Chapter Three
I didn’t think I would sleep without dreaming. I had expected to relive that dark moment in my life over and over again. Witnessing the horror first-hand guaranteed nightmares. There wasn’t anything in the world that could free me from my nightmarish memory but somehow I managed to sleep soundly. Damian had kept his promise. He stopped the nightmares from devouring me.
The sound of a phone ringing and vibrating made me stir. Damian carefully eased me off him, holding the pillow in place so when he slipped out of bed, my head would stay where it was. He had tried not to wake me with subtle movements. It was the thought that counted. The phone had been his undoing.
“What is it?” Damian asked, voice heavy from sleep.
“Consider the bounty a distant memory. I created an identity to put your niece into the system. I just need her first name and date of birth. I already made a surname. It will look like she was there all along.” It was the same Irish woman as last night. “I’ll send the scroll over after I sign the document off. The scroll will be linked to you. She’ll have no ties to you in the system should you part separate ways. That will keep her safe.”
“Her name is Joan. August 12th, 1998. I appreciate what you’ve done for her. How did you persuade Dane to give up the hunt?”
“You know me, Damian. I didn’t give him much of a choice. He knows how unforgiving the council can be should he choose to cross us. He knew it was in his best interest to let her go.”
“Mmhm,” Damian agreed. “Thank you for calling and helping us out.”
“I figured the alternative would be worse. We don’t need that sort of trouble from you.”
Damian covered up the laughter that wanted to escape with a few coughs. Something told me she wouldn’t buy it.
“No, no. None of that trouble from me. Promise,” he reassured her. “Not unless the world is ending.”
“Not today,” she said. “Take care of yourself, Damian. The bounty may be lifted but there’s still a long road ahead. Make sure Joan studies that scroll. That’s her identity now. She needs to know it like the back of her hand. I’m sending it now. No more favours.”
“No more favours,” Damian repeated, speaking to an empty line. She had already hung up.
I let out a loud yawn and sat up. I stretched and covered my eyes with the back of my hand when Damian pulled back the curtains. I hadn’t been ready for the blinding sunlight that struck my face. I lowered my hand and looked away from the window. It took a short moment for my eyes to adjust.
“Catch,” he said, throwing a blur at me.
I caught the thing he threw. A golden wax seal kept the scroll tightly shut. The seal was a four-leafed clover. The leaves were tinted with a forest green that mingled with the gold.
“Is this what I think it is? How did it get here so fast?” I asked, breaking the seal. My hands were trembling as I tried to unravel the scroll.
Damian grinned. “Magic. Want pancakes for breakfast?”
My fumbling fingers finally managed to unravel the scroll. The writing was black ink calligraphy, incredibly neat. The border was lined with gold. It looked as if it had taken hours to write. I had never seen such perfection
I skim read the document. I was an American citizen, human. My last name was Grayson. My parents died in a car accident a month ago but their names were kept off the document, due to the suspicious nature of the accident. Damian was registered as my foster parent. The truth was mingled with lies. I reminded myself that it had to be this way. I couldn’t be the unregistered immortal child that got away. I had to be an innocent human who lost her parents in a car accident. A car accident was nicer than the horror scene I had witnessed. If only I could replace that memory with the lie.
I got to the end of the document. The bottom right-hand corner was signed off by J. Murdock, in the same calligraphy styled handwriting.
“It would be nice to know the name of the person who guaranteed my safety,” I said, rolling up the scroll before I handed it back to Damian for safekeeping.
“There’s a reason why I never mentioned her name during our conversations. The identities of the council members are top secret. The only thing I can tell you is that people call her the Irish Princess.”
“Why do they call her that?” I understood the secrecy. Some organisations needed their identities unknown to protect them from threats. The magic community was a lot more dangerous than humans. I had witnessed that with my own eyes.
“Because she always gets what she wants,” he said with a pause, smiling like a fool. Even with the touch of laughter on his face, I knew he was being serious. He started to edge his way out of the room, holding the scroll behind his back.
“I’ll go get started on breakfast.”
