by Lola Gabriel
“Aaron,” Boden said, emerging with an undershirt in his hand, “I probably have some pretty ancient stuff that would fit you. Why don’t you come along this evening? You’re staff, and you can mill around and keep a look out for anything that doesn’t seem quite right.” Aaron was going red. “And you can meet people—good for your career?”
Genuinely, the boy looked like he might pee himself. All three of them had eyes on him.
“I think that sounds like a great idea,” Jane said. “Drucilla and I will hopefully have some ideas about the whereabouts of the scroll by the time the two of you are back. And as a team, you can definitely learn more down there. And distract from one another, you know?”
“A…a team?” Aaron managed.
“Okay, kid,” Boden hit him on the arm, “I’m not proposing marriage. It’s a step for all my interns—helping to foil evil scheme to overthrow your alpha. Will look amazing on your CV. Really, no big deal.” He turned to the two women. “Sorry,” he said, “but you two need to go into the bathroom or the dressing room. Talia will be up to get me soon.”
Dru shook her head. “You choose,” she said to Jane. Jane shrugged.
In the bathroom, Jane leaned against the closed door and briefly closed her eyes. What a day. When she opened them, Dru was perched in the roll top bath, arms over the sides.
“Can you believe Bo being so nice?” she asked. “I know you barely know him, but please play along.”
Jane couldn’t help but smile. She slid down the door until she was sitting. “No, I mean, I can tell it’s a new thing for him,” she said. “Maybe a crisis breeds maturity?”
Dru nodded. “Long time coming,” she said, “really, I’ve known him ever since he came of age, and we have done some, excuse my French, but some dumb shit. And then I go to work all day, which I don’t think he is really aware of, helping various municipalities with their infrastructure, and moving between covens to help solve disputes. I’m an expert in magical law, for goodness’ sake. I don’t think he knows that. Anyway,” Drucilla put a cigarette in her mouth, “don’t worry. The smoke’s going outside. There’s a portal,” she waved above her head, “here-ish. The protections I cooked up this morning really aren’t draining me, it’s weird. For Bo and the palace, I mean, things should be going mad without the scroll. Guess it’s yet to begin. He just comes here and sits in his office, occasionally goes to a function, scrolls through dating apps with Aaron. Who is clearly being totally wasted here, by the way. His assistant—that’s what he calls his privy council, because he watches too much TV—she does everything else. He’s purely ornamental. Not that he’s not fit for it. He’s nice to look at. And I’m only into women. Well, mostly… But let’s be real. Even I can have my head turned.”
Drucilla interrupted her monologue to have a suck on her cigarette. Things really had changed out here, hadn’t they? She was nothing like the darkly cloaked, quiet women Jane remembered. Certainly, she was rude, but kind of wonderful.
“They still think of him as a child?” Jane asked. Dru nodded, blowing smoke rings.
In the room behind Jane, there was conversation. Then the slam of the door.
“I was thinking,” Jane said, leaning forwards a little, “can you track magical disturbance? The field rippling?”
Drucilla leaned forwards too, her dark eyes suddenly alight. “Yes!” she said. “Of course! I could kiss you!”
Jane raised her eyebrows, shrugged. Dru laughed and stood up, stepped out of the bath, and came onto the floor beside Jane.
“We’ll need to create a map of usual activity,” she said, “and then overlay today.”
13
Boden
They followed Talia down the sweeping staircase, Aaron adjusting and readjusting the tie of his slightly too big, brown felt suit.
He was clearly anxious. Briefly, Boden gave him a pat on the back, but it just made the poor kid jump.
“You need a decent amount of time with Alisdair and his…queen. I’ve never gotten them. But don’t raise any suspicions, right, Boden? Act like you always do.”
This annoyed Boden. What did she mean? By any of that? Maybe today had changed things for him. He felt dusty, if that could be an emotion.
“You don’t need to get a pair-bonded couple,” Aaron said beside him, “they only need to get one another.”
Talia stopped, standing in the center of the hallway carpet, and turned. “Your intern can speak?” she asked, looking Aaron up and down with an intentionally snide expression. She was wearing a green dress, eye makeup. Yet somehow she looked even more stern than usual.
