Cast A Spell (Mages and Mates #4)

8. Thal

Thal

T he dining room hadn’t changed in all the years I’d been visiting. Elana made changes to other parts of the house, but this room remained constant. Intricate tapestries depicting grand battles and regal hunts still adorned the walls. The twin chandeliers, huge and impressive, bathed the room in sparkling warm light from the mage globes hovering over the shiny arms that once held wax candles.

Five places were set near one end of the long, polished, wood table. She used the fine china and fancy silverware for the occasion. I half expected Elana to have set names before each seat. Knowing her, she’d have split us up, so I’d be sitting with Owen and across from Lysandor. Fortunately, she didn’t let her whimsical side control dinner.

We weren’t told to dress for a state affair, but Elana causally dropped we’d be eating in the formal dining room. Of course she did, because that told us nothing about what to wear. I stole a page from Otto and wore black slacks and a lavender, button-down shirt. The color, according to my mother, looked good with my eyes and silver hair. If I were accused of wanting to impress Otto, I’d own it.

Elana raised an eyebrow when I walked in, and I saw her struggle not to smile. I shrugged unapologetically. Otto hadn’t said he wasn’t interested, so it didn’t hurt to remind him what he was missing.

“You look quite handsome, dear.”

It was my turn to school my expression. “Thank you.”

We heard Owen and Lysandor before we saw them, but it was Otto who entered next. He shook his head and hitched his thumb behind him. “You should probably separate them if you want them to listen.”

My first thought was he didn’t want to sit next to me, but he walked over to my side and winked. He had no intention of sitting with either of them.

“I suspect they’ll spend even less time listening and more time pining, if I put them on opposite sides of the table.”

Otto chuckled lightly, his deep baritone filling the room. His navy slacks and a pale-green shirt fit him perfectly, and he moved with the confidence of being secure in his place. He was hot and sexy but still out of reach.

Owen and Lysandor entered, and their lively chatter turned to sheepish grins once they noticed our attention was on them. Both wore suits, which looked good on them, but it also screamed newbie to the world. Fortunately, it was just family. Elana nodded approvingly.

“You boys look nice tonight. Try not to spill food on your ties.”

The two comically looked down at the same time and straightened their ties. If they’d shared a brain, they couldn’t have been more in sync. Otto moved closer to his brother and tucked the blue-and-yellow tie between two buttons.

“That will keep it from dipping into your food.”

“Personal experience?” Owen wiggled his eyebrows.

“Nope. Didn’t you ever wonder why I wear a bow tie to formal dinners?”

Owen’s stunned reaction was comic relief for everyone. After waiting a second, Otto gently directed his brother to the other side of the table and moved to stand behind the chair next to me.

Once we all found a place, Elana sat, and we joined her. The staff quickly appeared and began serving the meal.

Dinner conversation was kept light and informal. Elana asked non-threatening personal questions, and Otto, unsurprisingly, was adept at small talk that never strayed close to something serious. Between the two of them, we managed to have a pleasant meal.

The vegetarian food was delicious. Unicorns, like most non-carnivores, rarely ate meat. Even at the ranch, meals were meatless. Those who craved more could go into town, but then they’d need to spend their money instead of eating for free. Most ate with the family.

As a skilled diplomat, I didn’t expect any issues from Otto, but I watched his brother for signs he wasn’t happy with the food. When Owen had seconds along with Lysandor, he answered my concerns.

Staff cleared the table, put dessert on a sideboard, and closed the doors. Dinner was over.

We helped ourselves to coffee and sweets before settling in for the reason we’d come to Transylvania. Elana had a small bite of cake and then sat back in her chair. She scanned the table, her gaze lingering on each of us for a second before she spoke.

“I’ve tried to read each of you, but I need more time before I tell you what I see. Some things are clear. You’ve all been touched by earth magic and are expected to play a role in the coming conflict. Other things are murky, such as who is meant to be the next guardians. To give context to this confusing answer, I need to tell you what led Bran to take most of the herd to Wyoming.

“Like most beings, unicorns cling tightly to tradition. Humans, given their shorter lifespan, are less tethered to the past and more likely to innovate and change. When your grandfather and father sought to move most of the herd to Wyoming, they met with resistance. It didn’t matter they planned the move to ensure we had space to run and grow. The orthodox unicorns saw it as a way to obliterate our traditions.

