I pushed away my chair and set both my hands on the book. The energy that had built up in my arms escaped through my fingers, and the book started sizzling with a bluish glow. Muffled sounds arose in the room, accompanied by holographic images of mythical animals and legendary beings. Suddenly, the head of a dragon appeared, clacking its jaws at the tip of my nose. I recoiled brusquely and banged against the chair, which toppled over backwards and made me lose my balance. I fell down. Abruptly, everything grew calm. I got to my feet, cautiously looking all around, and then turned my attention back to the book. Its pages began to turn over all by themselves, and then with a dry snapping sound, the book shut and I realized that its title had changed. It now showed, in Welsh, the title, “Book of Spells Belonging to Merlin.”
“Oh my god, a guddio!”
I flipped through the pages to verify what I already knew – the book was indeed filled with magical formulas. It had been protected by a dissimulation spell that changed one object into another in order to hide it. Only he who had cast the spell could find it again, unless he’d authorized someone else to find it too. But how had Merlin fashioned a guddio that allowed me, Gabriel, to discover it? I didn’t even exist back in that era!
How could that be possible? Could he see into the future?
Pensive and in awe of this mastery, I became lost in my thoughts, and did not see the velvety black spider in the corner. But I suddenly felt its danger, which galvanized me. I scooped up the spell book and tucked it under my arm, and at the same instant, the spider materialized into a young woman I knew well: Alwena, her pretty face deformed by the hated and anger that had never quit her since her mother’s death. I snuck a glance at the door as a means of escape, but she understood, and bounded onto the table with an agile pirouette, landing between the exit and me. I had no choice but to attack.
Using a combination of balancing act and wrestling holds, I laid into her remorselessly. Every time she or I hit our target, the book flew through the air and changed hands. Tired of my parrying, she used magic to empty the bookshelves of their books, making them fly across the room toward me. I replied with a spell to raise up the tables in front of me as a barricade. Then I sent one of the tables at her with all my forces. Its legs sunk deep into the wooden shelving, imprisoning her.
Knowing that it wouldn’t hold her very long, I took advantage of the brief respite to run. The manuscript under my arm, I raced out the door and down the corridor.
I had to think fast!
I needed to get through the main entrance doors without attracting attention, but I knew she would soon catch up, and unlike me, she wouldn’t hesitate to use any means to recover the spell book, regardless of the reactions of the humans all around. So I decided to run upstairs instead of down. I rushed into the first empty room I could find, headed to the window, swiftly opened it and started to climb over the high windowsill.
But then I heard steps, someone running, following me. Alwena had gotten free.
Without a second’s hesitation, I threw the manuscript out the window into the air, even as she screamed, “Noooo!”
I dove after it into the shadows of dusk, transforming into an eagle-owl. Blessed with night vision now, I bulleted down to the book and grabbed it with my sharp claws before it could touch the ground, then beat my wings to gain more altitude.
Screeching with satisfaction, I looked at Alwena, triumph in my eyes. I could see she was pronouncing words, but I couldn’t hear them, and assumed she was cursing me with all the swear words familiar to her.
I was mistaken. The stone chimeras decorating the roof of the nearby Notre Dame cathedral had come to life and were now flying after me. The noise of their heavy wings beating behind me gave me the alarm, and I knew this was some devilry of that cursed witch. Luckily it was now fully dark, so no one was aware of what was passing above their heads as I slalomed between the Haussmann buildings, trying to shake off my pursuers.
That was not easy! They were three times as big as me and the weight of the book was hampering me. I managed to dodge several of their attacks, but only by a mere hairsbreadth, so in desperation, I dove through an apartment window that had been left open on the top floor of a building. I flew inside, then skidded along the oak floor with a sensational noise. The book, which I’d just released, smashed into a television and broke the screen. I transformed back into a human and spun around, holding my arms up toward the windows, to cast a protection spell.
“Amddiffyn!” I shouted.
The windows closed with a loud claacck, and a blue veil glued itself to the glass. The chimeras smashed into it and broke into a multitude of stone pieces.
