Unlikely Allies

by Davina Jolley

  ‘I used a comatose spell to help him sleep and relax. He was extremely difficult to hold down,’ Elina explained apologetically, nervously looking around her. She recognised no one and felt that at any moment she would be blamed for the state of the man they had just rescued.

  Arvensis took one look at his grief-stricken wife and galvanised everyone into action. Orders were given and carried out quickly and efficiently. Both Elina and Primrose were ordered to be cleansed of all the black dust that could still be clinging to their clothes and bodies. Afterwards their minds were to be scanned. It was hoped that they might have observed something that could reveal some clue as to what had happened to Darius.

  Elina had no time to take in all the unusual spectral sights of her ancestors’ home. She was efficiently swept away, along with Primrose for cleansing, by someone they later came to know as Umbro, the Alchemist.

  Meanwhile, Darius was placed into the immediate care of Solis, the Healer. His frail body was sealed more carefully within the silver mesh. Magical spells eliminated all traces of contamination and a shimmering, golden halo of protection and healing was created around him.

  Gently and reverently Arvensis lifted his son from the floor, to take him to a room where the healing process would continue.

  As Arvensis felt the incredible lightness of his son’s form, he battled to control the anger that surged and boiled within him. He longed to remove the silver gauntlets from his wrists and blast his own Dark Magic towards the evil that had caused this, but he knew that would be a terrible mistake.

  Many years ago, he had used his magic unwisely and because of his lack of patience, his stubbornness and overconfidence he had made a bad situation worse, and played straight into his brother’s hands. He would not do it again. Forrestiana was right, they had to gather all intelligence, be prepared and wait. If his son could be saved, they would have a much stronger chance to overthrow his twin and his dream for his family to be reunited would finally come true. He just hoped his son’s mind would be strong enough; he had suffered far too much and for too many years.

  Forrestiana still stood in her original spot. She had cast her spells like some kind of automaton; her grief and anger red raw as she had looked on the lifeless form of her son. Suddenly, she spoke out loudly and harshly, ‘She told me he was dead. How could she do that?’

  22. Elina meets her grandparents

  Black dust eliminated and the cleansing rituals over, Elina stood and stared at the ghostly form of the tall man that faced her. She ignored his outstretched hand of welcome. She did not trust him, something oozed from his persona, something inexplicable. It unsettled her. She knew it was not because he was a ghost or her grandfather, but whatever it was made her feel extremely vulnerable. As he stepped forward, she stepped back and held both hands out to stop his advance; her mind commanded him to stay away from her.

  ‘Being a bit dramatic, Lina,’ Primrose remarked, amused at first by her reaction to her grandfather. ‘He doesn’t bite.’

  ‘But he has the ability to,’ Elina replied more sharply than she had intended. She was trying hard to understand the strange feeling of uncertainty she felt towards him. Arvensis had allowed her to probe his mind to some extent regarding his feelings towards her. She sensed his love and sorrow at her continued rejection, but something sinister lurked within him, and it wasn’t the Dark Magic that he possessed.

  Arvensis was not going to deny it, but as he watched his youngest granddaughter’s continuous scrutiny, witnessed her stubbornness and lack of trust, he felt a deep pain in his heart, the like he had never felt or experienced before. He continued to allow her to search parts of his mind in the hope it would give her a sense of his character, hoping she would come to trust him, but it had not helped. She had become even more wary. Her eyes mirrored her confusion and reminded him of a startled deer.

  He was amazed at the strength of Elina’s magic; it was surprisingly strong given her youth and inexperience, especially as it had been achieved without the aid of a tutor.

  Elina’s type of magic was extremely rare. This moment, he felt sure, she sensed parts of his past that flamed her distrust of him. He had not seen a novice of this quality in decades, a soul that could see and predict both the past and the future - a Sentient. She was a soul to be cherished, but it was her love and trust that he wished to gain, and he hoped fervently that she would give him both.

  Elina relaxed slightly; she had been reading his thoughts as clearly as if he had spoken, but she was not yet ready to give in to him.

