The Moonstone (Enchantment Book 1) (25 page)

"I knew it, I couldn't be sure, well I really couldn't believe that it might be true. Oh my God, Lou!"

He points to the man of mud and I turn to find him standing still, completely encased in ice. I look at my pendant as it changes frequency and goes from moonstone to obsidian. Oh...My... God...

"This…this isn’t what it looks like."

"No, I think it's exactly what it looks like. Do you have any idea how lucky you are? Do you have any idea what you could accomplish with those powers? I can help you! So you really did barbecue the chupacabra! You’ve got to keep this to yourself. I promise to keep your secret and I’ll help you. We shouldn't talk about it anymore now, but I think I know a place where we can speak in privacy tonight. I'll come and get you at midnight. Incredible!"

While I'm listening to Zach's excited ramblings, I spot the source of negative energy I sensed earlier; at the other end of the field, I see Black leaning up against a tree. He stares at me for a moment and then walks away. He witnessed the whole thing. I don't dare tell Zach, he would be furious. I'll figure it all out later. Right now I'm still in shock. I really must speak to Charles as soon as possible.

"Ok Zach, I have a break before my class with Bethany and I need to take a nap. Your class really wiped me out today. I'll see you at midnight and we'll talk all about it then," or not, I think to myself.

"Ok Lou. I'm speechless. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish together. See you tonight!"

I go back to my room and dial Charles' number first thing.

"Darling, is everything ok?" Charles' reassuring voice calms me instantly and my pendant returns to its normal color.

"Charles, I have a real problem. I've been discovered."

"Ok, I'm going to contact you using the tablet in your room, bring it up to your cellphone."

"You mean the glass plate?"

"Exactly."

I do as he asks and a hologram of Charles appears in front of me. I see him sitting in this living room, cognac in hand and Gertrude at his side.

"Gertrude! I’m so happy to see you. I didn’t know you were still with Charles."

"I've been here the whole time since you and I arrived together, my dear. How are you?"

"Well, as I was telling Charles, I've been unmasked."

"By whom?" asks Charles, not seeming too bothered.

"By Zach, the human who works with Bethany."

"Oh, I don't think that will be a big problem. He might even be an ally as long as he swears not to tell a soul. Tell me, does anyone else know?"

I don't answer immediately, not sure how to admit it...especially to Gertrude.

"Dearest, does anyone else know? It's crucial that you tell us if you want us to help you," asks Gertrude tenderly.

I look at my feet and spit it all out in one breath.

"There was a man standing at the other end of the field who saw me shoot a jet of ice when Zach saw it."

"Who is the man? Do you know him?" asks Charles, still puffing on his pipe.

"Yes, it was Black..."

"No," blurts out Gertrude, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

Charles puffs his pipe a little more frantically now, still not saying a word. He seems to be concentrating.

Finally, after a long moment of shocked silence from them both, he offers:

"Well, I think that won't be the end of the world."

"What do you mean; that this isn’t significant? Our little Lou is alone in the middle of a world she only just recently discovered and my worst enemy knows her biggest secret and it's not the end of the world? Are you crazy, Charles?" yells Gertrude into Charles' ear as he continues to sit passively.

"Listen to me, Gertrude. Her mother had a plan for her and her vision was clear: she’s going to find the Emerald Tablet. Maybe all this is part of her predetermined path to get her to it. Black is a man of influence and I’m certain he too will want to find the tablet. Now that he knows of the existence of a Moonchild...She can probably use him to arrive at her final goal. We’ll be there to support her. For the moment, our best option is to stay the course, and we'll change things along the way if we need to."

"It sounds like you’re talking about the direction of a business. We're talking about Lou here, not an enterprise."

Hearing such good friends argue is upsetting, but I do think Charles makes the most sense. I believe that Gertrude is trying to protect me and I'm not afraid of Lord Black; I'm willing to take my chances. Who knows? He might actually be able to open a few important doors for me.

"Ok, I'll stay the course for now and I’ll keep you in the loop. Gertrude, don't worry so much, I’m getting stronger every day and I'm learning really quickly here. Will I be able to see you soon?"

"Oh, dear Lou! I’m sure you’re managing quite well. I have every confidence in you. It's him that I worry about. Listen to me, in the end, you'll make your own decision, but dear, please be careful and don't be too trusting. There’s nobody more manipulative than him and he'll make you believe what he wants you to believe. The important thing is that you know the truth and that you know what he’s capable of."

She points to her face, reminding me of Black's cruelty; he had no pity for the love of two beings, no pity for humans...and by extension, no pity for my family.

"I know the truth and I’ll be careful. I need to go now because it's time for my next class. Will I be able to see you two on the weekend?"

"Dearest, I was banished from the city. Charles, however, will come and see you. Do you need anything?"

"Maybe a few chocolates and caramels, but otherwise, no, I've got everything I need. In that case, Charles, please let me know where to meet you on Sunday."

"Sure, Darling, I’ll be in touch. You can tell me how you’re making out with all your classes. If there’s anything you need, just call me."

I turn off the tablet and my phone, more determined than ever to go through with my mission and to succeed. If I keep in mind Black's egotistical punishment of Gertrude, that will help me remember who he really is. There’s no way I can let him manipulate me with his mysterious charm. It was good to chat with them and I feel as if I’m retaking control of the situation.

I leave the comfort of my room and go to join Bethany in our customary circular classroom; but as I ascend the tower, something doesn't feel right. In fact, something feels quite wrong. I enter to find a table in the center of the room. Seated around it are Jézabel, Bethany, Zach and finally, Lord Black. What's going on? Has Black revealed my identity to the others? I consider backing out and leaving.

