Celestial magic, p.1
Celestial Magic, page 1
Celestial Magic
MYRTLEWOOD MYSTERIES BOOK 4
IRIS BEAGLEHOLE
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Epilogue
Also by Iris Beaglehole
About the Author
Prologue
Lightning crashed through the sky, followed closely by rolling thunder.
The cloaked figures assembled in the old ruin of a castle, high up in the tower, overlooking the stormy ocean. Wind whipped through the busted stone walls.
A bald man with a pointed nose spoke first. “Why did you call us here, Despina? The weather is atrocious!”
Despina said nothing, as if she wouldn’t dignify his protestations with a response. She merely pulled her pastel pink cloak tighter around her shoulders to protect her from the cold.
All eyes turned as a woman entered via the old spiral staircase. She wore a deep blue cloak and her white blonde hair tumbled out from the hood making her easily recognisable among her fellow society members. “We have more important things to think about than weather, Geoffrey,” said Lamorna, her pale skin glistening in the moonlight.
Her mouth twitched at the corners as they all stared at her. They could tell she wasn’t quite human, but none of them knew her secret. Not yet.
A loud wave crashed outside and Lamorna smiled.
“Hem, hem,” said Despina. “Now that all the cell leaders of the Bloodstone Society are present and accounted for...and quiet.” She eyed Geoffrey as she spoke. “We have some news.”
There was a pause so full of anticipation, Despina wanted to prick it with a pin, but she drew it out, waiting for Lamorna.
“Those Myrtlewood pests with their fire sprites have given us a brilliant idea,” Lamorna said. “Of course, you’ll be aware of the rather fortuitous celestial alignments coming up this Solstice. Neptune will be in harmonious aspect to the full moon eclipse in Capricorn.”
“Will you stop babbling about the stars already?” Geoffrey grumbled. “It’s freezing!”
“Very well,” said Despina. “You might be more interested in this!”
She pulled a black cloth from the small table in front of her.
Gasps echoed through the room as they all took in the sight of the small carved wooden box.
Geoffrey scoffed. “You really mean us to believe she’s in there? After all this time...”
Despina frowned and glared at him. “Three months is hardly a long time where other dimensions are concerned. You’re just trying to make a play for leadership. But guess what? It’s not going to work, werewolf. You’re too weak!”
The man growled and looked up at the half-moon, visible through the gaping holes in the ceiling. He bared his teeth and lunged for the box.
“Stop!” Despina cried, but Lamorna opened her mouth and a strange sound escaped.
Geoffrey froze, spellbound. They all watched, transfixed, as Lamorna opened a tiny silver vial, humming as she did so.
Glimmering liquid rose up from the small vessel as if coaxed by her voice. It sped towards Geoffrey, covering his face.
He screamed as the metallic liquid hissed, burning through his skin and clothing. He stumbled around the room and leapt from the open side, screaming as he fell.
The remaining attendees looked out to see that he was dead.
“Now then,” said Despina, dusting her hands together. “Are there any others who feel like challenging us?”
One
The heady scent of flowers drifted through the hot summer air. Music pumped, vibrating through the earth.
Rosemary moved in a fever, dancing as if possessed, under the lights in the crowd. She swayed and jumped and turned and flipped her hair from side to side as she danced, surrounded by people she didn't know and didn't care to know, losing herself in the movement of her own body.
Just then, she caught sight of him standing at the side of the crowd, wearing a suit as he normally would, but this time without a tie. The top shirt buttons, undone and hanging loose, his eyes burning with desire, his hair swept back.
Rosemary felt her mouth water as he moved towards her through the crowd.
She continued dancing, keeping her eyes on him until he got to her, reaching out for her, touching her shoulder.
“Come away with me,” he said. “You know you want this. We both do…”
He took her hand and led her away from the crowd, through a dense patch of forest. They moved at vampire speed, as Burk lifted her up and carried her to a hilltop. He set her down, soft grass beneath their feet. He laid her down and kissed her.
Rosemary relaxed, surrendering to all kinds of pleasure.
She jerked awake in her bed, mildly alarmed and shaking herself. The dream had been so vivid and intense and pleasurable.
Even though Rosemary hated to admit it, she wanted to go back there and be with a certain sexy, if ancient, vampire.
“No, no, no,” Rosemary muttered, pulling herself out of bed.
Of course, it had been far too long. And she would be the first to admit it. She hadn't been intimate with anyone for some years, not properly, and she hadn't wanted to be.
Rosemary relished her independence. Besides, her priorities were already overloaded with looking after her teenage fae-slash-human and adjusting to a new town and a new magical way of life. Not to mention starting her own business, learning all about how to become a chocolatier and how to run the admin and financial side of things.
