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Chapter 22

The entire manse buzzed with activity for the rest of the day. By sunset, every trace of Deveren, Maladie, and their goons had been completely wiped away. if anything, the North and West Wings looked better now than they had ever been since Gwen and Indearie had come in.

Doramont left just after two to walk through the forest. He had mentioned something about working with saplings around the barrier, before disappearing.

Drake soon followed suit. Gwen had watched him fly off, a smile on his face. Gwen didn’t know what to make of the boy. He was at times both the most open and closed off of everyone she had met. Even more than Rosamund or Doramont.

Not more than Everwynn, though. That seemed impossible.

She laid on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. There was a letter on the bedside table.

Come find me tonight. We have much to discuss.

-P. Everwynn

An open book sat by her side, with a notepad already filling up. Now that she knew her magic was more studious than felt, she needed more time to figure everything else out.

Her magic was not as flashy as Indearie’s or Rosamund’s. it didn’t affect a wide range like Doramont. And it certainly didn’t seem as powerful as Deveren’s.

But she could do it. She could do magic. And Gwen was going to be powerful.

All that it took was time.

There was a knock on the door.

Gwen put up the book, and walked on over to the door. “Indearie, if that’s you, we’re going to need to find a way to be together and working, because I have a lot of work to do on…”

Gwen stopped. Rosamund stood in the doorway, frowning.

She held up a hand. “Please, don’t stop on my account.”

“What are you doing here?”

Rosamund peered into the room. “I left my pillow last night.”

Gwen glared, and tried not to recognize that that was a good answer. She grabbed the fluffy thing and threw it at Rosamund. “Kay. Bye.”

She started to close the door, stopped only by Rosamund sticking her hand up to block it. “Wait, that’s it?”

“Yup,” Gwen said.

Rosamund looked her over, and sighed. “The only thing you can be is belligerent.”

“And the only thing you can be is a stuck-up princess!” Gwen said. “Now get out of my face.”

“I’m trying to find a way to make peace,” Rosamund said.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to have to go through another of these ridiculous sleepovers when Indearie wants to fix us,” Rosamund said. “I want us to be able to fake it.”

“Then you just don’t get Indearie at all,” Gwen muttered.

“What?”

“Because the absolute best way to lose her is to try and lie about your feelings,” Gwen said. “She hates it more than anything in the world.”

How did Rosamund not know that one? It struck to Indearie’s core. And she had been talking with her for months, this was basic.

“So what do you want to do?” Rosamund said.

“About what?”

“About this,” Rosamund said. “You and me. Us. Because I can’t figure out what’s going on between you two, whether it’s friends, or something more, or anything else.”

“What?” Gwen asked. She reddened. “That’s not, that’s not it at all!”

“But you hate that I’m spending time with your special friend, and I can’t figure it out!” Rosamund shouted.

“It’s not because you’re spending time with Indearie,” Gwen said. “I just hate you!”

“And why is that?”

“Because you’re a stuck-up little princess who is angry that I’m standing in the way of her perfect little vision of the world!”

The instant she said it she regretted it. And she regretted it more because she liked what she said. It felt good to finally get it out. And it just kept coming.

“I’ve tried talking, and fighting, and just plain negotiating, and nothing works,” Gwen said. “I can’t make you leave, but I don’t need to spend time with you, so honestly just get out of my face.”

“You are being obtuse,” Rosamund said. “We live in the same house, you cannot expect us to not interact. It’s impossible.”

“I don’t know if it’s impossible,” Gwen said. “We haven’t really tried it yet. Let’s do an experiment, and find out how long we can keep it going.”

She slammed the door shut. “Starting now.”

Gwen locked the door. Then she packed a bag of books, opened her window, and was on the roof in seconds. She didn’t trust Rosamund to not run crying to Indearie or Felton about how terribly she had been treated.

The noble girl. They had taken on Deveren together. They had defended the manse. Shouldn’t that have gotten her some credit?

She wanted to read. She wanted to scream. Something needed to be done that made her make some sort of sense of it all.

Everwynn, she needed Everwynn. But where was Everwynn?

Gwen reddened. She had no clue where the Duke actually spent his evenings. He had been gone, and injured, and in the Tower for so long, she had never actually bothered to find out where he would be.

Luckily, there was a way around that.

Gwen sat on the side of the roof, and looked out. “Millie? Can you come out here for a second?”

