Chapter Seven: We?re All a Little Mad Here
25th November
I don?t really know where the last two weeks had gone but surely enough, my mom?s big day was here. She had asked me to be her maid of honor while my younger counterpart had been tapped to play the part of flowergirl. My godmother and one of the girls my mom worked with rounded out the bridesmaid side while several of Henry?s friends would be standing on his side when the time came. I tried my best not to go through the day in a daze but man? the last week or two had been a **** show. After we left my mom?s house in New Haven, I endured an excruciatingly silent drive back to Seaside with Romeo at the wheel. When we got there, he was particularly tender in how he handled me, both before and after we went to bed. I tried to assure him that this was temporary, just a minor hiccup as were so many things in my life these days. It would pass, just like everything would. Still he worried over me.
The next day, he asked me if I wanted him to stay home from work the following day. In the thick of the Iron Fists League, the last thing his pink haired boss would allow was for him to be absent from the gym, especially right after their grand opening to the public. Delia at her eponymous diner might have been a little more lenient, if only because that woman was far too soft for her own good. But no, I told him that this was business as usual. The Order had already ****ed up my life a handful of times before, I refused to allow them to dictate how I and those I loved lived their day to day lives. If they wanted me, it was going to take a whole hell of a lot more than a stupid mark on my back and bad dreams at night. So I sent Ro to work with all the reassurance I could offer. Everything would be fine. Everything was fine.
At least until it wasn?t. It was Wednesday? or maybe it was Thursday. Just as I had on prior mornings, I kissed Romeo goodbye and sent him on his way with a firm smack to that fine ass of his. Shortly after, I cleaned up the remnants of breakfast, got the dishwasher running, and got myself dressed for the day. When I came back down the stairs, I came not into the living room but rather a dark, dank chamber that reeked of mold and must. There were no windows or any signs of light save for the faint flicker of a sole torch stuck into a holder in the wall. Now, see, this is odd because our house was built only a few years ago and to the best of my recollection, definitely didn?t feature any sort of macabre torch holding system nor any stone walls. The brick that I could see had been worn smooth with time and was spotted here and there with creeping patches of nasty mildew and black mold.
I stepped off of the last stair and felt crunching beneath my foot. A glance down confirmed my worst fear. Tiny bones, likely those of a small animal of some sort. Rat, rabbit, squirrel, something like that. They snapped and crackled as I tried to ease back but when I tried to step back up onto the stairs, I found the staircase no longer there. What in the literal ****, right? Surely by now I should have been freaking out. Instead, I calmly pressed forward since I couldn?t go backwards and stepped further into the dark room. The flicker of torchlight was just barely enough to light my way but my eyes thankfully made up for the rest. One of the upsides of draconic blood, you know? The floor was slick, streaked here and there with dark trails that, I realized after a cursory inspection of my bare soles, was blood. Mostly dried but not quite, more than enough to stain the skin. More troubling was the way the streaks were fashioned.
First it marked out a wide sweeping circle that almost touched each of the four walls of the seemingly square room. Within that larger one, more precise lines and whorls etched a ring of symbols that I couldn?t understand or make any sort of sense of. Wary of the circle itself, I stood wide of it, tucking myself right into the very edge to avoid crossing the line. Circles like this were typically used for one of three things. Summoning, containment, or rituals typically. Truthfully, I did not particularly want to be involved in any of them. Not here. Still I felt as if I needed to get a better look at what it was for and why the hell I was seeing it instead of my living room. So carefully I paced to one side, toeing the edge of the circle as I rounded it.
I couldn?t make out the marks ringing the rim but a smaller circle inside seemed to bear a trio of letters that came into focus in the dim light as I rounded to the far side. There I stopped, staring at the bold, bloody letters spelling out AVA inside of the inner circle. Well, that couldn?t be a good sign. I hadn?t seen such a mark since before I was sent back to this time. To my left, I heard the sound of a door unlocking and turned a quick look, blinking into the depths of the shadows to see who was there.
When my eyes reopened from what had been only a lightning fast blink, the dark room was gone and I was staring at Ro as he came through the front door. With my body wedged between the couch and the wall, I had evidently pushed it out away and scrunched up the rug beneath it. It was no wonder he was looking at me funny. Glancing down, I looked at the floor and found no sign of the circle of blood or the letters inside of it. So there, I had two choices; I could tell him what I saw or I could downplay it. If I told him, I would only increase his worry and stress and pretty much prove that he was right about being his needing to be away from work more. I really hated admitting I was wrong. Moreover, I really vehemently despised admitting that maybe I was in over my head.
So what did I do? I smiled sheepishly and said something about thinking my hair ties that had been going missing were ending up under the couch thanks to some pet or another around here. Not Fred, of course. The runty Cerberus was an outdoor only pet. It was obviously Marley or something, blame Misery. He didn?t look like he believed me but still helped me move the couch back before stealing me away for lunch outside of the house for a few hours.
That was the start, really. It got worse from there, seeing things that weren?t there. Sometimes they made sense and were legitimately plausible but by and large, they made no sense and left me even more confused than before. The worst part was the fact that every time it happened, I was left feeling tired and drained afterwards. Even if I got a full, uninterrupted night of sleep, these little? fits took it right out of me. I knew the feeling all too well. After having spent a solid year and a half getting little to no sleep every night after the whole Sandy debacle, the hallucinations and delusions I had suffered then had absolutely wiped me out. That this round was progressing so rapidly was cause for concern and fast I think I was drowning in it all.
