by Nixon, Diana
“Nora has set up the appointment for eight in the morning,” he told us.
“Why so early?” asked Darcy.
“I think it’s obvious,” Evan replied. “The sunlight, remember? She feels stronger in the morning sun.”
“Will you be able to get there on time?” I asked.
“I'll have to fly straight from here, because there’s no time to get to London first.”
“My father said that you can use one of the private jets of Dever. Just in case he reserved it under his name tonight. The pilot needs only a password,” said Christian.
“I need a few minutes to gather all the necessary things,” said Evan, going to the door.
“Be careful,” I said finally.
“I have already told you that nothing will happen to a scoundrel like me,” he replied, smiling.
“I will go with you to your room, and you, girls, stay here,” said Christian.
They both left. Darcy laid on the couch, as the remnants of her energy were already on the wane. Amanda and I sat down on the floor, where sheets of Camilla’s diaries were still sorted. I took some papers and began to look through them. My attention was drawn by two pages glued together. The pages were rather dilapidated and very strong at the same time.
“Weird,” I thought. I picked up the pieces of paper and put them closer to the light bulb, and then I saw a picture put in between them.
“Amanda, do you know how to unpaste these papers? There is something there.”
“What is it?”
“It looks like a picture.”
“There should be something we can use to heat the paper. Wait.”
She went to the table and took an electric kettle.
“We need to boil the water and try to get them apart over the steam.”
And so we did. But since the papers were old, it was really hard to separate them. However, we found that the drawing wasn’t just a picture, but a photograph.
“I can’t believe that!” we said in unison.
“It's Alexis!” Amanda exclaimed.
“And this is the woman whose portrait Evan and I found in the archive.”
On the back side was a short note:
“Cassandra Wizardy. Find her!”
“Apparently Cassandra is the woman from this picture, but who is this young man?”
“I don’t know, but I assume that he’s Alexis’s brother,” I said. “They look alike.”
“They both remind me of Cassandra. Maybe she's their mother? Does Evan know her?”
“That's the point he doesn’t. He said he had never seen this woman's portrait, and I can swear that this is her!”
Wizardy... Bits of the legend of the Black Lake began to flow into my head: Medellin’s sister, her two sons...
“It is impossible!” in a barely audible voice I whispered.
“What are you talking about?” asked Amanda. “Eileen! What's wrong with you?” she asked again, shaking me slightly.
The legs simply refused to keep me balanced, and I sat on the floor.
“Eileen!” Amanda called again, this time seriously worried about my condition.
“Give me your phone, we need to call Evan,” I said, finally coming around.
“What’s happening?”
“Evan!” I said into the phone. “She is not Medellin’s descendant! Nora is not her descendant! She’s Jillian Wizardy’s relative! I'm sure about it. Remember that woman in the unsigned portrait that we found in the archive? So that was Cassandra Wizardy! She’s Nora’s daughter. It’s a long story. Evan, Cassandra is Alexi’s mother, and Nora is her grandmother! They are all in this together! Okay, I understand. Bye.”
I hung up the phone and Amanda looked at me wide-eyed, finally realizing why I had nearly fainted. Even Darcy, who was almost asleep, was awakened by the loud conversation, and was now carefully looking at the photo of Cassandra.
“I remember her,” she said. Amanda and I stared blankly at her.
“I once saw this woman in my grandmother's house. They were quarreling terribly. I don’t know what it was about, but she faced me at the door, and I heard her saying: “You'll be sorry about it, Camilla. She will still be here!” I don’t know why, but her words stuck in my mind. I had replayed them over and over again because my grandmother was dead just a few days after that incident. I always wondered if the threat made by this woman could have been the cause of her death.”
Now Amanda and I were in a complete shock.
“Why didn’t you tell us about that?” I asked.
“I decided that it didn’t matter, since my grandmother’s diary pointed at some other people. So that is how Alexis came here!”
“You think that Cassandra was talking to your grandma about her?”
“It's so obvious! Alexis couldn’t become the head of Dever, because Camilla wouldn’t have made it possible, knowing who she really was. Therefore, Cassandra, used some sort of spell, a very strong one I think, to make everyone believe that Alexis was the one who had passed the tests.”
Neither I nor Amanda had ever considered what Darcy was now trying to explain to us. Everything really began to come together and make sense.
“So then, with the help of Nora, she made some poison, that caused my grandmother’s death. And now I’m definitely sure that Alexis was the one, who added it to her drink.”
“Then I can’t understand why Camilla didn’t warn anyone about Alexis,” said Amanda.
“She wanted to,” I corrected her, turning the photo, where was an inscription. “She just didn’t manage.”
“Eileen, where did you find these pages?” asked Darcy.
“In the pile, that's on the table.”
Darcy went to the table and began leafing through the remaining papers.
“Got it!” she said, coming back to us. “It's an envelope with the recipient’s address. I think my grandmother was going to send this photo, so that’s why it was hidden.”
“Who was the recipient?” I asked.
“Frederic Fairey,” Darcy read.
“That’s not a surprise,” I inhaled deeply. “He is everywhere!”
Christian came back to the room.
