by Allison Sipe
"Aufer a me huc, invenio tutum locum," she recited.
Lila raised the vile toward the moon and the opaque liquid began to glow. She closed her eyes and swallowed the contents in one swift motion.
"Come on, we're getting out of here," she said, reaching her hand out to me.
I heard a branch snap just as I saw the shadow come into view. "You're not going anywhere," Ian said and stood a few feet below us. He held a crude sort of weapon and looked disheveled, making him appear as deranged as he actually was.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," I said under my breath as I made a run at him. I knew better than to make the first attack, but my hatred for him propelled me forward. Taking one last step, I summoned a freezing spell. Blue sparks shot from my fingertips as I slid and kicked his feet out from under him.
Jumping back onto my feet, I readied myself for him to strike back. "I told you, you weren't her type," I said. I couldn't help but grin as he tried to get up. I threw another freezing spell at his chest and he crumpled into the leaves and rolled a few feet down the hill.
"Robert, let's go!" Lila yelled.
I took another step toward Ian.
"We have to go now!" Lila shouted, her voice urgent.
I turned away from Ian and ran back up to Lila.
"Grab my hand," she said, reaching for me.
"I thought you didn't know how to orb?" I asked.
"I don't, just trust me." She motioned for me to grab her hand again. "You've got to be kidding," she exclaimed as her gaze landed somewhere behind my shoulder.
Lila's face started to glow as if she was carrying a candle. I looked back toward Ian just in time to see a fireball coming right at us. She threw herself at me and we tumbled to the ground, narrowly avoiding the ball of fire that exploded where my head had just been.
We quickly stood and faced Ian as he charged toward us.
"That's enough, Ian!" Lila yelled, and at the wave of her hand he went flying and smacked into a tree.
"You can't do this, Lila. You're one of us," Ian growled from all fours as he tried to catch his breath.
"Not anymore," she said with so much venom Ian physically flinched at her words.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Ian stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothes.
"That you'll have to kill me." Lila grabbed my hand. "I'd like to see you try." She whispered something under her breath and everything swirled around us. My feet dangled below me, searching for solid ground, and we fell aimlessly through a tunnel of debris.
When the howling of the wind slowed, the outline of a building came into view and we landed roughly in a patch of grass. I lay still for a moment to catch my breath and stared up at the stars.
"We should be safe for now, but they'll be able to track us. We're going to have to go the rest of the way without Magic," Lila explained.
I stood up and looked around. Floodlights lit up the ruins of a castle and the moon reflected off a large body of water in front of us. "Lila, just a quick question. Where in the hell did you transport us?" I asked.
A nervous laugh escaped her throat. "You see, I was in a rush and didn't have time to work out our coordinates beforehand, but I believe were in the UK."
"Wonderful. We're lost and we can't use Magic."
Lila waved off my irritation. "People get lost without Magic all the time, we'll be fine."
I looked around for some sign of where we were. If floodlights were directed onto the castle ruins that meant it was probably a tourist attraction. Up the hill above us, I saw a railing with plaques spread about twenty feet apart.
"Bingo," I said, and started trudging up the steep hill.
"Where are you going?" Lila called after me but I ignored her.
As I climbed over the railing, Lila appeared next to me. "You could have just taken the stairs," she said and pointed to the left where concrete stairs led up to the lookout.
I gave Lila a disparaging look and hoofed it to the closest sign. It was a drawing of the ruins below and was labeled Urquhart Castle.
"Do you have a phone on you?" I asked.
Lila dug through her bag and handed me her phone.
I opened the touchscreen browser and typed in Urquhart Castle then clicked on the Maps program.
I laughed and said, "You've landed us on top of Loch Ness."
"At least we're not far from Inverness," Lila said with a smile.
I shook my head, cracked the phone in half and tossed it in the nearest bin.
"Looks like we've got a long walk ahead of us," I said with a sigh and made my way past the visitor center up to the main road.
Day 10
"Morning, sunshine," Lila's chipper voice pierced my ears.
"I forgot you're a morning person," I said as I slowly crawled out of bed.
"There's coffee on the nightstand." A non-descript paper cup sat next to the hotel lamp.
"Where did this come from?"
"Downstairs. I thought about venturing out, but we don't know who might be following us."
"Thanks," I said, tipping the cup in her direction and taking a sip. I sighed in relief, desperately thankful for the warmth and comfort of a cup of coffee after the night we'd had. Inverness was one of those towns that shut down early. We had walked for several hours before we were able to flag down a car to take us the rest of the way.
Stretching my arms above my head, I cracked my back. It had been awhile since I'd slept in a comfortable bed. Not that I minded sleeping on Violet's couch with her in the next room. The thought of her sent a jolt through me and my Magic hummed anxiously. I wished we were still linked by the connection spell so I could get a glimmer of her emotions. I thought maybe once we were off of Avalon I might be able to feel something but I couldn't even get the faintest echo of her.
"Lila, since we're partners in crime now, do you mind telling me what happened to the connection spell I had on Violet?" I asked.
"You know, I don't know. We never took it off you," she said while running a brush through her golden hair. "They must have removed it on her end."
