“How long will I be gone?” I really didn’t want to have to sneak out of the house, and a plan was forming in my mind.
“You will be home by...” Marica cast her eyes upward, considering. “One o’clock in the morning. Will that suffice?”
“I think so. I can tell my parents that Rafe and I are going to a late movie. I think they’ll give me a break on my curfew for one night.”
She grimaced. “Must we involve the Brooks boy again?”
I threw up my hands. “If you want me to get out of the house, yes.”
“Fine.” Marica turned and strode toward her car. “Tonight at eleven. Don’t be late.”
Hey, Tas. Another day, another call. I guess you might think I’m pathetic. Maybe I am. Catherine says—that doesn’t matter. I’m not giving up, not today, not tomorrow. I love you, Tas. Call me.
I was really trying to abide by the spirit of my parents’ rules, even if I wasn’t following them all, strictly speaking. So I felt virtuous as I sat in the parking lot by Lake Rosu to call Rafe instead of talking to him while I drove home.
He answered on the second ring.
“Hey.” His voice was husky and intimate, and an odd thrill went up my spine, followed by the inevitable guilt.
“Hi. What are you doing?”
“Just finished my homework for the weekend.” He made a noise between a yawn and a moan, and I realized he was stretching.
“I’m jealous,” I told him, and I meant it. Rafe was actually incredibly intelligent, although he didn’t broadcast it. He breezed through most of his classes and always finished his homework before I did when we were working together.
“Are you home and calling to check in?” he asked me.
“No and yes,” I replied. “I’m checking in, but I’m not home yet. I’m sitting in the parking lot at Lake Rosu.”
“What? Why?” Concern etched his words. “Is the car broken down? Do you need me to get you?”
“No, I’m good,” I assured him. “Just wanted to talk to you before I got home. What are you doing tonight?”
“I thought I might take my girlfriend out. . that is, if she’s done playing with the witch.”
I decided not to rise to that bait. “I’d like to go out with you, but I was hoping you’d help me with something else, too. I need to tell you about it, and I need you not to interrupt until I’m completely done. Okay?”
“Okay...” Rafe sounded both cautious and skeptical.
I went through my conversation with Marica, and Rafe stayed silent. “And so I thought we could go to the movies tonight, but I could just tell my parents we were going to a later show. I know they’d relax my curfew. It’s not a school night. And then you could just drop me at the Masslers’ house at eleven.”
I stopped and waited for his reply. For several beats, he didn’t speak. And when he did, there was both anger and incredulity.
“Are you crazy? Let’s get this straight. You want me to lie to your parents, drive you to a house so you can break and enter and do some kind of magic there with the witch? In the middle of the night? Are you listening to yourself?”
I gritted my teeth. “I’m not breaking into the house, just the backyard. I think, anyway. Look, Rafe, I hear you. I understand your concerns. But I’m going to do this whether you help me or not. I thought you might feel better if you dropped me off. I’m being honest with you. I could’ve just gone.”
“No, you need me to make your plan work,” Rafe retorted. He heaved a sigh. “Okay, look. Here’s my deal, take it or leave it. I’ll pick you up, take you to the movies. I’m not going to lie to your parents, but I won’t tell them you are, either. And at eleven I’ll take you to Masslers’ house. But then I’m waiting until you’re done, and I’m taking you home. I’m not leaving you there alone with the witch. Like I said, take it or leave it.”
I considered his ultimatum. “Marica won’t like it,” I mused. “She’ll be mad.”
“Ask me if I care.”
“All right,” I said. “We’ll do it your way. Truthfully, I’ll feel better knowing you’re nearby. I’m not sure exactly what she has in mind.”
Rafe snorted. “No comment. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
As it turned out, I didn’t have to lie directly to my parents. They were going out themselves, having dinner at a friend’s home. It occurred to me that our move to King had been good for my mother and father’s social life as well as mine. Now that they were no longer obsessing over hiding my secret, they had made a few friends of their own.