A few days before the wedding, the night before the day of thanks, I found myself alone at the grocery store. With a shopping cart full of various accoutrements for the upcoming holiday, I was in the thoroughly picked over baking aisle when it happened again. Standing in front of the premade cake frosting was a man wrapped in a tattered cloak. I saw him only in profile at first but as soon as I neared, he lifted his head and turned a look toward me. He had a mouthful of sharp, crooked teeth and beady birdlike eyes of a dark enough shade of brown that they passed for black in most lights. The only reason I knew they were brown was because I had seen them up close so many times I wished I could forget.
I came to a dead stop, my eyes locked on his. I was only ten steps away with only my cart between myself and the man who had tormented me while I was locked away in a cage while my home burned all around me. The rest of the store seemed to have gone dead quiet and somewhere above my head, the fluorescent lights flickered. Neither of us seemed willing to move first. What was the likelihood that this man had simply come to the grocery store for cake frosting? Pretty slim considering he wasn?t from this time or this place.
?What do you want?? I asked. My voice sounded small, weak and afraid as I spoke up. I rolled my shoulders and fixed him with my meanest thuglife stare, posturing more than I felt that I could back up. Back when the Order had been around every corner, I had taken to carrying a pistol with me at all times but as they seemed to disappear, I had become complacent and switched back to just using my switchblade on me instead and leaving the gun at the bottom of my purse somewhere. Totally responsible, I know. To my credit, the safety was on. His smile twisted into an ugly sneer and he said something to me in a guttural language that I couldn?t understand but still recognized. I shook my head at him. ?Nuh uh, brosef. You don?t get to come here and **** with my head and then go talking in a language I don?t understand. If you have got a message for me, you better spit it out.?
He laughed. Oh how he laughed at me. It was a hoarse, rough thing, like glass and gravel put through a blender. It hurt my ears and made some other part of me shudder internally if only for the familiarity of it all. The shake of his head furthered my annoyance and I ventured a look over my shoulder for any sign of anyone else. It seemed they had all disappeared. A quick listen beyond the high walls of our aisle didn?t seem to bear any signs of life either. No quiet voices, no indistinguishable elevator music, no squeaking cart wheels on linoleum, no hum of refrigerated aisles and coolers, no beep beep beep of the checkout scanners up front. Well fine, then I guess we?ll do this live.
?I?m serious. Tell me what you need to tell me and then go away. I have pies to make.? Obviously I wasn?t in the mood for these half real shenanigans. I snapped my fingers as if prompting him to go on. All it did was cause him to turn away from the wall of frosting and take the first tentative steps toward me. I held my hand up, palm out. ?Ah, ah, ah. Stop right there. You can talk without being all up in my business.?
?You. You, stupid girl.? He said in broken Common, chuckling as he kept going. Spitting at my feet, his saliva ate into the tile beneath my feet, wearing black holes right through it. I managed to scoot back out of spitting range to fix him with a bewildered look. These little visions weren?t supposed to be real. This only caused him to laugh again, infuriating me all over again. He cleared his throat and continued. ?Chosen Child. Time comes, you or her, there is no other. Submit to the Word of the Lady.?
Oh, well that changed things, didn?t it. Not only had he interrupted my last minute Thanksgiving shopping trip, but he did so in order to threaten me in the damned baking aisle. Worse yet, it seemed this guy was threatening my younger counterpart as well, in which case I was of the mind to kill him then and there. This time around I wasn?t held back by the rune marked bars of the cage they had kept me in and I definitely wasn?t the scared and confused and weak little girl that I was back then.
At some point, well before I came back to this time, my home world was an absolute disaster. We thought we were making strides against it but after the fourth or fifth incursion, I got separated from the good guys and ended up with the bad ones. I thought they were going to kill me like they had the others, but rather they tossed me in a cage and took me on their way. There were other girls too, girls they had collected from all over the lands near and far. I still remember their names and faces, gaunt and sallow, ashen despite the deep tans they had from being left beneath the summer sun with nothing but the top bars of their cells to shade them.
We were barely fed but at the very least they didn?t beat us or do worse. I suppose the elements inflicted enough damage without them adding to it. I don?t know how long they kept me there, I lost count of the days after a few weeks, mostly because they started taking us away from the group one by one. It started with the girl that died in her cage of starvation and exposure. They had left her in there for days until the stench of her dead body permeated the entire camp. After that, they started taking the live ones away, never to be seen again. When it came down to just myself and another girl, this man that stood before me was the one to come get her. She begged him not to take her, begged him not to take me either. He ripped her out of the cell by her hair. I can still remember the sound of her hair tearing in his grasp and how she cried out when a clump of it pulled free in his fist. Despite being locked up in a cage for months on end without any sort of a brush, she had had quite the pretty head of dark hair.
