by Sarah Noffke
“Mum, I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” Rory fretted.
“Oh, I’m certain that it’s not,” Bermuda said, pulling a hat from her carpet bag and sticking it on her head. “I’ll be careful, but I must do this. Gone are the days of me disregarding that there is a secret and behaving so as to not be punished. Son, you’re the one who must be the most careful, though, since I’m sure if I’m discovered, they’ll come after you.”
“I’ll be fine, Mum. Don’t worry.”
“That’s highly unlikely,” Bermuda said. “You know I’ll always worry about my Ro.”
“You said there were two things that you thought needed to happen,” Liv interjected.
Bermuda’s attention fell on Liv like she’d forgotten she was still standing there beside them. “Yes, finding out how they rewrote history and hid the truth is important, and I know where to start looking. But equally important is that someone needs to make it so that mortals can see magic again. Otherwise, finding the lost mortal Seven will be useless. They won’t believe us unless we can prove what happened and ensure they can witness magic like they used to.”
“I can work on that,” Liv volunteered. “I had some ideas about where to start.”
The worry on Rory’s face deepened. “You must be extremely careful. Remember that snooping around got your family killed. You’ll have to do this differently than they did.”
Bermuda agreed. “Yes, I think you need to appear too busy to have time to care about this mystery. Throw them off.”
Liv chuckled. “That shouldn’t be too hard. I’m already trying to hack my schedule so I have time for everything I need to do.”
Bermuda put her umbrella under her arm to free up her hand so that she could feel around in the pockets of her dress. “I could have sworn I had…” She reached into her bag, her face brightening. “Oh, yes, here it is.” She withdrew a silver hair clip with two bumblebees on it from the bag. “Here, wear this,” she ordered, handing it to Liv.
“Yeah, thanks, but I like my hair in my face.” She shook her head, taking a step backward.
“That is one of the many reasons you’re not married,” Bermuda said at once.
“And also that whole not-wanting-to-be-married thing, and preferring to walk across hot coals rather than date the shabby-chic dipshits in this city,” Liv explained.
“Don’t be silly,” Bermuda snapped. “Every girl wants to be married. “
“Not Liv,” Rory retorted.
His mum sighed, pushing the clip into Liv’s hands. “Seriously, wear this or put it in your pocket or whatever you like, but keep it on your person.”
“What does it do?” Liv asked.
“It keeps your hair out of your face,” Bermuda explained.
Liv turned the clip over in her hands, studying it. “No, I meant what is the magical purpose? There is some magic to it, right?”
“It’s a busy bee clip,” Bermuda said. “It makes it so that when busybodies try to poke into your business, all they learn is that you’re busy and not what you’re actually up to.”
“That sounds really useful,” Liv said, glancing up at the giant. “Why wouldn’t you have this on you? Or did you use it back in the day when you were trying to investigate?”
Bermuda gave her son a tired expression. “You gave her the book, right?”
He nodded.
She sighed. “She’s obviously too busy to read it.”
Liv looked at the giants. “Mysterious Creatures? I’ve been reading it in my spare time—which is sort of nonexistent, but I’ve been trying. And it’s a bazillion pages long, so excuse me for failing the test.”
“Two thousand, one-hundred and twenty-six, actually,” Bermuda corrected sternly.
“Pardon me?” Liv asked, confused.
“The book,” Bermuda said. “It’s not ‘a bazillion’ pages long. That’s not a real number. It’s two thousand, one-hundred and twenty-six pages long.”
“Right,” Liv said, drawing out the word. “Bazillion was actually a joke…” Her voice trailed off when Bermuda flashed her a disapproving look. “Anyway, the clip? Why wouldn’t you wear it?”
“Because,” Bermuda began with a sigh, “this clip was enchanted using non-elemental magic, which means it wouldn’t work for giants.”
“Oh, how can you tell how it was enchanted?” Liv asked.
Bermuda’s eyes fluttered in annoyance. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Liv nodded at once. “Well, when you put it that way, it totally is. What was I thinking?” She stuck the clip into the pocket of her cape.
“So you’re not going to use it to corral your hair, then?” Bermuda asked, disappointed. “Could you at least consider combing it?”
Liv shook her blonde hair off her shoulders, pieces of it falling into her face. “I’m planning to try to figure out how to lift a spell from every mortal in the world so they can see magic again, and you’re mostly concerned about how my hair looks?”
“Honestly, I have many other concerns about your appearance,” Bermuda replied. “Your hair is only one of them.”
“Join the ‘Reform Liv’s Appearance’ club,” Liv stated. “I’m pretty sure there is a formal petition going around to confiscate my black cape.”
“What strange friends you have!” Bermuda said seriously.
Rory shook his head. “She’s joking. It’s another one of her attempts at sarcastic humor.”
Bermuda didn’t at all look impressed. “Well, I’d better be off.”
“When should I expect to hear from you?” Rory asked.
“Probably not for a while,” Bermuda answered. “But you must not worry. I’ll be fine.” She pointed at Plato. “I hope never to see you again, lynx. But if I do, remember that you owe me thirteen shillings and twelve head of goats.” She paused, a realization settling over her face. “You don’t happen to have what you owe me right now, do you?”