I only told them that Rafe and I were going to a late movie and asked if I could be home about one.
“I guess that’s all right,” my dad said. “It’s a Friday night. Just make sure to call us if you get held up.”
So I was alone in the house when Rafe rang the doorbell at eight. I was wearing black capris with a black and white printed t-shirt, and I carried a black hoodie to complete my ensemble once we got to Nell’s house. Rafe scanned me from head to toe and just shook his head.
“What?” I asked, although I was picking up enough of his thoughts to know.
“Nothing. Just never thought I’d be dating a cat burglar.”
I rolled my eyes as I stepped onto the porch and locked the door behind us.
“Where are your parents?” Rafe inquired as we got into the car.
“Out with friends. They okayed my later curfew.”
Rafe curled his lip. “That’s convenient.” He started up the car but didn’t put it into gear. Instead he sat brooding, staring into the waning light of the evening.
I stifled a sigh. “What now? We’re going to miss the beginning of the movie.”
“Tas, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, sit back and think about it for just a minute. Do you hear the crazy in this plan?”
“We’ve gone over this. I’m doing it with or without you.”
Rafe shrugged and pulled away from the curb.
I don’t remember much about the movie. At some point, Rafe reached over to take my hand, gripping it tightly in his own. Touching him only increased my awareness of his misgivings, and I tried to block it.
At eleven o’clock sharp, we were in front of the Massler mansion. I glanced apprehensively at the imposing stone house that rose in the darkness beyond the gates. I tried to imagine growing up within those gates, playing on the huge green lawn. I remembered Marly telling a story about Nell as a very little girl, trailing her beloved mother over the grounds of their family home.
A shadow caught my eye, and I realized that Marica had silently approached the car. She must have been cloaking her mind very carefully, since I hadn’t sensed her at all. She didn’t beckon or motion to me in any way; she simply stood there, next to the gate, waiting.
I turned to Rafe. “Okay. Look out duty, right? Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back to the car before one.” I turned to open the door, but he stopped me with a hand on my arm.
“Tas, don’t do anything stupid. I’ll be right here.” He pulled me back toward him and kissed me roughly before releasing my arm.
Marica didn’t say a word as I pulled on my hoodie and joined her in front of the gate. She glanced at Rafe, still sitting in the car watching us. With a quirk of her eyebrow and twist of her mouth, she turned her back and flicked her hand in the direction of the ornate wrought iron gate.
It swung open silently, and I followed her inside. She stuck to the perimeter of the lawn, leading me around the side of the house into the backyard. She continued to walk until we reached a small, hedged area that was tucked into the side of the yard, right against a copse of trees. Marica slid in through the stiff bushes and seemed to disappear. My heart thudding, I tried to do that same, ignoring the unforgiving branches and leaves that raked over my face.
The hedge hid an expanse of grass not much bigger than my bedroom. As I stepped in, I felt a slight dizziness and a vague sense of disorientation. Marica eyed me critically until I found my balance again.
/> She moved to the far corner of the natural fence and began muttering, again in her native tongue. She repeated the ritual three more times, in each corner, before she appeared satisfied and beckoned me to the center of the square.
“What was that?” I whispered.
“No need to lower your voice, Tasmyn,” Marica replied in her normal tone. “I’ve just cast a protection spell within the hedge. No one can see us or hear us so long as we remain within its borders. Come, sit.”
She sank onto the grass, and I followed suit, shivering a little as the dampness seeped into my light cotton pants. I was happy for the hooded sweatshirt that had felt too warm only a few hours ago.
“Now,” she began, “you might have guessed that there is a particular reason I wanted to introduce you to your earth training here. Some practitioners of magiks look on this element as somehow less than the other three, less important, less powerful. I disagree, and so did my ancestress Sarah, who chose this spot to build her home. She was a powerful woman, and she had amazing talents in the earth element. It was she who planted the hedge that guards us tonight.”
