Chapter 10
Chapter ten
Secrets and Lies.
Percy Flores
Mable turned to me, her mouth moving but all I could hear was my own heart beating loudly inside my ears, like ocean waves, like Poseidon was calling on me… or warning me.
“Sorry?” I said.
She pushed the door further open and smiled reassuringly.
“There’s nothing to fear. Come inside,” she said as she stepped aside to allow me in.
Behind her, the first thing I saw was a pale, light-blue-washed wall and a large potted blue star juniper, with its evergreen needles a deeper, warmer blue.
The colours were warm yet cool, somehow perfect for winter, and stepping forward into the mansion as Mable held her arm out welcomingly didn’t feel like entering, but like stepping further into the forest.
Inside, I was greeted by a surprisingly small entrance foyer.
I had become too accustomed to grand entrances, with large, majestic staircases.
But the entrance was small, no staircase in sight, just a room, with three dark wooden doors and pale-blue-washed walls.
The windows on either side of the entrance door allowed dim winter light to flood the room, and it was surprisingly bright.
The potted blue star juniper was accompanied by potted light pink astilbes, their feathery leaves and colour a perfect contrast to the walls and blue star juniper.
The space was a contrast of cold and warm; a dream-like invitation.
I turned as the door behind me was closed.
“Are you ready to come home?” Mable asked me.
“I don’t know where home is anymore,” I answered.
Was I home on my knees tending to my garden with the song of waves washing ashore, or at the feet of my soul match with my name, leaving her lips like a siren’s call?
“Poor child,” Mable said softly, her hand resting at the base of my back and guiding me towards the door at my right. “Home is with the coven,” she told me.
“You’re an enchantress,” I said.
Mable had to denounce the Flores coven to join the Enchanters Guild. She had abandoned Flores, as Flores had abandoned me.
I turned to see her nodding.
“We are Flores. We are not like the others. We are not restricted by man-made borders, we are the land,” she told me as if it were some type of answer, an explanation as to why she was here now.
“Who is Persephone?” I asked, feeling more tired than frustrated as Mable led me through a door into a corridor. My leg was injured, I was slow, I felt weak, I felt lost, disoriented, and like a part of myself was missing without Selene.
Mable smiled, and it reminded me of when we first met.
“This way,” she said, holding her arm out for me to take.
“I can walk,” I told her.
“Of course,” she agreed with a knowing smile and dropped her arm.
We continued down a long corridor, green and pink floral wallpaper making the windowless space feel even more claustrophobic; the ceiling seemed impossibly tall, and the walls felt far too close.
Eerily, there was only one door in the corridor, a single door at the end. Mounted lights, reminiscent of candles on the walls at either side of the door illuminated the dark wood in a warm, almost sinister glow.
We walked the corridor silently, side by side, and when we reached the end, Mable rapped her knuckles against the wooden door.
I don’t know what I expected to be revealed behind the door, but it wasn’t a warmly lit sitting room.
A young man held the door open with a haircut similar to Dylan’s and a uniform to match: a dark green jumper, brown cargo trousers, and black boots.
“Welcome,” he greeted with a wide smile. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Come on in,” he waved us forward.
I walked past him into the room, where an open fire crackled on the opposite wall.
To my right, a large window let in what natural light penetrated the trees.
However, the orange glow of the fire and the dimmed wall lighting made the room feel quiet and peaceful. The walls were a calming teal-green.
Two high-backed armchairs were angled towards each other and facing the fireplace.
Other than a drinks cabinet against the back wall with a mirror above it, the room was relatively empty.
I turned back to Mable; she had not entered with me.
“I will leave you in the capable hands of Jack, here,” she said and smiled at the man, Jack.
“You’re not staying with me?” I questioned.
“Lady Flores wishes to meet you alone,” Mable answered.
“Jack doesn’t count as people then?” I asked, sarcastically.
“I am here to get you settled and provide refreshments if desired. I will leave when Lady Flores joins you,” he answered.
“Great,” I said as I walked further into the room. Left alone with a stranger to meet a stranger. It wasn’t like Mable was much more than a brief acquaintance, but at least she was a familiar face.
“After today, nothing will be the same, Percy,” Mable promised.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“It will make sense, I promise,” she replied cryptically before turning to leave.
Jack closed the door behind her.
