The Moonstone (Enchantment Book 1) (31 page)

"No Fury, don't eat the flowers," says Black, tapping his horse on the flanks. Without warning, he takes me in his arms, a smile on his face and tosses me up onto the horse's back. I move as far as I can from him, hoping he'll grab me again, which he does, almost mechanically, pulling me to him once more.

"Thank you, Malorie. Until next time!" says Black to his friend, who enters the cave as we leave.

Fury accelerates quickly to a gallop and takes off. Never will I tire of that euphoric feeling. The sun is hot and the sky is entirely clear. This reminds me of summertime car rides taken in my father's convertible during our traditional summer vacations in Cape Cod. I feel free for a moment as if anything were possible. In fact, that has never been so true for me. Maybe not regarding liberty, but there are certainly infinite possibilities that are opening to me.

"I want to show you a place I love. Down, Fury."

The horse does as he’s told, circling in his descent before finally landing next to a stunning waterfall that ends in a small body of water. Everything is well hidden by the trees; it’s like a lost paradise. There doesn't seem to be any path nearby. I imagine this spot is far off the beaten path, far from civilization.

"I love coming here when I have the need to be alone."

"Which means...all the time? From what I’ve gathered so far, you're not generally in the mood for company."

"That's true, but here I’m utterly alone. You’re the first person who I've ever brought here. Actually, I come here to practice my melodies in the hopes of putting young girls like you under my spell."

He says this while smirking as if to hold back a smile. He looks so normal and so young when he lets down his walls. I would love to see him laugh more often. I will make it my mission, even if his joke was in bad taste.

"Can you show me some of the melodies you practice here?"

"Oh, so the little rabbit is curious, is she? Well, you asked for it."

He takes off his shirt and my heart stops. He goes over to the edge of the water and dives in, swims over to a rock that emerges from the surface of the water right in the middle of the pond. Seeing his dripping body and hair coming out of the water leaves me breathless. He’s so perfect in so many ways and the fact that he’s now unattainable only makes me want him more. He gets up and offers me a big smile, and then he starts to hum. The waterfall separates in two and the edges rise up into the air, forming two arms that encircle the lake at Black's height. The spectacle is beautiful. He continues with his soft, enchanting melody and the trees begin to waltz from left to right, following his movements and his voice. I hear the sounds of the forest and in a few moments, we have an audience. Raccoons, rabbits, deer, mice and other animals of the forest surround us. In one last movement, a cloud of flowers floats in the air like a million confetti that dance and frolic in the wind. The scene is magical and worthy of a fairy tale.

"Come and join me," shouts Black.

"No way! I don't want to undress in front of you."

He smiles and whistles again. That's when two deer walk toward me and push me right into the lake. Black bursts out laughing, proud of his joke.

"It was perfect until you went and spoiled it all. Now I'm soaked!"

"Oh, the little rabbit is mad," he says, diving into the water. The enchanted decor returns to its original form. He joins me again in a couple of strokes.

"So, how is the water, Miss Mills?"

I spray him in response and he grabs my hand in the air. He holds it and rubs the inside of my forearm with his other hand.

"You have so much power for such a fragile body."

I pull my hand away before feeling any more hurt. I need to remind myself that he has another woman in mind. Nothing he says can touch me or I’ll be forever condemned. I see that my rude gesture surprises him, but it's as if he realizes the same thing and backs off.

"I brought you here to practice your skills, Lou, so get up on the rock."

I swim over to the rock and try as best I can to pull myself out of the water, but can't manage the height. Black whistles and one of the overhanging tree branches stretches out to form a lever to help raise me up. His gift is obviously more than practical. It will certainly be useful to have him as a sixth team member when we go off in search of the Emerald Tablet. However, I highly doubt he accepts being more than a sponsor. I grab onto the branch and pull myself easily up onto the rock.

"Ok, now what do I do, professor?"

"Start by using your primary gift. Tell me exactly what you can do."

“Well, I know how to freeze time for about one minute, on a distance of around ten feet, at most. I can throw balls of energy, and I can throw a few of them before tiring myself out. Finally, I can go back in time. Actually, I only ever did that once, but I need a negative emotion to do that and I don’t feel like trying it again.”

“Ok, so for the moment, no time travel. But I think it might be a great advantage to finding the tablet, eventually. Show me one of those balls of energy you mentioned and try to create the largest one you can. Aim for that dead tree there.”

He points to a rotting tree that is located quite far away. I concentrate all my energy and send a huge ball that splits the tree in half.

