Chapter 11
Cyan looked up at the pink mansion that served as the Coral Peacocks headquarters, noting the purple shutters and yellow roof. It was completely different in every way compared to the militaristic stone of the Crimson Lion Kings compound which was mostly a place to sleep and several training grounds. She had asked Tinny and Mereoleona what Dorothy was like but neither one of them gave her much insight.
Apparently Dorothy was a witch that could create a dream dimension which she controlled and spent most of her time there which meant she was never awake. She was a captain though so she must be incredibly strong or even terrifying like the other captains Cyan had met. Now that she looked at the bright colors of the squad house she began to doubt that.
She took a deep breath and knocked on the yellow door, her heart fluttering with nerves. Today she would finally get answers about her mother. Today she would hopefully get more information on how to control her own magic.
Today she will finally get to meet her family.
Patting down her hair and adjusting the silver shirt she waited impatiently for someone to answer the door. She knocked again before testing the nob. The door was unlocked so she swung it open and took a slow step inside.
The foyer was brightly painted and well lit. It felt warm and welcoming though a little ostentatious.
"Hello." She called.
"Excuse me young lady, how dare you walk in uninvited. Do you know what this place is?" A male voice sang from somewhere on the second landing. Cyan looked up to find a blond man in a purple cape reminiscent of feathers glaring down at her.
"I'm Cyan Conway. I have a meeting with Dorothy today." She called up to him.
His face suddenly transformed to one of excitement as he walked to the stairs to meet her. "Ah yes, she's expecting you. It's nice to finally meet the woman who saved my cousin."
He reached the foyer and shook her hand. "Your cousin?" She asked, snatching her hand away. His hand was weirdly soft and he smelled like he had thirty pounds of perfume on.
"Yes my name is Kirsch Vermillion. But of course you already knew that." He sang while spinning on one foot, cape billowing out like wings.
He was nothing like the other Vermillion's she'd met and that was a good thing. "Never heard of you."
He instantly deflated at her words. "Oh, my cousins didn't mention me?"
She gave him a bored look. "No."
"Right." He sniffed and motioned for her to climb the stairs. "I'll take you to the captain then."
He moped during the short walk, Cyan listening to his self centered sniffles with delight. She was definitely feeling more like herself this week. "Here you go, she's awake for now but we honestly don't know how long that will be." He pointed to an opened door and sulked.
Cyan smiled and took a deep breath. The room was covered from wall to wall in massive plush pillows in every shade of purple imaginable. The curtains were pulled back from large bay windows warming the room with light.
Cyan's eyes fell to a small purple hair girl sitting on a pillow smiling at her from under a large pink hat. "Oh hey. Sorry I'm looking for Dorothy."
The girl jumped up and ran to her, arms spread and swept her into a tight hug. "I'm so excited to finally meet you." The girl squealed happily.
Cyan froze in the hug. "Are you Dorothy?"
The girl stepped back and gave a toothy smile. "Of course I am silly. I'm your aunt."
Dorothy was the same height as Cyan and she found it comforting that for the first time in her life she didn't have to step back to look up at someone. She mentally kicked herself for assuming that the woman before her had been a child, she'd just made the same assumption about Dorothy that everyone made about her.
Cyan stared to her, mouth open like an idiot. It took a few seconds before she could put her words together. "Sorry, I guess I'm in shock." She stammered.
"I get the feeling you apologize a lot. No need. I was a wreck when I found out my niece was in town. Took a few days for me to process it." Dorothy giggled and grabbed Cyan's hands in her own.
Her hands were warm and the same size as her own. Cyan looked to her aunt and fought back a sniffle. "It's nice to finally meet you. I mean I just learned about you but…"
"You mean Kirt never mentioned me?" She asked and pulled Cyan to a large pillow where they both sat.
"No, my dad never talked about my mom or her family. I knew she came from the witch's forest and left after I was born."
Dorothy nodded while pouring two cups of piping hot tea and pushed a plate of bright colored macaroons to Cyan. "I only met him once after I became a magic knight, he seemed nice."
"Why didn't he tell me about mom or the fact that I had an aunt?" Cyan asked and bit in the sweet cookie.
Dorothy shrugged. "Well you have to remember I was only seven when my sister was sealed by the Queen. She had already left the forest by the time I was born and we didn't see each other much. Witches aren't known for close family ties."
"Oh." Cyan replied dumbly.
"But I am still very happy to see you. I know you're here to talk about Melda and what happened but I don't know how much help I'll be." Her face fell a little as she sipped her tea.
