“Follow me.” E takes my hand, sending a cold shock of energy through me. I blink rapidly, as he slips through the door, pulling me along with him. Pushing the door closed behind us, we’re plunged into darkness. “Ok, now we just need to wait them out.”
“They must have come in here,” a deep voice rumbles in the distance. “Come on, you check down here, I’ll head upstairs.”
“Excuse me, you gentlemen need to stay with the tour or I’ll have to ask you to leave. The roped off areas are off limits.” The footsteps receded, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Can we go now? I’m hungry.”
“Let's give it some time, Princess. Make sure the coast is clear.”
“Oh, well I guess that makes sense… So is this your house?” I ask quietly.
“Nope, just a convenient place to try and give them the slip.”
“How did you know about this secret passage then?”
“It’s not a secret passage, it’s an old servants hallway,” E whispers. “A relic from days when the rich preferred their servants to be invisible. An old friend showed me the trick to finding the entrances to them.”
“That’s pretty cool. Have we waited long enough yet? It’s really dark in here.”
“If it’s too dark for you, use the flashlight on your phone.”
“Oh, ya, that’s a good idea.” I pull off my backpack and dig around inside until I find my phone. I turn the flashlight on, illuminating the narrow hallway. There was just enough room for the two of us to stand side by side. To the right the passage only goes a few more feet before coming to a dead end. To our left, it continues past the range of the light.
“So where do you think it leads?”
“Probably back to the servants’ area,” E replies, and then flashes me a grin. “Want to check it out?”
“Is that a good idea?”
E shrugs. “No worse than staying here. The dining room was roped off, so I doubt the tour will be coming through.” He takes my hand and urges me along with him. I run my free hand along the wall, and it comes away coated in a thick layer of dust.
“Ugh, I guess they don’t bother cleaning in here.” I grumble, trying to wipe the dirt off.
“They may not realize they’re here.”
“How is that possible?” I frown.
E shrugs and keeps moving. “I think that must be the kitchen entrance up ahead.”
“How do you know?” I ask.
“I don’t, but it makes sense to connect the dining rooms and morning room to the kitchen. Plus, the door knob gives it away. They didn’t always bother to hide the ones in the servants’ hall, just the doors that lead to the public areas.”
“Huh, how does that even work?”
“Magic.” E winked.
“Wait, what?”
“Shh, we need to be extra quiet now, Princess. We don’t want to get caught back here. Turn off the light.” I sigh, but do as he says, plunging us back into darkness. Running my hand over my bag till I find the zipper, I carefully put my phone away. I slide the straps of my backpack on to my shoulders, and there is a soft click as E opens the door a crack.
“Come on, I think it’s safe.” He slips through the opening and I rush to catch up, pausing only to quietly close the door. As I brush my hand over the panel, I can’t help but notice there is no knob on this side. Glancing around, I find myself in another small windowless room. At least it’s not pitch black in here, thanks to the light coming in through an open arch at the far end. E’s already there, cautiously peering out. He motions me forward before moving into the next room.
The empty room is shrouded in shadows, dirty windows allowing little of the fading sunlight to filter in. Clearly part of the unrestored section, it smells of old wood, dust and plaster. Only the huge brick fireplace with its built in baking oven gives away that this was once the main kitchen.
“Hurry,” E calls his voice soft but urgent. He’s across the room now, his hand on the knob of an old door flanked by small windows. I quickly join him, my heart pounding in my chest. Please don’t let anyone catch us in here. Even more than the roped off dining room, it's obvious we should not be back here.
The door opens with a groan, the screeching of the hinges echoing in the silence and I hold my breath, expecting to hear shouts of alarm at any moment. Thankfully it remains silent. E grabs my hand pulling me out the door with him.
The small back porch creaks alarmingly under our combined weight and I run down the stairs to the safety of solid ground. Thick hedges edge the yard, like a natural privacy screen. A gravel path leads off to the right, away from the house. A single story brick and stone building sits at the end of the path.
