Chapter Nineteen
She must have read the same line half a dozen times. Georgina was sat crossed legged on the bed, looking down at the open book in her lap. Reid was sat at the end, his knees bent up as he frowned at the book he was leafing through. He was having better luck than her as he scanned the pages and leafed through the book. She scolded herself again for losing attention, and looked down.
Reid glanced at Georgina from the corner of his eye. He would find his attention wavering from the dead boring text and find himself watching her. When she was angry with herself, he could tell she would mentally curse and let out a small sigh. Her finger drummed against the book as her eyes searched for something. Those long, feminine fingers reached up and unconsciously pushed a piece of her long hair behind her ears. She looked better than she did a couple of hours ago. The color was back in her cheeks and she had stopped shivering. He shook his head slightly and looked back at his book.
When he turned the page, his eyes that started to go crossed from the small type face, instantly picked up a word.
"Hey," he said, rousing himself from his boredom. "I think I have something."
"You do?" she asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Reid said, squinting at the text.
Georgina threw her book aside and quickly crawled over to him. Reid looked up as she kneeled next to him. They were really close. Her hair wafted forward when she stopped suddenly, sending the scent at Reid. She looked a little alarmed at how close she was, but she calmed herself down and pulled back a bit. Looking into his eyes, she saw the blue depths.
"It's here," he whispered, still staring at her. He then took a breath and looked back at the book, pointing to the passage.
She delayed by looking at his features but then focused on the book when he started to read aloud.
"The families that made the journey across the ocean lived in peace with God and with each other for many decades. But the peace was not to last. A rift grew between the towns. Crops and livestock died within a harvest and rumors arose of dark witchcraft. The Pendleton's were the centre of the accusations. Attacks and fights broke out within weeks of the rumors, until tragedy struck the county…"
Reid flipped the page, and they both read the first line. It was about something else entirely.
"A page is missing," Georgina said reaching over and running a finger down the spine.
Reid stretched open the book and saw the jagged edges of a ripped out page.
"Great," he sighed and handed the book to her.
He lay back on the bed and stretched out his spine. He had been in one position for so long that his bones cracked.
"Just as it was getting interesting," he added.
Georgina nodded absently and reread the chapter, sitting down properly next to him.
"What did you think the tragedy was?" he asked turning on his side. He sat up slightly by leaning on his elbow.
"In those day?" Georgina said, closing the book. "Who knows. At least we know that my ancestors went by Pendleton."
She shook her head to herself and looked at the books they have been through.
"These books are useless," she whispered, "I'm not going to find anything."
Reid watched as she retreated into herself. Her hand automatically went to her chest. She would softly rub it and then make sure her jumper is covering her skin. He had seen her do it a couple of times but had yet to know why she did it. He also didn't know why this was so important to her. She clearly wasn't trusting anyone at the moment and he didn't want to push her. He just knew it was important to her.
"Hey," Reid said sitting up, leaning close to her.
She looked up and her shoulders stiffened slightly at the closeness.
"So today was a bust," he said softly, looking intently at her light green eyes. "But we're are on the right track. We will just have to get some more from where ever you got these and keep reading. Where did you get these-"
Georgina griminced when Reid picked up a book at flicked to the front page. His eyebrows shot up.
"You stole these from the Library of Congress?" he said with a small smile.
"I didn't steal them," Georgina said indignantly, "I have every intention of giving them back. One day."
Reid handed Georgina the book. But when she grabbed it, he held on till she looked up at him. His half smile slid of his face, replaced with a sincere seriousness.
"It's going to be fine," he softly added.
They were barely half a meter away from each other. Her whole body was conscious of how close he was. Georgina took in his face. His blond hair that hung a little of his beautiful eyes, his strong jaw line and defined shoulders. She saw his eyes searching her face and then looked at her lips. Without meaning to she licked her lips nervously. She could tell they were getting closer and she was freaking out. But she didn't stop.
The blue light that had been glowing in the room instantly disappeared. Georgina saw the shields go down in from the corner of her eye. Reid saw her pull away but didn't know why. Not until a firm knock sounded at the door. Without invitation the handle moved.
