I picked up one of the fuzzy tipped pens from a display and rubbed it between my palms, needing a distraction. “I can’t believe all of this is real. That all of Grams’s stories were true.”
“It’s a lot to take in. I imagine you feel like the rug has been pulled from under you,” Violet said as she watched me fidget.
“Exactly! Sebastian was no help, and Aislinn told me some, but not what I really need to know. I want to stick my head in the sand and pretend I never heard any of it.”
“But you won’t,” Violet interjected with a knowing smile. “You face things head-on, even when they seem impossible or are painful to deal with.”
“You know me too well. I can’t ignore any of this which is why I’m here. I need to know how I am supposed to guard this portal. I don’t even know where it is. Do you have anything that can help me?”
“I might be a witch, but I can’t give you those answers. That’s information only your family is privy to,” Violet informed me with a wince.
My shoulders sank and I felt like hitting something. “How the hell am I supposed to do this job when I have no information? Sebastian just told me King Voron was going to send something awful through the portal and I would be responsible for the end of the world. Don’t you have a book that can at least give me information on what I’m dealing with?”
Violet waved a hand through the air. “First of all, don’t listen to him. He has made brooding an art form. Second, I wish I had something that would help. My best piece of advice is that you look through your house. Your grandmother had to have left something that will help. She knew you’d come back eventually.”
“She could have mailed me a letter. Or left it on the kitchen table. Hell, emailed me even. Anything to give me the information I need. The weight of the world is literally on my middle-aged shoulders and they’re about to give out on me.”
Violet chuckled and shook her head. “Sounds like you’ve been running yourself in circles all day. Let’s get dinner then I can help you search through your house.”
I nodded, emotion suddenly overwhelming me. Something clicked into place inside my chest.
Violet bounced in place with a wide smile lifting her lips. “Hey, did we just form a coven of two?” She must have felt something similar to what I did.
“I think it’s more like three. Aislinn would not like being left out,” I corrected.
“You’re right about that. Let me close up shop and we can get out of here.”
“That would be fantastic. Thank you.” I had no desire to do this on my own. It was nice to have someone supporting me.
I might have stepped into the twilight zone, but there were plenty of people around to help me navigate through the darkness. I wasn’t alone and that eased my worry more than anything. One thing I’d learned in life was that you needed to surround yourself with supportive friends and family or you’ll be eaten alive by the twists and turns.
Chapter 4
“Is this anything?” I held the book aloft, unsure if the strange markings on the cover of the book meant anything.
Violet poked her head into the craft room a second later. Her eyebrows furrowed and she scanned the brown cover in my hand. “That’s not your grandmother’s writing or your family Grimoire. It looks like a book from Faery. That is the Fae language. I don’t imagine Isidora would have left you notes in that.”
I shook my head and blew out a breath. “Well, I haven’t come across anything. This is futile. It seems as if my grandma didn’t think to leave me a note or clue me in on this world. Maybe I should return to North Carolina with my kids.”
Violet crossed to me and squeezed my hand. “You mentioned something clicking into place. Do you feel differently now?”
Glancing out the window, I watched the pond and the flowering lily pads. “Honestly, I’m overwhelmed, but I still feel like this is where I’m meant to be. But I have no idea how I am supposed to be this Guardian. And that pisses me off. I’m not used to not knowing.”
Violet chuckled and headed out of the room, tugging me with her. “Now, that sounds like Isidora. She was the go-to in town for most people whether they were asking about potions or recipes or how to help loved ones. What matters is that you feel like you belong.”
“That’s not all that matters. I can’t help anyone with anything. I don’t even know what potions are. I would say I have no magic to even learn with, but I know that would be a lie.”
“That’s something, then. The fact that you are certain you have magic is vastly different than the woman I spoke with a few weeks ago. Are you saying that because of what you’ve been told? Or has something happened?” Violet let go of my hand and went into the kitchen.
I continued past her when she went to the stove. “I made those flowers appear when I was in the garden pulling weeds. I was overwhelmed at the time and sent the feelings out of me. But when I really look at my life, I think there has always been something under the surface. When I was in labor with my kids, I caused the fetal monitors to fritz. And, people that made me mad in some way experienced things like spilled drinks, wardrobe malfunctions, and diarrhea when I sent my anger towards them. I never gave it a second thought, assuming I was reading too much into it. After the last few weeks I have considered the events differently.”
Violet braced herself on the counter as she bent over and laughed. “Diarrhea? That’s classic. As far as learning magic, I can help with potions and other spells with the witchcraft part. But you are also part Fae and I can’t help with that half. Nor the role you’ve accepted as Guardian. That’s where your family Grimoire comes in handy.”
“You mentioned that before. That’s a book, right? What does it look like? I haven’t found anything with my family history in it.”
Violet turned on the stove and set the kettle on to boil. “I’ve never seen it, but it’s far more than your family history. It’s an accounting of spells and magic your ancestors created. And, I would bet there’s information about the portal and your duties in it, as well.”
“Then it sounds like I need to find the damn book.” I suddenly felt defeated. I’d searched most of the house but didn’t find anything there. “Can you tell me why my family has this role? Why can’t I pass the job off to someone like Sebastian? He’d be able to fight off anyone that isn’t supposed to cross to Earth.”
Violet shook her head and grabbed the milk from the fridge. “Having him in charge would be a disaster. He would never allow anyone through. I don’t know the entire story, but I do know your family settled in Pymm’s Pondside long ago when there were many bridges from Faery to this world. As the magic dried up, the portal on your land remained. I suspect someone in your line created it as a way to visit family here and tied its existence to your bloodline when the Fae realm started losing its power.”
I swiveled to face her and nearly dropped the mugs I had just grabbed in my shock. “How can an entire realm lose power? That seems impossible.”
Violet sighed and put tea bags in the mugs I set down. “It has to do with the King and when he took the throne. He consumed a significant portion of the magic in the realm and even stole some from the various creatures living in it. It was the only way for him to beat the previous King.”