Vega Jane and the End of Time, page 15
‘Why did you never tell me?’ I said.
‘I found it after you left Wormwood,’ he replied. He looked at my wand. ‘Did Grandfather leave you that?’
I felt my face burn a bit. Virgil had left me a ring but not a wand.
‘No, I got mine another way. From an ancestor of ours.’ I paused. ‘When did you first learn you were magical?’
‘When I lived with Morrigone.’
‘Did she tell you that you were?’
‘Not in so many words. But it readily became apparent I could do extraordinary things. And when I found my wand, I could do more extraordinary things.’
There was something about his tone that I did not like; but I was so happy to see him alive that I did not dwell on my misgivings.
‘I have been looking for you for a long time, John.’
‘You left me in Wormwood.’
‘I wanted to take you. The night I came to visit you. Your birthday. My birthday. I asked you to come and live with me.’
‘But you didn’t tell me that you were leaving Wormwood.’
‘Would that have made a difference?’
‘Perhaps, Vega, perhaps.’
‘I couldn’t tell you, because I was afraid you would tell Morrigone. She tried to stop me as it was.’
‘So you didn’t trust me, then?’
‘You had changed, John. Morrigone had changed you.’
‘Morrigone allowed me to be as I was meant to be.’
‘No, she made you cruel and unforgiving.’
As soon as I saw his face flush, I wished I hadn’t said that. I thought I even saw his wand flick threateningly.
‘John, you know what you were and you know what you became. Can you honestly claim you didn’t change?’
He cast his gaze downward. When he looked up, his expression was calmer, more reasonable.
‘I cannot say that your words are untrue, Vega.’
Well, I thought. That was something at least.
‘I wanted very much to take you with us,’ I said. ‘I have missed you every day.’
He nodded and said, ‘What have you been doing since you left Wormwood?’
‘I have been trying to survive. And now I’m leading the fight against the Maladons.’
‘I know little of them.’
‘You know what they did to Wormwood.’ I pointed to the others. ‘And you know what they did to their families and their homes. All you need to know about the Maladons is that they are incredibly evil and powerful and that they kill all who oppose them.’
‘Then perhaps we should not oppose them.’
I flinched. ‘You cannot mean that, John. They killed Virgil. They nearly killed our father.’
Now it was John who flinched. For a moment he reminded me of the little boy shuffling along beside me as I walked with him hand in hand through Wormwood.
‘Virgil is dead? And our parents?’
‘Mother is fine. Dad is grievously injured. He is but a shell of his former self.’
‘But still alive?’
‘Yes. And we are working on a counterspell to bring him back.’
‘Can you take me to them?’
I looked around. ‘I think I need to take all of you.’
‘How is that possible?’ John asked.
‘There is only one way,’ I replied.
27
A STRANGER IN OUR MIDST
I used a variation of the same series of spells that I had employed to provide wands to all the formerly enslaved in Greater True and then transport them to Empyrean. I sent a wand wire ahead so that the others would be expecting us.
As I began to incant, I saw John looking at me curiously. When I reached the peak power of the spell, a huge dome of blue light descended upon all those who had fled there. I connected this dome to my golden tether, which I had reattached to Delph, Petra and Seamus. Finally, I uttered, ‘Pass-pusay,’ and tapped my wand against my leg.
The next moment we were all standing in the front lawn of Empyrean.
‘Quickly now,’ I said. ‘Inside.’
The door opened and everyone, people and creatures and those in between, like the hobs, were herded inside.
Inside, I left Pillsbury and Delph in charge, and took
John up the staircase.
‘Where are we going?’ he said, resisting a bit.
‘You’ll see,’ I replied.
I threw open the door to the room and pulled John in behind me.
Our mother looked up from the book she was reading, while our father lay swaddled on the bed.
The book fell from her hands as she stood, rushed across the room and embraced her only son.
‘John, John,’ she said, weeping.
I stepped aside and took it all in.
John patted her on the back, and I could see his features soften.
She stepped back to look at him.
‘My, you’ve grown so tall. Just like your father.’
John looked over at the bed, and his features turned to dismay.
‘That . . . that is Father?’
Mother nodded.
‘Vega told me he has been injured but that a cure is being worked upon.’
‘That is so, John. And we all pray that it will work.’
John looked at me. ‘Who is working on the cure? You?’
I shook my head. ‘Astrea Prine. The former Keeper of the Quag. Astrea is a very powerful sorceress. She is concocting the incantation, but she says that Mum has to actually perform it.’
‘This Astrea Prine did not stop the Maladons from destroying the Quag and Wormwood,’ John pointed out.
I could not argue with that, and I didn’t. ‘She is still the best chance we have to bring Dad back.’
John drew close to the bed and looked down, his expression more curious than concerned. ‘What happened to him, precisely?’
‘A confluence of two spells that struck each other before impacting him. That was why the result was so unforeseen.’
To my surprise John nodded. ‘I have read of this.’
‘You have? Where?’
‘In books provided to me by Morrigone.’