  ‘Tell me! What is it about you that I don’t understand?’ she finally demanded.

  Her grandfather smiled, what was it about these granddaughters of his? Their first sentences uttered to him were more of a demand than a simple question. Life had certainly become more interesting since the pair of them had entered the Ancient Tree.

  ‘Do I not get even a please or just a hint of a warm welcome?’ he asked gently, and was further amused to see a look of frustration and a hint of annoyance cross her face.

  ‘For the love of peace, Arvensis, tell her what it is that puzzles her or we will be here all night.’

  A tall figure had entered the room; Elina recognised the family connection immediately and sensed the authority the woman carried as well as the power of the magic she possessed. She knew immediately it was her grandmother. As a ghost, Forrestiana was still a striking woman and her presence automatically commanded respect and trust.

  ‘What is it with you and these granddaughters of yours? A warm welcome is what they require, not a show down!’

  ‘It’s a man thing,’ Arvensis replied.

  ‘It is the wrong thing,’ Forrestiana retorted.

  ‘You know it is my intention to have the first hug from both of my granddaughters, oh wife of mine.’

  Primrose responded immediately. Her second hug that night from her grandfather was medicine to her soul. Elina, on the other hand, walked sedately towards Forrestiana; her grandmother’s resemblance to Briony was both uncanny and comforting. It was just the hug and reassurance she desperately needed after the death of her mother.

  As her grandmother released Elina from her embrace, Elina once more turned towards her grandfather.

  ‘Well?’ she asked stubbornly.

  Her grandfather raised an eyebrow. He had just received yet another demand, but he smiled gently at her.

  ‘Please,’ Elina added.

  ‘You sense my evil twin, but as long as I wear these… everyone is totally safe,’ he replied seriously, indicating the gauntlets that covered the back of his hands and lower arms and raising them in the air. ‘Now, can I have at least a shake of the hand, if not a hug.’

  Arvensis’ smile widened as he read the expression on Elina’s face and saw her finally make sense of the confusion that had troubled her earlier. Once more he held out his hand. Elina took it hesitantly and was swept into the tightest of ghostly hugs.

  ‘Now to business,’ Forrestiana said, her tone changing and becoming serious, ‘It will be sometime before Darius, our son, will be able to communicate. At present he needs intensive nursing and sleep.’ A note of irritation or anger sounded momentarily in her voice. ‘We might even have to fabricate a special room if he feels threatened by suddenly having too much space, but we will cross that bridge when or if it happens. But now, I need to find out how far your learning has progressed by searching your minds. At the same time I will look for clues concerning the current danger that faces us, and of any knowledge that you hold in your psyche.’

  Forrestiana held up her hands as she saw that both Elina and Primrose were about to protest.

  ‘There is to be no argument, the process is harmless and takes a matter of seconds. There is nothing to be scared of and it will be easier to do if I have your full co-operation.’

  ‘First, I need to know if it is possible to see my, our,’ Elina g
lanced quickly at Primrose and gave her an apologetic smile, ‘our mother tonight?’ The request was made quietly but seriously, ‘I believe it is essential that we do.’

  Forrestiana raised her eyebrows, ‘You have a feeling?’ she queried.

  ‘I believe she needs to hear or sense our forgiveness: it is slowing her recovery. The feeling of guilt overwhelms her soul. She cannot forgive herself for failing to recognise my magic or for her treatment of Primrose.’

  Elina saw a transient flicker of refusal cross her grandmother’s face, so added, ‘I am aware of your need to protect her because of how fragile she is. I have sensed that since our arrival. Our mother can be asleep during our visit.’

  ‘Very well, I will trust in your instinct, but she is my daughter and I only want what is best for her - to protect her from further harm. A false memory could cause a set-back in her recovery. Now, I need both of you to follow me back to the Hall and the Circlet.’

  Once inside the Circlet, Elina was invited to enter the central circle; burning candles encircled both her and her grandmother. Her grandmother gently placed a hand on each side of Elina’s head and closed her eyes. Elina felt a mild fuzziness and a slight tingle as her head was released.

