CHAPTER FIVE: HIDDEN COMPLICATIONS

~ Marie ~

The kitchen was bursting with activity. People moved in and out the front door, taking plates to the people outside. Others lined up to the left of Abigail waiting for their own plates. Marie thought about leaving and coming back later but was immediately noticed.

“Hungry?” The bride-to-be gave the plate she was holding to the next person in line. Marie got a brief glimpse of the plate before it was taken outside. They were having pork chops with mashed potatoes and corn.

“I can wait.” Several people waiting in line glanced at her but quickly returned their attention to the front. Besides being polite, she hoped she would get served a smaller serving if she waited until the end. The people in line were given three times as much as she normally ate. Did werewolves eat more than a normal human?

“We can’t have you wait. Here.” Abigail handed a plate to Marie. It was stacked high with food and easily double what she’d been giving everyone else. There was no way she was going to finish something like this. Someone walked up to Abigail and pulled her away to deal with something outside. Peter wandered in and looked around.

“Abby outside?” Marie nodded before she realized her solution. She turned to him and offered him the plate. He blinked in surprise for a moment before he grinned. “This for me?” She nodded. It would only go to waste if she kept it. Peter laughed and thanked her before he went to the living room. Marie sat down and waited as everyone else was served. Soon there were only two people left. Marie stood up and got in line. The pack member, who had taken over after Abigail had left, gave her a frown but served her anyway. This plate had a great deal less than what she’d been given before. She sat down at the table and ate quickly. Since she’d skipped lunch, she was able to finish off the plate, leaving nothing behind. Marie used magic to clean the plate before she left it on the table. With that done, she went outside.

There was a large group of people still eating in front. There was no sign of Jesse but she couldn’t see everything from the back of the house. With everyone occupied, she shouldn’t run into anyone out in the forest. Marie went into her room and locked the door before teleporting back to the area Jesse had shown her.

She scanned the area, leaving her magic senses wide open. The magic had already faded from the spot Jesse had shown her earlier. The only magic left in the area was from the spell directly in front of her. Marie moved closer but made sure to keep a small distance between her and the magic. The spell was similar to a barrier in that it covered a single area in a thin layer of magic but acted more like a privacy fence. Marie was unable to see past the spell so she had no way of knowing what it was guarding against out here. This was just a guess but based on the way Jesse had acted earlier she had an idea of what the purpose of the spell was.

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Not once did Jesse accidentally touch the fence even though he had been the closest one to it.

It was like there was an invisible wall around the magic pushing him to move further away and in wider turns. It probably had something in the spell to redirect those who couldn’t sense magic. Marie walked around it as she studied the structure. More than likely it had a way to alert the person who made it. She went all the way around it but there was no opening. She stopped. Did she want to risk going through when she had no idea what was on the other side? Marie stood in front of the fence for a moment before she stepped through and looked around.

A white two-story house with dark grey trim stood in the middle of a small clearing. There was a stone pavement that extended out from the house and through the grass but stopped just inside the magic fence. Marie took the path all the way to the house. The area around the house was surrounded by an array of colors from the many flowers that grew along the path. Even the tree in the front yard was a striking shade of yellow and orange. Marie walked up to the small front porch and rang the doorbell. It was best to go through the motions even if the person already knew she was out here. It took only a moment before the door was opened. A man with golden eyes and long black hair stood there.

“Hello. How can I help you?” He smiled as he tilted his head to the side.

“My name is Marie. I’m the Guardian for this territory. I was wondering If I could ask you some questions.”

“Please come in.” He stepped back and opened the door wider to let her in. Marie went in, keeping an eye on her surroundings as well as the man. He closed the door and led the way down the hallway and into a larger room. Living room by the looks of it. There was one sofa and two chairs, along with three side tables. There was a door to her right and stairs at the back of the room. He gestured to the sofas but stayed standing. “Would you care for something to drink?” She sat down on the sofa and shook her head.

“No, thank you.” Marie just wanted to get to her questions. He nodded and took a seat across from her.

“Forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Leon. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He bowed his head briefly. “Now, what did you wish to discuss?”

“Have you noticed anything odd happening recently?”

“I don’t believe so.” He rested his hand against his mouth as he tilted his head. It was possible he had missed what had happened so close. Unless it directly affected him or his fence, he might not notice or care to notice. It was unlikely that he was working with whoever had cast the magic nearby since dragons generally liked to keep to themselves. Their magic also felt different. This was starting to look like a dead end.

“I just have one more question.” After this, she should just leave. Maybe if she checked the area she might be able to figure something out. Things would be much simpler if only she could catch the person in the act. Then she’d be able to tell whether this was something that would affect the Rite of Accord.

“Marie?” She looked up to see the owner of the voice standing at the top of the staircase. Her job just got more complicated.