Page 39 of The Witches Catalogue of Wanderlust Essentials (Natural Magic #2)

Chapter 22

Kith and Kin

A few days later, Zani agreed to do a favor for Flora. She met her new friend in a quiet shady area of the palace courtyard. She’d agreed to pass a message to Flora’s special friend, Lionel. Lionel was a member of a powerful magic family and a somewhat prominent figure at court. As a wizard esteemed in both magical and Ordinary circles, he socialized with the elite at court. This was probably why Zani had yet to encounter him. Lionel was not a snob. He and Flora had struck up quite the friendship in the library, despite the fact that his family would never approve of his association with a shifter. Nor would hers forgive her for risking their safety by pursuing a relationship with such a dangerous, inappropriate beau.

This hadn’t stopped the young would-be lovers. If anything, it made them more determined.

Zani searched the courtyard, looking for the man Flora had described. Tall and handsome, with broad shoulders and an endearing smile. It could have been any of the young men conversing on the benches. She sorted them by jacket fabric then. Flora had said Lionel would be wearing a brocade jacket. She was about to give up when she thought she glimpsed a blessedly familiar figure pacing around a small fountain in the shade, just around the corner.

She almost burst into tears.

“Will!” she called out, rushing forward.

He was colorfully dressed as usual, in a multicolored jacket, but his stockings and shoes were period perfect. A stray red curl peeked out from beneath his powdered wig and she was surprised to see him clean shaven. His face looked so youthful without a beard.

The man turned, and Zani stopped short. It wasn’t Will—though the resemblance was uncanny. This man was younger, with golden eyelashes, blue eyes instead of green, and no lines around his eyes.

“Pardonnez-moi,” she mumbled, embarrassed.

The man studied her with peculiar intensity. “You are the strange seamstress?” he said in accented French. “The one Flora speaks of?”

“And you are the brilliant inventor that Flora told me of?” Zani felt an overwhelming sense of déjà vu as the pieces fell into place.

“Lionel Lathrop.” The man held out his hand to shake hers, and Zani could feel the sizzle of his magic fizzing in her palm. “Enchanted to meet you.”

She could hardly believe she was shaking the hand of THE Papa Lathrop. The same wizard who, with his wife Flora , would establish Primrose Court one day, creating a haven for witches and wizards in the New World. Why hadn’t she pieced it together sooner? And why hadn’t she known that Flora was a mouse shifter?

“I’ve heard such wonderful things about you,” Zani said, attempting to look less starstruck than she was. It didn’t help that his resemblance to Will was so overwhelming.

Papa Lathrop bowed slightly. “Enchanted, mademoiselle. Flora tells me you have such extraordinary tales.”

“They are not tales,” Zani said quietly. “I am, in fact, from the future.”

“Is that so?” Papa Lathrop’s eyes sparkled inquisitively. “Then you must tell me how you got here.”

“How much time have you got?” Zani asked.

“All the time in the world, apparently, if we’re talking about time travel.” When he smiled, his eyes skrinkled up exactly like Will’s.

“Have you ever heard of a porter?”

* * *

Something in Zani’s tone must have resonated with him. After their initial meeting, Papa Lathrop sought her out, both to pass clandestine messages to Flora and to question her about her “visions” of the future.

One evening, as they walked through the quiet gardens after most of the courtiers had retired, Zani took a risk. She showed him a few of the items from her travel kit, including her malfunctioning Pair Tag. The highly technical device should have been centuries beyond his understanding. It had gone ice cold from the time she arrived here, but she still wore it, in the hopes she might someday feel Will’s presence through the veil of time.

Papa Lathrop weighed the device in his hand, considering it with reverence. “This is extraordinary craftsmanship.”

“It’s from the future,” Zani insisted. “My future. Where I belong.”

To her surprise, he nodded slowly and solemnly. “Zani, I believe you.”

From that moment onward, Papa Lathrop and Flora became her co-conspirators. They would meet in the library during Flora’s night shifts, poring over ancient texts on dimensional magic.

“There must be a way to send a message forward,” Flora said one night. She handed Zani a small plate of oddly shaped dumplings she’d pilfered from the kitchen rejects.

“I’ve tried several things, but my wards make it difficult,” Zani explained. “I’ve set up some rather complex protective enchantments to prevent timeline contamination.”

“Such a clever witch,” Papa Lathrop murmured. “You’ve thought of everything.”

“Except how to get home without a porter,” Zani said bitterly.

The nights of research continued without breakthrough. As weeks stretched into another month, Zani finally accepted that she might have to spend the rest of her life in the past.

One evening, after another fruitless session, Flora walked Zani back to her quarters. The mouse shifter had become a loyal friend, bringing small comforts and unwavering optimism. Zani wasn’t sure how she could ever repay this kindness, but she wanted to give Flora something. Something meaningful.

