by Moni Boyce
They walked for forever and then Archibald opened a door that stood at the end of the corridor and a blinding light lit up the doorway. Everyone trudged through, but Willow hung back, hesitant.
“There’s no reason to be afraid.” Eli tried to soothe her. He grinned and walked through. She took a deep breath and followed.
Once they entered, she got a glimpse of the robe the old man wore that she couldn’t see in the darkened hallway. It changed color when he moved and depending on the way the light hit it. It had zodiac signs and other symbols decorating the surface.
When she stopped eyeing the garment and looked around her mouth dropped open in shock and she halted in her tracks. They were standing in what resembled a town square, complete with a gazebo in the center. Lush greenery and benches decorated the space. Numerous floating doors that entered to nothing encircled the perimeter.
How can this be inside the house?
People milled about. The dress was a mixture of various robes much like Archibald’s and everyday clothing.
“How is this possible?” Her eyes couldn’t stop darting this way and that.
“The house acts as a portal to our community.” Eli stopped next to her and smiled. It was a look that encompassed nostalgia and the recollection of fond memories. “Depending on how long we’re here, maybe you’ll get a tour and a history lesson.”
“Really?” She couldn’t quell the hopefulness in her voice. The thought of exploring the place made her feel like a kid.
“We’ll see.” He fought the grin that tugged at the corner of his lip.
“C’mon, they aren’t gonna wait all day.” Archibald called out.
In her excitement over seeing her new surroundings she’d forgotten their visit had a purpose.
There was a noticeable shift in Eli’s demeanor when the Elders were mentioned. She didn’t have time to ask about it as they jogged to catch up with the group. Archibald led them to a door that was taller than the others. This must be where the Elders convened. He opened it and ushered them in. She was the last one into the chamber. Inside, the windowless space was lit only by candlelight. A raised dais with a long sturdy wooden table and chairs took up a whole wall. No other furniture decorated the room.
Seated on the platform were thirteen men and women clad in robes. The middle seat was larger and more ornate than the other twelve. A tall, dark-haired man with gray in the temples stood in front of that chair. It was clear he was the authority in the room. He looked at her.
“My name is Silas and I am the Interim Chief Elder. Cora who is the oldest among us, is the current Chief Elder, but illness has her bed-ridden.”
There’s someone older than Archibald?
The woman was sick and here she was making jokes. She still couldn’t help wondering about the woman’s age.
“I’m guessing you already know my name.” She was suspicious of the Council. While she’d gotten to know the motley crew of witches and the werewolf that were tasked with her protection, the Elders were virtual strangers to her. For all she knew, a member of the Council was responsible for Killian locating them. She felt justified in being distrustful.
“We do, Willow.” His piercing eyes never left her face.
Eli stepped forward. “Sorry we couldn’t send word of our arrival, but they attacked us. I’m afraid it’s what we’ve feared... a witch is working with Killian. There’s no other way they could have known our location. I didn’t want to send a message in case someone intercepted it.”
There was some mumbling among the other Elders at his statement. Silas eyes lingered on her for a moment before he redirected his attention onto Eli. He stood taller under Silas’ penetrating gaze. The rest of the group was silent behind him.
“Yes, an update or word of warning is the protocol...”
Willow noticed Eli’s body go rigid and his fists clenched at his sides in response.
“I guess... given the circumstances, we understand.” A tense silence followed before Silas spoke again. “We have much to discuss and you have traveled a long way, why don’t you refresh yourselves and tomorrow we’ll talk.”
Archibald herded them from the room and back into the square, then left. Eli and Phaedra moved away from the group talking in hushed whispers.
“He seems like a barrel of laughs.” Willow murmured to Mathilda in a sarcastic tone.
“Silas is Eli’s father.”
Willow’s eyes darted over to Eli, who was still in a heated discussion with Phaedra. “Oh.”
“He’s my uncle. My dad is his brother.”
Willow blanched, and Mathilda giggled. “It’s okay. I don’t take offense. I know how tough he can be.”
What was life like growing up with a father like that? She wondered as she looked back at Eli.
Five minutes later, Eli and Phaedra approached the group and showed no signs of whatever quarrel they had moments ago.
“Eat, find rooms and rest. We’re not here for a vacation. Tomorrow we resume training: combat, spells... Willow, you and I will work on your Oracle abilities.”
He sounded like he was getting them ready for a big high school football game. The pep talk ended and everyone split off: Phaedra and Max walked away together, and Morgana, Zoriana and Mathilda each went in a different direction. Willow didn’t know what to do. When she looked up and found Eli still standing close by she sighed in relief. “How do I find a room?”
“Come on. I’ll show you.”
She followed beside him, casting furtive glances his way. “So, that’s your father.”
“Yep.” He didn’t look at her. He just kept walking.
It didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it so she dropped that line of conversation and tried to go for funny. “If Archibald isn’t the oldest person here, and he looks like that, what does Cora look like?” She bit her lip and waited for a response.
A grin broke out across his face and he looked at her. “Old.”
