by G. K. DeRosa
“Don’t worry about it Mom. I’m an eighteen-year-old, demon-fighting college student. I’m pretty sure I can handle defrosting a frozen dinner for me and Aunt Maddie.”
Her mother shook her head and gave her a smile. “I’m so lucky to have raised such a capable girl. Kills demons and so domesticated!” She pulled out a tray of lasagna from the freezer. “Your dad would not be happy if he knew I was raising you on frozen dinners. At least this is homemade.”
Her mom’s mention of her father triggered her memory. “Mom, before you go, I forgot to ask you something.” She turned back toward her. “When dad died, why didn’t we move to Astor?”
Mrs. Wilder walked back into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. “Sit,” she said. Celeste did as she was told and looked up at her mother with expectant eyes. She took a deep breath and began, “You were so young when your dad died, just a scared little ten-year-old. I wanted to do what was best for you. When Dante came to me to discuss the possibility – ”
“Wait! Dante came here to Oak Bluffs?”
“Yes, he did. He was very fond of your father. He insisted that we move immediately to Astor. But I knew that your dad didn’t want this life for you. If we had gone with him then, it would have pretty much set your fate in stone. We wanted to give you a chance at a normal life. Stellan agreed with me, since he knew your father’s wishes as well as I did, and he convinced Dante it was best for us to stay here.”
“But wasn’t that dangerous?”
“Stellan promised to keep an eye on us from afar. He actually left the Council so that he could devote all of his time to us.”
“He never told me that. I always wondered why he had left the Council,” said Celeste. “I can’t believe he did that for us.”
“He did it for you, sweetie,” she said with a squeeze to her shoulder.
A feeling of warmth flowed through Celeste as she thought about Stellan giving up so much for her. He had been watching out for her during the tough years after her father’s death. She had mistakenly assumed she had been abandoned, but he had been there all along.
Just then, two screeching falcons shot through the open window, tearing her away from her comforting thoughts. Before they hit the ground, the house filled with an air of magic, and Roman and Nico appeared before Celeste and her mom in their fully male forms.
“Sorry to barge in like this,” said Roman as he fumbled for words. He hadn’t expected Celeste’s mom to still be at home. “Mrs. Wilder, a pleasure as always.”
“Well, I’m guessing this is pretty important, so no need for the formalities,” she replied.
“We need to talk now,” he said, his eyes intent on Celeste.
“Mom, don’t you have to get to work?” she asked. She hated to worry her.
“I still have ten more minutes. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“No, I can handle it – college student and rebel demon hunter, remember?” she said as she gave her mom a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay,” she replied grudgingly, “and be careful.” She picked up her oversized bag and threw it over her shoulder. She turned back and shot her daughter a final concerned glance before she reluctantly closed the door behind her.
The moment Celeste’s mom was out the door, Roman began. “It’s Alek. He’s the one behind all of this. He hired the Black Devils to attack Astor and steal your ring.” The words tumbled out of his mouth in a frenzy, as if holding them in had been causing him immense discomfort.
“No…” Celeste’s head was reeling. Flashes of the past summer raced through her mind and panic bubbled up inside of her. Fabian and Alek had tormented their lives for months, and they still made frequent appearances in her nightmares. Now Alek was back in real life. She suddenly felt her legs give underneath her. Roman swooped in, his strong arms catching her just before she hit the cold tile floor.
Dazed for only a second, she shook her head and willed herself to stand up. “I’m okay,” she said as Roman helped her back onto her feet. She leaned against the kitchen countertop for support. Two pairs of eyes were boring into hers, and she could feel the excessive concern radiating from them. She wasn’t going to do this; she wasn’t going to break down like a little girl. She was the Guardian after all, and she would fight. She tightened her jaw and looked up at them determinedly. “So what’s the plan?”
“Stellan is talking to the Council as we speak, and Dani is doing some research on Alek and Fabian,” said Nico.
“We need to find out as much as we can about Alek. I had been looking into him myself for a while now, and there are some things that don’t really add up,” said Roman. “If we can figure out what he wants the ring for, we could gain the upper hand.”
“Right,” she said. “I’ll double up on my training and go to the storage to stock up on more weapons.” She had to do something productive to keep herself from curling into the fetal position and hiding in a closet.
“Maybe you should stay with Stellan for awhile,” suggested Roman.
“No, I’m not going to run away and hide from him. Besides, I can’t leave my mom unprotected. I will be fine here. Don’t forget that my aunt’s a guardian too.”
Roman didn’t approve, but he knew better than to argue. “Nico and I will keep watch as an extra measure then.”
Celeste too knew better than to object, so she simply nodded grudgingly. As Nico did a quick sweep of the house and ensured all windows and doors were securely locked, she considered the connection between the attack on Astor and the ring. There was still something missing. “What about your mom’s body? Do you think that has something to do with all of this?”
Roman smirked; he and Celeste were always on the same page. “I think it’s too much of a coincidence for it not to,” he answered.
Dani sat in the library, nose deep in old mystical textbooks. She had found hundreds of them in her database that referenced Fabian or Alek. This was going to take a long time.
Roman stormed in carrying a handful of books in his arms. “There’s nothing. I can’t find anything useful!”
