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My brother squeezed my hand, and we walked slowly back to the chapel, knowing we would never visit this place together again.
Chapter 37
Wulfram
Aveta, Kendrew, and Amlodd didn’t come back to Peloryon House after the funeral. As soon as Bob’s body was lowered into the ground and the earth had been scattered on his coffin, they bid farewell to us all, after Emrick assured them he would deal with the open grave. Bob was next to Zephyr, which seemed fitting since he’d been so attached to him in life.
The grave was filled in and flowers were laid, then we headed solemnly back to the house. Well, most of us did. Emrick and Romy made a detour. The moment had come for Romy to have her magic removed, and Emrick told us it was a private moment and not one we could share with her.
We all hugged her and reassured her because it was obvious she was scared.
‘You don’t have to do this,’ Blaise told her, cradling her face in his hands. ‘It’s not too late to change your mind. If you want to stay here and keep your magic, I’d understand. Please, please reconsider.’
Romy was adamant. ‘If it’s a choice between magic and you, you win every time,’ she told him. I could see in her eyes that she meant every word, and evidently Blaise could see it, too, because after a moment’s hesitation he hugged her and told her how much he loved her.
‘That’s real love,’ Keely said, as we walked hand-in-hand back to the house. She gave me a mischievous look. ‘Would you give up your magic for me?’
‘Would you give yours up for me?’ I counterchallenged.
She tilted her head, considering. ‘You know what? I think I would,’ she admitted, sounding as surprised about that as I was.
‘Me, too,’ I told her, kissing the tip of her nose.
‘But not until we’ve sorted all this Pendragon mess out, naturally,’ she added.
‘Naturally,’ I agreed, smiling.
There was no wake waiting for us at the house. It seemed a bit sad for poor Bob, but to be honest, we all had more important things to think about.
We’d all agreed that, since it was Blaise’s and Romy’s last day here, they could choose their favourite lunch and we’d all go along with that.
Romy had opted for a pepperoni pizza. Blaise had chosen a quarter pound cheeseburger with pickles and sauces and a ton of fries.
Ewella had prepared the meals, and some of us had gone along with Romy’s choice, while others had plumped for Blaise’s. Sirius, Trinity, and Celeste had opted for vegetable pizzas instead of pepperoni, though.
I know we were all anxiously waiting for Romy to return, and when she did I could tell instantly that her magic had gone. She looked different. Smaller. Not as confident or as sparkly. It broke my heart, and looking round at the others I knew they all felt the same.
Blaise was clearly devastated, but Romy took him outside and talked to him, and whatever she said it worked, because they came back arm-in-arm and determined to enjoy their very last junk food meal.
We tried hard to keep our spirits up as we ate, but I couldn’t help thinking this meal bore a startling resemblance to the last one we’d shared with Meri. We knew it was our final goodbye, just as we’d known with her, and it was so hard to stay positive and not give way to tears.
I also had to deal with my nerves. Hector and I had gone over what I needed to do, and he’d made it sound so simple. We’d realised I needed to go back to December 1673 because, according to Ewella, that was the month the island returned from the Otherworld. Unfortunately, she didn’t know the specific date, so I’d had to go with my instinct.
‘Just visualise yourself stepping into a calendar showing the date,’ Hector advised. ‘That’s all there is to it. Honestly, it will come naturally to you.’
‘But what if it doesn’t?’
He grinned. ‘It will. Stop worrying.’
But I was worrying. It wasn’t just getting us back to December 1673 that was scary. It was what would happen there once we arrived. I had to find that sword, and if I didn’t… It didn’t bear thinking about.
I wasn’t entirely convinced that Blaise and Romy were enjoying their meals as much as they should be, but who could blame them for that? After managing to eat most of them, they headed upstairs and were gone quite a while. No one questioned why. They had a lot to think about, after all.
‘So what happens next?’ I said to Hector.
‘We wait for those two to come downstairs,’ he said, ‘then I’ll restore Blaise’s magic. Then, my friend, it’s up to you.’
We all looked at each other nervously. Would we see a difference in Blaise when his magic returned?
