Old Magic(94)

At the house, Jillian sits us down at the kitchen table and brews Kate a hot herbal drink that smells vaguely familiar. When she’s made sure Kate’s drunk more than half of it, Jillian starts pounding us with questions.


Hours later we’re still talking. Jillian wants to know it all. We tell her as much as possible without revealing everything, especially the sharing the bedroom part. Her eyes never leave us. She hangs on every word, and laughs when Kate tells her about Emmeline’s ‘crush’ on me and how she almost came back with us, startling us both with her presence just as we were saying the Latin chant.

‘Luckily I was able to stun her thoughts, long enough for us to escape,’ I explain.

Jillian agrees it would have been disastrous if Emmeline had forced her way back with us. ‘Your father’s heritage book is very clear on Emmeline’s future,’ Jillian informs us. ‘She is sent to live at the Palace, where she meets and becomes the Earl of Drysdon’s mistress, bearing him three illegitimate sons. She is never happy though, as the Earl’s wife makes her life miserable.’

Jillian astonishes us with this information, and suddenly I feel sorry for my ancestral ‘cousin’.

Kate starts telling Jillian about the battle with Rhauk. Immediately she gets up to take a look at my wounds. ‘The stitches look fine, I’ll dress them again in the morning.’

It’s not long before Kate starts falling asleep at the table and Jillian sends her to bed. When she’s gone, I try to thank Jillian, and I mean for everything she’s done. But I know simple words are not enough. She collects my clothes, making a huge fuss over them. They’re not the original ones she stitched for us, but, as these are truly originals, she will treasure them more.

I doze eventually on a mattress laid out for me on the floor, and it turns out Kate and I sleep for two whole days. We wake on Friday morning, having missed a couple of days of school. We’re not particularly worried about this as Jillian covered for us at school and with my mother. I do worry about Mum and Dad though, it’s time I phone.

I use the phone at the front of Jillian’s shop. Mum’s voice is unbelievable. She actually sounds happy, something I don’t hear very often. She tells me Dad’s improvement in the last forty-eight hours has been remarkable, both mentally and physically. His leg is almost pain-free and he’s walking now with just a cane. ‘It’s a miracle, Jarrod,’ Mum says, crying. ‘I wish you were here. When are you coming home?’

‘Soon, Mum,’ I assure her. She goes on to tell me Dad’s mental state of mind has also improved, probably due to his having to cope with less physical pain. Apparently the psychiatric doctors are amazed. There’s even talk of releasing him soon. I hang up with a lump in my throat the size of a watermelon, fighting back tears.

These things are signs, our first, that our luck is changing.

‘Good news, huh?’

I nod at Kate, unable to speak at this moment without disgracing myself. I pull her into my arms, burying my head in her shoulders. After a couple of minutes she moves back, noticing Jillian standing patiently in the doorway. I fill them both in on Dad’s improved health.

‘That’s wonderful, Jarrod,’ Jillian says, her voice husky, wiping away a tear. She gives me a hug and I thank her.

‘Oh no,’ she says, waving a hand at me. ‘You did it all yourself.’

She goes into the kitchen to make herself some tea and Kate comes back into my arms. ‘I’m so happy for you,’ she says. But her voice has a deflated edge to it.

‘What’s wrong?’ I ask.

She shrugs. ‘Nothing really. Just my magic. It hasn’t returned yet.’

‘It probably just needs a push to break it free of Rhauk’s lingering hold.’

Her eyes narrow. ‘And how do I do that if I don’t have any magic to do it with?’

‘Hmm, good point. But don’t worry, Kate, I have enough magic for the both of us.’

‘That’s great for you, and no offence, but it’s hard living with the idea that you’ll always be stronger than me. I want my own powers back so we can be equal. Jarrod, I lived with these things all my life. I feel like I’ve lost an arm, or worse, part of my soul.’

I know the second the thought hits her. ‘Of course, your powers are so extensive now, fuelled with Old Magic, there must be something you can do. You beat Rhauk once, maybe you can do it again ’cause it’s his drug that did this to me.’

‘D’you think I can help you get your magic back?’

‘Why not? It’s worth a try.’