by Mary Swift
Dante laughed. “Nora, you really are obsessed. Enchanters don’t work as lawyers, especially not for mortals.”
“I’ve heard of enchanters that live among mortals, and there’s something about him, the vibration that I told you about, and his eyes.”
“Lots of people have green eyes.”
Nora shook her head. “Not like that.”
Dante grinned. “Are you in love with the man?”
“Of course not. I just wonder about things. Aren’t you curious?”
Dante stopped walking, he pulled her into a kiss. “You’re the curious one. I don’t care about anything else except poetry and you.” He took a deep breath. “I really do love you Nora.”
“I love you too.”
He looked over his shoulder, there was a newsstand across the street. “I’m going to buy a paper. I’ll be right back.”
“All right.”
He stared at her for another few seconds and then turned and ran into the street where he was promptly hit and killed by a passing truck.
Chapter 14
Finnegan helped to make sure that Dante’s book of poetry was published posthumously. It sold well and Nora began making money right away. Dante’s untimely death had generated intense interest in it. The critics said Dante could have been one of the greats.
After the funeral Nora received a letter from a friend she used to work with many years before, her name was Allison Baker. She lived in a small town called Wildbush. Allison had returned to Wildbush a few years earlier when her father died and she went home to help her stepmother run the family restaurant.
Allison suggested that Nora come and stay with her for a while. Nora was relieved at the invitation. Everything in Chilton reminded her of Dante. She rattled around their little house across from the harbor in a state of numbness. She hardly went anywhere or saw anyone. She wrote Allison back and told her she would take her up on her offer.
This was Nora’s chance to get away and decide what she was going to do with the rest of her life. There was another reason that Nora wanted to stay with Allison. She lived in Wildbush. It was a mixed town, the mortals and enchanters lived together in one place. Allison used to tell her about growing up with the enchanters close by, like most mortals from mixed towns she was familiar with their customs and practices.
Nora wanted to see the enchanters for herself. She wanted to know if they gave off the same unusual energy that her lawyer Finnegan did. She still wondered if he really was an enchanter, or even a half one. Allison said that sometimes mortals and enchanters mated and the child could be either.
The only person in Chilton Nora would miss was her brother Tom. He tried to talk her out of leaving the day before she was set to go. “Wildbush is a backwater Nora. There’s nothing to do there.”
“I feel like I’m drowning here. I need a change Tom.” They were sitting in the drafty front parlor of Nora and Dante’s house. “It’s not like I’ll be gone forever.”
“You told me that you don’t know when you’ll be back.”
“I just meant that I might stay for a while, as in a few months at the most.”
“What if you meet a man there?”
Nora hadn’t even thought about that. “I’m not interested in meeting any men. I want to clear my head and figure out what I’m going to do with my life. Why don’t you come with me?”
“I can’t leave Janet.”
“I thought her name was Brandy.”
“Don’t talk to me about her.” Tom scoffed.
Nora could never keep up with who was the latest woman in Tom’s life. “At least come and visit me. It’s a mixed town, it will be interesting.”
Tom grimaced. “I’m not sure I want to meet up with any enchanters.”
Nora didn’t say anything. It wasn’t typical for a mortal to want to meet enchanters. They normally kept their distance from one another. She didn’t know why she was so interested, maybe she was nosy after all. “Enchanters or not, I’m going to Wildbush.”
She left the next day on the train and arrived the same afternoon. Outside the window the Wildbush station came into view. It was painted minty green with a dark green platform. Allison was standing outside looking eagerly at the windows. Nora waved and stood up.
The train stopped with a lurch. She stumbled backwards and nearly sat on the lap of the man sitting across the aisle. “Oh I’m terribly sorry.” she mumbled. Her face was burning as she made her way to the end of the car.
Allison was jumping up and down as Nora stepped off of the train. It was such a relief to see her. “I can’t believe you’re really here.” Allison cried as they hugged each other.
A porter set Nora’s bag down beside her.
“Just one bag?” Allison asked as she picked it up.
“Yes. Are you sure you can get that?”
“Of course.”
Nora didn’t know why she was asking. Allison was broad shouldered and over six feet tall. She never had a problem carrying anything. “It’s not very far to walk.” Allison said. “Just follow me.” They went inside the train station. Allison was chattering away. On a long wooden bench a man with coppery red hair sat scribbling in small notebook. Allison nudged Nora’s arm. “He’s an enchanter.”
Nora hadn’t expected to see one so soon. She was a little disappointed that he looked so much like any other man, although most men she knew didn’t have long hair, and the color was especially vibrant.
“Don’t bother trying to talk to him.” Allison whispered. “He’s really shy.”
Nora didn’t need to talk to him. She was just satisfied seeing her first enchanter. As they passed by him she was suddenly aware of something. She felt the same strange vibration that was around Finnegan. Nora stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Allison asked.
The redhead looked up. For a split second their eyes met, his were bright green. Nora smiled at him. His face turned red and he stared at the ground.
“I told you he’s really shy.” Allison said.
