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Ella paced up and down the living room, her mind reeling from everything that just happened. She’d scaled every part of the house, but so far hadn’t found any trace of her mother. She wanted to believe Esme would keep Mary alive, even if just to use as leverage against her, but she couldn’t be sure. Luc and Eric had gone off to search the outbuildings and surrounding area for any sign of her or Esme, but didn’t seem to share Ella’s hope.
She’s got to have kept mum alive. She would have needed someone to feed from regularly, and no doubt tried to pump her for information, Ella thought determinedly.
“Your neck is still bleeding,” Sara said, picking up the healing wand Ella had abandoned on the floor to confront Esme.
Ella fumbled in the med kit she’d retrieved from the kitchen earlier and slapped a plaster over her neck, continuing to pace as she did so. Master Griffin had died instantly from Esme’s touch, but from what Ella remembered, the Esrac didn’t have to kill their victims, and could control the amount of blood they absorbed from them. But where would Esme have taken her?
“I’m sure your mum is okay,” Sara said, as she wiped up spilt tea from the floor.
Ella snorted. “This is Esme we’re talking about. She’s an evil, manipulative bitch who sees people as nothing more than food.” She resumed pacing again, trying not to glance around her. It made her heart ache to see the shattered ruins of what had been one of her favourite rooms in the house.
She closed her eyes and stood still, concentrating. If Luc could sense things, maybe she could too, beyond just sensing the gate. She tried to calm her mind and feel something, anything, but thoughts continued to race by. Fear twisted in her stomach like a knife.
The front door creaked open as Luc came in, and Ella’s eyes flew open.
“Did you find anything?”
Luc shook his head. “No sign of Esme or your mum.” He slipped his sword back into his belt in defeat.
Ella’s fists clenched. “Damn it, why didn’t I come home sooner? Why didn’t you tell me I could use the gate? I could have escaped!”
“Because I...” Luc’s voice trailed off, and he shook his head again. “I’m sorry.”
As she stared Luc down, Eric came in, his expression just as downcast as Luc’s had been. “I talked to a farmer down the road. He says he hasn’t seen your mum in over a week.”
Dread filled Ella’s chest. That didn’t sound like her mum at all. Mary worked as a librarian and taught in the village. She was always on the move.
“If Esme was here for several days, she would have needed someone to feed on. There have been no disappearances reported here, right?” she said, not waiting for an answer. “So my mum must have been kept alive.”
“Ella...” Luc said.
“No, don’t say she’s dead. I lost my father, I can’t lose her too. Not like this.”
She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if her mum had died because she had released Esme.
“Why did me touching that creature make her burn like that?” Sara asked as she picked up broken pieces of crockery and put them in a bin she’d brought in with her. “I’ve never done that to anyone before, it looked like I’d burned her with acid.”
“I honestly don’t know. You don’t have any magic. I’d sense if you did,” Luc replied. “but whatever it is might come in handy in our fight against them.”
As the others spoke about Esme’s possible whereabouts, Ella moved into the kitchen and opened the door to the cellar. Her father’s former workspace. She never liked going down there as a child because it always seemed so dark and scary. But it would be the perfect place to hide someone you didn’t want to be found. The door sat at the far end of the utility room, so no one would find it unless they were looking for it.
“We’ve already looked down here.” Luc said from behind her.
“Let’s look again.” Ella conjured an orb of light, and it rose into the air, chasing away the shadows as they climbed down.
The cellar had boxes everywhere, and old furniture scattered across the floor. Shelves filled with jars, bottles and other junk lined one wall. Ella scanned every inch of the cellar, moving boxes and other rubbish aside as she went. She coughed, then sneezed as dust hit her face.
Luc sighed and helped clear the way. Eric and Sara joined in, their attention caught by the commotion. They moved boxes, furniture and a heavy cabinet out of the way, but still no sign of Mary anywhere.
Ella pushed away the idea of Mary being dead. She wouldn’t consider that, not unless they found Mary’s body.
