by Aria Sparke
‘Everything okay? I wasn’t expecting you until dinner.’
‘No labs for the first week apparently.’
‘Did you have fun?’
‘I think so. I only had introductory lectures this morning. I met some students and we had coffee, which was nice.’ I knew Dad liked to hear I was making friends and enjoying life. He always did. I decided against telling him about Prof. Gamin for now until I had more proof. Anyway, what was there to tell? At this stage I only had suspicions and I certainly didn’t want my dad chasing a specialist around the hospital with a view to hunt and kill.
Dad disappeared into the bedroom while I rustled up ham and salad sandwiches and coffee. As I set them on the kitchen table, he emerged from his bedroom carrying a few books.
‘I’ve been meaning to show you these.’ He handed me three worn texts and a long slim box tied with a thin black ribbon. ‘Years ago we—your mother and I—decided to put these in safe storage until you turned 18. When Elise died, I retrieved them for you.’
As I took the books, I could see how much pain it caused him saying her name.
‘They’re witchcraft books,’ he said.
‘What’s in the box?’ I asked as he popped it on top of the books.
‘Open it and see.’ I could see he was enjoying this.
I placed the books on the kitchen table and untied the ribbon on the box. Inside was a slender stick made of honey-colored wood with carvings on it lying in an indentation on a blue silk cushion.
‘Is it a wand?’
Dad nodded enthusiastically. ‘It’s amazing, isn’t it? It’s made from Himalayan larch wood. See the carvings and paintings? I don’t know what they mean, but they’re beautiful.’
I could feel my eyes popping as I removed it carefully from the box and held it aloft. ‘Any idea how it works?’
Dad burst into laughter. ‘No and neither did your mother, so I wouldn’t go waving it around until you can find someone to advise you.’
When I laid it gingerly back in the box, I felt a strange tingling in my fingers and wondered if it was my rabid imagination or the wand. As I replaced the lid and retied the ribbon, I knew I’d need to hide it safely. Its potential thrilled me, but it would have to wait for me to catch up.
‘There is one thing. Elise was told not everyone can master a wand—she never managed to. So, I guess you’ll need to discover if it’s for you or to hand it to your own children.’
I thanked Dad as I picked up one of the texts but knew that like the witchcraft books in Anubis, they presented me with the same problem, lots of fantastic magic yet no way of knowing whether they’d kill me if I tried the spells.
‘What’s wrong?’
I shook my head. ‘You probably already know magic has a price, so I can’t use a single spell without knowing what that is.’
He grinned. ‘Yes, you can. Don’t you see? Open the books.’
I opened Witchcraft: Wards and Bewitchments. It was a copy of the book we had at Anubis. Flicking the pages over, I noticed my mother’s distinctive handwriting in the margins and sheets of pale blue paper with more of her writing between the book’s pages. I touched her writing wishing somehow it would link me with her, wherever she now was. As I studied her notes, I saw each spell had a number of stars beside it. Slowly the realisation dawned on me. I held the price of magic. Every spell in the book had a rating telling me the risks and consequences of performing them. Her notes were instructions to me. If she had lived she would have shared them with me. We would have read and practiced them together. I closed my eyes to stop the tears for our lost future. In that moment I thought of Avery. She had lost her mother before she had a chance to form any memories. I would be there for her when the time came. I vowed I’d teach her witchcraft.
Dad put his arm around me and hugged me.
I opened my eyes and through my tears, smiled at him.
* * *
CHAPTER 6
Flynn: Flight
In the mid-afternoon Alexis dropped Anya, Martin and me in Fern Hollow, a sleepy town 90 miles from Wicklow. I didn’t envy Alexis having to return to Anubis to face my father’s wrath alone, but being highly intelligent and having many decades on us, he was more experienced in dealing with him. Our plan was to stay in an empty safe house here for a few days before traveling by bus under aliases to San Francisco and then flying to Singapore. We hoped the delay in Sleepy Hollow would trick anyone trying to track us on public transport.
