by Sarah Kleck
“When I concentrate on it,” he said and took his hand from my chin.
“And why . . . can you see mine and not others?” I asked, trying not to blush.
“To be honest, I’m not sure.” He shut his eyes. “But I think I can see yours because I feel attracted to you . . . very attracted.”
My heart leaped. We walked a few feet and again only the sound of our steps could be heard. The woods gradually cleared and we were in a small glade—almost circular and surrounded by trees. Bits of snow were left in shadowed places under the trees, where the sunlight could not reach. Suddenly, Jared took my hand, pulled me a bit closer, and looked at me seriously.
“Evelyn, I want to show you something,” he said. He held my hand, and I only managed a silly nod.
“There’s something else,” he said and sized me up. “I can feel the energy, but I can also . . . affect it. I can direct it, if you will.”
“Okay,” I said.
The corner of Jared’s mouth twitched. “Best I just show you,” he said and led me to a spot at the edge of the clearing where there was some snow.
“Can you see?” he asked.
I bent forward and discovered a thin, pale green stem that extended about an inch above the snow.
“A sprout,” I said.
Jared nodded. “Look closely.” He let go of my hands and kneeled. I was tempted to take his hand again for a moment, but the curiosity of seeing what Jared wanted to show me was too great. I crouched next to him full of anticipation and waited.
Jared bent forward slightly and, as if praying, closed his hands around the awakening crocus shoot. Then—I barely dared to trust my eyes—a light spread within his almost-folded hands. Just for a heartbeat. Slowly he turned his palms upward again. Startled, I opened my eyes wide. The delicate shoot that had struggled through the slowly melting snow cover blossomed and turned a violet that deepened from one moment to the next. I shut my eyes and then looked again. It was real—where there had just been a thin, pale green stem, there now stood a deep-violet flower. It was incredibly beautiful.
“Jared, that is . . . I would have never thought . . . Thank you,” I finally said.
“You’re thanking me?” Jared stood up. “Aren’t you afraid?” He looked at me, suspicious.
“Why would I be afraid? That is”—I didn’t really know how to say it—“a miracle . . . You’re a miracle.”
Jared breathed in, relieved, beaming at me. For a moment, I just stood there, marveling at the perfect crocus flower, when suddenly a thought went through my head. I frowned as I looked up at Jared.
“Why didn’t you . . . ? When Felix was . . .” I was looking for the right word. “When he was forcing himself on me, why didn’t you use magic?”
Hatred flared up in Jared’s face. He clenched his teeth and rubbed the perfectly shaped bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.
“Because, when Felix was forcing himself on you, I didn’t know whether I could control myself.”
Control? What did he mean by that? “You mean your magic would have really hurt him?” Suddenly, I saw the image of Felix lying on the floor and spitting up blood. “I mean, hurt him even more?”
He opened his eyes with a telling look. “The day I first saw you, my magic changed. Suddenly, it became more difficult to control.”
“The flickering . . . ,” I said. “You made the light flicker. And you made Felix’s room shake. I didn’t just imagine that.”
“No, you didn’t,” he said when he had understood what I was driving at. “But I didn’t do it on purpose. I just wasn’t in control.” He looked into the distance. “And if I hadn’t attempted to shut off the magic for a moment with Felix . . . it would have ripped him to shreds.” He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. “I mean that literally.”
I believed his every word. Again hatred flared up in his face. His jaw muscles protruded; his hands were clenched into fists. “It was difficult for me not to do it,” he added.
A shudder ran down my back at the thought. When he looked at me, I saw regret in his face.
“I’m sorry if I’m frightening you.” His voice was almost shaking with concern. “Please excuse me.” I tried to conjure up a smile but could only turn and look into the woods.
“What did you mean just now?” I asked after a while. “Your magic has changed.”
Unexpectedly, a smile spread across Jared’s face, then he hastily looked around. Did he want to make sure no one was watching us?
