by Sonia Parin
He nodded.
Lexie managed to rein in her temper. When the time came, she would unleash it… “How could you let her escape?”
“She’s powerful. We took all the necessary precautions to keep her incarcerated, but she is who she is.”
Lexie’s eyes narrowed. “Knowing that, couldn’t the O’Rourke Group have taken super extra, extra precautions?”
“We did. How long is it going to take you to figure out a way out of here?” Slacker asked.
“That’s different. No one is holding me prisoner.”
“If we put you in one of our dungeons, I’m sure you’d eventually find a way out, regardless of how many precautions we take.”
“Don’t tell her that,” Luna muttered, “What if one day we have to hold her prisoner… for her own safety?”
Rebel rolled her eyes. “Cats. You can never know when they’ll turn on you.”
Jonathan strode over to Lexie and showed her the drawing he’d been working on.
“Hey, that’s my mom.”
He gave a pensive shake of his head. “No, it’s not.”
“Yes it is. I mean, you captured her likeness but you went a bit overboard with the evil looking glint in her eyes. I know you and Morgana haven’t always seen eye to eye, but did you have to be so hard on her?”
“That’s not Morgana,” Slacker said. “It’s her sister. The one whose name we don’t dare say out loud, even if we could remember it.”
Lexie gulped. “Are you telling me I’m related to her?”
They all nodded.
Lexie studied the image. Her mom had a sister? Why didn’t she know about it? “W-what did she do to get herself locked up?”
Slacker squared his shoulders and said, “She… and then she… because…”
Jonathan clicked his fingers. “The memory loss. That’s it. The O’Rourke Group used it to do a thorough cover up after she unleashed her power.”
And now they’d used it again on them? Why? So she’d go into hiding? That had to be the reason. She drew in a long breath. Okay, it made sense. They must have known she’d eventually figure out she hadn’t killed Mirabelle. A second later, it didn’t make sense. “Who else, besides the O’Rourke Group, could have had the bright idea to wipe our memories?”
Cat looked at Lexie. “The O’Rourke Group? Isn’t that what Slacker just said?”
Jonathan frowned. “I thought Morgana was behind it all.”
“Does anyone want to suggest Mirabelle?” Lexie asked. Scratching her head, she tried to remember if Slacker had claimed credit for the memory loss. “Are we likely to forget each other’s names?”
Keeping a straight face, Cat stared at her blankly. “Who are you?”
“I’ll give you three seconds to drop the act,” Lexie warned. They all sunk down and stared at the floor. Hearing a giggle, she turned and saw Luna on her back clawing at Rebel who hovered above her teasing Luna. They were playing?
“I think it might have been the unmentionable one. She means business this time,” Mr. Ellsworth whispered. “She went after the High Chair of the British Isles and—”
“Yes, yes.” Lexie rolled her eyes. “We get it. Mirabelle.”
“I asked around,” Mr. Ellsworth continued, “But no one could say for sure if Mirabelle is alive or dead because all their memories have been tampered with but I did not sense the gloom of her demise.”
“The what?” Lexie asked.
“Like you, she is connected to the elements and she is, therefore, a link in the universal life-force. Everyone in the magical world would feel her demise and it would cast a shroud of gloom throughout the magical realms. Some people refer to it as mourning.”
“Oh.”
They all fell silent and listened to the crackling of the fire.
Lexie’s gaze slid from one to the other. “Is anyone here feeling a shroud of gloom?”
They shook their heads.
“I guess that’s sort of good news.” Lexie straightened. “Although, how is it that I ended up being suspected of killing Mirabelle?”
Slacker looked away.
Rebel flew around him a couple of times. “Answer the Mackenzie incoming High Chair.”
“Tell your fairy to stand down.”
“I think you should answer first,” Lexie suggested.
Slacker pointed at the drawing of Lexie, Mirabelle and Whip. “You were there when they hatched the plan.”
