Broken Bonds (Valerian's Cove Book 2)

by H. C. de Cossy

  “I think it will be easier than you might think,” Brendan said. “After all, we are not so far from the City. People who want more can go there. I am sure that Valerian’s Cove will experience some expansion, but with the right plans in place, I believe it can be done in a way that benefits everyone.”

  “Well, we are getting ahead of ourselves,” Maria stated. “Have Her Royal Highness and Lord MacNamara present their plan to the Supernatural Oversight Council. Once it is approved, we will move on from there.”

  Brendan thanked her and ended the contact. He rubbed his hands, and headed for the garden center, where Celine was helping out for the morning. There was a lot of planning to be done, and Brendan found himself excited at the thought of it.

  Marissa and Theo returned to work at the clinic Monday morning. There were still the families from Tony’s Pack to see, as well as children falling from trees and the few mortal clients with their various aches and ills. Marjorie was pleased to see them back.

  “It’s not nearly as much fun around here when I have to do all of the work by myself,” she commented. Marissa and Theo smiled and hugged her.

  “Thank you for everything, Marjorie,” Marissa said. “We really appreciate it.”

  “I am glad that things are getting worked out,” Marjorie replied. “Have you learned anything else about what is going on?” Theo brought her up to date on what they knew so far.

  “And now we have Dragons and Fae teaching us advanced shielding, Empathy and fighting!” Marissa laughed. “I never would have imagined this could happen. Did you hear that they want to expand the Academy to include those courses permanently? That they feel that there are enough mixed race families to support such a curriculum? They are suggesting the plan to the S.O.C. this morning, backed by a noble Fae house and a Royal Dragon one.”

  Marjorie laughed. “Your family never does anything by halves, do they, Marissa? I shall look forward to seeing how all this works out. I suppose that I had better look into hiring a larger staff, if we are going to be getting an influx of new students, faculty and possibly families to our magical little town.”

  “My cousin Suzette is at the Healer’s College, doing graduate studies in potions for Healing. She will be finished soon. I think she graduates at Christmas this year. I am sure she would take a position here. If only to be closer to the ingredients in my dad’s greenhouses. Especially now that he will be growing Fae varieties as well.”

  “I will reach out to her first,” Marjorie agreed. “Once the education plan is approved, I will post formal hiring messages at the various Healer’s Colleges. Thank you for letting me know early. I’ll get my pick, with so much to offer!”

  Marissa saw two clients that morning, then three that afternoon. She stuck her head into Theo’s office as she was leaving. He was finishing up paperwork from the day.

  “I’m ready to go,” she said.

  “I have another twenty minutes or so,” Theo replied. “Do you want to pick up something from the bakery or the ice cream shop to surprise your mother for dessert? I will meet you there when I am done.”

  “That sounds good. I might stop in and see Mariellen on my way. It feels like ages since I’ve seen her.”

  “I’ll meet you at Mariellen’s, then. I know once you two get talking, you’ll lose all sense of time. Then we can go get dessert together.”

  Marissa grinned at him and gave him two thumbs up. She was smiling as she walked out the door. Theo had fit right into life in Valerian’s Cove, right into her family. It felt as if they hadn’t missed any time at all. The children loved him. They loved having their father around. Theo adored them. Her parents, having got over their initial suspicions, had welcomed Theo with open arms, and treated him like family. Marissa felt as if her life were whole again.

  A bell over the door chimed as Marissa entered Mariellen’s store, Curiosity. Mari’s cat Freya stretched, then leapt down from her perch on the window sill and came over to Marissa for some love. Marissa scratched her behind the ears as she looked around for her friend.

  “Coming!” Mari called from the back. A moment later she came through the curtained doorway to the back of the store.

  “Rissa! Hey!” She wrapped her arms around Marissa. Mari pulled back and looked down at her friend. “How are you, really?” She asked.

