Rise of Allies (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 4) (16 page)

At length she came to the art gallery and drifted through it with little interest, until she came to the painting on the end.

How beautiful.

She stopped and stared longingly at the farm landscape in Provence. The golden field of sunflowers, the cloud shapes in the lazy blue sky. A peaceful summer’s day.

A day without shadows. A safe place, where nobody was haunted by evil apparitions…

Or their own secret deeds.

Nixie sat down slowly on the bench across from the painting. She put her feet up on it, wrapped her arms around her bent legs, and rested her chin on her knee.

She gazed at the picture for she knew not how long, only wishing she could escape there somehow. Just disappear into that peaceful, sun-kissed landscape.

And sleep for a year.

PART II

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Born on Beltane

B
eltane dawned, and as the first sunbeams of May stretched across the green hills, Jake awoke and rose onto his elbows, his first thought:
my birthday!

Then he noticed the riotous birdsong filling the air, and a slight, rascally smile curved his lips. Maybe they were singing him happy birthday. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he rose from the unfamiliar bed and went over to the window alcove, still in his pajamas.

The occasion felt momentous.

It was no small thing to wake up knowing in advance for the first time in his life which day of the year marked the date of his birth.
Thirteen…

He wondered if the age would prove unlucky.

Then he noticed the girls in white dresses walking around outside with wreaths on their heads. He watched them collecting the Beltane dew in little glass vials, bending blades of grass or the leaves of trees or flowers to capture the precious droplets.

“Jake!” a scratchy voice greeted him from the other twin bed.

Still at the window, he glanced over his shoulder. “Morning, Arch.”

His cousin sat up rubbing his eyes. “Happy birthday, coz!”

“Thanks. Shh!” He signaled for quiet, for Henry was still asleep. Since the chamber only had two beds, the shapeshifting tutor had curled up on an extra quilt in the corner in his wolf form.

“You’re up early,” Archie whispered loudly from across the room. “What are you doing over there?”

Jake flashed a smile. “Lookin’ at some girls.” He turned back to the window.

Archie reached for his spectacles and put them on, then climbed out of bed and curiously shuffled over to the window beside him. He glanced at all the pretty girls wandering around in the growing light of sunrise and shook his head. “Daft what they’ll do for beauty, eh?”

“Better them than us.”

Archie laughed and clapped him on the back. “Come on, then, let’s get this birthday started!”

#  #  #

Jake had warned them all not to make a fuss over him.

Fortunately, with everything else going on for day two of the Gathering, his relatives restrained themselves to an elegant birthday brunch in the sitting room of their suite, where they showered him with gifts.

Archie gave him a telescope fitted with special gadgetry he’d made himself. “Since you’re always borrowing mine.”

Jake marveled at the optional night vision lens he had fashioned. All you had to do was click it into place.

“I modeled it on the glass from the Vampire Monocle, remember? It’s also got a side compartment here, where you can store matches or other small items useful on an adventure.”

“It’s brilliant. Thank you so much!”

Archie grinned and blushed a bit.

Isabelle returned and put a victor’s wreath that she had made on his head like a crown. She then gave him her present: an exceedingly fine pair of riding gloves.

“Very grown-up,” Lady Bradford said in approval.

Henry soon emerged from the boys’ chamber in a neat tweed jacket (in human form by now). He gave Jake a book about the fall of the Roman Empire, which seemed more like an assignment than a gift, but Jake thanked him nonetheless.

The tutor had to dash out quickly, however, to prepare to receive the group of shapeshifter children he and Helena were to be managing today.

Miss Helena had promised her twin that she would join him soon to host the group. She was running behind on account of chaperoning Isabelle in the ritual of collecting the Beltane dew.

The shape-shifting governess made sure to give Jake her present, too, before she left to join her brother: a magical neck-cloth that could tie itself in three different styles of knots, since he found it simply impossible to tie his own.

He smiled at her with gratitude. He had grown extremely fond of her, not just because Derek loved her, but because in Wales, she had saved his life in her black leopard form. She rumpled his hair affectionately, then hurried off after her twin.

Moments later, Aunt Ramona arrived from her private quarters in the Elders’ wing of Merlin Hall. She sat down at the table, accepted a cup of tea, and then presented Jake with his very first yew wand in a long, velvet-lined box.

“Use it wisely, dear nephew, and only in emergencies.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, though in truth, he planned to use it as little as possible. Telekinesis and his psychic ability were enough to manage, heaven knew.

The gifts continued.

As his present legal guardians, Lord and Lady Bradford gave him tokens of his deceased parents.

