Page 53 of The Witches Catalogue of Wanderlust Essentials (Natural Magic #2)

Chapter 30

A Porthole to the Past

B urnside collapsed onto an overstuffed Victorian style couch in what appeared to be a library or a study of some sort aboard a ship. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined one wall, the shelves loaded with leather volumes. All the classics were there, their titles stamped in gold foil.

On the opposite side, a blue velvet upholstered banquette-style dining area was positioned to take advantage of the view through an oversized porthole. Currently, the matching velvet curtains were drawn, but the room wasn’t entirely dark. It was bathed in the golden light of warmly flickering gas lamps mounted on the paneled walls.

Zani smelled the clean, masculine scents of teak oil and leather, and something else. Something sweeter, like fruit. She’d need a moment to get her bearings, but her first impression was that the ship was a homey place. It felt warm and welcoming to her.

Burnside pulled out his flask, took a nip of his porting whiskey, and then he sat up straighter.

“Welcome to my place, Zani. Please make yourself at home.” He waved a hand magnanimously. “I’d offer you something to eat, but I don’t think we’ll be here long. Some sherry, perhaps?” He pointed to the mirrored bar, just beyond the bookshelves, where cut-glass bottles sparkled.

“No, thank you,” said Zani, taking in her surroundings. “Where exactly are we? I thought you said we were going to my home?”

She saw now that they’d ported in through a large, ornately carved mirror, similar to the one at the Society headquarters. Only this mirror wasn’t hanging in a gallery. It was leaning against the richly paneled wall of the study they were in.

“We’re east of the lighthouse,” Burnside said.

“Why can’t I see it?” Zani peered out the porthole. Judging by the complete darkness outside, it was night. She couldn’t see the horizon, or make out any water below.

“It isn’t lit tonight.” Burnside opened a drawer in the side table beside the couch and pulled out a pipe. He neatly filled it with some cherry tobacco and lit it with a lighter. “And you’d have to be looking out the other side of the ship to see anything from this altitude.”

“What do you mean it isn’t lit?” Zani couldn’t recall a single night that the lighthouse hadn’t been lit. It was almost more shocking than the second part of his statement. “And what do you mean, altitude ?”

“We’re on an airship, my dear!” Burnside chuckled and puffed his pipe. Zani was glad that the smoke didn’t seem to linger in the small space. It vanished like vapor, leaving only the faintest hint of a fruity scent behind.

“Airship as in dirigible?” Zani asked excitedly.

“That’s right, my dear. Now grab onto something, if you will. Hold tight!”

At just that moment, the ship dove. The crystals hanging from the wall sconces clinked together, and the entire ship creaked. Zani heard machinery grinding and groaning as they pitched down and to the right. She grabbed onto the back of the banquette seat to steady herself, grateful that the piece was anchored to the floorboards.

“Ah, it’s just about time.” Burnside blew out a puff of smoke and nodded to someone else coming through a door toward the back of the room. It hadn’t occurred to Zani that they might not be alone. The younger man nodded back at Burnside, and flashed a friendly, curious grin at her. It was only when she saw his tooth sparkling that she realized that this man was also Burnside Porter. Just not the same Burnside Porter who was sitting on the sofa.

The younger man crossed to the front of the chamber and opened a heavy door leading to a narrow walkway outside. A great gust of wind blew in as he opened it, blowing her hair back and rattling the crystals. It slammed shut immediately behind him.

“What’s going on? Where is he? I mean, where are you?” Zani looked from the old man, to the door that just shut, and back to Burnside again.

“Watch closely, now.” Burnside stood and directed her to another bay of larger portholes that served as a windshield at the prow. After they were both seated in the well-cushioned captain’s chairs, he pointed toward the shadows on the horizon. “You should just barely see the lighthouse off the port side now. I hope you’ve brought those special hearrings of yours?” Burnside glanced at her bag.

“I have.” Zani reached in her bag and fished the shell-shaped hearrings out of their case. She showed them to Burnside.

“You’ll need them if you’ve any hope of listening in.” He cracked his side of the windshield open and leaned out into the night. Then he waved for Zani to do the same.

“The year is 1905.” Burnside narrated the scene. “And I was here to port an infant mermaid to safety.”

Zani glanced at him to be sure she’d heard correctly. “But what does that have to do with my aunt?”

“Watch.” He pointed outside.

She recognized the coastline they were floating over immediately. It was the same but different from the coast where she’d been raised. The outline of the dimmed lighthouse was unchanged, but the beach and rocks around the shoreline seemed much wider. Time and tide, she supposed, claimed some of that area back by the time she was born.