Relieved, I caught my breath and leaned against the wall. That’s when I saw her: an old lady in her nightgown, seated on the sofa in front of the TV. She was staring at me, stunned, with her mouth hanging open. I straightened up slowly and carefully, a little embarrassed and unsure what to say.
On an impulse, I simply declared, “Sorry about your television… I’ll repair it.”
I don’t know if she heard me because she didn’t move a finger – she was frozen like a statue. Keeping my eyes on her, I pronounced a formula to repair the screen.
“Atgyweirio beth sy’n torri!”
I watched the woman anxiously as the fragments of the screen arranged themselves back into their place. When the image reappeared, she came back to life, gesturing to me to move out of the way. Then she poked her knife into a piece of cheese on a plate in front of her, spread it on a slice of bread and then started to eat it, ignoring me completely.
Now it was I who was stunned. Feeling awkward, I brushed all the dust off my coast sleeves, and said, “Well, I guess I’ll go… Have a nice evening!”
She didn’t respond, but continued to chew her food, eyes glued to a TV game show, so I slipped out through the front door. I figured she must be a bit cracked, and that suited me just fine. No one would take her seriously anyway if she ever recounted what had happened in her apartment.
I hurried back to my hotel, watchful and wary. Professor Deen was undoubtedly getting impatient waiting for me.
Melora wandered through the school, as she still had time before the conference began, and visiting all the main buildings helped to clear her head. By the time she got back to the auditorium, many students had already found seats.
She chose an inconspicuous spot on a bench to wait for the event to start, and looked all around the prestigious amphitheater, which was classified as a historic monument. The hall had two floors, and about a dozen tribunes punctured with niches containing statues of great thinkers like Richelieu, Descartes and Lavoisier. In the cupola were five monochrome medallions representing the five Schools of the University of Paris: Law, Medicine, Literature, Science and Theology. The largest painting that Melora had ever seen dominated the area above the stage, a tableau evoking the living symbols of the sciences, letters and arts.
Professor Deen soon made his entry to a thunder of applause, followed by four young men and women. She immediately recognized Gabriel among them. Calm settled down in the hall as they sat down behind a table in the center of the stage, and for the next hour, they discussed and exchanged fascinating views.
When Melora left, she felt delighted but exhausted. She was dreaming of a long, hot shower, and she started for home, sending a text message to Caroline as she walked. They met on the way back, and Evan was with her. Melora felt guilty when she saw him, suddenly realizing she had completely forgotten his existence for quite some time.
“How’s it going?” Evan asked her, a bit worried by her pale face.
“Fine, fine,” she replied, giving him a weak smile.
He gazed at her, but decided not to insist.
The next day seemed interminable to Melora, she felt so nervous about her date that evening. She had mentioned it to Caroline in a vague way, calling Gabriel a childhood friend, which in fact was the truth, but as she’d expected, the pretty redhead had insisted on knowing more,
and Melora had to promise to introduce the young man to her before she would drop the subject.
After school, she hastened to get back home, something unusual for her. She was worried about something, and when she saw her roommate, she asked falteringly, “Could I borrow your little black dress?”
Caroline, all smiles, gave her an affectionate look.
“Of course! I can do even better than that… I’m going to help you get ready. I’d love it if you’d let me do your hair, too – I can make it a masterpiece!”
Then she looked at Melora, and pursed her lips.
“It’s strange to see you worried about your outfit – are you sure you’ve told me everything about your ‘childhood friend?’ You don’t happen to have a crush on him?”
“How stupid!” Melora scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Gabriel’s a friend, and it stops there!”
“If you say so…”
Caroline got busy, and Melora let her do as she wished, knowing her friend was much better than she was at this kind of thing. Thus, at 6:55 that evening, when she looked in the mirror, she didn’t even recognize herself. Facing her was a glamorous young woman wearing a short black dress that flattered her curves and black heels that made her long legs looks sexy and sleek. Her shiny hair fell in waves that Caroline had shaped perfectly, with one curl on the side slightly veiling her right eye. Her makeup was discreet but more dramatic than usual. Dark eyeshadow and mascara highlighted her eyes and her thick eyelashes, pink gloss brightened her full lips. Her silver pendant hung just right above the neckline of her dress, matching the bracelets that her friend had suggested she wear.
