"Can I help you?" asked the lady who opened the door politely. Her eyes widened at the sight of Maya's dusky skin, but recovered herself quickly. Peter and Maya had just come off the train and dropped their things at a hotel. She didn't recognize them so knew they must be strangers.
"We're here to see Clifton Davies is he in?" asked Peter politely.
"Do you have an appointment to see him?" asked the lady.
"Um no, we were just passing through and we heard from a friend of ours that we should stop in and have a cup of tea with the pastor," Peter told the slight white lie with a straight face.
The lady considered them for a moment then seeming to come to a decision nodded. "You wait in here," said the lady leading them to a well used sitting room. "I'll see if the pastor is busy."
"Think she believed us?" asked Maya with a lift of her eyebrows saying far more eloquently then her words had that she was very skeptical.
Peter just shook his head, but didn't say anything. Pretty soon they heard footsteps coming towards the sitting room and a minute later a man was entering the room. Peter and Maya politely stood up and Davies shook their hands.
"I understand you wanted to see me?" asked Davies his eyes widening slightly at the sight of Maya's dusky skin. It was obvious that she was at least half Hindu. The slight widening of the pupils was the only sign he gave at Maya's appearance.
"Yes let us introduce ourselves. I'm Peter Scott and this lovely lady is my wife Maya Witherspoon."
"I do believe you told my housekeeper that we had a friend in common?" asked Davies with a skeptical lift of one eyebrow.
"I'm afraid we told your housekeeper a little white lie." Peter stood up and let down his shields then sketched his recognition sigil in the air. The sigil was invisible except to those who had the eyes to perceive it and Davies actually let out a gasp for compared to his little bit of talent this man had more talent than anybody he had every met except perhaps Marina.
Davies got over his shock rather quickly and he to sketched his recognition sigil in the air. Maya observed this then she too stood up and sketched her sigil in the air as well.
"Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Peter Scott Water Master."
"And I'm Maya Witherspoon Scott Earth Master," Maya added.
"Clifton Davies Air Master," said Davies still looking shocked, but he was recovering quickly. "What are two Elemental Masters doing in a small town like Briareley?"
"We came to see Mrs. Pike and her husband."
"What for?" asked Davies suspiciously. "Don't misunderstand me but Andrew and I have been friends for years. Friends even before Marina's parents Hugh and Alanna were killed. Marina and I have become friends as well. I would feel responsible if anything happened to them that I considered my fault."
"We mean then no harm," Maya assured him with a slight smile. "We just want to talk to them."
"About what?" asked Davies; somewhat shrewdly.
"Did you know the Rosewoods?" asked Maya changing the subject for the moment.
"Somewhat," admitted Davies. "But I was only here a couple of years before they were murdered so not as well as the former pastor. I do know that they were both Earth Masters. Not very strong mind you, but they kept their garden free of poison and they were very well liked, even loved by the townsfolk. I also know that Alanna was never completely whole again after she had to give her only child over to the Tarrants to raise. Her psyche after that was very—to put it bluntly . . . fragile. Marina will have to tell you the whole story if she wants to for it goes into her personal history and even though I know the story it is not my place to tell it."
"When can we meet the Pikes?" asked Peter.
Davies considered them for a moment then seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. Finally, he sighed for his instincts were telling him to trust these two for they would not betray that trust even on pain of death. "I'll take you to Briareley where they are both working today then after that you're on your own."
Peter and Maya nodded and followed the pastor out.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~
"So—" said Andrew about an hour later, stirring his tea as he thought. They had appeared with Davies in tow a little over an hour ago, but Andrew hadn't been able to see them right away. He had been with a patient along with Marina trying to get some kind of poison out of the patients system. It had been mostly Marina for the human body was over 90% water. "You came all the way from London to talk to me and Marina about joining the Exeter club even after the fact that we have sent back a few polite replies that we weren't interested. Why?"
"For one thing the council was pretty insistent. We still could have refused, but let's just say it's not a good idea to get on the councils bad side. So we promised to give it a shot."
"Besides—" Maya added. "We needed a few days away if you know what I mean."
Andrew chuckled appreciatively. "I do indeed. It's one of the reasons I hate big cities and prefer the country."
"We don't even go into London unless we absolutely have to," added a new voice from the doorway. A lady walked into the room confidently and Peter studied her. She had long brown hair and nice features. She would never be classically beautiful, but was very attractive nonetheless. She couldn't be more then twenty-two or twenty-three tops. "I'm Marina Rosewood Pike and I understand you wanted to see me?"
"Yes we did," said Maya. "We've already told your husband why we came."
"I know I heard. I have said it once and you can take this back to Alderscroft the answer in no. We both have plenty to keep us busy here without having to go into London."
"Can we ask why?" asked Peter.
Marina studied them her expression unreadable but finally replied, "Because when I really needed help where were they? Nowhere to be seen. Elizabeth Hastings tried to get them to help and they told her politely that they were busy and didn't have time for one girl. If it hadn't been for Andrew, Elizabeth, Uncle Sebastian, Aunt Margherita and Uncle Thomas, I would very likely not be here talking to you. I owe them nothing, but I will say this that if there is a real emergency requiring my or Andrew's talents all you have to do is contact us and we will be there."
"We would really like to hear your story," said Maya. "And in return we'll tell you ours," she added hastily before Marina could reply.
