Dorian’s eyes go wide with surprise. “But I thought you said he had orange hair?”
His surprise makes me giggle a little and I respond, “He did, but it seems to change, a lot.”
From the car radio I again hear Coan’s voice, but his lips remain motionless as he struts around the car to get in behind my seat. “I only change my hair when my outfit demands it.”
Dorian looks shocked to see Coan getting in the car, but as he seems more confident in his friend’s identity, his face warms.
Coan now uses his own mouth to greet Dorian by saying, “Hello, old friend.” He continues on without hesitation. “Get out of here, now.” He points to the GPS screen which now shows a new location and says, “start driving.”
Dorian turns to face forward again in his seat, and he already looks calmer.
“Coan,” I ask, “What is going on?”
“Someone out there is drawing all kinds of ill-will toward you. I didn’t know why you were getting attacked at first, but as you got closer to my house, I could sense it all around you like a stink – a spell is drawing it all to you.”
“Coan,” Dorian says very businesslike, “how do we fix this.”
“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s a new spell – I’ve been watching you two, and I would have seen if a new spell were placed. What I can see is that there’s all kinds of mystical energy buzzing around you.” Coan is twirling his finger around in a circle at me.
“But you never saw anything before? What’s changed?” I ask.
“Exactly!” Coan’s face lights up like I’ve just figured something out, but I have no idea what it is.
“Coan!” Dorian chastises.
Coan looks distracted as he continues on in a now uninterested tone. “Fine. It’s no fun at all when you two don’t understand my dramatic exclamations, but I’ll explain if I have to.”
Dorian and I look at each other as we share the same ‘I don’t know what he’s talking about’ look.
“Ugh. It’s so boring to explain things, but just think it through…It never made any sense that I couldn’t sense something magical about her before…. I can sense a whole lot of something now, there are no new spells and the only thing that changed is her location?”
“Oh,” I think I see where this is going. “So, there’s been a spell on me this whole time protecting me, but it only works at home?”
Coan is looking at me from the backseat like he expected me to figure this out sooner. “Or, there’s something here that intends you harm…either way, we need to get you back.”
I’ve only just started the first real trip I’ve ever been on, and I’ve got to leave. I didn’t want to have Dorian spend so much money on me going in the first place, and then I came because a Druid’s sudden appearance scared me. We’re leaving now because something here wants me attacked. And the only thing I was really hoping for, time with Dorian and a chance to stop his extravagant spending on me, is all side-tracked again. And, I didn’t even realize how excited I was to be on this trip until now when I find out it’s over.
“Wait,” I say, taking time to process what I was just thinking about. “Is this related to the Druid that was at the ball?”
“No, No.” Coan says while waving his hand and shaking his head. “I think I’ve got that one figured out with a little more certainty.”
Coan doesn’t say anymore and appears to be more interested in the condition of his cuticles than in explaining anything else.
I look over at Dorian and he looks both exasperated and resigned. His look almost says, ‘I told you he was like this.’
Chapter 19
So here I am in the passenger seat of a very expensive sports car weaving through streets that were obviously not designed for speed. I’ve only been in this city for a couple of hours, and I’ve been attacked three times – twice by humans, and weirdly, once by a horse.
Dorian saved me from all those attacks and is now rushing us and Coan to the airport, so we can get back to Wisconsin as quickly as possible.
Coan half explained that there is some kind of spell that keeps me hidden from everything magical at home, or that brings danger to me when I’m away. That’s his best theory anyways, and with the limited information we have, it doesn’t look like there are a lot of options. I need to get back onto home territory in hopes of being safe again.
Coan also claimed to have figured out something about the Druid who so strangely showed up to the ball Dorian and I were at last night. They usually keep a good distance from Dorian and his curse, but this one got very close. I ran away with Dorian because he was worried about my safety at home and I ended up getting attacked because we left.
I’ve been waiting for Coan to explain more, but he doesn’t even seem to notice the look I’m giving him as a hint.
Finally, I can’t wait anymore, and I shout to get his attention, “Coan!”
“Yes,” he answers sweetly like he has no idea what I’m vexed about.
“Can you please explain what you’ve got figured out about that Druid from last night?”
“Ellie,” Dorian interrupts, “Hold off on that question for just a minute, please.”
“What?” I thought Dorian would be on my side in this. “Don’t you want to know?”
“Yes, but Coan needs to concentrate right now. That truck following us is getting closer.”
I feel like an idiot, because I didn’t even notice that we were again in any kind of danger. We had left behind the quiet residential streets some time ago and we’re on a highway, speeding toward the airport. Looking behind us, I can see the truck gaining speed, but Coan still appears to be looking at his fingernails in the back seat. It doesn’t look like he’s concentrating – he looks bored.
As we pass under a bridge, something about the size of a pine cone drops from above us and into the path of the truck. They don’t have time to swerve and they pop a tire as they drive over the object.
Dorian doesn’t slow down at all, even though the truck is slowing and pulling over to the side. His complete focus seems to be on gaining ground in the traffic and weaving past cars like we can’t get far enough away.
