Chapter Eleven
"You know," David said, "Until the last couple of days, I always just thought the story of Ethan and Devon was just that, a story. I mean, I knew it really happened, but since it was so long ago, it really didn't seem real, you know what I mean?" He glanced at Wes, who was going through the books on the shelves on the other side of the room from him.
Wes shook his head. "Actually, no, I don't," he said. "But maybe that's because there was rarely a week in my life when the mystery wasn't mentioned. It's pretty much consumed my line since that day. I mean, my great great grandfather made it his mission to have the Smythes banished from the country." Wes paused. "Well shit," he said, snapping shut the book he'd been looking through.
"What?" David asked. He could hear Thad and Beatz going through the drawers of the antique desk in the next room.
The Asian boy smacked a hand to his forehead. "Of course!" he said. "It's been right in front of our faces this entire time!"
"What? The journal?"
Wes shook his head. "No," he said. "Smythe! We know that Andrew is targeting Blaine, and we know that Devon was the target that night in 1901, and that Andrew also disappeared."
David looked at him thoughtfully. "Okay, but why is Andrew targeting Blaine? And why Devon in 1901?"
The other boy shook his head. "I don't know. Great great grandfather Raymond often spoke about how oblivious Devon could be. Like, in a sense that made me think he might have been even more oblivious than Blaine is. If it's true that Andrew wanted him for something, he might be after Blaine for the same reason now."
"But Blaine is a stronger witch than Devon was. Everyone knows Johnathan was the more powerful sibling in that generation."
"Which would explain the use of dark magic. Andrew must be trying to weaken Blaine so he can overpower him."
David was still confused. "What could Andrew want from either of them?"
Wes shook his head. "I have no idea. But given that Blaine is stronger, as Johnathan was, I don't think what he wants has anything to do with power."
…
They had to wait for Wes to get the spell from his dad to unseal Devon's room, and then he made sure they wouldn't be disturbed by anyone with a second spell. Nick and Jeff were searching the bed, under the mattress and the box springs, even going over the headboard, which didn't appear to have any noticeable hiding places.
Santana had searched the closet, and was now going through the bathroom. Kurt was meticulously going through the desk drawers. He was getting frustrated, not finding any sign of a journal. Swearing, he slammed the bottom drawer shut, and then jumped in surprise when a portion of the desktop popped up, revealing a hidden compartment.
"I found something!"
Santana came back in from the bathroom and Nick and Jeff looked over at him. "Is it juicy?" Jeff asked.
"Wanky," Santana snorted. "Is it the journal?"
Kurt frowned as he managed to work the lid of the compartment open a little more. "It's not a journal, but it is rather telling…" inside was a framed photograph of Devon and Ethan, a dried rose, and a letter.
Santana joined him at the desk. "What is it?" she asked, frowning.
Kurt pulled the letter out and carefully unfolded it. "My dearest Ethan…" he read out loud, glancing at the others.
The other three glanced at each other and Nick made a gesture for him to go on.
Kurt cleared his throat, and began to read again.
My Dearest Ethan,
How I wish I could tell you what I feel for you. I know the Goddess would not frown on these feelings I have, for all are accepted in The Great Circle, but the humans among us don't see it that way.
But even if we were free to be together, I know you do not feel the same about me, so I shall keep my heart in check, and continue to be your adoring friend.
I know you will never read this letter, so I feel free to say this here. I am in love with you. I think I always have been, but I didn't fully see it until after you comforted me when Jeremiah rebuffed my affection. You were always by my side in my hour of need, and for a brief moment I thought perhaps you felt the same for me, but now I know you do not. You have always been my dearest and closest friend, and now I see that is all you shall ever be.
I wish I could tell you how much I love you still, but your friendship is too precious to lose, and I fear if I confess now, it will drive you away from me, so I shall continue to adore you from afar, and rejoice in every moment by your side.
Love Eternally,
Devon
"I guess we don't necessarily need to find the journal anymore," Nick said. "But I'm a little confused. If Devon was so concerned about how the humans would see two boys in love, why did he go after Jeremiah in the first place?"
Kurt shrugged. "I have no answer for that. Secret rendezvous?"