I don?t know where they took her to but it wasn?t terribly far away. The drag marks in the dirt turned off abruptly but just beyond that, I could hear her scream. She screamed and cried for hours. I wanted to call to her, to tell her to fight, to tell her to get away, but I was afraid that if I did that, they would come for me next and then it would be my turn to scream and cry endlessly. Shortly before sunrise, when the embers of the fire were still glowing brightly in the dug out pit in the middle of our circle of mostly empty cages, the screaming stopped. I listened for a bit longer to see if it might start again but it never did. Not long after that, they packed up the convoy and moved camps again. I was the only one left at that point. They fed me a little more, likely a share of what they would have given to the other girls. Occasionally they taunted and leered at me with their foreign words and sharp teeth, reveling in my terror when I would try to escape to one corner of the cage only to find another one of their wretched faces waiting for me there.
At the time, he had told me that I was born for this and that it had to be me. I didn?t know what it meant at the time but I didn?t want to be whatever it was he said I was going to be, not if it had killed the other girls. I was just barely seventeen at the time, I still had my whole life ahead of me, so much living left to do. Thankfully before they could show me just what they meant, my family found me and broke me out. We escaped and shortly after, I was sent to this time with nothing but the clothes on my back.
But that brings me back to the present. This guy stood between me and the life I had built for myself here and now. He wasn?t going to take me back, not to that. A quiet schhhhhk at my right drew his gaze to the blade I had flipped open. It was more subtle than reaching for the petite pistol tucked into the purse sitting in the child seat of the cart. For a moment he eyed the switchblade and then looked back at me.
Then he laughed, long and hard.
What an asshole.
He laughed and I tried my best not to let it rattle me. Regardless, when he started my way again, I panicked and shoved the cart at him with a sharp shout to try and draw attention to our aisle. Perhaps he would give it up if more people came running. As I pushed the cart, I turned on my heel and made a dash for the end of the aisle. Behind me, the cart crashed and I heard things falling from the shelves. There I skidded to a stop and ran into a stock person as he rounded the corner in search of the cause of the ruckus. Grasping at his arm and jibbering about the man after me, I turned back around to point at where the collision had occurred.
The man was gone without a trace. My cart had crashed into the shelf and knocked at least a hundred containers of frosting and other baking sundries off onto the floor below. They painted the white floor in creams and powders and sprinkles, a sugary mess of epic proportions. The flickering overhead had stopped and rather than a knife in my hand, I held the pen I had been using to cross things off of my shopping list. The stock boy stared at me, the mess behind me, and back at me again. When I realized just what had happened, I turned back to him sheepishly.
?Um? I think we need clean up on aisle six??
So all of that had been a little embarrassing to say the least. Hurriedly, I finished my shopping and took my leave, paying for my groceries and getting the hell out of there as quickly as possible. I think Ro knew something was wrong when I got home but it was easily brushed off as more of the same. I was tired, that was all, I promised him. He reluctantly took me at my word but I could tell he was still worried. He always was lately. Thankfully (hah, see what I did there?), Thanksgiving passed without incident. We made more than enough food to feed an entire army. Between the band, some of the less fortunate at the Hollows (who am I kidding, they?re all less fortunate), and others like my parents (adopted and otherwise) and their respective families, we pretty much had to account for an army when all was said and done. But I like feeding people, it makes me happy when they have stomachs full of home cooked food. Some day, after the band isn?t a thing anymore and I?m looking to have a more permanent career, I would like to have a restaurant of my own. Maybe a bakery, I don?t know. Bakeries are a dime a dozen around here. But a nice pizzeria with a bakery case? I like the whole idea of it, I always have. Maybe someday, I hoped.
Black Friday came and went as well, full of sports on the television and leftover food from the day before. Later in the evening, Ro and I got dressed up and went down to Hangman Distillery for Raven and Henry?s rehearsal dinner. It was Claire and Cooper?s latest venture into the food and drink business though it was more Cooper?s baby than anything. Set on the north side of Old Temple, it sat right on the river and was made up of several buildings, the biggest of which was the taproom. They had closed it down early tonight for the rehearsal even though it was a pretty small affair. But I guess it?s easy to do that when your bridesmaid owns the place. The food was delicious, the whiskey doubly so. I avoided getting utterly trashed so that I could actually function the next day. We rehearsed all the things then left with a nice buzz and full stomachs.
?Did you see that?? I asked Ro on the way out, stopping to squint into the dark. Romeo looked in the same direction, his brows furrowing when he evidently see whatever I was looking for. I huffed a little sound and set off into the darker shadows in search of what I had seen. ?Purple robes, I saw them.?
Before I could get too far, I felt fingers catch around my wrist, tugging me back into the protective wrap of burly arms. Vaguely aware that I let out a squeak of protest, it was lost to the soothing murmurs that Romeo let tickle the shell of my ear. I wanted to try and see if I was hallucinating? again. Or if maybe, just maybe this time it was real. But Ro? Ro had other ideas. He held me tightly until I stopped struggling and with a huff I looked up at him. I don?t remember exactly what he said but something along the lines of being too pretty to let go and that we had a busy day tomorrow. We should get home, he said. He?d make it worth my while. Normally I was the one making promises like that so it was a strange dynamic change if only for the short term. He drove us home and all the while I watched each passing street and alleyway with intent interest as if I might be able to catch a glimpse of plum once more.
