Armageddon's Ward

by T J Kelly

  I returned to my sleeping chamber and climbed into bed, collapsing onto my back. Staring blindly up at the canopy, I took a deep breath and tried to meditate.

  Chas’s face popped into my mind, instead. I was trying not to be obsessed, but the truth was, I was fascinated by him. He was gorgeous. If he turned out to be smart and funny, too, I was sunk.

  I wondered if it would upset my aunt and uncle that I developed a full-blown crush on one of the other apprentices. Hopefully not since I couldn’t stop myself. Not that I wanted to.

  Instead of meditating, I focused on what I could do to get to know him better. Before I knew it, my thoughts of Chas turned into dreams about him, and they kept me pleasantly occupied throughout the night.

  FIVE

  I Learn Something New

  As it turned out, I didn’t need anyone to show me the way to supper because I slept through the night.

  My exhaustion had overtaken me, and I was still wearing my traditional indigo mourning travel dress from the day before. Somebody had pulled out a blanket and covered me. Wow. I really must have been exhausted because I slept soundly in spite of the fact that formal-wear is seriously uncomfortable. I was already starting to itch.

  Tossing the blanket aside, I hopped up and tried to unlace the ties on the back of my dress as I pushed through the door into my new dressing room. I couldn’t help squirming and tugging, suddenly overcome by discomfort. Scooping up a nice pair of jeans, a cute blouse, and fresh underclothing in seconds, I continued my struggle until I managed to loosen the gown enough to yank it over my head. I looked at the bathtub longingly but opted to take a quick shower, not knowing what time everyone usually ate breakfast. Skipping supper the night before was already rude enough, and I didn’t want to end up offending anyone. I also had tons of questions I wanted to ask.

  Besides, I was starving.

  When I got out of the shower, I swept my wet hair up into a bun to save time. I wasn’t sure where to put my dress, but I couldn’t hang up such a wrinkled mess. I draped it across the bench in my dressing chamber and then hurried back into my bedroom and folded the blanket I used the night before. It was soft and had tiny embroidered flowers in yellow and red. I set it on the window seat, which was decorated with matching pillows.

  We had servants that took care of our manor houses, but my parents always expected me to clean up after myself. Not that I could ever be one of those spoiled girls who disregarded the people who worked for them, leaving disgusting messes behind because they thought it was funny.

  Satisfied that the room was about as neat as it had been when I arrived the night before, I pulled my shoulders back, stiffened my spine, raised my chin, and confidently walked out my chamber door, determined to find the sitting room from last night on my own.

  I ran into the poor maid who was about to knock on my door. We both stammered an apology.

  “Are you okay, miss?” she asked.

  “I’m fine. I’m so sorry. I had no idea anyone would be there when I opened the door.” I felt the urge to laugh but held back just in case. I didn’t want the poor maid to think I was laughing at her.

  “Oh, miss, it was my fault entirely. Please forgive me.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive. Really. It’s definitely my fault. Once you get to know me, you’ll realize these kinds of things happen all the time. It’s why I no longer have any dignity at all.” I accidentally let a giggle slip out. Here I was boldly going forth to seek out my destiny and instead almost knocked her down.

  The maid was fairly tall since I had to look up quite a ways to meet her eyes. They were warm and twinkled a little. I think she was trying not to laugh, too.

  “The others are gathering in the sitting room, and I’ve been sent to escort you there. They meet there before breakfast every day, which is served promptly at ten.”

  I nodded and followed her down the stairs and through several hallways. I would have to get a copy of the castle map to confirm, but I was sure that the sitting room was located on the exact opposite corner of the castle from my bedroom. It was quite a hike to get there.

  My aunt and uncle were waiting when I arrived, but the apprentices were absent. Armageddon stood behind Peony’s chair, leaning against its arm and peering down at the embroidery she had in her lap. There was a sizzle in the air, indicating they were performing a spell. It was jarring to see since my parents had never done any magic while at home.

