by Mary Swift
“We were able to break them out. The auction was in a neutral area, there was little security. But within a day the Firesea rangers were chasing us. Many of the mortals died. Finnegan had an arrow go into his eye and penetrate his brain, he was never the same after that. We ran for months.” Lucy stopped and looked at Rowan. “Your mother was really brave. It was so hard for her, but she kept up. She had to give birth to you in the middle of the woods.”
No wonder he liked trees so much.
“We couldn’t stay in one place, Firesea was right behind us.” Lucy continued. “One evening we were hiding near some rocks. Nora was feeding you when a huge boulder rolled on top of her leg. I don’t know how it happened, maybe it was magic. It took five men to move it off of her. She was in such agony, but there was nothing we could do.”
“Why didn’t Daddy heal her?” Rowan asked.
“Because using his hands, or using any magic for that matter, would attract Firesea’s attention. They would sense the energy being expended. We found that out the hard way. I broke my arm just before you were born. Daddy’s hands had grown back and he was beginning to figure out how to use them. As soon as he fixed my arm Firesea came after us. Three mortals died that day. Finally we made it into the far north. We never were sure if Firesea gave up or if we actually outran them. Whatever the case we were able to build New Wildbush and settle there.”
“What about your mother?” Arden asked.
“I never saw her again. She walked into Wildbush without knowing that Firesea was occupying it. They shot her in the middle of the street. My brother Casper ran out and they shot him too. My stepfather had to hold back my brother Kip or he would have been killed that day. My mother was complicated, but she didn’t deserve to die that way.”
Constantine sat up. “I’m sorry about all that.”
Lucy narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”
“The war wasn’t any easier for me.”
“How many circles did you and your father destroy?” she said bitterly. “How many people did you kill? I suppose you are going to tell us that you had no idea what was going on.”
“I knew. My father forced me to cast a fire spell. I’m the one who had to burn the circles including this one. Enchanters and mortals died because of me.” He put his head in his hands and stared at the floor.
No one said anything. Rowan noticed the fire was getting low. He threw on another log and poked at it until it caught.
“The last time I saw my father he was going to destroy Darkhill.” Constantine said.
“The founding circle?” Lucy asked.
“Yes. He wanted me to do it, but I told him that I wanted to take Rowan back to Firesea and train him. I didn’t want to destroy Darkhill. He made me into a monster. I wish he had never made me at all.”
“The new Master Enchanter, I know who it is.” Lucy looked at Rowan. “I haven’t told you everything. Dante cast a spell on your mother. She is immune to Firesea spells, and she can use the energy from Firesea to do things she normally wouldn’t be able to. Rowan, your mother is the Master Enchanter of Firesea and I don’t think we are going to be able to get her back.”
Chapter 22
One minute Finnegan was standing in the smoldering house in Darkhill, the next minute he was literally flying the through the air towards Firesea. He landed against the wooden wall and fell to the ground. His face was in a clump of grass. He spat out a pebble and sat up. The wall towered above him, there were no protectors in the turrets. His shoulder hurt. He slowly got to his feet.
“Finnegan?” a voice whispered nearby.
He froze.
“Finnegan?”
The bushes moved. A second later Logan’s head popped out of them. “Come here.” Logan said quietly. Finnegan joined him. Kip was hiding under the brush. “Where is Killian?” Logan asked.
“I don’t know.” Finnegan said. “We were in this bizarre circle, it started to rain this black stuff. Three figures came out of it and then the next thing I knew I was flying through the air towards Firesea.”
“Were you in Darkhill?” Kip asked as he stood up.
“I don’t know, maybe. Killian seemed to know where we were.”
“He always knows.” Logan said.
“How far away is Darkhill?” Finnegan asked.
“It’s hundreds of miles to the north.” Kip said.
“Should we go into Firesea?” Finnegan asked.
Logan shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Aren’t you the rightful Master Enchanter?” Kip asked him.
“Yes.”
“I think we should get in there and seize the robe.” Kip said.
“And face Dante?” Finnegan cried.
“I’m betting Nora is in there.” Logan said.
“Nora won’t give up the robe. And I’m not hurting her.” Finnegan told them.
“All you have to do is get it away from her.” Kip said. “The robe knows who the real Master Enchanter is. It will obey imposters to a point, but for the true Master Enchanter it is unstoppable.”
“I can’t do it.” Finnegan said.
“Yes you can.” Kip told him.
“No I can’t. Look at the three of us. We have no spells, we’re no better than mortals.”
“I could cast my spell.” Kip said.
“I don’t want you wasting your spell on revenge.” Logan said.
“What am I saving it for?”
“Wildbush isn’t a strong circle son; you won’t be able to cast a spell like Killian’s.”
“I know. Killian told me what to do.”
“Oh really?” Logan cried. “It’s nice to know that Killian has it all figured out.”
Finnegan thought he felt a rumbling under his feet. “Keep your voices down.” he warned.
“This is the reason I didn’t tell you.” Kip said to his father. “I knew you would react like this.”
“I only have one child left, I don’t want to lose you.”
