Paisley held her tongue until Lana seemed to run out of gas. “Are you done?” She had some nerve speaking to her in that manner.
Lana glared at her. “For now.”
Paisley settled on the couch and picked up Jynx. “Will you let me talk and not interrupt me?”
“I’ll try.” Lana sat in the chair across from her.
“No.” She shook her head. “Don’t try. Do.”
“Fine,” she grumbled.
“You have no idea what I’m going through. No one can. This is singlehandedly the most overwhelming experience of my life. Contrary to what you believe, this bracelet doesn’t necessarily make me yours. Maybe to you, but to me it’s nothing. I am not your possession. Not now, not ever. I have been trying. Granted, probably not hard enough, but I’ve been giving you what I can. No one asked me if this is what I wanted. I wasn’t given a choice. You chose for me. You will not tell me who I can befriend and who I can’t. To threaten to kill kids is despicable, and if that’s what the life of a royal is about, I don’t want any part of it. Good grief. You cannot expect me to be okay with all of this. If you are, you’re delusional.”
“You don’t understand what she’s capable of.” Lana huffed and threw her hands up.
“Do you honestly have any idea what I’m capable of? Because I don’t.”
“That’s different.” She relaxed back into the chair.
“How?”
“You’re my wife. I don’t care what happens to Alexia.”
Paisley laughed and continued to run her fingers through Jynx’s fur. “Yes, you do. She’s your get-out-of-jail-free card. ‘Don’t worry, if something bad happens we can call on Alexia. She’ll fix it.’ That’s bullshit. Then you threaten her life and her kids.”
Lana waved her hand in the air. “We won’t be needing her in the future anyway.”
Paisley frowned and a feeling of unease settled within her. “What do you mean?” Her stomach dropped when Lana grinned.
“Like you said. We don’t know what you’re capable of. Your powers could far exceed hers.”
Play it cool, Paisley. Play it cool. She stood up and held Jynx securely in her arms. “If you think I’m going to roll over for you, you’re dead wrong. What do you think is going to happen? When I come fully into my powers, you’ll be able to kill her? Like you said, she is powerful. I can’t see her just letting you kill her or her kids.”
Lana shrugged and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “We have our ways. She isn’t invincible.”
Paisley turned away from her and looked out the window. She’d underestimated Lana. That wouldn’t happen in the future. These people weren’t her friends. They had an agenda in place long before she was brought here. She wouldn’t forget that. Tomorrow she would warn Alexia. “You have to realize this won’t endear me to you.”
She heard Lana stand up. “Paisley, you have to understand we have our policies in place. They are for the betterment of everyone. Alexia, in the end, will only have been a means to an end. Even the Council knew that.”
Paisley stiffened and turned toward her. “What did you say?”
“She’s a means to an end.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You said, even the Council knew that. You knew what the Council was planning. Did you plan this with my mom and grandma? Answer me!”
Lana took a step back. “We all had your best interests at heart. I won’t apologize for that.”
She sat Jynx on the floor. This was a nightmare. “I see.” She wouldn’t win this argument, but as Lana mentioned, there were far bigger things at play, and she would find out what they were. Somehow Alexia played an integral part in that. “I’m glad everyone knows what path I should take. It’s quite a relief knowing I don’t even have to think for myself. Everyone else will do that for me.”
Lana reached for her, but Paisley kept out of her grasp. Lana threw her hands in the air. “Paisley, look. We all love you and want what’s best for you.”
She couldn’t be serious. “We don’t even know each other. You don’t love me. I certainly don’t love you.”
“If you would just give us a chance…”
That would never happen, but she wouldn’t tell her that. For Alexia and her kids, she would try to hold her tongue and put up a front. “You’re right, I haven’t given us a chance.” She adjusted her glasses and sighed. “This is all new for me. Everything is a bit much. It’s all hard to take in. Can you understand that? It’s stressful.” When Lana nodded, Paisley relaxed.
“I know, but you can’t do what you did at the marketplace again. We need our people to look up to us. I won’t tell you who to become friends with, but please reconsider seeing Alexia again. If you steer clear of her, the guards will, too.”
So that’s how she was going to play this. “All right. I think I’m going to lie down. It’s been a long day.”
Lana kissed her on the cheek and Paisley let her. “I’ll wake you up before dinner.”
“Sounds good.” Without waiting for her reply, she headed upstairs to her room. Once inside, she leaned against the door and slid down it until her butt hit the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on top of them. What a mess she had gotten herself into.
Now she knew no one could be trusted. Except, maybe Addison and Alexia. Tomorrow she would ask Beatrice about her dad’s family. Maybe she would be able to lead her in the right direction and they would be a few more people to have in her corner. Right now it was looking a bit sparse.
****
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, they headed off to Beatrice’s. It was a fast trip and Paisley quickly began her task of weeding the garden. It was nice to have a dull routine to follow. A couple more days and she would be finished. She let her thoughts wander with the mindless labor. What was Alexia in the grand scheme of things? How could she travel between worlds, and why did everyone hate her so much? She didn’t think it could only be because they thought her magic was dark. She bit her lip and studied Addison, who had been quiet all morning. Deep down she knew she could trust her. “Who exactly is Alexia?”
