A Gift of Three(51)

I moved closer to the pot, smiling despite myself as I smelt the warm, familiar aroma.

“Did you do this?” I asked. “I mean, do you cook?”

It was hard for me to imagine him standing at a kitchen counter, slaving over a hot stove. He really didn’t seem the type.

“No,” he replied firmly.

“Then who?” I asked.

He sighed, clearly unenthusiastic about having to answer more questions.

Tough. You need to start talking, I thought. We’d have a lot more questions before the day was through, I could promise him that much.

“The house. Or rather, the wards which make it safe produce all this.” He gestured at the food. “The easiest way to understand it is by imagining that the house is its own ‘being’—regenerating itself at the start of every day. The wards renew themselves constantly, and provide for its inhabitants.”

I looked at him askance.

“And you do that? Refresh the wards?” I asked.

“No,” he replied again. “A far more powerful magic is needed than anything I am capable of.”

“So who then? Or what?” I asked.

The replying sigh was deeply aggravated.

“I will tell you more when your friends are here. I have no doubt that I’ll be met with more questions, so if you don’t mind, I’d rather enjoy my morning in peace.”

“Not a morning person, then?” I replied, pouring myself coffee. If he wanted to be vague, then fine—just as long as he knew he wouldn’t be getting away with it later, when he faced all of us.

He replied with a short volley of words under his breath, none of which I caught. A second later he’d left, shutting the door very firmly behind him.

Once he’d gone, I lifted up the warmer, discovering pancake-type creations on the plate. I picked one up, inspecting it closely. It looked okay—more oaty than an actual pancake. It smelt okay too, and when I took a bite, I was pleasantly surprised—as I had been with the food last night. I sat down in the same chair I’d used last night, and continued to eat and drink while I waited for the others.

I didn’t have to wait long.

A few minutes after I’d finished eating, Jovi and Aida pushed open the door, eyes lighting up when they smelt the coffee. Jovi also enquired about the food and who made it, and I told him what the Druid had just told me. He seemed as baffled as I did, but didn’t ask anything further when he realized that the ‘pancakes’ were actually good.

“How are you feeling this morning?” I asked Aida.

“Fuzzy, but still absolutely certain that I’m not an Oracle,” she replied. “And pretty desperate to get out of here and back home. When do you want to leave?”

I looked at Jovi.

“I’m not sure that’s a great idea,” I replied slowly.

“I am,” Vita announced, coming through the door. She looked around in amazement at the breakfast, but said nothing further. She came and sat down next to me, listlessly picking at her food.

Field and Phoenix were the last to arrive, the former smelling of the outdoors and fresh air. I guessed that he’d gone flying this morning. My brother looked a lot better than when I’d seen him last.

“Did you leave the grounds?” I asked Field curiously.

He shook his head. “No. I didn’t want to risk it—not when we’re not all together. I just circled the house a couple of times.”

“But you’re up for leaving?” Aida replied, her glance encompassing both Field and Jovi.

“I don’t know,” Jovi replied, glancing at me. “What happened last night… obviously, it’s dangerous out there. We’d have to be really careful.”

“But it’s dangerous here too,” argued Aida. “We’ve been taken against our will—and I know you say that the Druid thinks it’s for our own safety, but do you really believe that? I mean, we don’t know him—we don’t know his species—we’ve never even heard of them. How do we know he’s telling the truth? About any of it?”

“I know,” I replied, “but what reason would he have to lie? He did save my life last night—that should at least give us reason to trust him a little. We know he doesn’t want any of us in danger.”

“But despite what he’s said, he’s brought us closer to the danger,” Jovi reasoned. “If Azazel or whatever he’s called is in this land, then we’re in far more danger here than we would be in The Shade.”

Field sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“Do you think it would be less dangerous during the day?” he asked. “From what I saw yesterday, though the land didn’t look too inhabitable, I couldn’t see anything lurking—and nothing saw me.”