Chapter Three:
Of course that man would show up right here and right now, while I stood fully prepared to forsake this city for good. And of course my fire magic would perk up inside of me the instant I laid eyes on him, its heat stretching forth to invite him to sit with Bianca and me.
Oh no, you don’t. Biting my tongue hard, I sank back into my seat and stifled that mystical flow, ducking my head when I noticed Lukas scanning the tables. My fingers fairly crushed my wallet in my purse as I shut my eyes. Please don’t let him see me here. I can’t handle any more of this tonight.
Bianca jumped to her feet, and I opened my eyes as she slapped a fistful of Euros against my chest. “You pay. I’ll distract him,” she whispered.
I gaped at her as the bills fell into my lap. “What are you going to do, pretend you’re drunk? You’ve only had”—I glanced at her glass while gathering the Euros—“one and a half!”
“He doesn’t know that. We’ll catch up later.” Whirling away from me, she let loose a loud shriek and staggered in Lukas’ direction, her hips undulating in a practiced fashion. “Lukas! How long have you had this adorable puppy?”
In shocked amusement, I kept an eye on Bianca as she dropped to her knees in front of the pug, offering it one hand and patting its creamy flank with another. The pug gave a happy woof and licked her hand, its curled tail wriggling. I did not dare to lift my chin to gauge Lukas’ reaction. Bianca’s tight jeans hugged her butt like a swimsuit, leaving little to the imagination.
She was making a scene; quite a few of the other customers were giving her bemused looks. Perfect time for me to split. I rose from our table again, turning my back on Bianca and Lukas, and caught our waiter’s eye. After settling our bill, I could escape onto the streets and head for my parents’ house.
Once there, I needed to disengage from my mother as quickly as possible so I could collect all of my bags. I would take the train north this very night, before my ridiculous fire magic could convince me to stay. I did not belong in Erlangen. My people still viewed me as a mistake.
By the time I squared our bill with the waiter, Bianca had managed to steer Lukas and his pug out of the beer garden and into the restaurant itself. I owed her one. Part of me knew I ought to spend some more time with her before I left. Maybe I could call her once I found a place to stay overnight, ask her to meet me for a short vacation somewhere far removed from Teutonic prejudice.
I departed the beer garden, and my eyes met those of the aged Teuton of darkness as I passed beneath the archway. He nodded at me and nursed his mug of beer, appearing pensive. Wonder if he’s one of the ones who thinks I’m here to take Lady Erlanga’s place? Time to dodge fate’s clutches before this city shackles me with fond memories of magic.
When I reached the sidewalk, I checked my watch and shifted my purse to a more comfortable position. Bianca and I had spent just over an hour together, thanks to Lukas’ intrusion; it was six forty-five. I glanced at the sky as I turned left at the corner of the main street into Alterlangen, its color deepening into a lovely royal blue. No stars yet to be seen, but evening lengthened the shadows the houses and businesses cast upon the street and sidewalks.
Regret pricked my chest as I passed by so many familiar storefronts. The hair salon, the bakery, the toy store. All symbols of my childhood, places I would have made time to visit, had my plans not crashed and burned. The coolness of the evening seeped beneath my blouse, prompting my fire to filter through my veins in mystic protection. I leashed it before it could heighten my vision and cast my irises in a crimson glow, for too many witnesses traversed the streets—people walking their dogs, riding bikes, sitting on porches with their cans of beer and soda.
This neighborhood held more positive vibrations than the one I had fled two days earlier. If only I could stay.
I rolled my eyes at myself as I turned onto my street, trying to push aside the muses that kept invading my brain. Lukas Felder. Handsome, intelligent bully. The jock who told his buddies a story about a man his grandfather had known, one whose Teuton blood was a mere eighty-five percent like mine. “His magic just kept fading away the older he got, until he couldn’t keep his garden alive anymore. The earth’s essence had forsaken him.”
Lukas’ statement, uttered dispassionately so long ago, haunted me to this day. It was a major reason I called my element into my eyes every morning when I brushed my teeth before the bathroom mirror, to make sure my blue irises retained the ability to transform into flaming scarlet. And the dreams would come, frightful visions where I had to use a lighter to ignite a candle, where I could no longer keep myself warm in the winter without excess layers of clothing.
