe the nerves.”
I sniffed it.
“Whiskey. I wouldn’t normally share any with the students, but these are extenuating circumstances.” He knocked his shot back in one gulp, then looked inside the glass. “That barely touched the sides.”
He slid the glass onto the desk, then removed his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I’m still on Scandinavian time so you must excuse me.”
I took a tentative sip. Even with such a small sip I felt the gentle burn on my tongue. I returned the glass to the table.
“Emrol placed you all in glamor?” He leveled his stare on me.
“We were meant to end up at the base of the temple. But I ended up inside. At first I thought it was because of my ability, and that I had moved farther into the glamor than Emrol had intended. Then Scullion turned up with three of his men. He was going to keep me locked within my mind until he trained me to be his puppet. But I don’t understand how he knew we would be placed in the glamor.”
McGilus nodded his head as if I was still giving him answers and had not posed a question.
“Disturbing,” he said after a decent amount of silence.
“When I first arrived, Bailey suspected Scullion had an informant within Darkwells.”
McGilus sighed then rose to pour himself another drink. He sat down again with an even heavier sigh. “It is something we have long suspected ourselves. Unfortunately it is not something so easily proved. The circumstances are suspicious.”
My bet the culprit was on faculty, but McGilus did not seem willing to discuss the possibilities with me.
“He was a brilliant student, which makes his betrayal harder to accept.”
“He said someone else was also after me. It’s the only reason he knew about me.”
“Luca has told me such. As of yet we are blind to his identity. How did you and Luca break free?”
Oh Christ. I couldn’t tell him everything. “Luca used my ability to enhance his own.”
McGilus pressed his lips firm and shook his head.
“He had no choice. He was worried about me.”
“It was a dangerous move. You are not yet ready to feed from such power.”
“We found that out soon enough.”
He frowned, “meaning.”
“It was a little rough, but Emrol worked out something was wrong in time to bring me out of the glamor.”
“I want you to visit medic. Best to have a thorough once over.”
“I feel fine now I’m out of the glamor.”
“There can be residue effects. Glamor is a very powerful magic. Some have developed afflictions as a result. A medic will clear you of any potential problems.”
I shrugged, not about to argue as I had no strong feelings either way.
“Good. The tournament has another few hours to run for today. I suggest you head back to Nylph once you have finished with the medic and rest awhile before ev
eryone else comes back. There will be no peace after that.”
“And I won’t be joining in again?”
He sniffed a small laugh. “To be young again. All that energy. I don’t think it is wise, Miss Wright. Not until you are better trained. I suggest this time you attend your classes.” He leveled his eyes at me.
Oops. So all the teachers had recorded my absences.
I rose to leave.
“Oh, you might like to know that I have been in contact with Nathan.”
“You have?”
McGilus leaned down and opened a draw on the left side of his desk. He produced a leather book and came around the desk.
“This arrived for you. A gift from Nathan.”
The leather bound book was the size of a standard paperback, but thick. The pages inside were crinkled with age.
“May it bring you some joy, Miss Wright,” McGilus said as he turned back to his desk.
I left with the book tucked under my arm. I stopped in the hall and looked down at the blank leather cover. A sneak look inside and I discovered it wasn’t a book but a journal. Bold, fancy scroll spread across the front page.
Dear Gloria
A chest for the secrets of your heart
Love D
Mum’s journal.
I fanned the pages eager to read the secrets of mum’s heart, but not here in the corridor outside McGilus’s office.
I arched my head back, facing into the sun, eyes closed. After awhile the heat burned my eyelids. But I savored it all the same.
I had dutifully arrived at medic as McGilus requested. Once the healers gave me the all clear, I had headed back to Nylph and taken a shower. All the while the journal had burned a hole in my mind. I itched to dive in, but held off, deliberately creating the anticipation. It was my chance to finally be close to my mother, to learn who she was beyond the anecdotes from strangers whom knew more about her than her own daughter.
I was at the rotunda now, on a moss covered bench, the journal closed beside me. I looked down at it, full as it was with all the words mum had spilled onto the page, a free fall of her emotions. From the messy scroll on the thin pages my mother had come to life in my mind. I had yet to read it all, but at the moment I could not go on.
I stared ahead at the castle. In the distance, I could see the tents. No teams had returned from their tasks so far. When the trumpets sounded I would make my way over, keen to congratulate Amy and Lorna for making it through the first trial, but also keen to see my own team and hear how they went.
I closed my eyes, feeling the disorientation of shocking truths revealed.
“Hello.”
I jumped, eyes opening to see Luca standing before me. My heart spasmed into a wild beat, which he no doubt heard.
“Hi.”
“Can I sit down?”
I scooped the journal up and placed it to the other side of me and patted the bench.
The moment he sat his scent wafted over me like a caressing hand, all those luscious spices with deep masculine undertones.
“Are you feeling all right?”
“Medic gave me the all clear. No residual effects. But I felt fine the moment I came out of the glamor.”
Luca nodded and looked at the ground. I’d never seen him like this. Awkward and unsure. Not being someone that led conversations or made loads of friends, I looked at the ground as well.
Humor was the best relaxant. “Emrol got quite a shock when he brought me out of the glamor.”
Luca looked sideways at me, one eyebrow quirked.
“You were replaced by him. And if you remember what happened between us at the end…you can imagine the rest I’m sure.”
