by Sarah Noffke
“When you set off for Lupei,” Adler answered. “Would you like us to lock it now since we’re all present?”
Liv shook her head. “No, I’m not quite ready. I need to do some research first, and some laundry.” Apparently, she wasn’t so put off by the current case as to fail to joke. It would take more than that to take away her spirit.
“Fine,” Adler said drily. “But do not put this off for long. Mortals are in danger.”
Liv nodded, understanding the severity of this case and why it worried Clark and the others so much. She was about to willingly turn herself into a mortal, so to speak, and enter a vicious area full of monsters.
Chapter Seven
More than ever, Liv needed the quiet distraction that the game of hide and seek gave her. Usually, she found herself having different thoughts when exploring the general areas of the House of Seven, searching for her little sister. Things like, Why don’t I like sushi since everyone else seems bat-shit crazy for it? Or Are there still traveling salesmen, and if so, what do they sell? And, I feel sorry for the guy who used to sell encyclopedias.
There was something about searching for the little magician, checking in weird spots, that helped Liv’s brain to wander. She was grateful for the random thoughts that took her mind off the fact that she had to have her magic locked and stroll into a werewolf-infested village.
Liv found her heart racing when she stood in front of the fountain in the middle of the garden. She couldn’t get the visual of the gnarly-looking mermaid racing toward her, hungry for blood, out of her head. At night, multiple times, she’d awaken in a cold sweat, having seen the mermaid with her seaweed hair and strange slanted eyes about to attack her. She wasn’t the worst monster Liv had ever faced—that was definitely demons—but demons didn’t live in the House of Seven where her sister often played.
Putting as much space as she could between her and the fountain, Liv strode to the other side of the garden, which was filled with statues.
When they were little, she used to tell Clark stories of how all the different statues came to be there.
“The centaur once tried to challenge our great-grandfather Vernon Beaufont,” she had told her brother in a conspiratorial whisper. “They fought, and when the centaur was about to plunge his sword into our great-grandfather’s chest, he froze him into the statue.”
Then there was the gnome who had given a Warrior a hard time in a pub and gotten turned into a statue, and the elf who wouldn’t stop gabbing about hydroponics and was made into a sculpture to silence him. She’d had a story for each of the figures in the garden.
Studying the faces, Liv felt a longing for her childhood and simpler times. She hoped Sophia had that now, although things were different for her sister. She had grown up in a strange time, without parents who lavished her with unconditional love and affection. Liv hoped that Sophia still got enough attention, although it was hard to tell since she was never anything but happy. The little magician didn’t know how to complain.
“I know a few magicians who could learn a thing or two from Sophia,” Liv said to the contemplative statue of the fae, who looked like he was trying to remember a bit of poetry.
She marched past the statues of four fairies planting bulbs and mortals reading books, and over to the sculpture of the magician Liv had always called Maximus. He had his long sword out as if he were about to duel, and an eager glint in his stone eyes.
Liv pulled out Bellator, bowing to the statue as she did with Akio before they sparred.
“It’s time for you to pay the ultimate price for your misconduct, Maximus,” Liv said, pointing her sword at him. Then she lowered it slightly, regarding him with curiosity. “If that is even your real name, scoundrel.”
Liv spun, slashing Bellator against the stone sword, but not hard enough to do any damage. Then, as if the statue had parried her attack, she reacted with a block, pivoting on her toes and crouching.
Liv caught the flutter of one of the fairies’ wings in her peripheral vision. Since she knew that the statues weren’t enchanted to be lifelike, she spun around, lowering her sword and regarded the little statue with appreciation.
“Nice one,” Liv said, bowing to the fairy. “I forgot there were only three fairies and not four.”
Before her eyes, the gray stone of the statue receded as the colors of Sophia Beaufont took shape. Her disguise melted off, revealing the little girl’s true form. She wore her long blonde hair in a high ponytail, with a large red bow pinned at the top that matched the red-and-white-checked dress she was wearing. She curtsied, a giggle spilling over her lips.
