“Hi, honey,” Rona called, loudly greeting her wife, Annabelle.
“Hi, Anna-Mom!” Cassidy shouted from her room.
“How are you sweetie?” Annabelle Adisa asked in her crisp British accent as she knocked on Cassidy’s door.
“I’ll be out in a few minutes, I just need some time alone.” Cassidy addressed a Knots of Avernus poster on her closed door.
The doorbell clanked.
“Hello? May I help you?” Cassidy heard Rona greet the newcomer but Cassidy couldn’t discern the speaker’s responses. “Yes … uh … huh? Would you like to come in? No? Okay, I’ll bring her out.”
“Cassidy, there’s a dashing young man waiting for you,” Rona whispered with more enthusiasm than she usually bestowed on Cassidy’s friends. “He looks like Harlan Eldin.”
“Who?” Cassidy asked, throwing on her slacks. “Oh yeah, the magician you’re a fan of. I’m coming.”
It’s not Taban, she muttered to herself, trying to dash her own hopes. When she opened the door, she recognized Aydan Tolymie, standing arms akimbo with one thigh-high boot planted on the front step. He sported a black tunic belted at his waist by a large red sash. The wind blew strands of black hair that had escaped his low ponytail across his face. He regarded her with a feline smirk adorning his wide mouth.
“Good afternoon, Master Tolymie,” Cassidy said with her best imitation of her mother’s London accent. “Shall I direct you to the nearest damsel in distress or are you more inclined to rob the rich and give to the poor?” She shut the door behind her. “All joking aside, is Danny okay?”
“Taban stole the journal. We wanted to know if he’d been in contact with you.”
“Are you sure he took it?” Cassidy raised her voice, upset by his accusation against Taban.
“He told Eadowen he’d be away visiting his sister,” Aydan replied through gritted teeth. “We checked the vault where we keep the pieces of the journal a few days later and it was gone. I’m just here to find out if you’ve been in touch with him. Then I’ll leave you alone.”
“Yes, but he didn’t say anything about the journal or anything relating to GFs. As far as I knew he was still with you.”
“Well, if that’s all you’re going to tell me, then …” With a casual wave, Aydan produced a large sprig of spurred red flowers seemingly out of thin air. “I apologize for intruding. Have a nice day.”
“Wait, what about Danny? Where’re you going?”
“I have to take a cab back to catch the ferry to Victoria. I’ll meet up with Danny in B.C. Donovan will probably rendezvous with her shortly.”
“I’m going with you.”
“No. You’re involved with Taban.” He offered her the sprig. “Take care.”
“I don’t want a flower.” She brushed it away. “I want to be with my friend. If something happens to her I’ll never forgive myself.” She tugged on his billowy sleeve, preventing him from walking away. “Taxis are expensive. I’ll drive you.”
“No, you won’t.” Aydan leaned the flower against the door. “Thank you for your time.” A silver hair pin glinted in the light as his ponytail lashed behind him when he turned to leave.
She grabbed his arm with such fervor that he halted.
“You can’t be part of this because you’d tell Taban everything if he asked you.” He slithered out of her grasp and started power walking toward the street. “This way you have nothing to tell him, so you can continue your relationship with him.”
“That’s not as important.” She said more decisively than she felt. “If I give you my word, I won’t tell him anything. And I give it.” Cassidy swiveled in front of him, blocking his path. Aydan barely managed to stop before barreling face first into her generous chest. Emphatically making eye contact, he took a step back. “At least let me take you to Victoria,” she begged. To her surprise her voice cracked. “I told Danny I’d be there for her.”
When he heard her passionate plea, Aydan touched her arm with concern. “We’ll take care of Danny. I promise.”
Cassidy checked her Ogham to see if she’d managed to stall him long enough. “If you contact a taxi now, you’ll have to wait at least fifteen minutes,” she exaggerated slightly. “I know when the evening ferry leaves. You’ll miss it if I don’t take you.”
“Fine,” he acquiesced.
Cassidy opened the door to her house and called for her mothers. “Do you mind if I go to Victoria tonight? I’ll stay at Danny’s house.”
