 
The Castle

Prequel to the Guardian Angel Series

By Melissa Johnson

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Melissa Johnson

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Text Copyright © 2013 Melissa Johnson

All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Excerpt: IF I STAY, GUARDIAN ANGEL SERIES #1
Chapter 1

The Day before the Castle Grand Opening

A cry of distress hitched a ride on the remnants of a breeze and bounded along the deserted corridors of the Castle. It traveled past doorways of empty classrooms and detoured long enough to send papers fluttering off the teachers' desks before moving on, lifting the edges of newly hung tapestries. Only when the echo reached the third story alcove did it finally find acknowledgement and fade away.

"Did you hear that?" Heather stopped in mid stride and pivoted on one boot-clad foot toward the sound. She knew what that sound meant. Another child had disappeared. She took a step, but Marigold, walking beside her, held her back with a quick grasp of her elbow.

"Oh no you don't." Marigold continued her forward progress and pulled Heather along the corridor, her high heels clattering on the flagstones.

Heather winced as Marigold's long nails dug into the soft flesh of her inner arm. "Let go, Mari! We must be close."

"Close? Ha! In this Castle there's no such thing as close. We just came from that direction. That can't be the right way."

But Marigold stopped suddenly and released her death grip like an afterthought. She spun in a circle, her dangly, moon crescent earrings continuing to swing wide beneath her spiky orange hair after her momentum ceased. She pointed an accusing finger at the now familiar view seen through the bay of floor to ceiling windows. "That cannot be right! How did we get back here again?"

"You mean at the alcove?" Heather rubbed her arm and glared at Marigold, fully aware of what was wrong with the view. Not that one could find fault with the beauty of the scene. From this high vantage point within the Castle, the mists floated like gossamer stepping stones across the valley toward the craggy mountains looming in the distance. Beyond the mountains was Dragon's Keep, their home. But the problem was they shouldn't be facing the mountains if they were at the opposite side of the Castle like they'd thought they were.

"Yes, I mean at the alcove!" Marigold snapped back.

They were both testy. Tricked by the misdirection of their senses, they'd been chasing sounds and walking in circles for the last half hour. As much as she hated to admit it, Marigold was right. There was no such thing as close when it came to sound and distance in the Castle.

"How do you think we got back here?" Heather bounced back Marigold's question and stated the obvious answer. "Magic."

As someone with a modest talent for magic herself, she couldn't deny a certain amount of bemused admiration for how the Castle held together. It was amazing really. When she'd seen with her own eyes the crooked lines of what she'd thought were the architect's preliminary drawings, she'd made allowances for a work in progress from a brilliant mind. She'd thought the builders couldn't possibly replicate such a design, as it was. But they had. What's more, as she and Marigold wandered through the maze of passages, they'd stepped through doorways that took them, in one step, to another level of the Castle altogether.

It also explained how they were well and truly lost.

Heather raked her fingers through her long, dark hair. "I can't believe this! We can't even help in the search because we are lost ourselves. We never should have left the Gathering Room."

"We hardly thought we'd be gone this long!" Marigold reminded her.

They'd both thought the crisis had passed, otherwise they wouldn't have left for what should have been a quick trip to Heather's private quarters. At that time, all of the children had been accounted for and were under careful watch in the Gathering Room, the only room of the Castle large enough to accommodate everyone -- barely. Meant to be a cafeteria for the professors and students to use in staggered increments, the Gathering Room now functioned as a holding pen for everyone all at once, including hundreds of anxious parents.

If all had gone as planned, the parents would have left by now after settling the children in at their new school. But the fallout from the locket collection had changed everyone's plans.

Heather sighed. They now dealt with the consequences of that ill-conceived idea and everyone had forgotten their initial enthusiasm. But she did understand how it had gathered steam. As the months of construction on the Castle unfolded and the Grand Opening neared, the Guardians had been eager to offer ideas to mark the occasion with something special. They hadn't yet settled on a particular idea when the Council proposed using their lockets in a dedication ceremony. The idea took hold without the full realization the lockets would be collected a full day before the Grand Opening. But surely they could manage without them for a day?

Today answered that question. As could have been predicted, the Guardian children, especially the younger ones, behaved exactly like Guardian children were apt to do. Their abilities hadn't been turned off. In spite of being instructed not to wander off, their curiosity got the better of them. Equipped as they were with the ability to teleport wherever in the world they took a notion, not to mention whenever, it hadn't been long after the collection that they began to disappear. Only without their locket, the children were temporarily without a "homing device" of sorts. They suddenly found themselves without a way to get back home. Thankfully, the Guardians could follow if their trace hadn't gone cold, and none of the children had remained missing long.

"Listen!" Marigold cocked her head to the side.

As if on cue, the remnant of a cheer reached them.

Heather shared a smile of relief with Marigold. "They found another one."

"It appears so. Now if only they can manage to keep the children from disappearing right from under everyone's noses."

Heather sighed again, but it felt like an inadequate release of the pressure building within her. Inwardly, she wanted to kick something -- hard. She would kick the wall, but the unforgiving stone wouldn't give nearly enough satisfaction. It was a poor substitute for what she really wanted to kick. Make that someone. Her husband Eric, for one. Then she'd move on to her brother-in-law, Thaddeus, and not spare the rest of the High Council.

Damn their arrogant immortal souls.

Out of habit, Heather lifted her hand to touch her own locket beneath her blouse and felt the deep loss when she found it gone. She shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans to keep from searching it out, uncomfortably reminded of her part in how readily everyone had complied to turn over their lockets. When the time had come for the collection she'd been the first to turn hers over in a show of support. As the wife of one of the Councilors, she could hardly have done anything else.

That's what she told herself, but her participation left a vile taste in her mouth. Now the Guardians clamored to reverse the locket collection and since the High Council had, rather strategically in her opinion, sequestered themselves in their chambers at Dragon's Keep, they turned to her to get them back. But it was too late and her influence was highly overrated. Truth be told, she'd jumped at the chance when Marigold had suggested a short break. Her presence seemed to do more harm than good.

No, the locket collection hadn't been her idea. But by her actions today, no one, not even Marigold, could guess how bitterly she'd argued against it. It had been Thaddeus' idea, she was certain of it, although the Council had presented it to the Guardians as a joint decision. The Castle, after all, was his pet project. But all she could think of now was how the Guardians had followed her lead. They had hesitated, she knew they had. In that moment, all eyes had turned to her. She'd thought, did she refuse and ruin the plans? Based on what? Dislike of her brother-in-law? A suspicion of Thaddeus' motives? In the end her actions had spoken for her.

"This is my fault," she blurted suddenly.

"Yes, it is."

Heather sucked in her breath at Marigold's quick agreement. "You think so too?"

"Well, I'm surprised you don't know the Castle inside and out by now. You must have been here a dozen times by now." Marigold plopped down on a nearby bench and slid off her ridiculously high-heeled shoes. "My feet are killing me!"

Heather relaxed a little when she realized Marigold thought she meant it was her fault for getting them lost. She grimaced. That too. As one of the professors, she should have come to the Castle many times before today.

"I've only been to the Castle once," she admitted.

Marigold looked up from rubbing her feet. "Only once? But why?"

"It doesn't matter."

She shivered, rubbing her bare arms as a draft coincided with the unnerving memory of her not so long ago encounter with her brother-in-law.

"Don't blame me if you're cold." Marigold misinterpreted the reason for her shiver. "I told you to bring your cardigan before we left your room."

Too irritated with Marigold's unnecessary I-told-you-so to be grateful for the distraction, she waved a hand to encompass Marigold's scanty attire. "Excuse me for not taking advice on staying warm from a hooker in a mini-skirt."

"I'm on assignment!" Her tone affronted, Marigold tugged at the bodice of her low cut, clingy top.

Heather rolled her eyes. Marigold's excuse was flimsy. She did not have to continue wearing the clothing she wore on assignment when off duty. But Heather couldn't help but be curious as to what Marigold planned to wear at the formal dedication ceremony tomorrow.

Putting aside Marigold's quirks, she walked down the hall and tried to listen for sounds of activity. How could you not hear the hundreds of Guardians in the Gathering Room? Again a distant cry reached their hearing. This time Heather didn't blindly follow, but the continued pattern reminded them that the situation, and the children for that matter, had not been contained.

She bit her lip. As reluctant as she was to face the Guardians, they needed to get back. But which way to go? From where they stood, corridors branched off in several directions. And sadly, while Mr. Fitzsimmons, the architect, had freely taken the creative license of magic – and likely alcohol too considering his legendary fondness for ale – he had balked at the aesthetically displeasing idea of signs.

As near as her memory could be trusted, behind them the corridor led back to the professors/Guardians' private quarters and the boarding rooms for the children. Before them, a corridor led to the classrooms, the library and the Archive Room. Either way they went, the route was flanked with more mystery doorways. The question was, which one led to the Gathering Room? If only they could just teleport there themselves.

Marigold read her mind. "Ironic, isn't it, that the children are free to teleport outside the Castle walls to wherever their little heart's desire, but can't teleport within the Castle."

Heather refused to let her bait her into voicing criticisms. If she started, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to stop. She was going to be a teacher here at the Castle and might as well get use to saying the words. "No teleporting within the Castle. It's too disruptive."

Marigold gave a snort. "In this place? Is that what you're going to tell some poor kid looking for the bathroom?"

She had to admit Marigold made a good point.

"At least the adults should be able to teleport! It's unnatural!"

Again, Heather had to agree. As a Guardian she felt the same way. It was highly disconcerting to be without the ability to teleport, even in a limited capacity. The experience of being lost had also been a foreign concept. Until now.

"I bet, if you tried, you could get around Thaddeus' spell."

Heather didn't miss the less than subtle accusation in her tone that she could get them out of this but chose not to. Marigold thought that just because Heather taught magic she could match Thaddeus' powers.

"I couldn't begin to understand how he blocked teleportation within the Castle," she told Marigold. What she didn't say was that yes, she had already tried...and failed. A perverse desire to get a rise out of Marigold overrode a twinge of hypocritical guilt and she added, "Besides, we need to set an example."

As predicted, Marigold scowled. "Fine. Do things the hard way and let me know how that works for you."

Heather let her hair fall forward to hide a twitch of amusement as she opened a door at random. The deafening roar of cheers, as loud as a crowded stadium celebrating a winning score, escaped into the corridor. Startled, she shut the door with a click.

"Found it," she called out.

Marigold sat up straight. "Hot damn! By the sounds of it, two problems have been solved. Another child is found and we know the way to the Gathering Room." She snagged her shoes and padded barefoot across the floor.

Yes, the Guardians were celebrating. But suddenly Heather felt in no hurry to reach the chaos of the Gathering Room.

"You go ahead," she told Marigold. "I will be along shortly."

Marigold frowned. "You're not coming? But why?"

"I just need a few minutes to think of what I'm going to say to all the questions."

It was true. The Guardians would demand answers. Since she supposedly had the ear of the decision makers, they would probably ask her again if the Council would change their minds and give back the lockets. She had no idea what she'd say – besides no.

"All right." Marigold bit her lip, obviously uncertain. She opened the door and paused to look back. "But don't wander off."

Heather gave her a look that asked 'how much of an idiot do you think I am?' The last thing she wanted to do was get lost again. "I promise I won't."

Without waiting for Marigold to exit, she turned back to the floor to ceiling windows. She linked her fingers behind her neck in an attempt to ease the painfully tense muscles. Behind her she heard the roar of the Gathering Room abruptly cut off as the door closed.

Her shoulders slumped. She leaned her head against the glass and closed her eyes, shutting out the view. Home. It must be eerily quiet over there, since every child above the age of four was now here, at the Castle - - give or take the one or two who continued to wander off.

She lifted her head. Right now, beyond those mountains at Dragon's Keep, her husband met with the rest of the High Council. If she stared hard enough, maybe he'd sense her. Maybe Eric would spare her a thought as the Council rolled along with their plans. Or, more accurately, his brother Thaddeus' plans. That one carried too much influence.

Heather scowled. She could hardly open with opinions like that when she rejoined the Guardians! What would she say? She wouldn't lie and say the Council had changed its mind. If there was one thing she'd learned about immortals it was that they didn't like to be told they were wrong. They didn't change their minds. Ever.

She blinked as the colors of the landscape began to blur together. If she knew how to make the impossible happen she would, especially when there was one imminent change about to happen that even the locket collection couldn't overshadow.

What was she to do? She pressed her fingers to her mouth but failed to wholly contain the sob determined to escape.

"Oh, Heather, what is it?"

She jumped at Marigold's voice.

"I thought you had left."

Marigold shrugged. "I changed my mind."

Her deeply concerned face told her she'd have a very hard time convincing her not to worry. Heather smiled weakly and took a deep breath, trying to gather her composure. Marigold had caught her with her guard down and she hoped she had a prayer of distracting her. "You thought I'd get lost. You win, I'll come with you."

She grabbed Marigold's arm to lead her back to the door. Marigold easily pulled away and Heather momentarily regretted not having talons for fingernails. "Not so fast. What is really bothering you? It's more than the locket business isn't it?"

Heather turned back to the mountains, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Isn't that enough?"

"More than enough, but that isn't it. Is it Eric?"

She glanced sharply at Marigold, who pushed for her to confide in her as she had when they were girls. She wished she could. It had been too long. But even though it was petty and unfair of her to think Marigold had a colossal I-told-you-so stored up for five years, she'd been careful for a long time not to deliver an opening.

No regrets. That was the promise she'd made to Eric. And she'd said the same to Marigold too when she'd shocked her friend by confessing she'd fallen in love with an immortal. Blunt, as always, Marigold had pointed out every pitfall.

Heather bit her lip. She hadn't quite forgiven her about that. So how could she tell her now where regrets had led her?

"Just spit it out," Marigold urged.

She opened her mouth to make some excuse. Instead, the truth tumbled out. "I'm pregnant."

Chapter 2

Too late, she clapped her hand over her mouth. Now she'd done it. Heather squeezed her eyes shut and waited for Marigold's explosion of questions. When it didn't come, she peeked at Marigold and realized, for once in her life, her friend appeared genuinely speechless. Her mouth worked to form words, but no sound came out.

Heather patted her back. "Just spit it out," she said dryly.

But Marigold still couldn't speak. Her news couldn't be that shocking, could it?

"For goodness sake, Mari, it has been done before!"

"Has it?" The words finally escaped her as a squeak. Marigold cleared her throat. "Heather, when has a Councilor, an immortal, had a child?"