The night was dark, so dark that she was tempted to scrabble into her bag for her Lunar Lenses to see more clearly. The cat-eyed reading glasses were spelled to provide perfect night vision, amongst other things. But there was no time. The airship was moving quickly, still losing altitude as it cruised along the water towards the shoreline.

And then suddenly, she saw something. At first, she thought the two small dark figures skimming along the surface were birds. Cormorants perhaps. But then she saw they were not birds at all. Rather, they were two young witches, each the mirror image of the other. And they were chasing something. A streak of light that was moving through the water with unaccountable speed.

The dirigible dipped again. They were gaining on the girls, coming closer, lower, lower …

“Look out!” Zani gasped, fearful of a collision. The girls split apart, one to the right of the ship and one to the left. The one she could still see was looking up, not at Zani, but at something, or someone else towards the prow. Zani leaned out further to see. She could see the younger Burnside had made his way around to the front of the ship. He was now standing directly below them on a narrow scaffolding, preparing to jump.

Instinctively, Zani grabbed onto the old porter’s hand.

They both watched as his younger, lone figure took a step onto the railing and dove neatly from the prow.

“I didn’t see them…” Burnside commented sadly. “I wasn’t expecting anyone but the Mer messenger to be there. And she was faster than me. She got to the child first.”

Zani watched, vaguely horrified, as Burnside fell toward the water, almost colliding with the young witch hovering below. He broke the surface neatly. But she fell off her broom.

The witches would not have been able to see what Zani could from her vantage point, with her enhanced vision. Which was that as Burnside Porter broke the surface and kicked his legs to dive deeper, he transformed. It was only a matter of seconds until he became a more aquatic creature with a long, slim blue tail. Zani gasped.

“You’re a Siren!”

“Half,” Porter corrected. “Almost all porters are hybrids. My mother was a Siren. She served the royal family. As have I through the years. I’m most comfortable on land, but I can transform when necessary, and breathe beneath the ocean.”

“I thought there was a war going on between the Sirens and Merfolk?” Zani asked.

“There is, but many Sirens remain loyal to the Mer,” Burnside pointed to the scene below. “Save your questions for later. There’s more you must see now.”

“Minodaura!” the second witch wailed. “Sister!”

For a second or two, the fallen girl’s broom hovered there without her. Then it turned itself stick down and plunged in after her.

The remaining witch flew back and forth frantically, skimming the surface and searching. But their airship was blocking what little light the night sky afforded and the streak of light below had dissipated. There was only a distant glow now. The young witch reached for her wand and drew a bright light from the tip. Desperate, she plunged the tip beneath the waves. But it was pointless. Her little light was no match for the darkness of the depths all around her.

“Sister!” she wailed, leaning forward. She thrust her free hand into the frigid water, as if she meant to reach in and pull her sister out. “Minodaura!” she desperately called out again, reaching deeper, voice choked with emotion.

Zani felt herself choking up. Where had her aunt gone? And who was this girl calling her sister?

“I am here, Philadaura!” Minodaura shot straight out of the water, still seated on her broom. But that wasn’t the most impressive part. Under one arm, Minodaura was clutching a tightly woven basket.

When Zani saw the twin sister’s warm fingers reaching out to lace together, she almost couldn’t believe it. She gasped and almost cried at the joy and shock of it.

“Who was that?” Philadaura asked, glancing up at the dirigible. “Do you think they are pirates?”

“Probably! I’ve heard they’re using airships now.” Minodaura shrugged. “I don’t intend to stick around long enough to find out. We need to get this child back to her parents. Whoever was carrying her must have gotten spooked. She was just floating down there, all alone. And would you look at this?”

Minodaura pulled her hand away and reached into the basket, retrieving an ancient-looking amulet. It glowed a curious shade of red that was enchanting to behold. She held it up in front of the other girl. Philadaura was clearly mesmerized.

“I bet this is what they’re after!” Minodaura said, glancing up at the airship suspiciously. She pulled the chain to the amulet over her sister’s head. “Bring this back to the lighthouse. The wards will keep it safe and we can return it to the Merfolk after the danger has passed. I’m going back in to see if I can find her parents. They must be so worried about her.”

Minodaura glanced downward. There was still a faint glow in the waters beneath them, but it was impossible to judge at what depth.

“You can’t be serious.” Philadaura shook her head. “How will you breathe?”

“I’m with her.” Minodaura gestured to the basket. “The sea will not take me while she’s in my care.”

“But what about the pirates?” Philadaura gazed up at the sky, and then down below again, no longer sure in which direction the threat lay.

“I don’t know.” Minodaura shook her head gravely. “But I doubt any pirate can swim faster than me on my broom. I’d like to see you try, you nasty pirates!” Minodaura screamed up angrily at the airship.

