Arcane Magic (Stella Mayweather Series) (16 page)

"Killing the messenger sends a powerful message, all right," agreed Gage.

"Maybe we all missed something," David interjected. He pushed back his chair, reclining slightly, and crossed his arms over his midriff. "I think we can all agree that what you both saw and learned in Rockford is troubling as well as puzzling."

"I think we should inform
Étoile right away," said Seren.

"And say what?" asked Astra. "That Stella and Gage met a bunch of werewolves acting weirdly? Or a witch died in a traffic accident before they even got to meet her? Or that they met a scared waitress; and let’s not forget that demon female? Until there's a connection between them, none of it means a thing."

"Irina Murogov connects almost everyone," I said. "She connects Hunter and the demons, Evan, the Rockford pack... she could have even known Kevin Wyatt. I think she knows who I am."

"But there's no evidence that she killed him," David pointed out. "Astra is right. We need to know more before we approach
Étoile with our suspicions. She has enough to deal with right now without us adding half-baked theories to the cauldron."

I placed my finger on the envelope. "That leads us to this. We have to know what was in that envelope. The waitress said Wyatt was coming to warn me, but of what? Could you find a spell to recreate the message?"

"None that seemed to fit the bill," said David, who was the resident expert when it came to all things spellcraft. Hearing that, my spirits dropped, only to lift again when he added, "But we did find some spells that we could cobble together."

"Will that work?" I asked.

David shrugged. "Maybe. Astra and I thought we had something workable just as you arrived. I'd like to practise what we've written, at least, before we try it out for real. We might need to tweak it slightly. I would hate to damage the actual envelope before the spell is perfected."

"How long will that take?" asked Gage, glancing at the large clock hanging on the wall. The
hand marking seconds moved, reminding us time was something we were sadly in short supply of. "Whatever is being planned, and I'm as sure of this as I am of the moon cycles, it must be escalating; otherwise, Kevin Wyatt wouldn't have risked his life to come to us."

"Why don't you two rest a while?" suggested David. "We'll practice, and call you when the spell is ready."

"You look exhausted after the drive," added Seren.

"We had a very rude awakening in Rockford." I stifled a yawn. "And I would like to sleep some more."

Gage nodded. "Me too."

"You must be famished. Here, let me make you something to eat, then we can find you somewhere to sleep. I'll wake you as soon as the spell is ready. Promise," said Seren, indicating for us to follow as she rose.

"You don't know how much I appreciate your help," I said as she stepped out of the room with Gage right behind her.

"That's what friends are for." Seren grabbed her keys and made for the door. I got up to follow, pausing as Astra said, "Don't forget your envelope."

"Don't you need it?"

She shook her head, a lock of hair pulling free from her ponytail to trail across her face. She tucked it back as she picked up her pen. "Not yet. Plus, I don't want to be tempted to experiment on it."

David nodded his agreement as they both exchanged a worried look. "We might only have one shot at this," he warned, sounding grave.

Chapter Fourteen

I nodded my agreement, trying to ignore the nervous clench of my stomach at the idea we might destroy our one shot before discovering what Wyatt took upon himself to deliver. Plucking the envelope from the table, I tucked it into my pocket before jogging through the workrooms in Seren and Gage's wake.

Spanning the length of the store and the workplace was a small apartment that we reached by climbing the winding, internal stairs next to the door that separated us from the store. Comprised of a kitchen, a small, but open-plan living area, two bedrooms, and a bathroom, it was neat, clean, and the kitchen was stocked with the bare essentials. Seren made sandwiches for us and offered us cold drinks while explaining that she and David preferred the top floor apartment for themselves, leaving this one vacant for guests.

"So what's going on?" Seren asked, leaning in when Gage excused himself, yawning incessantly, and saying he had to freshen up.. We parked ourselves on the couch and I put my plate on the coffee table.

"Not much. I've been busy ever since I got back with this message business and..."

"No, not that! With you and Gage. Things must have changed between you."

I knew exactly what her pointed look and comment were referring to, but I didn't want to discuss that. After barely getting my own thoughts into some semblance of order, which I was still doing... I didn't know what to say. Gage was my friend, yes. My lover, also yes. Was he more than that? Did I want him to be more? I still didn't know; and just the hint of any personal questions about what was going on with Gage and me was enough to send my thoughts whirling. "We've always been good friends," I said carefully, albeit a little stiffly.

"When he's near, you're calm. I can feel it in you," said Seren. "When he moves away, your heart beats a little faster. If you don't believe me, ask him. The wolf can sense it too."

"I..." I stopped. Was that true? Did my heart give me away? Or know something that hadn't made its way to my head yet?

"He's a werewolf, Stella. I'm not saying we can't have relationships with others outside our kind... Look at Étoile and Matthias! Off and on for decades. Then there was that fling with the Wilding wolf..."