“Okay, if you say so. But I don’t look at all happy about it.” What sort of plan had they hatched? “Hang on. It sort of makes sense. If this unmentionable person wanted to get rid of Mirabelle first, a good plan would be to pretend to get rid of Mirabelle and…” She scooped in a breath. “And if everyone suspected me, I’d have to go on the run.” Lexie turned toward the fire and pressed her forehead against the mantelpiece.
It had been Mirabelle’s plot. And Lexie hadn’t been happy about it.
I’ll get you for this Mirabelle.
Had Mirabelle really suggested making her the scapegoat?
“Yeah. I get it now. It makes perfect sense.” Coming here had given her a chance to regroup and time to identify a weakness. She’d bet anything she hadn’t counted on losing her memory. Lexie couldn’t help wondering which part of the plan she’d objected to the most. Going into hiding or being falsely accused of killing her cousin. “I don’t believe Mirabelle and Whip would have suggested wiping my memory. I don’t see what we could have gained by it.” Her mom’s evil twin had to be responsible.
Lexie looked at Mr. Ellsworth. “She whose name no one remembers and or don’t want to mention hasn’t been recaptured.”
The gnome shook his head.
“And she’s at Mackenzie Hall. Just checking to see if we all still remember that part.”
He nodded. “There are nasty goblins in the garden. They’ve turned everything into a putrid bog.”
“Is she likely to go after my mom?” Lexie asked. When no one answered, she turned and found them all looking at her.
“She’ll go after the next generation. Nip you all in the bud.” Mr. Ellsworth shook his finger. “Catherine Marianna Mackenzie, you promised us a safe haven in your forest. You must strengthen your wards because you’ll be next.”
* * *
“An evil twin?” Lexie growled at the ceiling. “Someone please tell me I don’t have an evil twin hidden somewhere.”
“You don’t,” Cat assured her. “Those only come along once in a millennium. And, you don’t need to worry. You’ll be safe here. My forest is protected. There is simply too much goodness here for her to be able to breach my defenses.”
Lexie held up a finger. “One. How sure are you? You might have forgotten I have an evil twin sister. Two…” Lexie looked up at the ceiling. “Sorry, I forgot point two. Hang on, it’s coming back to me. She obviously breached Mackenzie Hall’s wards. I wouldn’t be so sure about your forest being safe from her.”
Cat looked affronted. She lifted her chin. “My enchanted forest is alive and full of magic. It is incorruptible. She must have found a weakness at the Hall and that’s how she managed to take it. She won’t stop there.”
“What is it about evil people wanting to take over the world? Can’t they settle for their piece of the pie? Oh, no. They have to have it all.”
Luna leaped up onto her shoulders. “Would you like me to give you a neck massage? I can hear the tension in your voice.”
“That would be good. Thank you.”
Rebel flew up to her and said, “I could flutter my wings and fill the air your breathe with healing energy.”
Luna pressed her paws along Lexie’s shoulders. “She’s fine. I’m taking care of her. Why don’t you go off and sit by the fire, really close to the fire.”
“Hey, you two. No in-house fighting. Either you get along or I’ll kick you both out.” Lexie frowned at Luna. “Didn’t I see you playing with Rebel?”
Luna gave a kitty shrug. “I’ve decided she can be useful
as a plaything, but she’s still a nuisance who needs to learn her place.”
Cat came in carrying a couple of plates. “I hope you don’t mind. I heated some pizza for everyone.” She turned to the gnome. “Another tankard of ale?”
“I shouldn’t…” the gnome grinned and rubbed his hands.
Lexie took a bite of her pizza and focused on chewing and savoring it. The moment of bliss didn’t last. “I’m going to ask a question and I warn you all, I will get an answer.”
Slacker and Jonathan grabbed some pizza and shoved it all in.
“Yeah, nice trick but it’s not going to work. You’ll have to swallow eventually.” She set her slice of pizza down. “Where is Mirabelle?”
Silence.
“You can’t all hide behind this memory loss spell. One of you must know something. In fact, you all know something.” Lexie’s voice hitched. “It might only be a fraction of something, but if we get all the pieces out into the open, we could put them together and we might end up with a lead.”
