by A E M
Caramia, oh my soul. I was part, now I am whole.
All my love I give to you, all my life I will be true.
Fly by my side,
Walk by my side,
Rest by my side,
Don’t leave my side.
Caramia, oh my heart, from you I’ll never part.
Through the dark and through the light,
You will remain my delight.
Your lips so soft.
Your eyes that shine.
Your touch it sets
My heart on fire.
Caramia, oh my flame, by your side I will remain.
Let me care for you my sweet, let me sleep by your heartbeat.
Your mind is bright,
Your laughter sings,
Your smile is sweet,
To you I cling.
Caramia, let’s be true. I can’t hide my love for you.
“Beau, it’s beautiful.” She whispered. “Will you sing it again?”
He did.
10
The Hidden Passages
Audrey bounced the squalling baby in her arms. “She’s so loud!”
Ebby rolled her eyes. “You took her magic away from her; I’d be loud, too.”
“Give her to me.” Isaac said. “She’ll settle if I dance with her.”
“You’ll only be able to dance around the secret for so long.” Ebby warned.
Audrey frowned at Isaac after Ebby left. “She’ll never forgive us.”
“It’s not us she’s trying to forgive, darling.”
Charlotte opened her heavy eyes and peered out the window to study the morning’s greeting. She liked that she didn’t have to shove thick curtains aside like her parents’ and Ebby’s rooms. The majority of the castle’s windows were magically tinted so anybody in the castle could look out, but nobody could look in. It was a hit with the guests, and her mother had approved of not having to keep track of as many curtains. She turned on her stomach and watched the wind blow through the trees as she woke up slowly. The morning light stretched across the lawns and crept up the walls. She both welcomed and hated the light this morning. It brought warmth and sight, but it also brought the truth of the battle in the scars of open dirt ditches and burns across the grass. Trees were bent and broken. The grass beneath the orchid was full of fruit knocked from the trees. At least her room faced the back of the property. She wasn’t sure if she could ever walk across the front lawns or over the bridge without thinking of Ebby. She thought of the necklace on her nightstand and wondered about Ebby’s cryptic message briefly before shoving her thoughts down somewhere deep in her brain. Not now.
Charlotte turned away from the window and curled up under the covers. She was warm enough, but the habit was comforting. She smiled at the sleeping form of Beau. He lay on his stomach; his arms were thrown out to the sides. His wings were relaxed and rose up and down a little as he breathed in and out. His mouth looked untroubled, and his eyelashes painted a softer look on his face. She couldn’t remember ever truly noticing his eyelashes. She laughed quietly to herself. How had she not noticed them before?
Charlotte slowly reached for him, but decided against it. She would wait until he was awake to see if she could touch him. She couldn’t feel the heat, but he could gauge it and compare it to what it had been earlier. Turning back to the window, she stared again across the lawns and saw something she wished was a mistake. She sat straight up, and caught herself as she swayed a little.
“Beau.” She said loudly. “Wake up now.”
He leapt out of bed, and all the gentleness of his form was lost to outstretched wings and hands curled into fists. “What is it? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She nodded to the window. “Look. There are at least twenty of them. ”
Beau ran for the stairs. “Father! There is a group of magani outside of the shield. It looks like centaurs and fauns.”
“Josef!” Charlotte shouted. Chime appeared.
“We know.” She turned to Beau. “Take care of Charlotte and your family. We are waking the guests.” She popped back out of the room.
A line starting at the group of magani shot up the shield and began spreading into a web of other, thinner lines. “Beau. The shield. It’s cracking.” She grabbed her bag and threw the medical bag Sebastian had given them and the extra fairy clothes inside it. She took the stairs as quickly as she could, but then sat down on the last step outside of the living room and buried her dizzy head in her hands. She breathed slowly in and out. Every inch of her body ached. She wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week. Or a month. She heard the footsteps nearing her and felt the softness of the blanket that was placed around her shoulders.
“Let me help you, sweetheart,” Wynn said gently and wrapped the blanket around her. “I think Beau is right. I can touch you with a blanket without getting burned. It’s most likely just a matter of time.”
“I hope so.” Charlotte said through her hands.
“Can you walk?” Wilder asked. “We need to get some place safer.”
“I can carry her.” Beau called out from across the room where he stood at the window.
“I can walk.” Charlotte stood. “Where will we go?”
“The outside shield is completely down now.” Beau picked up Charlotte and headed for the door. “Father, where?”
“We have to get to the closet in the library.” The five of them raced out the room and leapt off of the banister. Wilder reached the secret panel and held the door open for the rest of them to get in. As the door shut, they heard the beginnings of popping again.
“Now the shield on the castle is under attack.” Wynn said softly.
“Are we safe in here?” Bliss asked.
“Does Raven know about this room?” Wynn asked.
“No, I hadn’t told her about it yet.” Bliss frowned. Her eyes flashed and she turned away.
Wynn laid a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Bliss, what’s done is done. Let’s focus on what we can control.”
“Honestly, this is probably one of the safest places we could be if we remain quiet.” Wilder answered as he quietly moved the boxes around the room. “Plus, Isaac and I put a trap door right here.”
