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THEO WAITED UNTIL ROSE was out of the room before he turned back to face his brother and grandfather. He kept one ear out for the softening of Rose’s footsteps, as he did not want her to interrupt them.
Rose had family issues of her own to contend with; Theo did not want her to get in the middle of his.
“What is it?” Reverend Thorne sighed heavily as Theo came up beside him.
“I want to know about Annalora,” he said.
Theo had to give his grandfather credit; the old man only blinked at him. Thad, on the other hand, gasped in surprise. “Annalora is alive?”
“Yes,” Theo said. “I have some idea of where she is located, and I would like to know more about her.”
“Why?” The Reverend’s eyes narrowed. “She is nothing but trouble, Theophilus, and you would do well to forget about her entirely as I have.”
“I doubt you really mean that,” Thad said gently.
Theo did not indulge his grandfather as Thad did. “I need to know more about her,” he said, “because she has been causing trouble for Rhone and other nations now.”
“What have you heard?” Reverend Thorne asked, only slightly concerned.
“She’s still working in the Magdust trade, for one.”
“That’s no surprise,” his grandfather replied. “Her mother was a talented weaver, and she taught Annalora and Eleanora everything she knew.”
“I also found out with the help of a friend she’s using pixie magic to cover her tracks, but she’s still active in the Magdust trade. She’s using her weaving talent to make enchanted tapestries, just like the one we used to have in our home.”
Thad met Theo’s eyes. “I remember that one. The one of Queen Lucia?”
“Yes.” Theo nodded. “That’s the one. She recently made another one for the new Queen of Einish.”
Reverend Thorne was increasingly still. “I see.”
“Is that all you have to say?” Theo asked.
“I’ve known about the magic for a lot longer than you have,” Reverend Thorne said. “Why do you think your uncle had to write me a letter? I barely had any idea of what kind of life Eleanora had lived. It had been so many years since your grandmother had died, and I had disowned them for their sin.”
“You didn’t report them?” Thad asked.
“No,” Reverend Thorne’s pale cheeks burned red. “I did not want to get caught up in all their trouble again.”
“You didn’t do anything to protect other people?” Theo shook his head. “Do you know how many fairies and other people have died because of your inaction?”
“It’s not like I could have saved anyone for certain.” The older man’s eyebrows furrowed together in grave concern. “I told you, I lost track of them years ago. I doubt I would have heard from Eleanora again if she had lived. There is no way to change the past.”
“No,” Theo agreed, “but we can change the future. We need to find Annalora and bring her to justice. For all the fairies she’s killed and all the people whose lives she’s ruined. And for Rhone. The Princess wants to stop the Magdust trade, and it’s up to us to do what we can to stop her.”
“We cannot do anything that will stop her,” the Reverend moaned.
“I don’t believe that,” Theo said. “I’m more likely to believe that you just don’t want to do anything.”
“Well, I don’t,” the Reverend snapped. “Eleanora and Annalora died to me the day they decided to follow after my mother’s profession. Weaving magic into fabric, all for the sake of silly wishes to be fulfilled. They didn’t seem to think some that fairies would have a problem with that.”
Thad frowned. “Would the love of our father be one of those wishes?”
Theo was wondering the same thing.
“I do not speak of it,” Reverend Thorne snapped. “I do not like to do anything that is connected with them. I am ashamed of my daughters and their choices, but there is nothing I can do.”
“If that’s true, why did you take us in, then?” Theo asked.
“Because you are family, and you were innocent. God deal with me ever so harshly should I fail to protect innocent blood.”
“I need to know what you know about Annalora,” Theo insisted. “If you want to protect other people, you need to tell me what you know. She’s already aided a man who was trying to start a war between Rhone and Einish.”
“What a foolish man.”
“Foolish, maybe, but he still managed to endanger the lives of Philip’s brother and his wife. And possibly their new baby,” Theo said. He told them of what had happened in the castle at Crystal Lake, citing Juliette’s fear and distress for her unborn child.
There was a small shuffling noise behind them as Theo finished his tale. He glanced over to see Bachas had come into the room.