Santana was shaking her head. "More like he knew that nothing would happen with Jeremiah. I think he was just testing the waters."
"You mean like he wanted to see how Ethan would react?" Jeff asked, raising his eyebrows at the Latina.
"I don't think so. It was more like subconsciously he was already in love with Ethan, but already doubted the other boy's feelings for him, so he was seeing if he could be with someone else."
Kurt let out a frustrated noise. "Oh my Gaga! They were both idiots!" he cried, throwing his hands up in aggravation.
Nick shrugged. "Maybe. But it still doesn't answer the question of what happened that night."
"At least we know the truth about both of their feelings now, though," Kurt said.
They were all silent as they considered the tragic romance of the two boys.
…
After Nick and Jeff had left the room, Kurt stopped Santana on her way out and the Latina looked back at him curiously.
"You know she won't care, right?" Kurt said. It took a moment for the raven haired girl to realize what he was talking about. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, almost as if she was daring him to go there, but it didn't hold, and she sort of deflated, looking slightly defeated.
"It's not about whether she cares that is stopping me," Santana said, giving her head a shake, her ponytail brushing at the back of her neck. "I know she would never care. I could be an alien from Mars and she wouldn't care. She'd be the first person to believe it."
Kurt snorted. "Knowing Brittany, she probably already knows you're a witch," he said. "But if it's not about whether she'll care or not, what is stopping you?" he asked.
Santana made her way over to one of the windows in the room and stared out of it. She didn't say anything at first, but she looked as though she was trying to sort out how she wanted to say what was on her mind. Kurt would never push her, but the two of them had always had one of those unlikely friendships. Santana respected him because she'd learned he could be just as much of a bitch as she could. Maybe more so sometimes. She thought he had more guts than anyone gave him credit for.
"My Line is composed of intermagic relationships," she finally said.
It took a moment for Kurt to register what she meant. "You're afraid your family won't accept her because she's not a witch," he said.
"It's not just that she isn't a witch, it's because she's a girl. We would never be able to naturally have children of our own."
Kurt looked confused for a moment. "I thought in the Goddess' world, that didn't matter. At least with two girls, one of you could biologically carry the child."
"Of course the Goddess would approve. But unless I carried the child, and another witch was the father, there wouldn't be any mixing of the Lines. And really, could you see me carrying a baby for nine months?"
She was right of course. The idea of Santana being pregnant was hard to wrap his head around. "What if you donated your eggs for Brittany to carry though?" he said.
She shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. The child might have traces of magic, but they wouldn't be able to access it."
"But if you aren't the kind of person to carry a child anyway, how would you being with a male be any different?"
She had no answer for that. "I guess it's a good thing I'm not the last of my Line. No matter what, it looks like I'm never going to pass on my heritage."
Kurt placed a comforting hand on the Latina's shoulder. "I think you might be thinking a little too hard about this. You already know how you feel about certain things concerning progression of heritage. So why not just worry about yourself and your own happiness, at least for right now? You're only a junior in high school. And Santana, I think you deserve to be happy."
She hugged him. "Thanks. And so do you."
Kurt feigned ignorance. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, but he was unable to keep the somewhat dreamy smile off his face as he hugged her back.
…
Trent was just helping Blaine with more tea when Wes entered the room, looking somewhat defeated. Trent raised an eyebrow and Blaine struggled to prop himself up a little more on the pillows as he looked back at Wes with concern.
"What happened?" he asked. "It wasn't there?"
The older boy shook his head. "We found a journal, just not Devon's. Did you know your great great grandfather could write so small? He had almost sixty years worth of thoughts written down in that book."
Blaine chuckled. "Dad said his grandfather, Johnathan's son, told him that Johnathon used to get really bad anxiety when it came to tests. Like he was terrified he'd forget everything when it came time to take them and his mind would just go blank. So he taught himself to write small enough that he would always have every note of information he needed if the test was open notes. I guess he just didn't remember to write bigger for everything else."
Wes rolled his eyes. "I hope they had better luck in Devon's room. How are you feeling? You look almost normal again."
