by Carl Purcell
“Rebecca. This is...”
“Ashley,” the little girl interrupted.
“Welcome to both of you. This is my castle; my humble abode and you are to think of it as a haven and - for as long as you like - your home.” Humble was the last word Rebecca would have used to describe Edward's home. She tried to place his accent but it didn't sound like anything she'd heard. It definitely wasn't Chinese and while he pronounced things the English way it wasn't English, neither was it harsh enough to be Scottish and certainly didn't have the broad tone of her own Australian. Lord Edward's voice was, like his manner and his home, unique.
“Thank you,” Rebecca answered.
“Please follow me inside.”
Edward took them into the castle and to an old cage elevator at the back of the entrance hall. The three of them rode it to the top floor and came out to a large waiting room. Edward explained that this was his floor: This is where his office was, his personal chambers, even a dining room and a sitting room. He assured them that, at all times through the day, he could be found here and, if not, his secretary was here and she spoke English. Edward went on talking and Rebecca at last saw the family resemblance between Lord Edward and Lord Sebastian. Both the men had the same way of explaining things and both acted like very important people. Lord Edward was perhaps classier or more suave than his cousin but he didn't seem quite as sincere as Lord Sebastian had been. Lord Edward was a guarded man that always looked intensely into the eyes of whoever he spoke to. Still, he was taking Rebecca and Ashley into his home with nothing but a story and their word that it was true. He could be as emotionally distant from them as he liked so long as they were safe there and it certainly felt safe. She didn't know if it was because of how difficult it was to get to the castle or if it were the monsters guarding the door, but this place felt safe from even the craftiest Thralls. This was exactly the far away, isolated corner of China that she'd hoped for. When Edward had moved from his office through a door to the dining room, Rebecca began to listen to him again.
“No doubt you'll want to keep learning magic, correct?” He asked Ashley and the girl nodded in response. “Then you will be in the fine hands of my best sorcerer and you will have everything the Tower has to offer you.”
“The Tower?” Rebecca asked.
“The tall structure by the castle. It's a pagoda, really, but my family have always been traditionalists and so we call it the Tower. The Knights live in the castle but those who were gifted with a talent for magic are trained and live in the Tower where they continue to practise and to teach others.”
“That's traditional, is it?”
“Of course. I can't tell you why it's tradition but it's the way things have been done for a long time.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. I'm here to help you.”
“If you've all been doing this for so long that you don't even know why you do these things, then how come you haven't done anything good with all that magic?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why didn't you just make yourself appear in Germany and kill Hitler the moment he invaded Poland? Why don't you use your magic and get rid of all the nuclear weapons in the world? Can't you do anything with magic?”
“Why should I fix the world? You could ask God the same question.”
“Well ,I'm not sitting at the table eating steak with God, so I'll have to ask you,” Rebecca said and the first red of fury crept onto her cheeks. She had only meant to ask a simple question but, as she spoke, her anger grew and so did her demand for a damn good reason for these people to be sitting in their castles and towers making birds appear out of books and not fixing the world.
“Why does an infant learn to walk?”
“What?”
“As an infant grows, it begins to crawl and then it learns to walk. Why?”
“So it can get around, obviously. What's that got to do with anything?”
“It learns to walk because no one is going to carry it around forever. The infant becomes a toddler and learns to walk on its own feet. Because no one does all the work for it, it learns and grows and becomes self-reliant and more able to survive.”
“So it's tough love?”
“You might say that. Maybe the sorcerers over there in the Tower have enough power between them to turn Africa into one big dairy farm but what happens if it burns down? What happens if a plague kills all the cows? They wouldn't know what to do because it was done for them the first time and they'd be back where they started. Humanity would never grow or develop, if sorcerers just did everything for them. Sorcerers weren't the ones who built cars because they didn't need them. A sorcerer has never needed the Internet and so a sorcerer never programmed it. A history that relied on sorcerers would never have left the dark ages, maybe never left the stone ages.”
“Then what's the point?” Rebecca's anger had subsided for the time being. Maybe he was right, but she wondered if perhaps it would hurt the world so much if it was given a helping hand every now and then. Even an infant needs to be picked up and put on his feet while he's still learning to walk.
“Well, some people just like to pull birds out of books, I suppose. Then, of course, there is the matter of the sorceress. With Ashley here in the picture we are now closer than ever to the Sorceress' rebirth. Should that ever happen it's important to have sorcerers of any strength to help, because certainly one or two or even a whole family will not be enough for what must happen. Whether she returns or not, the possibility is there and we must be ready.”
When they finished their dinner it had gotten late. Rebecca had found she'd enjoyed the wine a little too much and walked clumsily when she followed the maid leading her to her room. When she asked which room Ashley would be staying in the maid told her that Ashley would be living in the Tower at all times and that Rebecca could visit her there if she wanted. Rebecca didn't say either way about it but closed the door, found her bed and went to sleep. She awoke in the middle of the night with a bad case of cotton mouth and she got a drink from the sink in her bathroom and then went back to bed for the rest of the night. She didn't wake up until the following afternoon. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept that late, even before she'd met Ashley and the Knights.