Nora she could see that he was extremely self-conscious. She looked away, she didn’t want to make him more uncomfortable than he already was. The air hummed around her. The unusual energy and his vibrant green eyes were just like Finnegan’s. Things were getting interesting.
Chapter 15
The day Nora arrived at the train station Killian discretely followed her and Allison to Baker’s Cafe where Allison lived and worked with her stepmother Maeve. Afterwards he headed back to the circle.
He had recently been appointed to the Wildbush council. The other members consisted of Henry, Talia, Logan and Granny Jenkins. They had a nightly meeting in the council hall. He arrived just as it was starting. The others were already gathered around the large oak table. There was no electricity in the building and the air hung with smoke from the candles.
“If it isn’t our favorite redhead.” Talia said as he stepped inside.
He ignored her. “There’s a new woman in town.” He sat at the table and opened his notebook.
“Is she an enchanter?” Logan asked.
“I don’t know yet. She’s staying with Allison Baker.”
“The giant.” Henry mumbled.
“Maybe Killian should use his pen to shrink her down a few inches.” Talia suggested. She looked at her father and they both chuckled.
“Anyway.” Killian said trying to ignore them. “When they were leaving the train station she looked at me in the strangest way and-”
“She probably couldn’t believe anyone could be that ugly.” Talia sneered.
“I’ll just pop around tomorrow and check up on her.” Logan said.
“I could send Colonel Fitzwilliam.” Granny said stroking the marmalade cat on her lap.
“I don’t think that’s necessary Granny.” Henry said. “That cat is a nuisance, he tore up my marigolds the other day.”
“He did not.” Granny said angrily. “The Colonel knows better than that.”
The Colone
l meowed in agreement.
“I will go to the cafe tomorrow for a cup of tea and find out more about her.” Killian wrote something in his notebook and clapped it shut.
“I really think that I should do that.” Henry said. “I should be the one investigating all new residents.”
Killian stood up. “That won’t be necessary Henry. You have a dentist appointment in the morning. I just wrote it down and it looks like it’s going to be a long one.”
Henry pounded his fist on the table. “Damn you Cramer.”
“Goodnight.” Killian gave Colonel Fitzwilliam a quick scratch behind the ears and left.
Chapter 16
Allison lived above her stepmother’s cafe where she worked during the day. Maeve was waiting in the shop for her and Nora. There were a few customers at the tables and several young women working behind the counter.
“We’re here at last!” Allison exclaimed as she carried Nora’s bag inside.
Maeve was an attractive woman in her mid to late forties with long white hair. Her blue eyes looked Nora up and down. “Is this the one whose husband died?”
“Yes. My husband died a few weeks ago.”
“Mine died too.” Maeve smiled as though it was a good thing.
Nora began to think she could sense the same energy in the air that had been around the redhead. Allison had never said that her stepmother was an enchanter. Maybe Nora was imagining it, maybe she was just tired from the travelling.
“Are you hungry Nora?” Allison asked.
“No. I think I’ll lie down for a while.”
“All right. I’ll show you to your room.” Allison lifted Nora’s bag up with ease. Nora followed her through a door at the back of the cafe. She felt Maeve’s eyes on her the whole time.
The door shut and Maeve’s uncomfortable stare ended. Nora followed Allison through a narrow hallway and up a flight of stairs. Allison went into a room directly at the top. It was a light airy bedroom that looked over the main street of Wildbush.
Nora plopped on the end of the bed. She touched the white eyelet bedcover. “Thank you for letting me stay here. I had to get out of that house.”
Allison put the bag down and sat next to her. She put her arm around Nora. “I’m glad I could make the offer. I’m so sorry about Dante. I know how much you loved him. I know it’s not exactly the same but when I lost my father it felt like nothing would ever be the same, but I promise it will get better.”
“I know.” Nora understood grief; she had lost both of her parents at the age of fifteen. She would survive; she wasn’t the type to fall apart. “It’s just hard. Dante was silly and frivolous and impractical but he was my life. Now he’s gone and I have to figure out what I’m going to do.”
“Do you have any ideas?”
“No, but coming here is a big step. And I saw an enchanter today, that’s something.”
“You’ll see plenty more.”
Nora didn’t want to mention anything about the strange vibration around Maeve. Maybe it was because she was near a circle for the first time and she was unused to what it felt like.
“This will be good for you Nora.” Allison said encouragingly. She stood up. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” She left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.
Nora opened her bag and took out her journal. She wrote down what happened that day including seeing the red haired enchanter in the train station. She then made a quick sketch of the room and the view out of the window so she wouldn’t forget it.
She had started keeping a journal when she began experiencing gaps in her memory shortly after marrying Dante. She had gone to a doctor but he couldn’t find anything wrong with her. The worst gap had come five years earlier; Nora had over ten months of time she couldn’t account for. Writing things down helped to make sure she never forgot. She closed the journal and smiled. Her new life started now.
Chapter 17
“Good morning Daddy.” Lucy said as she bounded into the kitchen while Killian drank his morning coffee.
