by C M Thorne
Oskar nodded, “Yes. Child of Zeus, I would think.”
“Not just his kin?” Thomas leaned forward, voice dropping. Oskar eyed him, seeing once more the lack of magical talent and knowledge his son had. He had power in his own right, but he had not inherited all of Oskar’s abilities.
“She resembled him too closely,” Oskar explained, shaking his head and sipping at his espresso.
“So, Tanja then,” Thomas pondered, looking down at the table in disbelief.
“Hmm,” Oskar finished off his drink yet again. “I think not.” His son looked up at him with suspicion furrowing his brow. “Yes,” Oskar nodded, answering his son’s look, “Deirdre.”
Thomas’s breath caught at the mention of her name. Deirdre had been the result of Thomas’s young fling with the Morrígan when the Vikings were tearing through the isles to the west. Deirdre had been full of power and light. She was war and lightning. A rightful deity to Oskar’s family, to their legacy, but she chose her mother’s family long ago.
Their relation with her had remained tense and they had assumed her dormant or dead several decades ago. Her power was shrouded by her family’s magic to begin with and then one day, it was altogether gone. Oskar had assured his then distraught son that the charms and wards on her would potentially make her unreadable in dormancy, but he had his doubts of his own words. He watched his son’s grey eyes as they looked around is dismay. It brought it all back for them both.
“She’s gone, father,” Thomas’s voice came out soft, barely a whisper. He had not seen such emotion in his son since the death of his wife so long ago. Thomas shook his head, “She could not have birthed new life without us knowing. Without us sensing, I mean?”
“I can see no other answer,” Oskar replied. “Somehow, and I do not understand how,” Oskar leaned forward, touching his son’s hand, “it is true.”
“We need to find this girl. She belongs here. She belongs with us,” Thomas looked deep into his father’s eyes, his own welling up and looking close to tears. “We need to find my granddaughter.”
CHAPTER 10: THE FIRST SUPPER
ADELLA HAD SHOWN Thea to a bedroom, told her that it belonged to her whenever she wanted it, and then left her to rest. Thea perched at the edge of the large bed, on top of the silver duvet, and sat absolutely still, in a state of awestruck shock. She was afraid to muss the bed, or touch anything in the room in case she ruined it. The bed had a creamy, oversized upholstered headboard which wrapped around each side. Fluffy, crisp white pillows were stacked perfectly with two charcoal grey velvet accent pillows in front of each stack. The duvet was fluffy and grey interwoven with shiny silver. A small white upholstered bench sat at the foot of the bed and Thea rubbed her now bare feet on the plush silver grey rug. The hardwood was dark and looked old, though the house felt new.
The walls had pristine white wainscoting about four feet up then the rest of the walls were painted a soft grey up to what she assumed as the eleven or twelve foot high ceilings, with thick white molding lining the upper corners. The wall behind her had two large windows, which had deep purply, near black curtains hanging to an inch above the floor, with a set of gauzy white curtains behind them to filter the light from outside. Both sets were thrown open currently to let in the pale overcast light of the dying day outside.
She looked to the massive painting hanging over the bed. It was a nude woman kneeling away from the angle of the painter’s perspective next to a black pool of water. The ledge on which she knelt was barely lighter in color that the dark water, which caught small ripples of silver light. The woman had massive white wings spread out around her, covering the front of body and circling down to hover above the edge of the pool of water. You could not see her face and if she had a reflection, her wing, which spread out along the bottom of the painting, blocked the view of it. Her dark hair was piled up onto her head and as Thea stared at it, she noticed streaks of red and faint gold. It was a mesmerizing painting and she wondered who had done it and who the subject was. Perhaps she would ask Adella at dinner.
