Solstice - The Goddess Awakens

It was almost four in morning when Alex pulled his car into the double garage of Chateau Baucus. The wind was howling around the large stone edifice that was his home and he could hear the white frothy waves as they crashed off the side of the cliffs below. Taking the lift from the garage to the second floor of the house, he emerged at the top of the hallway just outside his father’s library where his own large bedroom lay.

At first content that he had avoided his father, he froze when he heard voices coming from his library. The strong wind outside was barely audible inside the house, but it was still loud enough to make it difficult to hear what was being said. Knowing that his father would want a full account of the night’s events, Alex stood in the hallway to compose himself.

He thought about going straight to the shower to wash away what was written all over him. He felt weak whenever he was with Lola because of the way she made him feel, or rather because she could make him feel. He could tell how unsure she was about him tonight. He could tell that she didn’t trust him. He knew she’d been very cautious in letting her defences fall, but for the first time in his life he appreciated this.

Alex knew this girl was different, he genuinely cared what she thought about him, he wanted her to feel the same way he did, and this upset him – Lola Paige was getting to him. He thought about her constantly, and each time she left he couldn’t wait until he saw her again. His father would sense it immediately, and this terrified him; everything would be compromised, he had to gain control of the situation and quickly. But he was not sure how to do that, as he had never had to in the past. Alex thought about cutting all contact with Lola, but realised that was out of the question. His father was aware of the link between Lola and the old man, and he expected Alex to make full use of that. Besides, he would only be fooling himself if he thought he could stay away from her. She was infectious, so different, so refreshing.

Standing in the dimly lit hallway, Alex could hear the faint voice of a woman. It was soft, tranquil, and even though there was an edge of pain to it, her voice was still very composed. There was something melodic in the way she spoke that sounded vaguely familiar to him, like he had heard it countless times before. But he knew this was impossible because he had never laid eyes on Celeste Moone, until he’d seen her on the floor of his father’s room weeks ago. Alex stepped towards the door, but stopped dead when he heard the change of tone in his father’s voice, he was readying some form of punishment.

‘What does she know, Celeste?’ asked Carl Stein aggressively.

He could tell that his father was growing more and more irate. Carl had been trying to break Celeste Moone’s spirit for the last couple of weeks, but to Alex’s surprise she was somehow holding out, despite the odds. His father’s power was growing more intense, and he could tell that Carl was enjoying the little resistance that Celeste could muster. The fact she had withstood so much punishment already told Alex that she was a very powerful witch indeed. But there was no doubt in Alex’s mind that his father was keeping her alive for some reason; otherwise he would have disposed of her long ago.

‘What does who know, Carl?’ wheezed Celeste.

‘Don’t play games with me, woman. You know we have no secrets.’

Celeste let out a laboured snort.

‘Secrets and lies, Carl, you would know all about those, wouldn’t you?’

Carl Stein was momentarily caught unaware. He admired Celeste, and always had, she was a very powerful and astute exponent, despite the fact that she was female and on the wrong side. It shouldn’t have surprised him that she had finally put it all together, but it did.

‘So have you told Alex all your secrets, Carl? Does he know who he is and what you did?’

Celeste’s words were so loaded that the pain and hurt spilled through in each syllable. Carl knew the damage that she could cause with this information; he had worked tirelessly to protect Alex from it. Yet, knowing that she could still ruin everything, he decided that he needed Celeste for just a little bit longer.

‘What does he know, Carl?’ goaded Celeste. ‘What does Alex know?’

For the first time Carl Stein’s composure broke. Alex stood hardly breathing, listening behind the door. There was a loud slapping noise as if someone had been struck.

‘Don’t you ever dare speak his name, you filthy witch!’ shouted Carl.

Alex could hear that his father’s breathing was heavy now, as if he had put all his force into the blow. With all his powers Carl had no need to physically attack his subjects, this was most unlike him, clearly the woman had touched a nerve. Unsure what to do Alex went to move away, but a creak in the floor gave him away. Composing himself, he knocked the door and entered the large vaulted library to find his father sitting exhausted behind his desk with Celeste Moone lying unconscious on the floor. The blood oozed from the side of her mouth where his father’s ring had caught her.

Startled, Carl Stein got up to greet his son.

‘Alex! I wasn’t expecting you tonight, when did you get back?’

Alex had never seen his father so dishevelled before, but there was something else, something that he would never have believed was possible. His father was afraid. He clearly feared the frail woman that lay in front of him. It was unmistakeable, his father feared what Celeste Moone knew, and he knew that his son could see this.

‘I’ve just got in this minute, Father, and I have some news that may be of use,’ said Alex, ignoring Celeste as she lay unconscious on the floor, while he filled his father in on the night’s events. He, of course, omitted the part about falling for his nemesis.

‘So this Lola Paige is now living in the Delphian Estate with the Moone girl? How do you know it was her?’