Liv laughed. “Yes, they are in his pockets.”
Bermuda cut her eyes at Liv. “The lynx doesn’t have any… Oh, that was another one of those sarcastic remarks, wasn’t it?”
Liv bowed in an exaggerated motion. “And since I know you enjoy those quips so much, I’ve decided to supply them even more readily.”
Bermuda shook her head and directed her attention to Rory. “Do be careful, son. Oh, and before I forget, I left my drawers hanging in the backyard. Would you please pull them off the line for me? And if you need anything from me, you know how to reach me.”
“What’s that?” Liv asked, realizing she should have read the chapter on giants in Mysterious Creatures.
Bermuda didn’t answer, simply strode for the door without saying goodbye.
When she was gone, Liv cracked a smile at Rory. “Seriously, what’s your secret mode of communication? Does it involve a beanstalk?”
He shook his head, but a smile slipped through despite his efforts to keep it hidden. “You’re so very strange.”
Liv laughed. “Says the giant who is going to fold his mother’s underwear.”
Chapter Four
The crack of the bat hitting the baseball was a welcome sound to Liv’s ears. She hadn’t realized how long it had been since she had just relaxed.
“Thanks, John,” Liv said, handing the bat to him as he exchanged places with her. “This was a really good idea.”
He smiled broadly, warming up his shoulders by rolling them. “Remember when I used to get so stressed about things, and you’d make me take a day off to knock some balls around? Well, I figured it was time I returned the favor. You’re working too hard lately.”
“I don’t suspect that will change anytime soon,” Liv stated, enjoying the smell of popcorn wafting from the concession area in front of the batting cages.
“Well, then it will be my job to tell you when you have to take a day off.” John swung the bat around, missing the ball that flew across the plate.
“That’s fine, but next time, you don’t have to close the shop so we
can chill and let off steam.”
John shuffled his feet, re-centering himself. “What’s the point of being the boss, then? I own my own business for a reason.”
“Yeah, but since when have you started to take days off or close the shop on a random Wednesday?” Liv questioned.
“Since I realized that life is too short, and we have to make time to enjoy it.” He swung the bat, again missing the ball.
“But you enjoy working in the shop.” Liv gave Plato a curious look when he popped up beside her. She hadn’t expected him there, but she should have. He hadn’t really left her side lately, well aware of the new stresses she was under. She didn’t know what had happened between him and Bermuda and didn’t expect to get a straight answer about it from either of them. However, she was grateful that he was so attentive lately. Lynxes had a bad reputation, she thought, realizing how considerate he could actually be.
“I do enjoy working in the shop, and that hasn’t changed, but a lot about my perspective has,” John stated, swinging the bat again and this time connecting with the ball. He knocked it straight toward what would be second base if they were playing the real game.
“Are you referring to me and that stuff I brought into our lives?” Liv asked, creating a quick silencing spell so the father and son hitting balls beside them couldn’t eavesdrop, nor could anyone else unseen.
“It’s not just you, Liv.” John handed her the bat, taking the spot where she’d been. He tilted his head back and forth, indecision heavy on his face. “Although maybe you started it for me.”
“Is this about the magic?” Liv asked plainly. “I put up a silencing spell so no one can hear us.”
John peered around. “That’s impressive. I had no idea.”
“Well, that’s how a silencing spell works,” Liv explained with a laugh. “It’s supposed to go unnoticed so we can talk privately.”
“What if someone can read lips?” John asked.
“Well, I’d need a different spell for that.” Liv squared her shoulders, holding the bat with a firm grip. For a moment she felt like she was holding Bellator, about to swing it at an enemy. The ball soared through the air, and when it was just in front of her, she swung the bat, knocking the ball in a long arc.
“And yes, this does have something to do with the magic,” John began. “I think for a long time I tried to forget that it had been a part of my life, and that Chloe had been. It was hard for a while when I thought about her, and how she just left me, so I opened the shop and threw myself into my work. And when I wasn’t working, I remembered her and the magical world she’d introduced me to and then forbade me from being part of. It was always so convoluted and strange with her. One step forward and two steps back, if you know what I mean?”
Liv backed away from the plate, listening intently to John. He rarely opened up like this, so she thought he deserved her full attention.
His eyes were focused on the dirt, looking without truly seeing as his mind pranced off into old memories. “And recently when you reintroduced magic into my life, I was worried that it would bring back old fears and things connected to Chloe.”
“I’m sorry, John. I hadn’t realized that—”
He held up his hand, stopping her. “It’s okay. These are my skeletons in the closet, not yours.” A tender smile transformed John’s wrinkled face. “But you wanna know what? Nothing happened. Well, nothing bad, anyway. When you reminded me that magic existed, I didn’t think about Chloe and the life we once shared. And with that thought came another one: I began to wonder if I had to stay busy all the time to keep my mind off her. And so, I took an afternoon off, asking you to cover for me.”
Liv nodded. “Yeah, didn’t you say you had errands to run?”
