by Diana Nixon
"I made them leave. I was under the spell and didn't understand what I was doing,” she said. "They'll be back in a few minutes. How did you know I was here?"
"Lucas saw you, going to the gates," I said. "Anna came to say that the antidote was ready and we started looking for you."
"Oh, God, I'm so not ready for any visions or forecasting!" Tara groaned. "Damn you, Kevin! Why did you choose such a bad time to show up?" she asked into the air. "I need to see Anna. Like right now. Only she knows how to help me, otherwise I won't be able to foresee Alexis' movements," she said, getting up.
Coming back to Patrick's, we told the others about our meeting with Kevin, causing more talks among those present. But the most surprising thing happened when my father confirmed Kevin's words about the hidden spell. It did really exist. It was widely used by our ancestors to protect Dever and its borders from the unwanted magical influence. Its main advantage was the ability to take away the enemies' powers. But some time later the members of the founding families came up with the new ways of protection and the old spell was forgotten. According to Patrick, spells like that never lose their power and everyone who finds them will be able to use them to get everything he desires.
I wasn't an enemy of those who were with me now, but those who were outside Dever saw an enemy in me and they wanted my death. That's why the mysterious spell could have been used against me.
"How do we find it?" I asked my father who was holding me tightly in his arms. I knew that he would have never let anything happen to me and that he would risk everything to save me. But I couldn't let that happen and I had to do my best to protect him and other people I loved.
"We will come up with something, sweetheart," he said quietly. "I think we should start with the archives. Maybe our records keep some information about that spell. Would you like to go there with me?" he asked, wiping a few tears that had escaped my eyes.
"Of course." I nodded, taking a deep breath. I didn't have time to cry, there were too many things I had to do. "Tara, how do you feel? Do you still have a headache?"
"I'm fine, thanks. I think I can try to find out something about Alexis."
"Great!" I squeezed her hand lightly in support. "We'll be back in a while, but don't wait, start without us, okay?"
She nodded and my dad and I left.
Sometimes I forgot that he was always with me now and I kept calling him Frederick, making him smile every time I did that. The recent events proved my assumptions about his feelings for my mom. It was quite strange to see them together, because I didn't have a single memory of the two of them being together in one room. Despite the fact that my dad helped me to remember a few things about him, I still wanted to know more. My mom didn't like talking about Dad and I never pushed her, knowing that those memories hurt her a lot.
"Can I ask you something?" he said hesitantly, and I smiled seeing one of the most powerful magicians of the Universe, blushing under my curious stare. "What would you say if your mother and I...."
"Tried to be together again?" I prompted, barely hiding my grin.
"Well, yes," he said, turning away.
"I have never had a real family, and though I had many fathers, there is only one I love," I said, taking his hand in mine. "So I would gladly watch you trying to gain Mom's favor again. She's tough, you know? She won't give up easily. I'm sure it would be the hardest challenge you have ever faced."
"Yeah, I know," he said. "Does she hate me that much?"
"Tell you what, Catherine's fury can be worse than all the Dragons’ attempts to kill you," I replied, smiling.
"Oh, dear!" he muttered, re-thinking the idea of becoming a part of my mother's life again.
"I'm with you, Dad. If you need my help, I will always be there for you."
"Thank you, my girl."
The archive was located in the Administration building and it was well known for its endless shelves with thousands of books and dusty manuscripts. Once Evan, Christian and I spent many hours there, looking for some information about Jillian Wizardy. Now Dad and I had to find even more important records that many peoples' lives depended on.
"So where shall we start?" I asked, entering the archive.
"I will show you a very useful finding spell," my father said. "Close your eyes and imagine that what you are looking for is already here, right in front of you. Then raise your right hand and call the thing, as if mentally pulling it to you. As if you were a magnet. Do you feel anything?"
"Yes, I feel my powers concentrating on my palm," I said with my eyes closed.
"Okay, now think about what you would like to find here," he instructed, standing next to me. I could feel his energy mixing with mine. When our powers became one, I heard a noise. My eyelids immediately flew open and I gasped in shock - a dozen books were flying right at me. And their speed was really magical. In one light move Frederick made the books stop and form a stack at my feet.
"Why did you freeze?" he asked, laughing. "Never stop half-way, Eileen. You know what to do. Magic lives inside you. Sometimes you just need to concentrate harder on the spells you are going to use."
"It was too fast, I didn't have time to react." I chuckled. "I can't believe it was so simple!" I exclaimed, looking at our discovery. "Do all these books have information about the spell?"
"I don't know, let's check it out," Dad said, taking the first book. "We can apply the same finding spell to every one of them. Just think about the information we need."
I nodded, took one of the books and tried to find what I was looking for. But the description of the spell mentioned in the book was completely different from the one we needed. Only the date of its invention was the same - the beginning of the fourteenth century. The rest of the books didn't have anything useful. There were lots of spells similar to the one we were looking for, but none of them had the right description.
"Nothing," I said, closing the last heavy book.
"There are other places we haven't checked yet. I didn't think it would be easy to find the spell."