Why would the Wizard King suggest she talk to Dorothy if she had no information? Though she was a little disappointed she found she wasn't all that upset. Cyan was sitting with her actual aunt having tea like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Have they appeared yet?" Dorothy asked into the sudden silence.
Cyan took a drink of the warm surgery tea before setting it down. "Has what appeared?"
Dorothy set her cup down. "They look like tattoos, swirls of inky marks on your skin." When Cyan didn't reply Dorthy continued. "Melda had them on her leg and appeared when she started training to be a magic Knight."
"What are they?"
"As she got stronger then more would appear." Dorothy shrugged. "By the time you were born she was covered in them."
"Do you think that has something to do with what happened?" Cyan asked, leaning forward.
Dorothy shrugged again and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "All I know is that what other people thought of as proof of her power sounded more like a curse to me. When someone is cursed with magic it leaves visible marks."
"You don't think she went crazy, do you?" The words broke on her lips and she cleared her throat.
The purple-haired woman continued to stare upwards, her eyes losing focus as if she was looking into another world. "Anyone who knew her, really knew her, didn't have a bad thing to say about her. She was strong, intelligent and caring. She once even met a man and helped him defect to another kingdom because he needed help." Dorothy finally looked at Cyan and winked.
She jumped to her feet and slid a finger down the silver lock in Cyan's hair. The tender moment made her heart squeeze as she recognized the pain in her aunt's eyes. She might not have known her sister well but she felt her absences. "Just be careful, after everything that has happened recently and the reemergence of old magic, people are getting scared and I want you to be safe."
"What do you mean?"
She sucked in a breath. "This nightmare magic of yours and your mothers, a boy with anti-magic being accused of being a demon, a five leaf grimoire and elf spirits taking over people's bodies. The country is scared and looking for someone to blame, I don't want them coming after you."
Cyan frowned. Dorothy had the same look on her face as Julius and everyone else when talking about her safety or wanting people to accept her. Something was going on, something big.
Before she could ask her to elaborate Dorothy suddenly clapped her hands and smiled. "I almost forgot. I have something for you." She stretched out her hands and a box wrapped in purple paper with a green bow
appeared from thin air.
"You got me a gift." Cyan whispered while accepting the present. Excited, she tore the bow off and lifted the lid. A large silk hat was snuggled among tons of brightly colored tissue paper.
"Every witch should have a witch hat." Dorthy sang and pulled the hat from the box and placed it gently on Cyan's head. She produced a mirror and handed it to the stunned mage.
"I don't know what to say." She adjusted the hat and looked at the mirror. The silver color of the hat matched her clothes perfectly and an amethyst nestled on the brim.
"Well you could just say thank you. No need to get teary eyed." Dorthy sniffed, eyes tearing up despite her words.
"Thank you, Aunt Dorothy." She tried the title and found she liked it.
"Please come with me! I know it's your day off but I don't want to go alone." Cyan wined, clutching desperately to Tinny as she tidied her small room in the servants quarters.
"I have stuff to do today, I can't babysit you." She replied, trying to pry the smaller woman off of her.
Cyan gripped her harder and tried her best to look pathetic. "Please! I'll do all your shopping for a week and buy you those little cakes you love."
Tinny paused. "All my shopping for two weeks and I want the Death By Chocolate little cakes."
Cyan smiled up at her. "Deal!"
The taller women sighed. "Why can't you go back to your house alone anyway?"
"Because I'm a wuss, duh." Cyan released her friend to adjust her new witch's hat. It was strange wearing the hat and she found herself constantly touching the silky brim. "I need to get some books from my house and have a heart to heart with Temlar and Sheila. If I go alone I'll chicken out."
Tinny pursed her lips and sat on her bed. "Is that because you want to or because Master Fregolion told you to?"
Not for the first time Cyan wondered exactly what Tinny's job was in the palace. She acted as a maid and did her duties with exuberance but she knew everything that happened in the palace and even had intimate knowledge of conversations Fregolion had. She also had the habit of changing the subject whenever someone asked about her magical abilities. It was possible she was his personal spy or something.
Cyan hoped Tinny was her friend because she genuinely liked her and not because Fregolion told her to.
Crossing her arms Cyan glared. "Things have gotten out of hand fast these last few weeks. I feel a great shift in my life and I don't know if it's a good thing. I want a clean slate before everything goes tits up."
Tinny grabbed her hand in an attempt to comfort her. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't chicken out. So when do we leave?"
Cyan perked up and winked at her friend. "Right now." Without further instruction she gripped Tinny's hand so she couldn't escape and dropped them both into a Shadow Dive.
