I didn’t want to be at that castle when Minaut dealt with Shania. I couldn’t.
Danielle had no idea what was going to take place either, and I wanted to keep it that way. But halfway through our picnic, she started asking questions.
“So how was your chat with Shania?”
“All lies, Danny. I can’t believe a word she said to me, so it doesn’t matter.”
“What is going to happen to her now?”
I checked the time. It was three. The wisp was probably done now.
“Why are you looking at your watch?”
I sighed. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t be there.”
Danielle got up. “She already…”
“Danielle, that’s the law. Our common enemy are the shifters. They fall under the jurisdiction of djinns. For years, the djinns thought we or the vampires have their cup. Shifters are penetrating our homes just like they did to look for it. This wasn’t for the cup, but our wisps are the ones that can detect them. If they step out of line in our world, they get taken care of by wisps. The vampires have the werewolves, the witches had the djinns. It’s how it works.”
“She could’ve…”
“What? Meant it? Danielle, she was part of your disappearance—she became you for a few hours to trick everyone, to make us think you died in that house. I don’t care what she felt.”
She just stared sadly at me.
“I know you think I’m a monster, but this had to be done. Eric won’t regain himself if the ones that cursed him aren’t dead. It’s the only way to break it.”
“How did they do it?”
“They had a witch. Shania didn’t know who it was but she said Leyla might.”
“Leyla? As in the one who pretend to be your mom?”
I nodded.
“How old were you when she died?”
“Ten, almost eleven. I don’t even know which of my memories are of her and which belong to the shifter.”
She placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. “I’m so sorry Marick. If it had to be somebody, if it had to happen, I wish it were someone else less important to you.”
I put my hand on top of hers. “I can’t wait for you to remember your life with me, Danielle.”
She came closer and gave me a hug. “Just another ten months and twenty-eight days.”
“You counting off the days?” I chuckled.
“Something like that.”
We broke our hug and finished our picnic in silence, taking in the beautiful scenery, the view from the mountain top.
At around five, we left. The second we appeared in the library, Sebastian entered.
“I know you’re tired, but you need to come.”
“What happened?”
“Minaut’s not herself today, Marick.”
“Is she okay?” Danielle asked.
“She’s fine. It’s how she killed Shania that wasn’t.”
“Stop, Bas,” I said.
“Marick?” He gawped at me.
“She fooled Minaut for thirty years. I would be surprised if it wasn’t a slow death,” I said to Sebastian and walked away.
“How bad was it?” Danielle asked, but I didn’t stay to hear just how gruesome Shania’s death was. It was probably overkill, and I was certain that limbs were detached.
In a few days, Minaut would be executing the woman who betrayed us all by pretending to be our mother. I felt sorry for whoever this Leyla was.
The next few days, as my father interrogated Leyla, he asked me to sit with him as he felt he wasn’t strong enough. It was draining, and she played the woman he loved so convincingly.
He wanted to know everything. The hurt was evident, and there were times I thought he would kill her himself—I had to get him off her. We would take a break, and then come back because he had more questions—thirty years of questions.
One minute, she would talk about how much she loved my father, me, my sisters, even Danielle, and the next, when my father refused to believe her, she would laugh diabolically. It was as if she had a second personality to protect her whenever my dad rejected her.
“I want answers, Leyla,” my father said. “Why did you do this?”
“Why, why, why?” she mocked. “Ask your father, Eli.”
“My father is dead.”
“Then I guess the answer died with him, didn’t it?”
“Fine, who did you go for potions?”
“I have my sources—you have yours. She too doesn’t like you. You can’t touch her though. She’s like a fluttering bird, doesn’t stay too long in a place.”
“She’s a necrocretor, Dad,” I said.
“Oh, aren’t we smart, Marick?” she said, and I glared at her. She rolled her eyes, then looked at the moon through the barred window high in the dungeon. Her face resembled someone that was burned. “I can’t shift anymore.”
“Good. Means you can’t betray or trick us anymore. You tricked us enough, wouldn’t you say?” Eli snapped.
“You’re supposed to be wiped out, Eli. If I hadn’t fallen in love with you, you would’ve been dead a long time ago.”
“You put a curse on Eric. Who gave you that spell, Leyla?”
She laughed again.
“Forget it. I’ll find your witch.”
“She’s too good for you, Eli. You will never find her. She could stand right in front of you, and you would never even know it.”
“Good thing then we have a mind reader, or did you forget that, Leyla?”
She looked scared, then spit in front of him.
“What happened with, Danielle?” my father asked.
She laughed again.
“Stalling is not going to save your life, Leyla. Your execution happens tomorrow, and that is final.”
“Just like that? You that eager to get rid of me? I meant everything I ever said to you.”
“The problem is you are not Magdel. You’re not the love of my life. You killed her, and you let me bury her like she was a criminal.”
She laughed again. “Still can’t remember where her grave is?”
