“Yes,” she said, another nod causing some hair to fall in her face. “Who is it you would like to see?”
I sucked in a breath. My thumb traced my palm, where the mark had been, the one that bonded me to the vow. I did not know how Mallory was going to respond to my request.
“I was told to speak to the High Warlock,” I said. I forced myself to lock eyes with her. I could not be afraid of her saying no. I could not cower when I was so close to getting what I wanted. If I seemed afraid, it would only insinuate that I wasn’t ready to meet my father because I would not be able to handle it, and that was the last impression I wanted to give her.
The tension in the room increased. I expected this. I glanced to my left and then to my right, almost as though I expected others to have heard my question, to look at me with knowing eyes.
“The High Warlock?” Mallory repeated, in the way people did when talking about someone famous. She, too, looked around the room.
No one seemed to hear either one of us.
Good.
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “What’s wrong?”
Mallory narrowed her eyes. “Why would you want to meet Matlock?”
Did everyone call him by his first name? No, of course not. No one did. No one—at least, the people I had spoken to, and granted, it was just Mother and Aunt Alison—did not wish to even speak his title out loud. Strange that Mallory could vocalize his name without so much as a hiccup.
I down cast my eyes, hoping to look as lost and innocent as possible. “Well, honestly, because I have no idea where to start,” I said. She must not know I knew he was my father. I wondered if she would tell me or if she would continue to let me think that he was some powerful warlock who had no relation to me. Could I trust her the way I trusted Mother and Aunt Alison? “Mother has kept us away from the magical realm for most of my life, and we’ve never had any proper magic classes. I need skills, a job, friends. And I figured starting at the top would probably be the best way to go.”
It was bullshit. I knew it. And she must have known it too, because she laughed.
Shaking her head, she snapped her fingers. A pot of steaming tea and two cups materialized out of thin air.
“You sound like your mother,” she said as the strong scent of tea filled my nostrils. Tension eased out of my shoulders. Whether the tea had a sprinkle of magic or
if it was just a natural reaction to something so familiar, something that reminded me of home, I wasn’t sure. The mention of my mother piqued my interest. I might not want to talk about her death again, but I didn’t mind hearing stories of her in a context I would never get to know personally. “She always went to the top. Whether it was the head mistress at school, or the executive in her job. She always said if something was worth doing...”
“It was worth standing out,” I finished for her. I swallowed, but my throat was dry, and I grabbed a cup of the offered tea. I took a sip, the refreshing warmth washing over my throat.
We shared a smile and for the first time today, the cracks in my heart felt soothed. The balm of a shared memory gave me a little relief from the pain I had been smothering in.
“So, if you could point me in the right direction, Mallory, I’ll get going,” I said, setting down my tea. “I appreciate your help, but I don’t want to keep you any longer than I already have.”
There were only two customers, and Janie seemed to handle them with little issue, but what did I know about this world? For all I knew, there could be several invisible people lining up behind the other two. Hell, there might be invisible people in the shop. If a man could have a wolf head instead of a human one, anything was possible.
Her lips twisted. “Well, seeing Matlock isn’t the easiest thing in the world,” she said, lowering her voice. “You’ll need to apply for an appointment, and then wait until he decides to respond. Do you have anywhere to stay?”
She still hadn’t mentioned that Matlock was my father. Was she trying to protect me? I wanted to think she was.
I shook my head. “No, not at all.” I touched the handle of the cup, tracing the smooth curve of it. I didn’t like to admit I was helpless. I didn’t like to admit I needed guidance. Mother had insisted I learn to take care of myself. There was no way for me to do that without information. “Alison told me to find you.”
Mallory’s smile was a little strained when she asked, “How is Alison?”
She took her own cup of tea and brought it to her pursed lips. I wondered if there was something between them. Racking my brain, I couldn’t remember any tension when Alison brought up Mallory, but maybe I had been so excited at the prospect of having a lead that I didn’t notice.
“She’s good,” I said, shrugging. I dropped my hand back into my lap. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know much about Alison and didn’t honestly know how she was doing. “Enjoying the quiet life.”
Mallory shuddered, shaking her head. “I couldn’t imagine living amongst the humans,” she said. All pretense of trying to be nonjudgmental went out the window. “Having to hide my abilities and pretend that magic doesn’t exist.” She shivered again and took another long sip of tea. Once she swallowed, she said, “Why deny an essential part of who you are? Why smother it? It would be like dying to me.”
I smiled though I wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like what she said was funny, but I also wasn’t sure if I agreed with her. My entire life consisted of me smothering my feelings because my mother thought she was protecting me. However, she was going to help me. The best thing I could do was be polite.
“I’m looking forward to spending more time here,” I said, my words honest. “I’ve always wanted to come.”
Mallory grinned, her eyes gleaming with interest. “Well, you should stay as long as you can,” she said. “And you can stay with me. I have an apartment above the shop and a spare bedroom you are welcome to, as long as you like.”
I tilted my head to the side. Everything inside of me wanted to scream yes, to immediately take her up on that offer. However, even I knew it was far too generous. Even though Mallory was someone my mother knew from before, I had never heard of her before. As much as I wanted to, I knew better than to accept gifts from strangers.