Chapter 15

ChapterFifteen

Thea almost didn’t want to leave him, and that was an unusual feeling for her. She’d always wanted to go home, even when she was a tiny baby who was at other children’s houses. Her home with her mother and her sisters was the only safety she felt. So to not want to leave him at all?

She didn’t know how to process that.

“Do you think I’m mad?” she asked Browning as she paddled them across the river. “I can’t imagine staying with him would even be possible! His father would turn me away, and besides, I’ve never been interested in Wildecliff. Mother says there’s something wrong with everyone who lives there.”

Maybe that wasn’t fair. There wasn’t something wrong with them, per se. It was more that they didn’t want to be connected to the earth.

To someone from Waterdown, the mere idea of not being connected to the earth should make them sick. Her stomach should turn thinking about living on those cobblestone streets, surrounded by rock and smoke. But the more she thought about living with him, the more she wanted to give it a try.

Would it be all that bad? Maybe she’d find something to love there, just like she’d found many things to love about Alistair.

She chewed her lip until it bled as they paddled their way across the river Danu. A few fishermen were already out in their boats, and they gave her a strange look every time they floated by. A young woman in a canoe wasn’t something they often saw, especially in deeper waters like this. But Thea still gave them a wave and a bright smile, and they shrugged off the oddity of the sight.

Most people did, after all. She’d gotten quite used to people looking at her strangely. Thea never did what others expected, and that had started when she was very young. How many children put flowers in their mouths and then said how delicious they were?

The canoe hit the sands on the other side of the river. She got out, tied Browning safely around her waist again, and let herself look one last time at Wildecliff. It was so far, but she swore she could feel him looking back at her.

Sighing, Thea started up the mound and down the long walk home. It would be breakfast time once she made it, and she hoped her mother had made blueberry pancakes. They were Thea’s favorite.

She’d been much too hopeful, however. Her legs ached, and her lungs burned when she made it back to their little cottage, and there was no sweet scent of syrup in the air. There was only her mother, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and a disappointed expression on her face.

“And where were you?” her mother asked.

Ah. Thea supposed she hadn’t been so sneaky that she’d gotten away from her mother’s wrath. Even if she were supposed to meet a boy, she wasn’t meant to spend the entire night with him.

“Máthair,” she muttered, trying her best not to sound like she was also angry. “I didn’t mean to stay out all night. I’m sorry. But we weren’t in any danger at all."

“Not in danger? My youngest daughter is meeting with one of the Orbweaver boys in the middle of the night and then doesn’t come home? Do you think I’m not supposed to worry about that?”

She hated it when her mother used his last name as some kind of insult. Alistair wasn’t just some “Orbweaver boy.” He was nothing like his family, and the mere fact that she slapped that title onto him was rude.

Thea drew herself up straight and tall, squaring her shoulders so she could look a little more intimidating while meeting her mother’s angry gaze head on. “His name is Alistair, Mother. He was a perfect gentleman and was quite kind the entire time I was there with him. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t insult him to my face.”

“Insult him?” Her mother quirked a brow. “And how did I insult him?”

“He’s not an Orbweaver boy. He’s nothing like his family at all, in fact. And he requested that while he stands before me, I think of him as nothing more than Alistair. No last names required.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’d like it if you did the same while speaking about him.”

She’d never stood up to her mother like this before, and she supposed it surprised Máthair. There was a moment where they stared at each other, neither of them knowing what to do with what was said. The words hung between them until her mother let out a little sound close to a laugh.

“Well, then,” her mother said, her posture loosening. “You have strong feelings for this boy, I understand.”

“I just...” It wasn’t that she had strong feelings. Thea didn’t know how to say the words. “He’s been a very close friend for a long time now and...”

Her mother held up her hand for silence. “A close friend requires more than letters, little one. I know you think you’re an adult, but meeting someone in person differs greatly from reading their words. You know there is a lot of interpretation in the written word, and I would hate to think you fell under this boy’s spell because he has a quick wit and a talented quill.”

Somehow, it felt as though her mother was saying something other than Alistair was good at talking.

“He’s not charming in the slightest,” she corrected. “He’s quite awkward, in fact, and I thought for a bit that he wouldn’t even speak to me after asking to meet me in person.”

“That’s unusual.”

“He is.” She nodded. “But I do like him, mother. Perhaps even more now that I’ve met him in person.”

