“When the Council called in Teddy’s debt after his graduation, Clarice must have figured out who he was. He was going by Theodore Leonard. We are still not sure if Rose’s wards failed, or if Clarice began with compelling him for the Council and then recognized his mental ‘signature’. However it happened, she figured out who he was. And here are.”
Theo and Marissa had come downstairs quietly while the Thorndikes were speaking. They had kept to the background, out of sight of the couch. Now Theo came forward. Lucille gasped and put her hand to her mouth. Tears began rolling down her face.
John paled. “My god,” he whispered. “Teddy. You look just like Hugh.” He stood, Lucille a moment behind him. Lucille took a half step forward, arms outstretched. Theo remained still, uncertain.
“Our son Mikey looks just like Theo,” Marissa informed the Thorndikes.
Lucille’s eyes went to Marissa. “My dear girl. We are so sorry for the pain this has caused you. Can you ever forgive us?”
“It’s not my forgiveness you should be asking for,” Marissa told her.
Lucille straightened and turned to Theo.
“Teddy. Can you ever forgive us for staying away for so long? For sending you away to begin with? We truly thought we were protecting you. You were the last part of our son we had left. The most precious thing in our lives. We would have done everything to protect you.”
Theo stared at them a moment longer.
“I understand that you thought you were protecting me,” he said. “This all seems rather fantastical to me. Hidden vaults, mythical Guardians. How did no one realize that Clarice was a Mind Mage before this? Didn’t anyone know her family? Surely someone at school, a teacher or something, would have caught on?”
“Theodore, we can only guess that she was taught to conceal it from a very young age. I am sure you have heard the stories that Guardians start training young. I am sure they are not the only group to do so,” John said.
Theo stepped closer to the Thorndikes. Lucille took the opportunity to rush forward and embrace him. He stood stiffly, his arms loosely around her. John put his arms around both of them.
Celine stood. “Why don’t the three of you sit outside for a while and get to know each other. I will bring you some refreshments. The children will be home around three thirty. You have some time before chaos ensues.”
Theo smiled at Celine in thanks. He led John and Lucille towards the back door, scooping Marissa against him and pulling her along with them. Malia went to help Celine put a tray together. At this rate, they would be making more lemonade and cookies on a daily basis.
In the sitting room, Brendan and the Fae looked at each other.
“This still doesn’t explain how Clarice got strong enough to hold suppression and compulsion for so long, and over distance, too,” Nathaniel said. Ciaran nodded. Siofra looked worried.
“Ciaran, I think we ought to ask Da if there is anything in our archives about objects that boost a Mind Mage’s abilities that could be used by a human Mind Mage,” Siofra suggested.
“I will ask my mother for any knowledge of Fae Mind Mages going rogue, marrying or siring human mages,” Nathaniel offered. Nathaniel’s mother was the Fae genealogy keeper for this realm.
Brendan nodded to the three Fae.
“If anyone asks,” he said, “I will be in the greenhouse.”
“May I join you after we speak to our father?” Siofra asked.
“Of course.”
13
Malia went to pick up the children after helping Celine start dinner preparations. It was going to be a big one. Soon car doors slammed and childish voices were heard outside the house. The front door crashed open, and Allie ran straight into Theo, who was waiting close by.
“Oof! Sorry, Uncle Theo,” Allie grinned as she made a beeline for the kitchen and Celine’s cookie jar.
Milena came in behind Allie. Theo pulled her aside.
“Stay a moment, Lena,” he told her.
Mikey and Ian came in more sedately, arguing about something they had learned in class. Theo pulled Mikey aside as well. Ian looked at them curiously, then at Theo’s nod carried on into the kitchen.
Theo looked at his children. “It seems that my birth grandparents have arrived for a visit,” He told them. “I have never met them before, either, so this is very strange for me, too. They are here to help us figure out this whole thing about your mother’s and my Bond being messed with, and how we can stop it for good. They would like to meet you. Is that okay with you?”