Uncle Richard, his mother’s younger brother, presented him with a chunky signet ring that he’d had made for him in London. It bore the Griffon coat of arms.

“Your father would have wanted you to have this now that you’re becoming a young man. See? You wear it on your pinky finger.” Uncle Richard, who held the title of Baron Bradford, held up his hand to show him how a lord wore his family’s insignia.

“Thank you, sir.” Jake duly put it on; the heavy metal ring felt odd on his hand. He hoped it would not interfere with his telekinesis—not that he intended to use his ability any time soon after yesterday’s ordeal.

Aunt Claire gave him an old, china doll that had belonged to Jake’s mother. “Keep it on a shelf,” she said gently, “and one day, you might have a daughter of your own who will play with it.”

“Yes, ma’am, thank you,” Jake forced out, finding it exceedingly odd for anyone to give a boy a doll for his thirteenth birthday. Even more bizarre was the thought of himself ever being a parent. All the same, he was genuinely touched by their thoughtfulness.

In truth, his aunt and uncle barely knew him, but they were doing their best to serve as stand-in parents when they were not traveling on their diplomatic missions for the Order.

Dani gave Jake her two gifts last. First, she set a whole Roly-Poly Pudding down in front of him and grinned.

“You don’t even have to share it,” she said.

But to everybody’s shock, he wanted to, so maybe he really was starting to grow up. Startled but pleased, Dani dished it out so everyone could taste it and see why it was Jake’s favorite food.

But the carrot-head saved her more important gift for later, after the others had left the table and more or less gone on about their business. “Here.” She put a homely sketchbook in front of him, its pages bound together with a ribbon. “I made this for you.”

“What is it?”

She shrugged shyly. “Look inside and see.”

He opened the booklet and found it filled with colorful drawings she had made, depicting his adventures. They weren’t very good, in truth; he knew she had been getting drawing lessons from Miss Helena. Along with room and board, receiving a lady’s education was the main part of Dani’s pay as Izzy’s hired companion.

Nevertheless, as he turned the pages, his heart ached at the care she had put into each misshapen, adorable picture. Him flying on the Gryphon, with Gladwin speeding along by his shoulder. Him and Derek fighting Uncle Waldrick’s henchmen. Fionnula Coralbroom in her hideous Kraken form. He laughed at the picture of Archie in his flying machine, the Mighty Pigeon. The next one showed the four of them running away from the yetis…

And there were the living gingerbread men he had rescued at Christmas…

The two of them getting captured by the pixies…

Him meeting the Norse giants…

All four of them with the dwarves in the mine…

“That’s Emrys and that’s Ufudd,” Dani said, tapping the smaller dwarf with a large white beard.

“I would’ve guessed that,” Jake said, nodding.

“Well?” She glanced at him, her emerald eyes full of hope. “Do you like it?”

“No,” Jake blurted out, “I love it.” And to the surprise of them both, he impulsively leaned near and gave her a peck on her forehead. “You’re a right plum lass, you are, Dani O’Dell,” he mumbled, immediately embarrassed by his own show of affection.

Astonished, Dani jumped to her feet, her cheeks turning red between her freckles. Though she seemed too shocked to speak, she managed to utter the same-old reply she always gave to his same-old compliment: “I know!”

Then she dashed off into the girls’ bedroom without explanation.

Jake smiled ruefully and looked again at the sketchbook, where all his daring deeds were so carefully recorded. He might never be chosen for a Lightrider, but at least there was one person in this world who already saw him as a hero.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Sorted

B
y midmorning, they had sampled some of the May Day festivities. Dani, for her part, had been mesmerized watching the fairies dance around the maypole, each holding a long, colorful ribbon as they wove back and forth. But all too soon, it was time to get on with the business of the day.

Sir Peter Quince came out and took charge once more, dividing all the magical children up into their groups to attend special sessions with an adult expert in their field.

Dani stood awkwardly beside Archie, watching Isabelle go off with the Empaths and Healers into one of the meeting rooms inside Merlin Hall, while Jake hooted with glee at being summoned to attend the Lightriders’ session.

The young Guardians, including Maddox St. Trinian, joined Derek and a fierce, muscular, female Guardian in the nearby field.

Henry and Helena led the shapeshifter children off for a chat, including the three horrid skunkies who had tortured her during yesterday’s Assessments. Dani saw the twins exchange a worried glance, experienced enough as teachers to realize they were in serious trouble with the three little horrors.

