(AN: Another chapter. I've really been inspired lately. I was amazed at the response I've had. Thank you to those that have reviewed, or are following this story. I took a little license with the Ministry, mostly because in the U.S., it would more likely be the Department of Magic, headed up by the Secretary of Magic that reports only to the President. This will most likely come up again in the story. So I'll be using Department to refer to the U.S. officials, and Ministry for their British counterparts. Now, on to the story!)
...***...
Father,
I do not know why I trusted these centaurs, but my heart told me they are good. I went that night and learned a great deal. They told me of the restrictions the Ministry had placed on all centaurs, and that they would try to do the same to me if they knew too much of my power. I learned that their dam, or mother, had come from a herd in Scotland. Malachi had been born among that herd, and the new family had migrated to America to find more open land.
Malachi is the biggest of the three, and the oldest. He's very strong, and a bit stern, but he feels responsible for the other two. He's very protective, and his coat is the purest black. The next is Cord, who is just as tall as Malachi, but more slender. He reminds me of the pictures of Muggle racehorses, lean and sleek, with pretty dapple gray fur and light eyes. He is quieter than the other two, more observant. He can read the stars and planets better than his brothers. I learn a lot from him about Astronomy. The youngest is Bryce, a dark gray that is shorter than the others, but as strong as Malachi. He is the playful one, and he teaches me a lot of the games young centaurs like to play. He says all young ones need the chance to play and have fun.
I have this unsettling feeling that something is going to happen when the Department agent arrives tomorrow. Malachi said that, if something bad happens, we'll run away and they will look after me. I think that a good idea. Aunt and Uncle are jumping back and forth between being excited, then worried until they are near frantic, then scowling angrily at me. Regardless of what happens, I will take this diary with me, and my quill and ink so I can keep writing to you.
...***...
Anna set the fresh berry cobbler on the kitchen counter to cool, then made sure the rest of the room was spotless. Once that was done she made sure all the flowers around the house were fresh and sweet-smelling, then hurried down to her room to change. She washed off in the small sink and brushed her long hair, making sure one lock fell over her golden left eye, just in case the charm Malachi said was on her mark failed.
Clean and refreshed, she slipped on the one nice dress she had, a deep green dress that flared widely at her hips and swirled prettily around her ankles. She fastened her hair in a black ribbon and slipped on her shoes. She hurried up the stairs to hear a final lecture from her aunt about how she was to behave at all times, then went quietly upstairs when the door chime sounded.
"Good day, Mr. Stone," said a woman's voice. "I am Gertrude Goodman, from the U.S. Department of Magic, Section of Underage and Accidental Magics. You are aware of the reason behind my visit?"
"Good day to you as well, Madam Goodman," answered her uncle. "Yes, we received your owl a few days ago. Please, come in. Would you like some refreshment while we talk?"
"No, thank you," said the official. "I'm afraid my time is limited. I see from your Ministry records you have one child here, a daughter named Crystal Jewel Stone?" Apparently one of the other two adults nodded, because the woman continued. "May I speak with her?"
"Of course," simpered Aunt Pricilla. "She should be upstairs in her room. I'll be right back." Aunt Pricilla heaved her bulk upstairs and soon appeared in the doorway. "Crystal, dear, come downstairs, there is a woman here who wants to speak with you. And you," she said in a low hiss. "Stay here and stay silent, got it?"
Anna nodded, ignoring the triumphant smirk Crystal sent her. She turned and looked out the window, staring at the yard. She had never slept as well as she had when she was with those centaurs. She had felt safe, and wanted. And Malachi had made her promise to come tonight, no matter what happened. Maybe, she should just leave and live in the forest with them.
A slight shift at the edge of her sight drew her attention. She looked over to the small orchids that Crystal kept in her room. The girl insisted on having the pretty flowers, but had no clue how to care for them properly. Just now the delicate white one was almost withered away. Anna sighed and moved to the shelf, shifting them carefully so each one could get more sunlight. Then she used water from the glass on the table to give each one a small sip of water. She smiled when, as often happened, the beautiful flowers showed their gratitude by opening a little wider, their leaves a little greener. The white one stood up and opened two new blooms.
"You little bitch!" shrieked Crystal. Anna spun around to see her cousin at the door, her face flushed in anger. "Those are MY flowers! How dare you touch them!" The blond girl, taller and larger than Anna's small frame, reached out and shoved her out the door. "The Ministry woman said I had magic, but nothing remarkable. She said I was nothing special! I know you had something to do with it, always showing me up, making me look bad!" A strong kick sent Anna sprawling, and another sent her tumbling down the stairs.
"What is the meaning of this!" cried a woman's voice. Anna looked up to see a slightly plump witch with dark blond hair. This must be Madam Goodman.