The twins glanced at each other, then nodded. Theo led them into the sitting room. The Thorndikes were waiting there.
“These are Marissa’s and my children, Michael and Milena,” Theo introduced them. “This is Mr. and Mrs. Thorndike, your great-grandparents.”
Lucille smiled. “Michael really does look very much like you, Teddy,” she said. “And look at that beautiful hair!” She said to Milena. “Just like your mother’s, but blond like your father.” Milena smiled shyly.
“We prefer to be called Mikey and Lena,” Mikey informed the new adults.
“And so you shall,” John replied. “Tell me, what are you learning in school? What grade are you in? Have your Gifts emerged yet?”
Mikey slowly moved towards John, as the two of them began to talk.
Lucille held out her hand to Lena. “Come sit with me, dear. What do you like to do?”
“I like to bake with Grannie Celine, and draw, and sing,” Milena answered.
Marissa was leaning against the doorframe into the sitting room. Theo joined her, placing his arm around her waist.
“Well, that seems to be going well,” he said, quietly. They stood together, watching the children interact with their new grandparents.
Allie and Ian snuck up behind them, peering around their aunt and uncle into the sitting room. John glanced up and saw them.
“What have we here! Another set of twins?” He exclaimed in surprise. “These aren’t yours, too, Teddy?”
“These are my sister’s children, Allison and Ian,” Marissa replied for him. “Twins run in our family. Both sets are the same age.”
“How wonderful to have such close cousins,” Lucille said. “I have a cousin, Amelia, whom I am very close to. We are nine months apart. When we were younger, we did everything together.”
Taking that as an invitation, Allie and Ian joined the group in the sitting room. Theo and Marissa moved to the kitchen. Malia and Celine were sitting at the table, cups of tea in their hands. A lemon merengue pie was on the table between them. Both had slices on their plates.
Theo cut a slice for Marissa, then one for himself. They sat with Malia and Celine.
“They seem nice, Theo,” Celine said.
“I think so. It’s all a bit much, you know? It seems like one thing after another since this all began.” Marissa looked sharply at him. Celine looked taken aback, and Lia looked thunderous.
Theo realized that they had taken his comment the wrong way.
“I am beyond grateful to have found Marissa again, and for the children,” Theo clarified. “I just would have preferred to have the time for us all to get to know each other as a family, before having all of this other stuff sprung on us.” He groaned. “And that sounded even worse. I am grateful to meet my birth family as well. I guess it’s just that finding out that we’ve been messed with for so long, that we’ve missed out on so much with each other, and now we have mages and artifacts and secret Guardians and who knows what else. I guess I am feeling somewhat overwhelmed and sorry for myself. Plus, hearing that my family gave me up to protect whatever they were guarding, that’s hard to hear. I know I am whining. I just want to take Marissa and the kids and hide away somewhere where none of this can touch us anymore.”
“Theo, I think they really did do the best they could at the time to protect both you and the contents of that vault they were supposed to be protecting. They didn’t want you to fall into Clarice’s hands. Guardians are
supposed to put the thing they are guarding before anything else, even dying for it, if need be. Legend says they make unbreakable oaths to that effect. They really may not have had any other choice. I don’t think this has been easy for them, either,” Celine said.
“I know this is overwhelming and confusing and fantastical,” Marissa told him. “But think of all the good that is coming from it. We are back together, we have the children, and we will be free from all suppression and compulsion, thanks to the Fae. Clarice will be stopped, and you get a chance to know your birth family. There is a lot of good to come from this. You’ll see.”
The shrill ringing of the house phone broke the silence. Celine stood and picked it up.
“Casey residence. Hi, Tony. Oh, thank you. Yes, that would be great. Ok, we’ll see you then. Why don’t you stay for dinner, if you are able? Wonderful. Goodbye.”
Celine put the phone back on the base on the wall of the kitchen and sat. She glanced around the table.
