Casually Cursed (7 page)

“There’s also a prophecy and some other considerations. Put your emotions aside for a moment. In my position, what course of action would you consider the most prudent?”

Bryn scowled. “I wouldn’t insert myself into a deeply personal matter of any Association member. If there was matchmaking to be done, it should’ve already taken place.”

“I didn’t deem matchmaking necessary. She made a good choice once before,” Mrs. Hurley said. “A healthy, strong, handsome young man whose family wasn’t magical. Despite the unfortunate divorce, she continued to be involved with him. There was every reason to believe they would settle and remarry. There was no reason to suspect she would choose someone inappropriate.”

Did my grandma know my first husband was in the room? Zach stood with his arms folded across his chest. He was everything she’d said. And yet we couldn’t make our relationship work. Bryn and I could, even against terrible odds. In times of trouble, Bryn and I had gotten closer and closer. I hooked my pinkie around his and gave it a squeeze of support.

His hard blue gaze swiveled from the president and softened when it met mine. “For life or longer,” he whispered.

“Yep. That’s the deal, and we’re sticking to it.”

He smiled and his magic poured over me.

I love you, too
, I mouthed.

“I think you’ll find that it’s impossible to effectively separate us,” Bryn said, turning his attention back to the president.

“Perhaps that will be the case. But although I don’t condone some of the methods used by the Conclave in the past, I believe you know they are often quite effective. Naysayers have many times been proven wrong when they’ve claimed they could withstand Conclave persuasion.”

“If your objective is to preserve the magical legacy of both lines, it would be a mistake to attack people who have proven they’re willing to defend each other to the death,” Bryn said.

Lars Anderson tapped his fingertips lightly on the desk. “Well, your concerns have been explained, Mrs. Hurley. There will be more time for private discussion later, but I’ll ask you to excuse us while I speak to Mr. Lyons and Miss Trask about a different matter.”

My grandma nodded, but held up a hand. “Mr. Anderson, may I have a private word with you before I leave?”

“Of course. Excuse me,” he said to us, and walked to her. They retreated to the other side of the room and spoke in lowered voices with their backs to us. He nodded, touching her elbow as she turned to leave.

“Mr. Sutton, Ms. Rhodes, would you and your cat like to take refreshments in the private dining room? Mr. Knobel, will you make them welcome and see to their every comfort while they wait? This conversation won’t take long, and then Ms. Trask and Mr. Lyons will be free to continue their travels.”

Edie scooped Merc up, giving the top of his head a kiss. “Come on, darling. Let’s see whether the wretched reputation of English food is exaggerated or deserved.”

The door closed, and we were alone with the most powerful man in the world of magic. I took a deep breath and braced myself, hoping that things would go smoothly and peacefully. My body was still healing, so it would be inconvenient for me to have to tackle a politician.

ANDERSON EXTENDED A
hand to indicate that we should sit in the chairs across from his desk. They were steel framed with white leather cushions. To me they looked like they belonged on a patio.

We sat. The chairs weren’t uncomfortable, but they would never be cozy. I suppose people meeting with the president of WAM weren’t meant to feel relaxed.

Bryn moved his chair closer to mine, and I rested my hand on his forearm. His magic thrummed under my palm, familiar and reassuring.

“Mrs. Hurley intends to make things difficult for you. There are plenty of people who’ve heard about what occurred in Texas and would like to see your partnership, both magical and otherwise, put to an end. There are those who feel that if the Association doesn’t take some action, it’ll open the door for others to defy this governing body. ‘A path to anarchy’ was the phrase put forth at one point in the discussions.”

“Um, we’re not trying to rebel. We just want to be left alone,” I said.

“For that to happen, you would have to disappear. Are you prepared to go underground?”

Yep, in many ways we are. Only not for good
, I thought.

“Duvall, Texas, is our home. We may be away from there for a time, and if it allows frustrations to die down, all the better. But we don’t intend to live off the magical grid,” Bryn said.

“I’m not interested in extinguishing a magical union that’s synergistic, nor in seeing a Granville prizewinner destroyed for protecting the witch with whom he fell in love. But there are obstacles, and I suspect that if the issue were forced today, Mrs. Hurley would win. Miss Trask would be ordered to live in Revelworth to be trained as an earth witch and you, Mr. Lyons, would be banned from visiting.”

“I’m not moving to England to learn magic! Who do you people think you are?”

“We are your government¸ a sovereign body over the nation of magical practitioners. The only nation that truly matters,” he said with a calm that was infuriating. He looked at Bryn. “She can be taken by force. There are seventeen members of the Conclave ready to act. You could fight, but it would be no contest and you know it.”

I stiffened. “You don’t have any right! If you kidnap me, I’ll escape. I’ve done it before!” I snapped, my hair falling around my face from the force of my jerking forward.

“Tamara,” Bryn said, putting a hand on my arm to keep me from standing.

“What? I’m not moving here. And they are not going to break us up. Not just because we love each other, but also because it’s not right. They can’t just go around—”

“Hang on, sweetheart. Let’s hear the rest of what he wanted to say to us in private. Plenty of time to fight later, if that’s what it comes to,” Bryn said.

