Chapter 54

 

This chapter has been copied from the original and may contain typos and grammatical errors.

~*~

Gloria smiled as she came into the little house, dusting off her clothes. The sun was setting, and she had become chilly.

Seneca had let her be today. He had felt her peace and joy, and he didn’t want to be a dark pigment in that clear feeling.

He looked up at her as she walked in, knowing she would talk without him having to ask her anything if she wanted to say something.

He didn’t have to wait. “I wasn’t able to talk to her, but I could feel her. She was real, I just couldn’t hear her. I saw her mouth moving, but I’ve never been good at reading lips.” She plopped down on the bench.

Seneca put down his book, knowing she would keep talking until she ran out of things to say, so he may as well let her talk. “Who is ‘she’?”

“Midshore-”

Seneca snorted “That’s an odd name.”

“It’s her reborn name.” Gloria said, not missing a beat. “Midshore was my mentor in spellcasting, she’s the most powerful Spellcaster I’ve ever met. I was hoping she would be able to find me and talk to me, but at least she’ll be able to tell my family I’m alive and alright. I really don’t want them to worry…”

“You probably shouldn't have run away with their nemesis's son then.” Seneca rolled his eyes.

“I doubt they knew who Blake was. He hid his identity from me, surely they didn’t know either.” Gloria defended herself.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure they knew. You not knowing I can understand, but them? He looks just like the Duchess but with pale hair; there’s no way they didn’t know.”

Gloria crossed her arms. “If they knew, why would they not tell me who he was?”

“I don’t know them, ok? But based on how they didn’t tell you who you were or who they were, I’m guessing they wanted you to live your own life without the shadow of theirs. They didn’t tell you to protect you.” He explained.

“But they ended up hurting me. Putting me at a disadvantage. If I had known that my mother was a runaway queen, I would never have left the Islands!” Gloria said.

“Not even for the love of your life?” he asked as he sat back in his chair.

Gloria looked at her hands. “Blake was the love of my life, but I never told him.”

Seneca sat up in his chair. “You never told him you loved him?”

She shrugged, a dismissive movement but he could tell that she felt more than she was letting on. “No, I didn’t.”

“Wow,” he breathed. “I- I would have assumed you had. I mean, leaving home, defending him in conversation, defending his honor, and you never said ‘I love you’.”

Gloria looked towards the kitchen, finding Seneca’s questions to be digging. “He wanted me to. He told me all the time, but I couldn’t say it. I was- I think I was scared to tie myself to one person. To promise myself to them.”

Seneca felt himself soften. Gloria always was so honest while he hid everything so that no one could hurt him. Instead, she made him feel like honesty wasn’t a weakness, but an advantage to knowing yourself.

“I didn’t have to worry about who I loved before I was pledged to someone.” he admitted. “Krista was traded to me as my wife, for a higher standing with her father among the queen. I had no say in the matter. It seems we both have a thing for fair haired people.” he smiled with half of his mouth.

“I guess so.” She felt her heart jump as she saw him smile. Or was it the thought of Blake’s pale hair?

~*~

The seer poured over her book of spells and cauldron, hair dipping into her face as she went. She brushed it out of the way with long and elegant fingers, not skipping a beat. Blake eyed the shelves around the crown of the room with weariness. What sort of affect were they having on him without his consent?

“How much longer will this take?” he inquired. “I’m losing my patience and-”

“- and if anyone saw you conferring with a witch you’d be seen as a heretic and a hypocrite. Don’t worry, child, no one will see through the windows, and the door is firmly sealed. No mortal is getting through that door.” She smiled at him with a glint in her eye, and then went back to her work. “If you’re tired, you may sleep in my bed. It wouldn’t be the first royal to do so.” she smirked.

“I can stay awake as long as you do.” he said, not wanting to let his guard down. He had hardly moved from place since he had arrived.

“I highly doubt that, child.” she said as she stirred the pot. “After all, I can tell you haven't been enchanted the way that I have. You will tire, I won’t.”

“Just, do your work.” he said dismissively. He moved to sit down on the couch she had along the wall, watching her like a hawk. She seemed perfectly at ease and didn’t seem to mind how heavily armed he was. He could chop off her head in a swift movement, yet she didn’t shy from him. Perhaps she hadn’t heard all of the things he’d done.

“No, I have.” she answered. “But do you really think you’d get close enough to even try to kill me?” she clucked her tongue. “You don’t know much about spellcasters, do you?”

“If it were up to the king, you’d all be an extinct breed.” he growled. The fact that she could see his thoughts so easily and he didn’t even know she was doing it made him uneasy.

She scooped some of the liquid she had been mixing for the past three hours into a glass. She eyed him and raised her eyebrows and held out a single hair he had supplied her with. “Now, speak aloud the name of the one you seek.” she smiled with a purr.

“Gloria Reed.” he said clearly.

“Wonderfully done, child.'' She placed the hair on top of the liquid in the glass. It fizzed and dissolved, and she swirled the glass, then drank down the potion.

