by Mary Swift
“Maybe.”
“So what are you going to do now that you’re back?”
“I don’t know. I want to be more than Dante’s widow, I just don’t know what that is yet.” She sighed. “How’s Janet?”
“Who?”
“Tom, the last time I was here you were in love with a girl named Janet.”
He frowned. “Oh yes, I remember. It’s off.”
“You said she was the love of your life.”
“I was mistaken. Listen, do you want some help with this?”
“Clever way to change the subject Tom, but I’d like it if you stayed.”
He stood up and opened a crate. He took out a stack of notebooks. “What are you going to do with these?”
“Maybe I’ll give them to his publisher. There are a lot of poems that weren’t in his book.”
“Where do you want them?”
“Let’s put them on the bookshelves for now and I’ll go through them later.”
Tom started towards the bookshelves, as he walked a folded piece of paper dropped from one of the notebooks. “I’ll get that.” He put the notebooks on the shelves and picked up the paper. He unfolded it. “I thought it was illegal for mortals to have a map like this.”
Tom held up the paper he had found. It was a map of Maine. Drawn on it were the sixteen enchanters’ circles, next to Wildbush, in Dante’s handwriting was the word redhead.
Chapter 39
Killian used his pen to experiment with different colored paint and wallpaper in the parlor. After his uncomfortable shopping trip in the bookstore he needed something to do. He always found reworking the house a soothing occupation. He had just tried a garish mustard yellow trim when he heard a loud knock on the door. He glanced out of the window and saw Talia on the front step. He left the parlor and opened the front door. “Lucy is upstairs.”
Talia pushed him aside and came in. “I’m not here to see her.”
“Great. What do you want?” he asked as he shut the door.
“Are you going to ask me to come in and sit down?”
“No. You can say whatever it is right here.”
Talia looked into the parlor. “What are you doing in there?”
“Nothing.”
She shoved him into the wall and went into the next room. “Redecorating again?”
“Are you going to tell me what the purpose of this unannounced visit is?”
“Who is that man?” Talia pointed outside.
Killian looked out and saw Finnegan standing across the street staring up at the house. “He’s Nora’s lawyer. He says he came here because she made Wildbush sound so nice. He’s suddenly decided to stick around, probably because he’s sleeping with Maeve Baker.”
“How do you know that?”
“Everyone knows that.”
“I’ve never heard anything about it.”
Killian wanted to tell her that was because she was too self-involved to notice what anyone else was doing. “He’s always following me around.”
“Maybe he’s got a thing for redheads.”
“There’s something off about him. I wouldn’t talk to him if I were you.”
Talia punched him on the side of the face. “Don’t tell me what to do!”
Killian staggered backwards. “He could be plotting with Maeve, he could be dangerous. Do you want him going after Lucy?”
“Don’t be stupid.” She raised her foot and kicked him in the shins with the hard sole of her boot.
He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. He was seething with anger; it felt like it was coming out of every pore.
Talia’s hair was in her face. She was breathing hard. “Why don’t you hit me?”
“I will one of these days, you’ll push me too far.” He dug his fingers into her shoulders.
Talia giggled. “Go ahead and do it. Hit me.”
“You want me to don’t you?” He forced himself to let go and step away. “You’re sick, you know that?”
She brushed the hair from her face. “So what if I am? You like it just as much as I do.”
“What? Getting hit?”
“Yes.” She was still breathing heavy.
“You need to take a cold bath.” Killian looked out of the window. Finnegan was still there, it was impossible to know if he could see inside.
“If you’re going to be like that then you can leave me alone.” Talia told him.
“I’d be glad to.”
Talia stormed out of the house. Killian watched her from the window. Just as he expected she went straight to Finnegan. Killian reached for the pen and then stopped himself. If Finnegan was really just out to make friends as he claimed then why not let him spend some time with Talia?
Chapter 40
Nora snatched the map out of Tom’s hand. She looked at word redhead. “Why would Dante have this? And why would he write that?”
“Search me.”
“Are you sure this came from one of Dante’s notebooks?”
“You know it did.”
“I don’t understand. Maybe he bought it out of curiosity.”
“Perhaps, but only enchanters are allowed to have these maps.”
“Dante wasn’t an enchanter.” Nora said.
“Are you sure about that?”
“I thought I was.” she said. “We have to look through the rest of his things, maybe there’s more.”
“That will take hours.” Tom whined.
“You needn’t stay.”
“No, I want to. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said it that way.” Tom opened another crate. “Let’s see what else we can find.”
Nora and Tom searched every last crate. They worked, breaking only for dinner, until after midnight. There was nothing else to find.
Tom dropped into a chair and rubbed his eyes. “I think it’s a coincidence Nora.”
“It can’t be.”
“Whatever it is I can’t look anymore.” He stood up. “I’ll tell my morning class that it’s my sister’s fault I’m falling asleep.”
“I’m so sorry. You can stay here tonight.”
“And wear these wrinkled clothes in the morning? No. I’ll be fine; I might even stop for a drink on the way home.”
“At this time of night?”
