Chapter 22
The room was normally Leonora’s safe space, with it being unusual for anyone else to enter, but if Celeste was going to learn anything useful it was where she needed to be. Books written by the Embers who came before filled the shelves. A couple might even have been written by Leonora herself.
Finding what she needed would take time they didn’t have. It might have been easier to ask, rather than go searching alone, but bringing up Anne didn’t seem like the most logical thing to do. Titus’s decisions weren’t hers, and yet there were still those who blamed her for what he chose to do.
Including, too often, Leonora, who stepped into the room as Celeste studied one of the books.
“What are you doing in here?”
“Looking for information on soul bonds.”
Silence followed her words, but she still didn’t look at Leonora. It was the safest option. Their relationship had never been the best.
“Does this have anything to do with a certain Lockwood, Celeste?”
“Anne and I were friends once.”
“I know. However it may seem I don’t blame Anne. Seeing her as she is now… I think I finally understand the others.”
“Her soul is scarred.”
“Yes, and the bond is strong. I didn’t look closely enough.”
“Can we break it?”
“Not easily, although from the way it seemed it may not be breakable at all. Anne’s decisions through many lifetimes have led her to where she is now.”
“Was it created?”
“Possibly, but it’s rare enough I’ve never heard of it happening before, Celeste.”
“Somewhere there must be a journal from the first Ember.”
“The first Ember died too soon.”
“Died too soon?”
“How much do you know about the beginning of magic?”
Celeste shook her head. “Very little. I can’t say I ever really cared. Now…”
“Back then it was Titus who brought magic to the world, although he wasn’t the first to know of it’s existence. That was still the Lockwoods.”
“Thirty families called Glimmerbrook home.”
“Originally one less, until the Lockwoods arrived. Silas, with his two sons, Thaddeus and Emory. No wife, and he didn’t ever talk about her. Like so many in that time she may have died in childbirth. Although Thaddeus was the eldest Emory married first.”
“Silas and Thaddeus were working together?”
“We believe so, although no one knows exactly. If Titus has more information he’s never shared it. Personally I think he does.”
“From what little Anne told me I don’t believe he’s shared it with her either.”
“No, it’s one of the ways he keeps control.”
“Eventually Thaddeus did marry.”
“Yes, and for years there were no children. Then a son – Titus. No one even knew Francesca was pregnant. More years passed, until, finally, Anne was born.”
“Leading us to where we are now, due to a promise Titus made.”
“To his father – he would protect Anne.”
“By entwining their souls, and forcing her to live life after life as he sought immortality…”
“Making it appear there’s much more to the promise. What I am certain of is there was at least one Ember who died around the same time as Thaddeus and Emory, because he was written about.”
“Who had three daughters.”
Leonora nodded. “One made the decision to pass on the Ember name, and for several generations there were no sons born to any Ember. We don’t know why. The time came when this changed, and several times they’ve been the ones to pass it on.”
“You were an only child.”
“I was the first born, and after that… Mother was devastated every time she lost another child. Going through that pain, I think, is the reason she died so young. Without her Father chose not to keep living.” Leonora sighed. “Marrying Samuel was something I did for the right reasons.”
“Passing on the family name, without even thinking about love.”
“None of us married for love, Celeste. Most chose power, while I… Samuel was everything I wanted in a man logically. The rest didn’t matter.”
“At least at the time.”
Their eyes met. “You know?”
“From the way you look at each other.”
“Whatever I might feel for Emory, or he might feel for me, it doesn’t change anything. I’m too old to have more children. What we need to focus on is the future, which does mean understanding the soul bond between Anne and Titus, if she truly is going to change anything.”
“If it was created…”
“Someone had a reason to keep Anne and Titus together through lifetimes, which was most likely Thaddeus. One thing I’d like to do is read through the Lockwood journals, but Titus won’t let anyone near them, even when he’s transitioning from one life to the next.”
“Could Anne find them?”
“Potentially, but we don’t want to ask her for anything that might lead to Titus suspecting she’s looking into this.”
“He already does, Mother. Anne met her soulmate. There’s no chance Titus hasn’t worked out what she needs to know. Does he know much about soul bonds?”
“We didn’t at the time.”
“No, but he might have learnt more.”
“Titus’ last alliance with an Ember was when magic first came into the world.” Leonora closed her eyes. “I think there was another.”
“Another Ember, or another alliance?”
“Ember.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Something was always missing, but I didn’t know what.”
“Missing?”
“Reading through the journal when I was younger, Mother insisting I knew our history, the focus was on the three sisters, but occasionally… I don’t even know what it was. Now, if the bond was created, it points to the possibility of there being another Ember. Titus’s first ally.”
“One that continued on with the surviving sisters.”
Leonora nodded. “Why would the other sibling not be mentioned?”
“Titus has always cared most about control. If there was another sibling, one who created the bond, it’s entirely possible he made the decision to remove them in order to keep it.”
“Had Anne found out back then she might have been able to destroy the bond before it became strong enough.”
“We’re the only ones who might have been able to put the pieces together, so the time came when Titus made the decision it was safer to keep us at arm’s length, protecting his secret.”
“Anne didn’t learn of the bond, and now you want to help her free herself from it, which… this is going to be dangerous, Celeste.”
“It’s not as though Titus hasn’t already made his decision when it comes to our family. Helping Anne is unlikely to cause more problems than you already have.
“The choices I made were for us.”
“So are mine. If Anne can stop Titus then nothing bad will happen to anyone. We’re protected, as are all the Council members who are walking to their death by choosing to work with Titus.”
“Worry is normal. You’re my daughter. Titus can do worse than curse us.”
“Giving up without trying isn’t an option, Mother. This is something I have to do, for Anne as much as for anyone else, because I know she doesn’t want her future to be the way it always was. She has hope for the first time.”
“I do understand. Had she been my friend I’d be making the same choice.”
“Are you willing to help?”
“You said she’d met her soulmate.”
“He made the journey to Glimmerbrook recently, after dreaming of her.”
“Strengthening the bond will help, although not as much as it would have done had this happened lifetimes ago. Anne has always ended up choosing Titus.”
“Choosing?”
“Whatever the reason it has been a choice. Anne knows that better than anyone. I’m not going to pretend it wasn’t the safest option for her, but every time it strengthened the bond. Now she has to be strong enough to make a different choice.”
“I will help her every step of the way.”