When Rebecca had dressed she left the castle and headed across the grounds to the Tower. The Tower stood as a lone monolith with few windows, none of which could be seen into. No one entered and no one left the Tower and even though, behind those walls, the impossible was happening all the time, the Tower stood silent. Rebecca tried to open the doors but the two dragons would not part. Rebecca knocked, waited and nothing happened. She took a few steps back and looked up to the top of the Tower but it was sheathed in glaring sunlight and she had to look away. Rebecca looked around her for someone or even something that might help her but no one came near the Tower. She sighed and walked back the way she came and into Lord Edward's castle once again. Servants and knights busied themselves and Rebecca felt herself reaching instinctively for Ashley's hand but she grasped only air.
Rebecca walked quickly, as if trying to run from that feeling of loneliness, to the elevator and had it take her up to Lord Edward's office. A woman sat at reception playing Noughts-And-Crosses with herself.
“Yes?” She asked as Rebecca came up to her desk.
“I need to speak to Lord Edward.”
“He thought you might. Go in and see him.” Rebecca's mind took a second to process the woman's heavy accent, but she understood and went past her, into Lord Edward's office. He was standing by a window looking out towards the fields. He turned at the sound of his door opening and smiled at her.
“No one's very busy around here, are they?” Rebecca asked.
“We have our slow days and I'm thankful for them any time there's a busy day. What can I help you with?”
“I want to get into the Tower and see Ashley.”
“Already? She hasn't even been there a day.”
“I know.
But—”
“She'll be hard at work right now anyway. Why don't you wait until this evening or tomorrow, even? She'll be exhausted after her busy day.” Lord Edward sat down at his desk as he spoke and he continued smiling casually. “You don't need to worry about her while you're here.”
“Yes, but—”
“But nothing,” Edward interrupted again. “You've worked so hard to get her here where it's safe. Now you get to relax and she can finish what she started with Sebastian. Why don't you take a walk around the fields or the gardens? You could go down to the kitchens if you're hungry. What would you like to do?”
“I'd like to see Ashley.” Rebecca folded her arms over her chest and watched Lord Edward as if it was a staring contest.
“I'm afraid I must refuse” Lord Edward leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head. “You have freedom to roam my entire estate except for inside the Tower.” He didn't blink once.
“I can go anywhere?” Rebecca asked, walking closer to Lord Edward's desk.
“Anywhere at all.”
“Then I'll go here.” Rebecca sat down opposite him. “And I'm not leaving.” Lord Edward looked at her silently a second and then began to laugh.
“Well, I did say anywhere, didn't I? But if you're going to sit here with me, we should do more than stare at each other.”
“Look, Lord Edward—”
“Please, there's no need for that. You can just call me Edward, or Ed or Ted, if you like.”
“Ted?” Rebecca raised her brow at Edward. “Why would I call you Ted?”
“Ted is short for Edward. Sometimes it is, anyway. I'm not sure why, but that's what I've been told.”
“I'll stick with Lord Edward.”
“Suit yourself. I would be more than happy with just Edward or even Ed.” This time it was Rebecca who took a quiet moment to watch and to judge. The conversation had taken a strange detour and now Lord Edward was standing with his back to her, rummaging through a cabinet.
“What did you have in mind? Instead of staring at each other, I mean.”
“I was thinking cards. It's been a long time since I had anyone to play cards with. What should we play?”
“Black Jack,” Rebecca said but she thought Go Fish and it made her smile.
“I was thinking something light-hearted, but if you want to play Black Jack then that's what we'll play.”
Edward shuffled the cards and dealt them out. He soon proved to possess a complete lack of ability in Black Jack and Rebecca proved to be exceptionally lucky that day. They played for an hour or maybe two; Rebecca couldn't see a clock in Lord Edward's office. There wasn't much challenge for her but she enjoyed Lord Edward's company and she felt relaxed in his castle. When the sun had set and the world was in twilight, a servant came in and interrupted a joke Lord Edward was telling about zebras and God. She said something in Chinese and Lord Edward responded in kind. Then he looked at Rebecca and said:
“Dinner will be served soon. Would you like to freshen up first?”
“I don't think I need to,” Rebecca said. “I haven't done anything today to unfreshen me.”
“Of course.” Edward spoke without a change in his tone. “Well, I'm going to wash my hands. I'll see you in the dining room.” They both left his office and then he parted from her. Rebecca began towards his dining room, then paused at the door. Was he expecting her to be more formal? Should she wash her hands too? It wasn't as if she could be dirty; she'd only been playing cards. Although, she did go outside and if he was washing his hands... Rebecca had become so nervous and embarrassed by her lack of graces that she'd been paralysed. Where could she even go go to freshen up for dinner? Did she have to go all the way back to her room? Surely there was some kind of communal bathroom in a house that big with that many people. But even if there was, she wouldn't know where to find it!
“Waiting for something in particular?” Lord Edward's return pulled her from her thoughts.
“Just for you,” she lied.