“Ok,” I said, watching him leave. It wasn’t until I looked at the door that I noticed a basket of folded clothes, the same clothes I had frantically stuffed into a bag last night. I shook my head in an attempt to make the memory fall out. If only it were that easy.
I heard Damian whistle as he walked down the hall. It wasn’t a familiar tune, more improvisatory than anything. It wasn’t cheery, nor was it sad; it was slow paced. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It almost sounded as if he was waiting for something.
I climbed out of bed and stretched again, clicking my back. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. They were sore and puffy from crying.
Why couldn’t I just become an empty void? Anything was better than feeling like this. My parents were dead and the people responsible got away with murder. I wasn’t going to let that slide. I would find a way to make them pay. I would find a way to bring down the agency once and for all. I had to get my hands dirty. I had to make sacrifices. The death of my parents had been my first sacrifice. What else would I lose going down the path of revenge? Lorenzo told me not to delve into darkness. He told me to be strong like Damian. I didn’t know if I could. All I wanted was to kill the people who killed my parents. I wanted equality; no more hunting us to extinction.
I figured I had enough time for a quick shower. I didn’t have enough clothes to last me a lifetime. Maybe I should ask Damian to take me shopping. I had never been in a crowd. I had never been to a shopping mall, a grocery store, a theme park, or a library. All I had seen was the forest outside my house, the inside of my house, and a cabin out in the woods at a disclosed location where my parents used to drive us. I had to stay low for the entire car trip. We spent our summer there, basically camping in the woods...
Stop. No more memory lane trips.
My parents were gone, dead, murdered.
I had a new life. I was given the chance to make a difference. I wouldn’t waste it. I had to ignore the ache in my chest.
I grabbed a towel from the hallway cupboard and walked to the end of the hall. I locked the bathroom door and flicked the fan on. Showers were a bad place to be if you wanted your mind to stand still. Being underneath a warm shower with water soaking your head and dripping down your skin sent you to a faraway place. That place was the state of mind where you thought about everything and anything. I couldn’t do that to myself. I needed a void. I needed a blank space.
I washed my hair with a two-in-one shampoo to cut down thinking time. The soap scrub was quick, too. That was the fastest shower in history.
I stumbled out of the shower and dried off. I changed into a pair of black skinny jeans and an emerald green singlet. The green made my honey-brown eyes look earthier. I couldn’t even recognise myself in the mirror. A stranger was gazing back at me. I could see the darkness suffocating me in a choking cloud.
I didn’t know which hairbrush to use. Both brushes on the vanity were covered in blonde hair. I couldn’t subtly use one with my dark hair colour and get away with it. I flicked through the drawers to see if I could find a spare but didn’t have any luck. I managed to find a comb that didn’t look used. That was going to take ages with the thickness of my hair. I was screwed. Well, won’t know until I try, right?
r /> It could have been worse. I got all the knots, after much persistence. It felt like my arms were going to fall off. I had to add a hairbrush to my list of things I required. First order of business was to ask Damian to take me shopping.
I left the bathroom, slanting my wet hair to the side. What was it like to go shopping? Would I hate it? Would I enjoy it? Either way I knew I had to play it cool. I couldn’t prance around like a wide-eyed idiot swooning over everything I came across. I could do that in my head. Outside my head, a definite no. Everyone would think I was born in a cave. I needed to blend in and act normal. I didn’t even know if that was possible for me.
I got halfway down the stairs before I felt the same chill as last night, the thickness of icy power hanging in the air. I was almost tempted to run back to my bedroom and hide under the bed. The magic wasn’t potent, which lead me to believe she was close by but not in the house.
“Damian,” I called out, barely managing to keep the panic out of my voice.
Damian appeared and walked up the stairs to where I was. He grabbed me by the wrist and led me down the steps.
“I know, Joan. Leave the talking to me.”
“I can’t–”
“Relax. Your mother put a perception spell over you that lasted until you were no longer in danger. No one knows who they saw last night. Everyone’s ID descriptions clash. You’re safe,” he murmured in my ear.
I nodded a little too fast.
“Okay,” I replied; my voice came out in a choke.