“What can I do for you, Gwen?” Millie walked out of the shingling, a cup of tea already in her hands. The maid settled next to the young woman, smiling. “It’s a lovely evening tonight, isn’t it?”

“Much better than last night,” Gwen said.

“Obviously. Brutish guests, no sense of decorum whatsoever.”

Gwen snorted. That could have been a knock against her as well.

She looked out over the trees with Millie for a second. The evening was just starting, and the moon hung low in the sky.

“I need to speak with Duke Everwynn, Millie.”

“Of course, dear,” Millie said.

“I just need his help clearing my head of…well, a lot of things,” Gwen said.

“About your two girlfriends?”

Gwen paused. “One is a girl, who is a friend. And the other is…she’s terrible.”

“Don’t say anyone is terrible, Gwen,” Millie said.

“But she is!”

“And the Everwynns were terrible to us.” Millie looked at the moon. “For centuries, they took the lives of my family. Letting us have children, making us have children, so they would always have a steady flow of magic. More power for themselves, and a building material for their Tower.”

She looked at Gwen. “There is no good reason for any of us to stay after what this family has done. No vengeance that could balance the scales. No retribution that could ever compare to what they did to us.

“But that man in there, is worth more than that. Percy Everwynn is good, and honest, and ready to do anything for those of us the rest of the world doesn’t realize exist until it needs a fresh body.”

Millie wiped tears from her eyes. “He came from that wretched line. He came from that evil. We’d be lost without him.

“So don’t you let yourself fall into hate with some girl over a fight, Gwen. Don’t give hate that much power. It doesn’t deserve it.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Gwen asked.

“Be better.”

Millie stood up. “Duke Everwynn is currently on the second floor balcony of South Wing. He’ll be expecting you.”

Gwen hugged Millie as best she could. And then ran off across the rooftops.

“Wait! The door…” Millie’s voice trailed off.

Perhaps if she had listened to Millie, she would have arrived at the proper time. It would have taken the extra minute or two to climb down to the ground, and cross the lawns to South Wing. More importantly, Everwynn would have seen her coming in the great windows, and finished up his conversations at a rapid pace.

Instead, as Gwen’s step clattered across the shingles, she was able to hear Duke Everwynn as his argument with Felton reached its great fervor.

“Don’t lecture me, Felton!” Everwynn shouted. “I know what I am doing!”

“What are you doing?” Felton shouted back at the duke. “You have spent the last few weeks bedridden thanks to your stupidity.”

“And thanks to your incompetence,” Everwynn snarled. “My house was almost taken over by count Deveren.”

Gwen stilled, and leaned against the edge of the roof, she peered in. Everwynn had Felton by the collar. He hung his butler over the edge of the balcony. The duke’s face was twisted in fury.

“Children, Felton,” he hissed. “Children. We have been over this a thousand times. You are never to let my house be run by the children.”

“It was the only way to ensure your safety…” Felton began.

“This house,” Everwynn spat. “Is your only priority. It has always been the top priority, and that is never going to change.”

Felton grasped at the duke’s shoulders. “This house is a cancer, sir,” the butler said. “It is going to destroy everyone in it if you’re not careful. And sir, you have not been careful.”

“I have done everything as carefully as we require.”

“Truly?” Felton said. “Do you really think that? Because thanks to your efforts, the house’s secrets were almost discovered by Maladie. Or worse, the entire Council, brought down upon all our heads.”

Everwynn shook, but Felton continued.

“Your students were in danger not because of me. It was you who chose to go gallivanting in the midst of other work. You who ran off to find another project when we needed you here!”

Felton sighed. “And now one of your wards has been exposed to danger again. And your newest capture is under suspicion of murder of a count.”

“I know.”

“And you know Gwen didn’t kill old Deveren.”

“Of course not,” Everwynn said. “I did.”

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Dead by the Book

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I didn't ask for a destiny.

Especially one that says that I'm supposed to destroy every god in existence.

It made the name William Creed a curse. Made me turn tail and run from the only home I knew. Left my friend, my favorite ghost, and hoped that the gods would just forget about me.

But now I'm back. Chasing the one good paycheck I've seen in years. Chasing some kid who's in way over his head, searching for a book that could break reality.

I'll have to take on dragons, the undead, a whole cosmos of deities, and my own mother.

Welcome to God Street. Where miracles become realities.

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