At no time did she feel like they were in any danger, so Beckett’s words of caution remained a mystery.
As they got deeper in, a new light source appeared. Slightly bigger than the fireflies and farther away, the spots of glowing blue intrigued Em. “What kind of fireflies are the blue ones?”
“They’re not fireflies. They’re fairies.”
“Oh, that is cool.” Em was glad Aunt Amelia couldn’t see her mouth fall open. She tried to look closer at one, to see if she could make out the form of it, but they stayed too far away.
She would have loved to talk about them some more, but Amelia was still focused on the impending doom of it all.
“I’m bringing you here now, as an uninitiated witch, because I’m hoping that will give you some protection.” Amelia spoke as she moved. “But your choice to stay in Shadowvale and your eventual initiation will change that. The magic will find you, and when it does, there won’t be any going back. You must understand that.”
“I do. I promise.”
Suddenly, Amelia stopped, turned, and took Emeranth’s hand. “It’s not a bad life, but it can be a very lonely one.”
Em smiled and squeezed her aunt’s hand. “But we’ll have each other, right?”
Amelia held her gaze for a moment, then dropped Em’s hand to pat her cheek. “You’re a good girl. You deserve a different life than this.”
Em smiled back. “Maybe this is exactly the life I deserve.” Impulsively, she hugged her aunt. “Thank you for trusting me with all this.”
Amelia held on to her. “I hope you still think that when this is all said and done.”
Em released her and leaned back. “I’m sure I will.”
Amelia let out a breath, then turned and started walking again.
A mist rose up from the ground, making it harder to see more than a few feet in any direction, and yet Amelia kept going at the same pace.
Minutes passed, and the fog thickened. It stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity until suddenly it fell away.
Em’s brows lifted, and she let out a small gasp.
They were in a grove of trees. Beneath their feet was a spongy carpet of blue-green moss. Around them stood a perfect circle of twelve thick trunks that stretched far above them. The branches made a dome, covering every bit of the sky except for another perfect circle that showed a disc of blue-black night sky sparkling with stars.
“It’s night?” Em asked. “How long have we been walking?”
“A long time.”
“I guess.” But it wasn’t the passing of time that Em was focused on.
It was what was in the center of the grove.
An open book about the size and thickness of a suitcase. It sat on an intricately carved pedestal and seemed to glow from an internal light.
Em pointed at it. “Is that the book?”
Amelia nodded. “I take it Deacon told you about it. That is the book.”
“He mentioned it. I got the sense he doesn’t really believe it exists. Obviously, it does. Amazing,” Em breathed out. She took a step toward it, hand outstretched.
Twelve fierce warrior women stepped out of the trees, bows taut with arrows drawn and pointed at Em. They wore slim breeches of leather and tunics of pale silk that highlighted their bark-brown skin.
Too late, she realized the trees in the grove all wore faces. Or had. Those faces were surrounding her now. She put her hands in the air. “I mean no harm.”
One of the women looked at Amelia. “All is well?”
Amelia nodded. “All is well. This is my niece, Emeranth.”
The woman smiled, and all twelve dropped their bows to their sides. “Good. But it’s also important to establish boundaries.”
Em nodded vigorously. “Boundary established, for sure.”
Amelia bowed. “Lylianna.”
The nymph bowed as well. “Amelia.” She looked at Emeranth. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“You, too,” Em said.
Lylianna returned to her spot in the formation, then all twelve turned and disappeared back into their trees.
Em looked at her aunt. “Nymphs, right?”
“Right.”
“That was terrifying and cool.”
Amelia smiled briefly. “There is much yet to come.”
She walked toward the book, glancing over her shoulder when she realized Em wasn’t following her. “Come. This is your legacy. You need to know this.”
Em joined her aunt, checking quickly to see if the nymphs appeared again. They didn’t.
Amelia put her hand on the book as she spoke to Em. “Beneath this book is the source of Shadowvale’s magic, both dark and light. That source is protected by this place, the grove nymphs, and my magic. This town was created to provide a safe haven for the man I loved, but to do so required me to make a great sacrifice.”
Em nodded, hanging on every word.
“That sacrifice was my agreement to protect a very dangerous object from mankind. To become its guardian. An object that was already failing and had been since ages past. And while Shadowvale was built to contain it as much as possible, the magic within it continues to seep out, drawing the most desperate to these gates.”
“What is the object?” Em asked. Although she wasn’t sure she’d get an answer, she was suddenly desperate to know. What could such a thing be?
Amelia hesitated as if she knew her next actions would be the point of no return. She gently closed the book and lifted it off its base with such ease that Em wondered how that was possible when it must weigh an enormous amount.
Amelia carefully set the book on the ground. The pedestal was hollow. Amelia reached inside and lifted out a lidded jar covered in designs that looked ancient and Greek to Em.
“This is the object,” Amelia answered.
A hairline crack ran from where the lid met the mouth of the vessel. “What is it?” Em asked again.
Amelia took a breath, her grip firm on the jar. “The one and only Pandora’s box.”
