The Man in the Box (The Box book 1) Read online

  Chapter Fifteen

  I explain as best as I can with Sin interrupting every other word. The whole time, my parents remain completely stone-faced, Father stuffing his mouth with food and occasionally wiping off his thick beard and mustache as easily as if we were talking about farming.

  At least Rose is properly absorbed in the story, gasping and laughing at appropriate intervals. Every time she makes some sort of noise, Sin eyes her as though she’s doing something wrong.

  The only time Ma speaks is when I explain about convincing the wizard to leave the village.

  “You spoke to him?”

  She stands from the table and starts to pace, occasionally shifting the position of the flowers in the center of the table or stacking the used dishes.

  “I didn’t have much choice.” I make an effort to sound reassuring, though I know I’m not telling her what she wants to hear.

  “You didn’t say anything about Loraine, did you?” Her face is suddenly lined with worry. “Or tell him which house you were going to?”

  “Of course not,” I say. “I waited until he was gone before coming here, and I never mentioned Loraine.”

  “Perhaps I should lock the doors and close up the windows to be sure.” She starts to hurry around the house.

  Father stops her with gruff, “Don’t be daft, woman. If a wizard decides to come here, a few windows and locks aren’t going to stop him.”

  “He won’t come,” I say, though no one seems particularly convinced. I look at Sin, expecting her to agree, but she continues to frown while staring past me. “He won’t.”

  “He’s not the only wizard I’m worried about,” Sin says.

  She reaches her hand into Lou’s purse and pulls out the box. I grimace.

  “They’ll have noticed by now, and if they aren’t already at Gran’s house, then they will be soon.” She traces the features of the box with her index finger. “Are we sure they won’t follow us through the portal?”

  Ma gasps at the idea. “What have you gotten yourself in to?”

  “What have you gotten this family involved with?” Father sounds about ready to run off a purchase a crossbow so he can spend the rest of his days sitting by the door to ‘keep everyone safe.’

  I ignore them and focus on Sin. “Between the door in her house and this box, your grandmother was an interesting person.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” she says with a smile.

  For a sorceress to become guardian of not one, but two portals, she’d have to be extremely powerful. It’s no wonder her family was being watched by wizards even after her death. Though it’s obvious she kept the portals well hidden or else the entire Sword would have been sent to find them, rather than just two members.

  “There’s magic cloaking both the door and the box,” I say. “If it’s powerful enough to have gone unnoticed for this long, it should be powerful enough to remain hidden from Stewart.”

  Sin isn’t convinced. “But what if it isn’t?”

  “It’s your grandmother’s magic,” I remind her. “Do you trust her?”

  While Sin sits back in her chair and looks thoughtful, Rose stands up and leans over me to get a better look at the box.

  “It doesn’t look like anything special to me,” she says. “Simply a boring old box.”

  When she reaches out to touch it, both Sin and I move to stop her. I grab her hand while Sin pulls the box back close to her chest.

  “I didn’t mean anything.” I guide Rose back to her chair. “I was only going to touch it.”

  “Well, don’t,” Sin says.

  “It’s okay,” I say. “It’s just better if it doesn’t get opened.”

  Rose sits and crosses her arms over her chest, her bottom lip slightly out, though she seems more frustrated than sulking. “Why? What’s in there?”

  “That’s the problem,” I say. “We don’t know.”

  “But, it’s so small,” she says. “What could possibly fit in there?”

  I’m hit with several different emotions at once, from the fear of falling into a strange world where everything’s so large, to the amusement of Lou’s strange dance to deal with the surprise of my arrival, and finally the despair of realizing I’ve failed her. It leaves me drained.

  “I did.”

  “How could you have fit in there?” Ma’s round chin quivers and she wipes her hands on her apron over and over, though they are already clean. “Were you hurt? You could have died. Do you understand? It’s not a sensible size to be. Everything could have killed you. Never do it again, do you hear me?”

  I can’t help smiling as her words turn from frightened to scolding, though I make sure to keep my mouth well hidden behind a strategically placed hand.

  “How can a box do magic?” Rose speaks up when Ma shifts from scolding to cleaning and muttering to herself. “I understand it being used as a tool, but you said the box itself decided to take you, and managed to keep you small, even after you passed through the portal.”

  She has a point. If a sorceress simply attached her magic to the wood, it wouldn’t be able to do what the box is capable of.

  “A spell can’t renew itself,” I say aloud. “Magic doesn’t grow back, except when it’s within a sorceress, or else wizards wouldn’t have to constantly steal magic. As it is, once they use what they have, then it’s gone. They must find more to replace what they’ve lost. The same should apply to the box.”