“One of your grandfather’s cousins, Halfor, challenged him to be alpha. Your grandfather defeated him, but the traitor’s followers rose up. Your father begged the alpha to take time to let his wounds heal, but he refused. He said it was his place to defend the herd. Although he and your father prevailed and the insurrectionist were defeated, your grandfather died in the fight.

“Those followers who survived the fight were imprisoned or executed depending on their role. Many, including me, and your aunts and uncles, urged your father to truth test everyone and punish anyone who had supported Halfor, even if they hadn’t joined the fight. Bran refused. He knew many supported Halfor’s views, but not his revolt. Punishing those for their thoughts would only lead to further conflict.

“Your father’s wisdom helped the herd heal. The majority followed him to Wyoming. Most who stayed here also remained loyal to Bran. He’d earned their support for allowing them to preserve their preferred way of life.

“One of those I would have tested was Jalen, your father’s one-time best friend. I always suspected he was more involved than we knew, but your father wouldn’t single him out. In this, Bran was wrong. Jalen has gathered a new generation of malcontents and pushes them to break from the herd. They also want to drive the humans out of our land.”

I’d heard about the traditionalists but didn’t think they were as bad as Elana implied. All races had those who clung to the “old ways” and resisted change. “Are you safe here?”

“Thank you for your concern, Thal, but I’m in no danger. There are more unicorns loyal to Bran than to Jalen, and your father had his mage friends provide wards for our home. Jalen will not attack me while your father is alpha.”

“There’s more to Jalen than just wanting to be alpha of his own herd,” Otto said over the lip of his coffee cup.

“What makes you say that?” Elana asked.

Otto finished his sip and set the cup down. “I wondered why Sally Pedersen insisted we come here, when she’s as skilled an ocular as you. There was no reason to come to Transylvania only to hear the four of us have been touched by earth magic. We’re here because of Jalen, I just don’t know why.”

“Well said.” Elana kept her gaze on Otto and sipped from her tea. “The modern world views Transylvania through the lens of Dracula. There’s a reason Bram Stoker set his demonic vampire in our land. Before the demon war, a cult of wizards practiced black magic in the mountains to the east. They were eradicated during the war, but their most feared weapon was never found. I believe Jalen has found the wizard’s ancient home and their weapon.”

Otto had been right. “You stayed here to guard the weapon.”

“Not exactly, dear. We’ve known for centuries it’s somewhere nearby, but despite all our searching, we never found the weapon. I and those oculars who came before me felt it’s malevolence through our connection with earth magic. So long as it remained undisturbed and dormant, we were content to continue the search. A few years ago, it awoke. I believe Jalen found it, or it found Jalen. About the same time as Jalen’s rhetoric grew more oppositional, the first hint of darkness began to creep from the mountains. The two are not a coincidence.”

A chill ran down my spine. A demonic weapon in the hands of a mad unicorn who wanted to drag us all back to a time before the Great War was far more than a trivial matter. Owen and Lysandor’s expressions matched my fear, but Otto showed no outward reaction. He just stared at something over Elana’s shoulder.

“This is far more than Jalen’s ambitions for the herd,” Otto said. “Why weren’t the governing bodies told of this event?”

“They were,” Elana said. Otto shifted and the two locked eyes. “Attempts were made to root out this evil, but they failed. No one could find Jalen’s hideout or the weapon. New plans were being discussed, but when you four connected, I saw a solution.”

If Father and the others had been informed, why had they sent us here under false pretenses? “We weren’t sent here to find out which of us would be the Southern Guardians, were we?”

“That was a reason for your journey, but not the only one. Two of the strongest mages in the world bonded to unicorns might be the only way to find and destroy this threat.”

I didn’t like being lied to, but Father and the others sent Owen and Lysandor—children—to face a crazy unicorn. “That’s absurd. If Jalen is as dangerous as you say, they should’ve sent an army of unicorns and mages.”

“As I said, they did.” Elana took another drink. “It failed.”

“You believe our connection to earth magic and each other will allow us to succeed where the others failed,” Otto said, as if he’d been briefed before we arrived.