“This way,” E whispers, pulling me towards the building.
“Wait, is this safe? What if there’s someone in there?”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Princess. They haven’t even finished the main house. There’s no way they're spending money on the out buildings.” He assures.
I glance towards the street only to discover a second building blocking the view. Frowning in confusion, I shake my head. I don’t remember seeing any other buildings when we arrived, but maybe we came from the other direction. I’d hate to think I just hadn’t noticed it.
“What are these buildings,” I ask quietly as we move behind the smaller one.
“Well I’m guessing this is the old summer kitchen. The other building is probably the original carriage house, although it may have been converted to a garage at some point.” he replies, creeping around the side of the building. “We’ll have to come back for the full tour some other time to know for sure.”
“Oh,” I nod. We reach the end of the building, and he holds up his hand, signaling me to stop.
“Alright Princess, I want you to stay here and wait for me.”
“Where are you going?” I demand, panic rising in my chest.
“Hey, it’s ok; I’m just going to check behind the bushes for another way out of here. There should be gate for deliveries somewhere close. You couldn't have the help showing up at the front door, you know. Just wait here, I'll be back for you once I find an exit.”
“Why can’t I come with you?” I ask, clutching his hand.
“It will be less conspicuous if just one of us is skulking in the bushes,” E smiles reassuringly. “I’ll be as quick as I can, I promise.”
“Alright.” I relent, releasing his hand.
“Good girl. I’ll be back soon,” he promises, before jogging off.
I rub my arms, in an attempt to warm up. It feels so much colder now that it’s almost dark. I switch to anxiously pace back and forth. Ugh, this sucks. How long has it been? I hate being out here alone in the cold. With nothing better to occupy my mind, I try to remember what I was doing before going on that walk with the Lawyer, but come up blank. Frustrated, I give up on today, and focus instead on when I’d last seen E.
At first that doesn’t work either, but I know the memories must be there. He told me he’d asked me out and I turned him down… So we must have met before.
I close my eyes and focus on the image of E’s face. Once it’s clear in my mind, I imagine zooming out on a photo.
School… the library… I’m sitting at a table reading… he’s standing in the stacks, looking for a book... He’s found it… Wait… Now he’s leaving… I know E saw me but he didn’t come over… He looked right at me, then turned away and left... Why…
I keep trying. But instead of zooming out, I want to rewind. I imagine moving back, before I saw E, and starting the scene over, like a movie.
I’m reading a mystery novel... A bad one… I see E… He leaves... There’s someone else there… No not one person, five other people sit at the table with me.
I lean back against the wall, trying to visualize the other people with me in the library. Glimpses of half formed images flash through my mind.
Long dark hair. A soft voice with a shy smile. Laughing emerald eyes. Dark ch
ocolate skin. Magenta hair hiding tattoos.
Oh my god, the guys! Jared, Ian, Sebastian, Clayton and Samil! How could I have forgotten them?!?!
Like a dam broke, other memories come flooding forward and I clutch my head, overwhelmed by the intensity. What the fuck is happening? Am I losing more memories? Did the spell not work?
No, no, NO! That can’t be it, they promised that wouldn’t happen.
Then what...
Ms. Blackmore! She must have done something, cast a new spell or something. Something to make me temporarily forget, while she tricked me into following her. That has to be it. There’s no way I would have gone with her otherwise.
I breathe a sigh of relief, at the same time a shiver of unease creeps up my spine. This is the second time the Voodoo Priest, E, has come to my rescue with Ms. Blackmore… That couldn’t just be a coincidence, could it? Was he working with her? But if that’s the case, why did he get me away from her? If he hadn’t showed up, she would have taken me to her office or handed me off to those men, or whatever she was planning?
Ugh, this is so confusing. Ok, I can worry about E later. Right now, I just need to get out of here and back to the guys. They must be freaking out at this point.