* * *
Deacon’s head snapped up like he’d heard a shot, but there hadn’t been a sound. Just a feeling that something, somewhere was being disturbed. A ripple in the magic pool that was Shadowvale.
“Something wrong?” Shepherd asked before taking a long pull of his beer.
Deacon shook his head. “No.”
They were sitting at the bar of the Five Bells Pub, their favorite watering hole. The multiple televisions showed a wide variety of sports, the beers were cold, and the nachos were piled high with toppings.
It was the kind of night Deacon normally enjoyed. But not tonight. Tonight all he could think about was how he’d failed. Because there was no more pretending that Em was going to leave.
Not when she had a job and the kind of determination that overthrew governments.
The woman was as beautiful as she was stubborn. And she was really beautiful.
Shep nudged him. “What are you smiling about?”
Deacon frowned. “I’m not smiling.”
“You were.” Shep turned his gaze back to the television closest to them. “It’s that woman, isn’t it?”
“What woman?”
Shep snorted. “Nice try. Gracie already told me about her.”
Deacon rolled his eyes. “Gracie needs to zip it. There’s nothing to tell. Amelia gave me a job to do, and that was that.”
Shep side-eyed him. “What job? And isn’t she Amelia’s niece?”
“The job of turning her off this place. Yes, she is Amelia’s niece, but Amelia doesn’t want her here.”
“You would be the perfect person to do that.”
Deacon held his tongue. Shep didn’t know what Amelia had offered him in exchange, and telling him wouldn’t help anything. Shep already thought leaving would be stupid.
Shep sipped his beer. “You’re not going to find him, you know.”
The muscles in Deacon’s jaw tensed. He didn’t like talking about their father, even though he
spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about the man. “You don’t know that.”
“I do. With him, I know.”
Maisie Sweeney, one of the pub’s bartenders, came by to check on them. “You boys doing okay?”
Shep nodded. “Right as rain.”
She gave him a big smile. “You holler if you need me.”
She sashayed away, and Deacon snorted. “How come you haven’t asked her out yet? You know she’d say yes.”
“Don’t try to change the subject.” Shep planted his elbows on the bar. “What’s Amelia’s niece like?”
Pretty, smart, quick with a comeback, built like a—
Deacon’s phone went off. He checked the screen. “Sorry, I’d love to stay and talk about what a fine couple you and Maisie would make, but Jerry Washington just had a flare-up. Gotta go.”
“Oh, sure.” Shep laughed. “Nice save.”
“It’s what I do.” Deacon slapped a twenty on the bar. Sometimes, curses were great things to have.
Chapter Twenty-three
Em stared at the jar. “The Pandora’s box?”
Amelia tapped a finger on the lid even as she maintained her grip. “The very one.”
“I hate to nitpick at a time like this, but shouldn’t it actually be a box?”
“No. That name came about due to an error in translation. It’s always been a jar.”
Em nodded, unable to take her eyes off it. “And it really contains all the troubles of the world? Or was that an error in translation, too?”
“No, that part is absolutely spot-on. Except there aren’t quite as many in there as there used to be. As you can see by the crack there, they’ve been leaking out for quite a while.”
Em wanted to touch it, but was a little afraid to. “And you’re its guardian. That’s kind of awe-inspiring.”
“I am. It’s a big job, but I’ve been doing it so long it doesn’t seem that way. After all, my magic built this place, and in return this place powers my magic. To a certain extent, we’re symbiotic, Shadowvale and me.”
“Is that why if you leave here, you’ll…cease to exist?”
Amelia smiled. “Yes. If I leave Shadowvale, I’ll die. This town keeps me alive. For its own purposes, but it is what it is.”
“What would happen to the town? To Pandora’s box?”
“It would be vulnerable. As for the town…I’m not really sure. But I don’t think it would let me leave.” She looked at Em. “At least not until my replacement has been found.”
Em swallowed, understanding that her aunt fully believed Em was that replacement.
Aunt Amelia looked at the jar. “This has been out long enough.” She slid it back into the pedestal and replaced the book on top.
“No one knows that’s here?”
Amelia brushed off her hands. “No one. Not even Beckett. Not even the Evermores, who were the first residents to move to Shadowvale when the gates opened. And it has to stay that way, understand?”
“Yes.” Em had more questions about that, but something her aunt had said stuck out. “When you said the Evermores, you meant Deacon’s parents, right?”
“Deacon’s grandparents, actually. Although I know his grandmother knew of this grove.”
“What are they? He wouldn’t tell me.”
Amelia’s eyes narrowed a bit. “Then I won’t either. Some things are meant to be revealed at certain times. You’ll find out soon enough, I’m sure.”
Em wanted to sigh in frustration, but didn’t. “Is it true what Deacon told me about the book? That if you write your name in it, your curse is removed?”
“Yes. The book and the jar are connected. Whatever’s written in the book gets funneled back into the jar.”
“Then why not just write your name in it? You could be free of whatever’s holding you here.”