“Tony and Chief Kenny have had replies from their sources with the Enforcers of the Supernatural Oversight Council,” she informed the group around the table. “It seems that Clarice’s uncle had been on their radar for quite a while before the overthrowing of the Council. In fact, looking into him is what finally led to its being overthrown.” She took a deep breath.
“Tony will be over shortly with the details. Chief Kenny is coming with him. He said that what he has to tell us is very important and wants us all to be here.”
Malia, Theo and Marissa all looked at each other, then back at Celine. Everyone agreed.
Tony and Chief Kenny arrived an hour later. Celine had used the time to continue dinner preparations. There was a sizable cheese and fruit plate with crackers and crisp breads for appetizers. She had a large chicken roasting in one oven, fresh hot rolls baking in the other. Potatoes and carrots were roasting with the chicken. Shelled peas were ready to be steamed, and she planned to have Malia and Marissa help her with two enormous bowls of salad. There was a baked Alaska planned for dessert. Celine’s meringues were always a perfect blend of air and crunch. A fruit salad would accompany it, along with herbal teas and essential oil infused ice water. She thought about the amount of food she had planned, figured in two more Shifters, and decided to use her kitchen magic to manifest two more chickens and another tray of rolls. As long as she had one to work from already, manifesting more was easy.
Tony and Chief Kenny sniffed the air appreciatively as they stepped into the house. The Kodiak’s stomach rumbled thunderously. Celine laughed.
“Did you forget to eat lunch again, Chief?” She teased him.
Chief Kenny grinned. “I’m always hungry for your cooking, Witch,” he replied. “Only Sarah’s cooking comes in anywhere near as good.” Sarah was Chief Kenny’s wife.
“How is Sarah?”
“She’s well, thank you. We’ll have everyone over for dinner sometime soon.”
Celine led them into the sitting room. The children had gone upstairs to work on their homework. Shari-Beth had stayed after school to work on a project with her friends. She would be home in time for dinner. The Thorndikes, Nathaniel, Ciaran, Theo, Marissa and Malia were already seated. More chairs had been brought in and the furniture arranged in a large horseshoe shape so that everyone could see each other easily.
Tony looked around. “Is Brendan here?”
“He’s out in the greenhouse with one of our guests,” Celine replied.
“I’ve called them,” Nathaniel offered. “They are coming.”
Tony looked at him. Celine noticed and told him, “Let’s wait until Brendan and Siofra have joined us for introductions.” Tony nodded.
Brendan and Siofra came in from the gardens, still talking about the feasibility of growing Fae plants in the greenhouse for the use of Fae in this realm. It was a market that Brendan had not yet broken into, as it would require a Fae with Earth talents to help recreate the appropriate growing environment. Siofra had the ability and was thrilled to have someone to experiment with. They were both excited.
As they took their seats, Brendan in his armchair by the window and Siofra between Nathaniel and Ciaran, Celine began introductions. She indicated Tony and Chief Kenny.
“This is our Tony, and Chief Kenny, of the Valerian’s Cove police department. Tony is also ex-special forces. Tony is a Wolf, and Chief Kenny a Kodiak Bear. Gentlemen, this is Lucille Robillard Thorndike and her husband John Thorndike. The Thorndikes are Guardians, and Theo’s grandparents.” They all nodded to each other.
Celine continued, indicating the Fae. “This is Ciaran MacNamara, Fae Mind Mage, his sister Siofra MacNamara Brooke, Healer and her partner and Bonded Nathaniel Brooke, Mind Mage. They are here to look into what has been done to Marissa and Theo, and to make sure that no one else is affected. They will also do their best to remove any lingering traces of compulsion and make sure that it can never happen again.” Tony and Chief Kenny bowed in the direction of the Fae, who inclined their heads in return.
“Now, let’s get down to business. What have you to tell us, Tony?”
