11. Chapter 11
11
A gentle knock woke Kelly in the morning.
Fabian’s voice came from outside the door. “Kade says the mentors will be here in an hour.”
She stretched, trying to wake up. “’Kay, I’ll be out soon,” she said, wishing she could hide in her beautiful room all day.
She’d pampered herself last night, running a bath and trying to relax a little. It’d been glorious for the thirty minutes the water had stayed hot. Reality had come crashing back the moment she stepped out of the tepid water.
She guessed sleep took her around 2:00 a.m., after she spent hours inside her head overthinking everything that’d happened over the past couple of days.
A quick shower didn’t quite wake her up, but it helped. She found leggings and a tank top in the armoire and dressed quickly, throwing her hair up in a bun again.
When she opened the door, Fabian was waiting against the opposite wall. “Good morning, Warrior.”
“It’s too early for that, Fabian. Can you rein it in for a couple hours, please?”
He chuckled. “If you think I am too much, just wait until you meet your potential mentors.”
“Fucking great. Just what I need.”
Fabian began to walk down the hall and Kelly followed, assuming he knew where he was going.
Turned out they were headed back to the dining hall for breakfast. There was enough food on the table to feed at least ten people.
Kade was seated at the table, but he stood as they entered. “G’morning, lass. Did ye sleep well?”
“All things considered, yes, thank you.”
He raised an eyebrow at her to question the truth of her response, but he didn’t say anything.
She walked to the far side of the table, and Kade pulled out the chair for her. “Thank you.”
“Please eat.” He gestured toward the table and the abundance of food on it.
“Isn’t this a bit much for just Fabian and me?”
“Nae, the mentor candidates are joining us.”
“Oh, great.” She tried to hide her lack of excitement.
Fabian took his seat next to her and smiled as he sat down. “I am excited to see who you choose.”
“Bullshit, you probably already know who I’ll pick.”
“I do not. My abilities do not work that way.”
She mumbled an “mm hmm” as she started filling her plate with pancakes and bacon.
She was slathering them in butter when the first of the mentors walked in: a thin and wiry middle-aged man with his black hair in a ponytail and wearing a long flowing black robe. There was a permanent crease between his eyebrows that was surely from scowling on a constant basis, although his brows were currently raised high above his rectangle glasses, giving his face an expectant look.
The man stopped in the middle of the dining hall and bowed ever so slightly. “Maxwell, at your service. I understand you are in need of a mentor for a prospective mage?”
Kade answered him, “Aye, ye may speak to Kelly.” He gestured her way. “She will be the one making the decision regarding her mentor.”
Maxwell seemed put off by this. “But sir, a prospect is not to choose their own mentor.”
“This one will,” Kade answered, unfazed by the man’s disagreement.
Forcing himself to turn slightly and face her, Maxwell straightened and began his spiel. “Well then, I am Maxwell Black the Third, certified Warlock and mentor. I have studied both the creation and the practice of spells for over one hundred years, and I have mentored many prospects, including Genevieve Waverly and…”
Kelly blocked him out from there, not caring to hear about his credentials and the numerous talents he had mentored. She focused on her food and tried to enjoy it as he babbled on in his high-pitched voice. After what seemed like an eternity, he cleared his throat.
Kade nudged her with his elbow.
“What?” she asked, clueless.
“The man is waiting for yer decision.”
“Oh right, um, no. Thanks for coming.”
Maxwell raised his finger and took a breath to speak, but Kelly cut him off. “I heard a lot about you and what makes you more qualified than anyone else, but nothing about what you might do for me. We’re not going to mesh.”
Maxwell’s mouth opened again, then closed, and the scowl he surely practiced on a regular basis made its appearance on his face. He turned to leave without a word, speed walking like an old woman in the mall.
Kelly laughed at his attitude, knowing she’d just dodged a bullet.
“That went well,” Fabian said in a sarcastic tone.
“Ye can’y just throw them out like that.” Kade seemed less than happy.
“You told me it was my choice. He’s a pompous ass and there was no point in letting him waste more of his breath when I already know I don’t like him.”