  “Well, apparently it’s different,” Sin says a little too casually.

  She has no idea what it means if she’s right. If the box actually can renew the magic within it, then there is no wizard in the world who won’t kill to make its secrets their own.

  I’m not sure if Ma sees the potential danger, or if she’s still upset about the fact I fit inside the box. Whichever prompts her, she suddenly announces, “We have to get rid of it.”

  “No,” Sin says. “Not happening.”

  “We can give it to the wizards willingly.” Ma tries to convince each of us in turn with beseeching eye contact. “If we do, they may be grateful enough to leave us alone.”

  Sin leaps out of her chair, the box tucked carefully within her arms. “Didn’t you hear me? I said it’s not going to happen. You are not touching this box.”

  “The girl is right,” Father says. “We can’t simply hand it over.”

  “Thank you,” Sin says, happy to have an ally.

  “The wizards are too powerful as it is,” Father finishes. “Something like this will only make life for the rest of us more difficult.”

  “So then we get rid of it,” Ma says. “As I said originally. Throw it in the river, let the water take it.”

  Sin backs from the table until her back is against the wall. “You are not throwing my Gran’s box anywhere.”

  “What do you want us to do then?” Ma turns on Sin. “Wait around until wizards come and pry it from our cold dead fingers? I say we toss it away.”

  Father strokes his beard and says, “We should destroy it. If we use Aldric’s sword it shouldn’t be difficult.”

  My hand automatically goes to my hilt. It’s a viable option. Lou proved the blade could not only cut through anything physical, but any magical one as well.

  “I won’t let you.” Sin’s voice becomes more frantic when she sees my hand and realizes she’s outnumbered. She turns to me with a desperate look. “It’s the only link I have to my gran. And to Lou. You can’t do this.”

  “It’s not up to you, girl,” Father says. “I’m sorry for your loss, but I need to keep this family safe. Destroying the box is the only way.”

  “I’ll deal with the wizards,” I announce. Everyone turns to look at me, surprised by my sudden and odd contribution to the conversation. “The magic of the box is already hidden. The only ones looking for it are in another world entirely, and the rest are ignorant to its power. The box and this house are safe for now.”

  “For how long?” Ma says.

  I
don’t have an answer for her, so instead I say, “The only other option is for Sin and I to leave with the box.”

  Sin is about to argue, but I catch her eye and she stops.

  Ma stops fussing and places her hands on her hips. “You most certainly will not. You are my son, and I won’t have you running off to get yourself killed. You will stay right here and we will deal with this as a family.”

  “Fine,” I say while trying not to sound too pleased.

  There’s a moment when the others realize I’ve managed to both calm them down and get my own way. My parents attempt to act as though nothing is wrong while Rose keeps turning to me with her lips parted as though she wants to say something. Sin watches me, her expression blank.

  It was too easy. I’d been trained at the University to be able to control others. The most important ability was to make others feel like it was their decision in the first place. I used my training against my own family, and they aren’t pleased.

  After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Father shovels the last bit of food into his mouth and stands up from the table.

  “Guess I should be heading back to work.” He leans over and kisses Ma’s cheek before heading out the door.

  “I need to go home,” Rose says.

  “Not a word,” I remind her, though I know it’s not necessary.

  “Course not.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Ma announces. “We’ll see if there’s any chance of salvaging Aldric’s tunic and shirt. If anyone can, it will be your mother.”

  Sin waits until everyone leaves before saying, “I suppose you expect me to thank you.”

  I’m too tired to continue our argument from earlier, though I can tell that’s where her mind is headed. “I expect you to keep out of trouble.”

  When I walk toward my room, she attempts to stop me, but I ignore her. I probably should feel more hesitant about being alone with Lou, but I can’t stop myself. Even without her magic, there’s something about her that draws me.

  I unlatch my sword and set it on the floor so it’s easier to sit with my back against the door. I feel Sin follow me, but with my weight against the door, it won’t budge for her. She grunts her frustration and stomps away. A few seconds later, the whole building shakes as she slams the front door.

  It’s probably not wise letting her loose in this world, but I’d feel worse leaving Lou by herself. I have no idea if she’s aware of anything going on around her, but I like to think she is. It’s why I spent every day with Loraine.

  Both of my hands push through my hair before covering my face. How did I let this happen? Again.

  Fitzroy had been the same as ever when we arrived at my house after our initiation into the Sword. Or I’d thought so. He was so polite, and as charming as ever. Even in the first meal my family shared with him, I knew he was winning my entire family over. I’d actually been pleased.