Eleanor and Gregory stood back as Henry waved off his son who was guarding the door. The young man stood up, looking confused as he looked at the large group approaching the door.
"Drop your shield, Andrew," Henry's gruff voice stated.
Without question, his son's eye's blacked over and the blue shield disappeared. Henry walked up to the door and opened it without announcement. Following his lead, Rowena nodded her head to Gregory and Eleanor. They walked in first stood in the middle of the room. Henry and Rowena came in to the room but stayed close to the open door. They all looked up at Georgina who was stood up at the bottom of the bed. Staring blankly back at them. Her bed was neat and nothing in the room seemed to have changed since they put her in here.
"Georgina," smiled Eleanor.
"Hello, Eleanor," replied Georgina with small smile. They didn't have time before to talk. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. Thanks to you," she said.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but Rowena cleared her throat. Swallowing whatever she was going to say, she looked back up at Georgina.
"They want to take you to the meeting room. They are going to ask you some questions in front of the council," Eleanor regretfully announced.
Georgina raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She just nodded her head and slowly walked towards them. Eleanor held her hand out as to let Georgina take the lead. Henry stood in front Rowena as she past them. Georgina didn't even looked at them. She just kept her eyes forward as she walked out of the room.
She saw other people, men with black eyes and paused.
"They are just here for precaution," Eleanor explained softly as she stood behind her.
"If you make any move to escape of use your power they will stop you," Rowena's sharp voice added.
Taking a deep breath, she carried on walking down the corridor and towards the staircase. Looking across the open balcony, she saw Eleanor's corridor. There were dustsheets covering the carpet but the wall was repaired. On the first step down, she saw the crowd of people waiting. The people she saw before in the black and expensive suits were nowhere to be seen. These all looked like family members. Some had looks of pure terror across their faces. Mother's held their children tightly. While the young men, who she assumed would be the different family's Sons with power, had disbelieving or cocky expressions. Right at the back near the front door were the three Sons and their mothers.
Just as Georgina was coming down the stairs, closely followed by Rowena and the others, Reid quietly snuck in through the front door. When the door opened it softly knocked the person standing near it. Which had to be Caleb. The movement caught the Son's attention and they watched as Reid slid into the room and closed the door behind him.
"Where have you been?" whispered Taylor over Pogue and Caleb.
"What are you talking about?" frowned Reid seriously. "I've been here the whole time."
Caleb, Pogue and Taylor looked at each other and frowned. It wasn't until Georgina cast a look in their direction and her eyes lingered on Reid did they get a picture of where he had been for the past couple of hours.
Once she had reached the bottom of the stairs and careful not to look at any of the people stood around her in a safe distance. Rowena took the lead and headed left into the dinning hall. Using both hands she pushed the double doors open, and she got her first glimpse of her jury. Her heart sank a little.
Not letting her apprehensions show, Georgina walked towards the chair Rowena pointed to.
Heavy footfalls bought her attention back to the door. Everybody that was waiting outside was walking into the room. Including the Sons and their mothers. Shaking her head disbelieving, she carried on toward the chair in the middle of the long table.
"What are you doing?"
Georgina looked up just as she sat down to see Gregory and Eleanor take the seats either side of her. Judging by the look of Rowena's face, it was not allowed.
"I made the choice to stand by my goddaughter a long time ago, Rowena. I'm not about to abandon her now," sniffed Eleanor, who gracefully sat down and gently place her hands on her lap.
"And Gregory?" Rowena asked, pursing her lips.
"She's done nothing to harm me and she's had plenty of opportunities. I've seen the good in her and I'm willing to stake my name in proving it everyone else," he replied, giving Georgina a warm smile.
Georgina looked away. No one had ever done as much as these two had for her. There was no way she could ever repay them.
"Very well," she dismissed and sat in an empty chair in between the other stony faced Elders.
The other Elders looked at the end of the table towards a very old man. His eyes were closed. Georgina thought he was asleep until his hand moved. Giving them permission to start, Rowena cleared her throat.
"We are all here today to make a decision on our next course of action regarding this new threat we are all faced with. Will you state your name for the council?"
