by Marnie Cate
Later that evening, Gram cooked up the trout we brought with her special peach sauce and served it on a bed of golden rice. The fresh vegetables from the garden were crisp and flavorful and the water with lemon raspberry ice cubes was cool and refreshing.
“Mae Veracor, you are the best cook. I should ask you to run away with me right now,” Cole joked between bites.
Gram swatted him as he reached for another helping and laughed, “Save some food for the girls.”
Light conversation filled the dinner table and my fears from earlier faded. I felt calm and at ease while I watched my family joking and enjoying the meal. I could not understand why my emotions were always such a roller coaster ride. I just needed to learn to live in the moment and stop worrying about the unknown.
Meg savored each bite and when she thought Cole was not looking she stole nibbles from his plate and giggled. A voice that snuck into my head kept softly reminding me not to ruin it by believing it would stay this way. It never did. Shaking away the doubt, I began clearing the table.
“Who has room for dessert?” Gram asked.
“Two scoops for me, Gram!!!” Meg shouted.
Dessert was homemade black licorice ice cream. Gram scooped up two tiny scoops, added red sprinkles to the top of Meg's dessert and handed it to the little girl.
“But…” Meg began to protest.
Gram gently kissed her on the head and said, “Let's save room for later.” I smiled at Gram. We both knew Meg's eyes were larger than her little tummy.
I accepted the ice cream Gram had scooped for me. I set the bowl on the table and felt the need to hug Gram.
“Thank you for everything. I love you so much.” I said, as I hugged my grandmother tightly. Her silver hair felt soft against my cheek.
“I love you, too, Mara,” she said, as she softly patted my hand.
“Cole, can you watch Meg for a few minutes?” Gram asked. Taking my hand, she whispered, “Come with me.”
“I think I can handle this little ball of trouble,” he said, as he stole a bite of her ice cream.
“Not fair, Cos,” Meg whined, using the nickname she had given him. Gram had said the nickname stuck because he was always the cause of any mischief that started. Meg retaliated by scooping up a huge amount of his dessert and filling the air with her devious giggles.
Laughing he said, “You win. You win. Look Mara is leaving her ice cream. We should eat hers.”
“You know he is going to get her more ice cream if we are gone too long,” I warned.
“I would expect nothing else from that boy,” Gram responded, as we walked out of the kitchen to her bedroom.
Chapter 3
Gram's room was bright and airy. Lavender and cinnamon faintly scented the air. The walls were bare except for one large oval mirror. The silver frame had a straw-like design. It always looked like the mirror was nestled in a bird's nest to me.
From under her king size mahogany bed, Gram pulled out a silver chest. I had seen the chest when I was younger and was snooping around. The chest was engraved with names. When I found it, I had asked her about the names on the chest. She told me that they were special people and I would learn more when it was time – the right time.
“Open the chest, love. It is time you learn who we are and what is inside,” Gram gently said and handed me the box. “This box was given to me by my mother. Each of the names on this chest promised to keep the ancient magic safe from those who would misuse it.”
I traced the names with my fingertip. The name Genevieve felt warm and felt like a song. Tracing my grandmother's name, I felt the same warmth and feeling of peace. When I moved to the next name below Gram's, I stopped and stared. Eliza was written. This name was not warm like the other two. It felt like ice and made my heart start beating fast.
“Why would her name feel so cold? Does it mean she is dead, Gram?” I whispered.
“Open the chest and you will have answers to your questions,” she persuaded, unable to hide the sadness in her voice.
I carefully opened the box and it glowed with a lavender light that lit up the room. Deep inside the box resting on a satin bed, there was a light blue ring. The robin egg blue stone was surrounded by braided silver that looked as though it was an egg inside its nest. Picking up the ring, I held it in my hand.
Looking back into the chest that held the stone ring, I saw a dark haired woman smiling as she placed a purple ring on her finger. The ring looked like the one I was holding, yet, its stone was different in color. The deep blue to red images moved so quickly that I began to feel dizzy as I watched.
When the next image came, it slowed and I gasped as I recognized the next woman. It was my grandmother. She was a teenager with long brown hair pulled into a delicate braid. The braid had beautiful white flowers laced throughout the twist of her hair. Her soft brown eyes shined as she held a deep blue ring in front of her and said, “I promise to always protect this magic and use it to protect and guide and never use for self-benefit.”
The first woman appeared before me and spoke in strong voice as she looked deeply into my eyes, “Marina Addisyn Stone, do you promise to protect this magic from those who would misuse it? Will you stand strong and protect the magic when the time comes?”
An image of a young girl with ruby red hair suddenly appeared. The red hair flowed down her back in loose curls. Her green eyes shone proudly as she promised to protect the magic while holding a ring with a soft pink stone. The girl changed to a woman holding a baby. The black haired baby cooed as the woman sweetly sang to her. The woman changed again and was now holding a bright-eyed baby with blonde curls. By her side was a young girl with long black hair in braids. The girl was smiling and singing to the baby in the woman's arms.