  “I’m actually extremely well,” Marissa replied. “I’m a bit tired from all the extra training, but I am actually enjoying it.” She poked Mariellen in the side. “You should come practice with us,” she told her best friend. “Everyone could use the extra shielding training, and practicing the physical conditioning for the fight training is tough, but actually fun!”

  Mariellen twisted away from Marissa’s poking fingers, laughing.

  “I just might, you never know! If only to meet these fabulous creatures staying with you. Fae and Dragons! I saw some of them around town, but I would love to meet them in person.”

  “Come over for dinner tonight,” Marissa said. “It’s such an enormous crowd now that one more won’t hurt. It’s crazy, though. Devra and her bodyguards are around two hundred years old, but act like they are in their twenties. Plus the kids, the extended family and friends, the Fae-it’s kind of a madhouse at the moment.”

  “Sounds like fun! What can I bring?”

  “Theo and I were going to stop for ice cream on the way home for dessert. Why don’t you come with us? You can help us choose the flavors.”

  “Yummm, and maybe some fudge,” Mariellen said.

  “Definitely some fudge.”

  “How are the kids taking all of this excitement?” Mariellen asked.

  “Really well. Milena and Mikey were a little quiet, but we recently discovered that in addition to everything else, Theo’s grandmother on his mother’s side is most likely the Fae Mage behind all of this. Which means that Theo and the kids are part Fae as well as Dragon and have Fae magic as well. So they are undergoing extra training for that too. I think they are really excited about it.”

  “Wow. You guys are really learning a lot about yourselves through all of this. And all this new magic! I’m jealous.”

  “It’s a lot to take in, but the extra training will make us all stronger. You really should think about joining the fight and the shielding classes, Mari. Plus, it would be fun to have you to share it with. The kids’ friends are already joining in. They are allowed one friend each, though Shari has two, but they are prey birds that need it. And they are going to help protect the children. So everyone is glad to teach them.”

  “When do you practice?”

  “In the evenings, and on the weekends. You can join in tonight before dinner, or just watch and see what you think.”

  “Ok. I am interested. We’ll see how it goes. What Fae magic do the kids have?”

  “Mikey has Fae Earth magic, which will boost his Witch Earth Magic, and hopefully will work well with it. Milena is an Illusionist. Siofra says that she will be very strong. She’ll be able to create glamours and illusions that are almost impossible to see through, unless you know that she’s doing it, or know how to break an illusion. Which you can only do if you know one’s being cast, so she’ll be able to fool pretty much everyone.”

  “Wow. And normal Witch training doesn’t work for the Fae Gifts?”

  “Not really. Some things are similar, but the Fae magic is inherent in a way different from Witch magic. Milena, especially, will need Fae teachers. Which leads to my dad’s next big plan. It was actually my Grandpa Luc’s idea. They want to expand the Academy to include Advanced Magic, Fae and Dragon magic, Advanced Shielding and Fight classes. The plan was presented to the S.O.C. this morning. I am excited to hear how it went.”

  “If they approve it, I will have to expand my inventory to include materials for the new classes,” Mariellen said. Marissa blinked. She hadn’t thought of that.

  “You’re right. I’ll have Devra and the Fae let you know what you’ll need, and where to get them.”

  “T
hank you. That would be great.”

  The bell over the door chimed again. The girls turned towards the door as Theo entered.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Let me just close up,” Mariellen said.

  “I invited Mariellen for dinner,” Marissa told Theo.

  Several minutes later, they were on their way to the Sweet Delight Ice Cream Shoppe. Mollie Murphy greeted them as they came in.

  “I was just putting together a bunch of things to take to your house for dinner!” she grinned.

  “Great minds think alike!” Marissa said, laughing back.

  Mollie finished packing up several bags of ice cream, fudge and truffles. Handing the bags to her willing packhorses, she waved good bye to her staff, as the small group headed out the door. They arrived at the Casey home in time to join the evening training session before dinner. Dinners had been moved to seven o’clock to accommodate evening trainings.

