Magic In The Storm (20 page)

Morgan couldn’t help but smile too. He didn’t
see how this gypsy woman could help him in his search for Adriana,
but she certainly seemed determined to do so.

He gave Apollo a little nudge to move faster.
The sooner they got to London, the sooner he could find Adriana,
and the sooner he could be happy again.

He did have to admit the woman before him was
very pleasant company—in her kindly fashion. Without Oberon or Kat
with him, he had feared he would become very lonely. But now he
had...

“I do not know your name,” he said
suddenly.

The woman turned back to face him. “Cosmina.
My name is Cosmina Nomid. And yours?”

“Morgan Vallentyn.”

“I am pleased to meet you, Morgan
Vallentyn.”

“And I you. Have you ever been to London,
Cosmina?” he asked.

“No. Have you?”

“No. This will be an adventure for both of
us,” he said, passing by a cart laden with fresh vegetables. All of
a sudden the road had become much more crowded with traffic, and
Morgan had a strong suspicion it would only become more so as they
neared the city.

People seemed to close in on them from all
directions as they moved further into the teeming streets of
London.

Morgan had never seen so many people
before—not even when all of the tenants and their families came for
the annual harvest festival at Vallentyn.

“Have no fear, Morgan Vallentyn, we will find
your young lady, even among these crowded streets,” Cosmina’s voice
was soft but sure.

K
at didn’t even
raise her eyes as she entered the sitting room.

“You called for me, Aunt Vallentyn?” the girl
asked, her eyes staying annoyingly, discreetly lowered.

“Yes, my dear. Do come and sit here on the
sofa, next to me,” Tatiana said in her sweetest voice. Could the
girl know why she had been called? But how could she?

Tatiana patted the white brocade sofa next to
where she sat, and tried her hardest to contain the growing
annoyance within her. Not only did Kat’s reticence indicate that
Tatiana’s fears might be very well founded, but it also negated all
that she had ever taught that girl.

After Kat had sat down at the far end of the
sofa, Tatiana reached over and lifted the girl’s chin with the tip
of her finger. “I thought I had taught you better than that,
Katrina. You do not lower your eyes for anyone. You are a powerful
Vallen. Be proud of what you are, and who you are. You are better
than all the rest—better than any other Vallen and certainly better
than any ordinary person.” The last words she spat out as if it
were some sort of disgusting disease.

And that’s what they were, were they not?
Those filthy, weak little creatures. Their lives, their world,
their society was built entirely through the work of the Vallen,
and those pitiful ordinary people didn’t even know it.

If Tatiana had her way, she wouldn’t hide
away her identity like some scared thief. She would announce it to
the world. She was Vallen and she was proud of it. She was better,
stronger, more powerful than any ordinary person could possibly be.
Never had she lowered her eyes to anyone, nor would she ever.

Kat was her heir. And, although not nearly as
powerful, she was certainly more powerful than any other Vallen
Tatiana had ever met. She should hold her head up high and stare
anyone in the eye who dared to look into hers.

Tatiana said as much, but still the girl
stared at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her fingers were
nearly as white as the sofa on which they sat.

Which led Tatiana to be certain that the girl
had information. Information that she, Tatiana, wanted. How
ridiculous Kat was being, thinking that she could avoid divulging
everything she knew just because she kept her eyes down.

She would give up what she knew. No one ever
said no to Tatiana.

“Would you care for some tea?” Tatiana
indicated the tea service that sat on the white marble–topped table
in front of them. Every time she looked at that table, she couldn’t
help but look up at Merlin’s cup as it sat in its protective nook
above the black marble fireplace. It was beautiful. It was
power.

It was that power that Tatiana planned to
give Katrina—the power of the Merlin’s cup. But looking at the girl
now, with her eyes downcast and a slight tremble to her hands
Tatiana seriously wondered if she would be able to handle it.

“No, thank you.”

“Are you sure? Cook has made her lovely cream
cakes. I know they are your favorite,” Tatiana said, trying to
entice the girl into something other than just sitting there with
her eyes down.