The image turned gray and the woman was no longer smiling. As the image became clearer, I saw her ruby red hair was still long and flowing but it was now a darker red that was streaked with pure white. Her once green eyes were black. She wore a tight black bodice with tight black pants that were embossed with a silver snake pattern running up the legs. The skintight clothes hugged her body. Her black boots had silver spiked heels. She slowly walked across a black granite floor that had specks of red in the stone. She carried a gold-jeweled goblet to a man sitting in a large chair.
The man was dressed a tight black t-shirt and wore black leather pants with the same snake pattern on the legs. The man's black hair was short and spiked with white tips. He had a long silver scar under his left eye. The cold in his black eyes seemed to warm as she came close and he saw her.
As he accepted the goblet, he pulled the woman onto his lap and kissed her passionately. Pushing him away from her, she placed her hand on his cheek. The ring on her finger was no longer pink but glowed blood red. As she stroked his light, black beard, he gazed into the ring and smiled. “Soon, love,” she whispered. “Soon.”
The image of the woman faded and the comforting image of the first smiling woman returned. She repeated her first question, “Marina Addisyn Stone, my great granddaughter, do you promise to protect this magic from those who would misuse it? Will you stand with us when the time comes?”
Clutching the ring, I shut the chest and the image of the woman faded away. Hot tears fell down my face as I looked into my grandmother's sorrowful eyes.
“You knew where my mother was all along,” I suspiciously said. “How could you keep the truth from me? How could you keep it from Meg? You know how much we have worried about her.”
“It was not safe for you to know,” Gram said. “If circumstances had not changed I would not have told you but they are growing stronger. Hiding the truth from you is no longer protecting you. Sit and I will tell you what you need to know.”
I held the anger that was welling inside me, took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. My grandmother had always been there for me. If she held anything from me, it would have only been to protect us. She loved my mother as much as I did and I could see the hurt in her eyes as s
he looked at me.
Gram took my hand and patted it in the comforting way she did when I was a child and she cautiously began her story. "Your grandfather was fifteen years older than me and after years of marriage, I never thought that I would be blessed by the Goddess with a child. When I was twenty-six, I had Eliza. Eliza was always a wild child full of mischief. She never wanted to hear no. If I warned her not to do something, she would run off and give it a try no matter how risky it was.
"I repeatedly warned her how dangerous it was to go off alone especially to the Starten Forest. One day when she was fourteen, she left the house early in the morning and she came home much later than usual. The sun had set and I had begun to worry. Just as I was about to start looking for her, she arrived home looking frightened. Her face was streaked with dirt and her hair was covered with leaves. I asked her what was wrong. She claimed nothing was wrong and that she had just been lying on the grass watching the clouds in the sky when she had drifted off to sleep. When I pressed her, she grew angry. I knew she wasn't telling me the truth but knew pressing the issue would be of no use. Eliza was never the kind of child that would run to me for help.
“After that day, she seemed more cautious and listened to my warnings. She met your father not soon after and four years later, they were married. After you girls were born, she seemed so happy. It was not until your father died that her behavior began to change. There was a darkness in her. She began to dress provocatively. When she would leave the house after you were sound asleep, she would sneak away to meet him.”
Gram spoke softly as she continued to lightly pat my hand. The circle pat motion of her palm on the top of my hand seemed to erase my anger.
"One night I followed her. I found them at Sparrow Lake on the beach. I knew she had been meeting him but that night I confirmed my worst feelings. As they laid on the rocky shore, he convinced her to use the magic for him. He made promises of all the things he would provide for her. Eagerly, she charmed his rings and cast spells as they laughed and drank.
"That night I cast a spell and bound her pure magic. She only had a little left that I could not bind. I realized that since she was casting for him and misusing the gift she was given that some of her magic was turning dark. Dark magic that I could not bind but that I could prevent from feeding off the pure magic of our family.
"When Eliza returned home that evening, she was enraged and screamed that she knew what I had done. At first she cursed me but then she tried to convince me that breaking the binding would be the best thing for you. Not believing her reasons, I told her that she would no longer abuse our family's magic and only when she was ready to honor the promise she had made to protect the magic that I would consider her request. Spitting in my face, she laughed and told me that my silly promise would be the end of me. Without even packing a bag, she left the house and went straight to him. If she were in her right mind, she would not have left you girls. The dark magic had turned her into a hateful person that I no longer recognized.
“I couldn't let her use our magic to bring the Drygens to power again. Yes, Mara. I knew where she went,” Gram said, as she took a long breath, “I am sorry that I kept that from you. Your mother left that night with Cedric Drygen.”
“You must be wrong!” I said, trying to hold back my rage. “She would never leave us for him.”
“Yes, love, she left all of us for him but more so to feed the dark magic that was beginning to grow inside her. The Drygen family has always been able to be kept under control and we could limit the magic they had access to use. But your mother was always so strong and my binding was not going to last forever. They have warned me that I will not be able to do this alone. I will need you, child. You will be the one to save the magic and keep it pure,” Gram said, with hope in her voice.
“Forgive me for not telling you until now but I had to make sure you were safe. I have kept many things from you that I have always felt guilty about. All my decisions have always been to first keep both of you girls safe and second to honor my promise. Look inside the chest again when you are ready to give your answer.”