“There!” exclaimed Caroline. “All you need is this little purse to round off the outfit and off we go.”
She slipped the purse under Melora’s arm and followed her downstairs, Melora thanking her warmly all the way.
When they entered the cloister arcades, they saw a man in a perfectly-cut suit examining the monument standing in the center of the garden. When he turned around, they both stopped short, hypnotized by his virile beauty. He strode forward to join them, moving as smoothly and quietly as a cat. Caroline looked more like a fish, gasping for air, opening and closing her mouth without uttering a sound. Melora shuffled her feet nervously to attract his attention, and when he came up to them, she greeted him with a smile and said, “Hi Gabriel, this is Caroline – my inseparable friend.”
“Hello,” he said with a smile, holding out his hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m happy to know that Melora’s not alone at school.”
“Pu… pleased to meet you,” Caroline babbled, blushing.
Recovering her confidence, she added, “And I’m glad to know that my roomie has such a charming friend.”
Gabriel noticed the annoyed look on Melora’s face, and started grinning.
She might be used to Caroline’s flirting by now, but he’d seen how she resented her exercising her talents on Gabriel. Melora shrugged.
After all, what does it matter? You have no rights to him anyway!
“Are you ready?” Gabriel asked. “I reserved a table in a neat-looking restaurant. I hope you’ll like it. Have a good evening, Caroline!”
“Have fun, especially you!” Caroline replied with a twinkle in her eye.
When Melora appeared in the courtyard, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her beauty fascinated me, and her magnificent light-colored eyes looked at me with such nervousness. They made me feel like giving her a hug. When I spoke to her I used an easygoing tone to make her feel more comfortable, but also to hide how deeply moved I was.
Do you know exactly what you’re doing here? I wondered.
Yes, I had promised myself to do something to be agreeable to her, to make up for my past errors.
I got so wrapped up in my internal reflections that I didn’t see the police officer signaling to his colleague at the wheel of a tow truck. They were about to tow my car, which would have spoiled our evening. I hurried over, putting on my most engaging smile.
“I’m sorry! I was here only two minutes.”
The officer, as friendly as a prison door, retorted, “Just because you have a nice sports car doesn’t mean you can park anywhere you like!”
“Yes, that’s true,” I said contritely. “I promise I’ll pay more attention next time.”
“Sorry, but I won’t be able to let you leave.”
“Come on…”
Seeing my insistence, the truck driver got down from his cab and joined his colleague. I looked at Melora, who was watching the scene with a regretful expression. Feeling the situation getting beyond me, I decided to allow myself a little providential aid. I turned my hand in circles very discretely and murmured a word. Then, fixing them with my eyes, I reiterated my request: “I assure you I won’t do it again. Let us go.”
Absent-mindedly, the policeman repeated, “If you won’t do it again, I’ll let you go.”
“Thanks.”
And to Melora’s astonishment, I opened the passenger door and invited her to climb in. After we pulled away, she said, “That was nuts! They’re often stationed in front of the high school, and I’ve never seen them relent like that.”
“This must be my lucky day,” I replied, winking at her.
We were silent for a whole, listening to the humming of the engine. I stared at the hood of my blue car, seeking a topic of conversation. I remembered that my request for that color had surprised the dealer, but as always, his team had known exactly what I wanted. The Audi A8 V10 was perfect, with its angular lines and its 610-horsepower motor; all in all, it was an exceptional car. I couldn’t help comparing it to Lightning, their dynamic characters, for example, that made racing exciting. Unfortunately, I didn’t get many chances to use it, and when I wasn’t in Paris, it sat quietly in the garage of Viviane’s impressive town house. I looked in the black carbon rearview mirror before turning toward the Eiffel tower, and snuck a glance at Melora sunk deep in her leather seat.
I spoke first. “So?” I cleared my throat. “Have you chosen your course of study?”
She looked at me and said, “Yes, I like law.”
