Broken Bonds (Valerian's Cove Book 2) Read online

  In the kitchen, Mr. Murphy had made a few phone calls while he was waiting for the water to boil. He had called Malia to let her know where her twin was. He called Celine to ask for a meeting. And he called Tony, in his capacity of Detective of the Valerian’s Cove police department. He gave each of them a brief rundown of what had happened, and what he and Mrs. Murphy had figured out. Everyone agreed to meet that evening at the Casey’s house for dinner. Someone would be very, very sorry they had picked this family to mess with. When Brownies gave their loyalty, it was absolute. No one messed with their family.

  3

  The Casey sitting room was filled to bursting that evening. All adult Caseys currently in residence, Tony Gianetti and his mother, Betsy, Chief John Kenny of the Valerian’s Cove police department, Mollie Murphy and her parents, Theo, and Mariellen McCormick were all crammed into the available seating in the room. Theo sat on the ground at Marissa’s feet. The others arranged themselves on the couch, two armchairs and rocking chair in the room. A few extra chairs were brought in from the dining room to hold everyone else.

  “Well,” Rachel Murphy began standing up again. “Declan and I couldn’t help overhearing young Theo’s story as he was telling it to our Marissa in the shop this morning. We’ve been around a bit longer than some of ye, and it seems to us that someone has been messing with Theo’s head, suppressing the Bond that he shares with our young lady here. As well we all know, suppressing something as strong as a Life Bond is not something to be taken lightly. It’s only supposed to be done to protect one member of the Bond if the other goes insane, or Dark. It is rarely used for anything else. To do so is considered an immense violation of the rights of the Bonded pair. It is highly illegal, and punishable under Witch Council law, and under Supernatural Council law as well.” She paused for a moment and took a breath as she looked around the room at each person present. Having made sure that she had impressed the gravity of the situation upon them all, she began again.

  “Now, as neither Theo nor Marissa were in any way insane, or showing signs of Darkness, and neither of them asked for the Bond to be suppressed for any reason, it is clear that this was done without their knowledge or consent. It almost drove Marissa insane. If it weren’t for her mother and Marissa’s as yet unborn twins, we might have lost her. It is also clear that some sort of numbing spell, or other mind control spell, were used on Theo, to keep him functional. He has said that he felt as if he were in a fog. He knew there was something wrong, something important, but until the old Council was overthrown, he didn’t know what that something was. Soon after the overthrowing, he began to experience moments of clarity, and that’s when he met up with Ralph and our young Shari-Beth, here.” Mrs. Murphy smiled at Shari-Beth, who smiled back, happy to be included in this meeting to help her recently adopted sister and her Bonded mate.

  “It seems that the shock of seeing Marissa again, and learning about the existence of the children, has cleared the remaining fog from his brain,” Rachel continued. Theo nodded.

  “Now, we need to figure out who was controlling young Theo, and why.” She turned to Theo.

  “It would have to have been someone close to you, someone you had regular contact with. Or someone who could have gotten something of yours. Though, for this level of spell casting, a powerful Mind Mage would have been needed, and they probably would have needed to be close to you to perform the work directly on you, rather than using sympathetic magic on something else. Is there anyone you can think of, lad, that that could be?”

  Theo shook his head. “I really don’t know. No one I worked with was a Mind Mage, to my knowledge. There were only a few people that I saw on a regular basis-my handler, and a couple of people who were undercover with me. I don’t know why anyone would do this to us. I don’t understand it.”

  “Who were these people you were undercover with, son?” Brendan Casey asked.

  “Jared Cleary and Billy Jenkins. Air Witch and Earth. But I had never met them before going undercover. And, I think whatever was done to me was done before I shipped out. I started to feel strange soon after they pulled me away from Marissa. Before I met those two. I think.”

  “Who was your handler?” Chief Kenny asked.

  “A woman named Clarice Thorndike. I think she was high up in the Council. I don’t really remember.”

