Mine to Spell (Mine #2) (17 page)

It’s almost tempting to step down. “I know it puts pressure on you and my sisters. I know that’s exactly what I was trying to avoid. I don’t want to make things worse. But, Zade, I can’t withdraw. I need to be there. People need to see what I can do. Women need this. I need this.”

His shoulders sag. “I know you do. I know. It’s just…”

“It’s a lot of pressure.”

“
For us all.”

The silence that follows is heavy, fraught with hexes and threats to come.

Lukas finally breaks the silence, his words loud and strong. “I’ll be here. I already told her I’ll teach her whatever will help keep her alive. And I’ll do whatever I can to protect her.”

His words light through me, both warm and cold. A flame of emotions I don’t know what to do with.

“I’m grateful for your help. Xyer has pledged his help as well,” Zade says. “But as we’ve already seen, we’ll need more protection. We should move into Thomas’s house.”

Fantastic. Just fantastic. That place holds only memories of me trying to convince Serena she was doing the right thing when she should have been running from it all. At least things changed after Thomas died. “How soon?”

“Today, if possible. I’m sending a few more men there as soon as they can come over from Envado. Lukas, if you have anyone from Chryos you trust that could help, I’d recommend getting them, too. We have seven warlocks protecting Serena’s house, and it’s kept them safe. The girls don’t even know there have been threats on their lives yet. I’d suggest trying to do something similar here.”

“
Is it really necessary to have so many lives devoted to keeping me safe?” Both look at me like I’ve gone crazy. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, it’s just that it feels silly, and honestly, I’m guilty. Seven warlocks watching over just little old me. I don’t want to be a problem.”

“
We’re trying to keep you safe so you can be the solution to the problem,” Lukas says.

Can I really be a solution to the problem? The thought stuns me silent.

“More warlocks are arriving from Chryos soon,” Lukas continues. “Some won’t be any use, but a few I trust to help keep her safe. I just don’t know how much I trust some with getting close to the situation.”

“
More hands would help. We’ll have to keep them busy and paired with those we trust more.”

“
I think we can manage that.”

And I’ll have to manage doing nothing while they all protect my life. The thought leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Chapter Seventeen

True to his word, Zade helps me move to Thomas’s old house. It’s big, cold, and empty. I take the same room as before because I know where it is, and want to spend less time bothering them while I try to find something else, but I hope nothing haunts me while here.

Lukas and several other guards set up rooms in various other places spread through the house. Zade also sets up a temporary room but warns us that he doesn’t know how much he’ll be around, quickly proving his point by leaving immediately after. Other warlocks should be coming soon, filling the house a little more. It’s difficult to think this was all because of me.

Part way through bringing supplies in from the wagon, a rider pulls up. After he swings down from his horse, Lukas greets him with a firm handshake. “Conrad, you made it.”

“The border guards gave me some guff, but otherwise, it was just all the hours in the saddle that took so long.”

I want to tell him to come in and recover from his journey, but I haven’t been introduced. And I don’t really know who he is except that since his skin is a few shades darker than Lukas’s. I assume he’s likely from Chryos. He doesn’t have glasses, though, and is slightly shorter and built thicker. His eyes are a piercing hazel that seem to see right through me.

“Glad you didn’t have more problems. How are Arthur and Emma? They always claim everything is fine.”

“
Just like them,” Conrad says. “Emma is bossing around everyone who comes anywhere near her and stuffing them full of her good cooking to make up for it, as usual. Arthur, though, I think he misses having you around.”

Lukas’s lips turn downward slightly. “He still plans on coming?”

“Doubt the crazed Grand Chancellor himself could keep him away.”

No matter what’s expected of me, there’s no keeping silent after that. “We should take this discussion inside.”

“Sorry, miss. I forget what things are like here.” His tone is so sincere, it makes me wonder what it'd be like to live in the world he does.

As we walk toward the front doors carrying the last of the supplies with us, Lukas says, “Cynthia, this is a friend from Chryos, Conrad Wilkins. He’s going to be helping us through the tournament.”

“That’s right. I was just coming to watch, but when Lukas told me what you needed, I was happy to do something more useful.”

“
I appreciate it.”

The men continue chatting as I let them continue on ahead. One more person whose safety is in question because of me. Yet, it also means one more person who believes in what I’m trying to do enough to protect me with their life. I hope I can live up to the challenge.

***

A few hours after Zade leaves, a knock sounds on the door. Despite the protections on the house, the fact that Lukas is outside with a several other warlocks, including Lukas's friend from Chryos, Conrad, and my own growing knowledge of magic, my hands go icy. It’s difficult to pretend the uncertainty of who’s there doesn’t bother me like an unwanted spell. At least years of practice pretending have been good for something.

When I get to the door, I do the spell Lukas taught me yesterday. I focus on being able to see beyond the door and release the spell. The transparent white light squirms its way to the door and washes over it, making the door transparent for me, but not for whoever’s on the other side, showing them through a shine of white. Perfect spell for watching for trouble, but this time it’s not trouble. Waverly!

I release the spell and throw the door open with a squeal. “What are you doing here?”

Her smile lights up the lonely places my sisters haven’t been able to fill for the last week. “I’m here to help, of course. You didn’t think Serena would leave you all alone to deal with this, did you? And even if she hadn’t sent me, I would have come anyway.”