He patted the side of her face. “Go to sleep Nora and forget about this. It’s just a map, nothing more.” Tom drowsily left the parlor. She heard the front door open and close.
Nora looked at the map again. Maybe it was a coincidence. Dante was interested in a lot of different subjects. And just because mortals weren’t allowed to have enchanters’ maps didn’t mean that they didn’t possess them in secret, but the word redhead kept nagging at her. She sighed. She had to get some sleep. In the morning she would pay a visit to the one person who could tell her what it all meant.
Chapter 41
Dante’s mother lived in a small house on the fringes of Chilton. The Gavrashelli house was looking a little worse for wear than the last time Nora had seen it, the pink paint was peeling, one of the upper windows was broken and stuffed with a rag to keep out the cold. Nora knocked on the door and waited.
A few seconds passed before it opened a crack. Mrs. Gavrashelli looked out, her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought I would see how you’re doing.”
Mrs. Gavrashelli opened the door a little further. “I’m fine.”
“I wanted to ask you about something. I found something in one of Dante’s notebooks. May I come in?”
“I don’t have tea or anything for you.”
“I don’t need tea.”
Mrs. Gavrashelli sighed and opened the door. Nora bent over to avoid hitting her head on the doorframe. The kitchen was small and cramped. A black and white cat was stretched out across the table.
“Well, what is it?” Mrs. Gavrashelli asked as she shut the door.
Nora took the map from her pocket and unfolded it. “Do you know anything about this?” Mrs. Gavrashe
lli took the map and looked at it. It was impossible for Nora to tell what she was thinking. “I’m curious why Dante would have it, and why he wrote that.” She pointed to the word redhead.
“Curiosity can be dangerous.” Mrs. Gavrashelli handed the map back to Nora. “It’s nothing.”
“I was just in Wildbush and I met a redhead, the only redhead in the circle. That is Dante’s handwriting. Why would he write this? He never left Chilton as far as I know, how would he know about a man with red hair living in Wildbush?”
“Who says that Dante was talking about the man you met?” Mrs. Gavrashelli shooed the cat from the table. She sat down and sighed. “Why are you stirring things up now?”
Nora sat down. “Something happened in Wildbush. I found out things.”
“What things?”
“I was attacked. Someone tried to stab me with a pin that was supposed to make me obedient. It didn’t work. The redhead said that I’m immune to a certain circle’s spells.”
Mrs. Gavrashelli didn’t say anything.
“Are you an enchanter? Was Dante?”
“You shouldn’t have gone there.”
“I know that now.” Nora said. “But are you enchanters?”
“Nora, there are things in life that are better left in the past.” The cat jumped back onto the table and stretched out between them. “If you pursue this you may not like what you find. Are you willing to risk your memories of Dante? Leave the map with me and go.” Mrs. Gavrashelli held out her wrinkled hand. “Knowing won’t change anything.”
Nora started to hand it over. The old woman licked her lips, there was glean in her eyes. Nora snatched it back. “Perhaps I should keep this. It was Dante’s after all.”
Mrs. Gavrashelli’s eyes flashed with anger. She stood up and the cat bolted off the table. “That belongs to us.” she said coldly.
“I think I should go.” Nora stood up. The light was growing dim in the kitchen, damp air seemed to rolling up from the ground.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Mrs. Gavrashelli said, her voice echoing around the tiny kitchen. She moved as though she was on wheels from the table to Nora’s side. She reached her hand out and touched Nora’s forehead. Nora fell against the doorframe and gasped, her mind felt blank, she could barely remember her name. Mrs. Gavrashelli removed her hand. “You have many struggles ahead.”
“What did you just do?”
“I can see what lies ahead for you.”
“You can predict the future?”
“No. I can only see what may come to pass. Many things can change.”
“You are an enchanter.”
She nodded. “Yes. When we made you-”
“What do mean, when you made me?”
“Isn’t obvious by now Nora?” There was sparkle in her eyes, as though she was relishing the moment. “You’re a shield for our family. Dante made you immune to the Firesea circle to protect us. We needed a stupid young mortal girl who would do what we wanted. You were perfect for the job.”
“How did he make me immune?”
“Can’t you guess? His poetry. They weren’t just words, they were spells. Do you remember that poem he gave you for a wedding present? What was it called?”
“For my Nora.”
“Yes, that’s it. That was the spell that made you immune.”
Nora remembered Dante reading the poem to her on their wedding night. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
The old woman snickered. “Why should he have? You were merely a tool, a way to protect us. You don’t really think he loved you do you?”
“Dante loved me.”
“Believe that if you must but you were merely a means to an end.”
“I don’t believe you.” Nora’s mind was reeling. Flashes of the past kept popping up in her mind. The first time she and Dante kissed, their first night together, things he used to say, the way he looked at her. It could not have been a lie. He wasn’t cruel like that.
“You’ve suffered a shock dear. Why don’t you come into the lounge and sit down?” She touched Nora’s arm. Nora pulled away and shrank against the wall. Mrs. Gavrashelli smiled. “There is someone in your future, I can see him.”
