by Rin Grey
How could he even ask that? Didn’t he hear what she’d just said.
But she couldn’t protest. What she’d gained when she left, when Sean found her, was far greater than what she’d lost. And just admitting that, even to herself, made her feel awful.
“I doubt it would have been better for all of you if you’d died in a magical fire,” she said flatly, sidestepping the question.
George knew it. She could see it in his eyes. But he didn’t object. All he said was, “So what are you going to do now? Go back to the Dome? That’s where you’ve been all this time, isn’t it?”
There was no harm in admitting that, it was an obvious answer. “Not right now. I’m teaching Mitch how to use his magic and…” Somehow, she hesitated over telling him the rest. Compared to their lives back then, it seemed so fantastical. But there was no avoiding it. “Jocelyn has made me her heir.”
“Jocelyn’s heir.” The surprise on George’s face was blatant.
“Yeah, it surprised me too, but apparently they’re desperate.” Elizabeth shrugged.
George shook his head. “I said you looked just the same, but I was wrong. You’re a different woman to the one I married.”
That hurt, even though it was the truth.
But maybe it was what he needed to push him to let go. “I am,” she agreed. “As are you in your own way. We’ve both moved on, as it should be. Which is why I think it’s time for that divorce.”
George sighed heavily. He looked at her, one last time, as though memorising her face, then he nodded. “I won’t ever forget the years we had, and I'll never regret them, but I suppose it is time to move on, for both of us.”
Elizabeth nodded. “So shall we say tomorrow? It shouldn’t take more than a few hours to see the judge, then it will be over.”
George nodded. “Tomorrow then.” He looked up, his eyes meeting Sara’s, and they exchanged a speaking glance.
Elizabeth was more than happy to use the fact that they needed some time alone to take Gemma’s arm and escape the house.
Chapter 7 - Challenge
Elizabeth was glad Gemma didn’t attempt to talk as they walked out one gate and down to the next one. She was exhausted from the huge amount of magic use, and overwhelmed by the trip into the past.
Somehow, she felt a little lighter after her talk with George. Which was silly really, because nothing had changed for her. She hadn’t even known she was still married, so him agreeing to a divorce made no difference. Her life was exactly the same as it had been yesterday.
Except he’d understood.
He hadn’t said she was selfish, or blamed her for leaving. He’d understood, perhaps even more so than Gemma.
Maybe because he’d been there.
Elizabeth shook her head. She needed to stop thinking like that. George understood because he felt guilty about the situation as well. That didn’t take anything from her guilt.
That wasn’t why she’d talked to him. What she’d wanted was for him to move on. That, at least, she’d achieved. There was nothing wrong with feeling good that she’d pushed him to that. Even if it did mean one less thing to feel guilty about.
It wasn’t like she didn’t have plenty of other things…
This time, there was no warning. Just flames bursting out of the grass in front of her.
Adrenaline spiked through Elizabeth, and instinctively she put out a hand, pushing Gemma behind her, her other hand going to her sword, but not drawing it. Before she could use it, she needed to figure out where the threat was.
Gemma’s gasp of fear and shock was slightly delayed. She clutched at Elizabeth’s arm, but Elizabeth barely noticed.
She sensed magic crackling in the air, almost louder than the chest high ring of fire that now surrounded them.
Where? Who? What was going on?
This one wasn’t Mitch. He’d come a long way, but the skill required to create an entire ring of fire around two people was beyond his ability.
The magic though, had the same unrefined, rough edge that the fire at the washing line had.
What if that hadn’t been Mitch at all?
Elizabeth didn’t have time to consider the ramifications of that possibility. The circle of fire was inching in closer to them, and she could feel the heat from the flames on her face.
Putting out the fire should have been as simple as a thought.
If only she hadn’t already used all her magic.
Usually she kept a little in reserve, just in case, but healing George had needed every bit. And it had never occurred to her that she might encounter a magical threat walking the short distance from George’s house to Gemma’s.
It had never occurred to her that she might have enemies here in Asherad.
Leaving her with no way of extricating them from the inferno without injury. Her sword wasn’t going to be much use here.
Elizabeth took a deep breath. Their only option was going to be to jump through the flames. If they did it quickly, they should take very little damage, and any minor burns she could heal later, after she’d rested and her magic had regenerated.
The only problem was, she couldn’t see anyone in the immediate vicinity. Whoever had created the ring had to be nearby somewhere. And if they were determined enough to create a ring of fire, they weren’t going to be deterred when Elizabeth and Gemma jumped through it.
Chances were, they were going to be hit by even more magic.
Elizabeth’s only slim hope was that whoever had done this had far less magic than she did. Their best chance of survival was if the mage responsible had used all their magic in this one display.
Which meant Elizabeth wanted to get them to sustain it as long as possible, to use as much magic as possible.
“We’re going to have to jump,” she warned Gemma. “Wait for my mark.”
“Jump?” Gemma’s question was high pitched, and her voice shook. She still clung to Elizabeth’s arm, and only now did Elizabeth notice that Gemma’s fingers dug into her skin almost painfully.
Her fear of magic was going to be an issue.
