Myths and Magic

*Bexley*

A pair of eyes stares at me from between two large trees in the middle of the dense forest behind our house. I stare right back, squinting through my binoculars. I’ve never seen a female white-tail quite so large.

Carefully, I inch forward, doing my best not to make a sound. I can almost see her back clearly when I hear the crackle of a thousand leaves. Letting out a sigh, I turn to see my friend Fiona traipsing toward me.

“There you are!” she squeals, rushing over.

“Here I am.” Fiona is the first, and practically only, friend I’ve made since we moved to Luna Hollow almost a year ago.

“Why are you out here?” she asks. “It’s so cold.”

“I spotted a deer.” I hear the excitement in my own voice.

Fiona practically rolls her eyes. “You should be at home planning your birthday party, not standing out here freezing your toes off looking at wildlife.”

“My birthday isn’t until tomorrow,” I remind her, slipping my binoculars back into my pocket.

“I know.” We start walking back toward Harvey’s house. Surrounded by ten acres, I like it a lot more than I did our tiny apartment in our old home kingdom of Hexeton, though I do miss my friends and my grandparents.

“So why must we discuss my birthday today?” I ask.

“Because, as I’ve told you, you never know if you’ll be allowed to stay at your home on your birthday or if you’ll be summoned to the castle.” I can feel her shiver.

She’s genuinely afraid—afraid of being summoned to the castle for what’s called King’s Rite. I never heard of such a thing until I moved here. Why would some king who lives in a secluded castle at the top of a hill, surrounded by forests so thick I wouldn’t even be able to see a deer five feet away, be interested in me?

“Fiona,” I begin, not for the first time, “I’m sure I will not be getting one of the infamous red letters.”

“You never know. My friend Samantha’s sister got one just a month ago. She was gone all night, and when she came home, well, let’s just say she wasn’t the same.”

I try not to scoff because I know this is a real concern for her. “I intend to celebrate my birthday tomorrow,” I tell my friend. “Mother knows that.”

“And what does your stepfather say?”

“He doesn’t say much,” I reply.

The truth is, Harvey hardly speaks to me at all. I avoid him, though I do some work for his accounting firm. I know he wishes I had a husband.

“Well, I think you should be on the lookout for that letter. If it’s coming, it’ll be in your mailbox in the morning. No one has ever seen who brings them out,” Fiona explains.

The foreboding way she says it makes a chuckle escape my lips, and Fiona’s eyes widen.

“Bexley!” She shakes her head at me and marches up the steps toward my back door. “You have to take this seriously.”

“I am.”

“You are what?” Mother asks, wiping her hands on her apron as she comes over to greet us.

“I’m nothing,” I begin, savoring the delicious smell of my mother’s famous vegetable stew.

But Fiona jumps in. “She’s not taking the possibility of being summoned to the castle seriously.”

With a deep sigh, Mother offers us cookies and we sit at the table. She sits across from me and folds her hands. “I think we should celebrate your birthday tonight, Bex. Just in case.”

My eyes lock on hers, and I don’t blink for a few moments. “You do? Why?”

“Just in case.” She shrugs one shoulder. “I’ve spoken to Harvey about it, and while he doesn’t think there’s any need to be alarmed about the situation, it’s happened in several villages throughout the kingdom.”

I’m not sure what to say.

“The girls who get the letter stay overnight,” Fiona says. “They can’t speak about what happened to them there.”

“That’s what Harvey told me,” Mother agrees. “But there’s never anything physically wrong with them.” She takes a deep breath and adds, “Those that went in maidens return as such.”

“But some of them have scratches and bruises,” Fiona says. “And they have no idea what’s happened to them.”

“Oh, please.” I shake my head. “That has to be the king threatening them not to tell anyone.”

“I don’t think so,” Mother chimes in. “Harvey seems to think a person’s memory can be wiped.”

“Magic?” I ask with a chuckle.

“No. He called it… hypnosis or something,” she explains. “But you should plan on celebrating your birthday this evening.”

***
The last refrains of Happy Birthday hang in the air as I suck in a deep breath and blow out my candles. The small crowd that has gathered to celebrate with us claps, and I force a smile to my face.

Our housekeeper, Mrs. Jones, takes the cake to cut it into slices. But I look at Harvey, and he’s glowering.

And then I glance at Garth and wish I hadn’t.

Garth Roberts sits at the other end of the dining room table, his muscular arms folded across his massive chest. He’s easily six inches taller than Harvey. His dark hair is pulled back away from his face and tied with a ribbon, and his green eyes seem to bore through me as I accept the slice of cake Mrs. Jones has set before me.

“Won’t you have a piece, Garth?” Mother asks.

“Oh, no. I don’t eat sweets,” Garth says. He pats his flat stomach. “I wouldn’t want to start to get fat. I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the game if I did that.”

My stomach roils as I am reminded of Garth’s favorite pastime—hunting.

I am probably meant to drop my fork at the implication that eating cake will make me fat.

Instead, I scoop up an even bigger bite and shove it in my mouth, smiling at him.

He shakes his head, the sound coming from his throat one of disgust.