“Exactly,” Elana said. “You four have the means to not only find Jalen but defeat him and destroy the weapon.”

I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. Otto was in the room directly below mine. Of the four of us, it made sense he was the only one who hadn’t been surprised at Elana’s news. Lysandor and Owen were too busy making moon eyes at each other, and I was focused on how to convince Otto to complete our bond. He’d said he suspected there were other reasons for coming to Transylvania, and he’d been right.

The questions I wanted answered were, “How did this affect our bond? Had it been real or just the earth pulling us together to deal with Jalen?”

Another ten minutes of restlessness, and I got out of bed. The house was quiet as I made my way to the kitchen. As a kid, when I had a hard time sleeping, Mom gave me warm milk. I wasn’t going to heat it up, but a cup of milk might help relax me.

Light spilled out of the kitchen when I reached the bottom of the curved stairs, I expected to find staff cleaning up or preparing for tomorrow. Instead, Elana sat at the table, a cup of tea cradled in her hands. Her brow furrowed when she saw me.

“Are you feeling OK, dear?” she asked.

As a kid, I loved coming to see her, but I didn’t feel close to my grandmother. She’d always showed us affection, but I couldn’t shake the feeling if she loved us, she’d have visited. Now I knew better. “I just can’t sleep. I thought a cup of milk would help. Why are you awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep, either.” She rose and retrieved a glass and some milk.

I tried to help, but she shooed me away. I accepted the glass and saw the way her lips quirked. “What are you up to?”

“So suspicious.” She pulled out the chair next to her and returned to her seat. “I’m waiting for Lysandor to set off the alarm.”

There’d been a lot I didn’t understand on this trip, but this was truly cryptic. “Why would he do that?”

“He’s going to try to sneak into Owen’s room. I’ve made sure he’ll wake the whole house with the attempt.”

Lysandor would be mortified, but Elana had warned him not to test her. “How do you know?”

“Think, dear. What would you do at his age?”

I laughed. “Exactly what you said.”

Taking a sip, a wave of regret flooded through me. She’d missed so much of our lives, and we’d lost our chance to be with her. “Are you sure you’re safe here? There’s no help to be had for fifty kilometers.”

She patted my hand. “Thank you for the concern, but yes. I’m quite sure. The estate is far larger than you’ve seen. There are over five hundred unicorns who live on the grounds. Otto’s family installed powerful defenses, something Jalen learned last month. He didn’t penetrate the first set of wards. There are five more he didn’t reach.”

I should have expected Father would enlist Wilhelm Hollen’s help to protect his mother. “I’d still feel better if you were at the ranch.”

“Until Jalen is dead, and the weapon destroyed, I can’t leave.” She said it casually, but I felt the loss in her words.

My brothers and I always thought she was eccentric, didn’t care about us, or couldn’t bear to leave the home she’d shared with grandfather. This had been her duty, and she’d lost so much to protect everyone else. “I’m sorry.”

“I am, too, but I don’t regret my choice. Someone had to stay, and I didn’t trust anyone else with the safety of my family or the herd.”

Dad should have told me. Maybe not as a kid, but he had plenty of chances the last forty years to let me know the truth. I drank the rest of my milk, trying to think of how to respond. I nearly spit out the last mouthful when a blaring sound filled the house. Elana smirked.

“Your brother proved me right.” Elana’s smile had been replaced by a scowl.

A frantic shuffle of footsteps sounded from the stairs, accompanied by a thump, and a muffled yelp. Staff ran from the first floor, and Lysandor cursed like a ranch hand kicked by a horse.

“I suppose we should go . . . save him?” I wasn’t sure what had happened, but it didn’t sound good.

“He might need saving after I’m through with him.”

Elana rose and I followed a step behind. Lysandor sat at the bottom of what had been the stairs to the third floor that had become a solid slab of slanting wood. Two staff members pointed poleaxes at my brother, who wore only a pair of boxers and a T-shirt.

Standing to the left of Lysandor, Otto’s mage stone glowed red. He’d clearly been surprised as he’d come out in just his boxers. Owen was behind his brother wearing a seriously worried expression. My attention, however, was fixed on Otto. Bathed in the light from his stone, his muscles seemed to ripple as he breathed. It wasn’t right that I had to be subjected to this when I couldn’t have him.