"Well, I actually did," I said, making him smile.
"Don't worry, we will find it."
"What about the mysterious thing that belonged to you?"
"I don't know, it could be anything, but I will think about it later."
Suddenly I felt something. Worry filled my mind.
"You okay?" my father asked.
"I don't know, something's wrong," I said, frowning and trying to understand the cause of my feelings. "Oh, God! It's Evan!"
Without saying another word I rushed to Patrick's apartment. The faster I ran, the more troubled I became. Evan was in danger. I didn't know what kind of danger, but I was so damn sure he needed my help. I saw Frederick running after me, but I never stopped to explain things. I didn't have time to stop.
Breathing heavily, I burst into the room where my friends were, holding my hands ready to hold back any unpredictable attack. But there was nothing but a few pairs of surprised eyes, watching me curiously.
"Eileen, you okay?" Christian asked, running up to me in the blink of an eye. Listening to my feelings, I realized that the uneasy feeling was still with me. It was even stronger than before. I couldn’t understand where it was coming from, so I kept looking around nervously.
"Frederick, what's wrong with her?" Evan asked worriedly.
"She felt that you were in danger and immediately rushed here," my dad replied, confused.
"Eileen?" Evan called me. "I'm fine. Why would you think I'm in danger?"
"I don't know, I just felt something. What have you been doing?"
"Nothing special, we were watching Tara. She's trying to follow Alexis' movements."
"And that's it?"
"Well, yes."
"I don't understand anything," I said. "I'm still shaking as if I have just had another nightmare. Okay, never mind. Everything's fine, so there's nothing to worry about, right? Tara what did you see about Alexis?" I asked, changing the subject and hiding my sha
king hands behind my back.
"We were right about Eric's apartment. Alexis was there. And yes, she killed Nora too. But now my visions are blurry, as if she's moving and changing her plans really fast."
"Is she running away from someone?" Elena asked. She wasn't there when we left, so now the sound of her voice made me almost jump out of my shoes.
"Eileen, calm down, it's just Elena," Christian said.
"Sorry, I didn't know she was here," I said, taking him by the hand, and trying to comfort myself by the warmth of his touch. I smiled slightly, but it didn't help matters and he still looked anxious.
"I didn't want to scare you," Elena said, coming to me. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I nodded and turned back to Tara.
She said, "I don't think she's running away. I think she's looking for something."
"The cup?" Evan suggested.
"I'm not sure," Tara replied, puzzled. "I see her, driving a car, then walking somewhere and then running down the road. Now she's driving another car, then suddenly stops and looks through the endless fields. She sees a forest in the distance. She goes there and disappears. Then I see her climbing over the hill, she's holding a flower in her hand, she puts it on the ground and the picture changes. Now she’s walking along the sea shore, or maybe it's a lake, I don't know. She looks down all the time and I can't see the surroundings. Just the water and the ground covered with lots of yellow leaves. Here and there she sees different flowers, very beautiful flowers, as if she's walking along a garden. Now she’s opening the door and... going upstairs? I can't see anything else. Her eyes are closed. That's weird... I can hear sounds in the distance, voices and the sound of running water. A fountain maybe? I don't understand..." Tara stopped and shook her head. Then she took a deep breath and added, "Someone is talking. Alexis opens her eyes and sees people... oh, God! She's here! In this very room!" Tara shouted, jumping in terror from the couch.
We all started looking around, but didn't see anyone.
"She's using the invisible circle," Evan said quietly. His back was turned towards me and I couldn't see his face but I could finally see the source of my uneasiness - a thin blue arrow aiming point-blank at Evan's heart....
"No!" I screamed, and turning around, I sent a protective spell where I thought our invisible guest might have been standing. And then the fight started....
All those who possessed magic were pronouncing different spells, trying to protect us. I saw Evan, covering Tara with his body; Anna and Darcy, hiding behind my father's and Patrick's backs and Christian, pushing Amelia to the far wall of the living room and surrounding both of them by the fiery circle. Thank God, Amanda and Lucas were not there!
Elena and Marion were standing on either side of me, and the three of us were trying to see Alexis. The room was filled with millions of multicolored spells' sparks and if we were not in the middle of a battlefield, it would seem really magical. It looked like a shower of confetti. The scene was familiar. I saw it once in a forest in France when Evan and I were waiting for the lost soul to materialize. A narrow space filled with pure air told us where the boy was. And now I saw the same spot near my father's shoulder. Alexis was there.
My spell took her by surprise and her magical defense shattered, revealing her body. Now we all could see her and our palms were aimed at her.
The air froze in ominous silence.
No one dared to make a move as now she knew that we could kill her at any second and she in turn could kill one of us.
Who do you think was the first to break the ice? Evan, of course!
Damn you, smart ass! I swore under my breath, ready to risk my own life to protect him.
In one smooth motion he reached for his silver lighter and threw it at Alexis.
Everything slowed down around us.
Evan's lighter turned into thousands of thin sharp needles. Alexis gasped and jumped out of their way, trying to escape her death and sending another spell at Evan. But it was her first and huge mistake, as all the spells of those present headed for her head and heart, blocking the wall of silver needles.
