“Lana, is that true?” J.J. asked. Disbelief fluttered across his features.
Lana nodded and sighed beside her. “Yes. Things happened so fast that I had to act fast. I couldn’t risk anything happening to Paisley before I had a chance to put the cuff on her.”
“I see,” the queen said, then looked directly at Paisley. “You made it sound like you didn’t have any say in it.”
“I didn’t. Think what you will, but the last week has been the worst of my life, and the people in my life have taken the choices about my future out of my hands for now. I can assure you that will not always be the case.”
The queen flicked her hand in the air and the gold bracelets on her wrist jingled. “Yes, Lana said you had powers. Tell me, what is the extent of your powers?”
Before she could answer, Lana spoke up. “Mother, that’s one of the questions I had for you tonight. I was going to ask you about teachers for Paisley. Her powers are new to her and she will need someone to teach her. If you could help me, we can pick one out for her.”
“We?” the queen questioned.
Lana nodded. “Yes. You and me.” The queen glanced at Paisley as she arched her eyebrow and took another sip of her drink.
“See? All decisions have been taken out of my hands.”
Lana jerked toward her. “No, Paisley. That’s not what I meant. She knows people.”
“I understand that, Lana, but the least you could have done was invite me into the discussion. You may have put this cuff on my wrist, but you are not my keeper and I will not be kept. I have lived a long life so far without your counsel, and I am confident I can live another thirty-two years without it.” Paisley downed the rest of her cider and ignored the quiet in the rest of the room.
“You’re right, Paisley. I’m sorry.” Paisley nodded and looked everywhere but at the occupants of the room.
“Beatrice Markers would be your best bet for a teacher. She’s competent and capable. She is an accomplished witch and will be able to guide you to sort your powers out,” the queen said with exaggerated disinterest.
Paisley nodded and turned to Lana. “I’m sure you know where she can be located?”
“Of course.”
The king clapped his hands together and five servants walked in carrying small plates, with what looked to be pieces of cake on them. “Now that that’s finished, let’s enjoy dessert.”
Paisley accepted the plate and took a small bite, but could feel the queen’s gaze on her. Reluctantly she chanced a glance up and met her eyes. The nerves just below the surface vibrated, but she kept them in check and never broke the queen’s gaze. When the queen quirked her lips and took a bite of her cake, Paisley looked away and took another taste of hers. Even the burst of raspberry covered in chocolate couldn’t stop the churning in her stomach. J.J. and the king weren’t so bad, but the moment she laid eyes on the queen, she knew they would never get along. Her dad told her to trust her gut, and right now it was telling her to steer clear of the queen. She would have to watch her back and do whatever possible to make sure they didn’t become enemies.
****
The next morning dawned bright and early, and despite their dinner the previous night, Paisley woke up refreshed and ready to face the day. Each new day was a new beginning, and she would do her best to make sure she never forgot that. Out in the hall, she nodded at Addison and Jynx, and followed them both downstairs and into the kitchen. Lana sat at the table and stood when they entered.
“Good morning.”
Paisley sat down beside her. “Good morning.” She filled her plate with some fruit salad, a piece of raisin bread smothered in butter and honey, and a few spoonfuls of fresh yogurt. She accepted the glass of apple juice Lana handed her. Even after two days, her concerns about the food she would be eating was somewhat put at ease. So far, so good. “Do you make the apple juice from your apples?”
Lana lit up. “We do. Apple juice, apple cider, and a nice apple wine. We also make a really nice peach wine.”
“I would love to try them.”
“Of course. I will bring up a bottle of last year’s apple wine from the cellar for after dinner.”
Paisley kept quiet as she finished the rest of her breakfast, then reached for another piece of raisin bread. “I would like to meet my dad’s family. Do you think you can find out where they live?”
“I would be honored to help you.” She sighed. “But first, I think it would be prudent to start with your teaching. After breakfast, I will accompany you to meet Beatrice. When you return home for dinner tonight, we can discuss your family.”
