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| The Witch Council summons Mary & Jacqueline |
Nightfall in Welshport during the last leg of a storm that had come and gone twice in the last few days. The remainder of thunderclaps cracked the sky above like shattering glass. Mary Goode, the accused witch of the three-person coven stared out of her basement level jail cell under Village Hall as the storm swirled overhead.
She could not believe what had happened in court.
Her own child on the stand behaving in a way that made it look as if Mary herself were controlling her with magic. The audience then jumping in adding fuel to the already enflamed situation. She already suspected foul play. Charlotte would never accuse her like that.
Mary then turned from the window and saw Evie and Matthew in their individual cells resting in their cots. The two lovers had pushed the small little beds as close as possible to the bars so that they could reach over to each other. It was the only way they could touch.
Mary’s heart warmed at their sweet way to keep hold of each other in the horrible situation they were in and then she curled up in her own cot hoping to dream of her own husband, Filipe.
She ached for her children and yearned for Filipe to hold her again. The weeks in the cell and Charlotte's outburst in court were beginning to drain her hope of ever getting out of there alive.
As the rain fell outside her small rectangular window at the top of her cell and lulled Mary to sleep, it didn't take long for her to fall into a dream. Her body and mind were so exhausted that she welcomed the quick pull into her subconscious in hopes she'd wake up and everything she, Evie and Matthew were going through would have been just another dream; she’d accept it even as a nightmare.
Anything but reality.
Now in her dream world Mary walked through the Tirymor forest at dusk or dawn, she couldn't tell. The skies were so similar at both intervals of time. The fog floated against the hem of her dress that matched the forest green of the plants all around her. She could smell the wet soil and feel the cool air swishing through the trees above her.
She felt as if she were on her way somewhere through the forest, she didn't know where, but in her heart she had a direction. It was almost as if an inner compass was pointing in the direction of where the sun was either setting or rising.
Just as Mary got to an opening of the forest floor where the plants, bushes and trees had receded back allowing for a circular shaped area something changed in the air.
Mary smelled sulfur. Heat could be felt in the air that blew across her face. In seconds everything green around her turned black and was on fire. The fog at her feet was now black smoke that was rising. She choked on the thick air that became darker and darker blocking out the sun, distant in the background, and she fell to the floor gasping for air.
When she lifted her head, Mary was now in complete Darkness and Jacqueline Gray was standing directly in front of her in a matching dress.
Identical, as they were attired, they could not be more different than any two coven sisters ever.
The smoke disappeared and Jacqueline gave Mary a helping hand to stand.
"What are you doing here?" Mary asked quickly yanking back her hand as she stood. "It was you, wasn't it, in court. You made all of that happen. You made Charlotte and the rest of them act as if I were doing something to them."
Jacqueline lifted a brow coyly "Maybe a little." She said patronizingly with her forefinger over her thumb as if measuring the tiny bit effort it took her to magically manipulate their mind.
"You don't know what you've done, Jacqueline. You've exposed me further, you've given them more to tack on to me not to mention how all of this will reflect on Evie and Matthew. They're innocent."
"Trust me, I know what I've done. And so do they."
“They?”
Jacqueline replied: “I'm not here to plead my case to you. I'm here because of them."
Mary's eyes followed where Jacqueline was pointing and just off into the distance while the smoke gathered from the burning forest of Mary's dreams, the three cloaked and veiled figures of the witch council materialized seated on large thrones that were made of smoke.
The cloaked figure to the left turned it's head slowly to the one in the center as did the one on the right.
The center figure stood up.
"Who? -- What's happening?" Mary wondered, she had never heard of the council. Her mother Eliza, who rarely spoke of her own supernatural powers in depth, would have never discussed witchcraft, magic or the council who governed all the covens.
"We've been summoned. I've been accused. You are their witness." Jacqueline replied.
"Accused of what?" Mary asked.
Jacqueline rolled her eyes knowing her crime "Mary, we have rules as a coven and no matter what happens between us personally, we aren't supposed to betray those rules. I was summoned by this council who watches over us. A panel of elder witches that keep things in line. They see that I have stepped over that line — I’ve plead my case to them and they've found me guilty of betraying not only my sister, you, but of crimes against all covens."