The ground began to tremble. Firesea rangers on horseback appeared on the horizon. Finnegan looked at Logan and Kip. “I’m going to let them take me. You two go to Wildbush and cast the spell. Do whatever Killian said. Then come back here.”
“But-” Logan began.
“Get down.” Finnegan said.
Logan and Kip ducked down in the bushes.
Finnegan watched the line of horses come closer and closer. They got within fifty feet of him and stopped. The lead ranger pointed a spear at him. “State your business.”
Finnegan couldn’t believe what was going to come out of his mouth. “My name is Finnegan Murphy. I am the true Master Enchanter of Firesea, your obedience is expected.”
The ranger started laughing. “You’re the what?”
“The new Master Enchanter is an imposter.” Finnegan informed him.
“The robe obeys her.”
“My father was Seamus Murphy, do you remember him?” Finnegan asked.
“I’m twenty years old, that was way before my time.”
Finnegan’s heart sank. Youth. Under the bushes Logan and Kip were crouching at his feet. “I need to see the Master Enchanter.”
The ranger swung off his horse. “Oh you’ll be seeing her. If you’re Finnegan Murphy then you’ve been exiled. Returning to Firesea is punishable by death.”
The other men dismounted. Finnegan couldn’t let them find Logan and Kip. He took a few steps forward and put his hands in front of him. “Bind me.”
He felt the invisible rope wrap around his wrists. The rangers grabbed him and slung him across the back of a horse. Finnegan felt his stomach turn as they headed towards Firesea. It didn’t take long to reach the red gates. They swung open. Finnegan and the rangers rode inside. Although his view was mostly limited to the ground he knew Firesea well enough to tell that they were heading for the council hall.
The rangers dragged him off the horse. They opened the doors and shoved him inside the hall. The benches for the accused were gone. T
he dais, where the council sat, was bare. In the center of the cavernous space was a red throne. Nora was seated on it, she was eating strawberries from a gold bowl. Next to the throne were four protectors, one was smoking a cigarette.
“Finnegan Murphy.” she said. Red juice dripped down her chin. “What brings you to Firesea?”
“I’m here to take back what is mine.”
Nora threw the bowl of strawberries aside. “What is yours?” She stood up and glared at him. “Why aren’t you on your knees? We are not equals.”
“It is customary to bow before the Master Enchanter.” the protector who was smoking told him.
“I am the Master Enchanter.”
“Blasphemy!” Nora shouted. The robe swayed as she moved. Finnegan reached his hand out and touched it. His fingers tingled, the silk seemed to melt into his skin. He sensed a shift in the energy around them. Nora must have sensed it too, she backed away and sat on her throne. “Gareth, get him cleaned up. He’s a dirty mess.” she ordered.
Gareth tossed his cigarette away and grabbed Finnegan’s arm. “What do you want me to do with him after that?” he asked. “I can take him to the island.”
Nora drummed her fingers on the armrest of her throne. “No. I want him close to me.” She reached into the pocket of the robe and pulled out a slave band. “I could use another protector.” She tossed the band at Finnegan, it wrapped itself around his neck.
Gareth dragged him out of the hall. They went through a narrow hallway and a dusty courtyard before they came to some type of soldiers’ barracks. “I’m going to take your bindings off.” Gareth told him. “I swear you better not try anything. I don’t need any more shit today.”
“I am the real Master Enchanter. Do you remember my father, Seamus Murphy?”
Gareth shrugged. “Never heard of him.”
“Where are all of the old people?” Finnegan asked as he felt the bindings melt away.
Gareth opened the door and they walked into a long barrack hall, wooden cots lined the wall. He pointed to an open doorway. “There’s a bathroom over there. I’m not going in with you.”
Finnegan stepped into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror. It was the first time he had seen himself since Killian had healed his brain. He was horrified to find out that he looked like an old man. His hair was all gray, it hung in greasy strands. He had a full beard that was scraggly and unkempt. The only thing that looked familiar were his green eyes. They were his mother’s eyes. Killian’s were the same.
A shelf near the mirror contained several shaving mugs and a rusty pair of scissors. He picked up the scissors and began to cut his hair. He was back in Firesea, back in the place where he was born. He hadn’t felt so alone since he was exiled as a child decades before.
Chapter 23
The sun streamed through Lucy’s windows. She looked in her closet at the dresses she wore as a teenager. They were all she had besides the clothes she had worn from New Wildbush. She was in her thirties, even if they did fit she didn’t want to wear them. They would all need clothes, winter was approaching.
There was one person whose wardrobe she didn’t want to change. Arden was asleep in her bed. His shorts were on the floor next to his sandals. She wondered what he wore in the winter. She imagined a pair of fur shorts on him and started to giggle.
Arden opened his eyes and smiled. “What are you laughing about?” He threw the covers off, sunlight fell across his bare skin. He put his hands behind his head and looked at her.
“I was wondering what you wore in the wintertime.” She climbed back into bed and laid next to him.
“Fur.”
Lucy started giggling again. “Really? That’s what I was thinking of, fur shorts.”
He put his arm around her. “I wear the same shorts, but we have fur cloaks. And furry boots that lace up to my knees.”
