“I want to see her!” Mark demanded.
“Later,” said Eduard.
“No. Now. Otherwise, how do I even believe you that she’s here?”
Eduard cleared his throat. “Fine. As you wish.”
His footsteps got closer to the small room I was sitting in. The door opened, and the curtain moved, bringing light in.
“Julie!” Mark’s voice quivered with shock.
The curtain was pulled back and the room was dark again.
“You’ve seen her,” said Eduard. “Now start signing.”
There was no more resistance. Papers started moving in and out of the suitcase. Pens were picked up and laid down. Chairs were dragged on the floor, and Daniel went back and forth to bring coffee.
It didn’t last long. Both Mark and Eduard were eager to have it over with. There was one pause, when a bank transfer was signed. Mark gasped. “That much?” No numbers were mentioned out loud, but I could only guess what was on the page.
When it was over, Daniel came back to untie me. Outside the small room, all was quiet. It seemed no one moved in that space, but I could sense people breathing. I had heard Eduard command Mark to put his hands behind his back, but I couldn’t imagine why.
Daniel helped me up, asking whether I was all right and checking that the ropes hadn’t left any marks on my skin. Then, he led me out of the room, and I followed slowly, my eyes adjusting to the light.
What I saw outside was much worse than I expected. My father and Mark were both tied to chairs, and Eduard was standing with his back leaning against a table and a gun in his hands.
Mark’s face lit immediately when he saw me walk out of the room. “Julie.” He smiled. His eyes were damp.
“Quite the bait, isn’t she?” said Eduard, his voice now calm, a wide, winning smile on his face. As usual, he wasn’t looking at me. He made a motion for his two men to leave.
They walked out, closing the heavy door behind them. I heard their footsteps go up the stairs and out of the building. A car engine started. There were just the four of us left in the room.
Eduard stood firm like a statue, in no hurry to move. “Come here, Julie,” he said, still not looking at me.
I took a step forward. He put his hand into his pocket, pulled out an envelope, and laid it on the table in front of him. It was closed tightly around a small, round object. On the envelope, it was written: “Welcome to the Guild.”
Then, Eduard did something that completely surprised both me and my father. He took off his own Blue Diamond and laid it gently on the floor.
I took a step back and looked at my father, who was now watching Eduard intently, alert.
The ring was the magical means of the Guild to know when the head of the Guild used his magic and what he was using it for. The head of the Guild never took it off.
What was Eduard about to do that he didn’t want the Guild to see?
We watched him, as he leaned forward and pointed his gun at Mark.
“Eduard!” I shouted.
“You’ve played your part quite well.”
Nothing in my life was ever as painful as the look in Mark’s eyes when he heard these words. In that moment, he saw things the way Eduard wanted him to see them — that he had been tricked, used, tempted by a woman he hardly knew. A woman who did not desire him, but instead wanted him as a means for something else, like the others he had spoken of.
It was a look of anger, disappointment, surprise, and most of all, of hate. The kind of hate that only the pain of a broken heart could produce.
That look in his eyes, and my new awareness of his feelings, hit me like a sharp knife to the heart. My chest collapsed inward in pain.
Mark shook his head and a tear came down. “How could you!” he whispered with anguish. He clenched his fists, his eyes red with rage. His lips quivered, like a volcano about to explode.
And then, with all his spite, he said loudly, “You bitch!”
“You missed by one letter, son,” said my father.
Eduard laughed.
My father looked at him. “Put that down before you hurt somebody. We both know you won’t shoot him. You risk too much exposure. The Guild won’t stand for it.”
Mark looked at him sideways when he said the word Guild.
“And who will tell them?” Eduard smiled. “You, George? The man who left us? You think anyone will believe you? That it wasn’t…an accident? Your own daughter’s about to join the Guild. I’ve just given her a Blue Diamond ring.”
Mark looked at me with spite.
“My daughter will never be one of you!”
“That’s not up to you now, is it?” Eduard said, and then he pulled the trigger.
There was a roar of thunder.
Then, almost as if in slow motion, I saw a bullet emerge from the gun. I felt a magical charge on it, sensing Eduard’s power, and I felt my father’s magic rushing toward it, but failing to divert the shot.
The bullet hit Mark straight in the chest. Then, everything happened very fast. My father used his powers to release both himself and Mark from their ropes, and stood up to face Eduard, who bent down to get his ring. Mark fell to the floor, bleeding heavily. I heard myself scream in terror, as I rushed to Mark’s side. But his eyes were not on me. They were wide open in disbelief as he watched my father face Eduard, shooting a fireball out of his hands.
The fireball went straight at Eduard from a short distance, but Eduard was faster, ducking to avoid the ball and managing to quickly slip his ring back on.
For a moment, my father and Eduard just stood there, Eduard smiling in victory. The ring was back on his finger and the Guild was once again watching. He had managed to shoot Mark unnoticed and my dad could no longer attack him. He turned, picked up his suitcase, and walked away, shutting the heavy door behind him.
A sudden flash of light came from the other side of the closed door, and I heard my father curse. Through my powers, I could sense a magical field surround us. Eduard had sealed us in magically. I heard his footsteps fade as he rushed up the stairs and then we heard the limousine drive off.
After that, all was quiet.
I sat on the floor, with Mark. His eyes were now closed. His last look at me was one of complete confusion. I took his hand in mine. He had no pulse.
“He’s dead,” I said to my dad, who had joined me.
“I know. You’re going to have to bring him back, Twinkie, and it will take a toll on your powers,” he said with a clear tone of worry.
There was only one way to bring a person back to life. It was the kiss of the Guardian, which protected against any immediate magical danger and reversed death. It was simple. There was no knowledge needed, but it required a tremendous amount of power, as healing spells always did, and it was so strong that it could deplete me completely. It would also spread my trace to a wide area, sending the magical world the message that my powers were back.
More Blue Diamond here