by Diana Nixon
By that time we were coming to the center of Paris. The streets were overcrowded. Despite the fact that it was the middle of fall outside, the number of tourists was still the same. There were those whose photo and video cameras didn’t let them see anything around, including Paris itself. There were also passionately kissing couples and people who still thought that a weekend in Paris was the best way to make a declaration of their love. This category of tourists could be easily recognized among all the others - the gentlemen were especially gallant and affable. They were admiring their ladies’ beauty and whispering some trite romantic nonsense into their ears. And the ladies themselves were melting like vanilla ice-cream in the sun, smiling happily. Maybe it wasn’t that bad at all and I was simply jealous, because at that very moment they had something I didn’t – someone they loved in their embrace….
I wasn’t surprised when our taxi stopped in front of one of those fabulous buildings at the Faubourg Saint-Honore. Catherine has always chosen only the best and it was pretty hard to find a better apartment in Paris.
“Your mom has good taste.” Evan nodded approvingly. “My parents used to live not far away from here.”
“Your parents?” I asked, surprised. “You’ve never told me about them. Where are they now?”
“It’s a long and not very interesting story. I will tell you one day,” he replied unwillingly.
“Okay, so let’s go then,” I said still watching him closely. Evan nodded and taking our luggage went to the entrance. Before he managed to mask his aura I noticed some muddy-green shades.
Apparently there was a secret he didn’t want to share with me….
Chapter 5. The Roseroot
Evan
My memories of Paris were not much better than Eileen’s. I would gladly agree to have sunstroke several times in a row instead of all those things I had to face myself. Those days from my past had become my personal unstoppable nightmare. But now I didn’t have the slightest desire to think about them, so I decided to switch my mind to something more real.
I still couldn’t forget the incident at the airport. I told Eileen about some of my assumptions, keeping a part of them secret.
I know a lot about people’s energy. Everyone of us has the so called inner energy. Over the years we spend it on our everyday needs, but the speed with which we spend it depends only on us. Possessing magic, I know how much energy is needed to use it. Every student of Dever studies the art of keeping and increasing the amount of his life energy. And those who can’t control its consumption can be seriously injured. Some people can even die.
Many years ago the students of Embry found a plant, the main property of which was the reproduction of people’s energy. They called it a roseroot. It’s a rare and a very valuable plant with a strong bittersweet scent. The scent that can’t be masked even with the help of magic or perfume. That’s why everyone who has ever smelled it will always be able to recognize it. Even at the overcrowded airport, with thousands of strangers walking around.
That’s exactly what happened to me today. I wouldn’t pay much attention to that, if I didn’t know that the roseroot’s user could only be one of us – a person with supernatural powers. And as far as I knew none of our company needed a recharge. I also knew that a person using the roseroot must be at the end of his inner energy. And there were only two ways to put yourself on the brink of death – to use too much and too often magical power, or… you had to kill someone of your own kind. The last thing I hoped had nothing to do with the mentioned incident. However, taking into consideration all the recent events, I had to keep my eyes open.
The penthouse of Catherine and Chris was on the top floor. Just as Eileen and I had predicted, it was gorgeous. There were a few guest rooms, a dining room with a beautiful white oval table, a gym and something every boy would die for – a huge room full of arcade machines. Eileen’s question made me burst out laughing. She wondered who of the two residents of that house spent more time there. Despite the fact that she was used to luxury too, some things about her mother’s life still surprised her.
“I hope we will manage to get out of this madhouse alive,” she said, going to her room.
“I like it here. Your mom and Chris seem to be a perfect match. At least they look very happy,” I admitted, following her.
“Yeah, right.” She rolled her eyes. “They also look equally crazy. I like Catherine, but some things are simply out of my grasp. Sometimes I think she will never stop wandering from country to country. She thinks that staying in one place for too long is boring. But you know what? It looks like she always runs away from her own misery. She always changes spouses, hoping to find the one who would be able to make her really happy. ‘Cause in reality she has never been happy with any of them,” Eileen said, putting her bag on the bed.
“Why do you think so?” I asked, frowning. Her mom looked really happy and that happiness was reflected in her aura as well, so I couldn’t understand why Eileen thought otherwise.
“I don’t just think so, Evan. I’m definitely sure about that,” she said. She knew Catherine much better than I did, and I knew she had a good reason to be so sure about her words.
Hearing a low gurgling laugh we both looked out into the hall. There were Catherine and Chris, cooing in each other’s embrace.
“Jeez, they are kissing non-stop! It’s disgusting!” Eileen shrank, looking away.
“Personally I think it’s sweet. You are just jealous!” I giggled, quietly closing the door behind me.
“Evan, it’s not funny at all,” she snapped, scowling.
“I thought you would be happy to see your mom!”
“And I really was. First five minutes,” Eileen replied, coming to the window. She cringed as if she was freezing, and seeing the sadness enveloping her, I realized that the only place she really wanted to be now was Dever. “Now I want to get out of here as soon as possible,” she said, as if reading my mind. “What time are we leaving tomorrow?”
“Well, it depends on how soon your mom will let us go,” I replied, already knowing that my next words will piss her off.
