The Silver Rose (28 page)

Today's urgent meeting contained various council members, apprentices, Dragons and familiars. A sudden burst of light and a flurry of wings lifted the hair on Anton's brow, and Victoria, the Dragoness's familiar alighted on his shoulder to whisper a message in his ear. Anton's bushy eyebrows arched as his brow creased with concern. “Surely not.”

“Sss truth.” Victoria breathed out a spray of sparks, scorching the collar of Anton's cloak. “Sssorry.”

“Never mind.” Anton patted it down to ensure he didn't go up in flames. “When did this happen?”

“Minutes ago,” Victoria flamed. “The Prime Wizardess reported it to the Dragoness.”

Anton fingered what was left of his shirt collar. The little dragon's wings fanned the errant smoke into Anton's face as he finished relating his message. Anton coughed, a devilish twinkle in his eyes but the smell of burnt hair had him immediately checking his head to ensure what remained did not go up in flames.

Anton banged the gavel on the meeting table to silence the inconsequential chatter in the large room. Not bothering to wait for the noise to subside, he shouted to a new addition to the council at the other end of the room. “Nathan! As Goran's apprentice, I need you to deliver a message.”

Nathan, a studious but inexperienced apprentice Dragon, leaped at the chance. “As you wish.”

“Your first duty is to Call Leonardo Dragunis to Marylebone. Ask him to meet me in the Dragons' Lair in ten minutes. Quickly. Time is of the utmost essence!”

• • •

Her heart heavy with regret, Rosa trudged home to find a stranger standing in her garden. Alarm skittered across her skin. Potential swirled in waves about his aura. Had Marylebone sent someone else for her? “Who are you?”

“Rosa Greenwood?” the stranger boomed. “Nathan Dubois. Apprentice to Goran Thoreaux. Prepare to be relocated to the Dragoness's Lair.”

Rosa panicked. “It isn't time. I've a few hours left.” But that was as far as she got. Without warning, the world shimmered and a veil opened before them. A complex pulse of silver light wavered within its center expanding to encompass them both. He grasped her hand when she staggered, then all her familiar surroundings melted away.

“My time isn't up yet,” Rosa protested weakly.

“Nathan,” a soft voice called out in censure. “Surely you gave Rosa a few minutes to prepare before bringing her here.”

“More like two seconds,” Rosa muttered, her thoughts in disarray.

Nathan flushed when he realized his error. “My apologies, Grand Dragoness. I understood there was some urgency in the matter.”

“Grand Dragoness,” Rosa breathed in wonder. “Grand Dragoness Eleisha?” A snow-white dragon fluttered softly over to Rosa, circling three times before alighting on Eleisha's shoulder.

“I am. And this delightful creature — ” she stopped to caress the tiny dragon's cheek, “ — is my familiar, Victoria. Nathan is correct regarding the urgency of the matter which brings you here, but he has yet to learn the value of a little less haste in certain situations.”

Eleisha turned to Nathan, and it was as if she sent him instructions telepathically. He nodded and in the blink of an eye translocated somewhere else, leaving Rosa alone with the most revered woman in Witchdom.

Regal in bearing, Eleisha wore a long, official, golden cape with purple embroidery around the entire hemline. She was utterly beautiful. Her clear, unlined skin smooth as alabaster, eyes the clearest blue, hair shot with only a hint of silver worn in a French knot.

“It's too soon,” Rosa protested. Now wasn't the time to be awestruck. “Surely I have until witching hour!”

Eleisha nodded her assent, but before she could speak a mini explosion occurred right before her face. Rosa gulped back a scream, her knees nearly giving way in fright when a bright green dragon popped in to the space between her and Eleisha. Her legs trembled as much as her hands as she waved away the haze of smoke cloying her nostrils.

“Twelve hourssss,” puffed the dragon. He glared wickedly at her as smoke wafted from his nostrils. “Tick tock.”

Eleisha took a step back, waving away the smoke. “Full of hot air, as usual.” She rolled her eyes, her tone affectionate. “Rosa, this dragon, who needs a lesson in subtlety, is Mistletoe. My husband's familiar.”