  Mollie and Mariellen were convinced to give the shielding and fight trainings a try. Both found the shielding lessons interesting and useful, and the fight training exhilarating. They both expressed interest in joining several classes a week.

  When they were all seated around the picnic tables after training, Malia asked, “So, how did it go with the S.O.C.?”

  “It went very well,” Aldona said. Devra smirked.

  “Mama told them how it was gonna be, and they all bowed and groveled and promised to not get in the way.”

  Aldona glared at her daughter.

  “The S.O.C. was very agreeable. They have also agreed to handle the mundane government for us. The Academies are always warded and shielded from mundanes as it is, and the mundane governments have no say in how educating our young is handled, or what we teach, beyond the basics. However, it is worth remaining on good terms, so the S.O.C. will handle any dealing with them-after checking in with me first.” Everyone laughed.

  “When can we expect to move training to the Academy?” Luc asked.

  “We will have to get the extra facilities built. Maybe next fall?” Brendan said.

  “The way this group is growing, that is not soon enough. I have a few Fae architect friends. I will see if they are available,” Ciaran said.

  “My wolves could help with any construction,” Tony offered. “They could gain new skills and provide labour.”

  “That is a wonderful idea. We will, of course, pay them for their time,” Aldona replied.

  “Many of my wolves will be interested in the fight training,” Tony said. “And I can see wolves coming from other Packs for this, as well.”

  “They will be welcome. We will have to think up an admission process-the Academy will have to be more exclusive in its acceptance policies, based on quality of character, Gifts and aptitudes.” Brendan said.

  Celine looked at Marissa.

  “Are you ready, darling, for when Clarice gets here? Her appointment is the day after tomorrow.”

  “I think I am. It helps to know that there are so many people around to protect us.”

  “I wonder if Faith will come with Clarice,” Siofra wondered. “So far she seems to have worked in the shadows, keeping out of site.”

  “My guess would be that even if she doesn’t, she will be somewhere close by, or have some means by which to listen in and keep aware of what is happening,” Aldona said.

  “I agree,” Celine replied. “We will all be on our guard. The town is ready, too.”

  “We’ve got this!” Allie declared. Everyone burst out laughing again.

  It’s so nice to have such a wonderful group of friends, Marissa thought to herself. She smiled as she looked around, leaning into Theo, who sat beside her. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her more closely against him.

  25

  Tuesday morning Marissa didn’t have any clients until ten. She drove the kids to school, then went to The Baker’s Delight for coffee. Rachel smiled at her as she entered, the bell over the door chiming merrily.

  “Good morning, Sweetheart! What can I get for you this morning?”

  Marissa looked at the pastries in the glass case before her.

  “I was really only going to get a coffee, but everything looks so good. I think I will have a chocolate croissant, please. And a caramel latte. Thank you, Mrs. Murphy.”

  Rachel used a pair of bakery tongs to take the croissant out of the case. She looked up at Marissa. “Would you like it heated, lass?”

  “Ooh, yes, please. That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

  Rachel put the croissant in the toaster oven, then proceeded to make Marissa’s drink.

  “How are you and Theo holding up, my girl?” she asked.

  “We are actually doing really well,” Marissa replied. “It feels like it’s all happening so quickly. Now that we are both free of the compulsions and the Bond suppression, everything feels so much more clear. I feel lighter, and I know Theo does too. He says he feels as if a weight he never realized he was carrying because it had been there for so long has been lifted off of him.”

  “That’s wonderful, love. Are you not worried about when Clara, or Clarice, comes in for her appointment tomorrow?”

  “It’s strange, but I’m not worried at all. Maybe it’s foolish, but we have so many strong, Gifted people helping us, that it doesn’t seem frightening at all. Besides which, we are all assuming that this Clara woman is Clarice, but it’s possible that she isn’t after all. The real Clarice could still be out there, being much more sneaky and biding her time. Theo said that he hasn’t seen her since the old Witch’s Council was overthrown. Maybe she’s not coming back. Maybe something happened to her, and we’ll never see her again. Anyway, I guess we’ll see tomorrow when Clara comes in.”