“Evan called and told me about what you had found,” he said.
We told him about the letter, and about our favorite Frederic. At the mention of his name Christian became visibly nervous. The same thing could be said about Darcy and Amanda. However, I couldn’t understand the reason for their behavior. Christian then called his parents and told them everything that we had discovered in their absence.
“Dad said that we need to guard Eileen more closely.”
“Maybe it would be better to take her away?” Amanda suggested.
“No. It may arouse suspicion. We should pretend that nothing has happened. Alexis will have to open the Festival, so until then, we won’t do anything. Also we should wait until tomorrow, no - today’s meeting,” he said, looking at his watch. It was almost dawn outside.
“We shouldn’t separate,” he added. “It’s safer for all of us to stay together.”
“Evan’s presence wouldn’t hurt as well,” Amanda said, making us all smile.
“What is most important - is not to let Alexis know that we want to find Nora. Let's hope that she is busy enough with other things.”
The rest of the night was sleepless. No one could relax in light of recent events. Everyone was waiting for the meeting. At about seven o’clock, Christian went to the dining room, and brought us breakfast. Since it was Saturday morning, no one got up early, so the dining room was empty and no one saw Christian load a tray with food for the four of us. Breakfast, surprisingly, turned out to be beneficial. All of us were nervous, but we know that in stressful cases, the appetite only grows. In addition, we all had to do something to pass time in the remaining hour. Nobody said it out loud, but everyone was thinking about how slowly eight o’clock was approaching and with it - the meeting with Nora, of course. We didn’t call those who w
ere currently in Norfield. They were also preparing. Christian’s parents and Evan were calling us every half hour throughout the night. From reliable sources it was known that Alexis hadn’t left the territory of Dever. And this was good news, though not reassuring.
When the clock showed eight, we all held our breath. The plan was that Amelia was to spend about half an hour in Nora’s house - just enough time to allow the Keepers and other participants of the operation to surround the house and properly disperse their forces. Being one of the Wizardy, Nora could feel the presence of foreign powers, so the plan was prepared very carefully, calculating the distance to the millimeters, so that she couldn’t feel anything. Amelia had the amulet, charged with magical powers, which, if anything, was to protect her. I didn’t know where they managed to get it, but Christian assured that his mother was out of danger. After the meeting, Amelia had to try to get Nora out so the others could seize her. It was decided to bring her to the headquarters of the League of Keepers in London. The Council, being the supreme body of the League was to decide what to do with her after that.
We all jumped from an unexpected knock on the door. Christian took a deep breath, and went to open it.
“Anna!” he said in surprise.
“Sorry, I'm just looking for Darcy. Alexis needs her urgently. Is she here?”
Amanda, Darcy and I exchanged startled glances.
“I'm here, Anna, come in,” Darcy said.
“Thank God! Alexis can’t find something to complete the podium in the arena, so everyone’s in a tizzy.”
“Why did she start the preparations so early today?” I asked.
“It was quite unexpected, but Beatrice called us, and asked us to come to Alexis’s office,” Anna said.
“My phone battery must be dead,” said Darcy, checking her cell phone. “Okay, I’m going to help Alexis, but call me if you need my help.”
“What are you all doing here so early?” Anna suddenly asked.
“Christian was going to refine a part of his show here and asked us to help a little,” explained Darcy. “Let’s go,” she turned to Anna stopping her from asking more questions.
As soon as Christian closed the door behind them, we sighed with relief.
“When she mentioned Alexis, I thought that she had found out everything!” Amanda said, swallowing hard.
“I thought the same thing. When will anyone call to tell us the news?”
“Even if they manage to catch her, it will still take a few hours to get her to London. Plus during this time, neither my parents nor Evan will leave her alone. So, I think, no news should be expected until midday.”
“Maybe we should go help Darcy? I was working with her all the time, so Alexis won’t suspect anything seeing us there,” I said.
“Good idea, Darcy shouldn’t be alone. If Evan’s right, and there is someone watching us here, they know our schedules and routine,” concluded Christian.
“Man, where will we find the strength not to collapse in the middle of the arena?” Amanda said wearily.
Christian and I looked at each other. Despite the fact that we had a sleepless night, we both felt great. It was so convenient to be able to recharge each other’s energy.
“Come on sleepyhead,” he said, hugging her sister's shoulders, “you can sleep when it's over.”
“Will this happy moment come soon?” Amanda asked, reminding me of a child who asks his parents how many days are left before the birthday and gifts.
“Let's hope for the best,” cheerily replied Christian.
Chapter 23. The Festival (Christian)
It was nearly noon when I received a text message from my father: “Watch Eileen. Alexis knows everything. Be on the alert.” Amanda saw me reading it, so I had to show it her too. We decided not to tell Eileen anything. At the time, she was talking to Darcy, on the other end of the arena. Alexis wasn’t anywhere around. I didn’t know how she had found out about our plan, but, judging by the fact that Alexis was very polite (maybe just a little nervous), talking to us today, I didn’t believe she knew we were aware of what was going on. At least, I hoped not.