“Impressive, I think you’ve mastered that portion of your gift well. Now, let’s take a look at your Moonstone skills. Usually, you could repel any other skills attacks, and sometimes even from those who are using their primary gift. We know that you’ve the gift of fire attack, since you grilled the chupacabra and we also know you can use an ice attack thanks to your freezing of the mud man. There are still three other signs. For the Earth sign, you can either speak to animals or provoke an earthquake. Try to make the earth shake. You do it the same way you use your other gifts, but instead of imagining a ball of energy, imagine the result you’re trying to achieve.”

I concentrate and feel a sort of tingling in my feet. I push that sensation into the rock at my feet, which begins to tremble. Ever so softly at first, and then finally, a couple of rocks fall from above the waterfall.

“Careful, Lou. You’ll crush us! Good, well we know that you can do it. As for the Air gift, you can either soar or create small storms. First try flying. You do the same as you did with the earthquake, but this time, you imagine little clouds floating out in front of the rock and these will prevent you from falling into the water.”

I can’t see any clouds, but I try harder to imagine them and decide to try my luck. I walk into the empty space in front of me and quickly finish my journey with a descent into the water.

“Ok, so that’s not your gift, obviously. Start again, but this time, try to create a storm.”

I get back up on the rock and imagine the air turning around me. The wind whistles by my ears and finally starts to spin as if I were in the eye of a storm. The more I concentrate, the stronger it gets.

“Stop!” yells Black.

I end it instantly and I can see Black, thoroughly soaked, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes.

“So, was that ok?”

“Ok? More like excellent! For the gift associated with your Ether sign we’ll practice later, because, if Malorie is correct and you received a bit of your mother’s talent, we’ll need peace and quiet. I’ve one more challenge for you before we return to the manor.”

I get back up on the rock, once again grabbing on to the branch.

“I’m listening.”

“Try to combine the four attacks and create a super storm. To do this, you must send a bit of energy to each gift and then, once they’re in communion, you go full throttle and give it all you’ve got. Concentrate and respect the limits of the lake for your storm. We wouldn’t want you to create something too strong. Just give me a moment to get out of the water.”

He winks at me and gets out of the water in the blink of an eye. I think about each of my gifts, starting with the wind that begins to blow around me. Then I add hail for the ice, followed by sparks that fill the air. I finish off with an earthquake and then I push the whole thing to the limit. From the inside, the storm is hallucinating and I can see how this will be more than useful. I’m so anxious to show this to my team. Black lets me continue with my spell for another few moments before finally asking me to stop. As soon as I do, the whole storm ends. I can feel myself weaken and then I slip into the water.

I wake up in my bed, dressed in my nightgown, cuddled up under the covers. Black is sitting on the same seat as this morning, still staring at me in the same way.

“How do you feel?” he asks, his voice tinged with worry.

“Were you the one who changed me?”

“That’s not really important, how are you, Lou?”

“It’s crucial to me. Was it you?”

“You’re utterly exhausted. I pushed you much too far. I’m so sorry.”

I’m too tired to argue with him about how I got into my pajamas.

“What time is it?”

“It’s midnight.”

“Midnight! I told Zach I would join him at the stables. I need to contact him now.”

“Don’t worry about it. Rest, it’s all taken care of.”

“Why am I under the impression I won’t be happy with how you did that?”

“Zach came by earlier because he hadn’t heard from you. He arrived when I was taking you off Fury’s back and he got angry. I explained what happened. I agreed not to push you so hard in future. I think he really does care for you. It was him who dressed you and tucked you in.”

Zach…I can imagine how frightened he must’ve been when he saw me unconscious in Black’s arms.

“He insisted that he wants to continue combat lessons with you, so I told him to come here every morning. I hope you know how much it hurts my pride to allow that.”

I know he means it; he hates Zach. He’s doing all this for me, which is strange, coming from him.

“He wants you to contact him as soon as you get up. You can join me downstairs for supper when you’re ready. I imagine you’re starving.”

Black helps me out of the bed and together we walk towards the kitchen. He opens a door to a room filled with the most appetizing pastries I’ve ever seen. I opt for my favorite chocolate croissant.

“I make a mean hot chocolate if you’re interested.”

“What a question? Only if you add mini marshmallows.”