Elizabeth turned to face her daughter, shaking off her death grip, and grabbing her by the shoulders. She gave her a slight shake, just enough that Gemma’s eyes, wide and round, raised to hers.
“It’s our only chance of making it out of this. You need to push past the fear or you’re going to die here.”
Gemma blanched at that, and Elizabeth felt only a momentary guilt at using Gemma’s fear against her. If she didn’t push her daughter to act, then her threat was going to be the truth.
“Can you do that?”
Gemma shook all over, and Elizabeth began to doubt that she could make the jump.
She was just trying to judge if she could make the jump carrying Gemma, when she heard a voice through the roar of the flames.
“Elizabeth? Mamma?”
It was Mitch. He’d come running out the front door towards them, stopping just short of the wall of flames.
Elizabeth tensed, waiting for magic to hit him too.
When nothing came, she heaved a sigh of relief. Whoever was responsible for the fire, they were using all their energy on sustaining that one thing. If that was the case, they had a chance.
“Mitch,” Elizabeth shouted. “I’m going to need your help, but don’t come too close. Don’t even try to draw the heat out of the fire, draw moisture out of the air and smother it.”
Mitch’s face was white, or perhaps it was a reflection of the flames in his face, but his jaw jutted out, and he nodded. He frowned in concentration, and slowly, bit by bit, a gap formed in the circle.
As soon as she judged it large enough, Elizabeth grabbed Gemma by the arm and half dragged her through it.
“That’ll do,” she told Mitch. “Get inside.”
What she wanted to do was find whoever had done this, before they had time to hide. But it took both her and Mitch working together to get Gemma inside and seated on the lounge. Her legs seemed barely a
ble to hold her up, and she shook continuously.
By that time, Elizabeth was pretty sure she’d find no sign of their attacker.
“Mamma? Are you all right?” Mitch’s face wore a frown of concern.
Gemma swallowed a couple of times, before finally nodding. “I…” She drew in a shaky breath. “What happened?” She looked from Mitch to Elizabeth, then back. “Was that you?” she asked her son, her voice shaky.
Elizabeth shook her head definitively. “That wasn’t Mitch, and judging from their magical signature, the last episode may not have been either. It seems we may have an enemy. Or I may have.”
Gemma looked only a little relieved. “An enemy? A mage enemy? But who? Why?”
Elizabeth would have thought the answer was obvious. “My guess would be a family member who thinks I shouldn’t be heir,” she said grimly. “I think it might be time I went and talked to Jocelyn.”
“You can’t leave us here alone.” Gemma’s face was white again. “What if whoever that was comes back?”
Privately, Elizabeth didn’t think that was likely. “If whoever it was still had magic to use, we wouldn’t be in here now.”
Gemma’s expression of concern didn’t lighten though. “You can’t be certain of that,” she argued.
No, she couldn’t be certain. Elizabeth heaved a sigh. She couldn’t afford to take that risk, and leave Gemma and Mitch here alone.
She wouldn’t like to face off against an enemy mage with only a sword, but even so, she was still pretty sure she could handle it better than either Gemma or Mitch.
Elizabeth tamped down her impatience, and settled down next to Gemma. Once her daughter had calmed down a little, and she’d regenerated some of her magic, she could put a barrier up to protect them while she went and saw Jocelyn.
Pity patience wasn’t her strong suit.
Chapter 8 - Enemies
Jocelyn looked up as Elizabeth walked into her office. To Elizabeth’s surprise, she actually put aside the book she’d been writing in, and gave her what could almost be called a smile. “Elizabeth, to what do I owe the pleasure? I thought you couldn’t leave Mitchell alone at this point of his training?”
Jocelyn ended her question with a raised eyebrow. The annoyed sarcasm in the action counteracted her earlier politeness, and put Elizabeth on more familiar ground.
“Which member of your family would like to see me dead and has enough magic to attempt it?” she said without preamble.
Jocelyn’s eyes widened. “What happened?” she demanded.
Elizabeth explained the scene at Gemma’s house briefly, and her suspicions that the same person had been responsible for the fire at the washing line too.
Jocelyn listened, tight lipped, throughout her explanation. “This is indeed serious,” she said, when Elizabeth finished. “My guess would be Amily. She is one of the stronger mages in the family, and since she has already made threats against Mitch, it wouldn’t surprise me if she took it a step further.”
“You mean you didn’t do anything about her after her behaviour towards Mitch?” Elizabeth demanded.
Jocelyn frowned. “When I confronted her about her threats against Mitchell and Gemma, she was most apologetic and tried to make excuses. I explained that there was no way she would ever be considered for the position of heir, and she became more than a little defensive. But I believed she had accepted that reality.”
“After her actions, you thought it was enough just to talk to her?”
For a few moments, Elizabeth could barely see through the rage that consumed her. Its intensity took her by surprise. It had been a long time since she’d felt this sort of anger.
But it wasn’t surprising that protecting her family was what had caused it.
Forcing herself to take a calming breath, Elizabeth used all her mage training to keep her anger under some semblance of control. Then she leaned forwards and put her hands on the table in front of her, lowering her face closer to Jocelyn’s. “She threatened to hurt Mitch and Gemma, and you let her off with a warning?”
