by Beth Byers
“Go then,” Echo hissed. “Go!”
“No!” Ariadne cut in. “No. Let’s just stop. Circe, maybe you could stay with Nannette and the Langfords. Maybe we just need a break, and they need someone to protect them. Who better than you? You’re so talented.”
Ariadne’s attempt at kind words wasn’t enough. Circe tossed Ariadne another scoffing look and slammed out of the room. A trip to visit the Langfords and it was decided that Circe would spend some time in their home while the rest of the sisters went to Wode house.
Once it was decided it took less than an hour to put their things back into their trunks. As they packed, Circe ensured that she packed her trunks separately from her sisters. They gathered their cats, the little girls, and arranged for an auto. Hotel Saffron took care of both delivering the food and packing a picnic lunch.
Ariadne walked into Wode house to take full possession and felt a shift inside of her. Perhaps she’d been born to be the Wode in the United States, but fate had intervened and she was now the eldest of the eldest here. The money would be nice, and she had to admit, she’d be buying herself those pearls she’d wanted, but she also had to confess that the garden was the truly compelling point. If only she could discover a path to fixing things between her and Circe, it would seem that they’d landed rather well.
Echo headed down to the cellars to examine the wards that were inclined towards ghosts and the dead while Ariadne took Medea and Cassiopeia out to the garden. Ariadne watched Medea’s gaze widen and then she darted to the center of the grass and spun in a circle until she fell down.
Ariadne dropped to her knees and watched with utter relief at Medea actually playing. It was as though her sister had stepped back into the past before the KKK had terrorized them. Ari played with the little girls, letting peace sink into her, and then they wandered the house to find a bedroom for them.
The Wode house in America had not been small, but in comparison? Well, there was no comparison. Ari didn’t want to take the master bedroom and it seemed that her hesitation was noted. Finally, she let the house entice her into the room and stared.
It was massive. The sheer size and scope of it took moments to process and then she focused on small details at a time. It was the kind of massive that one expected to see for a princess. The royal edge didn’t end at the size of it. There was a sunken area for the bed and the bed itself was three times the size of anything that Ari had even seen before. But there was also a stair case that led upward around the bedroom and came out in an area where a pentacle had been carved into the wood. Lighter wood formed the star and circle of the pentacle while the darker wood shone and glistened. It wanted to be seen and noted.
The walls of the loft space were lined with bookshelves and Ari could feel power coming from their pages. The division between the loft and the rest of the bedroom was a railing, and each rail was formed by handcrafted spires of other creatures.
Dragons, chimeras, phoenixes, griffins. Things that Ari would need to look up and identify. She slowly descended the stairs and noted the wards that blended into the stain on the steps. The rectangle of each square was accented with a golden rectangle accent line.
Ari met Medea’s gaze with Cassie standing just behind her. The girls were clutching each other’s hands despite the house making them feel safer. “What do you think?”
“Can I have this room?” Medea asked.
“It’s Ari’s room,” Echo answered from the doorway, “but have you seen the room across the hall? I suspect it was called the pink room, and it would be so close to Ariadne.”
Both of the little girls’ gazes widened and they darted across the hall while Ari stared at Echo. She was staring back.
Ari asked, “How did we end here?”
“I think that has to do with you,” Echo replied.
“It can’t possibly have to do with me.”
“Of course it does,” Echo replied. “I get that you want to believe that it isn’t anything special about you. We’ve got too much Puritanism in us—filtered into us from our environment—to feel like we deserve something on this level without our hard work. But there is something special about you.”
“No, there isn’t.”
“You received an excellent talent. That part isn’t fair. You’ve worked yourself to the bone to make that talent something special. That’s the difference. This house could filter and feel the lines of the Wodes. You were the one that filled the role of the Wode because of what you did with your talents.”
Ariadne shook her head and then glanced back at the room. How was she supposed to sleep in there? It was ridiculous. She crossed the hall as Echo called, “Mrs. Langford has arrived. She brought a basket, and I’ve put water on for tea. Hopefully, the tea is still good.”