She started making her way out of her room, but the dream kept lingering seductively in the air, as if trying to lure her back into sleep. “Not going to happen,” Rosemary said to herself.
“What's not going to happen?” Athena asked from the hallway landing.
“Nothing,” said Rosemary. “I just had a weird dream, that’s all.”
She followed her daughter downstairs and began their usual morning routine of making toast and tea.
“I really wish I learned about all of this business stuff earlier on,” said Rosemary. “I already missed the big chocolate seasons — Valentine's Day and Easter. Not to mention Mother's Day. By the time my business is fully up and running, well...who knows when that will be. We're heading into the heat of summer when chocolate melts and makes a big mess.”
“Oh, stop your moaning,” said Athena. “It's your own fault you didn't set it up earlier.”
“It wasn't my fault,” said Rosemary. “I was artfully putting it off. It was whatever component of my brain likes to self-sabotage that’s behind it all. Not me as a whole person.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” said Athena. “And speaking of that, what was your dream about?” she asked with a teasing lilt to her voice.
“I'm not telling you,” said Rosemary glumly. “It was a private and adult matter.”
“You basically just gave it away! Now what? Which of the three stooges was it?”
“Athena!” Rosemary said with a tone of mock outrage.
“Well, I think it would be going a bit far to call them The Three Musketeers, don't you, Mum? And you hate it when I call them your suitors.”
“That's a good point,” said Rosemary. “Why don't you just call them by their names and finally come to terms with the fact that your mother does not have a romantic life whatsoever?”
“Well, somebody's got to,” said Athena. “I need something to entertain myself with.”
“It's not natural for you to be obsessed with my love life.”
“Mum! That's gross. I just want to play matchmaker. You never give me a chance.”
Rosemary sighed. “Look, we've got bigger fish to fry. Off to school with you.”
“Fine,” said Athena, picking up her plate of toast and sculling back her mug of tea.
“Finish your breakfast first,” said Rosemary.
“What's the point? It's not like I have to go far.” She opened the door to the east wing of the house. “I'll see you later.” She waved to her mother and toddled off down the hallway to the makeshift school.
After the official Myrtlewood campus had been largely scorched by a magical fire, not too long before, Thorn Manor had performed the admirable task of adjusting itself to suit the purposes of housing all forty-eight students of the old magical school. Fortunately, it wasn't an enormous student body to house.
Rosemary had wondered why a town of such a small size even had a school of its own. Although, of course, they needed a magical school for such a magical town. It would have been almost impossible to disguise the shifters and other fantastic creatur es among the normal mundane children of an ordinary school.
Things had gone relatively smoothly since the temporary relocation, although Ms Twigg frequently complained that the new library wasn’t large enough and that she’d have to ‘spell’ it to make it bigger.
Rosemary thought it was almost exactly the same as the one on Myrtlewood campus, but Ms Twigg kept complaining as if she was hoping that Rosemary would give her some kind of upgrade. She didn't seem convinced by the explanation that the house had a mind of its own.
Rosemary had never been a landlord before. She found it quite odd to meet with the school principal every Friday, especially since the school didn't believe in having a fixed principal due to the well-established fact that power corrupts. Therefore, the teachers all took turns in the role, meaning that Rosemary would meet with a different teacher every week.
Despite the hassles, the benefit of all of this was that Athena could continue her education and so could her classmates, despite the fact that their school wasn't going to be operational for at least until after the summer.
Thankfully, there were only a few more weeks until the summer holidays started.
Rosemary made her way to the car and drove slowly towards the centre of Myrtlewood to Marjie’s tea shop.
The soon-to-be chocolate shop that she'd leased from grumpy old Covvey was still undergoing renovations and wouldn't be ready for quite some time. And since Rosemary didn't really want to be cooped up in the house, especially not when it was also functioning as a magical school with children running around the yard, she'd been camping out at a table in Marjie’s tea shop. She referred to it as her makeshift office.
She carried in the usual stack of papers and started organising them on the table. On one side, she put her business notes and other things relating to the course she'd been taking. In the middle, she set down a stack of forms and other bits and pieces that she had to fill out. It was all paperwork relating to setting up her business. On the other side of the table she put the pile that she hardly had time for but wistfully glanced at occasionally. It contained all the details and the instructions and the coursework for her chocolatier course.
She hadn't had enough time to practice making, given all the business related stuff, and the kitchen in Thorn Manor was hardly fit for commercial use. Though she did try to do the practical exercises at home in the afternoons and sometimes in the evenings.