~*~

Midshore was beaming at dinner. Everstar and the two kids could see it clearly, and they smiled and sat at the table, curious why her mood had changed so much.

Midshore had hardly sat down before she spoke. “I saw Gloria! For the first time in two months, I saw her in a vision and I couldn’t hear her, but I could see her. She looked healthy and happy, she’s doing fine!” Midshore gushed.

Everstar took her hand. “That’s amazing! But I’m confused as to how she could be happy. Blake was taking her to the king, have they not reached him yet? They’ve been gone for two months, surely they would have reached the palace by now?”

“Maybe Anwyn and Liam reached her first and they’re all together. That’s why they’re happy.”

Everstar exhaled. “We can only hope.” She smiled and started to eat her meal.

After dinner, Midshore took her position outside on her stool to meditate. The sun was going down, and the sky was becoming dark. She liked to see if there was anything the spirits wanted to show her every night before bed, and while she had been meditating a lot lately to see if she could reach Gloria, she still wanted to see if there was anything new that needed to be seen.

The warm air left her skin, the sound of the tide and the bubbling lava disappeared, and she focused. Just, listen.

Most of the emotions she sensed were quiet. The loudest emotion she felt was the celebration of a new birth on a nearby island, a… girl. She smiled.

The past few nights she had felt some unrest from the direction of the mainland, but with a tyrannical king that wasn’t new. It was a dull unrest, with flickers of unified fear and anguish once in a while. She felt bad that she couldn’t help them, and that she couldn't only protect the people of the islands.

That’s when the feeling hit her like a bird flying into a window; sudden and full force. It made the hairs on her neck and arms stand up straight in a fight or flight response. Her stomach twisted in knots and she felt herself shudder.

She felt physical pain sitting in her stomach, akin to a contraction of childbirth. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. She had felt this once before, and only once. It had been decades since she had, but she knew what it was. A spellcaster had activated a tracking charm.

When a spellcaster activated a tracking charm, they pulled the power from it’s natural peace and stillness and bent it to do their bidding. It was a selfish way to use power, and painful to other spellcasters. The potency of the spell meant that the user was either incredibly powerful or paying a dire price. Who had cast such a spell?

A pair of bright, unnatural eyes flashed in her vision. Then a second pair flashed, green and unmistakable to her. A spellcaster had cast a tracking spell on Gloria.

~*~

“This, this is good news. He’s sending a ship next week to take us over, we’ll need to be ready.” Liam said as he scanned the letter.

“Hand it here, I haven’t read it yet!” Romeo took the paper from him. “It says that we’re supposed to pretend to be his family. Didn’t we get into trouble last time when I pretended to see my family? I mean, I met my wife, but they nearly killed me.”

“If I remember correctly, that plan worked. This could too. If this is what Montoya says, then it’s the only way we’re getting anywhere near the palace.”

Anwyn walked towards them, wiping her mouth. “I swear, I should go to the market myself and make my own food if they’re not going to wash and cook it properly. This is the fourth time I’ve been sick this week.”

Romeo looked a bit confused, “I’ve been eating everything you have, and I feel fine. We both feel fine, don’t we, Liam?”

Liam’s eyes were wide. “Anwyn, are you sure it was the food? Food poisoning usually affects you for a whole day, how’re your nausea levels?”

“I feel fine now.” she said, confused. Then her face cleared “You don’t think-” she cut herself off.

“I think it may be a possibility. When was your last cycle?” Liam asked.

Romeo looked between the two of them. “Hold on, you guys are acting like she’s pregnant. But you two wouldn’t have been so stupid as to do that while we’re trying to find Gloria, are you? Please tell me this is a joke…”

Anwyn couldn’t meet his eye. “Liam?” he asked.

“It was one time…” he said.

“One time! One time! You both know it only takes one lucky time! How could you risk the mission like this?!” Romeo stood up and banged on the table.

“Please, it’s not like we weren’t enjoying each other's company for years before this, and we only got pregnant three times in 18 years! I thought I was done having children!” Anwyn argued back.

“We can’t send you in to fight with us if you’re carrying a child. It’s not safe. None of this is safe, especially not for a child or a woman expecting one.” Romeo said.

“May I remind you the first time I was pregnant I travelled far north, died, and was restored. I think I can function a while yet.” Anwyn deflected. “And it isn’t even for sure yet. Nothing is ever for sure until you start growing, which I haven’t, and you feel the baby move. That happens at about the fourth month. Liam and I were together about two weeks ago.”

Romeo walked around, trying to work out some frustration. “Then we had better find Gloria and fast. Because If we have to worry about you too, I don’t think we can do this.”

He huffed and left the room.

Hey! It's a Christmas miracle! As I wrote a few days ago I've really been wanting to get back to this, It's been too long! I almost didn't believe it was November 18th the last time I posted a chapter!

As we can see, the plot thickens. Let your imaginations go crazy as to what's going to happen, and I'd always love to know what you guys think! Merry Christmas!