‘Her spirit is here, as I told you. She will be happy to see you, I expect.’
John showed absolutely no interest.
‘You have not even told me how you found him, Vega,’ said our mother.
I explained in a very few words. ‘We were lucky,’ I said. ‘He more found me than I found him.’
‘But you kept your promise. You brought him back to us.’
‘I should like to meet with this Astrea Prine,’ said John.
‘Follow me,’ I said.
I led him down the hallway to Astrea’s room and knocked on the door.
‘Enter,’ came the imperious voice.
Astrea had set up an enormous table in the centre of her room. On this table were stacks of books and parchment, ink sticks and various instruments of great delicacy. I also glimpsed the pewter cups that comprised her Seer-See.
When Astrea looked up and saw John, her jaw dropped. She left her desk and approached us.
‘John Jane, then.’
It wasn’t a question.
‘You know me?’ he said.
‘I know of you, yes.’
‘How?’ I asked her. ‘Through Morrigone?’
‘Not exclusively, no.’
I quickly glanced at the cups. ‘You were watching him through the Seer-See.’
She continued looking at John, her gaze seemingly taking in all facets of him.
‘A Seer-See? What is that?’ asked John, looking annoyed.
‘A magical means to see faraway places. With it, I saw you in Wormwood. I watched you escape Wormwood. I saw you levitate down the cliff. And I observed you venture fully into the Quag.’
‘What else did you see?’ asked John, in a tone that made me sharply glance at him.
Astrea came over to him and looked up at my tall brother. ‘It is no sin to practise one’s sorcery skills.’ She paused. ‘It is also no sin not to know certain parameters as a young sorcerer.’
‘Certain parameters?’ I asked.
Astrea kept her gaze on my brother. ‘Most of us have gone through similar “learning” experiences. You were stretching your magical muscle, as it were.’
I looked at John. ‘What is she talking about?’
John would not answer me.
I looked to Astrea for an explanation.
Astrea said, ‘Let me just say that John exerted control over certain creatures that did not want his intervention, with the result that they did things that otherwise they never would have done. But we will not speak of it further, for John has learned his lesson – have you not, John?’
‘I have,’ he said, though I did not note much sincerity in his voice.
‘So there, now, Vega,’ said Astrea, looking as though the matter was settled. ‘Now, you are undoubtedly here to talk about my research into your father’s condition and hopefully a cure. Well, I am happy to say that I have made progress. In fact, I believe that by tomorrow, we will be ready.’
‘Tomorrow?’ I said, astonished.
‘I am fine-tuning a few things. But, yes, tomorrow.’
‘Then we will leave you to your work.’ I looked at my brother. ‘John, let’s get something to eat. You look rather thin. We can talk some more.’
He didn’t seem remotely pleased by this prospect.
But I didn’t care.
After all, I was his big sister. And that status gave me certain inalienable rights with regard to my little brother!
28
THE UNMARK
John dipped his spoon into the bowl and scooped out some of the soup. We were sitting in the small dining room off the kitchen. It was just the two of us.
He did look thin. My brother obviously had not been eating well since leaving Wormwood.
Perhaps sensing this, Mrs Jolly brought him some more bread and a rasher of bacon. I thanked her, and after she departed, I settled my gaze upon John as I sipped my tea.
‘You rounded up that lot in the Quag and led them to a safe place under the maze in the First Circle?’
John swallowed his spoonful of soup.
‘As I said,’ he replied soberly.
‘You also said that you were their leader. Where were you going to lead them?’
He shrugged. ‘I hadn’t thought about it.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
He gave me a sharp glance but said nothing.
‘Why don’t you tell me the truth?’
‘What business is it of yours?’
‘You used to tell me everything.’
‘We’re not children any more, Vega. We haven’t seen each other in years. We’re no longer close.’
‘We were close. Which means we can be again.’
He shook his head. ‘I’ve been on my own for a while now. I keep my own counsel.’
‘You kept your own counsel. Now we’re in this together.’
He shook his head again. ‘I don’t know if I can be that way, with anyone.’
‘You can try, John. I need you to really try.’
‘Why? I don’t understand the urgency.’
I leaned in closer to him and started speaking, quietly but firmly. I needed my words to sink deeply into that very large brain of his. ‘Because we’re in the fight of our lives. And the odds are not with us. We’re heavily outnumbered by the Maladons. That’s why we’ve stopped engaging them for now. We’re running out of people to fight them.’
‘You believe that we need to keep fighting them?’
‘Unless you want to die, or be enslaved by them for the rest of your life.’
John put down his spoon and wiped his mouth with his hand.
My heart fluttered when I saw the back of his hand.
There was no mark of the three hooks there.
He caught me staring and said, ‘What is it?’
‘Nothing, John,’ I managed to croak out. ‘So, are you with me in fighting the Maladons?’
‘Well, since I don’t want to die or be enslaved, I guess that I am.’
This was hardly an overwhelming endorsement, but I let it pass because a million horrible thoughts were flashing through my mind about his hand.
