by Diana Nixon
"Why do you think she works for Dragons?" Tara asked.
"Because of the stone," Marion replied. "Only the chosen Dragons knew about its existence. And only one of them could tell her about it. But none of the Dragons would ever share this information with a stranger. That's why she had to belong to them too. Evan's right, she used Kevin and when he found out the truth, he ran away, because he was scared and he didn't want to find himself in that dead man's place."
"Okay, but who killed the stranger with the stone?" Eileen asked.
"Someone whom Kevin told about Alexis' letter. And I'm sure he will come back to the place of his crime. He took the stone and gave it to the Dragons leader who killed my parents to head the brotherhood. The only thing I still don't understand is where my father's sapphire has been the entire time?"
"Yes, this is a good question," Marion agreed. "We have to find Alexis. The sooner the better."
"Okay, let's go find Anna and Francesco," I said, turning to Tara.
We left, taking the letter with us.
The moment Francesco took it in his hands, he frowned and looked at us curiously. "Wow! It radiates a very powerful energy. The vibration is so intense; I would say that it was written in a hurry. But I think it will work perfectly for our experiment."
"Do you need any help?" Tara asked the Keeper.
"No, thanks," he said, smiling at her. He put the letter on the table and covered it with both his palms. He muttered something and the piece of paper under his hands moved, rising in the air. It was sparkling with different colors and I realized that those colors reflected Alexis' aura and energy that she was filled with at the moment of writing that letter.
Finally, Francesco named only five herbs that he thought Alexis could have used to create an amulet.
Reading the description of them, Anna said, "I've never seen such an unusual combination of herbs. She mixed five absolutely incompatible plants."
"Can you do something to overcome her amulet's power?" I asked her, praying silently to hear an affirmative answer.
"Yes, I guess. But I need time," she said.
"How much time do you need?"
"Two, maybe three days."
"It's too long." Tara sighed. "Alexis may run away to the other end of the Earth in two days!"
"I'm sorry, guys, but this is the best I can do," Anna said. "I need some herbs that should grow to a certain height. And we can't use magic here, Evan," she added, foreseeing my next question. "It's a natural process, we can't do it any faster.
"Well, it looks like we don't have a choice," Tara said. "Thank you, Francesco, for your help." She smiled slightly and shook the boy's hand.
"You are always welcome," he replied politely, nodding.
The next 48 hours turned out to be pure torture. I hated waiting. Occasionally Tara and I asked Anna about the growing plants, irritating her to the utmost, as occasionally meant every hour or so. We ended up with Anna shutting the door in our faces and saying that she would let us know when everything is ready.
Eileen's mother was getting better, but she still didn't recognize faces and couldn't remember anything about Walter. Frederick didn't want to rush things, saying that she wasn't ready to understand any of his explanations. Marion was helping Mrs. Webber with Catherine’s treatment, giving her different special mixtures. I can't but admit that they smelt like hell and I was really sorry about everything that poor Mrs. Clark had to go through. Eileen was finally allowed to see her.
Being worried about Eileen herself, Christian followed her everywhere. She didn't mind, of course. She missed him so much and she still couldn't believe that he was back.
But there was one problem that none of us knew how to cope with. Frederick's wife Rebecca....
Knowing that now her husband spent most of his time next to his ex's bed, she got mad and called him every name in the book. Gee, I didn't even know about the existence of some of them! Though, her outburst seemed really funny and even Frederick barely managed to hide his grin. A part of me was sure that pissing her off was a very bad idea, because knowing Rebecca, he should have been more careful with everything he was doing and saying. Thank God, I wasn't her husband and I hoped that her fury wouldn't kill us. I didn't know if Frederick ever loved her, but somehow I was sure that their life was far from being happy. Seeing the way he worried over and took care of Catherine, I realized that she had always been his only and true love. And I wasn't the one to admit it. Eileen saw it too, but her feelings about her parents' reunion were conflicting. She knew that deep down in her heart her mom always blamed Frederick for ruining her life and now he had to do his best to gain her love again. He wanted to tell her the truth about his life and we all hoped that his words would be enough to make her forgive him.
We didn't know anything about my brother or Alexis. Trying to see Kevin's future, Tara said he was heading for some deserted cottage somewhere in the south of Britain. But she couldn't see anything else about his decisions or actions. I knew that my brother was a coward and I was sure he was scared and wanted to hide somewhere to save his life. Maybe he didn't know what to do next.
My feelings for Eileen worried me a lot. Since the moment I broke our bond, my reaction to everything she had been doing was very strange. I was watching her every step, constantly making sure that she was okay. But I wasn't going to tell anyone about that. Especially Christian, whose jealousy was the last thing I wanted to deal with.
The only positive moment about the madhouse around me was the fact that I didn't have to sleep on Eileen's small couch anymore. I could only dream about hours of good and peaceful sleep, but even a few minutes in my warm bed made me feel much better.
I stole some time to hide away in my room, sat on the balcony and relaxed, enjoying the silence. But my seclusion didn't last long. Someone was knocking on my door.