Adella had let her know that someone would come for her when supper was ready, and then left her alone in her own bedroom in a small mansion in the middle of London. Thea walked over to the only other door in the room, expecting a closet, but was faced with a large sparkling bathroom. A long white counter over gray wooden cabinets ran along the wall to her left, with two sinks and a massive mirror taking up the length of the wall. A large, glass encased shower lay to her right, with a pebbled floor, a detachable shower-head, a massive rain shower-head descending from the ceiling, and a set of three jet heads on the immediate wall. A large, deep porcelain clawfoot tub lay next to the shower, with a rack of towels installed to the glass wall of the shower to make the towels accessible from the bath and the shower.
She turned to the double doors at the end of the bathroom. She opened them both and lights turned on in one of the largest closets she had ever seen, including recessed lights in the dark cherry hued cabinetry. The wall along the left housed a few dozen tops, cardigans, jackets, and coats below the second tier of racks that Thea wasn’t sure how anyone could reach. The end of the wall had shelves for shoes, and she noticed that two of the three shelves were already full. The back far wall had pants and skirts, with the wall to her right half full of dresses and handbags.
Stepping into the room further, she admired the black granite counter top of the long island in the middle of the closet, which had drawers around the length of it. Thea pulled a drawer open and marveled at the various sets golden earrings in little plastic partitioned spaces, sparkling with diamonds and gems. The drawer below it was similar, but all set in silver.
Thea breathed out slowly, shaking her head in disbelief as she rounded the island and looked at herself in the long mirror in the right corner of the closet. She instantly noticed how perfectly her curls were falling and that her skin was smooth, a trait she would’ve killed for days before. Her skin still held the golden warmth of summer in her pale, olive toned skin. When she had listened to Diane and wrapped herself back into a mortal glamour, she must have made herself look more how she had wanted, rather than how she had been.
She looked away from her reflection, moving to run her hand along the skirts. Thea wondered whose room this had been before Adella had passed it to her. Whoever it was had expensive taste. Thea twirled around as she sighed and gazed over the closet’s contents longingly. She would kill to be able to wear half of the things in here.
Her phone chirped from the other room and she whipped back around. She had not realized that she had even left it on the bed. She hurried over and scooped it up. She had numerous missed calls and texts from her roommates, as well as from her parents, who the girls must have called in their panic. The events of the day came flashing back as she opened her phone, calling her mother first.
She picked up before the second ring, “Thea? Honey! Is that you?”
“Yes, mom, it’s me,” Thea softened her voice as she answered. “Don’t worry, I-”
“Where are you!” Her mother’s voice was strained and panicked. She had been crying. “What happened? Chrissie called and said you fell off your balcony, but how they couldn’t find you! They called the paramedics, but you were gone! I’ve been worried sick! First, you’re struck by lighting and now you’re falling off of buildings! What is going on? What happened!”
“Yes, mom,” she breathed out, trying to formulate something to tell her. “I did fall.” She absently picked at the duvet as she thought. “A neighbor got to me first and took me to the hospital. I was just unconscious, I guess, but fine.”
‘What hospital are you at?” Her mother practically shrieked. “Honey! We are coming to you! Which hospital?”
“Um,” Thea looked around, “I’m not in Vegas, mom.”
“What?”
“Because I was struck by lightning, I was sent off to a specialist by helicopter.” Thea flopped back onto the bed, hoping her mother bought the poor
ly crafted lie. She was a horrid liar and she was worried she was trying to pass off too big of a stretch. She was in London, though. Telling her mother that wouldn’t exactly be a lie.
“Are you in Los Angeles?” She shrieked again. “It’s not that far. We can drive!”
“No, mom,” Thea bite her lip, thinking of somewhere just a little too far for them to drive to reasonably. London was decidedly too far. Too unbelievable, even though she was definitely across not just a country from her parents, but the Atlantic Ocean. “I’m, uh, I’m in Denver, mom. It’s where this specialist is.”
“Denver!” Her mother shrieked yet again and the phone made strange noises.
“Buggy,” her dad’s rough voice came through the line, “ya there?”