“Really?” I breathed, looking at the tall green sentinels with new respect.
“Yes. And while manipulating the earth might not seem as mighty as controlling the air, or water or fire, it is a special gift to us, as women. We nurture, and it is that gift that you must access tonight. It is impossible to describe; it is mix of protection and love and encouragement. Close your eyes, Tasmyn. Feel within yourself the power and the need.”
I obeyed, trying to find the power. Nurturing was a new idea to me; I didn’t have siblings who aroused those feelings within me, and I’d never even had a pet. But when I relaxed into the idea, suddenly I could see Marly, one of the most loving and encouraging people I’d ever known. I imagined her in the greenhouse, gently coaxing along one of her baby plants...
And then I found my own power, with a nearly audible click. I felt rather than saw Marica’s approval, even as she continued.
“Excellent. Now, Tasmyn, I want you to spread this awareness around you to the circle. Find the embryos, waiting for your word. Find them and connect them with your power, that they might grow.”
I could feel the small seed about a foot away from me, deep within the cool, fecund soil. It was a tiny piece of potential, almost buzzing in its eagerness to grow. I touched it—the barest of touches—with my mind, and instantly, it began to unfurl. One little hair reached downward, digging to find water and nutrients, while another stretched toward the surface. As I opened my eyes, the green stem pushed through the dirt and leaned toward me, its green leaves growing before my eyes.
“Wow,” I breathed. “That was. . very cool.”
Marica nodded. “Yes. This is one of the most sacred aspects of our power, because it belongs exclusively to us. Men might control fire or manipulate wind, but only females can access the earth elements. It defines our connection to the magiks.”
We spent another hour or so within the hedge. I grew other seeds and then worked on the plants already above ground, forcing buds to flower and leaves to broaden and turn.
“Wouldn’t it have been easier to do this in the day, in the sunlight?” I asked Marica.
She shrugged. “It would not have made any difference to your power, and coming here during the day would involve significantly greater risk of discovery. Simple enough to come onto the property at night, under cover of darkness. Much more difficult to cloak ourselves while people are up and about.”
I nodded. The usual high I felt after mastering a new element was wearing off, and the day was catching up with me. Marica must have sensed this, for she stood abruptly and began chanting again, removing the spell that hid us from the rest of the world.
We slipped silently from the hedge and across the lawn, around the house again. As I followed in Marica’s wake, something caught my eye. It was a movement near the back verandah, just a shadow, much as I suspected Marica and I might appear. I paused, my pulse quickening, and I opened my mind to try to hear who it might be. I heard only the familiar underlying sound of humming that was Marica’s closed off mind and a little farther away, Rafe’s impatience and worry.
The figure moved again, and I had the impression of dark hair, long and flowing over some kind of white dress.
Nell, I thought. Could she be here? Or could she have somehow...projected herself here, as I suspected she did when I saw her in my dreams?
But then whatever I saw was gone, and I hurried to catch up with Marica.
Tasmyn. . I miss you. Every day, every minute. I wake up in the morning, and for a minute I’m okay, and then it hits me again. You’re not part of my life anymore. It kills me. I love you, Tasmyn. Call me.
The Brooks’ home had become my favorite place to practice all of my new talents. There was enough land surrounding the huge house that no one noticed a random windstorm or a freak fire, and I had even discovered a small pond on the property where I could play with the water.
But on this particular Saturday, I was sitting closer to the house, under the shade of a group of palm trees. Rafe lay on the grass near me, hands behind his head and eyes closed, but I was only vaguely aware of him as I concentrated on the earth.
I called forth the potential of several seeds and watched the sprouts break through the dirt. It was satisfying in a completely different way than creating fire, stirring the wind or playing with water. All of those were fleeting and temporary, but here within my reach were tangible tender plants. I reached out and stroked a tiny leaf, marveling that it didn’t vanish at my touch.