“Would you like a piece, dear?” Mother asks Fiona.

“Oh, no thank you. I’m still full from the stew.”

I wrinkle up my nose and prepare to tell her how horrid it is that she has let Garth’s comments influence her.

I bite my tongue and glare at him instead.

“So, Becky,” Garth begins, and I grimace. I’ve corrected him several times, but he insists that Bexley is a horrible name, so he must call me Becky instead. “What are your plans now that you’re twenty-one?”

I open my mouth to answer, but Harvey speaks on my behalf. “She’s been working at the firm a bit, part-time. She’s actually quite good with numbers.”

“Really?” Garth’s eyebrows raise, and Harvey slowly nods his head.

I’m not sure what’s more offensive—that Harvey is shocked that I might be able to handle some basic math or that Garth is impressed by this.

“Yes. I am thinking of hiring her on full-time—to get her out of the house, of course. But… if she were to receive a marriage offer soon, well, that would be an even better situation for all of us.”

I feel Mother’s leg move under the table as she stiffens.

“I’m sure any eligible bachelor in town will be happy to have Becky as his wife,” Garth begins, a crooked grin pulling up one side of his mouth. “She’s very pretty, smart, and since she’s relatively new to the village… mysterious.”

“And I don’t have any cavities.” I narrow my eyes at him, offended as hell that he’s now speaking about me as if I’m not even sitting here, as if I am chattel he can trade or barter for.

“Yes, well, as you know, it’s the tradition for women to wait until after their twenty-first birthday, in honor of the king,” Harvey explains.

“Oh, I know.” Garth rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “I do find this entire affair utterly ridiculous.”

Harvey’s eyes shift to the side of his face, and his cheeks pink a bit. “It’s not prudent to question the king, of course.”

“Of course not.” Garth scoffs. “Not that he ever leaves his castle to know what’s happening here.”

I’ve gotten the notion he’s not too fond of King Canaan Zephyr.

“It’s a good thing you didn’t receive the red letter, Becky,” Garth says to me. “A girl like you wouldn’t be able to handle the trip to the castle.”

I feel my stomach tighten into an even more severe knot. “Tomorrow is my birthday,” I remind him. “We’re celebrating early.”

His mouth drops open. “Oh.”

“You know they say you shouldn’t take any chances,” Harvey reminds him. “In case the girl gets the letter. You won’t get to celebrate until she returns.” He turns and looks at me. “If she returns.” A cold, dead stare on his face, he pulls the corners of his mouth into a smile I can only describe as creepy.

I smile right back. “I seriously doubt the king even knows I exist,” I admit. “I’ve only been here for a year or so, and I’m hardly consequential.”

“That much is true,” Garth says, leaning back in his chair so far the front two legs come off the floor. I’d love to see him topple over, but he won’t. “The king has some nerve forcing himself on innocent girls.”

“There’s never been any evidence of the girls not being… intact when they return,” Harvey says quickly.

Garth shrugs. “That’s what they say, but honestly, how would anyone know?”

“Myra Pierce got married a few weeks after she came back,” Fiona offers, her voice sounding overly sweet as she speaks to Garth. “And then there’s Susie Butler who—”

He waves a dismissive hand toward Fiona and looks at me coldly. “As Becky said, the king won’t even know about her. She’ll be fine.”

“Well,” Mother begins, pushing up from her chair, “it has been so lovely having all of you over. You ladies should get home before it gets too late.”

“I’ll walk you,” Garth offers. “It’s the gentlemanly thing to do.” He stands and looks at me again. “Sorry I didn’t bring you a present, Becky, but I didn’t know it was your birthday until your father came by a few hours ago.”

“It’s not a problem, Garth.” I do my best to copy Fiona’s pretty smile as I bat my eyelashes at him and stand. “The fact that you’re leaving is present enough.”

He must hear me wrong because his grin widens even as Harvey grunts in my general direction.

“Everyone enjoys spending time with Garth.”

“I’m sure that’s true somewhere,” I continue, walking along with everyone except for Harvey, who trails far behind as we enter the living room and head toward the door. “It is a fairly common name.”

“Can I have a quick word with you on the porch, Becky?” Garth says, slipping his coat on after everyone says their goodbyes.

“Aren’t you walking the girls home?” I ask, confused.

He nods. “It’ll only take a moment.”

Mother hands me my coat, and I step outside with him.

“I’ve spoken to your father, and he’s agreed that we would be a good match.”

I blink several times, my mouth suddenly dry. I manage to ask, “When did you speak to my father?”

“Earlier today.” He grins at me.

“That would prove to be a bit difficult since he passed away when I was four.” I fold my arms.

Rather than looking embarrassed, he chuckles. “No, not that father. This one. Harvey.”

“My stepfather,” I remind him.

“Anyway, I’ll be by tomorrow afternoon with your ring.”

My eyes widen, and he leans down to kiss my cheek. When he straightens, he’s still grinning like the fool he is. He walks away, Fionna, Iris, and Kate following him like ducklings.

I stare after them wondering when the hell I said I’d marry him.