‘I caught a quick glimpse of her as I was leaving. She’s very like her mother, same long golden hair,’ said Alex, nodding towards Celeste who was now beginning to stir.

‘That is very interesting, if she wasn’t aware of what she has in her possession, then she is now. Our contact confirmed that Arthur was very fond of the girl, and that she was at the cremation, which means she knows about the Order and the Club. And let’s not forget she’s also been to see Felix, although that could just have been about Arthur’s Estate.’

Alex watched his father continue to pace up and down as he talked out loud.

‘Were you with her tonight, Alex?’ he asked Alex directly.

‘I managed to convince her to take a lift. She’s cautious, Father. Do you think she suspects something?’

Deep in thought, Carl Stein shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. Look what happened when that street urchin tried to snatch her bag, that was magick, but our source is certain she knows nothing of magick. Mmmm, I wonder…’

Carl Stein’s mood had changed, buoyed by his own revelations. ‘The only kind of magick that could offer that level of protection would be an amulet or talisman. It would have to be very strong indeed. We haven’t had any luck in tracking Markus down, he has gone into hiding, and from what we know, he’s made no attempt to get in touch with the Order or the girl.’

Alex stood in silence as his father continued. He had never seen him so frenetic before, he was always calm and collected.

‘It must be Delphian’s ring. She must have his ring.’

‘I’m not sure, Father, I would have noticed it on one of her fingers, I’m sure of it. I would have been able to sense such powerful magick.’

‘Not necessarily, Alex.’

His father’s cold stare ran through him like a knife and he knew that his anxiety had finally registered with him. Like a blood hound his father could smell fear a mile off.

‘You would not have sensed it if your head was elsewhere, but now is not the time to move, Alex, you need to gain her trust. I need you to get close to this girl, to find out what she knows, then we can make our move. In the meantime, we need to arrange for a little breaking and entering.’

‘That might not be a very good idea,’ replied Alex. ‘The place is under some sort of protection spell. It starts from the main gatepost to the house, I could feel it. There is no way it would have let me pass through. It has multiple layers and seems to work on a level I have not seen before.’

His father considered this for a moment, the force field would cause problems, but nothing they couldn’t overcome.

‘That’s only a minor setback, Alex,’ he said assuredly, a dark smile spreading across his face as he let out a chuckle. ‘This is just too easy – what an old fool. He has put all his faith in some working-class student, thinking that she could somehow outwit me.’

Celeste had come to in time to hear most of the exchange, but that was not what interested her. What interested her was the subtle shift in Alex’s demeanour when his father spoke about Lola, which gave her hope and the promise of more time. But Carl had finally discovered Lola, and there was little Celeste could do to protect her. The only comfort now was that Aibgrene was with her at the manor. She knew they would be safe there, after all she had been with Arthur when the various enchantments were placed over the estate. She tried to get up again, but Carl Stein was soon standing over her, the same taunting smirk on his face.

‘It looks like you were telling the truth, Celeste. You could still be of some use to me! I think it’s time to restore you to full health. I’d like to save you for a special occasion. Then the pair will be complete!’

Nodding to his bulky bodyguard, Carl Stein motioned towards Celeste.

‘Derek, kindly escort our esteemed guest back to her quarters,’ he ordered.

The bodyguard grabbed Celeste by the arm, and hoisted her limp body off the floor, throwing her over his shoulder. She hardly had the energy to speak, but managed a faint whisper as she passed Alex on the way out the door.

‘You love her.’

Alex didn’t flinch, his face like stone as he pretended not to hear her, though his insides were churning.

‘This Lola Paige needs to be taken care of, Alex. She has the Cosmic Cube, I’m sure of it, and the best part about that is that the stupid girl probably has no idea that she has it.’

Laughing, Carl Stein poured himself a glass of his favourite bourbon before sitting back down, his composure now fully restored.

‘I’m actually quite intrigued as to what Arthur saw in this girl, why her? I think I would actually like to meet her.’

Alex’s stomach tightened in a knot, his father was quick to notice it this time.

‘What is it, Alex?’ he asked.

‘It’s just been a long day, Father; I’m going to go to bed, good night.’

Turning to leave he froze in the doorway as his father spoke.

‘So, when will you invite her to dinner?’

‘As soon as I can, it shouldn’t be too much trouble,’ replied Alex, confidently returning his father’s grin.

Leaving the room he felt sick. he wasn’t a bit tired, there was no way that he would be able to sleep. He was relieved that his father had been so preoccupied when he entered the room that he had not sensed how nervous Alex was. Suddenly Celeste’s words came back to him, ‘You love her’.

There was such hope and relief in the way she had said it. How could she have known that, when even he didn’t? A fresh wave of panic began to erupt inside him as he knew that his father had an inkling of something, but then Alex had seen a different side to him tonight. Clearly his father and Celeste knew each other, what secrets was she referring to?

Without thinking about what he was doing, Alex made his way to the kitchen and then to the east wing of the house, to a small room where Celeste Moone lay.