The summit was only days away, and what a statement it would make to have my head mounted on a pike in the center of the proceedings, making a statement for every faction leader in Europe to see about how lesser magics like me were to be treated moving forward.
Only a few seconds passed, not even enough for me to fully digest my situation, let alone find a way out of it, before Simon returned. His whole body reappeared at once, and I couldn’t help but jump back with a startled squeak. It was as though he never left, although it looked like he was breathing a little harder than he had been a minute ago.
“Simon?” I asked. He wasn’t looking at me; I was still the last thing on his mind. And clearly not even worth answering, because just like that, he was gone all over again.
I let out a grunt of frustration, feeling slightly reassured despite my better judgement. At least he wasn’t planning to simply leave and never return. So long as nothing happened to him on his frantic search, I’d probably be okay.
And probably being okay was about as good of a reassurance as I’d been able to get recently.
The idea just occurred to me to check for my phone in order to make my own backup plan when Simon returned once more, this time looking slightly more put together than the last.
I reached out and grabbed him, locking my hand around his wrist. “Simon!” I said again, louder this time. “Stay put for a second, would you?”
Reacting almost as quickly as I had, Simon moved to push me away, but I used my free hand to get a grip on his other arm instead.
“Stop. You’re going to get yourself killed. Did anyone see you?”
Simon narrowed his eyes, and for a second I thought he would drag me along with him to whatever hiding spot he planned to check next. Instead, he answered my question in a maddeningly casual tone, like this was any old evening. “No. I’ve been checking some houses closest to Nadir’s stronghold. I’ve heard rumors of him using the homes of humans for his own purposes, tricking their minds into forgetting anything and everything that was against his best interest. He would likely want to keep Leda somewhere close to him, and spots like those would be the least conspicuous. I’ve already tried everywhere else.”
“I’m not sure how to break this to you, but what you’re doing right now, this is a horrible plan. You don’t know where your sister is, you don’t know where your niece is, and I don’t know where I am. We are all in way over our heads right now, and if I’ve learned anything over the last few weeks, it’s that acting in a blind panic is a great way to nearly get yourself sacrificed by some coven who, really, you would have thought would have been on your side.”
Whoops, I’d lost myself in a bit of a tangent. But my rambling looked to be having at least some kind of effect on Simon. Some of the tension eased from his muscles, still taught in my grip.
“It’s late,” I pointed out. “And Ieza is probably worried sick. Or maybe she knows something new that might help us. If nothing else, we should get her out of Galway; the two of you staying here is asking for trouble.” Maybe, maybe, maybe. There were a thousand possibilities, and I’d list all of them if it would keep Simon in one place long enough to get him to see reason.
Simon shook himself slightly, like a shiver running through his body to wake him from a dream. “But what if—” he started, but never finished the question.
“We’ll figure it out,” I promised. Barely believing myself. “First thing is to move you both....”
“No. I’ll get Ieza somewhere new, but I’m not going to sit around and wait. I can’t. Once we find somewhere she’ll be hidden…”
“I know a place,” I interrupted. “That place I told you about before. She’ll be safe there. At least for a little while. Until all of this is settled.” Because I didn’t imagine the vampires would wait long to act. “Send me first. I’ll make sure it’s safe, and then you can bring her after.” Simon still didn’t seem convinced. “I’m open to other ideas if you’ve got something.”
Nothing.
At last, Simon nodded. “Fine. For now. We’ll get Ieza somewhere safe. But I’m coming back for them, with or without you.”
Simon took hold of my shoulder, not offering any warning before we jumped all over again.
And just like that, I was back in the place that I called home. The only place that had ever really felt like home for me.
Standing outside my parents’ farmhouse at this time of the night wasn’t quite as awe-inspiring as landing in a Greek plaza, nor quite as warm.
In the dark, I could barely make out much beyond the main house, but that didn’t matter; I knew exactly what my surroundings looked like. I could see everything from the silo to the chicken coop to my mother’s garden in my mind.
I wrapped my arms around myself as I stared up at the two-story home where my parents had raised me.
“Where are we?” Simon asked. I couldn’t quite make out his features under the cloudy midnight cover, but I imagined he looked less than impressed. If he’d been expecting a fortress, this was probably a bit of a shock.
“It’s somewhere that no one would ever think to look. It’s quiet, and it’s safe. My parents are inside. There’s no place in the country I’d trust more.”
“She doesn’t need to be in this country, or even this part of the world.”
“If anything goes wrong, if you can’t get back to her, this is close enough that we can come find her ourselves. It’s probably not perfect, but this is the right move.”
Simon looked over at the house where not a single light flickered from inside. While vampires plotted and werewolves tucked their daughters into bed, this part of my world was fast asleep.
“Just give me a few hours until they get up,” I suggested. “Then bring Ieza in around back. She can take my bed and will be well looked after until the dust settles.”
Simon disappeared. I took it as a yes.
