Chapter 12

Dreams.



Michael Longbridge was a handsome shifter. He even asked me once for a date; however, our first meeting still gave me nightmares from time to time. He’d shown up in the agency with a chainsaw when one of our previous consultants had messed up his pay. He was one of the creatures who had key contacts in the city and I trusted him, because he rescued me from a few dangerous situations. He was also Kelsie’s boyfriend. These two had somehow managed to hook up last year, and yes, it was all my doing.
"Festival of Potions?" I repeated, making sure I’d heard him correctly.
"Are you a parrot, Julia?" Kelsie asked, raising her left eyebrow. Michael was putting on combat trousers when I glanced back at him.
"Christ, Kelsie, just tell us. Where are we going and what’s this idea with Festival of Potions?" Kate barked, looking annoyed, probably because she was exhausted and cranky. We’d both been awake since three o’clock this afternoon. It was a long shift.
"Yes, it's a long journey and the Festival of Potions is starting tomorrow evening. We need to get there on time if you want to speak to the wizard," Michael said, completely dressed now.
"The wizard, the one who’d been in touch with my grandmother just before she was murdered?"
"Yes, I managed to track him down. It wasn't easy. I had to get through to quite a few people first, bribe them with gold. I cornered three hags who used to buy potions from him. They were difficult, but eventually I got what I needed. His real name is Anthony and he never stays in the same place for more than a week."
"And you’re absolutely certain that it's him?" I asked, my heart suddenly pounding against my ribs. This whole thing sounded so unbelievable. Michael exhaled and looked at Kelsie. There was some kind of silent exchange going on between them.
"Your grandma was seen in Lotus a couple of weeks ago,” Michael said. “She was trading some of her artefacts for fairies’ blood."
My jaw dropped, and I stared at both of them with disbelief, trying to figure out if they were making fun of me. Grandma would never have sold her artefacts, especially for fairy blood. Someone had probably made this story up. I didn't believe it.
"Sorry, darling, but it looks like your grandma was involved in some serious shit," Kelsie said. "And if you want to get to the bottom of it, then we need to leave now. It's a bit of a drive to Wrexham. We’ve managed to sort everything out."
They didn't have to tell me twice to move my ass. I was up for this, whatever the plan was.
"Kate, you don't have to come with us,” I said. “You haven't slept yet."
"Come on, don't insult me, Julia. You’re my friend and you won't be going anywhere without me."
Kelsie snorted but didn't say anything. Within half an hour we locked the office and packed ourselves into Michael’s car. I had no idea what to expect. Potion festivals, like Sabbath, were mainly for witches and wizards. After working all night, I wasn't keen on spending the next couple of hours in the car, but I had no other options. I told Michael that I needed to pick up a change of clothes at home. I grabbed whatever I could for Kate and me, and we were on our way shortly after that.
In a matter of weeks, I learned more about my grandmother than I ever had when she was alive. I had to know what happened to her and who had killed her, regardless of the consequences—before my father destroyed his career forever.
Kate and I took the seats in the back as Michael began heading west, trying to get into the nearest motorway. I managed to drift off when the sun began to rise, and we left London behind. When I opened my eyes again we were pulling in front of a small cottage that looked like a bed and breakfast.
I rubbed my eyes, realising it was daytime. My phone showed 10:06 a.m. My muscles were stiff as hell and my fingertips tingled with electricity. This wasn't good. I didn't want to worry about my excess magic and the fact that I could bring attention to myself.
"Where are we?" I asked, yawning. Kelsie was the one behind the wheel. It looked like she must have swapped seats with Michael. I didn't even realise that they’d stopped. I must have slept for a good few hours.
"Summerhill, not far from Wrexham. We’ll stay here for a night if we have to. It’ll take us at least half an hour to get to the festival," Michael announced, stretching his bulky arms above himself.
Kate’s hair was all over the place. My stomach churned nervously. I was starving, but I guessed food wasn't important at the moment.
"Are we going there straight away?" I asked them.
"No, we need to change our appearance first. You can't get in there without an invitation. Humans run this B&B, so we shouldn't have any problems."
I swallowed hard thinking about my time in Wales with Jasper last year and that night that we spent together. This setup felt similar and we were in Wales again. I had made a mistake once trusting the wrong person, thinking he could help me find the white witch. All along he was only playing me. God, I was so desperate back then. Looking back, I should have asked for Kelsie’s or Nicky's help. Now I was so relieved I wasn't on my own.
I took my bag that I’d packed in a rush several hours earlier and got out of the car. Michael told us he was going to be the one doing all the talking. Kate had her magic wand beside her just in case. The humans who ran the place turned out to be a forty-something English couple.
"It's so nice to finally meet some young people who appreciate the beauty of nature," the woman said when I was signing my name in the book. We paid for two rooms; Michael and Kelsie went to one, me and Kate to the other.