Mr. Ellsworth shifted and appeared to shrink into his rocking chair.
Lexie clapped her hands. “Come on, people. Think.”
Hopping off her shoulders, Luna strutted around from one to the other and eyeballed them. “Out with it.”
Cat stood up and asked, “Would anyone like some more pizza?”
Lexie blocked the door. “No one leaves this room until I get an answer.”
“She’s safe.”
Lexie swung around. “Who said that?”
Rebel hovered toward Lexie but kept a safe distance. “Mirabelle Louisa Mackenzie is safe.”
Luna curved her back and made a lunge for Rebel. “I told you. She’s a spy. She knows more than she’s been letting on.”
Rebel dove into Lexie’s hair.
“All right. Enough. I warned you both.” Lexie hunted around her hair. “Come out, Rebel.”
Rebel whispered, “She’s safe. That’s all I can say.”
“You’ve known that all along and you wait until now to say something? How could you?”
Luna snorted. “You’ve just shot yourself in the foot, fairy. Rule number one, you must be loyal to the incoming High Chair.”
“But I’ve only just remembered,” Rebel said in a small voice.
“You were nowhere near my apartment so you couldn’t be suffering from the memory loss spell,” Lexie warned. “Now, come out.”
Rebel flew out of her hair and hovered in front of Lexie. Rolling her eyes, she said, “I guess you should know I’m not the brightest of fairies. They were only too glad to be finally rid of me. Everyone saw me as a burden.”
Luna purred, “Don’t trust her. She’s lying. Well… sort of. I’m sure there’s some truth about her being slow and dimwitted.”
“Oh, all right.” Rebel crossed her arms and hovered to the middle of the sitting room. “I am under strict instructions to stop you from leaving the forest.” When Lexie strode toward her, Rebel looked up at the ceiling.
“You can fly as high as you want, I have ways of bringing you down. Why did you wait until now to tell me? And why tell me now if you’re under strict instructions not to?”
“Well… Duh! My name’s Rebel. I never agreed with the silly idea of keeping you in the dark. I thought you should at least know you don’t need to worry about your cousin.”
When Lexie levitated off the floor, everyone took a step back. “Where is she and is Whip with her?”
Rebel looked around. “There are eyes and ears everywhere. I can’t tell you her exact location but I can say you’ve been there. Recently. And, yes, the O’Rourke detective is with her.”
Lexie looked over at Luna. “Any ideas?” They both nodded and said, “The Crone.”
Mr. Ellsworth sighed and rose to his feet. “I believe this is my cue to leave.”
Lexie looked down at the floor only then realizing she’d levitated. “Um. Does anyone have any idea how I can get down?”
Chapter Seventeen
“Yes. It makes sense. We couldn’t both hide within the Crone’s realm.” When Lexie looked at Jonathan he shoved another slice of pizza in his mouth. “Relax. I’m not asking you any questions. I’m only thinking out loud. We need to get back to the pub. That’s where the entrance to the Crone’s realm is.”
“You heard Cat. We can’t leave here,” Jonathan said around a mouthful of pizza.
“You must have been immersed in your drawing. Cat sort of fibbed about that. She can’t take us back but we’re not bound to this place. We can leave whenever we want to. It should have been obvious when we went into town. Even so, if she who can’t be named managed to escape the O’Rourke Group’s dungeons then I can figure out a way for us to get back home.” Catching a commercial flight would be out of the question because she simply didn’t have the time to spare. She needed to get home now, not in twenty odd hours.
Cat shook her head. “That will take a lot of magic. It’ll be like sending up a flare. You’ll be placing everyone in danger,” Cat warned. “Your mom’s evil twin will come after you and wherever she goes, she will leave a trail of destruction.”
The lights in the sitting room flickered and dimmed.
“What was that?” Lexie asked.
Cat looked around. “Oh, that’s just my cottage responding to my ominous tone.”