There was a loud pop and shattering of glass. Next came the sound of hooves running across the wooden floors. Somebody shouted at others to search the living areas. Wilder quietly said something none of them could hear, and a short wide panel in the wall opened silently. He motioned for them to enter. Bliss and Wynn crawled in first, and then Charlotte followed by Beau and Wilder. Wilder whispered something again, and the panel slid closed. They all continued to crawl along until they reached a corner and the small crawlspace turned into a downward-sloped passageway with room enough to stand.
Bliss looked back at her father. She lifted her eyebrows and opened her mouth.
“We can talk in here.” Wilder responded.
“Does this lead to the garage?” Bliss asked.
“Actually, this one does not.” Wilder replied. “With the damage done to the garage, I figured that tunnel might be partially caved in, or at least a dead end until the debris is cleared away.”
It was Wynn’s turn to look around. “Tell me, husband: just how many tunnels did you boys create?”
Wilder flashed her a teasing grin. “We have a code, dear. The only reason you are in this one is because your life is in danger.”
Wynn shook her head at him, “We will continue this discussion later.”
Wilder moved up to the front and put his arm around Wynn. He kissed her despite the look she was giving him and whispered in her ear.
Bliss groaned. “I’d like to get out from under the ground soon. I’m more of a sky person.”
“Oh, Bliss,” Wynn said with a laugh. She slipped her arm around Wilder’s waist, and the two led the way. Bliss marched a few paces behind them, and Charlotte and Beau walked behind her.
The tunnel was cold and smelled of earth and stale air. Enchanted touch
es lit up as they neared and snuffed out shortly after they passed. Charlotte filed away the tunnels in the part of her mind that was collecting the secrets her family had been keeping from her. There would be time to mull over it later. Right now she wanted safety. Safety that lasted more than a day. She thought of the hobs and the magani at the castle. Were they okay? Was the Maguard able to capture the foes? She frowned. How were her parents? Were they being followed? Where were they now? She sighed and filed the worries aside in another part of her brain. She felt so out of control. She wanted to do something. Help in some way. Why was it her part to hide in the forests or tunnels? This was her home!
“You look ferocious.” Beau said. “What are you thinking?”
“Should we have stayed and fought? Do you think everybody else is okay?” Charlotte asked. “This is my home! I should be doing something!” Beau raised his eyebrows and scolded her silently. Charlotte frowned at him and narrowed her eyes. She knew precisely what he was thinking. Yes, they had had this fight in the woods after the first incident.
They all stopped walking and stood in a circle.
“Everybody else has the Maguard.” Wynn said.
“I think we should have stayed to fight.” Bliss growled. “That’s what we are trained—”
“I agree that we should learn to fight, daughter.” Wilder interrupted. “But there is a time and a place for that. The important thing to know is when you should fight and when you should not. For example, since Rhett has a wife who just gave birth and a baby to take care of, his family’s needs are different than ours with adult children. Or last night Isaac chose to run and hide for the sake of his wife’s life. There is no shame there. He did the right thing.”
“If there are going to be hard times ahead, I don’t want to spend them hiding and running away to hide some more.” Charlotte asserted. For a long moment nobody said anything. Charlotte didn’t push. Something else seemed to be brewing, and she didn’t want to pry. Bliss and Wilder stared at each other silently. Wynn laid a hand on each of their shoulders. Finally, the tension broke. Wilder dropped his stare and waved his daughter over. Bliss stepped forward and they hugged and stepped aside to whisper quietly.
Wynn commented then. “You should learn to fight, Charlotte, but you will need to learn patience while you train. It will take us some time to learn what you have become and for you to learn how to control what you have.”
They returned to their previous formation and headed further into the tunnel. Charlotte wondered what she would be able to do, and how she would figure it out. She allowed herself a smile. Finally she had some kind of magic. Now she didn’t have to marry into the magical world or have her memories erased or run away. And now she could marry for love. She turned and caught Beau looking at her with a smile. She smiled back. It almost felt wrong to feel happy with everything else going on, but she couldn’t help the happiness surging through her heart.
“You two don’t fool me,” Bliss turned around and wagged a finger at them. “We’ve all been waiting forever for the two of you to get together.” She rolled her eyes and motioned at her parents. “I’m surrounded by love birds.”
“I’m not a bird, though.” Charlotte stopped walking. The surges of hope settled into uncertainty. She hadn’t even thought past her feelings for him. There were realities to be addressed. “It’s probably better for Beau to find a pretty winged girl.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Wilder interrupted. “When we find our mate, we know.” He looked at Beau. “Son, haven’t you told her?” Beau shook his head no, and Wilder continued. “All bronze eagles have brown eyes until they find their mate. Once that happens, their eyes begin to turn gold. Beau here thought he had us all fooled with his reckless dating, but we all could see the flecks of gold in his eyes. We just didn’t know who it was.” Wilder playfully tapped Beau on the side of his head. “Hair dye, son?” He winked at Charlotte. “His hair will turn white like Wynn and I.”
Beau blushed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“While it may not be common, there are many bronze eagles who marry dane-weavers or the rare dane.” Wynn added. She smiled at Charlotte. “He was already paired with you when you were a dane-weaver. Or thought you were, rather.”