“It was lucky you came to this part of the garden,” Sophia stated. “I don’t think I could have maintained that disguise for long.”
Liv peered around to ensure that they were alone and no one had seen Sophia transform. “And did you enjoy the little show I put on for you?”
Sophia nodded. “Although I would have liked to have brought the magician to life. Seeing your face when he countered one of your attacks would have been great.”
Liv sheathed her sword with a laugh. “I might have chopped his head off, and then we’d have some explaining to do.”
Offering her hand to Sophia, the sisters walked down the long rows of topiaries, watching the birds flutter in the bushes. Clark had already told Sophia what they’d learned in the Ancient Chamber. It was a lot for a little girl to understand, but Sophia was well adapted to deal with it. Not only that, but she had asked questions Liv hadn’t considered yet.
“Do you wonder specifically what Mom and Dad knew before they died? How much of the secret truth they’d uncovered?” Sophia now asked in a whisper, although Liv had cloaked them in a silencing spell. “Or what Ian and Reese knew or had done? They had to know as much as you do now, based on the clues they left behind, like the ring, and Reese’s message. But I wonder how much more they knew, and what all you have left to discover.”
Liv nodded, having felt overwhelmed by this possibility lately. “Maybe I need to do some investigating,” she said, speaking as the thought occurred to her. “I could go to the beach house where…”
“Is that safe?” Sophia asked.
“Well, it was our house, and the land is still in the family,” Liv reasoned. The cottage where Ian and Reese had died had apparently burned to the ground, leaving nothing behind. Clark had found them, or rather what was left, but he had been too shocked to properly investigate.
“It’s worth looking into,” Liv stated. “And if I don’t find anything there, I could always go to the Matterhorn. Mom and Dad were there for a reason when they died, and I don’t think it was because they were hankering for a hike.”
Sophia nodded. “Yes, it makes sense that it could lead you in the right direction. But you must be careful.”
Liv squeezed her sister’s hand as they walked. “Don’t worry. Nothing is going to happen to me. I won’t let it.” It was a bold promise, but it was what Sophia deserved to hear, and Liv would do anything to keep her word. She often thought it was her pure determination to survive for her sister’s and brother’s sake that got her out of the really tough situations.
“However, a trip to the beach house or anywhere else will have to wait a little while,” Liv explained. “First I have to go make friends with some werewolves.”
As they strolled through the garden, Liv told her sister about the case she’d just been assigned. To her relief, Sophia didn’t appear worried. Being transparent with the little magician about cases while also always promising to return after each mission wasn’t easy, but Sophia deserved her honesty. If she started keeping things from her now, she could expect her to return the favor one day—and it was important to Liv that Sophia be open with her, especially as she aged.
“Do you think Bellator will have an effect on the werewolves like it did with demons?” Sophia asked, watching as a bluebird chased sparrows away from a feeder.
“It’s possible,” Liv stated, affectionately running
her hand over the hilt of the sword at her side. “Honestly, I have to do some research on werewolves and find out their weaknesses and whatnot.”
“You could try simply asking Rory,” Sophia supplied. “He’d know and could tell you.
Liv laughed. “If I tell him I’m going to a village of werewolves without magic, he’ll lock me up.”
“Clark has been worried about you taking this case as well,” Sophia admitted. “He hasn’t said anything, and wouldn’t tell me what it was all about, but I can tell when he’s fretting about something because he picks at his Brussels sprouts instead of gobbling them down before everything else on his plate.”
Liv grimaced. “And therein lies Clark’s fundamental problem. He wolfs down Brussels sprouts the way I destroy nachos.”
Sophia giggled, pointing to a cul-de-sac where there was a stone bench surrounded by roses. “I’ve never had nachos. Are they good? Clark says they lack nutrition and are full of fat.”
