WINDOWS: A BROKEN FAIRY TALE (9 page)

“Like this,
see.”
 
Raven held up the paper that had
the word “human” written on it.
 
Elspeth
and Stephen nodded and the redhead continued her report.

“When I cast the
spell on Cassandra, this is what I saw.”
 
Raven breathed softly on the paper and the ink slowly disappeared.
 
“Nothing, just a blank piece of paper.
 
The Prime Minister is alive, in the technical
sense of the word.
 
She breathes, she
moves but I can’t sense anything else about her.”

The atmosphere,
heated with the arguments of a loving family, chilled noticeably with Raven’s
next statement.
 
“My guess is that she’s
an automaton.”

Stephen measured
his next words carefully.
 
“Raven, are
you certain about this?”
 
There had been
cases of automatons, bodies built for work with no free will, in the distant
past but that kind of dark magic was long forbidden.
 
If the Protectorate had one posing as the
Prime Minister things were going to get very bad.

After considering
what saying yes would mean, Raven told them.
 
“I’m not certain that Casey is an automaton, but if not the fact is that
someone in the Protectorate is strong enough to mask their spells from me.
 
For someone that powerful, creating
artificial life would be easy.”

“Very well, you
may leave, Branwyen.
 
Be on time for
supper.”
 
Elspeth turned back to the
papers on her desk, not letting her worry show.
 
Raven hopped out of the chair and all but sprinted out the door to see
what Bekah was up to.

After the doors
closed and they were alone, Elspeth spoke quietly.
 
“Do you trust her, Stephen?”

“I believe she’s
telling the truth about the Prime Minister.
 
Raven wouldn’t lie about that.”

“That’s not what I
mean.
 
Do you think Branwyen is the one?”

“I don’t know,
Elspeth, I just don’t know.”

           
Sarah
followed Liz through the door to the dining room, fully expecting to be shocked
again by the overindulgence of the aristocracy but was shocked by something
else entirely.
 
They were acting like
normal people.
 
She figured there would
be fancy gowns, huge platters of food and a very formal atmosphere.
 
There was plenty to eat but the ambiance was
warm and loving.

           
Raven
and Bekah sat side-by-side, of course, gesturing towards Mandy and a man Sarah
hadn’t met before.
 
Duchess Chandlish and
Stephen were sitting at either end of the table.

           
Sarah
sat between Raven and Stephen while Liz took the chair directly across from
her.
 
Elspeth, between small burst of
tinkling laughter, welcomed her to their home.
 
Mandy introduced her husband, Brian; a handsome man with short, sandy
blonde hair and an air of supreme confidence.
 
Raven gave her hand a reassuring squeeze under the table.
 
For some reason Sarah was sorry when she let
go.

           
“So
what are we talking about?”
 
Liz asked
after she filled her plate.

           
“Those
two,” Mandy jerked her chin towards Raven and Bekah, “think I should kill Brian
for the life insurance.”

           
“It’s
a silly idea.”
 
Elspeth interjected from
the head of the table.

           
“Thanks
mom!”
 
Mandy stuck her tongue out at her
two redhead sisters who started pouting.

           
Elspeth
took a drink before finishing, “It will take at least a year for that policy to
mature.
 
He can have his accident
then.”
 

The whole table
burst into renewed laughter.
 
Bekah and
Raven started discussing, rather loudly, the type of accident it should
be.
 
Brian flung green peas at them when
he thought Elspeth wasn’t looking, while Mandy asked Sarah a million questions
about blacksmithing.
 
Stephen and Liz
tried telling everyone to keep the ruckus to a minimum but nobody paid them any
attention.

For someone who
grew up with only one parent, the high spirited meal surprised Sarah.
 
Afterwards she would remember it as one of
the most enjoyable dinners she ever had, though she couldn’t recall anything
she ate.

           
After
dinner the four sisters joined Sarah in her room, shooing the maids away.
 
The covers were already turned down and a
pitcher of water and a glass sat on the nightstand.

           
“If
you need anything, Sarah, just pull this string.”
 
Mandy pointed to a chord hanging near the corner
of the bed.
 
“Someone will be right up.”

           
“Do
you want anything to read?”
 
Liz kept a
weary eye on Raven and Bekah who were trying to look innocent at the foot of
the bed.