Just thinking about her wrecked me. I missed everything about Lily, her musical voice, her floral scent, her soft skin and beautiful face. Most of all, I missed talking to her and simply being with her. In the early days I had met and been attracted to women like Emma, but the affection I felt for them faded in comparison when I thought of Lily. It had taken me more than 40 years on this planet to fall in love with a woman, and that fall was so unfathomably deep, I wondered if I’d ever resurface. Not that I wanted to.
A week later and still in Fern Hollow, we climbed onto a near-empty bus and moved toward the back. Martin and I shared a seat while Anya sat across the aisle. As the bus rumbled along the highway south, the afternoon sun penetrated the window and burned my eyes, so I pulled the drape. I often wondered what it would be like to be mortal wandering streets in full light, enjoying sunlight on your skin and seeing the color and contrasts of light and shadow. They seemed to like it. I didn’t pine for it, but I was definitely curious.
My mind drifted back to Lily and I comforted myself that we’d soon be together again.
‘Are you thinking about her?’ Martin asked.
‘Yes.’
‘Have you had that conversation with her?’
I sighed. ‘Not yet. She’s only just discovered she’s a witch, we’re dhampirs and our father is obsessed with her being his bride—not to mention losing her parents. I think anything else might break her.’
‘You have to tell her everything,’ Anya said from across the aisle. ‘It’s the right thing to do before you get in too deep.’
Martin chuckled.
‘What?’ Anya said.
‘I think he’s too far gone already.’
‘Shut up you two.’ Sometimes it was claustrophobic being a triplet and always on the same wavelength. ‘I’ll probably tell her when we reach Australia, presuming we get there undetected.’
‘That’s why I’ll never fall in love,’ Martin said. ‘Enjoy their company but don’t fall. It’s too hard otherwise.’
‘Believe me, it wasn’t intentional. My life was uncomplicated beforehand.’ But incredibly dull, I thought to myself with a smile.
Anya and Martin regarded me curiously.
‘I think it was fate,’ I explained. ‘Maybe she’s a soulmate or something like that.’
Anya laughed. ‘Sounds like fantasy to me. You should have a deep and meaningful chat with Alexis. He’ll set you straight.’
‘Think I’ll have a nap.’ I feigned sleep to avoid any more of Anya’s cynicism. Neither of them had experienced real love, so perhaps when I returned I would talk to Alexis, not to be put off love but rather for his more mature perspective after his failed relationship.
When the bus rolled into San Francisco, we caught a local bus to the international airport. With each mile, I felt us getting closer to Lily even though we hadn’t begun the flight. I desperately wanted to call her on my phone or send an email, but I knew I’d be risking her safety. All the while, I kept checking the doorways for my father to come swooping in, although realistically it was unlikely. After sitting for hours in the airport, we were finally called to board. Unable to contain my eagerness to leave, I was one of the first to join the line for the plane. Once I’d found my seat and stowed my hand luggage, I sat peering out the window terrified that each shadow or flicker of movement out there was Father running across the tarmac at vampiric speed. My heart soared with the plane as it finally left the tarmac bound for Singapore.
I sat closest to the window with Martin
next to me in the middle and Anya on the other side. The plane was packed, so we didn’t indulge in any talk someone might overhear.
‘It won’t be long,’ Martin said to me. As an identical twin, sometimes he seemed to know what to say as though he could read my mind.
I didn’t sleep and felt the growing hours build to an almost unbearable tension. Nearly seventeen hours later we touched down in Singapore’s Changi airport feeling groggy and disoriented. Although it was very early in the morning for us, with the time difference it was now 7 pm in Singapore. While Alexis had a contact here, I couldn’t help wonder as we transferred to another part of the terminal, whether members of the Berisha clan operated here too. Time would tell.
I desperately wanted to contact Lily, but I knew it was too risky. Once we landed in Canberra, nothing would stop me.