He takes a bag full of multicolored marshmallows out of the cupboard. I watch him while he takes down a copper pot with one hand and a bottle of milk in the other. He works in such a practiced and methodical manner, even his way of making hot chocolate is done in his own particular way. He mixes the few ingredients and stirs continuously as they heat up. To see him in his boxers and tank top, busily working to make me a delicious drink makes me envy the woman I’m determined to save. What girl wouldn’t want a gorgeous man in boxers ready to do anything for her? I need to break the silence before my blood pressure increases any further.

“Should I tell my team about the Moonstone?”

“Of course, you’ll have to tell them eventually, but you should wait until after the team creation ceremony. At that point, they’ll have sworn a vow to help the team and they’ll be obligated to you. Only then will we know that you can actually put your trust in them. Until then, let’s just keep this between you and me, ok?”

I nod and he serves me hot chocolate garnished with marshmallows. I take a sip and, given its richness, the chocolate ends up all over the lower part of my face.

Black walks around the central kitchen island and joins me. He extends his arm and wipes the chocolate from my lips with his thumb. Oh my God…why? If only he weren't so charming.

“I think you should go back to sleep. Charles is coming to see you tomorrow, isn’t he?”

“Yes, you’re right. Thanks for the chocolate. I’ll bring the rest with me.”

“Good night, Lou. Have nice dreams! I put the elixir under your pillow, so try to take control of your dreams, ok?”

“Perfect! See you tomorrow.”

I walk back up to my room. Before lying down for the night, I answer Zach’s text.

*
Everything’s fine. Thanks for tucking me in, but you shouldn’t have changed me, shameful!*

He answers me right away as if he’d been waiting for my response.

*
There’s nothing shameful about it; I sacrificed myself for the cause. I didn’t look; don’t worry. There was no way I was going to let Black do it. So, tell me, are you feeling any better?*

*
Yes, please don’t worry; I’m fine. I pushed myself to the limit. I wish you could have been there to see what I did.*

*
I’m sure you were great, as usual!*

*I’m going to bed now; I’m wiped. Tomorrow I’m going to spend the day with Charles and then I promise I’ll meet you at the stables.*

“But then Alice said if the world makes absolutely no sense, who stops us from inventing a new one?”
Lewis Carroll

I can feel someone shaking me. Not another chupacabra! I open my eyes, ready to attack, but instead I see that it’s Merlin who’s licking my nose.

“Come on, little groundhog, it’s time to get up!” says Flicka, clapping her hands.

“You promised me breakfast and I think you’ve a lot of things to tell me, don’t you?” she continues, crossing her arms across her chest.

“How did you manage to find me?”

She jumps onto the bed beside me.

“Well, as my friend was too busy to give me her news, I was forced to go and ask Zach.”

Oh, oh! I presume he didn’t paint a rosy picture.

“Oh, really? What did he tell you?”

“Well, he didn’t go into details, but he wasn’t looking thrilled. I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t forget me, so I harassed Black until he opened the door. I must say that he was pretty groggy, given the way that he received me at the door. Wow! That man in boxers, yummy! Ok, little devil, from seeing his sleepy face and now yours, I presume that neither of you got much sleep,” she says, poking me in the ribs.

“It’s not what you think. He and I will never be a couple, he’s egocentric, vain and controlling, not at all my type.”

That’s a lie, but I want to make sure not to give anything away to my friend. At the same instant, I look to the half open door and see Black, who seems to be listening to the conversation. He’s certainly not pleased by what he hears; then he goes into his room and shuts the door.

“You can say what you want, but I’m very intuitive. You two are electric!” She says, apparently not impressed by my speech.

“Ok, let’s go eat, I’m starving! Charles told me that he’ll come meet us at around eleven o’clock and he asked me to bring you to The Sweet Cauldron, you’ll see, you’ll love it there.

Just the name of the place makes me salivate.

“Where should we go while we wait?”

“Well, Black asked his cook Justin to make us waffles, it seems that you like them and he wasn’t keen on the two of us going out somewhere. You might be right about the fact that he’s controlling…”

“Ok, well let’s not waste time. You’ll see… Justin really does make the best waffles in the world!”

“Wait! Yesterday I went shopping with Pax and I found a bunch of great outfits. Since you’re staying here now, I hung them all in your closet. Go get dressed and meet me back here.”

I quickly find the clothing and put on one of the outfits she picked out for me. The door opens just as I’m doing up the last button. Black enters and closes the door behind him.

“Lou, I don’t want your tribe ending up here at all hours, is that clear? Also, I’ll keep at a distance during lunch, but I want you to come back at around two p.m. because we need to do more training.”

