The seekers magic, p.4
The Seeker's Magic, page 4
“How?” Her eyes burned like fire, demanding information from me. She didn’t care that the library doors slid open or that her glasses were slipping down her straight nose. Everything in her was focused on Beast, on what was going on with Beast.
“Evidence proved that Anna’s death was three hours before the official time of death,” I said. “Someone in the lab read over the initial report and found discrepancies Plus, the magic on Anna never matched Beast and that should have been a big, glaring answer initially, they’re adding that to the claim that Beast is innocent. He’s a free man, Belle.”
I waited for her to smile. I waited for her to do anything. Instead, she continued to stare at me until she removed her glasses from her face and pinched the bridge of her nose. Tears filled her eyes and she did finally smile, a small one, like she was almost afraid to be hopeful about it.
“That’s…that’s great news,” she murmured. She started laughing, a tear rolling down her face. She quickly batted it away before sucking in a shaky breath.
I rubbed my lips together. Something inside of me was curious, probably more curious than I should be. I probably shouldn’t say anything. I should probably keep my mouth shut about the whole thing.
But I needed to know. I needed to understand.
“Everyone thought Beast was a bad person,” I said, the words stumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I don’t—how did you maintain he was innocent without…I don’t know. Without ostracizing yourself?”
She laughed again. “Um, you know I am ostracized, right?” she asked. “People in Wonderland think I’m weird. They don’t understand why I would choose to believe a man I barely know over the police, over the evidence, over everything. But I don’t care.” She brushed the stray lock of hair from her face. “I know I love him. I know he’s innocent because he’s shown me a side of him he keeps locked away from everybody else. He trusts me with that part of him. And I…? Well, I love him, and my love isn’t contingent on what the masses believe. It’s contingent on what I believe. And I believe he’s a good man, worthy of my love. And if that means everyone ostracizes me, so be it. I don’t really like people anyway, so it sort of works out.”
“It’s really that simple?” I couldn’t help but ask.
She shrugged. “It’s only as complicated as you make,” she said. “A lot of the times, the complications are just excuses, and I don’t want to play stupid games anymore. Not when it means spending another moment away from him.” Without warning, she stood up and leaned over the counter so she could pull me into a tight hug. “Thanks for coming to tell me, Alice. You don’t know how happy this makes me.”
I forced myself to hug her back, but I couldn’t find the words. Not when my mind was swimming with echoes of Belle’s.
5
A blip on my phone interrupted me and Belle, but at this point, I doubt there was anything else she wanted to talk about. She kept looking at the clock on her phone—whether it was to check and see if she got a text or if it was to check the time, I didn’t know, but she seemed distracted in the best of ways.
I turned around, heading for my car. I wasn’t sure who texted me, but I didn’t want to check it in front of Belle. Not when she was waiting for Beast to reach out to her. I hoped he would. I wondered if he knew how crazy she was about him. I wondered if he cared. If his letter to her was sincere.
By the time I walked to my car, I opened my phone and brought up my text messages. There was only one new one, and it was from an unknown number. I knew immediately that it was Rumple, only because I was never able to save his number in my phone. That, and the fact that he actually typed up “darling” in the body of the text.
Wherever you are, go to MaryBeth’s store, darling. Your training begins now.
I wrinkled my brow. Did he really think I was going to drop whatever I was doing in order to go attend my magic training?
I settled into the front seat of my car and leaned my head back against the head rest. Of course he knew it. And of course I would. This was important. Probably the most important thing to happen today, though Beast’s release was a close second. As such, I started the car and headed for the old bookstore.
It wasn’t a huge secret that MaryBeth still used her magic even though it was strictly forbidden. I had no idea how she was able to get away with it, considering the Red Queen was not the sort to let those who wanted to disobey her get away with such behavior. It must mean she had some sort of influence, though I wasn’t sure where that influence came from. If I had a better relationship with Jack, I might have asked him, but I wasn’t sure what was going on with the two of us and I didn’t want to start anything I wasn’t ready to finish.