"What are you trying to say?"

I don't know. Just be careful. Gage is rising in the hierarchy. This," she said, circling her finger towards me, "might be what he wants now, but what about when he's ordered to put you aside and take a werewolf for his mate? What will you do then?"

I looked away, my jaw stiffening as Seren hit me with cold truths. "No one's telling Gage to
get married, or mate, or..."

"Not yet, but he's the head of the Wilding pack, and other packs are aligned with his. He's rising in power and getting noticed."

"So what if he's powerful!? He's still my friend."

"It's not just the power; he's very eligible too. Do you know how many families would
like to see theirs melded with his by way of a wedding? Rising stars beget heirs, Stella."

"That's Gage's choice."

"Yes, it is. Just the same as he'll have to make a choice when someone starts rumours about him being too close to a witch."

I sighed. "Isn't that what the High Council is all about? Making sure we work together?"

Seren shook her head sadly. "Work, not romance. Sure, it happens. We see it all the time, but how many happy, long-lasting unions can you think of?"

"
Étoile and..."

"Matthias?" finished Seren. "One of
Étoile's biggest secrets."

"There's..." I tried to think of another couple, a happy one, but I couldn't. There had to be more though. There had to be others. "Kitty and Ryan?"

"On and off and undecided," Seren said, patting my knee in a sisterly way. "I can feel your disappointment. Listen, Stella, I'm not saying things can't work out between you and Gage, if you both want them to. You weren't brought up in our world. It might be different for you, but you also have to be a realist. Things already ended abruptly with a daemon; and now you're involved with a werewolf, maybe..."

"Maybe next time I should try a witch?" I snapped.

Seren nodded. "Maybe. All I'm saying is to tread carefully. When it comes to the bitter end, Gage's allegiance might not lie with you."

"Don't you think I'm the only person who truly knows where my allegiance lies?" came a voice from the doorway and we both jumped. I felt the guilt flashing across my face. Seren, however, remained far more composed.

"Yes," she said, "You are. I'll leave you both to sleep. You can take the bedroom over there."

"And you'll wake us..." I started, changing the subject precisely as a wave of hostility floated in the air.

"When the spell is ready," Seren finished. "Absolutely. Sleep well."

"She didn't mean to insult you," I told Gage when he shut the bedroom door behind us. "She was just trying to... I don't know. Protect me, I guess."

"Do you need protecting from the big, bad wolf?" Gage grinned, baring a set of sharp, white teeth. I threw a pillow at him, which he caught and tossed back, gently enough to not bowl me over.

"No, I don't." I toed off my boots and nudged them away from the bed, waiting to see what Gage would do next, while half expecting him to remove his shirt or loosen his belt. He didn't, and I wondered what my heart rate was telling him in that moment.

"So what is Seren worried about?" Gage enquired.

"That things don't often work out for people like us."

"We don't know that for certain." Gage kicked off his boots and stretched out on the bed, folding his arms behind his head as he leaned into the pillow. "Doesn't mean there aren't happy supes living out there, while merrily avoiding the rest of us."

"I guess." I crawled next to him, lying on my side so I could face him as we talked. It didn't escape me that neither of us seemed willing to bring up the subject of "us" in relation to all of this. I wasn't sure I wanted to right now. My romantic life was the least of my problems, although I had the sinking feeling that Seren did have a point. My one and only relationship was over, and he was a daemon. Could I pursue a relationship
with a werewolf, even though he was my friend, only for it to end when the pressures of his position got to him? Despite Seren's warning, I wasn't so naive not to contemplate that it could never happen. Yet, I did believe Gage was loyal to me. Whenever I needed him, he was always there and stood by me as a friend, respecting that I didn't want anything more. I was sure it was common knowledge we were friends; plenty of people saw us together on numerous occasions, and it wouldn't be hard to find out we lived in neighbouring houses.

Perhaps my position in our world, or my power alone, would be enough to ensure my safety and my choice when I eventually made it. I lifted my head to say just that to Gage, but his eyes were closed, and his breathing shallow. He was already asleep. I lay my head on my arms and joined him in peaceful slumber.

Astra woke us shortly before nine by knocking loudly on the door. My eyes snapped open and Gage practically flew off the bed, wrenching the door open in his half-awakened state.

"Sorry," said Astra apologetically, stepping backwards at the sight of a tense Gage bearing down on her. "I tried knocking quietly, but you must have been really tired. We have a spell! We're ready."

"Give us a minute," said Gage, rubbing his eyes. "I need to wait for my heart to stop pounding."

Astra laughed, her eyebrows knitting together in amusement at scaring him. "Come when you're ready. Seren says don't forget the envelope."

"We'll be there in a few minutes," I assured her and she pulled the door closed behind us.