“Charlotte disguised herself with magic so you have nothing to worry about. You always saw her true self. Everyone else perceived her differently because of her magic. The agency won’t see a family resemblance,” Damian assured me. “Preoccupy your mouth with the delicious pancakes I made if you find it a struggle to stay quiet.”
Damian pulled a chair out from underneath the table and sat me down in front of a pancake stack. The maple syrup had already been poured. I wasn’t sure I had an appetite.
Damian sat beside me. He cut a slice out of his pancake stack. He gently nudged my side to encourage me to eat. If my mouth was preoccupied by food, then I wouldn’t blow my cover when the agency burst through the door. It would only be for a few minutes, I hoped, and then they would leave. I could do this. All I had to do was eat, stay quiet, and not panic. The trembling fork gave me away. I had to relax.
I let out a steady breath and kept my head down when I heard the door smack against the wall.
“Look them in the eye. Looking away means you have something to hide,” Damian mentioned quietly, gently lifting up my chin.
Maria was the first one to walk into the dining room. Her snow coloured hair was tied back in a braid. She was wearing a blue dress that exaggerated her body features; it was too tight. Her mismatched eyes stared Damian down. If looks could kill, he wouldn’t be breathing.
Two agents stood behind Maria. Why weren’t they wearing body armour? They were just in fancy suits. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that they had gotten lost on their way to a wedding. The agents gave Maria a wide berth, looking as if they didn’t want to be involved in the inevitable conflict.
“Maria, to what do I owe this visit?” Damian asked, continuing to eat his pancakes. He never dropped eye contact.
I followed Damian’s lead and ate my pancakes, keeping my mouth occupied with food.
“Cut the pleasantries, I know it was you that went to the council. You’re the only one in town who has connections. Why did you get the bounty lifted and where is the girl?” Maria’s voice was cold and slick, just like ice. She caught my eye but returned her attention back to Damian in an instant.
“The case is closed. I’m sure you’re aware of the consequences if you go against the council,” Damian replied, tone firm. “It’s over. Let it go and get out of my house.”
“Tell me,” Maria said through her teeth, clenching her fist.
The temperature in the room dropped dramatically. Mist escaped from my nose.
Maria’s magic wasn’t as suffocating as last night. She was keeping a lid on it. She didn’t want Damian to feel threatened. There was something about her stance that led me to believe she was wary of him.
“To put it in simple terms, the agency went against our coven. As Salena’s second, I took it upon myself to keep the daughter safe by any means necessary. I made a promise and I don’t break my word.” Damian was twirling a knife absentmindedly in his left hand. “The daughter is a possible successor. We protect our own.”
“I share the same suspicions as Dane. We have reason to believe that she is the child from the prophecy. Why else would the council interfere?”
“I’m not sure you’re ready to hear the truth,” Damian spoke in an ominous voice; my skin crawled. “Prophecies are foretold by many who don’t all fully comprehend the complexity of time. The future is always shifting.”
Damian stopped spinning the knife and laid it flat on the table. He overlapped his hands for a short moment before returning to his pancakes; I had already finished mine.
“She is not the child from the prophecy. I involved the council because I didn’t wish to unleash the monster within,” Damian stated.
Maria threw back her head and laughed.
“You don’t have a monster within. You’re a coward and always have been. Your magic is too weak to be a second in command. It’s a joke.”
“Believe me when I say that you don’t want to open that can of worms. You haven’t seen the full extent of my magic, Maria. Do not test me. Get out. I don’t owe you any more explanations.”
“You owe me several,” she declared.
A lance of ice encased Maria’s arm. The ice shattered into pieces when she lunged at us. The chunks clunked on the floor like falling pennies. She seemed to freeze, rooted to the spot by fear.
Damian hadn’t even moved or raised a hand against her. The weight of an ocean floor pressed down on us. Warm waves of power flooded the room. The overwhelming pressure caused Maria and both agents to kneel, gasping for breath as more magic filled the room; they were drowning. I could only feel the after effects, sort of like the end of a shock wave. The power wasn’t directed or interested in me.
“Had enough yet?” Damian mused, rising up from his chair. “The council interfered because they know I’m a bigger threat than everyone combined. When you get the chance to catch your breath, run as fast as you can.”
