Daniel peered over, intrigue showing in his raised eyebrows, but he turned away to give her privacy.
Taking a closer look at the tunic in her hands, she noticed slits in the back, reaching all the way to the bottom. Nodding in the understanding of discovery, Persephone lifted the tunic over her head and slipped it on. She could still smell him on the fabric, which was one of her reasons for choosing to put on his clothes instead of wearing the dresses. Persephone also recognized the practicality of trousers while horseback riding. A dress wouldn’t allow her the same freedom, and if they were still being pursued then she needed the mobility.
Pulling the trousers on and tying a belt around her waist gave her the chance to test the comfort of Adrian’s clothes, which hung loose on her but were comfortable in other ways. She stretched her wings, delighted there was plenty of room for them without exposing her back, thanks to the belt pulling the tunic shut.
“One last problem,” she mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at her red wings again. “How did you hide them?” Able to move her wings without much thought already, she wondered what sort of magick had hidden Adrian’s from sight. Persephone tried concentrating on the thought of them being hidden and was relieved to see them start to fade. It would take practice, but she no longer had to worry about them raising questions she couldn’t answer.
Satisfied with her appearance, she walked back around to Daniel, grabbing the canvas and folding it so she could put it back in the saddlebag. While she had been dressing, Daniel had rubbed down Chiron with a brush, though where he’d got it from puzzled her. He was now approaching Gypsy to rub the mare down and acknowledged Persephone with a nod. When he did a double take, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your wings are gone?” he queried.
“Just out of sight,” she responded with a gentle smile. “Goodness knows I don’t need to draw attention to myself, or you for that matter.”
As he went about rubbing down Gypsy, she almost asked him about the brush, but her stomach grumbled, reminding her it was hours ago that she had eaten anything substantial. Digging through the contents of the saddle bag once more, she grabbed out the loaf of bread and some dried meat, sitting down to split it between herself and Daniel.
Persephone savored the soft meat and fluffy bread. When Daniel joined her, they ate in companionable silence while the horses stood nearby grazing. Swallowing a mouthful of food, Persephone glanced at Daniel.
“I supposed I should try to explain what happened back in the forest.”
He shook his head in response. “There’s no need before you’re ready, lass. We have a fair distance to travel away from that hell-town before either of us will feel comfortable. We can finish this little meal and keep going if you’re up for it.”
Persephone nodded quietly. “Do you have anywhere in particular you’re heading to?”
“Well I’ve always wanted to return to the big city on the coast. I haven’t been there for many years. I’d given up traveling about sixteen years ago, when…”
She looked at him with curiosity as he paused.
“When I found Mythosandria,” he finished, though Persephone had a feeling there was something he wasn’t telling her. Not wanting to be rude and nosey, she just smiled.
“What about you?” he asked her. “Do you have a place in mind that you’re traveling to? Or is anywhere better?”
She almost choked on her food as she gave a giggle. “Well, anywhere is better, but I’m headed to the coast as well. Where exactly I’m not sure, I just know I need to be there.” Remembering Adrian’s last request, she grew quiet. “I promised him that I’d travel to the ocean. That’s a promise I intend to keep.”
Persephone could feel Daniel watching her, so she tried to put on a cheery façade.
“Don’t bother trying it hide it from me,” he replied. “I know how much it hurts to lose someone, and how important it is to hold to our promises. Believe me, I know.” His eyes glazed, and she assumed he was thinking about his losses and promises, whatever they were, and hoped he would tell her one day.
They finished the bread and packed the rest of the dried meat away, readied the horses, and Persephone crouched by the stream to fill up the water skins she found in the saddlebags. A few minutes later they were mounted on the horses again and off, continuing the journey with a definite destination in mind.
Chapter Three
With dusk darkening the sky, they reined in the horses once more. Persephone took the saddle from her mount’s back and placed it on the ground while Daniel rubbed Chiron down again. She searched for firewood as he moved to take care of the mare as well. Persephone had found a brush and a cloth she assumed were to take care of Gypsy’s coat, but she knew the horse enjoyed the ministrations and soft chatter from Daniel.