“What?”
“I heard her asking Patrick to stay here for a few more days.” I recalled the conversation hesitantly.
“Oh, no!” Eileen groaned. “I can’t stand it being here that long! But he did say we have some other things to do, didn’t he?” she asked, her eyes full of hope.
“Actually, he said he would think about her proposal,” I quoted Patrick’s reply.
“God, I hope he said that just out of courtesy.” She took a deep breath and sat on the bed.
Just a few hours later the worst of Eileen’s fears were confirmed and the entertainment, prepared specially by Catherine, started. Of course, I wouldn’t mind the show if we ourselves were not a part of it.
It all started with a dinner, which I enjoyed a lot, as everything going on around the table successfully passed by me. I wouldn’t say the same about Eileen. From the small bits of the talk that I managed to catch, I could guess that Eileen’s childish monkeyshines were the main subject of the discussion. And she knew perfectly well that such valuable information would become a deadly weapon, coming from my lips. She could easily guess that our friends in Dever would find out about all her dirty secrets as soon as we came back home. I smiled grimly and she looked at me angrily, ready to kill me with her bare hands right then and there.
The next stage of our pastime was a Paris city tour. It would probably be a good idea if it wasn’t for the rain that started the moment we got to the Eiffel Tower’s sightseeing platform.
“Man, I will never be lucky enough to catch good weather in this city,” Eileen said angrily, shaking off the water drops from her hair. I didn’t like the rain either and wanted desperately to get back home. Besides, sightseeing was something I hated even more than the damn water running down my face.
Catherine and Chris were the only people who enjoyed the tour being literally drenched to the skin
. It looked like nothing could rain on their parade. And we could only be jealous about that.
Finally our tour ended up with us coming home dead tired. As everyone needed some time to take a shower and change clothes, we all went to our rooms.
Fifteen minutes were just enough to make my reflection look like the old me again. In addition to all the above, I couldn’t wait to talk to Patrick, as I didn’t have time to do it earlier. However, his appearance on the threshold of my room was quite unexpected.
“Can we talk?” he asked, closing the door behind him.
“Actually, I was just going to talk to you too.”
Judging by the colors of his aura, Patrick was seriously worried about something.
“Is everything alright?”
“Frederick has just called. He’s back from Norfield.”
“Did he find anything?” I asked, hoping to hear some good news.
“No, nothing useful. But… he found something very interesting there last night. A man’s body.”
“You mean a dead body?” I frowned, feeling an unexpected fear rising in me.
“Unfortunately, yes. As it turned out the man was murdered. He was poisoned. And it could be done only by one of us, by a wizard,” Patrick said, meeting my shocked stare.
“Do you know what kind of a poison was used there?”
“That’s exactly what Frederick is trying to figure out at the moment. He has never seen anything like that before. And there is one more thing… the man had a tattoo on his back. It looked like wings, but very unusual ones. And they showed up only with the magician’s touch. No human could see them.”
“Wait a minute. How did Frederick find that man, anyway?”
“His body was hidden not far from Nora’s house.”
“Screw me dead!” One mention of that name made me sick. Normandia Wizardy was Eric’s grandmother, who once changed the lines of destiny on Eileen’s palm in order to lessen her bond with Christian. “But who was that man and what was he doing there?”
“None of your questions, Evan, has found the answer yet. Darcy and Frederick are trying to decipher the meaning of the tattoo. Tara’s help wouldn’t hurt as well, but she and Kevin went to Gloster.”
“Great,” I muttered. “Couldn’t they go there later?”
“Kevin insisted on checking the town. And he’s right. The more time passes from the moment of the last magic manifestation, the harder it is to find its traces. So what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Well, I felt the roseroot’s scent today at the airport. And I couldn’t decipher its owner.”
“The roseroot’s scent?” Patrick repeated in surprise.
“Exactly. You do know what it means, don’t you?”
“It means they are back…” he whispered in horror.
“Who’s back?” I asked, puzzled. But no one blessed me with the answer.
Patrick ran out of my room almost smashing the door on his way and leaving me totally at sea. A second later I saw him again. “Take care of Eileen,” he said.
You didn’t have to say that twice, I thought to myself. Taking care of Eileen was my private 24/7 duty. But Patrick’s reaction to my words surprised me. And there was only one way to find out what the hell was going on with him. I called Frederick.
“Damn it! He’s out of reach!” I swore under my breath.
“Who’s out of reach?” Eileen asked, coming to my room.
“Your father. I wanted to talk to him.”
“He called me just a minute ago and said I should be very careful. Well, the same old story. Do you know what’s going on here? Patrick and Amelia are going back to Dever.” “What? When did you find it out?” I asked worriedly. I didn’t like to be in the dark.
“Just recently. Evan, what are you.…”
I didn’t hear the end of her question as I was already on my way to Patrick’s room. Eileen followed me.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” she asked, confused.
“I wish I knew.”
When we entered, Amelia was already packing her bags, while Patrick was talking to someone on the phone, making the air blue and shouting some nonsense.
“Evan, not now,” Amelia warned, seeing me, headed toward her husband.
