by T J Kelly
“Are you sure you’re feeling all right, honey?” Peony asked. She looked so concerned, her beautiful face filled with warmth and love. I was so relieved that she made it through the battle at the castle with no lasting harm. I don’t know why I had been so angry about her concern for me in her letter to Peter. She was always looking out for me.
“I’m fine. I guess I’m just not feeling up to being good company tonight. I’m really sorry.”
Seth, who was sitting in the chair beside me, leaned closer and kissed my temple before whispering in my ear. “Would you like to go for a walk after we’re excused? It’s nice out.”
I looked up from my plate and caught Peter’s eye. He was across from me, next to my aunt. Hoping he would respond, I smiled at him.
Joy of joys, he smiled back. We didn’t even need to talk. All was right in the world because Peter was my best friend, and always would be.
“I’d love to,” I said, turning my face to Seth. That helped me avoid my uncle’s gaze. My conversation with him had not been comfortable, and I didn’t want to set him off again. Seth was only four years older than I was. Not that big of a deal. But Armageddon hadn’t agreed.
I smoothed the skirt of my teal summer dress. I selected it in honor of my aunt and all the efforts she made for a formal meal.
“That’s a nice color on you,” Seth murmured. His lips were still close to my ear. I wondered what it looked like to the people watching us and blushed.
“Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself.”
Seth chuckled and straightened in his chair. I nibbled my raspberry sorbet. It was crisp and refreshing and tasted faintly of mint.
“Sir,” a castle messenger said as she entered the room, interrupting the last moments of our meal. “There are visitors at the gate. The guards asked that I fetch you right away.”
With that, supper was over. Armageddon hurried out, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. We filed out more slowly, but none of us went upstairs to our rooms. We wanted to know who had come to see my uncle and congregated in the sitting room right outside the dining hall.
A crack of thunder sounded in the distance. That didn’t bode well.
When Armageddon returned, he looked both angry and harassed. “Lia, I need you to join me. The Taines are here and demanding to address you. Mort is negotiating parley as we speak.”
I groaned. I didn’t want to see the Taines again, especially if Chas was with them. Or even worse if they dragged Clarissa along. Honestly, Oberon was beyond annoying.
The Taines had to know we had evidence tying them to the ambush. But anyone could invoke the terms of a parley and remain safe. Most mundanes learned about it from pirate movies when enemies wanted to speak without killing each other. Magicians used it to facilitate negotiations, or else nobody would get any business done. Of course, we attached a spell to it.
“All right, I’ll meet them.” I heaved a long-suffering sigh just to make it clear that I was only doing it because I had to.
Armageddon laughed. It was wonderful to hear that sound again. And I was happy my sarcasm helped eased the tension. “So accommodating,” he teased.
“They came to Rector Enterprises, too. I’m so sick of them.” I made a mental note to speak with my uncle later. I wasn’t sure there had been time for him to read my report on the mandatory visit to my company.
We shuffled towards the door. Mort joined us, and he, the Andersson brothers, and Peter took up a position at our backs. My aunt stayed behind, her lips pressed together in annoyance. She would hold the terms of the parley spell, and by Council edict, the holder had to stay away from the magicians involved in the negotiation. That was a rule left over from the good old days when all you had to do was kill the holder of the parley to break the spell and then the battle was on. Or they were the ones who killed since they weren’t under the spell themselves.
Knowing the Taines, I wouldn’t put it past them to take a shot at her, anyway. It wasn’t like they believed in honoring traditions. Not unless following them sucked for the rest of us.
Armageddon and I walked down the steps and out onto the drive together. The others waited near the door, close enough to help if needed, The sun was sitting low in the sky and was thankfully shaded by the trees in the west. I would hate to sit there squinting when my greatest enemy arrived, much less my ex-boyfriend. If he came. At least I was dressed nicely and looked good.