“I don’t really know. I remember hearing her name for the first time about ten years ago.” She crossed her arms and shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure anybody really knows a lot about her. She comes and goes as she pleases, and now that I know she can travel between worlds, that would explain her longs absences.”
“And her kids. Are they hers? I mean, biologically?” She would place Alexia in her early fifties.
“No, they aren’t, but per the law they’re hers. She befriended a young woman a few years ago and when the woman died—mysteriously, I might add—she took the little girls in. She loves them. That’s obvious. She wouldn’t let anything happen to them, and before you ask, no, I don’t think she had a hand in their mother’s death.”
“No, I don’t imagine she would.” For the next hour, they were both silent. The only sound was the hoe digging into the earth and the occasional grunt Paisley let out when she pulled a stubborn root out of the ground. She accepted the rag Addison handed her and wiped her brow and the back of her neck. She grimaced when more sweat dripped down her chest. Paisley continued her task with laser focus, until her guard companion cleared her throat, causing her to miss her stroke and send a clump of dirt flying into her leg. She glared at Addison, who pointed to the house.
“Beatrice said lunch is ready.”
“All right.” Today’s fare was a thick stew. It smelled like home, but she again had no idea what was in it and she didn’t feel like asking. After the first couple of bites, she was confident she wouldn’t die from eating it, so she finished it in record time but waved off seconds. She downed the rest of her water, then refilled her glass and everyone else’s.
Beatrice leaned back in her chair. “How was the marketplace?”
Paisley sighed. “Like you don’t know.”
“I know what other people have told me. I was askin
g you what happened. Everyone has a story, I just figured I would ask you yours.”
Paisley tapped her fingers on the tabletop. “She didn’t deserve the way they were talking to her and about her. For god’s sake, she had her kids with her.” She pushed back from the table and stood up.
“No, she didn’t.”
Paisley spun around but didn’t hear any malice in Beatrice’s words or see it on her face. “I don’t really know her, but I met her once before…” She shrugged. “I just couldn’t allow them to speak to her in that manner.”
“You do understand that she practices dark magic.”
“What exactly is dark magic? Does it have a different meaning for different people, or is it a universal definition?” Her heart raced when Beatrice stood up, pointed at her, and smiled.
“They will underestimate you. Let them. Everyone has their own ideals. In my book, she is not evil and doesn’t practice dark magic, but there are those that don’t like her and have categorized what she performs as dark. I believe that you will give them pause. It is my opinion that you should limit how many people know the depths of your powers.”
“What is the depth of my powers?”
“Who really knows? I don’t, but it is something we will figure out together.”
Paisley ran her hands through her sweat-soaked hair. “I don’t mind finishing your garden, but for my sake and for those I care about, I really need to learn more. I won’t have those I care about hurt because I couldn’t protect them.”
She nodded. “I understand, and we will get into the thick of it after you finish weeding my garden.” She held her hand up. “Trust me, after you are finished I believe we will both understand why I have started this way. There are surprises around every corner, and Paisley, once you’re finished with the garden, we will just think of it as your unexpected beginning.”
“That’s awfully cryptic.”
“You have no idea, my dear.”
“May I ask you something?”
“Go on.”
“I want to visit my dad’s family, but I don’t know where they live. Lana, I believe, has been avoiding telling me.” She pulled a folded piece of paper from her back pocket and handed it to Beatrice, who took it, eyed the paper, then refolded it and handed it back to her.
“I do know where they live.” She smirked over the top of her cup.
“Well?” She waved her hand in the air.
Beatrice didn’t answer her but turned to Addison. “Do you know where the old Henshaw place is?”
“Yes.”
“Go a few miles past that and take a left at the first fork in the road, go another mile, then take another left. They have a small homestead on a few dozen acres.” She turned back to Paisley and smiled. “Dear, you’re in for a treat. If you can trust anyone, you can trust them.”
“I don’t know them and they don’t know me.”
“No matter. They are loyal to a fault, but only to family and a few close friends. They will not turn their back on you.”
“Even after what happened?”
“Even after what happened.”
“Okay.” She finished her water and tapped Addison on the arm. “Guess I should get back to it.”
Beatrice shook her head and handed her a small pack. “There are a few snacks in there. You’re finished for today. Go visit your family.”
“Really?”
“Yes. If you leave now, you will have time to visit with them before nightfall. Paisley, even after meeting them, I still expect you tomorrow morning.”
She couldn’t decipher the look on the older woman’s face. “I’ll be good to go.”
“Have a safe trip.”
“Will do.”
It only took them an hour, walking, to reach the first turn, and another thirty minutes to turn on the second road. Paisley’s steps faltered for a second when a large two-story house came into view. Directly behind the main house were two smaller buildings. A large open field sat to the right of the house, and a huge garden was laid out on the left. A man was standing by the fence watching their approach. You can do this. Play it cool.