By the time I got to her place, my stomach rumbled. I searched my purse and came up with an old granola bar, and shoved it in my mouth. It wasn’t much, but that would be my lunch today, unless MaryBeth had anything else to offer. I would have stopped at a fast food place, but I wasn’t sure if there was a time requirement to get to MaryBeth’s, and the last thing I wanted was to throw up due to a heavy stomach.
After I finished my food, I wiped off the crumbs and got out of the car. I headed into the store, tilting my chin up and trying to exude a level of confidence I didn’t actually feel. It wasn’t that I was nervous, but I wasn’t sure what to expect, and that unnerved me.
The store was silent, save for the scurrying of a mouse across the main floor. I jumped at the sight and my skin crawled with disgust. I wasn’t a huge fan of mice, but I knew witches kept them as pets for some reason. Why a dog or even the traditional cat wasn’t sufficient, I had no idea. Then again, maybe that was why she had Chessy – to chase the mice. And since Chessy was still missing, mice began to feel comfortable roaming through the bookstore again.
“Good to see some things don’t change,” a voice said from my left.
I turned, only to find Jack standing there, his piercing blue eyes on me. His lips were curved up slightly, but I wouldn’t say he was smiling. He was still irrefutably gorgeous, with a sharp jawline that looked tighter than normal, and short brown hair that fell in his face. He wore a white shirt that tugged at his broad shoulders and on the biceps in his arms, and blue jeans that fit him in all the right places. On his feet were a pair of running shoes, though the brand escaped me. Jack had never cared about brands, despite coming from a wealthy family, which was something I liked about him.
“Jack,” I murmured. There was a pause between the two of us, our eyes lingering. I wouldn’t necessarily say it was awkward, but there was a hint of tenseness between us that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. I needed to say something, to break the tension. I cleared my throat. “You ever find Chessy?”
Jack continued to stare at me. It was almost unnerving. His blue eyes pierced into me, past my defenses, past my hard shell of sorrow and misery I erected once Anna had died. I didn’t want anyone to get close to me. I didn’t want anyone to talk to me. I wanted to wallow in unhappiness, afraid something else would happen if I ever let my guard down. I had never dated before, but the pain I felt at losing Anna, never seeing her again, had to be similar to what heartbreak must felt like.
But Jack had been here before—before it all happened. Hell, he dated Anna. He was on-and-off with her the entire time I was Anna’s friend. The three of us practically grew up with each other. And now, Jack and I had this vast gulf of space between us and I wasn’t sure how to go back to before when we were friends. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back. Being around him reminded me of Anna, and right now, it was too much for me.
“Why are you here, Alice?” he asked instead of answering. His voice was low, serious, and a chill went through me.
“I—”
“Did the Imp send you?” He cocked his head to the side. “I know the two of you are still spending some time together. More time than necessary to figure out what happened to Anna, in my opinion.”
I bristled. “It’s really not your business,” I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You’d be surprised how much of my business it is,” he said.
Before I could respond to that, a voice interrupted us. “Jack?” MaryBeth’s familiar drawl called out. “Is our guest here?”
“Yeah, she’s here,” Jack said, never taking his eyes off of me. I didn’t like the way he looked at me, like he didn’t trust me, like I was some sort of stranger to him.
It made no sense. After he saved me from Tom Charming weeks ago, I thought that maybe we could be friends again. Until I found out my father sent him after me, trying to spy on me, protect me, whatever was more convenient for the two of them. Neither of them liked my relationship with Rumple, but instead of coming and talking to me, they looked at me like I was someone to be pitied. Like being friends with Rumple somehow meant I wasn’t in my right mind.
And I hated them for that.
“Send her to the backyard,” she instructed. “We’ll begin our training shortly.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jack said. He angled his body and swept his arms out. “I’m sure you know where the back is?”
I pressed my lips together. I wanted to say something that would hurt him, that would cause him to react, but I knew that wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do. Instead I just had to focus on why I was here.
