by A E M
Bliss had the drive and the ambition. She was already well respected, if not a little young. She had been maturing rapidly, not even the same sister he had known only months before. She no longer hid her feet with a glamour. She was taller and stronger. Her hips and shoulders were wider. Her dark hair was longer. Her wings were the largest in the entire community now. She commanded every room she stepped in.
She entered the room now. He didn’t have to see her to know. Her talons clicked as she strode across the bare floor. Beau shivered as she laid her hand on his shoulder.
“You may rise, brother.”
He stood and allowed his eyes to drift up to hers slowly. She turned her sharp eyes to his and he shivered again. She was magnificent. She kissed him gently on the cheeks and smiled.
“Dear brother, what news do you bring?” Her voice was heavy with authority, yet light with femininity.
Beau repeated the events of the evening. Charles said not a word. On his own, he would command as he had done in the years before. With Bliss in the room, he sat with lips pursed and eyes darting. As her strength grew, his declined. The quality and duration of the rest of his life now depended on her generosity. It was their way.
“Oh, drat. I missed Ebby.” Bliss pouted.
Beau smiled. She was regal, but she was still his little sister.
“Brother, go to David. Tell him what happened tonight, and then bring him to me along with Charlotte’s clothes and this Carpenter. Take four guards with you. I will be heightening our security tonight.”
She turned to Charles, who nodded his consent at her.
“Be swift.” Bliss commanded. “I’ll check in on Father immediately.” She kissed him on the cheeks. “Be safe, brother.” He returned her affection and strode out.
19
Revelation of Secrets
Isaac carried the boy in his arms through the castle.
He settled him on his lap and dried his tears.
“Now.” He said gently. “What adventure have you found yourself in?”
“I’m running from a fairy.”
“Ah.” Isaac chuckled. “It’s hard to run from fairies. I tried once and failed.”
The boy stared up at him quietly. “I don’t like fairies.”
“Why not?” Isaac asked.
The boy looked up at him with solemn eyes. “I can’t seem to remember, but I know it’s there.”
The great hall bustled with bodies and dancing and conversations and music and laughter and the smells of food. Candles wrapped around the top third of the columns and shimmered on the walls. A band played in one corner, and the room overflowed into the hallways with dancers. Charlotte kept her hand tucked in Vincent’s arm as he greeted and was greeted. She guarded her tongue and swore that she would take a trip to a dane city soon and see a chiropractor after so much bowing, fighting, and portal trips. But then she wondered how she would explain what she had been through. Stunt double work? She cracked a smile and turned her head to the side so Vincent and the dwarf he was speaking to would not be aware of her internal laughter. Perhaps there was a chiropractor amongst the dwarves? She made a note to ask later. Vincent ended his conversation and leaned over to whisper in her ear before the next conversation started.
“I expect you to be silently engaged in the discussion. Pay close attention and learn. I will be asking you questions later about the evening, so keep your mind focused on the present moment.”
“I thought tonight was for fun.”
“It is, but we will take every opportunity we can to learn.”
“But—”
“You are old enough that he shouldn’t have to repeat himself.” David cut in. He pulled a chair out at their table.
Charlotte slid into her seat. Party poopers. Both of them. She wondered if she could get a crack at both of them in a duel some day. She straightened her face and felt better inside. At least she had duel daydreams to get her by at times like these. Vincent sat down on her right and David sat down on her left. She felt comfortable in this sandwich of brother and companion of sorts, but she missed Beau. Why was it that she finally had a date for the dances, but he was always away? She frowned. Couldn’t she have found love during a peaceful time of life?
Four unfamiliar dwarves sat with them. Pleasantries were exchanged, but Vincent handled her introduction. Charlotte fidgeted with the tablecloth. She had spent her entire life speaking and even performing at celebrations and now she was expected to sit quietly? It was disconcerting. David laid his arm on the back of her chair and squeezed her shoulder. She smiled at him. It was nice to have a brother. Supper was served. Conversations skipped around the table during the meal, then picked up after everybody was finished eating. Charlotte raised an eyebrow at Vincent. Was she allowed to speak now? He shook his head no at her. The conversation shifted from the dwarves’ lives to Vincent and David.
“David,” the dwarf sitting across from him asked. “You must have set some sort of record for the most apprentices. What will you do with yourself now that you are finally done with that part of your life?”
“I will be taking my Father’s role in the Weaver University as well as on the Weaver Council.” David said.
“Did you set a record for apprentices?” Another dwarf asked.
David sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You know, I haven’t looked into it. That’s a good question.”
“There will be a count now.” Vincent said. “And likely a ceremony and a parade.”
Charlotte snorted her laughter into her cup. She quickly put it down on the table and crossed her arms. She scanned the ceiling in an attempt to find something boring to stare at. She was sure her lips were twitching. One of the dwarves had been giving her a silent scolding across the table before she looked up.