Mary didn't know what to say, one of the cloaked figured then stood.
"Mary Goode, we bring you here to find you too of reckless usage of the powers that have been bestowed on you. We also find that that would never have happened had Jacqueline never told the mortals where to go and find you. As not for her, you would have never shown the mortals your ways and thus we nullify our finding and give you penance." The center cloaked figure said as the other three nodded in agreement.
"Please help me out of this. I don't know what to do. Evie and Matthew, my friends, they're innocent." Mary begged.
The three clocked figures looked at each other but did not speak knowing that they'd already had a way to help. But it involved Jacqueline.
"That's where I come in." Jacqueline said.
Mary slowly turned to her foe. "Meaning?"
"The council cannot impose anything harsh on us, obviously our kind can undo many of our own spells and punishments so it would be futile to try and destroy me. They've come up with a punishment that will help undo most of what has been done with my involvement. And I have agreed. Mary, we should have never become this. Enemies. I let it go too far, and even in court, my anger towards you and Evie perhaps wasn't warranted." Jacqueline explained, finally revealing the her true nature, the one she had when she first arrived in Welshport.
Hearing Jacqueline finally admit her faults, the main, center cloaked figure sat down.
"Continue." It said.
"I thought that losing my child was my punishment and I lost myself, I went further into my anger towards all of you and I see now that it has only worsened all of our situations. Well, I knew it all along, that whatever I did would make things worse, but I wanted to make everyone feel the pain I felt losing my child." Jacqueline explained surprisingly leaving out the part Mary’s husband played in the lose of the child.
"You lost a baby?" Mary asked, her heart sinking deep into her body remembering her daughter Louise who died at birth thanks to a physical altercation she had with Jacqueline the year before. Jacqueline nodded.
"The cycle of pain continues." She told Mary knowing Mary was already back in the memory of Louise.
"I did not wish that on you." Mary said. "I would have never wished that on anyone."
"I know."
"Does Johnathon know?" Mary asked knowing Jacqueline was married.
"It's a complicated situation. Probably more complicated because of how much of a mess I made of things between Sebastian and Johnathon, but yes -- he knows."
"Sebastian? So it was you, you did take him from the coves." Mary said.
Jacqueline nodded. "He was the baby's father, not Johnathon." she added shocking Mary.
"It's time." the cloaked figure to the right of the center one spoke. "It's time to show her."
Jacqueline nodded and turned to her side where she began to swirl the black smoke around her with her hands. The smoke began to form a solid base of something, almost as if a statute was about to be formed right there in front of her from the bottom up, but the base of whatever was in front of them did not grow into a statue.
It was a catafalque made of smoke. Then, a coffin appeared.
Mary's eyes widened. "Who is it? Who is inside?" She asked.
Jacqueline was not allowed to answer.
"Step forward Mary Goode." The left cloaked figure said as the there stood up.
"Step forward Jacqueline Gray" The right cloaked figure added.
"Clasp hands." The center cloaked figure ordered as the three did in front of them.
Mary looked down to her left hand as Jacqueline, already knowing what would happen next, did as she was told when, then, in deep voices that seemed to come from the depths of the earth, the three cloaked figures spoke together:
"OCEUPAT. FRANGIUMS. OCEUPAT. SCINDIUMS. HAEC VIA VENEFICAE. FACIES PRO FACIE NON NOS FRANGIT. OCEUPAT. NOS SORORES NON FRANGIMUS."
Jacqueline squeezed Mary's hand and looked her in the eye "Nos Sorores Non Frangiums."
Mary understood and repeated "Nos Sorores Non Frangiums."
"We will not break the sisters." Their voices echoed.
"Step forward Mary Goode and open the coffin. The face inside will be your freedom. The face inside will be the one to break you out of this hold the mortals have over you, but you must not reveal this in the world when you awaken. Allow it to happen and allow it to be unveiled as natural as we will make it." The center cloaked figure said.
Mary slowly walked over to the coffin on the dark catafalque and lifted the lid to see the face of the person that would come and save her.