Alexis realized that her death was a little ways down the road and she decided to do the only thing she was still capable of - to kill one of us in response. Her closest target was Elena, but the thought of touching her was her second huge mistake. She should have thought better, because the next moment she was attacked by another spell, thrown by Marion....
"Hands off my daughter!" she shouted, turning the room into the epicenter of a hurricane, with the wind blowing wildly and rain drops smashing everything on their way. The fire burning in her hands locked Alexis in a circle of red flame.
And then everything stopped....
There were no more flying spells, no more energy outbursts, no flashes of light, no more screaming or shouting. There was silence... and Alexis' body, lying in the middle of the ruined living room. She was dead.
We couldn't believe our own eyes, afraid to move and break the illusion. But everything was more than real. I didn't know what my friends were thinking about at the moment, but all I could feel was a relief, because we all were alive.
I sat on the wet floor, pulling my legs up to my chest. I didn't notice the tears running down my cheeks, or the magical fire still tingling in my hands. It was like winning a world war with just a few soldiers in your army.
I felt strong arms around my shoulders and recognized Frederick's energy. His embrace was so tight that I could barely breathe. I put my head on his shoulder and inhaled deeply, silently thanking the heavens for saving our lives today. I shifted a little to see his face and his emerald eyes were pooled with happy tears.
It was the first time I realized just how much I meant to him. And how much he meant to me. I put my hands around his waist and whispered quietly, "I love you so much, Daddy."
"I love you too, my little girl," he replied, caressing my back and kissing my hair.
I didn't know how long we had been sitting like that, but some time later I heard Evan's voice saying into my ear, "Thank you, my angel." He smiled, taking away a strand of hair stuck to my wet cheeks. Alexis would have killed him if I hadn’t felt her, aiming at his heart.
"Well, thank you too. You did a great job protecting us," I said, smiling back. He helped me to rise to my feet, shaking off the shards of what used to be Amelia's favorite floor lamp.
"Now you look much better," he added, hugging me. I laughed and kissed his cheek in response.
And then I turned to see the only person whose life was the most important thing I had ever had. Christian came to me slowly and without saying a word he pressed me to his chest and kissed my lips so desperately, as if it was our last time together. I felt his emotions changing from fear to relief and happiness, and an endless love and joy wrapping his heart, his soul and his thoughts. And despite the fact that some of those feelings were new to him, I knew that one day he would remember everything. No other scenario was acceptable.
Chapter 19. The Fairey's Gift
Evan
I was shocked by the events of the last twenty-four hours. The moment I saw Alexis' dead body I realized that our lives would never be the same again. I couldn't say if the thoughts about those upcoming changes were making me happy or not. On the one hand we had one enemy less, but on the other hand the number of our problems was still the same.
I didn't see any logic in anything that Alexis had done. Did she really think that coming to Dever she would be able to hurt any one of us? Well, it was possible, of course, if it wasn't for so many Wizardy, gathered in one room. If she wanted to kill me or Eileen, why didn't she wait for a better opportunity? Or maybe she wanted to get to someone else? Not that I didn't like the way our battle ended, of course. But there were too many questions I couldn't answer.
We had the Cup of power, but in the absence of its true owner it was powerless. Though we didn't rush to bring it to Dever.
As to Alexis, we decided to keep her death a secret, as we didn't know
whom besides the Dragons she could have been working with. She was buried near the Black Lake.
There was more shocking news - Marion turned out to be Elena's mother. Our friend didn't know anything about her existence. Her father's relationship with Marion was quite complicated, and I didn't really understand who dumped whom, but the fact remained. Elena was surprised, of course, but as far as I knew she was more than happy to meet her mom.
No matter how ironically it sounded, our bloody war helped Catherine to recover and remember her family. I almost died laughing when she said that some noise from the living room woke her up. Now Frederick and Eileen were spending most of their time explaining to Catherine why Walter Blake or Chris, as she still called him, had left her alone in Norfield. According to Eileen, the truth about Frederick and her daughter's numerous talents worried Catherine less than losing Chris and her new luxurious house.
I needed to talk to Frederick so now I was heading for his apartment. Feeling my presence behind the door, he opened it to let me inside.
"So, how's Catherine doing?" I asked, following him into the room.
"Don't even ask me about her," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know if I still want to be with her. She seems to be enjoying every second of making my life harder. I left her with Eileen for a while and came here to take a rest. By the way, how do you feel after everything that has happened? I heard that Eileen and you are bound again."
"Yes, we are. Now I don't have to worry about forgetting my umbrella at home as she will always remind me to take it if she feels the rain coming," I said, joking. "You have a wonderful daughter, Frederick. You should be proud of her."
"If your father were alive, Evan he would be proud of you, too," he replied, smiling sadly.
"Actually, this is what I wanted to talk to you about," I said hesitantly. "Can I ask you something about him?"
"Of course. What would you like to know?"
"You knew from the very beginning whose son I was, didn't you? But you never stopped me from coming to Dever. Why not?"
