“Hi Gran! Yes, it’s me! Can you come sit with Rachel for a moment? I really need to talk to you about something!” I raised my voice a little to be heard over the little laptop speakers I knew Rachel was using and after a moment of shuffling around, the elderly woman finally sat down in a chair in front of the camera and squinted at the monitor screen.
“You look better than I thought you would, given the circumstances Lani-girl, but you’ve certainly got a wilder look to you now!”
“Gran!” Rachel scolded, appalled.
“It’s okay Rach, let her speak. What do you mean I look wilder, Gran?” I sat back in my little chair with a small smile and the old lady’s tanned, wrinkled face wrinkled a little more as she squinted at the monitor.
“It’s in your eyes. You may be on a different continent, talking to us over a computer but I can see your eyes are different.” At her words, Rachel leaned a little closer to her screen, unsure if she could see the change too and I chuckled softly.
“Yeah, I guess they’re a dead giveaway.” I paused and licked my lips and wondered how I was going to start the conversation that I so desperately wanted to have. “Gran?”
“Yes dear?” the elderly woman sat patiently, as though she knew what I wanted to know, and was just waiting for the right questions to be asked.
“Rachel just told me that when she told you I wasn’t coming home with her, you started talking about dragons and fairies.”
“Yes dear.” The old woman’s voice remained matter-of-fact, and while Rachel shot her an exasperated sideways look, I pressed on.
“Why? Why would you instantly jump to the conclusion that dragons and fairies were responsible?”
“Well, it’s your father’s family’s secret, dear.”
“A family secret that perhaps I could finally be let in on?”
“I would think you already know a fair bit about it, don’t you?” Rachel shifted slightly in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with this line of conversation and I took a deep breath to ready myself before plunging in.
“Gran, did you know about my Dad and my grandfather and what they were?”
“Well, of course dear. Your mother told me.” Her answer was said so calmly, and so matter-of-factly that I was stunned.
“What?! Mom knew?!”
“Of course! It was imperative that your mother had to know because of her own background.”
“Her own background? What does that mean?” I exchanged confused looks with Rachel but Gran didn’t seem the slightest bit ruffled.
“Yes dear. Your mother and father needed to know what they were, and while your father may not have known fully what he was capable of, they still needed to know as much as they could about each other for your sake.”
“I’m sorry Gran, I don’t think I understand.”
“Lani dear, neither your grandfather or your father ever changed. But they knew full well what they were and that the possibility was always there. No one wanted you to be burdened by a knowledge that you may not have needed. That’s why they kept it a secret from you. At the same time, your father also hoped, that since you were born a girl, the curse may have been broken since every Williams child that had been born for as far back as they could keep track, had been boys.”
“Curse?” again, Rachel and I exchanged uneasy glances and for once, Gran looked slightly apologetic.
“I’m sorry dear, I can’t explain very much to you because I don’t know much, just what your mother shared with me a time or two.”
“Okay, so let’s go back to Mom then. What did you mean by her background? What was Mom?”
“Your mother was a witch.”
“A witch?” Rachel and I repeated in unison, except while my voice was tinged with surprise, Rachel’s was full of horror. Whether at the fables our crazy grandmother was weaving, or the somewhat derogatory term ‘witch’ I wasn’t sure.
“Yes. And one of the most powerful witches I have ever known. We adopted your mother at a pretty young age when we found her at an orphanage and the adoption agency couldn’t wait to get rid of her. They said any home they had tried to put her with, up to that point, had experienced unexplained phenomenon and they had always sent her back. I took your mother because, as part of a small coven here on Maui, I could sense the magic in her and she eventually admitted that she had never really felt accepted at any of the foster homes, so she made it so that they would send her back.
“With your father’s background and your mother’s capabilities they were terrified about what that might mean for you when they realized she was pregnant.”
“And at no point did anyone ever think I might need to know this stuff?” my voice turned a little incredulous, and yes a tiny bit hurt but Gran just shrugged.
“They thought that by banning you from ever going to Scotland, that it would be a non-issue. Your mother warded the house the best way she could to protect it and you inside, so you would never need to know about her.”
“Oh my god, I am such a fool.” I sighed, sitting back in my chair and wrapping my long ponytail around my fist a few times.
“Lani, you only believed exactly what your parents wanted you to believe.” Gran tried to reassure me but I snorted a touch bitterly.
“The problem is Gran, that doesn’t help me now. I don’t know what I am.”
“Have you changed yet?”
“Yes.” I nodded and while the old woman’s eyes widened, she didn’t get a chance to ask anything more right then.
“Okay, um, hi! Remember me?! Changed? Changed what? Your clothes? Into a black cat? What? You two want to explain to me what the hell is going on?” Rachel broke in finally, her tone officially confused and a little peeved and I sighed again.
“I’m a dragon, Rachel.”
“Ha! A dragon? Excuse me?” she snorted in disbelief but her laugh died on her lips when she realized that Gran and I were both looking at her with very grave expressions on our faces.
“Rach, I’m serious. I can shape-shift into a friggin dragon.”
