by Diana Nixon
“Hey, do you mind looking for some information for me?” I asked, knowing that Darcy was a real expert in legends and old books that often answered the hard questions.
“Sure, what kind of information do you want me to find?”
I showed her the titanium pendant taken from Peter’s.
“Where did you get it?” She asked, a little surprised, taking the piece.
“From a friend. Why?”
“Is your friend a jewelry collector, or what?”
I stopped, frowning. “Why do you ask? Do you know anything about this pendant?”
“I thought you knew that it was a part of the Perriart collection.”
“What?”
“Well, not the original part, but a very good copy. The thing is that after Evan and Tara found the Cup of Power, I thought it would be good to know what the rest of the collection looked like. So I found a book, describing the rest of the pieces. And I can swear that this pendant looks just like one of those I saw in the book.”
“Can you bring me that book, please?”
“Sure, I’ll go to the library and meet you in the dining room for breakfast, okay?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Darcy left, and again, I thought about how good it was to have her in our ranks. She graduated Dever a few months ago, but in the light of everything that was going on here, she didn’t leave for London, but stayed to help us deal with the endless secrets that seemed to appear out of nowhere, over and over again.
I didn’t know much about the Perriart collection, except for the fact that it was made of silver and consisted of seven different pieces, one of which was the Cup of Power itself.
I came to the dungeon, carefully guarded by the Keepers, whose everyday job was to protect the secrets of the world of supernatural from the world of human beings.
“Morning,” I said to one of the Keepers. “My name is Eileen Clark. I’m here to see Vanessa Mervild.”
“I’m sorry, Miss, but no visitors are allowed into her ward.”
“Let us in,” the voice behind me said. I turned around and saw Will, staring at the Keeper with the eyes that said it all — he was using the power of compulsion on him.
“Sure,” the Keeper said, opening the gates that led to the hall where the wards were.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I whispered, looking cautiously around. There were other Keepers watching the prisoners, and I hoped they wouldn’t start asking any more questions.
“It was the only way to get here,” Will said, turning to the other hall, with the only ward that we were looking for.
“I didn’t know she wasn’t allowed to have visitors.”
“Well, since it’s not the first time I have come to see her, I knew we needed to get official permission first. But I thought you didn’t want anyone to know about your plans.”
“Good guess,” I said, coming to Vanessa’s ward.
No matter how much I hated the girl, seeing her like this made me sick. She was lying on a bed, with handcuffs around her wrists, holding her pinned to the mattress.
“Why did they tie her to the bed?” I asked.
“You didn’t see her in action. She becomes really crazy when the elixir’s effect fades away.”
“I thought by destroying the brotherhood, we would release her from the obligations she swore to comply with.”
“She wasn’t officially a Dragons member, but I think her mother did her best to make the poor girl believe that whatever she did was as important as swearing the oath of loyalty.”
“So the problem is in her heard, right?”
Will nodded.
“Then why don’t you try to make her believe different?”
“Because we are blood-related. My compulsion won’t work on her.”
“But your tricks worked on your father when you made him take you to Dever.”
“It was different. I can use my compulsion on my parents, sisters and brothers, but it won’t work on any other relative. Which means now, I have only strangers and friends to practice it on.”
Chapter 11
Christian
I didn’t like waking up without Eileen. Every time she disappeared in the middle of the night, I knew that we were going to have even more problems to deal with, as if we didn’t have enough already. Even though I also knew that Vanessa was harmless, I still couldn’t stop worrying about Eileen.
I never understood her desire to save the whole world. Did she really think she was the only magician who was able to protect and help everyone who needed it? The apparent answer to that question is, well, yes she did.
I needed some coffee, so I went to the dining room and saw Melanie, sitting all alone at our favorite table.
“What are all these muddy colors about?” I asked, taking a seat facing her. She was clearly upset about something, and it was written all over her aura.
“Looks like our dates like spending a lot of time together,” she said, smirking humorless.
“Did Will go to help Eileen with Vanessa?”
“She’s not allowed to have visitors, you know?” She asked solemnly.
“Oh, I didn’t know that.” God, my girlfriend simply didn’t know how to stay out of trouble. “I hope they won’t get caught sneaking around the dungeon.”
“Amen. People say that you are really good at reading auras.”
I smiled. “Well, if they say so.”
“Do you know what causes the change of colors in them?”
“What exactly do you mean?”
“Have you ever noticed anything unusual about the darkness that is radiating from Evan?”
I frowned, trying to understand what she was talking about. We all knew that after Evan’s awakening his powers got even stronger, and now he could also cast spells that he never wanted to get addicted to.
“What I’m trying to say is that I think his darkness is not magical, but it is mental,” Melanie said, looking around cautiously.
“I don’t get it,” I said.
“I have seen a lot of dark magic users, but the darkness those people possessed has always been natural. They were born to be the dark magic users. But whatever it is that I am feeling in Evan’s energy, is different. He was never supposed to be one of them.”