Another choice taken out of her hands. She finished off the bread, drank the rest of her juice, and stood. “I’m going to get dressed, then we can go.” Once inside the sanctuary of her room, she threw herself down on the bed. So much for relaxing today. She groaned and stood up. Not sure what to expect from the meeting, she pulled on a pair of well-worn jeans and a plain white T-shirt. Next were her sneakers, then she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and slipped a ball cap on.
To hell with what anyone thought of her. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it in comfort. Lana checked her out, but didn’t question her outfit when she walked back into the kitchen. Her eyes scanned the room and stopped when the spied a pile of bags stacked in the corner of the room.
Lana followed her gaze. “I took the opportunity to stock up on a few more bags of Jynx’s favorite food. I won’t be able to go back every month, but I will try to go back to your world in the future. I bought the biggest bags they had and I will have the guards secure them in the cellar.”
Stacked in the corner of the room were five eighteen-pound bags of Meow Mix. A shudder passed through her at the thoughtfulness of Lana when it came to Jynx. She sniffled and filled up Jynx’s bowl. If not a year, the bags would last her quite a while. “Thank you. That means more to me than you will ever know.”
“I also took the liberty of picking up some treats and a few other things I thought she might like or need. Flea medicine, toys, stuff like that.”
“When?”
“I bought everything before we left your world, and I had somebody go back to the barn, load everything, and bring it back.” She shrugged and finished her tea. “It’s the least I could do.”
Paisley walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “It was thoughtful and not something I will soon forget.” She was touched beyond belief and figured she could concede the choice of a teacher taken out of her hands. “I’m ready.”
“Good.” Lana pointed to Addison. “Addison, you will be staying with Paisley while she is with Beatrice.” At Paisley’s raised eyebrow, Lana explained. “It’s not that I don’t trust her, but it’s just that I don’t trust her. She is an accomplished teacher, and that’s what you need, but it is not going to hurt to have Addison accompany you.”
“I’m not arguing,” Paisley said, filling two water bottles and slipping them into her backpack along with a few pieces of the raisin bread, two apples, and an assortment of beef jerky. “I like Addison.” She slung her backpack on. “The more the merrier.”
She slipped her arm through Addison’s and allowed her to steer them out the back door and into the carriage. Lana took up the seat across from them. “So,” Paisley asked once they were on their way. “What can I expect from Beatrice?”
Lana smirked. “She knows her stuff and you will be able to trust her teaching. Now trusting her as a human being is another matter. Don’t be deceived. Everyone, or at least a part of everyone, is only out for themselves. But I wouldn’t be sending you to her if I didn’t feel confident that she’s the right choice for you. Listen to her. She knows what she’s talking about.”
Paisley looked out the window and watched the trees pass by. After twenty minutes, they pulled onto a long dirt road. Paisley’s breath hitched in her chest when she caught her first glimpse of the house. It was small, but it was well kept, covered in vines and pink and purple flowers. A huge g
arden sat to the right of the house and a small fenced-in area sat to the left.
Behind the house was an open meadow. It looked like a painting out of a Thomas Kinkade calendar. She accepted Addison’s hand when they climbed out of the carriage and followed Lana up to the door. Before she could knock, the door was opened by an old woman. Even from where she stood, she could trace the wrinkles on her face. To anyone else the smile would have been considered inviting, but Paisley could see the fakeness of it.
“Beatrice,” Lana said as she guided Paisley closer, “this is Paisley and—”
Beatrice cut her off and grabbed Paisley’s wrist, drawing her near. Paisley fought the urge to recoil and jerk her hand back, and was rewarded with a genuine smile. Beatrice dismissed Lana without taking her eyes off Paisley.
Lana touched Paisley arm. “I will send the carriage back for you in a few hours.”
“All right.” Paisley turned back to the woman and didn’t feel a bit of dread when the carriage turned and left. “So. What happens now?”