We sat in the lounge drinking coffee and eating greasy donuts while many travelers slept on the carpet waiting for the flight. I stared out into the dark night, my spirits rising with the passing hours. Did she feel me coming closer? So many days had passed since she left and we had not been able to exchange words. If only I had wings I would take to the sky to be with her now.
‘She’ll be fine,’ Martin said softly.
Anya raised her eyebrows, but I ignored her. How could she understand?
When the steward finally called us to board for the 11 pm flight, I sprang from my chair again too eager.
‘Steady, Flynn,’ Anya said.
Fatigued by the hours of travel, I slept the last hours and woke to bright morning light as breakfast was being served. Passengers around us gazed at the sunlit clouds that looked like dazzling gold towers. We donned our sunglasses and hoped the clouds would soon turn gray.
A couple of hours later the cloud had cleared and we descended from a too blue sky to the runway. Outside it was mild, and without cloud or rain, the setting felt strange. Once we were out of the sunlight and in the terminal, I relaxed. I left Anya and Martin waiting for the luggage and found a secluded area to call Lily.
She quickly texted back but couldn’t pick up as she was in a lecture. I returned to the others feeling deflated.
‘What’s up?’ Martin asked.
‘She’s at the university and can’t get away until lunchtime. She’s given me an address for us to go to and has sent her housemate a text to let him know we’ll be arriving.’
Martin and Anya glanced at each other meaningfully.
‘I saw that,’ I said, not intending to sound as huffy as I did.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Anya said.
I knew what Martin and Anya were thinking—or were they just playing with me? Why would Lily have a male housemate? I thought she was supposed to be living in the college residences. Come to think of it, she hadn’t mentioned where she was living in her two letters. Was she withholding that information, or was she simply worried someone might read the letter and track her in Australia? An irrational and unfamiliar surge of jealousy flooded my veins. I’d never felt this way before.
We hailed a taxi outside the building and piled into it quickly in an attempt to escape the intense light. We wore powerful sunglasses which eased the burning sensation in our eyes, but from birth we instinctively avoided any contact with it on our skin. A brief encounter with sunlight didn’t harm us, yet if we were to spend an hour basking in even dull light we’d feel ill while brighter light for that length of time would leave us overcome with blinding headaches, nausea and vomiting. If we were to persist beyond that time, it would steadily destroy our immune systems. A week would kill us even while taking infusions. While this outcome was dramatic, the lot of a vampire was far worse. For them, stepping into daylight even when it was cloudy was like immersing their skin in acid and the effects began immediately. Gruesome as it sounded, as vampire hunters, we often used this vampiric weakness to our advantage.
The taxi turned into the drive of a red brick house with a low green hedge at the front. The lawn was mowed neatly and a few sparse flowerbeds adorned the front porch. The drapes were drawn and windows closed making the house look uninhabited, but I soon spied evidence of life in the back yard—a few pieces of clothing flapping in the breeze on a clothesline. We climbed out after paying the driver and knocked on the front door.
A man in his early forties answered the door but stood back from us as though tentative.
‘Hi, we’re Lily’s friends,’ Anya said brightly. ‘I’m Anya and this is Martin and Flynn.’
‘I’m Daniel, please come in. Lily texted me to tell me you were coming. How was the flight?’
‘Long but fine thanks,’ Martin said and lowered his bag to the floor.
Daniel showed Martin and me into a sparsely decorated room with two beds. ‘I’m renting the place, so I haven’t many spare blankets or linen. I thought I might duck out and pick up some sleeping bags.’
‘We could do that,’ I said, not wanting him put out by our sudden invasion of his home.
‘No, it’s fine.’
Even though he seemed hospitable something seemed off. Maybe I was just sizing him up as a competitor for Lily’s attention, and he bothered me because he was ruggedly handsome and appeared socially respectable.
‘So, are you here on a college exchange program too?’ he asked.
‘We go to the same college in the U.S. as Lily and thought we’d visit on our break,’ Anya said.
‘You’ve an American accent,’ I said.
‘Yes, I’m from Florida.’
