“He’ll have to sell. As soon as I can figure out what he wants, he’ll sell it to me.” Or, he thought, he’d have to go to extremes. And the way it was going, Byron was going to have to start that part of his plan to get the money.
Chapter 4
Raven sat very still. She wasn’t used to having so many people around her all the time. And they were loud…loving, but loud. When Poe came to sit upon her shoulder everyone grew quiet, and she knew that they had turned to look at her. Poe squawked at them.
“He’s my friend.” Mrs. McCade, Aisha, came to sit by her; her scent was all around her then. She asked if she could touch him. “Yes, if he allows it, but he talks too. If you want to know anything about him, you can ask.”
“Yes, I know that he can speak. Scared me today when he did so. But it was my fault too. Gavin had been trying to tell me, and I wasn’t having it. But to see him now, with you, it’s a lovely thing to have a creature like him with you. My name is Aisha. What’s yours?” Poe told her. “A very good, strong name. I’m assuming he’s Poe to your Raven, for the book.”
“In a way. My mother told me how he came to me when I was born, and even later in my life. Later, when ‘The Raven’ was written, I changed his name to Poe, and we’ve been using it since. It fit us. But I got my name because he came to see me when I was just born. He came in the open window and landed on my bed. He’s been with me since. But I gave him the power of speech when I couldn’t understand him very well.” Aisha asked Raven what he did for her. “He can go ahead of me and scope things out. Find herbs for me by flying over a field. He’s very helpful in guiding me around. And now that Lewis is in my life, he’ll help him as well.”
“What are you, my dear? Not that it matters much, but I would like to get to know you now that you’re a part of our family.” She told her that she was a witch. “Black or white? Or do you have a preference?”
“I’m both, but only until the dragon comes to save me.” She noticed that everyone was sitting now and listening to her by the way the chairs shuffled around, and the talking had all but stopped. Raven figured this was the best time to tell them what she knew and what was going to happen. “I was tricked into helping Butler in becoming what he is today. An immortal. Well, Caelin said that I wasn’t tricked, but made to help him, but I did it all the same. I took my own precautions, and that is what is going to help you now. But I didn’t do enough, and it is why I’ve had my sight taken from me.”
“I’m afraid that I don’t understand. I mean, I do understand why he wanted to be an immortal. He wouldn’t have been able to torture us all these years if he’d just done us all a favor and died. But what I don’t understand, and perhaps you can help me with this, is why he wants the pieces. He can’t control the dragon.” Raven smiled. She liked this woman a great deal. “You know something, don’t you?”
“Butler cannot control the dragon, you’re correct about that. He, however, doesn’t know that. Nor does he understand how the magic works that will bring him forth. Only Caelin knows that, and he’s not sharing just yet.” She waved her hands around, and she knew what they were seeing…the beautiful castle, the way that she remembered it. “Long ago, even before the necklace was broken down, Butler tried to take the castle for his own. But the problem was—and something else that he didn’t know—the castle and all that worked there were magical. And when the queen, his first wife, disappeared within the gem that sets in the center of it, the magic went with her.”
The castle that she showed them started to fall apart. Not in small increments, but great stones fell…walls rested in the dirt now instead of holding up the others. She moved her hands again to show it as she had been told it looked now. Nothing but stones in a circle, and a couple of walls half gone.
“He picked up the necklace, the last piece of the set, and put it around the neck of his future wife. She was fat with a child, a boy, but the queen was so angry at him she used her magic and cursed her husband. He was only to ever have girl children. No matter how many maidens he took, they all sired him female children. Butler wasn’t a man to take the blame himself, so he killed the women when they had birthed.” Aisha said that was terrible. “Yes, but he would have killed them anyway. Not that it makes it any better, but their deaths were important to the chain of events that brought you here. With the women dying that he took to his bed, others began to shield themselves against him. Fathers would no longer allow their daughters to marry him. When he began to take what he wanted, it got him into trouble with the laws of that time. There was a time or two when the fathers of daughters would dress them as sons from their birth so he’d not know they were females of an age to marry. That is where I came in.”
“You had to help him, you said, because of your mother.” She nodded at the person who spoke. “I’m sorry. I’m Emma. Married to Kenton, the oldest.”
“Thank you. When I get your voices paired with your names, I’ll remember you better. But yes, he took my mother and tied her to a stone. He had a little magic then, but not as much as he believes himself to have now. He wanted to be immortal. That was all he requested, to be able to live for three thousand years. That would have been a great deal of time, since most people, ones who had little to no magic, only lived until they were in their thirty years.” Aisha laughed. “Yes, as you can imagine, that isn’t the way to request something from a witch. But I think in the back of my mind I knew that he’d kill my mom, so I fixed the spell, just as I’d been told to do, so that he’d live but he could be hurt badly, and that the three thousand years were set in stone. He can live longer, if he can control the dragon within, but he cannot.”