“Yes,” Boden said, “and tonight is supposed to be an educational experience for him, so be nice, maybe even introduce him to a few people.” Boden walked past Talia. His heart was genuinely beating a little faster than usual, like he was a teenager breaking the rules. Ridiculous. But when she had to hustle, almost run, to catch up with him, he felt this weird glow of pride.
The hallway was long. Very long. He had rarely realized how long. The palace was, well, ridiculous. And every few meters, they passed another waiter rushing to or from the banquet hall with more wine or someone’s coat. He had a weird urge to either apologize or hide his face. But then, he was wearing a sash. And he had also slept with maybe a quarter of the waiting staff. This thought only intensified the urge to hide his face.
Talia and Boden stopped, and Aaron, who was trailing their intense pace, bashed into Talia’s back.
“Sorry,” Aaron said, “so so sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Boden said before Talia could react. “Totally fine.”
“Talia,” he said next, intentionally not going through the door in front of them. “How’s the project going? Any leads? On what we talked about this morning?”
Talia smiled at him. Waiters were piling up behind them. “Don’t worry yourself, sir, it’s being taken care of.”
Boden nodded slowly. “Mhhmm,” he said. “That’s good to know. I’d like more information, though. Specifics. It does seem quite important, in terms of determining our next move, diplomacy. Come and grab me when there’s a quiet minute, and maybe we can discuss?”
Talia opened her mouth and closed it. Smiled her tight smile and nodded. “Certainly, sir. Now, though, I believe the Alpha of the North and his mate are waiting for you. They’ve brought gifts, and they want to discuss the timetable for tomorrow, amongst other things. They are our closest allies, after all. And you have kept them waiting somewhat.”
Boden looked at his watch. “Right on time, actually,” he said. “I know, unusual!” Then he looked beyond Talia and said, “Aaron, come in with me and when I’ve done all the ceremonial stuff, there are a few people I’m sure would be very happy to meet you. Master of the libraries, things like that. You really need to tell me more about what you want to do, so I can calibrate this networking stuff properly.”
Boden pushed open the doors.
The hall was decorated in the blue and green of the lower states of the UK, and the heather and gold of the north. The north was small, of course, mountainous and not very populated, but there were important outposts there. And Alisdair had always been a good ally. The north always had been a good ally, apart from the dark times, of course. The times someone was clearly trying to return them to. Boden shook his head to rid himself of this thought, and took his first few steps into the great hall. There was applause as he entered. Did people always applaud him? It made him feel a bit itchy. He held up a hand, shook his head. “No, please,” he said, “carry on enjoying yourselves. There will no doubt be speeches after dinner. This bit’s about having a good time.” He grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing tray and nodded at the waiter. “Thank you.”
Talia was beside him, trying to whisper something in his ear, but Boden turned to her. “I’m fine, thank you,” he said. “You enjoy yourself too, yeah?” Talia stopped, surprised.
“Very well.” There was that tight-lipped smile again. Maybe she had been look
ing after him for so long, she didn’t know what else to do. She’d relearn, though.
Aaron was almost vibrating next to him. Boden looked at him. “Do you know who all these people are, Aaron?”
Aaron nodded, eyes wide.
“Okay, great,” Boden said, and he grabbed another champagne, thanked the waiter, and handed it to Aaron. “One or two of these, before we talk to any of them, maybe? And, uh, I forget names, so you could be very helpful this evening.” Aaron nodded and took an impressive slug from his glass, almost emptying it. Boden wondered if Aaron drank much. He guessed they would soon see.
“Boden!” The deep, accented voice was always recognizable.
“Alisdair—I mean, Northern Alpha, sir…”
The bearded man laughed at this. “Alisdair is fine, didn’t I just address you by name?”
“And I’m still Niamh,” said his mate, standing at his elbow, raising a gloved hand in a small wave. “No date this evening, Boden?”
Boden shook his head. “I wouldn’t bring just anyone to such an important function.”