“Young Master Weaver, show some respect for your former Master.” The dwarf chided Vincent. “You should be proud to be from the great Isaac’s lineage of weavers. To learn directly from his son, who has many years to refine his skills by the time he had you.”
Charlotte dropped her eyes and focused on Vincent’s face. He had straightened his own cheeky features after his scolding. She dropped her eyes and turned her face down when he looked her way. She may be on the bottom of the totem pole, but he wasn’t much higher.
“Of course.” Vincent laid his arm across the back of Charlotte’s chair. “I meant no disrespect, David.”
“And I took none.” David answered. He cleared his throat. “Vincent and I have developed a bit of a good natured teasing in the later years of our apprenticeship.”
“And you obviously enjoyed this.” One of the dwarves said.
“It was toward the end.” David said. “Vincent hadn’t been disrespectful for many years, and he was never disrespectful with the additional freedom.” David straightened in his chair. “I do know what I’m doing, gentlemen.”
The dwarves all nodded.
“We are glad to hear that you will be taking your father’s position. Will the castle finally be solely part of the magical community?”
One of the dwarves sat forward in his chair and clasped his hands. “I never did like that we made a mockery of the magical world by letting danes see us.”
“Me, neither.”
Charlotte straightened in her chair.
“Go for a walk.” Vincent whispered in her ear.
“If you will excuse me.” She asked the table of guests.
They frowned at her.
Vincent leaned over to whisper again. “That’s calling attention to yourself. They will assume that if you get up, it’s at my command.”
She sighed. There were so many questions she wanted to ask now. Should she apologize to the table? To Vincent? Should she stay silent? She twisted the napkin in her lap.
“Sister, care for a dance?”
She shook her head and continued to twist the napkin tighter. Was she being rude to not accept? Was it too late to get up and take a walk? This wa
s ridiculous. The heat started crawling across her arms.
David pulled the napkin out of her hand, and Vincent took her hand.
“Excuse us.” He said to the others, who smiled their consent at him.
“New ones are a chore.” One of them said. “And that one looks hard to break in.”
Charlotte snapped her head up, but Vincent stepped between her and the table and guided her briskly out of the great hall and next door to the waiting room outside of Bouldershaker’s office. The room was painted chocolate brown with accents of green and orange. It was full of chairs of different sizes and had plants hung from beams across the room.
“Hard to break in?” Charlotte yelled as soon as the door shut behind them. “A chore? My station here?” She paced back and forth. “How dare they! I’m expected to keep my mouth shut and be kind while they are rude? That was my mother’s business! My family’s livelihood! And there was just as much curiosity about the danes from the magani! How dare they!”
“Protégé.” His tone was commanding, but soft.
Charlotte stopped her pacing. She felt the itchiness and heat crawling across her skin. “Hard to break in.” She whispered angrily.
“The apprenticeship is between the two of us. What anybody else says is worthless.” He whispered back, and then raised his voice back to its normal level. “Now close your eyes and remember when we were on the tour earlier. Remember the feel of the door under your hands. Think of the shape of each of the animals you traced with your fingers.”
She closed her eyes and felt the smooth wood beneath her fingers and smelled the oils that had been applied to the wood recently. She remembered the outline of the animals and the curves and dips of the wood. The heat receded and she opened her eyes.
“Would you mind if I stayed here for a few minutes longer?”
He nodded. “Stay in this room. Come get me if you need me, but don’t interrupt my conversation. I will know if you need me immediately or not.” He gripped her shoulder. “You are doing well. Be patient with yourself. You aren’t going to learn an entire culture with a wink of an eye.”
Charlotte sunk into a comfy chair near the door and closed her eyes. In this room the sounds of the party were diminished and she could breathe again. Hard to break in. She snorted and wondered how long she could hide away in the office before David or Vincent came after her. She stretched her legs and listened to the beat of the music from the band.
“Child, how are you this evening? Are you enjoying yourself?” Bouldershaker entered the room. She was dressed in a shoulder floor length gown of gold and deep purple.
Charlotte smiled and shoved her feelings for the few rude dwarves aside. She was growing to enjoy the short, demanding woman. “I love your home, Bouldershaker. I love the look, the feel. I even love your formality and how much you all let loose to celebrate. You are a magnificent magani.”
Bouldershaker nodded her head. “Your words please me. It pleases me to see you grow in your apprenticeship. Vincent is doing well.”
“I have learned much from your people.”
Bouldershaker looked her over slowly. “I’d like you to learn something else from us tonight. Please go get your Master.”
There was more dancing when Charlotte returned to the great hall. She darted in between the bodies, and got turned in the wrong direction. Finally, she managed to spot Vincent’s head. He and David were engaged in a conversation with the only remaining dwarf at the table. Charlotte sat down between them, but none of them acknowledged her presence. Vincent had said that he would know if she needed him immediately, but just how would he know? When her hair started to singe? She thought of earlier when the heat started to crawl across her skin. He had pulled her out of there. Was there something on her face that told him she was losing control?