Heather bit her lip. "It's um, been a very long time."

"A long time? Give the girl a gold medal for the understatement of the century!" Marigold shook her head. "Not in our life time. Not in our parents' lifetime. In fact, you told me they agreed a long time ago not to have children. Said it was too hard on them when they had to outlive their children."

She liked it better when Marigold was speechless. "Yes, I may have mentioned that."

Marigold frowned, her nose crinkling as she thought about it. "So Eric changed his mind? He decided it would be all right?"

Heather didn't meet her eyes and looked down at her short, uninteresting polished nails. "He has been known to make the grand romantic gesture."

That part was true. As angry as he could make her, in the space of a heartbeat, Eric could melt her bones with one romantic gesture.

"Did he change his mind?"

"No."

"Oh. So it was an accident. Heavens! The news must have floored him."

"It will."

"He doesn't know?"

"No. We are barely speaking to each other at the moment."

"Ah. That would make it difficult. So it's bad timing. But it will get better..."

"There will never be good timing!" Heather cut into Marigold's sympathy. She didn't deserve it. "And I don't think he will ever forgive me."

Marigold's eyes widened.

"Heather?" Marigold drew her name out. "Please tell me I am misunderstanding what you are implying. This is where you get all indignant and tell me you did not trick your immortal husband into becoming a father. You would never have done that. Right?"

Heather couldn't deny what she'd done, or, in this case, what she hadn't done. There were no excuses. Eric had been honest from the start that loving him was accepting a life without children. She'd convinced him it was enough. She'd convinced herself. There could be no regrets.

But she had begun to have dreams. Vivid dreams of children gathered around her. Each of their faces seemed so real that when she woke up she felt a deep sense of loss. Eric would gather her close and the dream would fade.

Her voice a near whisper, she said the only thing to explain. "I'm not an immortal."

"Oh, Heather." Marigold sighed. And that's all she said for a long time. No I-told-you-so. Heather stared out the window and wondered if she'd disappointed her friend. She wouldn't blame her if she had.

"Well, what's done is done," Marigold finally said in a brisk tone. "It's not in a hooker's nature to judge."

Heather blinked. A startled laugh escaped. Her relief was so profound she wouldn't have been surprised if tears soon followed. She looked at Marigold sideways, her smile a little wobbly. "You do realize you aren't really a hooker don't you?"

"Oh, sure." Marigold linked her arm through hers. "Now let's sit down so we can come up with a plan."

Heather sat down next to her on the bench and released her pent up breath, relieved to be able to share this worry with Marigold.

"Now, listen," Marigold began in a conspiratorial tone. "You need to tell him soon. The sooner the better. An immortal can be angry for a very, very long time."

"What a comforting thought."

"But he's not the bad twin, so we have that in our favor."

Heather groaned at Marigold's description of Eric and Thaddeus. "I wish you would stop calling them that - - good twin, bad twin - - you can't put labels on them like that."

"Yes, I can." Marigold nodded emphatically. "I know you've become annoyingly adept at letting any criticism slip, but don't tell me you haven't thought the same thing."

Heather shifted uncomfortably.

"Thaddeus and Eric may be identical in appearance," Marigold continued, "but their character gives them away every time. And I'm an excellent judge of character, you know."

"Yes, oh worldly one."

"In my line of work it's a necessity."

Heather shook her head in exasperation. Marigold's 'line of work' being that of a hooker of course. Either her friend had a serious problem separating her real and assumed identity or she was amusing herself to make her think she had one. She thought of an unlikely reassignment and hid a smile. "I think it's time you were reassigned. I'll speak to Eric about it – when we're back on speaking terms that is. How about a nice long stint in a medieval nunnery?"

"Medieval!" Marigold shrieked, likely thinking of the lack of indoor plumbing. "You wouldn't."

"I'll do it if you don't quit acting the part. Now say the words, I'm not a real hooker."

Marigold glared at her. "Fine. I'm not a real hooker. Happy?"

"Not a very convincing denial, but I'll take it." Heather stood up and held out her hand to Marigold. "Come on. We can't hide out up here forever."

Marigold slipped on her shoes and stood. "You will tell Eric soon, right?"

Heather nodded. "Tomorrow. After the dedication."

Before she opened the door she impulsively gave Marigold a quick, fierce hug. "I have missed you, Mari."

***

Much to her surprise, the Guardians hadn't been nearly as confrontational as she'd expected when they had returned to the Gathering Room. By then, the joint effort from both the Castle staff and Guardians to organize the children into manageable groups had begun to pay off. Instead of repeating their demands that Heather bring their grievances to the Council, the Guardians were almost sheepish about their reaction to the disappearances. Rescues, after all, were what they did. Almost apologetically, some offered the explanation to her that it was different when the rescuing involved one of their own. Heather understood this reasoning and she grudgingly allowed that, while the Council had left her holding the bag, so to speak, they may have been right to absence themselves until the initial panic had subsided.

And, just like that, now that everyone was back to being so...reasonable, Heather had to consider she'd overreacted herself. What was wrong with her? Was the heart of her distress over the locket collection as simple as a personal – and, she grimaced, childish gut reaction to its loss? She suspected Eric must think so, although he hadn't come right out and said so, not even last night when he'd caught her crying. She couldn't blame him for the assumption when she hadn't confided her secret and she'd cried harder when he'd tried to comfort her with the promise she'd feel better once everything went back to normal.

But perhaps Eric knew her better than she knew herself, because, oh, how she missed her locket! Even while she immersed herself in her role as unofficial headmistress – wondering briefly why they didn't actually have one – and mingled with the Guardians, she constantly found herself searching it out.

By early afternoon, most of the Guardian parents felt comfortable enough to trickle back to work or home. Marigold also returned to her assignment, but not before finding her and triumphantly handing her a scroll. Curious, Heather unfurled the parchment and found what could only be described as a treasure...a treasure map that is, of the Castle! Stunned at the find, she'd looked askance at Marigold who had simply pointed out Mr. Fitzsimmons from the crowd. He stood with his hand on the shoulder of his young son, Roderick, who would be in her class. She'd caught his eye and lifted the scroll, smiling her thanks. Mr. Fitzsimmons saluted in acknowledgement and turned back to the young woman standing next to him. A little surprised, she'd recognized the woman as Halley Gray, a recently widowed Guardian and an old friend. Heather wasn't sure what had surprised her more; the high color in Halley's cheeks as she spoke with the architect, or that her daughter, Alison, whose little hand she clutched, was now old enough to attend the school.

"Our little Alison was one of the last to disappear," Marigold had informed her, watching the little girl wave an enormous feather at Roderick. In her spotless white dress and with her hair falling in perfect blond ringlets she didn't look like she'd cause a minute of trouble. "Oh, she's a crafty one. See that ostrich feather? It's her souvenir. Can you believe they found the scamp in a saloon of all things? Four years old and she was dancing the can-can with the girls on stage!"

"Sounds like she's a girl after your own heart," Heather had said, and Marigold hadn't disagreed. "Wrong century," was all she'd said with a wink before she disappeared.

A short time later, still shaking her head at Marigold's admiration for Alison's antics, Heather left the Gathering Room armed with her map and a neglected to-do list. By tomorrow she wanted to have temporary nameplates attached to each doorway. First though, she would visit the Tower Lab and leave further exploration for a little later. She was anxious to check on her Subjects and curious to test the rumor that the Castle's new labs rivaled the Guardians' vast monitoring facilities back home.

She found out the Tower Lab didn't rival the original at all – it mirrored it. If she didn't know better, she'd think she were back at Dragon's Keep. With a sense of déjà vu, she took in the familiar walls of monitors and file cabinets and walked over to what would be her own work station on the 'other side.' Here there was nothing personal on display. Of course there wasn't. Here the desks would stay anonymous for the temporary use of students. Still, the identical layout was...disconcerting.

"Why fix what isn't broken?" she murmured out loud into the empty space. The quiet was another difference. Unlike the hub of activity at Dragon's Keep, the Tower Lab felt a bit like being at the helm of a ghost ship.

She stifled the temptation to make the quick 'commute' to Dragon's Keep to access her cases and flipped some switches to bring the wall of monitors to life. From a work station – but not from the one that made her feel like she stepped into her doppelganger's shoes – she quickly keyed in her codes to bring up her assigned Subjects. They filled the wall with scenes of familiar faces from various time periods, a 'big picture' that had a tendency to blend together into a colorful collage. It took practice to focus on the individual and not to become complacent when long periods passed without trouble, which was why she called looking at everyone at once "lifeguard duty." Thankfully, a Guardian didn't have to constantly remain on watch to be alerted to problems. But the visual method was ideal for giving students hands-on training to hone their skills of observation. And, she thought as she accessed her case notes at her borrowed desk, having the monitors flicker in the background kept her company.

An hour later, Heather had nearly finished updating her log entries, including one new incident requiring a short absence to intercede in – of all things – a near drowning. She twisted the long strands of her still damp hair into a braid. These days quick rescues were her specialty while other Guardians, like Marigold, preferred longer assignments.

Thinking about Marigold brought to mind their conversation this morning. Marigold was right. She needed to tell Eric about the baby as soon as possible. Part of the reason she had not done so already was because she'd been so angry with him about the locket collection. She bit her lip. But maybe she needed to set that anger aside.

"Working hard?"

She jumped and spun around, not believing her ears had correctly identified that deep voice.

"Eric!"

He stood two steps away, his long black cape pushed back from his broad shoulders. Water droplets glimmered on his raven black hair and trim beard. She wondered where he had teleported from when she'd thought him sequestered in a meeting. Now that he was here, she was suddenly nervous and didn't know what to say.

"Has the Council chambers sprung a leak?"

Eric scowled. "No. I've been out on the moors. I needed some air and I called for a break."

"Oh? Why?"

He stepped forward, bringing closer his fresh, clean scent of the outdoors. "Why, you ask? Because, dear wife, I've had the feeling of someone's green eyes staring daggers in my back all day."

How perceptive. Heather recalled her searching stare across the valley. There was hope for him yet. "Not all of the day, just parts."

Eric arched a dark brow. "Which parts would that be?"

"This morning, for one, when Marigold and I got lost."

"Ahh. I'm not sure how that was my fault, but I will take the blame. When else?"

"You know when. After the locket collection."

He shook his head. "After? I think not, my sweet Heather. I think you mean during, if not before."

Heather shrugged. "Yes to both. Then too."

With one more stride he closed the gap between them. "You led the collection because you thought I expected you to and for that you blame me."

She couldn't deny it.

"But in this I will not take the blame."

"I may have been unfair," she conceded, turning away to briskly close out of her files. "The children and the Guardians are coping better than I had given them credit."

"Does that good will include the Council? And me?"

She tilted her head back to look up at him. "Give the man an inch and he takes a mile."

"Always," he agreed, his smile unrepentant. "But there was another reason I came today than to wring confessions from you."

A laugh escaped her. "But you enjoy it so much! What other reason could there be?"

"This." He lifted his hands and slipped a fine-linked chain of gold over her head. She hardly breathed as the smooth metal of its centerpiece came to rest against her heart.

Her locket.

Heather sighed. The unsettled feeling she'd had since it left her possession disappeared. Her eyes flew upward to meet his dark, inscrutable eyes. He must have stolen her locket from the collection. She blinked, a sudden onset of tears blurring his image. All she seemed to do was cry of late.

"Why?" she asked, unable to find more than the one word.

Eric brushed his fingers against the corner of her eye. His firm mouth tilted upward in a self-deprecating hint of a smile. "A small abuse of power is acceptable if it will stop your tears."

Her inertia suddenly ended and Heather gave a squeal of delight. She jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. "Oh, Eric!"

Eric accepted her effusive gratitude with forgivable exasperation. "Keep it hidden," he said gruffly. "I don't need everyone to know how easily you can sway me."

She leaned back in the circle of his arm. "Can I?"

"You know the answer." He cupped a hand against the side of her cheek, the answer in his eyes.

She'd had her doubts, of which she was now deeply ashamed. Heather turned her cheek into his palm. "Thank you."

He nodded. His hand lingered against her face for a moment before he started to draw back. "I have to go back."

"Already?" She gripped his wrist to keep him from leaving.

Eric chuckled. "I'm not supposed to be here now."

But he was. And in more ways than one, he'd set her world to rights. As she'd told Marigold, one grand gesture was all it took.

She didn't want to wait another minute to tell him her news. The Council be damned. What was time to the Council? They would have him much longer than she or their child. "Please don't go yet, Eric. I need to tell you something very important."

His eyes darkened. "Nothing more about the locket ceremony, Heather."

"That's not it - -"

Her words were cut off when he bent his dark head and captured her mouth with his. While he kissed her, he drew hands down, holding her immobile. Only their mouths and hands touched as he worked his magic.

Heather gasped. After five years he still made her breath catch. Her knees grew weak, her only thought the desperate need to be able to lift her hands around his neck. When he released her mouth to graze along her jaw line to her ear she tugged at her hands. "Let go."

"Can't do that." His voice rumbled low in her ear, causing a familiar and delicious shiver. "If I let your hands roam where they will, I will never get out of here."

"Is that so bad?" she asked, her voice breathy. Her neck arched and his lips followed the line of her throat.

"Deliciously bad," he murmured. His wandering mouth reached the top button of her blouse, impeding his progress. Was that a growl of annoyance she heard? She smiled at his dilemma, anticipation running like fire through her veins. Would he release her hands or, as the tugging at the button with his teeth seemed to indicate, would he continue the way he was? Either way seemed a win-win for her.

But, disappointingly, he lifted his head. "You are a temptress."

Her heartbeat refused to slow. "Not enough of one apparently."

Eric shook his head. "If we were anywhere more private, I assure you there would be buttons scattered across the floor."

"Oh!" Heavens! She had totally forgotten where they were, with the doors of the Lab wide open. The emptiness of this part of the Castle, and mostly the intoxication of Eric himself, had lulled her senses into thinking they had the place to themselves. But she flushed at the thought of what anyone passing by might soon have seen.

Eric lifted her hands and kissed the pulse at each of her wrists. "I have to go. But in no more than two hours I fully intend to pick up exactly where we left off here."

"But..."

He stepped back, releasing her hands. "And then we'll talk."

Before she could blink, he was gone.

Heather sat down at her work station chair, not trusting her wobbly legs. Another opportunity to tell Eric squandered. But there would be another. She smiled, her hand drifting to her stomach.