You’re here because Rumple wouldn’t train you himself.
The biting voice in my head was much more bitter than I anticipated, but I forced myself to ignore it. Instead, I headed through the bookstore until I reached a door in the back. By the time I stepped outside, the sun was setting and MaryBeth waited outside already. She wore a pale blue robe with a hood, her grey hair falling over her shoulders. There were no shoes on her feet and they sank into the overgrown grass.
“Alice Winter,” she said in a voice that instantly soothed any nerves I might have had. I pulled my eyes from the surrounding trees that lined the Blood Forest so I could look at her. “The Imp has requested that I train you in your magic.”
“You don’t seem surprised I have magic,” I pointed out slowly. Winter was beginning to tease its way through Wonderland, lingering on the skin as though to warn everyone that it was coming and it would be here soon.
“Nothing surprises me in this town,” she said slowly. “What does surprise me is your relationship with the Imp. I did not think a girl like you would be so familiar with someone like him. Or that he would be interested in you.”
Soft footsteps caught my attention and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I didn’t need to look behind me to know Jack was there. Why he was there, I didn’t know. I couldn’t exactly ask without appearing rude, but it left me unsettled. I didn’t want Jack to watch me. It would unnerve me. I doubted I’d be able to do anything if he continued to stare at me with that judgmental look in his crisp eyes.
Without warning, she reached out her hand, her fingers tilting forward gracefully. Suddenly, something coiled around my chest and before I knew what was happening, my magic slowly began to drip out of my body. Blue tendrils escaped from my fingertips. My eyes widened, watching, fascinated by the visual effect it created.
This was my magic. My own.
“Your magic,” MaryBeth got out through a strained voice. She seemed awed by it, just like I was, with her milky grey eyes wide and her lips pursed. “It’s potent. Powerful. I’ve never seen anything like this, except from…” She shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
Without warning, the coil left my chest and suddenly, I could breathe again. I took a couple of steps back, trying to get a grip on my breathing, on the way my heart fluttered.
“But power is no good if you don’t know how to wield it,” she said. “Tell me, can you call to it?”
“Call to it?” I repeated dumbly, rubbing my chest. Had she removed my magic from me? Pulled it out…?
“Your magic,” Jack said in a low voice behind me. “Can you call to your magic?”
I rubbed my lips together, hoping my shoulders hadn’t jumped to my ears, hoping Jack couldn’t hear my heart pound in my chest. It wasn’t because I anticipated anything from him. My feelings had long since locked onto Rumple, and they were loyal—almost to a fault. But there was something about Jack that kept me on edge, something I couldn’t quite drop my defenses for.
“Uh, I don’t know,” I said dumbly.
“Try,” was all he said.
I had no idea how to do that, so I closed my eyes and tried to draw it out. My fingers tingled and I looked down at them, but nothing happened, at least not visually.
I looked back at MaryBeth. Her eyes were on my fingers on me as well, her lips tight and curved into a small frown. “It would seem,” she said to no one in particular, “that we have our work cut out for us.” Her eyes locked with mine. “I hope you’re ready to stay here for a while, girl. You have a lot to learn.”
MaryBeth wasn’t kidding. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed out there, trying to call my magic to me. Once I was able to do that, I had to practice shooting it out in front of me. I could barely get it to reach Jack, who couldn’t be standing more than a few yards away before it dissipated.
Every half hour, MaryBeth forced me to drink water, insisting I had to stay hydrated.
She also insisted on keeping at it, on pushing me. I could feel myself start to stretch, to exercise control over this thing inside me that I didn’t understand. And I was grateful. Truly, I was, because I wanted to understand myself. I wanted to know who I was.
But I also grew angrier and angrier, which coaxed the magic from me more easily. I didn’t understand my anger, only that Rumple was behind it. He seemed to be the reason behind a lot of my emotions lately and I wasn’t sure what that meant.
