Arthur leaned forward. “You’re saying the shop’s logo only exists because Zani gave a charm to someone in the past?”
“Time isn’t necessarily linear,” Zani said softly, repeating one of the many morsels from Burnside’s lecture. He’d given her a lot to think about. “Sometimes it’s a loop. Or maybe a spiral? The charm existed in our time. I took it to the past, gave it to Flora, it became the logo, and eventually someone, somewhere, created the same charm again in our time.”
“Because of the logo?” Maida asked.
“Who knows?” Zani shrugged.
“Sometimes a butterfly is just a butterfly…” Zani reached for the charm at her throat out of habit. But of course it was no longer there. “Until it isn’t.” She traced the shape on the menu and reached for her friend’s hand. “You would have loved Flora, Maida. She was so kind and graceful. She reminded me of you a bit.” Zani lifted Will’s glass of port and tilted her head to ask permission for a sip. His immediate nod saidgo ahead.
Maida’s raised brows seemed to say, “You two are sharing drinks now?”
Arthur waved a hand, urging them to go on with the story. “Continue?”
“I can’t tell you how relieved I was to find her.” Will took a sip of the port. “And it was all thanks to that tiny charm. Burnside said that items like that—things with sentiment and personal meaning attached, form a temporal link like a ley line.” He swallowed.
“This is where it gets interesting,” Zani interjected, glancing at Will. “Go on, tell them.”
Will’s expression shifted, vulnerability flickering across his features. “I didn’t think the charm had any personal meaning for me, but…” Will gazed up at the shadows dancing on the ceiling. “I might have miscalculated that. The Lathrops took one look at me and...” He swallowed again. “Papa said I had the Lathrop look. Said I was family. I think that’s part of why I was able to get to where I needed to go so easily.”
Maida’s eyes widened. “Family?”
“He looked just like me,” Will said quietly. “Or I looked just like him. I can’t explain it. He knew I wasn’t from their time, but he insisted he knew me. He claimed me as one of them.”
“We Lathrops carry powerful magic in our bloodline,” Maida said thoughtfully. “Old magic. He must have sensed it in you, too.”
“I suppose. I was surprised that he didn’t seem at all bothered by my Fae magic. We may have learned a bit more about that in the 1970s.” Will bowed his head and studied his hands for a moment before looking back up at Maida and Arthur. The pair were staring at him with rapt attention, and Zani could tell it was making him uncomfortable. She took over, setting her teacup down carefully.
“We’ll get back to that. But first, I have some exciting information to share. I’ve figured out the bloodstone’s origin.”
Everyone leaned forward, eager to hear more.
“Will hasn’t even heard this yet.” Zani scooted closer to the fire and crossed her legs. “We’ve barely had a moment to unpack everything, have we, Will?”
“No, we haven’t,” Will agreed, brushing a strand of hair off her shoulder. His hand remained there, a warm, supportive presence as she launched into the tale.
“While I was stranded in Versailles, I encountered Cosimo again,” Zani said. Abruptly, Will pulled his hand away. Losing his warmth gave her a chill. When she looked his way, he didn’t meet her eye. He just stared into the fire, lost in thought.
“The vampire Cosimo?” Arthur clarified. “The same one who helped you steal the bloodstone at the beginning of all this?”
“Yes and no,” Zani confirmed, still willing Will to look her way. “This was Cosimo of 1689, around a hundred years after he became a vampire. He didn’t recognize me. But he sensed the stone’s residue on me,” Zani said.
“I’ll bet he did.” Will snorted snarkily. “What other stories did he tell you?”
“He told mehisstory.” Zani bristled. “About how he came to possess the stone in the first place.” She didn’t like the way Will was acting. The moment she mentioned anything about Cosimo, it was like he lost all faith in her. She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t have to tell you if you’re not interested.”
“Are you kidding? We’re all interested!” Maida tossed a pillow at Will. “Don’t mind him. He’s just pouting that he’s not the center of attention anymore. You can’t leave the story off there!”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t pretend to like that guy. But do go on,” Will grumbled. He reached for another log and busied himself with adding it to the fireplace.
“Settle in, then,” Zani continued, her voice taking on a storyteller’s cadence. “Our story begins in a desert oasis.”
The fire crackled away as Zani spoke, weaving the tale of young Cosimo, an Ordinary mage studying potions and scrying in Egypt in the 1560s. How fascinated this ambitious young man was by the strange and ancient land. Wanting to make the most of his time abroad, he traveled to the Red Sea. The area’s abundant coral reefs and timeless natural magic held a special enchantment for him.
“It was at the Red Sea that he encountered them,” Zani said, waving a hand for emphasis.
“Who?” Maida asked, nearly breathless with the tale.
“The Merfolk!” Zani revealed.