By the tone of his voice, I can tell he’s rather angry. I get the impression that the cold and insensitive Black is back. There’s no way I want to go back there, so we must find a way to get along if I’m to stay in his ivory tower. I have to put him in his place.

“I’ll come back when I’m good and ready! I’m neither your employee nor your slave. You chose to cast this stupid spell on me, but I won’t be the one to suffer the consequences. Also, if I must stay here, my friends will come and see me whenever they want.”

Wow! I can’t believe I said that to him. Given the fact that he’s gritting his teeth, I get the impression he isn’t used to being put in his place. He leaves and goes back into his room without a word; another point for me, Mr. Black.

I go downstairs and find Flicka, who isn’t in the dining room, but actually in the kitchen trying to help Justin make breakfast.

“I know his secret recipe for such tasty waffles. Justin told me. However, I promised not to tell you and I’ll take the secret to my grave. Justin is a master of potions like Charles but his specialty is the subtlety of food combining. Everything he makes becomes a work of art. Cool, isn’t it?”

That’s the Flicka I know. I admire her for her ease of getting close to people. Anyways, Justin’s gift explains why everything he makes is absolutely delicious!

“Thanks, Justin, it looks really great, as usual.”

“Come on, Lou. Let’s go eat in the garden. Black told me it’s beautiful out there.”

We go out to the back of the house and it is indeed spectacular. A small cobblestone path leads us to a large pond inside of which is a fountain and a pair of majestic black swans. Nearby is a pergola that shelters a small white metal table with chairs and soft, comfortable cushions. I find the contrast impressive, from the dark and creepy manor to this area that is light and lively.

“So, will you tell me what’s going on here? I’m dying to know and you’ve made me wait since yesterday. You know how curious I am!”

I would really love to tell her the whole truth; she is my friend after all. But I think she would be too tied up with the whole Moonstone idea and I don’t want to risk her telling the other members of the team before the selection ceremony. So I’ll keep myself to the strict minimum.

“Ok, Black saw the progress I was making and the extent of my talents. He was impressed by what I did to the chupacabra and the Chimera and he thinks that it would be good for me to follow an accelerated course with him. He asked me to live here because he has an impressive personal library with a section dedicated to time control. As I don’t like Bethany much anyways and, as you saw, Justin is an amazing chef, I figured it would be a good idea. Of course, I’ll have to put up with his character, but if that means I become a better magician, why not?”

She looks at me as if she’s trying to spot a crack in my story, then finally she smiles.

“Perfect! Anyways, you’ll be more comfortable here than at the Academy. I’m a little disappointed you decided to come here, and not to my house, but, whatever…seeing Black in his pajamas is reason enough.”

“That’s not it at all!”

“Whatever…let’s eat, I could eat a horse.”

We spend a couple hours talking about all and nothing like two friends do when they get together on a Sunday morning. She tells me about her day with Pax the day before and how much he makes her laugh. Those two are so naïve and don’t even notice the interest that the other one has. For Pax, it’s obvious, but for Flicka, I think she doesn’t want to admit it to herself. If you ask me, she reads too many books and imagines herself with a knight in shining armor, if that concept even exists anymore in the world of enchanters. I think that Pax would make a good candidate for sure, but more in the style of a windsurfing ninja!

“Ok, well it’s time to go! Charles will be waiting for you at the restaurant.”

“Let me just go and warn Black.”

“What? You need to ask permission to leave? That’s cute. You just keep on telling me how there’s nothing between the two of you!”

“There’s nothing at all. I just don’t want him searching for me, that’s all, and that’s the only reason. I live in his house now, I’m only being polite.”

I go into the manor and spot Black, who seems to have been snooping on us through the dayroom window.

“I’m leaving for the restaurant now. Is the Sweet Cauldron less than a hundred feet from here?”

He has his hands behind his back. He’s carefully dressed in a double-breasted jacket.

“No, I’ll follow you. I have a few things to pick up on that street, so I’ll join you later.”

“What? No, you won’t join us. Tell me where you’ll be and I’ll be the one to come and find you!”

“I want to speak to Charles, so I’ll come and join you. That’s non-negotiable.”

“Fine.”

I turn and leave immediately; I don’t feel like looking at him for a minute longer. He exasperates me. As soon as he scores points with me, then he quickly reminds me why I hate him.

I join Flicka and together we walk to the restaurant. I’m happy to be able to walk since I miss the way I used to go to and from the library daily. I haven’t had time to walk since my arrival in the city.