           
“No,
thank you.
 
I’m really tired so I think
I’ll just go to sleep.”
 
Sarah felt
strangely light as the excitement of the day finally caught up with her.
 
How she was going to sleep in this luxury
after spending most of her life in near poverty she wasn’t exactly sure, but
figured it would be worth a shot.

           
Liz
turned on the two conspirators.
 
“I have
to be in court at nine in the morning.
 
If there are explosions, screams or disturbances of any sort during the
night, I’m holding you two responsible.
 
Are we clear?”

           
Bekah
found something interesting to look at on the ceiling.
 
Raven hurriedly wiped something off the bed
post they were standing beside.
 
Sarah
didn’t want to know what they had been planning so she ignored them.
 
Confident yet another disaster had been
averted, Liz ushered everyone out of the room.

           
After
they left, Sarah got into her pajamas and was fast asleep no sooner than her
head hit the pillow.
 
If she had bothered
to glance out the window, she would have seen Bryson flying past the castle carrying
two passengers.

 
          
“So
what do you think, Sis?”
 
Raven asked
Bekah as they flew towards a small group of mountains to the right of the
castle.

           
Bekah
shrugged her shoulders and grunted.
 
“It’s your call.
 
I just think we
shouldn’t tell anybody until the problem is a bit more under control.”

           
Raven
breathed deeply, the wind whipping into her face was cool and refreshing but
she was unhappy about what she had to do.
 
After a few moments she broached the subject again.
 
“She handled meeting Bryson rather well,
don’t you think handsome?”
 
She gave the
neck of the dragon a friendly pat as he swung his head to look at his two
riders.

           
“Well
unlike some people she didn’t scream bloody murder and start shouting ‘Send it
back!
 
Send it back!’.”
 
Rows of sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight
when Bryson smiled, giving Bekah a knowing wink.

           
“You
threatened to eat me, you great silly lizard!”
 
Raven chided him.

           
“Fine,
we’ll tell her when the time is right.
 
Let her get settled in first though.”
 
Bekah hugged Raven tighter as the dragon landed gently in a moon bathed
clearing.
 
Warily Bekah slid from the
reptilian back and started an incantation she unfortunately knew by heart.
 
When that was done, she placed her hand on a
small stone that jutted out of the ground.
 
A line of fire raced over the clearing floor, crossing over itself several
times until a large rune, drawn in flames, covered the clearing.

           
Raven
gave Bryson a hug and the two sisters disappeared into a cavern that gaped
opened in the middle of the ground.

CHAPTER
8: WELCOME HOME

           
The girl yawned and stretched.
 
Normally she would be reading or dancing or
pretty much anything but she was exhausted.
 
Glancing around her stone sanctum she noticed five of the eight windows
were all that were open but only one staying closed really didn’t bother
her.
 
She had expected more to remain
shuttered given how long it had been but she was lucky.
 
This meant they had a little more time to fix
the problem.
 
And really, she thought to
herself, time is all we have.

           
The shadow pulsed and writhed in the
back, constantly watching the pale girl, alert for any signs of weakness.

           
“Didn’t
you sleep well?”
 
Sarah asked Raven, who
was looking paler than normal.
 
It was
almost noon but the redhead still had pouches the size of duffle bags under her
eyes.

           
“Sis
and I stayed up talking most of the night.”
 
Raven yawned and beckoned for another cup of coffee which the maid
hastily provided.

           
“Where
is she?”
 
Sarah briefly saw Duchess
Chandlish and Stephen walking through the castle but other than that hadn’t
seen any of the family all morning.
 
The
help led her to where ever she needed to go.

           
“She
had to go into the office this morning.
 
A huge business merger is on the blocks and since she’s the Vice
President, she’s got to be there.”
 
Raven
drained the last of her fourth cup and stretched.
 
“Anyway, we’ve got to go look at our new shop
if you’re interested in seeing it.”

           
Sarah
gave an enthusiastic yes; her excitement over seeing the new shop making her
forget to ask what Bekah was Vice President of.
 
Raven told the serving girl to have a car brought around front.

           
The
driver slowly guided the car through busy streets as Sarah craned her neck to
look at all the stores and people.
 
She
had never been outside of Vestavia and the difference in the two cities was
staggering.
 