I’d had every intention of taking the remaining hours before my parents woke up to get some sleep myself. Instead, I ended up in the kitchen, basking in the light of the refrigerator.
When was the last time I’d eaten?
I grabbed some tinfoil-covered leftovers and trusted that whatever the mystery meat, my mum’s cooking was still as good as ever. Even after I’d microwaved it, I wasn’t sure exactly what was in the pasta concoction I’d uncovered. Still, it didn’t disappoint.
Sitting at the island of the kitchen where I’d consumed countless breakfasts before, eating something with my mother’s favorite blend of spices… it was heaven.
And exactly the kind of place where Ieza would be safe for a few days. In a perfect world, I’d have loved to be able to offer this to Simon too. At least, if I could convince him to sit still.
But flitting about between Dublin, Galway, and Greece had reminded me of not only what we were up against, but the network that stood at our backs.
A plan was beginning to form, probably as imperfect as all of my plans that had come before it. Still, it was something. And I would need…
“Melanie?” The kitchen light flicked on overhead, blinding me briefly.
My dad stood in the doorway to the kitchen, wrapped in a flannel green bathrobe. “You really are here.” He looked around the room, slightly dazed. “I think I might be losing my mind. A minute ago…” He paused, giving himself time to find the right words as he had so many times before. “Did I see you talking with a young man in our garden right before he disappeared?”
Chapter 13
Well there was a conversation I hadn't anticipated. My father had just witnessed magick even if he didn't quite understand what he'd been looking at. I could either try to convince him it had all been a dream or that he was losing his mind. Or I could be honest with him.
My phone buzzed, giving me an instant of distraction to decide what to do.
Simon: All good?
Melanie: More or less. Can you give me a couple of hours to deal with some stuff here first?
Simon: We're ready
whenever you are.
It would have been such an easy call on any other day. Just tell them the truth. It was probably a conversation I should have had with my parents years ago. I'd wanted to. They’d almost stumbled upon my secret more times than I could count. But for most of my childhood, there had been another parent always there, always present in the background guiding me with her memories. Or so I thought.
That much I had told my parents. They'd called her my imaginary friend. They'd played along with what they thought was make-believe all while I'd had no idea what I was experiencing wasn't strictly normal.
And they'd given me a talking-to in second grade when they thought it was time for me to move on to my real life friends.
My earliest memories are not my own. At least, not all of them. Another girl grew up inside my mind. I'd watched through her eyes as she'd learned to ride a bike, started school and kissed a boy for the first time. I'd also watched as she saw her family murdered, and as she died herself, shortly after. Only then had I learned that this girl I'd been seeing was my own mother. My birth mother. I'd never figured out what had connected her memories to me, but it had answered questions I wouldn't have even known to ask as I started to work out my own powers.
I'd never consciously decided not to tell my parents I was still seeing this other girl. Or the colorful clouds that sometimes surrounded people we passed on the street, or saw in the city. And I'd known enough to keep my mouth shut when I'd started to be able to tap into computer networks with my mind. What if they'd decided that the daughter they'd adopted wasn't so perfect for their family after all? It seemed like it would be easier on everyone to keep things to myself.
Mostly, on me.
So the situation I'd gotten myself into, there in my parents’ kitchen, was probably something I should have seen coming from a mile off.
And, yet, there we were.
That time at least, I knew enough to make the choice easily.
There were so few people that I absolutely knew I could count on. My parents were at the top of that list. They deserved to know the whole truth, especially since I was about to ask them to harbor a magickal fugitive for me.
I started to explain, but my Da stopped me before I could really get started. "I think this might be the kind of conversation your mother should be here for."
Good call. I wasn't sure I'd have the energy to do this whole song and dance more than once.
Despite my heart racing through the entire conversation, sure my world was about to end in the one way I hadn’t anticipated, the whole thing went better than expected. I started out with the big picture stuff—the existence of magick, the factions, what kinds of monsters were really out there. Then I explained my place in all of it. Or at least I tried to. I showed them what I could do with technology using my dad's phone, but they probably would have believed it was simply a new app if I'd told them that instead. I messed up every single explanation and never quite said what I meant to, but we got there.
"I'm going to need some coffee." My mom stood up as soon as I was finished speaking, leaving me holding my breath and waiting for some actual feedback. "Do you want some? It looks like you haven't slept in ages. You know, whatever else is going on, you still need to take care of yourself."
I exhaled. In spite of everything I'd just explained to her, my mum's first thought was still exactly what it should have been on any other day. "Coffee would be lovely." I didn't elaborate on exactly how long it had been since I'd slept. Or how much longer it had been since I'd slept well. There was a lot to be said for giving them time to digest my biggest secret before sharing that that same secret had led me into a world of trouble. If I did, they would probably never let me leave.
Which might not be the worst thing.
"So what you're telling me," my father said, speaking slowly, "is that all of this is happening without anyone noticing? All over the world?"