“You can’t be,” Maria spluttered in disbelief. It was hard to say if there was more to that sentence. She was too busy gasping for air, trying to find a space not tainted by heavy doses of magic. She tried to crawl but the weight of Damian’s power was far too great to move.
“Oh but I am,” Damian said, waving his hand. The power retreated and faded away, like it was never there in the first place. “If you’re not gone by the time I count to three... Well, you’ve heard the stories.”
“I will–”
“One.”
“This is–”
“Two.”
Maria got the message then; Damian wasn’t messing around. She disappeared in a blur, leaving the agents to fend for themselves. They scrambled and ran for their lives without looking back.
Damian sat back down and finished off his breakfast like nothing happened.
I was so overwhelmed by what happened that I couldn’t even move. I hadn’t experienced the full force of Damian’s magic but I had felt how powerful he truly was. I didn’t know how to feel about that. He was my loving uncle but there was a darkness inside of him that terrified everyone. Just who was he? I tried to think back to what my mother said before she died. She had mentioned a man who struck fear in the heart of all mages: The Executioner. Maria said he was a myth to keep dark covens in line and to prevent them from rising up against humanity. Dane said that he wasn’t a myth and that The Executioner had been quiet for hundreds of years. Surely I was jumping to conclusions? Damian couldn’t be. But what else could he have meant when he said t
hat Maria had heard the stories?
“Don’t touch me!” I snapped when Damian’s hand brushed by my shoulder. I leapt up out of my chair and moved away from him, keeping my distance. “Just what the hell was that and who the hell are you?”
“I got your SOS text. You two alright?” Lorenzo called out from somewhere in the house.
“Your timing is impeccable,” Damian called back with a sarcastic bite.
Damian remained in his chair, staring up at me with pained eyes; I had to look away.
“The danger is gone but I had to resort to revealing my true power. Please take Joan out of the house for the day. I went too far and she needs space to breathe.”
Lorenzo followed the sound of Damian’s voice and wandered into the dining room. I never really did get a good look at him last night. The only thing I had seen were his golden eyes. He was absolutely gorgeous. His black hair was short but the ends were long enough to cover the top part of his ears. Golden blonde highlights were scattered throughout his hair, enhancing the gold in his eyes. His skin was a light brown, tanned from spending most of his days in the sun. He had the kind of face you could stare at all day and never get tired of looking at. He was wearing navy blue jeans and a black singlet that showed off his muscles; he definitely worked out at a gym. For a moment, the overwhelming fear from Damian’s power outburst was gone. That feeling got replaced by infatuation.
“You went to the council, didn’t you?” Lorenzo tut, shaking his head.
“It was the right call. Joan’s safe now. Take her shopping, she needs clothes. I’ll reimburse you,” Damian replied, voice cold.
“Alrighty. C’mon Joan. Let’s go,” Lorenzo said, hovering his hand over my lower back before giving me an encouraging push out of the dining room when I didn’t move. “Grab some shoes.”
“I don’t have any.”
“Ah, well, see if any here fit. Nobody will mind if you borrow something for the day,” he said, gesturing to the assortment of shoes by the door that were sitting neatly in cubbyholes.
I didn’t have any socks either so I grabbed a pair of sandals, not wanting to wear sneakers without socks. I slipped my feet into the sandals and did up the straps. They were just the right size.
Lorenzo shut the door behind me and lead me to his car. A black Ferrari. Why was I not surprised? An Italian model; it was only fitting he owned one.
“Front seat, silly. Where do you think you’re going?”
I closed the backdoor I just opened.
“Force of habit, sorry,” I mumbled, opening the correct door and slipping into the front seat. I put my seatbelt on and snuggled into the leather seats. I didn’t notice how comfortable they were last night.
“Where do you want me to take you?” Lorenzo asked when he got into the car.
I stared at him blankly. “I, uh, haven’t been shopping before.”
“Seriously?”
I nodded. “Seriously.”
“They really did keep you hidden away from the world.”
“Yup,” I replied quietly, staring out the window when he started the car. I felt my eyes brim with tears at the thought of my parents.
