He's right. I don't want a minder.
Seeing no alternative, she sighed, “Fine. What sort of weapon?”
“Well, with a warlock situation we tend to use silver. Swords, daggers, arrows, bullets, whatever fits best for the situation. The last one was shot. I, personally prefer a sword. Alayna carries a dagger.” He shrugged and added, “We'll have to see what sits best with you.”
“This is ridiculous,” she hissed, transferring the sliced vegetables to a bowl and flipping the cutting board. “Why silver?”
“Demons,” he said simply. “It won't be long before he summons something.”
“Of course, why didn't I think of that? Silly Charlotte.”
Callan chuckled and shook his head and pulled a small envelope from his pocket. “We received a formal invitation to Houska this morning. From Markus.”
Scraping the chicken into a bowl she washed her hands and took the envelope. “When?”
“Friday. We'll be there a few days. Dane and Lukas will join us. The children don't have to stay that long. I can take them to stay with Ma for a night or two, once Zander's had time with the portal.”
She nodded, “If they want to. I won't leave them unless they're happy.”
“Mummy, I'm hungry,” Zander complained shrugging his coat off.
Mummy? He never calls me Mummy.
Stuffing the letter into her back pocket she turned and smiled, “Won't be long, twenty minutes. Has Enya come in too?”
“I'm here, I'm really cold!” she complained.
“Go and watch TV through there, the fire's lit,” Callan suggested. “You go, I'll cook. You look tired.”
“Thank you,” she murmured as she stood on her toes, kissed him and followed the children.
Chapter 3
“Charlotte, Aoife's here,” Callan murmured. He waited until she had roused and said, “I'll answer the door.”
Groaning, she pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Three hours. Zander and Enya are in bed,” he called from the hall.
I didn't want to nap.
Aoife's voice drifted through as she dragged herself from the sofa. Callan had opened a bottle of wine, brought through glasses and set the cheeseboard and condiments on the coffee table.
I'm so hungry.
“Charlotte, how are you?” Aoife asked as she pulled her into a hug. “Are you all settled down now?”
“I'm really well, thanks. Yeah, we've settled into a bit of a routine. How have you been?”
Callan poured the wine and invited Aoife to sit. “We've been discussing enrolling the children at the school,” he said.
“That's a wonderful idea. They need to be with other children. There haven't been any more control issues I take it?” She took the wine and picked up a grape.
“Surprisingly, no,” Charlotte admitted, piling a small plate with cheese. Callan handed her a glass. “Thank you. They've made really good progress, had time to settle and had time to get to know Callan's family so I thought it would be best to get back to normal now.”
Aoife nodded. “And how are you adjusting?”
Callan sat beside her and sipped his drink.
“I think I'm okay,” she laughed, “missing work but… well I'll get used to it. I have training to keep me busy.”
“Ah, yes. How's that going?”
“Not very well,” she said with a rueful smile.
“This morning was a huge improvement, don't be hard on yourself,” Callan said gently.
“Dane pushed me,” she explained. “He pretty much throttled Callan until I snapped.”
Aoife's broad smile surprised her. “Well that's good,” the older woman said. “You've taken that first step, you know how to access it now. How do you feel about it?”
Charlotte shrugged and took another bite of cheese. She didn't know how to feel about it.
Callan stepped in, reading her discomfort. “She said she could feel it long afterwards. Can you feel it now?” he asked.
She nodded, her mouth too full to speak.
“Hmm. It would be helpful to have some information on the early days with your power. Is there anything in your archives, Callan?”
“Sadly not. I had a team search for anything we had,” Callan sighed.
Mum had a diary…
“Wait,” Charlotte said as she jumped up and went upstairs. Callan had brought the boxes she'd packed and put them in a spare bedroom. Carefully, she dug out the one she'd packed her mum's little chest in, wrapped in the old fleece blanket. She carried it down the stairs and sat with it on her lap
“Mum's stuff,” she explained. “An old notebook, certificates from nursing college and loads of scribbled notes. I just kept them all here and shoved the chest to the back of the wardrobe when she…”
Aoife held out her hands for the chest, “Callan, be a dear and call Carlie.”
He left the room to make the phone call.
Why does she need Carlie?
Aoife scanned through the pile of papers from the chest quietly for several minutes. Charlotte didn't want to interrupt so carried on eating and sipping her wine.
“I'm going to collect her, won't be long,” Callan called from the hall and disappeared.
“Now he's gone. How are you really?” Aoife asked over the lid of the chest.
Charlotte sighed. “Scared. Overwhelmed. They think I can help them stop him.”
“It is a lot to ask of you. They're right, of course, you're the best weapon against him. You can get them close enough to end it.” She paused then smiled and said, “Best not to worry about that just now, just concentrate on your training and your family. Let Callan, Dagda and Dane handle the rest.” She turned back to the chest.
It's alright you saying that, it isn't you having to do it!
Callan and Carlie arrived. Callan went straight to the kitchen for another glass and more wine.
“How are you, Charlotte?” Carlie asked, sitting beside Aoife.
“Yeah, not bad. You?”