Gram patted my hand gently one last time and kissed me on the cheek. “I will leave you to decide for yourself.” Walking through the white door, she left me alone in her room with the silver chest and a mind full of thoughts.
“I can't do this,” I thought painfully. “She is my mother. Why would my mother leave me…leave Meg…for him? She must be under a spell. She must be…” I stopped myself from making excuses for her. I knew what my grandmother said was true. I knew my mother was too strong-minded to be forced to do anything she did not want to do.
My mind drifted back to being that little girl with the dark braids that I had just watched in the chest. One morning, I awoke to Meg crying. The sun was shining into our room. I sleepily called down to my mother but there was no answer. Climbing out of bed, I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and looked down the loft ladder. I could not see anyone but I heard the faint sounds of whispers and laughter. Investigating the noise, I carefully crept down the hallway that led to the back patio. A man's indistinguishable words could be heard. I thought the deep voice belonged to my father and I moved faster towards the voices. I stopped suddenly as I saw my mother. She was kissing the man that I had heard but this man was not my daddy. Frightened, I didn't know what to do. Cautiously, I turned around and silently returned to my room. Picking up my crying baby sister, I held her close and carried her down the ladder being careful to not drop her.
Her cries became softer and softer as I sang to her, “Goddess, I ask you to calm this child. Remove her sadness and calm her fears. Protect my baby throughout the years.”
When I reached the bottom, I realized my mother was behind me watching me. “Thank you, darling. I was just coming back with her bottle,” she spoke, as she took my baby sister from me and began to feed her. I hadn't told anyone about what I had seen that night and until this night, I had not remembered it.
Shaking off the memory, I gazed at the blue ring in my hand and slid it on to my finger. Knowing what I needed to do, I opened the box and as my great grandmother, grandmother and mother had all done before me, I made the promise.
“I promise to protect the magic from those who would misuse it for self-benefit.” I confidently said, “I will stand with you when the time comes even if it means standing against her.”
I gently closed the silver chest and placed it under Gram's mahogany bed. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I decided to return to my family.
As I left the room, I caught my reflection in the mirror as I turned to close the door. The reflection told me, “You are strong enough and soon you will know how strong you can be.”
Chapter 4
Cole smiled at me as I entered the kitchen. “Gram just took Meg to bed.” He smiled and patted the seat next to him. “Sit, you look like you have seen a ghost.”
I started to tell him but something inside me silenced my words. How could I tell him that my grandmother knew where my mother was all along? Something inside me warned me to not tell him what I knew.
“Let's go in the living room and sit by the fire. I am just cold,” I said, as I walked to the kitchen to make some tea. I filled the black tea kettle with water and called to Cole as he walked away to start the fire, “Did you want any tea? Gram traded Mrs. Everstone some jam for her blueberry orange spice tea leaves.”
“Sure and a snack,” he called back. Shaking my head, I smiled to myself. He has to have two stomachs like our cows. He seemed to always be hungry.
Fixing two mugs of warm tea with a splash of fresh milk and a bit of honey, I pulled down a crystal cookie jar that was full of tea biscuits. These hard cookies were flavored with blackberry soaked orange zest. Gram had turned the berries we picked not only into delicious jams; she took the time to make my favorite treats. I popped one in my mouth and picked up the tray that I had prepared. The sweet buttery taste of the biscuit followed by bitter orange and complimentary sweet
blackberry filled my senses.
When I joined Cole in the living room, he had turned all the lights low and was adding more wood to the fire. He took the tray from me and when I settled next to him, he covered me with a soft aqua throw blanket. We sat in silence sipping our tea and nibbling the cookies. The flames of the fire dancing in front of us quieted my thoughts.
After the small plate of cookies was gone, Cole took the teacup from me and set it on the coffee table in front of us.
He turned back to me with a serious look in his eyes. “When I told you today, I would be there for you always – I meant it, Mar. In three months, you will be eighteen and we can get married. I have loved you for as long as I can remember and I will continue to love you forever,” Cole whispered, as he pulled me close. The warmth of his breath on my ear and the words scared me.
He pulled out a delicate silver band. The front of the ring was the infinity symbol. Inside the band was engraved with two small hearts linked and the words forever in my heart. I stared at the ring not knowing how to respond. My heart wanted me to throw my arms around him and be lost in the moment forever but my mind cautioned to let him go. The soft look in his eyes relaxed me again and I gently placed my hand on his cheek.
“I love you, too, Cole,” I sighed. “But, don't promise forever. Neither of us can promise tomorrow.”
“No, I won't listen to this anymore,” he looked deeply into my eyes. “I will love you forever and I will not leave you. You are meant to be loved. Why do you always have to push me away?”
He calmly took my hand from his cheek and pulled me into a deep embrace. I held him tightly not wanting to let go. His lips trailed the curve of my neck. The soft kiss of his lips and the warmth of his touch made me melt. His fingers tangled in my hair.
“I'm not pushing you away,” I said, unable to find the right words. “I need you to…” My words trailed off as I suddenly felt a cold chill in the air and heard the creak of the front door opening.