  “Oh, good morning Lia! I hope you slept well. I’m so sorry I didn’t think about how tired you have been.” Peony set her work aside and rose, holding her hands out to grasp mine. I gave them a light squeeze in return as she hustled me over to the chair next to hers.

  “The boys should be down in a minute. We usually have a short meeting before breakfast to discuss our tasks for the day. They’re both excellent magicians, and Ged has been working with them for years now. Perhaps when we get your situation sorted, you would consider joining us. But that will be entirely up to you, and I’m getting ahead of myself.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I remained silent. I wasn’t sure how things were supposed to work since I wasn’t a magician yet. It made sense to take it one day at a time. I didn’t have to make any permanent decisions until I turned twenty-one anyway.

  “Lia,” Armageddon called. He waved his hands in front of my eyes to get my attention. He must have thought I spaced out on him. Fair enough, though, because I had. “If you’re agreeable, I’ll have Chas and Peter show you around the castle grounds and take you on a tour so you can get your bearings. We can start researching your magic tomorrow.”

  “Sounds great, Uncle Ged.” I grinned, loving his hick-sounding nickname. True, it was a bit of a stretch since there was no “j” sound in “Armageddon,” but I guess not all nicknames had to make perfect sense “This place is huge. If you have a map, I’d love to get a copy.”

  Peony hopped up and walked over to a little secretary desk that had probably been around longer than America had been a country. She pulled out a scroll and brought it to me. “I was going to give you this last night,” she said cheerfully. “I was so excited to meet you that I forgot, and then you fell asleep.”

  My aunt sounded a little silly to me, but there was a sharp lady under her social chatter. I had heard a few rumors about her, too, and most of them were unkind, mocking her intelligence and quality as a magician. I had only known her one day, and already I could tell that none of the rumors were true. They were probably spread by people jealous of her beauty and kind nature.

  Besides, her rambling was endearing. It was especially nice watching it instead of living through it like I usually did. It seemed like I was always too quiet or talked entirely too much. Peony and I weren’t blood-related, but we already had a lot in common. Except nobody needed to invent any rumors about me. The truth was bad enough.

  “Thank you, Aunt. I’ll memorize the layout as soon as possible.” I twisted the scroll the same way I would have wrung water out of a sponge, and it shrank into a small square. The scroll was a magical object, so I didn’t need to be a magician to make it small enough to stuff into my jeans pocket for safe keeping.

  The sound of voices outside in the hall drew my attention. Chas entered the room right before Peter, his golden brown eyes lighting up when he saw me.

  “Good morning, Lia. We missed you last night,” Peter said, pulling my attention away from watching how the sun seemed to glow when it landed on Chas. Peter had a slightly crooked bottom tooth, which made his smile all the more charming. His gray eyes twinkled at me, and I began to wonder if every person in the castle was always as kind as humanly possible. I also wondered if any of the rumors about my uncle or his Irregulars were accurate. None of them seemed all that ruthless to me.

  “Good morning,” I replied. “I’m sorry I fell asleep so early. I’ve been having trouble sleeping, and I guess it finally caught up with me.”

  Chas gave me a lopsided grin and said, “Don’t worry about it, we can
make up for lost time today. Peter and I have already ironed out a plan to show you all of the sights and then we’ll eat a picnic lunch in the outer bailey. There’s a spot near the water you’ll probably enjoy.”

  Peony beamed with approval. “Wonderful idea. I’ll talk to Cook and ask her to make something special in Lia’s honor.”

  “You’d better make sure you watch your backs, boys,” Armageddon teased. “Lia will snatch food right out of your hand if you let her. You’ll need to be on your toes.”

  “No fair warning them, Uncle. Now how can I beat them without the element of surprise?” I played along.

  My uncle grinned at me. “Oh, my dear niece, warning them merely gives them a fighting chance. I’d bet on you winning any day.”

  Peter and Chas gave each other another long look, and I wondered about it. Maybe they weren’t used to my uncle joking around so much.

  “What are your plans for the afternoon?” Peony asked.

