by Diana Nixon
“That’s Christian,” I said, feeling my boyfriend’s energy.
“He always comes to interrupt the most interesting part of a conversation,” Evan said, as he went to let Christian in.
“I didn’t know you were here too.” Christian came to me and kissed my cheek. “Is everything all right?”
“It depends on what you mean by ‘all right’. Your girlfriend just broke my heart.”
“What did you do?” Christian asked, smiling at me.
“Nothing.”
“She said she doesn’t want to have sex with me.”
I mentally cursed Evan for saying that aloud. We all knew that Christian wasn’t thrilled about the idea of Evan and me being bound, let alone anything else that put Evan and me in one sentence.
“And why would she say that?” Christian shifted his gaze from me to his best friend.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t suggest anything,” Evan said. “But somehow she thought it would be better to blow me off beforehand.”
“Evan’s kidding.” I shot him a warning glance. “I was wondering if he was the one to send me the dream I had today. It was … too magical to be true.”
It was hard to say if Christian believed me. “Right.” He nodded and changed the subject. “I dropped in to say that we are leaving at eight, and it would be better if we had at least a few hours of sleep, as we will have to spend the night driving.”
“I will gladly take a nap,” Evan said.
“Okay, I’ll see you later,” I said, following Christian to the door. Neither of us said anything about the previous conversation.
“How long are you going to be away?” I asked him, walking down the hall.
“I’m not sure, two, maybe three days.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too,” Christian said, hugging me. “Stay with me before we go.”
“Are you sure you will be able to fall asleep with me lying beside you?”
“I’m sure it will give me more strength than anything else.”
One of the biggest advantages of the bond that Christian and I shared, was the ability to recharge each other’s energy. We didn’t have to do anything in particular. It was just enough to be together.
“Unless you want me to spend a little of that precious energy on you,” Christian teased. He knew it was hard to resist his charm. And I never actually tried to.
“I would gladly do whatever is on your mind, but not this time. You need to rest.”
“I need you.”
“And I will be there for you. To comfort you and help you fall asleep.”
“Fine.” Christian looked a little disappointed. “Anyway, it’s better than what you said to Evan.”
I giggled, “True.”
I liked falling asleep in Christian’s embrace. It always felt safe, but not today….
Unlike him, I didn’t close my eyes even for a second. I couldn’t stop thinking about the dream I had. I didn’t need any more problems than I already had, and having sexy illusions about anyone but my boyfriend, was a problem.
Dever wasn’t as safe as it used to be.
First we found out that someone broke into Christian’s room using the flower named mestaphia that broke the power of magical spells. That flower was Evan’s mother’s personal invention. No one knew the recipe to create it, and it’s only known creator was dead. Now someone was sending me dreams that I didn’t want to see, and that someone should have been somewhere near to be able to control my dreams….
Evan’s and Christian’s leaving didn’t help matters. Both of them were dear to me, and I didn’t want anything bad to happen to either of them. Evan was a magic user, and he was good at everything he was doing. So I hoped they would be fine.
Christian’s breathing tickled my cheek and I switched my attention to the man by my side. I could feel his love even while he was asleep. It was radiating around me, enveloping my body and mind with its intensity and beauty. Our fiery tattoos — the symbol of our bond — spread all over our backs and pleasantly warmed our skin.
Christian was shirtless, and the only thing I was wearing was my underwear, which didn’t help at all when it came to blocking the feeling of his bare skin touching mine. It was so much better than any dream or illusion. It was real.
Chapter 4. Sandy Cookies
The first night without Christian was surprisingly peaceful. No nightmares. No Evan. No illusions.
Amanda woke me up at half past six in the morning, saying she couldn’t sleep and wanted me to join her at breakfast.
“Are you insane? We are still on holiday. Remember? And I want to sleep,” I said, turning to the wall and drawing the blanket up to my head.
“What a friend you are to leave me alone!”
“You are not alone, you have Lucas.”
“I don’t want to wake him up. He had a tough day yesterday. He needs rest.”
“Well, I need it too!” I said, still hiding under the blanket.
“Please, Eileen. It’s been a long time since I asked you to do anything for me.” I couldn’t ignore that piteous whining, and Amanda knew it. So I opened my eyes unwillingly and dragged myself to the bathroom.
The breakfast turned out to be very interesting — my friend and I, alone in a huge dining room.
“It feels like we are the only living creatures around Dever,” Amanda commented.
“No, Sweetie. It feels like we are the craziest creatures around Dever,” I said. “Most of the students are still on holiday, and those who are here don’t wake up at daybreak.”
“It’s almost seven in the morning!”
“Same thing.”
“Don’t be such a nag. Besides, we have plenty of work to do, and the sooner we begin, the better.”
“You win.” I sighed.
“Come on, drink that coffee of yours and let’s go and find Darcy. She said she had some interesting records to show us.”
“Morning ladies!” said the voice behind us. We turned around and saw the guy from the black sports car.
“Hey, Will,” my friend replied. “How are you doing?”