At one point those bastards had stalked me the city over and then when Nick died, they all just seemed to disappear. Side of effect of his death or crazy random happenstance, I don?t know. But it had been nice for awhile. Even if the nagging doubt in the back of my mind lingered all the while. I wasn?t so lucky that they would just up and disappear for good, not when they were so gung ho for me before. But we made it to Seaside without so much as a sliver of trouble and as Ro threw the Highlander into park in the driveway, I let out a quiet sigh of equal parts disappointment and relief. I know Ro was looking at me funny for it, but if it bothered him, he didn?t say so. He even gave me a piggyback ride all the way to the front door and even up the stairs once we made it inside. Just as he had promised, my relenting in my search earlier was rewarded handsomely by my boyfriend and I slept like a rock, too tired to do anything but. Just because I broke my addiction to drugs and alcohol doesn?t mean I wasn?t still an addict and oh, was that boy intoxicating.
Thank the gods for Romeo MacKenzie.
This morning when I got up, there was no strange feeling of dread, no worry about what was going to happen today. It drizzled a little in the morning, something I was sure made Raven plenty happy since it?s supposedly lucky to get rain on the day you get married. After that, the skies cleared though it was still chilly. That?s pretty much a given if you get married in late November. I spent the morning getting ready at some trendy salon in New Haven with Raven, Aunt Claire, and Elle, my mom?s other bridesmaid. I kinda like her. She?s got the badass vibe going on, lots of ink but super chill. She works at St. Luke?s with my mom. There?s more to her story than that but it?s a barrel of rabid monkeys so I?m not going to get into it, I don?t think. After that, a convoy of stretch SUV limousines took us out to where they are holding the ceremony today.
Set between the city and Stars End, I think this place is owned by Henry?s boss or something like that. Honestly, it looks like it belongs in the South of France rather than a place like Rhydin. It was hidden amongst the foothills, overlooking a rather picturesque little town in the valley below. You know the village from Beauty and the Beast? Yeah, kind of like that. It was supposed to be a small affair, only a couple dozen people between both the bride?s side and the groom?s side. Henry had pretty much given Raven carte blanche (or would it be carte noire for that black RHYEX? See what I did there?) when it came to wedding preparations. He, on the other hand, will be in charge of their honeymoon and from what I hear, he plans a pretty decent vacation. The two of them are going to go away for a week or two and then they?re going to come back and get my younger counterpart for a family vacation after that. At first I was kind of worried about them leaving Adelaide here without them but Raven assured me that she would be staying with Claire and Cooper which I suppose, despite how I might feel about my godmother, was a good thing. She would be safe there, no matter what may come.
The chateau where this whole shindig is going down is kind of gorgeous. There?s this stone arch to get there that goes over this shallow moat. The doors are at least fifteen feet tall, I swear. From there, it?s all gorgeous stonework and priceless pieces from this place and that. You?d almost never know it belongs to some big tech magnate who likely made his millions from the industrial war machine. Regardless, it was gorgeous. They had decorated in midnight blues and muted metallics, mostly silver but a few touches of bronze here and there too. I got to wear this snazzy silver dress that did a remarkably good job of keeping me warm despite the chill. The courtyard where the ceremony was set up doubled as the reception area and I think I counted no less than fifteen people waiting in the wings to change things up as soon as the ceremony was over. My mother was nothing, if not meticulous when it came to such preparations. I had no doubt that the day would go off with a hitch. As I watched them scurry to and fro, I heard someone call my name and I turned quickly to see Claire waving me down.
Since coming here, I had always had something of a contentious relationship with her, try as she might to be everything I wanted her to be. It wasn?t really her fault, I think she meant well. But sometimes she had a habit of overstepping and imposing herself upon people that would rather live their lives without her influence. Money and stubbornness did not solve everything, contrary to how she might believe otherwise. Still, I wasn?t going to cause drama, not today. She came huffing to a stop and thumbed over her shoulder. ?Ro?s looking for you.?
Dressing up hadn't ever been Romeo's forte. It wasn't that he didn't like it, he was mostly indifferent in a good sorta way, but growing up where and when he had, then being an orphan on the streets of Rhy'din, there hadn't been many opportunities. He cleaned up good in the black rental tux that almost appeared tailored, though his discomfort showed in more moments he would have liked. Not having me within sight made it worse typically. With everything that was going on, it was becoming more difficult to accept leaving me alone. I was stressed and strained, worried. Not being able to help in any tangible way bothered the Hell out of Ro. Evidently out of fear of getting lost, he asked Claire to check in on me and he had taken up a lean on a low set stone wall, arms folded over his chest as he looked out over everything.
Everything he wished he could give me. Maybe some day.
"Left then a right and another right... mmkay." I repeated to myself as I got further and further away from where Claire had found me. It was her turn to play overseer of all the things while Raven finished getting ready in some swanky guest bedroom in the main part of the chateau's grand domicile. I took a left, then a right, heels click-clacking on the old stone beneath my feet. When I made the final right, I couldn't help but grin when I spotted him. Sweetly I crooned, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?"
"Only you," he replied with a slow smile. He didn't need to finish it. Only two people ever called him by his full name. Me and Delia. He reached a hand out to me, palm up. "C' mere and let me mess up your make-up?"
"This place could kinda pass for Verona, couldn't it?" I asked with a cheeky grin, a little less rockstar and a little more pizza girl. Ro's favorite or something. My steps slowed when I reached him, setting a recently manicured hand within his enough to lift them up so I could twirl beneath it. Without getting caught on the dress's hem, I spun to a stop and smiled. "Always, but not too much, I'm pretty sure it probably cost my mom her first born to pay for all of this."
There was irony in that. I grinned again.