  Chas grinned. “We wanted to take Lia into the village and show her around.”

  “Sorry, Chas, but Lia must remain on castle grounds until we complete our security assessment,” Armageddon said.

  Chas nodded his agreement immediately.

  “Have there been any direct threats yet?” Peter asked.

  Armageddon sighed. “No, I think the move from the Rector estate delayed any action. I doubt they thought I would take her so quickly. That is, of course, why I did it.”

  They nodded. I found myself nodding as well since we all knew that predictability was dangerous.

  “Why don’t you show Lia the greenhouse this afternoon? Surely you can find something to keep you occupied in there,” Peony said.

  “Great idea,” Peter responded. “Lia, the greenhouse will blow your mind. But I’m not going to tell you anything about it yet. I don’t want to ruin your first visit.”

  I had no objections. It didn’t matter to me where we went as long as I got my bearings and stopped feeling so lost. I was looking forward to getting to know Chas and Peter and that kind of thing always worked better when there weren’t any adults around.

  “Armageddon and I are needed elsewhere, but you may see us while you’re out and about. Otherwise, we’ll meet at tea time.” Peony rose, and the rest of us stood as well. “Now, it’s time for breakfast. I asked Mortem Impii to join us this morning so I can introduce him to Lia.”

  “Mort is my assistant,” Armageddon explained as we walked toward the dining chamber. “I think you’ll like him. He’s in charge of your combat training. He and Peony will take over your other lessons whenever I’m called away. Mort is aware of your situation and may have some helpful suggestions about your trigger.”

  I had never heard of Mortem Impii before, not even in rumors. But I was suddenly excited because anyone named Wicked Death had to be an interesting breakfast companion.

  ◆◆◆

  The dining hall was huge, capable of entertaining at least five hundred guests at once. The floors were covered in the same dark wood as my bedroom. Two huge tables spanned nearly the length of the entire room, but just inside the door was a smaller table where we could eat together comfortably. The walls were covered in white paneling. Peony, or one of the Laurus ancestors, had chosen lovely gold accents.

  A man waited near the table. I assumed he was Mortem Impii since there weren’t any servants needed at the breakfast buffet. He was tall, at least six feet, although he would look short standing next to my uncle. Everyone looked short next to Armageddon’s six feet five-inch frame.

  Mort looked like he was in his fifties, with salt and pepper hair and green eyes. He waited politely for us to join him.

  “Good morning, Mort. It’s good to see you.” My uncle shook Mort’s hand and then slapped him on the back. “This is my niece, Mirabilia Rector. You should call her Lia or else you’ll find yourself tripping over your own tongue when you yell at her.”

  “Oh, don’t scare the child,” Mort said in a smooth baritone. “I never yell.”

  My uncle snorted. “Oh, no, of course not. But you’re always heard, are you not?”

  “Indeed I am. Mirabilia, it’s nice to meet you. You may call me Mort. I had no idea Ged had such a lovely niece. Welcome to the family. I’m sure you’ll fit right in if Ged hasn’t managed to scare you off by now.” He walked a few steps to where I was standing, and we shook hands. I could feel the hum of strong magic when our hands met. Things kept getting better and better. Magic, magic, everywhere, and not a drop for me.

  “It’s nice to meet you too, Mort. And please, do call me Lia. I haven’t used my formal name since I was three and I might think you’re talking to somebody else if you try to call me Mirabilia.” I hated my name. I had shortened it to Lia because I couldn’t pronounce my full name when I was a toddler. Later, when I found out what it meant, I was too embarrassed to allow people to call me anything but plain, simple Lia.

  Besides, the only time I heard my formal name was when I was in trouble or embarrassing myself. Like at the Ascension Ceremony. I shuddered.

  The others were already piling food onto their plates. Mort and I joined them. I was thrilled that there were plenty of solid offerings on the table. I loved breakfast foods, but they didn’t always sit well in my stomach. I was usually ravenous in the morning, but I was particularly hungry since I slept through supper the night before.

