Page 80 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

ARCHER

I staredat the blackboard we had hung up at the hideaway to write down every important piece of information we could find on anything that might be connected to answers, or what had happened to James and Dottie.

Hecate, the goddess of magic, crossroads, witchcraft, sorcery, ghosts, and necromancy. (Maiden, Mother, Crone)

Beneath the firm description of the goddess who was apparently responsible for where our abilities came from, stood several legends Maisie and Jesse had written down.

Hecate could bestow wealth and blessings on her worshippers, yet she could also withhold these gifts if she were not adequately worshipped.

That was a point that might be important to us, since our ancestors used to be part of those worshippers, receiving blessings and then the curse.

A goddess who can cross from the underworld (possibly known to us as: the veil to the dead) to the realm of the living with ease.

They also noted that people say that Hecate meets the lost souls at the crossroads to take them on their last and safe journey to the underworld. Stories existed about her evil spirit poisoning women’s minds, luring them into the devil’s trap of witchcraft. Self-explanatory, these stories were told back in the days of the witch trials.

Mai swore that the goddess had shown herself in more than one way throughout her life. And now, through research, the signs seemed even clearer. I trusted her and didn’t say anything when she built an altar on one of the smaller bookshelves down here to represent our full love and respect towards the goddess. She thinks it might bring her to listen to her prayers and spare us from all the pain that’ll happen because our ancestors angered her once.

I doubted the whole story was even true. A goddess being involved in this sounded like a bit too much, but I wouldn’t tell her that. If she believed in her, then so be it. I knew she’d try everything if there was a spark of hope to change the things that haunted her dreams.

My gaze drew to a picture of Professor Kane with very few notes connected to it. He was the same arsehole teacher as usual, and if he knew anything about the veil and spirits, he made sure no one could sense it.

“The first parents have arrived.”

I turned around at the sound of her voice, being met with cold eyes that warmed when mine melted with hers. Something I had noticed the past weeks, and I liked it. I felt something magnificent when I saw the warmth of those blue eyes.

Dorothee wore a pair of light bell-bottoms and a red jumper with some gold jewels as a finishing touch. She also still wore the necklace James had given Dottie fifty years ago, together with the stone I had gifted her. Her hair wasn’t styled or pulled back by a hairband like she usually did for class. The red strands were falling wildly around her face, and I had to admit that I liked her hair like that. It suited her.

“Have yours arrived?” I asked, moving a step closer. The idea of leaving Aquila Hall for two whole weeks was sorrowful. But the knowledge of leaving her for the same amount of time was devastating.

Even when I couldn’t have her, I cherished her presence and bathed in the beam of her laugh rather than the sun.

“They’ll be here any minute. My mother called as soon as their plane landed. She has spent the past week with my father in the United States for business.”

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

“It might sound odd, but in a way, I found a home here at Aquila Hall. Never have I felt like I belonged somewhere until I stepped foot into this place and met you. You and the others are the first people I can call my friends, knowing that your actions towards me aren’t built on pity. And–why are you looking at me like that?”

“You referred to me as your friend,” I answered. “Am I your friend, Dorothee De Loughrey?”

“Yes, Archer Kingstone, if you like it or not, you are my friend,” Doe said, her expression lightening up. “I thought about this for quite a while, actually. Because heaven knows I tried to dislike you, perhaps even loathed you because you were such an arrogant arsehole. But there is seriously nothing to hate about you, except the fact that you’re your own happiness saboteur. For example, you were happy on the day you taught me how to see the veil, truly happiness beamed from you, but then youput on that mask of yours again and tried to push me away by hurting me. The thing is, I won’t allow that. If there is one thing I’ve learned so far during my time here, it’s that time is relevant. Maybe we’ll die young, perhaps we have our whole lives ahead of us. So, if I for some strange unknown reason, enjoy your presence in this timeline, then so be it. I’m not some coward who’s too ashamed to admit so—well, not anymore. I’m growing on this new knowledge,” she laughed and it caused me to smile. It wasn’t some mask to make her feel like she had a point. I honestly felt like smiling at this very moment. Ages it has been since I enjoyed the feeling of a smile on my lips.

“You should think that a person who carries the knowledge of the possibility of their own death in the near future would start to wither and fade away from grief of a life that soon will never be. Instead, you’re glowing with each day a little brighter. Your voice echoes through the halls louder, when you used to be so silent.”

She stepped a little closer, her smile growing as she tipped her head back to look at me. “I figured grieving an empty life might be miserable. So if my soul is destined to eventually pass, I want memories to keep me alive. Memories of joy, happiness, love and perhaps a bud of hope to keep these feelings going.”

I reached out to brush a streak that had fallen into her face behind her ear. Surprisingly, she let me without pulling back.

“Am I your friend, Archer Kingstone?” She breathed the question in a whisper.

Friend is such an untruth definition of your value to me.

But I couldn’t say that.

I opened my mouth, but the door swung open and Doe twisted around to Nathaniel, who stood in the doorway. He wore one of his grandmother’s knitted jumpers she gifts him every year for both Christmas and his birthday. What he also wore was a warning look that lay fully on me.

I wanted to slap it right off his face for doing his best in being our unwanted chaperone, but deep down I was aware that what he was doing was the only right way.

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