Page 97 of The Last Wish of Bristol Keats
CHAPTER 74
Ceridwen Hall echoed with laughter. It came in nervous bursts, but any kind of laughter was welcome. Bristol and her squad were taking turns glamouring a book as they waited for Reuben. He was bringing them amulets for the ceremony, newly infused with strong protective magics. It was their final meeting with him before the ceremony.
Besides passing the time as they waited, the point of their glamouring exercise was to shave time off their techniques. Sashka was the best at it, barely waving a finger before the book was a wild tusked boar leaping off the table. But that didn’t surprise any of them. Sashka was nimble, a sprinter, a graceful gazelle, who knew exactly which way to turn and when. She sat on the end of one of the other tables, her legs swinging back and forth.
“There!” Rose said with triumph, as she turned the boar into a vase of pink roses.
Avery laughed. “Well, that’s sure to frighten an enemy.”
“But it certainly would distract them,” Julia quipped.
“If you shape-shifted to a lion,” Hollis said, pointing at Julia, “thatwould distract them.”
Bristol tipped back her chair, her feet propped up on another one. “We’re prepared for this,” Bristol said. “That’s what matters.”
“And that’s why we need amulets?” Hollis asked.
“As prepared as we can be,” Bristol conceded.
The door rattled, and Sashka groaned. “Here we go.”
Reuben walked in, one of his precious satchels clutched in each hand. His normally sleek hair was disheveled, and some green foliage clung to it. With his hands full, he reached back with his foot and slammed the door behind him. It wasn’t his usual stiff entrance. “Good morning, ladies,” he said as he walked across the room toward them. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Okay . . .” Sashka leaned toward the others and whispered, “Who glamoured Reuben? Not even close.”
“I can hear you, Sashka,” Reuben said in a singsong voice. “We all have our off days.”
He set his satchels on the front table and got down to business, telling them to gather round. He pulled out six sets of the thinnest chain mail wrist cuffs they had ever seen—and that was it. The squad arched their brows, almost in unison.No belts? No buckles?When they went to Timbercrest, they even had a full array of amulets sewn into their clothes.
“Esmee, Olivia, and I have been working on these for months,” he said. “The problem with some amulets is that they can be cumbersome, or torn away in combat—not that any of you will see combat. These cuffs only come off at your will, or when their energy has been exhausted.” He looked up, his dark eyes circling the table. “But it would take several direct hits of either blunt force or magic for that to happen.”
His gaze settled into them to underline his point:Don’t get hit.
“I have full confidence in all of you,” he added, then looked down as if embarrassed, color lighting his sallow cheeks. He distributed the wrist cuffs, then opened the other case and pulled out a small tin. “I concocted it myself,” he said, handing it to Bristol. “A balm in case you suffer any more burns when you close the Abyss and we’re not there to help you. Some things you have to take care of yourself when you’re in the field. It’s powerful and effective, if I do say so myself. And finally . . .” He reached into the case one more time and set out six perfect apples. His lips pursed like he was deep in thought. His cheeks colored again. “A little memento of our first day together and all the weeks that followed. I know sometimes I can be exacting. And tiresome. Which is why I am keeping this short. Your stamina is to be commended.”
There were a few seconds of stunned silence and then Reuben added, “Miss Keats, the shanty you inquired about is gone. I’ve been to the forest twice now looking for it, and it’s completely erased, its occupant gone as well.” His face looked like it was going to break, much like it did when she barged into his cottage and mentioned Willow’s name. “If that’s all, I’ll be going.” Bristol reached up, and plucked the leaf from his hair. He blinked several times, but couldn’t hide the sadness in his eyes.
“Thank you, Reuben,” she replied.
“If any of you need anything, I will be in my workshop. Otherwise, I’ll see you at the ceremony.” He left, his head bowed.
When the door was firmly shut, Sashka hooted. “What was that? When did he get so . . .nice?” She said the word like it was something frightening. And it rather was, since it was so out of the ordinary.
Hollis picked up an apple, carefully examining it. “Think they’re poison?”
Avery took a chance and bit into hers. “It’s delicious.” When she didn’t instantly die, the others picked up theirs.
“What happened to him?” Julia wondered.
Rose shrugged. “I don’t know. I just wish it had happened sooner.”
Bristol stared at the door Reuben had just closed, feeling both relieved that Willow wouldn’t be complicating her father’s effort to hide and sad for the loss she saw in Reuben’s eyes.It was magical, he had told her just a few days ago. Now he had nothing to go back to. Not even rickety shanty walls that held memories of a lost love.
Reuben had never been the man any of them had thought he was.
CHAPTER 75
Pounding hammered through the darkness from the moment the first Danu contingent landed on the rim, the sounds of tents being raised. But as the first purple hues of dawn rose on the valley, Tyghan saw the tent city that Shane had described.Breathtaking, Tyghan thought.