  I hastily picked up a croissant and cut it in half lengthwise, opening it so I could make myself a sandwich. I piled it high with turkey, ham, and cheese, then slathered on some berry jam. I popped on three thin apple slices and a scoop of what looked like some kind of breaded dressing with little nuts and dried berries and other interesting bits and pieces mixed in on top. I spooned a few small green olives onto my plate as well since they were stuffed with garlic and feta cheese, which I loved.

  Armageddon stood on the other side of the buffet table from me, looking appalled. I usually ate more conservatively so I wouldn’t stand out when we had company, but since Castle Laurus was my new home, I was going to start as I meant to go on.

  Love me, love my crazy sandwiches.

  I noticed several beautiful little strawberries on Armageddon’s plate. Looking down the table, I realized that I had missed them and would have to go all the way back to the beginning of the buffet if I wanted some.

  Or would I?

  Laughing to myself, I stuck my hand out fast as lightning and snatched several of the ripe berries off of my uncle’s plate, winked at him, gave him a terribly smug look, and turned towards the dining table all before he could stop me. I sat towards the middle of the table and popped the strawberries into my mouth quickly so he couldn’t take them back.

  Mort must have caught me at it because he made a choking sound, and then burst into laughter. “I would never have believed it,” he said. “My master loses his favorite food to his cheeky little niece. I think that was worth the price of a ticket.”

  Armageddon choked a sip of tea. He probably shouldn’t have tried to drink before he sat down anyway, considering he also had a full plate in his hand.

  “Master?” My uncle delicately wiped the corners of his mouth. “It sure is getting thick in here. How about we all settle down so I can eat my meal in peace?”

  I don’t know how he did it, especially since he had a plate in one hand and his sweet tea in the other, but my chocolate-banana mini-muffin disappeared by the time my uncle took his seat.

  Drat the man, the rest of the mini-muffins were already gone. At least when I stole his strawberries, I swiped something he could easily replace. He played dirty. If he wasn’t careful, things would devolve into all-out food war that I was determined to win.

  I ate in silence, enjoying the conversation around me. When we all finished, Mort invited me to go on a walk with him to explore the ground floor of the castle. I got the feeling that he wanted a chance to talk to me privately, so I agreed. We cleared our dishes and left them on the cart set conveniently near the breakfast tabl
e. Mort chivalrously offered me his arm, and we walked off.

  “The rooms of the castle form a large square surrounding the inner courtyard. Peony turned it into a miniature paradise. You’ll find you want to spend a lot of time there because it’s that damned incredible.”

  I was momentarily taken aback by his language. Then I shrugged it off. If I was honest with myself, it really hadn’t bothered me. I was just surprised to hear it. Most people tiptoed around me, their manners overly formal, or treated me like a simpleton as if my lack of magical ability also meant I was stupid.

  “I’m sure I’ll enjoy it,” I replied. “My mother was a Laurus after all. Love of gardens is practically bred into our bloodline. She used to ask me to help nurse the most delicate herbs. They seem to like me.” I felt my heart lighten in my chest. I had loved helping my mother, and it felt great being successful at something other people found difficult. It reminded me that there were some things I was good at even without magic.

  “Peony will be thrilled to hear that. She has several sickly plants that need help.” Mort and I then crossed the main entry hall where he showed me the library, several more sitting rooms, and a ballroom. A set of stairs led down to the dungeons. Mort told me that they had been converted into recreational rooms with game tables, a home theater, and racquetball court.

  A door in the center of the castle led to the greenhouse. It was located in the heart of the castle, an outdoor garden in the middle of the building.

  Being my mother’s daughter meant that I had high expectations, but my imagination could never have done it justice. It really was a paradise that mixed an arboretum and an inner garden with both exotic and ordinary plants coexisting in harmony, humming with magic, and smelling fabulous. On the far side of the courtyard was a glass building. That had to be the plant nursery. I decided to check it out when I had some time to myself. I wouldn’t mind helping Peony the way I helped my mother. Besides, I needed to prove that I was good at something.