But Pricilla was nothing if not good with excuses. "Oh, she's our niece," said the fat woman. "She is just visiting for a few days. Poor thing, her parents are always travelling, and she stays with us often. She is very quiet and shy, and tragically clumsy. Must have fallen down the stairs again."
Madam Goodman looked rather calculating. "I see," she said. "Well, it is lovely to meet you, Miss…."
"Anna," offered Anna. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, madam."
Madam Goodman smiled and offered her hand, which Anna shook politely. "Such a charming child." She stood, but Anna felt a small piece of paper in her hand. "Well, I must be going. I apologize for taking up your time."
Pricilla and Roland shook themselves and showed their guest to the door, and Anna risked a moment to look down at the paper in her hand. In clear, handwritten words, it read simply Run, I will find you and help. GO!
Anna looked up and saw the furious looks on the adults' faces, and the smug look on Crystal's, then decided the little slip of paper had the right idea. She deftly kicked out of her shoes and fled for the back door. She burst out, already at a sprint, and made straight for the forest. She didn't stop until she reached her favorite tree. She threw herself towards a branch and started climbing, knowing the family had very poor tracking skills.
Her heart pounded, but she didn't stop until she reached the upper branches, completely hidden from the ground below. She forced herself to take slow, deep breaths, trying to calm herself. The sound of breaking branches made her freeze, even as the little bowtruckle appeared and crawled to sit on her knee.
The crashing sounds grew louder, and Anna could hear Pricilla and Roland arguing as they fought their way through the brush. Anna smiled. She knew all the little trails in the forest, so it was easy for her to find her way. They had no clue. She listened carefully to hear what they said.
"We better be able to find her," grumbled Roland. "We need to make sure to get picture of her once all the bruises are gone. The lord is getting restless again. If we don't find her and send him those pictures, he won't pay us another knut."
"I'm not stupid, Roland," returned Pricilla. "It was one of the best ideas we ever came up with. Kidnapping the only daughter of that lord and holding her as continual blackmail. And, thanks to the system I cooked up, he hasn't figured out where we are these past seven years. The little fool really thinks she's related to us, and Crystal will go to a fine school, thanks to her."
"Once we find her, we need to play up the caring act again. She's been rather jumpy lately. And how the hell did that Department bitch figure out Crystal wasn't the one doing all the accidental magic?"
"I don't know, but we better find the little brat before she gets past the wards, or we may never catch up to her. Maybe we should move the account again, just to be safe, or just hide the bag that came yesterday."
The voices trailed off, but Anna sat still in shock. Lied to, most of her life. All she was to them was easy money. She sat still, quickly making plans to run. The bowtruckle shifted on her knee, and she looked at it.
"Thanks for hiding me," she said in a whisper. "But I have to go now. Good-bye." She dipped her head at the beast, and began slowly picking her way down the branches. Before she could run, she needed to get hold of the blackmail money. If nothing else at least her father's money would actually be spent on his child.
She edged up to the yard, knowing there was no way she could get inside and get the money her father had sent without being caught. She took a breath and focused on the bag of riches that were rightfully hers, then on it lifting, flying through the air to her. The sound of crashing glass startled her, and she opened her eyes to see a large leather bag fall at her feet with a loud jangling.
Now that she knew she could, Anna concentrated on her tough canvas school bag, then a change of clothes and her cloak. Once the items arrived, she donned her cloak and her soft leather boots, then stuffed everything else into the satchel. She barely had time to settle the small pack on her back before Crystal came running out the door, screaming for her parents that Anna was robbing them.
Anna turned and fled back into the trees, heading once again for the cedar. She had only one more chance at escape, and she needed to be well into the forest. The cedar came into sight, and she smiled, despite the fear she felt. She dove under the branches, hiding herself from view, then took a deep breath. She had no choice, even if this would lead Roland and Pricilla right to her.
"BRYCE! MALACHI!" she screamed. "CORD, HELP ME!" She crouched under the branches and prayed they heard her. The sound of heavy steps and breaking brush reached her. She bit her lip, knowing that wasn't any of the brothers.
"Pricilla!" cried Roland. "She's over here!" He reached out and shoved a few of the branches aside, trying to reach for her. Anna pulled away and dodged out another way. She rolled to her feet, refusing to look back at the fat man. Out the corner of her eyes, she saw Pricilla appear, her face red and puffing with the exertion. A big, pudgy, manicured hand reached for her…
Only to draw back with a cry when an arrow narrowly missed. The next instant, Anna felt herself being grabbed and swung through the air to land on a broad back covered in dark gray fur. She reached forward and grabbed the strong shoulders in front of her, nearly weeping with joy. She glanced back to see Cord and Malachi on each side of her, and Roland and Pricilla's astonished faces fading between the trees.
A short time later, the three centaurs drew to a stop in a small clearing. They spent a few minutes carefully listening and sniffing the air, apparently checking to see how far away the other humans were, then Cord came over and examined every inch of her. He frowned at the new bruises, but seemed satisfied.