When even Her Ladyship, Jake’s Great-Great Aunt Ramona, had retreated into another meeting room to speak to the young witches and wizards, Dani let out a glum sigh.

She wished she had somewhere to go, some way to participate. She usually didn’t mind being an ordinary person, but at the moment, she just felt so inadequate, even unwanted. Must she be left out of everything?

“Ah, don’t look so glum, Dani, ol’ girl,” Archie drawled, slinging his arm around her shoulders. “You’ve still got me! C’mon, I’ll show you the library. It’s really something.”

“Very well,” she said with another heavy sigh. She loved books, but spending a brilliant, sunny May Day in a silent crypt of a library sounded all wrong.

Ah, well, it was better than being alone.

Of course, being around Archie when he was working out equations or doing research was just the same as being alone, anyway. On such occasions, he went off into his own mental world of deep thoughts and advanced mathematics, where only other geniuses could follow. All the same, it was kind of him to invite her.

Dani shuffled after him as he marched down the hallway. But just then, she heard someone call her name.

A lady’s prim voice echoed down the corridor. “Daniela Catherine O’Dell?”

Dani whipped around in surprise.

The lady was still searching the hallway. Is there a Miss O’Dell here somewhere, please? I say, where is Daniela Catherine?”

She shot her hand up into the air. “I’m here! That’s me! Archie, wait up!”

A lady in a long, slim, gray skirt was standing in the doorway of one of the meeting rooms with a clipboard in her hand and spectacles resting on her nose. “Miss O’Dell?”

She sprinted breathlessly to her. “Yes, ma’am! Can I help you? I’m Dani O’Dell!”

Archie followed, looking on in mild curiosity.

The lady tapped her clipboard with a pen. “I have your name down here, if you’d care to join us, dear.”

“Me? But…there must be some mistake. I have no powers,” Dani admitted with some embarrassment.

“No, of course, my dear. Neither do I,” the lady said with a wink. “I’m Sir Peter Quince’s wife, and my session is called Managing Magic Folk. It is exclusively for those of us ordinary souls charged with looking after our, er,
unusual
friends and loved ones. If you wish to participate, please don’t dally, Miss O’Dell. Her Majesty is waiting.”

Dani gasped. “Queen Victoria is in there? Oh! Oh, my goodness! Yes, of course. Thank you! Gotta go, Arch!”

“No worries, have fun!” he called.

Dani felt seven feet tall to find herself included—and in the Queen’s own group, no less! No doubt Queen Victoria, as the human ruler of the Order, had to deal with all sorts of questions regarding the many magical subjects in her Realm.

When Dani stepped into the stately chamber, she curtsied to the short, stout, black-clad Queen, then quickly took a seat on the end of the first row of chairs, feeling very important, indeed.

The lady with the clipboard walked to the front of the room and took off her spectacles, letting them hang by the slim chain around her neck. “Good morning, everybody. Your Majesty.” She curtsied to the Queen. “Welcome to Managing Magic-Folk. Being married to an Elder wizard, I have years of experience, as you may well imagine, in dealing with all sorts of magic folk and the, shall we say, interesting situations they tend to generate. I do hope that my insights can provide some guidance to others who may find themselves now and then, in a position to aid a gifted friend or family member with their unique struggles.

“Never forget that our ordinary human bonds with our magical loved ones are an absolutely vital part of keeping them on friendly terms with the mortal world, rather than turning against humanity and joining the dreaded You-Know-Who’s.

“I know we sometimes feel unimportant compared to the magical folk in our lives, but trust me, they need us. The worst fate that can befall any magical individual is to become alienated and alone, for then they become easy pickings for the dark side. In time, their talents could be used against our world and all that we hold dear.

“In short, even though we possess no powers of our own beyond our hearts and strength of character, there are times when
our
love and loyalty are all that stands between our magical friends choosing darkness over light. And
that
is no small responsibility.”

Dani pondered this in awe.

“So! Let us begin. Today we will discuss Common Problems in dealing with the magical, top Do’s and Don’ts, and any other questions you may have…”

With a great sense of duty, Dani picked up the pencil and paper provided and started taking notes on everything the lady said.

#  #  #

In the session for Empaths and Healers down the hallway, Isabelle sat at the end of the long table, paying no attention whatsoever. She was daydreaming, elbow propped on the desk, cheek resting in her hand, gazing out the window at the sunny fields where the Guardians had gathered.

