21. The Truth at Last
TWENTY-ONE
THE TRUTH AT LAST
Though trees appear to stand in solitude, they are eloquent communicators.
Trees connect via a remarkable system known as the wood wide web.
Fungi are the conduits for this coded conversation.
They link the roots of different trees and allow them to share their secrets.
This silent dialogue enables trees to support one another, broadcast warnings, and maintain the balance of the forest.
But where there is light, you must guard against darkness. Malevolent, sentient fungi can corrupt entire forests. Shadowveil Mycelium mimics the natural communication between trees and manipulates their messages. They sap their vitality and sow destruction.
–EXCERPT FROM THE MUDPUDDLE MANUAL OF NATURAL MAGIC
Buffalo Westabrook’s garden covered five acres of sprawling grounds.
The garden was divided into different areas and habitats.
There was an aquatic area that boasted a large lily pad filled pond full of koi fish, several fountains, and a waterfall.
The flower gardens and greenhouses were full of prized roses, orchids, and dinner-plate sized dahlias.
These kept the vases inside the house full almost all year round.
The fragrant lilacs, lily of the valley, and thickly ruffled peonies were Maida’s favorites.
A grassy playing field, large enough for games of rugby and level enough to pitch palatial tents for corporate events, lay beside a sprawling hedge maze.
Maida had always disliked the maze. Her father insisted that wandering inside the tall green prison was a meditative act, but the thought of getting lost there disturbed her.
Maida’s favorite part of the garden was the fruit orchard and raised beds, where they used to grow the household’s herbs and vegetables.
This section of the property was ringed by paths that led back to the back door of the house.
She had many happy memories of pedaling her bike in circles while Granny Luna and the chef gossiped and drank coffee.
When Maida grew tired of riding in circles, she would park herself on the swing under the old weeping willow tree. It was, by far, the largest tree in the garden.
Maida had loved to make believe her swing was a magical airship, carrying her away on adventures in exotic places. If only she’d known Will Porter back then! She walked with her father now, noting all the changes time had wrought. Some large, and some small.
“You aren’t growing vegetables any more?” She was sad to see the manicured grass where there used to be wooden containers for lettuce, tomatoes, squash, and beans.
“Not enough people living here to eat them.” Buffalo shook his head and stopped walking.
He looked thoughtfully at his daughter. His eyes had an unguarded wistfulness that she’d only caught glimpses of in the past. “Your mother made me promise to keep a garden for you to tend. She wanted you to grow up around plants. She was a hedge witch. For a mental magic type, she wielded a lot of persuasive power over living things. She could get anything to grow. Including you. Against all odds.”
Maida’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe her normally recalcitrant father was talking about her mother. Openly. He almost seemed relieved to be speaking about her.
“My mother was a witch. Shouldn’t you have told me a bit more about that?” Maida asked.
Was this about her mother’s addiction?
What happened to my mother? What was wrong with me? Why did you lie?
She didn’t have to give voice to all these questions. But surely, they were showing in her eyes. Her father had always read her like a book. His instincts were almost unnerving at times.
Buffalo sighed. “I’m not even sure where to start. But I suppose it should be with ‘I’m sorry.’”
“You’re sorry?” Maida parroted. She felt her anger building like a storm surge.
“How about you start at the part where you kept me in the dark about basically everything? My whole life has been a lie. And if that’s not ?enough, everyone else around me has always known the truth.
You, Will, Dr. Dvita, Granny Luna…who else was in on this elaborate charade? ”
Her heart was pounding harder now, and she picked up the pace. Buffalo easily remained beside her, a single one of his long strides equaling three of hers.
“Do you think this was what I wanted? Maida, please! I couldn’t risk losing you too. After your mother died, you were all I had. And for a while there, we weren’t even sure you would survive. I was at the end of my rope.”
Maida turned to face her father. “Is that why you hired Dr. Dvita? To monitor me for signs of addiction, too?” Here she hesitated, voice wavering. “Or did you need his help to fix something even worse that was wrong with me?”
What could be worse, Maida wondered? What had her father been so afraid of?