Vincent placed his hand in her lap, palm up. She stared down at it for a moment. What was she supposed to do? She looked at all of them, but none of them were looking at her. She looked at the door. She needed to get his attention. She tugged at his hand and looked at him. The uneasy feeling from earlier swept over her again. Vincent patted the outside of her leg. Charlotte frowned. Did he want her to go ahead and wait for him outside? She felt like he wanted her to, but she couldn’t explain why.
She left the table and the uneasy feeling increased. She placed a shaking hand on her stomach and walked faster. She pressed herself against the cool wall and watched the room. The music changed to a faster song, and the dancers circled around the room faster and faster. Her knees shook. She blinked. Suddenly she saw David sitting across the table from her. She blinked again. She saw the room full of dancers. What had just happened? She covered her eyes with her hands, and then dropped them. The dancers were still there.
She felt a sharp tug in her stomach. She jumped. Vincent was standing at the table looking at her now. He started walking in her direction and she felt an odd sense of horizontal gravity. She put her hand to her stomach to try to settle the uneasiness. It swirled and suddenly she saw something. A long, thin line stretched between herself and Vincent. She was seeing things, surely, but there it was. It got thicker as it got closer to Vincent, and she remembered what Vincent had told her in the library when they first talked. Someday she would know where he was at all times. Was this how? What was it between them? She pulled at it with her mind and there was a snap and she fell to her knees with the shock of the force that hit her. Now there was a line, thick and pulsing between them. Emotions collided. Some were hers. Some were his. She was drowning, and she didn’t even know what she was drowning in. She felt Vincent and David’s hands as they lifted her up and led her back to the room next door. They sat her down between them on a couch, and she stared blankly ahead at the wall across from her.
“Should I pull it back?” Vincent asked David.
“No, it will have to run its course now.” David said. He placed his gloved hand on her neck. “Charlotte, can you focus enough to respond?”
“What is this?” She closed her eyes. The room kept shifting slightly. “Why can’t I see properly? Everything even sounds different.”
“It’s the bond between master and apprentice.” David answered. “It helps the two of you stay in tune in a way. I’ll explain in more depth later. Your master will explain more later, rather.”
She flashed her eyes open and turned to face Vincent. “Is this what I’ve been feeling since the castle?”
“Yes.”
“You have felt everything I’ve felt?” She asked through gritted teeth.
“Yes.”
She glared. “How dare you.”
“This is how it is.” He stared back at her.
“You should have told me from the beginning.” She sat up at the edge of the couch. “I am not a child.”
“Then stop acting like one.” He said slowly, drawing out each word.
“Then stop treating me like one.” She countered.
“It’s my job.” He stood up.
Charlotte doubled over. “Stop moving.” She hissed. “I can’t fight with you properly when you move around.” She looked back up at him. “Please tell me that this part is over quickly.”
He sat back down beside her and laid a hand on her back. “It will be over soon, and you can fight with me uncompromised then.”
The door to Bouldershaker’s office slammed open. Beau strode in. Four heavily armed female bronze eagles, all dark haired and thick muscled, followed him. He crossed to Charlotte, and pulled her up and away from David and Vincent. He held her to his chest and buried his face in her hair.
“Caramia.” Beau kissed her hungrily and pressed his fingers into the muscles of her back. “You look gorgeous.” He kissed her again, softer this time, but with no less need. “I am glad to see you in a dress.” He released her, and she stumbled back. He caught her arms and pulled her back to him.
“Beau, she’s just found out about the bond.” David stood up. “She can barely stand on her own right now.”
“Then I will hold her up.” Beau said. “The two of you will stand down right now.”
David sat back down on the couch.
“What’s wrong?” Charlotte swallowed hard and dug her feet into the ground. She could feel her emotions. She could feel Vincent’s emotions. She could see Beau’s emotions. She wanted an emotional cleanse.
“David, I will need your assistance tonight.” Beau said. He looked over at Vincent. “Get all of her fairy clothes right now. Don’t leave anything behind.”
Vincent hurried out of the room. Charlotte pressed into Beau to steady herself.
“It will be over soon.” He kissed her forehead. “Just relax and close your eyes and lean into me.”
“I feel what he feels.” She said as she melted into him. “It’s unsettling.”
“I remember the feeling. I was glad to be rid of it.” He rubbed her neck. “There’s not anything inappropriate towards you in there from him is there?”
She laughed. “Don’t you worry about that.”
“It’s not a laughing matter, Lottie.”
“It is. I seem to remember you telling me that you aren’t the jealous type.”
Beau tipped her head back. “I was wrong.”
She laughed again and leaned back into him. She was feeling more settled, but right now they both needed the affection. Charlotte wrapped her hands around Beau’s back. He was sweaty and cool. The muscles in his back twitched under her fingers. She looked over at David. “He needs something to eat. Could you grab him something?”