Fated, A Timeless Series Novella (A Timeless Series Companion Novel) (21 page)

Now, though,
cracks
were appearing, making
the illusions less potent and the barrier
easier to breach. So far, because of what we’d been doing in Sagle, Marcus’s eyes were
focused
there, but if he ever
considered
trying to attack the manor again, this would be his perfect chance.
I’d have to wait for
Callon
to
restore the magic
to its former glory
, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do other things
to help
in the meantime.

As Ryan pulled into the country road, the enchantment’s
presence
hit me
.
A
tingling feeling
rippled down my spine
for a second, then vanished
as we crossed through
.
That
worried me
, as I’d not been able to sense the spell when I left last time
.
T
he magic
must have weakened a lot
in my absence
.
I could only hope Callon’s preparations in Sagle would be done quickly
, before
the whole thing
failed altogether
.

Ryan dropped me at the main entrance
, tossing me a brass key
, then drove off to park
around the back
.
I stood there in the rain
for a moment
, staring at the ancient building.
It had been a long time since we’d welcomed a guest on these grounds.
And though I knew Cheyenne loved antique styles, I guessed she wouldn’t appreciate it if everything was that old-fashioned.

I jumped to the front door and
unlocked
it.
The
enormous
old oak creaked
open
, and I stepped into a
hallway
that stretched into darkness.
I flicked on a light
,
and
my shoes clacked on
the
marble
floor
.
Yup, the place hadn’t changed one bit.
The mahogany furnishings were finely polished, the crystal chandelier sparkled
, and the air smelt fresh
and rich
.
Only the c
arpet
in the front room
was a lighter shade of cream
than I remember
ed
.
Portraits of my ancestors stared from the walls, but I ignored them, heading for the stairs.

My first port of call was my room
. I was a little tired from all the flying and was looking forward to a nap.
As usua
l when I’d not been around, the
room
was
completely
spotless. Fresh sheets had been laid across the bed, the desk was tidy, and my
iPod dock
was propped against the
bay window.
I
plucked my iPod from my pocket and slotted it in
, finding a local music station, then flopped onto my bed.
It was good to be home.

As I lay there, I began to
figure out what I had to do
.
First, I’d need to sort out Cheyenne’s room,
and
maybe
get Ryan’s wife to do some shopping
for the essentials she might need
.
Then I’d have to che
ck the
rooms
.
Callon had said he wanted to use
the
biggest guest
room
as a medical bay
, ready for Cheyenne’s transformation
.
Also, the library
needed sorting
,
a
s
I’d have to
make sure the connecting passages were
secure
.
I didn’t need Cheyenne getting lost in her new environment.

I dozed quietly for a few hours.
W
hen I woke, the evening news was being broadcast through the radio.
Yawning, I
comb
ed back my hair with my fingers. That was something I did envy my brothers for; they never seemed to need as much sleep as I did.
Once I’d cleaned myself up, I
ventured downstairs. A
small
bite to eat and then I’d get started.

Ryan had stocked t
he kitchen
well
in advance,
yet despite the extensive choice
I
opted for
a simple sandwich and a coffee.
I’d save room for a proper dinner later.
Once my stomach was satisfied, I walked
back up the stairs towards the
smaller
guest rooms.
Knowing Cheyenne loved to daydream, I picked the
bedroom
which also opened onto the balcony.
At least if she was shut indoors all the time she’d have a nice view
of the lake
.

Furniture was pretty sparse, so I made a brief mental list of what would need moving around.
Some chairs, another bedside table and dresser should just about do it.
I’d get Ryan to help me set things up later.
Satisfied with my choice for Cheyenne’s accommodation, I jumped back outside and down the stairs. It was time to explore the
rooms
.

I
opened
a
heavy iron-studded door, and headed into another corridor.
The right
side had
windows hidden from the outside by
tall shrubbery
, and I caught sight of the lake beneath the dark sky.
The
rain had stopped, and I spotted
the
forest stretched around it, a black shadow on the horizon.

As I ventured deeper inside, I checked the doors, making sure they were all still locked.
Between them were more
portraits,
dating back almost four hundred years.
I didn’t
really giv
e
them a second glance,
but
when I came to the
hidden
library
’s
entrance, my eyes were caught by
the final one.