“Ye dinnae have to like them, ye just have to work with them.”
“You’ve been very clear about the fact that I may be spending hours every day with this person. I’m still not sure how much of this I even believe, but I was thrown into it all with no say whatsoever. The least I can ask is to choose someone I like to teach me about a bunch of shit I suddenly have to learn. I thought I was done with the torture of school, and I’m not a masochist, so I’ll forgo any further agony if I can help it.”
Kade had a rebuttal ready, but the next possible mentor saved them both.
“Somebody needs a mentor?” she asked in a strong Southern American accent, not bothering to introduce herself. She looked at the three of them, weighing them. “It sure as hell ain’t the vamp, and the fae has his shit together, so it must be you.” Her eyes met Kelly’s expectantly.
Kelly smiled at her and nodded.
“Use your words, girl.”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Of course it is. Get up and come over here so I can look at you.”
Kelly got up hesitantly and walked around the table to stand in front of the woman. She couldn’t help but feel awkward as she stood there towering over the older lady.
“There you are, child. Now give me your hands.” The woman held out her own, and Kelly placed hers in them.
Kelly’s fingers began to tingle and spark, then a purple light began to glow between their palms. She tried to pull her hands back, but something held them in place. Blue and purple wisps came from the light, working its way around them like smoke.
“What’s happening?” she asked in a panic.
“Relax and open your senses. Close your eyes and feel.”
Kelly tried to do as she was told, closing her eyes and trying to feel whatever was going on in her hands. When nothing seemed to change, she tried to pull her hands back again.
“No, close your eyes again and focus. Calm your mind and feel your soul.”
“You make this shit sound so easy. I don’t have the foggiest idea what you’re talking about.”
“Jesus, child, just breathe.”
Kelly looked down at the woman, who was at least seven inches shorter, and encountered the look only a mother could give. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath, like she did when she was trying to center herself.
“That’s it, there you go.”
A few more deep breaths and Kelly felt her heart rate slow, and her body leveled itself out. A feeling she couldn’t describe, something similar to heat, worked its way up her arms and through her body. It was as if she could feel every individual cell and its link to her soul.
“Now, slowly open your eyes and maintain that level of—well, whatever it is you’re doing.”
Kelly took one more deep breath, picturing the air entering her lungs and feeding her body, then she opened her eyes, looking down at their hands. What she saw almost caused her to lose control, but she caught herself.
Green now mingled with the purple and blue tendrils of magic circulating around their hands.
“Holy shit,” Fabian said from what seemed like a far-off place.
The colors and light suddenly disappeared, and Kelly’s hands fell to her sides. She brought them back up, staring at her palms for answers.
“Well, my dear, you are a potential timekeeper, with an affinity to earth and water.”
Kelly just looked at the woman, unsure what to say. The woman stared back at her, delight in her deep-green eyes.
“I want her,” Kelly said, with absolute conviction.
“Now, hold on just a minute, young lady. This is a big decision, and you need to make sure I’m the one before you say yes.”
Kelly laughed, unable to help it. This woman who appeared to be around sixty had possibly more attitude than she did herself.
“I also have some conditions of my own,” she added.
“Name them!” Kelly couldn’t hide her excitement. What she’d felt and seen was unexpected, but she’d never felt so at home before in her life. It was like she’d just discovered who she really was.
“That fae over there,” she said, pointing to Fabian, “he’s your Guardian?”
“Not yet, I have another day to decide.”
“No, you don’t. If you want me to even consider being your mentor, you’ll accept his offer now. I will not spend my time worrying about your safety. It’s going to be hard enough to teach you what you need to know.”
Kelly winced, suddenly backed into a corner. So much for a little more time to think.
“Also, what is your history in our world? You seem a bit green, to say the least.”
“No history. I just found out about all of this a couple days ago.”
“Seriously?” the woman asked with attitude.
“Yes.”
She turned to Kade then. “You expect me to work miracles, don’t you?”
“Ye will be paid well.”