I crossed my arms, leaning against the back of the chair. Knowing Evan, I was sure he would never let anyone manipulate his powers or mind. But now, that Melanie mentioned it, I thought that anything was possible. After all, Evan had been unconscious for almost two weeks. During that time, he couldn’t protect his mind from intrusion, because even Eileen managed to get into his mind without any effort.
“Hey, guys,” Darcy said, bringing me back to reality. “Have you seen Eileen? I need to show her something.” She was holding a huge, thick book in her hands. It looked like one of those books that we studied while trying to decipher the symbols written on The Great Hall’s ceiling.
“What’s this?” Melanie asked, pointing to the book.
Darcy sat next to her and opened the book. “Eileen asked me to find the description of the Perriart collection pieces.”
“What for?” I asked, curious, moving my chair closer to Darcy’s.
“She wanted to know if I could tell her anything about this,” she said, showing us the medallion I knew Eileen took from Peter’s.
“Little prig.” Melanie smirked. “We didn’t even notice her taking it!”
“So? That is how it was supposed to be,” Eileen said, joining us. Will was with her too.
“Did anyone see you?” I asked, worried. I sure as hell didn’t want my father to find out that Eileen was breaking the rules again. He would never approve of it, no matter how good her intentions were.
“Relax, guys,” Will said, smiling leisurely. “I was there with her, remember?”
Melanie shook her head, saying disapprovingly, “You could have gotten into big trouble.”
“But we are here, and we are fine,” Eileen said. “Beside
s, we managed to find out something very interesting. But first, I want to hear about the Perriart collection,” she said, turning to Darcy.
Darcy turned the book so we all could see the pictures. “See, I told you that Peter’s work was a copy of one of the pieces.” She pointed to the picture showing the very same jewelry she was holding in her hands.
“That is definitely a very good copy, it looks almost identical to the original piece,” Eileen said thoughtfully, studying the images. “But I’m sure Peter didn’t know what he was doing.”
“Why would you be so sure about that?” I asked. No matter what the man told them, I still didn’t believe any of his stories.
“Because Evan would have been able to feel it if Peter had been lying. So I’m sure he was clueless about the pieces Dominic asked him to make. Now, I think the puzzle is getting clearer.”
“What did Vanessa tell you?” Darcy asked.
Eileen and Will shared a glance.
“She said that her mother used to be Dominic’s lover,” he said. “That’s why she so willingly complied with him.”
“What?” I asked, looking around for any sign of Evan. I was sure he wouldn’t like the sound of that.
“She also said that Dominic had some plan on how to become the only man able to rule over the entire world,” Eileen said. “And Valentina was supposed to help him with that. Now, let’s sum up what we have. Peter said that people who came for the titanium pieces always took the same ones, some took rings, others — pendants. We also know they came regularly. Which means they were collecting the very same pieces. The question is, for what?”
“Titanium has always been one of the most effective metals that magicians used to restore their powers,” Darcy replied.
“I don’t think they wanted to become more powerful,” Will said. “Dominic would never let anyone get more power than he wanted them to have.”
“True.” I nodded. “They were after something else.”
“And why Perriart collection?” Melanie asked. “Does this book say anything about some magical properties of its pieces?”
“Well, it only says that the pieces were created as protective amulets,” Darcy replied. “Only one brooch, that is also known as the Cup of Power, was created with the help of different spells. But no one knows which spells exactly were used by the creator of the collection.”
I could feel the excitement coming from Eileen, but I couldn’t understand what was causing it. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even think about hiding her feelings, which worried me even more. She didn’t share her thoughts with anyone, and usually it meant that she was up to something which she would do by herself.
I kept watching her closely, trying to understand which part of the whole situation I was missing. No one seemed to be aware of her weird behavior, except for Will and me. He kept a watchful eye on both of us. I knew about his theory concerning Evan’s ability to control peoples minds, but it still felt like he knew more than he was letting on, and more importantly, he knew more than I did.
Suddenly Darcy said, “Okay, people, what’s going on here?”
We all looked at her, confused.
“Eileen? Do not tell me I’m imagining things, because I won’t buy it. Is this about Evan? I know that something terrible is about to happen to him, because I saw his palms after he woke up. And I can swear that now his fate is different from what it used to be before the fight with the Dragons.”
“You didn’t tell us anything about that,” Eileen said.
“Well, you didn’t tell me anything either. What do you know? I mean apart from what I helped you find out?”
Melanie turned to Will, “Why does it feel like you and Eileen know more than anyone else about this situation?”
He smirked. “Because it’s obviously true.”
Eileen sighed. “Okay guys, you are right, there are a few things that I think you all should know, because I am unable to figure them out on my own.”
“No, really?” I smiled. “Finally, you admit it, you need help.”
She rolled her eyes, making a helpless gesture with her hands. “Well, yes, I do need your help. I’m not almighty, you know?”
“I was actually sure you thought otherwise.”
