Songs of the Wind (Love Lines Series Book 2)

by Diana Nixon

  “Who are they?” Eileen asked quietly. “And will anyone tell me finally what the hell is going on here?”

  “Looks like we don't' have a choice. We need to tell her the truth, Evan,” Marion said.

  “Great! Go ahead, tell her! Oh, and by the way, we both want to know how Chris, or Walter, or whatever his name is managed to walk over everyone and marry Eileen’s mother!”

  “I can explain everything.” Marion nodded patiently. “But not now. We need to get out of here, and the sooner we do it the better. Do you have any idea where else we could hide for a while?”

  “I know one place,” I said. “Let’s go to Nora’s old house.”

  “I don’t feel good about going there.” Eileen winced at her memories. “That place makes me sick.”

  “Me too. Do you have any other ideas?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Great! So let’s go then. Wait a minute,” I said, stopping, “how are we supposed to get there without a car?”

  “We can’t leave the invisible circle,” Marion warned. “How about a walk? Norfield is a small town, isn’t it?”

  Eileen and I chuckled in response.

  “Well, yeah, it’s small enough to take us hours to get to Nora’s house.” I grimaced at the thought. “And I’m not sure I’m ready for a walk. How about borrowing some neighbor’s car?” I asked with a smile. “The size of the circle will be enough to let us get inside without losing our invisibility. And don’t look at me like that, Eileen! I promise to bring it back to its owners. I swear!”

  She shook her head disapprovingly, but didn’t say a word.

  Half an hour later we were leaving the borrowed car, trying to stay invisible. Just in case we wouldn’t be able to bring it back before the owners called the police, we decided to leave it a few blocks away from Nora’s house. The last thing we needed was to be arrested for stealing a car. The three of us agreed on that point.

  The Keepers were not watching Nora’s house anymore. After her death they took away all the stuff and cleared the house with the help of magic. So now it was just an old, deserted house.

  Entering the house, we locked the door behind us and protected it by some spells, so that now we could leave the invisible circle and move around freely.

  “Now, tell me what’s going on?” Eileen said, getting down to business. She went to the opposite wall and leaned over the window sill, her arms crossed. “And I need all the details,” she warned, watching Marion and me with a murderous look. Jeez, sometimes she looked just like her father, scaring the hell out of me.

  “May I?” Marion asked, turning to me. As if I could stop her, I thought to myself and nodded silently in response. “First of all, Eileen, I’d like to ask you some questions. How did Walter Blake meet Catherine?”

  Eileen hesitated for a moment, trying to remember something and then she said, “As far as I know, they met about a year ago at some Spanish seaside resort where she was spending her holidays. Then they started dating, though personally I met him only on the wedding day. I was used to her frequent weddings, so I didn’t pay much attention to that one, thinking that it wouldn’t last too long anyway.”

  “So they found out about your existence about a year ago,” Marion summed up.

  “Will you finally tell me who they are?” Eileen asked irritably.

  “The Dragons,” I said. “Those who were at one with my father,” I clarified, seeing her confusion. “Now they have a new leader, but we don’t know his name. Though we do know that their new target is you,” I added, smiling sweetly to smooth the effect of my words and not to scare her half to death.

  Saying that, I also told Eileen what Patrick and Amelia knew and about some new discoveries that Marion and I had managed to find out. Do I have to mention her reaction? Well, she freaked out, of course, because she was sick and tired of our constant lies, though Marion said that we asked for that ourselves. Frankly, I felt much better after that talk. At least morally. Because my physical state was getting worse and worse with every passing hour.

  “The spell is almost completed,” Marion said, watching my sufferings. “You will feel better soon,” she added, touching my arm. Her own hand felt very cold against my skin, but I didn’t care, I was too focused on my inner pain that was spreading all over my body, burning me alive. My legs were wobbly, my hands were shaking, my thoughts were blurry and I was perspiring profusely. Great combination, huh? God, please make it stop, I groaned mentally. I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to get to Dever alive. Though I was pretty sure that Marion would never let me die in agony, and I was even more than sure that she would use her magic to save my life. Somehow the three of us had become a great team, and no one wanted to lose his supporter.

