Fourteen
Months Later
"You're not paying attention. This part is important."
Blaise Harman snapped her perfectly manicured fingers beneath Tobias' nose. Her nostrils flared delicately, as she finally lost patience with the man witch sitting in front of her. "You've spent most of your time daydreaming rather than reading. You think you're fit to lead?"
"That's enough." He declared pushing the scrolls and texts away from him, across the table. "That's enough for the day."
Blaise forced her chair out and stood, fingers wringing together. "What is wrong with you? It took us months to excavate the texts and even longer to master the language. You've been locked into intensive study for so long and now it sits before you and you can't even focus." She lifted the edges of ancient papyri, fourteenth century books and internet print outs of materials that could not be imported. The pungent scent of the papers was itself weaving a spell in the dim little office they had shut themselves in.
Tobias mumbled something indefinable.
"The Equinox is barely a few weeks a way." She said collecting the materials into piles, carefully laying the papyrus in its fabric sheaths. "We've no time to lose, this is too important to screw up now: the witches are seceding from the Night World, you will be primary to this decision standing with the Inner Circle on behalf of Circle Daybreak."
He didn't respond.
Blaise swore under her breath and slammed her door on the way to an interconnecting office. Of course she was right. Tobias had been studying and working hard to prepare for this split with the Night which coincided with his ascension to the Inner Circle of Witches. It was an honour rarely gifted to a male witch, not since Old Bob in the thirties.
His concentration had been slipping a lot lately as if his brain could not take another notch of information.
He pressed the intercom. "Zachariah bring the car around."
"Very well, sir." Came the reply.
He left the office to take a break from the musty stench of books. He bent down at a water cooler to fetch a cup from the machine and as he straightened he found Sheena Hawthorne leaning casually against the machine. "Unity, my Lord."
"Unity." He replied in monotone.
"Taking a break Tobias?"
He didn't reply, he barely even looked at her.
"You want to take a walk?"
Tobias only had the phantom of memories of being with a woman, Sheena being one of the last he had laid hands on and he couldn't deny that he was attracted to her. He felt something sharp dig in somewhere, the bitter edge of guilt dug in deep and unceasing. "Thanks but I don't think so."
"Come on. You look like you could use a…walk."
"Toby." Blaise appeared at the end of the hall putting hands on her hips.
The two female witches stared at each other, their eyes narrowing dangerously as one studied the other. Sheena face a tight lipped smile and mumbled goodbye to Tobias, her fingers sliding up his arm as she left.
Blaise raised an eyebrow as Sheena sashayed past.
"I don't believe it." She said.
Tobias was sipping on his water. "What?"
Blaise was silently surprised to see he hadn't responded to Sheena's obvious offer. "I bet I can guess what's got you so distracted." She said taking the cup from his hand and sipping on some water before passing it back. "Bubblegum pink hair and sings like a bird?"
"Don't."
"It's been what? Half a year? Maybe a little longer. Tobias, why don't you just get over it? There are bigger things happening in the world: say the proclamation of Consul to the Witches of Circle Daybreak."
"I know."
"You're not ready for it."
He crushed the plastic cup in his fist, water spilling over his wrinkled suit. "I will be, I just need a break." He said softly.
"Your car, sir." Zachariah appeared suddenly. A stout, grey haired man who was contracted as Tobias' chauffer on the order of Lord Thierry Descourdres himself who thought it prudent to elevate Tobais' experience in being treated like a man of power.
Tobias thanked him with a pat on the arm and he headed for the car.
"You're just a play boy, Toby." Blaise reminded cruelly before he disappeared from the hall. "You're not made for monogamy and she just learnt that the hard way."
Tobias gave every appearance of having not heard Blaise's words but he wasn't immune to what she had said. He was driven in silence to the Descourdres mansion, the landscape passed in a daze.
He was taken in quickly, escorted and left to wait in the salon, decorated sumptuously with Chinese silk, deep reds and dramatic black and gold detail. He took a seat on a small couch and waited to be admitted to Lord Thierry Descourdres private office.
The Mansion was buzzing with activity as the equinox approached.
He sat lost in thoughts, pondering how someone could simply disappear from his life. He still had the diamond ring sitting in his breast pocket, the ring he was going to slip on Saben Mariley Frost's finger after she agreed to marry him. He took the red velvet box out and opened it slowly, watching the diamonds glint in the light.
"Toby?" He was shocked out of his reverie and quickly pocketed the ring.
He got to his feet with a forced smile. "Thea?"
"Shall I bow, my Lord?" Thea teased. She looked radiant when she smiled, but was dressed professionally tonight, a full fledged member of the administration whilst college was on break.
"Penny for your thoughts."
"Reminiscing." He replied the ring burning a guilty hole in his pocket.
"About old lovers I bet." Thea smiled tenderly and touched his arm so they could sit together on the couch. "It must be about time."
"For what?"
Silence. He glanced at her face and could see the play of confusion and guilt as she turned her eyes to the floor. His heart started to thump in his chest, his next inhalation of breath shaky on the verge of excitement.
"You know where she is, don't you?"
"You mean she didn't tell you?" Thea's smalls hands were wringing together nervously.
"Tell me what?"
Saben Mariley Frost balanced the paper bag on what little bit of hip she could gain, her belly had grown so large and heavy she was often left fumbling to do the next task. She struggled to retrieve her keys to the house.
She suffered from agoraphobia these days, too afraid to spend too much time outside, for fear of being seen, for fear of falling, from simple fear. No one knew where she was though and so she would tell herself and calm her beating heart. It wasn't good for the baby, that's what her nurse often reminded.
She felt like cheering when she managed to get the door open.
"Saben." Her name was spoken.
It startled her she dropped the shopping bags and the glass bottles jars inside shattered around her ankles.