When she returned with her arms full of kindling and dried branches, Persephone almost stumbled when she spotted Daniel setting up a pot and pulling out stew type foods from a bag she hadn’t seen before. Glancing at what she first thought were a couple bundles of cloth, she saw that they were portable bed rolls, the type that travelers used and tied on the back of their saddles. However, Daniel didn’t use a saddle for Chiron.
“Okay, I have to ask, where did all of that”—she pointed at the bed rolls, pot and bag—“come from? You didn’t have anything on you when we found each other in the woods, and Chiron certainly didn’t have anything either. Nor was there anything like that tied to Gypsy.”
Daniel looked up while she was talking, flashed a grin, and resumed preparing dinner. “I suppose I should have come clean a long time ago. Malachi didn’t know how close to the truth he was with his accusations. The magick,” he quickly amended as Persephone felt the blood drain from her face. “Not the perversion part. I am indeed full of magick, but there’s nothing evil about it. I’m just a harmless Earth Wizard. I have power, sure, but I’m not some creature of Dark Magick.”
Persephone opened her mouth to exclaim disbelief, but the memory of the crimson wings now adorning her back reminded her that things in this world weren’t all she had thought they were. Instead, she knelt down in front of Daniel and started stacking the wood for the fire.
Many questions raced through her mind, like what type of magick could he do? How old was he really? Why did he end up settling down in Mythosandria to open a bookstore, when most of the villagers didn’t care for reading? Chewing her lip as she began to strike two pieces of flint stone together, she didn’t get the chance to ask any questions. Daniel had more to tell.
“As you must now know, the world isn’t all that you were lead to believe. There are odd things out there. What you were taught were just fairy tales. They’re real.”
Thoughts of the terrible creatures of the night she was taught to fear crept through her mind. As though he could read her thoughts, he kept talking.
“Not everything, of course. Some fairy tales are just that; fairy tales. There are good supernatural things out there, just as there are bad. There has to be, it’s nature’s balance. You needn’t worry, though,” he assured her as she began looking around the open plains nervously. “Earth Wizards have a connection with, well, the earth. As long as I’m able to connect to the Earth, I have access to my power, and I can keep us hidden from unwanted attention by using a glamour. It will make is appear as though there is nothing here. Only another Earth Wizard can see through the glamour, and there aren’t very many of us around anymore.”
A sad tone entered his voice and Persephone empathized with him, knowing what it was like to be lonely, to be surrounded by people who didn’t understand.
The fire was now crackling and popping away, and all the stew ingredients were in the small pot so Daniel placed it to the side. They both sat back and watched as branches popped and burned.
“I had a wife once,” he said a few minutes later, startling Persephone out of her mesmerized stare. Now that he’d started his tale, it seemed that he had to finish it. “Alexandria. We met quite a few y
ears ago, when I was a young wizard. She was being trained to be a Dark Witch, but I knew her heart wasn’t in it. She wanted to be a Witch of the Light. But because her parents were of the Darkness, they refused to let her learn anything else. She didn’t look like a Witch of the Light, either, with her black hair and green eyes. Very much like you,” he stated quietly, turning to look at Persephone.
“We’d meet in secret, and eventually she gathered the courage to run away. We were married and I used my magick to hide her from the coven her parents were members of. Of course, nothing lasts forever. Sixty years we lived together in peace, hidden from her family. Unfortunately, they eventually wised up and paid another Earth Wizard to find her. They claimed that I’d kidnapped her for the same foul purpose that Malachi accused me of bewitching you for. Being that Earth Wizards age normally and Witches age a lot slower due to their long lifespan, it was easy enough for them to make it look that way.