Taking the stairs two at a time, Elana moved the guards back with a curt wave of her hand when she reached the second floor. Her gaze bore into Lysandor, who flinched and averted his eyes. She flicked a switch and the stairs returned to normal.

“You were told the rules of my house. and you couldn’t control yourselves.” She sounded as angry as I’d ever heard as she glanced left and pointed her finger at Owen. “And don’t think I absolve you, young man. I’m aware mates can communicate with each other. You’re just as much to blame as him.”

The room fell silent. While I understood she had rules, they were mates. Their need to be together was strong. I wasn’t, however, going to come between her and the boys. When she didn’t say anything, I wanted to kick my brother. As if he’d heard my thoughts, he raised his head sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Grandmother.”

Lysandor’s apology sounded heartfelt, but it did nothing to cool Elana’s anger. “If you want to disrespect me and my home, you can sleep in the woods. There won’t be a next time. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

Elana pointed to the guards and then upstairs. “See that he finds his room.” She turned, winked, and walked down to the first floor.

“Do I need to seal your room?” Otto asked.

Owen glared but didn’t say anything as he stormed back to his room. I waited on the landing, unsure what to do. No, I should’ve gone to my room, but I didn’t want to leave an almost naked Otto a second sooner than necessary. When Owen slammed the door, Otto turned toward me. “What just happened?”

I ran my gaze up and down his body, which was totally inappropriate, but I didn’t care. “Put on a shirt and we can talk in the kitchen.”

“Just come in,” he said, waving his stone toward his door. “We can talk in my room.”

The offer caught me off guard, and I didn’t want to say no, but I wasn’t going to be escorted back to my room under guard. “I’d rather not set off an alarm.”

“We won’t be disrespecting Elana’s rules by talking.”

He didn’t wait for me to answer before he disappeared into his room. I hesitated, but finally gave in. With each step, I waited for the alarm to sound, but when nothing happened, I relaxed. Or relaxed as much as I could being in Otto’s room.

True to his promise, Otto pulled a shirt out of the drawer and slid it over his head. Then, as if oblivious to everything I’d felt, he flopped on his bed and patted the other side. I probably gulped too loudly, or maybe it was my jaw dropping to the floor, but Otto finally clued in to what he’d done.

“I promise I’m not trying to be a tease or tempt you to break Elana’s rules. This is a big bed and I’ll stay on my side, and we’ll leave the door open.”

It sounded so innocent, but why do it in the first place? We could’ve just gone to the kitchen or any other public room. On the other hand, with the door open and our clothes on, it was almost as public as those other places.

Slowly I made my way to the left side of the bed, sitting with my back against the headboard. “Why?”

“If this is too much, we can go downstairs, but I’d like to have some private time to talk.”

The temptation of being this close to Otto after seeing him nearly naked almost had me suggest we leave. I didn’t want to be good or “respectful,” but he was relaxing around me, and I wanted to encourage him to do more. “I’m fine.”

“Good.” He rolled onto his side in a way that screamed lovers talking before going to sleep. “Is everything OK? I noticed you were downstairs when the alarm went off.”

I’d expected something more professional, but he’d noticed where I was even in the heat of the moment. “I couldn’t sleep. She was waiting for Lysandor to make his move.”

Otto laughed, and I involuntarily looked toward the door. Nothing happened, so I shifted so I could lay on my side to face him. “Do you think the four of us are enough to defeat Jalen?”

“Owen is an alpha one in combat and defensive magic. There are less than ten other mages who score that high on both disciplines. I’m an alpha two in both. Also quite rare. Unless Jalen has a cadre of wizards working for him, we shouldn’t have a problem. I’ve already sent a request to the Ministry of Information to find out if they have any knowledge of wizards working with him. My guess is there are not, or else Dad wouldn’t have sent us here.

“That’s a long way of saying, I think we’ll be enough.”

My head sank onto the pillow as he discussed what he wanted to learn before we left. His conviction eased my soul. Not only was he confident about the mission, but he also felt secure enough with me to let me close to him. It gave me high hopes for the future.