The Council, A Witch's Memory (2 page)

The move was more a change of scenery for them. They’d ruled from Essex for two hundred years, and before that, Aveyron, France.

Every so often, a change was good.

I didn’t mind either. I considered myself to be a bit of an adventurer. Moving around and exploring new places suited me. And being in America wasn’t vastly different. It was easy to visit Essex any time I wanted. So I wasn’t exactly homesick.

“I wanted to congratulate you on your graduation.” Davy said.

“Thanks…not that I actually attended.”

I graduated high school two days ago, but instead of receiving my diploma like everyone else, I had to be in France to inspect a compound commissioned to train new members of the guard.

“Can’t help that you’ve got duties.”

“It’s not that I mind my duties, I enjoy them. But it would be nice if my parents understood human duties could be just as important as nonhuman ones.”

Davy nodded, glancing around us before lowering his voice. “Does Venna know the secret yet?”

“No.” I headed down the hall.

“She will be eighteen soon. Someone has to tell the poor girl what’s going to happen.”

“My parents are hell bent on Venna discovering the truth without my help.” I rolled my shoulder, irritated. I hated secrets almost as much as I hated lying to someone I cared about.

I was beginning to feel cursed, like a bad penny.

“You know it’s not that easy.” He sounded a bit down now. “Flora’s going to be disappointed when she visits. She hates having to pretend in front of Venna.”

Right. Davy’s younger sister Flora was staying the summer at my house. I’d been so wrapped up in my thoughts I’d completely forgotten I was playing big brother for the next three months. Not that Flora thought she needed someone to watch her, being fourteen and quite self-sufficient.

“If things go my way Davy, Flora won’t be disappointed for long.”

“I hope so, for your sake at least.” He went quiet when my mother came floating toward us in an emerald gown. As usual, her brown hair was pinned up in an elaborate style, and she was dripping in antique jewelry. My younger sister, Claire, was trailing behind her in a matching outfit, hauling an unhappy tabby cat.

“Henry, dear. I’m so glad I caught you before you left.” She kissed my cheek. “And how is my nephew and his mate? Did you have a nice anniversary?”

“I’m excellent Aunt Irena, and Marianna is too. We had a wonderful time.” Davy’s face went a little pink.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you both.”

Claire blinked up at us, trying to hang on to the poor cat. She was the spitting image of my mother. “Davy, can I see Mari?”

My sister had big blue eyes and a little round face. Like a cherub. One pout and the most powerful warlocks were putty in her hands.

“As long as your mummy doesn’t mind.” Davy said, picking up my sister and allowing the cat to escape.

“Just for a little while.” Mum said.

Davy backed up, giving her a wink. “I’ll have the little brat back before too long.”

We said goodbye, and in a flash of gray light Davy and Claire vanished.

“So,” Mum said, hooking her arm with mine. We walked down the hall toward the south terrace. “Is something troubling my son?”

I shrugged. “The usual.”

“Venna,” she trilled with laughter. “I should have known. How is she?”

“Fine, I guess. Mum, I want to tell her what I am, who she is.”

When I was ten my mother said I was old enough to receive my first royal duty. It was exciting. I finally had enough power to earn recognition among the Council, and I wondered what she would have me do. Fight a monster? Wipe the memories of humans?

No, nothing that cool. I was to watch a girl named Venna Greer. Become her friend. Spend time with her outside of school and make sure she stayed out of trouble. The day she discovered she was a witch, since no one was allowed to tell her, I had to notify my mother.

It was an official order. My first. And I didn’t like it.

A little witch with wild, curly, red hair and a spunky attitude to match, Venna challenged me from the start. She jumped down my throat, got right in my face. I had to stay on my toes. I was used to people taking orders from me, but I couldn’t tell her to do squat. Even if I tried, she ignored me.

It surprised the hell out of me when she became my best friend.

From that moment on I was at a constant battle with myself, wanting to tell her the secret, knowing it wasn’t my place to do so.

“Henry,” Mum said. “Your father and I need to speak with you before you leave.”

“Is it about Venna?”

She pulled at my arm, taking me with her. “Yes.”

We walked the rest of the way down the hall and out onto the south terrace. It overlooked a large courtyard, filled with planters and pots full of my mum’s favorite flowers. A fountain sat in the center. It wasn’t massive, but it was big enough for my little sister and the other Council member’s children to play in on a hot day.

My father was already seated at the glass breakfast table. It was a warm summer morning, not a cloud in sight. The blue Dakota sky always seemed bigger than the sky back in Virginia, like it stretched on forever. There was a dry breeze. Already the heat was noticeable, and it was only eleven.

The compound was Council headquarters. It was broken up in to four wings. The Langley’s occupied the south wing. Brighton’s had the north. Dracul’s the west. The east wing was more of a common area. Complete with bowling alley.

It was twenty thousand square feet of madness.

Three family residences, connected by never ending hallways and secret rooms, were nestled in the center of two hundred secluded acres. The Council members lived in the compound full time, but they kept homes outside for much needed breaks.

“Ah, Henry, I’m glad you haven’t left yet.” My father poured me a cup of coffee. “How does it feel to be an official Council member now?”

“Good,” I said, taking the mug and sitting across from him. Mum sat beside him and studied the vase of wilted flowers in the center of the table. She touched them. Their leaves and petals became vibrant and new, as if they just had been picked.

“I want you to know, how proud I am,” my father smiled. “Having this responsibility isn’t easy. If you have any questions or need help, your mother and I will always be here for you.”

