My Sorcerer

Chapter 11

Cora waited on bated breath. She had thought he was helping her out of kindness, but now she was worried. He had an ulterior motive. What could it possibly be? The seconds felt like minutes as the clock ticked away. Finally, he opened his mouth to respond, and she held her breath.

“She’s my fatespell...” he muttered.

“She’s your what...” The queen’s jaw dropped.

“You heard me. Don’t make me repeat myself,” he grumbled.

“I just never thought I would hear the great Pierceton say that word. I guess I’m simply in shock,” she said with a smirk.

“Now you’ve heard it. Can we move on? Are you going to help or not?”

“Only because if I don’t, it could cause her harm,” she relented.

“Thank you,” he said, sighing with relief.

Cora waited, hoping they would say something more about what a fatespell was, but they didn’t. The conversation continued as though everyone in the room knew the meaning behind that word. “Ummm... can I ask a question?” Cora finally decided to speak up.

“What would that be?” the queen asked.

“What is a fatespell?” she whispered, feeling as though their eyes were bearing into her. She didn’t like this feeling.

“Do you know what a mate is?” the queen questioned her. She shook her head. “Okay, how about the word fated?”

“Like someone fated to someone else? True love?” She tried to get the queen to clarify for her.

“Yes. Someone chosen by the goddess for someone and only for that one,” she said with a dreamy smile. “Very much like the true love talked about in the human world.”

“So, when Pierceton says fatespell, does that mean I am his fatespell... his true love?” She couldn’t look at him. She knew her cheeks were already becoming red, but if she were to look at him or even glance his way, she would turn into a tomato.

“That’s exactly what it means,” the queen said with a wide grin.

“But that can’t be possible...” she muttered, confused. She’s a werewolf... he’s not. They can’t be... they just can’t be.

“It is very possible. Rare, but possible. Isn’t that right, Pierceton?” The queen directed the conversation back to him, but he remained quiet.

Cora waited. She needed someone to explain this. They were supposed to be searching for her real family and then... then they would go their separate ways. She felt as though her heart was going to burst from the painful thought of leaving him, but she had been shoving that feeling deep down, thinking it would disappear over time.

“It’s very possible... but if you don’t want...” his voice trailed off.

“Want what?” she pressed, but at the same time, she didn’t want to hear what he was going to say.

“If you don’t want this, then we can break the bond,” he said just above a whisper.

She felt as though the air caught in her throat. Did she want that? Did she know what she wanted? “Would that be something you want?” She didn’t want to hear his response. She was scared.

The air felt thick. It was hard to breathe. She was sixteen. This was too much. This was all too much. “You haven’t even felt the full pull of the bond, and you won’t until you are eighteen.”

“So, what.... You want to wait until I feel the full effect?” She felt so confused. Everything about this world felt like too much.

“Well, partly, but really we can’t break the bond until you turn of age, and for werewolves, that’s eighteen. If you don’t want me to be around you after we find your family, then I can make myself scarce until it’s time.” Cora could hear sadness in his voice as he explained. Did he not want to? The queen had made it sound as though he didn’t want a fatespell, but maybe he did.

She dared to glance his way and saw his eyes were already on her. “We can talk about it after finding your family,” he added. “If you wish.”

“Yes,” she muttered. Her heart was pounding so hard against her chest, she felt as though everyone in the room could hear it.

“So, about helping,” Pierceton began, speaking to the queen, trying to get the conversation back on track.

“Since she is your fatespell, I can’t say no. Mostly because I pity her for being paired with you,” she chuckled, but there was a look in her gaze. She really did pity her. Was Pierceton all that bad?

“I’ll take what I can get,” he responded.

“I will direct the trackers to help you once you leave this room. They will need to meet Cora as well to be able to follow the lines to her family,” she informed them.

“Thank you. I am forever in your debt,” he said as he stood and bowed deeply to her.

“More than forever,” she laughed lightly. However, Cora could see that she wasn’t joking.

*

*

*

A week had passed, and still Cora had not heard a word from the fairies or Pierceton. He had stayed in the land of the fairies and sent her back to his home. She and Fang were left waiting, unable to go outside. Pierceton had said he had placed barriers around his home to protect her, but cautioned her to remain inside. If the hunters had a sorcerer with them, he would be able to sense her through the barrier outside his home, but he would not be able to sense her inside his home. She sat by the window, looking out over his garden, which somehow didn’t seem to need to be cared for. Almost, though it was magical.

Then suddenly, the front door lit up and swung open. Pierceton stepped through a moment later with a brilliant smile on his face. She did her best to repress the feeling to wrap her arms around his neck. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed him until she saw him.

“So?” she asked, feeling impatient.

“We found your relatives.” His expression wasn’t that of success, but of someone who had bad news they had yet to share.

“Is it bad?”

“Yes and no...” he started and then stopped himself.

“Please just spit it out,” she huffed.

“They were supposed to be relatives, but they were your parents. However, they have another daughter. She isn’t their daughter... she’s an exact replica of you.”

“How do you know she isn’t my sister?” she asked. Her parents. He had found her parents. It was far better news than she had expected. They were supposed to just be relatives, not her parents.

“Someone is cloaking her to look and act like you. It’s magic. I can sense it.”

“Then we just have to prove it,” she said, as though it were an easy task.

“I can undo that kind of magic. It’s been active for around the last ten years. The effect that it has had on your parents is unknown. They may not react well to having the spell lifted so suddenly,” he said with a sigh.

“So, you’re saying that you found my parents, but they don’t even know that I was taken and replaced by a fake?” He nodded.v “Then what should we do?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never encountered this in all my years.” He seemed defeated.

She drew in a sharp breath. “You said you were the best. You said you could not be defeated, and now you won’t even try?” She felt anger beginning to bubble up inside of herself.

“There is only one way to prove who you are and that there is an impostor in their home. However, it could still shock them too much...” he told her thoughtfully, appearing apprehensive.

“What is it?” she asked as she reached out to him, grabbing his sleeve.

“You shift,” he responded flatly.

“But... I thought you said that I couldn’t until I turned eighteen...” she whispered, feeling defeated.

“Yes...” he said as he took her hand. She felt a shock race through her body.

“There must be another way!” she pleaded, tears welling up.

“I can break the spell, but I don’t know if it would snap them out of it. The spell has been active for so long that their minds would still see the wolf as you for a while longer. Then, bringing you in to try and prove the other wolf isn’t you could cause them to think that you are the impostor,” he explained slowly.

“But...”

“I thought you didn’t want to be a wolf,” he tried to lighten the mood, but it fell flat.

“I want my parents...” she began to cry.

In an instant, he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her to him. His warmth soothed her, but also sent small electrical shocks through her body. “We’ll figure something out,” he promised. “Once you can shift, the spell won’t stop them from knowing you are their daughter because your scent will be strong enough to overpower any of the spell that remains after I remove it, but until then, your scent is not strong enough.”

“Two years,” she sobbed.

“Less, I’m sure your birthday isn’t far away,” he tried to help her look at the bright side.

“Next month,” she mumbled.

“Next month...” he repeated. “Then a year and a month...”