I pursed my lips, frustrated. "I need to get in touch with my family." I stood and walked toward the restroom.
"I don't think we should contact anyone, not until we're back in the States," Lila advised, twisting a ring on her pinky finger. It was a nervous tick of hers and made me wonder if there was something she wasn't telling me.
"What is it?" I reached out and stopped her fiddling.
She looked away from me toward the window. "I saw Ian this morning."
"You met with him?" My eyebrows shot up and the muscles in my shoulders tensed.
"No, of course not." She rolled her eyes. "I saw him through the window while I was downstairs getting us coffee." She quickly glanced up at me and then away. "They know we're here, in Inverness."
"Alright, then it's time to leave. I don't suppose you have any more of that orbing potion?" I asked, hopeful. If she did, it would make getting back to Pismo so much easier.
"I used the last of it to get us off, Avalon." Her eyes shifted from side to side.
I sighed. I knew getting home wouldn’t be easy, but one break would be nice. "I have a contact in London who may be able to help us. But first, things first. We need to get the hell out of dodge before they find us."
"Okay," she said as she moved across the room and picked up the few items she had unpacked.
"How much cash do you have on you?" I asked as I stepped into the bathroom to rinse my face.
"After we pay for the hotel, about five hundred pounds. I wasn't able to grab much."
"That's plenty for now. We'll need to get to the train station and get out of here as soon as we can." I turned the faucet on and splashed some cold water on my face.
"Where are we headed?"
"Not sure yet, but definitely south." I threw another handful of water on my face and scratched the stubble along my jaw.
"I left some clean clothes for you in the bathroom," Lila sai
d nonchalantly and picked up the bulky hotel phone." I'll call downstairs and see if they have a train schedule."
Kicking the bathroom door closed, I noticed the clean button-up and jeans sitting on the counter. I barely recognized myself when I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My hair stood out in unnatural directions and the beard I'd grown over the last week and a half hid the shape of my jaw. Stripping my clothes off, I jumped in the shower. The warm water felt good on my muscles. My Magic may have healed all my injuries, but the memory of the pain had stayed with me. I let the water wash over me and remove the dirt and blood caked onto my skin.
My mind drifted to Pismo as I scrubbed a dollop of shampoo into my hair. How was I going to explain Lila to my family, to Violet? A knot formed in the pit of my stomach as I imagined the look of betrayal in Violet's eyes. I needed Lila to escape, that much I could explain; but why she was still with me, no one would understand. We may have escaped Aiden, but our battle was far from over.
Reluctantly, I turned the water off and finished getting ready. The shirt and jeans Lila had grabbed for me fit perfectly. She had always been good at remembering the little things. Feeling as much like myself as I possibly could, I walked back into the bedroom and found Lila sitting on the bed, sniffling.
I cleared my throat and asked, "You alright?"
"Fine," she said. She wiped her face with both hands but couldn't hide her red nose or glassy eyes. "We're all set," she continued and popped up from the bed. "A taxi is coming to get us in about ten minutes to take us to the station. I booked us on a train to Perth. I figured that was far enough away from here and still central enough so we can get another train going wherever we need."
"Perfect. Let me make a quick phone call and then we'll be on our way." I crossed the room and picked up the receiver off the nightstand and swiftly dialed the number I had memorized years ago.
After three rings a woman's voice came through the receiver, "This is Katherine, how may I be of service?" The familiar voice was a warm welcome.
"Hi Katherine, Robert calling for Malcolm."
Malcolm a trusted friend and Promised One has gotten me out of plenty of tight situations over the years. He’s the one and only person I could trust to help us now.
"How's your wife?" she asked, using the secret phrase Malcolm and I had agreed upon many years ago.
"Three sheets to the wind," I replied. The line went quiet and I was transferred.
"Robert, it's been awhile, I was starting to think you'd finally gone straight and didn't have a need for me anymore," Malcolm said with his typical good humor.
I laughed. "That'll be the day."
"So what can I do for you?" His husky voice came through the receiver and I pictured him leaning back in his chair with his feet on his desk.
"I need to get state-side undetected."
"Sure, sure not a problem. When do you need to get out?" he asked without skipping a beat.
"As soon as possible. But there's something else. I have someone with me. She'll need documents as well."
Malcolm's hearty smoker's laugh bellowed through the receiver. "I'm going to need to hear this story one day, my friend."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. It's not what you think."
"It never is with you. What's the girls name so I can get her paperwork set up?"
"It's Lila Partridge."
"You're with Lila again, are ya?"
I sighed at the grin behind his voice and said, "Like I said, it's not what you think."
"Whatever you say," he chuckled. "Where are you coming from this time?"
"Inverness. We're leaving shortly, though, headed to Perth. It's getting a little cramped here for my taste."
"Right, say no more. Do you remember the drop location in Glasgow?"
"Glasgow Central," I confirmed.
"One week," he said.
"Thanks, Mal. I owe you one."
I hung up the phone and when I stood up from the bed Lila was leaning against the door with her arms folded across her chest and a scowl on her face.
"Was that Malcolm Ward?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the ground.
"Yes, is that a problem?" I replied, eyeing her.