The buildings were made of
stone, just like in Vestavia, but even in the similarities there were
distinctions.
 
In her home town the rock
was, in general, a uniform slate color darkened by years of soot released from
the nearby factories.
 
The buildings in
Valentria were made of rock various shades of brown, giving the town a
cheerful, friendly feel.
 
They passed
brightly colored signs for restaurants, magic shops and a few book stores.
 
She saw one family eating ice cream at a
table in front of a small café.
 
At
another intersection a group of girls were giggling and pointing towards a
poster advertising a band playing at a local club.

           
“We’re
here.”
 
Raven’s voice brought Sarah out
of her own world.
 
She slid out of the
car and blinked.
 
The two story building
was made of a tan brick with two large windows on either side of brown double
doors and three smaller windows over those.

           
She
was still gazing upwards at her new home when Raven shoved a key into her hand.

           
“Go
ahead and open it up.”
 
The redhead
grinned.
 
“You have to take me on a
tour.”

           
Sarah
wasted no time in throwing open the doors and exploring with Raven right behind
her.
 
The front room was the width of the
building and there were shelves and racks lining the walls.
 
A large L-shaped glass counter was attached to
the back wall with another door behind it.
 
The two girls wandered around the room for a minute before going into
the back.

           
Sarah
fell in love.
 
She darted back and forth
in the smithy, wanting to try out all of the new equipment but almost afraid to
touch anything.
 
There was a forge in the
back that appeared to never have been lit.
 
Various tools of her trade hung, gleaming new, on the walls.
 
Near the kiln was a grate in the floor so she
wouldn’t have to lug out the dirty water when she was done cooling the
metal.
 
Oh she had made the right
decision in moving here.
 
Oh yes she had.

           
“So
you like it?”
 

She had completely
forgotten Raven was here.
 
Quickly Sarah
led her friend to everything in the shop and described their uses.
 
Raven just grinned and nodded.
 

“Where will you
work?”
 
Sarah wanted to know, not seeing
any place that wasn’t designed for a smithy’s use.

           
Raven
opened a small door with a rune on it across the room from the forge.
 
Sarah looked inside.
 
It was windowless with lamps attached to
either side of a small table.
 
Delicate,
dark red gemstone tipped instruments made from a metal Sarah had never seen
before sat on the table while shelves marked with words she couldn’t understand
lined one wall.
 
Then there were the
runes.
 
They were inscribed all over the
walls, the floor and even the ceiling.
 
No inch of the room was unmarked.
 
When Sarah asked about them Raven took a deep breath as if trying to
find the right words.

           
“Do
you know how to use a Congreve crystal?”
 
Raven asked.
 
When Sarah shook her
head, Raven tugged off a slender necklace, pulling a bluish crystal about the
size of her thumb from her shirt.
 
She
handed the stone to Sarah. “Concentrate on Sis then say her name.”

Sarah did as she
was instructed, thinking all the while she must look awfully foolish when
unexpectedly the face of Rebekah Chandlish appeared in the crystal.
 
She almost dropped it when she heard Bekah’s
voice.

“Hey Sarah.
 
How do you like your new shop?”

“Uhmmm…. It’s just
fine, thanks.”
 
Sarah had no idea what she
had just done or what to do next so she stood there staring.

The image of
Rebekah spoke again.
 
“Glad to see Sis is
teaching you how to use that thing.
 
Tell
her if you have to use it again, she’s dead.
 
Take care.”
 
And with that, the
image faded and Sarah hurriedly handed the necklace back to Raven as though it
might break.

Raven put the
jewel back into its resting spot.
 
“The
runes and congreve crystal are here in case of an accident.
 
Sarah, if you ever find this door locked and
my necklace hanging on the front, you must promise me that you will not try to
open it no matter what you hear or how much I beg.
 
Take the stone and leave the shop
immediately.
 
Call Sis and tell her what
happened.
 
She’ll get in touch with
Bryson and they’ll know what to do.”

           
Sarah
was confused and started to ask why but Raven grabbed both of her hands and
stared directly into her eyes.

           
“Promise
me, Sarah.”

           
The
blonde wanted to say something else but couldn’t.
 
For the first time since they met, there was
pain in Raven’s face.
 
Sarah promised.

           
“Well,
let’s go see where we sleep.”
 
