by Mary Swift
Talia’s expression changed. “It might not hurt to have Logan take a look.” She shouted for her husband. Logan came to the door.
“I need you to help me find my father.” Lucy told him. “Please.”
“Of course Lucy. It’s not like Killian to disappear.” Logan stepped outside and put his arm around her. “I’ll find him for you. Don’t worry.”
“I have an idea where he is.” She took his hand and they ran out of the circle. Lucy brought Logan to the cafe. “I think he might be in there.”
Logan put his hands on his hips and squinted. His eyes roamed up and down the walls as he looked through them. “He’s in the basement. It’s hard to see, it’s dark in there.”
“Is he alive?” Lucy braced herself.
“I can’t tell. He’s with someone, it might be a woman.” Logan squinted some more and then crouched on the ground. “He’s in the coal cellar.”
Lucy immediately began looking at the foundation of the building, if there was a coal cellar then there had to be a chute somewhere. It was dark; she was left to grope with her hands. At the back of the building she found what she was searching for. The moonlight illuminated a rectangle in the dark. “Logan.” she whispered. He came up beside her. “Look in there.” She pointed to the chute. “Is he in there?”
“Yes, he’s there.” Logan opened the chute and stuck his head inside. “Killian?”
Lucy leaned in to try and hear if her father responded. She pushed on Logan’s side and he slid down the chute and into the cellar.
“Oh no!” she cried as she heard a loud thump and a mix of voices. “Hold on, I’ll get something to pull you out.” she shouted down at them.
She ran around the building intent on finding a piece of rope or something else she could lower into the chute. As she came around the corner she ran into a man carrying a satchel. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right.” he said. “I’m wondering if you could help me.”
“I’m sorry but I can’t.” She began running across the street.
“I’m looking for Nora Gavrashelli.” he shouted.
Lucy jogged back across the road. “What did you say?”
“I’m looking for Nora Gavrashelli. Do you know her?” He was tall with dark brown hair and green eyes. Lucy was immediately reminded of her father.
“Yes I know her. She lives there.” She pointed to the cafe.
“I’m her lawyer and I need to see her immediately.”
Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. She had been afraid to go into the cafe and face Maeve alone. She was unequipped to fight another enchanter. “I’m looking for someone too, do you mind if I go in with you?”
“Not at all. I hope they won’t mind the late hour.”
“They won’t.” Lucy said as she started rapping loudly on the cafe door.
Chapter 30
Finnegan waited while the girl knocked on the door. He had no idea what she was in a panic about and he really didn’t care.
“Can you do the talking?” she asked.
“If you want me to. You said you’re looking for someone?”
“Yes my father.” she said wiping her eyes.
Looking through the cafe windows they saw an inner door open. A tall gangly woman emerged. She looked at both of them and then opened the front door a crack.
“Allison,” the girl next to him said. “I want to see my father.” So much for him doing the talking.
Allison hesitated and then looked at Finnegan. “I’m here to see Nora Gavrashelli.” he told her. “I’m her attorney.”
“Let me see my father.” the girl demanded.
“Now Lucy-” Allison began.
“I know he’s here.” Lucy said. “And this man wants to see Mrs. Gavrashelli so you need to get them, now.”
“I’ll have to get Maeve, she’s in her bedroom. She might be asleep.” Allison said.
“Then wake her up.” Lucy crossed her arms. Finnegan smiled. He liked her determination.
Allison let them in and went through the door at the back. Lucy sat in a chair and started crying. He hoped she would stop soon, he didn’t want to have to attempt to comfort her. “They have him.” she muttered. He wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or to herself.
He dropped his satchel and leaned against the back of a chair. The minutes passed by slowly. Lucy’s shoulders shook as she cried. Finnegan took off his gloves and sighed. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No. There’s nothing you can do. I just want to see my father.”
She reminded him of his mother, there was a look in her eyes that brought him back to his childhood. He sat down and waited for something to happen. The minutes turned into almost an hour. “Should I go back there?” he asked Lucy. She had her head down on the table.
“No. They’ll be out. She’s probably getting them cleaned up.”
A few more minutes passed and the door opened, a woman in her forties with shoulder length white hair emerged. Despite the passing of time Finnegan recognized her immediately, she used to be engaged to Devin Cramer.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting sir.” The woman extended her hand. “I’m Maeve Baker. Our dear Nora will be down in just a minute. I’m afraid you came so late we had all gone to bed.” She let her eyes wander down his body.
Lucy stood up. “Where is my father?”
“Your father and stepfather will be out in a minute.”
Lucy said something under her breath but Finnegan didn’t hear what. Maeve looked up at him with her deep blue eyes. “It won’t be long now.”
“That’s fine.” He wondered if she recognized him too. There was no question why she was in Wildbush, as usual everything revolved around Killian.
The door at the back of the cafe opened and two men walked out. The first was a dark haired man in sooty clothes. “I hate being dirty.” he muttered. Behind him was an even dirtier man with a shock of red hair. Finnegan felt sorry that he had to walk around looking like that.
