by LJ Swallow
“Something happened,” I stammer out.
“Elaborate.”
I take a surreptitious look around me before clearing my throat. “Andrei and Ash are with me. Andrei knows more.”
Theodora’s long eyelashes stroke her cheek as she blinks. “And Maeve?”
I shake my head.
Theodora taps her red-painted nails on the wood, face shadowed. “Please bring them here and explain.”
Her displeasure burns into the back of my neck as I turn to the top of the stairs and beckon Ash and Andrei. Like misbehaving students called for a dressing down, we file into her quarters.
Her room is a recreation of her past—perhaps a former home from hundreds of years ago. Persian rugs lie on top of the polished floorboards, antique wingback chairs draped with blankets, and no television. Even her 'modern’ is old-fashioned; the music comes from a small, outdated stereo in the corner of the room, on top of a large dresser.
Sitting, Theodora folds her hands in her lap and looks at us expectantly. “Where is Maeve?”
“With Tobias,” blurts Andrei.
“And where is Tobias?”
I bite my lip and look at Andrei, who rubs his cheek before saying. “A Blackwood witch took them.”
“Excuse me?” she replies, as if she didn’t hear clearly.
I look at Andrei and Ash, all of us at a loss what to say.
Theodora straightens. “I think you need to tell me what happened. From the beginning.”
“Andrei?” I ask.
I’m used to Andrei’s sullenness in between the snark, but he’s dazed and his expression flickers between panic and fear. Fear for Maeve, like all of us.
Andrei doesn’t speak so Ash begins the story, about Vince’s recent behaviour. I tense, waiting for her anger because we hid this from her, but she merely blinks.
“I’m aware Vincent is causing trouble within the academy, and I also know Tobias’s suspicions that he’s not the man he claims to be.” She looks to Ash. "However, I’m unaware of events that you remembered. Why would Tobias keep this from me?”
“He didn’t want anybody else to know, to keep things quiet.”
“So he could take you into a situation where a Blackwood witch could attack you? Possibly kill you all?”
Ash takes a sharp breath. “Maeve...”
“I saw her disappear. She was alive,” mumbles Andrei.
“What if they kill her?” Ash’s voice rises and his fear infects us all.
“No.” Theodora shakes her head. “I don’t believe they would yet.”
“Yet?” I blurt.
“Maeve has powerful magic they’ll want to access, but who knows what the Dominion's long-term plans are.”
Andrei groans and leans forward, head in his hands. “I should’ve interrupted.”
“Your help would’ve been useless, Andrei. The witch defeated Tobias and Maeve. They presumably worked together to fight her. You fighting her alone? You would've failed and probably died. You did the right thing,” I insist.
Andrei shakes his head, still holding his face.
“Please rewind a little,” says Theodora. “I’m unaware what you’re describing. I thought this was a Dominion attack, not Blackwood.”
“Andrei. This time you need to explain.”
Swearing under his breath, Andrei looks up. “We should be looking for them, not talking about this!”
“Looking where?” I ask. “We’ve no idea where they are.”
Taking a deep breath, Andrei slumps back. My answer is right, but I don’t want to be.
“Explain.” Theodora’s voice is terser this time and her authority seeps through.
The story unfolds and Theodora listens in silence. From Ash’s memories of his night with Vince, to the discovery at the farmhouse. Andrei struggles with details when describing the Blackwoods, or precisely what happened, gripping his hair as he describes events. He's the most freaked out and the distress builds inside him.
Andrei finishes and the only sound in the room comes from a tall grandfather clock in the corner beneath a portrait of a man in Victorian dress. I focus on the sound of the pendulum and attempt to calm myself.
“Answer me this,” says Theodora eventually, voice soft. “Do you believe Tobias led you there for a reason and that is why he never told me?”
I open my mouth to respond but Andrei interrupts. “No. I saw him fight the witch. He tried to stop her.”
“You said she had an owl?”
“Yeah.”
Theodora closes her eyes and her show of despair panics me. “Then definitely Anastasia Blackwood. The Confederacy have taken their eye off the ball if the Blackwood coven are back.”