“Before I met you, that was my magic.” He pointed to the perfect crocus he’d made bloom. “But now . . .” He closed his eyes, tilted his head forward, turned his palms upward, and spread his arms. First, I thought he wanted to meditate, but then this golden light sprang from his hands. Only, it was a little stronger this time. Brighter. Jared’s appearance was the most marvelous thing I’d ever seen. He looked focused and completely relaxed. I could have spent an eternity here just looking at him. Him and his magic. “Now this is my magic,” he completed his sentence, opened his eyes, and let his hands fall again.
I had to force myself to turn away from him again. My curiosity won out. I blinked and looked around. The view before me caused my mouth to drop open.
In the clearing, which was only half the size of a football field, thousands of crocuses shot from the ground and bloomed in the most splendid colors. A sea of violet, yellow, and white flowers, each one unique. It was indescribably beautiful, and I didn’t know whether I was awake or dreaming. I was speechless for minutes. I attempted with all my heart to memorize this image. I wanted to keep this memory forever.
“Do you like it?” Jared finally asked.
“It’s marvelous!” I felt a tear sneak from the corner of my eye and start running down my cheek. Slowly I turned back to him. He looked deep into my eyes. Then he hesitantly lifted his hand and caught the stray tear with the tip of his finger. While he looked at the tear, his fingertip began to glow in splendid gold and transformed my tear into something else. Something sparkling.
“Is that a . . . ?”
“A diamond, yes,” he answered my question, looking into my eyes again. This blue, this incredibly deep blue. “May I,” he looked at me hopefully, “keep it?”
“You want to keep my tear?” I asked.
“As a memento,” he said. “I never want to forget this moment.”
A wild swarm of butterflies was fluttering in my stomach. I turned embarrassed from his gaze and stared at my hands.
“Then you feel . . . like I do,” I said, touched.
He carefully took my chin between his thumb and index finger and lifted my face, and our eyes met. He was so close, I could feel his breath on my skin. Oh God, he smells so good!
My heart fluttered so intensely I feared it would leap from my chest. Then, as if I weren’t already about to explode, Jared leaned forward, tilted his head to the side, and breathed in deeply. With an almost inaudible sigh, he came closer and opened his mouth. My heart was about to burst.
“Jared, damn. Where have you been all morning?” Startled, I opened my eyes and discovered Colin, who was just stumbling into the clearing from among the trees. “I’ve looked for you everywhere—” He stopped. “Oh, I didn’t want to . . . I hope I’m . . . not disturbing,” he said, surprised when he noticed that Jared wasn’t alone. That I was with him.
“Hi Colin,” I said, annoyed and a little embarrassed. Did he have to show up now?
“Hi, Evelyn, how are you?” he asked somewhat impishly, grinning broadly. “I see the two of you have finally become acquainted.”
When Colin glanced over the meadow covered in splendid crocuses, I could see from his face that he knew what had happened. And he seemed delighted by the turn of events.
“What’s up, Colin?” Jared asked, giving him a warning glance.
“I . . . Well,
everybody’s looking for you. We were worried,” Colin said.
“Karen, too?” Jared asked.
“Yup, she’s already on her way.”
Jared looked at me with an unfathomable expression. “Then I can tell her the good news,” he said with a sarcastic undertone.
“What news?” I wanted to know.
“That I will no longer keep away from you,” he said in a firm voice. My heart leaped.
“Come on, let’s go,” he said to me, smiling, and we followed Colin back through the woods toward the college. After we had walked a few feet, Colin turned to me, grinning like the Cheshire cat, and winked, so Jared cuffed him lightly on the arm.
“Ow,” Colin said, rubbing his shoulder.
“Have you no decency?” Jared asked, irritated, and motioned Colin with his hand to give us a little privacy. Colin made an offended face but did as Jared said, putting a few paces between himself and us. I couldn’t suppress a grin. But then I thought of Karen Mayflower and my smile died as quickly as it had come. How would she react when she saw Jared and me together? So far, she’d done everything within her power not to let us get closer. All of it, if Ruth was right, for the sake of a mysterious Legatum Merlini secret society. What a strange association!
