by Lucia Ashta
But the boy... he scowled, arms crossed fiercely across his chest. When Mordecai offered him his hand, he didn’t even look at it. He stared straight ahead, as if he’d stay on the horse all day long—until he got his way.
What does he want? Why did he look so monumentally unhappy?
“I’m sure your backside is as sore as mine from that long, fast ride,” Mordecai said to him. “Get down so you can rest and get cleaned up.”
The boy tilted his head another inch upward, not looking at the old wizard.
“We have your accommodations prepared for you. I expect you’ll be quite comfortable here if you give it a chance.”
“I don’t want to give it a chance.” The boy sounded as angry as he looked. “I want to go home.”
“As I’ve told you, you’re welcome to go home. But your sister has agreed to stay here.”
“I’m not going without my sister.”
“Then I suppose you’ll have to stay.”
The boy scowled and adjusted himself on the horse. It looked like he was settling in.
“Fine. Suit yourself. I’m going to go get cleaned up and get some food. It’ll be time for dinner soon.” Then Mordecai turned to face the rest of us. He gave Arianne and Gustave a glorious eye roll that the boy didn’t see.
Marcelo stepped next to Mordecai, but Clara glanced at the boy, looking like she wanted to do something to help. She studied him for a moment, took half a step toward him, but changed her mind. “Why don’t you see if you can help him?” she said to the boy’s sister, then moved to join her husband.
The blonde girl nodded, seeming as if she’d already planned to do just that, before walking toward her brother.
The horses looked tired, and an attendant appeared from the side of the house to lead Clara and Marcelo’s horses away.
“You can come back for the other one,” Gustave told him. The attendant took one look at the boy atop the remaining horse and nodded his understanding.
The boy radiated discontent. I wasn’t sure I could blame him. Who knew what he’d gone through since Mordecai appeared to get him and his sister?
There were also lots of unknown faces peering at him. We’d almost all gathered outside to receive them. Count Vabu and Madame Pimlish looked on with curiosity, and Sylvia cooed at Mordecai, rubbing her long snout along his shoulder, with Mathieu at her side.
The firedrakes. The boy and girl didn’t seem particularly surprised to see them. That was strange.... Perhaps they just hadn’t noticed them.
Yeah, right. It’s not like they’re easy to miss. The firedrakes’ scales twinkled in the fading light of the dipping sun.
“Come on. Let’s go inside,” the sister tried.
“I don’t want to. We shouldn’t be here, Marie. You shouldn’t be here. We need to go back home.”
“We can’t. You heard Father. He agreed. You know what that means.”
He didn’t say anything, just pursed his lips and scowled harder.
“This is our new home, Walter.” The girl’s words were gentle, but the boy reacted as if it were the harshest thing she could have said.
“This is not our home,” he nearly spat.
Marie sighed. “It is, and we’ll both have to learn to accept it.”
Arianne spoke softly to Mordecai, but we could all hear what she said. “Obviously the boy doesn’t want to be here. Perhaps we should return him to his home.”
“I didn’t tell him he had to come,” Mordecai said, sounding exasperated. “He insisted.”
“I only insisted because you were taking my sister,” Walter said.
“I’m sorry, son. But your sister agreed, and your father agreed.”
“I’m not your son.”
Mordecai ignored that, looking to the magicians gathered around him instead. “The runes spoke strongly about the girl, and he wouldn’t let her leave unless he came along.” He shrugged in his dusty robes. “I had no choice but to bring him. He was fighting tooth and nail, literally.”
Poor Walter, I thought. I understood what that was like. If Uncle hadn’t been so excited to get rid of me, I might have done the same thing he did. I wouldn’t have wanted to stay behind while Nando left.
“A feisty one then,” Arianne said, but her voice was filled with sympathy. She approached the seemingly unmanageable boy without any hesitation. She placed a soothing hand on the horse’s forehead and whispered something in the animal’s ear.
Then she looked at Walter for long enough that the boy finally decided to meet her gaze. “I know it’s not easy, darling. I have a brother too, and I’d never want to do without him. You’re very brave to have followed your sister here.”
The boy clenched his shoulders even tighter, as if forcing himself to resist her words doubly because of their allure.
“You’re her younger brother, oui?”
He gave a curt nod.
“And yet you protect your older sister. That’s wonderful of you. Family is very important.”
He stared straight ahead again, though I doubted he actually did much looking at the manor that was slotted to become his new home.
“Listen, I honor how you’re feeling, and I especially honor your desire to protect your sister. You don’t know any of us here, and for all you know this could be one big ruse and we could be bringing your sister to danger.”
“Exactly!” he said.
“But I promise you on my heart that we wish only good for your sister and you. We are good people, good magicians, and we want only to help the world and the creatures in it.”
I watched Walter carefully. He didn’t even flinch when she said ‘magicians’.
“You must be tired, hungry, and thirsty. Please come inside and join us for a nice dinner. You can make your mind up about us after the meal.”