"You wanted it back too, didn't you little one?" Maybe this was why she needed the locket so badly. It wouldn't be hers much longer.

Chapter 3

Heather hummed as she checked off the tasks on her list, a sixth sense directing her around unopened crates and rolled up tapestries lining the corridors. So much to be done before the Grand Opening! How would it be finished in time?

It would be. She was filled with optimism, her mood lifted considerably after her unexpected meeting with Eric. She smiled, touching her hand to the warmth of her locket under her blouse.

Near the arched entrance to the archive room, heavy oak doors leaned haphazardly against the stone wall, ready to be put on their hinges. An accident waiting to happen. She shook her head and added the detail to her list as she walked into the cavernous room.

Her head bent low, her sixth sense failed her. She collided with a solid wall of muscle.

"Oh!"

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and guided her into shadows. She giggled. He'd said he'd be back in two hours. It couldn't have been that long already!

"Eric--"

Her voice broke off as a firm mouth covered hers. In an instant, she knew the kiss was different. The touch was different. An unshaven cheek scraped against her jaw line while hands roamed freely, groping her.

Heather jerked her head back and tore her mouth away.

"Take your hands off me, Thaddeus."

For a second, she thought he wasn't going to let her go, but he lifted his hands and stepped back. She rubbed her tender mouth while glaring at the darkly handsome man who leaned indolently against the wall. Of course she thought he was handsome. He was Eric's twin.

"What game are you playing?"

He shrugged a broad shoulder. "Not a game. An experiment."

She knew she shouldn't ask. "For what?"

Thaddeus arched an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious? To see how long it would take before you knew the difference."

"I knew immediately."

"Did you?"

He reached out and lifted her braid. Already shocked by his behavior, Heather watched as he brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. "I would know you. You have a scent I would know anywhere."

She jerked her braid loose. "What is the matter with you? When Eric hears of this--"

"Eric won't hear of this."

Incredulous, she asked, "You think I won't tell him?"

"I know you won't."

He looked so certain, and that made her nervous. Her eyes shifted to the doorway. "You've become as unhinged as those doors."

Thaddeus laughed.

Heather shivered. He was up to something. She knew it. She'd known it for some time.

Weeks ago she'd come to the Castle while it was still under the domain of the construction crews. No one else was supposed to be here, so she'd been surprised to come across Thaddeus in his new lab. His back to her, he hadn't noticed her, and she'd stood in the doorway, taking in the scrolls unfurled on various tables. Curious, she'd walked up to take a look, casually asking what he was working on. She'd barely caught a glimpse before he'd practically knocked her down to push her aside, reaching across her to gather up the scrolls. He'd yelled at her for disturbing him, and something in his black eyes made her think she'd be turned to stone if she didn't move. So she did, half stumbling out the door before it slammed forcefully shut behind her.

Stunned, she'd stood in the hallway and stared at the door, her hand reflexively touching her locket. She knew what she'd seen. On the scroll was a symbol that matched her locket.

Later, she'd relayed the encounter to Eric and asked him flat out to tell her why, if Thaddeus didn't want to be disturbed, then why did he choose to work in the unfinished Castle with all the construction noise? Eric had merely shrugged, saying he'd long ago quit applying logic to his brother.

And here lay the heart of her discontent. Eric had dismissed her concerns, even when she told him about seeing the locket symbol on the scroll. He'd actually tapped her nose, chiding her for discovering Thaddeus' surprise for the Castle Grand Opening. Just stay out of his way, Eric advised. Feeling rather foolish for her suspicions, she'd been more than happy to do so, but sometimes she caught Thaddeus watching her.

The "surprise," she now knew, had been the announcement of the locket ceremony. The sense of wrongness draped over her again. No, there was more to Thaddeus' plan. She was sure of it.

"Shouldn't you be at Dragon's Keep?" she asked him now. "The Council is meeting."

Thaddeus' mouth curved in a smirk. "And an interesting meeting I'm sure it is. My one regret is not being able to witness their reaction."

She had no idea what he was talking about. Reaction to what? Whatever it was, she decided she wanted to get away from him more than she wanted to know.

Quietly, she said, "Excuse me. I have to go."

He gave a nod, as if granting permission.

She felt the absurd urge to run, but refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he'd spooked her. In her hesitation, he took a couple of steps back. But instead of giving her breathing room, his movement placed him between her and the door.

Thaddeus gestured to the door. "After you."

Her head high, she took a step. When she walked past him, his hand shot out and grabbed her braid again.

Heather cried out, more in shock than pain. Angry words on the tip of her tongue, they died a prudent death when she collided with the ruthless expression Thaddeus boldly wore. It fit him well, as if he'd finally let his true colors show. With a rising sense of fear she knew he'd shed all pretense of respecting boundaries. Why? Why didn't he care?

"Let me escort you. There is something you should see."

Heather had no choice. Thaddeus wrapped her braid around his hand and held it like a leash to lead her into the corridor. A few steps away, he opened a doorway, jerking her through. They were instantly at the third floor alcove.

Heather shielded her eyes against the light. She blinked until they adjusted and she could make out the shimmering bands of gold that arched over the mountains.

"A remarkable view, don't you think?"

It should have been beautiful. Instead it seemed sinister – deadly.

"W-what is it?"

"My masterpiece." He let go of her braid to make a frame out of his hands, like an artist admiring his work. "I find it quite stunning how the lockets make it glow. I've always appreciated a powerful spell that is also beautiful."

"The lockets?"

"Did you really think I wanted them collected for a sentimental ceremony? I found a much more fitting use. I used them for the spell."

Horrified, she tore her eyes away from his creation and turned to Thaddeus.

"You destroyed the lockets for – that?" She waved her hand at the window, unable to put a word to it.

"Every single one of them. Even yours."

No, not hers. She almost lifted her hand to touch it beneath her shirt, needing its comfort, but knew it would be a huge mistake. She clenched her hands at her sides.

"What have you done? You destroyed them all for a pretty view? You crazy bastard. The Council is going to imprison you for the rest of your eternal life."

It occurred to her she shouldn't be making threats while alone with Thaddeus. But he threw back his head and laughed.

"How short sighted you are. This is much more than a pretty view. Let me spell it out for you. It's a Barrier. On this side, the Castle. On the other side, Dragon's Keep. And never the twain shall meet." His voice morphed into a sing-song rhythm that made her shiver. "Everyone who was unfortunate to be at Dragon's Keep when the Barrier went up is dead to us."

No, it wasn't possible. "I don't believe you."

Thaddeus shrugged. "You'll see. When the days and years go by and no one crosses, you'll see."

Heather felt sick. She swallowed repeatedly, breathing hard. Eric. The Council and hundreds of other Guardians. Her friends. A few short hours ago the parents had said goodbye to their children, leaving them here until the ceremony tomorrow.

Thaddeus seemed to read her mind. "I chose my moment carefully. A few undesirables slipped through, your friend Marigold for one, our old friend Seymour Fenton, but most of the troublemakers have been weeded out."

It was too much to comprehend. She grasped for something to tear at his confidence in his plans. "Eric and the Council will take down your Barrier. They will cast a spell from Dragon's Keep."

Thaddeus nodded and stroked his beard. "Ah, yes, good point. They will try, of course. But no. I assure you, there will be no spell casting from Dragon's Keep. Magic doesn't work there anymore, I'm afraid. It's now... what is the word? Ah yes, a wasteland. Even the image enhancers have gone blank. No more Guardian work for them. Not anymore."

Heather turned back to the mountains, staring at the Barrier. Could Eric feel her gaze this time? She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, hugging herself against the cold seeping into her bones with every word Thaddeus spoke.

"Now then," Thaddeus continued. "Let me tell you how things are going to be from now on. For one, no more High Council. Here, I am in charge. What do you think of the title High Commander?"

She didn't bother to answer.

"I think it will grow on you. The Castle is the new headquarters for the Order of Guardians." He rubbed his hands together. "Isn't this exciting, Heather? Think of all these young minds to mold. No strong magic though, teleporting only. You'll have to find a new subject to teach."

Heather wanted to cover her ears. She didn't doubt all Thaddeus said was true. But she had a locket. As Thaddeus kept talking of the new Order, she felt a glimmer of hope. It flared into an idea. Could her locket allow her to cross the Barrier? She wouldn't know until she tried. As soon as she got away from Thaddeus she would try.

"You should know one more thing, Heather."

"What?" Her mind was swimming with plans. She clung to the last hope. Eric would know what to do. And if magic didn't work at Dragon's Keep, she could bring him here. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. She could do this.

She cried out as Thaddeus jerked her braid. "Look at me when I speak to you."

"I'm looking."

"Listen carefully my little alchemist. If you have any foolish notions of casting your own spell, it won't work."

Her eyes widened with surprise. To do it herself hadn't occurred to her. "You give me credit for more ability than I have."

"Perhaps. But know this. It was a sacrifice, but I tied my immortality to the Barrier. If that Barrier falls, I will die."

Why was he telling her this? A laugh escaped her. "Are you trying to give me an incentive?"

Thaddeus twisted her braid tightly around his fist, drawing her close. No emotion showed in his black eyes. "Eric will die too."

Chapter 4

That horrible day had been three long days and nights ago. She'd hoped Thaddeus had been wrong and soon Eric or someone – anyone – would come across the Barrier. But each day at the Castle proved Thaddeus had indeed isolated Dragon's Keep. If that part were true, then what of the rest? She stayed paralyzed with fear, afraid to attempt going back to Dragon's Keep when she knew Eric would want to confront Thaddeus.

But she tried to think of what she could do from her end to ruin his plans. She had plenty of ideas...poisoning his food had been a particularly appealing idea, but he was watchful for that tactic. Any hope of getting a look at his scrolls was also out of the question. Thaddeus watched her like a hawk. By sheer force of intimidation he had others watch her too.

The situation was hopeless, she thought now in the quiet of the Gathering Room. She picked listlessly at her muffin until it was a pile of crumbs on her plate. Next to her sat Marigold and Seymour. She had told them about her encounter with Thaddeus but had not confided her theory about the locket. It rested heavy against her chest.

The rest of the Gathering Room was half-filled with a weary collection of off-duty professors and Guardians. There were very few full time Guardians left, mainly those, like Marigold, who had been on assignment when the Barrier went up. As Marigold had described, when she'd tried to teleport back to Dragon's Keep it had been like running into an electric fence that threw her back to where she'd started.

When Thaddeus had said he had weeded out the undesirables, he hadn't been exaggerating. With few exceptions, she could tell he'd chosen carefully who would remain. If there were one characteristic he'd looked for it had been "timid." These were not the leaders. Every once in a while a sniffle would break the silence, as if a breakdown were imminent; otherwise they kept their heads down.

Seymour heaved a deep sigh. "What to do? What to do? What to do?"

His litany burst upon the silence like a succession of popping balloons. Every head in the Gathering Room turned to stare at Seymour.

The crying started again.

Marigold groaned and dropped her head in her hands. "Great. Now look what you've done!"

"Sorry," Seymour muttered.

"It's all right, Seymour." Heather patted his hand. He meant well. Seymour always meant well.

Everyone took a collective indrawn breath and Heather tensed, instantly guessing at the cause. Thaddeus. She'd done everything in her power to avoid being alone with him, but now he swept into the room and moved unhesitatingly in their direction.

"Well, well," he began, looking over their group. "If it isn't the hooker, the out of work magic professor and the..." He hesitated over what to call Seymour. "...whatever you are. What a surprise to find the three of you together. How goes the plotting of my downfall?"

No one answered. Heather kept her gaze firmly downcast. As if they'd invited him to join them, Thaddeus pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Ahh, why so glum, my chicks? The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day. Oh, wait. That's not the sun shining is it?"

Thaddeus gestured to the floor length windows where the drawn back curtains let the light from the Barrier into the room. Marigold said something under her breath followed by Seymour falling into a sudden coughing fit.

"You should get that cough checked, Fenton."

Thaddeus leaned back in his chair. "I wonder how our long lost friends on the other side are faring, don't you, Heather?"

Marigold practically sputtered in her outrage. "Quit tormenting her! How dare you act as if you care!"

"I care deeply, Marigold. So deeply, in fact, that I left them a gift. They will have found it by now."

Heather finally raised her eyes. He watched and waited for her to ask for more information. Of course, she was curious but it galled her to let him pull her strings.

"What gift?" Seymour asked. A muscle near Thaddeus' eye twitched with annoyance.

"A very special gift. I didn't want to leave them totally in the dark, so to speak, so I left some informative documents behind. My journals, personal notes from my experiments, those types of things."

If she had been standing she would have fallen down. He'd left his work at Dragon's Keep? She could hardly believe her ears. It couldn't be that easy. No, his notes were probably useless ramblings.

A shiver crept up her spine when he said the most amazing thing.

"Yes, clever girl. You pieced it together correctly. They have the means to defeat me right in their hands but can't do a thing about it!"

But what if they could? Hope flooded her in such a rush that she thought she must have every thought written on her face. But she needn't have worried. His focus had shifted inward to his gleeful imaginings of the reaction of Eric and the Council. She didn't have to ask why he'd left his journals behind. Of course, he hadn't left them by accident. He'd wanted Eric and the Council to know what he'd done.

Thaddeus stood. "Carry on. But do try to keep your scheming to your off hours."

He left them, whistling as he wound through the tables.

Marigold barely waited until he was out of earshot. "Bastard. Self-important pig. Oh! I can't stand how he taunts us! I'd like to wipe that smug expression off his face."

Heather hardly heard Marigold's tirade, her mind working frantically. Thaddeus' own words in his journals could very well be the key to undoing what he had done. He never expected them to be of use since no magic could be done at Dragon's Keep. But she was the link to the Castle. If the Council could figure out the spell, they could turn the tables on Thaddeus.

On that spark of hope, the rest of the day became an excruciating wait until, finally, deep in the night she attempted to return to Dragon's Keep. It had worked, although her success had been bittersweet upon finding the conditions eerily similar to Thaddeus' prediction. Their home had been plunged into near darkness, the only unnatural light coming from the distant Barrier. Even though it was the middle of the night, a constant glow streamed in through the long windows.

Now, in the Council Chambers, Heather leaned forward and braced her hands on the solid oak of the long conference table. She stood at one end of the table, refusing to sit in Thaddeus' vacant chair. She'd briefed the Council on everything happening at the Castle as best she could, but her euphoria was swiftly being replaced by confused disappointment. Grim, skeptical silence greeted her from the seven remaining Council members.