“What is it with this Order?” I asked while walking through the woods beside Jared.
He sighed. “The members of the Order have made it their duty to safeguard Merlin’s legacy by protecting my family.” He shut his eyes. “Unfortunately, they didn’t succeed very well.” His voice suddenly sounded like that of an old man.
“Jared, I . . . I’m so sorry.” My words were more of a whisper; I empathized deeply because I knew too well what he’d been through.
He smiled. “After the death of my family, the members of the Order took me in and raised me.”
“Karen Mayflower?” I asked.
“Yes, as long as I was a minor, she was my guardian.”
Colin had reduced the distance between us and was now walking almost in step with us.
“Two years later, that one joined us.” Jared nodded with a smile in Colin’s direction.
“We grew up like brothers,” Colin said and gave Jared a punch in his side as retaliation for Jared’s punch a moment ago.
“Why did Mayflower take you in?” I asked.
Colin smiled. “You mean because I’m not special like Jared?”
“No, no. I didn’t mean it that way,” I said.
They both laughed. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” Colin said in a good mood. “But you’re right. Karen doesn’t just take in waifs and strays—she isn’t welfare, after all.” Colin and Jared exchanged a meaningful glance.
“So . . . why did she pick you?” I asked again, turning to Colin.
“My great-great-great-great-grandmother was a Pendragon,” Colin said, looking me straight in the eyes.
I stumbled. “Pendragon?” Did I understand that right? “As in . . . Arthur Pendragon? King Arthur Pendragon?” I was struggling to keep my composure.
“You should see your face!” Colin said, holding his belly and laughing. I stopped abruptly, looking at the two, dumbfounded.
“You’re joking!” I said to Colin. “You two are the descendants of Merlin and Arthur?”
“It looks that way,” Jared said, letting Colin’s laugh infect him. I guess my reaction was hilarious. I had to let it sink in for a moment.
“What happened to your family?” I asked Colin, who suddenly turned serious.
“They were also killed,” he said after a short pause.
“Also? I thought your family died in a plane crash, Jared?”
“Yes,” he said coldly. “But it wasn’t an accident.”
“You mean they were murdered?” I asked anxiously.
“There you are, damn it!” I looked up, surprised to see Aiden Mayflower coming toward us on the muddy path.
“Jared, we looked everywh—” When Aiden saw me, his mouth dropped open. He stopped, staring at me with wide eyes. “Jared, what’s this all about?” he asked without taking his eyes off me. His words resonated with disapproval. “Do you know what’ll happen if my mother finds out?” He made a dismissive head motion toward me. His apparent dislike made me shudder. What was that supposed to mean? I’d never done anything to him.
“We’re on our way to see her,” Jared answered with a firm voice, clasping my hand. A firework had been lit in my body. Jared held my hand to show Aiden that we—him and me—belonged together.
“Are you nuts?” Aiden said, horrified. “She’ll never allow it!”
“It’s not for her to decide. And not for you, either,” Jared said, silencing Aiden. Aiden stopped in the middle of the path as if rooted to it, staring at us in disbelief.
“Calm down,” Colin whispered and roughly pushed him aside so we could continue on our way. When I passed Aiden, he cast me an angry look and immediately pulled his phone from his pocket. His fingers whisked at lightning speed across the touch screen, then he held it to his ear.
“We found him,” he said, then listened to the response. “Yes, in the woods. Okay. See you in a minute.” He nodded, hung up, and put his phone back in his pocket. “They’re waiting at the eastern edge of the woods,” he said while following us. I felt his stare digging into my back.
While we followed the path to the east, there was ice-cold silence. I didn’t feel well in Aiden’s presence; sensing he was watching my every step made it worse.
“Would you please go ahead, Aiden?” Jared asked unexpectedly. The sharp tone in his voice surprised me. Without saying a word, Aiden pressed to the front and took the lead.