Kat just shook her head.

Tatiana didn’t even try to hide her scowl.
Very cautious, this one. Clearly, Tatiana had trained her too well.
Whatever secret she had, she was going to guard well.

This was good news and bad. Certainly,
Katrina could be counted on to keep Tatiana’s own secrets, and that
was good. But it also meant that more force than normal would be
necessary in prying out this secret. She would have it, naturally.
She would simply have to move a little more carefully, that was
all.

“Very well,” Tatiana said, stirring her tea.
“Tell me, how are your potions coming along? Have you managed to
make the tincture of belladonna and hawthorn in the correct
strength?”

Kat relaxed a little bit. “Yes, ma’am. When I
fed it to the dog...”

“Oberon, Morgan’s dog?”

“Yes, ma’am. I did as you told me. When I fed
it to Oberon, he became rather lethargic and his heart slowed
considerably.”

“Excellent. In an even stronger dose...” The
girl flinched. “Well, I’m sure you can guess what might happen,”
Tatiana concluded quickly. She knew that Kat had an inordinate
fondness for animals and she didn’t want her to become upset.
Tatiana needed her relaxed and comfortable in order to extract the
information she wanted.

“Next, I would like you to try a combination
of linden and calendula. Do you know what sort of result you might
attain?”

Kat thought about it for a moment. “Linden
will calm the mind and calendula the stomach.”

Tatiana nodded. “Very good. They work very
well together for stomach ailments, along with licorice and
chamomile. And in stronger doses, along with a touch of opium, they
allow magical energy to flow more easily.”

Kat looked at her quizzically, finally making
eye contact. “Could it help in strengthening your magical
abilities?”

Tatiana widened her eyes, catching and
holding on to Kat’s gaze while she had it. “No, nothing but innate
ability and practice will strengthen magical powers. You know that
you must use your magic to keep it strong, like a muscle. The more
you use it, the easier it is to use. But if you don’t have the
muscle or the predilection for strong muscles, there is nothing you
can do—you will always be weak and powerless. This is the reason
you are my heir and not any of my own daughters. Being the sixth
child of the sixth child of the descendents of the great Morgan le
Fey, you have that predilection. If any Vallen could increase their
magical powers through the use of a potion, why, everyone would
want to do so, wouldn’t they?”

Tatiana felt the girl try to pull away, but
she strengthened her hold.

She reached out for Kat’s hands. As they
touched, she said in her most soothing, powerful voice, “You have
knowledge I want, Katrina. You will answer all the questions I ask
with honesty and without hesitation.”

“No!” Kat began to struggle more earnestly,
fighting both Tatiana’s eyes and her hands.

Tatiana could hardly believe the girl’s
nerve, but she did admire it. Her strength was impressive as well,
Tatiana admitted with a touch of pride, but no one could resist her
when she had both eye and hand contact. And neither would Kat.

“You will do as I say!” Tatiana’s voice grew
deeper and stronger as she filled it with magical energy, willing
it to infiltrate the girl’s mind. “Just relax, Kat, you know you
cannot fight me.”

Like tentacles, her magical energy wound its
way into the girl’s mind and grasped a hold of her conscious will.
She
would
do as Tatiana asked.

The girl still struggled, trying to break
free of Tatiana’s hold, but it was useless. Soon she would know it
too.

“It is all right,” Tatiana said, looking
deeply into the girl’s frightened eyes. “Just relax, there is
nothing to fear.” She filled her voice with a calming fog and blew
it over Kat’s mind.

“Relax, Kat. You see only a pleasant haze as
the world slowly slips away.” Tatiana made sure her voice was soft
and soothing. She infused calm and good feelings into it to relax
the girl.

Kat’s eyes began to glaze over, and she
slowly stopped struggling.

“Very good, Kat, very good. Clear your mind.
It is all just a lovely cloud.”

Kat’s body relaxed against the back of the
sofa as she fell completely under Tatiana’s spell.

“Now, tell me where Morgan is,” Tatiana
demanded gently.

Kat gave one last weak effort to break free
of Tatiana’s hold on her mind.