"I'm definitely feeling better," Blaine said. "But I wish you guys would let me help more." He frowned.
Wes sighed. "I know you hate not doing anything, but you're at the greatest risk right now. And until we can get rid of Andrew for good, we can't take any chances."
Blaine looked up at him, confused. "Andrew? You think he is the one attacking me?"
"Well, we know that you're his target because he tried to get Nick to get you out of this room and unguarded."
"I still don't know exactly how he managed to target me without being in Dalton itself. Don't those types of spells usually require proximity, if not line of sight?"
Wes shrugged. "Andrew has more than a century's worth of experience. He could know tricks we don't know about. And...it's possible he might have placed it on you when we were in the woods casting the luring charm. That was the night you started feeling worse, wasn't it?"
Blaine thought about it for a minute. "The chills from the dream that morning never really went away, but that could just be the lingering effects of having such an impactful prophetic dream. It's possible the attack came later."
Wes took a seat on the other side of the bed and glanced at Trent. "So, what do you think of Kurt, Blaine?"
Blaine arched an eyebrow at him. "He's nice. We have so much in common. And before you start playing matchmaker, yeah, I kind of like him. But right now we have more important things to work out."
"Only kind of?" Wes said, giving the boy a knowing look. "Well, I think he kind of likes you too."
The curly haired witch blushed. "I hope so."
"Santana thought he and I were dating," Trent said, giving his head a shake. "She misinterpreted a conversation she overheard."
"What did Kurt say about it?" Wes asked.
"That we weren't and I'd just invited him to something. I told Kurt he wasn't my type and I'm not his either," Trent said, shrugging.
"What exactly is your type?" Blaine asked, teasingly. "I mean, I know you play both sides of the field, but…"
Trent ducked his head. "One of Kurt's friends is pretty cute," he said.
"He, she, or they?" Wes inquired, but before Trent could reply, there was a knock on the door, and Nick and Jeff entered.
"Speaking of boys in love," Blaine said so only Trent could hear him. Speaking louder, he looked at Nick and Jeff. "What's up guys?"
"We didn't find a journal, but we did find a letter Devon wrote to Ethan, hidden in a secret compartment of his desk," Nick said.
"What did it say?" Wes asked.
Jeff let out a sad breath. "Devon was in love with Ethan, but didn't think Ethan loved him, or was even gay."
"Something tells me that love is a major key to this," Blaine said. His eyes suddenly lit up for a moment before they darted to the demon vessel beneath the chair previously vacated by Kurt. "Wait a second. Nick, Jeff, can one of you go get Santana? I have an idea."
"Did I hear my name?" Santana asked as she and Kurt entered the room.
Blaine couldn't help the smile that crossed his face when he saw Kurt, but he shook it off and got serious again. "Santana, your Line specializes in love, right?" he said.
"Yeah, what of it?"
"I was wondering, do you think you could detect it from the demon vessel?" he asked.
"I did feel like the energy coming from it was loving, and protective," Trent said.
Kurt looked at Santana, wondering if maybe she did have more insight to tell whether the light magic infused in the vessel was loving.
"Well, I'll be damned," Wes muttered just then.
"What's that, boss?" Nick asked.
Wes looked around at them all. "While we were at the estate, we didn't find Devon's journal, but I realized that Andrew must have been targeting Devon back then too. However, Devon wasn't as powerful as Johnathan, so whatever he was targeting him for, it wasn't power." Wes paused for a moment, looking contemplative. "My great grandfather said that great great grandfather Ray told him how Andrew used to openly flirt with Devon at Circle meetings."
"So, Andrew wanted Devon?" Santana said, shaking her head. "The Smythes weren't interested in love, so it could have only been a sex thing for Andrew. They only married to continue the Line."
"Andrew would have been possessive, given the stories I've heard," Wes said. "And I don't doubt he had no intentions on being romantic. I think he just wanted in Devon's pants, and wasn't going to take no for an answer."
"Then why is he targeting Blaine now?" Trent asked.
"Maybe because something stopped him from succeeding with Devon. Blaine looks exactly like him, so he's trying again," Nick said.
"Blaine is more powerful than Devon was, though," Jeff said. "There is no way he would succumb to Andrew's will."