“Daddy!” Lucy cried. She ran across the room and wrapped her arms around the redhead. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” her father said quietly. “Let’s go home.” He put his arm around her shoulders and along with the dark haired man they left the cafe.
Maeve watched the three of them leave. Finnegan had obviously stumbled into the middle of an intense personal drama. It intrigued him, as all conflicts did, but there was little time to contemplate the personalities involved. The door opened once again and Nora came through.
“There she is!” Maeve exclaimed.
Nora walked crookedly towards him, the side of her face was red. “Finnegan, what on earth are you doing here?” Nora grabbed his hand and leaned on him desperately. He felt obligated to put his arm around her as though he was happy to see her.
“I’m afraid Nora took a little tumble this morning.” Maeve said. “She’s terribly clumsy.”
“Oh?” Finnegan looked at Nora’s face, the red mark looked like it had come from a slap.
“Let’s go somewhere.” Nora pleaded. “I need to talk to you.”
“Why would you go somewhere when your home is here?” Maeve stroked Nora’s dark hair. “The poor thing, she’s just a nervous wreck all of the time.”
“Really?” he asked. Nora was a nuisance but she wasn’t the nervous type.
“I’m leaving in the morning.” Nora told him. “I hate it here.”
“I think it’s for the best.” Maeve said. “I don’t think Wildbush is the place for you.”
“Finnegan, why did you come here?” Nora asked him.
He put on one of his best smiles. “I got your telegrams. You made Wildbush sound so nice I thought I would come and see it for myself. I brought the money you asked for.”
“What a nice young man.” Maeve admired. Freckles dotted her neck and chest, he imagined they covered other parts of her body as well.
Nora frowned, she wasn’t easily fooled. “Did you come here because I
mentioned there was a man with green eyes like yours?”
“Come on Nora, I don’t why you’re hung up on my eyes.”
She looked at Maeve. “I don’t want to talk in front of her.”
Finnegan picked up his satchel. “Can you direct me to the nearest hotel?” he asked Maeve.
She fingered the sleeve of his coat. “I have plenty of room here Mr. Murphy. Nora is spending her last night with me, aren’t you dear?”
Nora rubbed the side of her face. “Yes, I’m afraid I have to.”
“I wouldn’t want people thinking I wasn’t hospitable by having you folks go to a hotel.” Maeve touched a brooch pinned on the front of her dress.
“That’s awfully kind of you.” Finnegan said. Taking notice of the brooch gave him an excuse to look at her chest. “What was your name again?”
“You may call me Maeve.” she said following his gaze. “And it’s no trouble. Any friend of Nora’s is a friend of mine.”
Chapter 31
Maeve petted the bundle of hair she had cut off of Killian. It wasn’t exactly her old color, hers was a darker and richer red, but she couldn’t be fussy. She tucked it into her vanity drawer. She had ideas for that hair, but right now she needed a plan of action. She had done everything on impulse and it had been a disaster. She never expected that Nora had an immunity to spells.
She should have waited and bided her time when Nora declared that Killian’s house had not been there the day before. Using the obedience pin was a huge mistake. If Killian hadn’t taken Nora to his house Maeve wouldn’t have been tempted to take his pen.
She had hoped that his protections on the pen had been weak and endurable, it had often been that way in Firesea. Enchanters always boasted that their spells were stronger than they were. That wasn’t the case with Killian, she had underestimated him. He wasn’t just a strong enchanter, he was an exceptional one. She had no choice but to return the pen to him in order for him to fix her hands. Now that it was back in his possession she imagined he was already creating additional spells to protect it. That wasn’t the way to get to him. Then she made that slip about his father, he wasn’t likely to forget that.
There had to be another way, but that could wait until tomorrow. Finnegan Murphy was under her roof. He was the last person she had ever expected to walk into the cafe. Maeve hadn’t seen him since he was twelve years old. He had grown into quite an attractive man. She combed her white hair and slipped into a yellow robe. His room was down the hall. She knocked on the door, a few seconds passed and it opened. His eyes took in the thin silk robe.
“I was just checking to see if you were comfortable.” she said.
He opened the door and she stepped into his room. His shirt was unbuttoned to his waist. “It’s very comfortable here.” He closed the door.
“There’s something familiar about you.” she said.
“I think we both know who each other is. We have something in common.”
“We’re both from Firesea?”
“Killian Cramer ruined our lives.”
Maeve pulled at the sash on her robe. “It’s good to have something in common.”
“I agree.” He slipped his hands inside of her robe, she had wisely worn nothing underneath. His fingers found their way to her breasts. “Are you always this friendly with your guests?”
“When I see something I want I go after it.” She let the robe fall off of her shoulders. He watched her unbutton his trousers. She reached inside and wrapped her fingers tightly around him. “Welcome to Wildbush.”
Chapter 32
Lucy was quiet at breakfast. She stared into her oatmeal and sighed.
“It will be all right Lucy.” Killian told her.
“What if Maeve comes here and kills you?”
“She’s not going to kill me.” He put his hand over hers. “I promise you that. But I don’t want you going out alone for at least the next few weeks. Maeve is a desperate woman, I don’t know why but she seems to blame me for things that have happened in her life.”