“We’ve been told that Clarice’s uncle, Mark Novak, was shady long before the fall of the old Council. He may have been responsible for gradually turning the Council dark to begin with. Strange things happen around him. Things always seem to go his way. This started out around the time that his niece, Clarice, turned thirteen. Clarice’s parents died soon afterwards, and Clarice went to live with her uncle and his wife, Mary. Mary seems to have been a be a quiet, mousy type who did whatever Mark told her to. Whether Mark killed his sister and her husband to get control of Clarice is not clear. But it is certainly strongly suspected.” He paused.
“Clarice’s time at school after she went to live with her uncle was marked with the same strange tales of things mysteriously going her way. She stayed out of trouble, even for things she was obviously responsible for. Other people always took the blame, or refused to give her away. After her husband, Hugh Thorndike,” Tony nodded to Hugh’s parents, “passed away, and Clarice moved out of the Thorndike house, she spent even more time with her uncle. She began working directly with the Council, in an undefined role. The years between that time and the downfall of the Council are when those in charge seemed to become even more power hungry, or to begin deferring always to those who were. Those that became strong ruled the Council, and treated it as their own crime syndicate, complete with enforcers. It was rumored that they had a Mind Mage on staff that they would send after anyone who was being difficult, and if they were not immediately useful, she would leave them a destroyed vegetable after she had gotten everything she needed from them. It seems that Clarice was this particular mage. On the books, she was a regular agent with the Council. She had an office, and her own branch of enforcers that answered to her. It was a small group. To the outside eye, she was middle management. But everyone was afraid of her.”
“So her uncle trained her as a Mind Mage enforcer and assassin,” John Thorndike said grimly.
“It looks that way,” Chief Kenny rumbled. “The thing is, when the Council was brought down, Mark Novak was killed. Clarice escaped, and no one knows where she is now. She is a person that the Oversight Council would very, very much like to speak to. Until we started asking questions, they were coming up against dead ends in all efforts to find her. Now, knowing that she seems to have an interest in Theo, they have fresh hope. They would like to send a representative to meet with you all, and to ask for your help.”
“They want to use me as bait,” Theo said.
“I believe so.”
“This makes it even more important that we remove all traces of compulsion, as well as any hooks she still has in you, Teddy. We have to make sure that she never controls you again,” Lucille said.
“Would you be able to fake it, if she was to come looking for you?” Tony asked.
Theo thought for a minute. “I think so. I remember how cloudy I felt. I think I could do it. Marissa and the children, an
d my grandparents, have to be kept safe, though. Nothing can happen to them.”
“If you are willing to do this, I will give them a call and let them know,” Chief Kenny said.
Theo nodded. “We can’t live with fear of her hanging over our heads,” he replied. “Especially with the children. I don’t want them to grow up afraid. She has to be stopped.”
“There is the hope that, now that her uncle is gone, she will give up whatever scheme they had going on,” Malia said.
“It seems more likely that she will be looking for any way to gain back the power she lost when the Council fell,” Tony replied. “It would help if we had an idea of what she was looking for, why she thought controlling Theo was important.”
John filled Tony and Chief Kenny in on the Thorndikes’ function as Guardians, and their thought that Clarice was after something stored in the vault they were protecting.
“That makes sense. There was some speculation that, towards the end of the old Council’s time, Clarice was controlling her uncle as well. He was too easy to take down.”
“Maybe she didn’t want to share the power any more,” Marissa said.
“Assuming that Clarice will continue her plan to try to get to the Vault, why would she need Theo? Why not go directly through the Thorndikes? Why didn’t she try that before?” Malia asked.
“Not to brag, darling, but we have been Guardians for a long time. She could not control us, though we believe that she tried. Full-fledged Guardians, who have been through their Accepting Ceremony, thus taking up their duties, are blessed with extra magical strength by the Goddess. Extra protection. Theo has not completed that ceremony. Clarice has maintained compulsions over him for years. She could easily compel him to let her into the vault, if he knew where it was.”
Broken Bonds (Valerian's Cove Book 2) Page 9