A carriage with the Taine coat of arms emblazoned on the door pulled up. The driver reigned in the horses before they could kick up dust onto our clothing, which I appreciated. I wondered if a driver that polite and accurate wanted to stay in the employ of the Taines and planted a mental reminder to check on his situation later. It would annoy Oberon to lose him since good carriage drivers were hard to come by.
And I definitely wasn’t above getting in my digs where I could.
I lost the smirk on my face when Chas was the first person to disembark. It turned into a scowl when his father, Oberon Taine, followed, and then Chas’s four brothers.
Not that it mattered. There could be twice as many Taines and half as many Irregulars, and we could still beat them.
“I greet you,” Oberon said. He walked up to my uncle and shook his hand. My skin crawled. Better him than me.
“What can I do for you, Oberon?” Armageddon asked. He always called Oberon by his first name, much to the man’s annoyance.
Oberon wanted to come across as powerful and fearless, but he wasn’t so brave that he didn’t use my uncle’s magician name out of respect like everyone else. “Armageddon, we’ve come to discuss important business with your ward. I demand my right to address her in person without your presence.”
I was having a hard time not growling at him. Being alone with Oberon was the last thing I wanted to do. His nastiness clung to me like a film whenever we interacted.
“You may visit with her under that gazebo,” my uncle said. Obviously, he didn’t want me alone with my biggest enemy, either. The gazebo was at a distance so we could be private, but Armageddon could still monitor things. Not like they could hurt me since the spell for the parley was in effect. At least, not with magic. Emotional manipulation was still on the table, and Oberon excelled at that.
Oberon nodded his agreement, and all six of the Taines turned to join us.
“Tell your sons to stop, Oberon. You won’t outnumber her so greatly.” Thunder rumbled in the distance, a long, sustained booming peal.
“Fine. I only need the escort of one,” he said.
Of course, it was Chas he dragged along. I was so sick of Oberon throwing him in my face. He was the reason Chas and I were no longer together, and yeah, it hurt. A lot. At least, it used to. But I was to the point where I wanted to get over him already. And Oberon’s actions were more annoying than usual because he thought I still cared.
Darkness welled up inside me. It didn’t bode well for them. Even if I couldn’t harm them magically, I wasn’t above throwing a fit. Use my temper for another purpose besides getting angry at my friends.
Chas’s brothers stayed behind, standing around and glaring at my uncle and friends in the distance. I snorted. They were probably worried they would look as useless as they actually were.
I climbed the stairs leading to the shaded gazebo and stalked over to the opposite side of the small covered building. I turned to face father and son, my teal skirt swishing against my legs. “What do you want?” I snapped.
“Tut tut, my dear. No need to be so gauche. Where are your manners?”
“I left them in the ring beside the smoking wreckage of all your hopes and dreams,” I said, referring to the fact I had rendered him unconscious, winning the battle for Rector Enterprises.
Oberon’s nostrils flared. I wasn’t sure how Chas felt about my rudeness because I refused to look at him.
“Hardly.” Oberon glared at me, but I looked him in the eye and stood there acting bored. I wasn’t remotely afraid of him, and he knew it. So he changed
tactics. “Why don’t you go for a stroll with Chas, my dear? He can relay my message. You two are old friends, aren’t you?”
He knew we were a lot more than that, thanks to Chas telling Oberon our private business. No wonder I was so irritable with Peter. The poor guy was bearing the brunt of my anger at the Taines, and I hadn’t even realized it until that moment. “I’m not interested in a walk. Tell me what you want now, or get off our property.”
Oberon’s eyelid twitched. Chas remained perfectly still, staring at his shoes.
“Fine. I’m here to give you a warning, Mirabilia.” I hated when people used my full name, which was probably why he did it. “We have filed paperwork for protected neutrality with the Council today. We promised to help a certain individual avoid being intimidated by your connections while they conduct their business. We are more than happy to sponsor their case since we only want to do what’s right according to the laws of our kind.”