“We just have to keep looking,” said Nico as he trailed behind. “It’s not like we have anything better to do.” Natalie had gone back to school the day before, and devoting himself to research seemed to be the only thing keeping him from full-on depression.
“Has Stellan had any luck in Astor?” asked Roman.
“No, he checked in with me today, but no new leads,” said Dani. “He’s going to stay there for a few more days to see if he can find something from their extensive collection of guardian journals.”
“There has to be something in those,” said Nico hopefully.
“I don’t know. I’m beginning to think we aren’t going to find an answer in any of these books,” replied Roman as he dropped another stack on the table.
“Maybe we just need to try and think like an evil sorcerer,” quipped Nico. “What would I want to do with a power-magnifying ring and the dead body of a witch-vampire?”
“Perhaps we’ve been searching in the wrong place. Maybe we should be looking into the Albsurori coven. After all, that is the common link,” said Roman. “You know little brother, sometimes you are kind of a genius!”
Stellan hurried Celeste through the pristine streets of Astor, eager to find Dalla. If Nico and Roman were correct, Dalla might hold all the answers they needed. They turned the corner onto a quiet tree-lined street, and walked up to the charming two-story home. Stellan stepped forward and knocked on the bright blue door as Celeste ambled up the porch, admiring the colorful flowers lining the banister. Seconds later, Dalla cracked open the door and her face lit up at the sight of Stellan. Her short silver hair shimmered in the sunlight with a lavender hue that matched her lively violet eyes. A silly grin crossed his face as he greeted her with a cordial bow.
“I hope we are not intruding, Dalla.”
“No, of course not. Please come in,” she said as she stood back, holding the
door open for them to enter. She led them into the sunny parlor, then excused herself for a moment to attend to her housekeeping staff.
Celeste looked around in wonder at the quaint house. “So this is how Council members live?” It wasn’t an inordinately large house by any means, but everything was meticulously cared for and maintained, much like Astor itself. The home was filled with antique furnishings and timeless family heirlooms, with turn-of-the-century paintings mounted in elaborate gold frames. And yet with all that grandeur, it still had a wonderfully warm feeling of home to it.
Moments later, Dalla reappeared. A stout housekeeper followed close behind carrying a silver tray with a beautiful bone china tea set and a basket of blueberry scones. “I hope tea is all right?” she asked.
“Yes, thank you,” said Celeste. Her stomach growled at the sight of the fresh pastry.
“Dalla, as I’m sure you’ve heard, we’ve discovered that Alek was behind the attack on Astor,” began Stellan. “But there is also something else, something that I hope you can shed some light on for us.” The details of Celeste’s ring had been kept out of the information given to the Council and all the guardians. Roman and Stellan had argued about sharing the secret with Dalla, but in the end Stellan had won. He trusted her absolutely and had convinced the others that she was the only one they could turn to with this matter.
“I will do anything I can to help,” she responded, taking a dainty sip of her tea.
“Before I tell you, I must ask you to promise to keep this information to yourself. It is of the utmost importance that no one else knows – not even your fellow Council members.”
Dalla’s face twisted uncomfortably. “I don’t want to keep things from them, Stellan. I am new to the Council, and it wouldn’t be right.”
“I am very sorry to put you in this situation,” he replied, clasping her hands tightly, “but you know that I would never ask this of you unless it was absolutely necessary.”
Celeste remained silent during the exchange. It was obvious that he and Dalla had some sort of shared history that he was drawing upon for this favor.
After a few seconds of quiet consideration, Dalla finally responded, “All right, what can I do?”
“We believe the storming of Astor was arranged by Alek as a distraction. During the battle, Celeste’s ring was taken by one of the werewolves,” he explained.
“What ring?” she asked, puzzled.
Stellan recounted the story of Lilliana’s ring, which Roman had unknowingly given to Celeste. When he finished, a queer smile flicked across Dalla’s face.
“The legendary Albsurori ring…” she whispered reverently.
“You know about it?” interjected Celeste.
“Well, I’ve only ever heard stories of it. We thought it was merely a myth as no one had seen it in over a hundred years.”
“It is real, and Alek has it,” said Stellan.
“Is it true about its power?” asked Celeste.
“Yes, I’m afraid it is. And if Alek has it, we could all be in serious danger,” she answered, knitting her brows in consternation.
“That’s precisely why we need you to help us. We thought maybe you would have an idea as to what Alek is after. Not only has he stolen the ring, but we also believe that he has the body of Lilliana Constantin.”
Her small, slanted eyes widened. “I must consult with my coven right away,” she said scrambling to her feet.
“Please remember, you must not tell them about the ring,” warned Stellan.
“Stellan, I do not know that I can help you without my sisters knowing the truth. I will limit who I tell, but I cannot do this alone.”
Stellan exchanged a look with Celeste. “Fine,” he replied, “but please keep it as quiet as possible.”