“Holy shit! So you’re both crazy!” She swung her head back and forth between looking at her grandmother and looking at her laptop, her dark curls bouncing erratically around her head at the sharp movements and I shook my own head slowly.
“Honey, I only wish it was that simple.”
“So you have changed?” Gran interrupted, repeating her earlier question a touch impatiently and I sighed and nodded.
“Yes. The first night I stayed here at the estate, that’s why. I had gotten into a cab to go to the train station so I could meet up with Rachel and the rest of the tour and that’s what did it. As soon as I crossed the property line, I have never experienced that kind of pain before. The cabbie took me back to the estate because I screamed at him that I needed to go back, I passed out and by midnight that night I changed for the first time.”
“What was it like?” she asked in genuine interest and I shrugged a little sheepishly.
“I don’t know, I don’t remember much about that night. I know that there was this immense relief because I felt like I was free. I can fly, I can breathe fire. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. And they aren’t afraid of me here, they knew who and what I was as soon as they heard my name. No one was surprised, no one questioned, they just accepted me. They gave me the cottage that Nana and Granddad lived in, and that was it. I’m one of them.” I shrugged my shoulders slightly, once again amazed at how easily I had been accepted within these walls.
“Well, I’m certainly glad to hear that.” Gran said in relief and I smiled faintly and nodded.
“So Dad was a dragon and Mom was a witch.” I jumped back onto that train of thought and Gran nodded once while Rachel sat back in her chair silently, undoubtedly absorbing everything she had just heard.
“Yes.”
“You said she warded the house to protect us; how did she do that?”
“Your mother was a protector. She would cast spells on doorways or window sills, she
had salt for the ledges and doors…”
“The satchels! Those little baggies that she used to hang on all of the doorknobs in the house, that was one of her tricks, right?”
“Yes. They were to keep evil out.”
“I always thought they were just really cheap potpourri baggies that didn’t smell. But they were to keep evil out...doors and windows... Gran, when Mom, I don’t know if you’d know this or not, but whenever Mom touched a door or a window frame...did it glow?” my voice turned from thoughtful as I worked through what Gran had told me, to a mix of inquisitiveness and anxiousness at the word ‘glow’ and that caught her attention in a hurry.
“What’s that now?” for the first time the old woman was taken off-guard and the look on her face was almost priceless.
“I recently discovered that if I hover my hand over an entrance or exit point; doors, windows, gates - they glow under my touch. I didn’t know if that was somehow related to the dragon part of me, or now I guess it would make more sense if it was a trait of my mother’s.”
“No Lani, I can honestly say I never heard your Mother say anything about that.”
“When I touched a door frame yesterday, it felt very warm to my touch. And I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time because I was preoccupied with someone who was trespassing, but the door frame sort of flashed blue when I first touched it. And then it got very warm, so what do you think that means?”
“Evil was nearby. That would be my first guess.” The old lady sat back in her chair, her face serious as she started to play with some necklaces she had on – a habit she had when she started to get deep into thought about something.
“There was a man here yesterday, actually there were two men here, and I didn’t like them. I didn’t know them but the minute I knew they were coming I got very cold. And I got very adamant that if the Laird’s wife insisted that they come onto the property, that they stay as far away from any of the residences as possible. One of them did actually end up going into the house, which is why I was preoccupied with him trespassing, and he was muttering something, waving his hands in the air.”
“He was casting a spell.” Gran said matter-of-factly and I rubbed my hands over my face tiredly.
“Casting a spell?” there seemed to be a lot of us repeating each other during this call but it didn’t seem to be something I could help. This was so far out of my line of knowledge that every new turn in conversation had my head spinning.
“He was trying to. I don’t know much about it my dear because I wasn’t there, but if you found this individual muttering something in a foreign tongue, waving his hands in the air, and you came along and touched a door frame and it got warm to your touch - you almost certainly interrupted a spell.”
“Okay, so here’s another funny story.” I cleared my throat slightly and re-positioned myself on my chair. “The Laird’s wife Ciara is very pregnant, and yesterday she laid down in her room for a rest. We all got summoned to her room rather hastily at one point when we heard her screaming because a black crow was in her room trying to attack her.”
“Oh, that’s not good.” Gran started shaking her head and Rachel and I both looked at her worriedly.
“No?”
“Black crows are harbingers of death. So the fact that the crow was there - “
“But I don’t know how this thing got in the room.” I started to interrupt but the old woman was still shaking her head firmly.
“It doesn’t matter dear. It was there. And if someone else was in that room a day later trying to cast a spell - your friend is in danger, Lani-girl.”
“Damn. What do I do?” I leaned forward in my chair, my anxiety level rising quickly and saw Rachel chewing on her lip, equally stressed. I had no doubt that, like me, she was busy processing everything as it came out into the open, and to hear that someone close by could be in some kind of danger, it wasn’t sitting well with her either.
“Get her out of that room. Spell it the best you can, and keep your eyes open.”
“Spell it? How?! I don’t know any spells!”
“Let me go through my journals. I’ll find what I can and I’ll have Rachel send it to you.”