Mistletoe hovered, his wings flapping incessantly to keep himself in the same spot. He inclined his head slightly, and Rosa thought she saw a look of contrition flash in his eyes but before she could be sure, he spun round and spoke to Eleisha. “Anton ssssaid to tell you he'll be with you sssshortly.” He hovered a second more, then disappeared just as dramatically as he'd arrived.

If Rosa hadn't been so scared, she would have laughed at the dragon's comical nature. Surely these little creatures were not the frightening animals that hunted down and burned away a rogue witch or warlock's magic. It was almost inconceivable.

“All this plotting and planning has made me thirsty. Take a seat before you fall down. You're as pale as Victoria.” Eleisha filled the empty silence as reality seeped into Rosa's awareness that this could be it — that she might never see her family or Aden again.

Eleisha touched Rosa's elbow. Rosa recognised the soothing spell coming from the Dragoness. A gentle warmth pervaded her skin, and her agitation decreased. “I shouldn't be here.”

She had dreamed of being inside the walls of Marylebone since childhood. Now all she wanted was to be gone from here. To spend what time she had left with Aden and her family. “Especially now.”

“Now is the perfect time. You just don't know it yet.” Eleisha's gaze softened but her words were firm. “Sit, Rosa.”

A tug of magic pulled her toward a chair by the window looking out onto what must be Marylebone High Street. She was in London. Amazing. She had been translocated half a world away in seconds. If only she had time to truly appreciate the wonder of being here. But instead she was overwhelmed, dizzy, and horribly frightened by this unexpected turn of events.

Eleisha sat too, in a chair next to hers, a small table between them. “I'll play mother.” She leaned forward and poured out coffee that had not been in the room seconds before and held out a plate loaded with chocolate cream cookies. Rosa's absolute favourite. Her last meal? She choked back the increasing fear.

“Eat,” Eleisha urged. She wasn't hungry, but a stream of magic from the Dragoness compelled her hand, directing it to Rosa's mouth. She bit down on the cookie and swallowed, wondering if the cookie was bespelled, then realising it was, when within seconds, she felt calmer and less ill.

She took a moment to take stock of her surroundings. The room was large and relatively empty. The floorboards, wide, planed smooth from several centuries of use, gleamed of polish and smelled of beeswax. A large, tapestried carpet covered the inner portion of the room. The walls, painted in soft, duck egg blue, the large, old-fashioned sash windows painted in off-white, made the room feel light and airy. The extremely high ceiling covered completely in paintings appeared to have been done some time during the Restoration, but Rosa could not be sure about that. The furnishings were comfortable, a mix of old and new and Rosa loved it all.

“This is my favorite room,” Eleisha said. “We thought it would be cozier to chat in here away from curious eyes.”

Rosa smiled with a politeness she did not feel only to discover she had eaten two chocolate creams and drunk most of her coffee. More centered, she took a moment to sniff the crumbs on her fingers but could discern nothing unusual. She glanced at Eleisha, and the woman flashed the warmest smile. Despite her fears, Rosa returned it with one of her own.

And then the door opened and Anton, Grand Dragon of Marylebone — it could only be him — walked into the room. Mistletoe sat on his shoulder, a goodly portion of Anton's clothing, from his shoulders upwards, scorched and in tatters. Behind him came Leonardo, her old tutor, the warlock who had crafted so many of the early foundation spells into her broken scrying bowl. Suddenly it seemed as if the spacious room was far too small.

“Anton.” Eleisha offered a cheek for a kiss. The affection between them was apparent. “It's unkind to keep Rosa waiting. She's concerned about time.”

“Of course, of course.” A twinkle in Anton's eyes spoke more of mischief than reckoning. He sat down on one of the two additional chairs that had appeared opposite them.

Leonardo stood next to Eleisha. During Rosa's early years, he had seemed aloof, remote, and not prone to revealing his thoughts or emotions. Rosa had never been able to figure him out. Now here he was, a smile on his face, his eyes filled with unmistakable warmth.

“My fault entirely.” The inflection of Leonardo's accent was familiar in an altogether bewildering situation. “I was detained by an unexpected but altogether welcome guest at home.” He winked at Eleisha, who in turn gasped and clapped her hands with what appeared to be delight.

Whoever his visitor had been, it was obvious she knew who it was and probably would have said, but Leonardo pressed a finger to his lips, effectively silencing her.