"That is exactly why he's using dark magic," Wes said. "He's trying to weaken him to make him more vulnerable to manipulation."
Kurt felt anger growing inside him, and the room began to vibrate as the boy's glasz eyes began to glow with a sapphire light. "He can't have him!"
Santana took several steps away from the boy, her eyes as wide as they could go. "Whoa, Hummel! What the actual fuck?" she said.
Trent moved to stand in front of Kurt, grabbing his arms. "Take a deep breath. Blaine is safe for now. You need to calm down."
Kurt blinked, staring at Trent in confusion for a moment before inhaling deeply and slowly letting it out. "I'm sorry, I don't know where that just came from."
"Trent, what was that?" Wes asked, looking at the younger boy, a concerned expression on his face.
"Kurt hasn't learned to control his powers yet. His magic is running on autopilot. It perceived a threat, and went on the defensive," the cherubic witch informed them.
Without a word, Wes vacated the chair by Blaine's bed and gestured for Kurt to sit there instead. "Maybe it will help if you stay close to Blaine's side for the time being," the Asian witch said.
"That reminds me," Santana spoke up. "It's Sunday. Kurt, Mercedes, and I all have to be at McKinley tomorrow." She frowned. "We can't exactly miss school, but we can't halt on solving this either."
Trent looked thoughtful for a moment. "We could find a time witch," he said.
"Or we could all just call in sick," Mercedes said, entering the room with Beatz just then. "We've finished the first few amulets, and I thought Blaine and those guarding him should be the first ones to have them." She handed a box with six necklaces in it to Wes.
Kurt was shaking his head as he helped Blaine slip the amulet Wes had handed him over his head. "That won't work, Mercedes. All three of us absent from school at the same time will cause Rachel to start poking her unusually large nose where it doesn't belong. Also, I've never called in sick in my entire life."
"That's because witches don't catch human viruses like the cold or flu," Beatz said.
Santana nodded her head, "that's true. But maybe all three of us don't have to call in. Just Hummel. Mercedes and I can come back after school gets out, so no one will be suspicious."
"Then you guys better come up with a good excuse for why I'm not there if Rachel starts asking questions anyway," Kurt said. "Aside from not calling in sick, I've never voluntarily skipped school in my life, with the exception of last Thursday."
Mercedes looked thoughtful. "We can tell them that when Karofsky pushed you last Friday, you dislocated your shoulder, and are in too much pain to come in."
Kurt hated the idea of anyone knowing the bullying was as bad as it was, but before he could speak up, Blaine spoke instead. "Kurt needs to transfer here," he said. "I stand by that."
"First," Kurt said, "while the idea of transferring here is appealing, I don't think it can be arranged over night. And second, if I transfer this close to Sectionals, Rachel would stroke out and go all Anthony Perkins Psycho on me."
Santana rolled her eyes. "Why do you care what that hobbit might or might not do? She has no power over you."
"Also, you being part of the Circle will aid in speeding up your transfer," Wes said. "Unless you really want to be driving four hours a minimum of twice a week for Circle business, and other considerations..."
"I think he's referring to the short Burt Reynolds in the bed," Santana said in a stage whisper. Both Kurt and Blaine blushed.
Kurt shook his head however. "My dad could never afford it," he said.
"He wouldn't have to," Trent replied. "Dalton was originally built as a cover for the Dalton Circle. As such, all Dalton Circle witches get immediate four year scholarships."
Wes nodded. "Not to mention there is still the matter of Ethan's estate to be settled. When Ethan and Matthew's father passed away, the estate was split between the two brothers, but with Ethan being nowhere to be found, his portion has lain in state until the true heir could be established. That would be you. It's not a lot, but it is enough that you and your dad don't have to worry about money for a long time."
"It would be nice not to have to dig into my shopping budget to pay for gas," Kurt said.
"I can have David's dad begin the transfer papers as soon as your dad agrees to it. Usually my father handles these things, but he's still out of town on Council business, and I'm not sure when he will return."
Trent frowned. "You never did say what this emergency business was. Or did your dad keep it from you too?"