“They’ve always been around,” says Andrei. “The Dominion protect them.”
Theodora makes a derisive noise. “The Dominion will regret that decision, unless they have a very close relationship, which I doubt. The Blackwoods and the vampires don’t trust each other.”
I rub a hand across the top of my head, silently pleading with Ash and Andrei not to mention the Blackwood pendant. Tobias allowed me to keep it—if they say anything, this implicates him further into Theodora’s suspicions.
Theodora stands and moves lightly over to the window then looks across the academy grounds with her back to us. I moisten my dry lips and again we exchange silent glances. Can Theodora do anything? Does she have answers?
The pendulum swings and the clock ticks as we wait.
Finally, she turns, her concerned face now rearranged into the calm, friendly expression she uses every day.
“Shortly after Lorna’s death, Tobias approached me and asked if he could remove Maeve from the academy for a few days. I will inform people that’s what has happened.”
“But everybody believes Maeve isn’t in any danger now. Wouldn’t people be suspicious?” I ask.
“We both know Maeve is in constant danger. I will tell people that there has been a serious threat against her and she is away. There is no point hiding the fact they’re probably together.”
Together. My stomach lurches again. But Maeve is safe with Tobias. She must be.
Theodora massages her temples. “This is extremely complicated. I can keep the information inside the academy for a few days before questions will be asked. As it's the weekend, we have time, as neither will be missed.”
“Apart from he’s Petrescu head,” mutters Andrei.
She smiles at him. “Professors have personal lives too, Andrei. We don’t always stay here.”
“And Vincent?” Ash remained silent through most of our conversation. He hasn’t had a chance to clean his head wound yet. Is the injury causing his quiet or the shock?
Theodora purses her lips. “He isn’t a staff member. I don’t need to explain to anybody why he isn’t here.”
“There’ll be a lot of disappointed Gilgamesh students,” says Ash gruffly.
“I will need to speak to the council about the unrest Vincent stirred at the academy. The Confederacy need to look further into this and see how far the poison has spread. They can find and deal with him.” Theodora sighs. “If the Dominion orchestrated Vincent's actions, they’ve played a smart move. Subterfuge isn’t what we expected from them. They prefer violence and terrorism.”
Andrei shifts uncomfortably and stares at his feet. I feel sorry for the poor guy—each time the Dominion is mentioned, his mother’s name is a heartbeat away.
“What if Vincent returns to the academy?” asks Ash in a dull voice. “What will you do with him?”
Theodora sits opposite him. “I think that’s unlikely, Ash.”
Deep down, I don’t believe we’ve seen the last of Vincent.
“You need to ask Professor O’Reilly to step up and get a grip. What if Clive and the other guys are beginning to shift?”
“There are a lot of issues to sort out,” says Theodora. “Let me think on this overnight and we will talk again tomorrow.”
“But Maeve,” Andrei
exclaims.
“We can’t do anything now,” I mumble.
“Jamie is correct. Please, allow me to digest all this and meet with you again tomorrow.”
“Who else will you tell inside the academy?” I ask.
For the first time, Theodora’s front drops and her mouth turns down. “At present, nobody. I no longer know who to trust.”
Our visit to Theodora does nothing to change our mood or allay our fears. I didn’t expect her to have the answers, but she gave us little reassurance either.
Ash walks through the door back into the night first and I follow, adjusting my eyes to the dark night. At the same moment I’m knocked to the ground, and I land on my front, more surprised than hurt as the grass tickles my nose.
“This is your fault!” yells Andrei.
I roll onto my back to look up at the furious vampire. Andrei crouches down and grabs my jacket, yanking me up so we’re face to face.
“Get off me,” I shout and drag at his hands. “How is this my fault?”
“Anastasia knew where we were because of the fucking pendant you wore.” Andrei knocks me to the ground again and my breath is knocked from me as I land on my back. He kneels on my chest, his eyes blackening, and I struggle to push him off me.
“Andrei! Stop,” I say breathlessly.