“Please take this,” Zani said impulsively, unclasping the small golden butterfly charm from around her own neck. “I want you to have it, as a thanks for everything. It should make your travels easy and bring you luck.”

Flora’s eyes widened as she accepted the delicate piece. “It’s so beautiful.” She traced the intricate wings. “I don’t know what travels I’ve got to look forward to. Although Lionel and I have wondered…” her voice trailed off. “Anyway, I’ve always loved butterflies, particularly the way they gather to harvest earth magic. Have you ever witnessed mud puddling?”

“Mud puddling?” Zani asked, once again feeling the tingle of synchronicity.

“Oh, yes, I should love to be a butterfly fluttering at a mud puddle!” Flora sang out, making it sound like the most spectacular kind of party. She fastened the charm onto the chain around her neck and threw her arms around Zani. “Thank you, my dear friend. I will treasure this forever.”

* * *

Two days later, Zani was rearranging the flowers in a vase in one of the lesser halls. She was killing time, waiting to deliver a note to Papa Lathrop.

Suddenly, she felt her Pair Tag grow warm. The air in the hall seemed to shiver and pop. Her heart jumped as a familiar sensation washed over her—the unmistakable distortion of a temporal disruption.

She abandoned her task and ran toward the source, ignoring the startled exclamations of passing courtiers. Finally, rounding a corner into an empty corridor, she found him.

Zani blinked her eyes, almost unable to believe what they were telling her.

Will Porter looked messy, and his costume wasn’t quite right, but he felt wonderfully real. Behind him was an older man, dressed much more convincingly. Zani suspected Will had loaned the cloak to him.

“Will!” Zani couldn’t stop herself. She rushed forward and flung her arms around him, nearly bowling him over.

Will staggered slightly, but held her tight. His eyes filled with tears. “Zani! It’s really you. You’re okay. Thank the stars!”

Something shifted inside her. All those weeks of uncertainty, her fears of being forgotten, evaporated. The conflicted feelings about her growing affections that she’d tried so desperately to ignore were no longer confusing. Perhaps she’d been able to deny her feelings for Will before, when they were both in the present. But there was no denying how happy she was to see him. She thought her heart might crack open with relief at the mere sight of him. They were both in the past. Together again, at last in the same here and now.

He had come back. For her.

Everything crystallized into a single impulse. Zani pulled back just enough to look at his face, then impulsively pressed her lips to his, fervently, ardently, and with complete abandon.

Will froze for half a heartbeat, then kissed her back with unexpected intensity. She loved the feel of his scratchy beard against her face. As she tangled her hands in his hair, she nearly laughed out loud with joy.

“I thought I’d never see you again! How?” she whispered against his cheek, which she found as damp with tears as her own.

The older man cleared his throat loudly. “Perhaps we could continue this reunion somewhere less conspicuous?”

They broke apart immediately, both flushed. Zani led them farther down the hallway to a storage closet that she knew would be empty.

“How did you find me?” she asked once they were safely hidden behind stacks of linen and a rack of empty vases. “I’ve been here for over three months!”

“It’s only been three days for us,” Will explained. “But they were the longest days of my life! I wish we could have come sooner, but finding the exact temporal coordinates in your time was nearly impossible. I couldn’t have done it without Burnside’s help. Burnside is the porter I told you about.” Will looked from his friend to Zani.

“The one who famously lectured about time travel, and got himself blacklisted from the major universities?” Zani smiled admiringly at the older man.

“I could barely get a job teaching at the Porting Academy after that.” Burnside chuckled. “Good thing I’d already made my fortune in Ordinary movie theaters.” The porter stuck out his hand to shake hers. “Pleased to meet you, Zanfira Marinescu!”

Burnside pulled a flask out of his pocket and took a drink. He offered the flask to Will, but Will refused.

“We should eat something,” Will said.

“I’m sorry. I have nothing to feed you,” Zani apologized.

“Not a problem,” Will smiled, reaching into his large pockets. He had two sandwiches, a half dozen cookies and two chocolate bars. He seemed to have come well prepared. “This one’s for you.” He handed the gold foil-wrapped bar to her. “I know hazelnut nougat is your favorite.”

She could have kissed him again. So she did. Burnside rolled his eyes and took another swig from his flask. “It’s always about a girl,” he mumbled.

“I’m just so grateful you’re here.” Zani wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye. “Both of you.”

“It’s all thanks to Burnside,” Will acknowledged between bites of food. “I couldn’t have come without his help.”

“My pleasure.” Burnside grinned, revealing his sparkling blue tooth.

“How did you figure out where to look for me?”

Will gently touched one finger to her bare throat. “Your charm—that little butterfly pendant you always wear. I remembered it looked exactly like the logo of the Mudpuddle. It wasn’t just a coincidence. My hunch was right. I knew it the minute Minerva showed me her great-great-great grandmother’s necklace.”