Leonardo walked over to Rosa, leaned down, to buss Rosa's cheek before taking a seat next to Anton. “It has been a long time since we last met. I understand you're sisters are proving to be … challenging.”

Anton gave Leonardo a disgusted glare. “Challenging? A better word might be troublesome. They've Earthbound one of the best apprentice Dragons we've seen in centuries. We are not impressed.”

“According to Goran, Beth's magic will be unbound soon,” Rosa defended. “As for my middle sister, I can only hope she gains some common sense in the time it takes to unravel her error.”

Anton hooted. “Don't know if common sense is something learned. You're either born with it or not.”

“Then there's no hope for her,” Rosa sighed sadly.

“Oh, I wouldn't go that far,” Anton said mysteriously. “But that's in the future. We need to deal with the now.”

Despite the urgency, now that Leonardo was beside her Rosa needed to confess the loss of her scrying bowl and the scattering of her magic to the four winds. “Leonardo, before we go any further, there is something I must tell you.”

Leonardo patted her forearm. “There's no need, my child. I already know what you're going to say.” Rosa saw sympathy instead of anger in his eyes. “I knew the moment it occurred.” He broke into an enormous smile. Suddenly, she was reminded of Aden. A prickle of awareness shot through her, knowing her eyes grew wider as the knowledge registered in her addled brain. She was beginning to suspect who his unexpected visitor had been.

Leonardo raised an arm, an orb of light appeared, swirling a world of every color imaginable. “I captured what I could. Not everything, mind, but I think that when you're ready we'll be able to imbue these spells back into your next bowl.”

Wonder filled her eyes. “You saved my spells. But how?”

“Your bowl was one of pottery. It bothered me somewhat, so I imbued a homing spell into it.”

Rosa couldn't describe the elation she felt at hearing this amazing news. She grasped his large hands in her tiny ones. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Leonardo freed a hand and engulfed both of hers with it. “It was nothing.”

“No, you are wrong. It's something wonderful to light up an altogether dreadful day. I can only thank you for your thoughtfulness. But I have no need of them now. Will you pass them on to someone more deserving? Perhaps my sisters when their magic is unbound?”

“As you wish. But I believe I will not need to do so.”

“I can't see how.” Unable to stand not knowing her fate a moment longer, she turned to Eleisha. Sick to her stomach with fear she would never see Aden or her sisters again her voice cracked when she asked the all-important question. “Why am I here?” A throb of impending doom kicked her pulse into overdrive. She feared the worse even though Eleisha gave her a reassuring smile.

Leonardo arose quietly, stood to one side, a hand resting lightly on the back of the chair. Anton cleared his throat. “Are you aware who Leonardo is?”

Rosa glanced swiftly at her old tutor. She'd worked that out only a minute before. She should have figured it out weeks ago. “Apart from the fact he was once Grand Dragon of Marylebone and my former Master Tutor?”

“Yes. Yes. Apart from that.”

Rosa looked to all three, their faces expectant. Was this a test? “You're Aden's father.”

“Hah!” Anton slapped his thigh. “I told you she'd work it out.”

“Aden said he learned his craft at his father's knee. He never mentioned names. But — ” she frowned in an effort to comprehend the message behind this information, “ — why tell me now?” What was the point?

“You're connected to his son.” Anton steepled his fingers, his lips pursed in thought. “Perhaps we should start with explaining why you have been Called to Marylebone.”

“Called,” puffed Mistletoe from his perch on the back of Anton's chair.

“Very exciting,” Victoria echoed.

“Called?” Now she thought she really might faint. She was obviously hallucinating. “To Marylebone?”

“So why do you think you were Called?” Anton asked without giving her time to digest this astonishing news. Rosa's stomach roiled, her heart hammered at her breastbone as if it wanted to break free. Strung as tight as a violin string, she refused to second-guess the significance of his words. She mutely shook her head.

“Your potential is enormous. Your skills exceptional.” Anton braced his elbows on his knees and leaned toward her, his fingers linked. “You're heart pure.”

“I've tried never to take my gift for granted,” Rosa spoke softly. “I had always hoped to be Called to Marylebone.” This was the worst timing ever!