Would my fire eventually forsake me?
Seeing that I had reached my parents’ driveway, I shook myself and took a moment to concentrate on the gentle evening air in an effort to calm down. Two cars sat in the driveway, so maybe my father could help deflect whatever criticisms my mother wished to toss my way. Would Dennis be home on a Friday night? A sophomore at the local university, he might be out with his friends tonight, basking in the privileges of youth.
I had been standing beside the mailbox for a good three minutes now, my gaze running over the house’s shuttered windows as I endeavored to regain some courage. This would not get any easier no matter how long I delayed.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing my eyes for a second while I sent a weak prayer heavenward. God, please give me wisdom and patience. Then I straightened my posture and marched toward the side gate, determining that I ought to make peace with the Eihalbe before I bothered confronting my parents. I needed to find out why the fairy had accused me of selfishness and greed. I didn’t come back here just to “stock my coffer.”
But . . . am I really about to run away again just because of some stupid gossip? Is that selfish of me?
I pursed my lips into a frown as I thought about that and reached out to unlatch the gate. Now guilt prodded at my spirit along with a host of tumultuous emotions. Great. I pivoted my torso around to secure the gate behind me, and just as I moved to advance into the yard, my fire detected a sizzling heat looming amid the holly bushes that lined the side of the house.
My heart leaped into my throat when my mother stepped into my path, her graying hair darkened with pitch black flames, her hands fisted at her hips. “Just what I can expect from you. Sneaking into the backyard instead of using the front door like a polite guest!”
Her eyebrows slanted downward, her tone hot with fury. All of my courage slipped away from me like water down a drain, and I took an unconscious step back. Clearing my throat, I attempted to answer. “The Eihalbe—”
“You care about trees more than about your family? You should be ashamed of yourself, Gabriela. Your brother came home right away when I called him about what happened today, but it’s been nothing but silence from you! You piled all your rubbish upstairs and vanished without leaving a note, without having the decency to come home for dinner. You’re as selfish as your father!”
I had turned my phone off after confirming my dinner arrangements with Bianca this morning. Guilt speared me a second time, my mother’s accusations cutting down my defenses. You need to stop letting her jealousy control you, my ex used to tell me—right as he settled himself into a similar position over me.
My fire simmered deep within, restive in the presence of a darker, angrier element. After a good ten seconds of silence, I finally managed to say in a small voice, “My phone died this morning. What . . . happened today?”
“Always excuses with you. Come inside this instant. Dennis is making hot chocolate, a luxury you hardly deserve!”
She turned her nose up at me and stomped off toward the back of the house, in the direction of the door to the kitchen. I followed, worry forming a brick in my stomach. My fiery spirit expanded itself to sweep the house and grounds, taking note of my mother’s black fire and my brother’s molten rock. The silver oak tucked away beside the cottage out back shimmered with enchanted life.
I caught no trace of my father’s earth magic.
The fairy had told me that my family needed me, right before it left me high and dry at the end of my job interview. Was this what it was trying to tell me?
What had happened to my father?
In a haze of anxiety, I stepped into the kitchen, the sweet scent of fresh hot chocolate failing to soothe my tense muscles. My gaze fell upon my little brother, who stood at the kitchen table, his fingers placing a steaming mug onto a coaster before the chair I recognized as my mother’s. A slight gasp escaped my lips as I took in his adult form—lean and wiry, straight black hair draping his head in casual disarray, thick brows and a chin dotted with stubble.
The last time I saw Dennis, he was a child, his wide gray eyes staring into mine as he begged me not to leave him. That child had transformed into a man who expelled a gasp when he turned away from the table to face me. “Gabi? You’re really here? I can’t believe it!”
I had not yet come to grips with how mature his voice sounded when he threw his arms around me, the solid strength of his element binding me in security. My fire embraced his molten rock joyfully, recognizing its former playmate. “Looks like my little mouse has grown up,” I said, my nose pressed into his polo shirt. The familiar scent of his smoldering element mingled weirdly with Axe deodorant.