“Yeah. Busy trawling the country for signs of him,” she said, her lips pulled into a tight-lipped smile
Callan handed her a glass of wine and sat beside Charlotte. “Found anything?”
“Yes. She documented everything! Look,” Aoife said as she handed him the notebook.
Charlotte looked over at the scribbled notes. “I can't read it. What language is that?”
He scanned the pages so quickly she was sure he wasn't taking any of it in. “Gaelic,” he said at last. “It's all here.” He flicked through the pages and read out small sections.
“I know it's getting stronger. He comes home late, exhausted.
He says his skin is crawling.
Robert isn't himself. He's agitated. Keeps staring at Lolly.
Afraid he's going to hurt her.
Oh. He summoned something,” his face was blank as he read on.
“So, is that when we left?” Charlotte asked.
“It would seem so. That's the tingling question answered. Can you still feel it?” he asked, brows raised.
“Yeah. It's not as strong as it was this morning, but it's still there.”
“Can we borrow these?” Carlie asked. “To look through them in more detail? I'll translate them over for you so you can read them yourself.”
“Yeah, 'course. Does this mean he can summon demons and all that then?”
“It looks like the first time was an accident from what I can see here. Doesn't say if he tried again,” Callan answered slowly, still scanning the pages of the notebook.
They sat in silence for a while. Charlotte sipped her wine as the others read through the contents of the chest.
“I can't understand why she didn't tell someone. Your dad?” She looked at Carlie.
“I don't know, Charlotte. I don't blame her for keeping it to herself. She loved him. She only left because she loved you more.” Carlie shook her head and looked at her hands.
/> “At least she's given us this,” Aoife said kindly as she patted the chest. “Whatever mistakes were made in the past aren't important now. What's important is dealing with the current crisis.”
“Yeah. What do we do now?”
Carlie answered, “I'll translate it all with Aoife, relay everything we find out back to you two, Dagda and Dane. We should have it by the weekend.”
“We're away this weekend, we've been invited to the Houska,” Callan said, glancing up, “I expect it to take up, at most, five days. We can all meet here next Thursday evening, discuss properly?”
Picking at the fruit on the table, Charlotte mused, “Do you think he's summoning demons?”
Carlie cleared her throat, “It's likely. We can fight demons. We just need to step up our training.”
“We'll start yours tomorrow morning,” Callan said, handing the notebook to Aoife. “It's safer to assume he is and be ready.”
“You're talking like we're going to war,” Charlotte laughed.
“You haven't told her, have you?” Carlie glared at Callan.
“Told me what?”
Carlie sat back and sighed heavily. “Callan. She doesn't need that sort of protection. The best any of us can give her is preparation.”
“What haven't you told me now?” Charlotte sighed.
Aoife spoke first, “Callan, more wine please. Carlie, calm down.” She closed the chest and set it by her feet. “The last time we faced a warlock was in the late 1930's. He was finally killed in 1945. The cost to human, fae and druid life was immense. In the end, it was a fae and a druid who managed to end it. By that time, he'd taken over half of Europe, held Houska and almost managed to access the portal. You know who I'm talking about.”
“No! World war II was all down to…” Charlotte gasped.
“Yes. It took the kidnap and impersonation of his girlfriend, the death of that same shape shifter and the fast actions of a fairy to shoot him in the head with a silver bullet, but he was eventually defeated. This time, we have you.”
She glared at Aoife. “But what can I do? I can't do any of that!”
“You won't need to. You can master your power and use it against him. All you need to do is get them close enough and Dagda, Callan and Dane will handle the rest. I know it's a lot to ask of you, Charlotte, but…”
You knew. Don't pretend you didn't know. Dagda said, without you, they're stuffed.
“I know. I've known all along really,” she sighed. “Callan, you have to stop wrapping me in cotton wool.”
“He's just trying to protect you,” Carlie muttered.
“Who killed the last one?”
“Dane,” Callan said quietly. “He caught three fae working with the bastard and killed them too. Executed them in the yard and left them to rot, denied them a proper burial. It destroyed him, but he had to take back Houska.”
“And the druid?”
“He died. He played his part to the end, he took cyanide. While he was busy making sure his girlfriend was dead he dropped his defenses enough to give Dane chance to get into the bunker,” he said sadly.
“Well we can't let it go that far this time. How much training am I likely to need?”
Callan looked round at her, “Not much. Just enough for you to be able to run if need be and use a weapon if necessary. The rest is purely magical. I won't put you in harm's way, Charlotte. I'll make sure it's all done your way. Whatever you're comfortable with.”
She nodded and filled her glass.
“It's late and I have surgery in the morning. Callan, would you mind?” Aoife stood, lifting the small chest carefully, “I'll keep this safe and return it to you next week, Charlotte.”
“Take all the time you need. It's been hidden away for years, I won't miss it. Thank you, Aoife.”
“Enjoy Houska. Czechoslovakia's a beautiful country, try to see some of it,” she suggested, and took Callan's hand.
Carlie moved to sit beside her once they'd gone, “Are you okay?”
“No. No I'm not,” she said into her glass.
“Is there anything I can do?”