  “Uh, I hope I won’t kick off before I feel better.” I smiled uneasily. I was so freaking tired; I was ready to fall asleep right then and there. “Why did they have to take all the furniture away!” I muttered, leaning over the wall. “I will be so damn mad in my afterlife if I die in this poky hole of a place! I so don’t deserve this! Please, God, not now, not here! My glory can’t die just like that!”

  “Evan, don’t be ridiculous! You won’t die!” Eileen rolled her eyes. “You’d better called Elena and….”

  She didn’t have time to finish the sentence, as my cell rang. “She heard you,” I said, looking at the screen. “Elena, love, for God’s sake, tell me we can come back!” I begged, answering the call.

  “Hi, Evan!” she greeted and even without seeing her face I could feel her smile. “Yes, everything is ready. I will meet you at the appointed place.”

  “Great! Thank you so much, sweetie, I owe you one!” I said hurriedly, before turning off the phone.

  “Well? What did she say?” Marion asked impatiently.

  “Everything is set. Shall we use the invisible circle again?”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “There’s no way we leave this place unprotected. We have to stay invisible until we get to the airport. Then we can use sunglasses and wigs as we don’t have enough time to make a Polyjuice potion. Evan, will you be able to mask our auras again?”

  “Sure thing!” I said without hesitation. Masking auras was one of my favorite tricks. “Eileen, would you mind if we, uh… borrow one more car?” I asked cautiously so as not to make her angrier than she already was.

  “Is it really necessary?”

  “Sorry, either we take a car, or we walk,” I said. “And the last option is close to impossible.”

  “Whatever,” she snapped, heading for the door. “But please, next time don’t ask leave to commit another crime. I don’t want to pass for your co-partner when you are thrown into prison. God, this trip is going to be the worst I’ve ever had!”

  “Deal.” I winked, hugging her shoulders.

  Minute by minute the fever was leaving my body, my powers were coming back and my spells didn’t take as much time as previously.

  I couldn’t but confess that I would feel so much better and secure if Marion used her magic too. Eileen had more than enough power to help me if necessary, but she wasn’t experienced enough and it complicated matters significantly. That’s why I still hoped that Marion would sacrifice her principles when the right time came.

  Once again we had to use fake names to buy our tickets so as not to attract too much attention. Marion was right – we didn’t have enough time to make potions, but the persuasion spell took only a few seconds. The last one was number two in the list of my favorites. Not that we were allowed to use it everywhere, but some situations were special and needed more energy and invention.

  “By the way, Evan, you didn’t tell us where Elena will be waiting,” Eileen said, putting the passport back into her purse.

  “Um… I didn’t want to upset you, but…” I hesitated, noticing her worried expression.

  “But?” She raised her eyebrows questioningly, waiting for my response.

  Taking a deep breath and silently praying not to be murdered in th
e middle of the airport, I blurted out, “Elena will meet us at the western border and take us to Medellin’s hut.”

  “What?! Evan, are you insane?” Eileen shouted. “You know that I can’t go to the Black Lake!”

  “Please, calm down,” I said. “First of all, pipe down, and secondly – you won’t be there alone, so there’s nothing to worry about. Unlike the previous time you visited the Lake, you now possess magic and Medellin’s spirit can’t play tricks with your mind anymore. Now everything is different, now you know how to protect yourself.”

  “Jeez, I can’t believe I’m going there. Again! Who came up with such a crazy plan?”

  “Me,” I confessed, smiling guiltily.

  “Oh, I should have known better!” Eileen snapped.

  “Listen,” I said, turning her so that we were looking at each other, “it’s the best way to go through the border. No one goes to the Lake, it’s always deserted and Medellin’s hut can be seen only by the hereditary Wizardy. So we… no, I thought that it was a good idea.”