He blushed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how to tell you that I was experimenting with my psyche. I spent that afternoon lounging in front of the television and reading a book.”
“I think that can be considered errands for the soul,” Liv said thoughtfully.
The shame on his face disappeared. “Thank you for understanding. Anyway, I was surprised when none of the old worries, thoughts, or fears arose. I was still for the first time in thirty years, without negative consequences. I wasn’t lamenting about how Chloe had broken my heart or led me on or left me. When I did think about her, I found myself understanding her plight. Much like you, she was worried about how her life with magic would affect me. However, much different than you, she didn’t listen to me when I said I didn’t care.”
“So you’ve started to take time off because you realize that you can?” Liv guessed.
John nodded. “That’s right. And it’s really all thanks to you. I like working, and I always will, but it’s nice not to feel that if things get too quiet that my past will come back to haunt me. I worried about seeing magic again, but then you showed it to me, and things were different than before. I felt different about your magic. It wasn’t something that divided us, but rather, it brought us closer together.”
Liv thought about that, piecing it together with her newest revelation about the House of Seven, or rather, the House of Fourteen. “John, I wonder what’s different about you that you can see magic?”
He thought for a moment. “Well, I told you that I was exposed to it a lot. I think that being close to Chloe broke down some strange barrier for me. She explained that it would take time, but was certain it would work. Then one day I saw magic, and since then, I haven’t been able to ignore it.”
Liv whipped the bat around, practicing her swing. “Would you mind if I did a little experiment on you? I want to see if your brain works differently than a regular mortal’s who can’t see magic.”
“Absolutely!” John chirped. “Whatever you like.”
Liv shook her head at him. “Seriously, you shouldn’t be so easygoing when someone says they want to take a look at your brain.”
He chuckled good-naturedly. “I don’t think you’ve been listening to my story.”
“What are you talking about?” Liv questioned. “I took a break from batting to give you my full attention.”
“Well, if you’d been listening, then you’d realize that the person who saved me from constantly working and made me realize that magic wouldn’t be my downfall again was you.” He smiled serenely at her. “Liv, if it wasn’t for you, I might have never taken a break, too scared of my past coming back to haunt me. You reintroduced magic into my life, making me realize it was never the problem. Chloe was. She broke my heart, not the magic. All these years I was blaming magic when I should have seen the truth. Chloe was the problem.”
Chapter Five
Holding the busy bee clip tightly in her fingers, Liv strode down the corridor in the House of Seven. She’d reasoned that although it was supposed to be the House of Fourteen, she’d better not get accustomed to calling it that just yet. And honestly, it couldn’t really be the House of Fourteen until the mortal Seven were brought back.
How strange would that be? she wondered as she lingered in the hallway, watching the founder’s language dance on the golden walls. Since visiting the Ancient Chamber, she found herself translating the language a bit better. It was strange, because before the symbols had meant nothing to her, but now, even without using her ring, she understood it, but only a little.
Liv arrived at the end of the hallway too fast and stared at the Door of Reflection, wishing that she could call into work sick that day. Take another hooky day like she’d done with John. It wasn’t only that she didn’t want to be assigned whatever horrible case the council had in store for her, although that was a big part of it. The fact that Adler was brainwashing and controlling Council members to sway the votes was terrifying. Liv wanted to believe it was purely because she was a royal pain in his ass and he wanted to get rid of her.
However, there was also the very real possibility that he knew she was investigating the secret truth. Maybe he knew she’d gone into the Ancient Chamber with Clark. Maybe he’d been follow
ing her. Liv knew her parents were very stealthy, and yet it appeared that snooping had gotten them killed, although she had to remind herself that she didn’t have any proof of that, only an unwavering suspicion. And then there were Ian’s and Reese’s deaths, which reeked of the same strangeness as her parents’.
Liv squeezed the busy bee pin in her fingers, hoping that it worked to keep her safe from Adler and whoever else. Her attention was drawn to the Black Void, which seemed to be pulsing with a different energy today. Liv squinted into the darkness, swearing she saw a pin-hole of light in the blackness. The more she stared at it, the more she felt like she was blind in a pitch-black room, stumbling toward a distant light that had been turned on.
“Are you okay?” a voice called from behind her.
Liv spun to find Akio Takahashi standing by the Door of Reflection. She tensed when she looked down and realized that she was inches from the blackness, about to fall into…well, whatever it was.
“I’m fine,” Liv stated, taking large steps to put her as far from the Black Void as possible.
“Do you want to resume your combat training soon?”
Liv thought for a moment. “Yes, I think that would be wise. Of course, I’m about to receive a new case, so it might need to wait.”
Akio held up a single finger. “I’ve found that when I was in battle, I was most grateful that I didn’t postpone my training.”
Liv nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re probably right. Waiting to train might ensure that I end up in the big Waiting Room in the sky.”
Akio lifted an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard it called that before.”
“I haven’t either,” Liv said with a laugh.
“And I heard that you have a real challenge ahead of you with the next case,” Akio stated.
Liv nodded dully. “Yes, so all the training we can squeeze in would be good. And if you have any secret tactics you’ve been waiting to teach me, now would be the time to reveal them.”