Mary screamed in horror at the face when she saw it and recoiled back ... it was her own face, it was her body. It was her. Mary’s own body lay in the coffin of black smoke.
She woke up in her jail cell screaming. Evie got up from her cot as a flash of lightening lit her way to the edge of her cell.
"Mary! MARY! What is it???"
Mary did not answer. She was sworn not to reveal anything she saw in the dream in the waking world.
She went over to a bucket that had fresh water, Matthew got up from his cot to check on Mary too.
"Nightmare?" He asked.
Mary washed her face, turned and smiled back. "Just a nightmare." She said, blonde hair sticking to her wet face.
But this nightmare — was real.
****
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| Celeste gets an update on Johnathon |
The skies above Welshport the next day were crowded with thick grey clouds filled to the brim with rain that was sure to drop at any moment.
Standing at a large set of windows in a drawing room that faced to the front of Tirymor House, Celeste DeViana-Lord held herself with her arms across her chest as the glow of a lamp illuminated her beautiful caramel skin. She watched as Dr. Nikolas Jordan approached, his thick brown hair windswept and damp and his cheeks rosy as a fresh summer peach.
It only took a few minutes for Nik to be let into the mansion and announced in the drawing room to Celeste who was expecting him. Nik was there to update her on her brother Johnathon's state after admitting himself into Churchill Green Asylum at Hope Hospital.
As he entered, he quickly dropped his bag and umbrella and greeted Celeste who kissed him once on each cheek.
"Please sit, Nik. Are you thirsty? I can have Jane bring in some tea." She offered.
"No, thank you." he replied as they sat.
Celeste inhaled deeply bracing herself for news on Johnathon "So how is he?"
"Before I begin I should let you know I’ve moved on from my duties at The Green and I’m working more closely in the main hospital. But I’ll be kept abreast on Johnathon’s case until a new full time psychiatrist is hired.” Nik explained.
“I see. What have you learned so far?” She asked the line between her eyes deepening with worry.
“Johnathon has been very quiet since your visit the other day, and perhaps that has a lot to do with the medication we've put him on. We're trying to keep him in a calm state so that when the new psychiatrist finally arrives they can have a better idea of where he is mentally and what it was that made him have such a breakdown."
"Why isn’t there a psychiatrists at The Green working with him now?"
Nik sighed "Unfortunately the new person is bit behind in starting full time. From what I was told they were coming from San Francisco. So for now we're just trying to keep him in a better state of mind."
Celeste’s face dropped. Her heart ached for her mentally struggling brother.
"I see,” she said searching a small pocket book for a scrap of paper to write down a note to herself. “that’s disappointing. I’ll have to pull some strings for him." Celeste said wielding her Lord power.
"Celeste, do you know what could have happened to him those few days that he went missing? Where he was? Where did Jacqueline go? It might help us in the long run if we knew what led up to all of this."
"No, I just know that when Jacqueline sent everyone on that wild chase out to the cliffs after Sebastian's ghost or whatever, that they both then took off and only he came back. He never once told us what happened to her and we all just assumed she ran off -- left him Their marriage was clearly something that just happened. None of us really thought it would go anywhere." Celeste explained.
"I see." Nik replied knowing a few bits about Jacqueline's own twisted mentality. "When Johnathon arrived he kept saying things about Lockwood Thicket, Sebastian and Evie’s old home. We sent a case worker there to try and understand what he meant. Celeste there was lots of blood found. All over.”
“Dear god, you don’t think he hurt his wife do you?” Celeste worried.
“We don’t know. There wasn’t a body there.” Nik said “As soon our new in house psychiatrist arrives, I'll have them contact you so that they can discuss Johnathon’s sessions, hopefully that doctor can unlock what happened that night with Jacqueline and hopefully there is a logical explanation for her disappearance." Nik explained.
“So you’re not going to say anything about what was found at the Thicket?” Celeste asked.
Nik knew the powerful bond between brother and sister and he could appreciate Celeste’s worries for Johnathon’s action while he was under mental distress.
“For now.” He said. “But that may change once the psychiatrist comes and can dive deeper into Johnathon’s psyche.”
