Chapter 5

Edinburgh...

Shivvy hurried down the Royal Mile, glad to be out of the Institute, away from the critical eye of Gerard McKenzie, and the sullen, chauvinistic presence of his son Addison. It was nearly six o'clock and she was meeting High Warlock Aidan Briosag for dinner. Tomorrow she would board the train to East Linton.

Home, she thought, but with her father dead, and Ian in Idris, it wasn't much of a homecoming. Shivvy had always been a daddy's girl, wanting to train with her brother, not stay home and acquire the social graces her mother thought so important. It had taken a great deal of persuading to get her mother to allow her to go to New York with Ian. She suspected it was her mother's desire to put as much distance as possible between her children and the scandal at the Edinburgh Institute that had made it possible.

The sudden appearance of Aidan Briosag beside the Witches' Well broke Shivvy's reverie, and she threw herself into his arms.

"Easy girl!" The High Warlock laughed as he twirled her around. "My God! You've grown into a bonny lass!"

"Oh Aidan, you're the first sight of home that's given me any pleasure at all." Shivvy stated with all the certainty of youth.

"Come on, you can tell me all about it over dinner. There's nothing that a good meal and sympathetic ear can't cure;" The High Warlock stated as he led the way into the Edinburgh underground. Although relations had improved between shadowhunters and the downworld, many of Aidan's people still preferred to live apart, not yet trusting the new Accords.

Shivvy loved the lively feel of this unique place, colourful shops lined both sides of a great tunnel that served as the High Street. As they passed, the girl couldn't help being enthralled by the odd and unusual artifacts lining the shop shelves. Beautiful blown glass bottles containing all manner of creams and potions, sat next to dusty leather bound books, and racks of brightly coloured clothing that enticed shoppers to tarry. But it was the people themselves that attracted Shivvy most of all. Downworlders in all their variety, fairy, vampire, warlock and werewolf rubbed shoulders here in a way that was almost unheard of anywhere else. She knew it was because of the terrible way they'd been hunted by the Scottish shadowhunters, but the resulting society was rich with diversity, and Shivvy loved it. Her feelings were tempered, however, by a sense of shame for what had happened, though she was far too young to bare any direct responsibility.

At last they arrived at the Cauldron pub, and were shown to small table near the great stone fireplace where a magic, smokeless flame burned brightly. Once their orders were placed, Aidan turned a thoughtful eye on the girl and asked; "So, what's the trouble, Shivvy my love. Tell your uncle Aidan all about it."

The High Warlock of Edinburgh had stayed in touch with Magnus after the trouble at the Scottish Institute, and visited New York on more than one occasion. He'd always made time for Shivvy during those visits, and she felt she could tell him anything. Close as she was to Ian, he was still her brother, and might not take her problems as seriously as she did. Aidan, however, never laughed or made her feel foolish, he just listened, gave her advice, if she asked, and helped her figure things out. Still, she hesitated, not really knowing where to start.

"I didn't really want to come here..." The girl began, until she saw Aidan raise an eyebrow. "No! No, I don't mean here, I love it here, I mean the Institute and East Linton. It sounds awful when I say it out loud, I want to see my mum, I do, but she has this idea that it time I started thinking about settling down..."

"Ahh, I think I see the way this wind blows. You and your mum are never going to see eye-to-eye about you becoming an active shadowhunter, or about Daniel." Aidan said thoughtfully.

"I guess it's no big secret how I feel about him;" Shivvy replied softly, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"No, not really, and you may be able to avoid the issues on this visit, but eventually you will have to talk to your mum, tell her how you feel..."

"She'll never understand!" Shivvy huffed, letting her frustration get the better of her, even though she knew Aidan was right.

"Maybe not;" Aidan replied. "And, if she doesn't it won't be easy to deal with, but being an adult means doing difficult things, and having the courage of your convictions. You already know this Shivvy, so what else is troubling you?" Aidan sat back, waiting for the girl to gather her thoughts.

Shivvy took a deep breath and began; "Remember last time you were in New York, I told you that several people in my family, including me, have the second sight? Thanks for not laughing over that by the way..."

Aidan interrupted the girl saying; " Shivvy, I would never make fun of something like second sight. I have known and trusted people whose gifts were amazingly accurate, and not to be taken lightly."

Shivvy gave the High Warlock a grateful smile, before continuing to tell Aidan about encountering the ghost of Gellie Duncan at the Witches Well, and the spirit's insistence that the 'hysteria' would come again.

"A disturbing portent indeed;" Aidan said solemnly as the girl finished her story. "I would not like to think fear and bigotry could again cause us to attack the most vulnerable members of our society. Thank you for sharing this with me, I will certainly be on my guard."

Shivvy knew Aidan took his responsibilities as High Warlock very seriously, and it comforted her that he would stand against any such irrational persecution. The time had come, however, for her to tell him about the unsettling experience at the Institute. So without further delay, Shivvy removed the two tarot cards from her pocket, and placed them face up on the table.

"The Devil's tarot..." Aidan whispered shocked beyond measure by what he was seeing. "Where did you get these cursed things, Shivaun?

"I-I found them on the floor in the trophy room;" She stammered. "Why did you call them the Devil's tarot?

"These cards are part of an illicit deck. They are enchanted, dangerous, and according to both the Clave and the Coven, illegal to own;" Aidan paused for a moment as he gingerly picked up the cards and turned them face down. "Did you see anything when you handled them Shivvy?" He asked gently, knowing he had probably already alarmed the girl.

Nodding her head, Shivvy proceeded to tell the High Warlock about seeing her own and Daniel's features on the lovers card, and Gerard McKenzie and herself on the devil card. She'd assumed that the affect was due either to her second sight, or her overactive imagination. The encounter with Gellie Duncan at the Witches Well had rattled her more than she liked to admit, and the trophy room still sent shivers up her spine. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Shivvy asked; "What does it mean Aidan?"

The High Warlock looked seriously at the girl, taking some time to gather his thoughts before he replied; "As I mentioned, the Devil's tarot is an enchanted deck. The dealer requires no special gift for divination, the gift is in the cards. All the face cards are initially blank and take their features from the person who is having the reading done. It is said that in the wrong hands, the future itself can be manipulated;"

"So what do the two cards I found mean, was it my future that was being read?"

"I'm no expert at interpreting tarot cards, Shivvy, but the lovers card points to a romantic partnership, and considering it showed you and Daniel I think it's pretty accurate. The Devil card, though is more problematic, it indicates bondage. That could be internal bondage, where you feel trapped by your own feelings, or physical bondage where you are being forcibly restrained. There isn't really enough here to go on, but I would be very, very careful if I were you." Aidan looked at the girl, concern clearly expressed on his handsome face. He would have loved nothing better than to wrap her up in cotton wool and protect her from all the world's hurts, but she was a shadowhunter, a warrior, and all he could do was hope that whatever fate had in store for her, he would be there help

Shivvy smiled gratefully glad that she had at least one friend in Edinburgh she could count on...

The feeling of the train beginning to slow brought Shivvy back to a sense of her present surroundings. In a few more minutes she would be at the station and then just a short car ride from home. She had not been able to shake the uneasy feeling that had taken root during her stay in Edinburgh, in fact it had only seemed to increase the closer she got to the McCrae farm.