Malignant Transfiguration (Endeavor Series Book 2)

by A E M

  Alcott stepped in. “Barnabas has gone for Bouldershaker. He thinks she can help.”

  Bouldershaker stormed through the doors not long after. She yanked Vincent down by his ear, and turned to the hallway where Barnabas and Alcott stood. “Barney, straighten Mr. Infant Master Weaver out right now.” She pulled Vincent out the door and then slammed it. She and Charlotte stared at each other.

  She circled Charlotte. “So you’ve gone and turned yourself into a fairy and you don’t know how to get back.”

  Charlotte stayed quiet and still.

  Bouldershaker stopped circling. “Sit down, child. You are far too tall. My old neck needs a break.”

  Charlotte sat on the floor and looked up at the woman dressed in a purple pantsuit and pearls.

  “Who did your hair?”

  “Carroll.” She paused. “I am, um, honored that you noticed.”

  “Oh, child. Learn faster. That sounded awful. Your master should be working on your manners here, but I suppose he can barely hang on for the ride as it is.”

  Charlotte looked down at her glowing hands.

  “You will have to change yourself back.”

  Charlotte scrunched her face up. “How can I do it if I don’t understand it?”

  “Maybe that’s what you are doing wrong. Stop thinking and do.” She crossed over to the door and reached out to bring Vincent back in. “Do your job, Master Weaver.” She slammed the door behind her.

  Charlotte stood. “I’m confused.”

  “So am I.” He confessed.

  “How do I change back?” She asked.

  “I don’t know, but we’ll figure something out.” He frowned and looked at the door. “I apologize about earlier.” He sat down on the bench.

  Charlotte sat on the bed. He hadn’t backed away from her at all until now. What had changed? Was it because she was glowing? Would she burn when she was like this? She glared at him. She refused to acknowledge his apology. She wasn’t sure what to be more furious with him about. He certainly wasn’t doing his job right now. She hated that he had stepped in her life and declared himself in charge, and she was still mad at him from years ago. She crossed her legs. “So did you get in a lot of trouble?”

  Vincent rubbed his ear. “I’m fine. I needed to collect my thoughts and calm down.”

  “No, I mean when we were younger. You know, after the, um, well, you know.”

  “Well, not much.” He said and sat up straight. “I got in trouble with both your father and David, but I didn’t yell at you again, and you never dropped anything down on me after that.” He looked over at her. “Actually, I don’t remember seeing you upstairs after that.”

  “Wait, yell at me?” She laughed. “Are we talking about the same incident?”

  He shook his head at her. “It’s not like there’s much more than that, and it’s not like you aren’t confrontational.”

  She pursed her lips and reminded herself to talk to David as soon as he was back. Something was up, and her brother had to know what.

  “Let’s focus on getting you back to normal.”

  “Fine.” She closed her eyes and thought of what Bouldershaker had said, and then of what she had been feeling when she changed.

  “Do you want me to try to guide you?”

  “You need to just keep your mouth shut.” She snapped at him. “You’ve proven that you aren’t helpful to me when I need you.”

  He didn’t respond. Charlotte took several breaths and let each out slower than the one before. She thought of Beau, but this time she thought of good memories of sand and sea and wind and kisses and laughter. She felt a snap over all of her skin. It hurt, but only for a second. She opened her eyes and looked down at her skin.

  “You did it.” Vincent crossed to her and held his hand out. She stared at his hand and shook her head at him. Now he would touch her?

  “Yes, I did.” She said calmly. “Alone.” She turned away from the hurt look on his face, crossed the room, and flung open the door. “Sorry about the delay, gentlemen. Let’s finish this tour, shall we?”

  She led the way back to the main hallway and waited for them to come out. She would have continued to lead the way if she had only known where to go next. Vincent stepped into the hallway and glared at her. She glared right back, but stepped behind his shoulder.