Beatrice let go of her hand, walked to the corner of the house, beckoned them to her, picked up a hoe, and thrust it into Paisley’s hand. “Now, I am going back in the house and you are going to weed the garden.”
“What? You can’t be serious.” Paisley eyed the hoe, then the garden. It was so overgrown she wasn’t sure where to even start.
“I am quite serious, and I would advise you not to question me again.”
Paisley stepped back when a spark of red flashed in the woman’s eyes. She couldn’t be sure if it was a real threat, but she wasn’t going to take her chances, at least not yet. “Fine.” Beatrice nodded and walked back into the house, shutting the door behind her. Paisley walked toward the garden. “Addison, the least you can do is keep me company.”
“Of course.”
Paisley didn’t have to look to see the smile in Addison’s eyes. “I guess my first lesson is how to weed the garden?”
“It would seem so.”
“Guess I should get started then?”
“I guess you should.”
“No chance you will help me?”
“Nope. It is my duty to protect your life from certain death.” She pointed to the weeds. “This is not certain death.”
“I figured you would say something like that.” Paisley indicated a stump Addison could sit on and handed off her Wonder Woman backpack. The garden wasn’t as big as she first suspected, but it looked past its prime. She scratched her neck, pulled the bill down on her cap, and got started.
It wasn’t the first lesson she had expected, but the physical labor would at least help to keep her in shape. If she was honest with herself, she was glad to have a reprieve from an actual magic lesson. She knew the time would come, but for now she was happy being normal. Even if normal meant weeding a garden in less than ideal conditions.
****
The next day and the day after went the same as the first. She spent all morning weeding the garden, then went home, took a bath, and fell into bed, waking only when Lana informed her dinner was ready. After she ate, she went back to bed and didn’t wake until the next morning. They still hadn’t had a chance to discuss finding her dad’s family. Today had started out no differently than the others.
“You know,” Addison said after taking a bit of her apple. “You’re over halfway done. Only a few more days left.” She shrugged and threw the core into the nearby forest. “No telling what she will have you do next.”
Paisley took a drink of water. “I know, right? To be honest, it hasn’t been all that bad, and I’m not sure I’m looking forward to what happens next. It’s strange in this world, but at the same time, it doesn’t seem so foreign. If that makes sense.”
“It does.” The next words of her mouth were cut off and Paisley turned toward her when something caught Addison’s eye. Off in the distance, standing atop a hill, she could make out the silhouette of a woman. She narrowed her eyes, but couldn’t make out any specific details. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew her or at least had seen her before. As they watched, the woman turned and walked back down the opposite side of the hill.
“I see her once or twice a month. Nothing to be afraid of, I assure you.” Paisley and Addison both jumped when Beatrice started to talk. Paisley grabbed her chest. Where had she come from? Good grief. They would both have to start paying more attention. “Come along you two. I made enough soup for everyone.”
Paisley eyed Addison, who just shrugged and followed along behind the woman. Paisley breathed a sigh of relief when they walked inside and the interior was just as cozy as the outside of the house. The soup smelled amazing. It was the first time either one of them had been invited in.
“Sit down.” She indicated the small table that sat adjacent the front window. She set three bowls of soup on the table along with a loaf of crusty bread, and poured them each a glass of water. “Eat up. We’ll talk after you both finish your lunch.”
Even though the soup turned out to be bland and she had no idea what was in it, she ate it anyway. From the look on Beatrice’s face, she wouldn’t have dared not to eat it. She smiled, picked up her bowl, and drank the rest of the broth. Beatrice nodded at her and offered her more, but Paisley waved her off. Addison grimaced and finished her soup off as well.
Beatrice cleared the table, then retook her seat. Paisley shrunk back in her chair at the glare Beatrice threw her way. Beatrice picked up an empty coffee cup and set it on the edge of the table. “Paisley, I want you to float the cup in the air a few inches.”