“Then that is a good sign.” Máthair stepped aside and gestured for Thea to step into the house. “I only wanted to warn you that I don’t think this situation is wise before your sisters sank their claws into you.”

“What?” Thea barely got the words out before both of her sisters launched themselves out of the door.

They grabbed onto her arms and dragged her into the house, asking a million questions at once.

“Was he handsome?”

Thea shook her head. “Not really. I mean, in a quiet sort of way.”

“Did he kiss you?” Belladonna waggled her eyebrows.

“No! Of course not!”

Marigold stuck out her tongue. “Did he at least try to hold your hand?”

Her face burned at the memory of how she’d held him away from the faerie ring. Maybe they hadn’t held each other’s hands but was there another way to talk about how her fingers had brushed against his stomach, and the thin lines of his ribs had touched her knuckles?

Apparently, her blush was all her sisters needed to know about what had happened between them. They both burst into laughter like the harpies they were and then yanked her toward her bedroom.

“Tell us everything! Everything!”

She supposed it was only fair to tell them what they wanted to know, especially since Belladonna had been the one to help Thea get ready.

She let the entire story spill out of her mouth and held nothing back. Her mother would likely be horrified at the things she and Alistair had talked about, but Thea trusted him not to run back and tell his father everything. Besides, what man cared about the daily life of a young woman? It wasn’t like she’d told Alistair anything about affairs of the estate or manners of the city. She wouldn’t know the first thing about dangerous details to tell someone about Waterdown, anyway.

Marigold laid on top of her bed and dramatically draped her arm over her eyes. “It’s so wonderful and I’m horribly jealous. Why is it that you find someone handsome and kind before me? I’m older than you!”

Thea pointed at her eldest sister. “Belladonna is older than both of us, and she’s not yet married.”

“Perhaps not for long,” Belladonna muttered.

Both of the sisters stared at her with wide eyes until Thea blurted, “What?”

Though Belladonna shrugged, as though unaffected, the sparkle in her eyes was one that Thea had never seen before. “I quite like the quill maker, I suppose. And we’ve been talking. It’s not the right time, but soon... If we’re lucky...”

Now it was Belladonna’s turn for her sisters to leap onto her and shriek until their ears nearly bled. A wedding! Oh, how Thea had always wanted to see a wedding. They would have it in the cottage, of course. Their enchanted home would make the most lovely place for a wedding. They’d have honey cakes and so many flowers. One couldn’t have a wedding without flowers. And... and...

“Stop it!” Belladonna said, laughing hysterically with her sisters. “We’re not talking about me!”

All the attention swiveled back to Thea, which she discovered she did not like. It was easier to have all the attention on Belladonna, who was older and more likely to handle it correctly. Thea turned bright red and cleared her throat.

Belladonna let out a little laugh. “So, when are you going to see him again?”

At the time, Thea had thought she sounded rather mysterious, telling him she’d write to him. She had stepped into the shoes of so many women who had wooed men with a chase and a thought that maybe, just maybe, he could catch her. Except now she wondered if she shouldn’t have set up an exact date and time.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and muttered, “Well, I don’t know.”

The silence in the room became deafening.

Marigold planted her hands on the bed and shot straight up. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“We didn’t set up another time to see each other. I told him I’d write to him and let him know when I wanted to see him again.” The hairs on her arms rose as both her sisters groaned. “What? Should I have said something else?”

Marigold heaved a long sigh. “He probably thinks you don’t like him now. You decided to tell him that you were not interested in saying that.”

“How?” she exclaimed. “We both know how long we’ve been talking with each other, and that will not change any time soon.”

“But he asked you to meet with him in person,” Belladonna interjected. “Did you not think that maybe meant he was no longer satisfied with the letters and wanted to see you in person? He likes you, Thea. He wants to be around you more, and here you are, unwilling to even mention when you want to see him next. The poor boy had his heart broken in that field.”

She hadn’t thought of it like that. Alistair had seemed so awkward, and she had been so confident all of a sudden. He’d been the one who wanted to leave. She’d watched him start to go through the wall, and that was why she had turned around. Asking her for a second meeting had seemed so much like an afterthought that her response had sounded right.

Pouting, she popped her hand onto her fist and sighed. “Well, I don’t know when I want to meet him again. We can’t keep meeting at Ceridwen’s altar. At some point or another, there’s going to be someone there getting their own familiar.”

Both her sisters hummed under their breath and stared off into the distance. They all thought as hard as they could about the perfect opportunity and place to meet with young Alistair.