“And nothing else? Aren’t you freezing?”
“Are you complaining about my uniform?”
“No.” She ran her fingers over his chest and stomach. “You didn’t hear me complaining last night.”
He kissed her. “I hope the other guys covered for me. I was supposed to be guarding Constantine.”
Lucy felt her face turning red. “They’re going to know where you were.”
Arden shrugged. “So what? They know about you.”
“They do?”
“We spend a lot of time together, the four of us. We talk about our past and the people in it.”
“I’m not part of your past anymore. I wish I knew what the future held.”
“Things will get better Lucy, they already have. Whatever happens we’ll face it together.” He let his hand slide down her bare back. Lucy leaned in to kiss him. From downstairs someone said Arden’s name. Arden sat up. “That’s probably Constantine.”
Lucy heard Rowan calling her. She took her old bathrobe from her closet and put it on. Arden got up and stepped into his shorts. She pulled them up and started to lace them.
“Uh, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” he said.
“Just grin and bear it Mr. Cormenic.” she said as she tied the laces. “I wonder who came up with this uniform.”
“Someone who didn’t have to wear it.”
There was frantic banging on the door. “Lucy, Lucy!”
Lucy opened the door. Rowan was on the other side panting. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Logan and Kip are here.”
Lucy ran downstairs. Logan and her brother Kip were in the parlor.
“Kip punched a Firesea ranger and stole his horse.” Logan told her.
“I finally saw some action.” Kip bragged. “Serves them right.”
“We barely made it out of there alive.” Logan said.
“Where are Finnegan and Daddy?”
“Finnegan stayed in Firesea.” Logan told her. “We don’t know where Killian is.”
“Is my mother still the Master Enchanter?” Rowan asked.
Logan sighed. “I believe she is.”
Constantine strolled into the parlor. Declan followed him with a tray of hot food. “Finnegan will take back the robe.” Constantine said.
“How do you know?” Lucy asked.
Constantine took a slice of bacon off of the tray and sat down. He looked at Declan. “I’m thirsty.” Declan set the tray down and left the room.
“Do you think Finnegan can really take the robe?” Lucy asked.
Constantine munched on the bacon. “He’s the true Master Enchanter. His was father was the Master Enchanter. It is passed from one generation to the next. I thought everyone knew that.”
“My uncle was exiled when he was eight years old. Doesn’t that end the succession?” Lucy asked.
“Not necessarily.” Constantine said in between bites. “The robe can obey others such as my bastard father and Nora. But it will only work to its full potential for the rightful heir. The robe knows what it is doing.” Constantine took a sausage off of the tray. Declan reappeared with a decanter of milk. “Oh good. I’m so thirsty.” He drank the milk straight from the vessel.
“Finnegan is going to need our help.” Logan said. “We came back so that Kip could cast his spell. Kip thought we might find you here. I wish Killian was with us. Finnegan said the two of them ended up in a really strange place. Kip thought it might be Darkhill.”
“Darkhill is one freaky place.” Constantine took a biscuit off of the tray and examined it. “Where is the butter?” he asked. Declan left again.
“My father is in Darkhill?” Lucy asked. “That’s hundreds of miles from here. It will take forever for him to get home.”
Constantine took another sip of milk. “That’s if he gets home.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Declan returned. He cut open three biscuits and buttered them.
Constantine stuffed a biscuit into his mouth. “I’ve heard that Darkhill has been waiting for your father for many years.”
Chapter 24
The center of Darkhill was filled with hundreds of men and women. They were standing shoulder to shoulder staring straight ahead. Each was wearing the same coarse robe as Killian and the Founders, on their feet were sandals.
Killian felt his mouth gaping open. “Is this what we created? I thought they would be infants.”
“They could be.” Bryn said. “But we need to rebuild the circle, we need manpower. It would take too long to wait for them to grow up.”
Killian stared at the man closest to him. “Why aren’t they moving?”
“We’ll animate them soon.” Charles said. He walked among the rows, stopping to look at each one. “A lot of them have green eyes like you.”
“We were wise to choose you.” Dylan said. “We needed new blood.”
“Look at this!” Bryn cried. They moved over a few rows and found her staring at a girl with blonde curls, her hands were translucent like Killian’s.
“A healer.” Charles said. “This is one of the best groups we’ve ever made.”
“You’ve done this before?”
“Many times.” Bryn said. “You’re not the first one we’ve had. There have been quite a few over the centuries, even some mortals.”
“Where are they? Did they die?”
“They left us.” Charles said. “They always leave.”
Killian would eventually have to leave too, he needed to get back to his family.
Bryn touched his arm. “You miss your family, we all feel it.”
“Your house is in Wildbush, why don’t you bring it here?” Charles asked. “Many of your family members are inside.”
“I can do that?”
“You know you can.” Bryn said.
“Do it, you know you want to.” Dylan told him.
Killian did want to. He took the pen from his pocket and pulled up the sleeve of his robe. He had nothing else to write on. The three Founders exposed their own arms. “I’ll use mine this time. But I could do with a pad of paper.” He began to write the sentences that would bring his house to Darkhill.