Walter, who looked to be around my age, seemed to be pondering her offer.
“You’ll be stronger and better able to defend your sister after you rest and eat.”
Arianne rubbed her hand along the horse’s front shoulder and waited.
“Fine. But just because I’m eating doesn’t mean I’ve agreed to anything.”
“Of course not, my darling. You agree only to taking care of yourself and your sister.”
He nodded curtly to that and dismounted in one quick motion, careful not to hit Arianne as he did.
The elegant lady of the manor began to lead Walter and Marie into the house when Count Vabu said, “Hello, Mordecai. It’s been a long time, my friend. Did you find Albacus?”
“It’s good to see you, Vlad. And yes, I did find Albacus.”
Arianne halted and turned back around. “You found him?”
“I did.”
“Well, where is he?” Gustave asked.
“In the heart of the SMS.”
“What? How?”
“He’s communicating to me through the runes.”
“So we have a spy in the midst of this sect of dark sorcerers?” Sir Lancelot asked.
“We have precisely that.” Mordecai’s eyes shone. “And they have no idea he can talk to me.”
“And where is the heart of the SMS?” Count Vabu asked.
Mordecai locked eyes with Arianne. “At the home of one of the council members. The Magical Council has been infiltrated.”
I gulped. I wasn’t sure if Mordecai had just delivered good news or bad. Whichever it was, the battle was on.
Improbable Ally - Book 4
Continue Isadora’s adventures in book 4 of the Magical Arts Academy.
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ABOUT SPIRIT OF THE SPELL, a Witching World story:
Some things are worth dying for. Others are worth living for again.
When Damien dies, Oliana is devastated. It’s understandable, he is her first love. She’ll cry and grieve and, eventually, she’ll move on, as she must—at least, that’s what an ordinary girl would do.
But Oliana isn’t ordinary. She’s a witch. And she isn’t going to accept Damien’s death without a fight.
With the power of the four elements at her disposal, she can do more than challenge death. The question is, what is she willing to sacrifice to get him back?
ABOUT MOWAB RIDER, a Planet Origins story:
I’ll go anywhere to find Princess Ilara. Even to the Wilds—where people disappear and don’t come back.
The rebels are resisting King Oderon’s rule. I don’t blame them, I’d resist too if I could get away with it.
But the rebels don’t know that. They’ll kill me and never ask questions. Especially now that they’re united by a rebel who can tame the mowabs, the fiercest animals of all Origins.
Anyone who can ride mowabs must be as beastly as they are. Good thing Dolpheus has my back. We’ll need every one of his skills and all of mine to escape the Mowab Rider with our lives.
Acknowledgments
I’d write no matter what, because telling stories is my passion, but the following people make creating worlds (and life) a joy. I’m eternally grateful for the support of my beloved, James, my mother, Elsa, and my three daughters, Catia, Sonia, and Nadia. They’ve always believed in me, even before I published a single word. They help me see the magic in the world around me, and more importantly, within.
I’m thankful for every single one of you who’ve reached out to tell me that one of my stories touched you in one way or another, made you smile or cry, or kept you up long past your bedtime. You’ve given me reason to keep writing.
Read more by Lucía Ashta
THE WITCHING WORLD
(Young adult paranormal fantasy - a complete series)
Magic Awakens
The Five-Petal Knot
The Merqueen
The Witching World Omnibus, Books 1-3
The Ginger Cat
The Scarlet Dragon
Mermagic
Spirit of the Spell - FREE for joining my Readers Group
MAGICAL ARTS ACADEMY
(Young adult paranormal fantasy - a Witching World spinoff series)
First Spell
Winged Pursuit
Unexpected Agents
Improbable Ally
Questionable Rescue *
Sorcerers’ Web *
Ghostly Return *
PLANET ORIGINS
(New adult space fantasy)
Planet Origins
Original Elements
Holographic Princess
Planet Origins Omnibus, Books 1-3
Purple Worlds
Planet Sand
Holographic Convergence
Mowab Rider - FREE for joining my Readers Group
THE LIGHT WARRIORS
(Visionary fantasy - a complete series)
Beyond Sedona
Beyond Prophecy
Beyond Amber
Beyond Arnaka
DRAGON FORCE
(Young adult space fantasy - a complete series)
Invisible Born *
Invisible Bound *
Invisible Rider *
POCKET PORTALS
(Young adult paranormal fantasy)
The Orphan Son *
(Paranormal fantasy)
Huntress of the Unseen
(Time travel romance)
A Betrayal of Time
(Magical realism)
Daughter of the Wind
(Superhero satire)
The Unkillable Killer
(Magical realism)
Whispers of Pachamama
(Science fiction)
Immortalium *
(* coming soon)
About the author
Lucía Ashta, a former attorney and architect, is an Argentinian-American author who lives in Sedona with her beloved and three daughters. She published her first story (about an unusual Cockatoo) at the age of eight, and she’s been at it ever since.
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Lucía on the web:
LuciaAshta.com
[email protected]