“Yeah, dad,” Thea answered. “Listen I’m sorry, I di-”
“Don’t go apologizing. This is all happening to you, not because of you,” her father recited his regular adage about uncontrollable situations. “We will come to Denver, buggy. You need us.”
“No! Dad, don’t.” She had to calm herself. “I’m in an isolation study or whatever right now.” She reached for something, some lie to keep her parents away. “I couldn’t even see you if you were here.” She blew out a breath, “I shouldn’t be here for long, though. I can keep you guys updated. Don’t worry.”
“Right,” her dad drew the word out, sarcasm clear.
“I promise,” Thea took a deep breath, “I’m okay. I would tell you if you need to summon all the king’s horses and whatnot.”
“Don’t go falling apart on us,” her dad quipped back, humor showing that he was accepting her lies.
“I will let you know what’s going on.”
“Alright, buggy,” he sighed. “I’ll deal with your mother. You make sure to call now.”
“Every day, dad,” she replied, “promise. You’ll know what’s going on. Seriously.”
“Love you,” he replied, gravelly voice betraying deeper emotion, which was a rarity for him.
“Love you too, dad,” she felt relieved, adding, “and tell mom I love her too.”
“Will do,” he answered and then the phone clicked off.
Thea stared down at her phone and answered a group text with her roommates, feeding them the same story she had her parents. She told them to contact her parents if they needed anything, but that she would be restricted on her electronic usage for at least a day or two. She then sent her boss an email about her made-up situation, explaining that she might not be in next week. She tossed her phone back onto the bed as a knock came from her door. “Come in!” She called out.
The door opened and Diane stepped in. She was wearing a floor length embellished emerald, tulle gown. Jeweled, embroidered golden flowers and leaves accumulated along her waist and down the sides of the sheer, see-through sleeves, with glitzy greens, golds and silver embroidery branching out from the flowers along the dress. The hem floated perfectly at the floor, offering a peek at her white leather heels beneath. Her thick, dark waves were curled loose and big, half gathered into a loose chignon so that her hair rested to the right side of her head and just above her showers. Simple, but elegant golden earrings dangled down past her chin and she wore no necklace, allowing the plunging neckline to show off unblemished, alabaster skin.
“Darling sister, why haven’t you changed for dinner?” Diane asked in her lightly accented voice, one eyebrow lifting as she smirked.
“Uh,” Thea looked down at herself, “I have nothing else to wear.”
“Did you not explore the closet?” Diane asked, eyes widening in disbelief. “No curiosity, eh?”
“No, no,” Thea shook her head, “I did. I just, I didn’t realize any of that was for me to try. I assumed that they belonged to whoever had the room before me.”
Diane laughed and swept up next to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the bathroom. “No dear!” She laughed again. “They are a part of a small collection we keep handy.”
“I doubt any of it will fit.” Thea looked around the closet as the lights automatically brightened, detecting their presence in the long room.
Diane chuckled at Thea’s words, “Oh! Oh, I had quite forgotten how new you are.” She let go of Thea’s hand and twirled around, running her hands over the dresses as she moved. “They are all enchanted to fit whoever puts them on! They are all your size, sister.” She stopped and winked at her.
Thea laughed a little in disbelief and could not help herself from skipping forward and tearing through the dresses. She wasn’t sure what color jumped out to her more. Everything was gorgeous and far more expensive, she guessed, than anything else she had ever had on her body. She ran her hand along the shiny, cool satin of navy dress that had a cape, which slung across the bust of the dress and hung down past the waist.
Diane clucked her tongue, “Pretty, but not for your first family supper.” She beamed for a moment and came forward, looking through the dresses and occasionally glancing at Thea for some kind of confirmation. She finally stopped and pulled out a billowing, blush toned chiffon dress. “This is the one,” she grinned at Thea with perfectly straight, gleaming white teeth.
“Oh,” Thea breathed out as she took the soft, airy dress in her hands. It was a one-shoulder gown and had streams of delicate rose-gold sequins running down the fabric.