“You’re damn right I will.” She turned back to Kelly. “What is your name, child?”
“Kelly.”
“And your last name?”
“Hart.”
“Hmm, no history there. This is going to take some digging.”
“What do you mean?” Kelly was beginning to feel lost in all of this.
“The name ‘Hart’ has no ties to timekeepers in the Arcane world. You’re a timekeeper, or you will be, and that gift is only passed down through bloodlines.”
Kelly was beginning to get a little impatient. “Can we just get to your conditions, please? You want me to accept Fabian’s Guardianship. What else do I need to do?”
“I want you to tell me why you want me as your mentor.”
That wasn’t what she’d expected at all, but Kelly didn’t have to think on it. “You didn’t come in here and try to tell us how great you are. You didn’t introduce yourself or make this about you at all. You picked me out and immediately focused on me even though tradition seems to favor someone speaking for me and making my decisions. And, possibly most important of all, you just showed me more about myself and made me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. What you just did, it felt like you took me home, like that was where I’m supposed to be.”
The woman smiled up at her. “Bless your heart, child, you’re in for a wild ride.”
“Does that mean you’ll be my mentor?” Kelly asked, ignoring the backhanded compliment.
“When you accept the fae’s Guardianship, sure.”
The woman walked over to the food and helped herself, then took a seat at the table to the side of Fabian, leaving Kelly standing in the middle of the hall.
More than anything, Kelly wanted to say yes, but something stopped her.
“Fabian, can we talk outside?”
He nodded at her and stood from the table. As he left the hall, she followed him. He made his way through the castle and led her in the opposite direction from her room. When they entered a sun room with a huge pool in the center and plants all around, Fabian took a seat in a chair and gestured for Kelly to do the same across from him.
She did so without hesitation.
“Kade cannot hear us over here. It is the farthest place in the castle from the dining hall. You may speak in confidence.”
She hadn’t been concerned about Kade hearing but was still thankful for his desire to keep the conversation private. “This Guardianship thing, it’s for your life and mine?”
“Yes, it is. If you die and you have an heir or next of kin, my service will default to them.”
“Don’t you have a family, though, and a job to go back to?”
“I do have a family, yes, but not a wife or children, and my job was minuscule compared to what I would be doing for you. I realize you do not understand right now, but it is the greatest honor for a fae to become a Guardian. You would honor me with your acceptance; it would not be a burden.”
“I can’t pay you, though.” That was the most bothersome piece of the puzzle for her. She couldn’t expect a man to protect her and stay by her side day in and day out without compensation.
“I have enough money, and you will be able to pay me at a later time. Money is insignificant.”
His light eyes told her he was being truthful, but she still felt guilty.
“If you still find it hard to accept, try looking at it from a teamwork perspective. You are not going to get where you need to go without a team of people supporting you; nor will any of us be able to fulfill our own destinies without you.”
“Really, Fabian, destiny ?”
“It is not the type of destiny most humans would picture. There are multiple options for each person to choose throughout their lifetime; if one door opens but you do not go through it, another will open in time. Right now, you are our destiny. Me, Kade, Virginia…you are our purpose.”
She almost lost her breakfast at that. “No pressure. And who is Virginia?”
“As I said, if you do not choose this path, another will present itself for all of us. Virginia is your likely mentor out there.” Fabian spoke so casually.
“So destiny is bullshit?”
“No, destiny is a chance at something great. It is your choice to accept or decline that chance. The same one will never come again; that is the thing about chances.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “You’re so damn cryptic.”
“In this case, no, and in others, I cannot help it. You will get used to it in time.”
“So you’re saying I should accept all of this?”
He shook his head slowly. “No, I am saying you should do what is best for you.”
She stood then, ready to go back to the dining hall. “You’re so helpful, thanks.”
He followed her happily. “Any time, Warrior.”
“If you don’t stop this warrior shit…” She was growing so very tired of it.
“You will what? Choose another destiny?”
She just rolled her eyes again and left the pool room. Maybe she could find her way back to the dining hall on her own. After all, this would be her new home now, wouldn’t it?