by Helen Scott
Ellie flipped the light on and glanced around. Granddad had always been a neat and clean man. It had been one of those qualities that pervaded his life. The blanket that Gran had crocheted when they were first married lay on the corner of the bed. Granddad had always been so honored that Gran would spend her time making things for their family. Photos of the two of them throughout their lives were on almost every surface. Ellie choked back a sob as she saw a picture of Granddad and her, which had a place of pride on his dresser next to a picture of the three of them.
Gran had been sick on and off throughout Ellie’s life, so she had never been able to develop as close a bond with her as she did with Granddad. Gran’s cancer had come back again, so they came to the US for a doctor that thought he could help. It turned out he couldn’t. They ended up staying since Gran was too sick to travel. Ellie picked up the photo of the two of them and held it to her chest. She wished she could have one more day with him and that he would have told her about this side of his life. She opened the top drawer and found nothing but socks and men’s undershirts.
Moving over to Granddad’s nightstand, she opened the top drawer and found a newspaper clipping of him in front of Speak O’ the Devil when it first opened. He looked as happy as a pig in mud. But it was what was underneath that caught her attention. A thick, creamy envelope addressed to her.
She sat on the bed and opened it, carefully unfolding the expensive linen pages the envelope contained. There were multiple versions of the letter all with different dates, going back as far as a year. If Granddad had thought his health was declining, why wouldn’t he tell her? She would have done anything for him. Ellie went to the most recent letter, which was dated a few weeks ago.
My Darling Eilidh,
You cannot know how proud I am of you. While I know these past few years have been hard, I am so amazed at what you have been able to accomplish. I’m sure you are angry with me right now, for leaving you alone and not seeking help for my declining health. The truth is, and this is going to be hard to hear my darling, but the truth is I have wanted to join my wife for a while. I miss my Colleen so much; you will understand when you find your special someone. I hope you can forgive me.
I want you to know that our family has a legacy. We have magical abilities. Don’t laugh. I know this probably comes as a shock to you, but with my death, you will inherit the lion’s share of the power. Just know this: all the stories I told you as a child were true. Your mam and da, rest their souls, were simply in denial. But to respect the way they wished you to be raised, I never told you about it. I wish I could give you more information, but it’s different for everyone. I do wish I had talked to you about it sooner, but you know what they say about wishes…
If you came to close my store, know that I would have no one else do it other than you. But also know this: you could create a beautiful life here. The store is successful; it’s beyond my wildest dreams. The clientele are loyal, and if you read the books in my bedroom, then you will have the same knowledge I do. I have left this all for you. I know you are struggling to find your place in the world, and the addition of magic is only going to enhance that feeling. For that I am sorry. If you do decide to stay here, keep a lookout for four brothers. They are good lads and would be good friends to you.
All my love,
Granddad
XOXO
Ellie looked at the two bookcases that stood on the opposite side of the room from his dresser. They were filled with Granddad’s journals and reference books. She was floored. She never knew how serious her Granddad was about all this. She’d honestly thought it a folly that he was opening the store, that it would close within a year, and he and Gran would be back to Scotland. That didn’t happen, and she was so happy Granddad had found some peace here. She read through the letter again, and tears fell as she realized how lonely Granddad must have been without Gran. She knew he wouldn’t have made the decision to ignore bad health lightly; things must have been worse than he ever let on.
She went to the bookshelves and ran a finger along the spines of his journals. The old leather was rich and supple under her light touch. Selecting a book at random, Ellie opened it up, the familiar squat, precise handwriting covered the page talking about banshees. A rough sketch of a woman with long, dark hair and sad eyes stared out at her from the opposite page. She put it back and picked up another volume farther down. This time the squat handwriting talked about the uses for alfalfa and how a user should take it with them when conducting business to protect from poverty. The next entry discussed anise and how it has been rumored to lead the user to happiness and prevent disturbing dreams. She closed the book and put it back exactly as she found it.
She sighed and went back to sit on the bed. How could Granddad have hidden all this from her? She had only known half the man he was, and she wished he would have trusted her enough to let her know the other half. She didn’t care what her mother and father wanted; she should have been able to share this with Granddad while he was still alive.
To think she could have lost all this by accepting the offer on the store. She knew Granddad would have tucked away his personal items, being the private man that he was, and with the offer hinging on buying the store as is, denying Ellie the option to retrieve the personal objects, she couldn’t do it. But then the rent for the property had come due and she had already used the little bit of money she had to purchase plane tickets. She simply couldn’t afford to keep the store open, especially when the small amount of money Granddad had left her was tied up in red tape.
Ellie picked herself up. She didn’t want to mope right now, and if she kept on this line of thinking, she would definitely mope. Leaving the room and flipping the light switch as she went, she softly closed the door. She could hear Alec and Hal talking in the other room; their voices did have a hypnotic quality that was undeniable. She shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but it was nice to just stand and listen to their voices and to not be alone in the apartment for once.