“I’ll go down in a few minutes.”
“Mr. Blacke is with Mrs. Langford, along with a Mr. Hadley Wode and his sister, Margot.”
Ari withheld a sigh. “Will you find Faith and send her up?”
Echo nodded as Ari peeked at the girls. Their gazes were wide and shocked as they stared at the room. It was about a third of the size of Ari’s bedroom, but it was still far larger than any of their rooms at home.
“What if Circe wants this one?” Cassie asked. “She loves pink too.”
“Circe decided to stay with Mrs. Langford for now,” Ari said, trying not to feel any emotion about it, good or bad.
“But she won’t always,” Cassie said. “She doesn’t feel good in her heart. When she gets better, she’ll come back.”
“I’m sure she’ll love the room down the hall,” Echo told the girls. “You two would like to be near Ari, and Circe knows that, sweetlings. Let’s go find Faith, shall we? She can help you hang up your dresses.”
Ariadne took the steps down to the parlor and found Mrs. Langford along with the Wodes and Mr. Blacke. Ari took in a deep breath and then slowly let it out, smiling sweetly. Her gaze flicked to the Wodes, whose even expressions were all too indicative of how difficult it was for them to be in the house while Ari and her sisters were taking up residence.
“What a beautiful house!” Mrs. Langford squealed. “Did you have any idea that you would inherit? What do I have to do for a tour?”
Ari smiled weakly.
Mrs. Langford looked at the others. “Give me a moment, would you? Girl talk.”
She took Ari by the hands in the hall and squeezed them. “Don’t worry, darling. Sisters will always come back to each other.”
“Will they?” Ari asked, tears burning in her eyes. “I don’t know what to do. I bite back my reactions. I call Mama up in my head and try to do what she’d want me to do.”
“Darling,” Mrs. Langford said very seriously, “perhaps it’s time to do the opposite.”
“Scream at her?”
“Yes.”
“Are you serious? Mama would hate that.”
“I know. It’s time to stop being your mother’s perfect daughter. Be the imperfect one. And there’s more.”
Ariadne stared. She was almost afraid of what would come next.
“She’ll hate living with us, darling. Nanette might be the most spoiled human you currently know. She’s a brat.”
Ari gasped. “She’s your daughter.”
“Being a mother doesn’t make me blind, dear. My husband and I spoiled her with too little attention to her nature. She started out domineering and self-centered, and we certainly reinforced that.”
Ariadne’s mouth was gaping now and she had to force herself to close it.
“Mothers aren’t blind to the nature of their children, dear. Love doesn’t make you unaware. You just care about them despite their negatives. I’m sure you see it in your girls. Cassiopeia and Medea are essentially yours.”
Ariadne felt her youngest sisters were essentially perfect, so perhaps they weren’t a good example.
“I’m sure you see it with Medea especially. A more nervous little person I’ve never seen.”
Ariadne
shook her head. “Medea is light-hearted and joyful.”
Mrs. Langford’s expression was condescending. “Dear, I’ve known Medea for weeks now. She’s nervous.”
“She has been nervous,” Ariadne admitted, guilt afflicting her like a cancer, “but we had quite a scary event before we left Nighton. It was why we left.”
“She’d be over it by now,” Mrs. Langford said, patting her shoulder. “You’re a good mother to those girls despite being their sister. They’ve had a safe and happy life. I would bet my life on it. Children who’ve had a safe and happy life bounce back, sweetheart. She’s nervous. It’s all right. We’ve all our crosses to bear, don’t we?”
Ariadne stared at Mrs. Langford, sick to her stomach. Children who’ve had a safe and happy life bounce back. Bounce back. Bounce back.
Ghosts fed on your happiness, Ariadne thought, her hands shaking. They promoted darkness because they could feed better. Hatred, jealousy, anxiety. Bad dreams.
“Sweet—” Ariadne cut off her curse before she revealed herself as a witch, but in her mind, she said, Sweet Hecate, over and over again. Sweet, fiery Hecate. All the fiery hells. Ariadne shouldn’t have been so stupid and so blind, or entrusted with such little creatures as her sisters.