Instantly
the smile was back and Raven dragged Sarah up a small flight of steps in a back
corner of the shop.

           
At
the top of the stairs was a kitchen with a brand new stove and
refrigerator.
 
A polished metal sink
glinted under a small window.
 
Past a
small counter was the living room, which was spacey with wood floors and
another window looking out over the bustling streets below.
 
The ceiling was higher than she thought it
would be which made the cavernous room feel even larger.

           
There
were three bedrooms.
 
Two, as Raven was
quick to point out, were the same size and located next to each other.
 
Both bedrooms had a private bath and
closet.
 
The third bedroom, smaller but
still larger than where Sarah used to sleep, was across the hallway from the
bedroom Raven picked out.
 
“In case Sis
wants to sleep over.”
 
The redhead
explained.
 
A guest bathroom was located
at the far end of the hallway.

           
All in all, Sarah was more than
delighted in her new home and wasn’t in any hurry to leave.
 
“It’s wonderful.”

“So anything else
you want to know before we go shopping?”
 
Raven leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed her arms.

“Well,” Sarah had
been curious about one thing since the night they met but never really got the
chance to ask about it.
 
“I would like to
know how you inscribe runes.”

Raven nodded and
motioned for Sarah to follow her.
 
The
girls went down stairs and stopped in front of a small, square door Sarah
hadn’t noticed earlier.
 
Squatting down
Raven tugged on the handle, pulling out a small metal box with thick cables
attached to it.

“This is a Cowley
stone.”
 

Sarah nodded like
that explained anything while she stared at the dark red stone.
 
“Okay.”

“Cowley stones are
what power everything.
 
Cars, lights, you
name it and these little boogers run it.”

“That tells me
nothing, Raven.”

Raven cast a
sideways glance at Sarah.
 
“You need to
learn a little bit of patience, you know.”

“You need to stop
being so frustrating, you know.”
 
Sarah
retorted.

“True.
 
Well how about this.”
 
Raven placed her hand on the stone and closed
her eyes.
 
The hair on Sarah’s neck and
arms stood up as an invisible force brushed against her.
 
The stone started glowing under Raven’s
touch.

When Raven
finished, she stood up and closed the door.
 
“Cowley stones can store energy.
 
When I inscribe a rune, I’m using this,” the sorceress held up a pen
sized metal object, “to put finely ground Cowley dust into the scratches.
 
It’s simply a matter of how the magic should
be shaped when figuring out what kind of rune I want.”

Since her question
had finally been answered, and feeling the subject was a bit boring, Sarah
asked what they were going to do about furniture.
 
Raven grinned and suggested a shopping trip.

The next three days
passed quickly.
 
The furniture they
purchased had been delivered the next day and they spent another day and a half
arranging and rearranging everything until they were both satisfied.
 
The stuff in the living room was mostly Sarah’s
decision since Raven tried to buy everything purple she could get her hands
on.
 
Sarah thought to ask Raven, once, if
they had to pay off the debt.
 
Raven told
her that each of the Chandlish daughters had a trust fund set up for when they
moved out of the castle.
 
Sarah decided
to not ask exactly how much they’d spent, figuring the answer would just
depress her.

Finally, the day
after they were done setting up the shop and apartment, Sarah was ready to get
started on work but Raven had other ideas.

“You haven’t even
seen Valentria yet!”
 
She was rocking
back and forth on her heels, eager to show Sarah around town.

“We’ve been
shopping and have to get started if you want to make any money.”
 
Sarah explained things in very simple
terms.
 
A useful trick necessary to
combat Raven’s extraordinarily short attention span.
  

           
Raven
ran forward and pulled on Sarah’s arm but the blonde held her ground.
 
“I’m serious.
 
We have to focus on getting the shop in order.”

           
Raven
rolled her eyes.
 
“Look, the grand
opening is in three weeks, right?”

           
“Right.”

           
“And
how long does it take you to make a sword and shield?”

           
“A
day for the sword, another for the shield.
 
Why?”

           
As
she talked Raven ticked off the points on her fingers, “It will take me one,
maybe two, days to inscribe each of those.
 
Then we have to force-- err-- convince Stephen
to wear the sword out in public to build up some interest.
 
While he’s doing that we’ll be working on
more merchandise.
 
We have plenty of time
to go sight seeing and relax before getting to work.”