Chapter 6 #3
She describes the incorporeal vaporous creature, how it seemingly spoke through magickal means.
It cast powerful, sophisticated spells she was completely unfamiliar with, something I could have told them from my own encounters.
Ada’s testimony becomes even more riveting when she mentions the ward shared its knowledge with her while also slinging its own spells through the representations of her family.
The interviewer asks her to describe the experience in greater detail.
“In the moment, I knew ways to try to attack the fae or to counter incoming spells,” she attempts to explain, sounding dissatisfied.
“The ward didn’t speak to me, per se. It isn’t cognizant like that, as far as I know.
I also couldn’t understand the… figures…
behind me. But an instinct emerged in me.
My magick became both a shield and a weapon.
There was clarity in those spells that I shouldn’t have had.
But everything was happening so fast, I didn’t have time to question it. ”
“Has the ward ever been activated to that extent before?” the interviewer continues.
Ada pauses, tilting her head. “No, I don’t think so. But this ward is old, maintained since the founding of the town. I’m not aware of any incident in town history like this. There aren’t any family stories about it either.”
“Have you retained that awareness?” she follows up.
Ada subtly shakes her head, her eyes downcast. “No, when I woke up at the healers clinic it was already gone. I wouldn’t be able to replicate half the spells I cast. I barely even recall them.”
The interviewer writes a quick note, and then continues, “Did that awareness seem invasive? Like it had another aim?”
“It kept me alive, didn’t it?” Ada bristles.
“But it couldn’t outsmart the fae. When one of my spells managed to inflict damage, the fae changed strategy just as quickly.
It was so powerful, so seamless in its spellcasting.
My magick reserves were already running low after the Samhaim rituals earlier.
I couldn’t find a way at the time to subdue it on my own. ”
“Tell us about when the fae made physical contact with you.” The interviewer fixates on Ada’s response in a way I do not appreciate.
“The pain convinced me it stabbed a hole in my chest. I had no idea it damaged my magick. It just…felt like… dying. And I thought maybe I’d finally be with my parents again.” Ada’s voice fizzles.
I struggle to breathe as she answers each question, detailing how that revolting excuse of a creature harmed her. It will not leave this town alive.
“Did the fae also attack the ward?” the interviewer presses.
“I’m not sure, but it mostly seemed focused on trying to hurt me.
One moment, the fae was gloating about killing the last Mayweather in Monstera Bluff, like it knew about me and my family.
The next, we were both caught off guard when the figures appeared behind me.
The ward brought my mom and dad back to protect me,” she rasps, her voice cracking at the mention of Estelle and Whitt, her parents.
She wipes at her tear-streaked face before she continues.
“More of my family was there too. My grandparents, great grandparents, everyone whose magick built the ward. They saved my life.”
Her grief is palpable as she weeps into her tissue, unable to resume for the time being.
Her parents were kind and loving, exactly like her.
They would have done anything to save her, even from the next realm.
I knew this would affect her deeply, dredging up the sharp pain of their loss that she obviously still feels so keenly.
Watching her now, overcome with sorrow, breaks something inside of me. I feel as low as that fae.
Seventeen Years Ago
“Do you want to go first?” Ada asks, bouncing on her heels, as we stand in front of the travel portal at the academy. Before our eyes, the dark portal stirs to life with milky white swirls that make me uneasy.
“Mayhap you should since your parents will be waiting,” I answer carefully.
“Alright. But Estelle and Whitt know all about you. They can’t wait to meet you.” She has worn a beaming smile all morning, excited to finally introduce me to someone. That it is her parents has her buzzing.
When I told my clan—well, more accurately, when I asked for permission from my clan elders to move to Monstera Bluff—they were not pleased.
Their investment in me studying old and rare tomes on Malefic Folk did not take into account that I would find a mate.
And a magick wielder at that. I was told to keep this quiet, that it stays only within the immediate family, who happen to be quite supportive of me, unlike my uncle and the elders.
They insisted it would not be a good look for the nephew of the clan leader to be tied to a witch.
Now that I have been away from them for just over a year, their dislike of witches and others with magickal ability seems foolhardy.
Even in my lifetime, they dug in their heels, taking an already hardline stance to an extreme.
My uncle and his father—my grandfather—heavily influenced this thinking.
My own father never agreed. Maybe my uncle thought of sending me to the academy as a punishment, probably something my cousin—his presumed next in line—refused to do, when in fact it freed me from this backwards point of view.
I cannot thank them enough. Part of me wonders whether the elders’ agreement to let me move permanently was also my uncle’s doing, making sure I do not compete with my spoiled cousin.
Choosing to go to Monstera Bluff with Ada effectively cuts me off from them, a tradeoff I am willing to accept. As long as I am with her, I do not care where we are.
We are leaving the academy now that she has wrapped up her apprenticeship, and she is anxious to go home.
Mayhap much of that is in anticipation of us living a more normal life together.
She already rented us an apartment in the downtown business district.
By the bluest glacier, it will be strange to live among so many Whispered Folk.
But likely no one will care, as she says. It is a matter of course for them.
“You’ll have to push yourself through. It’ll exert a little pressure on your body, like swimming through deep water. Keep a tight hold on your luggage,” she reminds me as she starts to step through. “See you on the other side!”
I have little beyond clothing and some books I collected over the year. Ada has much more, spending many years here as a student in an advanced program. She spelled our items to near weightlessness so they pass through the portal easier.
The portal swallows her up as she steps through.
The sight makes me nauseous. My brain insists she must be in danger, but I try to keep her assurances about the safety of the magick in mind.
Holding my bag firmly, I step a heavy foot into it, encountering an unusually oppressive force pulling me in.
I propel myself ahead using my strength only to swiftly fling out the other side.
It takes a moment to get my bearings, but I am indeed in a different location.
I look back at the portal instinctively, but it only shows the same white cloudiness as on the other side.
When I turn my attention to Ada, she exudes giddiness, waving me over to her and two older witches, who are no doubt her parents.
She looks so much like them both. A younger version of her mother with her father’s distinctive hair, the white streaks included.
Her parents’ smiles brighten as I walk over. “Norrell, meet my parents, Estelle and Whitt. Mom, Dad, this is Norrell,” she introduces us. I extend my hand to shake Estelle’s and she lunges at me, wrapping her arms around my middle in a crushing hug instead.
“We’re so happy our Ada has found her mate.
We’ve been over the moon about it and couldn’t wait to meet you,” she exclaims into my shoulder.
Both Ada and her father chuckle at my wide-eyed expression.
When Estelle lets go, Whitt shakes my hand, saying, “Welcome to the family. We can’t wait to get you settled in. You’re going to love Monstera Bluff.”
Ada squeals when she notices that her parents picked us up in her beloved automobile, an old Jeep Wagoneer that she has missed so much while away.
While we put our luggage in the back, her parents hand me an amulet to pass through the wards surrounding the town.
The scenery while we drive in is unlike anything I have ever seen.
The coastal water running along the road has vegetation growing in it.
Ada calls them salt marshes. Once we arrive in town, after passing a forest of tall pines, everything is green and lush.
“Your apartment is almost ready for you to move in, but I thought you might want to stay overnight at the house tonight, so we don’t have to rush through dinner,” her mother chirps from the front seat.
Ada turns her gaze to me. “Would you mind sleeping at my parents’ house tonight?" she asks, sounding unsure.
“I want to see the home where you grew up. There is no need to rush our move into the apartment,” I assure her.
“Okay, that’ll be nice,” she breathes, visibly relieved. I take her hand and kiss her palm to soothe her.