She gestured impatiently to the stacks of books and scrolls on the table. No one, including Eric, had given them more than a cursory glance. "We have the means right here to bring down the Barrier."

"My wife has the means to a much quicker end."

She looked at her husband at the end of the table. Eric looked deceptively in control, but his eyes glittered with fury.

Their last moment of understanding, when he'd given her locket back to her at the Castle, seemed a lifetime ago. Not even the immediate relief of their reunion had lasted long. She'd barely stumbled through a tearful explanation of what had happened when he'd asked why she'd waited so long to come. He was not at all appreciative of her desire to protect him. And since then, Eric's reaction had been much as she'd predicted. His burning desire to confront Thaddeus was palpable. Heather broke eye contact. She refused to let him intimidate her.

But the Council members were no more receptive, even if she didn't take their reaction quite so personal. Why wouldn't they look at Thaddeus' notes?

"We can do it, I tell you," she said, when no one spoke. "It's the only way."

"It's not the only way." Eric bit the words out harshly. "We are wasting valuable time."

"Eric has a good point." Darius, a Councilor she'd long ago secretly dubbed 'The General' in her mind because of his military bearing, spoke with complete conviction. He ignored her last comment and responded to Eric. "Our first priority should be to deal with Thaddeus. We can destroy his creation later."

Eric nodded.

"Yes," agreed a second Council member. She had a secret nickname for him too, thinking of him as "Kendrick the Second" because Kendrick always piped up on the heels of someone else, and that someone else was usually Eric.

"We have surprise on our side," Kendrick added. "Thaddeus has no idea Heather's locket brought her here and he won't expect it when she brings...one of us across."

No one questioned it would be Eric so Heather had no idea why Kendrick hesitated to name him. It also didn't escape her notice that they all deferred to Eric, barely acknowledging her. She might as well be a piece of furniture in the room. Her frustration reaching a boiling point, she voiced a question for Eric as well. "What if it goes wrong?"

"Thank you for your confidence in me." Eric's voice was heavy with sarcasm.

She glared at him. "It's not about my confidence in you. Even if you incapacitate Thaddeus, what will you do with him?"

"He will be imprisoned."

"He will destroy the Barrier himself before he allows that to happen."

"Let him."

Heather sucked in her breath. "Did you not hear me when I told you what the consequence would be if it falls?"

Eric looked unconcerned. "I heard you. It is impossible."

He thought himself invincible.

She studied the eternally youthful faces of the Council members. Did none of them comprehend what Thaddeus had done? Even if she tended to be irreverent about their mannerisms, she respected their intelligence. She felt a bit foolish spelling it out, but she did so again. "Thaddeus only mentioned himself and Eric, but I think he meant all of you. You are all at risk."

The Council members shared a look amongst themselves. Edward, her favorite of the Councilors, took it upon himself to speak for the others. She thought of him simply as "The Kind One," but even he could not quite manage to eliminate a patronizing tone. "Heather, you can't seriously think we will die if this Barrier falls?"

Her shoulders slumped. Finally she understood their lack of enthusiasm for her plan. Immortals, she realized, did not have it in them to take the threat of death seriously.

But she did. "I believe him. I don't know how to convince you otherwise, but I think we must figure out how to neutralize his spell before we risk showing our hand."

"Enough!" Eric practically roared the word. He abruptly stood, his chair crashing into the wall behind him. He jabbed a finger in her direction. "You will bring me to the Castle."

Heather lifted her chin. She understood his frustration. She shared it. But he was wrong to act so impulsively. "I will not."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Leave us."

The Council members made to rise.

"Stay where you are, gentlemen." She took a step back, touching her locket. "I will be the one to leave."

"Heather!" Eric stared at her in disbelief. "You can't leave."

"Yes, husband, I can."

She was the only one who could. The responsibility made her knees go weak. And she knew Eric would see this as blackmail.

Her heart ached at the growing distance between them. I have something to tell you! But how could she? The right time to tell Eric about their child seemed to slip further and further out of reach.

She took another step back. "I see that I'm getting nowhere here. I will return once you have had the opportunity to study Thaddeus' work."

Hardly believing how she'd ordered the Council – and Eric – to do her bidding, Heather initiated her teleportation spell.

***

After Heather had left and he'd dismissed the Council, Eric sat alone in the Council Chambers. He didn't know what to make of his wife. She had denied him his vengeance.

At first, when the Barrier had gone up and the Keep went dark, none of them had comprehended what had happened. He'd immediately tried to go to the Castle, his first thought to find Heather. Nothing had happened. Nothing. His powers were gone, stripped by the strange power of the arc of light.

It hadn't taken long to realize Thaddeus was missing from the Keep. But while they suspected he might have gone to the Castle before the disaster had struck, they hadn't pieced together his complete culpability. It had been another two days before they found his notes. Acceptance had been slow.

Thaddeus' betrayal had left him with nothing but seething anger to replace the uncertainty. How had he failed to see the signs?

Heather had known. At any rate, she'd suspected. And what had he done when she shared her misgivings? Nothing. He'd dismissed her concerns.

The Barrier, his traitorous brother's creation, glowed as a constant reminder of how blind he'd been. In his very, very long life he'd never felt so helpless and trapped. He didn't like it.

He reached for the first of Thaddeus journals and began to read.

***

"Where have you been?"

When Heather appeared at the Castle, the worst possible person asked her that question. Thaddeus. In her room. He reclined on her bed, his long legs crossed at the ankles. Adding to the impression he presented of having every right to be there – besides his disconcerting physical resemblance to Eric – he held an open book, as if he'd been passing the time reading while he waited.

He'd asked his question casually, with no hint of accusation. She, however, did not leave accusation out of her tone when she replied. "I may not have a teaching position, thanks to you, but I'm still on call as a Guardian. One of my Subjects became lost in a blizzard."

She brushed snowflakes from her coat and removed her hat and gloves. No one could doubt from her red nose and the color in her cheeks that she'd been out in the cold for some time. When she'd left Dragon's Keep, she'd instinctively made a detour. She was glad now she had.

Heather trembled with cold and the aftermath of her visit to Dragon's Keep. She walked to her fireplace to warm her hands, pausing only to turn on some lights and dispel the intimacy. She wanted to rage at Thaddeus for invading her privacy, but refused to give him the satisfaction. "I didn't know I had to check in with you before doing my job."

"Now you do."

She shot him a startled glance.

"I have been very patient, Heather." Thaddeus swung his legs off the bed and walked toward her, speaking softly. "I've given you time and let you huddle with your ridiculous friends. I've let you avoid me and glare at me from a distance. I've let the Guardians take their lead from you."

He stopped close to her. "But that is about to change."

"How so?" Her heart raced at the implications, but she angled her chin.

"It is time to implement some rules for the Guardians."

"What kind of rules?"

Thaddeus shrugged. "Guidelines for the selection of Subjects, additional procedures for logging assignments. Bookkeeping things."

Heather relaxed a little. That didn't sound too bad. Inconvenient, but not ominous. She bit her lip. His rules might make it more difficult to cover her tracks, but somehow she would manage. If she had to account for her whereabouts, so be it. A detour to Dragon's Keep would simply not be on the books.

"There are a few more rules." He handed her the book he'd been holding and smiled as she nearly dropped its unexpected weight. He'd compiled an entire book of Guardian Rules?

"And you thought I needed my copy tonight? Fine. I will look this over tomorrow."

He shook his head at her less than subtle dismissal. "Tonight. You will read it carefully tonight because tomorrow you will present these rules to the Guardians."

"Me?" He wanted her to tell the Guardians, her friends and colleagues, about his new rules? Again, just as she'd so recently done with his brother she voiced her refusal. "I will not."

"You will."

He was so certain. Just as he'd been in the Archive Room. That certainty then had foreshadowed the creation of the Barrier and she dreaded what new revelation this would be.

Thaddeus smiled and brushed back a loose tendril of her hair. She couldn't prevent a flinch, but he didn't seem to notice. "I can hardly wait to hear what you think. Please, Heather, read it now."

He said please, which frightened her much more than if he'd pulled her hair. Excitement hummed like an undercurrent through his voice, as though her opinion were...everything. Had everything he had done been for her benefit? She was the one he'd shown the Barrier to first. She was the one he wanted to know about the documents he'd left at Dragon's Keep. It sickened her. The book she held weighed her down as if it were a physical symbol to confirm she was to blame.

"I will read it n-now." For the second time in her life she stuttered, both times in his presence, her tongue tripping over the one thing that would appease him. And make him leave. "But I would like privacy...please. I will let you know as soon as I've finished."

"I think I will stay." He ran a finger along her cheek. "Your face is so beautifully expressive."

An urgent, rapid knock sounded on her door. "Heather! Are you in there?"

Heather slumped in relief. Marigold.

To her surprise, after only the slightest grimace of annoyance, Thaddeus turned away from her and opened the door. Marigold froze, her hand suspended in midair, about to knock again.

"It appears our Heather is much in demand this night." Thaddeus raked Marigold's appearance with an insolent look. "The thought of you joining us does have a certain appeal, but I must decline."

He turned back to Heather. "Start with the page I marked. And Heather, think of your friends."

Marigold shrank back as Thaddeus brushed past her. She rushed inside and firmly shut the door behind him. "What is going on, Heather? Why was Thaddeus in your room? And where have you been? I've been looking for you for hours—"

Heather held up her hand. "One moment."

She set the book on the table. Her fingers shaking, she flipped the pages to his bookmark. She read the first few words and sat down heavily in the nearest chair.

Marigold read over her shoulder. "Banishment. The punishment for breaking the Rules is banishment? What does that mean?"

"I don't really know." But she suspected this was what Thaddeus meant to hold over her head. Think of your friends.

She shut the book as if it were a box containing a tangle of venomous snakes. And Thaddeus expected her to release them tomorrow.

"Eric is right. This has to end quickly."

Marigold looked at her oddly. "You say that as if you have spoken to him."

Heather bit her lip. She hadn't wanted to raise Marigold's hopes if the locket didn't work to get her to Dragon's Keep. Now that it had, she desperately needed to confide. "I have spoken to him. I've seen him."

Comprehension dawned and Marigold looked at her with sympathy. "Oh, you poor thing. It's worse than I thought. You've been so quiet and I know you've been grieving. This stress is not good for you. Come on, you should lie down."

Heather sighed as Marigold pulled her to her feet and led her to the bed. "I have not lost my mind."

"Of course not, sweet." Marigold pulled back the covers. "Everything will seem better tomorrow. Somehow."

"Here, look." She pulled out the chain of her locket and waited for Marigold to look up.

When she did her eyes widened. "Heavens! Where did you get that?"

"Eric gave it back to me."

"He's here?" Her voice rose and she repeated her question in a whisper. "Eric is here?"

"No." She grimly recalled his dark expression when she'd left the Council Chambers. "But he wants to be."

Heather explained everything, pacing the room as she brought Marigold up to speed. The hardest part was repeating the consequences Thaddeus had laid out. Finally she came to the last moments at Dragon's Keep.

"And so I left," she ended. She turned to Marigold, who had listened without interrupting once and now sat hugging a pillow to her chest. "You see why I couldn't bring him across, don't you?"

"Yes. No." Marigold laughed weakly. "It's rather a lot to take in."

"It is. But the key to undoing this whole mess is in those journals. I know it is. The Council has had days but they hadn't even looked at them!"

"Do they need to? You just said a while ago that Eric was right – that this had to end quickly."

Heather let out a shuddering breath. "I know. I just contradicted myself. I was reacting to something Thaddeus said."

"What did he say?"

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't change the fact I already made my choice. But did I do the right thing?"

Marigold was silent for a moment. "Heather, do you remember when we use to play make-believe and act out what we'd be if we weren't going to be Guardians?"

Heather flung her hands in the air. "This is hardly the time to go down memory lane."

"Humor me."

"I don't have any humor to spare." She didn't. She pivoted and walked over to the table, staring hard at Thaddeus' hateful book. The urge was strong to throw it into the fire.

"Well, let me remind you," Marigold persisted behind her. "Your favorite game involved us dressing up in fancy hats and pearls while you served us tea. Your guests were me, Seymour Fenton and a collection of teddy bears. You were Lady Something-Or-Other. Remember?"

"Lady Such-and-Such," Heather corrected absently.

"That was it," Marigold agreed. "Our creativity didn't extend to inventing clever names, did it?"

"No, I guess not." Heather chewed on her nail. Could she buy herself some time? If she read the blasted book and sang its praises could she persuade Thaddeus to put off presenting it to the Guardians?

"You were always very good at persuasion."

"What?" Heather shot Marigold a startled look over her shoulder. Had she read her mind?

Marigold let out a huff of annoyance. "Will you pay attention? I was just saying how you managed to persuade us to play that game over and over again."

Oh, their childhood game. Marigold was nothing if not persistent. Humor her, she'd said. Heather briefly closed her eyes before turning fully, leaning her hips against the table. She gave a very un-Lady-Such-and-Such-like snort. "As I remember it, there wasn't much persuading involved. Most of the time I had to hunt you down."

"That's right! Seymour and I would hide from you but he would always give us away."

In spite of herself, Heather found herself smiling at the memory. "Of course he would. All I had to do was call out 'Seymour, where are you?' and listen."

Marigold smiled back. "And he'd say..."

They both said it in unison. "What to do? What to do? What to do?'"

Marigold chuckled. "He could never handle the suspense. I'd forgotten how you terrorized that boy!"

"Terrorized?" That smarted a bit. "You make me sound like a bully!"

Marigold turned serious. "No, Heather. Never that. Once you'd assembled us at your tea party you'd say, 'this is what we are going to do today and just like that," she snapped her fingers, "you would soothe Seymour's fears. Mine too."

Heather considered her words. She hadn't thought of it the way Marigold remembered. "I don't really think that is what I was doing," she denied, almost gently. "We were just children playing a game."

"We were children who didn't know what to expect from one day to the next. You could hardly call our childhood sheltered. We saw more choices out in the world then we knew what to do with. I'm glad you didn't give up. We needed our tea parties."

She sighed, the wistfulness hanging in the room.

Heather frowned. Was this a long version of "don't give up?" "I appreciate what you're trying to say...I think, but you forget one thing. After all that work getting you and Seymour to my party, you rarely did what I told you to do!"

Apparently this was the wrong answer. Marigold threw a pillow at her. "That's not the point!"

"Then what is?"

"For a smart child you grew into an incredibly dense adult."

"Then spell it out."