“Damian scared the crap out of me with that stunt he pulled. Just who is he? He’s not The Executioner I’ve heard about, is he?” I asked.
Lorenzo let out a heavy sigh and reversed out of the driveway.
“He’s not that person anymore. He’s come a long way. You have nothing to be afraid of. He will never hurt you. The only reason why he revealed his true power was to keep you safe. He keeps his magic locked away, due to the dark nature of it. He relies on a small amount of light magic he stores but that is nowhere near as strong as the power he is so unwilling to use. Don’t mention that name around him. He isn’t proud of his past, a past I’m not going to speak of. If he wants you to know, he will tell you. It’s not my place to say anything more.”
I looked away from the window after Lorenzo finished speaking, giving him the full weight of my gaze. His attention was focused on the road.
“Did he kill people? Is that why they call him an executioner? I can’t be living in the same house as a killer, not after what happened to my parents.”
Lorenzo stared at me. Disapproval oozed from his handsome face. He returned his attention back to the road not a moment afterwards.
“No,” he said with a pause, trying to find the right words to use. “Damian took away magic from those who belonged to dark covens. To a mage, having their magic taken away from them is equal to death. That’s why they call him The Executioner.”
“I see,” I replied, voice uneasy. “Is that why the council keeps a close eye on him?”
“In case he goes off the deep end, yes. Like I said before, he is no longer that person. He just likes reminding people of what he can be should they choose to cross him. Nine times out of ten, he doesn’t need to resort to unlocking that power. In rare cases, he does, but only for a short while, like you saw today.”
“Mmhm,” I said, looking away from Lorenzo to stare out the window. “So I should forget what I witnessed today and treat him like I always have?”
“If that makes it easier on you, yes. I saw the way he was looking at you after the incident. He was hurt. It was never his intention to frighten you. He was just trying to protect you both.”
“I know. It was just unexpected. I didn’t know how else to react.”
“Give him a hug when you get home. That’s the only apology he’ll need from you.”
“Yeah, okay.”
We spent the next few moments sitting in silence, staring aimlessly out the window. After the intense conversation we just finished, it was difficult to have a casual discussion. I didn’t know what to say.
I had lots of questions about the things I had heard, about magic and the council. I decided it was best to remain ignorant. It didn’t concern me. I wasn’t a mage. Magic was part of our world but I didn’t want to know about scarier things that would keep me up at night. Knowing what I did now was most unsettling. I had enough trouble as it was accepting new developments. I didn’t need to add more things to my nightmare fuel list.
“So clothes, shoes... What else do you need?” Lorenzo asked, breaking the silence.
I looked back at him. “Basically everything. I didn’t have much time to grab my belongings.”
“I can imagine. We will probably need a shopping cart. I doubt we will have enough hands to carry everything. Please refrain from buying out the whole mall.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “Just because I’ve never been to one before doesn’t mean that I’ll be compelled to take home everything I see.”
Lorenzo poked his tongue out at me; it was pierced with a silver ball.
“Act normal and don’t run off. Damian will not be happy with me if I let you out of my sight,” Lorenzo said.
“Did it hurt getting your tongue pierced?”
“Yes. Don’t go getting any ideas. If I send you home with multiple piercings and tattoos, Damian will never forgive me.”
“Do you have any tattoos?”
Lorenzo nodded. “I have a dragon on my back.”
“How big?”
“Top to bottom.”
“Can I see?”
“I’m not stripping in front of Damian’s niece. Maybe when you’re older,” he teased, pulling into a parking lot.
I felt my cheeks go red. I looked away before he noticed.
“I meant what I said earlier about not running off. Stay by my side,” he said, driving around, trying to find a parking space.
“I won’t wander off on my own. I know better.”
“Good. The last thing I need is a scolding from Damian.”
“Can I get my ears pierced?”
“Earlobe?”
“Yeah. I just want the one on either side. If I take them out, will the holes close up?”
Lorenzo shook his head. “You can get your ears pierced, and no, the holes won’t close up. Your body kno
ws what wounds to heal and which ones to leave alone.”
“Can I get a tattoo?”
“Definitely not.”
It was worth a shot.