“That’s not all of it, either, by far,” Bachas said. “She tricked my wife into a life debt. It was many years ago. Since then, she has used her to protect herself from any repercussions while she continues to oversee a majority of the Magdust trade.”
Theo watched his grandfather’s wrinkled face, usually as stoic as weathered leather, as it collapsed with despair. Theo and Thad each took an arm and guided him over to the chair where Rose had been sitting only moments before.
“Grandfather,” Theo said, “you have to do something. All it takes for evil to prevail is that good people do nothing, remember?”
“I’ve already done nothing,” the Reverend said. “It’s too late. The kingdom is doomed. Annalora and Eleanora have already ruined it. They never should have made that Magdust tapestry for King Stefanos, even if he needed an heir.”
Theo and Thad rounded on him.
“What are you talking about?” Thad asked. “You just told the Princess that she was a miracle baby.”
The older man frowned. “I’m not saying anything else,” he insisted.
“If you don’t,” Bachas spoke up, “I can make you change your mind.”
“You can’t use magic on me,” the Reverend scoffed. “I’m a priest, remember?”
“I can still try,” Bachas insisted. He stuck his tongue out at him. “And if nothing else, I feel no obligation to spare you any pain just using my fists.”
“Ha! I’d love to see you try.”
Theo stepped in between them. “There’s no need for that. Just tell us the truth, Grandfather. Tell us what you know.”
“I’ve kept the secrets of the kingdom for many years,” the Reverend said.
“And they destroying us now,” Theo told him. “Now, you must tell us the truth. Only that will allow us to make things right.”
“You can’t make things like this right.”
“We can at least try, instead of sitting there and doing nothing!” Theo insisted. “Tell us.”
Bachas took a menacing step forward, and the Reverend noticeably winced.
“Fine,” he said. “Magdalina made a deal with Stefanos. She gave him Magdust in order to be able to conceive a child.”
“Rose.”
“The Princess, yes.” The Reverend sighed. “The church was delighted, even though I knew it was magic. I did not say anything. Stefanos found out I knew, and threatened to remove me from the church.”
“And you didn’t resign or quit or transfer in protest?” Thad asked. “That’s terrible.”
“I wanted protection from your mother and aunt,” the Reverend reminded him. “I wasn’t about to leave the most connected sacred plot of land in the whole nation if I could help it.”
“Did you tell the church the prophecy?” Theo asked. “The one you just told Rose about?”
“No,” Reverend Thorne scoffed. “I’m not stupid. The King would have seen that as a desperate ploy for me to stay on his good side. The former head priest was the one who received it.”
“So Rose is really a miracle?” Theo asked.
“Does it matter?” Reverend Thorne sniffed.
“It matters if you lied.”
“Hardly.”
“You say that, but it’s your fault that Annalora is still on the loose, making tapestries full of Magdust.”
“That’s enough, Theo,” Thad interrupted. “We have to get the facts first. Then judgment.”
Theo scowled at him, but relented as Thad asked the Reverend about their mother’s role.
“There’s a problem with Magdust when you ingest too much of it. You can easily go insane. Magdalina poisoned the King with too much Magdust. He was slipping into madness. There was only one thing I could do, and ... ”
“So Mother and Annalora made a tapestry for him,” Thad finished. “I see it now. You were the one who contacted them.”
“Not directly,” the Reverend said. “But Magdalina was determined to have the throne. She wanted Stefanos out of the way, no doubt, so she would be able to rule while the Princess was still a baby.”
“And once Rose married Everon,” Theo said, “everything she would finally have everything she wanted. She would have a kingdom of her own and a future for her son.”
“That’s about it,” the Reverend said. “But when your mother and Annalora stepped in, and the King did not die, Magdalina was infuriated. She cursed Rose not only because he reneged on his promise that Rose would marry her son, but because he knew Magdalina had tried to kill him.”
“If our mother saved the King’s life,” Thad asked, “why do you still avoid contact with Annalora?”
“Your aunt was very reluctant to help. She was upset and angry when Eleanora revealed what she was going to do with the tapestry. Annalora vowed never to work with her again, and she made certain threats at the time.”
“So when our parents died,” Theo said, “Annalora didn’t know what had happened to them?”