"I'm trying to say I'm proud of you for acting like the Heather I remember! When we were kids your persistence got us to the table so we didn't blindly chase the first choice that came our way. And today was the same with the Council. You got them to the table."

"Oh." So that's what she was trying to say.

"You might have been a little rusty, but I'm quite sure Lady-Such-and-Such told the Council what they were going to do today."

Heather winced. "That she did."

Marigold smiled widely. "Perfect. That's good enough for me."

***

It was almost dawn when Eric finished reading the last volume.

The final volume had been a draft with notes scribbled in the margins. It appeared to be an odd collection of rules. Some had been crossed out and some underlined for emphasis, but he could find no rhyme or reason for the order of importance. He thumbed through the pages.

Rule Number One-hundred-and-sixteen. A case cannot be reassigned except by the Guardian in charge. Rule Number One. Outsiders are not allowed at the Castle. Rule Number Eight. The Order of Guardians is not an animal rescue service.

He grunted. Rule number eight was underlined three times. His brother hated animals. Apparently this rule took precedence over the more reasonable rules down the line.

The section on banishment was especially worrisome. It wasn't really a rule, but more like a policy if the rules were broken.

The erratic nature of this volume was in sharp contrast to the earlier volumes of meticulous lab notebooks. Careful drawings accompanied the notes. The science was complicated, most of it beyond his comprehension. But Thaddeus carefully documented the sequence of his experiments. In the end, it wasn't the successes that convinced him, but the failures. The failures had taken time.

Years. Thaddeus had been planning this evil deed for years.

Eric slammed the volume closed. The sudden gust of air sent a loose piece of paper on the table floating to the floor. When it landed, he saw it wasn't a sketch of Thaddeus' lab apparatus. It was one of the many sketches of Heather.

Chapter 5

Two more days passed before Heather could teleport back to Dragon's Keep. She'd spent more time than she cared to calculate in Thaddeus' company and found it nearly impossible to get a moment to herself, much less leave for any amount of time. A bout of morning sickness came to her unwitting aid to give her some space to make her escape.

She arrived within the Council Chambers to find the Councilors bent over Thaddeus' documents strewn out across the table and along the side credenzas. She barely had time to realize it was a war room before they noticed her.

"Heather, dear girl! We've been so worried!" Edward was the first to greet her and the others chimed in with similar sentiments.

Their welcome left her more than stunned. The change in their attitude, so different from days ago, was a lot to take in. It might be going too far to call them humbled, but they were certainly less arrogant. Sleepless nights were evident by their unkempt appearance and weary expressions. Eric too. Standing next to a map pinned to the wall, his shirt sleeves were rolled up and he held a pointer in his hand. He immediately set the pointer down and walked swiftly to her. He pulled her into his arms for a quick, fierce hug before setting her back, his hands on her upper arms. The anger was gone. He looked deeply worried, more so than she'd ever seen him as he searched her face.

"Are you all right? You don't look well."

"I'm fine." She lied, just hoping she didn't start to cry.

"What has been happening at the Castle?" Darius asked impatiently.

She reluctantly turned to address the Council, thankful for Eric's hand at the base of her spine. Where to begin?

"Yesterday Thaddeus held a meeting in the Gathering Room and presented everyone with a copy of Guardian Rules." Ultimately she had refused to speak to the Guardians on his behalf – only going so far as to angrily hand out his manual. An unwise defiance, as it had turned out.

"Is this the document?"

Eric moved aside loose scrolls to uncover a tattered notebook. Heather skimmed through the pages, recognizing the draft of Thaddeus' manifesto. "Yes, this is it."

She was relieved they seemed to have made a dent in studying his documents and it saved her the time of explaining.

"You say he presented this yesterday? He didn't waste time."

"No, he did not." She had stalled for as long as she could by spending endless hours with Thaddeus discussing his favorite subjects – himself and his plans. But the meeting had gone forward and Thaddeus had surprised her again. "The meeting also featured a demonstration of the banishment."

Eric swore and the others added their various murmurs of shock.

"He actually did this?" Edward asked, his outrage evident. "What happened?"

Heather took a breath and tried to keep her report of the event unemotional. "Thaddeus nominated two volunteers. He took great pains to explain to everyone what banishment meant and that what was about to happen next was only a demonstration. Then he cast his spell...and they were gone."

The Council silently absorbed this. While it was routine for a Guardian to teleport, they had never experienced forcing a Guardian to go anywhere against their will.

"We didn't know where he sent them," Heather continued. "Thaddeus told us to look for them and he invited us to use every resource. But nothing we tried allowed us to track their whereabouts. It wasn't like when the children disappeared."

"They didn't leave a trace?" Darius asked.

"None.

"And they didn't come back on their own?"

"No. Eventually Thaddeus brought them back. And they told us what it had been like. They tried to return to the Castle, but could not. What's more, they had no powers in the world. They were...normal."

She couldn't prevent a shudder. "The whole thing lasted less than an hour but it felt like forever. No one is under any illusion that it couldn't be forever if he chose."

"A warning." Eric said grimly.

"A completed experiment," added a Councilman from the far end of the table. All eyes turned to Henry, who spoke so rarely one usually forgot he was there. "Thaddeus tried this before. Remember Alric?"

"Halley's husband?" Heather couldn't have been more shocked. Alric had died in the line of duty.

Henry flipped the pages on one of the journals in front of him. He cleared his throat and began to read. "Could not finish the experiment. Alric perished while in the second phase. Third phase should work, but running out of time."

Henry looked up. "It appears the third phase was the extraction. The Guardians he chose were more fortunate than Alric."

Heather felt sick. "He didn't even know for sure if he could bring them back."

Eric abruptly pulled out a chair. "Sit down. You're as pale as a sheet."

She sat and Eric poured her a glass of water. "Who were they, Heather?" he asked gently. "Who were the volunteers he nominated?"

Her throat felt tight and she took a difficult swallow. It had been easier to keep saying 'they.'

"Marigold and Seymour," she said thickly.

"He chose your friends." Eric frowned, obviously drawing the conclusion it hadn't been a coincidence. "Were they harmed?"

"No, thank the heavens."

Her chin lifted. He hadn't demanded again that she bring him across, but she almost dared him to say this risky demonstration wouldn't have happened if she'd brought him back earlier. If he but knew it, she was close to folding, in spite of the fact Eric and the Council were obviously committed to a new strategy – the very thing she'd fought so hard for. She hoped they had a plan because she desperately needed some good news.

"What about the Barrier?" she asked abruptly. "Do you think the spell can be neutralized?"

Eric looked like he wanted to say something else, but nodded. "We think so, yes. But we will have to test it as the Castle." He moved back to the map on the wall and pointed to a location. "We will do that here."

Heather recognized the Castle layout, but she could not identify the room. "Where is that? I have a map but it doesn't seem to match."

"You won't find it on your map. Fitzsimmons added a secret room."

"Thaddeus doesn't know? You're certain?"

Eric gave a short nod. "My brother won't even know we're there."

She noticed he said we. "You won't act alone?"

Darius answered her question when Eric scowled at her a bit too long. "Henry is best qualified to perform the spell. We also propose you bring across as many of us as the room will hold."

"Does that meet with your approval, wife?" Eric asked, his lips twisting wryly.

"Yes, it's perfect!" She caught his dig but didn't care. The relief nearly overwhelmed her, but her mind quickly moved on to the logistics and timing of bringing across the Council and, she assumed, other Guardians. "When do we start?"

Her elation subsided when Eric hesitated. "We will have a better idea once we decipher the spell."

And then they still had to alter it. Her glance darted from Eric to the Council members and landed on Henry, who didn't meet her eye. "You aren't even close are you?"

She didn't think she could stand it if it took very long.

"Heather." She jerked her head back to Eric. He stepped forward and rested his palms on either side of the armrests of her chair. Practically nose to nose, the rest of the Council faded into the background.

His deep voice wrapped around her. "If I thought it looked hopeless we wouldn't be trying. I wouldn't hesitate to say we had already cracked the spell so you would bring us across, starting with me."

"You would trick me!"

"I would."

She should be offended, but his confession reassured her...and she couldn't help but admire his strategy. "That might have worked."

"Thank you."

Now she was offended. "I was not complimenting you!"

"I think you were." He straightened and recruited the opinion of Council. "Who agrees my wife was complimenting me?"

"Absolutely," seconded one of them. Heather glanced at Kendrick and had a suspicion he almost smiled.

"Oh! I see I am outnumbered." But the trust the Council placed in her touched her deeply. "Thaddeus is outnumbered too. I am certain you will unravel his scheme in a fraction of the time it took him to put it together."

The grandfather clock in the corner chimed and Heather bit her lip, realizing she should go back to the Castle.

Eric snagged her hand. "A moment."

He led her into the shadows of the corridor outside the chambers, leaving the doors open to allow light into the interior space.

"Your argument not to show our hand before we're ready had merit." He spoke quietly and nodded at the direction of the table full of documents seen through the doorway. "I won't underestimate my brother."

She nodded.

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. His breath stirred against her temples. "I saw sketches in Thaddeus' journals, Heather. Not just of the experiments, but of you."

She trembled and his arms tightened.

"Has he...?"

"No! Nothing has happened. I swear, nothing has happened." Nothing she couldn't recover from, that is, once this was over. He held her so tight, as if he'd never let her go. What could she say? That his brother sought to take his place? She hated that Thaddeus had been right, in his own way, when he'd been so certain she wouldn't tell Eric what he'd done. He'd thought he'd separated them forever. Only now she still had to keep silent while in her husband's arms.

"I want you to stay."

It was hard to refuse him when he didn't frame his preference as an order. She wanted to stay too, right here where his heart beat strong against her ear.

"I can't. Not yet."

He set her back from him a step.

"Why take the risk? Have you thought about if your locket is discovered and taken away? What will that mean for all our plans?"

"I'm being careful to keep it out of sight. You notice I'm not wearing it around my neck?"

"What did you do with it? Stuff it in your pocket?"

"Better. I added another chain to it and made it long enough to wear around my waist."

"Clever." He laid his hand against her stomach. "Trust you to find a way to protect it."

If he only knew. She covered his hand with hers, glad for the dim light as the tears flooded her eyes. Our baby rests beneath your hand.

Eric sighed. "So there is nothing I can do beyond chaining you to my side to keep you here?"

"I'm a Guardian," she said softly. "Only this time I'm guarding my friends. How can I leave them?"

She sensed rather than saw Eric's frown. "Heather, in this instance, it might be best for your friends if you removed yourself entirely."

He referred, she knew, to Thaddeus choosing Marigold and Seymour for his demonstration. But she shook her head. "It wouldn't help them if I were gone. If I went missing, he would just think they'd hidden me somehow."

"Damn him." Eric uttered his pronouncement quietly, as a sentence.

"I can handle Thaddeus." Heather swallowed and modified her statement. "My influence may be...complicated, but I can at least slow him down." She added, trying to reassure him...and herself, "Besides, I can always leave."

"Promise you will. The minute you feel threatened, promise you will leave."

"I promise."

***

For the next week, Heather went back and forth from the Castle to Dragon's Keep while the Council worked on the spell. She witnessed the progress and surprised herself on more than one occasion by adding her own input regarding the magic involved.

"I think you understand the spell as well as I do," Henry said once.

His compliment flattered her, but she knew her talents were modest. "Understanding is one thing, but you know the saying," she'd said with a smile, "those who can, do, those who can't, teach."

On one occasion she caught sight of Halley lingering in the doorway. She went to her, understanding the Guardian needed word of her daughter.

"Halley!" Heather greeted her with a hug. "Your Alison is a marvel. She charms everyone she comes in contact with!"

Heather chatted for a long time relating and embellishing every anecdote she could think of. Most of them came from Marigold, who spent a surprising amount of time with Alison.

All of her visits were much too short, but she didn't dare stay away from the Castle for long. Thaddeus searched her out often, and she had probably overused all her excuses by now, especially her morning sickness, which carried the disadvantage of ringing a little too true.

Now, late one afternoon, she worked in the Tower Lab, finding it empty even though it now served a dual purpose as both a classroom and a working lab. Just as Thaddeus had planned, she reflected grimly. She no longer had the illusion of the bustling activity on the other side. Instead, a depressing vision of cobwebs covering the useless equipment at Dragon's Keep filled her mind. But not for long, she vowed. Soon it would end. It must.

She looked up as Marigold came into the Lab and plopped down at a work station. Heather worried about her. Marigold didn't talk about the demonstration or what had happened during her temporary banishment, but she'd changed. She seemed to want to stay close to home, at the Castle. She also didn't press for details about what happened with the strategy at Dragon's Keep, saying only it was best if she didn't know.

Marigold reclined the chair back and flung the back of her hand over her eyes. "I am exhausted."

"Why?"

"I just spent the past half hour breaking up a squabble between the children. Our Alison was distraught because Roddy told her he knew a secret. The little termite kept taunting her." Marigold imitated the boy, singing, 'I know something you don't know.'"

Heather's head had snapped up at the word 'secret.' "What secret?"

Marigold kept her eyes closed and waved her free hand. "Apparently Roddy told her how his daddy always put a secret room in his buildings. The only way to appease them was to go look."

Heather felt like the rug just got pulled out beneath her feet.

"Did you find it?"

Marigold dropped her hand and sat up straight. "You knew about it too, didn't you? So much for the secret part in secret room! How did you find it?"

"Yes, Heather, how did you find the secret room?"

Thaddeus stood in the doorway.

Chapter 6

He swept inside the Lab and advanced toward her. "Is this secret room you speak of where you've been disappearing?"

"No!" She stood up from her chair and stood behind it, keeping it between them. There was wildness about his eyes.

"I know you've been lying to me. I've thought for days you must have found a way to hide your presence from me. Where is it? Where is this room?"

"I have no idea!" Her heart pounded. "If you had waited a moment in your eavesdropping you would have heard me tell Marigold that."

His eyes narrowed, but he turned instead to Marigold. "Tell me where it is."

Marigold darted a look between them. "I don't know. I searched with the children to amuse them but we didn't find it. Honestly, I'm sure it doesn't even exist!"

But she did know. Heather sensed it.

"I don't think I believe either one of you," Thaddeus said slowly. "Now why would you lie to me?"

Marigold must not tell, but every moment they refused heightened Thaddeus' suspicions. The speed with which she found their plans disintegrating made her dizzy.

"It is in the west wing," she said impulsively, trying to buy time. "There. I've told you. Are you satisfied?"