  ‘Is that it?’ she asked, surprised just how quick the process had been.

  ‘All completed,’ Forrestiana confirmed.

  ‘Couldn’t have been much inside that head of yours, Lina,’ Primrose joked, as she looked inside one of her sister’s ears and waved her hand on the other side of Elina’s head, ‘Yep, nothing there, I can see my other hand.’

  Forrestiana gave Primrose a stern look, being unaccustomed to humour. Her life had been too serious for too long. She invited her to step forward and the process was repeated and accomplished just as quickly.

  Motioning the girls to follow her, their grandmother left the Sanctum. Neither Elina nor Primrose spoke: they sensed the seriousness of their grandmother’s mood and followed suit.

  For the first time, they were able to take in their surroundings. They were being led along a white marble corridor with marble pedestals topped with cut-glass, and crystal vases that were filled with scented roses of various colours. Silver sconces adorned the walls and twinkled merrily as the candles inside lit their way. Their grandmother paused outside a white, oak door with an elaborate carving that showed two adult wolves.

  ‘Luna,’ Primrose squealed with delight, ‘I stroked that wolf years ago. Briony… no, my mother took me to see her. If I remember right her mate’s name was Sirrus or something similar.’

  ‘Sirius,’ Elina corrected, remembering the entry in Primrose’s diary. They were both aware that they stood outside their mother’s room.

  ‘Sweet Briar does not look as you would expect,’ their grandmother warned. ‘Here, when you pass over and become a Peaceful Soul you can choose a ‘look’ from any age of your past. You may go in. I will be back soon and we will speak again before you return to the Ancient Tree.

  23. Briony

  Quietly and carefully, Elina opened the door and softly they both crossed the room and looked down at the sleeping form of their mother. Briony had chosen to be in her twenties. Her youthful face was framed with translucent curls. She looked both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. It felt as though they stood and stared at an older sister rather than their mother. It was a strange feeling. Elina had never known her mother look this young and she felt strangely alienated from her.

  Gently lifting her mother’s hand from the bed, she felt its warmth and then the connection. Bending slowly she placed a gentle kiss on each cheek and then rubbed noses softly - when she was younger it had been one of their bedtime rituals. She then whispered softly into her mother’s ear.

  ‘It’s Elina, mother, I love you. I am fine and have made friends with Primrose. There is nothing to forgive. Resurgam.’ She gently replaced her mother’s hand onto the duvet, stepped back and allowed Primrose to greet her real mother for the first time.

  ‘She has the same hair style that I had before Violette cut it,’ Primrose said, touching her own hair and her mother’s. Elina saw a smirk lift the corners of Primrose’s mouth; she recognised the sign; Primrose was up to something.

  ‘When I was a kid,’ Primrose said, ‘Briony would let me do her hair. If I am ever so gentle…’ Primrose leant forward and with a gentleness that she had not used for years, quickly and expertly created a single pigtail to hang over her mother’s left ear. They smiled softly as they looked down on their mother.

  ‘Do you think that’s alright, Lina?’ Primrose asked, suddenly feeling guilty, ‘I don’t want her to think I’m making fun of her. It’s just something we used to enjoy doing; it would make us both laugh so much.’

  ‘It’s perfect, Primrose,’ Elina remarked, ‘It’s just what she needs. It will spark a good memory, a sign that you remember the good times and that you care.’

  Primrose bent over and placed a single kiss in the centre of her mother’s forehead, ‘Primrose says sorry, it has taken me awhile, but I sort of understand now. I love you.’

  Gently she traced her index finger down her mother’s cheek and then placed it to her own lips, before wiping a tear from her eye.

  ‘Time to go,’ Primrose said softly, reaching for her sister’s hand, ‘What did that Latin thing mean?’

  ‘Resurgam - it means rise again; it was a word that she insisted father put on her coffin.’

  As they gently opened the door, they heard their mother sigh in her sleep, ‘I love you both too.’