“I understand, thank you Nik.”
"Dr. Jordan, so nice to see you!" A voice said from the entrance to the drawing room.
Recognizing it as Rebecca's Nik quickly turned and stood up to greet her. "Mrs. Casador, hello."
"How is our sweet Johnathon?" She asked, Celeste narrowing her eyes at her mother-in-law's clearly faux endearment to her brother's wellbeing.
"I was just telling Mrs. Lord that he'll--" Nik began before Celeste interrupted.
"Oh, Nik, I don't think we should bother Rebecca with my brother's care. After all, she has other fish to fry.” Celeste said quickly standing and turning to Rebecca. "He's doing well Rebecca, I hope to have him home soon."
Rebecca noticed Nik’s confused expression and Celeste's sudden stone like appearance and resistance to her enquiry.
"I was only trying to help." She said.
"Yes, well, I know exactly what you do to those you try to help." Celeste shot back.
Nik stood there uncomfortable and unsure of what the two were passive aggressively talking about, even Rebecca seemed taken off balance. But Celeste had her reasoning. The day after Johnathon admitted himself into Churchill Green, Celeste went to visit him and when she re-entered the main hospital from the asylum she overheard the Rebecca and Danielle discussing Caspian's true identity, that of Viktor Holten, Danielle's supposed dead father. Rebecca's cold demeanor to Danielle put Celeste on high alert knowing that the marriage between Rebecca and Caspian was invalid since he was really someone else. It angered Celeste that Rebecca would continue the sham only because Rebecca knew being married meant she held a steeper stake in the family company.
"I don't know what you mean." Rebecca replied, her tone hardening.
Celeste didn't reply to her only turned back to Nik "How's Asha?"
"Well, she is doing better. Stirring a bit more. She hasn't fully awoken from her sleep. We think the lack of oxygen while under all that burning debris really did a number on her and hopefully, with much care, she'll come back. It's only been a few weeks so there is plenty of time for her to recover." He explained, reaching down for his bag.
"Yes, and that new nurse, Danielle Holten I believe, She's doing a great job caring for her I hope." Celeste replied dropping the name Rebecca did not want to hear.
"Uh, yes! Well all the nurses do a wonderful job. Danielle too."
Rebecca's eyes seared Celeste like hot coals.
"You know Danielle, don't you Rebecca? I saw you speaking with her about Caspian." Celeste said as she continued to poke the bear.
"Yes, she has been very good with Caspian." Rebecca replied unsure what Celeste heard of the conversation.
"Caspian. Yes. Interesting you mention him, I know that Danielle has been looking for her father, and Rebecca, you may actually have the answer to her search isn't that right?" Celeste said as Nik's head was bouncing back and forth from one Lord woman to the other in a very serious verbal volley that could go anywhere.
"I don't know what you mean."
"This!" Celeste explained as she raised a hand in the air. "This is what I mean, this behavior of yours. One minute you are so concerned with someone's wellbeing like Johnathon, and the next you're lying about someone else's. Don't you think Caspian deserves to know what you know? Don't you think his wellbeing being matters? Who he really is: Danielle's father."
"Perhaps I should leave." Nik replied.
"You do not know what you're talking about, Celeste, so hold your tongue." Rebecca replied, her eyes widening with anger.
"I know what I heard. And I know what you’ve done." Celeste said as Rebecca saw red.
Celeste was done. She was done being her mother in law’s door mat. She was done letting Rebecca stand on her pedestal looking down at others for their misdeeds when she herself was just was just as bad, feigning worry for others likes Johnathon her late husband’s bastard son.
"I know what I heard too." Caspian replied from the entrance of the drawing room. "Is what Celeste saying true Rebecca?"
Rebecca snapped around behind her. Her heart pounding in her chest felt as if it were a ticking time bomb ready to be set off. Nik stood there, his heart matching Rebecca's intensity as Celeste calmly sat back down, the cat out of the bag, her job done.
"I ... I ..." Rebecca didn't know what to say. She was trapped.
"Is it true? Did you discover who I really am and not tell me? All this time, you've known I was ... I am Nurse Holten's father? Nik, did you know this?"