Her fingers tightened around her necklace, and Addison stiffened beside her when she caught sight of what she had done. Paisley waved off her question and dropped her hand back down to her side. The man kept his arms slung over the fence, and his face didn’t give anything away the closer they got to him.
As they stepped up to the fence and the man raised his face, Paisley gasped and ran her hand through her hair. He wasn’t her dad, but she couldn’t deny this was more than likely one of his brothers. This man was family. She adjusted her glasses, then gave him her full attention. Before she could say anything, he swung the gate open and motioned them through.
Paisley laid a comforting hand on Addison’s arm, then walked through the open gate. When the gate was secured behind them and before Paisley could react, the man grabbed her in his arms and squeezed. She was stunned, and by the time she got her bearings he had pushed her to arm’s length and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
“You’re the spitting image of your father.”
Wow. He knew who she was. “I…Yes, I guess I am.”
He patted her arm. “Come. I am your uncle Malcom. Everyone will want to meet you. You’ve only been here for a short time, and it seems you’ve inherited your dad’s knack for trouble.”
Paisley laughed the first real laugh since she left home. She doubled over, her laugh quickly turning into sobs. Before Malcom could know what hit him, Paisley stood up, wrapped her arms around him, and cried into his shoulder. All her pent-up emotions poured out and he held her while her tears subsided. Without a trace of embarrassment, she pulled back, took off her glasses, wiped her eyes, then replaced them. “Thank you.”
“You’re among family now, and we stick together.” He slipped her hand through his arm and led her to the house. Faces peeked out behind the curtain, and she took a deep calming breath when he reached for and opened the door, motioning them in. The house was a bit deceiving. The inside was a wide-open space and quite a bit larger than the outside would lead someone to believe. Off to the left was the kitchen and beyond that was two hallways. Her eyes lingered on the far wall, until she allowed her eyes to scan the room.
Besides herself, Addison, and Malcom, there were five other people in the room. An older woman sat in a rocking chair situated by the window, and a middle-aged woman with graying, long brown hair stood beside her chair. Two men sat on a long sofa that was pushed against the wall, and by the looks of it, they were around the same age as Malcom. A woman around her own age stood beside the couch.
In every face and the way they held themselves, she could see her dad. For the first time since coming here, there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. She turned to Addison and smiled, but jerked her head around when the door to the kitchen opened and another woman walked in. Their shocked gazes locked, and Paisley took a step in her direction. “Alexia?”
Alexia stepped farther into the room, followed by her two little ones. “Paisley.” Her voice didn’t hold the warmth Paisley had hoped it would. She tried to mask her disappointment, but she knew she had failed when Addison stepped up next to her.
“What are you doing here? In this house?” Paisley stuffed her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels.
Alexia crossed her arms. “On the off chance I need someone to watch my girls, they are allowed to stay here.”
“You trust these people?”
She arched an eyebrow. “You don’t?”
“That’s not the question I asked.”
Alexia patted her daughters’ heads. “Yes, I trust them.”
Paisley held her gaze for a few moments, neither one of them breaking eye contact, until Paisley nodded. “Okay.” She turned back to Malcom. “Please introduce me to everybody.”
“Of course.” If he was bothered by her and Alexia’s interaction he didn’t show it, and neither did anyone
else in the house. He walked her over to the woman in the rocking chair and knelt next to it. He placed his hand over hers that lay in her lap. “Mama, this is Paisley, Daniel’s daughter.” The woman’s eyes widened and she chocked back a sob and stood up.
Even though she looked fragile, she walked with purpose to Paisley and placed both her hands on Paisley’s cheeks. Then she smiled. “You look just like him.” She pulled her into a hug and Paisley readily accepted the comfort from her grandma. She felt a bit self-conscious hugging since her clothes were soaked with sweat, but if her grandma didn’t mind, she wouldn’t make a big deal of it. The old woman trembled in her arms, but when she pulled back her blinding smile lit up the room. “It is so nice to meet you, my dear. You can call me Nana.”
“Okay.” Paisley bit her lip and pulled her backpack off her shoulders. After unzipping it, she pulled a large binder out and handed it to her. “I brought pictures. Dad insisted. He wanted you to see what he’s been up to.” The woman who was standing beside the rocking chair stepped forward.
“I’m Olivia.” Her eyes held a mischief the same as her father’s.
“Dad said I would probably get along with you best. He was always saying I was just like you. Of course, it wasn’t until recently that I knew where he came from, but…just another day, right?”
“Just another day,” Olivia agreed. She took the opportunity and introduced everyone else in the room before sitting down beside her mother. The binder still lay closed in her lap.
“I know we just met, and I don’t want to be rude, but I need to speak to Alexia alone for a moment. While we talk, it will give everyone the opportunity to look through the binder. Dad also included letters for all of you.” When everyone was engrossed with the binder, she turned back to Alexia and pointed to the door she had walked through. Alexia hesitated, then nodded, directed her kids to the couch, and walked out the door.
The DragonWitch Tales - An Unexpected Beginning Page 14