Tentatively, she unwound her arms from the case and poked her head out into the corridor. The couple was still arguing and beyond them, in the space between train compartments, another couple appeared to be passionately kissing.
Zani thought it was a little too early for that. But then again, hadn’t she been hoping for a kiss on the train platform an hour ago?
She ducked back into her compartment and stared out the window. The sky was clearing now, lightening and brightening with each passing moment. Pink and orange streaks crept out from the purple and gray smudges of storm clouds behind them. It was shaping up to be a beautiful dawn.
“Here is your breakfast, Madame.” The attendant paused outside her door with his heavily laden cart. It took him a moment to hand her the pot of coffee and the three plates of food. She squeezed them onto the tabletop, arranging them around the case. They barely fit.
“Can I help you with moving that out of the way?” He gestured to the case and glanced up at the overhead rack.
“No, thanks.” She smiled. “It’s fine. I’ll manage.”
She laid a hand on the case again. It had suddenly gone cool.
“Is this all you want? Can I bring anything else?” the attendant offered, suppressing a smile at the quantity of food crammed onto her tiny table. “There’s a switch there if you need anything. Hopefully, we won’t experience any more delays. You should arrive in Paris in…” He checked his watch. “Approximately twenty-six hours.”
Something didn’t feel right. She placed a second hand on the chest. The wards were still in place. She could feel their buzz. It was probably just her nerves. The lightning and the sudden stop had taken her by surprise. But it was just a thunderstorm. No more, no less.
“This is all… great. Looks delicious. Thanks!” Zani replied, suddenly eager to shoo him away so she could pull the shades and check the box.
She knew she shouldn’t gaze for too long at the stone, lest she risk the stone’s bad luck attaching to her. Nobody was entirely curse-proof. But she also needed to be sure it was still there, intact. Which it would be, of course. There was no way it was going to disappear from a lead-lined and warded case aboard a moving train. She was just being silly. Superstitious even.
She still felt compelled to look. Just one quick glance before she ate her breakfast. It would only take the briefest moment. She could undo the wards, open the case, peek inside, and have it closed back up and protected in under sixty seconds.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and sipped it black, forcing herself to wait until after she heard the attendant make his delivery to the next two cabins. All the while, she smelled the wonderful smells of her mushroom omelette and imagined popping one of the plump raspberries into her mouth. She could hardly wait to spread the creamy butter onto the flaky croissant that was peeking out from the white linen napkin swaddled around the basket.
Finally, she heard the second compartment door close and the rattle of the cart moving on. She pulled her wand from her pocket and whispered the Severum Sigillum Spell for undoing the locks and wards simultaneously.
By oath unbound and binding broke,
Let lock and ward release their yoke.
The lock fell open and she used the tip of the wand to crack the lid.
She saw nothing, not even a glow. But still, she remained calm. The stone had probably been jostled back into the corner of the case. It must have slipped down into a corner. She flung back the lid so she could see the entire padded interior. White quilted satin, stitched in silver thread with a delicate wave pattern, lined the case. She saw the familiar small pillow in the middle; she herself had placed the stone on it just hours before.
The pillow was empty now, save for a faint glow of blue lingering in the indentation atop it.
Trying not to panic, Zani lit the tip of her wand to cast more light, and used it like a probe to nudge the pillow aside. She hoped to find the stone nestled beneath it, even as her heart told her it was gone.
Growing frantic, she poked her wand into every corner and crevice, and pulled out all the stuffing, all to no avail. She no longer cared that her breakfast had gone cold.
Her wards were intact. The case had been unharmed. She hadn’t been spelled and nobody had come into the cabin. Unless somehow it had been Cosimo? Had he tampered with the case before he left?
White hot anger surged through her at the thought of being duped by the vampire who she had trusted so blithely. It was the only explanation she could think of. But then, how had he gotten past her wards?
There was no explanation for this. It was simply impossible. It would be all she could think about for the next twenty-six hours, and much, much longer.
The universe rarely makes mistakes in its invitations. If you find yourself in yesterday or tomorrow, remember that the ley lines that brought you there can bring you home. But also consider that “home” is merely the time you’ve grown accustomed to. The porter who returns from a time slip unchanged has wasted the rarest gift our craft can offer.
BURNSIDE PORTER,THE WAY OF THE LEY
Chapter5
An Unexpected Slip
Will Porter paced back and forth in the international arrivals terminal at Boston’s Logan airport. The handwritten sign that he’d tucked under his arm was probably overkill. He knew for sure that he’d recognize Zanfira Marinescu, but what if Zani didn’t recognize him? It had only been a few weeks since they’d first met, but it had been a brief visit, and not under the best of circumstances. That night, Will had been dispatched to let Zani know about their common friend Maida’s “enlightenment” and induction into the world of magic. It had been an immense relief to both of them, no longer having to maintain the veil that separated their world from that of the Ordinaries. They’d both long suspected that Maida was one of their own. She’d blended into the magical community so seamlessly that it was difficult now to recall the “before” times.
It felt like he’d gone to see Zani a long time ago, and also like it was just yesterday. He couldn’t stop thinking about the swashbuckling witch.