Fury and adrenaline had me ready to pounce. I trembled as I forced myself to be still. I folded my arms across my chest.

“So,” Bryn said. “What do you want?”

“One of the Trasks, Marlee or Melanie, it’s not clear which, was in the Scottish Highlands and knows the location of a certain valuable artifact that rightly belongs to the Association. Melanie denied knowledge of the object, but the Conclave was not convinced she was telling the truth. She was barred from leaving England because we intended for her to retrieve it herself, or to contact her sister to do so. But she left, despite her magic being bound. The fact that she fled makes it likely . . . Well, it’s not relevant.” His gaze turned from Bryn to me. “Find out from your mother or aunt where the artifact is hidden, retrieve it, and turn it over to the Association. If you do so, I will convey to everyone that you’ve performed a valuable service to the Association, and I’ll block any actions Mrs. Hurley takes to prevent your marriage.”

“What are you talking about? My aunt Melanie wasn’t here about artifacts. She came over to see my momma. And Momma came to see an old flame.”

“Regardless of why they came originally, one of them stumbled onto the location of this valuable object.”

“I don’t know anything about that. And listen, we don’t really have time to go looking for treasure. We’ve got our own plans,” I said, thinking that WAM didn’t know what it was talking about. Momma had been in the Never for more than a year, and Aunt Mel had just come from there, too. Neither of them was romping around in Scotland discovering WAM artifacts.

“Mr. Lyons, can I count on your cooperation?”

Bryn tipped his head back to look at the ceiling. Silence stretched through the room. I fidgeted.

Bryn’s gaze returned to Anderson. “If the Conclave operatives haven’t found the artifact, it would be foolish of us to agree to take on the assignment. And by accepting your proposal, the implication would be that we acknowledge that you have legal grounds to force us into a negotiation. No, I’ll fight you in open court. I’ll put our conduct up against that of your operatives and trust my peers to decide in my favor.”

“Would you make this a public battle?” Anderson asked.

“Yes!” I said. “Let’s let people hear the truth and see what they think.”

“If that’s what you’re determined to do, the price will be high. And not just for the two of you,” Anderson said.

I froze. “What are you talking about?”

“Andre Knobel has accessed top-security files without clearance. To assist you, I think. He’ll be prosecuted. And Mrs. Hurley believes that your friend Ms. Rhodes is not who she claims to be. A ghost may be sharing her body. Knobel and Rhodes have been taken into custody. We’ll launch a full-scale investigation—”

I jerked out of my seat and dived across the desk. Bryn grabbed me and pulled me back, but not before I socked the president of the World Association of Magic in the face.

“Let me go!” I yelled. “He tricked them into leaving the office so we couldn’t help them! I—Let go of me, Bryn!”

Bryn wrapped his arms around me, and I felt his furious magic vibrate around us. “Wait,” Bryn whispered. “Just wait.” Even when really angry, he’s able to control himself. Me, not so much.

My breath came harsh and fast, but I stopped struggling. “What am I waiting for? Are you going to zap him with some magic?”

“We can’t win a fight here.”

“I was winning. See that bruise on his cheek that he’s rubbing?” I whispered fiercely.

“Show us the artifact,” Bryn told Anderson. “It costs us nothing to ask Melanie and Marlee about it.”

“He has to let Andre and Edie go, or we’re not going to talk to anyone about anything. They have to leave here with us.”

“No,” Anderson said. “They stay. But no investigation will be started. They’ll be treated as guests of the Association until you return. If you have the artifact, you will have my goodwill and so will your friends. If you make an effort, but the artifact can’t be recovered for reasons that can be verified by the Conclave, I’ll still release your friends and will remain neutral toward your marriage. But if you attempt to mislead us . . . if the item is not recovered by lack of effort or by some design of yours or your family’s, then you and all you care about will be considered enemies of the Association.”

I glared at him.

Anderson slid a paper across the table. There was a drawing of a pendant with a smooth golden-brownish center and a setting that had small gold slats pointing outward.

“The stone is amber,” Anderson said.

I peered at the picture. The amber wasn’t uniform in color. Parts were lighter, others more shadowed. As I studied it, I realized that the geometric spikes of gold were rays. The pattern was shaped like the sun.

“You may take the sketch. We have others.”

“Does it do anything we should be worried about?” I asked.

“Excellent question,” Bryn said, looking at Anderson.

“Its value makes it dangerous for a person to have it in his possession, but not because of its magical properties. You should be very discreet in your inquiries and, once you find it, keep it hidden until it’s safely here at headquarters. There are those who would kill for it.”

“Like your operatives?” I asked, glancing again at the sketch. It was pretty, but it was no canary-yellow diamond ring. What made it so valuable? Was it because the amber was really old? Did it have some history to it that made people sentimental about it? That’s the way art worked sometimes. But no. These people dealt in magic. This little chunk of amber must do something.
What?

I folded the sketch and handed it to Bryn, who put it in his pocket.

“I want to talk to Evie and Andre before we go,” I said.