They were too far away to tell who was who, but one of them was That Boy, so she kept watching, waiting, just in case she caught a glimpse…

She stifled a sudden yawn, her eyes watering with fatigue. Lud, between going to bed late after the Floralia and rising before dawn to collect the Beltane dew, she was dog-tired. It didn’t help that crazed nervous energy had coursed through her veins from the first moment she had laid eyes on Maddox St. Trinian, but thankfully, it had started to run out.

Still, she could not stop thinking about him, not for one minute; it was utterly annoying. Especially since Dani had reported that he said he “had no time” for young ladies. Typical Guardian!

Well, be that way, then,
Isabelle thought with a slight sulk. The way he had looked at her when he had seen her in her beautiful, first-ever ball gown had made her hope he might be interested in her, too.

Obviously not.

Instead of coming to the ball so they might talk and get to know each other, the mysterious young warrior had gone out to a blacksmith’s forge, of all things, to weld something or whatever. Honestly, a girl could be insulted! Was he that indifferent to the lure of dancing that he’d rather be alone and make a
knife
?

For possibly the first time in her fifteen years, Isabelle found herself pouting a bit.

But then, she considered, maybe he had
wanted
to go to the ball. Maybe he just didn’t own a tuxedo. Maybe he was poor…

She sighed again, still completely bewildered as to why she could not read him with her powers. Not one bit. It was like he was a blank.

It was a tad alarming, actually. As an empath, she had never experienced this sort of block from someone before, but there had to be an explanation.

Most likely, she had not been standing close enough to him to sense his feelings, she reasoned. Or maybe it was because she got so flustered around him that she couldn’t even think, just stood there tongue-tied and blushing like a cake-head.

Maybe there was something wrong with her—or was something wrong with him? Why was this young warrior so very cool-nerved, anyway? He seemed to be so expertly in control of his emotions that his energy was calm, calm, calm, in a way that she, as an empath, had rarely encountered, especially not in anyone so young. He was different.

She was so used to being overwhelmed by the surging storms of other people’s emotions around her, backing away from all the noise and chaos they generated simply to protect herself. She did not know what to make of the deep, soothing quiet around this boy, whether it meant something good or something bad. That he was a blank alarmed her almost as much as his handsome face and dark, soulful eyes drew her in. She had to get to the bottom of it.

But on the other hand…no.

If he was not interested in her, she might as well forget about Maddox St. Trinian now. Feeling this way was awful, anyhow, all tied up in knots over somebody who barely even knew she existed.

Besides, if he was poor and lowborn, her parents would likely never approve. She would make her debut in Society next Season, and probably be married off to some loudmouth duke in his twenties who owned a large chunk of England.

Ugh.

Ah, well. She had been raised from birth knowing that a good girl of her station, a good daughter, married whom her father said—and Isabelle, if nothing else, had always been
very
good.

Besides, Guardians were not supposed to get caught up in romantic entanglements, anyway. Affairs of the heart were the sort of distraction that could get the Order’s warriors killed.

She sighed again, feeling rather like a tragic heroine—until she remembered Jake teasing her about that very thing. Then she frowned wryly and wondered how the birthday rascal was faring in the Lightrider group.

#  #  #

Meanwhile, in the next room, Nixie sat in the group for young Witches and Wizards, hanging on their session leader’s every word.

The Elder witch, Ramona, Dowager Baroness Bradford, was a legend with a whiff of tragedy in her past that Nixie could well relate to, though she did not know the details.

Nobody did. It was one of the best-kept secrets of the Order, though everyone had heard the whispers about how she no longer quite trusted magic.

It comforted Nixie to know that even a great witch like Lady Bradford could make a mistake in using her powers. It made her own blunder seem less awful. Like maybe there was hope, if only she could learn the right spell—something, anything, to rid herself of the Bugganes.

She dared not ask the Elder witch for help outright, of course, but if anyone could give her a clue about how to banish those dreadful apparitions and all their torment, it was the wise old witch.

“And so,” Lady Bradford continued, “we must always consider the danger of unintended consequences when using magic and take steps to protect ourselves when working any spell. Can any of you tell me what the strongest protection that we have at our disposal is?”

Eager to impress her, the more confident kids raised their hands and shouted out answers.

“Oh, I know! Salt!”

“Holy water!”

“No and no,” she answered.

“Sage? Lavender?”

“I know! Primrose oil!”

“Hardly,” said the Elder. “Miss Valentine? You look very thoughtful. Care to share your guess?”

Nixie hesitated. The others all turned around to look at her, eyeing her with various degrees of jealousy.

Yes, she was well aware she’d shown them up terribly with her Assessment yesterday. There were adult magic-workers who couldn’t do such things.