“I doubt anyone knows for sure,” the Reverend told him. “All I knew was what your uncle told me. There is a chance she knows something, but I couldn’t tell you for certain.”
There was a long moment of silence, and then Theo spoke up.
“I’ll go and get her,” Theo said. “Once we stop her, the Magdust trade will be down one supplier, and she can be brought to Rhone’s capital for justice. And maybe her testimony will remind people that we need to band together to fight the Magdust trade once and for all.”
“It’s still too late. I failed her,” Reverend Thorne whispered, his voice catching in his throat. It seemed that he had forgotten how to cry, to weep, to mourn.
Theo felt his sadness, so strained and unable to be released, as it weighed down on his weak shoulders. “It is tragic what happened to our family,” he agreed.
“So many lives lost, so many people buying into empty promises, so many others caught up in the collateral damage,” Thad muttered. “It’s just awful.”
Reverend Thorne sank deeper into the cushions. “It has been too many years. I can’t just go and see her, or summon her.”
“You’re not able to travel well, anyway, Grandfather,” Thad said. He turned to Theo. “He had trouble on the way here. We would have been here earlier if he had been able to handle the terrain better.”
“I’m almost eighty-three,” the man reminded him. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with admitting that traveling across Rhone to meet with a formidable Magdust dealer might not be in your best interest,” Thad pointed out.
“I already said I would go and get her,” Theo said.
Theo did not like the idea of getting Annalora. He was certain Rose would be unwilling to go and bring Annalora to justice. Facing Magdalina and Everon had been their goal since he had set off with Rose over five years ago, and the thought of leaving her crushed him.
But as he watched his grandfather’s face, Theo knew he had to do something. His grandfather, while he obviously did not like the idea of Thad and Theo running around in his church, had taken them in and raised them as much as he could. He had given them a home, and Thad a future. Theo knew he would never have met Rose without his grandfather taking him in.
Before Theo could ask for more details about Annalora again, Bachas snorted behind him. “I’d rather just kill her,” he said.
“Bachas, please,” Theo said. “This is a member of my family we’re talking about.”
“And she has my wife as her slave,” Bachas reminded him. “I’m allowed my say, or do pixies not have the same rights as humans?”
“You can have your say,” Theo told him. “But it is more a question of manners, than rights, and kindness over legalities.”
The small pixie rolled his large eyes, almost eliciting a smile from Theo, before Bachas crossed his arms and stuck his nose up in the air.
“This is my fault,” Reverend Thorne said. “I have been running away from all this trouble since the day Annalora and Eleanora decided to follow their mother into the weaving business.”
“It was still their choice,” Theo said. “You don’t get all the blame or all the glory when it comes to your child’s choices.”
“Let’s hear you say that, and have a child who turns out as mine did,” his grandfather scoffed. “Theo, the church is protected by magic. Why do you think I turned to the priesthood after my wife died? I knew all her troublesome activities would catch up to me one day.”
“You know you should not use the church as a refuge for your own sin,” Thad chided him lightly.
“It doesn’t matter now. Annalora is my only child still left alive, and she is causing nothing but destruction for everyone who crosses her path.”
Theo watched as Thad comforted their grandfather. A moment later, Bachas came up beside him, tugging on his pantleg. “What is it, Bachas?”
“I will go with you,” he said. “I’ll get everything ready while you talk to your princess.”
“What makes you think I’m going to go now?” Theo asked.
“My seeing crystal,” Bachas told him, holding up the small marble. “Why do you think I came here tonight? What business does a pixie have with a pair of priests otherwise? Besides, you know you are the most qualified and able to go. And you will. I have seen your heart, Sir Theo, and I know you always step up to help family.”
Theo stilled. “What about Rose?”
“What about her?” Bachas frowned. “She has her own family to attend to, doesn’t she?”
“But I’m her family.”
“No, you’re not,” Bachas told him. “You’re her partner, her protector, and her trusted advisor—until she needs to keep her heart and secrets safe from you.”
“That’s not true,” he said, balking at his words. But Theo had a harder time dismissing Bachas’ claims than he would have liked to admit.