"Miss Mills, please come in," orders Bethany in an authoritarian tone. Zach looks at me, and shrugs. I presume from the look on his face that he doesn't know why he was summoned here any more than I do.

"Miss Mills, I got wind of yesterday's misadventure. I’ve never had a candidate cause such turmoil in such a short period of time, first the chupacabra, and now the chimera. Both these infractions seem to be circumstantial; indeed, it was so with the chupacabra getting into your room, but the way you’ve dealt with these unfortunate events has me flummoxed."

She takes a breath and I can see Black's pale eyes continuing to stare intensely at me, all the while he’s rolling a pencil on the table.

"I’m of the opinion that the blame for yesterday's incident with the chimera is equally shared between you and Zach, especially as he told me of your great interest in the mythical creatures. I considered doling out a severe punishment, such as expulsion from the Academy."

My heart stops beating, and given the look on Zach's face, so does his.

"However, I do feel that your rebel heart could play in our favor and Jézabel noted that the peaceful creatures seemed much calmer this morning than usual, so I will assume that your presence there yesterday did some good. It is for this reason that I’m going to ask you to shadow Zach in the stables for the rest of your time here. I feel that it might be useful for your training. You should know that the keeper was fired yesterday after Black told me he admitted to opening the chimera's cage. The chupacabra was his favorite creature and he was seeking vengeance. I’m sorry for all of this and I hope we can keep it between us. Do we understand each other?" finishes Bethany, her tone even and measured.

Unbelievable... and here was I wanting to return to the stables. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. It's almost too good to be true. I nod to the assembled group.

"Lord Black has joined us to invite the two of us, you and me, to dine with him tonight at his manor. We feel that you’ll be a strong asset to our Academy and we would like to celebrate that," she continues.

"You should know that this is an unheard of privilege, Lou."

Am I dreaming, or what? Black and Bethany find that I’m an asset to the Academy? After a week of always biting my head off? Bethany never fails to surprise me! And what about Black inviting me to supper? I bet that has something to do with his earlier discovery, but as Charles pointed out, it's best to make the most of the situation.

“I accept the invitation, thank you."

"Good," Black directs his words to me, standing up with his usual elegance.

Zach scowls at me as if I’ve just sealed a pact with the devil. He's probably not far from the truth.

"Well, now I’ll ask that the rest of you leave us, Lou and I have a lesson waiting."

Jézabel walks past me and grabs my arm.

"Colimata means "our savior". Don't let anything like what happened to my chupacabra happen to my other animals or it will be you who’ll be vaporized next," says Jézabel, offering me one of her possessed grins.

"Dearest sister, it's time for you to go. You must hire a new zookeeper as soon as possible, so get started on that."

Our savior? What could they have meant by that? Did they also discover who I really am?

Zach follows Jézabel and the two of them leave the room.

"I’ll be expecting you ladies around six o'clock. Bethany…" says Black, offering a mock bow in her direction and then turning to me and adding with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, "Miss Mills."

Then he leaves the room without turning back. The idea of finding myself in his company for a whole meal makes me sick, not from physical disgust, but more because I can't seem to read him correctly and I find that disconcerting. Much as I’m not one of Bethany's admirers, I’m happy she’ll be there also. At least, there’ll be two of us and he won't be able to focus only on me.

"So, Lou, today I'm going to teach you a little secret that’s reserved for those who, like you, can control time. It's normally a privilege reserved for those who are the best at controlling this skill, but given your latest exploits, I feel I want to see if you’re able to do it."

She has certainly piqued my curiosity and my newfound urge to learn as much as possible makes me curious to hear more.

"Come here, Lou, sit down."

I sit down facing her at the central table."

"Have you ever had a dream that was so realistic it felt almost as if you were actually living it rather than dreaming?"

I reflect for an instant, remembering the dream that haunts my nights since I was a little girl. However, I'm hesitant to share something so personal with her.

"Maybe...I don't know, why?"

"Controlling time can be done at different levels, or rather at various moments. What would you say if I told you that after a bit of training, you could, in a matter of moments, return to a precise moment in your past life?"

"That's certainly intriguing, but isn't it dangerous to go back in time, assuming, of course, it’s even possible?"

"No, it's not dangerous at all, and yes, it’s possible. In fact, you can return to a moment in your past, but only as a spectator and nobody will be aware of your presence there. This could be useful for information gathering, to see details you might have missed the first time, or to see someone who you haven't seen in a long time.”

She continues, “The reason I think you would be a good candidate is that to return to a particular moment in your past, you must concentrate on the emotions you felt at that time. As you probably know, we enchanters have a smaller range of emotions than humans, and that’s for the best. But, as those creatures raised you, you were exposed to a whole range of them, so I assume it’ll be simpler for you to do. I'm sure there are many events you would like to relive. Let's do a little test and we'll see if you’re gifted or not. Going back in time is difficult and it isn't for everyone, but the more you go back in time, the more the operation becomes complicated. You'll have to start with something more recent. Would you believe that some very advanced enchanters have even managed to go into their past lives? But don't get your hopes up, that’s exceedingly rare. I was asking a friend who has the same gift as you about it yesterday. One day I'll introduce you to him, but he lives in China. My friend told me that to go back in time you must immerse yourself in the emotion you felt at that precise moment and to concentrate only on your thoughts instead of your hands, as you usually do to stop time. You know, Lou, the more you get to know about the world of enchanters, the more you’ll erase the bad habits you took from humans. It's, for this reason, that if I were you, I would train myself to go back in time right now while you’re still a little like those vermin."