I was surprised to see Eileen. She had so many other places to be now. But she was there. Nervous. "May I come in?" she asked, hesitatingly.
"You know I can't say no," I said, smiling. "You okay?" I asked, closing the door behind her. She came to the center of my room and stopped, watching me carefully.
"I wanted to talk to you about... something," she said. "Do you notice anything unusual about our... relationship?" she asked, blushing slightly. "I mean... damn, I don't know how to explain. Well, since the moment you broke the bond...."
"I know what you mean," I said, interrupting her.
"You do? So you know that something wrong is going on with... us?"
"Yes. It feels like I can't stop thinking about protecting you," I replied, coming to her.
"I feel the same thing. Do you think a part of our bond still exists?"
"I don't know. But now my feelings for you are completely different from those I felt, being bound with you."
"Yeah, I know. My feelings for you are far from what I feel for Christian. But they scare me."
"Why don't we ask Marion about the bond?" I suggested.
"Actually, this is what I wanted to do. That's why I came here to discuss our problem with you first. I thought that maybe you felt something too, but didn't want to talk about it with anyone else."
"So Christian doesn't know anything?"
"Telling him is a bad idea," Eileen said nervously. "He doesn't like seeing us together and he isn't thrilled about the idea of you and me being very close."
"Really?" I asked, laughing. "What did he say?"
"He said that we act like we’re more than just friends."
"Holy hell! His amnesia doesn't affect his feelings for you!" I said, grinning. "There was a time when he was really jealous of our relationship." I recalled my friend's aura, darkening every time he saw Eileen and me together.
"I know." She nodded, smiling. "That's why I didn't want to tell him anything."
"Okay, so shall we find Marion?"
"Why don't you call her and ask her to come here? I don't want anyone else to see us talking to her."
"Fine," I agreed,
taking my cell.
I called Marion and said that Eileen and I wanted to talk to her in private. She arrived ten minutes later and seeing our worried expressions, immediately realized what we wanted to talk about.
"Is something wrong with your bond?" she asked, getting straight down to business. "What is it?"
"The thing is that Eileen and I have been feeling strange recently."
"What exactly do you feel?"
"We are always worried about each other," Eileen said. "About each other's lives and safety. Well, not that it's anything new, of course, but the feelings are getting stronger."
"Give me your hands," Marion said. The moment our palms touched hers we saw something that we would have never expected to see....
"The bond still exists!" I whispered, surprised, watching the thin silver lines wrapped around our hands.
"Yes, but it's not Vinculum amorisempri," Marion said. "It's a friendship bond."
"It can't be possible!" I replied. "I saw the friendship bond and it looks completely different from this one!"
"What Patrick and Frederick share isn't the same kind of friendship. Yours is much stronger," she said, nodding towards our hands. "It was left after your love spell breaking and its origins are different."
"But why couldn't I see this bond until you took our hands in yours?" I asked, confused.
"Something blocks it," Marion said, watching us thoughtfully. "You can't feel its full power yet, but I think it will become normal later. There's nothing to worry about, this bond won't hurt you. Rather on the contrary - each of you will get one personal guardian angel. You will always be able to warn each other about any threat or trouble. And you will always be able to share each other's happiness and joy."
"But it's not like we are going to become more than just friends, is it?" I made sure, just in case.
Marion laughed in response. "No, Evan, of course not."
"Thank God! Because if Eileen ever wants to give me the elbow again, I'm not sure I will be able to forgive her."
"So we are still bound, huh?" Eileen said, smiling. "Who's gonna tell Christian about it?"
Chapter 18. Conquering Evil
Eileen
"I don't get it," Christian said with his hands on his hips. "Are you saying that now the two of you are bound just like my father and Frederick?" he asked, looking from me to Evan.
"Well, not exactly." I smiled uneasily.
"This is a friendship bond too, but much stronger," Evan said.
At that very moment we felt like children in trouble and waiting for our dad, or Christian in our case, to punish us, locking us somewhere without a TV for a month. Our incoherent explanations didn't help matters and Christian still thought that we were holding back something very important.
"Are you sure it's just about friendship?" he asked, proving my worst fears. Obviously he wanted to get things straight.
"Don't' worry, Christian, nothing more than visiting Eileen's dreams is going to happen," Evan replied.
"Ask Marion if you don't believe us," I said. "She will confirm every word."
"I'm sure she will," he said. "Especially considering the fact that she was the one to bind you," he added dryly.
Evan and I glanced at each other.
"Come on, Christian! There's nothing to explain here!" Evan groaned. "You need to believe us!"
"Does it look like I have a choice?"
"Really, Christian, do you think we would be telling you about the bond if we wanted to hold something back?" I asked, taking him by the hand. He still didn't trust us.
"Fine," he said, finally surrendering. "There's nothing I can change about it, so I guess I have to get used to the idea."
Evan and I smiled.
"Thank you for being so understanding," I said, kissing his cheek.
"If I could help it, I would keep the two of you within shooting distance," he replied. "The hell knows whom you will bind yourselves next time!"