"Fair Verona, yeah. But not as fair as my Adelaide." He helped me in my graceful spin and when I was close, his free arm slipped around my waist to trap me against his chest. Ro's face dipped in, his nose nuzzling along mine so that he could breathe his words against my lips. "Seems like Henry's good for it. Dude must be crazy in love with your mom to drop this kinda coin. I'd have to rob the First National Bank of Rhy'din to top it."
There he went, being intoxicating and all of that like I said before. Damn that boy. He was good for crumbling resolve and making me forget how long this hair and makeup had taken. My fingers traced the lines of his tux as I gave him a soft little shake of my head. "Give me a cliff over the sea, bare feet and a full moon to dance under, and I'd be the happiest broad this side of the cosmos."
His mouth was gentle on mine, careful not to mess up my lipstick. "I'd give you anything I could, mo chroi. I love you as sure as the sun shines in the sky at noon."
"I've got what I need right here, I promise." I let my lips linger there for a few moments longer, breathing him in beneath a tall arch that would twinkle with fairy light later tonight. It was a sweet moment, until it was broken by the faint trickle of music from the courtyard and a call for me by name. First and middle name. 'Adelaide Victoria' at the top of the steps, my mother laughing as she called for me. I sighed softly against Ro's lips and touched my brow to his for a few last moments of quiet. "That's my cue. Wait for me after the ceremony?"
He grinned against my mouth briefly and gave my behind a firm squeeze. "I'll be as close as you need me to be. Go. Help your mother have her day."
"I love you, Ro." I told him and reluctantly freed him from my grasp with a smirk and a heatless swat for his groping. In this dress I didn't really blame him. "See you soon."
Scurrying off up the stairs, I left Ro behind and traded him out for my absolutely breathtaking pseudo-mother. The lines of her dress hugged all the curves that I wished I had inherited myself. Her midnight black hair had been left in loose, dreamy waves around her face and shoulders. She had elected to go fairly neutral in her makeup save for a blood red pout with a faint hint of gloss to it. Already plenty tall, she had chosen to go barefoot, kind of like I had mentioned to Ro, though it looked like she had a pair of flats on standby for the reception. A silver circlet crowned head head, dipping a curved ?v? against her forehead with a faint sparkle of diamond dust and crushed sapphire. It made her eyes pop. For a moment I stared at her in all of her bridal glory, taking her in as if I absolutely had to commit her image to my memory.
?You look? absolutely stunning.? I managed after a few moments of reverent silence. So this is what my mother looked like at her very happiest. I had lost her when I was so young that sometimes I had forgotten the way her voice sounded or the way her smile made her eyes crinkle at the corners. This, this was something else. She beamed one of those very smiles and stepped closer to hug me once I made it into the suite she had commandeered for the sake of wriggling into her dress.
?You don?t think it?s? too much? Not enough? I don?t know?? Raven asked, turning a slow circle to show off the whole ensemble. That a woman like her could be anything but exceptionally confident just blew my mind and quickly reminded me of the damage done when her engagement to my biological father had fallen apart and she was left to pick up the pieces. I smiled and hugged her again.
?It?s exactly right. Here.? I said gently, reaching up to straighten out the sparkling circlet that had gotten slightly mussed in the process of hugging me. With that I leaned back to admire her once more. ?You are absolutely, unequivocally beautiful. Henry is one lucky son of a bitch.?
Raven laughed, I grinned.
?I?m glad you?re a part of this, sweetheart. I know we had a bit of an odd start but it really means a lot to me. So? I wanted to give you something. To say thank you.? With that, Raven turned to a delicate looking table to scoop a petite gift bag up by the handles. The bag itself was sapphire blue and it had silver metallic paper poking out of the top. She handed it over and I took it quite gladly to see what it held. There was a minor touch of apprehension etched across my mother?s face that I couldn?t ignore even as I dipped a hand into the paper to dig out whatever was inside. Wrapped in softer tissue paper was a small bundle. I set the bag aside and peeled the paper away. Hung from a silver chain was a pendant made up of two circles, one set within the other. In the smaller circle was a pentacle and holding the smaller circle in place with the larger circle were eight solid circles, each depicting a different phase of the moon. At the top the new moon was as black as night while at the bottom, the full moon was a slightly off white color. It didn?t quite have the same shine that new silver would, rather it was somewhat tarnished and felt, well, old. It also looked familiar. I looked up at Raven with an arch of my brow. She met my confusion with a smile. ?It was my mother?s, your grandmother?s. I brought it with me when I left home and now? I think I would like you to have it. It served me well over the years and I do believe now it deserves a new home.?
?Are? are you sure?? I asked her hesitantly, grazing my thumb over the delicate filigree that made up the outer circle. Only a few weeks prior I had woken up to another of my grandmother?s heirlooms just sitting on my bedside table, so to have a second fall into my proverbial lap less than a month later felt curious at best. At least this one had an explanation and wasn?t just a random surprise.
?Of course I?m sure, Adelaide. You?re just a few months from your Choice. I had to make mine without the support of anyone from Amberhelm? but that? that helped guide my way.? She said with a soft nod to the pendant. It was a warm weight in my palm, gentle and comforting. I couldn?t help but believe her. After all she had yet to lead me astray. Fixing on a smile, I looked back up at her, the pendant clasped tightly in my grasp.