"She really scared the heck out of me," Gage said, turning back to me, one hand over his heart. "I was dreaming about..." He stopped suddenly, and began blinking.

"Yeah? What about?"

He stared down at me for a few long moments. "Nothing," he said, his voice gruff as he looked away. "I don't remember."

We both knew he was lying. I caught the vaguest sense that he was dreaming about me, and we were unable to reach each other; but if he wouldn’t say what he was afraid of, or what troubled him, neither would I.

~

I tried not to focus on the burned embers lying around the table as Gage and I took our places. Instead, I watched David's pleased face as he brushed the burnt scraps into a metal trash can. "It wasn't too hard," he began, "once we had all the right components. Just a few words tweaked, here and there, and we're confident we have a spell."

"How confident?" I asked, glancing again at the embers David hadn't swept away yet. One strip of paper dropped from the table and curled next to my feet where the flame sputtered and died.

"Let me show you," David said, reaching for a fresh sheet of paper. He wrote a message, and held it up so we could see it, then folded the paper in half, stuffing it inside an envelope, which he then sealed, patting the sides together so that they were firm. On the front, he wrote his name with a flourish.

"I feel like I'm at a magic show," said Gage, watching the proceedings keenly.

"You are," said Seren. She circled around us to observe her husband's demonstration and now stood beside Astra, a pink wrap pulled tightly around her shoulders. "But this is much better than any illusionist. Watch."

David tore the envelope in half, ripping out the contents and tearing the letter into tiny pieces. Then, dropping the pieces into a tumbler of water, the ink began to blossom in the liquid as the paper hydrated. "I think we can agree that the message is destroyed," he said, poking the watery pieces with his finger.

We murmured our agreement and Astra passed him another slip of paper. David took the fragment of envelope he set aside and wrapped it in the paper, folding it into a small parcel, around which he wrapped twine. Next, he added a small pouch, tucking it under the bow he tied. With his left hand, he picked a small ink vial from the table and flipped the cap off with his thumb. As he spoke some words over the tiny parcel, he tipped the ink over the top.

I expected the paper to soak, just as it did when he pushed the torn pieces into the water glass; but instead, the ink seeped through the paper parcel without leaving a trace. As the pouch under the twine lit up into a tiny flame, I blinked with surprise. Glancing upwards, everyone was staring at the piece of paper in absolute silence. As we watched, the pouch fizzled out, the twine burned back, and the paper began to unfold. When the edges almost touched the table, Astra reached for it, smoothing the edges.

There, on the previously fresh sheet, was the exact same message David had written and destroyed.

"That's amazing!" I squealed in delight. "You did it!"

"Not so fast. We have to do the real thing now," said David, sounding weary, although I could tell he was pleased. "When we tried the spell before, we were missing a key ingredient. Your envelope has your name on it. In the previous trials, we didn't add a name. Then, when Astra wrote her name on the envelope, it worked."

"How many times have you practised this?" I asked, remembering caution despite the excitement I felt. We were so close to finding out what Kevin Wyatt's precious message was, and learning why he died.

"Eight. Each time it worked. We're ready for the real thing. There's just one problem..."

"What is it, David?" I asked.

David and Astra exchanged glances, but Astra answered. "You need to perform the spell. The message was for you. Your essence is tied to it and that activates the spell, just the same as when David wrote his name on the envelope."

"But I didn't write my name. Someone else did. Plus, it isn't all there. See?" I pulled the envelope I carried with me and laid it on the table. "My surname was torn in half."

"I'm sure the magic is tied to the name, and not to the writer," said David. "Maybe we could try one more time."

"I'll write David's name this time," said Seren. "Then, he can perform the spell again."

We watched and waited as they did just that. Again, the spell worked. Just out of curiosity, I had them repeat the spell one more time. However, I asked Astra to perform the spell. She did, but without her name on the envelope. Instead of revealing a message, the pouch combusted, burning the paper inside. Astra was right. I did need to perform the spell. It simply wouldn't work for anyone else.

Under the witches' direction, I added herbs to the pouch and set it to one side. Next, I took Wyatt's envelope and folded a fresh sheet of paper around it, wrapping another envelope around them, then tying the spelled pouch onto it, and recreating what I watched David perform. With the ink vial in one hand, and the spell sheet in front of me, I glanced up at the eager audience. "Now or never," I said. My hand shook slightly and after a couple of attempts, I squeezed off the cap. As I began to perform the spell, I let the ink fall in droplets slowly. My hand continued to shake, my heartbeat picked up, and a small bead of perspiration made its way down my forehead. If this didn't work, it was all for nothing. Kevin Wyatt would have died for nothing. Our trip to Rockford would have been for nothing. Seren, Astra, and David's hours of practice... all for nothing. Whatever the important message pertained to, it would play out before anyone could be warned. So with a trembling heart, I spoke the words.