“Please stick to being sparkly. We have enough to worry about. And please don’t refer to her as my mom’s evil twin.” Lexie threw another log in the fire but only because she needed to poke something.
Her mom had to be okay. Strangely, she didn’t feel at all concerned about Mirabelle. She had a font of knowledge at her disposal and would eventually figure something out. Her mom, on the other hand…
Lexie tilted her head in thought. She guessed her mom’s power would be equal to her evil twin sister’s. It would actually be better. Her mom had the power of good on her side and good always triumphed over evil. In the process, however, good usually took a bit of a pounding.
Resuming her massage, Luna dug her paws into Lexie’s neck. “You’ll need to hold steady otherwise my massage will be pointless.”
Cat went around the room plumping up cushions. “I think you should wait until tomorrow to make any major decisions. A good night’s rest will give you a clear perspective. There’s no point in rushing into a perilous situation when you know we… I can’t come to your rescue. You’ll be on your own and that is simply unacceptable.” Cat gave a fierce shake of her head. “No, I won’t allow it.”
“I have a chain mail dress and some moves.” Lexie cut the air with a karate chop.
“Well, I’m glad to see you’ve regained your sense of humor, but I’m not laughing. If anything happens to you… Well, it can’t.” Cat pressed a cushion against her chest. “I never thought I’d see the day when we would all face real danger.”
Lexie’s eyebrows shot up. “Newsflash. I’ve been dealing with one murder case after another with little to no training.”
“And that’s given you a false sense of security and confidence. You are nowhere near ready to face someone like her.”
“I guess I’ll just have to use that as an advantage. If push comes to shove, I won’t bother with the rules.”
“Rules?” Cat asked.
“You know, en garde. The sort of pleasantries of the battle field.” Lexie looked at her hands and decided she needed to get some practice. Those fireballs had to be at her beck and call. “What happens if I call on the O’Rourke Group? Are they going to back me up or haul me away to one of their dungeons?”
Slacker gave a stiff nod. “They’re the only ones who will be able to help you but first you’ll have to enter Mackenzie Hall. She might make it easy for you or she might make it difficult.”
“Wait a minute. Hang on. Time out,” Cat hollered. “Lexie is headed back home so she can access the doorway at the pub and gain entry to the Crone’s realm. No one said anything about her going directly to Mackenzie Hall.”
&n
bsp; “Cat, this is a take the bull by the horns situation. I’d only be wasting my time. Mirabelle is safe—”
“Mirabelle has several years’ more experience. She is the one who should confront this danger, not you.”
Lexie spread her arms out. “And yet I’m the one with the chain mail dress and fireballs.” And, hopefully, a few other tricks up her sleeves. “Do you think Mirabelle will have any worthwhile knowledge to share with me?”
Octavia cleared her throat. “I’ve spent enough time in her vast library to have acquired all essential knowledge. Lexie is right. She is the only one equipped to tackle this menace and I can assist her.”
Slamming her fisted hands against her hips, Cat bellowed, “Slacker. Do something.”
He nodded. “Of course. I’ll go with Lexie.”
Cat flapped her arms. “That’s not what I meant and you well know it. We need to assess the situation and study it from every possible angle, leaving no stone left unturned. We need a strong, failsafe strategy.”
“There’s no such thing,” Lexie mused. “And I won’t know what I’ll need until I confront her.”
Sparks shot out of Cat as she yelped, “This is no time to adlib.”
Luna pressed on a tender spot.
“Ouch!”
“I might need to pound that knot out of you,” Luna purred.
“I suggest sitting under the old Oak tree,” Rebel whispered.
“I heard that,” Luna grumbled. “You’ve already put your foot in it by thinking you could infiltrate the ranks and influence the incoming High Chair. I suggest you sit in a corner and ponder the consequences of your actions.”
“Duh! I owned up. And look who’s calling the kettle black.”
Luna’s back curved. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“There are stories circulating about you not telling her you could talk. It went on for days on end.”
“That’s between the incoming High Chair and me. At least I never stabbed her in the back.”