Charlotte took a sharp breath in and put her hands on her hips. “Beau Winguard! You foolish man-boy!”
Beau took a step back and held his hands up.
Charlotte stepped towards him. “I was going to leave after the ball. I had my bags packed and everything. I wasn’t about to let the Weaver Council force me to marry or delete my memory.” She stepped closer to him and wiped away the few tears that had sprung from her eyes. “This summer was supposed to be our last together and you left! You spent the entire time faking it with another girl and all that time I was torn and hurting over the decision!” She shook her head at him. “How could you not say anything to me? How could you stand there and let me dance with other guys?”
“So that’s what you were hiding! You were going to leave your parents and your home and me without a goodbye?” Beau countered. “How could you not say anything to us? How could you sit around miserable for an entire summer and not let anybody know what was going on?”
“You’re both selfish at times, that’s why.” Bliss interjected loudly. “Questions answered. Make up later, please.”
Charlotte stole glances at Beau as they continued down the tunnel. He glared at the dirt below them and shoved his hands into his pants. His wings were tense; they ruffled and spread out a little as he walked.
Wynn stepped back to walk between them. She cleared her throat. “My mother was a bronze eagle. My father was a dane from a mixed family of a dane and a winged magani. They had six children. Two were danes; four were bronze eagles. The two danes went on to marry bronze eagles. One of the bronze eagles went on to marry a boy from Raven’s kind. Now we have quite the varied crowd when we all get together.”
“Do things change since I have mutated into whatever I am?” Charlotte asked bitterly. “He ought to have a chance for something more than a girl he can’t touch.”
Beau stopped walking and looked her straight in the eyes. “Bronze eagles mate for life, Charlotte. This is it. I will not abandon you because things get hard or are different than I thought they would be.”
“So I’m your problem to bear?”
“Don’t try to bait me, Lottie.” He grabbed the edges of the blanket and pulled her close to him. In a quieter voice he said, “As a foolish man-boy, I recognize a foolish woman-girl when I hear one.” He placed his hand firmly on the small of her back and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “Come, Caramia. We’ll argue later when it’s only the two of us and we can make up afterwards.” His breath was hot on her ear, yet she shivered.
They walked. Beau kept his hand on her back pressing into her through the blanket and sending little sparks of comfort up her spine. He obviously was positive that they would be able to touch, but she wasn’t so sure. How could he not be as worried as she was about her touch? She stared at the marks on his arms. How could she ever touch him knowing that scarring was a possibility? Was it truly something that would pass? Was the heat merely part of the transformation?
Around a bend in the tunnel a small cavern opened up. Wilder walked around the cavern until all the torches were lit. Even the darkness in the room was stagnant. “There’s a way out here. I’m going to go up and take a look around to see if it’s safe to come out.”
“I’m going with you,” Wynn said. They both reached for the knives they wore in pouches around their belts.
Charlotte turned to Beau. “Do you feel the same amount of heat from me today?”
Beau frowned. “Yes, I do. But my opinion remains that it is temporary.”
“I wish I were like you, positive that things will work out and content with who you are.”
Beau crossed in arms in front of his chest. “You’ve always wanted to be anybody other than who you are. You need to stop that
nonsense.”
“My mother would agree with you.”
“Your mother is a wise woman.”
Charlotte sat down on the cold dirt ground and stretched her aching legs. “What do you want from me? Do you want me to pretend that I’m happy that I’ve given you scars?” Her voice wavered. “Faunus was right. I’m going to lose my mind, aren’t I? I’ll have to be your wife who’s locked up in the attic.”
Beau laughed. “Oh, Lottie. Wrong story.” He kneeled down in front of her. “You don’t look so great. Why don’t you lie down?” He covered her up with the blanket and sat down by her. “I think you need some more rest and time. You should be resting and being taken care of right now. What is moping about gaining you right now? Just forget it all at the moment. We will cross each bridge as we get to them.” He sighed then. “Besides, if you continue to sit around here and whine and then in a few days we all find out how much cooler than me you are going to be, I’m going to be irritated.”
“Sorry.” Charlotte started to say before Beau interrupted her.
“Don’t be sorry. I doubt there is anybody who wouldn’t feel like you do after going through what you went through.”
Charlotte shrugged and pulled the blanket up to her chin. She looked into his eyes. “What will our story say?” She asked quietly.
Beau smiled and lay down beside her. He propped his head in his hand and smiled. “Our story will say that we loved each other every day of our lives and every night in our dreams.”
“You aren’t always a foolish man-boy, you know.” Charlotte whispered. She hesitantly reached out and laid her fingers by his other hand. She stared at the tiny space between their fingers and longed to close the gap.
“What am I in between the foolish moments?” Beau asked in a whisper.
“Hmmm.” Charlotte yawned. Her eyes closed and soon she was asleep.
Beau rolled onto his back and sighed as he stared at the ceiling. He was in love with her. A fascinating, frustrating, feverish love. She loved him, too. He knew she did. So why did she fight that love and try to push it away when all he wanted to do was embrace it and never let it go?