"No sir! I did not. I was only here to update Mrs. Lord on Johnathon." Nik replied quickly.
"I only found out the other day when I heard Rebecca threaten Danielle about revealing the truth to you. Danielle has been wanting to tell you Caspian, she even came here but Rebecca had her turned away." Celeste replied.
"That's enough!" Rebecca scolded Celeste. "Caspian I can explain why I didn't tell you right away. I wanted to be sure that... I wanted to be sure it was true myself before she said anything or that I even said anything."
Caspian's eyes narrowed. Her tone was off, she seemed nervous and unsteady in the way she spoke, so very unlike the stoic and calculating Rebecca Lockwood-Lord-Casador. She never ever second guessed herself. Now, standing before him she searched his face for any note of acceptances of her frail excuse. but there was none. He could not accept it.
"You're lying to me." He said calmly. "I can tell."
"No."
"You are." Celeste replied from the sofa. "You wanted Danielle to forget what she knew and let him go. Tell him!"
"ENOUGH!" Rebecca shouted at Celeste. "Caspian, listen to me, you don't know what this Viktor person was like before. Think about what happened to you, think of how we met. Who you were when we met. That person. Think of that person -- that creature that you were when we met. That may have been who Viktor was. Is that who you want to be again? I was protecting you, us, all of us from that person. If Danielle brought that back into our lives, I don't know if we could all survive it."
The explanation seemed fair, but to lie, to cover it up without even considering what he would have done with the information himself was a betrayal. He had the right to know, at least 3 of the people in the room thought, but Rebecca took that right away. Selfishly.
"I... I need some water." Caspian said, his eyes squinting with a sudden sharp pain to his temple.
Celeste quickly rushed to the bar cart near a table and grabbed a pitched with fresh water and poured him a glass. "Are you ok?" She asked.
"The headaches, he's been having headaches." Nik replied, surprising the room. "Dr. Ward and I have collaborated on treatment."
"What? For how long?" Rebecca asked.
"AS IF YOU CARE!" Caspian screamed back kicking the table in front of him in another outburst.
"This is why I was keeping things from him, you see? Do you see what is coming back?" Rebecca replied referring to Caspian's dark past while possessed.
Hearing Rebecca's voice again only angered Caspian and after only a small sip of the water he asked for he growled and threw the glass clear across the room and everyone watched as it shattered up against a portrait of Rebecca herself.
The water slowly slid down the painting and the wall. Everyone stood in silence at Caspian's outburst.
"I do not want to hear your voice." he said through his pain. "I do not want to see your face right now."
"Mr. Casador, why don't I take you upstairs and check on you." Nik replied.
As Nik took Caspian to his room, slumped over and in pain, Jane quickly entered ready to clean up. She was never far off when an argument was taking place.
Rebecca swished around to Celeste after watching her husband painfully walk away with Nikolas. "You have made the biggest mistake of your life cornering me this way, Celeste. I could have been your best ally, and now I will be your biggest enemy."
Celeste didn't fear her. She knew she had Jacob on her side. After a beat of no response from Celeste, Rebecca left the room.
**
Upstairs, Nik helped Caspian sit on a soft chair in his bedroom and handed him a fresh glass of water and a pill to help his pain.
"I apologize for revealing your condition, I know you had asked Dr. Ward to keep it private." Nik said.
Caspian shrugged, and drank his water. "How many times a week are you getting these headaches?" Nik added.
"Often." Caspian replied, his head feeling as if it were in a vice. "Too often."
"I see. I'll be sure to tell Dr. Ward of this, together we'll try and come up with some better treatment. The pills seem to be just a way to ease the pain."
"Aurora." Caspian replied.
Nik stood back hearing his mother's name and knowing Caspian and Aurora had been out of contact for a very long time and the secret of their love child being alive had yet to reach Caspian.
"What about her?" Nik said, kneeling down next to him.
"She wanted to see me the night the mob came to Tirymor to tell me something. We haven't spoken. Rebecca has been discouraging it. I want to see her, I want to see your mother." Caspian said.