“You’ll have to study a long time for a law degree, you know that?”
“I know, but that doesn’t bother me. No one’s waiting for me in Rennes, anyway,” she muttered.
“What about your mother?”
“I’m not going to spend my whole life with my mother. You want me to become an old maid or what?”
“Ha, that would surprise me! You’re way too pretty.”
She softened and gave me a smile. I pretended to concentrate on the road. Luckily, the Eiffel Tower provided a diversion and a chance to change the conversation. Majestic, brightly-lit, it was looming up before us now.
“Is this where we’re going to eat?” she asked, leaning out to observe the ‘Iron Lady.’
“I thought you might like it. Was I wrong?”
“N… no,” she stuttered. “I wasn’t expecting you to take me somewhere so romantic, but it’s a great idea! Although I’ve been in Paris several years, I’ve never gone up to the top.”
Damn, I didn’t want her to think I was hitting on her.
She must have noticed my confusion, because she teased me, “From a count like you, I thought I’d get an invitation to Versailles and a tour of the Hall of Mirrors…”
She acted so disappointed I suddenly felt unsure if she were serious or not, but then she started laughing, a genuine, spontaneous laughter that made me beam, and to my great relief, relaxed the atmosphere as we pulled up to the valet parking area.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be satisfied with the Eiffel Tower,” she said with a smile as she got out.
A uniformed bellhop guided us into the elevator and up to the second floor, where the restaurant was located. The “Jules Verne” featured excellent cuisine prepared by a Michelin-starred chef, so I figured my bases were covered as far as the food went. My intuition was confirmed when we entered a dining room blessed with a warm, muted at
mosphere. Melora seemed delighted, so I was content. The restaurant manager welcomed us effusively and showed us to our table in front of the immense bay windows, from where you could see all Paris glittering with light and color.
Melora named all the historical monuments she could recognize, with such innocent, charming enthusiasm that I had to hide my amusement. A sommelier came to present the wine list, and she let me choose. I picked a 2013 Condrieu, a white wine perfect for the start of our evening.
The dinner proceeded in a carefree, relaxed ambiance. As the wines paraded before us, a different one for each course, our tongues untied and we talked about our childhoods, freely expressing our emotions. However, not one word about that famous day when I had decided to never see her again, as I didn’t want to ruin our date.
“Do you want to see something fantastic?” I asked with a mysterious air.
“That depends,” she said, frowning a little with suspicion.
I smiled. “I promise it’s neither dangerous nor indecent.”
She hesitated a second, then laughed and declared, “Very well, let’s see it! You know I’m not afraid of anything.”
After congratulating the chef for the delicious meal, we left the restaurant and took the elevator, but to Melora’s surprise, this one didn’t take us down, but up, all the way to the top. She grew excited, and her eyes lit up like they used to do when we were children. Her enthusiasm was contagious. I hadn’t felt so relaxed since leaving Comper. At the summit, though, she was hit bad by dizziness and I had to grab her by the waist.
“I guess I lied, as there is one thing I’m afraid of…” she admitted.
“I see… You get dizzy from heights.”
I rushed her into the room next to the bar. In fact, I wanted to put a little distance between her body and mine, as holding her in my arms had procured sensations I didn’t want. The barman proposed a glass of champagne, and she relaxed after a few sips.
Fortunately, the décor was sober, the ambiance inviting, so after making sure she felt up to it, I suggested going outside to look at the view. When we approached the railing, her knees trembled but she went forward bravely. She gripped the security bars tightly, as if hanging onto a lifebuoy, and her breathing was loud and irregular. I was impressed by her courage but mostly, I wanted to protect her and reassure her, as I felt bad about making her go through such a trial. Without reflecting on my actions, I moved behind her and encircled her with my arms. I felt her stiffen up at first, then relax, reassured. In perfect silence, we watched Paris offer up her many sights. I drank in the delicate perfume of her hair. She no longer wore the discreet honeysuckle and lemon fragrance she used before, but something more feminine, a sweet, flowery scent.
Heirs of Avalon: The passage Page 11