  24. The hidden danger explained

  Once outside and back in the corridor, their grandmother beckoned them towards another room. This time the door depicted a carving of a tree with a wild cat in its topmost branches spitting at a bear that stood on its rear legs.

  ‘Which one do you think is Grandmother’s familiar?’ Primrose laughed, ‘My money is on the wildcat, claws on the outside and a lovely kitty on the inside.’

  Primrose was rewarded with another stern look from her grandmother, softened by a slight quirk that tugged at the corners of her mouth.

  ‘Why not come in and ask?’ she answered as she stepped aside and allowed both girls to enter.

  The warmth, comfort and forest colours of the room were a stark contrast to the pristine whiteness of the corridor, but it was not the homeliness of the room that took the girl’s breath away. It was the giant brown bear sprawled on its back in front of a blazing fire and the intense, yellow stare from the eyes of a wildcat, glaring at them from one of its many vantage points - a series of shelves set in the walls.

  ‘Our familiars,’ explained their grandfather, ‘Meet Bruin and Felina. The wildcat is mine. She reminds me of someone,’ he explained and grinned, looking directly at his wife, ‘your description was quite apt, Primrose.’

  ‘Make yourselves at home,’ Forrestiana said, ‘I am aware that you must be tired and hungry. You have both had an extremely long day, but I am afraid there is much to discuss and you need to return to your wolves as soon as possible.’

  Primrose immediately made herself comfortable next to her grandfather. The wildcat hissed and purposefully unsheathed each of its front claws one by one and watched her intently. Primrose was sure that each sharp claw glinted especially for her as it expressed its displeasure at her seating choice.

  ‘Are you going to call that cat off? I don’t think she likes me,’ Primrose remarked, staring back at the cat with equal dislike and distrust.

  ‘Definitely not,’ her grandfather replied smiling, ‘competition is healthy, oh granddaughter mine.’

  Elina sat down next to Bruin and gently began to stroke his belly, thinking of Shadow and Dilly. She knew their wolves were safe, but she also sensed their anxiety - they had begun to fret about their safety and absence.

  Their grandmother snapped her fingers and a selection of sandwiches, savouries and cake
s appeared before them. Also, much to Primrose’s delight - hot chocolate drinks!

  ‘It is just as well you decided not to eat the cake Violette gave you,’ their grandmother remarked casually, ‘I can assure you; these ones are perfectly safe.’

  Elina looked puzzled for a moment, ‘How did…?’

  ‘Each soul here has a familiar, mine is Bruin, your grandfather’s is the jealous wildcat over there and we also have a fox at the Sanctum. Foxes are secretive animals that love to forage and are extremely street-wise. It has followed you since your arrival at Violette’s.’

  ‘But Shadow would have told…’

  ‘Shadow has been aware of him but he sensed, somehow, that the fox was of no threat. I would like to read his mind one day. I believe some of that gold dust you wafted around so freely when you brought Primrose back to life again may have had some bearing on his sensitivity.’

  Elina was not sure whether her grandmother was rebuking her for a moment, but she noticed her expression soften.

  ‘Shadow was close to all the action that day,’ Forrestiana explained, ‘and both wolves have been surrounded with much magic since then. They seem to have acquired some extraordinary powers of their own. I digress, the fox, or Reynard as we call him here, retrieved the remains of the cake from the bin. The black, gooey mess has been examined by our Alchemist, Umbro. He has identified most of the compounds, barring one substance. Its identification at present still eludes him, much to his annoyance. The cake also contained a powerful sedative. If you had eaten it, you would not be speaking with us now.’

  ‘Instead,’ her grandfather interspersed, ‘we believe you would have been making the acquaintance of my evil twin, Nastarana, my nastier side.’

  ‘So you know who threatens us,’ Primrose spoke out, her excitement rising.

  ‘We have known all along, oh granddaughter mine,’ her grandfather said. ‘My brother is a very powerful magician, stronger than us as we found out many years ago, but we now believe he has created something more sinister.’