Marina looked at Andrew and they seemed to communicate for a moment then Marina sat down in the only remaining chair and said, "All right, but if something, doesn't make sense let me know. A lot of this I never found out till a few years ago. It all started when I was just a baby. I was the only child of Hugh and Alanna Rosewood and at that time they were very happy for they had been; wanting a child. They had been married for several years and had given up on ever having children until I came along. It was the day of my christening and there were six friends over at Oakhurst. "Lord Roderick Bacon, Lady Elizabeth Hastings, Sebastian and; Margherita Tarrant Margherita's brother Thomas Buford and Lady Helene Overton. All six were my godparents and were there for a very different sort of christening."
"They each left me with a gift then just as Elizabeth, the last to give me her gift, stepped to my mother's side the windows rattled and the door banged open and in stepped dad's older half sister Arachne. She had not been invited because she apparently had no magic, but what nobody knew at the time was that she had gotten into the black arts and she had waited for the child of Hugh and Alanna to be born with a curse heavy upon her hand. She put the curse on me before anyone could stop her and made the mistake by naming the year of my 18th birthday. Lady Elizabeth who hadn't given me her gift yet could not undo the curse completely, but she did change it. She said if the curse was reactivated before my 18th birthday it wouldn't kill me only put me into a kind of deep coma and also that I would be able to fight it. And that the spell itself would rebound upon the caster if I did manage to fight it off."
"It was decided after she left that I was to be taken away and Margherita, her husband and brother were the only choice because after a bout with measles Margherita was made sterile, never to have children of her own. Alanna and Hugh trusted the Tarrants for they had all grown up together in Oakhurst. They had been taught together and played together as children. I grew up outside of a small village right outside of Cornwall at what the Tarrants called Blackbird Cottage. I was loved and taken care of when I was sick and allowed to roam basically anywhere I wished—except down to the village which was absolutely forbidden to me without an escort at the time I didn't wonder why. As I grew older I was given lessons in reading writing, math and of course magic. Unfortunately none of the three was a Water Mage and so could only teach me the basics."
"At the time I knew nothing of the curse. My guardians never said a word afraid; even saying her name would bring her down upon our heads and she did come only a few months; before my 18th birthday . . . "
"That was some story," said Peter still marveling at it all. It was a least a couple of hours later.
"Now you owe us yours, but first why don't you come to Oakhurst and have dinner with us. We should be heading home now our daughter will be waiting for us."
"That's very nice of you but we were just going to stay at the local hotel..." Peter began.
"I insist you will be our guests. We have plenty of room and won't charge you an arm and a leg like the hotel will."
Peter looked at Maya and she nodded. "Very well we accept with thanks," said Peter.
"Come along then it is nearly time for tea. We can just make it home before then," said Andrew rising from his chair and headed out the door.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~
They arrived and both Maya and Peter could not help gasping in awe at the sight of the lovely family manor at the end of what seemed a mile long driveway. "Oakhurst has been in my family for at least 400 years," said Marina as they rode in the carriage to the front door. "Maybe more, but 400 is about as far back as we still have proof for. The other records were either; stolen, burned, or maybe just turned to dust. Or maybe they never existed; I suppose we'll never know for sure."
A young man opened the door and bowed. "Lady Marina, Lord Andrew, welcome home. Tea will be ready shortly."
"Thank you Peter," said Marina. "Show Captain Scott and his wife to one of the guestrooms would you? And see about getting there things from the hotel. They will be staying with us for a few days."
"Yes, ma'am," answered the blond haired man known as Peter. He bowed again and left.
"We don't insist on formality here," said Marina with a wary twist of her mouth, "But no matter how many times I've insisted they call me simply Marina they insist on being formal."
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~
A few minutes later Peter and Maya were shown into the library where Marina and her husband were already waiting
They made small talk until tea arrived then Maya began her story without prompting with Peter adding a comment every now and then.
"It began really before I was even born. My father Roger Witherspoon and my mother Surya met in India. Father was a doctor and had set up a practice there. He met my mother and both fell in love. They got married to the disapproval of most of the English and the Hindus, but no one was as outspoken as Surya's twin sister Shivani.
"Before Surya had met Roger she and her twin had been relatively close. After—well, let's just say that this broke the bond of sisterhood between them. Shivani even then was part of the priesthood of Kali Durga the dark goddess and her sister's betrayal made her furious. So she plotted and planned and shortly after I was born she sent a cobra to kill me and my parents. This was blasphemous because in India the cobra is sacred. It wasn't just my father she disapproved of you understand but of all English Sahibs—especially of mixed marriages between them."
"Sia and Singhe, a pair of mongooses that my mother had, sensed the threat and dealt with it before anyone in the house came to harm."
"I'm assuming," said Marina "That your mother also had magic."
"Yes she did," said Maya. "And she had seven different animals to guard and protect the family. But after that to make doubly sure her family was safe she cast a spell over all of us. Basically it masked our presence from her sister and since she was so immersed in the temple it worked for a time. But when I was twenty-three, my mother got sick and despite all my father and I could do for her she died and with her death, the spell protecting our family was gone. Less than a year later, my father died and it was determined that he had forgotten to check his boots and that a kraut no bigger than this," said Maya hold her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart, "had killed him."
"Now normally no snake no matter how small could get past Sia and Singh's noses and so I determined after I learned I had an aunt that she had probably used magic to get it past the animals because no matter how immersed in grief, my father would never have forgotten to check his boots."
"I decided then that I might be safer in the country of my father and that's where I met Peter. . ."
A while later both Maya and Peter fell silent for they had been speaking in turns.
"Sounds like you had almost as much trouble as we did," Andrew observed soberly.
"Yes," said Maya soberly.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~