  “When was the last time that you saw Ms. Thorndike?” Rachel asked.

  “I… I’m not sure? Not too long before the Council was overthrown. I haven’t seen her since. I don’t know what happened to her.”

  “And, just to be clear, the fog started lifting after the last time that you saw her?” Brendan asked.

  Theo thought for a moment. “I think so. Maybe not right after, but soon? It only really started clearing recently.”

  “Is there any way this woman could have gotten close to you without your knowing, since the fall of the old Council?” Celine asked.

  “I don’t know. I mean, I guess so, but why would she? She was pretty high up in the old council. I’m sure she was either imprisoned or stripped of her rank and let go. She wouldn’t have had any reason to be near me, or to continue seeing me for anything.”

  Celine looked at Rachel. Something, some understanding, seemed to pass between them.

  “How old was this woman, would you say, Theo?” Rachel asked.

  “I’m not sure. Older than me.”

  “A few years older, or more?”

  “Old enough to be my mother, I would guess. I mean, with how long we live, who knows. But she had really pale, almost white hair, anyway, and only a few wrinkles-her skin was pretty clear. She didn’t move like an elderly person. Just kind of restrained and elegant, I guess.”

  This time, Rachel looked at Declan.

  “Lad, did you have any kind of relationship with this woman outside of working for the Council?” Declan Murphy asked Theo. Marissa looked sharply at Theo. Lia’s hands clenched, ready to do battle for her sister again.

  “No. We communicated mostly through burner phones, scrying, and post cards. We only met a few times that I am aware of. Because I was undercover, you know? I was supposed to be an orphaned nobody, who worked his way through school and received needs-based scholarships and academic grants. Pretty close to the truth, actually, accept the grants and scholarships came from the Council, not the philanthropic organizations they were supposed to have come from.”

  “Did she give you your burner phone, or did it come directly from the Council?” Chief Kenny asked.

  “She gave it to me, when they pulled me away right after graduation.”

  Chief Kenny looked around at the group. “If the phone came from her, rather than the council, she could have been tracking it, and keeping aware of his location. That would have made it easy to get close enough to him to reinforce the suppression and memory spells whenever she needed.”

  “But why would Ms. Thorndike do that?” Marissa exclaimed. “What conceivable reason could she have had to do something so horrible?”

  “That’s what we have to figure out, lass,” Declan told her.

  Tony, Betsy and Chief Kenny stayed after everyone else had left. They gathered in the kitchen with Celine and Brendan. Malia and Marissa had gone to bed, Lia doing her best to comfort her sister after what had been an immensely overwhelming day.

  Chief Kenny spoke up. “I think there might be something going on here that we are not aware of, yet. Something that has nothing to do with Theo’s mission, and everything to do with Theo. It could have been for the good of the mission, but those things are usually entered into willingly and with full knowledge. Of course, the old Council was corrupt, and could have decided to use the suppression and memory charm without consent just because it was easier for them. Somehow, though, I am not sure that was the case, here. I have a strange feeling about this one.”

  Celine nodded. “I agree. Something is even more not right than just a Council Mind Mage overstepping their bounds. I think that we need to find out as
much about this Clarice Thorndike as we can, and soon. If there is something else going on, and she is somehow free, then we need to figure it out before she comes for Theo again. Because she will.”

  “If he still has that phone, she could still be tracking him,” Tony pointed out.

  “Make sure that he doesn’t, son,” Chief Kenny ordered him. Tony nodded. “I will see what I can find out about Ms. Thorndike through official channels tomorrow,” Chief Kenny promised.

  “I will see what I can find out in the Witch community,” Celine declared. “Then, we can compare notes and make a plan.”

  The next steps decided, the Gianetti’s and Chief Kenny said their goodbyes and left. Brendan closed the door behind them before taking Celine in his arms and resting his chin on her shoulder. “What a mess this is turning out to be,” he declared.