“How good of you.” Lord Edward brushed past her and opened the door. For a second Rebecca realised how much taller he was than her when her face was practically buried in his chest. He smelled faintly of musky cologne. Rebecca noticed he was waiting for her, holding the door. She smiled at him and then went in and sat down.
That day ended with considerably more dignity than the day before. The following day Rebecca skipped going to the Tower and went directly to Lord Edward's office in the morning. He was sitting at his desk shuffling cards.
“Good morning.” He said without looking up. “I was thinking we should play something else today; preferably something with which I have a chance at victory.”
“Can I see Ashley today?”
“Ah. I'm very sorry but I sent word that you would like to see her today and I received some unfortunate news in return.”
“What?” Rebecca's heart skipped a beat and her knees felt weak.
“She's not there. Ashley and her tutor have gone travelling for the day. I imagine they've gone to the mountains or maybe all the way to the city. They could be anywhere, really. The thing about magic is that it really can take you anywhere in the world in the blink of an eye. Doing so is far from simple but the girl has a gift, so I'm told.”
“Oh.” Rebecca took a seat and leant on the desk. “When will they be back?”
“I can't say. Probably tonight so she can get some rest. Why don't we try again tomorrow? I'll personally make sure they don't leave the grounds after they get back.”
“Thank you,” Rebecca said. She stood up and walked over to the window behind Lord Edward. From there she could see over the entire estate behind the castle. Directly beneath her were simple but elegant gardens growing a small variety of flowers. Beyond the gardens was a row of vegetable fields, growing an assortment of crops in unfenced patches. The crop fields were separated from the Castle gardens by a wooden fence. Pas the vegetables the ground fell away about a metre down and rice paddies extended from there to the mountains that blocked the horizon. A brown, dusty path snaked its way through the fields to the mountains and to the west where Rebecca could see the first of the houses that formed the farming village.
“Impressive, isn't it?” Lord Edward asked. “I've lived here my whole life and looking out that window still takes my breath away.”
“Yeah.” Rebecca's voice was almost a whisper and Lord Edward only understood what she said because of her slow nodding. “Do you really own all of this? Do all these people work for you?”
“My estate goes even further than you can see out that window and all the farmers work to provide food for the Order. The knights here all work for me too and, of course, I work for my family's legacy.”
“Do all these people know? The legend, I mean, and what you're doing.”
“Yes. Magic isn't such a big secret as you might think. We don't live in parallel worlds and we don't make grand schemes to cover up when someone uses magic in public. There are a lot of fakes and a lot of con-men and of course there's a lot of illusionists working in Vegas and calling themselves magicians.”
“Illusionists?”
“Stage magic.”
“Oh.”
“Chances are, though, if you visit enough new age stores then eventually you'll find someone selling more than just quartz crystals. I’ve even met with some sorcerers pretending to be illusionists. You really never know who knows the truth.”
“Then why didn't I know about it until now?”
“For the same reason most people can't and never will cast a spell. Even before the time of The Sorceress we were happily falling into the background and letting scientists discover the secrets of the world. A lot of people don't believe and cannot bring themselves to believe in real magic. Even those new age gurus flipping their tarot cards don't really believe in magic nearly as much as they believe in selling their product. We do the impossible and that's difficult for most people to accept. Something in our very nature does n
ot want us to accept it but sometimes, like in my family, blood fights back and we understand that there's no such thing as the impossible. Every once in a while, like with Ashley, impossible isn't even a comprehensible idea. Sorcerers aren't dying out and we're not trying to keep it a secret from the world. Most of us keep a low profile because we like our privacy but if someone sticks a gun in our face, we’re not going to die before we turn the bullets into feathers. The world doesn't want to see real magic and we're all more than happy not to have people knocking down our doors every day for a love potion or a curse on their boss.”
“Makes sense, I guess.”
“Of course it does. Here, I have something for you.”
Lord Edward put his hands on Rebecca's shoulders and turned her around. He walked her back to his desk where a thin rectangular box was sitting. Rebecca had missed it before but now she saw it and knew what was kept in such a box.
Rebecca picked it up and opened it. Inside was a dress and she pulled it up then held it up to examine it. The dress was floral and even though Rebecca had never cared much for floral patterns it was pretty and she liked the earthy colours. She was surprised and flattered that Lord Edward had thought to get her some clothes that would actually fit and even more surprised that he had gone the tasteful route. The dress wasn't cut too low at the top and it wasn't too short at the bottom.
“Thank you, Edward.” Rebecca said and she meant it.
“I can't imagine it'd been pleasant running around in the same clothes for so long, especially when they're quite clearly too big for you.” He began towards the door. “You can change here. I'll wait outside and when you're done I'll take those other clothes.”
“Actually...” Rebecca said and Lord Edward stopped. “I'd like to keep the ones I'm wearing. Could you just wash them and give them back?”
Lord Edward looked at her over his shoulder and his expression made it clear he didn't understand why. But he smiled again none the less and said: “Of course.”
Rebecca changed into the dress and folded up her other clothes. She invited Lord Edward back into the room and he came with a servant who took Rebecca's clothes. Lord Edward and Rebecca sat down at his desk and began to talk.