It took both of Cassidy’s mothers a few minutes to come to the door. Cassidy could hear the mumbles of conversation, the topic of which she guessed without comprehending the words.
“They’re discussing whether to give you permission to go to Victoria tonight,” Aydan stated the obvious.
“Well, first of all who is this gentleman?” Annabelle asked.
“He’s a friend I met in Halifax—we have to hurry or we’ll miss the ferry.”
“I was in the area. I should’ve messaged in advance; I apologize for dropping in on you.” Aydan explained offering his hand to shake. “Cassidy has offered to drive me back to the ferry.”
“I’ve never seen a delphinium that wine color before,” Rona remarked. “Cassidy, why don’t you come inside and put it in water?”
“I’ll wait,” Aydan assured her. “You have my word.”
Once she and her mothers were safely in the living room, Rona-Mom turned to her. “Cassidy, you’re very trustworthy and responsible, you’ve proven that many times.”
“However, we would like you to video chat with us tonight to confirm that you’re at Danny’s house,” Annabelle said. She cleared her throat as though she was about to say something that she didn’t want to say. Cassidy cringed at the sound. “You’re old enough now that Rona and I can’t dictate what you do but …”
“Anna-Mom don’t …” Cassidy tried to assure her mothers. “I’m not going to do anything with him. He’s just a friend.”
“You know how to protect yourself. Remember: only do what is right for you. Don’t ever let anyone tell you to do something you don’t want to do.”
“I’m not interested in him.”
“You can always call us, if you need one of us to come pick you up,” Rona said. “You can always talk to us.” Cassidy’s mother looked at her like she was a colt who had just learned to walk.
“I will. I promise,” Cassidy said relieved that the conversation was over. “I have to get going or we’ll miss the ferry.” After hugging her mother goodbye, she tossed traveling essentials and the box containing Danny’s present into a backpack. She inspected the hangers by the door, selecting a pirate jacket with ruffled sleeves—her best approximation of swashbuckler attire.
As Cassidy and Aydan rushed to her car, she sent a message to Danny. “I’m bringing Aydan back to Victoria. Will you please let me stay over?”
In the passenger seat, Aydan silently flipped cards in his hands. I have to get to know him better so he’ll trust me, Cassidy thought. I wish Danny was here. I’m not as good at this stuff. She managed to come up with something to say.
“Rona-Mom thinks you look like a magician she likes.” Not brave enough to flatter her striking companion directly, Cassidy added: “Mom called you dashing.”
“I heard.”
“Oh.” She felt beads of sweat form on the back of her neck. “Then you also heard—”
“That your mothers think you’ll sleep with me instead of hanging out with Danny?” Aydan replied with what Cassidy was beginning to realize was characteristic candor.
“No, they don’t,” Cassidy replied.
He spun a card around thumb and index finger. “You could’ve told them you like a man, with blond hair and a tan,” he commented in a sing-song voice as though quoting a certain cult classic picture show.
“It’s so funny that you look like Harlan Eldin and you’re also a magician with eccentric costumes too … oh …”
In her peripheral vision, Cassidy saw t
he corner of Aydan’s mouth curl into a slasher grin.
“So, your younger brother’s sixteen and your older sibling attends college. How old are you?”
“Eighty-seven.”
“No way. Really?”
“I just turned nineteen in March.”
“You got me,” Cassidy said, feeling very gullible. “It’s getting hard to know what to believe.”
Between uncomfortable silences, Cassidy spent the rest of the drive introducing Aydan to the Pacific Northwest and listening to his stories about his year with an international young magicians program.
“That sounds incredible. How did you get to be part of that program?” Cassidy asked.
“I won first place in Illusions at FISM, International Federation of Magic Societies, when I was sixteen.”
An hour and a half later, Cassidy parked in Port Angeles and they walked across the street to the ferry. Aydan scanned his Ogham on the meter to pay for the parking and passage before she could reach it.
“Thank you,” she mumbled. “You didn’t have to.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for the ride.”