It showed a lady with dark hair
and hazel eyes
, dressed in an emerald green dress.
Her hair was made into a bun, and she had a warm, smiling face.
Her hands were folded into her lap, and she wore a silver ring with a specific pattern
on it
.

My hand left the library door
-
handle
, and
I
stud
ied
the picture.
I traced the outline of the ring’s design
, thoughtful
.
I swore it
looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I’d seen it before.
Yet if it had made me pause, it had to be something I’d only noticed recently.

Then it clicked. This
ring
was identical to Cheyenne’s!

My eyes widened. Did that mean…no, she
couldn’t be
Consilador.
I knew that for certain.
Nobody in our clan had married or had children in the last fifty years, and Cheyenne
was only eighteen
.
Besides, Callon would’ve known about her right away i
f that was the case
. Still
, why did we have a portrait of someone
who had the same
ring
in
our
manor
?

I held a hand to my forehead. C
ome on, think Daniel! Th
is
was a huge clue staring me in the face and I needed to figure it out.
Callon would know
the answer
for sure, but I guessed he
already had his own ideas about who Cheyenne really was
.
Either way, I could definitely confirm
Cheyenne had a clan ring
.

The question was, which clan did it belong to?

I glanced back to the
library
door. We had a very good archive
charting
our family history
, and it dated back centuries
. If I could find out more about this mysterious woman, I might be able to figure out who Cheyenne’s birth parents were.
At the very least I wanted an explanation for the similar rings.

Plan in mind, I
studied the name
and date
below the portrait, then
entered
the library.
The smell of old leather and pages
choked
me as I opened the door, and my eyes watered.
It
could definitely do
with some ventilation.
Coughing on the dust, I scanned the book spines.
The front bookcases were all of Callon’s
old
anatomy books,
untouched for years,
so I headed further inside. Eventually
, after wading through old storybooks and maps,
I discovered t
he family
archives at the back. They were grouped in sets of years,
and I soon found
what
I was looking for.
Typically, i
t was high up on the top shelf.
I’d need the ladder to reach it.

The ladder was tucked in the far corner, so I dragged it across
the shelves
. The
brass
wheels screeched, not having been oiled for a while. I clenched my teeth against the noise
, hoping the
wooden
rungs had fared better.
Securing the clips, I raced upwards, and snatched the book free. The ladder groaned
beneath me
. Before I could head back down, it
s
uddenly
broke beneath my feet. Yelping,
I
managed to jump, avoiding hitting my head, but I still
landed clumsily on my backside.
Ouch!
My face flushed with embarrassment. Good thing nobody was around to witness that.

A couple of other books had also fallen with the one I’d picked, so I gathered them up
and put them on a nearby desk
. I’d
replace
them later.
Opening the journal I’d wanted, I flipped through, walking over to the couch beside the window. By now it was too dark, so I switched on the reading lamp.

The book was a detailed historical
account of what had been going on in the O’Shea household at the time.
Some parts of the ink had smudged, but I was able to read through
most
of it.
Finally I came across the name of the woman I’d seen beneath the portrait.
She was one of my ancestors, and had
lived during the time of the Great Plague of Europe
.
She’d been betrothed to an O’Shea, and only two of her
seven children survived past the age of twelve.
I scrolled through the
text
,
not really paying much attention to the specifics, when I found the answer.

She was
originally
from the Servak clan.

I rubbed my eyes
, not sure what to make of it
.
D
id that mean Cheyenne was Servak?
It had to; the rings were the same.
Yet Gene and Alexis were
Coltooro
. So where had Cheyenne picked up the ring?
Since Sahara had fled
her marriage to Marcus
, the Servak had been without a leader for many years.
Yet if Sahara had taken her clan ring with her…

Excitement bubbled in my chest.
Finally, the mystery was solved! Cheyenne
wasn’t Kvech
at all
.
Now
Callon
wouldn’t
have to worry about his obligation.

But then, as I thought about it, I realized
the implications
.
If Cheyenne had received the ring from Sahara,
they had to be related.
Sahara wouldn’t just give it away to anybody.
And I knew Sahara
had no brothers and sisters, so
Cheyenne
couldn’t have been a niece
, and she was much too young to be her cousin or something
.
Yet as far as I knew, Sahara had
had
no children.
Then again, she had been together with Qaysean for a while…