Luca ducked his head and smiled. “I’ll knock his block off if he tries to repeat the experience.”
Hmm…jealousy, I liked that. No guy had ever been jealous over me before.
“McGilus says I need more training before you share your ability with me again.”
Luca jerked up straight. “There won’t be another time.”
“Don’t feel bad. You had to do it. We would likely still be stuck there if you had not made the choice.”
“It was dangerous.”
“And Scullion entering my mind was dangerous too.”
Luca narrowed his eyes at me.
“McGilus gave me an abbreviated version of all that could’ve happened today. Honestly, if you’re feeling guilty about everything, get over it. I’m grateful for what you did. I’m not going to be some asshole’s puppet.”
When Luca smiled again I discovered he had a dimple in his left cheek. I longed to brush a finger over it, but would have to contained myself until such time as we were more familiar with each other, like maybe dating. Yep, that’s where I wanted to go with this guy.
“McGilus asked me to teach you the elementals of sorcery. In secret of course.”
“He did.” Did that sound too eager?
“I told him no.”
“What?”
“I’m not the right person.”
“Bullshit, of course you are. Who better than the person who actually knows what’s going on. And who happens to be one of the most powerful sorcerers in Darkwells.” I think. Laya said flattery always worked on guys.
“You don’t know much about sorcerers if you think I’m one of the best.”
I snorted. “Enough with the modesty. How else will I learn if I’m only supposed to sit up the back and listen? I’ll be asleep more times than listening.”
Luca rubbed the stubble showing through on his jaw. I wanted to rubble the stubble on his jaw, but that would have to wait until we were dating.
“It’s just—”
“Okay, good. That’s settled. Will that be held in your house or in the dungeons? Out of hours I assume.”
Luca’s expression was deadpan. “You’re stubborn.”
I made a small sound of agreement.
“Samara—”
“I have something to show you.” He was trying to weasel out of it. The way he kissed me only hours ago, I knew it wasn’t because he couldn’t stand to be with me. The exact opposite. I think he wanted to be with me too much and didn’t trust himself.
I slid the journal onto my lap.
“What is that?”
“My mum’s journal. Nathan has had it all this time. He couldn’t give it to me before because I had no idea about the truth. McGilus just gave it to me just now.”
“You’re lucky. It must be very special to you.”
“Revelatory is a more accurate word.”
He frowned.
Was I really going to do this? The girl who kept everything to herself. Maybe it was time to leave that girl behind. I wanted to leave her behind. Mostly I didn’t want to be alone with my secrets anymore.
“My parents died when I was five. I don’t feel anything toward them. It’s like they never existed. Until now.”
I ran my hands over the cover of the journal. I looked at Luca.
“I thought it was really strange when Scullion said to me he knew my dad. He mentioned it in the present tense rather than the past tense, which is normally how you would speak about someone who has been dead fifteen years.”
“You think your dad is alive?”
“Yes. I’m sure he is.”
“But the bodies were recovered.”
“Miles Wright’s bodies was recovered alongside mum’s, but Miles Wright was not my biological father.”
“Oh,” was all Luca said.
“Mum had an affair.”
“And she was sure you were a result of that affair?”
“They were stuck in a rough patch, so apparently they’d not slept with each other for awhile. Then when she found out she was pregnant she went back to dad. Miles had a few suspicious about whether I was his but he accepted me.”
“She must’ve loved your father enough to want to stay with him.”
“I get the impression he was the lesser of two evils. She was protecting me.�
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Luca humphed, then folded his arms across his chest. “Who is your father?”
“McManus Hargreaves. They met at the academy. I saw some pictures of him in the academy albums.”
“I’ve heard of him.”
“They were good friends at the academy, but it’s not until they graduated does she start to refer to him romantically. She turned to him when her relationship with Miles got rocky. They fought a lot. It sounds like Miles was an exciting man, dynamite, charismatic, but really hard to live with, short fuse, temperamental, basic fire elemental I guess.”
“What about McManus? What is he?”
“He’s a sorcerer. She mentioned he wasn’t a particularly good sorcerer while at Darkwells. Wasn’t much into his lessons. But when he left certain things in his life made him focused. She doesn’t really go into them, not sure if she knew all of it, but he spent a great deal of time perfecting his ability. He became obsessed with being a great sorcerer. She stayed with dad mostly because they were married but also because Hargreaves became manic and unstable, according to her diary.”
“And no one knows about this?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Nathan had the journal. I’m not sure if he read it or not. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure why he had the journal. McGilus never said.”
“Maybe he was good friends with your parents. Perhaps that’s the reason McGilus gave him the job of looking out for you.”
“I don’t think mum ever told McManus about me. At least she never mentioned it in her journal. I wonder if he knows even now.”
Luca stayed quietly staring at the ground. The frown on his brow told me his thoughts were complicated.
“What are you thinking?”
“Speculation, mostly. I want to find out more about your father.”
“And you think I don’t? I have a living parent. This is incredible.”
Luca sighed.
“What is that for?”
“You shouldn’t get excited about this, Samara. He may not be a nice man.”
“I’ve thought about that. But I’d still like to meet him.”
He wouldn’t look at me, so I nudged him. “What is it?”
“There’s the possibility the supe chasing you, the one everyone is afraid of, is your father. Maybe he suspected all along that you were his daughter.”