My little brother had certainly attained young adult status.
“Don’t be so sure. I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing most of the time.” Dennis pulled back and looked me over, his cheeks darkening a shade. The dimple I remembered appeared on his right cheek when he smiled. “You look the same. Except for . . . .” His voice trailed off as he gestured at my bun.
“I’m trying to look professional,” I rejoined with a wink.
“You’ve succeeded.”
“Gabriela, come to the table.” Our mother’s sharp command cut through our reunion, bringing my thoughts back to the current problem. Where’s Papa?
A strange expression crossed Dennis’ face, and he cocked his head toward our mother as if he expected her to share his enthusiasm about my return. Bianca’s judgment had been off, for sure. My mother would remain my bane until I left this place once and for all. Maybe I should try to convince Dennis to leave, too.
The two of us went to the table, where my mother sat stiffly in her chair, her darkened eyes chiding our camaraderie. She took a rather pointed sip from her mug as I sat across from her, leaving my brother to play the role of buffer. She had preferred him to me since the day he was born. No point in dredging that up now, not with my father absent while his car occupied the driveway.
“What’s happened to Papa?” I closed the fingers of both hands around my mug of hot chocolate, its warmth granting my element a touch of comfort.
Dennis’ lips parted, but our mother responded before he could speak. “He left us. Just like you did.”
Her fiery black eyes burned holes in me from across the table. Shrinking against the back of the chair, I shifted my gaze to my brother, who appeared just as perplexed as he did before we sat down. He shook his head and wrapped his left hand around his own mug before nodding at me. “He lost his job today, made some sort of design error that cost Finkgruppe millions.”
“And then he left us,” my mother interrupted in a scathing tone, while I sat in shock, reeling from the news. “He disappeared without a backward glance. Left his phone on the bed with his letter of termination.”
My fire churned within my veins, veiling my vision in red and heating the mug in my hands beyond the natural state of its contents. My father viewed himself as his family’s provider, a man who took pride in his work. Now that had been stripped from him, a job termination an indelible stain on his professional record. Had he seized a quick escape to drink away his troubles? He doubtless believed he had failed my mother, failed his entire family.
“I hope he hasn’t killed himself.” The terrible words spilled from my lips before I could call them back. My father’s voice arose in my memories, his sensible nature evident every time we talked on the phone. Suicide was irresponsible and selfish, two character traits far afield from the man who raised me. He would never.
My mother shot to her feet and began pacing, her fire summoning a dark void around her body. “He’d better not do that. We’ll be ruined!”
She started muttering curses, and I turned my attention back to my younger brother, whose eyes glinted with horror. “Papa would never do that,” I assured him. “That was just me saying something stupid. He probably went off to drink, to get some distance from what happened. I’m sure he’ll come home in a few days.”
Our mother waltzed from the room right when I started talking, carrying her fiery cloud with her. Dennis sighed, a touch of orange evident in his irises as he studied my face, likely trying to determine whether my claim held weight. I sent a wisp of fire out to comfort his spirit, then brought my mug to my lips at long last. Thanks to my magic’s agitation, the hot chocolate was still hot.
“I hope you’re right,” Dennis said in a low voice. “But whether Papa comes home or not, you realize you might be our only hope for survival now.”
He looked nervous and I frowned, the hot chocolate soothing my stomach while my emotions continued to churn. “What do you mean?”
“Well, Papa might not be able to get another job in the city after this. He’ll probably be blackballed at every engineering firm in Franconia. Mama’s tutoring doesn’t bring in nearly enough money to support her alone, or both of them. And I’m nowhere near being done with my degree. You’re the one with business sense and experience.”
I drank deeply from my mug while Dennis spoke, trying to relish the sweet taste of chocolate in an attempt to banish the clarity that coalesced in my mind. I had planned on leaving this place tonight, fair and square. But now my father may never be able to land another engineering position again. Did I want my younger brother to give up on his dreams and take a simple job to keep our parents afloat? Did I want my mother to sink her claws into me again, resuming the position my ex had left open? The one to control every step I took?
