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He was delighted that Wulfram was going back in time to look for the Sword of Feidhlim.
‘What a grand idea! It makes sense, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before,’ he said, slapping his forehead. ‘Of course that must be where it is. I can’t deny I’m relieved something’s happening at last. You must find that sword, Wulfram. No pressure.’
‘I’ll help you tomorrow, Wulfram,’ Hector assured him. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll master it in no time. Time travel is as natural to you as witchcraft is to Keely. All this nonsense about getting stuck in the past is just that. You’ll only have to think yourself back here and you will be. Trust me.’
We all found that reassuring, but even so we were shocked when Wulfram announced that the day of Bob’s funeral would be the big day, and that he’d be making his journey as soon as the ceremony was over.
‘So soon?’ Trinity gasped. ‘I thought you’d take some time to prepare.’
‘Prepare for what?’ Wulfram asked reasonably. ‘I can’t rehearse this, Trinity. I have no idea what I’m going to find when I get there, but I do know what I’m supposed to do and what’s supposed to happen. More than anything, I must be at the Seelie Court to reassure the fae that the time loop is closed, and Blaise St Clair is no threat to them.’
‘Except, you can’t do that, can you?’
I looked over at Blaise. His face was pale, and his dark eyes seemed enormous as he stared at Wulfram bleakly.
‘I’m sorry?’ Wulfram asked.
‘How can you reassure the fae that the time loop is closed and I’m no threat to them when I’m still here in the twenty-first century?’ He shook his head. ‘It would be a lie, and it would never work. And that’s why you must take me with you.’
‘Blaise!’ My heart leapt into my mouth. ‘You can’t!’
‘No,’ Wulfram said grimly. ‘You really can’t.’
‘Don’t you see?’ Blaise pleaded, looking round at us all. ‘This is all my fault. All this mistrust and hatred between fae and witches—it’s down to me. If I hadn’t travelled through time and set the alarms off none of this would have happened. Now we’re on the brink of war, and it’s all my doing. You can’t stand there—an honourable Great Guardian—and lie to the fae that the time loop is closed when I’m still here. I must go back with you. I have to close that loop. The fae need to know for certain that I’m back, and if I travel through time again the alarm will sound once more, and they’ll have proof.’
There was silence as we all thought about what he’d said.
‘He’s right,’ Wulfram said slowly. ‘I can’t see any other way.’
‘No!’ I burst into tears, unable to stop myself. ‘You can’t go,’ I begged Blaise. ‘Please. You can’t leave me.’
Blaise was crying silently. ‘I’m so sorry, Romy,’ he told me. ‘I don’t want to leave you. This is going to break my heart. But don’t you see there are more important things than we two people, no matter how much we love each other? We must put the safety of our world ahead of ourselves.’
He held me tightly.
‘I love you so much,’ he told me fiercely, ‘but I can’t live with myself any longer. I hate what you’re all going through, the danger you’re in, everything you’re having to face. People are dying, and I can’t pretend any longer that there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s all because I was selfish and thoughtless all those years ago. Please, let me put this right. I can’t deal with it. It’s no life for me, Romy. Try to understand.’
‘Blaise St Clair vanished in 1669,’ Sirius pointed out. ‘You can’t return because you’ll change history.’
‘Not if I stay away from Castle Clair and my family,’ Blaise said. ‘I’ve been thinking about it for the last few hours, trying to work out what to do. I need to stay away from the St Clairs, build a new life. I was thinking maybe the Tremaynes could help me. They sound like good people. Perhaps they could get me work, somewhere to live?’
‘But to go back in time,’ Hector said hesitantly, ‘you’d have to be given your magic back.’
He and Sirius exchanged worried looks.
‘I don’t want my magic back,’ Blaise said immediately. ‘I have no use for it. It led me down a dark path, and I never want to go there again.’
‘If he gets his magic back, who knows where fate will lead him,’ Trinity said worriedly. ‘He’s safer without it.’
‘But if I take him back without it,’ Wulfram said, ‘the alarm won’t ring and there’ll be no proof he is who he says he is. I’m right, aren’t I?’ he asked Hector.
Hector nodded. ‘Blaise already crossed the timeline once. It will recognise him on return, but only if he still has his magic. He either goes back as a witch or he remains here. It’s his choice.’
‘Emrick?’ Sirius shook his head helplessly. ‘What do you think?’
‘It’s really not for me to say,’ Emrick said. ‘I’m sorry, but this has to be Blaise’s decision.’
Blaise looked stricken. ‘I don’t want my magic back,’ he repeated. ‘What if it got out of control again? What if I…’ His voice trailed off and he stared bleakly at Celeste. ‘What do I do?’