“Not again, you mean?” Niamh asked, but she was smiling at him. Boden smiled back.
“That’s fair,” he said, “I haven’t always made the best choices. But I’m not sure I even really believed in mates, or in bonding, until…well…very recently.”
Niamh looked genuinely interested in this. But Alisdair laughed.
“Well,” he said, “doesn’t everyone have to feel like that for a while? Or we wouldn’t have a chance to have fun.”
Niamh rolled her eyes. Her red hair was loose, and her dress gold and green, long but not heavy. “Shut up, Alisdair, he’s sharing. How many times have we met Boden, and we know nothing about him. You bore.” She turned her gaze to Boden.
“What changed your mind?” she asked. She was pretty captivating. Probably why she was such a good partner for an alpha. Not that that determined things; they had probably grown together.
“It was something someone told me about my parents,” he said, “their relationship. Someone I…I trust, I think.” He could see Jane’s face, and he could feel that his own face was now wistful. Distant. He tried to pull himself back together. “How long have you two been together?”
“I’m not letting you get away with that all night,” Niamh said. “There’s more to that story and I’m getting it out of you later. But as for how we met, it was chance, really…”
Alisdair put a hand on his bride’s back, smiling softly through his beard. “I was on the islands on a tour of farms, having a look at our means of production, I suppose, you know the kind of thing,” he said, “in a little fishing village, and I’d been out that day with the witches who set the netting spells. And when I got back, I wanted a home-cooked meal…”
Niamh spoke over him, “And it was my home,” she said, “or my mother’s, really. This was, what, three hundred years ago? I had only been of age a couple of decades. And he walked in, damp from the rain,” she put a hand up to Alisdair’s face, smiling at him, “looking out of place in his new outdoor clothes, an alpha far from his palace…”
Alisdair sighed, “Niamh, I get more incompetent every time you tell the story. I was fine!”
“You had velveteen gloves on!”
Alisdair looked cowed at this. “I did, that’s true. But only because that happened to be what was in the pocket of my trousers.” He looked at Boden, shrugged, “I don’t know if women all have good memories, or they’re just socialized to notice the little things. Anyway, unfortunately, I got stuck with this one.”
When Alisdair looked back at his wife and their eyes met, the softness in their faces was palpable. They were remembering the sharp knife of the first time they saw one another, but overlaid were so many years of day-to-day love.
“And you knew?” Aaron asked. “You knew then?” Standing beside Boden, he had once again swooped in with just the right comment. The boy was a superhero.
“Goodness, no,” Niamh laughed, “not when he walked in. When was it, dear?” she asked Alisdair, but the question was rhetorical. “It must have been, oh, twenty-five, thirty minutes later, when I passed him the salt. I swear, my heart stopped beating. You know it when you touch them, your mate. And then the conversation proved we were meant to be together. The conversation was easy but challenging. He was funny, even about serious things. Of course, my family wasn’t happy I’d gone and bonded with a big, soft city boy!”
Boden thought his heart might stop right now. The lights were suddenly bright. He cleared his throat. “Is it not unusual, that you come from such different backgrounds?” he managed to ask. When could they change the subject? The only other thing he could think of to talk about was the bloody ceremony tomorrow, and that was just as touchy. More so. He was sweating hard through his white shirt. He could feel it.
Alisdair shook his head. “I don’t know what would give you that impression. Your mother was the daughter of a royal tailor, was she not?”
“She was,” Aaron piped up. “After the union, her father designed all ceremonial outfits. So, that raised their pedigree a little. I’ve been trying to talk to Talia about these meetings she sets up for you but, well, she’s scary, isn’t she?”
Boden put a hand out for Aaron’s shoulder and shoved him forwards, maybe a little roughly, in fact, but steadying him afterwards.
“Aaron,” he said, “is quite new at the palace, and he has a great interest in history and politics. Can you think of anyone here he might like to meet?”
The Alpha of the North and his mate both looked at Aaron. “You know,” Niamh said, “our parliamentary records keeper is a great friend. He should be here somewhere. He works between London and Aberdeen, and he’s always looking for help. If you would be able to spare him for a few days a month, Boden? He could see the north too. In fact, you should visit! Why on earth haven’t your tours brought you up to us already?”
