by V. M. Marsh
“Welcome to the gathering.” Mage Elder nodded thanks to each member before continuing. “Before we go any further, the Council would like to impart some exciting news.”
Grins spread across some of the faces like they suspected what was to come. I looked to my parents for any hints, but Dad stood stoically while Mom gave me a hesitant smile. Their reactions weren’t comforting in the least and nerves bubbled in my stomach.
“With Emma’s early arrival, we can now make their engagement official. Emma, you and Jace have been betrothed since your birth as expected future Circle members based on your families’ lineages.”
My mouth fell as my eyes shot to the boy I’d grown up with. I was more than dismayed to notice he didn’t seem at all surprised.
“It is technically your choice to agree to it, however, you are expected to marry and procreate with another Circle member to ensure our strength and secrets. Jace is your best match at this time. Since you are so young, we will allow a long engagement until you are ready to marry.”
What the hell? I had a boyfriend and these strangers expected me to drop him and marry my childhood friend. Screw that.
I shook my head, but Mage Elder raised his hand to stop me. “Take some time to think on it. As the Seer, you don’t have as much of a choice in it as the others. If someone refuses, we take their memory and replace them. However, a Seer is much too rare to let go of and almost impossible to replace. This is your sacred duty to the Circle, Sanctuary, and all of magic kind, so give it the utmost consideration.”
My shoulders sagged with the weight of the world heaped onto my shoulders. I cursed my new power that had shackled me in chains to this group and a future not of my choosing. This was seriously messed up. My heart cried in protest while my mind screamed at the unfairness of it all.
The rest of the meeting passed in a blurry haze, and I left without a clue as to what had been discussed after they told me to marry Jace.
My parents tried to comfort me on the trek back to our house, but I rejected them. They agreed to this and had known about it since I was just a baby, yet neither one of them had warned me. They had even let me fall in love with someone else.
“Why would you let me date and fall in love when you knew all along I was promised to another?” I cried out.
“We never actually gave you permission to date and by the time we realized Lars was more than a friend, it was too late. Besides, we thought it was just a high school fling you could get out of your system before you settled down. We thought it would benefit your marriage to have some relationship experience.”
Mom sighed and hung her head. “We had no idea things would move this quickly. You haven’t even graduated high school yet.”
I stomped up to my room and cried into my pillow throughout the night. I had hardly slept, but I was resolved.
My parents had raised me to be self-sacrificing when necessary and it was too ingrained in my nature to toe the line. Too responsible and helpful for my own good, this would be my first sacrifice for the greater good.
Drifting through the school day like a ghost, I waited for Lars at our meeting spot next to the dumpster behind the school. He usually gave me a ride home, but I had made other arrangements. Checking my watch, I willed him to hurry so I could drive off and leave this whole thing behind me.
He finally sauntered up in a grey t-shirt with ripped off sleeves and jeans that hugged his ass. His hair was nearly as long as mine, and I kept my traitorous hands that wanted to run their fingers through it at my side.
“Hey there, beautiful. Are you ready to go?” He bent to kiss me, but I gave him my cheek. This was already difficult enough.
His brows knit together while he backed away confused. “What’s wrong?”
“Look, I’ve been thinking about us. I’m eighteen, and I’ll graduate soon, so I need to start thinking about my future. You’ve been out of school for a year now and still don’t have much going for you. I need be with someone more responsible. Someone with a bright future ahead of them.”
His head snapped back like I’d slapped him, and I almost took my words back. I didn’t want to hurt him, but it was the only plausible explanation I could think up.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you, however, I need to look ahead now. When I see my future, I don’t see you in it. I see you in jail or hurt or I don’t know, but it’s not someplace I want to raise kids. It’s time to end things.”
“Is that how you really see me? Is that how you’ve thought of me this whole time we’ve been together?” He spat at me.
“Actually, I hadn’t given any of it much thought until now. You were fun, dangerous, and part of my rebellious streak, but it’s time for me to grow up.”
Then I walked to the white Prius my parents had bought me for my sixteenth birthday that I’d hardly used. I had started dating Lars right after that, and he liked to give me rides everywhere in his old Camaro. I sighed. I would miss that car and all the fun we had it.
Tears filled my eyes as I drove off. I was making the right decision for me and the magical world. I was convinced my heart would stop bleeding and sobbing eventually.
However, it never really did. I thought I was moving on and my heart was beginning to heal when Lars showed back up in my life. However, his arrival made me realize I’d only learned to cope with the ache in my chest. It had become my new normal so that I hardly noticed it anymore.
Looking at Lars now, I regretted my decision and actions six years ago. I should have fought for us then instead of giving in to someone else’s plans for my life. It was the biggest regret of my life.
No matter how backed into a corner I felt, I would fight for us this time. I wasn’t letting him go again. Determined to find a way out of this, I cleared my throat until all eyes were on me.
“I will not be setting a date or discussing this further. I’m meant to be with Lars, and I will move Heaven and Hell to find a way to make it happen.”
I stood and pulled Lars up with me. “I sincerely hope you respect my decision and help me. Please have a cupcake. They are filled with acceptance, so it might help you along in accepting my decision.”