  “Well, you take care, Marissa. Don’t be getting overconfident, now. Be on your guard. Remember, it’s not just Clarice, but this Fae Mage that we have to deal with as well. She’s the genuine threat. And we still don’t know where she is.”

  “I know. I’ll be careful. Thank you, Mrs. Murphy.”

  Marissa took her latte and chocolate croissant to a table near the window and sat, ready to enjoy. The bell chimed as a customer left, holding the door for another just coming in. Marissa had taken a book out of her bag and was already several pages in. She paid no attention to what was going on around her as the new customer paid for their coffee and moved to sit at the next table over. The effeminate older gentleman sipped his coffee while glancing around the bakery. He appeared to have come up from the City for the day. He was dressed in pressed khaki slacks, a cashmere sweater in a dusty rose color, and had neon green socks that showed between the cuff of his pants and the tops of his highly polished brown shoes when he crossed his legs.

  The man’s eyes rested on Marissa for a moment, then moved on. He took what appeared to be a small day planner or journal out of the man-purse at his feet and began to make notes. Every so often he would look up and stare into space for a moment before going back to writing.

  Marissa finished her treats and checked the time. She still had an hour before her first client, but she might as well go into the office and look over her notes for the day. She stood and brought her dishes to the counter.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Murphy,” she called to Rachel, who was helping another customer.

  “Have a wonderful day, Sweetheart!” Rachel called back.

  Marissa left and walked across the street towards the clinic, a block up on one of the side streets that embraced the Cove. After a moment, the gentleman at the next table took his last sip of coffee, then stood and followed her out. He watched as she turned the corner for the clinic, then turned down to the harbor. He sat on a bench looking out towards the mouth of the cove. A few minutes later, he was joined by a slightly younger appearing woman with black hair in a rather severe bun, dressed in a summer weight twinset and knee-length skirt.

  “Well?” the woman demanded.

  “She had a pastry and read a book, then went to work. Nothing interest
ing.”

  “Did you scan her at all?”

  “No. Why would I? We’ll see her tomorrow. You can renew the spells then.”

  “It would be nice to know for sure that the spells are holding,” the woman said.

  “Why wouldn’t they? I’ve been reinforcing them for years.”

  “Yes, and you have needed to reinforce them more frequently as the time passed. We need to be careful, especially since we are so close to the end goal now. Your uncle’s death was necessary, but losing control of the Council was an aggravating setback. A pity that the compulsions on that old witch failed enough for her to realize something was wrong and alert the authorities.”

  The man sighed.

  “Yes, Mother. Can we go now? I hate pretending to be a man. It’s so awkward.”

  “Fine. We’ll go to the inn. Perhaps they will allow us to check in early.”

  The pair stood, the woman smoothing her skirt and hair as she did so. She placed her hand on the man’s arm as they walked away.

  Laura at the B & B was quite happy to let the sweet elderly lady and her blond middle-aged daughter check in early.

  “My daughter has an appointment here at the Healer’s Clinic tomorrow, and we thought we would make a holiday of it and come down early. I’ve never been to Valerian’s Cove before, and I wanted a chance to look around.”

  Laura smiled at the diminutive woman. The lady’s curly grey hair was cropped close to her head, her rounded cheeks were pink with health and her eyes sparkled. She was everyone’s idea of what a grandmother should look like, down to the pink polyester skirt suit and clunky brown orthopedic shoes.

  The daughter was a few inches taller than her mother. Her blond hair was up in a French twist. Her faded blue eyes looked tired. There were circles like deep bruises under them, showing that she hadn’t been sleeping well. She wore tan slacks and a kelly green sweater set that should have brightened her eyes, but somehow didn’t.