This part, at least, I'd expected. Unlike my mother who had simply taken in what I had to say and then gone about her business, my father was a man of many questions. "Back before modern technology, I think more people probably knew about these things. But there's been a lot of time since then to perfect a system for keeping secrets."
My mother made a tutting sound from the corner of the kitchen where she was puttering with the coffee machine. "Yes, secrets."
It was possible my mom had a few more opinions on all of this than I'd first realized.
His brows strained with worry. My dad looked over at my mother briefly, then back at me. "And you can do a little bit of everything? That's incredible."
"Not everything. Among the lesser magicks, there are as many abilities as you can think of. Probably more. Seeing magick like I can, teleportation from place to place, healing, fire breathing, you name it."
"Well, dear, we always knew you were special." Mum turned back to us, two mugs in hand. Tears flowed freely on either side of her face. "We had no idea just how special. I only wish…"
I stood up to take both mugs from her, putting them both back down on the counter so I was free to wrap her up into a hug.
"I wish a lot of things too. It's been a weird life."
Mum pulled back until we were far enough apart for her to look at me. "Well it sounds like you've handled the gifts God has given you with as much grace as anyone could expect. It all sounds so incredible."
Immediately, my dad jumped back in. "Can you find things on the computer, all in your head? Like the internet is right there in your head? Your grades probably should have been better." He frowned, but I could still see him piecing things together inside his mind.
I pulled all the way out of the hug. "Not on my own. Now that cellphones are a thing, it's easier. But I do need a connection. And I still need to know where to look for things. It's like browsing but with all of these other connections that I can see and feel and interact with. It's pretty incredible."
My mother had picked up her coffee once more. "I would have thought magick would be more… magickal. You know, wizard schools and wands and potions."
"Traditionally, that's exactly what magick is. Or specifically, witchcraft. Nothing I can do is really like that. Unless you count--" The scent of roses filled the room, coming from my body. "That." I stood still, waiting for the moment when the smell would reach my parents. I'd already explained what it was that werewolf magick had given me but smelling it in action was probably more believable.
My father's eyes lit up. "Quite right!" he said, slapping a hand down on the island in front of him. "That's terrific. I wish I could tell Dave down the road about this."
"You can't tell Dave," my mother and I said in unison.
Dad sighed. "I know. It's just so fantastic, how many things our girl can do. Healing! I mean, that should help us to sleep a bit more soundly at night."
"Not that we doubt you can take care of yourself." Mum put her hand on my arm reassuringly. "It is quite the relief though."
Like everything that was going on with the factions and Aoife, and the attack in my apartment, I'd skipped over the part where I needed to drink my own blood in order to heal. Sometimes vague was the way to go.
My phone vibrated from the counter.
"I actually need to ask you for a favor," I blurted out, unsure how to make that kind of jump in this conversation. "A friend of mine is in trouble and needs somewhere quiet to rest for a few days. I'd hoped she might be able to stay here in my room. She has nowhere else to go."
Making my best pathetic face, I waited for my parents to inevitably ask more questions. The sun was already rising outside. The night had flown by and I needed to get back to the city.
"Of course she can," my mother said immediately.
"Does she have any powers like you do?"
"No, she's human." My dad's expression fell right away. "Her wife and brother-in-law can teleport, though. Anywhere in the world, in the blink of an eye. Simon, her brother-in-law, is actually the one who is going to bring her by. If it's
okay," I hurried to add.
"He's who I saw on the lawn," Dad said, sounding quite pleased with himself.
"He brought me here. It's the coolest feeling.”
"Wait a second now," Mom said, her tone impossible to miss. "You know someone who can teleport you all over the place and yet you only dare to visit your parents once in a blue moon? That's the most preposterous thing I've heard all night."
"Hey now, he's a person, not a taxi." My mother's scowl only deepened. "And I just met him recently." I didn't say how recently. "But it's all right? They can come?"
My parents exchanged a look before agreeing. I was sure they had a lot of things they wanted to discuss in private, rehashing everything that had just happened. But they'd never been people to turn away someone who needed help. It was a wonder I didn't have a dozen adopted siblings already.
I texted Simon back to give him the all clear.
"If you wait outside, you'll see them turn up."
My parents rushed to the door, giving me a second to send one last message to Ethan, because my parents weren't the only ones that needed to regroup.
Melanie: Had the weirdest conversation ever with my parents tonight. Told them about... everything. It went okay.
He responded right away.
Ethan: I'm a little confused. Last I knew you were off to talk to the Mistress. What happened? How did you end up at your parent's house?
Had everything in Dublin really only been one night ago? That seemed absurd. And yet, I could see why Ethan might be annoyed that I hadn't checked in. Worried at the very least.
Melanie: Things didn't go that well with the vampires. Big threats, vague suggestions. They're not going to be any help. Basically what I suspected.
Ethan: But you're okay?
Magic In My Soul Page 9