She was turning sixteen in three weeks and he was scared to death. It was the traditional marriage age for enchanters and her grandfather had been hinting that he had found a suitable husband for her. Killian couldn’t imagine any of the boys in town, enchanter or mortal, marrying his daughter when she was still a child.
She kissed him on the cheek and sat at the kitchen table. “What are you doing today?”
“I have to investigate a woman who has just moved to town. She’s going to be living above Baker’s so I’m going to venture into the cafe. I need to know if she’s an enchanter.”
“Can I come with you?” She took a sip of his coffee. “Ugh, this tastes like mud.”
“I thought you were supposed to see your mother today.”
“I’m avoiding her.” Lucy said. “She keeps talking about wedding stuff and I’m not getting married. Can’t you write something with your pen? Make me ugly, I don’t care.”
“Do you know how much trouble I got into when I used it to divorce your mother?”
Lucy frowned. “Are you talking about your hair? You’re so vain. Who cares what color it is?”
Killian hated to talk about his hair, even with Lucy. “If I hadn’t rewritten the council rules I would have been exiled from the circle. I would have had to leave Wildbush and you behind.”
“I wouldn’t have liked that.”
“No I don’t think you would have.” He sighed. “Let me talk to your mother and grandfather first. I promise I won’t let you get married if you don’t want to.”
She smiled. “I love you Daddy. I’m so lucky to have you. Sometimes I’m glad Mother didn’t want me.”
“It’s not like that Lucy.”
“It is, but I don’t mind.”
“Lucy, for what it’s worth I know what it’s like to feel unwanted.”
“I know. I forget that sometimes. You never talk about the past, except for your hair.”
“My hair is not a topic of discussion Lucy, not even for you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible. Now why don’t we throw out this horrid coffee and get some tea at the cafe.”
Chapter 18
Nora had her breakfast that morning in the cafe. It was busy from the moment it opened. She had no idea who was a mortal and who was an enchanter. She had just finished eating when the door opened and the redhead came inside followed by an exceedingly pretty young woman with long dark hair and deep brown eyes. The night before Allison told her the man’s name was Killian Cramer.
“Good morning.” Allison said to them. “Please have a seat.”
Killian and the girl sat down at a table near the window and whispered something to each other. The girl glanced sideways at Nora. She had the distinct impression they had just said something about her.
Allison made her way through the maze of tables and chairs and stood in front of Killian and Lucy. “What would you like this morning?”
“Um, we’ll have a pot of tea, and um, scones and butter.” Killian said.
“All right.” Allison scratched her head with the eraser end of her pencil. “We’re a little busy, it might take a while.”
“We have time.” the girl said.
Allison hurried away. The door opened and five more people walked inside. Nora stood up; she might as well make herself useful. She grabbed one of the pots of tea that Allison already had steeping and set it on a tray along with two cups, a plate of scones and a crock of butter. She brought it to Killian’s table. “Here you are.”
“Thank you.” His face turned red and he looked at the floor.
Before he looked away Nora confirmed that his eyes were the exact same color as Finnegan’s. She stuck out her hand. “My name is Nora Gavrashelli; I’m staying in Wildbush for a little while.”
“Uh, it’s nice to meet you.” He shook her hand. He had a firm grip for someone who looked petrified to speak. “This is my daughter Lucy.”
“Your d
aughter?”
“He started young.” Lucy said as she bit into a scone. Her father’s face turned another shade of crimson.
“Um, are you from around here Miss Gavrashelli?” he asked.
“I’m from Chilton, and it’s Mrs. Gavrashelli, but you can call me Nora if you like. I was recently widowed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Killian told her.
Behind Nora a door slammed, footsteps echoed loudly on the wood floor. Maeve was suddenly standing next to her. “I’ll take it from here Nora.” she said pushing her aside. Maeve pointed her finger at Killian. “Why were you looking in these windows yesterday afternoon?”
“I was just walking past.” Killian looked like he wanted to disappear. The rest of the customers in the cafe stopped eating and drinking and stared at them.
“Stop spying on me.”
“I do not spy on you.”
“Of course you do.” Maeve spat. “All of your kind does, enchanter scum.”
Killian glared at her. Nora was once again reminded of Finnegan. He stood up. “It’s time to go.”
“But-” Lucy began.
“We’re going Lucy.” he said firmly.
She stood up and sighed. “All right.”
“It was nice to meet you Nora.” Killian said. They left the cafe and crossed the street. His hair shone like a copper penny in the morning sun.
Chapter 19
“I can’t believe it!” Lucy cried. “Mrs. Baker had no right to say that.”
“I don’t want to talk about it on the street. Let’s go home.” Killian said. They walked quickly towards the circle. The wooden gate was open.
Colonel Fitzwilliam dodged in front of Lucy’s feet as she ran up the front steps of their house. Across the circle Killian thought he saw the curtains move in one of Talia’s windows. Lucy was waiting for him inside the front hall. “Can we talk about it now?”