"You know he hates me, right?"
"Can't say I blame him." I shrugged.
Her head shot up as she pushed off the wall and began to pace around the room. "Thanks."
"Relax," I said, gathering my very few belongings. "He's nothing but professional."
"Are you sure?" She paused and bit her lip.
"Positive." I maneuvered around her, picking up my shoes and sitting down to put them on.
"So we're headed to Glasgow then?"
"We are, indeed," I replied, slipping my shoe on. "We'll stay in Perth until it's time to move on to Glasgow. It'll take Malcolm a week to get everything together, but he'll be able to supply us with passports and tickets back to the states."
"A week?" Lila exclaimed.
"If you want to get out of here safely then yes, a week."
She let out a heavy sigh. "I was hoping to get out of here as quickly as possible."
"A week is as quick as it's going to get."
"Okay, just..." her voice was hesitant.
"What is it?"
"Just promise me you won't leave me behind." She bit her lip and kept her eyes averted. "My father won't hesitate to kill me if they find me."
"Lila, you have a lot to make up for. But after everything that happened on Avalon, I believe you had no idea what Aiden was really up to." I stood beside her and put my hand on her shoulder. "I promise I won't leave you behind."
She nodded and cleared her throat before saying, "Thank you." The worry lines in her face vanished as we made our way downstairs.
I wasn't sure how I was going to explain why I'd returned with Lila but I couldn't just leave her. Aiden would surely kill her for her betrayal, and as much as I still despised her for what she'd done to Violet, deep down she was just a girl with some serious issues. I'd walked away from her once and her father turned her into a killer. I wasn't going to walk away from her again.
Lila settled our hotel bill and we left for the train station, careful not to draw attention to ourselves now that we were out in public.
Our train was already boarding when we arrived so we didn't have to wait long before embarking for Perth. I made sure to grab us seats near the door just in case we needed to make a quick escape. There were only a handful of people in the carriage we had chosen to ride in, none of whom paid us any attention when we took our seats.
"Hungry?" Lila asked as we rolled out of the station.
"A little," I admitted.
"Here." She reached into her bag and pulled out a plastic-wrapped Danish. "I grabbed a couple from the hotel before we left."
"Thanks." I gave her a small smile and ate the sugary pastry.
We sat in companionable silence as the highland countryside passed us by, the rustle of the train soothing my nerves. The further we got away from Aiden the better. It would be much harder to track us now that we'd shaken our Magical trail. So long as we could keep under the radar and not use Magic we'd be safe.
I looked to my left at Lila. She twirled the slender silver ring around her finger nervously.
"You alright?" I whispered.
She looked at me and stopped her fiddling. "Fine why?" she asked.
"You've spent the last thirty minutes polishing the inside of that ring with your finger." I nodded toward her hands, now sitting still in her lap. "Something's bothering you."
A nervous smile tugged at her lips and she turned toward me. "I still can't believe my father was planning to bring Morgana back all this time." She kept her voice just above a whisper.
The other passengers weren't paying any attention to us but it was always best to be cautious.
"I'm sorry," I replied with as much sincerity as I could muster.
"What am I supposed to do now? I left everything..." she said before trailing off with a
weak shrug.
"Now you start over." I placed my hand on hers.
"Right. Start over. With you?" Her big blue eyes looked up at me as she laced her fingers through mine.
"Lila-"
"I just... I don't have anyone else." She cut me off. "But you, you've always been there for me." She reached out her hand, her fingers trailing softly across my jaw.
"Lila. I can't." I pulled her hand from my face and shook my head.
She let out a dry, sarcastic laugh and pulled away from me. "You can't or won't?" Her eyes fell to her hands in her lap.
"I won't."
"Because of Violet?" She looked back up at me and I could see the pain of everything she lost in her eyes. Despite everything she's done, my heart still went out to her.
"You're just lost and clinging to something familiar. But I can't be that for you." I looked out the window. Rolling, green hills flew past us in a blur.
"You really do love her don't you?" Her voice was soft, resolved.
Turning my attention back to her, I shrugged.
"I hope she knows how lucky she is to have you in her corner." She smiled, but there was still pain in her eyes.
"I don't know if she'll see it that way." I ran my hand through my hair out of nervous habit.
"Because I'm with you." Her lips pursed together and her eyes crinkled at the corners as she realized just what a mess we were in.
"It's not like there's going to be a welcoming party when they find out I've brought you back with me."
"I know," she said with a sigh. "It's not going to be easy."
"Honestly, they'll probably try to kill you."
She threw her head back against the padded seat and said, "I wouldn't expect anything less."
"I promise I'll do what I can, though. But you've got your work cut out for you, kid." I tapped her knee with my fist.
"Maybe it'd be best if we went our separate ways once we get to the states."
I cocked my head to the side. "That's not going to happen."
"Because you don't trust me?" She looked up at me from under her lashes.
"What do you think?" My body swayed to the motion of the train.
"I guess I can understand that," she said with another shrug.
"Lila, I get that you thought you were doing the right thing, but you tried to kill Violet, twice. I can't pretend that didn't happen," I explained.