Every instinct Heather had in her screamed she needed to leave, as she'd promised Eric she would if she felt threatened. She edged toward Marigold. If she could physically touch her she could take her away with her to Dragon's Keep.

Thaddeus shifted, keeping himself between them.

"Am I satisfied? No, I don't believe I am. I think Marigold is a bad influence on you, Heather."

He wagged a finger at Marigold. "I am very, very tired of your interference. I thought you'd learned your lesson. Do we need another demonstration?"

Marigold paled. "She told you the truth! It is in the west wing!"

"I will see if you are right...after you're gone. Only I think this time you should stay gone for good."

Thaddeus lifted his hands and began to cast the banishment spell.

"Stop! Please, I beg you!" Heather grabbed his arm, but he knocked her away. She fell hard to the floor.

"Heather!" Marigold cried out, but she looked to be paralyzed where she stood. Her eyes locked with hers. "Leave!"

Heather understood Marigold was telling her to go to Dragon's Keep. But how could she leave her? How could she believe Thaddeus would ever bring her back? There was not time! She did the only thing she could think of. She blocked his spell with one of her own. It was the most powerful one she knew and the one she had so recently learned. She prayed Henry was right and that she knew it as well as he did.

Power surged through her body as she spoke the words of the spell. Thaddeus jerked and doubled over, releasing Marigold from his banishment spell. Heather barely registered that she fell to the floor, her concentration solely on Thaddeus. The Barrier flickered and dimmed outside the windows. The spell was working!

"How?" Thaddeus gasped the word and staggered toward her.

She scrambled to her feet and backed away, still reciting the words. The Barrier sputtered like the flame of a candle being snuffed out. It crackled, shooting off sparks. Soon it would be over. Any second now the Barrier would fall. Soon Eric and everyone else at Dragon's Keep would be released from their exile.

Thaddeus moaned. He collapsed, writhing in agony. At first she didn't care. Let him suffer. He deserved to suffer.

His hair turned white before her eyes. He was visibly aging. And she knew. Horrified, she knew the same was happening to Eric. The link had not been broken.

"Don't kill me, Heather. Show mercy!"

He was dying. And that meant Eric was dying. Her voice broke.

"You must not stop, Heather!" She heard Marigold's shout.

But she couldn't continue. She stopped the spell and the Barrier immediately flared in a surge of renewed energy. Drained, she slumped against a work station. Her legs gave out and she grabbed blindly for a chair, knocking it over as she slid to the floor.

Marigold looked up from her crouched position. "You have to go! Go, now!"

"I can't." She couldn't access a teleportation spell.

Thaddeus recovered faster than she did. He weaved his way toward her, knocking aside furniture in his path until he towered over her. His voice raspy, he demanded, "How did you learn the spell?"

Heather said nothing.

He pulled her to her feet and shook her like a rag doll. "Answer me! You must have had help."

"No one helped me."

"You think I'm a fool? Whoever you are protecting will pay."

"I helped her." Marigold got to her feet and faced him defiantly. "Only me."

"You! What could you do?"

"I - I smuggled copies of your scrolls into the secret room."

"I will deal with you later." Thaddeus slid his gaze back to Heather. "But you. What am I to do with you, my beautiful Heather?"

She licked her dry lips. "I showed you mercy, I ask the same."

"Mercy? You expect mercy? Look at me! Look what you've done to me!" He shook her again. His voice rose and exploded in thunderous rage. "You will have no mercy from me!"

Heather shrank away from him. "If not for me, show mercy for my child!"

Thaddeus jerked as if she'd struck him. "Your child? Eric's child grows within you?"

"Yes." Had she sealed her fate?

He released her and turned away to walk slowly to the windows, leaning on the sill as he gazed out at the Barrier.

"Why, Heather? Why? We could have had everything, you and I." He sounded bewildered. "It hurts to look at you. I do not want to look at you anymore."

But he did. He turned around and she had no doubt of his intent. He wanted her dead.

She swayed on her feet. Her mind desperately sought for a way to save her baby and landed on one thing, grasping for a life line. "Banish me, Thaddeus! Banish me instead."

"No!" Marigold rushed toward her.

Thaddeus cocked his head to the side. "You want me to banish you?"

"You won't ever have to see me again."

His black eyes glittered in his newly weathered face. "The idea has a certain appeal. Your child will have powers, I imagine. I will enjoy thinking of you coping with a Guardian child's abilities when you have none."

He raised his hands. "So be it."

"Let her choose where to go!" Marigold interceded, her voice urgent. "Please. I will do anything you ask."

Thaddeus shot her a scornful, impatient glance. "What can you offer me I could possibly want?"

"I can help you with the others. Show them I support you."

Thaddeus gave a short bark of a laugh. "Support from you. My most vocal opponent."

"But only if you let her choose."

"Mari, no." Heather meant her words to be a shout of denial, but they came out a whisper.

"It will be all right." Marigold smoothed back her hair. "Tell him, Heather."

She could barely think. Would the locket overcome the banishment spell? Knowing this was her only chance, she looked at Marigold when she said out loud the first place and time to come to her.

"As you wish." Thaddeus granted Marigold's request and Heather felt herself being pulled away.

***

Beneath her cheek, Heather felt the softness of cool, damp grass. She heard the bleat of sheep before a voice called out.

"Oh, dear! Did you fall in the Ha-Ha?"

Heather raised herself up on her elbows and looked up the grassy slope. A woman in a bright red riding costume sat side saddle on her horse, blonde curls falling loose about her face beneath a black hat. Without waiting for her to answer, the woman dismounted and began to slide down to her.

"My Lady!" Someone called from behind her.

"I'm fine, Jamie! Are you hurt?" she asked when she was halfway down. "These things are dreadful aren't they?"

Heather stared at the woman's fancy heeled slippers when they were at eye level. Purple leather. Marigold would love those. Shock, she realized vaguely. She must be in shock to notice such trivial things.

Eric. She had to get to him.

"My, you are certainly dressed in a peculiar way! I find myself most curious, my silent friend."

Heather noticed the woman had stopped scooting down the hill and now sat on the ground next to her, seemingly content to carry on a one-sided conversation.

"Do you think you can manage to sit? No?" she said after a moment. "Don't worry then, Jamie will get you to the house."

She patted her hand and Heather grasped her fingers, looking up into bright blue eyes that widened in recognition.

"Why, I know you! You are one of the fairies! My brothers teased me without mercy in my childhood, but I always knew you were real." She smiled brilliantly. "I'm Vivian, do you remember?"

Heather didn't answer the question.

"No matter. It has been a very long time." Vivian leaned back on her elbows and crossed her ankles, as if she had a habit of chatting with whoever happened to fall into the Ha-Ha. "I don't live here anymore and I only happened to be visiting my parents, otherwise I might have missed you."

"I can't stay."

"Ah, she speaks! My husband...yes, I have one of those now, would say I hadn't given you a chance to get a word in edgewise. Imagine that." She squeezed her fingers. "Yes, I do understand it isn't done to keep a fairy from flying away, but if you need a moment to rest your wings this is as good a place as any."

"I have no wings." Heather whispered the denial, afraid it might be true that she'd been grounded. But she did need a moment before she tested if her powers were gone. She briefly closed her eyes, but snapped them open again when the image of Thaddeus aging was the only thing she saw. She abruptly scrambled to a sitting position, feeling the world spin around her.

"There, see? You are recovering already. Easy now. The look of you rather reminds me of a bird I once saw fly into the conservatory window." Vivian grimaced and slid a sideways look of apology in her direction. "No offense intended, of course. You are much prettier than that silly black bird."

"No offense taken," Heather said, feeling exactly like the stunned bird Vivian described. She struggled to her feet, grateful for the hand at her elbow.

"Must you leave already? My Jonathan, that's my little boy, will be most upset not to have met you."

"I must go." Heather took a deep breath and then another. "Although I'm not positive I can."

"I see. Well, I guess the only thing to do is try."

Heather looked down at Vivian's hand on her arm.

"Oh!" Vivian let go and took a step back. She looked around them conspiratorially, the feathers bobbing on her hat. "Jamie is out of sight. The coast is clear – except for the sheep. Do you need more privacy? I mean, do I have to turn my back or anything?"

At any other time Heather might have smiled. "No, I think it's all right."

She closed her eyes and concentrated with all her heart and soul on Dragon's Keep. The last thing she heard was Vivian's voice calling out.

"If you ever you need a place to rest your wings..."

***

"Eric!" She leaned heavily against the doorframe of Council Chambers. The Council members, all huddled at the windows, turned as one at her cry. Their physical appearance was unchanged and her heart leapt with hope. Their expressions, however, were a dark mix of confusion, shock...and accusation. But where was Eric?

They parted in a sea of black cloaks, leaving one. He stood with his back to her, a mane of snowy white hair brushing his collar.

She walked forward, as if passing through the rows of a gauntlet.

"Eric?"

"Stay back."

"Eric, please!" He flinched when she touched his shoulder. "Look at me."

She steeled herself but couldn't hide her reaction when he turned. She clasped her hand to her mouth.

Eric's mouth twisted. "Hideous, isn't it?"

"What happened, Heather?" Henry spoke behind her.

"I cast the spell," she said, not able to look away from Eric. For the very first time, his identical appearance to Thaddeus frightened her. The eyes had changed.

"'I cast the spell,' she says. We gathered that," Darius said bitterly.

Henry – scholarly, rational Henry – took her hands in his and led her to a chair. "Tell me exactly what you did."

Heather repeated every detail and Henry listened intently, often interjecting with questions. Finally, he leaned back. "You didn't make a mistake."

"I must have! The link to the Barrier wasn't broken."

Henry sighed. "I'm not sure it can be. But it is...promising that the spell will destroy the Barrier. If it is finished."

A death sentence. They all knew it was a death sentence. She darted her eyes to Eric, who didn't turn around.

"You are saying there is no hope to break the link?"

"If we run further experiments at the Castle..." He trailed off at her expression. "What is it?"

"The secret room has been discovered." She said it numbly.

Silence greeted her news. They hadn't asked yet what had happened after she cast the spell, but they must know there would be no more going back and forth to the Castle.

"It doesn't matter." Heather frantically gathered the documents. "We must go back to the drawing board. It can't be impossible to break the link. We must have missed something."

"We end it now!" Eric's roar cut across her disjointed speech.

Her entire body trembled. She gripped the edge of the table. "You expect me to bring Henry across?" she asked, not looking up.

"I expect you to bring me across. I will cast the spell."

"You can't! I can't!"

She jumped to her feet and ran around the other side of the table. Out of his reach. Eric darted one way and she went the other. His eyes were as wild as Thaddeus' had been.

"Eric! You're not thinking straight. This is insanity! How can you possibly think I would bring you to your death?"

His black eyes glittered. "I'm already dead. The moment you cast your spell you became a widow."

"Don't say that," she whispered.

"Grab her, Kendrick."

Startled, she realized she hadn't paid attention to the position of the rest of the Councilors. But Kendrick spoke his first original thought in her hearing. "No. You can't force her."

Eric lunged across the table. His fingers brushed against her sleeve before Edmund and Darius pulled him back. They held him each by an arm while he struggled and raged against them.

Suddenly he went limp, his head bent and breathing hard.

"Eric."

He looked up, his eyes pleading. "Finish it, Heather. Don't condemn me to this."

Her heart broke. It was over. They were over. The tears ran unheeded down her cheeks as she backed away. "I will come back soon, Eric. I promise. I'm sorry. I must...go."

She lied. She had nowhere to go. She couldn't go back to the Castle. But, heaven help them both, she couldn't stay here.

**

Four years later...

The Haviland Estate, Somerset, England - Summer 1799

On a gentle green slope, Lady Haviland pulled the string of her bow back and took aim with a steady hand.

The Earl of Haviland admired his wife's form and grinned back as she shot him a cheeky look, her green eyes flashing with mischief from beneath the wide straw brim of her bonnet.

Robert glanced at Baron Amberleigh standing nearby. "What do you wager my wife splits your wife's arrow, Amberleigh?"

Before Amberleigh could answer, a scream shattered the afternoon calm. Robert swung his gaze up toward the third floor nursery window where a nursemaid hung halfway out the window, frantically waving her arms. "The children are gone!"

Heather dropped her bow, picked up her skirts, and ran.

Chapter 7

That night, Heather paused with her hand on her daughter's door. They'd had a horrible scare today. Ariana had looked out her window and taken it into her head to rescue ducks from drowning. Only she hadn't realized Harry had been hanging on her skirts.

Robert was very shaken. She knew he was down the hall with Harry but he'd just grunted when she'd asked if he wanted to join her putting Ariana to bed. Heather sighed. She'd talk with him later.

Straightening her shoulders, she swept into the nursery. Even though she saw Ariana sitting on the bed, she made a big show of looking like she didn't see her and looked all around the room. "I know I must be in the right place, but all I see is a clean little angel who couldn't possibly be my Ariana! Where can my daughter be? I will have to look elsewhere."

She turned as if to leave the room and smiled when Ariana hopped off the bed and ran in front of her. She tugged at her skirt to get her attention. Heather looked down and pretended she didn't know who she was. "Oh, hello there, do you know where Ariana is? She's about this tall." She put her hand out level to a height that reached just to the top of Ariana's head. "Just like you, in fact!"

"It is me, Mama! I'm Ariana!"

Heather shook her head. "Oh, I don't know. You do look a bit like her, but you are much too clean. The last time I saw my Ariana she was covered in mud from head to foot! No, I'm looking for a very dirty little girl. Would you like to help me look for her? Maybe she is under the bed."

Heather bent down to look under the bed. "No, she's not under there. Maybe she fell asleep in the window seat?" She went to the window and moved aside the heavy drapes. "No, not here either."

She sat down on the bed and put a finger to her chin. Ariana scrambled up on the bed next to her and stood on her knees. She put her chubby little hands on each side of Heather's face and pulled her close until they were nose-to-nose.

"I'm right here! Lucy gave me a bath," she said, offering an explanation for why she was unrecognizable.

"Hmm, I'm still not sure." Heather looked her over. "You do have the same big green eyes, but my little girl has the cutest little dimple in her cheek that appears when she's...laughing!"

Ariana shrieked when she lunged for her and tickled her tummy. "There it is! I see your dimple. Why, you are my Ariana!"

After a few minutes, Heather hugged her close and leaned back with her against the pillows. For the moment, her daughter was content to cuddle.

"You know Ariana, I was just playing with you, right now, but sometimes mamas really do get frightened because they worry that their little girls might get lost."