I creep towards the far edge of the building, closest to the hedge wall. I’ll just hide behind the bushes while I make my way to the edge of the property. I’ll find a gate eventually, and then I can make a run for it. I’m sure once I’m back on the street, I can find my way back to Main Street… I think. I peek around the corner and stare at the wall of hedges. Geeze, these people sure liked their privacy.
Sighing, I slip around the corner. I feel the ground sag under me and an instant later it gives way, accompanied by a muffled crash. I fall into darkness, landing heavily on my left leg. Something pops and I collapse to the ground. Then the pain hits. I clasp my hand over my mouth to muffle the scream rising in my throat. I try to shrug out of my backpack so I can get to my phone, but the movement sends shooting pains through me. And I force myself to stay still, biting down on my lip.
“Emily????” E’s frantic whisper drifts down to me. “Damn it Princess, where are you????”
“Down... here...” I moan, tears running down my cheek.
“Holy Hell. Princess, are you alright?”
“No!” It comes out more gasp than word. “Fuck, I …. think my leg …. might be broken.” And then, another thought hits me. “Shit, I …. can’t go …. to the hospital.”
“Son of a…” E cuts off the curse. I force my eyes open and turn my head. His silhouette is visible, hovering over the hole far above me. “I’m on my way, Princess. Just stay still.” He disappears from view and a wave of panic hits me, for a moment eclipsing the pain.
“E?” I whimper, my voice breaking. His head pops back into view, and I relax a tiny bit.
“Hey, its ok, Emily. I’m coming for you. Just give me a minute to look for an entrance. I promise. I’ll be right back.” Then he’s gone again.
I clench my fists, fighting to keep control. After what seems like hours but is probably only minutes, E reappears.
“I can't find an entrance to… whatever the hell this is. I’m going to come down.”
I blink, and he’s lowering himself down, until he’s hanging from the far side of the hole. I blink again, and suddenly he’s there, crouched down next to me. I can't help the sob of relief that escapes. He helps me sit up, and frees my backpack before wrapping his arms around me.
“Shhh, its ok Princess. I’m here now, I’m going to take care of you,” he whispers as he strokes my back, sending waves of warmth through me that seems to dull the pain. “You don’t need to worry. You’re not going to the hospital.” He pulls back and grey eyes meet mine. “We’re gonna get you fixed up, I just need you to relax and focus. Can you do that for me?”
I nod slowly. As the pain recedes, I try to sort through my confused thoughts.
Maybe I should just call the guys to come get me. But I already know they can’t fix my leg, if they could, they would have fixed Jared’s injury and he’d be on the hockey team still.
But I can’t go to the hospital; just the thought of it fills me with dread.
And E’s here now… Here and offering to help.
I’ve trusted him for the last couple hours… I’ll have to trust him a little longer.
Coming to that decision, I take a deep breath and ask the million dollar question.
“How are you going to fix it?”
“Not me, we,” E replies, He gives me a reassuring smile as he sits back and takes my hands in his. “And we’ll do it with a bit of magic.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I shake my head in confusion. “Magic? You can’t believe in magic.”
“Why ever not?” He asks. I gap at him, at a loss for words.
“Now, don’t go playing innocent with me, Princess,” E continues, his smile turning wry. “I know you and your friends have been dabbling.” I open my mouth to deny it, but he shakes his head. “Look, it’s ok. You don’t need to admit to anything. I get it, you don’t trust me yet. So right now, why don’t we focus on getting you taken care of? We can talk about the rest later, alright?
“Alright,” I sigh.
“Perfect.” He squeezes my hand. “Now to do this, we’ll need to work together. We’re going to focus the magic to mend the break...”
“I don’t understand,” I interrupt. “How do we do that?”
“Relax Emily. I’m going to walk you through it.”
“But… but don’t we need candles, and a circle, and stuff? I mean the guys have a whole library full of boo...” I stopped, horrified at what I’ve just admitted.
“Not at all,” E jumps in, not commenting on my slip. “Yes, there are those that use spells and incantations, coupled with complicated rituals. But in its purest form, magic follows intent. We just need to concentrate on healing and the energy will naturally respond.”