She also had her first in-person training as part of the course coming up in a few weeks, where she got to go to London and learn from the real experts.
She was quite looking forward to it, if only she could finish all of the preparatory exercises and assignments in time.
Marjie brought Rosemary out a cup of tea and a cheese scone. She'd given up trying to bring out a whole tea tray complete with tea pot after Rosemary complained that she didn't have enough room on the table.
“Have you got any surprises for me this morning?” Marjie asked.
Rosemary pushed a brown paper bag towards her friend, who was now much more like family.
“Here are yesterday’s chocolates,” said Rosemary.
“Oh, these look marvellous!” said Marjie, peering into the bag. She took them behind the counter and arranged them on a dainty little plate. “Now tell me what they all are,” she said, tottering back towards Rosemary's table. “And then I'll leave you alone in peace to get your work done.”
Rosemary pointed to the pink truffles at the front. “These ones are raspberry and rosewater. I added the rosewater myself, although Athena says it tastes like soap.”
“She always says that,” said Marjie. “But you and I know better.”
“I just thought the raspberry alone wouldn’t have quite the full flavour notes that I was looking for. I hope I don’t get in trouble for all my improvisations.”
“If they don't appreciate your culinary genius and your fine sense of taste, they're not worth their salt,” said Marjie, making her spare hand into a fist up on her hip. “And what are the others?”
Rosemary pointed to the other chocolates in turn. “These are dark chocolate truffles. These ones are Earl Grey flavour, and the long ones are cardamom and apricot.”
“Oh, that sounds just divine,” Marjie exclaimed. “I can't wait to sample them all. And then I'll do my usual trick and offer them around as tasters for the townspeople. Stir up a bit of interest in your shop.”
Rosemary smiled. “They’re not really perfect yet.”
“You might say that, my dear,” said Marjie. “But I think they’re just divine. And I know that once everyone's had a little taste of what you're capable of, they'll all be queuing up as soon as your wonderful shop opens.”
“I'm going to leave the marketing department to you then, Marjie,” said Rosemary. It was the part of her coursework that Rosemary was least enjoying. She didn't really like blowing her own horn, so to speak.
“You're going to be so popular!” Marjie crowed. “Oh, come to think of it, have you thought about looking into a stall at the Summer Festival?”
“Festival?” Rosemary asked. The word brought back memories of the dream she’d just had. She had to shake her head vigorously, just to bring herself back to the present moment. “Is it like all the other seasonal rituals?” Rosemary asked.
“Oh no,” said Marjie. “The Summer Festival is a proper affair. I mean, not proper in the hoity toity way. I mean, it's a big festival that draws in thousands of attendees. Haven't you heard of it?”
“I suppose people may have been muttering about it,” said Rosemary. “But I didn't realise it was a big deal.”
“Oh, it's the biggest deal of all,” said Marjie. “Myrtlewood town makes most of our additional money for the year over the summer, and the festival is the crowning jewel. Big bands come, you know? And DJs.”
“Really?” Rosemary said. “I didn't think this was a raving kind of place.”
She felt a whiff of concern in relation to the dream she just had and hoped it was just a coincidence.
“Oh yes,” said Marjie. “People come from all around the country, and even from abroad, to celebrate the festival. It all starts with an opening ritual in the town square and then everyone matches up and parades all the way to the top of the tor and the stone circle there where the druids have their annual sacred rite.”
“What tor?” said Rosemary. “I thought Glastonbury was the one with the tor. Isn’t a tor just a big hill, anyway?”
“Bother Glastonbury,” said Marjie. “They think so highly of themselves.”
Rosemary could tell she’d struck a nerve.
“Myrtlewood is just as important in terms of sacred sites and places,” Marjie insisted.
“Why have I never heard of the standing stones on the tor and the druids that come here?” said Rosemary.
“Don't be silly,” said Marjie. “You must have.”
“I don't think so,” said Rosemary, crossing her arms.
“Well, you are still a little bit new here,” said Marjie. “But let me tell you they're quite a big deal. Nobody goes up there except on the solstice. People say it's because it's sacred, you know. And an important protected historic site, but really, everyone knows it's much more than that. It's dangerous.”
“No, not more danger!” said Rosemary. “I think I’ll steer clear of that after the last couple of months.”
“No, dear,” said Marjie. “On the solstice. It's when we cast away the bad spirits.”
“Bad spirits? Do you mean like poor quality bourbon?” Rosemary joked.
“Of course not. Now you're just pulling my chain,” said Marjie. “It’s a serious matter. People have been hiking up to the top of the hill and performing the druid rite in the stone circle for hundreds of years, perhaps thousands. It drives the bad spirits away from these lands.”