“That is enough, Katrina,” she said gently.
“You
will
answer my questions. Just relax. You know you
cannot fight me.” Tatiana filled her voice with even more energy.
“Shh, be at ease and open your mind to me. Where is Morgan?” she
asked again.

Kat released her breath and gave in to the
fog that Tatiana had over her mind. “He is gone.”

“Gone where? To the other side of the
forest?”

“No. He has left Vallentyn.”

“But he cannot leave. It is impossible!”
Tatiana could feel her anger rising.

This is what she had heard from that fool
nurse, Maryellen, but she had not believed it. It simply was not
possible, not with the ideas she had placed in Morgan’s mind or the
curses she had in place all around the perimeter of the forest,
just in case. One step out and Morgan would be engulfed in flame.
She had long ago commanded this.

“He has grown stronger. He has powers now he
did not have before,” Kat said, her voice beginning to maintain the
monotone of one whose mind was deeply enshrouded in a magical
fog.

“What powers?”

“He can move things and put out a fire. I do
not know what else, but that is what I saw him do.”

Tatiana knit her brows. She did not like the
sound of this.

“How did he get these powers? When?”

Kat gave a little shrug. “I don’t know how.
We discovered them the last time I went to the forest to visit
him.”

That meant that two days had passed since he
had left. Tatiana had always been aware of who visited Morgan and
when, but Kat had not been giving her regular reports recently, and
Tatiana had been too busy to notice.

“Where has he gone, Kat?” Tatiana asked,
trying hard to keep her voice soft and calm.

“To London,” the girl replied listlessly.

Tatiana saw red. London! He had escaped and
gone to London. She could barely hold on to her temper, but she
knew that if she lost it, she would lose her control over the girl.
She pulled back and tried to calm herself. She would need to go and
fetch him back before he became too strong for her to control.

Ha! As if he ever could!

But in the back of her mind was a nagging
worry. Perhaps he was getting stronger, gaining powers... but no,
that was impossible. He was male and he had never shown any promise
whatsoever toward becoming a powerful Vallen. He could not.

But still it would be best if he were brought
back here. She would reinforce her curses. Set the trees to hold
him fast if he ever tried to escape again. Yes, that would keep
him.

But first she had to go to London and find
him.

Kat blinked. Tatiana was beginning to lose
her hold on the girl.

“You shall remember nothing of this. Now,
wake up,” Tatiana said, releasing the girl’s hands and turning
abruptly back to her tea.

The girl sagged next to her for a moment,
blinking and rubbing her forehead and eyes.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like a little
tea?” Tatiana said as sweetly as she could, behaving as if nothing
had happened.

“Er, no. No, thank you, ma’am. I... I think I
just need a little fresh air to clear my head. I have a slight
headache. If you would excuse me?”

“Yes, of course, my dear, of course.”

Tatiana refilled her own cup and took a
sip.

She would go to London and fetch Morgan back.
He could not be allowed to roam free. She would not allow this
child, the bane of her existence, to attain the destiny she had set
out for Kat. She had worked too hard for Morgan to suddenly rise up
and destroy everything.

No, she would find and punish him in such a
way that he would never dare disobey her again. Never would he even
try to escape from Vallentyn again, for if he did...

She put down her tea with such force that the
delicate cup shattered and the saucer cracked in two. She watched
dispassionately as the brown liquid pooled on the table and then
slowly dripped onto the floor.

No means would be too strong to ensure he
stayed at Vallentyn, forever.

M
organ looked around, appreciating
the relative quiet of the street. In just the few hours he and
Cosmina had been in the city, he already felt as if his ears would
never stop ringing from the constant noise. Everywhere there were
people rushing to and fro, hawkers crying out, carriages and horses
moving in a constant stream of traffic up and down every street.
His head was spinning.

Finally, as he and Cosmina settled themselves
into the quiet of Mrs. Lunden’s parlor, he could think again.

“It is good of you to meet us right away,
Mrs. Lunden,” Cosmina said, smiling brightly at the older lady.