Nik nodded and tried to keep Caspian comfortable. The young doctor knew that any day now, the truth about the child Gregory and Asha took from Aurora at birth would be out just as the truth about the true identity of Viktor Holten was out and Rebecca's life would be in shambles.
Nik's nerves were on edge. Rebecca would raise hell.
Again.
****
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| Matthew & Evie make a choice |
Down in the basement of Village Hall, Mary slept soundly after she was given something by a guard to help her sleep after her disturbing nightmare. Evie sat cross-legged in the corner of her cell, watching over Mary as she slept, and Matthew watched Evie.
The three of them had become as thick as thieves during the entire ordeal, or in this case, as close as a witch's coven could be -- even if they weren't.
Matthew wondered how it all would end. If they were freed, and now that Sebastian had returned, how would he and Evie's relationship move on? He didn't want to lose her. He loved her with all his heart, and he knew she loved him. But her son was incredibly important to her and she'd missed out on so much of his life already.
As Matthew daydreamed of his life with Evie, Filipe and Fatima were ushered into the basement.
Evie quickly got up and put her finger up to her lips "Shhh."
"What's happened?" Fatima whispered.
"She had a terrible nightmare last night." Matthew whispered back. "She was unconsolable. We had to beg for a guard to give her something to sleep. They called for a medic and they brought her something."
"A nightmare?" Filipe asked.
"It seemed more than that, Filipe." Evie added. "I don't know what she saw, but whatever it was it shook her Filipe. I've never seen her that way."
"This has gone on too long." Fatima replied. "I fear whatever happens after this she may never recover."
"She has to." Filipe added. "For herself, for our children...."
"For you." Fatima replied, he nodded his head.
"Please watch over her." Filipe asked Evie as he reached through the bars and they touched hands
"Of course."
“I wanted to visit but I won’t disturb her.” Filipe added then turning to his mother “We should go.”
“You really love her don’t you.” Evie said. “It’s wonderful to see. Even after all this, after everything you and she are up against it’s wonderful to see you’re still coming to see her. When she wakes I’ll let her know you came.”
“I’ll do anything to get her out of this. All of you.” Filipe replied.
Filipe and Fatima then turned and went back up the stairs to leave the basement jail. Evie walked over to the side of her cell that faced Matthew's. Their eyes locked and she smiled at his sweet handsome face. It was so tender and kind. Almost boyish. She could literally see the love wash over him when he looked at her. Just like Filipe looked at Mary.
The feeling was mutual.
"Are you ok?" She asked in a whisper as to not awaken Mary.
"Just worried." He said.
"She's going to be alright."
"Not only for Mary." He said.
Evie sighed "I know, what happened was Charlotte was shocking. I felt like something was pressing on my heart as she testified. I can't imagine what came over her. But Mary... Mary knew. Something in that room made Charlotte and the other's create that outburst. And Jacqueline is the only one I can think of who would."
"Is she really the only one?" He asked.
"Who else?" She asked Matthew who only looked at her in a way that gave her an answer. "Sebastian? No. NO! He would never do anything like that. Matthew, he wants us free."
"He may want you free, but what about me and Mary? Does he want us free? She's the reason he is what he is and half the reason Gabriel is def and I... well, I have you."
"Matthew, I love you with everything in my heart and I would never ever do anything to hurt you. You do know that, don't you?" She wondered not knowing he overheard her speak with Sebastian.
"I want to believe that, I do believe that, but I can't help think that at some point you'll find your way back to the father of your son, and I'll be the one left in the dark." Matthew explained.
Evie's heart sank.
She did love Matthew and she did love Sebastian. She hated that she was in a place where at some point she'd have to choose between them both, if she and the others ever got out of the terrible ordeal. She had been through so much in her time in Welshport and now living through this terrible ordeal in jail, away from her son, trapped between two men that she loved dearly-- it felt now she was in a cell within a cell.
She couldn't do anything to ease Matthew's worries, and she couldn't promise anything to Sebastian. For her, Evie knew what she needed to do -- and it was focus on getting out jail as soon as possible.
"We need to let this go, for now." She said in a whisper.