“Would you like to take a seat?” he asked, walking towards one of the armchairs, each a pale purple that suited the teal and brown décor of the room.
“I guess,” I huffed as I made my way to the seat and sat with my right leg extended awkwardly.
“Would you like anything to drink?” he asked.
“Water,” I replied.
Sitting before the fire made my lips feel dry and thin, like they could crack.
I heard him at the cabinet behind me, the clinking of glasses, the pouring of liquid and the shuffle of his clothing as he returned to me, a tray with a clear glass in one hand, a glass jug of water in the other.
“For you, Ma’am,” he said as he held the tray out for me to take the glass.
“Thanks,” I said as I took the glass.
How long had it been since I had drunk anything other than the cans of espresso with Arvid?
I was asleep, most likely enchanted to sleep, for five days by Arvid’s account.
The water was surprisingly cool, perhaps the cabinet hid a fridge, the liquid was refreshing and rather embarrassingly, I drank the entire glass in one breathless go.
“More?” Jack asked.
“Yes,” I answered, my voice somehow sounding more parched. How was it possible to be unaware of my thirst until that moment?
He poured water into the glass as I held it.
Again, I drank the glass all too quickly and was left desperate for more.
“More,” I said, not even caring how desperate I sounded.
Jack smiled, and something about his smile snapped what felt like a string within my mind.
I stood, pushing him away and dropping the glass as I did.
“What was that?” I demanded to know.
His smile fell.
“I didn’t mean —” he began.
“Didn’t mean what?” I demanded, becoming angry. “What did you do to me?” I was raising my voice.
“It’s… I only wanted you to be comfortable, accepting,” he pleaded.
“What. Did. You. Do. To. Me?” I asked like a command, each word precise and punctuated.
“It’s my gift, my ability, I can make people desire things,” he told me.
“Stuff?”
“Anything really, though it doesn’t always work,” he said, bending down to pick up the dropped glass.
“I was curious, I’ve heard so much, and now you’re here, and it was stupid. Please just forget this happened,” he said as he stood up, pleading.
“What’s your coven?” I asked. I knew of no coven with the power of compulsion. That was enchantment magic, powerful enchantment magic. Illegal enchantment magic.
“Coactus,” he answered.
“Coactus can’t compel,” I replied.
“Yeah, well, I can,” he said, looking back towards the closed door and away from me like he was expecting someone.
I turned towards the door too.
“Why?” I asked, after a moment, when no one arrived.
“Why what?” he said, turning back to me.
“Are you serious? Why did you make me want to drink so much water?”
I clenched my fists at my side, trying to calm myself down.
“I know you’ve been unconscious for days, and while I know the healers gave you intravenous fluids — “
“They did?” I questioned. How? I had no marks on my arms that would have suggested an IV line.
Did they heal that quickly? I couldn’t remember my childhood vaccines and whether the injections had left any marks to heal, but Father had assured me I had had them.
Maria had demanded that all children of our village be vaccinated for common childhood diseases before we attended school.
“Yeah, they were worried that you were unconscious for so long,” he said, and turned to walk towards the drinks cabinet, putting down the tray, glass, and jug of water. “No one knows why you were out for so long,” he continued and rubbed at his forearm.
“We’re getting off track. Why?” I asked again.
He looked at me for a moment, his eye darting to the ground at his side and back, holding his wrist.
“To see if I could,” he admitted. “And it’s harmless anyway, isn’t it?
It’s only water. It’s not like you were going to drown, and I mean, you noticed, so fast, no one has ever noticed that fast before,” he told me, releasing his wrist and stepping towards me excitedly. “How did you do it?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I answered, wary of his sudden change in demeanour.
“Have you had practice at defending against psychic attacks?” he continued.
“What?” I said, taking a step back from him. “It’s me who should be asking the questions.” I raised my hand. “Stay away from me.”
He was making me nervous. Everyone was acting strangely. The only person who wasn’t behaving oddly was Arvid, a noble with only his own self-interests in mind. As much as I didn’t like the Halvorsen Lord, I wanted him back. He felt safe in comparison.
“Oh,” he said, stopping his advance and stepping back again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I wouldn’t hurt you. Not ever. We’re on the same side here. We’re the same.”
“I’m nothing like you,” I said as the door opened, and we both turned to meet the newcomer.