the middle of a magical forest.
Her heart thudded noisily in her chest when the cottage came into view. A double story cottage with a thatch roof. Rose’s white rose bushes, her pride and joy, edged along the neat wooden picket fence that ran along the front of the house. The chimney that peeped out through the thatch hinted of years of use, black with age. The front door was open, a sign that her grandmother was home. Conflicted with excitement and sadness, Sienna stopped in front of the cottage and simply stared. Sweet Rose with the strawberry blonde hair, kind eyes, and fierce spirit. Sienna knew she shouldn’t blame her for losing control of her powers the night they’d spelled Mason into a tomb. The fault was all hers for channelling them in the first place, but seeing Sarah die in front of her had evoked such devastation that something inside her had snapped. She opened the small wooden gate, the soft creaking of the aching hinges a dead giveaway of her arrival. Rose appeared in the doorway dressed in a long flowing blue skirt and a white blouse. Rose’s hair, several shades lighter than her own, hung loose around her tiny shoulders in a flutter of soft waves.
“Gran?”
Rose’s face brightened at the sight of Sienna, and the older woman rushed down the porch steps to embrace her granddaughter. “I’m so glad you came!”
Sienna didn’t reply but held onto her grandmother for the several moments it took to regain her composure. Holding her again was like gold.
Rose pulled away and gave Sienna’s outfit a quick once over. “Sienna, dear, you starting a new fashion or something?”
“Archer’s afraid I’ll run so he won’t give me any new clothes.”
“So you traipsed through the forests in his shirt and gumboots?”
“It’s not far and no one saw me.” With a wide smile, she pulled her grandmother into her arms again. “I missed you so much.”
Rose wrapped her frail arms around her granddaughter and smiled. “I knew you’d find your way back home.”
“More like home found me.”
“And in the nick of time too.” Rose pulled away to reveal bold green eyes filled with love and wisdom. She grimaced at the fading bruise on Sienna’s cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Archer gave me some painkillers that have taken the edge off the aches and pains.”
“Do you know who did this?”
Sienna followed her grandmother into the kitchen and inhaled the familiar smell of home. Earthy and fresh, with the faint aroma of herbs. Typical of a witch’s kitchen. Some of Sienna’s happiest childhood memories were of her time spent here. “He said his name is Harper.”
“And you couldn’t fry his ass?”
Sienna shook her head and filled the kettle. “Rose Thorn.”
“I’ve had a dose or two of Rose Thorn in my life time,” Rose replied with an all-knowing nod. “Wicked herb. Is he one of Warrick’s minions?”
“Yes. Has Archer filled you in?”
Rose sank into the chair at the kitchen window and sighed. “Of course. I’m glad you’re home, Sienna.”
Sienna offered Rose a warm smile. “It’s good to be back.” Her time away had been fraught with constant worry for her grandmother. Rose had aged, and even though her powers as an ordinary witch were still strong, her body wasn’t.
“You still have some clothes in your old room,” Rose said, giving Sienna’s shirt and gumboots another glance.
“Ah, I could do with some knickers.”
Rose chuckled merrily as Sienna disappeared through the house.
Sienna’s smile quickly faded the moment she opened the door to her bedroom. It smelt musty, starved of air, as though it had remained sealed since she’d left. It was exactly as she’d left it. Only dustier. The bed was still made, the curtains still drawn, and memories of her life still splashed across the room. Sienna swallowed, trying to push away the emotions that suddenly choked her. She wondered how she’d ever had the courage to leave.
With a brief shake of the head to clear her thoughts, Sienna quickly gathered a few items. She opted for only the essentials, as she’d have to haul everything across the forest. Also, a huge load of clothes would look awfully suspicious – a dead giveaway that she’d gone to see her grandmother.
Naughty, naughty.
When she returned to the kitchen, Rose’s expression brightened. “Tell me about your trip,” she said, placing two steaming mugs of coffee on the kitchen table.
Sienna reached for the coffee with an appreciative smile, not commenting on her grandmother’s choice of words. She’d hardly call a two-year absence a “trip.”
Several hours later, when Sienna suggested that she stay over, Rose wouldn’t hear of it.
“You’re better off with your Keepers, Sienna.” She glanced out the window. “And the sun is setting so you’d best be making your way home. It’s almost time for dinner.”
Sienna would have argued, but as fatigue still reigned, dinner and sleep sounded like an attractive idea. “I’ll come see you tomorrow.”
“Of course.” Rose placed a hand on Sienna’s arm, her touch light and gentle. “I’m surprised the boys let you come here alone.” When Sienna remained silent and simply reached for her gumboots, Rose’s jaw dropped. “Sienna, they don’t know you’re here?”
“If they knew they’d be here.”
Rose gave a low chuckle. “Archer’s going to pop a vein, girl.”
“As if I care.”
The expression on her grandmother’s face cooled. “You don’t fool me, Sienna.”
“I’m fine,” Sienna replied, never having doubted it. She’d always been transparent with Rose.
“And Archer?”
The smile disappeared. “Archer’s also fine.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.”
“You two were always together.” Rose’s eyes were ripe with concern. “It must have been hard to be apart for so long.”
“He was my best friend.” Always had been. After all, his parents had been her mother’s Keepers. At first, they’d spent every day together as neighbourhood friends. Later, after their parents’ deaths when he’d inherited the role as her Keeper from his parents, they were inseparable. But their attraction had grown to the point that it bordered on the forbidden. “I miss him. I miss the way we used to be.”
Rose stood and embraced the younger woman. “Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you two?”
“Nothing happened.”
The older woman pulled back to look at