Alarm bells rang in my mind. ‘Lily had lived there before moving to Wicklow. ‘So how did you meet Lily?’ I had to find out the truth. Was he an old boyfriend? Old was the operative word—not that I could talk.
‘I advertized at uni for housemates and Lily applied.’
I was certain Alexis had said she would be living on campus in a dorm, so this man was definitely beginning to worry me.
‘Are you studying or teaching at the uni?’
He laughed. ‘Me? No.’
I didn’t get the joke.
‘I work for myself.’
I looked at him curiously.
‘I’m a private detective.’
‘Really?’ Anya said, suddenly zoning into our conversation. ‘I wouldn’t have thought there’d be enough work in a place like this.’
‘You’d be surprised,’ Daniel said. ‘Especially at night.’
* * *
CHAPTER 7
Lily: Reunion
The first genetics lecture I attended was for those taking the subject for the first time. It covered a brief summary of what I’d already learned in biology classes at Anubis College. I kept glancing at my cell phone to reassure myself I hadn’t imagined the series of text messages and hoping Flynn would contact me again. My head was giddy with anticipation and joy at the thought of seeing him soon.
When the lecturer announced a ten-minute break after the first hour, I made a dash for home. I couldn’t tolerate another minute listening to his droning while thinking of Flynn waiting for me. I was relieved I’d worn sneakers to classes today because it meant I could run all the way back to Dad’s house. I then remembered Flynn didn’t know about Dad and I hadn’t mentioned having a boyfriend to my father. My life was just about to get interesting.
As I jogged along the path I imagined saying to my dad, ‘Hey, meet my dhampir boyfriend, Flynn. You’ve a lot in common.’ As for Flynn, Anya and Martin, I dare say they’d be surprised when I introduced them to my dead father. Our lives were so complicated.
Before I reached the house, I walked to regain my breath and composure. I actually felt acutely nervous as I strolled around the back and strained to hear inside. When I heard Flynn’s voice, I nearly pushed the door down. I burst through the doorway and once I caught a glimpse of him with the others, ran to him and threw myself into his arms before hugging and kissing him.
‘Oh Lily, I can’t believe it’s you,’ Flynn said. ‘I missed you so much.’
An
ya cleared her throat and looked at the ceiling. My dad’s eyes were wide open and Martin had a big cheesy grin on his face.
We dropped our embrace and stood looking at the others awkwardly.
‘Dad, I take it you’ve met my boyfriend, Flynn—and Anya and Martin? They’re triplets did they tell you?’
‘No.’
‘Dad?’ Flynn said with a shocked expression. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Don’t worry, the surprise is mutual,’ Dad said to Flynn.
I felt like I was wading deep into a swamp with snags trying to pull me under. I looked back and forward between my dad and Flynn. ‘Okay, I’m just going to come out with this. You guys all have something major in common.’
The room was so quiet, I could hear them breathe.
‘Everyone in this room is a dhampir. Even me, I’ve discovered since coming here although only one quarter.’
Flynn and Dad stared at each other warily with hands raised from their sides as though they were readying themselves to fight.
Shocked by their strange behaviour, I looked around at Anya and Martin, who were also posturing aggressively while forming a triangle around Dad. ‘What are you all doing?’ I demanded.
‘What’s your clan?’ Dad asked in a threatening tone.
‘Ruberio.’ Flynn’s eyes narrowed. ‘Yours?’
‘Varnas.’
‘Prove it,’ said Anya with her hands on her hips.
‘I killed Besian.’
‘That was you?’ Flynn said with respect in his tone. ‘You killed Besian Berisha?’
Announcing he had killed a Berisha was obviously risky on my Dad’s part because he wasn’t entirely sure he could trust the triplets. Once he had made this brave admission, I could see the triplets coming around to him.
‘But you’re supposed to be dead,’ said Anya frowning at my dad.
He nodded. ‘It’s a long story, but the Berisha clan pursued me relentlessly after I killed Vincent’s youngest brother. I was badly injured when they ran me off a road in Virginia miles from home.’