Lars and I left the room hand-in-hand without looking back. My heart thumped wildly against my chest as I felt both exhilarated and terrified about finally standing up and doing what was best for me. I’d never been so outright defiant before even as an adult.
When we entered the woods, Lars pulled me into his arms. “You were absolutely amazing in there. The way you asserted yourself and advocated for us was hot as hell. You have no idea how in love with you I am, especially right at this moment.”
He leaned down to sweep his lips across mine before planting them firmly and kissing me deeply. My blood zipped and sang its way through my body as I floated on a cloud. Tingles and warmth worked their way from my chest to my toes.
Pulling back, he rested his forehead against mine. His eyes were closed and he struggled to breathe. I couldn’t help my breathlessness myself after his labored breathing told me exactly how much I affected him.
“We will find a way to make this work. I promise.” He vowed as he opened his caramel colored eyes to stare into mine. Words failed me, so I nodded my own vow to find a way.
Chapter Thirteen
Slamming the book shut in frustration, a plume of dust rose to make me cough. I was going to hack up a lung in here if I wasn’t careful. Standing, I strode angrily to a bookcase in search of my next victim. I didn’t bother putting books away because the house would do it for me when I was through.
Sliding a book from its shelf, I was grateful for my parents’ extensive library. We enjoyed the outdoors, but we also appreciated knowledge. Seeing as the Sight passed down through my family, we had become the unofficial collectors and guardians of the Sanctuary’s history.
And cookbooks since that was family tradition, although, I’d never known why it was so important to us. Maybe it was a leftover stereotype from back in the da
ys when women were mostly housewives and needed to do all the cooking. However, it was a point of pride for our family even if the reason behind it had been lost through the generations.
With so many books to store came a three story library tacked onto one end of the house. A lone floating staircase waited near the door for anyone who needed a lift. I chuckled and then grew sad. Scarlet would have loved that joke.
However, now was not the time to dwell on her; I had research to do. I was looking for information about people marrying outside the Circle or leaving it without harsh penalties. When I became too frustrated with the lack of information on those subjects, I switched to digging up dirt on Power Thieves. Despite spending most of the morning in here, I’d struck out three for three.
Hope sprang in my chest like a fountain that Those Vexing Demons would give me something useful to help foil Bradley. After ten minutes, however, I conceded. Apparently, weeds and mischievous Sprites ruining gardens were considered demons back in the day. I tucked that interesting tidbit away for later.
Maybe the books I wanted were higher. After stepping onto the staircase, it slowly floated along the walls of the room to give me time to search the titles. Sprites, Brownies, and Shifters, Oh My sounded fun, but not what I interested in today. Maybe this one called, Rippling Circles, would have something. After securing it in my grasp, the staircase slowly descended until I could hop off.
I was already flipping through pages by the time I set it on the sturdy oak table and plopped down in a wide comfy cloud chair. I sure was glad Mom was such a fan of them. I should get some for my house.
Turning to the Table of Contents, my finger scrolled down the headings until it came across one that seemed promising, When Circles Lose a Ring. Just as I got to the page, Dad strolled in.
“Emma, I had no idea you were here. What are you doing sneaking around?”
“One, I was avoiding you and Mom so I wouldn’t have to listen to your attempts at talking me out of my choices. Two, I have research to do and thought this would be the best place to find the answers I’m looking for. So, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”
Hurt crossed his face. “Your mom and I only want what’s best for you and your long term happiness.”
“We seem to disagree as to how to accomplish that on both accounts.”
He sighed. “Lars is rough around the edges, but I think he’s ultimately a good guy. I’m on your side, love, so let me help you. What are you looking for?”
I glanced cautiously at him to see if he was trying to put one over on me. However, he seemed genuine, so I grudgingly accepted his help.
“I’m looking for three things: if anyone has successfully left the Circle with their memories intact, marrying someone outside the Circle, and information on Power Thieves.”
“I can help with that. What have you found so far?”
I sighed. “Nothing. However, I just came across this chapter that may or may not be helpful. I was about to find out which.”
Dad nodded. “You look into that, and I’ll check the catalogue for anything that might fit one of those categories. We really need to get a more updated system in here than the card catalogue. I bet they have spells for this sort of thing now.”
As he strode to the cabinet, I began reading. I was right that it was about members leaving the Circle, however, it seemed this was the beginner’s guide to handling that situation. I frowned when it mentioned implementing memory removal. This must have been when it started, so I needed to go back further in history.
“Dad, see if you can find any books or diaries about the Circle pre-middle ages. That looks like it was about the time they started taking the memories of those leaving, so we need to go back further. Or maybe just a bit further back to see what prompted the change.”
Huffing, I closed the book and leaned back. Rubbing my temples, I glanced at Dad to see if he was having better luck.
I found him not at the card catalogue, but lying on a cloud sofa. I frowned as annoyance tightened my chest. “Dad! I thought you were helping me, not in here to nap.”
Lazily opening his eyes and rubbing them, he yawned. “I wasn’t napping. I was just resting my eyes.”