“You really couldn’t help yourself around her could you?” Alec sounded exasperated.
“She just looked like she needed to know what was going on. I thought it was unfair to keep her in the dark.”
“What if she couldn’t take it and cracked?”
“What if… anything? You could add anything to that sentence, and it would still have the same effect. Which is nothing. You know I don’t like that line of thinking. Besides, I came here looking for you because we have a more serious problem. Serious enough, in fact, that I didn’t want to talk about it in front of Ellie.”
“Fine, what is it?”
“We have another assignment, and it’s a doozy. I know you’ll be opposed to this, but I think we need to call in Dem and Thad.”
“What the hell could need all four of us?” Irritation seethed in Alec’s voice.
“Hecate’s torches have been stolen—”
“What?” Alec almost shouted.
“Apparently, it was a little while ago. She thought she could find them on her own, but we’ve had reports of descendants being attacked and killed, the manner of which could only result in someone messing with Hecate’s torches. Whoever has them must have some serious mojo to begin with. We need to find them fast before any more descendants die.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah…”
Ellie could have stayed in the hallway, listening to them talk for hours. She pushed off from the wall and walked in. “Sounds like you lads have a problem.”
Alec looked reluctant to disclose anything, only responding with a nod while Hal looked at Alec as though he didn’t want to accidentally give anything away.
“Do ye need any help? I could do wi’ gettin’ out o’ this shop for a while.”
“Actually, I think the most help you can provide would be by letting us gather the ingredients we need.”
“Of course, take what you like. I don’t know what most of this stuff is, and to be honest, I’m not sure what to do with
it now anyway.”
“Thank you. We will pay you, of course.” Alec dipped his head.
“Did MacLeod leave you anything?” Hal had finally turned to her.
“Actually, yes. He wrote me letters, which although brief, told me to keep an eye out for you lot and that I was going to inherit magical abilities…” She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment about what that could mean. “Oh, and he wants me to keep running the shop.”
“Well, he certainly did get straight to the point didn’t he?”
“Did you know his health was failing?” Ellie pinned Alec with her accusatory gaze.
“No. I swear I didn’t, I can’t speak for anyone else though.”
“Nope, me neither.” Hal’s voice sounded behind her.
“All right then.” She pondered her situation a little more. “I mean obviously I can’t run the shop. I do have a life back home.” Under her breath she added, “sort of.”
“That’s understandable,” said Hal while Alec watched her.
Ellie cleared her throat, beginning to feel somewhat exposed under his stare. For a moment she thought she must know what a rabbit feels like when faced with a fox. “Also I think Granddad may have been a bit off his head. I don’t have any powers other than an excessive amount of static electricity.”
“Maybe it’s just something that you have to focus on. I mean it’s not like you’ve tried using them since you didn’t know you had them, right?” Hal clapped her on the shoulder.
“True.” Ellie’s mind began to race with unanswered questions.
“Mistress, Mistress!” Her lieutenant came quickly shuffling into the room. “There is something new. No. Someone new. Close by, a threat.” Its voice crackled across the expanse of the living room as it huddled in the doorway. It didn’t mean to draw her ire, but Circe couldn’t stand the sound of its voice.
“What is it now?” She was taking advantage of the afternoon sun, streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the mansion she had taken over from some yuppie family.
“There is new magic around; I can taste it.”
“You can’t taste anything! You barely even have a mouth. You’re a decaying corpse for Zeus’s sake!”
“You are right as always, my mistress, however, I felt as though you would want to know that magic is around. I have felt it a few times now, not a lot, but it’s there.”
Circe peeled the cucumber slices off her eyes and sat up. She had been enjoying her day so far. She had ten new soldiers that she had raised and had even gifted herself with a new handmaiden. This one was much more recently dead, so the stench coming from her wasn’t nearly as bad as the one before. It had been a productive morning, and she had hoped for a relaxing afternoon, not one interrupted by her decaying lieutenant.
“Magic is around, huh? Care to offer me anything more specific, or are you only capable of generalities?” She stood and walked over to it. Was it male or female? She couldn’t remember and definitely couldn’t tell from the state of the body she’d raised. The closer she got to it, the lower the thing sunk to the floor. The bones and tendons of its appendages were clearly visible through the tattered fabric. The wisp of hair still attached to its head was barely covering the area of exposed skull.
For a brief moment she wondered what the cause of death had been, if the web of cracks on the visible portion of the skull was responsible for putting this thing that was once a human being in a grave. As her eyes took in the repulsive form on the floor, she was surprised that the loose collection of bones it had for legs were capable of supporting its weight, but that was magic for you. She smiled inwardly at the strength of her new power. She could bring bones back to life.
“My lady.” The thing cowered as it spoke. “I cannot give you any more information, only that I have not sensed magic like this in an age.”
“In an age? What does that mean exactly?”