‘What was Astrea talking about when she said you were stretching your magical abilities beyond certain parameters?’
‘I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.’
I sat back. ‘When you were in charge of building the Wall in Wormwood, you pushed the Wugs hard. Duf Delphia lost his legs because of you, and other Wugs died.’
‘Why do you bring that up?’ he said, scowling.
‘Because you were “pushing parameters” then, just not magically. Did you use your magic to do something similar? Push folks and creatures beyond what they wanted to do?’
‘We are magical, Vega. That gives us certain rights.’
‘No, that gives us immense responsibilities. Like never using our power to hurt innocent people or creatures. That includes making them do your bidding.’
‘We can agree to disagree on such matters.’
‘No, John. You have to choose. Do you want to be like our kind?’ I glanced at his unmarked hand. ‘Or do you want to be like the Maladons?’ I stood. ‘Let me know when you’ve made your decision.’
I left John and returned to my room. I sat on my bed stroking Harry Two’s fur to calm myself. My brother did not have the mark. What exactly did that mean?
That he was a Maladon? Was that why he was so . . . unfeeling?
But that could hardly be the case. He could see Empyrean. No Maladon could do that.
Yet why was there no mark on his hand?
I looked down at Harry Two and decided to try something. I went to the door and called to him, he obediently followed me out.
I found John in the library, where he was staring up in wonder at all the books. This made me think back to our time in Morrigone’s home, where John had been equally enthralled by all her tomes.
And this memory made me feel a little guilty about what I was about to do.
‘Harry Two,’ I said. ‘It’s John. Go and see him.’
John turned at the sound of my words.
‘Your canine,’ he said. ‘I remember him.’
‘My dog,’ I replied. ‘That’s what they call them here.’
I watched Harry Two closely, as he cautiously approached John. His nostrils were moving as rapidly as a pair of bellows in use. He seemed to be sucking in all of John’s scent.
John said, ‘Hello, Harry Two. Do you remember me?’ And then my dog did something surprising. He sat on his rump and started to whine.
I looked up at John as he watched Harry Two.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ he asked. ‘Is he sick?’
‘I don’t know. Harry Two, are you OK?’
He looked up at me with a most pitiful expression.
I said goodbye to my brother and took Harry Two back to my room. I sat with him on my bed and looked deeply into those beautiful, mismatched eyes.
‘Harry Two, with all of the wonderful things that you can do, I so dearly wish you could talk.’
A knock came on my door. It was Delph.
Before he could say anything, I pulled him into the room and told him everything that Astrea had said, and John had said, and also how Harry Two had reacted to John. I finished by saying that John didn’t have the mark on his hand.
Delph surprised me by saying, ‘I already saw that, Vega Jane.’
‘Why didn’t you say anything, then?’
‘I didn’t know what to say,’ he replied.
He might as well have added, After all, he is your brother.
I sat on my bed and glanced at Harry Two.
‘Harry Two was really confused about John,’ I said. ‘He’s never that way, with anyone. Not even with Petra. What does it all mean, Delph?’
‘It means that you just found your brother, after looking for him for a long time, Vega. And you have your mum and your dad back too. It’s a lot to take in. You just have to give yourself a chance to, well, breathe.’
Putting action to his words, I drew in a long breath and then let it go. I immediately relaxed, and my thoughts cleared a bit.
‘How was your mum with John?’
‘Thrilled to see him. Perhaps—’ I stopped and shook my head.
‘What?’
‘Never mind.’
‘Maybe more thrilled than she was to see you?’ Delph said. I had forgotten how astute Delph was. How he often saw things that others didn’t and then got right to the heart of the matter.
‘Yes,’ I admitted.
‘Your mum knows how strong you were, Vega Jane. How you always stood up for yourself. How you always protected your brother. She remembered him as he was. Small, weak and needing a guiding hand. Of course she would be more worried about him.’
‘I suppose you’re right.’
‘And you’re worried about him too,’ said Delph.
‘Yes. No mark. Mysterious things he’s done in the past. This is my brother, Delph. And I feel like I no longer know him.’
‘You’ve been separated a long time. You’ll just have to get to know him again.’
‘What if I don’t like what I find?’
‘Then you’ll have to deal with it. But don’t prejudge him, Vega Jane. Give him a chance. John is complicated, that’s easy enough to see. It will take some time.’
After Delph left, I went to the window and looked out on the rear grounds.
I spotted John as he walked into my line of sight.
As I watched, Miranda Weeks walked up to him and started chatting.
I saw John smile at something she said, and he used his wand to cast a spell. A fluffy white rabbit appeared on the ground and started to do tricks for them.
Miranda clapped her hands together and danced around with the rabbit while John watched.
The rabbit eventually faded away and Miranda and John walked off, chatting. I even saw him throw his head back and laugh.
I turned away from the window, shaking my head. My brother was indeed ‘complicated’. Maybe, if he could make friends, he wasn’t such a lost cause after all.
That evening I sat down by him.
‘It seems that Miranda Weeks and you get on,’ I said encouragingly.