“Better?” Jared asked in a whisper when Aiden could no longer hear him.
I nodded. Jared must have sensed how ill at ease I was in Aiden’s presence.
“There they are,” Aiden said a few minutes later, accelerating his pace. I stretched my neck to look past Colin and saw Karen Mayflower rushing toward us across the soggy forest floor.
“Jared, where were y—” She broke off the moment she saw our intertwined hands. She stopped in her tracks. Aiden went to her to take up a position behind his mother—as if he wanted to cover her back.
“What does this mean?” she demanded in an authoritative tone.
“I’m together with Evelyn,” Jared said. His relaxed tone turned her red with rage. It appeared as if Karen was used to being treated with deference.
Suddenly, a movement at the forest edge about thirty feet away caught my attention. Three more people had just entered the thicket and were making their way toward us. I could see that it was a man and two women. When they came closer, I froze. An attractive woman was in the lead. She was probably in her early forties, decked out in full riding clothing, as if she were just returning from an outing. Her brunette hair with some gray at the sides was put up into a bun, which lent her appearance a certain strictness despite her feminine face. Another woman followed right behind her. She was only a little older and had tied her long red hair into a braid that hung over her right shoulder. Her clothing was conspicuously elegant. The typical Burberry checker pattern on her scarf, the subtle elegance of her beige trench coat, and the knee-high dress she wore underneath suggested she was very well off. Though I had never seen the redhead before, she somehow seemed familiar, but at that moment, I couldn’t place her. Behind those two—this was the reason why I briefly froze—Professor Irvin Martin came toward us, the seal ring on his right ring finger.
“I repeat my question, Jared: What does this mean?” Karen said, enraged as Professor Martin and the two women caught up with her and Aiden.
“This means I will be spending more time with Evelyn from now on,” Jared said. It was clear he wouldn’t change his mind. Karen Mayflower’s face was so red it looked as if her head might explode.
“I cannot allow that!”
she shouted while one of the capillaries in her eye burst and discolored part of her iris. She gesticulated wildly with her arms until the uppermost button of her blouse popped open and revealed a shimmering, gold-and-blue jewel. It was the same as the one I had discovered on Professor Martin’s seal ring. She wore it on a fine gold chain around her neck.
“That’s not for you to decide,” Jared said. He looked around, staring at each person. “For none of you,” he said resolutely.
So far I’d said nothing, but the fact that Karen Mayflower turned red with rage merely when Jared and I talked with each other forced me to speak.
“Why should Jared keep away from me?” I said, my voice sounding firm, even challenging, despite the tension I felt inside.
Professor Mayflower stared at me in horror, but instead of answering my question, she angrily curled her lips and looked over my head to address Jared. “How much does she know?” she asked.
Jared clenched his free hand into a fist in response to the lack of respect she showed me. Then he closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and answered.
“She knows who I am, and she knows about the Order,” he said in the same rough tone she had used on him.
“And she knows who I am,” Colin added, suppressing a malicious grin. He didn’t seem to take any of this seriously. On the contrary. Apparently he had a riot needling his foster mother to the boiling point. Karen’s facial color changed from pink to red and then to deep burgundy.
“Karen,” Professor Martin gently said. He took a step forward, laying his hand on her shoulder to calm her.
Her eyes had narrowed to tiny slits, and she looked at each of us, one after the other, then her brow furrowed and her eyes filled with tears. “Everything I do is to protect you,” she said desperately and looked into Jared’s eyes and then Colin’s.
“Protect?” Colin said. “From what?” He seemed angry and pointed at Jared and me. “Look at those two! They’re totally in love. What are you afraid of? That they’ll kiss each other to death?”
“Don’t be silly, Colin,” the redhead who had kept in the back said. When I looked at her more closely, I knew who she resembled. Actually, resembled didn’t quite cover it—it was as if she had sprung from the same mold as Madison. Judging from her age, she could be her aunt or her mother. “You know exactly what this is about!” she added, giving him a warning stare.