I rolled my eyes and stomped to the floating staircase. As it drifted into the air, Mom poked her head into the library. “Are you done in here yet?”
Dad frowned. “No, why? Did we have an appointment or something I forgot about?”
She strolled in and kissed him on the cheek. “Nope, nothing like that at all. I just missed you.”
Sitting on his lap, she threw one arm around his neck and used her other to pet his hair. “What are you doing in here? Maybe I can help.”
Leaning towards her, he whispered in her ear something I couldn’t make out. Mom’s delighted laughter soothed my rough nerves, and I leaned against the staircase railing.
“Just kidding. Well, maybe we can get to that later if you’re up for it.” His wiggling brows looked like caterpillars on fire trying to crawl across his forehead, and she lightly smacked his arm. “Emma and I are doing research if you really want to help and aren’t in here just to distract me.”
Mom’s eyes flew up to me on the staircase, and I lifted my hand with a half-wave and small smile tilting the corners of my tight lips.
“I didn’t see you up there.”
Clearing her throat, she slid off Dad’s lap and into the fluffy chair beside him. This was one place the cloud chairs were allowed to look like, well, clouds. They weren’t shaped into other designs, like the ones in the dining room. It was fitting for this room and invited one to stay, relax, and read.
Chuckling, Dad snatched up her hand and kissed it. “We’re researching Power Thieves and Circle history.”
Her eyes narrowed at me shrewdly. “I know you, daughter of mine. So, we are looking for a way out of the Circle or for you to marry Lars. While I’m not thrilled about it, I will help.”
She sighed and held up a finger. “This is the last I will say about it since you know how I feel. Your father is the best thing, other than you, to ever happen to me. I will be forever grateful for our arranged marriage, which brought both of you into my life.”
Blinking back tears, she held her hand to her heart. “You two mean everything to me. I want for you what I was blessed to have with your father. That is why I have been so adamant about your marriage to Jace and giving him a chance.”
Softening towards her, I swiped at tears of my own. “I know, Mom. It’s just I can’t have what you want me to with Jace. If we can’t find a way out of it, we’ll be looking into artificial insemination. That’s what kind of marriage we’re preparing for. He’s an amazing friend, but there will never be more than that between us. And that’s not one sided; he feels that way too.”
“Then I will help, really help, you get out of it. I don’t want you in a platonic marriage like that. Although, I’m still not sold on Lars being a better option.”
Snatching a book off the shelf that looked promising, the staircase lowered. When it was still a bit too high from the ground, I jumped off. Mom gasped as I ran to her and wrapped my arms around her.
“I hate fighting with you. Thank you for supporting me.”
“Always, my darling. You may not believe it, but Dad and I will always be your biggest supporters.” After one last squeeze, she pushed me away and took a deep cleansing breath. “That’s enough mushy stuff for today. Let’s get to work.”
Not to knock on Dad, but we had much better luck with Mom’s assistance. Of course, she had Mom radar to find even the most obscure things in the house. Even though Mom complained it often felt like a curse, I couldn’t wait to acquire that skill myself one day. It wasn’t a magical gift, but it sure sometimes seemed like it was.
“I think I found something, but you aren’t going to like it.” She said. “Marriages with non-Circle members have been allowed when there has been a lack of current or anticipated members. However, that’s not our current
case, and I love Jace too much to have him killed.”
“Mom!” I exclaimed in shock.
She waved me off. “I was kidding, of course. Now, the other way to do it is if the prospective mate can convince the Council to grant them future membership when the next spot opens. That means they must be more worthy to join than the next potential member in line to join.”
“Crap. They will never accept him. Is there any other way?”
“Not that we’ve been able to find.” She sighed. “There may have been ways in the past to leave the Circle with your memory, but it’s been standard practice and tradition for too long now. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as your life is in danger by remaining a member, I think you’re stuck. Even then, it’s most likely safer for all involved to leave without knowledge of the Circle.”
“I’m sorry, love.” Dad stood and kissed my forehead. “I’m fried. Besides, it’s almost dinnertime, and I’m starving. Are you going to eat with us tonight?”
Leaning back, I rubbed my head. “I can’t think anymore, either. However, I’m going to the lodge for dinner. I’d rather not be around when you start playing footsie at the table.”
Dad wiggled his brows at Mom again, and she rolled her eyes. “Well, since I can’t promise we’ll behave, have a good time. Come back again sooner rather than later, though. We miss you.”
With a backwards wave, I strolled from the massive room and out of the even larger house. If you could call it a house; it was more like a mansion. Okay, it was a mansion, but it just seemed normal to me since I grew up there.
Meandering along the trail that led to the lodge, I mulled over what little we had learned today. The marriage stuff seemed like a wash, however, we had learned some interesting things about Power Thieves that I thought would be useful. Excited to share it with Lars, I texted him to meet me at the bar.
He was already sitting on a stool inside and was chatting with Charlie when I arrived. Hurrying to them, I slid onto a stool of my own. “I spent the day researching in my parents’ library, and I think we may have found something to use against Bradley.”