Boden smiled. His head was spinning. Had he never bothered listening at these things before? He supposed he would usually be on his fifth glass of champagne at this point. And he wouldn’t be talking to anyone, would he?
As if on cue, Alisdair said, “It’s good to have a proper chat, Boden. I can tell you usually don’t love these events. But neither do we, if we’re honest, and best to hunker down with company, if you ask me—”
Boden nodded. “Yes,” he said, “I suppose I’m just learning that. It’s been a weird—”
There was a hand on Boden’s hip. A warmth spread from it. A zing. Boden turned his head, and it was like the room was in slow motion.
14
Jane
The bathroom floor was cold, and it was beginning to feel like they might be there forever. Drucilla had drawn a pentagram with bath salts, and she was sitting in the middle of it. The combined scents of ylang ylang and summer rose filled the small space, drifting from the scented candles that Boden rather adorably kept around his tub, which had also been co-opted for Dru’s spell circle. Jane shifted her weight for the millionth time. Uncrossed her legs and crossed them again. She hadn’t come far with her inklings. When she closed her eyes, she just saw him. Saw replays of the forest, felt him against her, and even in her.
She didn’t want to give her thoughts away, so she opened her eyes and tried to think logically.
She focused on how sheltered Boden had been, even though he was hundreds of years old. Her thoughts focused on the strangeness of the situation and her bit part in it. If it was indeed a bit part.
Drucilla opened her eyes. She sighed and held up her hands. “I don’t know what to say. That’s quite unusual for me, I know, but really, there’s nothing, or nothing I can see anyway.”
Jane furrowed her brow. Think. “So, someone’s hiding the disturbances, maybe?”
“Right,” Drucilla nodded. She shivered and wriggled. “I hurt from sitting here. The thing is, it’s almost impossible to fathom the power needed to hide that kind of upheaval. It would have to be a high warlock—and I can�
��t see Archibald being a part of this—or a whole, powerful coven.”
Jane nodded slowly. “No witch, well, no coven would touch this stuff, not after the bloodbath that the dictatorship was for them…”
“Right, and I have contact with all of them. Here and abroad, pretty much. There would be rumblings. Witches gossip.” Dru began picking up the candles, blowing them out. The smoke curled up towards the ceiling, spiraling and rippling.
“So, either it’s a huge conspiracy that has completely passed you by, or, well, we think about the rules that govern the scroll, right? What are they? They’re about who possesses it, sure, but also it has two homes and only two—”
“Oh my god,” Drucilla almost shrieked, but Jane had gotten there too. The women’s eyes locked, and they stared at one another for a moment, frozen.
Drucilla jumped up and sprayed bath salts around the room. The candles, all out now, tumbled loudly onto their sides and rolled in large circles.
Jane was up too, and reached the door handle before Dru, and then they were both out in the bedroom. Jane stopped. “We have to warn him!”
Wheeling around, Drucilla was wild-eyed. “If it’s still in the castle, then who has it?” she asked. “What are we even warning him about?”
And that was when Jane’s brain turned on. That was when all those floating pieces came together. “Oh, for goodness’ sake!” she shouted, and Drucilla widened her eyes like, please hurry up. “It’s the privy council,” Jane said in a more normal voice. “It’s Talia, of course it’s Talia, how did we possibly—”
Dru stamped her foot theatrically. “That bitch! She’s always been weird. They’re not babying him, they’re controlling him! Damn it, I should have noticed, I’ve had forever to notice. God, maybe I’m the dense one. Maybe I’m the bad friend!”
Now it was Jane’s turn to hurry along an epiphany. “We can worry about that later. We need to get down there now, right? Who knows if or when they’re planning to move it. And right now, they’re all in one room, but we’ll never get through the door. We’re both wearing sweatpants, we hardly look like we belong.” Jane looked down at her outfit, if it could be called that, and then up at Drucilla. To her surprise, Dru was grinning. “I think I have an idea.”