"The wand users did not place any tracking spells on her," he said. Anna sighed in relief.
"Good," said Malachi in is usual blunt way. "What happened, little one?" His black eyes gleamed softly.
Anna leaned against Bryce's human torso. She had refused to get off his back when they stopped. "They tried to keep me hidden when the Department agent came. I was supposed to stay upstairs. I did as they said, and Crystal was brought down and shown off. Her magic wasn't strong enough to warrant any special attention, and Madam Goodman said so. She wasn't happy to hear she wasn't special; she came upstairs and saw me tending her collection of tortured and neglected orchids, and she went off. Ended up pushing me down the stairs." The brothers grumbled angrily at that.
"They made up some excuse about my supposed parents always travelling, but she didn't buy it. She slipped me a paper telling me to run, that she would find me and help me stay safe from them. Once the door closed behind her I ran. I managed to get a few things from the house."
Cord moved forward and began stroking her long hair in a soothing manner. Anna began to relax slightly, then another thought made her tense again, then begin to shake as fear and anger tumbled through her. Cord looked worried as he asked what was wrong. Anna looked at him and told him what she had heard about her father. The three centaurs all froze. Bryce looked over his shoulder at her, shocked. Anna felt the betrayal crawl through her as tears welled up and spilled over.
Cord, to her joy, slid his strong, lean arms around her, sheltering her so she could grieve for all she thought true. Malachi, however, began furiously pacing the clearing, his nostrils flared in anger. "Of all the things to do," he ground out. "Taking a tiny foal and using her to force something as simple as gold out of another. And they call our kind wild and barbaric?" He turned to Anna, his eyes softening at her quietening sobs. "We need to get further away from here. Any ideas?"
Anna rubbed her eyes and looked at him. "Those two said something about not letting me get past the wards," she said softly. "I remember reading about that. If we get past the wards, Madam Goodman should be able to find me. I read only honesty from her."
Cord spoke up. "The wards are blocking a tracking spell on this slip of paper," he said, holding up the slip that the agent had given Anna. "This official will find our little one, and may be able to help her."
"Then let's go," said Malachi. He turned and set of at a brisk canter. Bryce paused long enough to adjust Anna's hands on the leather straps of his pack and quiver, then hurried after his brother, Cord beside him. Only a few minutes later, Anna felt a strong tingle go through her, which climbed to a dragging, tearing sensation. She cried out and clung tighter to Bryce, not noticing when the others came back and also grabbed her arms.
With a final wrench, the pain vanished, and Anna gasped in relief as they hurried on again. They finally stopped at the top of a small hill to rest. Malachi quickly checked all around them, and Cord helped Anna to the ground, fussing over her and checking her for injuries. Finally, he brought her over to a small hollow in the side of the hill and had her sit, lowering himself to the ground beside her to keep her warm and hidden from view.
Bryce came over with Malachi. "What happened to our little one back there?" he asked. "I feared she would be torn from my back."
Anna rubbed her arms, the memory of the spell still fresh. "The Stones must have changed the wards to prevent me leaving. I read they can do that." She shivered, glad when Cord tugged her closer and Bryce came to lie nearby.
Malachi came and stood in front of her. "We need to decide what to do," he said softly. "At any time, the Department will send someone to find the little one, and it would not be wise to be seen with her."
The other two centaurs looked at him. "What do we do then?" asked Bryce.
"We will go and find another territory, or join a herd," answered Malachi. "Times are dark for our kind, and growing worse. We will find safety in numbers."
Anna felt her heart stutter. "What will happen to me?" she asked in a whisper.
Malachi looked at her sadly. "You need to go with the agents. They will put you with a wizarding family that will take care of you."
Anna understood far more than he said. They would give her over to the Ministry and go on with their lives. She would go to whoever the Department decided would have her, and there was no guarantee they would let her seek out her true parentage. The family she was placed with might even take her money from her. But while Malachi felt he should rescue her, he felt no need to do anything further.
"I see," she said, her head hanging. "Could I just have a few tail hairs from each of you to remember?"
They looked at each other before nodding. Cord drew his knife and cut a few strands from his tail, handing the blade to Malachi, who passed it to Bryce. It only took Cord a few seconds to braid the strands into a slender band which he tied around her neck. The silver, dark gray, and black strands were a comfort to her.
A loud crack echoed through the air, and Anna quickly motioned the centaurs to stay out of sight. She climbed from the hollow to the top of the hill, where Madam Goodman was looking around for her.
"There you are!" cried the golden haired woman. "I was afraid I would have to send Aurors after you. Come, take my hand, child. We'll get you to the Department office, and they'll handle you."
Anna nodded and, with a last look back at the hollow, where she could make out the figures of the centaurs in the twilight shadows, she watched the world vanish in a whirl. A single tear landed on the grass where she had stood.