A Helping Hand
POV: Alexandra
It was a voice that I had never heard before so I looked around the room and furrowed my brows. Derek looked at me, “Lex, is there something wrong?” I looked at him, “Did you hear that just now?” Derek shook his head and I looked around at the others with each confirming what Derek had. Was I losing my mind? I heard a laugh in my head, “Darling, no one can hear you but me. You don’t have to speak aloud. I can hear your thoughts.” I thought to the voice in my head, “Okay but who are you? And how are you contacting me this way?” He laughed again, “I have particular abilities not known much to Vellum. My name is Mordred. I will say, darling, that I have been trying to contact you for a while but had no luck.” Derek looked at me, “Why are you so quiet?” Mordred spoke again, “I wouldn’t call attention to your lapdog there just yet. You should find a way to excuse yourself.” I smiled at Derek, “I’m just thinking of what Dorothea said. I will continue pondering it but I need to use the restroom. If you’ll excuse me.” I walked over to my bathroom and locked the door behind me. I spoke in my head, “Okay, so now that I am alone. What is it that you want?” He cleared his throat, “I want to help you with the young man you have in your cell as well as the lady in your bed.” I shrugged, “And how do you propose to do that when you aren’t even in my presence? Where even are you?” He laughed, “I’m actually having dinner at this moment with Reggie and Talia Batiste. I can help you, darling, without being there.” I gasped, “You know my parents? You’re in London? How?” He laughed again, I got the feeling he was a jovial fellow as much as he laughed, “You’re a curious one, aren’t you? I consider you to be quite like a granddaughter, I have known you your whole life. Watching you from afar since someone I dearly love cares a great deal about you.”
I sighed thinking that I had yet another guy obsessed with me and had wondered if my ability touched him too before we knew about it. I heard him again, “Nope, I was never touched by your ability and I am not obsessed. Like I said, someone I love dearly cares a great deal for you.” I looked in the mirror, “Who is it that you care for then?” He clicked his tongue at me, “That wouldn’t be fun besides, I would like to tell you face to face who I really am.” I sighed again, “Okay, so tell me how I can lift the magic on my prisoner.” He spoke, “You need wind magic from a very particular wind witch. You will need to write a letter to Whisperia. You will take this letter to willow tree near Dorothea’s cottage and place it in the hole. This will go to where it needs to go. Make sure to include in the letter that I sent you and that you are the one I call, Darling. As for the beauty in your bed, give her the tonic the doctor gave you but have Dorothea imbibe her healing magic in it. Since she is a fire magic user, she will need a little extra help.” I nodded, “And this will help wake her faster.” He sighed, “Alas, no. She will wake in time but you may want to sleep elsewhere tonight because I fear she’s out for a while.” I nodded, “Thank you, Mordred.” He spoke, “Darling, it is not a problem. Just keep yourself safe and I will ask for a reward when we meet.”
I left the bathroom and made my way over to Dorothea and whispered in her ear, “Do you know anyone named Mordred?” She nodded, “He was a great warlock here in Vellum until he did something that go him exiled to the human realm. I’m not sure what it was exactly but it had to have been something huge.” I sighed, “It wasn’t sinister, was it?” She shook her head, “No, he just angered King Thierry and his ban remains because King Lucien hasn’t lifted it.” I breathed in relief since I wanted to trust what he said. I asked her, “Do you know anyone named Whisperia?” She nodded again, “She’s the most powerful wind witch in Vellum. Why do you ask?” I winced, “You’re likely to think I’m crazy.” She shook her head, “This is Vellum, pretty one. Not much is implausible.” I sighed, “Okay, you remember earlier when I was asking if anyone heard a noise?” She nodded, “Yeah, I will admit, you did look a bit crazy then.” I giggled, “I don’t blame you. Anyhow, I heard a man’s voice in my head. He said his name was Mordred, that he was currently in London having dinner with my parents and that Whisperia could help us lift the brain trickery being done on Zero.” She stared towards her sister and niece, “She is known as the queen of wind magic so really if she cannot lift the curse off of our friend downstairs, I really don’t know who could. I don’t know how to contact her though; she seems to have disappeared into oblivion.” I patted her shoulder, “He told me how to contact her. I just wanted to know if he could be trusted. For now, we need to put this potion in the water for Ness’ compress but I need you to imbibe your healing magic so it takes better.” She nodded, “Wise, since she’s a fire magic user, this would help the potion be more effective. Leave it to me.” She took the vial and crossed the room and chanted something then poured the vial into the basin.
I walked over to my desk and wrote the letter explaining how Mordred instructed me to contact her and what it was that I needed her assistance with. I looked over at Derek and Dorothea, “Derek, Dorothea, can I request the you accompany back to Dorothea’s cottage?” She gave me a confused look, “Why do we need to go back to my cottage?” I rose from my seat and walked over to her with the letter in hand, “You’ll see when we get there.” She nodded then made the portal and the three of us stepped through. I turned to Dorothea, “Do you happen to have a willow around here with a hole in it?” She nodded then pointed to the west side of her house and I walked over to the tree and placed the envelope in the hole. A few vines reached up and pulled the letter into the tree further. Dorothea gasped, “That little witch has been living below me it seems.” We waited for a while choosing to sip some iced tea on Dorothea’s porch when suddenly the tree opened up to reveal a tall old woman who looked frail. She looked over at us and smiled, “Alexandra?” I rose to my feet, “That would be me. Nice to meet you Whisperia.” She nodded, “So my brother sent you to me to help you lift some magic on a poor soul. Let us see him, shall we?” Dorothea opened another portal then turned to Whisperia, “Wisp, you lived below me all this time and you never said anything? We need to have a chat about that.” She shrugged, “Okay but let me help my brother’s granddaughter, hm?”
She stepped through the portal and we all followed. The portal opened directly in front of the cell door for Zero. He rose to his feet and stared out at the four of us standing there, “You are wasting your time, Your Grace. You will never get the information you want from me and I will not change how I feel about my duties.” I shook my head, “Did you know, Zero, that you have a powerful curse on you? I have brought Whisperia here to lift it from you.” He shook his head, “I have no curse, I would know.” I opened the door and we all came in. Whisperia walked over to him and crooked his head up towards her with her index finger under his chin, “Can you tell me what happens if you even try to go against your masters’ orders?” I could see that he had been sweating and he was pale as if he was going through withdrawal. He sighed, “I have never gone against his orders.” She shook her head, “You are clearly going through something now since you had not carried out your orders. Am I correct? Are you in pain?” He took his head out from her hand, “It is nothing. I can endure until I carry out my orders. Eventually, I will break free. The witch will die and Her Grace will be my prisoner.” She giggled, “I will relieve you of your pain and you won’t feel the need to harm either woman.” He placed her hand on his head and spoke, “leva maledictionem!” Zero’s eyes rolled and he passed out while Whisperia smiled down at him. She looked at me and smiled, “That was strong forbidden magic. It had to have taken sacrifice of some sort to conduct it. He will be out for a while before we can continue to question him.”