  “We will make sure that Theo is safe,” Celine stated. “Theo is family now, and for Marissa and the children, we will figure this out.” Brendan raised his head and looked into her eyes, then kissed her forehead and tightened his arms around her once again. Then they turned off the lights downstairs and went to bed.

  4

  Monday morning the Casey household was filled with running, yelling children and one very nervous teenager. The twins were so excited to be starting at the Academy that they couldn’t focus on anything else. Milena lost the shirt she had put ready on the foot of her bed. Allie’s blouse was on backwards. Ian forgot to brush his hair, and Mikey couldn’t find his backpack. Shari-Beth was silent, sitting at the kitchen table, slowly tearing her toast to shreds. Malia and Marissa were kept busy keeping it all together so the twins had time for breakfast before they had to leave for school. Celine was in the kitchen, making breakfast. Only the adults were able to eat more than a few bites.

  At seven-thirty the family piled into two cars and headed for the Academy. They stopped to pick up Theo on the way. He sat in the back of Brendan’s car, between Ian and Mikey. The girls had ridden with Marissa and Malia in Marissa’s car. They pulled up to the Academy at seven-fifty, right on time. The Academy was a large, stone manor-like building that looked like it would be more at home in the British countryside than in modern day California. The campus was outside of the town of Valerian’s Cove, but still within the town boundaries. It was a large campus, furnished with gardens that provided herbs and settings for spell-work, fields for physical education and Shifter practice, and a planted forest that provided some shade and protection to the school.

  “I want pictures,” Malia told Ian and Allie. “Me too,” Marissa stated to her two. “Mom! We have to go!” Allie whined. The twins were impatient to get inside. “Come here then, and we’ll do this quickly,” Celine told the children. Brendan took photos of Malia with Ian and Allie, Marissa with Mikey and Milena and Theo with Mikey and Milena. Theo took a picture of Celine and Brendan with Shari-Beth. A father from another family group took a photo of the entire family together. Finally, the twins and their young aunt were allowed to rush off towards the Welcome Assembly that the school held at the start of the school year. The school Headmistress, Mrs. Hemenway, stood at the front door to the Academy, making sure that the students all got inside in a timely fashion. The school secretary, Mrs. Doyle, stood to the other side of the door. Mrs. Doyle remained after the Headmistress had gone inside, to make sure any latecomers were directed to where they needed to go.

  Mrs. Doyle smiled at Marissa and Malia as she waited for the last child to go inside. She had been the secretary at the Academy since they were children and remembered every student to pass within its walls during her tenure. She waved to the family as she followed the last child through the doors and closed them behind her.

  Theo turned to Marissa. “Thank you for allowing me to be here for this,” he told her.

  Marissa nodded.

  “Come on, Theo, we’ll drop you off at the Clinic on the way home,” Malia declared. She was going to drive her father’s car home as he had to attend the first day of school as a teacher. Theo looked at Marissa, surprised that she wasn’t going in to work. She smiled tightly, then looked away. Sighing, Theo climbed into the Casey’s sedan. He had hoped to have some time to talk to Marissa this morning before work.

  Theo was having a hard time concentrating. The clinic had two full-time Healers, Marissa for Mind-Healing and as back-up for the two primary Healers, and several Healer interns from the Healer’s College in San Francisco. The clinic primarily received interns interested in potions as healing aids because of the proximity of the Caseys and their world-renowned nursery. Currently, one of the interns was also interested in gemstones and crystals as healing aids. Valerian’s Cove was a decent-sized paranormal enclave, though the town itself was small. Many residents lived in the surrounding area. Valerian’s Cove controlled the area for thirty square miles around itself and adjoined a National Forest on the northern side that provided further range for those Shifters that chose to use it. Many did, for exercise and hunting on a regular basis.