I squeal again. “I’ve never been so glad to see someone. Come in, come in!”

It’s then I realize she has a trunk on the ground beside her.

She says, “I hope you don’t mind if I stay with you a while.
”

“
Are you teasing me? There’s no one but overly serious warlocks in this place. I need you here.”

We take her things inside and quickly get chatting about how things are back home. Oh, how I miss playing with my girls! I wish I could sneak away to see them, but the need to protect them is stronger than my desire.

“I heard you’ve entered the tournament.” Waverly says.

I keep my expression neutral and keep a close eye on hers. “Zade tell you?”

“I wrestled it out of him.” She winks. “Finally made sense why he’s been so uptight lately.”

“
Did he tell Serena?”

“
No, and he made me promise not to tell either, but I’m not holding that same promise to you. You need to let her know what’s going on.”

Do I ever. It’s just the last thing I want to do. “I can’t write her something like that. She still doesn’t have a clue that women can even do magic. Will she even believe me if I tell her? I have to talk to her in person.”

“There are no plans for her to come here. She’s keeping away at your request, and Zade’s insistence. Any thoughts on going to see her?”

I want to. Oh, how I want to. “I can’t put them at risk like that.”

“Then you have to write her.”

I shake my head as I lead her to a room close to mine. “She’ll never believe me.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Did you use magic for anything while you lived at home?”

“
All the time.”

“
What for?” She unpacks her trunk, sorting her clothes into the wardrobe.

“
My hair for one thing. It’s frizzy and crazy if I don’t smooth it out with a spell.”

“
No! You have amazing curls that are always well behaved.”

“
It’s true. My locks are insanity.”

She eyes my hair as if trying to find a hint of their natural state. “Perfect. When you write Serena, tell her about it. It will make more sense to her if you explain things like that. She’ll understand it,” Waverly says.

“She hasn’t seen my real hair in years. I’m not sure she’d believe it.”

“
Please just try. I really think it will be best to tell her, and this will help her understand.”

“
I suppose.” And if she doesn’t believe me, well, at least I won’t have to see her distaste for my magic every day. Not like what Zade has to deal with.

“
Zade will probably come by sometime after he learns I’ve come to stay. If you can have it ready by then, he can take it directly to her. Then we won’t have to worry about it getting in the wrong hands.”

I nod, though still uncertain what to write. “Waverly?”

“Yes?”

“
How many women in Envado do magic?”

She puts away the last of her things before turning to me, and her expression grows solemn. “Most of us. Some to a lesser degree. Some to a greater degree. But it’s widely accepted.”

Most? I’m not as alone as I always thought. Now that I know, I wonder how I could have gone so long without figuring out others could do it as well. And then I realize what she said.

“
Us? You do magic?”

Her grin turns sly. “You don’t really think Zade did everything for the ball all by himself, did you?”

What? “I—I thought he did, but now that you mention it, there were a lot of spells. Plus, he didn’t do much with the planning. I just assumed someone told him what needed to be done. Serena or you.”

“I can’t tell you how enjoyable it was helping come up with ideas that I got to implement. That was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done.”

“
Wow. I’m feeling very…” Shocked. Surprised. “…amazed. It was one of the most fantastic things I’ve ever seen.”

“
I thought your dad locked you up so you couldn’t go?”

I shrug, pretending to be nonchalant when inside I’m dying to tell her. “He did. Not just with a key, but spelled the door closed as well. It wasn’t anything a little magic couldn’t work around. Though I didn’t get to wear the dress Katherine made me. I’ve been waiting for an excuse to wear it ever since.”

“I wonder if we can find somewhere for you to wear it…” She looks deep in thought until her expression brightens. “Wait—were you the one who cast the spell to catch Serena?”

My bracelets suddenly seem to hold a very entertaining clink when bumped together.

“You were,” she exclaims. “If it wasn’t for you, she would have broken a bone or two and everything would have turned out differently.”

I feel myself start to blush, so I look at the floor and shrug.

“You could have been caught. Did anyone see you use your magic then?”

“
I don’t think so. Everyone was riveted by the men attacking Zade and then Serena’s stunt,” I say. “Are they still threatening Zade?”

She shakes her head. “Zade is always under some threat or another, but the group that attacked him has stayed away. Maybe the Grand Chancellor’s words did some good.”

“Or the fact that he locked up my father.” He never did anything good, but I can’t help but wonder where he’s at now.

“
Perhaps.” Her lips tighten.

“
You don’t think any of it actually helped?”

“
I wish you weren’t so good at reading people sometimes.” She sighs. “I think there’s something deeper going on. I just don’t know what it is.”

The thought is worrisome, especially since she’s most likely correct. Whatever is going on, will it affect me? Whether or not it does, things are still going to be hard. I need to learn more.

***

Once Waverly is settled, we gather in my room. It’s the most secluded room I can think of and my nerves are all a flutter to finally speak to another female about magic.

“What’s your favorite spell?” The question pops out of my mouth like an eager surge of magic.

Her grin spreads. “There are too many favorites to count. And I’m so excited to finally have someone here I can talk to about them. It’s been too long since I’ve been home, and no one here who knows about magic ever wants to discuss it. Zade will probably kill me when he finds I’m going crazy talking about it, but it can’t be helped. I don’t know how you Chardonian women stand being treated like this all the time. No offense.”