“Luc, can you track Esme?” she asked. “If we capture her again, maybe we could—”
Luc shook his head, making her fall silent. “Esme isn’t like her drones; she can shield herself from my senses.”
She sighed and opened the door to a cabinet filled with old pots and pans. “She has to be here somewhere!”
An hour later, they still hadn’t found a trace of Mary.
“Ella, maybe...” Luc put a hand on her shoulder.
“No, she’s not dead. She’s not!” She wiped sweat off her face, shoving him away. She couldn’t have let her mum die without apologising her first. She had to make things right between them. She rounded on Luc. “What did Esme mean earlier? She said I wasn’t the one who showed her how to use the gate, you were. How is that possible?” She stared at him, seeing a flash of fear flicker in his eyes.
“Ella, she was—”
“I know when you’re hiding things from me. I can feel it.” She put her hands on her hips.
Luc turned to the others. “Can you give us a minute alone?”
Sara and Eric nodded and headed back up the cellar steps.
“I didn’t die first in our first lives. Esme captured me and got the knowledge from me,” he admitted. “I spent weeks as her blood slave.”
“She tortured you?”
Luc shook his head. “She somehow made me think you were her and got it that way. I don’t remember much of that time, but I know I’m the real reason she learnt to use the gates and managed to invade other realms. I’m the reason we’re cursed.”
When he reached for her in apology, Ella backed away.
“You let me think I was to blame for everything this whole time!”
“Ella—”
“No. I don’t care what happened, it’s your fault my mum is gone,” she snapped. “If we hadn’t fallen in love in the first place, none of this would have ever happened.”
Light shot from her hand, exploding the wall next to them.
Ella blinked, coughing as dust flew everywhere. When she could see again, she looked down to see someone lying slumped on the floor, a woman wearing a tattered dress smudged with blood.
“Mum!” Ella fell to her knees beside her.
Mary had been bound and gagged. Dust now covered her from head to toe.
Luc knelt beside them, touching Mary’s throat. “She’s still alive.”
He cut away the ropes with a knife and pulled off the gag. Ella felt a flood of relief wash over her and called for Sara to bring down the med kit.
When Sara appeared with it, Ella grabbed the healing wand and got to work. Her mum had numerous bite marks and incisions covering her neck and wrists.
“I’ll kill Esme for this,” she murmured.
Mary’s eyes fluttered open, and she groaned as she finally came to.
“Mum, it’s me. I’m here.”
Mary looked up, wide-eyed. “Ella? Is it really you?”
“Yes, Mum. I’m here.” She smiled.
“How are you feeling, Mary?” Luc asked.
“I-I don’t know.” Mary sat up, glancing around. “How did I get here? Who are you?”
“Let’s go upstairs,” Luc said, as he helped her up. “We can talk more up there. I’m Luc, by the way, Ella’s boyfriend.”
Ella arched an eyebrow at him. Boyfriend, huh? You and I really need to have a chat later.
Once upstairs, Mary settled onto an armchair, frowning at the shattered remains of her living room “Goodness, what happened?”
“It’s a long story,” Ella replied. “Mum, what’s the last thing you remember?”
“A woman came to visit. She was interested in... something.” She put her hand to her face. “Everything is such a blur.”
“It’s okay. All that matters is you’re safe now.” Luc squeezed her hand.
Mary stared up at him, then at Eric and Sara. “Why are you all here?”
Ella glanced at Luc, wondering how much she should tell her mother. “I came home for a visit and brought my friends with me,” she said. “These are my friends, Eric, Sara and Luc. There must have been a big storm. I think you fell when you went down into the cellar to get the candles.”
It surprised her how easily the lie came. If Mary couldn’t remember what Esme had done to her, Ella wanted to keep it that way. Why make her suffer with terrible, traumatising memories?
“I’ll make some more tea,” Sara offered.
“Good idea. Eric and I will head into the village to see if we can get a new window and some boards to cover up the wall.” Luc turned to Ella. “Will you be okay here for a while?”