“Is she all right?” Philadaura asked, gesturing at the basket.

“Yes. Sleeping, if you can believe it.” Minodaura smiled, peeking inside again.

“And what of her parents?” Philadaura asked.

Minodaura shook her head. “They can’t be too far away.” She glanced down at the pale flickering light below. “I think that might be them. We must hurry.” Quickly, she embraced Philadaura. “I will see you back at the lighthouse, beloved sister, and not a word of this to Father!”

This was the last thing her young aunt said before pointing her broom back down toward the unknowable world beneath them and vanishing.

“Wait!” Philadaura called after her. “I don’t want to go back. How can I go back before I know that you’re safe?”

Burnside gripped her hand tighter now. “I know I don’t have to tell you that you shouldn’t try to intervene. We cannot change history,” he warned her.

“I couldn’t if I tried,” Zani said. “I’ve warded myself to make it impossible.”

“I know,” said Burnside, “But this next bit is difficult, and I don’t want–”

Before he could finish his sentence, the Siren that was Burnside shot out of the water, his face a mask of feral fury. He held the basket under one arm, and Minodaura, still clutching her broom by the stick, under the other. He turned a cold, hard gaze on Philadaura, baring his sapphire fang.

“Thief!” he roared. “Give me back the princess’s stone!”

“Let my sister go!” Philadaura shouted. Her fingers were wrapped around the chain.

“Don’t you touch her!” Minodaura screeched, flailing for her wand. Zani wasn’t sure whether she was speaking of Philadaura, or the baby, or possibly both.

With another roar, and a show of strength that could only be described as supernatural, the Siren hurled Minodaura toward the shoreline. Next he shot into the air and lunged at Philadaura, dragging the chain over her head. But Philadaura refused to let it go. She clung tight to the chain as he dove back down into the swirling vortex of an impromptu, underwater portal.

“Oh, no!” Zani cried out. “No, no, no, no, no!”

But it was too late. She saw the portal was already closing, and the water was already growing placid, as if there had never been a struggle there at all. There was no sign of Philadaura. She scanned the horizon.

“Where is Minodaura?” she asked Burnside. “What happened to her?”

“Your aunt made it home just fine,” he answered.

“And the other girl? Philadaura?” Zani stared down into the water in disbelief. She said the unfamiliar name anxiously.

Burnside shook his head, sadly.

“Your aunt’s twin disappeared that night, Zani.” Burnside stared down remorsefully at the ocean, with tears in his eyes. “I can only carry one passenger when I port that way and my mission was to save the princess. I am very sorry. I thought they were there to harm the baby. I did not intend to hurt your great-aunts. This night…” Burnside choked and looked away, patting his pocket to find his flask. He took a long swig and calmed himself before continuing. “This night is the scene of my greatest regret. It was very difficult for me to watch this. By the Goddess’s grace, Minodaura has somehow forgiven me, with time. But I have yet to forgive myself.”

Tears were rolling down his cheeks now, and Zani was not sure what to say. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the old man’s thin frame and hugged him.

“You didn’t know,” she said. “You couldn’t have known.”

* * *

For a short while, they both stared out into the night, saying nothing. Finally, Burnside rose to his feet. “There’s one more stop. Are you ready?” he asked.

Zani rose as well, but Burnside shook his head at her. “You don’t need to get up. We’ll port there in the ship.

“You can do that?” Zani’s eyes were wide.

“It’s a custom build.” Burnside shrugged. He opened a cabinet and turned a series of knobs. Then he placed his hand over a mirror and closed his eyes. “Hang on,” he said.

She saw a bright flash of light, similar to a bolt of lightning, outside the cabin. Then, in less time than it took to blink, the entire cabin rippled, vanished, and reappeared. Zani braced for another dive, but none came.

Burnside sighed. “You can open your eyes now, Zani. We’re here.”

“That’s it?” Zani said, surprised that the port was over so quickly. “And where exactly is here?”

“Same day, seven minutes later. I thought you might like to see where I went next.” Burnside said. “In case you were wondering.”

“I was wondering about the baby,” Zani confessed. “What happened to her?”

“I left her with my half-sister and my brother-in-law,” Burnside confessed. “They were desperate to have a child.”

Zani looked out the window as they sped by a couple arguing on the beach. The woman wasn’t dressed properly for the cold. She was wearing little more than a nightgown and running toward the ocean. The man was chasing after her with her coat, begging her to see reason.

“They can’t see us,” Burnside commented. “The dirigible has sophisticated cloaking spells.”

“Is that them, then?” Zani asked.

Burnside nodded.