She swallowed a large gulp of wine. “Not really. Just keep yourself safe, Carlie. I don't want anyone else hurt because of this. I'll train, I'll sort it. Everyone seems to think I can, I'll just go with that. He almost killed me before because I couldn't help myself. I got a second chance.”
“You don't have to. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Charlotte. You owe the world nothing. This is our mess, not yours. We're the ones who maintain the balance. Not you.” Carlie said, her voice cracking.
“It is my mess, Carlie. He's my dad.” She grimaced, almost choking on the word.
He's never been that.
“I have shadow-fire. I have the kids. I married Callan knowing what was happening, who we all are. It'll be fine,” she said, forcing a smile. “I have you, Callan, Dagda, Dane, everyone. I just need to try, really hard to control it.”
“Callan's just trying to protect you. He lost you once. If he lost you again, it'd kill him. Please don't blame him.”
Charlotte shook her head. “I don't. It's just taking some adapting to. I was alone for so long. Thank you.”
“Don't thank me. I haven't done anything. It's me who should be thanking you. You're so brave, Charlotte. Just like your mum.”
With a sullen laugh, she drained her glass, and said, “I don't have half of her strength.”
“You just can't see it,” she stood and kissed the top of her head. “Callan's back. I should go now, I have a lot to do tomorrow.”
“See you next week,” she half smiled up at her.
“Do you need dropping off Carlie?” Callan asked as he entered the room.
“No, thanks, I'll fly back. See you soon.” She shifted as he opened the window and flew gracefully out.
“Are you okay?” he asked, clearing the coffee table.
“Yep.” She reached for the wine bottle and filled her glass.
“I'm sorry I didn't tell you.”
She sighed, “I know why you didn't. Its fine. Just, now I'm up to speed, please keep me in the loop. This concerns me as much as anyone else now. I'd rather everyone was open and honest.”
He nodded and went into the kitchen. “Have you had enough to eat?” he called through.
“Yeah. I'll drink this and go to bed, I think. Sounds like I've got my work cut out tomorrow.”
“I'll be gentle,” he laughed.
“That surprised me about Dane. He doesn't seem the hero type.”
“No? He found you,” he said, sitting beside her.
Shuffling closer, Charlotte cuddled into his shoulder. “Yeah. He just has that mean streak, I never really know where I am with him.”
“I trust Dane with any of our lives. Yes, he can be arrogant, he's a flirt, he's hot tempered, but he's a fierce and loyal friend.”
“I didn't think you two got on,” she looked up at him, brows pulled in.
“We' were close at once time. Just, drifted apart. We still always seem to be on the same side when things are up for debate with the council,” he shrugged.
“Oh. So, he's not really being mean when he throttles you?” She cocked a brow and looked up at him.
“I don't think he'd actually kill me, no,” he laughed. “But in a battle, I'd rather be on his side.”
She thought of the Dane she knew, lounging on the sofa in shorts, playing video games and munching doughnuts and laughed.
“What?” Callan asked.
“You should see him at home. He's a typical lad.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he binge-watches TV shows and plays video games for hours on end,” she said. “He literally doesn't move, at all, unless he has to.”
“Forget that side of him tomorrow. He's different at work and training you is work. He'll be more like he was this morning.”
“But that Dane's a dick! I thought you were training me?”
“That Dane gets results. I
'll be helping but I won't be able to push you like Dane and Dagda will.”
“Dagda? He'll kill me!”
Callan smiled, and lowered his voice. “Just think of all the times he's annoyed you.”
“Plenty to choose from!”
Callan sniggered. “He'll be busy a lot of the time, he isn't guaranteed to get the chance.”
Let's just hope he's too busy then…
Chapter 4
The training room was large and bright. Along one wall was a treadmill, weights and what she assumed was a spinning bike. In the center of the room were sparring mats.
“I'll sit at the back there,” Callan said as Dane approached. He was holding a pile of clothes.
“You need to change into these. Bare feet. Through there,” he pointed to a door at the back of the room.
“Hello Dane,” she muttered, taking the clothes and heading in the direction he'd indicated.
The small changing room had a shower, toilet and small bench to change at. She unfolded the clothes Dane had given her and pulled a face.
“I'm not wearing this!” She called out.
“Put it on or I'll put it on for you!” Dane shouted back through the door.
She stuck out her tongue and whispered, “Arse.”
“I can hear you whispering too,” he called, hammering a fist on the door.
The tight fitting cropped leggings and vest made her cringe as she looked in the mirror.
I'm not going out there looking like this.
“Come on Lottie!” Dane hammered on the door again.
Impatient…
“No, I look like a flump.”
“I don't care what you look like, get out here.”
Callan was smirking as she glanced his way.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said innocently. “What's a flump?”
“A marshmallow,” she muttered as she huffed over to Dane who was standing on the sparring mat. Callan sniggered.
Dane looked her up and down, walking around her. “We'll start with posture. Back straight, feet apart no wider than your hips and bend your knees slightly.”
Bossy.
She tried to follow his instruction. He nudged his foot against hers, tapping them apart. “Relax.”
Riftkeepers: Pursuit Page 3