A soft snore rose from the still figure that was Rafe, and I smiled a little. I still hadn’t found any peace about whatever was between us, but I had to admit it was nice to have someone support my developing powers—someone with whom I could share my excitement as well as my secrets.
Idly I cast deep into the ground near Rafe and found a few more seeds. This would require a little more precision that I’d used so far, but it counted as practice. Focusing, I pictured specific seeds and threw my best loving encouragement to them.
Within a few seconds, Rafe was ringed by thorny weeds. I concentrated a little more and they grew to nearly a foot tall. I giggled, thinking that Rafe looked like a bizarre version of a sleeping prince in a warped fairy ring.
He didn’t stir, and I made a face. My patience these days was almost non-existent, and I got bored so easily...I stared at the weed nearest Rafe’s face, and it moved. A little more of a nudge and one fuzzy leaf tickled his cheek.
His lip twitched, and he frowned. I moved the leaf again so that it trailed down his chin and neck, and now one hand reached up to brush it away. I pushed a surge of power toward the little plant, and a long tendril unwound and wrapped around Rafe’s wrist.
“What the-” He jerked awake and tried to sit up. The vine was strong and kept him tethered to the ground. I laughed at his bewildered expression. I so seldom had Rafe at a disadvantage.
“Cute, Tas. Want to call off your killer plant here?”
I lifted one shoulder. “Maybe. Maybe not. I think I might have you where I want you at last.”
A smile spread across his face. “Baby, if you wanted to tie me down, all you had to do was ask.”
I felt the heat creep down my neck and wished I could come up with a suitable flirtatious reply. Instead I just shook my head.
Rafe sighed and examined his arm. “Can you come here and help me get this off?”
I crawled over, carefully avoiding the thorns on the other weeds. As I reached for the offending plant, Rafe grabbed my hand and pulled me into the circle so that I was half-sprawled over him.
“Rafe...” I protested, casting a gaze around the lawn. “What if your grandparents or Lucie comes out?”
He only grinned down at me. “They’ve seen you on my lap before. And believe it or not, they’re not shocked that I want to be close to my girlfriend.” He skimmed a finger down my neck. “That I can’t help to
uching you.”
My heart pounded as Rafe leaned down to kiss me softly. As he moved to draw me closer, his arm, still bound by the plant, caught and he swore under his breath.
“Here.” I sat up and took his hand, carefully unwinding the vine and freeing him. “Is that better?”
Rafe rubbed his wrist. “I guess so. What were you doing, anyway?”
“Just practicing. And you were an easy target. Look at the circle I made around you.”
He glanced at the ring of plants. “Very...nice, I guess. It’s different from the other elements, isn’t it? I mean, not so powerful. What could you do with it against someone?”
I raised one eyebrow. “I just imprisoned you in a circle of thorns and tied you down with a vine. Seems pretty powerful to me.”
Rafe snorted skeptically, but he didn’t say anything else as he drew me closer. He kissed me again, this time with more intention. He spread his fingers in my hair, holding my head still with one hand as his other moved along my side, creeping higher.
I broke away abruptly. “Rafe, stop. Please.”
He heaved a breath of frustration. “Tas, we’re alone out here. No one’s going to see us.”
“That’s not the point. I just don’t want...I need you to move slower.”
Rafe rolled his eyes. “If we move any slower, we’ll be going backward. Is that what you want?” When I didn’t answer, he added, “It wasn’t like I was going to take you here on the lawn. Give me a little credit.”
I kept my eyes on my clenched hands. “When you’re...involved with me, like this, you don’t block very well. I can hear what you’re thinking pretty clearly. And you weren’t going to stop if I didn’t make you.”
He didn’t deny it, and we were both quiet for a minute before Rafe stood abruptly. “I’m going to get something to drink. Do you want anything?”
I started to struggle to my feet. “Sure, that sounds great.” Anything to change the subject, change the scene.
King Series Box Set Page 68