I was flabbergasted. Since when did any dark magician, much less a Taine, care about the law? What was he up to now? My mind scrambled, trying to remember all the reasons a business competitor could file a petition for protected neutrality. It kept them in a position of safety while a magician had business before the Council. The neutrality was enforced by the Irregulars.
Awkward.
“Of course,” I murmured. I fell back on conventional manners, but Oberon was aware he had rattled me.
“I’m here as a courtesy.” Oberon oozed with smugness. A petition like that wasn’t common, but the rules were clear. No action could be taken against the petitioner or the clan sponsoring them. Oberon had just assured himself months of safety from our retribution.
“I see. Well, thank you for your time. You may go now.” I cut off any possibility of further conversation. I wasn’t required to listen to more than the reason for the parley, and the darkness inside me was blossoming. Besides, he would never tell me the reason for the petition since it wasn’t required by law. He wasn’t a helpful type person, prone to handing out information like candy. He only wanted me to know so we wouldn’t take him down before we heard about their new protected status.
Even though I had my silver star necklace on, and the spell of parley was held in effect by my aunt, I suspected that my magic could burst through all that if I wanted it to. Which was pretty cool. It would hurt Peony if I did, so I merely turned my back in defiance as they left, their boots stomping on the wooden stairs.
But I was wrong. They hadn’t left. At least, one of them hadn’t.
“My father said you’re with somebody new,” Chas said. I didn‘t know how Oberon found out so quickly, but I pushed that aside for the moment so I could listen to what my ex-boyfriend finally had to say. “I’m glad you’ve moved on. I want you to be happy.” His words pierced my heart - he sounded like he meant them.
“I don’t care what you want,” I blurted. My balance shifted further into the dark. I wasn’t sure if I was angrier at his presumption, or at my childish reaction.
Chas recoiled. He had never heard that tone of voice from me. “Well, it’s still true,” he said. “I never wanted to hurt you. I really cared about you, you know? But I didn’t think it would bother you for this long. I mean, we only dated for a few months. But still. I want everything I did to be worth it.”
A bolt of agony shot through me. He was right. He hadn’t been my epic, forever love. But he shouldn’t pretend it wasn’t special, either.
“I didn’t want your help, and as it turned out, I didn’t need it. I’m glad you feel good about yourself, but that doesn’t change the fact that you had no right to make decisions for me. Now, do yourself a favor, Chas. Don’t come back here. I may not attack you under the protection of the parley, but the second you leave, you’re fair game. Your family has been my family’s enemies for centuries. Try to remember the Taines are the ones afraid of the Rectors. Stay away, or else I’ll make sure you know why you’ve never been able to beat us.”
I was furious. I was filled with darkness.
And I was full of pain.
In my anger, I also forgot that the petition had provided them another safeguard. I didn’t think about that until after the words were out of my mouth. Fortunately for my dignity, Chas didn’t think of it either. I stormed past him and was halfway up the path before he caught up. I was so full of Dark I didn’t even care who he was anymore. The way I felt, Chas wouldn’t stand a chance if we ever met in a dark alley somewhere. And unfortunately for him, they were right when they said love and hate really were opposite sides of the same coin.
At that moment, I hated him so much that the only thing that saved his life was the silver star around my neck. It stopped me from accidentally wiping him out of existence and kept my aunt safe as the holder of the parley spell. Thankfully.
I whipped around again. I couldn’t decide whether to call him a name or spit in his face.
Chas looked sorry. He looked sad. And he looked like he wanted to say more, but Peter slipped his hand in mine, breaking the tension. I hadn’t even realized he had come to my side. Then Seth took hold of my other hand, and the three of us stood there, staring Chas down, linked and ready to cast a spell.
The guys didn’t know what Chas had said, but they were my team, not his. Their presence was a reminder that it didn’t really matter Chas was once an Irregular. He turned his back on them, too. We were now allied against him.
Chas’s lips tightened. Then his focus shifted. Harris had joined us. Then, surprising me, Mort. Chas had nothing to say. He dodged around us, then strode off, probably unable to face Armageddon taking my side, too.