“I will find her, and I’ll give her the proper burial she deserved.” Tears filled my father’s eyes.
“Where is your mercy, Eli?”
“There is no mercy for the woman who killed my Magdel.”
She spat again.
“What happened the first time Danielle was here. Who was it that betrayed you.”
“Someone that owed me.”
“And what you made us believe that you were in danger, like Sebastian was.”
“Part of my cover. I had to. And I thought if a shifter played me ones, that I would be not suspected ever again.”
“I see,” said Eli. “If Marick doesn’t have anything else for you, I’m done.”
My father got up and left, but I stayed behind.
I crossed my arms. “Why did you kill my mother?”
“You know why, Marick.”
“That she was really on to you? Why not curse her, or give her the Forgotten potion?”
“Because the plan changed when she discovered what I was up to. It was easier if I could simply become her. If only I was strong enough to resist your father’s charm.”
“You never loved him, and if you did, you did a piss poor job at showing it.”
“Piss poor? I would’ve died for you, for Mila, for Morganna, for your nieces and nephews, and for your children.”
“But you can’t tell us the truth. If you loved us, you wouldn’t have lied to us for this long. You can’t just love half-heartedly, Leyla. You can’t have loved us without respect, and every time you tricked us, every time you betrayed us, you showed us that you have no respect for any of us. Love can’t come without respect, not the real kind anyway.”
It fell quiet.
“Please tell me why you gave Danielle the potion.”
She was silent, then shrugged. “Danielle saw me, okay? No matter what we tried, none of the spells worked on her.”
“It wouldn’t cause you aren’t a witch.”
“I was raised by witches, Marick. I knew a thing or two about making people forget, but none of it worked on Danielle. I had no choice but to give her that potion.”
“Let me guess: another shifter was involved? One other than Shania?”
She nodded. “He dropped her off at that police station in France. He was supposed to keep his mouth shut, but I didn’t want to make that mistake again. After that shifter came forward, I knew that he spilled the beans and I went to deal with him.”
“Killing is like what, a game to you?”
“If I wanted you dead, you would’ve been dead.”
I huffed. “Then lucky us. We will not show you the same mercy.” I got up.
“No, your witches are too proud for that, too noble, to blind.”
I stopped. “Blind is exactly the right word. We were blind. We couldn’t see for almost thirty years.” I opened the door and closed it before I sat on my haunches and cried.
I could hear her, even through the door. She yelled angrily at me, at my father, to get back and finish her ourselves. She too was scared shitless of Minaut.
I crashed on Danielle’s couch again. We probably will never get to the place we were before the potion, unless the cure was finished.
The potion is brewing, I reminded myself. All I had to do was to wait, and she was worth the wait, every second of it.
Chapter 22
DANIELLE
* * *
We stayed home during the execution. We didn’t want to listen how Minaut ripped Leyla apart though. Marick stayed in my room. Mila tried to carry on through the day as if it wasn’t Leyla’s execution day.
We turned on music when it started.
I only heard a few seconds of it—Minaut’s angry growls, Leyla’s screams—before I cranked the music on to full blast. I laid on the couch with Marick. He somehow became my safe haven, and we found comfort in each other’s arms.
I knew today wasn’t easy on any of Marick’s family members. He himself was extremely teary. After today, I hoped things would go back to normal or that, at the very least, we would be able to deal with the future again.
The door opened around seven with a bang, and Sebastian brought a tired Minaut back into the room and took her straight into the bathroom She was covered with blood, and her mind was in a haze. Marick and I followed behind then closely.
“What happened?” Marick asked, taken aback by the sight of Minaut.
“We don’t know,” Sebastian was still shocked.
“Is Leyla?” he asked.
“She’s dead. The coroner just came to pick her up. Danielle, what is Minaut saying?”
“She isn’t making any sense. Get Philip—now!” I said, and Marick ran out of the room to go get her brother.
I open the taps and let the water rush over her.
All the blood soak in her fur washed away, only leaving a pinkish stain on her fur.
I washed her face and entire body with shampoo as she spoke gibberish to me.
A few minutes later, Philip and my mother burst into the room.
I asked, Philip, “What is wrong with her?”
“She had to kill someone that carried her mark.” Philip said through Minaut.
“I’m so sorry girl.” I wrapped her in a clean towel and pressed her against my body.
“What is she saying?” I asked Philip.
“It’s an old wisp dialect, an ancient language. I need to guide her back to the light, Danielle.”
“I’m so sorry,” I cried. Please don’t be gone.
After Minaut’s bath, Philip stayed with her.
Eli came by with the vet to check up on Minaut.
She was drained and tired, but her mind kept repeating the same words over and over again.
Marick stayed over that night too, watching over Minaut and Philip, hoping that her brother’s comfort will be enough.
“I should’ve never told Minaut to kill her.”
“She begged you to allowed her to do it, Marick. It’s not your fault.”
“I should’ve known that killing someone that wears her mark would do this to her.”