"He didn't say, but he seemed pretty worried about something when he called to tell me he was leaving."
"You don't think it has something to do with the Founders, do you?" Nick asked, frowning, remembering what David had said would happen if they hadn't found Kurt.
"It's possible that they hadn't been informed of Kurt's return," Wes said, sounding doubtful. "Although if that was the case, father could just have told them over the phone."
"Wait," Kurt said. "Does that mean my dad should be at that table now? I mean, he would have been in my position when he was my age if he'd known all along about the magic, right?"
"He may be invited to join the Dalton Council, the adult version of The Founders Table, so to speak, if he is interested," Wes said. "The Dalton Circle is for the younger generation, to help us bond as a Circle, and to learn how to lead with wisdom, and use our magic to protect those weaker than us."
Kurt shook his head. "I don't know if he's ready for that. My dad isn't the type to just jump right in like me," he said. He had an urge to ask if younger, elementary school aged witches went to special schools like Hogwarts or something to learn magic, but held the question back.
"Should Santana still examine the vessel?" Blaine asked, breaking the sudden silence that had fallen.
"I almost forgot about that," Kurt said, reaching for the object. It floated into his hands. "Satan?"
Santana stepped forward to carefully take the item from his hands. She could feel the warmth flooding through her body almost as soon as she touched it. "Ugh, can you be any more mushy?" she said.
"What do you feel from it?" Mercedes asked.
"Well, there is definitely love in the light magic," Santana said, standing still and tracing her hands over the vessel. A curious look came over her face. "Also, I can feel a pulse, multiple pulses. But only one is separate."
"What do you mean, only one is separate?" Kurt asked.
She shook her head and put up one hand. "It feels like one separate pulse and two other pulses that have been merged somehow. Like two souls inhabiting one body."
Wes looked at her with wide eyes. "Wait, are you referring to heartbeats?" he said.
"Wouldn't that mean that whomever is in that vessel is still alive?" Trent asked.
Nick and Jeff, who had been unusually quiet for a long period of time, jumped to their feet. "Oh my Goddess!" Jeff said. "That's why our great great grandfathers couldn't track them!"
"What?" Kurt said, looking utterly confused. "I thought you guys could track living witches."
Nick was pacing the floor, thinking out loud. "If they merged, their signatures would have changed. They were tracking them as separate individuals, not as a unit."
Santana glanced at the two boys. "I'm not sure if it's Ethan's and Devon's hearts that are beating together. I can't really differentiate between the pulses. I just know there seems to be three of them."
"How would it be possible for them to merge, though?" Kurt asked.
"The demon would have already been merged with whomever it was possessing," Beatz said.
"Do demons even have hearts?" Mercedes asked.
"You may be surprised to hear this, but not all demons are evil. Most of the bad ones are influenced by the dark side, much the same way witches like the Smythes are," Beatz explained. "But either way, they're still living creatures, so yes, they have hearts, even if it's just a muscle to keep them breathing."
"Come to the dark side, Luke," Kurt muttered under his breath.
"Oh I love Star Wars!" Blaine said.
The others all looked at Kurt askance. "Sorry. Just wanted to break the tension a little."
"Just as long as you know I'm not your father," Wes said.
"Yes Obi Wan," Jeff said, bowing to Wes.
"Okay, I think it's time for a break," Mercedes declared, shaking her head. "Before Santana breaks into her Princess Leia impersonation."
"Don't give away all my secrets, Mercedes," Santana said.
"Right," Wes said. "Thank you, Mercedes, for the amulets. I'll make sure everyone who comes in here has one, and when you have the rest ready Beatz can help you pass them out. I'll send David up with a dinner tray for Blaine and Kurt, since I don't think you want to go downstairs to eat," he looked to the pale boy. Kurt shook his head. "Right. While you are waiting, perhaps you should call your dad about the transfer. Ladies, I know you need to get back to Lima, but you are welcome to stay for the evening meal."
The two girls nodded and as Santana headed out, Mercedes approached Kurt. "Goodnight Kurt. I'll see you tomorrow," she said.
"Night, Cedes. And thank you for everything." He hugged her and kissed her cheek.