I smiled, but I could not help but have an edge to my voice when I replied. “I love you too, but I need to do this.” I flexed my fingers before rolling them into a loose fist. “And when I have the help I need, and the knowledge I want, I’ll go back to my sisters and find a way forward. I’ll teach them so they don’t need to be at risk at all.”
You realize you don’t need to be at risk, either. You realize you could return to your sisters—
“Enough of this,” I snapped. “You either trust me, support me, help me as you’ve promised, or I’ll remove the locket and do this on my own. You are gone, Mother. And I’m not saying that to be cruel, I’m saying that because it’s the truth. I would appreciate your help—honestly, I would—but not if it comes with lectures and I-told-you-sos.”
There was a long pause. I was sure my mother was trying to figure out how to have her cake and eat it too.
Fine, she said with as much drama as she could muster into one word.
I stood up, stretching my legs, and looked towards the shops.
“Where is your friend, Mallory?” I asked. The sun was starting to sink in the sky. If I wanted to find Mallory, I should do so before it got dark. “Alison told me to start with her.”
She owns the Black Cat, a café about three blocks from here. Go there. Even if she’s not there, they’ll know how to get in contact with her.
“Thank you, Mother,” I said, and I meant it.
I took my hand off the locket and started walking, my stomach tightening with excitement. Knowing my mother was with me made it easier to continue forward. I was still nervous, but I wasn’t as alone as I’d thought I was, and that brought me great relief.
The glimmering window of a book store caught my senses, then the rich cinnamon from a potions shop made me lift my nose in the air and inhale deeply – and even though it wasn’t unusual, I could feel the magic residing in everything, and that made me feel alive.
I walked along the street, loving the tremble and feel of the realm. My magic, which normally lay dormant inside of me, rippled along my skin, alive and free. It danced and swayed in the breeze. Part of me was tempted to let it out, to release it from the confines inside of me, but I held back. As much as I wanted to play with my magic out in the open, I couldn’t draw attention to myself. I had to find Mallory before I did anything else.
“Oh, excuse me,” I said as a man knocked into me. I must have been distracted by the warm air coming from a nearby bakery.
He growled and when I glanced at him, I saw that he had the head of a wolf. I swallowed the squeal that rose and clamped over my mouth with my hand and snapped my eyes directly in front of me. I wanted to look back. I wanted to perversely see it again, and check that it wasn’t some sort of trick. But I wouldn’t let myself.
Damn...
I kept walking. My head turned left and r
ight so many times, I thought I was going to have whiplash. There were so many weird and unusual people in this realm and yet, it didn’t feel weird or unusual. It felt like I was supposed to be here, like I belonged here.
After another few minutes of walking, I finally stood in front of a small café with a black cat as a logo and shining stars in the windows. From what I could see, the place was half-full, with people sitting at tables and enjoying their drink or their pastry. A line of people stood by the cashier. It seemed like a nice place to hang out and eat.
My fingers tingled with excitement as I moved towards the door. This is it. The next step towards finding my father.
I inhaled sharply and strode inside, the chime of the bells above my head reminding me of any other café. The door shut softly behind me. No one even looked up to see who walked in.
“Can I help you?” asked a woman behind the counter. The cabinets behind the server were full of every pastry, cake, and muffin I could think of.
“Yes, I’m looking for Mallory.” I wasn’t sure if it was the best idea to be so direct, but I wasn’t sure what else I could do.
The woman, whose dark hair was streaked with purples and oranges, came around the counter with her eyes wide and her mouth open. She crept towards me, moving with the ease and stealth of a woman half her age. If this was Mallory, then my mother had a strong ally here.
I shifted on my feet. There was something in her eyes, something like recognition. I hadn’t even told her my name, but she seemed to know me. Was it because I resembled my mother so much? My father? Or was her magic just that strong?
“Are you Mallory?” I asked in a whisper.
She continued to stare at me, her gaze crawling over every inch of my face as though memorizing it.
“You look so much like a woman I once knew,” she said, shaking her head.
I held my breath. I could have told her my name, but I was bound by magic not to. Instead, I could only help her along without giving too much away. “Who?”
She pulled away. “No, it’s not possible.”
It sounded as though she was talking more to herself than she was to me.