"Don't ever do that again!" Tinny screeched when they arrived in Clear Water, climbing out from a tree's shadow on the edge of town.
"Aww it's not that bad."
Tinny stood up and frowned down at the witch. "Not that bad? I couldn't breath and it was freezing cold. It was almost like being in water but it wasn't water." She rubbed her arms hoping friction would warm her. "Your magic is truly terrifying."
Cyan pretended like her comment didn't bother her and shrugged. "You get used to it."
"Well I'm not going to get used to it because you will never do that with me again." She shivered while looking out at the quiet town. "Where to first, your house or the shop?"
"I brought some snacks for Sheila from the capital that you can't buy out here. We should go there first." She tightened her hold on the leather backpack hoping to still her shaking hands.
The walk through town wasn't all that pleasant. Several people turned to stare at Cyan and Tinny as they made their way to the shop. People even whispered as they passed about her new hat and rumors they had heard from the capital.
"Ignore them. Your hat is adorable and you look great in that skirt." Tinny stated loudly as they passed the gossiping townspeople.
"Shh you'll only make it worse." Cyan hissed.
"No. Don't let these hicks look down at you. In the palace you're loud and demanding, don't change who you are for their sake."
She was right of course. While in the capital she was more outspoken and comfortable saying what she wanted. Why would being back in Clear Water for only a few minutes make her want to revert back to a coward?
Cyan straightened her spine and made eye contact with anyone who looked her way. Tinny gave her a proud look and linked their arms as they walked confidently to the shop.
Her confidence wasn't long lived when a familiar voice called out to them before reaching the shop door.
"Hello Cyan." Her blood ran cold at the voice. Everett walked quickly towards the pair, hands tucked in his pockets.
She tried to ignore him, pulling Tinny to the door hoping he'd take the hint and leave them alone.
"Hey wait, I just want to talk." Everett shouted and grabbed her wrist before she opened the door.
As soon as he touched her she froze. The darkness that had slowly been growing inside her the past few months focused on where his skin met hers. It felt like something oily was slithering in her stomach at the unwanted contact. This wasn't the first time she had felt like this. The last time he had touched her in the shop she had felt this way also. It was like both the shadows and the growing wrath were trying to protect her from him, from what he did to her.
For a second, one tiny second, all her instincts shouted for her to break his wrist.
Snap his neck. Rip him apart.
Kill him.
"Take your hand off me." She whispered through clenched teeth. The shadows around her flickered like a warning as she slowly looked into his eyes. "Or I'll break it."
His eyes narrowed and hand tightened threateningly. He wasn't going to back down again like he had before. "Why are you acting like this? I just want to apologize for what happened between us so we can move on and be together." He tightened his grip again, the bones in her hand grinding against one another painfully. "No need to act crazy."
Crazy.
He used to cheat on her and when she confronted him, he called her paranoid. He used to hold her down and hurt her when 'making love' and when she cried, he called her pathetic. He used to slap her or push her when he was angry and when she threatened to expose him, he called her crazy.
This idiot had no idea what crazy looks like.
And Cyan was going to finally show him.
She grabbed his wrist with her free hand and crushed the delicate bones as she wrenched her hand free with and upward flick. He grunted, not prepared for the sudden movement and pain from the move Mereoleona had just taught her.
Still holding his wrist she forced it back until it was at an unnatural angle and forced him down to his knees. When he hit the ground she spun his arm and danced around him, separating his shoulder and pinning his arm to his back.
Everett screamed when the joint popped out of place. Cyan grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head back, exposing his throat. Everything happened in a second. One moment he was holding onto her and the next he was on his knees completely at her mercy. Cyan might have a complex about being short but between Temalr and Mereoleona's training she knew how to get someone down on her level.
She hissed in his ear and yanked on his hair harder until tears of pain slid down his face. "If you ever touch me again I will slit your throat while you sleep. I can do that Everett, slip into your home in the dead of night and kill you." Tendrils of shadow raced down her arm and wrapped around his throat, squeezing gently for emphasis. "Or I can hurt you in ways that even you couldn't imagine."
She yanked his head one more time to get her point across and released him completely. Everett fell forward gripping his injured shoulder and looked up at her, true terror in his face. She smiled down at him and walked back to the shop's door. "It really was great catching up, have a good day." Cyan turned to Tinny whose eyes flashed from the man on the ground to the witches cold smile. The shorter woman softened her smile and hitched the bag up higher. "Are you ready to meet the family?"