“You shouldn’t go out alone either Daddy.”
“I won’t, we’ll stick together, that’s if you don’t mind being with your father all of the time.”
Lucy smiled. “I don’t mind.”
As he took a sip of his coffee there was a knock on the door. “Stay here.”
“What if it’s her?” Lucy stood up and took hold of his arm. “We’re supposed to stay together, remember?”
They walked together to the front door. Nora was on the other side. Her face was heavily bruised from the day before. “Hello.” she said managing a weak smile.
“Are you all right Mrs. Gavrashelli?” Lucy asked as she clung to Killian’s arm.
“I survived Lucy.” Nora told her. “How are you?”
“Scared.”
“Please come in.” Killian said. Nora stepped into the front hall, he locked the door. “Can I get you anything?”
“I can’t stay. I’m on my way to the train station. I just wanted to say goodbye.”
“You’re leaving?” Lucy asked.
Nora took a deep breath. “I can’t stay here, not after what happened. I came to Wildbush to get a fresh start, that’s never going to happen here.”
“I wish you were staying.” Lucy said.
Nora smiled. “Can I talk with your father for a few minutes?”
Lucy reluctantly let go of his arm. “I’ll be in the kitchen Daddy.” She smiled faintly at Nora. “It was nice to meet you.” She padded down the hallway.
Killian watched Lucy leave, he turned to Nora. “I’m really sorry this happened to you.”
“It’s not your fault. As curious as I am about why I’m immune I can’t stay here. I’m terrified of Maeve. I didn’t sleep at all last night, I sat up with the fireplace poker in my hand.”
“You should have stayed here.”
“My lawyer was in the room next to me. I thought if anything did happen I could scream and he would come. He was up all night too. I could hear him in his room thrashing about.”
“That was the fellow in the cafe last night?”
“Yes.” she said. “The one with the green eyes, the one I thought might be an enchanter.”
“Why is he here?”
“I sent him a telegram and I mentioned you and what you looked like.”
“And he just showed up here?”
“I had asked him to wire me some money, he said I made Wildbush sound so nice that he thought he would come here himself.”
Killian hadn’t paid much attention to the man the night before, but now he was worried. Finnegan could be working with Maeve.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told him about you.”
‘It’s all right. You didn’t mean anything by it.”
Nora hesitated. “Killian, I want to ask you something. I’m going back home to Chilton and I was wondering if you and Lucy wanted to come with me. You could move your house there and Lucy could go to school. And if you need money to start I can lend you some.”
“Nora-“
“I’m not- I’m asking out of friendship, nothing else. I know we’ve only known each other for a few days, but that time in the cellar- I feel like I can talk to you in a way that I never have with anyone else and I’d like to help you.”
He was surprised by her offer. He didn’t realize mortals could be so kind.
“I know it’s a big move but you could make a life in Chilton.”
“Nora-”
“It was just an idea.” Her face turned red. “I should go.”
“It’s a great idea.”
“Really?” she said looking hopeful.
“Yes, but I can’t go. Just because we’re enchanters doesn’t mean that Talia can’t use your laws, they apply to us too. We have no legal custody arrangement, Talia could take Lucy away.”
“But you said that she doesn’t want her.”
“She doesn’t. But if we leave she’ll do anything to take her away just
to spite me.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“If I lost Lucy-” He stopped. “I couldn’t handle it.”
“Then you have to stay here.”
“You need to find out what makes you happy Nora. Figure out who you are.”
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I suppose I should go now.”
“You could drop me a note when you get settled.”
Her face brightened. “I will. Goodbye Killian.”
He flipped the deadbolt on the door. “Nora.” He leaned in and kissed her.
“Oh boy.” she said touching her lips. “I’d better go.” She opened the door and ran down the front steps. Killian watched as she hurried towards the train station with her suitcase in her hand. He shut the door and leaned against it.
“Daddy.” Lucy was standing in the hallway. “Go and get her, bring her back.”
“No. She has her own path to follow. That was just a goodbye kiss, nothing more.”
Chapter 33
Finnegan had been forced to see Nora off at the train station that morning. He had done his very best impression of appearing to be disappointed by her leaving. As he watched the train lumber around the corner and out of site he felt relieved. He hadn’t come to see her and with her nosy ways she would be questioning everything he did if she didn’t go home.
She hadn’t said much about what had happened to her and he didn’t really care. He knew she was suspicious of his sudden arrival in Wildbush but he couldn’t worry about that.
Finnegan ran back to the cafe and up to his room. Maeve was waiting for him. She was lying naked in his bed. He had always preferred older women, he would take experience over good looks any day. And from what he was learning about Maeve in the bedroom she was exceptionally experienced.
After a few hours of exertion Allison came in with a tray of food. It was unclear to him how she knew when to open the door at preciously the right time. Maeve sat in a chair, her robe open, while Allison arranged the dishes.
“Thank you Allison.” she said dismissively. Allison looked at Finnegan with a glazed expression. He was covered by a blanket but he doubted it would make any difference. She acted as if she was in a different world entirely. He suddenly became aware of a feeling in the air. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. There was an enchantment at work.