“She wasn’t like this when she killed Shania”
“That’s because she never marked her.”
“Never?”
“She didn’t see her as her family.”
I looked at Minaut. She will be fine, I told myself. I had to believe it.
Her brother was here, and she would be fine. She was a strong wisp—she will come back to us.
A few months later, I finally had my coronation. Everyone was there. Eric looked so much better. He was walking with the help of crutches, and others could understand his speech now. He still struggled with his tongue. It was as if it took time to wake up, like it had to learn how to speak all over again. The curse Leyla placed on him was bad.
The rest of the festivities were a blur as I worried about Minaut. She was still out of it, but with Philip’s help, she was slowly getting back to us.
Just another eight months and the potion will be ready. I couldn’t wait.
After the coronation, my duties as queen of the witches were in full force.
The kids came home every weekend.
One night a knock came at my door. Marick wasn’t home. He had to sort out something in Scotland.
I opened the door and found Joshua.
“May I come in?” he asked softly, and I moved aside to let him in.
He came over to Minaut and scratch her head. Philip was still with her.
Josh sat on my bed and burst into tears.
I didn’t think, just grabbed him, and pulled him closer to my chest.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Joshua.”
“Don’t. It was her fault that you weren’t here, Mom.”
Tears filled my eyes as he finally called me that. “She told me that a mother’s love was so strong that not even the Forgotten potion would take it away, and then you showed up. When Dad told us that you drank it and that you couldn’t remember us, I remembered her words. The way aunt Mila and everyone talk about you, I understand why Dad was excited to have you back, but you didn’t remember us. It was a low blow, Mom.”
“I’m so sorry Josh,” I said and hugged him tighter.
“I asked one of my professors about it, and he told me the opposite was true—not even a mother’s love stood a chance.” He cried again. “I’m so sorry, Mom,” he said.
“It’s okay, Josh. I’m not going anywhere.”
He sniffled loudly, and we started talking about his life. He told me that he went to my gravesite regularly, that he always felt the closest to me there. We spoke about how scary this crowned-prince thing was but not as scary as the trial was. He got teased a lot about it in school, but that Eva sorted them out behind his back—visiting his bullies in their dreams, turning them to nightmares. “She can be scary at times.” We laughed.
“She loves you, and it’s a good thing that we have someone in our lives that can mess up dreams a bit, don’t you think?”
“Okay, you scare me now.”
I chuckled. “You always fight for the ones you love. I know you blamed me for Shania’s and Leyla’s death, but they caused a lot of pain for way too long. I wanted to tell you that so badly that night, but I saw how hurt you were, and I couldn’t. The ones that love you look out for the ones that want to hurt you—always, no matter how hard it is.” I kissed him on the top of his head.
He stayed over that night, and our relationship started to heal from that point on.
The months flew by. Finally, the temple sent the package with a thick letter to the palace—my cure. It was the answer to it all: my husband, my two sons, what my life was like, and the darkness that would be replaced by light. There would be no Brolin Maartin.
Marick wasn’t here. Just my luck, but he would return to his old Danielle this time.
I opened the letter. An apology was written
by the alchemist. He wished me luck and that he tested it on himself first before sending it to their queen. He spoke about the darkness and how he couldn’t imagine living it for the period I had and how everything would return to the way it was. I had nothing to fear.
I sometimes thought about the secrets I kept. I must have had some. Was there something between me and Sebastian? I wondered with the way Marick worried about it all the time. Do I regret anything? All those worries brought me down, but I wanted to remember it all—the good, the bad, and whatever was going to come.
It said that I shouldn’t eat or drink anything for eight hours. I was petrified, and I found myself speaking to Minaut for a long time about it.
“Danny, you have nothing to worry about, I promise. You loved Marick, and he loved you. Please drink it so that we can have all of you back.”
“I have to wait a little while longer, Minaut. The directions said eight hours.”
“Fine, then wait.” She quipped.
I sought out Eli. He was working in Marick’s office. I knocked on the door.
He had a constant look of sadness still but smiled when he saw me. “Danielle, come in.”
I plop down in the chair in front of his desk.
He folded his hands on the desk. “Everything all right?”
“The cure came.”
He gasped. “You drank it?”
“No.” I chuckled. “I need to wait eight hours. I have to drink it on an empty stomach. You know that the alchemist who brewed it try it on himself?”
He laughed. “That’s what they are supposed to do, Danielle.”
“I’m so glad I’m not an alchemist.”
“Me too.”
“How is Morganna doing?”
“She’s ignoring me. I sent word to her about the two shifters. She didn’t reply.”
“She was friends with Shania and loved her mother dearly.”
“She wasn’t—”
“She was to her, Eli.”
He nodded. “You know, when you drink this, you will remember everything Danielle?”
“I know.”
“You will remember how much she loved you too. I didn’t know who she was because the woman I spoke to in that dungeon wasn’t her.”
Playing With Fire Page 46