Jocelyn didn’t budge. She just raised one eyebrow, and asked, “What did you expect me to do? She may have threatened to hurt someone, but she hadn’t, at that point, actually done anything.”
Elizabeth growled in frustration, but once she’d called upon it, her mage training kept her temper in check, and forced her to see the sense in Jocelyn’s actions. In reality, she couldn’t disagree with Jocelyn’s excuse. She probably wouldn’t have done much more herself.
Of course, her ‘talking’ would probably have included quite a few more threats and demonstrations of her ability to carry out those threats than Jocelyn’s had.
“Well, now she has. What are you going to do about it?”
Jocelyn steepled her fingers together and regarded Elizabeth for a few moments. “How much of a threat was it? Amily is one of our stronger mages, but from what I’ve heard, I thought your magic far outstripped hers. Or were you bluffing?”
Elizabeth stood up and gave a sharp laugh. “A threat to me at full strength? Very little. But on this particular day I had used my magic healing George. I’ll be more careful in future, but that doesn’t protect Gemma and Mitch. Amily could very easily kill them.”
That thought sent a chill up Elizabeth’s spine. She’d already lost Gemma’s older sister, Tasha, and her family, she didn’t intend to let that happen again. If Amily was game enough to attack her family in Elizabeth’s presence, she wouldn’t escape so lightly.
Jocelyn’s lips tightened. “At this stage, this is simply supposition. We have no evidence at all. I can’t accuse Amily without proof.”
Elizbeth’s hands tightened into fists. She couldn’t be there every minute of every day. And next time could go far worse. “Where does she live? I’m more than happy to go and confront her.”
Jocelyn gave a humourless laugh. “I’m sure you would be, but I won’t let you accost her without proof any more than I would let her hurt Mitchell. I will take care of it.”
Somehow, Elizabeth wasn’t convinced. “If anyone is throwing magic around near Mitch and Gemma again, I won’t be holding back,” she warned Jocelyn. “Make sure you tell her that.”
Jocelyn gave a small smile at that. “Oh, I’ll give her plenty of warning,” she promised.
Elizabeth suspected she was going to have to be content with that. On the surface at least. In reality, she would do a little digging of her own about Amily. Not to mention keeping an eye out for her.
She suspected if Amily was, indeed, behind this, she’d be seeing her again soon enough.
Chapter 9 - Reunion
It had been a long journey, and by the time Digger was walking the streets of Asherad, he was seriously questioning what he was doing here. He’d acted on impulse when he’d received Elizabeth’s letter, deciding to come and deliver her belongings himself. Now, after a week’s travel and far too long to think, he wasn’t so sure of his welcome.
There had to be a reason she hadn’t suggested he join her. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what it was. But he couldn’t bring himself to just walk away without at least asking.
He’d thought everything was going well between them. For her to just walk away like this without any explanation…
He just had to know.
He reminded himself of what he’d said then, if the worst came to the worst, if she truly didn’t want to see him again, he’d hand over her belongings and leave.
But it was small defence against the insecurities now.
He found the road he was looking for and rode slowly along it checking the letterboxes. Number thirty-nine was a small, neat house with a very lived in feel. Not at all what he expected, although he still couldn’t quite put his finger on what he did expect.
Digger took a deep breath. Well, he’d come all this way, there was no point in turning around now. He tied the horses to the front gate, walked up the path, and knocked on the door. He waited, unsure if anyone would hear him. It s
ounded like there was some sort of party going on out the back, music, shouting and laughter making his hesitant knock barely audible.
He knocked again, more loudly.
He was just about to turn around, walk back to the horses, and reconsider his options, when the door opened.
The woman who answered was middle aged, the dress she was wearing indicating that the party, whatever it was, was a formal occasion. “Sorry,” she said, a smile lingering on her face from whatever interaction she’d been involved in moments before. “I hope you haven’t been waiting, I was out the back and didn’t hear you. Can I help you?”
Digger hesitated. This didn’t feel right. He couldn’t picture Elizabeth here. “I’m sorry, I think I might have the wrong house…”
“Are you here for the wedding?” Her smile was kind and welcoming, encouraging Digger to reply, even though by now he was firmly convinced he’d misread the address.
“No, I’m looking for Elizabeth…” he trailed off, reddening as he realised that even after all these years, he had absolutely no idea what Elizabeth’s last name was.
The woman’s expression changed then, to one of curiosity and uncertainty.
It didn’t matter anyway, by now he was certain he had the wrong address. “I’m sorry to bother you, you’re obviously busy. I’ll go.”
“Wait a minute,” she said, holding up a hand. She turned from the door, calling out to someone inside the house, “Mamma?”
Digger opened his mouth to apologise yet again, then forgot what he was going to say as Elizabeth appeared in the doorway behind the woman.
Although he recognised her instantly, he had to look twice to be sure. Instead of her customary breeches and shirt, she wore a deep blue dress that dipped down between her breasts and swirled interestingly around her ankles.
What was more, she didn’t look at all out of place in it.
“Freck.” Her expression was unreadable, but the sentiment behind her involuntary curse was unmistakable.
She wasn’t happy to see him.