“But, I don’t… That is… I can't…”
“Maybe not alone you couldn’t,” he agrees. “At least not yet, anyways. But you’re not alone. I’m here, and together, we should be able to. Now I need your help to locate the break. I’m afraid this part might hurt a little.”
“Let’s just get it over with,” I whisper, my voice breaking, betraying my fear.
“Alright, can you tell me where the pain is centralized?”
“Left leg, right above my boot.” I answer, trying to keep my breathing even. E lightly rests his hand on my leg, causing warmth to radiate through my leg.
“Here?” He asks softly. I bite my lip, and nod.
“Perfect,” E smiles, taking my hand again. “Now, I need you to focus as hard as you can on your leg. I need you to visualize the bones in alignment and the break knitting itself back together. Can you do that for me?”
“I think so,” I nod and give him a weak smile.
“Excellent, I need you to keep focused on that until I tell you to stop. Now take a deep breath… And start.”
I nod, squaring my shoulders. Closing my eyes, I direct my thoughts inward as I follow his instruction, visualizing the edges of the bone being drawn back together like magnets, then fusing into one.
A few minutes later, E’s energy hits me all at once. It’s a strange combination of hot and cold directly on the break, and for a moment I lose focus.
“Don’t stop, Princess.” He whispers, squeezing my hand. “Stay focused on healing. Once the bones are back together, imagine the healing light radiating from the bone and through your leg, until it fills your entire body.”
I take another deep breath, focusing on his instructions. I imagine a golden light filling the bone and slowly expanding outward into the entire leg. Flashes of silver and lavender spin through the golden light, and my leg feels like it’s buzzing with energy. It doesn’t stop there though, it moves until I can feel it through my entire body. From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, energy courses through me.
“Tha
t’s it, Emily, you’re doing great. Now I want you to take a deep breath in, and exhale through your mouth. As you do, you're going to release all that left over energy back into the universe. We’re going to do that a total of seven times, alright.”
E counts the breaths off for me. Each time I breathe out, the buzzing fades a little more. By the time He says seven it’s completely gone and I feel drained and exhausted.
“Perfect,” he whispers approvingly. I force my eyes open, to find E smiling at me. His grey eyes lock with mine, bright and curious.
“How does your leg feel?” He asks, bringing my hand to his lips and brushing a kiss across my knuckles. “Can you try moving it for me?”
I blink rapidly, trying to process his words. Finally registering his request, I tentatively bend my left knee. No pain, it’s like it never happened.
“This is amazing, E. It doesn’t hurt at all!” I tell him excitedly. I move to stand up, only for a wave of dizziness to hit. He’s there; wrapping his arms around me and helping me lay back down.
“Stay still for now, Princess. The break may be healed, but we used a lot of energy to do it. It’s going to take you a little time to recover. I want you to just lay here for a bit, alright?”
“Ohhh Khhhh,” I sigh. “That’s probably a good idea. Where are we anyways?”
“That is a good question. I’m going to take a look around and see if I can figure that out and find a way out of here.” I watch him through half closed eyes as he stands and dusts himself off.
There’s hardly any light coming in through the hole in the ceiling now. As I watch, he pulls a phone out of his back pocket and turns on the flashlight, and then disappears from my light of sight. I close my eyes, floating in the darkness, the sound of my heart beat filling my ears. A crash brings me back to the present, and my eyes fly open. I peer around in the darkness, till I find the light that must be E.
“E?”
“I’m ok, Princess, but I’m afraid this old ladder has seen its last days,” he sighs. His footsteps echo through the room, and I try to track the sound.
“This has to be the cellar for the summer kitchen,” he muses. “I found a trap door, but the ladder was rotted through. It broke when I tried to climb it. There are also a set of storm doors, but they’re buried or locked from the outside, possibly both.” He crosses back over and kneels next to me.
Wave of Truth (The Magic Catalyst Chronicles Book 4) Page 10