Not moving at all, Coan says, “You’re welcome” like he’s reminding us to say thank you. Obviously, he was responsible for whatever caused their tire to blow.
Dorian doesn’t disappoint him, and after Coan feels more appreciated, he explains what he thought of our Druid encounter last night.
Coan, just like all the other Druids, stayed away from Dorian because they didn’t want to have their life force drained away by his curse. When they were close, they could feel it pulling on them just as it pulled on every living thing around Dorian. Today as we were getting closer to Coan, he expected to feel Dorian’s curse, but it never happened – he could only feel the energy around me. Coan knew that my touch had an effect on Dorian’s curse, but today was the first time he got close enough to Dorian that he could feel the difference. My touch makes Dorian appear like any other mortal under a spell, that is, if you don’t know any better.
With that, he figured that the Druid at the ball probably didn’t even know that Dorian was there – he’d have no reason to avoid him and no reason to suspect who he was without the pull of the curse. It must have just been a coincidence that the Druid was there; Coan and Dorian were worried because they didn’t realize at the time why he wouldn’t have been scared off like all the rest always were.
That pull being gone was the only reason that Coan decided that he might be safe traveling with us, but he still wasn’t very happy about it. He mostly did it to protect me for Dorian’s sake.
Once we were safely loaded in the plane, he told us more about how he saw the situation.
Coan seemed fairly certain that none of the attackers would have tried to kill me, but he couldn’t quite tell how far they may have gone. The curtesy of sparing me from death obviously didn’t extend to those close by because the mugger shot Dorian twice while he was
trying to protect me. I’ll be glad to never find out how far things could have gone.
As Coan talked through how he stopped all the various threats as we were driving, Dorian held my hand extra tight. Apparently, Dorian had noticed more than I had, but not everything.
About half way through the flight, Coan suddenly announced to us that he was right. The closer we got to home, the less mystical energy he could sense around me, and the less he could feel any bad intention being drawn toward me. He was certain that once we were back, I would be under no threat whatsoever and I would appear as mundane as everyone else around me if anyone bothered to look. It wasn’t said like a compliment, but I was happy for it anyways.
I spent most of the flight watching Dorian and Coan finally able to have a conversation in person after so many years. They talked about things they missed, like the warmth of a meal cooked over a hearth, and the superiority of candlelight compared to the harshness of modern lightbulbs. They also spoke of good times they had together (even though they were always physically separated by a distance, they still considered themselves together) and how they had gotten through some tight scrapes.
It was the same kind of conversation that I would have with Wyatt when we were remembering the past. The only difference is that Wyatt and I would lament over the last few years, and they were able to discuss the last few centuries with the same tone. Dorian’s reserved manner and Coan’s flamboyant style didn’t seem to lessen their friendship in the least. It was another thing that reminded me of how Wyatt and I always thought of ourselves as closer friends because we could embrace each other’s differences.
Seeing the love between two best friends makes me think of Wyatt and the space I put between the two of us with my secrecy. I know there are things that I can’t tell him for his own sake, but there are plenty of things I can talk with him about – I just haven’t done it.
Wyatt doesn’t even know that Dorian exists, which makes me feel that I haven’t been a good friend. I can’t risk harm coming to Wyatt by talking about anything mystical, but I should tell him that I’m falling in love. I should tell him how much my view of love and the world has changed.
Dorian and the world around him are so intense that I could really use some time to just relax and talk over the past with Wyatt like Dorian and Coan are now doing. I miss my friend. I hope that I haven’t missed too many changes in Wyatt’s life while I’ve been avoiding him, but I resolve to close the distance between us as soon as we get home.
When we land, Coan assures me that he can no longer detect anything mystical about me. He’d never seen or heard of any spell that could so completely hid someone’s mystical ties and he wanted to ask one of the Druid elders about it, but Dorian simply wouldn’t hear of it.
Coan is certain that I’m a Witch or a Druid with a spell concealing my identity (even from myself), but for some reason, Dorian refuses to believe him. Coan insists that nothing else mystical has existed in this world since long before he was alive. Dorian didn’t have any other theories about what I could be – he just insisted that I wasn’t a Witch or a Druid. It didn’t seem like he had any particular reason to feel that way, it just seemed like something he really didn’t want to be true. It didn’t make sense to me because it didn’t seem like he had any issue with Coan being a Druid.
Either way, Dorian was sure that my life would somehow be interrupted. I assured them that I had no knowledge of being anything and that my childhood was very normal, but my being normal doesn’t explain the effect I have on Dorian’s curse, or why there would be a spell on me that makes travel dangerous.
Coan hadn’t had time to meet with the elder in New Orleans, and since we had to race back home, the appointment was canceled. Dorian seemed happy that we would have more time to think through the new information we had before he and Coan would try to go to the elder again. It didn’t look like I’d be traveling again soon.
I would push for quicker action but staying close to home for another year isn’t such a big problem for me – I didn’t think I’d have the chance to go anywhere anyways. In a little less than a year, everything that Coan knows will be laid open for the elders regardless at his scrúduithe. What difference does a little time make?