Chapter 14
MAY 1922. LONDON, ENGLAND
ECHO BEATRIX AZALEA WODE
“I’ve got tea,” Echo said from the hall, pushing a silver cart towards the parlor. “Faith is with the girls searching the attic for old toys. We need some help, I think. This house is too big for us.”
“Darling,” Mrs. Langford laughed, “this house needs a fleet of servants. Certainly a very good butler, a maid or two, and perhaps some daily help. Depending on how many rooms you open. I can help you dear. I do hope you’re staying here. I love the country of my birth, and I miss my people. I think we shall have to be friends if I can convince you to remain.”
Echo shot an apologetic look to Ariadne with a telepathic, I’m sorry.
What’s going on? Ari asked telepathically as she opened the door to the parlor and found the other Wodes speaking quietly with Lucian Blacke.
Echo just shook her head and stared towards the other Wodes. They looked nothing like Echo and her sisters. She felt bad for what she was about to do. Ari was going to be furious, but Echo also knew Ariadne better than anyone, and she was utterly certain that Ari would be generous with the English Wodes. Echo couldn’t allow that if they were a risk to Ari or the little sisters.
She poured the tea for everyone with a smile on her face and as she handed out the cups, she took one for herself and drank deeply despite the heat. They chatted for several minutes, the others clueless about what Echo had added to the tea. At least, Echo hoped Ari and Mr. Blacke wouldn’t recognize the cool, gentle relaxation of the truth serum. They’d have been caught if anyone had expected something scandalous.
Sooner or later, Echo knew, it would be obvious what she had done. Almost certainly, but Echo didn’t care. She was a necromancer, and she had a responsibility. Echo would be damned to feel the influence of ghosts and not find out where it was coming from.
For Echo—her magic allowed her to work with ghosts and the thinning between this life and the next. For other witches, they were bending something unnatural. It was risky for all involved especially if the ghosts were not re-sent through the thinning, and Echo wouldn’t have felt their influence if the ghosts had been returned. They risked not just themselves but humanity in general. Ghosts fed from the living’s emotions, magic, and life essence.
“Oh that is a good blend,” Mrs. Langford said. “I really thought anything you provided would end up being flavorless twigs. Not that it’s your fault. You haven’t had time to do anything, and I really shouldn’t have let Lucian talk me into bringing the Wodes, but he is like a son to me.”
She gasped and then stared open-mouthed at the others, a blush growing on her cheeks.
Margot Wode pressed her lips together and then seemed unable to help herself when she said, “I’m surprised they found anything at all. Cousin Delilah was so frugal despite having mountains of ready money. It wouldn’t have hurt her to help Had and I out some.”
“Margot!” Hadley said. “Why must you always be so embarrassing? It wouldn’t kill you to get a job. Delilah even offered to pay for training.”
He stared in horror at Margot and then their gazes slowly turned to Ariadne and Echo. Ari, however, was already staring at her sister.
“What did you do?” Ariadne breathed to Echo. “Are things not hard enough for us right now that we’re…we’re…we’re…sweet Hecate, Echo. Did you use that truth serum that Mama made?”
“You know I did,” Echo said easily.
“She truth-serumed us,” Lucian Blacke said, staring at Echo as well. His face was expressionless, but Echo flinched. “That’s quite a wide line to cross.”
Echo swallowed quickly. “I did. It had to be done. You were there the other night. You know what we felt.”
“Opal Langford is a normal human,” Mr. Blacke said flatly. His anger was clear.
Mrs. Langford glanced between the others and then bit down on her bottom lip, fighting whatever she was going to say.
“She knows about witchcraft,” Echo said, but it was a guess, and she couldn’t help but add, “Most likely. Almost certainly.”
“Witchcraft?” Mrs. Langford laughed nervously and then, because of the truth serum, she admitted, “I…well, yes. I know of witchcraft, but one doesn’t admit to such things. It’s not proper. And it’s quite unkind. You work so hard to keep it secret, Lucian. I didn’t want to take that away from you.”