“Shit. This was not how this evening was supposed to go.” I slumped forward and rubbed my forehead, trying to pull back from the situation, to see it clearly. How much money did my family need to survive? This house had been paid off for years, since my great-grandfather bought the property and planted the acorn that sprouted the aged silver oak. Were my parents in any other sort of debt? Were their cars paid off?
“I’m with you on that. I was looking forward to catching up with you over the weekend. I ought to admit . . . I didn’t believe you were really coming home.”
Shame infused Dennis’ voice. Lifting my head from my hands, I saw that he looked away from me, toward the door to the backyard. “Why didn’t you ever come home for Christmas or for the summer?” my brother went on, his body rigid. “Papa would have given you money if you couldn’t afford train tickets. You just vanished into the Black Forest and never came out.”
I sighed, silently debating how much I should tell him. The boy was a mere ten years old when I left; he might have no concept of the cruelty I had experienced at my mother’s hands—and from our fellow Teutons. “You heard how she talked to me tonight.” I kept my voice low in case our mother lurked in hearing range. “It’s been that way my entire life. I’m not good enough for her and never will be. I left to prove to myself that I could make it on my own.”
Dennis drew a slow breath and turned to face me, comprehension dawning in his eyes. “I was wondering why she kept snapping at you. I figured it was stress related. You’re saying she’s always treated you like that? Why don’t I remember?”
“Because you’re her perfect little boy. She tore me down when I was alone, not in front of you. Papa witnessed a few of her tirades, though. You can ask him if you don’t believe me.” I frowned and finished off the contents of my mug.
“I believe you. And now I’m not sure if you should have come back.” Dennis glanced toward the hallway. “I’m pretty sure she moved all your stuff into Oma’s cottage after she passed away. Assuming she didn’t just throw everything out. Your old bedroom is a study now.”
“I noticed. She even got rid of my bed. Apparently I’m a ‘guest,’ not part of the family. Maybe you’re right about the cottage, if the fairy judges me worthy.” I needed to go to its tree and offer my apologies, whether it wished to communicate with me or not.
“The fairy adores you. It’s never spoken to me once.” Dennis’ lips quirked, his element withdrawing into himself.
My chair rubbed against the tile floor as I rose to my feet and stretched. “I’d better go out there and visit the tree now. I’ve made enough mistakes today already, and I don’t need the Eihalbe to cast some sort of bad luck hex upon me.”
Dennis snickered and carried both of our mugs to the sink. “Do you want me to bring your bags down to the cottage? No one’s lived there for a while now, but I think it’s in pretty good shape. Oma’s bed is still in there, and so is her loom if you’re wanting to take up a new hobby.” He washed out both mugs and then opened the dishwasher, putting them inside.
“I’ll probably pass on that. But you can bring my stuff down if you want. It’s only two bags and a suitcase.” I paused with my hand on the doorknob and added, “Give me ten minutes in private to contact the fairy.”
“As you wish, Leitalra.” I jerked in surprise at my brother’s words, pivoting just in time to catch the tail end of his awkward bow before he vanished down the hallway. So Dennis is one of many who thinks I’m about to become Lady Erlanga. Lovely. Doesn’t anybody believe I can choose my own path anymore?
When I reached the silver oak not long afterward, I laid my palms against its silvery bark, offering it a taste of my spirit’s uncertainty. I had come here to start over, to free myself from a taxing relationship and find the belonging my fiery spirit craved. Was I doomed to find that belonging with the Keyholder of Erlangen, a kid the same age as my little brother? Would I have to take a job with Lukas Felder to ensure my family could pay the bills?
Whether the tree understood my insecurities or not, I could only guess. But I did murmur sincere apologies in Teutonic dialect, assuring the tree’s spirit that I would ultimately choose the path that seemed right. I followed the light, not the darkness of selfish greed.
I waited patiently for several minutes but sensed no response from the oak.
Until I passed between two of its boughs, their silky leaves reaching out to brush my neck. Shimmering magic delved into my core, awakening my fire.