"I think we have more time than I anticipated," Michael said, scratching his head. "The festival has been delayed. It's going to start around five." It was in many ways a relief. I needed to take a shower, get some food and try to sleep. That three-hour kip in the car wasn't particularly comfortable and I wanted to be rested when I talked to the wizard.
"Let them sleep; they’ve been working all night. We’ll meet at four downstairs, that gives us enough time to get busy," Kelsie said, winking at Michael. I rolled my eyes, and he nodded. There was that smug smile on his face. I hoped they wouldn't be loud.
When I went back to the room, Kate had a white towel wrapped around her body.
"I hope you don't mind—"
"No, carry on. I'll go after you and unpack while you’re in there," I said, pushing her toward the bathroom.
When she finally locked the door and I heard the shower going, I released some of my magic. My hands were shaking, and I was anxious about what to expect from this meeting. The wizard obviously knew things about my grandma.
I took the clothes I was planning to wear later and laid it on the bed. I couldn't allow myself to become unfocused. My mind wandered, and I thought about the last B&B I was in. Jasper had been plotting to sleep with me since the moment I asked for his help. Yes, I promised I would try again, and I genuinely was planning to stay on friendly terms with him, but then after his betrayal I knew that wasn't going to happen.
When Kate was done, I went into the bathroom and had a quick shower, scrubbing myself all over. Thoughts about Nathaniel collided in my mind and I had no idea whether to cry or laugh. He embarrassed me in front of my family and friends. Love was the strongest force on earth, but I just couldn't forgive him.
The water felt nice. My body needed some kind of power release. Kate was already asleep when I was done. I set my magical body clock to wake me up at three and laid down waiting, trying not to think about that night when I was so drugged that Jasper took advantage of me.
He wasn't here right now, I reminded myself. He was back in London, miles away and I didn't need to worry about him. I fell asleep convinced that in several hours I was going to have all the answers.
My eyes were closed, and I was drifting, but soon I found myself in a room full of people. My father was standing next to me, smiling. It took me a long moment to realise that I was in the church.
"Hon, you look stunning, absolutely stunning," Dad whispered. He was wearing a shiny new suit and a red tie. I looked at myself, realising I had a wedding dress on, and I was holding a bouquet of flowers. I swallowed hard, because then it hit me. I was getting married; this was my wedding.
Dad wrapped his arm around mine, and the music started playing. It was some old-fashioned song that I didn't recognise. Not something I would have chosen. It was a large church, and somewhere in front near the priest, stood was my future husband. I was hoping I was getting married to Nathaniel.
"That elf out there is very powerful. You finally made the right decision, Julia," Dad said to me as we were walking down the aisle. My future husband had his back to me, but even from a distance I could see that I wasn't getting married to my half vampire, but some old elf.
"Dad, listen to me. I don't think I can do this," I said to him, stopping mid-aisle. He frowned, looking at me like I was crazy.
"Don't be nervous," he said. "Your grandma chose the best person for you to spend the rest of your life with. You don't want her to be disappointed."
"Grandma is dead," I told him. Then, we weren’t far away anymore, and I was standing face-to-face with my future husband.
"Julia, hey, Julia, wake up."
Someone slapped me, and I opened my eyes to see Kate’s face in front of me. Slowly things began coming back to me—last night, packing quickly and this morning when I arrived at the B&B.
"What happened?" I breathed out, lifting myself off the bed. Kate looked a bit pale.
"You were screaming, I don't know. You must have had a bad dream," she explained.
I nodded, all of a sudden remembering bits and pieces from the dream. The church…yeah, I was dreaming about my own wedding and I must have woken up when I saw the person I was just about to marry. I couldn't remember his face now, but I was certain it wasn't Nathaniel.
"Yes, it was a dream. My wedding. I was marrying an elf and my grandmother was there," I explained, brushing my hair away from my face.
"Julia, you’ve been under so much stress, with so much going on. I wouldn't worry about a bad dream," Kate said. "We need to get ready, have some food and then get on with the festival."
"No, it was strange. For sure, it wasn't Nathaniel I was about to marry, but someone else. I can't remember his face. I was terrified."
Kate chewed her lip for a bit but didn't say another word. I knew what she was thinking: I didn't want to let go of Nathaniel. She was right. I wasn't ready for it to be over.
We didn't discuss it further and went downstairs to meet with Kelsie and Michael. They were happily eating a sandwich.
"We’ll be leaving in a minute,” Michael said. “I thought about taking an identity potion, but I don't think that’ll be necessary."
"And why won't it be necessary?" I asked.
"Because we need to bring attention to ourselves. That way, the word around camp will spread and the wizard will know we’re looking for him."
I continued eating, but I didn't understand his logic.
"So, let me get this straight, you want us to show up at the festival, acting like we should be there in the first place?" Kate repeated.
"There’s a bit more to it. He needs to know you’re looking for him and that you have something valuable to offer in exchange."