“Hey, why you are not helping?” Eileen protested, coming to us with Darcy. “Is there any news?” she asked quietly.
“No. Not yet. We are watching Alexis,” I replied.
“Alexis was just called to the office,” Darcy informed. “An urgent call.”
“Every time I hear something like that, my heart skips a few beats,” Amanda sighed.
“Not just yours,” I said. “Who called her?”
“Beatrice. But who was on the line, she didn’t say.”
“Anyway, we should stay together. If Alexis calls someone, the others are trying to stay close, without attracting too much attention. Got it?”
All three nodded in response. If Evan was there with us, he wouldn’t stand and say something like: “How did you manage to rule all those women at the same time?!”
I smiled at the thought.
“What's so funny?” asked Amanda.
“Nothing, just thought about something Evan would say.”
“Of course, he is nothing but laughter all fun and games,” she said irritably. “We still need to carry these boxes over the stage, so enough smiling and memories, let’s get back to work!”
Having completed our tasks requested by Alexis, we left the arena and went into one of the gardens of Embry. There was an abundance of aroma in the garden that had a soothing and calming effect on each of us. It was a combination of jasmine, lilac and freesias. Their while, purple and pink petals were all over the grass and benches as if we were walking down some magical fluffy clouds. This helped relax our tension and exhausted nerves. It was very pleasant to be in a good atmosphere.
“Almost two hours have already passed, and there is still no news,” Eileen said, going round the bench for the hundredth time already.
“No news is still better than bad news,” Amanda said.
“That's true,” Eileen agreed, sitting down beside me on the bench. I felt how much she was suffering. The anxiety was written on everyone’s face.
Suddenly my cell phone rang. It was Evan.
“Are you with Eileen now?” he asked. “Walk away from her, and listen carefully. Frederic was seriously injured. We are trying to help him. We need Darcy. Quickly! At the south gate there’s a car waiting for her, so take her there and have Amanda stay with Eileen in my room. No one can enter it without my permission, it’s spelled. Once you accompany Darcy, go back to my room. Tell Eileen that we need Darcy’s help for some of the Keepers. Nora has already been taken to London. She is still very strong, despite the fact that Frederic spent a large amount of his power, neutralizing her. I’ll keep in touch. Hurry up!”
As soon as Evan disconnected, I quickly explained everything to the others and led Darcy to the gate.
“Did Evan say who was hurt? I know some of the Keepers there,” she said.
“Actually… it was Frederic,” I blurted out.
“What?! He was taking part in this too?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to tell you this in front of Eileen.”
“What do you think I can do to help him? Why not to ask someone from Embry?”
“As far I understand, Frederic was injured by the same potion as your grandmother. Your task is to recognize it.”
“I don’t get it... I mean, of course, I can recognize it, but how did it hurt Frederic?”
“I don’t know, it wasn’t mentioned. They know the antidote, but because it’s just as strong, as the potion itself, you need to make sure that this is it. Otherwise, the very antidote can kill Frederic.”
“Oh, God! Why everything is so complicated!”
“I wish I knew,” I smiled sadly. “So, that's the car,” I pointed to a black SUV. “Good luck, Darcy. And if you can, keep in touch.”
“Okay. Be careful too,” she said before getting into the car.
I waited until it drove away, and went to Evan’s room.
Amanda and Eileen were already there.
“Finally, Christian! We thought that you left too!” Amanda said, jumping up from the couch to greet me.
“Why did they need Darcy’s help?” Eileen asked.
“Evan didn’t give me an explanation, he just said that they needed her help.”
It felt like lying to Eileen has become a habit. Although, this was a lie for the good, I still felt bad.
“So now what? We are stuck waiting again?” asked Amanda.
“Do you have any other suggestions?” I asked in response.
She didn’t answer, just sat back on the sofa, tucking her legs.
“Christian,” Eileen called, “are you ready for tomorrow's show? I mean, are you sure you can handle it?”
“I told you that everything would be fine,” I said taking her hands in mine.
“I know, but this uncertainty about Nora worries me a lot, and I'm starting to panic because all of this is hitting us at once.”
I put my arms her waist and added:
“You'll see that in a couple of hours everyone will come back safe.”
“I still hope that some of them will get us some updates and answers. How can they keep us in the dark for so long!” bursting, Amanda exclaimed.
“I can’t believe that! Are you worried about Evan?” smiling, I asked.
“Why should I worry about him at all?! I just want all this ended as quickly as possible, so we can relax and enjoy tomorrows Festival.”
“So that is it! You are worried about losing your date with Lucas!” Eileen laughed.
“The two of you’d better stop getting on my nerves!” Amanda hissed, giving Eileen and me an angry look. “I’m sick and tired of all of this!”
“Leave it,” I said Eileen. “Let her worry a bit. Evan would still be pleased to hear that,” I added in a whisper.
“I can hear everything your saying!” Amanda cried out from the bathroom.
Eileen and I smiled at each other. I bent my head and touched her lips with mine. We didn’t have much time to enjoy moments like this, so I tried to make it as perfect as possible. I missed her like hell and every time I had to leave her alone my heart was screeching with pain and loss. I needed her every single second of my life.