“I’m thinking that it will be me that ends his life. I came home as soon as I got this “gift” to find out if everyone received this and what it would mean. But you didn’t, did you?” Everyone moved, and she felt her body tense up. The voice was not one she’d heard before, but he seemed to understand, this newcomer. “I’m Vance McCade. I believe that I’m the one that will kill him because of what I received just yesterday. I think it was from Caelin.”
“The family sword.” He touched his finger to her arm and she felt the power of it. “Yes, you have it. Where has it come to you? I should like to touch if it you’d not mind.”
She heard a shuffling of clothing and was asked to stand. As soon as she reached out, she touched skin. But before she could jerk her hands away, she felt the power of the sword and all that it meant to this man. Also, the sorrow of him and his heart. That he was a haunted man…not just in his mind, but that there were people looking for him.
“The sword is made of the finest steel. It is so sharp that it will cut stone in half with the right power behind it. The wording on it has been forged and filled with gold and gems. The pommel, the handle, is wrapped in silks, then in leather that was dried in the castle. It is bound with the maker’s blood, the blood of the queen herself.” Vance asked her if she’d made it. “Yes, for her son. When he was old enough to wield it, he stabbed his father with it, knowing that to kill him at that time would have meant the death to all who came after it. But he did wound him badly, enough that even now, it hurts him and seeps with his black blood.”
“I’ve not been able to remove it.” Raven told him that he could now. “I’m not sure that I want to, to tell the truth. It appeared to me one night in a dream and told me that it was mine. Then when I woke the next morning, I could feel it as a part of my back, embedded into my skin. But in listening to your story, why not wait until he dies? You said that his time was growing short. Why not wait for that?”
“He must die by your hand, Vance. To die otherwise would not end his magic, but only let it go to someone else. A granddaughter perhaps, that might be around. If he is killed with the sword when the time is right, and you’ll know it, then the magic that he has gathered, it too will die. But you must get used to its weight and how to use it, for when the time comes, it will only be you that can remove Butler’s head. And you will need
to do that in order for the magic to be brought back to life for you all.” He asked what the magic was. “I don’t know. I know that some of it has to do with the castle, but the rest, and there is a great deal of it, I just don’t know.”
“You said that you gave something more to the spell to Butler. What was it?” Lewis took her hand when he asked her the question. “You’re safe here, love.”
“As I said, he was going to kill my mom anyway, so I gave him just a little more than he asked for. One of them was that he could no longer enter the castle walls, fallen or repaired. No babe would ever be born from his loins again.” Lewis asked her what else. “I took the necklace from him and replaced it with a copy.”
Reaching into her magic bag, she pulled it free from the cloth that she’d wrapped it in. She knew what they were seeing. The first time she’d laid eyes on it, she’d been stunned by its beauty, as well as the magic that surrounded it. Until today, no one, not even Caelin, knew that she had it. At least she was almost sure that he didn’t. With him, it was hard to believe, now that she’d met this family, that he’d not mentioned it to her over the decades.
“The last woman, how will she get here if the necklace isn’t found by her?” She started to speak, to tell Kenton that she was already on her way, when he spoke again. “No, don’t tell me. I’m sure that there is a plan in place for that as well. But with us having all the pieces now, can we not just bring the dragon here and be done with this?”
“No. The women that holds the pieces must complete the dragon. They’re the key to the magic. The McCades are the strength of it, but the women, all of us, are what brings the magic out so that he can live here.” With another wave of her hand, she showed them what she’d seen so long ago in a dream. “This is the dragon that you seek. He isn’t like any other dragon ever born. He was good and kind. His magic was more than anyone ever knew was there for them. And the queen, your queen, gave him more to keep him as her warrior. Warrior is the very first dragon ever. His magic, along with the queen’s, is what made the magic for us all to use.”
“Why?” She looked in the direction of the voice, but knew that it was Gavin. “I understand some of this. The magic that brings the dragon. The women having to be a part of it. I get that. But why do you need the dragon here? I’m not saying that he shouldn’t be, but why is it so important that we bring it out of the jewelry?”
“It’s a good question, young Gavin. The dragon, all dragons, are magical. They’re the ones that granted it to us. That made witches what they are. Brownies and faeries alike are only here because of the dragon and his magic. Yes, the queen gave him more, but they shared what he had, as well as enhanced what he was, so that they were powerful.”
“So, it’s more of a chain of events that have to happen in the right order for it to finish.” Raven nodded at him, happy that he understood. “That’s one of the reasons that it’s failed before, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Not only did murdering the women make it so that there wasn’t a chain, but also, the correct order of events must be played out. It’s why Caelin couldn’t kill his father, why the order of the jewelry needed to be correct, and that some people, sadly, had to die. Those men chasing you, and the ones that are still on their way here, they have parts to play, even as we do to make this happen.”
“Are we close?” She nodded at Lewis. “And from what I understand, no one has gotten this far before, have they?”
“No. None of the other families have been able to get any more than three of the women to their hearts. While children were born of them, to complete the next generations, there wasn’t enough magic for it to be completed.”
There was more she could tell them, about the young miss coming, how she was to be treated on her way, and what she was doing to get here. She could also tell them that even now the castle was beginning to repair itself, that the walls surrounding it were being fortified so that when they went there, and they would, it would be strong enough to hold them all safely within her belly.
