Eventide (Meratis Trilogy Book 2) (29 page)

She came into view, looking somewhat cleaner than she had the last few days.

“I like being around horses because they don’t need to talk. Besides,” she added as she stopped next to Corsa, “a pile of hay makes for a better sleep than a lump of feathers.”

“Depends on what you’re used to, I guess,” said Jeff, choosing not to argue. He shuddered at a memory. “Just be careful of hay stacks here. They have a tendency to turn into snakes.”

“And now I’ll never sleep again. Thank you.”

“Figured you’d appreciate the warning.”

Venn ran her hand along Corsa’s flank. “This is a beautiful stallion. Boy like this shouldn’t be locked away so much.”

“Jasmine takes him out when she can. His rider was recently killed.”

“I can tell. He’s grieving.”

Jeff rested his own hand on Swish’s back, allowing the horse’s warmth to slide up his arm into the rest of his body and soothe the muscle-cramping tension that threatened to take hold.

“We all are.”

He went back to brushing, losing himself in the motion until Swish looked like he was ready for a day in the races. Except for the wide belly and the vacant look in his eyes as he went for another bite of Jeff’s hair.

Venn approached and crossed her arms, fixing her intense blue eyes on him. “I’m hiding in here because people make me uncomfortable. But what about you? Don’t you have people to talk to and plans to make?”

“I was trying to avoid thinking about it for a while. Needed the mental break.” He sighed and looked down at the brushes in his hand. “I guess that’s over now. Are you going to come with?”

Venn stared out of the stables as if the world outside was too big for her, shying closer to Swish. “I think I’ll stay here a little while longer. Fitter company for the horses, I think.”

“Make sure to get some dinner.”

He took the gear back to the tack room and stepped out into the darkening evening.

“How long was I in there?” he mumbled, staring up at the setting sun and the pinkish reflection it cast against the stone walls.

Taking a moment to appreciate the peace, Jeff took a deep breath, filling his lungs with barn-scented summer air, hearing the crickets and owls, feeling the warm breeze on his cheeks. Then he exhaled sharply and went back to the Haunt to wait for Maggie.

It was time for some answers.

Chapter Eighteen

W
hen Jeff reached the Haunt for the second time that day, he found both Maggie and Cassie sitting inside. The urgency he’d felt to get here disappeared in a rush, and he felt tempted to disappear before they saw him.

He wasn’t fast enough.

“Oh! Jeff, excellent,” Maggie called almost as soon as his shadow reached the doorway. “I sent someone to look for you, but you weren’t in your room.”

“I took a walk,” he said. “Had to clear my head.”

Maggie sighed. “Don’t we all? Come in and have a sit.”

Cassie scooted down the bench to give Jeff room. Her fingers tapping a jittery rhythm on the tabletop.

Reluctantly, he crossed the room and sat down, his leg jogging in time with the discomfort pulsing through his veins. Cassie’s proximity after so many days’ distance made him nervous. As soon as he realised it, he forced himself to keep still.

“As you may have noticed,” Maggie began, “I’ve been experiencing somewhat alarming and unusual head problems the last couple of days.”

“How are you feeling?” Jeff asked.

“Don’t interrupt,” Maggie replied without heat.

Jeff pressed his lips together and crossed his hands on the table.

“I’m fine, thank you. For the moment.”

She pulled forward one of the heavier books on the table. Leather bound, it carried a faint stink of rot and Jeff didn’t want to know what sort of flesh had been tanned to make it. No title marred the smooth surface of the cover, but the pages seemed to bulge with items that had been added after production.

“This is Raul’s grimoire,” Maggie explained. “The most powerful book a sorcerer can own, and not one they let out of their hands lightly. My own is hidden somewhere in the Keep and it’s just full of healing spells. I guarantee he’s not a happy man if he knows we have this.” She flipped it open to a marked page, the images of decomposing corpses and one very beautiful woman inked into the vellum. At the top of the page, a steady hand had penned the word
Kemisan
.

“Either he has a second copy, or he’s memorised the blasted thing, but Raul is using this spell to gain his power back.”

Jeff’s curiosity rose and he leaned forward, sliding the book closer.
He’s going to turn himself into a woman
? He kept his mouth closed, waiting for Maggie to explain.

“I don’t understand either,” said Cassie, interpreting his expression.

“The words of the spell, they’re the words I hear during my episodes. The Kemisan spell drains magic. Or absorbs magic, depending on your point of view.”

Jeff fixed his gaze on her. “So every time you get all fainty, it’s because Raul is trying to take away your power and give it to himself?”

Maggie picked at her fingernails. “Not only me. William, too. We didn’t even know my son had any magic. This would be a proud moment if it weren’t so terrifying.”

“If you didn’t know about William, how did Raul?” Cassie asked.

The enchantress flattened her palm on the book. “This particular version of the spell isn’t directed at one person, but at an area. As the caster gets stronger, that area can spread out to consume the entire country if he wants.” She chewed on her cheek. “So either he’s very close and just getting started …”

“Or he’s been at this since the day he got back and could be anywhere in the country,” Jeff finished, stuffing his fingers into his eyes and then dragging them over his face.

“One bit that concerns me is the book isn’t clear about the end result,” Maggie continued. “The wording suggests some kind of transformation, but see here.” She pointed at the bottom half of the page. “This part has either been ripped out or torn. There are a few pages damaged like this, so it could have happened when the fortress fell. We have no way of knowing if they mean it metaphorically or literally. And if literally, transform into what?”

Jeff’s thoughts returned to the woman in the picture.

“I have never heard of this spell before,” Maggie continued. “It’s either very old, lost magic, or something he created himself. Considering Raul’s penchant for messing with the natural order, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. Likely he would have used this spell soon anyway, whether he lost his powers or not.”