  So far today, the clinic light had been low. Theo sometimes found it easier to focus more clearly in times of stress. There wasn’t enough time for his mind to wander so much then. There had been a shifter child with a badly broken leg that had to be reset before he could shift to heal. A Dryad halfling with a cold. Genetics were strange, sometimes. A Witchling with a nasty cough, whose parents knew only basic healing spells and potions as their focus was in metals and jewelry design for spellcraft. And that was it. Theo had struggled through the paperwork after the patients had left. Sitting back in his chair, Theo glanced at the clock on the wall next to his desk. Lunchtime. Theo tossed his pen onto the desk and stood. Sticking his head around the door of senior Healer Marjorie Swenson’s office, Theo said, “I’m going to grab something from Cooke’s for lunch. Would you like anything?”

  Marjorie looked up from the article she had been reading on crystal mandalas for healing. She blinked for a moment, refocusing. Theo looked tired-there were black circles under his eyes and his energy was low.

  “No, I brought lunch. Maybe an eclair from Baker’s Delight?”she replied.

  “You got it,” Theo told her.

  “Theo,” Marjorie called as he started to turn away. Theo turned back, eyebrows raised in inquiry.

  “Is everything ok? Your energy is low, and you’ve seemed distracted this morning.”

  Theo hesitated. “The Murphys think that I was spelled to forget my mate-bond to Marissa, and that the spell must have worn off recently. They think someone was using me for something, beyond just the role that the council had me in when I was undercover. They said that Council Mind-Mages, even those on the old Council, rarely blocked mate-bonds, and that something else weird must be going on.” He paused. “My contact with the Council vanished when the new Council took over. The suppression spell should have gone away when my contact was replaced, but since it didn’t, the Murphys and the Caseys think that my original contact must have followed me or somehow kept close enough to me to renew the spell regularly. When I met Ralph, and headed here after rescuing Shari-Beth, we stayed off the radar, and apparently that gave the spell time to fail. Now that Marissa and I are talking again, and spending time together, the spell seems to have worn off completely. I can’t ever expect Marissa to trust me again, but all I can think about is being with her, and getting to know my children. And the Caseys and Murphys are afraid that the woman who was my contact may try to find me and put me under the spell again. And no one can figure out why she would do that to begin with. I can’t stop thinking about the whole situation, and when I fall asleep, I have nightmares.”

  “And Marissa being the mind-healer here means that you don’t feel comfortable going to her for help.”

  “What if she found something so bad she would want nothing more to do with me, ever? What if she kept me away from the kids? If the Council mage was strong enough to suppress a mate-bond, what else did she do? Have I really been where I think I’ve been for the last eleven years?
What else is going on here?” Theo worried.

  Marjorie thought for a moment. “Marissa apparently thought you were dead because you never came back. But if her mate-bond was functioning properly, she would have known you were alive, and been able to find you. Are you absolutely sure, Theo, that you two were bonded before you left?”

  “Yes. We shared thoughts, knew where each other were….Shit. You’re right. Marissa should have known where I was. Does that mean that someone messed with her too? What does that mean? Is Marissa in danger? Are our children in danger? Oh, shit. Oh, shit.” Theo gripped his honey-gold curls in his fists and stared at Marjorie.

  “What do we do? Can we figure out what they did to us?”

  “A good mind-mage would be able to figure it out. We want to be careful who we trust, though. It can’t be anyone attached to the Council, who may have had contact with your handler. Who was that, by the way?”

  “A woman named Clarice Thorndike.”

  Marjorie jolted and stared back at Theo.

  “Clarice Thorndike? Are you sure?” she asked him.

  “That’s what she said her name was. Why? Do you know her?”

  “I went to school with a girl named Clarice. She married a Thorndike. The Clarice I knew was an Air Witch. She was not registered as a mind-mage. Though if she was one, that would explain a lot of weird things that happened when we were in school together.” Marjorie frowned. “What was she doing working for the Council? Her husband was well off. She wouldn’t have married him otherwise.”

  “Would you be willing to talk to the Caseys and the Murphys tonight? They are looking into who this woman is and where she might be. Anything you know about her could really help out.”