Ella nodded. “We’ll be fine. Go.”
She didn’t want to talk to him right now, but nor did she want to worry her mum either.
“I’m so happy to have you home.” Mary squeezed her hand. “It’s been lonely here without you.”
“Mum, I’m sorry for everything I said before I left.”
“I’m sorry too. I know how much you longed to go to the big city. I should have been more supportive. I felt terrible after you left but couldn’t bring myself to call in case you wouldn’t answer. You and I are as stubborn as each other.” She smiled.
Ella hugged her mum tight, feeling her worries melt away. “All that matters is I’m home now.”
Mary returned her embrace. “I missed you, but I’m happy you came by for a visit. Are you staying for long?”
Ella shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. Is it okay for my friends to stay here too?” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She couldn’t tell Mary the real reason why she had come home. Better to pretend this was just a normal visit.
“Of course, they’re welcome to stay. I’ll...” Mary made a move to get up, but Ella stopped her.
“No, you rest. Sara and I can take care of everything, you just relax.”
Mary laughed. “Being in the city has changed you. You hate doing any kind of chores.”
“Thanks for helping to clean up.” Ella walked into the kitchen and moved over to the stove, where Sara had started brewing a fresh pot of tea.
“No problem. What did you tell your mum?” Sara pulled down some fresh mugs from the cabinet and placed them on the counter.
“Not much, it’s better she doesn’t know anything. I don’t want to leave her. Esme might come back, but I know we can’t stay here for long either.” She glanced out of the window, half expecting troopers or a band of Esrac to come swarming in. “We’ll stay here tonight, just to make sure my mum is alright, but we’ll leave at first light. Be careful what you say to her though.”
She grabbed the teapot and poured some tea into each of the mugs. She had no idea how her mum would react if she found out Ella and her friends were fugitives on the run from the Senate.
Sara nodded. “Are you sure are staying here is a good idea, though?” she whispered. “What about the troopers? And Esme?” She grabbed a pot of honey from the counter and handed it to Ella. “Here, the sweetness will help your mum. It’s good for trauma.”
Ella took it gratefully and poured some into her mother’s mug. “You and Eric can leave. I’m sure Luc will get you somewhere safe. I’m not leaving my mum alone.”
“We’ll stay. If Esme comes back you might need me,” Sara said, shaking her head. “I’d still like to know why I burned her the way I did. I took Griffin’s data crystal from the university. I’ll look through the archives for anything that might help us.”
Ella’s eyes widened. “You took Griffin’s data crystal? Wow. Usually you’re such a goody two shoes.”
“I had to. It wasn’t stealing, anyway. It’s safer with me than in the hands of the Senate. They would only misuse Griffin’s knowledge.” Sara raised her chin. “Can’t you ask your mum about your dad’s stuff?”
That was the reason why she’d come home in the first place, but it had been pushed to the back of Ella’s mind. It seemed wrong to ask after everything Mary had been through.
“Mum, do you remember where dad kept all of his journals?” Ella asked, as she walked back into the lounge. She handed her mother a mug of tea from the tray she’d set down on a nearby table. “The ones he didn’t want me to find, I mean.”
She knew he’d written everything down, but she’d never seen anything other than tame diary entries and notes on how to control her powers.
“You’ve come home because of the magic, haven’t you?” Mary said, as Ella handed her a cup of tea. “I knew you wouldn’t have come back unless it was important.”
“Mum, I...” Ella’s stomach twisted with guilt. In truth, she wouldn’t have come home if Esme hadn’t been released.
“It’s alright. We both knew this would happen one day.” Mary stood up. “Your father told me to give you something, but only when I knew the time was right.” She went over to the sideboard and pulled out a small wooden chest. She held it out to Ella. “Here. I may not have understood his work, but I knew how important it was.”
“Thanks.” Ella set it down on the table and tugged to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.
“I’ve had enough rest.” Mary sipped her tea and set the mug down. “Time for me to get to work on straightening this place out again.”