She tapped several codes into her Ogham to reach her digital passport. The border patrol worker checked her Ogham and approved it with a digital stamp. He did a double take at Aydan and started to scrutinize Aydan’s person. “I’m a magician,” Aydan said calmly, as if to explain away any discomfort the patrol worker had with him. It worked.
“Is Eadowen alright?”
“I don’t know. Eadowen … has a way of being blank.” They followed the serpentine ramp to board the ferry. “Fortunately, we never completely trusted Taban. Eadowen had the presence of mind to keep a vital piece of information from him.”
“What?” Cassidy asked eagerly.
“I can’t tell you.” Aydan gave her a cold smile. “You’re still involved with Taban.”
Sitting next to him in an old padded seat looking out over the stern of the boat, she watched him closely as he made a card disappear and reappear in the palm of his outstretched hand. The safety announcement boomed over the intercom.
“I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you guys know about Danny? You’re pretty distant relations.”
“Mom used to tell Eadowen and me stories about her because she knew Danny’s mother would try to keep things from her. Mom took her characteristics and any information she could gather about her interests and passions and spun them into elaborate epics that made even her annoying qualities seem wonderful. I think the idea was that if we adored her; we’d protect her even if our parents weren’t around.”
“Huh, I wonder why Eadowen didn’t tell Danny that.”
“Eadowen was the biggest fan of the stories mom told. I wasn’t old enough to remember the content very well and I wasn’t that interested. I think Mom severely underestimated Eadowen’s obsessive personality.” With a distant look in his eyes, Aydan stared at the churning foam trailing the ferry boat. “Then again, I’d probably develop pretty intense feelings if I’d been told Danny was my only chance at a healthy romantic relationship.” A jack of hearts disappeared in Aydan’s hand.
“Hold on!” Cassidy touched his shoulder so he’d look at her. “From what I’ve seen Eadowen is caring, intelligent, responsible, and not bad looking. Why in the world would Danny be the only candidate for romance?”
“Well, most GFs would be an exception. I think even that statement is a hyperbole, but Eadowen being Eadowen took it to heart … Never mind, it was just something silly I overheard when I was nine.” Aydan spoke as though his words had been pent up inside him for a long time. “Some guy came to our house and spent a lot of time with Eadowen. I was kind of off in my own world, so I didn’t pay much attention. I’d rather you didn’t mention this to Danny because it’s just conjecture.”
Then Eadowen wasn’t being sweet on her just because of a childhood memory, Cassidy thought. “Obsession isn’t healthy,” she said aloud. “Shouldn’t Eadowen be in therapy or something?”
“You’re probably right, but to get to the root of the problem Eadowen would have to reveal our GF status. The good news is I’m pretty sure Eadowen wouldn’t do anything unless Danny gave clear indication that she’s open to hir overtures. Besides, she’ll never live up to hir image of her.”
“So, if Danny never falls for hir, Eadowen won’t pursue anything ever?” Cassidy asked.
“That’s why I suggest not mentioning this to Danny. A: I could be wrong.”
“And B: we’d be subconsciously putting the idea in Danny’s head,” Cassidy finished his sentence. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t look at hir that way and as much as I like Danny she’s a bit weird. I doubt she’s the kind of person people fantasize about. Before I agree to keep this a secret, tell me what is Eadowen’s personality because xie kind of doesn’t seem to have one?”
“To tell you the truth, my own sibling is an enigma to me,” Aydan said. “You know Taban doesn’t even know the truth about how he and Eadowen met.”
“And how was that?” She sighed, her curiosity allowing Aydan to shift the subject.
“Eadowen saw Taban at a school fair. For some reason xie really wanted to interact with him, but Taban was acting like he was above everyone there. Eadowen asked me to orchestrate a meeting. I tripped him and he fell right into Eadowen’s arms, but he never saw me. To this day, Taban probably still thinks it was an act of fate. I wish I could undo what I did and make it so they never met,” Aydan concluded bitterly.
“Were they a couple?”
Aydan shrugged.
“Oh no. I kissed him.” Cassidy felt cold. “This is horrible.”