  “You’d better be right, Evan!” she hissed. “'Cause if I get stuck in that damn lake, it will be your fault!”

  “Okay,” I said, offering my hand in a conciliatory gesture.

  "Give me a break, Evan! You are number one on my kick-ass list," she warned and I laughed for the first time in a couple of days.

  Chapter 12. Breaking Dream

  Eileen

  We were coming to Dever’s border. The closer we came, the stronger my panic was. I didn't know if it was a sign that our plan would fail or if it was my inability to overcome my fear of the fateful lake. Whatever it was, there were just a few more minutes left before our meeting with Elena. I didn’t know how she managed to find out the order of the new spells and elements, protecting Dever, but Evan and I both hoped that our return would remain secret.

  “She should be here somewhere,” Evan said, looking around. We stopped under the huge oak tree.

  “Are you sure?”All the surroundings looked the same: endless mountains and caves.

  “Yes, I am. This is the very same place where we crossed the border when we were looking for traces of Eric.”

  "Evan!" someone called. "It’s me, Elena,” the girl said, showing herself. “Follow me.” She smiled and turned away, heading for some invisible entrance.

  The last time everyone was looking for our old friend, Mr. Lanster, I wasn’t allowed to leave campus, so I had no idea how to cross the invisible border.

  "Ow!" I exclaimed, crashing into something glassy.

  “Eileen, follow my steps,” Evan said. “The entrance is too small to let the two of us cross the border at once.”

  “Thanks for letting me know, Evan,” I hissed, rubbing my pulsing forehead. There was going to be a bruise for sure.

  Something changed the moment we crossed the border of Dever. I had never thought that the local atmosphere had its own energy. Everything seemed very familiar and even breathing felt much easier.

  “It’s so good to be home again,” as if reading my mind, Evan said, smiling happily and taking a deep breath with his eyes closed in delight. “How are things going?” he asked Elena.

  “As usual, you know?” She shrugged, stepping over a branch on her way. “We are studying and trying to crack the mysteries of the old signs and stuff. But we have a problem. Patrick can’t reach Catherine, so Frederick is going to Norfield just to make sure that she’s okay. And there’s one more thing…” Elena looked at Evan, hesitating. “Kevin left and we didn’t manage to stop him.”

  “Damn it!” Evan swore under his breath. “I knew he would drag his ass away from here. Coward!"

  "Why did he leave? Did you tell him about our suspicions?”

  "No, we didn't tell him anything,” Elena replied. “When we received your messages, Kevin and Tara were reading Camilla’s diary, but when we came to her room she said he had left without an explanation. He only mentioned some Council’s urgent business.”

  “Great! What about his ring?” Evan asked.

  “I don’t know why, but he gave it to Tara. Now Frederick has it.”

  “I should have a look at it later,” Evan murmured to himself. “Did you change the protective spells and the elements’ combination after he left?”

  “Yes, we did it just a few hours ago.” Elena nodded. “Patrick, Frederick and I change them every few days. And every night the three of us check the borders to make sure that we are all safe here. It has become our everyday job.”

  “What a genius I was to ask for your help!” Evan complimented himself.“Did you find everything I asked you to bring to the hut?”

  “Yes. I hope it will help you.”

  “Thanks again, Elena,” Evan said, hugging her small shoulders. “I don’t know what we would have done without you, love,” he added, smiling.

  While we were walking down the Lake’s shore I was turning around nervously, afraid of some invisible threat. But fortunately, everything was fine. My worries were fading away and my confidence was coming back. But there was one person among us whose behavior seemed very suspicious. Marion.

  Since the moment we came to Dever she hadn’t said a word, just nodded once to greet Elena. And it looked like I was the only one to notice that. Evan and Elena were involved in their own vivid conversation and there was nothing else to do but to keep guessing about the cause of Marion’s behavior. I noticed one more thing – the way she was watching Elena. Curiously and thoughtfully. Only now I realized that we had never asked her about her own family. Probably Elena reminded her of someone. Marion knew her father, but Elena had never heard about our new friend, though it wasn’t surprising – she used to be one of those whom Elena’s father had been fighting against all his life. Of course, it didn’t matter anymore, as now Madam Blanche was on our side.