Their mother cleared her throat in the doorway. “Thea, if you like this boy that much, do you really want to keep meeting him in secret?”

“I don’t think we necessarily met in secret?” Perhaps they had, though. They had snuck away from both of their own cities and then disappeared into the night to meet.

Was that how Alistair thought, as well? Was he hiding her?

She supposed he must be. His father had made it clear at the familiar ceremony that he thought Thea and her family were beneath them. She still remembered the cool gazes of both his brothers and how horribly they had smiled at her; how they had teased her about poor Browning.

They were not a good or kind family. She wouldn’t blame Alistair for their foolishness.

Sniffing, she shook her head. “I don’t want to hide him. No part of me is embarrassed that I know him, nor do I wish to hide our friendship from others. It’s an honor to have him in my life.”

Thea had expected her mother to argue with her. Máthair hadn’t hidden how little she thought of the Orbweaver men either, and the hatred between their families went deep.

But Máthair smiled at her and nodded. “Your father’s family had no love for me either, Thea. But we endured the hardship of convincing them I was worthy of him. It’s not a simple path to walk, but it is one I am familiar with, and one I will help you through, no matter how difficult that becomes.”

Thea stood up from the bed and launched at her mother. She wrapped the dear woman in her arms, holding her tight to her heart because even though her mother didn’t agree with this entire mess, that didn’t mean she would stop Thea from seeking a relationship with Alistair.

She was the luckiest girl in the world to have a mother who loved her so much. Even to support her when she didn’t agree with what Thea wanted to do.

Sighing, she leaned back and looked up into her mother’s eyes. “Thank you.”

Máthair smoothed her hair back from her face, smiling in that soft way that always said how much she loved Thea, no matter what happened. “Have you thought about inviting him to Beltane, my darling? I know it is not widely celebrated in Wildecliff. It would be difficult for him to get here, perhaps, but we’d treat him like family once he arrived.”

Beltane.

She hadn’t thought about the May festival, but it was a lovely time for people to gather. And if he’d never celebrated the festival before, it was quite the sight. She knew he would enjoy it.

Alistair had made it very clear that he followed the old ways. He’d found so many ancient texts in that school of his and said they made so much more sense than the way he’d been trained at the Academy. Maybe, if he came to the Beltane festival, he would see how much better it was in Waterdown. Maybe he’d even consider moving here, since it seemed to align with his beliefs better.

“You’re far too intelligent for your own good,” she told her mother, pointing at her with a shaking finger. “That’s the perfect idea. I think he’d love it.”

Marigold hugged her from behind, slamming into Thea so hard that she ended up back in her mother’s arms. “Beltane! Does that mean we get to meet him as well?”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t,” she said, mashed against her mother’s collarbone.

“Oh, come on. We won’t scare him away! We couldn’t even if we tried.” Marigold followed her words with a hard squeeze that drew all the breath from Thea’s lungs.

She didn’t think they would necessarily scare him off, but she also didn’t think they would encourage Alistair to seek a longer relationship with Thea. They were terrifying in their own way. And more than most people were used to dealing with.

“I’ll write to him,” she said. “I’ll go now and have Browning take it to him. Beltane isn’t much to ask, is it?”

Suddenly nervous, she untangled herself from her family’s arms and made her way down the hall to her room. Browning hopped along behind her, having been underneath Marigold’s bed for her conversation with her sisters. But he knew there was a long journey ahead for him. Hopefully, he didn’t mind all that much.

Except, when she opened the door to her room, there was already a familiar in her window.

“Atlas!” she exclaimed. “You’re here!”

He held out his clawed hand as though waiting for something. He hadn’t arrived with a letter of his own, which meant...

Oh. Alistair hadn’t wanted to wait for her to write him a letter. He’d sent his familiar, intending to get another date to see her, whether she was ready or not. Thea didn’t know if she should blush bright red or if she should be angry with him for rushing her.

She settled for the former.

Finding her quill, she penned out a letter that she hoped he would find agreeable.

Alistair,

Would you please join me in Waterdown for the Beltane Festival? There are quite a few traditions I’d like to see if you’re familiar with them.

Looking forward to seeing you again,

Thea

She hoped the last bit wasn’t too telling, but she was nothing if not honest. Blowing on the ink until it dried, she rolled the letter up and handed it to Atlas.

As the raven took off into the air, she wondered if Alistair was thinking of her at the same time.