?Thank you? my present for you is already downstairs on the gift table. Had I known, I would?ve brought it up with me.? I said with a wry smile. It got Raven laughing again. She shook her head, her inkspill of jet black waves rolling over her shoulders like the tide.
?Don?t worry about it, really. This is from me to you? as? as your mom, of sorts. I know you?re all grown up and I didn?t get to be the one? specifically, to help raise you. But you?re my blood, no matter what time you came from. You will always be mine, I promise.? Her arms wrapped me up for another tight squeeze and for a few moments, I basked in her warmth. For a brief second, just a flicker in time, it was almost as if things were perfectly normal. Or at least as normal as it can be when a daughter only looks a decade younger than her so called mother.
Man, if she kept that up, she was going to make me cry. Thankfully, soon after, I managed to escape with my pretty little trinket and most of my makeup intact. The ceremony would be starting soon and we needed to get everyone into place. I passed the little blue and silver bag off to Ro, though it was empty since I had taken the pendant and tucked it into the shelf of my bra. Classy, right? The guests had filtered into their seats in the open air courtyard, wrapped in warming charms to keep the autumn chill at bay. As the day began to die, it gave way to night with its blues and purples that stretched overhead, opening wide inky expanses of pinprick starlit sky. Faerie lights dotted the high stone walls and danced along a canopy of mundane twinkle lights that crisscrossed above the square. The string quartet had already begun playing, there was only a handful of moments before it would be time to head in. In the outer hall, Raven looked like the picture of placid composure. This was right, this was everything she wanted and everything she needed, she had no reason to be nervous. Maybe someday I would get the pretty white dress and the glimmering gems and the picture perfect wedding day. Peeking around the corner, I looked for Ro and found him sitting near the back in front of a young couple dressed in subtle low key outfits.
Clara and Jake. Neither of them should have been here but on the former?s birthday earlier in the month, she had quietly asked me if I thought she might be able to sneak in, if only for a little bit. See, Clara?s my sister, or at least half sister. If all goes according to plan in this time, Henry and Raven should have her, I don?t know, sometime next year or the year after. Math is hard, you know? I?m still not totally clear on just how she ended up back in time, but she has been here since late April. Jake, he came after when she went missing from their time, along with two of their friends. Jake?s another one that really shouldn?t be here considering his mother would be walking down that aisle shortly before I do, and his father was sitting just half a dozen rows ahead of them with a little bundle of adorable chunkiness wrapped in a tiny baby suit, complete with a bow tie beneath his chubby chin. That baby? Yeah, that?s Jake too.
Time is so weird and confusing. I have tried not to ask too many questions of just how time is in the future. Of course there is plenty that I have questions about, like whether Ro and I end up together, how well the band does, whether the Order ever truly goes away. Those sorts of things. The temptation is there though. Thankfully Clara knows better than to say too much. Still, the thought that my younger self will get to grow up with a sister is pretty exciting. I had always wanted a younger sibling but my mom and dad couldn?t have any more and then when my mom died when I was eleven, my dad never remarried. Not because of my mother or anything but rather because the woman he was in love with was still technically married to her husband. They still saw each other on the side plenty. It was one of those super blatant secrets that everyone knew but nobody talked about. So lame. Anyways. The fact that younger Adelaide would get a sister? Not lame at all. Especially if she grew up to be this girl here. She was pretty and smart, like brilliant levels of smart. Kind and caring too, she definitely reminded me of our mother in that way. Clara and Jake were kind of cute together too. Part of me hopes they end up together in the long run. He looks at her like he thinks the world of her, like she is the center of his universe and the point around which everything else revolves. That?s saying something for an eighteen year old boy. Here?s hoping, right? She was seeing some guy that she met here for a little bit but I think he was too old for her and too much drama.
I think it?s a family trait, our penchant for drama and trouble. Poor Ro has surely had more than his fair share. There was some part of me that worried that some day he may get sick of it and leave. I wouldn?t really blame him if he did. But for some reason, that boy is so stupidly in love with me in every way that I don?t ever deserve. I hope someday I might prove to him that I?m worthy of everything he has to give.
The music changed, queuing up the march for the wedding party. Since neither Raven nor Henry had their parents here, there was no escorting of the mothers. So, first went Elle with one of Henry?s groomsmen. Aunt Claire went next with another groomsman. Once they made it down the aisle, it was my turn. From the far side of the back hall stepped Duncan, Henry?s Best Man and younger brother. He offered me a dashing smile and his arm, which I took without tripping over my dress. This guy was a bit too old for me, but he was easy on the eyes. He never made things awkward during the rehearsal and even offered me a quiet little quip of encouragement as we started down the aisle. Something along the lines of picturing everyone in their underwear and how it would make it less nerve racking. It was good for a laugh at the very least and so we headed down the aisle to the end where Henry waited. He looked positively nervous as hell. It was kind of adorable, especially compared to how composed my mom was back in the hall. Duncan and I parted ways at the end and took our places on our respective sides. I gave Henry an encouraging smile and turned my eyes back toward the aisle. Next came a veritable quartet of cuteness in the form of the ring bearers and flower girls.
