by Mary Swift
“This is most distressing.” Henry said. “I thought we would be welcome in Firesea.”
“You have no business here.” one of the rangers said.
“We certainly do.” Henry replied.
“It’s useless.” Talia said. “Let’s go home.”
“If I can just explain.” Henry began. “Recently one of your exiled citizens came into our circle.” He paused and looked at the rangers. They nodded, indicating that he could continue. “Anyway, the fellow was Finnegan Murphy.”
“Finnegan Murphy?”
“Yes.”
“He was caught a couple of days ago trying to dump a girl in a ditch.”
Talia heart started racing. Henry had been right all along. Lucy was dead and probably Killian too.
Logan touched the side of her face soothingly. “Where did they take the girl’s body?” he asked the men. “This is her mother.”
The ranger looked at Talia with a measure of kindness. “She’s not dead. She was just unconscious. They released her to her grandfather’s care.”
Talia began to cry. Logan bent over and kissed her cheek. “What about Killian?” she asked. “He has red hair.”
“We caught a red haired enchanter and two mortals the same day. We sent the redhead to see the Master Enchanter. I don’t know what happened to the mortals, they were probably enslaved.”
“Now that we have established our business gentlemen I am hoping you can take us into Firesea.” Henry said.
The ranger pointed to Talia. “She will have to pay for what she did just now.”
“Can’t you overlook that just this once?” Henry asked. “You have to realize that she’s a mother in distress. Wouldn’t you feel the same way if your child was missing?” He leaned on his walking stick.
The men stared at her. Talia tried to look as sweet as possible. Inside she was seething. She was looking forward to her next go around with that ranger. If she was lucky he would slap her again.
“You’ll have to appear before the council.” the ranger told her. “Then you can see your daughter.”
“What about Killian?” she asked.
“The redhead? You’ll have to ask the Master Enchanter. He wanted him for himself.”
“Don’t forget that we are here primarily for Lucy.” Henry reminded her. “Killian would want it that way.”
“I know.” Talia said. She was grateful that Lucy was alive; she had even shed a few tears. “Can you take these bindings off?”
The ranger looked at her and smirked. “I will. But you’ll have to ride with me. Mechanical vehicles aren’t allowed in Firesea.”
“Are you asking me to leave my automobile out here in the middle of nowhere?” Henry said.
“Yes, it will be perfectly safe.” the ranger told him. “You and your daughter can ride with us.” He looked at Logan. “You’ll have to walk.”
“I don’t mind.” Logan shrugged.
Two chestnut horses suddenly came trotting over the horizon. They stopped next to the rangers and pawed at the ground. Talia’s bindings came undone. She got to her feet. The rangers helped Henry onto one horse and put her on the other. The ranger she had fought with climbed into the saddle with her.
“You pack quite a punch.” he said over his shoulder.
“So do you.”
“Try anything and I won’t hesitate to strike you again.”
“I’m counting on it.” she told him. The horses began to move. Talia was beginning to think she might like Firesea.
Chapter 78
Lucy and Arden rode most of the day. Arden said that each ranger is granted an inner compass by the Master Enchanter, he knew how to get anywhere including Wildbush.
Arden was unlike any of the dopey enchanter or mortal boys that Lucy had met in Wildbush. He had shown her more kindness and patience than anyone else except her father. The scars didn’t bother her at all, she actually liked them.
It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that she spotted a church steeple in the distance. It looked familiar. It was the mortal church in Wildbush. “That’s it!” she cried. “That’s Wildbush.”
“Hang on.” Arden dug his heels into the side of the horse and it began to run over open countryside, barren scrubby fields and wasteland. They were nowhere near the road but Lucy didn’t care. As long as she could see Wildbush she knew she was home.
She wrapped her arms around Arden’s waist. The wind blew her hair. She laughed as the town began to emerge in front of her. Suddenly they met up with the road. An automobile tooted its horn at them. Arden pulled on the reins and the horse came to a sudden stop.
“I forgot this is a mixed town.” he said.
“Some of the enchanters have autos, my grandfather does.”
“This is going to take some getting used to.”
They took the road slowly. Lucy felt tears coming to her eyes. She had never been so happy to see any place, even a small town like Wildbush looked like paradise. Arden nudged the horse down Main Street. It was unused to the vehicles and became jittery. Arden dismounted and patted its head soothingly.
“My grandfather has a stable you can use. It’s in the circle.” She pointed to the wooden gate.
Arden looked at it in astonishment. “It’s so small.”
“I told you it was.”
A woman walking down the street stopped and stared at her. “Lucy Cramer?”
“Yes, it’s me.” Lucy said. Other mortals began to gather.
“What are you doing here?” someone else asked her.
“I found my way home.”
“Where’s your father?” one man asked. “Still on the run?”
Lucy’s mouth opened but nothing came out. The horse stepped nervously to one side. Arden helped her down.
“Why doesn’t your father come home and face what he’s done?” a woman asked.
“What are you talking about?” Lucy’s heart was racing.
