The Lockwoods
Story
1800s (incomplete - leads into the 1500s)
“I mean it, Anne. Put yourself first. Take the chance you have to free yourself from Titus. With time I believe we can find a way to deal with the bond.”
“Before the ritual? You won’t have soul magic after.”
“Others might. It’s how magic worked before.”
“Yes, but I can’t imagine it not being you.”
“Even then you wouldn’t have been free, because you didn’t know about the bond. This time you have a chance, and you’re potentially going to give that up for another life, for me.”
“Not only for you, but for the children you’ll have. All three of you.”
“Leave with Dante.”
“Celly…”
“What I can’t be certain of is if he’d have still made the same choices if things had been different. If I hadn’t chosen Elias over him.”
“Anne…”
“To Titus that’s what I did.”
“You fell in love.”
“He didn’t care about the reasons for what happened - just that it did, and I’d have gone with Elias.”
“Unfortunately I didn’t know what was happening until after the ritual the other times. Back then I was struggling, after the loss of Elias, and Titus… now I know about the bond I think he was affected by me more than he ever wanted to admit, even to himself.”
“Leading to those curses.”
“From what we know it wouldn’t have. Instead of it sweeping Glimmerbrook the way it did it would have become part of our lives much more slowly.”
“Any curse Titus is likely to put on us will be the keep us from using our power.”
“It’s never been that simple.”
“Tell me about the others, Anne.”
“Have you thought about other options?”
“Mother probably has, but I don’t know if I believe it’s the right path for us to walk. This may be how things are meant to be.”
“Titus made a choice, Celly. Nothing more.”
“Had it not been for what Titus did magic wouldn’t be the way it is. We all know that.”
“Even if he doesn’t I at least know I tried something. Curses are complicated, and we’d probably need more time to stop him, but I can’t let him harm you, or the rest of your family, without making an attempt to help.”
“Alice knows what’s happening, but Alexander has been mostly protected.”
“Anne…”
“Celly, I had to try something.”
“Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.” Silence followed her words. “Offering to be by his side for another life, even though it’s the last thing you want.”
“No, I don’t, but it would be worth it if I could save you.”
“He won’t tell you.”
“Only in doing so they made things much harder for you now.”
“I doubt they thought about it that way.” Anne studied Celeste. “Titus has always done whatever he believed he had to in order to keep me safe. When we were talking after Julian I tried to use that, to learn more about the curse.”
“Child Anne was going through her own changes.”
“Like the others I didn’t come into my power fully until later, but I knew it was changing everything.”
“Julian never visited.”
“Not that I remember.”
“Yet he was a part of their plans.”
“Thaddeus and Titus probably thought they were protecting me.”
“Everything seemed fine for a time.”
“To most, yes, while Thaddeus was preparing for the worst. At least I believe he was. Titus and Thaddeus spent a lot of time together during the next two weeks.”
“You’re seeing this from a different point of view.”
“Now I’m able to understand what I saw.”
“I thought Titus was the first Seer.”
“Titus will always say it was Thaddeus, because Thaddeus was the stronger of the two of them, at least then. When magic transformed Glimmerbrook if affected those who were older in different ways. Silas, and many others over fifty, were lost in the first wave.”
“Yes, I know. There are certain parts of this I haven’t asked too many questions about, and how Titus had control is one of them, although I think it’s because he was the one who found the birthplace of magic.”
“He’s stronger, with unusual skills.”
“Similar to Thaddeus, as the first Seer.”
“Titus obviously thought she’d harm you.”
“By then it didn’t matter in the same way. When I returned I’d have my memories, although Titus wanted to keep us together. Had I died at a different time he wouldn’t have had control over who we reincarnated as.”
“You know that’s unusual, don’t you?”
“I believe so. Sibyl was against there being an alliance with the Lockwoods, because she didn’t trust Titus, and I’m certain she saw the first scars. Phoebe did too, but it was different for her.”
“What was Phoebe like?”
“Most of the time Titus kept us apart. He didn’t trust her.”