“Great! Thanks, Cupcake.” The guy smiled at Amanda.
I stared at them, puzzled. “Do you know each other?”
“We used to play in the same sandbox.” Amanda’s response didn’t help a thing. As far as I remembered I was the only person she ever shared the sandbox with.
“Yeah, it was one hell of a game.” William laughed at the memory. “You made me eat your sandy cookies!”
“How’s that even possible that I’ve never heard about those games of yours?”
Emerald eyes stopped on me. “And you must be Eileen. I’ve heard about you.”
“Looks like I’m the only person here who has never heard about anything or anyone.”
“I’m Will, William Brendon Benedict Fairey.” He rolled his eyes at the way his full name sounded.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, shaking the guy’s outstretched hand. His face looked familiar; though I was pretty sure we’d never met before. His ‘perfectly messy’ blond hair matched his deep green Fairey’s eyes, high cheekbones, and perfect smile that revealed small dimples in his cheeks. He was tall, but something about the way he moved reminded me of a cat. A lazy, well-groomed and … you’ve got to be kidding me … drunken cat? I could swear I smelled alcohol. I looked at my watch. No, I wasn’t hallucinating — 6:50 a.m. and the guy is dead drunk. But watching him smiling at me with that too-cute-to-be-true smile, made me smile back. I couldn’t help myself. The colors of Will’s aura were bright and full of light, indicating his good nature. I liked the guy. He was like a ray of sun, breaking through the gloomy clouds. Joy could be his second name.
“So why did you decide to come here before the studies started?” Judging by the darkness forming around our new student, he wasn’t thrilled about answering my question.
“I didn’t have much choice about that. My father managed to find only 24 hours
to drop me here and get back to his job in New York.”
“Looks like you have a very bossy dad.”
Amanda smirked at my comment. “That is not the word.”
“True.” William nodded, and I saw the shades of sadness absorbing his joy. There was something more about his father than just being bossy.
“Well, we need to go, but it was nice to talk to you, and I hope you will find something to do here and not get bored.” I didn’t say anything about his cherry-merry condition. But something told me that it wasn’t his first ‘happy’ morning. “Why don’t you join us here for lunch?” I asked before leaving.
“Sure, thanks for the invitation.”
Before I turned to the door, I noticed something interesting about Will’s aura. The green color — the color of life energy was missing….
We didn’t find Darcy in her room and headed for Administration, where Patrick’s office was.
“How long have you known William?” I asked Amanda.
“Um … I don’t remember. Why?”
“Just curious. What do you know about his father?”
“He’s one piece of work. A pacemaker, charismatic, but two-faced. He doesn’t have many fans, but he has many loyal servants, who would kill if he asked them to.”
“Where has Will been all these years? I mean he’s old enough to join Evan’s class, but he has never been here before. Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he was home-schooled.”
“That’s weird, don’t you think so? He doesn’t look like a guy who was sick or anything.” Drinking didn’t count.
Amanda shrugged in response. But I still had my doubts. There was something wrong about the whole story.
When we got to Patrick’s office, Beatrice, his secretary, said he was having a meeting. But there was Darcy, waiting for us in a room right behind the opposite door, where Dever’s archival depository was.
“I’m so glad you are back!” she said, hugging Amanda and me. “I’ve got so many things to tell you. And I’ve found the meaning of some of the symbols you need to decipher. Here,” She led us to one of the bookshelves where the most ancient records of Dever were kept. She took a huge book in a dark-blue velvet cover and opened the page with different symbols.
“This one,” she said, pointing to the one we had already seen on the map, “is a symbol of a stone.”
“Yes, we know it.” I nodded.
“The book says that it was widely used in the jewelry industry. And it symbolizes not just a stone, but a diamond.”
“And diamonds are the symbols of sun energy,” Amanda added.
“Exactly! Do you remember the map and the writing on the Great Hall’s ceiling?
“It said something about the light of the moon and the sun, right?” Some of the symbols on the map we found matched those we saw on the ceiling of Dever’s Great Hall.
“Now look at the photo of that writing,” Darcy said. “See? The symbol of a diamond is written right on the picture of the sun.”
“Wait a second…” I interrupted her, trying to remember other pictures from the Hall’s walls. “There is also a picture of a moon on the opposite wall.”
“Yes, and the symbol of the moon is written right on its picture.”
“Okay, that’s something. What about other symbols?”
“There’s one more I managed to decipher.” Darcy reached into the pocket of her jeans, and gave me a folded piece of paper. There was another symbol with only one word written under it.
“A horseshoe,” I read aloud. “What does this have to do with all of the above?”
“A horseshoe is a symbol of happiness, luck and courage. It also symbolizes protection.”
Amanda and I looked at one another, recalling the image on my bedroom door. Later we told Darcy about the symbols we found in Norfield, the amulets given to my grandfather and the guys’ trip to Aberdeen. Now we had a few more prompts to decipher the meaning of the map. When we were about to leave the archive, the door to Patrick’s office opened, and Will’s father came out, followed by Amanda’s dad. The latter was as gloomy as a storm cloud, and I wondered why. Joseph’s eyes stopped on me, sending shivers up and down my spine. He nodded with a half-smile and left. Patrick ran a hand through his hair and sat on a couch. Something was bothering him.