“As if you don’t know.” another one said coldly. “He killed an innocent woman and then skipped town, just because he’s an enchanter doesn’t mean he’s above the law.”
“What?” Nothing was making sense. They must be talking about someone else.
“It was bound to happen.” said a man. “He was bound to snap. Remember how his wife used to beat him? You keep that in and then one day you just blow.”
“What are you talking about?” Lucy asked. More people collected around her. “My father is Killian Cramer.”
“We know who he is.” a man said. “He killed Maeve Baker a few days ago, right in her own shop, the same day you went missing. We figured you left with him.”
Lucy felt her knees go weak. Arden put his arm around her. “I was kidnapped.” she said more to herself than anyone else. Finnegan said that another enchanter had forced him to kidnap her. It had to be Maeve, her father would have gone straight to the cafe. If he had really killed her there was a reasonable explanation. If he left Wildbush that could only mean he was looking for her.
The tears came in a flood. She had done everything wrong. She should have stayed with Devin and waited to be found. Now she was home and her father was gone. The onlookers seemed sympathetic. Someone came forward and offered her a handkerchief.
“Thank you.” she mumbled. She felt Arden’s arm tighten around her.
“We didn’t know you were kidnapped.” a woman said. “Who did it?”
“Finnegan Murphy.” she managed to say.
“He was dallying with Maeve.” she heard someone say.
“Maybe Killian was right to kill her.” another one said.
Lucy didn’t want to hear anymore. She wanted this moment in her life to be a dream. If only she hadn’t left Firesea. “I want to see my mother.” she whispered to Arden.
“She’s gone.” Granny Jenkins and her cat Colonel Fitzwilliam were standing next to her.
“What?”
“Lucy, I’ve got to get this horse put somewhere.” Arden said. “He’s getting spooked.
”
“Colonel Fitzwilliam will calm him down.” Granny set the cat in the saddle. The horse sighed and nuzzled Arden’s neck. “See, the Colonel has a way with horses. You can bring him to my place young man.” She turned to the mortals. “I’ll look after Lucy.”
They crossed the road and walked through the circle gate with Colonel Fitzwilliam riding gallantly on the horse’s back. Granny’s house was a little cottage with a garden at the back. She directed Arden to take the horse down a narrow path where there was an old barn and stable.
As soon as he was gone she took Lucy by the arm. They stood outside of her front door. “He’s a handsome one Lucy. Is he your husband?”
“No. He helped me escape from Firesea.”
Granny raised her eyebrows. “Firesea? I haven’t heard of that circle in years.”
“Is it true? Is my father gone?”
“Yes. He left right after Maeve was killed. Good riddance to that woman, it turns out she was an enchanter, did you know that?”
“Yes. My father told me.”
Granny nodded. “He’s a smart one, your father. He left town in an automobile.”
“An automobile?” Lucy asked. “Grandfather?”
“No.” Granny shook her head. “A man and a woman came and took him away. I didn’t see them but people said the woman was here for a few days earlier this year. She stayed with Maeve.”
Lucy thought for a moment. “Mrs. Gavrashelli?”
“I don’t know.”
Arden came around the corner; Colonel Fitzwilliam was walking at his heels. “Thank you. The horse is all settled.”
“I’m happy to help you young man.” Granny said. “I think the world of Lucy and I can tell you do too.”
Arden’s face turned red. He pulled at the sleeves of his shirt.
“Are you an enchanter?” Granny asked.
“Yes.” Arden said. “I am, I was a Firesea ranger.”
“But what about my mother?” Lucy asked. “You said she was gone.”
“Yes, she and Logan and your grandfather all got into that mortal automobile of his and took off.”
“Why?”
“To look for you and Killian of course. Henry had this idea to go to Firesea and ask the Master Enchanter for help.”
Lucy looked at Arden. What a fool she had been.
“We’ll find them.” he told her.
She couldn’t imagine how her mother was going to cope in Firesea with her temper. “I want to go home now.” Lucy felt weary.
“Come and see me whenever you want.” Granny said giving her a hug.
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
Arden took her hand and together they walked out of the circle and down the main road. Her house was across the street. “That’s it.” Lucy pointed.
Lucy didn’t need a key to get inside. Her father had recently enchanted the front door to prevent Talia from bursting in. She took hold of the doorknob. “Lucy Cramer and friend wish to enter.” The door unlocked.
The house was dark. Inside the front parlor was the new wooden shelves that her father had been putting up the day Finnegan kidnapped her. Killian’s jacket was slung over the back of a chair.
Lucy had counted on this day, this moment in her own home to restore order to her life, but everything was wrong. With the door shut and the eyes of the world off of her she could finally let go. She crumpled the floor and sobbed. Arden didn’t say a word; he simply took her in his arms and let her cry.
Chapter 79
Nora woke up to find Dante standing over her bed staring at her. She pulled the covers up to her neck. “What do you want?”
He sat on the end of the bed. “I can come into your bedroom anytime I like Nora.”
“That’s going to change.”
“How are you going to stop me?”
“I can do things here, you made that possible.”
“But you don’t know how. That’s why you need me.”