The weight lifts as Ash drags Andrei from me, arms linked through Andrei’s as he holds them behind his back. I unsteadily pull myself to my feet and brush dirt from my jacket.
Andrei shoves Ash away. “You wore the pendant,” he spits at me. “You became a fucking homing beacon for Blackwood witches.”
“I was protecting myself,” I snap back. “How was I to know the pendant would attract them? Nobody has seen the Blackwoods for years!”
Andrei steps closer, hot breath against my face, and I struggle to remember that this is my friend and not an enemy as his terrifying eyes glisten pure black. “Your. Fault. Witch.”
“Andrei.” Ash clamps a hand on his shoulder. “This doesn’t help us.”
“If anything happens to her,” Andrei says, his voice a snarl that doesn’t sound like Andrei. “I’ll—"
“Whoa!” Ash interrupts. “Calm down. This helps nobody. Maeve would be pissed off if she knew you were behaving like this.”
Andrei shakes as the anger rolls through him, and I’m bloody glad that Ash is here because I don’t know what Andrei is capable of. I’ve heard the rumours and know he lacks self-control. We may be friends, but he’s a vampire and I’m a witch.
“Listen to him, Andrei,” I say and hold my hands up, palms out in surrender. “I know you’re upset—we all are—but Maeve would want us to unite to help her, not fall apart.”
“How can I not fall apart?” he shouts at me. “Maeve’s gone and I don’t know if she’s safe!”
His outburst hits me in the heart because Andrei speaks for all of us, but I’m surprised he’s the one saying the words. “Andrei, we all love Maeve and want her safe. We can’t change what’s happened and why, but we can decide whether to fall apart or stand as one. Remember what Maeve always says? Together. We find her together and we beat this. We win.”
Andrei’s face settles back to normal and the black fades from his eyes, but the anger remains in his harsh expression. He steps back and pushes fingers through his hair. “We don't know where she is, Jamie, but if Anastasia took Maeve to the Blackwood estate, we’ve already lost.”
“Don’t say that,” I say as my anger rises. “We won’t be beaten. Tobias is with her. Together they’re stronger too.”
“Yeah? And what if he isn’t with her.” Andrei practically spits the words before turning away from us.
We don’t see him leave, only his figure blur into the shadows.
Ash looks after him silently before switching attention to me. “What does Andrei mean by ‘we’ve already lost’?”
“We haven’t lost,” I say to myself as much as him. “Andrei means that finding our way past their wards and onto the property will be difficult.”
The answer appeases Ash and I hate myself for holding back the full truth.
Uninvited guests rarely survive their visit to the Blackwood estate.
Chapter Three
MAEVE
I'm unsure if the shadows in the unlit room exist or if they're imaginary. I'm mentally, magically, and physically drained—I could be hallucinating. I close my eyes against the shadows and retreat into myself, blanking my thoughts. My palm stings and I curl my fingers around the bloodied wound. The pain tells me everything happening is real.
Eventually, I crawl from the floor and onto the bed, curl up, and give in to a fitful sleep. The sun wakes me, but I've no way of knowing the time. My phone won't work; the screen blank. Did Anastasia’s spell break my one connection to the outside world?
I've recouped some energy from the sleep but I'm woozy and my limbs are weak as I creep over to the window. I'm on the second floor of a building but I'm unsure if I'm at the back or front. A grey stone pathway criss-crosses the gardens, with the greenest lawns I've ever seen stretching away and sloping down a gentle incline. A thatch of trees lines the banks of a small lake shimmering in the distance.
I once went to a wedding at a place with grounds like this. The manor house decorated in celebratory white and gold, with a huge marquee in the garden. We celebrated my cousin’s wedding on a day filled with joy and laughter. Today, all I feel is a sick fear in the pit of my stomach.
The sun shines, but the bright day can’t hide the darkness around the grounds If Anastasia cast the spell to bring me here, I'd lay bets I'm at an estate owned by the Blackwoods, or the Dominion, or both. But where is Tobias?