“They are full of goodness, which is why Clark wouldn’t understand enjoying them,” Liv said, taking a seat on the bench and enjoying the chance to relax. She felt as though her butt sank into the stone, melding into one with it. “And yes, nachos are the best. They may not be loaded with nutrition, but sometimes we have to eat for the express purpose of enjoyment rather than the more utilitarian purpose of getting vitamins and minerals.”
“If you told Clark that he might faint,” Sophia said teetering back and forth in the grass, not having taken a seat.
“I’ll have to take you out for nachos sometime,” Liv stated. “There’s this great place that makes them as big as a Thanksgiving turkey. They’re easily over four thousand calories, but that’s no problem for us magicians since we can eat our weight in cheese.”
“Awesome,” Sophia exclaimed. “I can’t wait to share some nachos with you.”
Liv shook her head. “I never said anything about sharing. You go get your own Thanksgiving dinner of nachos. When I go after them, I leave no man standing, and by ‘man,’ I mean ‘chip.’”
Sophia leaned over and sniffed a pink rose that was the size of her face. “Well, then I look forward to watching you take down a plate of nachos.”
Liv nodded solemnly. “When I get back from my next mission, I’ll take you out. John can join us if you like.”
“Okay, sure,” Sophia said, but she didn’t sound as chipper as she had been moments prior.
Liv pursed her lips and went to stand, but found herself stuck to the bench. “That’s strange,” she said, wondering if she had sat in gum. Like, really strong gum made out of cement.
“What’s weird?” Sophia said, smelling the rose again, her face turning pink to match it.
“I can’t seem to get up,” Liv explained.
“That is strange.” Sophia had put her back to Liv, but she could still hear the guilt in her voice, and it was probably plastered across the young girl’s face.
“Soph?” Liv said, drawing out the name. “What have you done?”
“Nothing…”
“Soph?”
She spun around, partially hiding her face behind her hands. “Well, you said that Rory would lock you up if he knew you were going on such a dangerous mission, and it made me think that maybe I should too. I can’t have anything happen to you.”
Liv understood. She wanted to be honest and open with Sophia, but there was no promise she could make to keep her from worrying. This was a girl who had lost so much. Her faith in promises was probably not strong.
“I know you want me to be safe, but confining my butt to a hard bench isn’t the way to do it,” Liv said thoughtfully. “It’s true that I have to go off and face dangers, but I’m going to be smart about it. I’ve got Bellator, and I promise that I’ll do everything I can to return safely to you, but I can’t avoid my missions. One day when you’re a Warrior, you’ll know exactly what I mean.”
“And you’ll probably worry about me too,” Sophia said, twirling her finger in the air and undoing the spell she’d used to stick Liv to the bench.
“One day when you’re a Warrior, I hope the world is a different place, and the dangers are fewer and the resources vaster,” Liv said, standing. She gave Sophia a tender smile. “But yes, no matter what, I’ll worry about you. That’s what family does. Familia est sempiternum.”
Chapter Eight
The hum and bustle of Roya Lane filled Liv with a surprising feeling of nostalgia. It was strange to her that in such a short period of time, she had grown fond of the place, with all its peculiarities.
Smells of strange herbs wafted from a shop where an old gnome woman was yelling at a couple of elves for taking too many samples. A cart run by a rotund magician was serving mini Bundt cakes that increased everything from hair growth to wealth, and across the street from that was a candle shop run by a hippie elf who was belly-dancing in the doorway, enticing patrons to “come and unlock their potential by lighting a fire.”
Liv kept her head down and her face partially covered by her hood. She was there to see Mortimer for information, although she half-expected to find Rudolf hanging around somewhere on the lane. He had been there on all her other visits.
“Isn’t it crazy that when you think of me, I show up?” Rudolf asked, suddenly appearing next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
Liv shrugged him off, grimacing. “It’s creepy. How do you do that?”