I smiled, “Thanks. I was nervous, but I think for now, I’m doing okay.”

Mum beamed, “Better than okay, Darling.”

“Henry,” Father said, “there is something we need to tell you.”

“About Venna.” I nodded, setting my coffee down after sipping it. “What it is?”

“There are things about her we’ve kept secret from you.”

“I know, and I don’t like it. It feels wrong not telling her she is a witch.” I was lying through omission, something I feared Venna would not forgive. Eight years of secrets stretched between us.

“The time is coming for her to take her place in our world. But it must not happen before tomorrow morning.” Mum said.

“Why not?” It was all very strange. I understood they wanted her to discover her powers naturally. But now, I was wondering if they told me the bit about self-discovering her powers to keep me quiet. “Did you lie to me too?”

Mum folded a newspaper beside her and set it on the table atop another. There had to be at least twenty scattered between them from major cities around the world. “Venna’s birthday is only four days away.”

“So?” I glanced at my father, who merely looked at my mum.

“Irena, “Father said, rubbing his temples. “Tell him.”

“I wiped Venna’s memory,” she blurted. “She’s going to start having flashbacks.”

I shot out of my chair. “How could you do that to her?”

“Eight years ago I cast a memory charm on Venna. It’s only temporary, magical amnesia. The spell will start wearing off soon. Pieces of Venna's past are going to return. By midnight on her eighteenth birthday she will remember everything.”

I dropped back into my chair, hands shaking. This was the most dangerous form of memory charm. Whatever happened to the person they would relive. They would remember and feel it as if they were there again. “I have to wait for Venna to remember her past.”

“Uh, yes.” She smiled reassuringly. “But you can tell her it is the past she is remembering. She was too young to be of any help, and I was afraid she would forget the information. Now though, she’ll remember clearly when her memories return.”

“What is it, what does she know?” I was swimming in shock, and something close to rage. I could see how my mum thought the memory charm was her best bet. But putting Venna in jeopardy didn’t seem worth it to me.

“We won’t know until she remembers. Whatever happened to Venna that fateful day when her mother died, she will experience again. But I can tell you that she will be alright.”

I breathed a sigh of immense relief. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Her mother is dead?”

“She was killed.” My father’s face turned bleak, his eyes glowing bright green. “Venna witnessed an incident connected with a very powerful and evil warlock. He was the leader of the Resistance, and the one she had been hidden from.”

Mum gasped, “James, you cannot tell him that!”

It took little effort to figure out that the evil warlock, Craven, was somehow involved in all of this. Or had been involved. He may not be alive, but if he was, and if Venna knew something about him, she would be in danger.

This was all very disturbing.

Not only were my parents worried about a war, they were concerned Venna might find herself at the center of it. “Why such an elaborate memory charm?”

“The girl was traumatized. She needed rest, and more importantly, to be a child. Yes, we could have gotten some of the information out of her, but I wasn’t thinking like a queen. I was thinking like a mother.” Mum looked stricken, as if she didn’t know what else to say. “I-I had my reasons. I wanted to protect her.”

“I understand,” though I didn’t like it.

“Have patience,” she pleaded.

No problem. I’d be the poster boy for patience.

“Henry,” Father said. “You must not tell Venna anything. Not until tomorrow morning.”

“Why?”

He leaned toward me. “Two things must happen before she can know. If they do not, Venna won’t survive.”

I felt my blood run cold. “She’ll die?”

Mum wiped at her eyes, blinking back tears. “It is imperative. The psychics have seen her fate. Events meant to happen later, will be set into motion two days too early. We will not get to her in time.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Oh, God.”

Father scooted his chair around the table next to me. He rested his hands on my shoulders and met my eyes. “We trust you. We know you will not risk Venna’s life just to tell her.”

I couldn’t speak. I just stared at him.

Mum stood, “I’ll be right back.” She was gone in a flash of yellow light.

“I know this must be hard for you,” my father said

“For me?” my voice cracked. “What about her? Everything Venna knows is a lie. I’m a lie! She trusts me, and I’m going to rip the rug out from under her. And if I tell her too soon, she’ll die.”

“No, she won’t.” He lowered his voice. “Remember. Two things. Two obviously magical events will happen. She will notice them as you notice them. After the second, you are free to explain.”

“I can do that.”

“You will be tempted after the first.”

“No, I won’t.” Venna was too important to risk.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

I stared at nothing, feeling numb. “What else do you know?”

“About?”

I licked my lips, my throat feeling dry. “If I do everything you tell me, what will happen?”

He smiled. “Ah, I see.’

The psychics were very cryptic, and they never told anyone the exact outcome. Normally they gave a few choices, and a vague glimpse into the future.

“Everything will be as it should,” he said. “Their words, not mine.”

In another flash of yellow light my mother reappeared carrying a box.

“I wanted to give you this, just in case you needed it.” She lifted the lid and set it on the table in front of me.

“That’s subtle.” I didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm in my voice, staring at the necklace. It was white gold, the chain carrying a pendant with a glittering sapphire. When I glanced up, my mother was fiddling with a similar necklace around her neck, though hers had an emerald pendant. The necklace was my father’s claim over her, the symbol telling all whom she belonged to. We didn’t get married like the humans. It was a little more complicated than that, and permanent. “Are you hinting at something?”

She nodded. “Maybe…every prince needs a princess.”

I snapped the lid shut and pocketed it. “Thanks, but I don’t think I’ll be using this anytime soon.”

She huffed. “You know this, Henry. It is something you cannot escape.”