“When they found us, they charged into our cottage to steal her away. She was cooking a roast pheasant for dinner, and I was kneading dough for bread. Her parents were leading the coven and fired dark magick at me, designed to kill.” Daniel uttered a humorless laugh. “She fought them off. Her magick was strong, but with the coven behind them, her parents were stronger. They penetrated her shields, their magick ripping her apart in front of me. Their hate for me was so strong, that they would rather see her dead than happily married to me.”
Persephone’s heart ached for him and she watched as a single tear rolled down his cheek.
“As punishment for stealing their daughter, the coven cursed me. As an Earth Wizard, I should have died and become part of the Earth that gives me power long ago. Instead, I’m forced to walk this world, forever as the old man I was the day Alexandria died.
“I could end it all, but I don’t have the strength. Besides, I promised her that if anything should happen to her, I’d fulfill my promise to her.”
Daniel looked right at her as he said it. She nodded, wanting desperately to ask what he had promised her. Instead, she placed the pot over the fire, which had now died down enough to cook the stew. She stirred the pot, absorbing all that Daniel had told her.
By the time the stew was ready to eat, night had fallen, the sky now inky black above them while stars glittered like fireflies. They sat quietly, eating the stew that satisfied her hunger and tasted heavenly. As they stored the remainder in a cool box that had appeared in between blinks, Persephone tried to lighten the mood.
“You know, you still haven’t said where all that came from.” She smiled, gently teasing the man.
His face remained still for a few moments, and she feared that she’d somehow insulted him. He let out a snort, followed by a deep chuckle as he realized, in all his tale telling, he had been amiss in answering her one question.
“You’re right,” he laughed.
“Is it another glamour?” she asked.
“No, nothing that complicated. It’s just a simple storage spell. Admittedly, it’s not the easiest spell to set up, but it’s easy enough to maintain. It allows me to carry all sorts of things that I might need, while allowing me to be physically unburdened. It does take a bit of energy, however, and so I get hungry quite often. A price worth paying to keep clothes and food nearby in case of emergencies, and an easy way to hide money from being taxed by thieving mayors and their spoiled children.” He winked at her as if he was clueing her in on some great conspiracy.
Persephone raised her eyebrows in astonishment. “Sounds like a handy bit of magick to have.”
“It is, indeed,” Daniel nodded. “Well, we really should catch some sleep. It’s been a long day, and we should leave early in the morning, travel as much as we can.”
“Yeah, okay,” she replied. Persephone didn’t realize just how tired she was until he mentioned it, but now she let out a large yawn. She stretched and watched Daniel flick his wrist, sending the stored food and utensils to his magick storage space. She still found it hard to believe that somehow, he was carrying his possessions with him.
A few minutes later, they were both lying on their bedrolls under thin blankets. It didn’t take long for Persephone to fall asleep.
***
Flames licked up her legs, catching her dress and setting it alight. She screamed, breathing in smoke that set her lungs on fire, causing her to cough. The heat was unbearable, but she couldn’t escape. Her hands were tied behind her back and the jeering crowd surrounded her on all sides. She threw her head from side to side, trying to catch a friendly face, but no one seemed to be upset that she was burning alive.
“Adrian!” she cried. “Daniel! Someone help me, please!”
“No one will help you now, Witch,” crowed the triumphant voice of Malachi. “You should have just let me have my way. It would have prevented this. But you had to fight back. This is what you deserve. No self-respecting woman denies a man. I’ll give you one last chance to give yourself to me. It won’t last long, however. Once your flesh starts to burn, I’ll have no use for you.”
“I’ll never give myself to you!” she screamed.
“Have it your way,” he sang out, sauntering away as the flames began to consume her.
She tried to break the ropes, still looking at the crowd, hoping to find someone who would help her.
“Persephone,” called a welcome voice.
“Adrian?” she whispered, desperately hopeful.
“Follow my voice,” he replied. “It will all be over soon, I promise. Just let go, and you can join me.”
“Where are you?” she cried out.