Diane walked over to the mirror and checked her hair, seemingly to give Thea a bit of privacy. She looked inside the dress, noting the boned bodice and decided that she would strip down to everything save for her underwear, which was thankfully nude and fitted. She slipped out of her clothes and folded them into a neat pile on the island before slipping the dress off of the hanger and shimmying it on. It had an invisible side zipper on the side with the one-shoulder, which was made to look like it tied and then fell open and loose around her left arm. She zipped the dress up and went over to look at herself in the mirror.
Her apparent sister stepped to the side and looked her over, letting out a whistle-like breath. She looked herself over in the mirror and was taken aback. The dress was the perfect color to compliment her current fairness and the fiery hue of her hair. The cinched waist highlighted her small middle and the dress floated perfectly, just dusting the floor. She twirled around a little and was mesmerized with the floating, billowing nature of the delicate chiffon. “I look like a goddess,” she laughed lightly, covering her mouth slightly and biting her lip.
“You always do, love,” Diane said, coming up to her side and looking at her in the mirror as well. “Now we just need to do your hair and find some heels.” She moved out to the shoes.
“Oh! Heels!” Thea gasped and looked down at the perfect length of the dress. “That won’t work. The dress will look odd!”
Diane just laughed and pulled out a pair of shiny, nude peep-toe pumps. “Put them on,” was all she said with a smile and stepped back.
She looked at the gold embossing on the bottom, not recognizing the designer’s label. The inside had cushioned soles and a soft inner lining. Thea had walked in plenty of heels and wasn’t nervous about the height of these, but more the sheer cost of it all. She stepped into the them and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress floated around her ankles and just as she felt herself about to whine about it, the dress reached down and dusted the ground once more. She gasped and looked to Diane, who could hardly contain her excitement at watching Thea.
“I told you,” Diane said in a sing-song voice.
“Enchanted,” Thea breathed out and kicked the heels out one at a time, admiring the whole look in the mirror.
“Alright then, love,” Diane whisked her back into the bathroom, “to do something with this gorgeous tangle of curls!”
“That’s all you,” Thea surrendered to her new big sister.
Diane stepped in between her and the mirror. She grabbed pins and other tools from the drawers at her sides, showing off her intimate knowledge of the room. Thea closed her eyes and found herself surprisingly relaxed as Diane
lightly worked on her hair. Her sister stepped away after what felt like mere seconds. Her eyes popped open to find that Diane had twisted her hair up into a crown of sorts starting over her left ear and winding around her head back to the ear, where she had pinned it all up with two golden butterflies, wings sparkling with what she assumed were actual diamonds. Wispy, curled tresses had fallen perfectly to frame her face and Thea sucked in a breath as Diane disappeared into the closet once more.
“I was glad to see that your ears are pierced, love. Would hate to have to do that to ya,” she giggled, half-suppressed as she expertly put two large diamonds on golden posts into either ear. Thea’s eyes widened and she found that she could not find any word or action to adequately express the feeling that had welled up within her. Her reflection was stunning. She was stunning.
Before she registered what her sister was doing, Diane swiped a gloss over Thea’s lips, which was a soft, deep pink rose color. She stepped back and looked her over. “You’re going to knock them all out,” she grinned.
Thea waited next to the massive, creamy pale fire place of the family room as she waited for Diane to return with drinks for them both. Adella swept into the room from the hall before Diane returned however. She was wearing a deep purple crepe gown, which had a sleek silhouette, hugging her body then falling straight down from her narrow hips. It had a wide, deep neckline leading up to crystal accented shoulders, which held onto the floor-length cape that drifted out behind her as she glided into the room. Her auburn hair was brushed back neatly to tuck behind her ears and shoulders. A waterfall of diamonds hung down from each ear to stop just above the scoop of her clavicle. She wore no other jewelry, but was stunningly beautiful all the same, grey eyes meeting Thea’s with enviable confidence.
“You look magnificent, sister,” Adella nodded to her. “A lovely first impression for the others in the family.”