They both laughed. The knot in her stomach eased. It was nice when it was easy between them. She hoped being at the coven wouldn’t further complicate things.
Eli took them back through the door Archibald led them through earlier. In the long corridor, she wondered how anyone knew which door led where since they all looked alike.
They walked five doors down. On the right side of the hall he turned a knob. She stepped through after him and found herself in a sitting area decorated in deep blues. The suite contained an 18th century velvet upholstered Chippendale sofa and Queen Anne style furnishings that boasted claw footed legs. In the regal room she felt like royalty.
She followed behind him where he opened a door to a bedroom swathed in beige and white. A huge canopied bed with curtains was the centerpiece. More Queen Anne style furnishings decorated the space.
“The rooms are old-fashioned, but I assure you the mattress is not from the 18th century.” He joked.
She giggled. “Good to know.” She hopped on the bed to test it. “Very comfy.”
Eli cleared his throat. “You can rest if you like or I can show you how to locate the kitchens.”
She yawned and scooted back towards the pillows. “Sleep now, food later.” After stretching, she folded her hands beneath her head on the pillow. She hadn’t realized how exhausted she was until her body touched the bed. As she drifted off, she heard Eli’s voice. “Sweet dreams.”
CHAPTER 16
Eli
After he left a sleeping Willow, he went in search of his father. This homecoming was already off to a great start. He’d called him out on protocol in front of the whole Council of Elders. He tolerated his father’s disdain in private, but he wouldn’t tolerate it in public.
In the field, he had to make the calls that kept everyone safe and sometimes that meant procedure couldn’t always be followed. His father knew that. “Why do you insist on treating me like I haven’t earned the right to be treated as the head of the Protectors?” He stormed into his parents’ suite and slammed the
door.
“Hello, dear.” His mother, Josephine greeted him. “It’s nice to have you home for a while.”
Silas was removing his robe and hanging it on a hook. “Well, if you insist on acting like a petulant child, maybe I’m correct in how I’ve handled things.”
With his hands stuffed deep in his pockets, he paced the floor and glowered at his father. Phaedra tried to convince him to hold off on the confrontation, but he was too stubborn to listen to her. He wondered if she was right.
“Argue later you two... come sit and have dinner. When was the last time you ate?” In the kitchen, Josephine had a pot boiling something on the stove and the oven door opened on its own so a floating casserole dish could slide onto the wire rack. A knife chopped various vegetables on a cutting board. This happened in the kitchen while his mother was seated at the dining room table typing on her laptop. Her glasses perched on the edge of her nose as she stared at the screen.
The sullen demeanor lingered as he pulled out a chair and sat. He hated that every time he was around his father he reverted to adolescence. Back then he was anxious for his father’s approval and acceptance. Now he just wanted him to respect that he was more than capable of handling the duties of leading the Protectors. He opened his mouth to say something.
“Uh-uh. After dinner. No Council or Protector talk until then.” Her eyes never left the computer screen.
Ten minutes later, they were eating the meal prepared using magic.
“I’ve heard the Oracle is quite the looker.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Eli caught his father’s sharp look of disapproval. “Mom, it’s forbidden for...”
She interrupted him. “I think it’s a stupid rule. That commandment should never have been approved in the first place, but what do I know.”
Eli was grateful his mother stopped talking after that. The rest of the meal passed in silence. He waited until he and his father were in the office to resume the conversation he started when he first arrived.
“Why do we go through this every time?” He leaned on the desk as he addressed him.
Silas stood behind it and gave him a condescending staredown. “I will not give you special treatment, because I’m your father.”
“Damn it!” He pounded his fist on the oak surface that sat between them. “I’m not asking for special treatment, just to be treated with respect.” Fury and indignation seeped from his pores as he glowered at his father.
“State the Protector’s Commandments.” The order came out of nowhere.
“What?” Some of his rage dissipated while he wondered about the purpose of his father’s demand. “I know the Commandments.” His tone wasn’t as sure as it was moments ago and it had nothing to do with whether he knew them, but why his father asked.
“Go on then.” His father pinned him with a hard stare and waited.
He recited the Protector’s Commandments. “A Protector shall defend and protect the Oracle at all costs. A Protector shall always have his comrade’s back.” His nostrils flared in agitation and he continued rattling off the commandments. “A Protector, if they be a witch must have hereditary magic. A Protector shall never disclose their true identity to the Oracle. A Protector shall never reveal her lineage to an unknowing Oracle.” He paused.
“The final commandment.”
He gave his father a death stare, and he clenched his fists. “A Protector shall not enter a relationship or fall in love with the Oracle.”
“Why was the last commandment approved?”
Through gritted teeth he huffed out the answer. “Because the Congress of Supernatural Beings agreed no one with supernatural abilities should enter a relationship or procreate with the Oracle. Doing so might cause her to offer her powers in allegiance to the group of her suitor.” He said the words as if he was reading them straight from a textbook or constitution.
“How many of the commandments have you broken?” The contempt in his father’s voice was devoid of subtlety.
Eli said nothing. His father had walked him into a trap from which there was no escape.