  They moved through more hallways with intricate floor and wall designs. One hallway was shaped like a cave with dips and rolls in the ceiling, another was a desert with bright lights, and a third a forest thick with leaves hanging from the ceiling. Barnabas showed them classrooms and workrooms and art galleries. In this part of the den, music drifted through the hallways. There was a hallway that lead to family rooms and a hallway with arches that led to rooms with different portals. “We will be using one of these tomorrow morning.” Alcott said as they walked through. They wound back up past the training room and more workrooms until they arrived at a level close to the surface that held their horses.

  “This is your next job, Charlotte.” Barnabas said. The Aegard just left to exercise their horses, so you should have enough time to clean the stables.”

  “Bring it on.” Charlotte said. Her muscles were aching for work. “Where do I start?”

  “You know how to do this?” Vincent asked, surprised.

  She turned to him and the look on her face made everybody step back from her. She took a couple of steps closer to him. “Is that why you mock me and call me princess? Do you have this little fairy tale in your head of who I am? Funny, I’m a little old fashioned like my father and mother were. Do you know what they used to do? Get to know somebody before they made their minds up about them.” She took another step closer to him. “Of course I know how to do this. Who do you think took care of the horse you borrowed for your little escapade with David? I’ve been working with horses for years now. I could clean these stables faster and better than you any day.”

  They glared at each other. Alcott stepped in the middle. “I’m not sure this is such a good idea.” He said. “There’s a lot of flammable stuff in this room.”

  “She’ll be fine.” Vincent said roughly. “You all move on.”

  “Oh, see, he’s finally learning a little about me: I can hold my own. You guys scram.” Charlotte said icily.

  “Do you need me for anything else?” Barnanbas asked.

  “I can find our way around here.” Vincent said. “And I promise the den is in no danger.”

  “Okay, I’ll leave you two, then.” He said nervously. “I’ll guard the door from down the hall so you aren’t interrupted.”

  “Thank you, Barnabas.”

  “C’mon, son.” Barnabas said. “I know I don’t want to be around for the wildfire.”

  “We need to talk, Vincent.” Charlotte said as soon as the door shut behind everybody.

  “No, no name other than Maven. I can’t do the back and forth with you any longer. You lapse and forget how to treat me.”

  “Well, you know what?” She said and nudged her index finger into his chest. “I’m going to call you what I like.” She said.

  “Charlotte, don’t do this.” He smacked her hand away from his chest.

  “Do what, Vincent?”

  “How do you do this? What happened that swung you from trying to obey to outright annoying me?”

  “What swung you from caring about me to treating me like I was a monster?” She snapped. “You wouldn’t touch me. You wouldn’t come near me. You say you care, and then when things get hard you stop talking, walk away, or shrink back from me. You said you would help me with the darkness, but you won’t even bring it up. You left me. You left me and I called you and you didn’t come. I handled things, and then I get in trouble for trying to handle things when you left me.”

  He snapped his fingers. She couldn’t speak again, but she glared and started to walk to the first stall. Vincent grabbed her arm and spun her back around. He snapped his fingers again, and she froze, her eyes the only things she could
move. He turned her around to face the stalls, then headed towards the pitchfork and mucked out all the stalls by himself. When he finished, he released her from the immobility spell and pulled her back through the den by the hand like a disobedient child trying to run off into a parking lot. She tugged her arm, but he only tugged back.

  Outside of the toddler rooms, David leaned against the wall in slacks and suspenders. His hair and shoulders were dusty, and his usual smile was ironed straight. He raised his eyebrows at them as they walked down the hallway. When they were close enough, he took each of them by a hand and pulled them into an empty room and sat them together on a bench. He waved his hand and the door shut and locked. He snapped his fingers in front of Charlotte’s lips and she felt her voice return. Vincent started to stand, but David pushed him back down.

  “You aren’t my master anymore, David.” Vincent spat out.

  “Then listen to me as your father.” David said.

  “You aren’t really my father, either, David.”