Adelaide the Younger and Averia, Claire?s daughter, were resplendent in their little silver dresses, belted around the middle with sashes in a shade of blue that matched Claire and Elle?s dresses and the notes in my bouquet. Alexander, Claire?s son and Averia?s twin brother, along with Nikolai, Kruger?s son and technically my little brother now, looked absolutely dashing in their tuxes. Their ties matched the girls? sashes perfectly. The sight of them all together made me want to cry, mostly out of joy and a little out of bittersweet nostalgia. Where I came from, I had been quite close with Niko, Alex, and Avy. In fact, they made up my core group of friends. I suppose it was nice to see that some things were not going to change even if everything else did. Once they reached the end of the aisle, the four of them split off to various spots amongst the bridal party and with that, the quartet changed paces, striking up a classic wedding march. Everyone got to their feet and all eyes turned to the entrance. From beneath the dark arch stepped my mother in all of her glory. She walked alone, needing to escort to give her away. After all, she belonged to no one but herself.
As I watched her make the trek down the aisle, I snuck a glance to Henry, who refused to look at anything but her, and then to my boyfriend in the crowd. He was plenty tall, making it easy to pick his blonde head out with ease. He watched Raven until she got far enough away that he could glance away. I caught his eye for just a few beats and couldn?t help but smile at the look he gave me. That was a look I wouldn?t mind seeing every day for the rest of my life, however long that may be. Raven reached the end of the aisle and Henry was beaming by the time she got there. She handed her bouquet off to me and turned to face him. Their officiant, an Asterian High Priestess, spoke up and everyone settled down.
Ultimately the ceremony itself was a short one, clocking in at only twenty minutes or so including the opening, closing, and the vows. I got a little choked up when they addressed my younger counterpart who seemed wholly uninterested in it all and really would have preferred being able to play with her friends instead of standing up there in that fluffy dress while the grown ups talked. It was a sweet moment, I swear I didn?t cry. Eventually the officiant turned back to the crowd and announced the newly minted Mister and Missus Henry Wyatt to much applause. As the band struck up the exit music, I glanced over the crowd once more and froze when I spotted a familiar set of eyes staring back at me from the very last row.
Raven didn?t notice Quinten standing there until she was halfway down the aisle with her daughter and new husband. I could tell because she faltered when she finally saw him and then quickened her steps to get them past him and into the dark hallway beyond the courtyard. The plan had been for the wedding party to go to get a couple pictures while the venue?s attendants reset the courtyard for the reception. I saw Quinten turn and quickly hurried down the middle aisle to try and catch up. It was there that I nearly ran into Romeo who caught me by the shoulders to steady me when I slammed into him. Yammering something about my grandfather being here, I got him to let me go for the sake of going after my mother.
I made it there just in time to see Raven nudging Addie toward Henry before turning back to the man who had followed them out of the courtyard. Her mouth was moving but I couldn?t hear what she was saying until I got closer.
?You weren?t invited, you have no right to be here.? Raven said in an angry hushed tone. I still had her bouquet and part of me was half tempted to wallop the man with it for having the audacity to come here since it was clearly ruining her day.
?No right? Raven, my star, I am your father. At the very least I am affronted you didn?t even think to tell me that you were getting married. I already had to find out about your child through the grapevine.? He said in return, his voice the same smooth baritone that I remembered from my dream. In person he didn?t seem nearly as big as I recalled but he was still a large man. Raven had to look up at him to meet him eye to eye though when she did, it was with a fire burning in her eyes.
?There?s a lot you have missed, Quint. And you still have no right to any of that knowledge. You stopped having that right the day I left Amberhelm.? Raven said. It was about then that I stepped up behind her shoulder and offered a gentle touch for her benefit. She was tense and jumped slightly when my fingers brushed her arm but settled when she realized it was just me.
?You shouldn?t be here.? I agreed, setting both hands to my mother?s upper arms to steer her away from the man. She resisted at first though a few soothing sounds and a verbal nudge toward her new husband and her daughter proved beneficial. While it was unsettling that he was here on my mom?s wedding day, I worried slightly that he might know Clara was here too and that would cause all kinds of problems. Unfortunately this dress had no pockets so that meant that Ro had my phone. As such, I had no way of easily reaching him in order to get him to nudge them out.
?Adelaide.? He said, almost reverently as he looked me over. I recalled a similar appraising look in my dreams. His gaze flickered over my fingers as if looked for something there. When he looked back up, he looked vaguely disappointed. I figured it was likely because I wasn?t wearing the moonstone ring he had left for me. ?As much as I wanted to see my only child married, I actually came to speak to you.?
?You mean coming via my dreams wasn?t good enough?? I deadpanned. At the very least Raven had drawn back though she stayed nearby, likely in case I needed it. For all that the man was imposing though, I didn?t feel as though he was going to hurt me. The rest of the bridal party was coming down the aisle though and soon that back hallway was going to be full of guests not long after that. Emboldened by my annoyance and that this was my mother?s wedding day of all things, I reached for the man?s elbow and once I got my hand on him, turned him away from her to lead him down the corridor away from the wedding festivities. ?I?ll give you five minutes to say whatever you need to say and then I am going to politely ask you to leave. If you do not leave, I?m sure there?s at least a handful of people here that would have no problem persuading you.?
?Ever the spitfire, my girl. Precious as it may be to think that any in this hall would be capable of doing so, I assure you it won?t be necessary to find out.? He said, exuding more than his fair share of smugness. It was no wonder my mother had left if he was anything like this when she was growing up. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him and gestured for him to spit it out. He sighed and set his gaze upon me once more. ?Surely you are attuned to the fact that there is a great force seeking you. Should they find you, I cannot imagine it would be particularly to your benefit for them to execute whatever it is they are seeking to accomplish. I need to know that you will be safe.?
