Page 40 of The Beginning
Know that I love you.There will be others who come to you, find you, and give you all that you need to go forth as you ought to.The Vessel Witch draws what she needs to her side.I wish like hell it could be me, but...your mother.Need I say more?Do not trust her, my sweet girl.She has upset the order of things because they didn't work the way she wanted, and that is even more dangerous than it sounds.She is not your ally.Not in any way.You will need to make your own family, I'm afraid.
But know that I'm the first of them, and I love you now and forever, even when I'm gone.
All my love,
Auntie Bea
I wiped my tears and picked up the picture of Aunt Beatrice again.I smiled despite my feelings.That woman was a powerhouse.God, I missed her.This information changed everything about what happened today.Could it be that Silas and that priest were trying to hurt my family by hurting me?
The priest had said as much, though I didn't understand at the time.He'd said he thought it was Calyx at first, but then realized it was me.He'd never said the words 'Vessel Witch' but what else could it be?The way he'd talked about the "Original Vessel," the reverence in his voice—he'd known exactly what he was looking for.How would I find out?Who was this priest?What the hell was up with that dog?Why had it bitten off my finger?I had to get some answers.I had to find Calyx.
And in that moment I knew.
This is what had to be done.I had to set aside my personal feelings; the anger and resentment.I had to swallow all of it.I needed to put that stuff in an envelope, and pack it away in a box like the letter from Aunt Beatrice that changed everything.I stood, and took Aunt Beatrice's picture and shoved it in the frame of the mirror above my dresser.
I touched her face, remembering the lines around her mouth and the wiggle in the skin of her neck.And suddenly I was overwhelmed with the smell of her.She smelled of flour and cake and fresh laundry taken in off the line from the sun.
"I got the message Aunt Beatrice, loud and clear.Don't worry.I'm going to make things right."
I padded back into the bathroom, still full of steam, and turned on the shower again.
Chapter Eighteen
Eamonn
The Fae Realm
* * *
"You didn't have to hit me," Gavin said, his words slightly muffled by the cloth pressed to his nose.Blood had splattered across his fine traveling shirt.
He held his nose gingerly, as though testing to see if it was still attached to his face.There was something deeply satisfying about seeing him disheveled and bloodied.
"Yes, I did," I said, surprised by how calm my voice sounded.The anger was still there, but it had crystallized into something colder and more focused."You do realize that you left me to take all of the blame for your actions?"
Lady Annaliese started to speak, her mouth opening with what was probably going to be some imperious demand or complaint, but Gavin held up a hand to stop her.It was a good thing because I would hate to be rude to a lady, but my patience was worn thin as parchment.She was as responsible for this as Gavin was.If it weren't for the two of them, I wouldn't have found myself in this outpost, at the end of civilization, my life's plans in tatters and unsure of myself as I hadn't been since I was a boy.
Annaliese stopped whatever it was she’d been about to say.
"I didn't think—" Gavin began, his voice nasal from the blood and swelling.
"No, Gavin, neither you nor your lady thought," I snapped.At that moment, I felt much older than he was, though I knew we were the same age.We'd grown up together, trained together, served together.But something about him, something still remained soft.He didn't seem hardened by experience, or aware of how the real world actually worked beyond the bubble of court life.Older, yes.But grown?I wasn’t seeing it.
Maybe I just didn’t want to.
I wondered where they'd been hiding for two months.They'd come through the Goblin Realm gate, but that didn't mean they'd been staying there.King Brennan was too honorable to harbor fugitives from his father's justice.I almost asked, then decided I didn't want to know.Their adventures weren't my concern.
"You didn't think at all," I said again, letting each word fall like a stone into still water, "And I'm here as a result.The King suspects that I was helping you, that I was part of your little romantic escapade.We all know that’s not the truth.However, there's nothing that can change that now."I held up a hand as Gavin opened his mouth to speak again."You've come here for a reason.Tell me why you are here."
I couldn't be his friend at this moment.The easy camaraderie we'd once shared was gone, burned away by his betrayal and my consequences for his choices.
After I'd hit Gavin—and the satisfying crunch of cartilage under my knuckles would stay with me for years—he'd fallen back with blood spurting from his nose like a fountain in a garden.Lady Annaliese had immediately gone into hysterics, shrieking about violence and barbarism and the decline of civilized society.It was quite a performance.
I'd sent Gerald to fetch some cloth to staunch the bleeding, trying to maintain some semblance of professional dignity despite having just assaulted a guest.I'd invited them into the manse, to care for Gavin properly.It would be more comfortable for any discussions that would follow, and it would keep the spectacle away from the other guards.
The pair had walked arm in arm, steadfastly ignoring me until we reached the manse.Lady Annaliese whispered consolations and endearments to Gavin while shooting venomous looks in my direction.I deposited them into the sitting room, one that was kept for visitors we wanted to impress.
The sitting room had been furnished with more care than the rest of the compound.There were actual cushions on the chairs, tapestries on the walls, and a small table set with decent crockery.It was meant to show that we weren't complete barbarians out here at the edge of the world.