“Daddy, you okay?” Amanda asked, taking a seat next to him. He took her hands in his and nodded without saying a word. “What did Will’s father want?”
“Nothing, Sweetheart. We were discussing the terms of William’s studies. He has never been to a college or university, and I was wondering if he would be able to fit in here. Apparently Will’s father is used to having things done his way.”
“Will is not a child anymore. I’m sure he will be fine here.”
“I hope so,” Patrick said. But something about his voice said he didn’t like the idea of a new student joining the department of Wizardy without being tested. Amanda’s father was the one to tighten the rules of entering the mentioned faculty. He didn’t want it to be just the best; he wanted it to gather only the most talented students who would become outstanding magicians. And I never saw Patrick following anyone’s orders. Was he afraid of Joseph Fairey?
When it was time to have lunch, Amanda went to see Lucas, whom she hadn’t seen for a few days and missed a lot. I didn’t mind her leaving, as I knew exactly what it felt like to miss someone you loved.
Christian didn’t call me, and I couldn’t stop worrying. I knew he was fine, but still wanted to hear his voice. Apparently he was outside his home service area, and I couldn’t reach him. The same story was with Evan’s phone.
I entered the dining room that wasn’t as deserted this time. A few tables were already taken, but the one my friends and I used to occupy, was empty. If not counting our new student, sitting there….
“How did you know it was our favorite table?” I asked, taking a seat opposite him.
He shrugged. “I didn’t know that. Just took the one I liked most.” A tray with untouched food was on the table, but Will never looked at it.
“Bad appetite?” I took one of the French fries from his plate.
“Yep.”
“Drinking rum instead of having breakfast won’t do you any good.”
Will lowered his eyes, laughing quietly, “One of many bad habits of mine.”
“Why don’t you try drinking some coffee? I’m sure it will help you wake up faster than rum.”
“But it will never make me feel better like the rum.” He didn’t sound happy saying that. Was his life that bad to drown it in alcohol?
“Well, at least now you are sober, and you can share the lunch with me.”
I went to find something edible for myself and returned to the table with a few sandwiches and a glass of orange juice.
“So tell me, how does it feel to be home-schooled?”
“Why don’t you tell me something about yourself instead?”
Will’s emerald eyes were piercing as hell. As if they could see through my skin.
“What would you like to know?” I asked, trying to avoid his gaze.
“How does it feel to possess magic?” There wouldn’t be anything strange about the question, if I wasn’t talking to one of Wizardry students.
“You should know that better than I do. It’s just my first year here, and I’m not as experienced as you are.”
“Is it hard to possess the powers of all the natural elements?” I froze. Not many people knew about my talents. “Oh, I’m sorry. I must have gotten to something very secret and personal. My mistake.”
“How did you know?”
“Gossips. They have that annoying tendency to travel all over the world.”
“And who exactly brought that gossip to New York?” My stomach refused to accept food. Suspicions were eating me alive.
“The wind,” William said. He must have been joking….
“I see.” I nodded, smiling nervously.
There was no wa
y he could know about that ability of mine, and I wasn’t going to tell him a thing. But something pushed me to ask the next question, “How often do you get messages from the wind?”
“Sometimes.” Not exactly the response I wanted to hear. Though I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to hear.
“Do you like living in New York?” It was a safe thing to talk about.
“Not really. I have an apartment on the outskirts, and I don’t have many people around to talk to.”
“What about your teachers? How often do they come?’
“My father is my only teacher.”
I almost choked over my juice. “What?”
“I never needed anyone else. He taught me everything I can do.”
“Wow, that’s … impressive.” And weird, I added mentally.
Will’s mobile rang, indicating a new message coming. “Crap, looks like Daddy wants to tell his beloved boy good-bye. Sorry, I need to go. See you around, Eileen.”
And just like that I was left alone to finish my lunch.
Part 2
Christian
Chapter 5. Aberdeen
“Why don’t we call Eileen and let her know that we are okay? She must be worried about our phones being turned off.”
“Bad idea, Christian. She will kill us if she finds out that we got lost on our way to grandma’s.”
“Don’t you think that she will get suspicious if we don’t call?”
“I texted Patrick saying that we are fine. Well … lost, but fine.”
“I didn’t see you sending any messages.”
“I did that while you were staring up at the sky, trying to guess where the north was.”
“It’s not my fault that we got lost!”
“Yeah, I know, I screwed up. You don’t have to remind me about that every ten minutes.”
“How could you forget the road to your grandma’s?”
“I would gladly watch you being me. Abby is one hell of a grandmother. No, she’s cool, but she’s also smart, powerful and a bad ass.”
“You’ve just described your own portrait.”
“It’s not funny at all, Christian. She always scared the hell out of me. Okay, this turn is one of those I still remember.”