“I don’t need you for anything.” She kicked at him under the covers. He stood up and strolled about. “Get out of my room.” She had a headache. Last night, after Finnegan was taken away, the followers had done something to Killian that rendered him unconscious, then they dragged him out of Devin’s house. “Where’s Killian? What have you done with him?”
Dante sat in a chair in the corner. “I’ve done what I had to. I’m only protecting myself and my plans.”
“What the hell are your plans?” she said angrily. Nora managed to get herself about of the bed while keeping a blanket around her. She had a nightgown on but she didn’t want him seeing even that. She headed towards the bathroom. “Go away.”
“I’d rather not Nora, but do whatever you have to.”
She glared at him and went into the bathroom. The door had no lock. She put her hands on the knob and whispered, “Lock.” Nothing happened. She couldn’t figure anything out. If only she still had the pen.
She took a bath and got dressed in one of the ridiculous wool outfits that were commonplace in Firesea. She moved as quickly as she could. When she returned to her bedroom Dante was still sitting where she had left him. She sat on the end of the bed and dried her hair with a towel. “I want to know why you’re doing this, all of it.”
Dante smirked. “Oh Nora, you are so entertaining when you’re angry.”
“I’m not letting you take advantage of me anymore. I’m not being lied to anymore. Why did you fake your own death? Why are you in Firesea? How did you become the Master Enchanter?”
Dante stretched his legs out in front of him. “My father was a mortal.”
“I know, your mother told me, remember? You were there posing as a cat.”
“I remember. As my mother said Firesea kept sending out dispatches to find her. They killed my father when I was four. He was completely innocent. It’s forbidden for an enchanter to harm a mortal.”
“That didn’t stop you from hurting me.”
“The law is against physical harm, not emotional.” he said coldly.
“So that makes it all right?”
He ignored her question. “They made my sister and I watch as they killed him. Firesea doesn’t believe in a quick death either. It took a long time.”
“You told me that your father fell off a boat and drowned.” Nora said. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
“It wasn’t necessary.”
“Couldn’t your Mother see what was coming? Surely she knew it when she touched your father?”
Dante glared at her. “Are you saying that she should have somehow prevented it? Don’t you think we tried? My sister is a mortal, she couldn’t do anything. It was up to me to protect all of us, that’s why I made you immune. There was a time when I planned on taking you to Firesea with me, that was until Mother saw what was in your future.”
“What?”
“Killian.”
Nora felt her anger rising. She was tired of his games. “If you had just been honest with me, I would have come with you. I might have even helped you, now you’ve made an enemy of me.”
Dante laughed. “I’m your enemy? You flatter yourself Nora.”
“Do they think you’re one of them here? Do they know their Master Enchanter is an imposter? What is the end game Dante? Are you going to destroy the entire circle just for your father?”
“Why not? They’ve done plenty of damage, not just to me, but to countless others. Isn’t it time they paid?” He paused. “There’s a war coming Nora. My mother has foreseen it. Firesea is never happy. They want more land, more mortals, more everything. We will all have to choose sides. They’ll be going after Wildbush. They’re already on their way there to look for a runaway ranger. Once they see how easy the pickings are they’ll break the old treaty and the battle will start up again.”
“Is that how Killian fits into this? Will he be fighting for Wildbush? I don’t understand what you want with him.”
Dante stood up and took off his robe, underneath he was wearing
a pair of black pants and a red tunic. He pulled the tunic over his head and threw it on the ground. “Are you really that stupid Nora?” He pushed her back on the bed and climbed on top of her, his hair tickled her face. “If I let you go you would be in Killian’s bed as soon as you could.”
Nora tried to get away but he had her arms pinned down. “I told you that if you didn’t hurt him I would remain loyal to you. Let him go and I’ll be a wife to you in every way. I promise.”
Dante licked his lips. “Why don’t we test that promise right now?”
“No.”
“You don’t say no to me.” he said angrily.
But Nora was angrier, she was furious. She was no one’s victim. Never again. Suddenly she felt a surge of energy course through her body. Dante must have felt it too, he took his hands off her and sat back on his heels.
“Get off me.” she ordered. She touched his chest in an attempt to push him away. He flew across the room and landed against the wall, he slid to the floor.
“What was that?” he cried.
Nora didn’t know what it was but she knew it came from her and she liked it. She stood up. She could feel the energy running through her like lightening. Dante looked frightened. She grabbed his hair. “Take me to Killian right now.”
“Nora-” He made a feeble attempt to swat her hand away.
“I said, take me to Killian.” She pulled his head back so she could look into his eyes. “And if you try anything like that ever again you’ll be sorry.”
“Let me go Nora.”
She let go. Nora picked up his shirt and tossed it at him. “Put this on.”
Dante pulled the tunic over his head. “You don’t know what you’re doing Nora. Power like that-”
“Shut up.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. The energy was starting to fade. She wasn’t sure how to get it back, but it had done the trick. Dante was scared. “Where’s Killian?”
“In the basement.”
She poked him in the arm. “Let’s go.”