Page 68 of Earth Dragon
She nodded slowly. “He trained with my sister in her village. Many centuries ago. Marisol taught him because she believed he wanted to channel in order to help nature, to preserve, to even out. But he… When his ambition revealed itself to her, she tried to stop him, but failed.”
“Did you say Marisol?” Maize asked, all eyes turning to her. Marigold nodded, a small smile on her wrinkled lips. “That was my mother’s name,” Maize said. “She could not have been your sister, she was…”
“Young?” Marigold asked, toothless grin spreading wide. “Yes, I’m old and I know it, child. You can say it. Marisol took greater care than I ever did.” Lady Marigold shrugged. “I enjoyed getting old. I wanted to be a crone, not a sorceress. I wanted to live in peace in my house and do my magic. And now it seems my sister’s path and mine are crossing one last time.”
“Why did she not tell me of you?” Maize asked.
“We were not on speaking terms,” Lady Marigold said. “I wish we could have mended the fences before she passed away, but it was not in the roots for us. I pushed her away because I would not leave here to go exploring with her. She vowed never to return, and she never did. She might have thought I would not wish to meet her child, but I am glad that our crossing paths have brought you to me.”
“I have so many questions,” Maize said.
“I’m sure that you do,” Lady Marigold nodded. “But we must focus on the task at hand.”
“Does the entrapment spell mean that lord Taggart now wields the four elements?” Greer inquired.
“No,” Lady Marigold said. “The elemental magics cannot be tapped into by the lord and if he tried, they would most likely destroy him. This is in our favor. However, he also has the magical upper hand as he is a trained sorcerer who had the skill to break through my protection spell without me detecting him.”
“He could still be here,” Ionna remarked, all of them glancing around the room until Lady Marigold huffed.
“No, he could not. I have expelled him and mended the holes he poked in my protection spell. And fortified it, mind you.” She sighed, shaking her head a little. “We need another plan. One that will draw him out.”
Shannon looked around at those gathered as all eyes turned to her.
“You said he will come for you,” Malcolm said.
She swallowed, her throat feeling like sandpaper.
There is no box.
“What would you have me do?” she asked.
***
Dawn was painting the sky in a watercolor blue that made her think of mornings in Fawha. The large windows of her bedroom had overlooked the gardens and its fountains, but when she lay in her bed the sky filled them all.
The square was still quiet, and she wondered if it was all a glamor. That there was only really one door, the one that had kept moving, while the rest was an elaborate illusion.
Protection against intruders.
Because that was what her father was.
She opened her fingers and looked at the tiny crystal bead, resting snuggly on her palm.
The door opened behind her, and Ewan soon joined at her side.
“Perhaps Malcolm was right. Perhaps we really are too late,” she said.
“I respect Mal,” Ewan said. “But I believe in Lady Marigold. She knows all, she sees all.”
“Is she an everbird?” Shannon raised her eyebrows, but she took the edge off with a smile. He returned it.
“You will have to face him,” he said.
“Yes,” she nodded.
She was the axis of their plan. If she faltered, they were all doomed.
“I should like to face him with you,” Ewan said. “If you will let me.”