Paisley adjusted her glasses and shook her fingers out. It didn’t look like a trick coffee cup, but one couldn’t be sure. She leaned across the table, picked the cup up, and turned it over in her hands. When she was satisfied, even though she didn’t know what she was doing, she set the cup back down and closed her eyes. How hard could it be? She could wing it.
It was just a matter of projecting the confidence she knew was buried deep within her. She opened her eyes, turned her hand palm up, and raised it a few inches in the air. The cup rocked back and forth on the table, and Paisley bit her lip when it settled back down. She shook her fingers out, then raised her hand again and jerked her fingers up. She jumped in her chair when the cup flew up and embedded in the ceiling. Addison laughed beside her, but she didn’t dare look at Beatrice. She could feel the heat radiating from her.
Beatrice waved her hand and the cup appeared back on the table. The ceiling had repaired itself. Without looking away from Paisley, she spoke. “Addison, come around the table and pick the cup up.”
Paisley narrowed her eyes as Addison reached for the cup, but couldn’t pick it up. She frowned, grabbed the cup, and tried again. Her face was turning red and sweat had already beaded on her forehead. Paisley touched her hand. “Stop.” She turned and looked at Beatrice. “I don’t understand.”
Beatrice took a sip of her tea before she answered. “The cup is enchanted.”
“But I picked it up.”
“Indeed, you did.” She took another sip of her tea.
Paisley stood and started pacing, then marched across the room and reached for the cup, once again picking it up. Without rhyme or reason, she reared her arm back and threw it at the wall, but before it collided with the wall it stopped abruptly. Addison put herself between Paisley and Beatrice.
Beatrice held up her hand. “I didn’t stop the cup.”
Paisley spun around. “How?”
“If you had wanted the cup to shatter, it would have. Your intent behind it wasn’t pure. If your intention was for it to hit the wall, nothing would have stopped it.” She stood up, pushed her chair in, and fixed another cup of tea. “And honestly, I don’t even believe you have to use your hands for most of your magic. Some, of course, requires a vessel through which to flow. But other magic only has to be thought of to execute it.” She quirked her eyebrow, blew on her tea, then took a sip.
Paisley stared at her hands. “So…”
&n
bsp; “That’s enough for now,” Beatrice said. “You need to get back to weeding.”
“Just like that.”
She shrugged. “You’ve been doing a good job. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten how to.”
“What about that woman?” Addison asked.
Beatrice waved off her concerns. “Don’t worry about her. She is not my enemy and she will not bring any harm your way.”
“Stupid cloak and dagger shit,” Paisley mumbled. She marched out the front door, picked up the hoe, and headed to the garden. Something compelled her to look back and her eyes latched on to the figure in the distance. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew her from somewhere. But how could that be, when she didn’t know anybody here? She knew for a fact it wasn’t Lana. The shape of the woman was all wrong. Addison walked up beside her and eyed the woman as well.
“Nothing we can do about her now. Best get back to weeding.”
“Addison is right, Paisley. Don’t fret on the woman.”
Paisley turned and faced Beatrice. “I’m taking tomorrow off.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I am tired. The day after tomorrow I’ll be raring to go.” She didn’t wait for Beatrice’s approval. She didn’t need it because she was taking tomorrow off whether the woman agreed to it or not.
“Paisley, take your day of rest. But be ready to finish the job when you get back.”
Paisley smiled sweetly at her. “Of course.”
Addison sat down on her stump, dug some jerky out of Paisley’s bag, and took a bite. After she swallowed, she spoke. “You should have Lana take you to the marketplace tomorrow. You’ll like it, and who knows? You might get lucky and see your mystery woman again.”
Paisley doubted it, but it couldn’t hurt. “I will ask her. Thanks.” Walking to the far corner of the garden, she lifted her hoe and plunged it into the earth. She couldn’t wait to go home and take a bath.
****
The DragonWitch Tales - An Unexpected Beginning Page 12