"Next time we will let you know about our plans," Evan said.
"I hope there won't be any next time!" Christian warned.
"Hey, guys!" Anna called, bursting through the door of Patrick's apartment. "I think everything is ready," she said, breathing heavily. She must have been running to tell us the news.
"Thank God!" Evan exclaimed. "Has anyone seen Tara?" he asked, looking around.
"I saw her going to the south gate," Lucas replied.
"To the south gate?" Evan and I asked in unison. "Why would she go there?" I added, confused.
"Oh, no!" Evan whispered. "I hope I'm wrong," he said as he rushed to the door.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, following him.
"Stay here!" he snapped, and without saying another word he left.
"I think we should go with him," Christian said, as if reading my mind.
"Absolutely agreed."
Coming out into the street we saw Evan dashing toward the south Dever's gates. It was the main entrance and it was always guarded carefully, so I couldn't understand Evan's concern.
The watch post was empty. There were no guards inside. But then I saw Tara... together with Kevin.
"Evan, stop!" I shouted, realizing that the absence of guards couldn’t be a simple coincidence.
"It's all right!" Tara said, raising her hand to let us know that everything was okay. "He came to talk."
"To talk?!" Evan snapped, running up to them. "About what? His betrayal? Or how he helped to kill our parents?"
"It's not true," Kevin said calmly. "I came to tell you something very important and you have to hear me out," he added, watching us surrounding Tara.
"The only thing we really want to do now is to drag your ass to the dungeon and leave you there for the rest of your fucking life!" Evan hissed.
"No!" Tara said, taking him by the hand. "If you touch him, he will disappear. With me."
"What the hell?" Evan asked, puzzled. And then we all noticed a barely visible red line between his brother's hand and Tara. "No... don't you dare to use this spell on her!"
"I had to keep my back covered," Kevin replied with a slight smile on his face. He moved his palm, making Tara take a step closer to him.
"Evan, we have to hear him out," I said, trying to prevent the consequences of my friend's impatience. "He won't hurt her," I whispered.
"Can we talk now like civilized people?"
"What do you want?" Christian asked.
"I just wanted to warn you. The Dragons know about Eileen's powers and they will stop at nothing to get them," Kevin said.
"Tell us something we don't know!" Evan rolled his eyes impatiently.
"How about this: they know the way to get the powers without the Cup."
We all froze.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Christian flared up.
"They have something that belonged to Frederick Fairey and by using it they will be able to get everything they want."
"Is it something of Frederick's personal belongings?" I asked in a trembling voice. My throat was so dry; I thought I would dehydrate without a sip of water. My pulse was racing and my legs refused to support my body. I was trying really hard to suppress the wave of panic running through my veins.
"You know what I'm talking about, Eileen. You have to know," Kevin said as if he really cared about me losing my powers and my forthcoming death. "But you still have time to figure out everything. The thing I was talking about doesn't work by itself. The Dragons need the text of an old spell hidden somewhere here, in Dever. No one knows where it is, but you have to find it and destroy it. Otherwise, everyone you love and care about will disappear forever. Not only Eileen is in danger, but also all those people she's bound with."
"Why should we trust you?" Evan asked, scrutinizing his brother's aura and energy for any trace of lies.
"Because you don't have a choice," Kevin said. "And speaking of our parents, Evan... you don't know the whole truth about their death. But one day you will realize how wrong you hav
e been the entire time. One day you will find out everything you want to know. Trust me, I didn't want it to happen," Kevin added, looking into his brother's eyes. And then he disappeared. Literally.
Tara's body swayed, but Evan managed to catch her before she lost consciousness.
"She'll be fine," he said, holding her. "It's just a consequence of the spell."
"Where the hell is Kevin?" Christian asked, looking around.
"He used the spell of immediate disappearance," Evan replied. "Now he can leave Dever's territory unseen."
"How on earth did he manage to get here?" I wondered, still shocked after the conversation with our runaway.
"With my help," Tara whispered.
"Yes, Kevin used one of our father's subjective spells," Evan added, helping her to sit on a bench. "Thank God, it wasn't the strongest one," he said in a barely audible voice, carefully moving a few strands of hair from Tara’s pale face.
"Can he use this spell on everyone?" Christian asked.
"No, only on those he has a strong energy bond with. He couldn't use me in this case, but Tara... well, she has always been the only person my brother ever truly cared about."
"How many times is he going to use her to spoil our life?" I asked angrily.
"It was the only time he could do that. It was a one-time spell."
"Wow..." I stopped, suddenly realizing something very important. "He could be telling the truth after all, as he used his only chance to warn us."
"Or to confuse us even more," Evan muttered.
"I don't think so," Tara said, coughing. "He was telling the truth. Even I could feel that."
"Yes, but someone could have used another subjective spell on him, and then we would have never been able to recognize falsehood."
"I think Tara's right," Christian said. "His aura was pure. He wasn't lying."
"Okay, maybe he wasn't," I agreed, sitting next to Tara. "Where are the guards, by the way?"