I wished it was him. I wished he was here helping me. Instead, I had some witch who still used her forbidden magic and Jack, who watched every move I made, practically every breath I took, with narrowed suspicious minds. I wanted to shoot magic out of me, lighting up the night and demanding Rumple’s presence. I wanted him here with me.
I just wanted him.
“Well, well, darling,” a voice purred from the backdoor of the bookstore. “Looks like you’ve been at it for a while. Care to show me all you’ve learned?”
Speak of the devil.
6
“What are you doing here?” I demanded to know. I didn’t understand why the very sight of Rumple pissed me off, but it might have had to do with the fact that he wouldn’t help me learn this magic on my own.
I didn’t want to come across as ungrateful. I wasn’t. Not when it came to the fact that no one else was going to teach me this magic. But I wanted it to be Rumple. I wished it was Rumple. And it wasn’t. He chose not to help me. And now, he thought he could crash a training session just because he was who he was.
Rumple threw a charming smile my way. “Just wanted to see how you’re coming along, darling,” he said easily, as though he didn’t hear the catch in my voice.
“She’s maneuvering more fluidly than I would have expected,” MaryBeth said, wiping away a couple of gray tendrils of hair from her face. “Though she does have trouble bringing the magic forth unless she’s particularly emotional.”
“Well, Alice has always been emotional,” Rumple said, dark eyes planted firmly on me as the corner of his lips flickered up.
“I think he’s seen enough.” The coldness in Jack’s voice surprised me. I wasn’t expecting him to come watch me train, let alone have anything to say about my magic at all. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from him, but I thought maybe he’d be helping MaryBeth, especially since he had his own magic.
“Jack,” MaryBeth said, a clear warning in her tone.
The backyard of MaryBeth’s cottage had shadows that filled up the small space from the amount of people currently present. I suddenly felt overwhelmed, like it was difficult to breathe. I wanted to claw at my throat to force air into my lungs, but I was afraid to move. I highly doubted Jack and Rumple were stupid enough to try anything here, but there was enough tension that I couldn’t doubt they wanted to.
“It’s the truth,” he said, his piercing blue eyes narrowed on Rumple’s lithe form. “There’s no reason for him to be here. This is private.”
“I’m here to check on the girl,” Rumple said, dark eyes clashing with Jack’s. Both men seemed to think there was some sort of pissing contest going on, and staring the other down seemed to be a priority. “I want to ensure she’s learning quickly. Considering you still use your magic, you understand the risk you take if you do such a thing. Alice can barely control her own magic. It’s like painting a bright red target on her back.”
“She’s learning,” Jack said.
“How am I to know that?” Rumple cocked his head to the side. “You know what? I think I’ll test her myself. MaryBeth is a remarkable instructor. I’m sure you know that personally, don’t you, Jack Lupine? Let’s see if any of MaryBeth’s training has translated to Alice, shall we?”
“I do not think that wise, Imp,” MaryBeth said. “She’s barely learned to bring it forth, let alone wield it in a way where she can stand against a threat.”
“You did not see her in the Blood Forest,” Rumple muttered, his eyes drifting to mine. I wasn’t sure if MaryBeth was supposed to hear it or not. “Well, darling? Come now.” He gestured at me with his long fingers. “Show me what you’ve learned.”
I glanced at MaryBeth, though I wasn’t sure why. I knew I wanted to see what I was capable of, but I also didn’t want to overdo it. That was the big thing MaryBeth stressed to me during the lesson was that magic was energy, and the more energy I had, the more I was able to conjure. I had used some of my magic to train and I doubted that was enough time to replenish myself.
“Darling?” Rumple arched a brow.
I rolled my shoulders back. Darkness consumed the sky. I wasn’t sure how long I had been at this, but I hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and I was sure I’d burned through that granola bar at lunch. I sucked in a breath and asked my magic to come to me. Maybe if Rumple could see I was able to call it forth, that I was much more in control of it than I had been the past couple of weeks, he would back off. He wouldn’t need anything else.
