Chapter 5
“Cornelius…”
“There’s nothing for you to worry about, Dante. I know Titus, and he’s a good person.”
Something about the house felt wrong, and it wasn’t possible to understand what. He knew too little about magic. Dante studied Cornelius’ back. Was he making the right choice?
It was the path he was meant to be on, whether it was the right choice or not. Magic changed his life, and there was no going back, the thought tempting. At least Jessica was safe, with no knowledge of Glimmerbrook. However things worked out she’d be free to live her life.
Cornelius knocked on the door, and then they waited. If Titus didn’t answer what Dante felt wouldn’t matter. He’d walk away, trying to find another way to learn more, because there was no reason to fight against the Council. Books might be a way – he’d seen a library.
Titus looked at Cornelius’ face in the window. Neither of the arrivals knew he was there. He closed his eyes. Dante, whoever he might be, had power. Cornelius was right, but it made Dante more dangerous than before. For someone with new magic to have strength like that…
“How likely it is Titus simply won’t answer?”
“I promise he will.”
Cornelius stepped back, and seconds later the door did open, a young man in white stepping out. The colour wasn’t able to hide the black swirling around him. Dante studied Titus, the magic recognisable.
“Titus, I’d like to introduce you to Dante, the mage I met this morning. Dante, this is Titus, the leader of the Council.”
A decision needed to be made. With the ritual days away it wouldn’t be the worst idea to wait, to use him in place of Leonora. He might also be the solution.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Dante looked at Titus, the intense stare a little too much to be dealing with, but it wasn’t hard to be civil. “Cornelius tells me you’re the one who makes the decision who gets taught.”
“Tell me why you’re here, Dante. In Glimmerbrook.”
“Magic is something I know nothing about. Already I’ve seen the worst of it.”
“You have?”
“At least I assume it was magic. From what I could feel…” Dante sighed. “It’s hard to put into words.”
“Those who come into their power late often lose themselves, especially outside.”
“Outside?”
“Anywhere other than Glimmerbrook.”
“New magic?”
Titus’ hand rested on his hip. Dante likely watched a family member completely lose their sanity, the same way Titus once had. It was a horrible experience, and a reason for the promise to Anne, so they’d be safe.
“New magic. The power you have could be dangerous, Dante, something you already understand, hence the decision you made to come here.”
“I thought you might be the best person to teach him, Titus.”
Cornelius wasn’t wrong. Again. “First I need to see what Dante’s capable of.”
“Very little, to be honest. I know nothing about my power.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. We have a solution, and it seems like you arrived right when we needed you, because we have a ritual to be done on the night of the full moon, with a missing Council member.”
“Missing?”
“Leonora, sadly, dislikes me, for her own reasons. She made the decision it would be best to take a step away from the Council.”
“Why doesn’t she like you?”
Titus shrugged. “Lockwoods and Embers have had issues at other times. She simply sees me as another Lockwood.”
Unless it had something to do with the way the house felt. Dante ran his tongue over his bottom lip. Right then didn’t seem like the right moment to bring it up.
“It has nothing to do with you?”
“No, it doesn’t, but I doubt Leonora would admit that. She sees what she wants.”
“Sees?”
“The Embers have soul magic.” Cornelius had his arms crossed. “Leonora believes Titus’s soul is scarred from dark magics in past lives.”
“Although we’d likely argue more about what constitutes dark magic.” Titus’s eyes met with Dante’s. “It is what it is.”
At least the conversation seemed to be going well, even if he wasn’t part of it. Cornelius looked between the two of them, seeing how they might have been friends if theirs lives were very different, their power very similar. Where had Dante come from? His strength was unusual.
“Leonora’s loss is your gain, Dante. I’d like you to take her place, because I believe you have the strength to be able to help us.”
“What is the ritual?”
“It’s to give the Council strength, and long lives. Our task is to watch over those with magic. There are 21 families.”
“Other than those with new magic.”
“Being born with power outside Glimmerbrook is very rare.” Titus studied Dante. “Your lessons should start with the history of magic, something very few people actually know.”
“Magic has been a part of Glimmerbrook for centuries, right?”
“Yes, it has, and the Lockwoods were one of the first families.”
“One of the first?”
“The origin of magic isn’t truly known.” A lie, but Dante didn’t need to know everything. “There are theories, and none with any proof.”
“Someone has to know more.”
“Do they?”
“Aren’t there those who can See the past, as well as the future?”
“Those who can See are rare to begin with. Seeing the past… well, that takes a lot of power.”
“Like we both have?”
“With the two of us together it may be possible, but there are other potential problems.”
“Explain them.”
“You can get trapped. I have heard stories of someone who did, although I don’t know whether or not they were true.”
They were, but, again, Dante didn’t need that information, or to learn Titus was the reason they were trapped in the first place.
“Obviously I have a lot to learn.”
“There’s nothing wrong with asking the question.”
Dante looked at Titus. “Would you ever try to go back, to learn the origin of magic?”
“I don’t know. As much as I’d like to know I wonder if it even matters. Magic exists. We can’t change that.”
From the way he was talking Dante was one of those people who wanted to know everything, whether it was the right thing or not. Titus had met others like him, but there was already an easy solution – the ritual.
“Magic came to exist.”
“It spread from, we believe, one point.”
“One point potentially meaning there was someone who brought magic to this world.”
“Yes, that is possible.” Dante was smart and strong. “If they did it probably killed them.” After a few days when everything seemed fine. “The Lockwoods were the first, closest to that point.”
“Could it have been a Lockwood?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time Lockwoods have played with fire.” Titus smiled. “You really care?”
“What I want to understand more is how people like me exist. Magic spread from Glimmerbrook?”
“To be honest I think it’s more due to people.”
“People?”
“Just as there are those outside Glimmerbrook born with magic there are those within Glimmerbrook born without.” Cornelius sighed. “Sometimes they move away.”
“Even though they shouldn’t, because it’s likely they do have magic within their soul. Magic to be passed on.”
“You’ve tried to stop them?”
“Of course I have. Magic outside Glimmerbrook… I know how I sound, Dante. What I know is how dangerous magic can be in the hands of those who aren’t taught. Like you. You’re here, so we can help you, but others… well, it can be bad.”
“I know.”
“You have my sympathy. What I want is to keep that from happening to anyone else, but there are those who are against the idea of ‘trapping’ people in Glimmerbrook.”
“Like Leonora?”
“She was one of them, but there were others. The Villareals for one.”
“Learning the families may also be a necessity.”
Titus nodded. “I think you’re right. I’m sure Cornelius would have at least told you their names.”
“He did, when we first talked about the Council.”
“With the ritual coming up I’ve got a lot to prepare. Start at the library.”
“I can learn about the families there?”
“Yes, you can, and Cornelius will be around to help too. When the ritual is over I’ll have more free time. I can tell you want to learn, and that’s the best place to start.”
Dante did, but not from Titus. There was something dark about him.