  And then Loraine and Fitzroy would disappear for short periods. I hadn’t thought too much about it at the time. Or maybe I ignored the warnings my gut sent me. Either way, I should have noticed the change in Fitzroy. He started to become distant, and quiet. The only person who seemed to matter at all to him was Loraine.

  Rose was the one who noticed them on the ridge and realized something was wrong. She raced to get me, but I was too late. Loraine’s power was gone, and so was Fitzroy.

  By peeking through my fingers at Lou, I feel less guilty about staring. Though nothing will make me feel better about my desire to touch her. It’s wrong. I know it is. She’s barely alive.

  A shimmer of something reflective on her neck has me on my feet and walking over to her. Without meaning to, my hand reaches to brush the part of her neck where the chain touches and I pull the blanket a little further down to see the rest of her necklace.

  The container I’d travelled within rests against her skin, causing a cluster of emotions to rise. I push down all but the pleasant and think about the way she’d been so reluctant to carry me, and yet so cautious once I was in her care.

  Ignoring the sensible part of my mind telling me to walk away, I rest my palm against her cheek and lean forward until my nose brushes her ear.

  “It’s time for me to look after you,” I say.

  The part of me telling me to go wins the internal battle and I step away from her. After grabbing my sword, I force myself to leave the room. I could sit with her all day, but it won’t help anything. I need to come up with a plan.

  I find Sin outside, sitting on the front step with the box in her hand. I watch as she twists it around, examining it from every angle.

  When I’m about to speak, she says, “You know what I don’t get? Why’d Gran let this fall into Lou’s hands? Gran was so careful to keep her magic a secret from both Mom and Lou, and then she leaves something like this behind? If she had of ever said anything to me about it, I could have kept it hidden from everyone. No problem.”

  “Why’d she tell you about magic?” Sin twitches at the sound of my voice as though I’d hit her rather than asked a question.

  “After I discovered what I could do, she had no choice.” She starts to smile but stops as though she changes her mind. “Though, I suppose she could have tried to block the memories from me, like she did with Lou.”

  “She took her magic and blocked her memories?” I fight the anger building in me and attempt to speak without growling. “Pleasant woman.”

  Her shoulders stiffen like an animal being challenged. “It was for Lou’s safety.”

  “She’s very safe now, isn’t she?” I have no more patience for the trouble those two put Lou through.

  “You don’t understand.”

  I have to walk away for a few seconds in order to control myself. Even so, my tone is harsh when I say, “No. I don’t. If she supposedly cared about Lou, then why wouldn’t she teach her how to use her magic so she could protect herself? She should have known how to fight back. Stewart should have never been anywhere near her in the first place.”

  “It’s not like Mom knew any better.” She raises her hands as though to block my words. “And this is my family you’re talking about. It has nothing to do with you.”

  I know I shouldn’t persist, but I can’t stop myself. “Oh? Then why is Lou lying in my bed?

  Her face contorts into something between rage and hatred. It would have been a good time to back down, but instead I continue to challenge her.

  She breaks eye contact first. “It wasn’t ever supposed to come to this. Gran was going to pass everything off to someone else. She should have had time to...” Her voice cracks, but she quickly recovers. “None of this should have happened.”

  It’s obvious the situation is still fresh in her mind, and my own conscience won’t let me push the subject any further. I take a deep breath and attempt to calm myself enough to speak a little more reasonably.

  “Have you tried opening it?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “Think I should?”

  I shrug. “There’s no telling what will come out. It could kill us all or be the one item we need to save our sisters.”

  “Gran never told me any of this existed. If she had of explained more, then maybe we wouldn’t be working blind.”

  I don’t respond since I know anything to come out of my mouth will snap my strained composure.

  “If it’s something like a griffin or chimera, at least it will be small enough to squish, right?” She laughs nervously.

  I watch her every move, my thumb running over the hilt of my sword, ready to deal with whatever happens next. Her finger lifts the latch and I draw my sword from its sheath.

  “A book?” Sin says once the lid has been lifted enough. “Pretty useless at this size though. The print is tiny.”

  I peer into the box and see she’s right. I can’t imagine anyone with the skills or patience to write something so small. It must be wrapped in the same shrinking magic as I’d been. Possibly my blade could cut the spell, but I can’t see magic like Lou c
ould, and I’d be more likely to destroy the book than make it larger.

  She’s about to snap the box shut in frustration when she stops and peers closely at the cover. She pulls the book out and twists and turns it in the early morning light to get a better view. Finally she finds the best position and freezes, her face only inches from the tiny pages.

  “Holy shit,” she breathes. She turns to look at me with her mouth open in shock. “This is one of Gran’s journals.”