“My magic created this place. Writing my name in the book would have no effect. I’m sure writing your name wouldn’t either, although you have no curse to be rid of.”
“We could write other people’s names in it. You must know some people who’d like to be free. Or does the person with the curse have to be the one to write their name in the book?”
“I don’t think that matters. But I know that each person gets one chance to add a name. And only one name at a time can be added. Absorbing the curses of too many at once would weaken the jar. The crack would worsen. It would become harder to contain the troubles already within it. That’s part of why this grove is so hard to find.”
“I understand. I think. Everything needs balance, right?”
“Yes. Very true.” Aunt Amelia put her hand on the book again. “I hope you will truly be happy here. Because you understand that, with what I’ve revealed to you, there’s not much chance the town will let you leave now.”
Em laughed a little nervously. “You really believe that?”
“I don’t just believe it, I’ve seen evidence to support it.” Aunt Amelia’s eyes narrowed. “If you’ve changed your mind, there might still be a chance for you to leave. It would take a lot of magic, but since you’re not yet a full-fledged witch we could try it.”
Em gave that a few seconds of thought. “But once I am a witch, then it’s a done deal?”
“You’ll be in possession of your magic. You’ll be capable of taking my place.”
Em bit her lip.
“We should go back. Beckett will be on edge until we return.”
Em’s feet didn’t move.
Aunt Amelia pressed a hand to Em’s arm and spoke softly. “We don’t have to do the initiation right away. You take a few days and think about it.”
“I want to do it…” Em hesitated.
“But it comes with strings attached now.” Aunt Amelia guided them out of the grove. “I completely understand. More than anyone else could.”
Em walked with her in silence, her head swirling with thoughts. She’d gotten what she wanted, the chance to start over fresh in a new town. With family. That was the best part.
Of course, she hadn’t really anticipated that this new town would also be her last town. But she wanted the use of her powers. Even more so if she was going to be a permanent resident of this place.
There was no way she was going to walk away from all this now. If she was going to live here, and she was, then she had to be all in.
* * *
Taking on Jerry’s curse meant Deacon couldn’t use his truck to get home. Not with a halo of white-hot flame surrounding him. But Jerry had been very appreciative, and Deacon wasn’t opposed to walking.
He thought briefly about shifting into his raven form and flying home, but curses didn’t always mix well with his own personal magic, and the last thing he wanted was singed feathers. So he put one foot in front of the other and started moving.
The temperature had dropped, but he couldn’t really feel it inside his personal furnace. He stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled toward home, mindful to keep a safe distance from anything that might catch fire from contact with him.
His mind wandered from subject to subject, but kept coming back to Emeranth. And what a terrible job he’d done of persuading her to leave.
Maybe it was for the best. Maybe she needed the new beginning more than he did. Although he was sad for Gracie. She might never have a real life outside of this place until her curse was lifted.
Who was he kidding? She’d never have much of a life here until her curse was lifted. No man had ever wanted to date her after finding out about her curse. She might never marry because of it. Might never get the chance to be a mom.
He knew that weighed on her. No matter how much of a happy face she put on, she was a nurturer at heart. Having a family of her own was something she’d talked about since she was a little girl.
Except that talk had become a lot less frequent the older she’d gotten. Like she knew her chances of realizing that dream were so slim there was no point in putting it into words.
His heart ached for h
er. And his feelings of helplessness only compounded that.
He’d failed her so far. And he hated to fail.
Although, if he was completely honest, he wasn’t that unhappy about failing where Em was concerned.
If he was going to be stuck in Shadowvale, it would be nice to have her around.
He realized he was smiling. Funny. He couldn’t remember a woman who’d had that effect on him before. Em was something special, though. Something special indeed.
“Deacon.”
For a second, he thought he’d heard her voice. That’s how focused his mind had been on her.
“Deacon.”
He turned to see he was passing Amelia’s house, and Em was waving at him from the driveway. He stopped and waved back. “Hey.”
She jogged toward him until only the wrought-iron fence separated them. “Why are you on fire? Someone’s curse?”
“Yep.” He looked past her to where Beckett was pulling a car into the garage. “You go out for a drive?”
She nodded. “Yep. Also had a long talk with my aunt.” A grin spread across her face. “She’s letting me stay.”
“That’s…great.”
“Is it?” She gave him a funny look. “Because you certainly seem like you’ve been trying to get me to leave. And honestly, you don’t look all that thrilled right now.”
He glanced at the house again. He didn’t want to throw Amelia under the bus, but he didn’t want to lie to Em either. There was no point in it. And lies were a kind of curse all on their own. Nothing he wanted to dabble in. “I…uh…I was trying to help your aunt out, a little.”
“By showing me the worst this town has to offer.” She nodded. “I know.”
“You do? Did she tell you?”
“Nope. Figured it out on my own. You’re not exactly subtle.”
He laughed, causing the flames to dance a little higher. “Yeah, I guess not.”
She looped her hands around the bars and leaned in. “So are you just out for a walk, then?”
The Trouble With Witches Page 16