  David leaned close to Vincent, steadying his arm on the wall. He chuckled. “It’s been many years since we’ve had this argument. Do you remember what happened the last time we fought about this?” Vincent looked down but David kept his closeness. Now Charlotte knew why Vincent always got right in her face.

  “Look at me, Vincent.” David waited for him to look up. “I’ve had you since you were four without so much as a summer off. You are my son.”

  “He was four when he started his apprenticeship?” Charlotte interrupted. “Why?”

  “None of your business.” Vincent snapped.

  David put his dress shoe in between them and leaned forward onto his bent knee. “Listen up, you two. I was back for a grand total of three minutes before I was called into Bouldershaker’s office and given a report on the two of you while I was gone. The tiny, mad woman informed me if I didn’t get you—” He flicked Vincent’s neck. “And you—” he flicked Charlotte’s shoulder, “straightened out, she would personally straighten me out.” He stepped back. “So here’s how this is going to go. Vincent, you will go to your room and take a nap or at least rest.”

  “I have to—” Vincent started to argue.

  David flicked him on the neck twice, harder. “No, you are going to do what I am asking you to do. You cannot help her by exhausting yourself by spending every last spare second you have searching for answers.”

  “She turned into a fairy today, David.” He stood. “I couldn’t help her.”

  “Go to your room and I’ll talk to you when I’m done making sure her punishment is completed.”

  “David—”

  “Now, son.” David pointed to the door, and then put his hands on his hips. “Don’t make me drag you there by the ear.”

  Vincent sat frozen, staring at David.

  David grabbed Vincent by the arm and pulled him to the door. “You thick headed fool, get upstairs before I get really mad.” He pulled the door open and pushed Vincent out. “You better be doing nothing when I get up there, and I will check your browser history to make sure you weren’t researching.”

  Charlotte turned her face away from Vincent so he wouldn’t see her laughing smile. So her brother had raised Vincent? That surely wasn’t the typical apprenticeship protocol. She wondered what had happened to Vincent’s family. Were they alive? Was he like Philip? She shivered at the memory of the faun.

  “Sister.” David sat down by Charlotte and put his arm around her. He patted her shoulder. “I find myself furious and pleased with you all at once. Are you gloriously frustrating as a rule or as an exception?”

  “Why doesn’t Vincent remember everything?” She nudged him in the side.

  David paled and looked at the floor. “Ah. As a rule, then. How did you find out?”

  “I realized that you and Vincent were probably around a lot more than you let on. I couldn’t figure out how until I figured that you two might have worn glamours at the castle. Vincent made a comment about me dropping books on him in class, and I finally remembered a certain boy who reminds me a lot of Vincent.”

  “And you remembered.” He thumped his knee.

  “Oh, I remembered, but he doesn’t seem to remember everything.” She glared at him.

  “Charlotte, I can’t tell you right now why he doesn’t remember. I will tell you, but I have to tell him first.”

  “I can’t believe that you thought that us being master and apprentice was going to work.”

  He sighed. “Does it change things? Technically, Vincent can still come to me and I could take him back and take you on.”

  “Don’t you dare do that to him.”

  David sat back against the wall. “Okay. Now about your behavior with Vincent today.”

  “One of us isn’t going to survive this.” She crossed her legs and sat back with him.

  “Hey, Vincent’s a great guy.”

  “You know, I don’t need you to list his merits.” Charlotte said. “That man just took away my speech and then froze me. I just watched him clean the stalls in my place. So stop trying to talk him up. I get it.”

  “He took your punishment?” David laughed disbelievingly. “I’ll have to talk to that fool.”

  “Did you really make him call you master the entire time?” She asked quietly.

  “Yes, and you will call him that, too, do you understand?” He said sharply.

  “He’s chosen a different name.”

  “I don’t care if he wants you to call him his royal highness. You call him that. You told us in the stairway that you want control over your life. So stop acting like a child and let him help you. You have already missed a day of training because of your attitude.”