"Of course, I understand. There's nothing we can do now in here about where our relationship will go." Matthew said.
"No." Evie replied "I mean, I think maybe the pressure between the two of us right now are too high to think about anything other than getting us out of here alive. Matthew, I love you, but maybe we jumped back into things too fast."
"Evie, no. I... I didn't mean for us to stop. Not here, not now." Matthew replied.
Evie began to cry. She reached through her bars and Matthew reached back. Their hands touched. She squeezed his hands as they interlocked and she could see the dispar in his face, but it had to be done. She couldn't possibly give to herself to both men, and it was impossible to even think of romance while sitting in the dingy, horrible jail cell not knowing if she and Matthew would even make it out. There was love; clear, powerful, beautiful love, but it had to be put on hold until they were free.
If they were free.
"We have to get out of here Matthew. Let's deal with that first and then we can -- we can think about us. Does that make any sense?" Evie asked feeling like a teenager rambling along as their hands still linked in the center of the jail cells tightly.
Matthew didn't want to agree, but he loved her too much to try and hold her back.
He smirked kindly and nodded "I do."
They both went back to watching over Mary as she slept and back to their daydreaming of being free. His daydreams were again of being with Evie and Gabriel, and her dreams were of being free of all that held her back -- that included, perhaps Matthew.
****
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| Charlotte finds Sebastian with her mirror |
Over at Tirymor House, Charlotte sat in her bedroom watching the clock tick away the day. She had been hiding out in her room after the debacle at court. She knew that the family was shocked at what happened, but there was something else on her mind.
A promise she gave -- a commitment to Aaron and her uncle David, or as he was known Christopher.
She could see her reflection of the clockface in between the tiny brass hands that told her the time. The ticking sound lulled her into a trance as she began to go deep into her subconscious as Morgan entered her room and locked the door behind him.
He was there to watch over her as she searched for Sebastian.
In her mind, she could feel herself telepathically searched everywhere Sebastian would be. The Darkest most secretive places in Welshport. But her telepathy was more like a honing device, and it turned her back into the village and down a crooked cobblestone street of houses and to the door of a very surprising residence.
Fatima Braga's.
Charlotte, with her mind, entered the home that she was very familiar with following her instincts.
It led her down into the basement where Filipe once stayed hidden way while he was suffering from the bite of the wolf.
There, under the shadows of a the glowing single candle lit in a candelabra was a coffin.
Upstairs in the house, Fatima felt a presence: Charlotte's.
She put down the book she was reading and looked around her home. Filipe came out of the kitchen and asked his mother what was happening, he could tell something was off with her behavior, but all Fatima did was raise her hand as if to tell Filipe to stay quiet, they were being watched.
Charlotte, telepathically lifted the coffin lid and saw her cousin Sebastian lying there perfectly still. Perfectly serene.
She entered his mind and finally faced him.
"I've been waiting for you to find me." Sebastian said with a grin. "How are you little cousin?"
"We've been looking for you. Filipe told us you saved him." She said.
Sebastian smiled. "A hero." He joked.
"I have to be quick." She replied.
He noted her nervous nature. "What is it? Is it Evie? What's happened?"
"No. Its Uncle David." She replied to his shock. "He's back Sebastian and wants to see you. Your father wants to see you."
"My father is alive?" Sebastian asked.
"He's hiding in town, and I don't know how long he'll be here."
"How do I find him?"
"Look for Christopher Wesley."
Before Sebatian could ask any more questions Fatima entered the basement and slammed the casket shut breaking Charlotte's lock on the room. Charlotte flipped open her eyes back inside her bedroom where Morgan was standing.
"Well?" He asked.
"I found him, but my lock on him was broken."
"How?" Morgan asked.
Fatima, for her part, broke the connection. She stood in the basement as Filipe came down the steps to find her and Sebastian.
"What was it?" Filipe asked.
Fatima turned to him and lifted a brow "Telepaths." She whispered. "Someone knows he's here."
Sebastian didn't have the heart to tell Fatima it didn't take Charlotte's telepathy to find him; there were spies all over Welshport who'd already outed his placement there in her home.
The secret was already out.