Melanie and Will laughed.
“Don’t push it, Baby. You know how much I hate quarreling with you.” Eileen leaned to place a light kiss on my lips, then she rose to her feet and waved for the rest of us to follow her out of the dining room.
“Does anyone know where Evan is?” She asked, going into one of Embry’s gardens.
“I saw him talking to Patrick,” Darcy said. “But if he wants to find us, he will be able to.”
“Not if I block him. He can’t feel anyone else, and he knows that Amanda is with Tara.”
“Why don’t we go somewhere a little warmer than this?” Will said, looking around and grimacing. “Sitting in the garden when it’s balls-freezing outside, is not the best idea.”
“It’s not the best idea, but that’s also what makes it our best option, because the garden is the last place Evan would think to look for us.”
Will shivered, rubbing his arms. “I guess now I know how to kill the Lord of Mind — simply leave him to freeze to death.”
“Don’t dramatize. I only needed us to go to a place where we could talk without being heard by anyone else.”
Eileen stopped near one of the benches, put the book on it, opened it to the page with the Perriart collection pieces and turned to us. “I’m sure my words will sound weird to some of you, but let me tell you a few things first. So, we have all noticed that something is wrong with Evan. I can feel his powers getting stronger. First, I thought it was due to the fact that Marion’s blood saved him, and we all know that she’s the strongest magician in her clan. Then Will felt... Well, something weird about Evan’s energy.”
“Wait,” Darcy said, turning to Will, “you can’t feel anyone.”
He nodded. “Except for the Lords of Mind.”
“What?” She asked, shaking her head in confusion.
“Let me explain,” Eileen said. “Yes, one day Will tried his powers on me and I didn’t react, but Evan did. And I’m sure it was not just a coincidence. Then I found out about Evan seeing all those symbols and words all around Dever. Now, he doesn’t even need a textbook to decipher them. And when I was watching his memories, I saw one that I didn’t pay any attention to. Until the day I realized that it could be the key to everything that is going on with him now. I saw the day of his seventh birthday and a stranger, giving him a book with a title that looked like one of the symbols.”
Darcy spoke, “Did you ask Evan about it? That day I mean?”
“Yes, I did. But he doesn’t remember it, which is also weird, because I’m sure the memory I saw was not just my imagination playing tricks on me. I know it was real. The only question is, why can’t Evan remember it?”
“What did the woman look like in the memory?” Melanie asked.
“Um… She had sandy hair, pulled into a very intricate braid; her eyes were bright-green, like the Fairey’s eyes. But I don’t think she was a magician. I would say she was a human, or-”
“A Lady of Mind?” Will said.
It appeared to be the first time Eileen thought of that option; her eyes widened in surprise.
“But masterminding has always been a privilege for men, not women,” she said.
“Yes, but who knows, maybe that woman was the only woman who possessed the same power?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Eileen said. “Anyway, I think that the book she gave Evan was a dictionary or something like that, because the symbol on its cover looked very similar to the symbols we needed to decipher in order to find the way to the rose field.”
“So you think that Evan’s parents didn’t tell him that he was supposed to become a Lord of Mind one day?” Melanie said.
“It’s hard to believe Evan somehow turned into a Lord of Mind, but
the fact remains. There’s no other way to explain the changes happening to him. The only question is, how did he manage to get the powers he wasn’t born with?”
“Through the blood, of course,” Melanie said. We all stared at her in surprise.
“But Evan isn’t related to a Lord of Mind,” I said.
“Are you sure about that?”
Eileen and I shared a glance.
“What about his father?”
“He was one of the strongest magicians ever, but he was not a Lord.”
“Again, are you sure about that?”
“He possessed magic!” I said. “He couldn’t be another exception to the rule.”
“What if we are all wrong?” Darcy said. “What if he really was one of them? What do we know about the Lords anyway? Only that they don’t rule over magic or any other power, except for masterminding? But they hear the natural elements, and their powers work on their closest siblings. Anything else?”
“We also feel each other’s presence,” Will added.
“That is why I asked Peter about the clients he worked with,” Eileen said. “For a second, I thought they were the Lords of Mind.”
“And what would they need the copies of the Perriart collection for?” Melanie asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe they are plotting something?”
“Okay, we know that Vero and Ventura Lords were killed, many years ago,” I said. “So if we believe the rest of the stories about them, there should be only five alive now. One is here. Which means there are only four other Lords that can be Peter’s clients. One of which also used to be a member of the Dragons brotherhood.”
Eileen spoke again, “But Peter said there were at least six people coming for the pieces.”
“Then maybe they were not the Lords?”
“There’s another thing that I can’t stop thinking about,” she said. “Don’t you think it’s weird that the original number of Lords is the same as the number of the Perriart collection pieces?”
“Seven is a magical number. You can see it everywhere.”
“Yes, but Lords coming for seven pieces of the collection that was created by the magician is not just a coincidence, Christian. What if they want to learn how to rule over magic?”