“You’ve thought of leaving her before,” Bachas chided him.
“For revenge,” Theo muttered. “But I know now that I ... I just can’t leave her. And you really need to stay out of my mind.”
“Seeing crystal,” Bachas reminded him, holding up the small marble once more.
“Stop using it on me, then.” Theo shook his head. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Even though I know what you’ll do,” Bachas whispered, his voice just sly enough to make Theo grimace. “Go and talk to your princess. See if I’m not right in the end. I’ll be waiting for you in the stables.”
Theo did not like the look on Bachas’ face as the pixie left. There was a grim certainty on his face that made Theo nervous.
He struggled to shrug it off. He had work to do, he told himself. Thad was still arguing with their grandfather when Theo stepped forward.
“That’s enough,” he said. “If Annalora is as dangerous as we think, it is only right that I go and get her.” He glanced down at the pixie beside him. “Bachas can come with me, to show me the way and to get his wife back.”
The Reverend Father sniffed. “What makes you think you will convince her to come to Havilah and face me?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Theo admitted. “But you’re too old, and you need to be here for Isra anyway.”
“That’s right.” Thad straightened. “We have been sent here by the King to be his representatives. We need to work through her marriage contract and discuss her dowry with the Dowager Queen.”
“I’m sure Utopa will be more than happy to discuss those details,” Theo said. He turned to his brother. “Thad, why don’t you come with me? I can give you back the manuscripts you lent us.”
“I’ll be more than happy to do just that,” Thad said, brightening up at the mention of his scrolls. “I think it would be best if you find a way to rest for now, Reverend.”
Their grandfather turned away from them and said nothing as they left.
“Do you think he was telling us the truth?” Theo asked Thad.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Thad replied. “I have been going through the written records we house at the church. We have several thousand scrolls and books dedicated to testimonies the church has collected over the last several decades. But King Stefanos has very few, and he never makes much of an effort to come to mass or confession.”
“If those are his secrets, I can see why.”
“Yes, well, I suppose you’ve got a point.”
They walked up to Theo’s room, where he kept the manuscripts Thad had let them borrow. Thad cheerfully talked about other things, from the party to how nice it was to see everyone again.
Theo barely listened, as he thought about what Bachas said. It was only as Thad eagerly pawed through his papers that he said something that caught Theo’s attention.
“What did you say?” Theo asked.
“I was wondering what Rose thought about what I told you before,” Thad replied. “About true love’s kiss. That has the power to break spells.”
“I didn’t tell her,” Theo admitted.
“Why?” Thad grinned. “Too afraid she would look to Philip for deliverance?”
“No,” Theo grunted, but he had to wonder if Thad was at least partially right.
“Oh, brother,” Thad said. “You should really just tell her you love her. You said it yourself earlier: Truth will make things right.”
“I don’t know about that where Rose is concerned,” Theo argued.
“Come on, Theo,” Thad said. “Don’t be such a hypocrite. You know it makes the rest of us look bad. And besides, sometimes you have to lead others by showing them the way.”
“It was easier to tell that to the Reverend than it would be to tell her that.” He did not want to tell Thad what Bachas had told him.
“Still, if true love’s kiss would be enough to break her curse, she would want to know.”
“Of all things, I know that’s what she wants the most,” Theo said. “Or at least, that’s what she wants the most that she will admit to herself.”
“Please,” Thad said. “Just go and tell her.”
“I should pack up and get ready to leave,” Theo said, brushing his brother’s concern aside. “After all, I have a lot more to think about right now, with everything we learned tonight about our family. Did you get your manuscripts?”
“Yes,” Thad remarked. He gave Theo a hard look. “I’m going to get settled into my room,” he said. “I’ll talk with you again soon. I love you, brother.”
“I love you, too.” Theo gave him a smile as he left, glad that he did have family to support him, even when it was his own fear he found himself up against.
As soon as he was alone, he allowed himself to admit Thad was right.
If he wanted to know what was in Rose’s heart, he would have to give her his first.
Long moments passed, as the music swelled from stories below. The night continued on, and the beauty of the night began to pass away into a quiet morning.
It was only then, after much thought and prayer, Theo made his way downstairs.