Jeff gulped, stared at the dying figures in the book, and then pushed the tome away. “It doesn’t look like these people are just being drained of their magic.”

Maggie shook her head, the blonde curls swishing across her shoulders, and tilted her head to see the page. “For those of us born with the talent to cast, the magic is an innate part of us. And it is a talent, that’s all. Just like you with your writing. Anyone can do it, but some people are better than others. Over time that talent builds up, the magic growing as the skills do. Take that away, and we lose more than just the skills. We lose the essence that keeps us alive.”

A literal withering away compared to Jeff’s situation, but he still felt he could empathise with Maggie’s concern.

“So he’s going to kill you?” Cassie asked, her face pinched with worry.

Maggie snorted. “He’s going to try. Too bad for him I still have a few skills left and caught on to him. There’s a spell I can cast on William and myself to put up a guard. It should block his attempts to reach me.”

“Fantastic,” Jeff said. “He’ll never expect you’re in full power when it comes time to face him.”

“There’s a catch.”

“Of course.”

“Once I put the guard up, I’m blocked from casting. The barrier works both ways.”

“Ah,” said Jeff, but he didn’t pick up on to the message.

As usual, Cassie was quicker on the uptake. She drew her hands from the table and tucked them between her knees. “You can’t send us home.”

Maggie looked at them with sympathy. “Not until Raul is dead and gone. After that I’m hoping the spell will disperse and things can go back to normal. I could try right this second, send you both home before I hide my magic again, but I notice the more I cast, the more exhausted I feel. More than usual anyway. So I think you’re stuck here with the rest of us for the time being.”

Jeff appreciated the positive turn to her words, as though Maggie had no doubt they would win in the end. But they weren’t in one of Jeff’s novels anymore, and the outcome was far from certain.

He had already made up his mind not to leave until this was over, but it was still hard, hearing he no longer had the option. And he worried about Cassie. Her dark blue eyes looked large in her small face as they moved from side to side, her gaze travelling around the room, never landing on anything.

Finally she blinked, gathered herself. “That’s fine. You need to make sure you’re all right. How can we help?”

Maggie smiled with relief. “I still have a bit of research to do. We know how this spell is cast, but I really want to know what the end result will be. I suspect he won’t stop when he gets back to the strength he had before. How far will the Kemisan spell take him?”

Jeff shuddered to think what would happen if Raul managed to absorb the power of every magic-caster in Andvell. They would stand no chance.

Maggie rose to her feet. “I don’t mean to be rude, but the sooner I cast the spell, the better. I still have time, but William … I’d rather not take the chance.”

Cassie stood and threw her arms around the enchantress. “Good luck.”

She headed for the door, but Jeff hesitated.

“Is there something else?” Maggie asked.

“Brady. You said there wouldn’t be any harm in that meditation trance thing he’s trying out, right?”

“There shouldn’t be.” Her brow furrowed. “What sort of harm are we talking about?”

“Addiction, maybe? He can’t seem to stop, Maggie. The two times we’ve managed to force him to come to the door, he’s been irritable, and he looks exhausted, like he hasn’t slept since he started. He hasn’t even been to see Jasmine yet. Didn’t even know she was hurt.”

The enchantress’s eyes widened. “I’ll look into it, I promise. We’ll make sure he’s all right.”

“Another day and I’m going to break down the door and drag him out if I have to,” Jeff promised. He leaned in to give Maggie a hug. “Happy casting. Let’s throw this spell back in Raul’s face.”

***

Cassie fell into step with him as he left.

“That’s some big news to get, isn’t it? That we’re stuck here.”

“Again,” Jeff added. “Seems like every time I come here, there’s something in the way of getting me home.”

Cassie forced a smile. “You make it sound like you come here for weekend trips.”

“It’s like a spa. When we’re not being threatened by a crazy-ass soon-to-be-all-powerful sorcerer.” He looked down at her. “How are you holding up? I’m sure you want to get home, get back to normal.”

Cassie’s jawline set, and the lines around her eyes hardened. “I gave my word to those witches that I would see this through. I meant it then and I still do. If anything, getting the choice taken away kind of gives my courage a bump. Not that there’s much I can do, but I’ll help where I can.”

“You really are amazing.” The words slipped out before Jeff realised it. He cleared his throat. “For being true to your word, and all that.”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure I’d have been in a rush to go home anyway. I’m, well, kind of considering staying here.”

Jeff stopped so abruptly that a servant behind him gasped and manoeuvred to keep hold of the tray in her hands. She cast him a dirty look as she carried on. “What do you mean stay here? In the Keep?”

“In Andvell,” she said. Her cheeks turned pink. They reached her room, and she started in, holding onto the door as she spoke over her shoulder. “I’ve always wanted to travel and see new places—why not here? Besides, Darcy offered to show me around.”

Jeff felt his cheeks grow hot, and he pushed himself into her room, slamming the door behind them. “Darcy?”

Cassie’s eyes flashed with a sudden anger that left Jeff staggered. “Yes. You know Darcy. The man who wants to talk with me and share his feelings. He’s handsome, he’s strong, he’s willing to stand up and fight for what he wants. It’s everything I’m looking for, Jeff. Everything you’re not sure you can be.”

Jeff sputtered, too shocked and jealous to know what to say.

“You don’t know if you can forgive me,” Cassie went on. “But if you can’t get past your resentment, then I can’t sit around like a puppy and pine for you. I need to move on, too. Don’t you understand that?”

She crossed her arms and kicked at a pile of clothes on the floor. Jeff thought she’d finished, but then saw the glint of moisture in her eyes, saw her throat work as she swallowed. “And it’s so hard, Jeff. So fucking hard, because I think I’ve fallen in love with you.” She released a sharp laugh, blinking to clear her eyes.