The silence in the library was deafening. Dani twirled a pencil between her fingers as she flipped through the yellowing pages of another old book on wizardry. Roman and Nico had gone back home for the day, leaving Dani alone to continue the mind-numbing research. As she sat pondering her unbearably boring existence, a sudden wild wind burst through the library scattering papers and books in every direction. Dani looked up, startled, and saw a spiraling blue vortex where the door used to be. Walking out of it was a thin young man, not entirely unattractive, with platinum hair. She jumped out of her seat and backed into a row of bookshelves.
“Calm down, Dani Lynn. I am not here to hurt you, I merely have come to collect something of mine,” came the high-pitched arrogant voice.
“What do you want?” she asked, her voice trembling. “I’ll give you anything, just don’t kill me.”
Alek’s face twisted into a wicked sneer, and he let out a sinister chuckle. “I see loyalty is not a value you hold dear.” He took a few steps closer to her as she wriggled to stay out of his grasp. “I am here for Fabian’s spell book. Perhaps you’ve seen it?”
She nodded her head quickly and pointed to the topmost shelf. “It’s up there. Take it, just please don’t kill me.”
Alek moved another step closer to her, his face just inches from hers. He lifted his cold hand and brushed her cheek. “You are quite beautiful, little vampire. Would you like to be mine?”
“What?” asked Dani Lynn, her terrified voice faltering.
“What is a young vampire like you doing with this sorry lot? You don’t really fit in with a Guardian, a benevolent wizard and a pair of vampires with souls, now do you?”
“They were my friends,” responded Dani, the tremor in her voice subsiding.
“Yes, but that was when you were human. You are a vampire now, a creature of the night. You should be enjoying your new-found freedom, not stuck in a library with these dusty old books,” he said, waving his hand in the air contemptibly.
“Stellan promised to give me the ability to day walk. Soon I’ll be able to do whatever I want.”
“I can give you that and more,” replied Alek with a chilling smile.
Dani furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought. The idea of giving into her true vampire nature was extremely appealing. After all, her life here with Stellan pretty much sucked. All he did was boss her around and Roman practically hated her, so why would she stick around here? “All right, I’ll go with you,” she said determinedly. “As long as you swear to give me the ability to day walk.”
“Of course, my dear,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her. “Now be a good girl and get that book for me, and I’ll show you what it’s like to be a real vampire.”
“How come you’re not at Celeste’s?” asked Nico as he walked into Roman’s room.
“She’s in Astor with Stellan. They were going to talk to the new Council member, Dalla, who is also coincidentally in our mother’s coven.” As much as Stellan had tried to convince Nico of the Albsurori’s innocence in the ring theft, Roman was still skeptical.
“I take it by the sarcastic tone in your voice that you still don’t believe that’s just a coincidence,” Nico replied.
“No, I don’t. But Stellan seems to think that she’s the only way we’ll get answers, so I was outvoted.”
“Why does he trust her so absolutely anyway?” asked Nico, sitting down on the bed.
“They have history,” said Roman with a wink.
“What? Stellan and the new Council member are getting it on?”
“No, idiot, that’s why it’s called history. Don’t you remember what Stellan was like when we first met him?”
“Uh no, I was like, five,” retorted Nico.
“Well I do. He wasn’t always the lone bachelor sorcerer we know and love today.”
“He and Dalla were together? How did you find out?”
“I told you I was doing research on the Albsurori. I wanted to make sure that Stellan didn’t just trust them because of a gut feeling. Then, that made me wonder about him, and why he believed her so unquestioningly.”
“And?”
Roman had unearthed some of the old family albums, and distant memories had begun to
click together. “And then I remembered seeing Stellan with a woman when we were little. It was her, Dalla. According to some old coven books I found,” he said, motioning to the stack on his desk, “they were one powerful couple, and they had been together for quite a while.”
“So Dalla knew our mother?”
“She must have. We know that Stellan and mother were close, so she must have known her at least by association.”
“She must have known that mother had the ring,” supposed Nico.
“Of that I’m not a hundred percent sure. And I couldn’t find any pictures of mother and Dalla together, but there has to be a link there. I’m positive of that.”
“That’s interesting,” murmured Nico. “So what does that mean for us?”
“I’m not entirely sure yet,” said Roman, “but I won’t stop looking until I find out.”
Stellan took one step into the library, and knew that there was something terribly wrong. It looked like a tornado had ripped through the quiet archive. Countless books were scattered across the hardwood floor, and one of the large bookshelves lay on its side in the middle of the room. He searched frantically about the house for Dani, but she was nowhere to be found. Closing the door to the empty basement, a bad feeling began to take seed, and he raced back up the stairs to the library, managing the steps two at a time. Pushing aside the heap of books, he pulled the stepladder to the tall shelf in the corner. He climbed up, all the while holding his breath. He reached up and searched behind the massive book on Magic and the Internet, but he felt nothing.
“No, it can’t be…” he murmured to himself. He began pulling books off the shelf left and right, hoping that Fabian’s spell book had only been misplaced, but deep down he knew it was gone. And he knew exactly who took it.
“So now what do we do?” asked Celeste, as she looked at the tense faces around the apartment. Roman and Nico sat on the edge of the couch while Stellan’s hologram wavered in and out. Celeste could tell how worked up he was by the constant flicker of his image. His thoughts were so scattered that he couldn’t even focus his energy on the projection.