Georgina struggled with stopping her eyes rolling, but she answered the question. "My name is Georgina."
Rowena stared straight at her.
"Your full name," she said.
"That is my full name," Georgina said.
It was highly inappropriate, but she could feel her lips trying to smile. The seriousness of the situation had registered but it made her want to laugh.
Rowena sighed heavily.
"You are a Pendle witch, are you not?"
"Unfortunately."
A soft throat clearing came from her right. Casting a look at Eleanor, who gently shook her head, Georgina sighed and looked back at the disapproving council.
"I have no legal name," Georgina explained, the humor that bubbled up before had gone and was replaced with a dark feeling. She never told anyone about herself and she hated it. "I was born in an abandoned farmhouse. No legal certification. I wasn't even called Georgina until I was nine. But you are more than welcome to call me 'It' or 'The Girl' if you like. I just think it might get a little confusing after a while."
She kept emotion out of her voice. It was the only way she knew she could do it. Rowena's gaze never wavered, but her brow creased slightly.
"What can you tell me about your family?" she said.
"They are extremely powerful," Georgina replied, shrugging her shoulders softly. "There are three of the twelve lines still surviving with seven male members who survived their ascension."
"What do you mean, 'survived' their ascension?" one of the Counsel members asked.
Georgina frowned and looked at Eleanor. She too looked confused.
"There is no guarantee the men can survive ascension. It's what killed off the other families," Georgina explained.
"Why does this happen?" another member asked.
Georgina considered keeping it to herself, but the decision was made for her.
"The Madness. Am I right?"
She looked up at the old man at the end of the table. He was running his finger of his walked stick as watched her.
"Yeah," she said softly. "It starts showing a couple of years before and they don't survive the power increase of ascension."
"What about the woman in your line?" the old man asked.
She stiffened and stared back at him.
"Answer his question," Eleanor whispered under her breath.
"I am the last," Georgina reluctantly said.
"Well, I am sorry for that," he old man said sincerely. "I understand now why they are after you."
"I'm sorry," interrupted Rowena annoyed. "But we do not understand."
"The Madness was a curse that was placed on the Pendle line because of their actions. But to try and stop this from happening, it became common practice to drain the power from their female offspring, whose power was strengthened but unaffected by the curse."
Georgina kept her eyes on the old man. How did he know so much where to Council clearly knew nothing. She heard outraged tut's and gasps from his speech. Looking up, the first people she saw were the Son's. They looked digusted and pitying. Reid was hard to read. His eyebrows were knitted together and his arm's were crossed.
"Then with you the last, I can image you are quiet a commodity," Rowena said. "What with the way he came after Eleanor."
She looked at Rowena.
"What are you saying?" Eleanor asked.
"That if they are willing to possess a member of another family to get to this girl, then it only proves they will stop at nothing. We have to think about our family's."
"I am thinking about my family," snapped Eleanor. "Georgina is my family."
"Enough," the old man wheezed.
Eleanor and Rowena stared daggers at each other.
"If there are no other questions-" he started to say.
"I have one."
Georgina looked at the youngest member of the council. She had black hair with a blunt fringe and porcelain skin.
"Go ahead, Jamie," the old man said.
"How did you know what was wrong with Eleanor," she asked, curious. "From their accounts this morning, it seems as though you knew instantly."
"They only mark what they think they own," Georgina explained softly to her, her hand unconsciously going to her chest. The movement was not missed by the people watching her. "I knew they could only put it on someone like Eleanor if they were possessing her."
"But how?" she frowned.
"Because they did it to my mother."
Jamie's face flushed slightly as she lowered her eyes from Georgina's empty stare.
"I think we can make a decision," the old man finally said breaking the silence.
The tension in the room racked up slightly as he carried on talking.
"Those who wish to help Georgina and provide support should she need it, raise your hand," the old man said.
Only one hand raised in the air. Georgina smiled tightly at Jamie. The old man breathed heavily and continued.
"Those who wish Georgina to leave and in doing so, forfeit there family's help from her."
Georgina closed her eyes. The last thing she saw was the rest of the council with their hands firmly in the air.