“So what are your plans for today?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Well, we’re leaving for Yosemite on Friday night so I have today and all day tomorrow to get everything printed for Caltome.” The opening wasn’t for another week and a half, but with how unpredictable my life has been lately I wanted to finish that project sooner rather than later.
“About Yosemite,” he said, hesitant.
“You think I shouldn’t go,” I said, not really surprised. Robert liked having me on house arrest. I was surprised when he didn't insist on coming with me for the Caltome shoot, but apparently I’d been with people he knew and trusted.
“No, you should go. I just want to coordinate with you.”
“Oh, okay. So you’re going too?” I already knew the answer and honestly I wasn’t opposed to him always being around anymore.
“Of course I’m going, but I think Brett or Annabel should accompany you since you have no way of protecting yourself against Magic and I won’t be able to stay close to you.”
“Oh, okay,” I said unsure of how I felt about Brett or Annabel babysitting me. Having Robert around was one thing, but I didn’t know his sister or Annabel.
“That won’t be a problem will it?” His cocked to the side as he studied the confused expression on my face.
“No, Not at all. I’ll let Becky know we have one more person coming.” My voice sounded stiff even to my own ears.
“Great.” His smile was all business and lacked the warmth I’d grown accustomed to.
“Now if we could just figure out what your vision are all about…” he trailed off.
“About that,” I said, realizing I hadn’t told him about the rest of my conversation with my Aunt.
“About what?” he asked.
“I guess I didn’t tell you because I was so distracted about my parents. My aunt talked to me about the visions and about…” I hesitated, pausing to take a breath. “About my Magic.”
Robert cocked his head to the side and a small smile caught the corners of his mouth. Admitting I had magic was a big win for him. I could tell he was jumping for joy inside, but he was doing a really good job of keeping his composure.
“And?” he asked, wanting more details.
“It’s kinda convoluted. Let me shower and get ready and then we can talk about everything,” I offered.
“Alright.” He smiled and I saw the relief wash off of him.
I bounced back to my room with hurried steps and jumped into the shower. In a rush to get to work and get everything done, I didn’t spend as much time under the hot water as I would have liked. While getting dressed, I realized I also hadn’t said anything to Robert about our souls. I wondered if he already knew, and if he knew the story about King Arthur? I was sure he did, but why hadn’t he ever mentioned it before? I brushed my teeth as quick as I could and threw on some foundation before heading back toward the living room forty-five minutes later.
Robert had also showered and changed into a dark blue button-up shirt and jeans. He sat at the kitchen table writing in his journal again. His hair was still a little damp and he’d shaved. He looked up as I walked over and we both appraised each other for a moment. Damn he was good looking. A small smile played at the corner of my mouth as our eyes met.
“You don’t mind if I come along with you to the studio, do you?” he asked, standing up. “I know you want to get to work, but I’d like to hear what Bethany told you.”
“I don’t mind if you want to tag along, but I do need to get things done so you can’t be too much of a distraction.”
His lips spread into a mischievous smile. “I’ll try my best to behave,” he promised, though didn’t hide his playful grin.
“Right.” I exhaled. “Let’s go then.” I felt a little taken back by Robert’s good mood. He was always so serious. I wasn’t used to him being playful.
We walked outside and saw clouds dotting the sky. The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees in the past few days. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I turned the key over and the engine roared to life.
“About the visions, what did Bethany tell you?” Robert asked as I turned the first corner. He wasn’t wasting any time.
“Well, you were right. The visions are happening because I’m the same as her.”
“A Soothsayer?”
“Yeah.” I mumbled this admission. Just because I was coming around and starting to accept everything didn’t mean I was able to call myself a Soothsayer just yet.
“What did she say exactly?”
“She said I could learn to control my visions.”
“What else did she say? Did she tell you how you were able to come into your magic?”
“She did, actually.” I paused, taking a slow, nervous breath. I didn’t know how to tell him that when he saved me a piece of his soul infused with mine. What if that was the only reason for the attraction between us?
“Care to share?” he asked, sounding impatient.
“Robert, I don’t know if I want to tell you,” I admitted.
“You can tell me anything, you know that.” He tried his best to make his voice sound soothing.
“I know but…”
“It can’t be that bad,” he joked.
He placed his hand on my leg. The electricity that had been crackling between us since we woke up this morning coursed through me. What I felt, the way Robert looked at me, it couldn't just be because our souls were connected. There had to be more going on between us than some Magical bond, right?
His touch broke down my walls and I caved. "It happened because of you,” I explained, “because you saved me.” I pulled up to a red light and looked at him.
“What do you mean, because I saved you?” he asked.
“You know how you said you were either born with a Magical soul or you weren't?”
“Yes.”
“Well, because I wasn’t born with a Magical soul, I had to be given Magic by other means. When you saved me, a piece of your soul bonded with mine and vice versa.”
“Arthur,” Robert whispered and removed his hand from my leg.
“You know the story about Arthur and Merlin?”
“Of course.” He shook his head, still lost in his own thoughts.
“So it’s real then?”
“Yes, it’s real. This is incredible. Healers have tried countless times to duplicate what happened with Arthur and Merlin but very few have ever been able to.”
“What do you mean healers have tried to duplicate what happened?”
“Some healers aren’t as ethical as others. They experiment with humans by trying to pass on their magic to them, but I've only heard of a handful of cases where it actually worked.”
“Why would healers want to pass on their magic?”
“There are two reasons. The most noble, but by no means accepted one is when a child is born to a Magical family with no magic.”
“And the other reason?” I asked, hesitant. If it wasn’t acceptable to try and give a child magic, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what the other reason might be.
“To create your own army of Magical people.”
“Why would someone want to do that?”
“Control, power. The usual reasons people do inhumane things.” He shrugged his shoulders matter-of-factly.
I shivered at the thought of someone experimenting with human life so callously.
“My aunt said I was always meant to get my magic from you,” I said bringing the topic back to us as I parked in front of the studio.
“I suppose she's right.” He exited the car in one swift motion.
I unlocked the front door to the studio and flipped on the lights as I walked in. I was a little surprised with myself, at how calmly I was talking about all of this. I put my purse on my desk and turned on my computer. Robert had followed me in and sat down in the chair across from me. I looked him over while his eyes wandered the studio.