The fae was wearing a purple tunic, which contrasted with his large maroon wings. The new wrinkles and gray in his hair sort of suited him, making him somehow look distinguished—although she wasn’t ever going to tell him that. She also didn’t plan on telling him she’d been impressed that he’d given up a hundred years of his life to bring back the mortal he’d had Liv recover from the fountain in the garden in the House of Seven.
“It’s an entanglement spell I cast a long time ago, so I always know who is thinking about me,” Rudolf said and shivered. “I’m looking forward to when it wears off. Surprisingly, I have many out there who don’t think so fondly of me.”
“Shocking,” Liv remarked.
“I know, right?” Rudolf said. “Anyway, thankfully it only works when I’m in close proximity, and fortunately for you, I happened to be on the lane today.”
“Lucky me,” Liv said blankly.
“It really is, because I’m rarely here anymore,” Rudolf explained.
“You’ve always been on Roya Lane when I visited before,” Liv argued.
“Yes, but that was before you helped bring back the love of my life, Serena,” Rudolf imparted. “You see, I was always here trying to find a way to get into the House of Seven even though I’m a fae so I could get her body. I was also trying to understand how the revival stone worked, or how to get it away from Papa Creola.”
“So the time you spent here was to research ways to bring back another person?” Liv asked, shocked. “You were actually doing something unselfish? This will take some time to assimilate.”
“I’m a very unselfish person, you’ll find.”
“And really modest.”
“Why, thank you,” Rudolf said, bowing slightly. “So what are you doing on Roya Lane today?”
“I’m going to see Mortimer,” Liv stated. She wasn’t sure if the brownie could help, but she trusted him, which was the most important thing.
“You’re quite taken with the brownie, aren’t you?” Rudolf inquired. “Are you two dating?”
Liv shook her head. “You’re insane.”
“Well, don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll ask you soon,” Rudolf replied. “Have you thought about getting rid of the hood? It gives you that dark, foreboding, serial-killer vibe.”
“In that case, I’ll be keeping it.” Liv moved around various groups, conscious that they took notice of her as she passed, or at least Rudolf, who was a bit more flamboyant than most. “Why are you here now, if you usually came to Roya Lane to get information on how to revive Serena and she’s back?”
�
��Great question!” Rudolf exclaimed. “The love of my life has a rash from all of our—”
Liv slammed her hands to her ears and shook her head. “Don’t finish that sentence or I’ll punch you in the face.”
He shook his head. “Magicians are so very uptight. Anyway, I’m glad that I didn’t bring her along. If she saw you, then you’d be the one getting a punch in the kisser.”
Liv scrunched her brow. “Why would she do that?”
Rudolf laughed loudly. “Well, because I don’t keep secrets from her. I told her you’re obsessed with me, and it’s hard for you to keep your hands off me.”
Liv nodded. “Yes, that makes sense now. Did you tell her that when I said I was going to put my hands on you, it was usually to trap you in a headlock? And by obsessed, I needed your help with my family heirloom?”
Rudolf waved her off. “Those are boring details. If you want me to teach you how to weave a story that people want to hear, let me know. It’s all about how you paint the facts. I like to use a light brush, and—”
“And a lot of bullshit,” Liv interjected.
“Anyway, Serena is at the house, decorating it with her flare and getting acclimated to the current century,” Rudolf stated.
“She couldn’t come here to Roya Lane anyway, could she?” Liv asked, a thought occurring to her.
“No. I mean, technically she could if she came through one of my portals, but it would cause too much of a disturbance,” Rudolf explained. “Most don’t think this is a place for mortals, and in most respects, I agree.”
“So Serena…has she always been able to see your magic?” Liv asked, still trying to break down why some mortals, like John, could see magic and some couldn’t.
Rudolf thought for a moment. “No, she has never been able to. That was one reason I knew she loved me for me. It isn’t my glamour or ability to create gold from simple spells. Serena sees me as a mortal, although I’ve explained that I’m quite different.”