“Thank you, Gran. You’re a life-saver.” I told the old woman fondly and she chuckled, clearly pleased that she could still do something to help me.
“What can I do?” Rachel asked, eager to get on board with something and I smiled at her gratefully.
“Rachel, I am completely in the dark here. I know you’re at your Mom’s right now, but when you go to the house, go up into the attic where all of Mom’s journals are packed away. I haven’t been able to bring myself to go through them yet. I need you to go through them for me, and anything you think might be useful to me, can you scan it and email it to me? Or put it in a drop box that I can access?”
“Of course.” Rachel nodded and I smiled again and relaxed a little. While she might have serious thoughts about me being crazy enough to think I was a dragon, she was still my best friend and would do whatever she could to help me.
“Gran, anything you can think of that might help I will also greatly appreciate. I doubt you’ll be able to help me with my dragon issue but if I can get some help on at least Mom’s side of this story, that would be wonderful.”
“Consider it done. I will also talk to a few others and see what I can learn. People may think we’re just crazy old women, but there is quite a network of us witches in the area.”
“Thank you. Both of you. I couldn’t do this without you.” I started to tear up again and Rachel, always so in tune with how I was feeling, sniffed and blinked back tears of her own.
“Call or text me anytime, sweetie, okay? I don’t care what time it is. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“I appreciate it, and who knows, I might take you up on it before this is all said and done.”
“Any idea when you will be able to come home?” Rachel asked tentatively but before she was done speaking I was already shaking my head.
“No idea. I was drawn here at a time when something is clearly going on with Ciara but I don’t know any more than that. Trust me though, the minute I know more, you will too.”
“You need to get some rest. You look exhausted Lani-girl. Rachel and I will do what we can for you here and we will be in touch.” Gran promised and I nodded.
“I’ll talk to you both soon. Love you.”
“Love you too, Lani.” We disconnected our calls and I snapped the lid of my laptop closed with a yawn. My head was spinning with new knowledge and I had no idea if sleep would come easily but to my surprise, it didn’t take long after I put my head on my pillow for exhaustion to take over and I fell into a dreamless sleep.
⧫⧫⧫
The next morning I was grateful to have my bags back because it meant that I had my running shoes again and I tied them up with a certain level of childish glee. My morning run was always one of my favorite parts of the day and I looked forward to it now more than ever because I could do it with proper shoes. The barefoot run I’d done the day before had felt good, but now I knew I would be able to push myself that little bit harder without having to worry about what I might step on.
When I stepped out of my cottage, it was still dark outside but I was surprised to see Stephanie and one of the stable hands standing nearby, as though waiting for me.
“Good mornin’ Miss Lani. I hope ya don’t mind, but we saw ya out running yesterday morning and was wondering if we might join ya?” the young man, I think his name was Jamie, stepped forward and I eyed him curiously. He had been one of the young men that had helped set up the easels and tables for Ciara’s impromptu art show yesterday and he seemed nice enough. And Stephanie was always ready with a friendly smile and wave whenever we passed each other. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try making a few friends while I was here.
“Think you can keep up?” I asked, only half-seriously and he threw his head back with a chuckle.
�
�Och, not even close lass, but it’ll be good for me to try.”
“Some of us start to feel like we’re trapped in a bit of a routine and can’t break out of it. Seeing you out running yesterday morning made me realize that I don’t have a valid excuse for that and could be doing the same thing, I’ve just always taken the lazy way. I want to try to change that if I can.” Stephanie admitted and I smiled faintly.
“I’m not slowing my pace down, but if you’d like to join me you’re welcome to.” At that the two in front of me smiled and we set off at an easy lope to get warmed up. By the time we reached the perimeter wall I was feeling good and could feel my heart rate increasing. Stephanie and Jamie were a few feet behind me, keeping pace with each other and I glanced back at them with a raised eyebrow.
“Go! We’ll catch up with you eventually!” Stephanie laughed breathlessly and with that little bit of encouragement I increased my stride and quickly put some distance between us. The two behind me didn’t do the full perimeter, they cut in front of the main house and therefore beat me to the bluffs, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon and they collapsed in the grass with breathless laughs as I came to a stop beside them.
“You two okay?” I asked breathlessly, brushing a few stray wisps of hair out of my face and Jamie nodded.
“Aye, we’ll survive I’m sure.”
“The more you do it, the easier it gets. I promise.” I assured them before dropping to my hands and knees and stretching out into a plank position. Stephanie watched me for a moment, her mouth hanging open in surprise and then she tried to assume the same position as I started doing push ups.
“Where do you get all of this energy?” she tried to ask through gasping breaths and I laughed lightly.
“I’ve been working out like this at home for years with my best friend.” I told her during exhales and glanced to my left when Jamie fell into a plank position on the other side of me.
“I’m going to pay for this by lunchtime I think.” He grunted, starting on his own push ups and I hid a smile. The biggest form of flattery was imitation and these two on either side of me clearly weren’t trying to outdo me or show each other up. They just genuinely wanted to break their cycle of routine and do something good for themselves, and if I could help them, I would.
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