Bryn and I stared at Anderson, who nodded. “They’re in the dining room. You may talk with them and eat if you like. I’ll get some ice for this,” he said, touching his cheek. He looked more amused than annoyed. I probably should’ve punched him harder.

“Um, yeah, sorry about that,” I said. “I’ve got kind of a bad temper sometimes.”

He smiled. “A lot of passion. Engaging, but dangerous. I worry that you won’t live a long life, but I think you’ll make something spectacular of it nonetheless.”

“Well, thanks . . . I guess.” I glanced to see what Bryn thought. He looked like he’d just popped a lemon drop. He reached a hand out and corralled me, putting me on the other side of him so he was between me and Anderson as we left the office.

“Does the WAM dining room serve dessert?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“Finally some good news!”

Bryn smiled, and Anderson laughed. I’m not sure why they thought that was funny. I was being completely serious.

*   *   *

CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYED
in the wood-paneled dining room. My grandma talked to Zach, while Edie and Andre sat half a table away, with Edie giving Grandma the occasional dirty look. I couldn’t blame her. My grandma had sold her out to give WAM more leverage over Bryn and me. I was beginning to understand why Momma and Aunt Mel had run away from home at a young age and never looked back.

I grabbed a fruit parfait and a slice of chocolate cake from the buffet, along with a spoon. Bryn poured coffee for himself, but didn’t get any food. Bad news kills some people’s appetites. Not mine.

Bryn quietly explained to Edie and Andre what had happened with Anderson. The color drained from Andre’s face, and I thought he might faint. Bryn put a hand on his shoulder and spoke to him earnestly in German. I smiled and nodded, even though I had no idea what Bryn was telling him.

Edie, however, never paled. There might have been a little extra color in her cheeks, but mostly she looked completely unruffled, even a little smug.

“Are you all right?” I whispered.

“Yes, darling. I’m fine. Lady Hurley went on the offensive. Not surprising. That’s our Josephine. You know, I always felt that Josephine was too romantic a name for her. She should’ve been a Katherine or an Elizabeth. Regal and ruthless, that’s her nature.”

“Do you think you can be okay here for a little while? Bryn says we don’t stand a chance of successfully fighting our way out right now.” I leaned so close my lips touched her ear, and I whispered so no one else would hear, “But if we can’t find what they want, you know I’ll come back anyway. And I’ll be back armed and ready to bust you out. No matter what it takes.”

“I know,” she said, and her hand pressed the side of my cheek to hold my face in place while she kissed the other side. “Let me see the artifact they want.”

Anderson had said to be discreet. Would he think Evangeline Rhodes should be told the mission’s details? I wasn’t sure. I turned and gave Bryn a hug, reaching inside his pocket and slipping the sketch out. I unfolded it on my lap so that it was hidden by the table.

Edie glanced down.

“Recognize it?” I asked.

“No, but from the look of it, the pendant is amber, which brings to mind the Hebrides Amber. It wasn’t actually from there, but the Scottish ghosts called it that because there was a battle in the Hebrides between wizards and faeries, and it was said to have been over a small chunk of amber with a dragonfly fossilized inside. The ghosts never found out what was so special about the fossil, but at the end of the battle there were dead witchfolk and even more dead fae. The faeries had been outnumbered, but fought anyway.”

Edie’s lashes fluttered as she recalled the story. “When the wizards won, they didn’t even stop to bury or collect their dead. Instead they raced south. Selkies came for the fallen fae and pulled them into the sea, but it was several days before witches and wizards came to claim the bodies of their people. It happened three hundred years ago, but the ghosts still discuss it because they’d never seen that kind of battle fought among the ruins.”

I chewed on my lip. President Anderson had said that anyone holding the artifact would be in danger. Was the danger from the faeries? If the artifact had something to do with the fae, maybe Momma or Aunt Melanie had come across it when trying to enter the Never. Was that possibly its purpose? To allow a human being to go underhill?

Or could the artifact have actually been found there in the Never? Maybe Aunt Mel had discovered it and recognized it as a witch artifact and brought it out with her. But wouldn’t she have mentioned that? And if she hadn’t turned it over to the World Association, wouldn’t she have brought it home to Duvall? Of course, she could’ve brought it to Texas and not told me; she and Momma had a habit of keeping secrets from me for my own protection.

I needed to talk to Aunt Mel right away. She had been working in her garden a lot since returning. Was the artifact buried there now? As a tin of pixie dust had once been?

“What’s going on?” Zach asked, standing over us. I looked up.

“Hey, there,” I said, slipping my left hand under the table.

“No point hiding the ring now. That cat’s out of the bag,” he said grimly.

“Sorry I didn’t warn you,” I said softly.

“Ain’t no big thing.” He shrugged and turned to Edie. “So I hear you’re gonna stay here, Beads, to do some research?”

Edie snorted. “Research? That’s rich.” Then she shrugged as if she didn’t care. “Let them say what they like. Yes, I’m staying. The biscuit and her candylegger can fill you in.”

“Nah, I’ll stay, too. We’ll catch up with them.”

Edie shook her head. “No, you might be needed.”