Ariadne closed her eyes and said what Echo had suspected. “That’s why you befriended Echo. You realized what we were.”
“You’re just wearing it there on your neck,” Mrs. Langford admitted with a nervous giggle. “I admit I guessed what you were. I heard enough from the little ones about the KKK burning the cross on your lawn. They don’t do that to typical white girls, especially since it was clear that Circe was the only one pining, and well—she’s clearly the type of girl to fall for the prince. Ariadne or Echo might fall in love with someone unexpected.”
“Who are the KKK?” Margot Wode asked and Echo shot her a disbelieving look.
“Men who dress in white capes and cone hats and burn crosses on yards. They terrorize and torment. Usually because the person is black and they think them too uppity or some other such nonsense, but also for people like us.”
“Us?”
“You might not have triggered Nara into making you the next leader of this house,” Ariadne said, “but you are witches and therefore, you’d be a target if you were in America. Our secret got out and someone close to us was already involved in the KKK. We were out of line according to him.”
“Well, we’re not in America,” Margot snapped. Her dislike of Ariadne and Echo was evident, but it was also why Echo had truth-serumed them all. “Is that why you left?”
“Of course it is,” Mrs. Langford said. “They’re all so jumpy. The older ones know it’s not safe to go home.”
“Look,” Echo said, “I know what I’ve done is wrong, and I won’t pretend otherwise, but we have to help Mrs. Langford’s family.”
Mr. Blacke took a deep breath in and then said, “I didn’t have anything to do with the ghosts.”
“Are you really long-time friends with Mrs. Langford?” Echo challenged.
“Our families didn’t stop being friends just because their magic started dying out. Yes, I was there and involved because of our long-standing connection.”
“It didn’t have anything to do with your friends? Hadley and Margot?” Echo asked.
He paused and then said, “When Opal said she had made friends on the ship who would be of interest and told me your names, I knew that your presence could mean something to Hadley and Margot.”
Ariadne faced Hadley and Margot. “I didn’t come here because of the inheritance.”
; Margot’s hands were clenched tightly. “You didn’t come for the money?”
“I just needed time to let home become safe for my family.”
“But now this is your home.” Margot met Ariadne’s gaze. “Why?”
“The garden,” Ariadne told Margot. “Delilah Wode, as the Wode, made sure that the house would only accept someone who could keep the garden alive.”
Margot started to argue, but the truth serum wouldn’t let her, just as Echo had intended. In frustration, she groaned. “No, I couldn’t do it. Not even Hadley and I working together could do it. We’re barely related to Delilah Wode.”
“But you were related to her,” Ariadne said gently. “And we’re related to her. Just because the magic chose me doesn’t mean we can’t be family.”
Margot set her teacup down with a snap and her mouth twisted.
“What do you need to know, Echo?” Hadley asked. “I would like to return to the ghosts.”
“Do either of you have anything to do with the ghosts?” Echo asked him.
“What ghosts?” Mrs. Langford demanded. “My heavens, girls.”
“We’ll explain,” Echo said to her, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. “Mr. Blacke?”
“I did not have anything to do with it,” he repeated. “I don’t dabble in ghosts, necromancy, or dark magic.”
“Necromancy isn’t dark magic,” Echo told him, frowning deeply. She bit back her reaction and glanced at Hadley and Margot Wode. “We need you to say it.”
“I need you to say it,” Margot told Echo.
“I didn’t have anything to do with the ghosts that I felt at Mrs. Langford’s home.” Echo turned to Ariadne.
Ari looked at all of them and then said carefully, “Nor did I. It’s only looking back that I see what has been happening. Medea—” Ariadne’s voice cracked and she bit her bottom lip. Echo could read the emotions bubbling to the surface, though Ari was trying to bury them. Failure, self-hated, idiocy.
Medea. Echo was struck with understanding. She was such an idiot. Medea was a bright child. Like sunshine most of the time. Even when she was having a hard day, she was the other extreme. She was piping happiness or a demon. Nothing in between. Except lately.