Farther down the beach, the dirigible came to a stop. They were hovering just above the boardwalk now. Night was yielding to morning, and the sky was streaked with light. Zani watched as the younger version of Burnside emerged from the water, still holding the bassinet. He was naked, aside from the bloodstone amulet hanging around his neck. His skin seemed to glow, still showing the sheen of scales.

Stealthily, he crept up the beach and under the boardwalk. He deposited the bassinet there, and quickly dressed himself in warm clothing that he must have stashed there earlier. He glanced over his shoulder. The couple was still headed his way. Young Burnside kneeled down and peeked into the woven bassinet. He bent to give the sleeping child a kiss on the cheek. And then he said something to her. It was difficult to hear over the sound of the waves crashing, and from such a distance, but Zani could just barely make it out.

“I’m sorry to leave you like this, Ondalune. But you should know, I’ll never be far. You can always call on your Uncle Burnie.”

He reached into the basket and withdrew the bloodstone.

As he stepped away, the child wailed. Young Burnside glanced once more at the couple and then took off jogging up the beach and out of sight.

It was only a few moments before the couple discovered the crying baby. No longer a mermaid, she raised her chubby arms and kicked her newly made legs as she cried.

“What is your name?” the woman asked the child as she bounced her. “Wherever did you come from?”

Zani turned to study the elderly man sitting beside her in the dirigible. “It must be so strange to look back on your life like this,” she commented.

“A bit,” he agreed, “but nice in a way, too. I was happy to help them. And living with an Ordinary family was the last place her father’s foes would expect to find Ondalune.” Burnside smiled wryly.

“Weren’t you afraid they’d discover she was a mermaid?” Zani asked. She couldn’t imagine how such a thing could remain a secret for very long.

“My sister figured it out before long, of course.” Burnside frowned. “She was furious. My half-sister didn’t care for my kind. She convinced everyone that her child was deathly allergic to ocean water. Even the child.”

“And the bloodstone?” Zani asked.

“It stayed safe in the Arcane Archives for a little over seventy years,” Burnside answered.

“Until it was taken by Larkspur Lathrop on Halloween in 1978,” Zani said. “The same night as your lecture. Amrita said she traded it for a clove cigarette.”

“Indeed.” Burnside nodded, folding his fingers together. “To some rather repulsive vampiric oligarchs who were visiting from abroad. But I think you’ve already made their acquaintance?”

“Briefly.” Zani wrinkled her nose, not wanting to dwell on thoughts of the nest she dusted. “Very briefly.”

“This leaves us with only one question now, no?” Burnside raised a brow.

“Where is that cursed stone now?” Zani asked. She took one last look at the scene outside the window of the dirigible. Already besotted, the couple wrapped the child up in a coat now. Younger Burnside was nowhere to be seen.

But there was one other figure on the beach. Crouching behind a sand dune, hiding in the shadows, she caught sight of a now familiar figure.

“By the wand! Is that Cosimo?” She gasped.

Burnside leaned out the window to look. “Huh! I think it is,” he said. “I hadn’t known he was here. But it makes sense. The stone would have summoned him. He’s never far from it whenever it’s on land.”

“Do you think he stole it back from me on the train, then?” Zani asked.

“No, I most certainly do not,” Burnside shook his head.

“Then who? Who else could have taken it?” Zani lamented.

“If only there was a way to go back and see…” There was a slight twinkle in Burnside’s eye now.

Her heart pounded excitedly. She hadn’t even thought to ask Burnside to take her back to the train. Especially since she knew how opposed Will was to the idea. She’d almost begun to agree with him that it was too risky. But if Will’s mentor was making the offer…

“Oh, Burnside, please? Would you take me? Are you sure it’s not too much?” Zani asked. Although she desperately wanted to go, she was growing increasingly concerned for his frail state.

“It would be my pleasure,” Burnside assured her. “And I’m tougher than I look.”

“You don’t think I’m tempting fate?” Zani asked. “Will seemed to think it was risky. But I know better than to intervene. I just can’t imagine who could have done it. My wards were flawless, and there was no sign of tampering. I need to know.”

“You mean you haven’t figured it out yet?” Burnside shook his head. He was biting his lip, barely suppressing a smile.

“Figured what out?”

“Who do we know of who is an expert at working wards and also quite adept at stealing arcane artifacts?” Burnside stroked an imaginary beard as he mock pondered the question. “Hmmmmm? Can you think of anyone?”

“Rattling relics!” Zani exclaimed.

“So you see, it’s my duty to take you back,” Burnside said. “You won’t be changing history.”

“Because I’ll be making it!” Zani finished, excitedly.

“Precisely.” Burnside smiled knowingly. “Shall we get going, then?”