  “It’s here,” Evan said. He and Elena raised their hands and pronounced a spell, letting Marion and me see Medellin’s hut.

  “And I thought it would look differently,” I said, looking at the hut. It was a massive construction with high stone walls and square windows covered with dark-brown window shutters.

  “Did you imagine some shabby barn?” Evan asked, laughing. “It used to be one of the most powerful wizard’s home, after all. Come in,” he said, opening the door.

  “I’m sorry, guys, but I have to go back,” Elena said. “I don’t want anyone to notice my absence. It was nice to meet you Madam Blanche,” she added. “I will drop in later, but if you need anything, you know how to contact me, Evan.”

  “Sure, say hi to everyone,” he replied. “Well, at least in your mind,” he added, remembering that our coming to Dever was a big secret.

  Promising to come back in a few hours, Elena left.

  “Jeez, how did she manage to drag all these bags here!” I exclaimed, looking at the three huge green bags on the table.

  “She’s a magician, Eileen, for God’s sake!” Evan rolled his eyes, coming to the table. “Will you ever stop being wide-eyed when magic around you happens?”

  “I’m surprised to hear that you were the one to ask the poor girl to bring all the stuff here! And what on earth, do you need jeans for?” I asked him, taking various clothes from the bag.

  “What do you think I need them for?” Evan asked in response, unzipping his trousers. True, they left much to be desired. “To wear, Eileen, to wear! We had to leave all our clothes in your house, remember? Say thanks to your stepfather. I asked Elena to bring something for you as well,” he said, taking two clothing ensembles for Marion and me.

  “My stuff? Where the hell was Amanda when Elena was taking away my clothes?” I raised my eyebrows questioningly. “God, she didn’t see anything, did she? What if it wasn’t Elena, but someone else? Oh, my dearest friend is about to be so dead!”

  “I think this is the last thing you should be worried about,” Marion said, noticing my indignation. “We have only one day to get everything ready.”

  “What’s this?” I asked
, taking a key with Dever’s emblem on it.

  “It’s a spare key to my room,” Evan replied. “I asked Elena to unspell the lock, because if I use my usual key, someone will feel my energy.”

  “Yeah, you are right, I haven’t thought about that.”

  Usually Evan didn’t need any keys to open his or someone else’s room, he used magic.

  Tonight we were planning to free Christian and bring him back to reality. Everything was carefully thought-out, but I was still worried. Elena brought some more herbs and flowers we needed for our magical operation. There was thyme to clear Christian’s room before casting a spell and a morning glory to erase illusions. We needed it to see the exact place where Eric was hiding Christian. And we also needed a tormentil to break through some sophisticated dream spells.

  There were some more mixtures of herbs prepared especially for Marion and me. I was going to use them in the part of our plan that Evan didn’t know anything about.

  It was almost dawn outside and the formation of the Vinculum amorisempri spell was almost completed. I immediately recognized the moment the bond formed when I felt my left wrist burning with the power of magic. Marion tried to do her best to eliminate my pain, but I could barely stand it. Even more, it was hard to breathe as if someone was blocking the access of oxygen to my lungs. My eyelids felt too heavy to keep my eyes open, and my body refused to obey me, turning my every step into a real struggle with myself. I felt fever melting my brain in a slow torture and the drops of sweat running down my forehead. Now I wasn’t sure about the success of my plan, but unfortunately, there was no way back.

  Unlike me, everything was all right with Evan. He was full of energy, power and determination. Noticing my paleness he asked worriedly, “Eileen, are you okay?”

  I had to lie. Again. “I’m fine, just a little nervous," I said, trying to look normal and not to faint.

  “You shouldn’t be nervous, sweetheart. You are not the one who’s going to drag our beloved Christian from the devil’s hands tonight.”