Zani gasped. Of all the clues she’d tried to leave, this one was the least intentional. “Flora’s necklace? I only gave her my charm a few days ago.” She thought about this. “Come to think of it, she mentioned mud puddling!”

“Your gift created a temporal anchor,” Burnside explained. “Something noncoincidental that exists in both times. That’s a large part of how we found you. It’s always easier to navigate via items like that. It’s not just the physical continuity of an object, though. There has to be a shared emotional meaning. That sort of connection creates a timeless link. It’s not entirely unlike a ley line…” Burnside mused.

“We can discuss this more later, Burnie. We really need to get going.” Will finished his second sandwich. “Zani’s been stuck in the past for long enough.”

“Wait,” Zani replied. “There’s someone you need to meet first, and I have a message I need to deliver before I go as well.” She lifted Flora’s note from her pocket. “It won’t take very long. Follow me?”

She led Will and Burnside to the palace courtyard, where she knew Papa Lathrop would be taking his morning stroll. More than likely, he’d also be musing about his latest plans for the device he wanted to call a “Gearheart Locket.”

She wondered what his reaction to the two porters would be when he met them. As open-minded as the wizard had been, she suspected he still nurtured a seed of doubt about her far-fetched tales of time travel. When they finally caught up to him, he was pacing in circles around the fountain, head down, with his nose buried in a book. Zani did not know how anyone could walk and read simultaneously like that without stumbling. She tapped his shoulder.

“Lionel Lathrop, I’d like you to meet my friends Will and Burnside. They are both porters. The travel companions I was telling you about?” She stressed the word travel.

Papa Lathrop’s expression when he looked up and his gaze landed upon Will was priceless. The two men stood motionless, facing each other like mirror images across time.

“Extraordinary!” Papa murmured. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

“Sir?” Will began uncertainly.

“You’re a Lathrop!” Papa exclaimed. “I would stake my reputation on it. My bloodline is unmistakable.”

Will swallowed hard. “I, uh, okay. The thing is, I never knew my family.”

“Yet I know you,” Papa replied. “Blood calls to blood across centuries. And you are certainly, without a doubt, my kin. I only wish we had more time to get to know each other.” Suddenly, his eyes bugged out as he noticed the Gearheart Locket hanging around Will’s neck.

“May I?” he asked, examining it carefully, almost reverentially. “The craftsmanship is exquisite. I’ve been working on something similar but only in sketches. I dare not build it in any workshop here using the king’s silver, lest the court claim it as its own. And I wasn’t sure if it would work.” He suddenly pulled his hand away in surprise. “It buzzed at me!”

Will hesitated only briefly before removing the locket. “Take it,” he said. “It works. And I think you’re meant to have it.”

“Will—” Zani interrupted, fearful of changing the timeline.

“It’s okay,” Will assured her with a smile. “I’m still fully warded. I haven’t shaken any of your spells. I think this is us ensuring he’ll make it in the first place.”

Papa Lathrop marveled at the locket, staring at it in disbelief, and then Burnside made a clicking sound with his tongue.

“I don’t wish to break up this reunion, kids! But I’ve found that once you’ve done what you came for, the shorter the stay, the easier the departure.” He tapped a finger on an imaginary watch.

Will, Zani, and Burnside headed back into the hall where they’d arrived with Papa Lathrop in tow. They took turns embracing the beloved patriarch before preparing for their departure.

“Wait!” a tiny voice squeaked. Flora rushed toward them as they were saying their last goodbyes, the butterfly charm bouncing at her throat. She was holding Zani’s satchel. “I was spying in the courtyard. You don’t want to leave without your bag!”

“Thank you, Flora!” Zani exclaimed. She couldn’t believe she’d almost left her beloved satchel behind. She’d just been so happy to see Will that nothing else seemed to matter.

“You’re taking her away from me?” she stared warily at Will and Burnside. It wasn’t so much a question as an accusation.

“I’m going home,” Zani replied gently, embracing her friend. “And quite happy to go, though I will miss you dearly, Flora. Thank you for believing in me, even when my story seemed impossible.”

Flora smiled through her tears. “Perhaps we’ll meet again, in another time.”

Burnside gestured to the wall, which was beginning to dissolve. “It’s time.”

Zani climbed onto Will’s back. Will placed his hands on Burnside’s shoulder. The air began to vibrate around them as the portal widened and took shape.

As they stepped through, Zani couldn’t resist one last glance back over her shoulder.

She knew she would never forget the image of Papa Lathrop holding the Gearheart Locket up to the light, his young face awash with wonder and inspiration, and Flora beside him, her hand clutching the butterfly charm at her throat.

Then they were gone, spinning through the corridors of time, homeward bound at last.