“You walk into my house full of anger over me questioning you when your actions give me every reason to remove you from the Protectors.”
Eli sighed. “I explained why we had to go against protocol. I’m not purposefully trying to disobey orders or the commandments.” He hated that he had this childish need to justify himself to his father.
Why do I even bother?
Agonizing seconds ticked by as he stared into his father’s eyes and wondered why he kept going back and forth with him. They’d continued this struggle for years and nothing had ever changed. The fight left him. He was done. Without a word, he walked out of the room.
HE’D FIND PHAEDRA AND see if she wanted to drink with him. When he knocked on her door, she took awhile to answer. He almost gave up. The door opened a crack and she growled at him, “What do you want?”
He pushed past her into the room, oblivious. “I found some of that apple brandy you like so much in Archie’s stash. The one where Lavinia grows the apple in the bottle so it makes the best stuff. Thought we could get shit-faced together.” When he turned to face her, he saw she only wore a kimono, which she now belted to cover her nakedness.
“Oh.” He deflated.
Max called out. “Did you get rid of him?”
She gave Eli a displeased look and walked to the bedroom. “Give us a minute, okay.” She closed the door on Max without waiting for an answer.
“I advised you not to do it. This happens every time.” Her voice was not sympathetic.
He dropped onto her sofa and rolled the bottle between his hands. “I can always count on you to say, ‘I told you so.’” The sarcasm dripped from his words. What did he expect? It was Phaedra. She didn’t coddle. He needed his friend to talk some sense into him... again.
“Everyone knows your father is a hard man... you don’t need his approval. It’s easier to hear than to accept. I get it, but dude...”
“Dude?” He laughed. “I think you’ve been hanging around Max too much.”
Phaedra snorted. “Don’t deflect. I was going to say you’re a grown ass man. Get over it.” She patted his knee and stood. “Now it’s time for you to go.”
He chuckled. “You’re kicking me out? I understand.” He stood. “Can you make sure everyone knows we’re getting started early tomorrow?”
“I got you covered.”
“Here.” He placed the bottle of apple brandy on the coffee table. “You keep it. I know how much you like it.”
“I would have taken it from you, anyway.” They both laughed as she led him to the door.
“Oh and try not to wear out Max. No complaints about being too sore or cramped from you either.” The joke earned him a playful punch to his bicep, but coming from Phaedra there was nothing wimpy about it and he rubbed his arm. She punched him a second time.
“Ow. What was that one for?”
“That was for interrupting us.” The door slammed in his face.
He continued rubbing his arm as he walked away. When he rounded the corner he collided with Archibald. “Cora wants you to bring the Oracle to see her.” He stated the order and kept moving.
Eli watched him leave and shook his head, wondering what Cora wanted with Willow.
CHAPTER 17
Willow
“Willow. Willow.”
Someone was calling her name she realized when she opened her eyes. She turned to find Eli next to her bed. “I need you to come with me.”
She blinked, trying to wake herself and clear the cobwebs from her brain. “Come with you where?” She peered at him and rubbed her throat. Her mouth was dry. As the drowsy fog lifted, she realized she was talking to Eli and might have morning breath since she’d just woken from a nap. Her hand flew up in front of her mouth. The bag that had her toothbrush and other toiletries was still on the RV. “Where are we going? I should freshen up, but I don’t have my bag.” She spoke from behi
nd her hand.
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, you can put your hand down. Your breath doesn’t smell.” He left the bedroom and came back a few seconds later with her bag over his shoulder. “I grabbed it before I got here.”
“Thank...” She put her hand down, feeling dumb after him laughing at her. “You.”
“Hurry and shower, change or whatever you need to do, because we have to get moving. I’ll wait for you right out here.” Without waiting for her to respond, he walked into the adjacent sitting room.
Who’re we in a rush to see?
She got off the bed and took her bag into the adjoining bathroom she hadn’t checked out yet. There was a large claw-footed tub that at some point she hoped she could make use of. The separate shower was one of the few modern amenities in the suite. Perusal of the bathroom would have to wait, since Eli was in a hurry. She made short work of getting ready.
When she walked into the sitting room, he rose to his feet. “You look nice.”
She wore black, slim fitting, ankle length cropped pants and black pointed toe flats. The sleeveless blouse was black and white with a Peter Pan collar.
“Thank you... I wasn’t sure who we were meeting, so...” She trailed off, waiting for him to fill her in on the details. When he still offered no clues she continued.
“Plus, you always look so put together, I didn’t want to look like a peasant compared to you.” She gestured at his usual attire of dress pants and a collared shirt. This made him laugh as he held the door open for her. She smiled and stepped into the hallway.
“Peasant.” He said with amusement still coloring his voice when he stepped out behind her and shut the door.
“Do I need a key or fob or anything?” She glanced at the unlocked door concerned.
“No, it’s fine.”
“My stuff is in there. Is it safe?” She looked back at him and saw him smirk.
“It’ll be fine.” He walked down the hallway towards the door at the end, which led to the square.