  “The storms were not my fault!” She yelled and stood.

  David gripped the edge of the bench. “Sister, it doesn’t matter if it was your fault or not. Sometimes things happen that aren’t your fault, but you have to still clean up after them. He’s teaching you control and responsibility. So learn it.”

  “Oh.” She said. “Well, he could have said that.”

  “Or you could have stopped arguing with him long enough to let him explain or ask him.” David pointed out.

  “Oh.” She repeated. Darn them. Now she was the foolish woman-girl.

  “Yeah, Oh.” David stood and put his hands on his hips. “Now it’s starting to click, isn’t it?”

  She nodded.

  David leaned in to whisper harshly. “Charlotte, show him some respect. If I find you two are fighting publicly tonight, I swear I’ll punish you both, and since he took yours this afternoon, you can take yours and his tonight. And keep this in mind. Vincent is struggling with you because you are his first apprentice, and you are an adult. I’ve had more apprentices than you have fingers and toes. I find a certain pleasure at finding unpleasant chores, and I find myself not caring that you are an adult or my sister.”

  Charlotte looked down at the ground. Her brother had been right when he told her that it would take Vincent some time to find his feet. She could tell the difference between a seasoned master and a new master now. When Vincent got onto her, she felt a myriad of emotions. She was angry and annoyed and confused. When her brother had gotten onto her, she was downright frightened.

  David opened the door. “All right, let’s do this thing.”

  17

  The Master Weaver Recovers

  “This is much harder than I imagined.” Vincent confessed as they waited for her to return.

  “She doesn’t listen, she does whatever she likes, and she says whatever she wants.”

  David snorted. “You deserve everything you get.”

  “Not funny, David! What am I supposed to do with her?”

  “Take care of her.” David responded.

  “Love her when she needs to be loved, and scold her when she needs to be scolded.”

  Vincent crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I can’t figure out when she needs which.”

  David laughed. “S
he’ll teach you soon enough if you’ll pay attention.”

  Charlotte tossed the cleaning rag into the bin and let the lid fall back down with a snap. She leaned against the counter and watched David in the opposite corner of the room, bouncing cranky toddlers on his knees. His out of tune voice softly danced across the room. Charlotte smiled. It was past the time they had to stay, but she wasn’t going to interrupt him. Only two of the toddlers remained, and neither one wanted to give up a knee in favor of one of the regular caregivers. David sang a song she was unfamiliar with, but the toddlers knew. She crossed the room and continued to clean as he sang. She didn’t dare touch the children. David had taken care of all that. She had cleaned and helped in other ways instead while she wondered many things. What had happened to Vincent’s family? Is that why he knew of the darkness? Is that why he was afraid to talk to her about it? She laughed to herself as she thought of David and Vincent’s interactions the last few days. This was more than a case of a master letting go of an apprentice, or even a master letting go of his last apprentice in an unusually long line of apprentices. She looked over at her brother and thought of him holding a young Vincent on his lap. David was letting go of a son.

  Finally, the last two mothers arrived to pick up their children. Charlotte continued to wipe the back tables while she thought. She wanted to talk to Beau. No, she needed to talk to Beau. He could help her with the apprenticeship thing. She straightened and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Wait. Yes, she did want to talk to him about it. He could tell her about his experiences and clarify some things, but she could do this. He knew she could, so why did she doubt herself? She wiped down the next table. Vincent wanted obedience. So she would try to give him that. It wasn’t any different than having a job and a boss. Except this job was around the clock and this boss she had to live with and had a way of getting under her skin. She gritted her teeth and wiped the table again. What had happened to her resolve? She slapped the table with the rag. Her resolve had left when Vincent had arrived. He was equally unsettling as he was helpful. What was she to do? Leave the apprenticeship completely? Stay it out? Stay long enough to find basic control? She scrubbed furiously.