My ex-boyfriend climbed into the Taine carriage where the rest of his family waited and latched the door behind him. I heard a thump on the roof of the vehicle, and the driver took off. The horses thundered down the drive until they exited the property through the main gate. Shortly after, it disappeared from view in a flash of light.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Don’t mention it,” Mort answered. “He pisses me off, too.”
A grin split my face, and I laughed. Mort was the best.
We walked back to the castle together. I was sad when Peter dropped my hand. He always filled me with such warmth and peace, and it had staved off the effects of the confrontation.
“How are you holding up?” my uncle asked once we reached his side.
“That wasn’t fun,” I said, avoiding personal conversation about my emotions as we entered the foyer. There were too many people around for me to talk about my feelings. If I could figure out what they were. “The Taines filed a petition for protected neutrality.”
Thunder sounded again. “Always one step ahead of the law,” Armageddon said. He turned to Mort, who was not only a good friend and my uncle’s second in command, but also our lawyer.
“I’ll make that our top priority,” Mort said. He was answering my uncle’s unspoken instructions. I used to think they were so tuned to each other that they didn’t need to speak. But then I found out Mort could read thoughts. That explained so much. But it didn’t take a mind reader to know Armageddon wanted him to dig up the reason for the petition so we could prepare our case against Oberon.
Mort went inside, taking Peter with him. I wished Mort had let him stay. Peter could help me sort out my feelings. He had been there for me right after Chas’s betrayal, and nobody knew me better. And I wanted to tell him my apologies. His smile hadn’t been enough to erase my guilt.
Armageddon turned back. “We can talk about this later when we have more details.”
I nodded my agreement. Sometimes an agent just had to wait. Hopefully not too long, though.
My uncle headed for the study to join Peony. She needed to know what had happened and that she could drop the parley spell. Harris gave his brother a nod and then took off upstairs. That left me alone with Seth.
He slipped his hand back in mine and tugged me towards the castle doors. “How about that walk?” he asked, looking down int
o my eyes. I stumbled.
Why couldn’t I ever be the graceful heroine?
But Seth didn’t seem to mind. In fact, even though he was amused, he slid his arm around my waist to steady me and looked happy to do it.
Maybe embarrassing myself upon occasion wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
We drifted back outdoors. I wanted to shake off all the drama and Seth was a great distraction.
It was twilight. It always took so long for evening to come in the summer. I missed seeing the stars. Even though magicians stayed up late, we were usually inside the castle in our workshops or gathered together when they came out at night. I finally had a warm and loving family, one I had wished for my entire life, but it was nice to find a minute alone, too.
Sure, I was with Seth, but he seemed to know I wanted a moment of silence and left me to my own thoughts. It was a nice thing to do.
Besides, I had no idea what to say to him. I guess we were in the awkward stage. So I tried to look like I was too immersed in my thoughts to interrupt.
And I did have a lot to think about. I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I had loved Chas, so much, and yet I was ready to attack him the moment darkness tipped my balance. What kind of person was I? How does somebody move on from the love of their life?
Seth pulled me closer and leaned down, kissing my cheek. I tilted my head, and that movement to accommodate him was enough to show that I was interested. We kissed. For a long time. It felt good and helped me regain my equilibrium.
“Come on,” Seth murmured. “We can see the stars better on the other side of the trees.”
I went with him, knowing he was right. Also knowing it offered more privacy than we could ever find indoors.
“Sounds great,” I said. We walked hand in hand through the wooded area until we came out the other side. Thousands of stars greeted us.
“I like how far out of town we are,” Seth said. “Harris and I live in the city. It’s nice, but there’s so much light pollution we never see the stars like this.”
“It’s amazing,” I said. And it was. Enough that my thoughts flitted away from Chas. Enough that I managed to avoid thinking about the Taine family and petitions and ambushes entirely.