“Listen, whatever their relationship, my older sibling would never judge you for Taban’s transgressions.”
The ferry started to roll as the ocean swelled. Perceiving the motion, she sat quietly for a few minutes to enjoy the sensation. Aydan started to look green.
“The restrooms are that way,” she offered.
“I’ll be okay.”
“Can you show me a card trick?”
The color returning to his face, Aydan turned to her, a look of astonishment on his face. “You want to see a card trick?”
“Yes. I still have that card you gave me.” She felt in her slacks pocket, where she usually kept the card, but it had vanished.
“Indeed you do.” Aydan held up the missing card.
“Hey! How’d you get your paws on that?”
“Do you carry it with you a lot?” He asked, noticing the condition of the card. The silver shine had worn significantly as a result of Cassidy’s fondling.
“It’s pretty and shiny and meditative,” Cassidy defended, snatching it back. “If you give these cards out a lot, shouldn’t you have your site on it as a promotional thing?”
“Breathe on it—you know the way you’d fog up a window. I guess I usually mention this at my shows or to people who might become clients.”
“Really?” She blew on the ten of diamonds. Violet shapes and lettering slowly appeared: a crescent moon with a v through it, Aydan’s stage name, and his site.
“What’s that?” She pointed to the crescent moon.
“A Crescent V-Rod. It’s an ancient Pictish symbol for eternity.”
They amused each other by playing a simple game, in which Aydan predicted cards Cassidy secretly selected.
“I thought you were the observant type who liked to solve puzzles, but you haven’t asked how anything’s done,” he commented.
“I usually do but I …” Cassidy tucked a crimped curl behind her ear. “I guess I want … to let magic have a chance to be … magical.”
“I like that.” Aydan gave her a sidelong glance.
“Message from Danny: Sorry it took me so long. I hope you’re coming because … something’s wrong.”
The horn sounded signaling the ferry docking.
“We’ll be there as fast as we can,” Cassidy said into her Ogham as they dashed off the boat.
CHAPTER 17
PAIN
SLAMMING HER FOOT into the dangling punching bag, Danny felt the satisfying crunch of the padding and heard the crack of the plastic cover. A solid punch sent the bag backward with enough force to hit the back wall. Then she went in for a knife hand strike with excellent form. The moment her hand connected with the bag she felt a jolt of sharp pain. She screamed. Danny inspected the seemingly undamaged hand she had used to break cement blocks for her black belt. I don’t even see a mark. Why does it feel like I broke my hand? The stinging pain spread up her arm and into her shoulder tightening her muscles. She knelt to the floor. What should have been a light impact on her knee, felt like a brick had been dropped on it. Clutching her knee, she lay down on her highschool gym floor in intense pain and complete bewilderment. She crawled across the vacant gym. Using the door frame for support, she managed to pull herself onto her feet. She cradled her hand and slowly made her way to the school’s main entrance. Not many students remained at the school after class, so Danny faced the vacant hallway alone. Once outside, she passed several students, all too busy looking at their tablets to notice her. Danny knew they’d probably help her if she asked, but she didn’t know for what assistance to ask. The acute soreness all over her body worsened. Her legs no longer worked, so she collapsed on a bench outside her school. As she stared at the clouds, she realized her current experience was like an amplified version of the pain hypersensitivity she’d felt at the Tolymies’ house.
“Oh, my gosh. Who is that?” A young woman a couple meters away from Danny said to her friend. Delighted squeaks and gasps ensued, as students looked up from their tablets. Moving as little as possible, Danny looked around to see who the latest intrigue was. Clean shaven and dressed in fitted jeans, only the retro headphones around his neck, indicated to Danny that it was none other than Donovan Tolymie. Tugging anxiously at the popped collar of his grey polo shirt, Donovan scanned the groups of students. He hunched in a futile attempt to avoid the many pairs of eyes admiring his impressive stature and defined features. Danny called to him. With a sigh of relief, he joined her. She struggled to sit up. Concern in his deep-grey eyes, Donovan cocked his head at her.
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