“I only mean—”
“You can do better. I know you were just bones when I resurrected you, but your brain did reform. I know. I watched it through that crater in your skull.” Circe shuddered; she had no qualms raising the dead, but watching a brain grow made her a little squeamish.
“My lady, I apologize—”
“No! No apologies, just facts. Can you tell me any facts?”
The lieutenant was almost lying on the floor; it was so submissive, but she had no patience for vague threats.
“Mistress, the magic was sensed on the coast, in the vicinity of the magic shop Thing Ten visited last month.”
“Was that so hard?”
“No, Mistress.”
“I didn’t think so.”
Circe turned and stalked over to the bank of windows; she couldn’t stand looking at it anymore. She didn’t know what would happen when she first tried to raise the dead, but her lieutenant was the result. It was her first and probably the oldest body, if you could still call a skeleton a body. Needless to say, it had been a test of her new skills, and she had passed with flying colors.
She looked down at her wrist, lovingly caressing the brand residing there. She would see her love again before his wife returned for the winter. She would raise him an army that would give him more souls, more powerful souls, than ever before. Then he would be strong enough to defy his brother, and they could finally be together.
She sighed as the vision of his jet-black hair and eyes hovering above her came to mind, his cold lips tracing a line of kisses over her skin. They would consummate their marriage in his throne room, and all his subjects would hear as she claimed him.
“Mistress, how would you like me to proceed?” The lieutenant’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Go and find the magic and dispose of it. Be warned, I will be watching through your eyes to see this trouble that you are worried about. I expect results. Either destroy it or bring it back here for me to examine. Poison would be a preferable means of destruction, as we don’t want to draw any unwanted attention just yet. That will come soon enough. Anything else is unacceptable.”
“Yes, Mistress. I will not fail you.” The crackle of its voice grated on her last nerve. Circe turned around and let her fury show. “If you fail me, you will be returned to Hades, who will send you to the Fields of Punishment, or possibly even Tartarus, where the Titans can play with the scraps of your soul.”
“I swear; I will not fail you.”
“Good.”
Circe lay back down and put fresh cucumber slices over her eyes as she listened to her lieutenant shuffle off.
Chapter 4
Alec reached over and handed Ellie her glass of whisky, which she gratefully accepted. He watched her in silence while Hal made small talk. She was an intriguing diversion, and he hadn’t had one in a long time. His last entanglement had been Jessica. They were friends with benefits for a while, but that was over a year ago now—at least that’s how long it seemed—but he was terrible at keeping track of time. That was his main issue with being alive so long; all the years ran together, and he struggled to keep track of them.
Besides, he and his brothers weren’t really supposed to have relationships. The last time a brother had developed feelings for someone, Zeus had thrown a temper tantrum. The big Z-man had driven the woman mad until she had to be locked away for her own safety. Demetrius had never been able to forgive himself for bringing her into their world, and now he was as cold as ice.
The only time Alec had tried to have an actual relationship was when he was a young man. That thought caused a vision of Kalena to dance in his mind. She had been a nobleman’s daughter with all the beauty and education that entailed. She was enough to make any man turn his head. Alec was the only man who turned hers, though, which had filled him with pride.
Kalena came to him one night, dressed in all white. Her raven hair fell in soft waves down her back instead of being pinned up like it usually was. She watched him with her coal-colored eyes as she slipped the straps of her chitōn over her shoulders, letting i
t fall to the floor. He had never seen anything as beautiful as she was at that moment.
They met every night, lying together as man and woman; they couldn’t get enough of each other. Until Zeus stepped in and forced Alec to abandon Kalena. He told Alec that if he left her alone, then she would remain unharmed. Alec’s desire for her was overwhelmed by the need to protect her from Zeus, but he should have known that Zeus wouldn’t be happy to leave it at that. Zeus had informed her father of the transgression, and Kalena had been married off before Alec could even try to gain her father’s favor.
It was then that the terms of their lives were laid out. Alec’s mother, Thelxiope—the last siren still on the earthly plane—gathered them all in their family home. She had cooked a great feast. Wild boar that his father had caught, fresh bread and olives, all paired with sweet wine. Alec could still smell the meal, his mouth watering at the memory. His mother explained what Zeus wanted from them and how it would impact their lives to come. In no uncertain terms, she told them they were forbidden from forming lasting relationships due to their immortality. Her face was torn between anger and anguish as she expressly forbade them from having children out of wedlock. She treated them as though they were still children, explaining everything slowly and deliberately as if they might run away without fully understanding.
As a whole, the brothers’ hearts were broken that night, but none felt it like Alec. He was responsible for bringing Zeus’s wrath down upon them. From that moment on, they had been the gods’ gofers. Whenever something was lost or stolen or they had a problem, the gods reached out to them—to the fix-it brothers. They called themselves Guardians, but that was glorifying it a little, if he was honest with himself.
A sharp burst of laughter from Hal brought him back to the present, although the bitter memory lingered around the edges of his mind.
