Unlike when Alden was growing up, now that I was retired, I had more time to spend with Claudia. As I watched her growing up, she was less and less like her father had been as a child, and more and more like my daughter Ajiana -- she had the same curiosity, and the same joyful sense of humor.
And because I had more time with her, I was able to better instruct her on the knowledge that Ajri was real, and that she had a part to play in its salvation. She was old enough to learn and understand, so no matter what her father might think, there was too much at stake to pretend any differently.
I was discreet about it, not wanting to draw Alden's attention. So when the time came to start to teach her about potions, I intended to start with nothing but a trip to find the required gems with a bit a lesson about geology and magic thrown in.
But I had barely begun to grind the gems to powder when a high-pitched voice piped up from the ladder, shouting "Grandpa!"
I turned back to find her striding up to the gem cutting machine, her hands over her ears to block out the noise. "What are you doing down here?" I asked, shutting off the blades. "You're supposed to be working on your homework."
She had the good grace to look a little guilty, but that didn't stop her from leaning over to examine the cutter. "Finished it," she answered distractedly. "And Reynar went to scouts, so I was bored, so I came to find you."
"Well, I'm always glad when you come to find me," I answered, picking up another gem to add to the hopper. "But you know your father has told you not to come down here. Did you ask him first?"
She shrugged with one shoulder, a gesture I recognized as her father's. Alden would shrug that way when trying to pretend that nothing was amiss. "He's in the barn," she said with practiced nonchalance. "He and mom are in there with Derrick."
"With Mr. Wong," I corrected her.
"With Mr. Wong," she repeated dutifully, rolling her eyes at my formality. "Anyway..." She sidled over to peer into the pot at the alchemist station, which she had clearly been curious about since she came downstairs. "What are you working on? It smells funny."
"Of course it does," I smiled. "It's a potion. They all smell funny."
"A potion? Like in Harry Potter?"
I shook my head. "Not quite," I replied. "Those didn't make any sense at all with all of the leeches, and flies and bits of people's hair. That's not how these things work at all. I am pretty sure that whoever wrote those recipes was just making things up for the story."
She rolled her eyes again at that comment, sighing and shaking her head as if she couldn't believe anyone could be so daft. But she also poked at the pot, watching it bubble in response as the wooden stick moved from side to side. "Is it like chemistry? Like in school?"
"A bit," I said, gathering up the gem dust and stepping over. "But of course I have always called it magic. Would you like to help?" I nodded toward the open book of recipes.
Her eyes lit up as she jumped over to find the mark I had made on the page, showing where I had left off. "...two doses of powdered spetarnian."
"Septarian," I said as I dropped it in.
"Septarian," she repeated. "Now three bunches of red valerian."
"It's over on top of the dresser," I said, giving the pot a stir. "Go and fetch it for me."
She turned to gather it up, but gasped and ducked behind me.
"Upstairs," her father's stern voice commanded.
I put a hand in front of her to hold her in place. "She has a right to know, Alden. She has a right to make up her own mind."
"Let go of my daughter."
"Alden..."
"Let go of her! Claudia, come here!"
"But I want to stay," she started to protest. "I want to help with the magic, and --"
"CLAUDIA! There is no such thing." Alden was quickly getting angry, and none of it was poor Claudia's fault. But we needed to have this out.
"There is," I said calmly. "There is magic, and you and she need to know how to do it."
"Stop lying!" Alden was livid, and even in the dim light I could see that his cheeks were flushed red.
"Just watch," I pleaded. And I pointed at Claudia's feet, gathering energy for a simple charm. But as the sparks of magic began to blink around her, Alden reached out to snatch her off her feet.
"It's just a trick! Why are you doing this?"
"Put me down, daddy!"
"Alden, please. I need you to believe me!" But he was carrying her up the stairs and my words were echoing in the empty basement, just as they had when I'd argued with him before.
That night it was Joline who broke the status quo.
"Do you really think he's dangerous?" she asked dubiously. "Or is he just a little eccentric?"
"Eccentric?! He's got the basement wired for some kind of special effects! It's out of control. And he's taking about how he 'needs' us again, to save the world, or whatever he's dreamed up. I'm telling you, it's like we're in a cult. We'll be the next ones on the news with people saying we were crazy." Alden clambered out of bed, pacing back and forth across the bedroom. "I'm done with him, Joline. He won't listen to what I've told him. He won't leave Claudia alone. I don't want her near him!"
"All right," Joline said quietly, reaching out to hold him still. "All right, Alden. There's nothing saying we have to stay here anymore."
"But where are we going to go? What are we going to do We don't have any money, and we don't have anywhere else to live!"
Joline shrugged, chewing on her lip for a moment. "We could go to Champs Les Sims, I guess."
"Where?"
"Champs Les Sims. My family has a cottage there. It's not much, and it's kind of small. We would need visas if we want to stay and I don't know what we would do there, but --"
"We'll go. Tonight."
"Alden!"
"I told you. I'm done with him."
And so Claudia was pulled out of bed in the middle of a dark, snowy night, bundled up in a warm coat and blanket, and carried out to the car.
Suitcases were loaded, ferry tickets printed, and my hopes for Ajri drove away while I slept.