“I want to go home.” Nora muttered to herself. She tried to open the door but the handle wouldn’t turn. “Unlock this door.”
“Come in and sit down.” Mrs. Gavrashelli took her arm. Once again Nora felt the old woman enter her mind, her thinking became clouded. She was led through the kitchen and into another room. She collapsed into a chair.
Mrs. Gavrashelli sat down and the cat jumped onto her lap. “I left my circle of Roundhill when I was sixteen. I was promised to a man in Firesea. I travelled with my parents there. It was a great distance. We lived in the mountains and they on the seashore.
“When I was presented to my fiancé he rejected me immediately. I was a plain girl and very shy. He insisted my father bring him another girl as a replacement. My father was a reasonable man and he calmly produced the engagement contract that guaranteed our marriage. My fiancé became enraged and a fight broke out. Firesea enchanters are used to getting their way. They told us that we couldn’t leave the circle until my father had found a suitable and attractive girl for my intended.
“That night my parents and I escaped. We were pursued by rangers for months until finally my father managed to evade them by coming to Chilton. We learned to live among the mortals, I even married one. I thought we were finally free and then a ranger from Firesea found us and killed my husband. Dante and his sister were forced to watch. I had to find a way to protect my children, I knew they would come back to finish us off.
“I got the idea that we could immunize a mortal to protect us. Dante was always a good writer, when he was eighteen he cast. His poems would be spells. I convinced him to make a mortal girl believe he loved her and then to write a love poem that would make her immune to Firesea enchanters. When you came along we all thought you were the perfect choice.”
Nora stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. I don’t want to know anymore.”
Mrs. Gavrashelli rose slowly from her chair. “I don’t think you fully understand Nora. Your purpose is to protect me. I let you go after Dante died but you came here willingly and you are not leaving.” She grabbed Nora’s hands and closed her eyes. Nora felt her probing her mind yet again. “There’s a girl.” Mrs. Gavrashelli said. “She’s going to be in trouble.”
Nora wrestled free and managed to get back into the kitchen. She tried to open the front door.
Mrs. Gavrashelli followed her. “A girl with long dark hair, her father is the redhead.”
It was Lucy. “What about her? What’s wrong?”
“She’s going away, far away from home.”
“How?”
“A man is taking her away. His intentions are dark, but he’s not sure he can do it.”
“Do what?”
“Kill her.”
Nora pulled desperately at the door handle. “You have to let me go. I have to warn her father.”
Mrs. Gavrashelli put a hand on Nora’s shoulder, her bony fingers dug into her skin. “You would have been safe here with me.”
“Let me out!” Nora heard the door unlock.
“If you go Dante will-“
Nora wasn’t listening anymore, she opened the door and ran outside without looking back.
Chapter 42
Maeve tore open the box as soon as it arrived. Her new red wig was inside. It was fortunate that the current hairstyles were short. She hadn’t cut off enough of Killian’s hair to make a long wig.
She pulled it down over her white hair. With some trepidation she looked in the mirror, she couldn’t help but smile. She smoothed the wig with her fingers and admired her reflection. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Killian’s face when he saw her. His irritation would suffice until Finnegan disposed of Lucy.
Her bedroom door opened and Finnegan walked inside. She was gl
ad to see him, she was anxious to get him back in bed.
“Hello.” He caught sight of her new hair and his mouth dropped open. “What on earth?”
“What do you think Finnegan?”
“Is that made from-”
“Yes from Killian’s hair.” she said proudly.
“You’re not going to wear that thing out are you?”
“Why not?”
“What will people say?”
“By people, do you mean mortals? What do I care about them?” She leaned against him.
He pushed her away. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“Do what?”
“I can’t kill an innocent girl. It’s too much.”
Maeve was seething inside. Men. They were always afraid to get their hands dirty. She took a deep breath, she had to remain calm, she was so close to getting everything she wanted. “I’ll give you Allison.”
“What?”
“You heard me. She’ll do anything you want. She’s very compliant.”
“I don’t want her.”
Maeve shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She grabbed her shawl. “I’m going to go tell Killian who you are.”
He grabbed her arm. “No, I don’t want him to know.”
Maeve shook her head. “You’re starting to like him.”
Finnegan’s face colored. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes you are.” She hesitated. “I bet you would like to cast another spell.”
“That’s not possible.”
“Of course it is, you should know that. You just have to possess a mortal’s soul. I can show you how. I’ve done it before, with my now happily deceased husband. I was able to enchant a ring to knock anyone out, enchanter or mortal. I’ve always liked jewelry.”
“Is it easy?”
“Of course, mortals are as dumb as rocks. If you get rid of Lucy Cramer I’ll show you how simple it is to have a mortal’s soul. You can cast another spell, you could go back to Firesea and claim the Master Enchanter’s robe. You are the rightful heir.” She watched his face closely, she could see her strategy was working.
“You won’t ask anymore of me will you?”
She smiled coyly. “Of course not. Watching Killian suffer over the loss of his daughter will make me happy beyond measure. I won’t want anything else.” She was a convincing liar when she needed to be.