“Amelia, what’s going on?” I demanded, putting my hands on my hips. There were enough secrets in our life and I didn’t want more of them.
“We are coming back to Britain and Eileen and you are staying here,” she replied, smoothing down her hair with one hand.
“But….”
“Let’s leave all the arguments for later, Evan,” she cut me off. “The two of you have to finish what we’ve come here for and we have some business to do at home. For Heaven’s sake, don’t ask anything. There’s no time to explain. Just trust us. We know what to do.”
“Are you leaving us alone?” Eileen asked worriedly.
“You won’t be alone here, sweetheart.” Amelia smiled lightly, caressing Eileen’s cheek. “Jaclyn and Ethan are already coming for you. We told your mom that we had some urgent things to do at home and that you would come to see her later. Besides, Evan is staying here too. He will take care of both of you,” she added encouragingly.
“That’s what I’ve come here for,” I said, still frowning. “Can you at least tell us, what’s the reason of your sudden leaving?"
“Well, let’s say that some unwelcome people came to Norfield. They are a real threat to the world of supernatural beings. To all of us, actually, and especially to Dever.”
“But who are they?”
“We can’t talk about them, Evan. We are bound by the sacramental oath. But I promise, we will tell you everything as soon as we can. You have to trust us. We do it all for your own safety,” Amelia said, taking our hands in hers.
Eileen and I exchanged anxious glances. The conversation was definitely over.
“By the way, you have to pack your things too. Ethan said the way here would take no more than an hour. You have to be ready when they arrive. We will wait for him and Jaclyn and then we’ll go to the airport.”
Eileen nodded quietly and left. But my eyes were still on Amelia’s face and I felt she wanted to tell me something. “As far as I can understand, there’s something Eileen shouldn’t know about, right?”
“Yes. Everything is more complicated than I said before,” she said, looking at her husband. She tried to seem calm in Eileen’s presence, but now her hands were shaking noticeably and her voice was dry. “Those people, well, they are dangerous not only to Dever. Frederick is their main target. We still don’t know if they are aware of Eileen’s powers, but.…”
“But if they are, she will become their main target,” I finished for Amelia, my heart tearing into thousands of small pieces.
That couldn’t be real. I shook my head in disbelief and felt my own hands trembling.
“Yes, that is why you have to stay here.” Amelia nodded with her eyes watering. “She can’t go back to Dever now. We can’t lose her too,” she added in a whisper, swallowing to stop the tears.
“Okay, don’t worry,” I said, squeezing her hand. “I will do my best to keep her out of danger.”
“I know, Evan.” She said with a wisp of a smile. “That’s why we wanted you to stay here with her.”
Going to my room, I couldn’t hold back a nervous laugh. I was sure it looked like some idiotic grimace.
We were back to some freaking déjà vu. With the only difference – now in addition to our favorite Eric Lanster, we had to fight a whole army of crazy hunters, craving to get more powers.
God, the things are getting worse and worse, I thought to myself, trying to make up some new plan in my head.
Chapter 6. Fontainebleau
Eileen
As soon as I heard the sound of the doorbell, I grabbed my bags and ran to the hall to see my rescuers. Evangeline’s parents were finally there to save me from that house full of crazy people. Even a few more seconds there could get me g
oing.
I can’t believe that, I thought. I’m not alone in my suffering! By the time I got to the entrance Evan was already there, talking to our guests. He definitely managed to outrun me!
“Eileen, come here.” He smiled, obviously sharing my thoughts. “Let me introduce you to Jaclyn and Ethan Meridin.”
“Good evening.”
“Hi, Eileen,” Jaclyn said in response, grinning from ear to ear. She and Ethan gave me a hug, making me a little uneasy. They reminded me of my beloved grandma Stephanie. She was one of those people I missed every single day. No matter how much time we spent together, every time she was leaving, I started missing her the moment she barely closed the door behind her.
“I hope you are not too upset about leaving your mom so soon?” Ethan asked.
“I think she will survive,” Evan replied, winking.
“Oh, I will see her again before going back to Dever,” I added politely to smooth his sarcasm. Evan shrugged as if nothing had happened. And I couldn’t help myself and grinned at his fake innocence.
“Love you too, sweetheart,” he whispered quietly so only I could hear him. I rolled my eyes, still smiling and punched his arm playfully.
“We’d better hurry up, as there was a gale warning for the area,” Jaclyn said, interrupting our exchange of niceties. “Seems like you have brought not just your clothes here, but the British rains as well!”
I can’t but admit that she and Ethan spoke English very well, and their accent was barely noticeable.
“Yeah, drowning ourselves in Paris’ puddles would so help matters,” Evan muttered. “Why the hell are we always so lucky?”
“Um, Evan, why don’t you go and tell Patrick and Amelia about our guests?” I said. I wished I knew the answer to his question too.
“I hope you are not going to leave without me, are you?” he asked, with a warning in his voice.
“Of course, not. I’m not a brute, Evan.”
Jaclyn and Ethan exchanged surprised glances. I couldn’t even imagine what was on their minds. Probably, they thought that we were total idiots. Maybe they even already regretted their generous proposal for us to stay at their place.