If they’re going to interrupt my life in some way, it sounds like it would be for some greater good. If that has to happen, I might as well take advantage of a year with Dorian to spend how I like. I would much rather get that first kiss from Dorian than find out sooner what my role is in the mystical world. I’m not sure I’d like to be either a Druid or a Witch, but since I don’t see anything I can do to affect it, I don’t see that It’s really worth spending much time on.
The black SUV is waiting for us at the end of a red carpet, just like it was never moved when we left.
On the drive home, I’m a little surprised when Dorian stops in front of Wyatt’s apartment, which is on the road leading back to Ripon. I think back to confirm that I didn’t say anything about reconnecting with Wyatt out loud and wonder if Coan can somehow read minds.
I’m about ready to ask how he knew, when I see that Coan is getting out of the SUV.
I look to Dorian and ask, “What is Coan doing?” By this time, Coan is already walking around the front of the car and looking back to wave at Dorian.
Dorian returns his wave and says simply, “He lives here.”
“In Wyatt’s building?” That seems so strange.
“There aren’t a lot of options that are close enough to Ripon with still leaving a few miles of safety from my curse.” He pulls back out onto the road and is looking at me from the side of his eye.
I can tell there’s something more that he’s not saying, so I ask. “That’s the only reason why he lives next to my best friend?”
“I did ask him to stay close to you when I couldn’t be around.” I had suspected as much, but it’s good to hear him say it. “…and I hope you won’t mind that I need to be even more protective of you now.”
“What does that mean?” I won’t mind as long as he’s the one who’ll be close more often.
“You need protection. Coan or I will need to be nearby at all times.” He’s speaking like he thought I would expect this, but it hadn’t crossed my mind at all.
“I thought I was safe again now that I’m back home. Coan said he couldn’t sense anything mystical at all about me anymore… and he can’t feel anything bad coming for me either.”
“When we were in New Orleans, Coan could feel power in you, and we know there are spells around you too. Until we know where that energy is coming from, we need to be cautious.”
“You mean until we figure out if I’m a Witch or a Druid, right?”
“Yes, and no. I don’t know of any other options for what your origin could be, but I hope there is one. Ellie, I want you to have the life you believe you’ve had. We need to figure out your true past, what you really are, why it’s been hidden from you, and where the power is coming from to make all of this happen.” I’ve heard Dorian speak with pain in his voice before, but this time it’s different. The pain in his voice is laced with pity. His tone more than anything makes me realize what he’s saying. It isn’t just that I’m a part of his mystical world, it means that I’m not a part of the mortal world I’ve known.
My history and who I am has been replaced with the life I’ve known, but I don’t want to give that invented life up – my home, my family. I can see that this reality has been hinted at before, that Dorian maybe guessed at parts of it, but I didn’t understand the clues. Now I really understand why Dorian wanted to give me as much time as possible before the Druid elders became involved – why he wanted to figure this out first, so he could lessen the blow.
A year that felt like a long time to wait, now feels like such a short amount of time to enjoy my friends and family before the truth comes out. What if my whole life as I know it is just an illusion. Are my parents really my parents? How long have I actually known Wyatt? I know for sure that so
me parts of my life are missing, but is it all fake? How can I know?
I feel tears streaming down my face, but I don’t have the energy to wipe them away. We’re parked by the dorms, and I don’t even remember the last ten minutes of our drive. Dorian has my car door open, and he’s leaning in to wipe the tears from my face with both hands.
“Ellie, I’m so sorry.” It tips me over the edge, and I go from quite tears to ugly sobs with my face buried in his chest as he stands next to the SUV. His arms are around me holding tight.
“We will figure this out” His words are certain, and I let them console me. I believe in Dorian. To have lived through what he has and still be human speaks to an inner strength I can barely comprehend. I know that he will be here with me through whatever comes, and that he is the person I need most so I can get through this.
I love him. It seems so fast, but it feels like it’s something that’s been in my bones a long time too. If I lose the life I’ve had up to this point, I will be devastated, but I will survive it if I have Dorian. If I lost Dorian, it wouldn’t matter what else stayed intact because the person I am wouldn’t make it through.
As I start to realize the depth of feeling that I have for him, it’s like my whole world is shifting on its axis, but it’s okay because he’s with me. If I fell, he would catch me; and maybe he could feel this way about me too.
I know he feels something for me, I just wish that I had a better idea of how much.
We’re almost to the sidewalk in front of Smith Hall where my dorm room is, and I’ve stopped to look up at Dorian’s face. He’s stopped and is looking back at me with a questioning stare. He’s obviously wondering why we’ve stopped, but he seems content to be where I need him.
I know he has feelings for me, but I wish he would just kiss me – to cement this bond that I feel with him. I can’t help leaning in a little more hoping that the gesture will get through to him. I put my hands on his arms and just look up at the perfection of his face. Everything with Dorian is the opposite of what I’ve known before. As much as I’ve hated other guys for trying to get close, all I want from Dorian is more intimacy. I want him to need me like I’m starting to need him.
Lucky: Dorian Gray Novels Book 1 Page 18