“I’m in paradise, where we belong. We’ll never be apart again, just let go.”
“I’m scared.”
“Trust me, Persephone. It will be all right.”
Persephone woke with a start to find Daniel shaking her shoulders.
“Persephone, it will be all right, you’re just having a bad dream.”
She sat up, panting. She could still feel the heat of the fire burning her alive. Covering her face with her hands, she burst into tears. Daniel sat down next to her, placing his arm around her shaking shoulders. When she composed herself, she told Daniel of the dream.
“It was so real, so vivid. It felt like it was actually happening.”
He sat beside her, frowning. “You were screaming, reacting exactly how a person being burnt at the stake would. I don’t think this is an ordinary dream. Maybe…”
He trailed off shaking his head.
“What? Daniel, what is it?” she begged him.
He looked at her, concern shining in his eyes. “It’s a type of magick I haven’t seen before. In fact, I’ve only ever read about it, because no one has used it for centuries. Dream Weavers are supposed to be extinct.”
“Dream Weavers?”
“They can create dreams, good or bad, and project it into the minds of many, or a single person. Originally intended for good use, to help people regain lost confidence or find some purpose in life, there came those who wanted to use it to punish the wicked. Of course, people see wickedness in different ways, so those who used it to inspire went to war with those who used it to punish. Most Dream Weavers died in the battle. Those who survived were maimed, and disappeared. Everyone thought they hid themselves in mountains, waiting for Death to claim them.
“What you described to me, and what I saw while you were still dreaming, it could only be the work of a dream weaver. Either Malachi himself, or someone he hired has found the lost magick. It looks like he won’t give up on you so easily.”
Persephone thought on what he was saying. “I thought you said only another Earth Wizard could break your glamour?”
“That’s right. But Dream Weaving enters a mind regardless of what magick may be protecting the flesh and soul. It’s an ancient magick that few could escape from.”
“So what am I supposed to do? Let that man continue to haunt me because there is no way to protect myself from him?” she demanded, anger replacing he
r fear.
“I didn’t say there was no way, just that few can escape it. I do know of a way.” He paused. “There is an amulet. Well, there were a few, but I only know of one.” Daniel reached under his shirt and pulled out a smooth, oval stone of swirling colors. She was immediately mesmerized by it. To her surprise, he took it off and gave it to her. The stone was shockingly cool in her palms despite resting against his chest.
“It will keep the Dream Weaver at bay.”
“But don’t you need it? I mean, why else would you have been wearing it?”
“It was just an extra precaution against Alexandria’s coven. They are intent on making me suffer as much as they can, trying to infect me with dreams of her death. I have a spell that helps stop their magick, which is different to a Dream Weaver’s, but I had the amulet as a back-up. You need it more than I do.”
Persephone made to protest, but he wouldn’t have it. “Don’t fight me on this, lass. I can protect myself. You need it.” He grabbed her hand with the amulet in it and curled her fingers around it, his hands soft and warm.
“Let me protect my… the woman I think of as a daughter.” He seemed flustered by his slip of the tongue, and she had to know what he almost said.
“What were you going to say?” she nudged.
Daniel roughly shook his head. “Story for another time. Right now, the sun is about to come up so we should get ready to leave.”
With that, he shut her out for the first time, leaving her confused and mildly hurt by his gruffness. They went about packing up the campsite without another word, loading Gypsy up with the saddle and Adrian’s saddlebags, which she wouldn’t part from, and, mounting the horses, they rode out.
The morning’s travel was spent in silence as Persephone allowed Daniel his solitude. The grassy plain passed by without change, and she began to think that there was no end to the sea of grass. As she pulled out the rest of the dried meat to eat without the need to stop, she glanced up and finally saw a line of trees in the distance and almost shouted in relief. Even Daniel seemed to cheer up at the prospect of a different landscape.
Beyond The Veil: A Paranormal & Magical Romance Boxed Set Page 275