"I won't get lost, Mama!"

"Of course not, darling. But sweetheart, what has Mama told you about what to do if you ever find yourself alone in a strange place?"

Ariana tugged on a long gold chain tucked under her nightgown to pull out her locket. "I take out my locket and wish really hard to come home."

"That's right darling, the locket will send you home."

Heather bit her lip. "But remember..."

"Only in an emergy... an emercy..."

"An emergency," Heather supplied.

"An emergency," Ariana repeated.

She hoped Ariana understood the meaning of the word. Because once she used the locket, it would take her home to Dragon's Keep.

***

Robert gently tucked the blankets around his sleeping son. Moonlight bathed the nursery in a gentle glow while his son slept, sprawled on his stomach with his arms flung wide in the peaceful abandon of the very young. He was no doubt dreaming of his adventure today as he toddled after his sister. Who knew what tomorrow would bring.

A few steps down the hallway, Heather was putting Ariana to bed. They were likely playing their game, a nightly ritual. Both were expecting him to join them, but he could not. How could he face them and act as if everything were normal?

"Quite the close call today wasn't it?"

Robert didn't have to turn around to know a figure in black robes stepped from the shadows. He'd been expecting him. The man had introduced himself as Heather's former brother-in-law. He was much older than Robert would have thought he would be, but since he never told Heather of these meetings, he couldn't ask her about him. All he knew was there had been some sort of falling out about the time Thaddeus' brother, Heather's first husband, had died. He didn't like the man, but he couldn't get rid of him either. Thaddeus was wearing him down with his nightly visits.

"No need to repeat your offer," Robert said. "I told you no last night and I'll tell you no again on this night."

"Poor Heather. She's like a mother bird with clipped wings trying to follow a baby who has just learned to fly."

"Leave."

No matter what he said, the man didn't stop talking and talking.

"The child needs to be with others like herself."

And that was the problem. Robert agreed with him. He ran his hand over his face and exhaled a heavy sigh that did nothing to relieve his tension. Nearly three years ago, when he'd met Heather, he'd been introduced to the impossible. Heather had been a Guardian, a member of an Order of time travelers.

It had boggled his mind, but when she'd left that incomprehensible life it became an unspoken part of her past. She never talked about it. He would have gladly left it unspoken if he could, but Ariana started to show signs of her unique, apparently inherited, abilities.

Robert rubbed Harry's back, feeling each ridge of his spine, each rise and fall of his little body as he breathed. Harry had been hanging on Ariana's gown when she teleported from the nursery window.

"Who knows where the child will take your son next time."

Thaddeus' words echoed his thoughts. This time, instead of telling him to leave, he said something else. "How long would you keep her?"

He glanced over his shoulder. Thaddeus stroked his white beard. "It's difficult to say. A couple of weeks at the outset I imagine."

A fortnight. It wasn't long. Heather would balk at even one day, but if this was what it would take.

"Then Ariana can come home?"

"Absolutely. I'll even assign a Guardian to her care. To all appearances she will be an ordinary nursemaid."

Robert felt a ray of hope. "Can't we do that now? Is it necessary to send her away?"

Thaddeus' eyes narrowed. Robert suspected he wasn't accustomed to being questioned. "I'm afraid so. Her training cannot be done here. It has to be at the Castle."

Hope for a simple solution faded. Today his son had nearly drowned. "I'll discuss this with Heather. After what happened today, I'm certain I can make her understand."

He was far from certain he could.

Thaddeus' breath escaped on a hiss, like a snake preying on his uncertainty. "Of course. If you think Heather will be reasonable then you must speak with her."

His son smiled in his sleep and Robert brushed back a blond curl. Harry had just begun to walk and he followed his sister everywhere. Something had to be done.

Thaddeus made his final push. "The next time Ariana disappears you might not find her—or Harry."

Oh, God. Robert couldn't bear the thought.

"You will care for her?" He could not look at Thaddeus. If he didn't look into those black eyes, perhaps he could do this.

"She's family." Thaddeus answered immediately. "The only family I have left."

For Harry's sake, his only recourse was to make this decision for his wife.

"Do I have your permission, Robert?"

Before he could reconsider, the words were out of his mouth.

"Take her."

"It will be done tonight."

Tonight? "Wait --"

He turned, but saw only the shadows where Thaddeus had stood. He was gone. Robert loosened his cravat. He'd done the right thing.

***

Heather blew a kiss at her daughter and softly closed Ariana's door. For a long moment she rested her hand on the oak. Today had been a long and difficult day, another mark against the happiness she'd found. Stolen, was more accurate, with the help of her new identity.

"I'm not quite Lady Such-and-Such, Mari," she whispered. "But very close."

All those years ago, Vivian, Baroness Amberleigh, had been a dear and accepting friend, easing her way into her new life by claiming her as a widowed cousin. Like that day she'd sat with her on the grassy banks of the Ha-Ha, she'd simply agreed with her when, every day Heather had told she wouldn't be here for long. The days grew into months. Ariana had been born. The specter of her unfinished business became pushed further and further into the recesses of her mind, only surfacing in her nightmares. And then, incredibly, Robert had come into her life and persisted to court her. She'd been broken when she'd met him, grieving like the widow he thought she was. In spite of that, he'd done the impossible. One day he'd made her laugh. But it had taken a long time before she accepted a new life and didn't look back.

Now she feared her past was coming back to haunt her, threatening her peace. She didn't think she could hide from it much longer. And Robert didn't laugh as easily these days.

She straightened her shoulders and walked to the nursery, slipping quietly inside.

Robert stood by Harry's cot and he jumped when she touched his shoulder. "Sorry," she whispered. "Ariana is still awake if you'd like to say goodnight."

"No, not tonight."

She sighed and bent over Harry, smoothing back his curls. Such fine hair, the color of sunshine.

"We can't go on this way."

Heather turned to Robert, surprised by his abrupt and ominous pronouncement. "What are you suggesting we do?"

"We must let Thaddeus take her," he said firmly.

She couldn't have heard him right. He'd said the impossible. The room seemed to tilt. "Thaddeus?" Just saying the name made her shudder. "What do you know of...him?"

"From what you told me, not much," Robert said defensively. "But I think it's time we let him help us."

"Help us? Have you lost your mind?" Heather clapped her mouth over her mouth, as though afraid her former brother-in-law could hear her.

Robert looked taken aback at her outburst, but he couldn't be nearly as shocked as her. She took a hasty step backwards. He didn't understand. She blamed herself for that. There was so much she hadn't told him.

Robert stepped closer. "Don't look like that, Heather love. I know you didn't get along..."

An odd little noise escaped her throat.

"... but it will only be for a short while. Once she has learned some control she can come back for visits."

Had she so thoroughly reduced life and death to a family misunderstanding? Now he wanted her to contact Thaddeus. She sucked in a shaky breath, but the room lacked sufficient oxygen. She hadn't wanted to tell him anything of her past. But knowing a day like this would come, she had told him part of it. A version of it. Obviously, her version had too many holes.

He thought there would be visits.

"No! Do not say another word. I would never let Ariana go with him. Never! How could you think I could send her away? What mother would do that?"

Harry whimpered and Heather abruptly cut off her words when she realized her voice had risen. They both froze for a long minute, waiting to see if Harry would wake with a full-fledged wail. Thankfully, their baby fell back to sleep, unaware of the turmoil around him.

Robert took her elbow and led her away from the cot before he answered, his voice low but fierce. "What mother would do that, you ask? How about a mother concerned with what would happen if her four-year-old took it in her mind to take her baby brother God only knows where!"

"She didn't do that!"

"She very nearly did."

He let her go and moved back to Harry's cot, gripping the railing with his hands until his knuckles showed white. Heather stepped forward and laid her hand on top of his.

"It will be all right, Robert," she said quietly. "Today was an accident."

He shook his head. "Ariana needs to be with others like herself."

Heather frowned. Others like herself? Where did he get these words? He didn't sound at all like himself.

Robert continued, not looking up from their baby. "We must think of Harry's safety."

His words pulled her long buried Guardian instincts to the surface. "Oh, Robert," she said as gently has she knew how. "In time, Ariana will be the best protector Harry could possibly have."

"But will we survive until that day?"

She heard the helpless frustration in his voice. She hadn't realized how tormented he had been. How long had he been thinking this way?

"Robert, do you love my child?"

He stiffened. But he turned toward her. "I do love her, Heather. She is a miniature of you, so how could I not?"

She smiled, relieved.

"But you ask me to place too much trust in a small child."

They seemed to be at an impasse, each refusing to give ground. She didn't know how to bridge the difference of opinion between them. Heather bit her lip. Her secrets were smothering her. Heaven help her, she hadn't even told him about the locket. For so long she'd hidden the locket's existence, afraid to speak of it until recently in her game with Ariana. It might reassure Robert to know the locket meant Heather wasn't completely without her powers, but it was only a matter of time before the locket didn't work for her. Its power was being transferred to its new owner – Ariana.

As much as she hated to go back, to remember, she knew she had to give him more of what had happened. Robert must get this idea of Thaddeus helping them out of his head.

"Come," Heather said, taking his hand. "Sit with me and I will tell you what I can."

She led him to the window seat and kept her voice low. "You don't know Thaddeus like I do. We did not have a simple...misunderstanding when we parted ways. He...banished me."

Robert snapped his head up. "Banished? What do you mean by 'banished?' I thought you left by choice."

"No," she said flatly. "I had no choice."

Eric, she knew, would disagree. The old fear came back as though it were yesterday. In her mind she saw that first horrible day when Thaddeus had invented his title. The next horrible day played out and the next, trapping her in a loop of memories that spiraled toward that last day.

"I can still remember his exact words when he...banished me."

Robert looked oddly pale. "What did he say?"

"He said, "I will enjoy imagining how you will cope with a child with Guardian abilities when you have none."

"He took your powers?" Robert gripped her shoulders. "Heather! This is important! Can Thaddeus give you back your powers?"

His urgency frightened her. "Of course he can, but he won't. He hates me. You have no idea how much he hates me."

"He hates you? Why?"

Heather flinched. Thaddeus had asked her the same thing. Why, Heather? Why?

Robert's voice brought her back to the present. "Tell me!"

"I – I almost killed him."

Robert released her and jumped to his feet. "Good God."

She'd repulsed him. Her hands twisted the fabric of her green silk gown as she watched him rake his hands through his hair and stare at her, absolutely stunned. Oh, why had she said it that way, with no explanation? "It is...hard to explain why..."

But Robert held up his hand, looking dazed. "I cannot begin to know your reasons, but I'm sure you had them."

She gave a jerky nod, grateful for the reprieve. "Do you understand now? There is no possibility of letting Ariana go to Thaddeus." Her voice broke. "He won't bring her back."

"But he promised," Robert said, half to himself. "He promised he would bring her back."

Heather was slow to absorb what Robert was saying. Thaddeus had made him a promise? Thaddeus had been here?

In an instant she was beside him, clutching the lapels of his coat. "What have you done, Robert? What have you done?"

She shook him out of his lethargy and he looked down at her. "I think...I think I made a deal with the devil."

She froze, her blood turned cold. Robert gripped her hands tightly. "I will fix this Heather. I swear, I will..."

His voice trailed off. They heard music coming from down the hallway. Robert cocked his head to the side. "What is that?"

The tune sounded like a circus melody. It didn't belong.

She broke away from Robert and raced out the door. Ariana! She had to get to her. A step before she reached Ariana's door, a brilliant light flashed under the doorway.

No!

Robert reached around her and rattled the door handle. It wouldn't open. He glanced at her for a split-second before stepping back and throwing himself bodily at the door. Wood splintered as it gave way. Heather rushed into the room after him, running into his back when he abruptly stopped. In the moonlight she saw that the bed was empty except for a ragged doll. Around the doll's neck shimmered a gold locket.

Heather cried out, or she thought she did. She heard the sound as if it had been made by someone else, and it echoed, sweeping her back in time.

Robert shouted to the empty room. "Thaddeus! I changed my mind! Thaddeus, bring her back!"

She moved like a sleepwalker toward the bed. He had her. She picked up the doll, thinking how Ariana had named the doll Lucy, after the maid. He had her. Her knees buckled and she collapsed in a crumpled heap to the floor. Her hands shook and she took the locket off the doll. With the locket she could still go back.

"I must go."

She didn't realize she'd spoken out loud until Robert answered her.

"Go where?"

"Dra --," Heather cut herself off, shocked to realize she'd almost said Dragon's Keep. "I'm going to the Castle."

"You can do that?"

"Yes." Further explanations were beyond her at the moment. She moved to get to her feet but her legs were wobbly. Robert put a steadying hand under her elbow. "Take me with you."

"No!" She pulled her arm away, rejecting his offer more harshly than she intended. If she were to get into the Castle undetected, she must do this alone. "I need to find my daughter."

"Our daughter," he said hoarsely. "I love her too, please believe that."

She couldn't think of anything except getting Ariana back. "I must go."

Robert swung her around. "Look at me, Heather! What about us? What about Harry?"

Heather sucked in her breath and finally looked fully at Robert. A gray cast to his face, he looked as if he were about to be ill. He thought she was leaving him...leaving them. "I will be back."

Robert swallowed hard.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Again she made a promise. Heather had a sinking feeling she was going to have to choose which life was hers once and for all.

Chapter 8

Heather didn't have a plan. It wasn't until she was back in the Castle that she started to realize the enormity of what she was doing. She felt like a ghost wandering the corridors, only she didn't have the advantage of invisibility. She realized she was in the vicinity of the Tower Lab and peeked inside the doorway, surprised to find the room empty.

She stepped inside. Perhaps this would be as good a place as any to wait and hope for the arrival of a friendly face to help her.

Her work station looked eerily unchanged from when she'd seen it last, well over four years before. A headset lay on the chair, as if flung casually aside, waiting for her to pick it up and get back to work. It couldn't be hers, but she picked it up and felt a rush a memories. Before she could notice anything more, she heard voices approaching and looked frantically around for a hiding place. She slipped inside a large wall cabinet.

Her wish seemed to be doubly granted when both Seymour Fenton and Marigold walked into the room. Relieved, she started to push the cabinet door open. Almost a second too late she saw that Seymour and Marigold was not the only one coming into the room. Thaddeus! Heather covered her gasp and backed into the shadows, pulling her full skirt out of sight. Through the wire mesh inset of the cabinet door, she saw Marigold glance sharply in her direction.