We turn on to a small, cobblestone pedestrian street that snakes its way gently up a slight rise. The street is full of restaurants and small stores. I notice many boutiques with signs representing the various elements in front of each store. I search each one until I finally spot one with the Ether symbol on the sign. The store is called Space-Time; I make a mental note to visit there soon.

We arrive at our destination. The Sweet Cauldron is a bubblegum pink building with lime green shutters. The interior is as ridiculous as the exterior. The tables are of varying colors and shapes. Along the wall are long benches covered in turquoise fun fur that looks very inviting. The décor is perfect for a morning because it certainly succeeds in waking you up! I see my friend at the other end, waving us over to him. He’s hard to miss; with his subdued colors, he really stands out from the surroundings.

“Charles!” I rush over to him and give him a big hug. Seeing his familiar face is reassuring.

“Darling, how are you? And you Flicka, how are you? I thought I might be able to see your father, but he’s already back in Bermuda.”

“You know how your brother is, Uncle; ‘Work, work and more work’. Ok, I’m going to leave you two. Pax and I are going to do a marathon of Chinese movies! He promised I would love them, which I highly doubt, but in exchange, next weekend, we’ll do a marathon of comedies. So…ok, well, bye! Lou, call me.”

With that, Flicka leaves, waving her hand and shouting her goodbyes as she rushes out the door.

“Well Lou, how are you? Tell me, what did Black do now that he knows everything?”

“Well, he asked me to come and live with him because he wants to take charge of my training. He also wants to sponsor our mission, in exchange for a service.”

Charles rubs his chin distractedly.

“A service? What sort of service could he want?”

“He wants me to rescue his wife who’s imprisoned in the Underworld.”

“Wow! I didn’t see that coming. Who knew he actually had a heart?”

“You’re right, it’s hard to believe.”

A waitress arrives at our table. Her outfit matches perfectly with the ambiance of the restaurant. She’s wearing a uniform that looks somewhat like a sexy witch costume, the kind you see at Halloween parties. Her lime green wig matches her long striped stockings of the same color.

“What can I bring you today?”

“We’ll have a house special with two cotton candy milkshakes.”

I shrug, best to let him choose; he knows the place better than I do.

“You’ll see, it’s a delicacy. There’s nothing better in the city. Ok, so do you think we can trust Black? Are you sure about accepting his offer?”

“Yes, we can trust him. I think he wants the quest to be successful as much as we do, so he should be an asset.”

“Perfect, that’s what I hoped! You didn’t tell Flicka, did you?”

“No, I didn’t tell anyone other than Zach and Black. I want to wait until the team is completely formed before letting them know.”

“Speaking of your team, have you figured out who you want to pick?”

“Yes, I’ve already chosen, more or less. I have Flicka and her skills as a healer for the Earth sign, Pax, who comes from China for Air sign. He creates mirages, hallucinations and floats in the air.”

“Pax, that’s the one who’s going to watch movies with Flicka, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s the one. They’re pretty chummy now.”

“Good. The more solid your team is, the better. And who have you chosen as the two other members?”

“They are twins; there’s Éloï, who is Water sign and who has the gift of highly developed senses and her brother Pyros who’s giving me nothing but headaches so far. He’s Fire sign and his gift is the creation of enchanted weapons. You should see his Swiss Army knife, it’s really cool!”

“That’s an impressive team you’ve created, Lou. I’m really proud of you. I’m excited to meet them all.”

His relaxed attitude reassures me, he makes me feel as if it will all work out no matter what. I need to think like him more often, it's so much less complicated to not question everything.

The waitress arrives with what looks like a smoking volcano. The dessert is made of chocolate cake and the inside is a steaming mass of molten red icing. She provides us with two spoons, but if you ask me, she could have brought ten for the size of it. Out of the corner of my eye I spot Charles' grin as he watches the short hemline of the waitress walk away...oh my goodness, Charles! She then returns with our milkshakes in hand.

"Enjoy! Can I bring you a little brown sugar to sprinkle on the top?"

"Oh, yes please!" I quickly answer.

She comes back with what, in any human restaurant, would normally be a large peppershaker and grinds some brown sugar over the top of the volcano.

"I'll let you have the honor of taking the first bite," says Charles, inviting me with a wave of his hand. I understand, from the envious look on his face, that this is one of his favorite dishes.

I take the big spoon and gobble some up gladly. That’s when I spot Black make his entrance, smirking at my display of gluttony. I suddenly realize that the portion I bit off is a little too big and I feel some of it trying to escape my mouth. Feeling childish, I turn away to minimize the embarrassment.