I touch the blue velvet curtains, focusing on the feel of the heavy material and grounding myself. I'm not in a vision. This weird place I'm in exists.
I'm unsure how long I stand in the window, arms wrapped around myself, stomach turning over as I think about the guys. The bullet never reached Jamie, but did Anastasia hurt him? Or Ash? I swallow. Andrei—he wasn't there. Had she hurt him already?
I can’t cope with my worst fear. If Tobias fought Anastasia, did he lose his life as well as the battle?
Tears threaten but I steel myself. I need my strength now. Whoever exists behind the door to the room won't encounter a weak-willed girl. Once I regain my power, I'll do all I can to find my way out. Until then, I need to be smart.
A knock on the door jerks me back to reality and I back against the window I considered climbing from. But what would be the point? I'd be in plain sight as I ran—if I didn't injure myself from the fall.
The door opens and a young girl stands in the doorway. She's around my age, brown hair scraped away from her round face, wearing a smart white shirt and knee-length black skirt. A staff member? The girl studies me in return, curiosity in her eyes.
"Where am I?" I blurt.
"Hello, Maeve. My name is Mhairi. Can you come with me?" she asks in a lilting tone.
"Where?"
"To eat. You must be hungry." She gives a hesitant smile.
"I'd like to leave."
I catch a flicker of Mhairi's thoughts, a sudden sadness, and I sense the reply she'd like to give me: 'so would I'. She's frightened that I won't accompany her, and Anastasia's angry face crosses her mind. I am at the Blackwood estate. "You can't leave," she whispers.
"Fine." I pull my hair from my face and run my fingers through. "I don't think I'm dressed for breakfast in a fancy house, though."
Her smile returns. "Thank you, Maeve."
Mhairi leads me from the room along a hallway. The dark oak floors shine and the walls are half-panelled in matching wood. Nothing hangs on the burgundy walls and old-fashioned bronze lanterns illuminate the way. We reach a balcony with staircases leading down on both the left and right, curving to meet a third set that faces a large entrance hall. A symbol I've studied in Magical History is inset in the chequered black and white tiles—a distinctive rune inside a circle of thorns, rep
resenting the Blackwood coven.
Gripping the cool metal stair rail, I follow the dutiful girl down. The house smells peculiar—a mix of sweetness and earthiness I can't identify. As we walk along another hallway towards open double doors, that odour is replaced by cooked breakfast food. The smell of bacon pokes at my hunger.
Hunger that drops away when I come face to face with who's in the room.
Anastasia sits at the head of a long dining table, set with silver cutlery and napkins. Matching silver trays laden with food are arranged close by. Nobody sits in the half-dozen carved oak dining chairs between us, but two people sit in those either side of her. She's dressed in a low cut, long-sleeved black dress, her raven hair shining and loose around her shoulders.
A man sits to her left, tall and slender, dressed in a blue shirt and wearing his hair short in a modern style at odds with the old-fashioned surroundings. He has eyes the colour of glaciers and a look in them that ices my blood. I hastily switch my gaze back to Anastasia. She’s clearer than in the dark last night. How old is she? Something about her flawless features reminds me of the stars with Botoxed faces, and the man's face is similar. Her eyes match his too. The pair have a captivating beauty, but their aura is ugly.
The person to her left snatches away the reminder of my appetite.
Tobias.
He's a different man to the one from last night. A clean black shirt has replaced the grey T-shirt, and his neatly groomed appearance is at odds with the man who collapsed on the ground beside me. Momentarily, I'm annoyed I'm standing here in yesterday's clothes with unbrushed hair.
I wait for a sign from him—words in my mind, a smile, anything.
Nothing.
"Do sit down," says Anastasia, and she gestures at a seat beside the man. "This is Nikolai. My brother."
Nikolai pats the cushioned seat beside him as he rakes a leisurely gaze from my head to my toes, and I'm seconds from bolting out the door. As I approach, he lifts a hand and takes mine in his slender fingers. I shudder as his lips meet my skin. Snatching my hand away, I sit on the very edge of the chair, as far from him as possible.