Holding onto Thaddeus' hand was Ariana. She hopped up and down beside him, her bare feet peeking out from beneath her nightgown. "Is this the magic place?"

"Indeed it is!"

Heather covered her mouth to keep from calling out. She watched from a gap in the panel, both relieved and confused at how unafraid Ariana seemed. But Thaddeus was being far from frightening.

"Watch this, niece!" With a dramatic wave of his hand all of the image enhancers flickered to life.

"Oh!" Impressed, Ariana let go of Thaddeus' hand and rushed to the monitors, touching the screens.

Thaddeus chuckled. The sound made Heather cringe.

She saw the same reaction from Marigold. Oh, how she'd missed her! She looked different. Older, more subdued. Gone was the flashy hooker garb, replaced instead with a conservative blouse buttoned to her throat, a knee-length skirt, and sensible flat shoes. Everything about her looked muted, except for the brilliant orange of her hair. But she was still here, which was more than she'd expected.

Seymour looked the same as he always had. Worried. He wrung his hands. At any moment he would say...

"What to do, what to do, what to --"

Marigold jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

But Thaddeus had heard him. While Ariana was distracted by the pictures on the monitors, he turned and addressed Seymour. "Do you have something to say, Fenton?"

Seymour ran his finger under his collar. "What? No...nothing."

Thaddeus walked over to stand with Ariana at the far side of the room, his hand on her shoulder as he pointed out scenes of interest.

Heather couldn't hear them, but she could hear Seymour and Marigold, who stood much closer to her hiding place. She strained to hear their whispers.

Seymour spoke first. "That is...that child is..."

"Heather's child," finished Marigold. "I know."

"What to--"

"Stop it!" Marigold practically hissed. "There is nothing 'to do.' We can't get the child back to her. Even if we did, he would take her back. Heather would have to run forever."

Heather heard Seymour draw in his breath, which hopefully covered her own gasp.

"You know where she is, don't you," he said.

"I do."

For a second, Heather thought Marigold meant she knew where she was right now.

"But I won't tell you. It's best if you don't know."

"I understand," Seymour said softly. "It is a horrible predicament."

More than he knew. If she brought Ariana back home to Robert, Thaddeus would know she had a locket. Marigold was right. He would come after them. None of them would be safe. There was no where they could hide.

But there was Dragon's Keep. If she brought Ariana to Eric, then what? Eric. She trembled at the thought of facing him. She'd promised him she'd return. Since she'd left, everything had changed, and yet, nothing had changed.

Even if she never returned, would Robert and Harry be safe? Heather pressed her hand against the wire mesh. Mari, help me.

Marigold side-stepped closer until she stood with her back to the cabinet. Her body blocked Heather's view of Thaddeus and Ariana, but she also blocked his view if he happened to glance their way.

"If Heather were here, in this very room, I would give her one chance. She knows there is only one thing she could do to end this for all of us."

Heather shuddered. Finish the spell.

"I don't think she can," Seymour said sadly.

"If she can't do that, than she must leave it alone." She cleared her throat. "Because if I saw even a hint of her again, I would go to Thaddeus."

Marigold was warning her.

Seymour sighed. "I remember a time when all of us were the best of friends."

Heather's throat felt tight. Yes, they had been the best of friends.

"We were." Marigold echoed her thoughts. "But things are different now, you know that, Seymour. I cannot risk being on Thaddeus' bad side. As hard as it would be, she must choose."

Choose one child over the other? Her heart broke, splitting in two. No matter what she did, half of her would be left behind. Ariana. Baby Harry. An impossible choice.

Cast the spell. Could she? It had been so long. Her entire body trembled at the thought of the repercussions if she failed. She couldn't take the risk.

She must go. Heather leaned her head against the panel. Her entire life seemed to be filled with days of having to leave the ones she loved. She willed Marigold to move to the side, just a step, so she didn't block her view. But she did not. Heather bit her lip, tasting blood. If she left now, could she have the hope of coming back? Maybe the locket would work again. She hadn't even brought Lucy. Why hadn't she brought Ariana's doll?

But she must go. In the years to come, would Ariana ever forgive her?

###

The story continues with Ariana...

AVAILABLE NOW – IF I STAY: GUARDIAN ANGEL SERIES, BOOK 1

By Melissa Johnson

When JUSTIN MONTROSE, a former captain in the British Army and the new fifth Duke of Claymore, is rescued from highwaymen by a mysterious beauty, their meeting sets in motion his search for an angel. As he will discover, the truth of ARIANA's identity is more than most ordinary men can swallow. Not only is his angel a member of the Order of Guardians, an eclectic group of time travelers, but she has a surprising tie to his world and time. Will that tie, and the growing attraction between them, be enough for her to abandon her calling as a Guardian? If not, does he have a place in her world? He's not certain, and when his angel needs rescuing herself and loses her memory, he takes his chance and smothers his conscience to rewrite her past. But it's hard work to maintain a lie - - especially when Ariana has a secret locked in her mind that her former Guardian colleagues are desperate for her to remember.

Excerpt: If I Stay: Guardian Angel Series, Book 1

Northern England – December, 1809

If her uncle found out about this, she knew exactly what he would say. Everyone would hear what he had to say. He would say it so loudly the dust would rain down from the Castle's rafters.

"The Order of Guardians is not an animal rescue service!"

That is what he'd say.

"Well, it should be," she muttered. But with luck, Uncle Thaddeus would never know she'd been gone. Before she'd teleported, she'd cast a spell to hide her whereabouts, and it was a good spell too. She was nearly ninety-nine percent certain it would work.

Now all she had to do was open her eyes.

Ariana opened one eye and saw white. Promising. She opened the other eye. More white. The stark sameness of ground and sky made her dizzy until the mist thinned and a horizon of bare-branched trees righted her world. Most important, she recognized the bank of the very pond she'd been looking down on mere seconds ago from the Castle's Tower room. It didn't, couldn't, however, compare to how it felt now, to be in the image. As if she'd been swallowed whole.

She gulped. At least she hoped she'd arrived whole! She patted her arms, legs, and other body parts in a quick assessment––yes, all in one piece! Heavens! She'd really done it. She'd teleported through time and space as if she were a seasoned Guardian well beyond her fourteen years. Her success made her giddy and she pressed a hand against her stomach, willing it to stop fluttering like a thousand migrating butterflies coming in for a landing.

The flutter in her stomach, at least, was a familiar sensation. Her talent for teleportation had shown itself early, and she'd been a frequent, world-class traveler since the tender age of four. "Child prodigy," "gifted," and possessing a "remarkable raw talent" had been the terms bandied about. But her early promise had burned out with a disappointing sputter, her talent too unpredictable to be of value. She'd long since fallen behind the technical proficiency of her classmates. Not in ability exactly, but in discipline. As Uncle Thaddeus pointed out, she lacked a sense of direction. He'd said it often enough each and every time he recovered his wayward niece.

But today she'd lived up to her talent! This trip marked the first time she'd actually wound up where she'd intended to go. She'd used the image enhancers, even though it had felt a bit like spying, to direct her journey.

Her classmates would be so jealous! Uncle Thaddeus would finally be proud.

She bit her lip. Too bad she could not tell her classmates. Or her uncle. Or anyone.

As much her wounded pride craved acknowledgement, her tarnished reputation had proven too advantageous to worry about polishing it now. Uncle Thaddeus must not know, and if she told her classmates, they would tell on her (as they'd have to, and she didn't blame them about that) and she'd spend the rest of the semester locked out of the Tower. And that would be a shame since getting locked into the Tower as a punishment had been the very devil to manipulate.

But if her uncle found out where she'd gone...

She shuddered. For some reason, anything to do with early nineteenth century England guaranteed a very bad reaction. She didn't know why that time or place was forbidden to her, which of course, made her curious. Very curious.

A whimper disturbed the quiet stillness, the mournful sound reminding her why she'd come. Her Subject! She spun toward where she thought she'd heard the sound, but the mist had reformed, rising from the ice to swirl around her in gossamer layers. Where was he? She took a step and sucked in a breath as icy cold water soaked through the flimsy fabric of her slippers. Slippers? She scowled down at her feet and lifted the hem of her cloak, although visual confirmation was hardly required for what her cold toes were screaming. Blast it all anyway, in her haste to leave the Castle she'd forgotten to change her shoes!

Quick-stepping in place to avoid prolonged contact with the ice, Ariana reluctantly admitted she'd declared perfection too soon. How could anyone visualize all the details? As planned, she wore the thick red cloak she'd memorized from fashion sketches, but hadn't she thought of what to wear under the cloak? Frowning, she noticed the ruffled white hem. She groaned. Double blast! No, she had not. She wore her slippers and her nightgown.

Oh, dear. A nervous giggle welled up. It could have been worse. She might have arrived with no clothes at all! Ah, well. Better for this error to occur now, on this isolated pond, than to occur when she teleported into a crowded place.

And the ice you're standing on is melting.

There was that.

Oh, there! She finally spotted the shaggy black coat of the dog. Stranded on his floating island of ice, he ran back and forth, yipping at what amounted to the mainland out of reach. It would take several steps more across the ice to get close enough to call encouragement and hope he'd be convinced to jump. She thought about teleporting closer, but decided that would be unwise. The sudden weight of her body would put her clear through the ice.

And no one would know.

Guiltily, Ariana thought about the instruction she'd heard more than one of her teachers say about always letting another Guardian know her mission. At the moment, that Rule made a bit more sense than it had when she'd heard it. But she could do this herself.

"Easy, boy. I'm coming."

It was her duty to help him. And more than that, she felt a bond with the dog. They were both on thin ice. She took another step, trying hard to ignore both her cold ankles and her nearly numb feet.

"You there! Get away from there!"

Ariana shrieked. Her first thought, the unthinkable. Uncle Thaddeus had found her! She whipped her head toward the voice, her panic prolonged by a millisecond when the hood of her cape hid her view. Impatiently, she flung it back. On the bank of the pond a man sat astride a massive black horse. The stallion pawed the ground and blew great puffs of air like a dragon.

She blinked to clear her vision of the apparition, but it remained. Oh, dear. She'd been seen. But at least it wasn't her uncle.

The dog yipped excitedly at the man as if in recognition. He made an attempt to jump, but lost his nerve and aborted his leap at the last instant. His owner, perhaps? For a moment, common sense told her she should heed the man's command and relinquish her responsibility. She should disappear now – just slip away into the mist and no one would be the wiser. That was exactly what she should do, she thought, as the rider dismounted –awkwardly, she noted. He leaned heavily against his mount as if borrowing strength. Poised for an escape, Ariana hesitated. Looking closer, she could make out his empty sleeve flapping in the breeze. His arm beneath his coat was held in some sort of sling. He was hurt? What could he do with only one good arm?

"Stay back, sir!" she ordered. "I have the situation in hand."

"Have you now?" An incredulous look crossed his face. A youthful face it was, she realized, even if the dark stubble gave his features a dangerous look. Her initial assessment of his helplessness wavered. "Little girl, from where I stand you are in a heap of trouble."

Little girl, he'd said. That stung. Ariana narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin. "Then you should be glad you are not standing where I am, should you not?"

Her mind made up, she turned away. She would not abandon her charge – not when she was so close. And she must act quickly before the injured man did something foolish and complicated her rescue. She crouched low and called encouragement to the dog.

"Jump, boy!"

To her surprise, the dog jumped. His front legs landed on the edge of ice, his claws digging deep furrows as he scrambled to gain footing. He wasn't going to make it.

Oh, no! Horrified, Ariana lunged for him, heedless of her own safety. Leaning precariously forward, she placed her hand on the back of the dog's head to give him leverage.

"Come on boy, just a bit further. You can do it!"

With a huge effort she pushed. The dog lurched from the water, but her forward momentum, however, did not stop. With a shriek, Ariana fell face first into the icy water, without even a second to close her mouth. She swallowed water, sinking like a stone. Her cloak floated upward, binding her arms. Teleport! Escape! But her mind had gone blank. What was the spell? Instinct alone and not an ounce of magic propelled her limbs to kick until she broke the surface, coughing and sputtering.

"Help!"

Had that terrified voice been her own? The cold hurt. A thousand arrows pierced her skin. She wanted out now. She clawed at the icy ledge, knowing exactly how the dog had felt a moment ago.

"Keep your head up! I'm coming!"

Flailing to keep her head above water, she looked toward the bank and saw the man throw off his coat. Her panic only grew as she realized his intent. His weight would be too much for the ice.

"Stay...back!" She gasped the words. Either he did not hear her or did not listen. And neither did he gingerly cross the ice. He ran. The Englishman was insane! Suddenly, her thoughts cleared and she knew exactly what to do to teleport. She could save herself. But what of him? If she disappeared, what would he do? He'd think she'd slipped beneath the ice. If she left now, would she have his death on her conscience?

As he ran, he let out what sounded to her like an other-worldly battle cry. She cringed when he reached the very edge of the ice and leapt, splashing into the water next to her. His arm – that one good arm – snaked around her waist, pulling her down, down, down. She decided he meant to drown them both.

Down she went again, surfacing solely on his power. Again she came up sputtering. Anchored to his side, she felt him give a great shudder. "Damn that's cold."

Was it? It didn't seem so cold anymore. Without him holding her up, she knew she would sink. But how did he hold her up? She couldn't understand how he somehow he held her with his one good arm and stayed afloat.

"Hang on to me," he grunted, shifting her body as she slid lower. "Put your arms around my neck."

"C-can't." Her strength was exhausted.

"Try!" He shouted loudly into her ear. "Back, Finnegan!"

On his command the horse stepped back. Only then did she notice the rope tied under his arms and the other end tied to his horse. Ariana managed to lift her heavy, frozen arms around his neck as they were pulled from the pond.

What happened next she hardly remembered. All she had were hazy memories of being wrapped in a dry blanket and carried on a horse to promised warmth. How he did it she didn't know, but she'd underestimated what he could do with one good arm.

Tucked into a warm bed that night by a kindly housekeeper, Ariana tossed and turned with unsettled dreams. On her first rescue, her biggest fear had been realized. When it mattered most, she'd failed. She'd panicked. In the end, he had rescued her.

***

Now, six years later, here she was again. So much had changed and yet so much remained the same.

Ariana leaned her head against his horse. "Oh, Finnigan, old friend, how can I do this?"

Justin was hurt. This time she would rescue him. But of all the training she had received as a Guardian, the lessons in the medical arts were the ones she dreaded the most. She simply didn't have the stomach for blood.

***