But in her heart, she knew what was worse.
With two magical parents, it should have been a simple equation.
But in her case, one plus one added up to zero.
She’d been born an Ordinary. What a shocking disappointment she must have been.
“The issues with your mother weren’t what you think. It’s likely she wouldn’t have survived delivery, regardless.” Buffalo kept pace with his daughter.
“So you’re saying I killed her?” Maida said.
It was nothing she had not thought a thousand times.
But saying it out loud was like vomiting hot glass.
She felt the prickle of tears threatening to gather in the corners of her eyes.
She blinked them back. “What a waste, considering I came out so…defective.” Maida spat out the word.
“Is that why you couldn’t stand any reminders of magic in your life? Too painful?”
Buffalo raced past Maida and stopped in front of her. He placed his hands on her cheeks.
“There was nothing wrong with you, my darling. Nothing. You were perfect.”
“If I was perfect,” Maida shook her head, shaking his hands away, “we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Buffalo flinched. “After you were born, we had to treat you with some powerful substances to clear the effects of your mother’s addiction from your system.
They worked. Thank the stars, they worked!
But there was a cost. They had the side effect of suppressing and inhibiting the growth of your natural magic.
There was no detectable magic left in you by the time your treatment was complete. ”
“I see.” Maida wrapped her sweater tighter around herself. The morning air in New England was far chillier than California. But it was also her emotional state that was making her tremble.
“There are strict rules about Ordinary folk growing up in openly magical households, Maida. Not only is it forbidden by our kind, it’s also dangerous for the Ordinaries.
The risks are too great. In most cases like this, the child is placed with an Ordinary family, either in foster care or in an adoptive home.
When you were only a few days old, I had to make choices for both of us. ”
Buffalo inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “I was selfish. I chose for myself. I chose you.”
Maida continued walking, a little more slowly, as she considered this. Buffalo followed close beside her, matching her pace. She was grateful for the heat he radiated.
“What drugs did my mother take?” Maida looked over her shoulder. She was dying to know now. She’d always suspected, and now here, at last was her proof. “Painkillers? Speed?”
“No. Nothing like that. Your mother was addicted to magic.” Buffalo’s head was hanging as he answered.
“And when you were first born, so were you. Specifically, synthetic magic.” He said the words with obvious distaste.
“It wasn’t entirely her fault. I was to blame as well.
I did nothing to stop her from using it.
We both just wanted her to carry to term. ”
“What the heck is synthetic magic?” Maida drew back at the unfamiliar term. She’d heard of many crazy names for street drugs, but this wasn’t one of them.
“Man made. Lab created. Artificial. Fake,” Buffalo spat out synonyms. “Synthetic magic.”
Maida cocked her head. “That’s a thing?”
“It’s nothing new. It’s been around in many forms. Ancient alchemists were blatant about their quest to create it.
Mages, necromancers, and dark wizards have dabbled with it since the dawn of time.
There are still studies happening at well-known Ordinary institutions.
They are harnessing the latest technological advances to speed up their exploration of ancient magic.
Some of them have made alarming advances, actually.
But to answer your original question, yes, it’s still out there and it’s extremely dangerous. It shows up in unexpected places.”
“Like the Mudpuddle?” Maida ventured a guess. “Did the disappearance of the Mudpuddle have anything to do with synthetic magic?”
“We don’t know for sure, but Arthur seems to suspect that’s the case. Whatever happened there was serious. The house has never disappeared for days. We really need to get to the bottom of it.” Buffalo kicked at a clump of grass, sending it flying across the yard and into some bushes.
“And you need my help to do that?” Maida asked, feeling the pendant buzz against her chest.
“Unfortunately, yes.” Buffalo stared at the ground. “I hate the idea of putting you in danger. But it appears you’re the only one who can bring the place back.”
How ironic, Maida thought. Here she’d been kept away from magic her whole life, and now she was going to have to help get a bunch of the people who’d kept it from her out of a magical pickle.
She had many more questions.
“What happens to people who become addicted to synthetic magic?” Maida asked. She turned the corner, passed the frog pond and headed towards the willow.