?I mean, you?ve picked a lovely time to start caring about my well being and all, but I assure you that I am perfectly fine.? I told him with a glance over his shoulder. Raven and Henry were greeting guests, receiving them in a line as they streamed from the courtyard while beyond that, the attendants moved chairs and brought in tables. Periodically Raven glanced my way and I gave her a reassuring smile in hopes that maybe she would go back to enjoying her day. I hadn?t gone out of view and I was still well within screaming distance, not as though I thought it would be needed. I could see Ro, with Clara and Jake not far behind him. He was looking for me, I think. I looked back to my grandfather expectantly. ?Time?s ticking.?
?You are a terrible liar, m? dear. Now, I can only imagine what terrible things your mother has said about me and likely a good portion of them are true. But the fact remains, you are the next in our line and as such, we must ensure that nothing harmful befalls you.? Quinten said gently. I searched his expression for any tells that might indicate he was being anything but completely forthright with me. He was right at the very least that things were not as peachy as I claimed. Between the nightmares and the mark on my back (which had been a bitch to cover with concealer, mind you), there was serious trouble brewing. His reasons for protecting me seemed a little self serving but from all that Raven had told me, Quinten Youngblood was also an immensely powerful man. Was it such a bad thing to ally myself with that sort of thing if it meant self-preservation? Sweeping my hair away, I twisted around, turning my back to him to give him a view of the concealed mark between my shoulders, near the top of my back.
?Then tell me, did you do this? And if you didn?t, who did?? I pointed to the spot. If he was as powerful and all knowing as he claimed, then a little bit of makeup shouldn?t keep him from figuring it out. Peering over my shoulder at him, I could see a frown settle on his lips and a crease form with the furrowing of his brows.
?A Watcher?s mark. They are looking for you? with as developed as it is, they have likely found you even. But? here? let me help.? He said in low tones, stepping closer with the click-clack of his dress shoes against the stone. I felt the heel of his hand touch my spine followed by his cupped palm over the irritated mark. The incantation on his lips was a tongue I did not recognize but seemed to be a cross between Greek and Celtic hanging on a frame of Latin. When it was done, the sigil on my skin no longer ached. I turned back around to face him.
?What did you do?? I asked, touching the ridge of my shoulder without pressing further.
?Obscured it and you. Do I feel Lylura?s pendant on your person?? He asked in counter, looking me over for any sign of it. I couldn?t exactly stick my hand down my dress to pull it out so instead I gave him a simple nod. Quinten exhaled and gave me a single nod in return. ?If you?ll not bear her ring, at the very least keep that. It will guide you even in the darkest of times, never forget that. Adelaide? Addie, I am not asking for the world. I just wish to be? the grandfather that you deserve.?
?I? I appreciate it, but perhaps you should start with being the father that she deserves first? then we can sort out other things like where you fit into the life she has built here away from you.? I said though my words lacked the heat with which I had lashed him earlier. There was a gentle earnesty in his words that had taken the edge off of my tone. I wanted to believe him but I knew Raven wouldn?t. Behind him, I heard someone call my name. Something about pictures. ?Time?s up. If you need to speak to me, would you, like, maybe do it via conventional means? No more dreams, no more showing up at major functions. Just, like, call me or something??
?May I?? He asked, his brows rising with surprise. Awkwardly I shifted my weight from foot to foot and nodded again.
?Well, yeah. Or text. You know, if you?re not one of those old people that is incapable of doing so.? Was that a tease? It may have been a tease. I don?t know. They called my name again and I gestured one moment. Of course I didn?t have any cards on me so instead I rambled off the number once and then twice as he freed a sleek device from the inside of his suit jacket to input it. ?There. Now? please go. I want her to enjoy today without any drama.?
?Of course? I will be in touch.? Quinten intoned, bowing his head to me. Such a weird interaction, equal parts formal and informal, ominous and innocent. I wasn?t quite sure what to think of it all. We said our goodbyes and when I turned back to him a moment later, he was gone, just like that. Damned mages, some of us had to get from Point A to Point B via mundane methods. But at the very least, he had gone and my mom and her new husband could rest easy knowing that nothing else was going to stand in the way of their big day.
From there it was a whirlwind of smiling and pictures and food and dancing and music. Raven and Henry really knew how to throw a party. I even managed to catch the bouquet during the bouquet toss, not as though that means anything. Other than Quinten?s brief appearance, there was absolutely no drama other than Raven threatening to shove cake in Henry?s face. He gave her a stern look that lacked any sort of heat and the smile she gave him in return could have lit up the darkest night. I spent the rest of the night dancing with Romeo until at last the band died down and the happy couple took their leave amidst the shine of sparklers and a cloud of bubbles. We followed them to the front circle drive of the chateau where they were met by some sort of classic car or another for the drive back to where ever they were staying the night. Raven said they were leaving for their honeymoon tomorrow afternoon. Before they got in, they thanked everyone for coming and then went to leave. Henry held the car door open for her while she gathered up the skirt of her dress. With a grin she kissed him before she got in and idly I wondered if that?s what forever looked like.