“And this sword, why did I get it and not the others? Not Kenton, or even someone that would be here all the time to use it should Butler come here.” She could almost feel sorry for Vance. He was the strongest of them all, but also the weakest. His heart wasn’t as theirs, nor was it ready for his mate. But he would find a way to let her in, or she’d make him. Laughing a little, she answered him as best she could.
“No one has the power to make it useful but you, Vance. Not because you are a warrior of heart, nor because you have seen more death and witnessed more horror than all of them together. You have it because the sword knew that you could do it. You would need it to end this horrific time in all our lives.” He didn’t seem to be convinced…she could almost feel it rolling off him. “You will understand more when the time comes for you to do so. And in answer to your question about Butler, he is here now. Not in this town, but close by. He is done with the peons, as he calls them, not doing what he needs. He will come for us all himself.”
“But you have the last piece.” She nodded at Kenton. “Does she know that? The woman coming, does she know that you have it?”
“She doesn’t know anything about any of you. Nor is the dragon capable of helping her. She will arrive, and I’ve been told she is on her way. But for her own safety, I think she will do better than any of us did because she knows nothing. They cannot find her if she doesn’t have the magic from the jewelry that we have surrounding us.”
~~~
Lewis closed and locked the door after his family left. He’d started dinner while they were there, inviting them to join them. But they declined, saying that they needed to get to their own homes and to think. He could understand that. When he entered the kitchen, Raven was there talking with Poe.
“I do not understand why you think it important that I stay in this part of the house. You have given me vague answers as well as half-truths. If you don’t wish me to be around, I can go out of doors and stay in the big barn.” He didn’t have a barn, big or small. But Poe continued before she could answer. “What is it you’re really doing here?”
“I want to have sex.” Poe said nothing, but Lewis thought he got it then. “With you about, I will not be relaxed. I wish to bond with my mate, and with you about…. You will be squawking and making noises that will make me feel like you are telling me what I’ve done wrong. I would just as soon you were nowhere near me when I do this.”
“I would never presume to do such a thing, but I understand that you don’t wish me in the room with you. I could give you pointers. I have seen humans mate before. Disgusting, if you ask me, but I can tell you—”
“You will not, or I shall boil you in my pot the next time I need a raven claw.” Poe leaped back from her and noticed him. When he said hello, Raven turned a nice shade of pink. “I was just talking to Poe.”
“So I heard. Poe, where did you see a barn on the property? I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that.” He explained it to him. “So you made one? Whatever for? Not that I’m upset, but I would like to be asked about such things. Simply because I might have had plans for one myself.”
“I checked, and you did not. But my lady here, Raven, needs a place to dry her herbs and to make her potions. I thought of just a small shed, but then I realized that I’d need a place to live. Also, there are other creatures that might enjoy staying out of the sight of humans, and a warm dry bed.” He asked him what sort of other creatures. “The dragons, for one. There are two here now besides the ones that the couple hold. They’re small, yes, but there is a larger one coming too. Not overly large, but big enough to draw attention to himself should he be out and about. Also, there are creatures that Raven has at home. Ones that are no longer a part of your world. They’ll come too, should you allow it.”
“Why wouldn’t I allow it?” He looked at Raven when Poe did. “Would you like to bring all the creatures and other things to this house? I’d be happy to make the arrangements to have them brought here
for you.”
“They’re not what you would call conventional. I have my herbs, as Poe said, but there are other things as well. My mother’s blankets that she made me. And I have a pair of goats and donkeys. There is a unicorn as well that roams the grounds where I lived, but I would have to ask her if she would like to come here. Would you tell me how this tastes? I cannot tell anymore.” He took a sip of the broth that she held on a spoon and told her it was delicious. “Good. Also, you should know that I won’t disturb you in your work if I have a place to call my own, and a garden.”
“You may have anything and everything you wish.” She turned to him, but he could tell that she wasn’t ready to believe him yet. “I’ve never thought of donkeys and goats around here, but we can have a paddock put in for them. Unless they like to roam…then I’ll talk to the pack about them too. A unicorn? I don’t know what they’d want in the way of housing, but we can figure it out. As for you having a garden, I was working on putting one in anyway, a kitchen garden that I can use here as well as at the restaurant. Whatever you want, I promise you, we’ll figure out a way to make it work.”
“What if I told you that I’d like to have a large brewing pot put in the front yard? That I wanted to dance naked in the moonlight? Or that I wanted to butcher a child for my spells?” She was angry, and he wasn’t sure why. Poe left them then, not a word spoken, but just left. “I’m not sure this will work.”
“Shall we start at the beginning? I thought we were getting along nicely.” She asked him how long he’d been standing there before Poe saw him. “Long enough to know that you don’t want him around and why.”
“I shouldn’t have said that.” He asked her why not. “I’m not a maiden, but I’ve not a lot of experience with sex. I thought it would be nice. A good thing for us to do.”
Lewis: The McCade Dragon –Erotic Paranormal Romance Page 5
