Diamond Fire

In the happy commotion nobody noticed me, Rivera, and several of Rogan’s soldiers walking into the kitchen, where the waitstaff and the caterers were preparing and plating the various courses for the reception. Nobody paid me any attention as I walked up to a middle-aged woman with recently bleached blond hair. She was straightening her waiter’s uniform.

“Kelly Waller?” I asked.

She glanced up, a flicker of panic in her eyes, but I had already cast my magic lure.

“Give me your gun,” I said. And she did. And then she and Jeremy followed me meekly out of the house and into a waiting armored vehicle. So ended the story of Kelly Waller, without fanfare, with a whimper, as she deserved.

Whatever happened to her after this, I didn’t feel bad for her at all. Her son, Gavin, was at the wedding and would have eaten the poisoned cake. Her hatred was so strong, she was willing to sacrifice her child to it. I wrote an email to Rogan and Nevada outlining the whole thing. It was my wedding gift to them. They would read it later when they had a chance.

I had watched Nevada and Connor dance under the glittering strands of lights hanging from the trees. They looked like they had stepped out of a fairy tale. Happiness lit my sister’s face and it made everything worth it. She took care of us for so long. She deserved to have all the happiness in the world.

They were still dancing, but I was worn-out. I wandered through the house, away from the fading music, until I ended up in Mrs. Rogan’s study. She hadn’t bothered to lock it. I sat on the window bench and looked outside at the moon.

I felt so tired and empty.

I wanted to cry.

A mechanical whisper made me turn.

“There you are,” Mrs. Rogan said. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude into your private space.”

“You’re not intruding. I wanted to thank you for helping me. It was a very heavy burden to put on someone so young. If I had known how difficult it would be, I probably wouldn’t have asked you to do it.”

“I didn’t mean to ruin the relationship between you and some of your family members.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. You didn’t cheat, you didn’t steal, and you didn’t plot to profit from my son’s misfortune. You seem so sad, Catalina. You’ve done so well. Everyone is proud of you. I thought you would be celebrating.”

The words kind of tumbled out on their own. “I don’t belong here.”

Mrs. Rogan frowned. “Here where? In this house?”

“No. In this space.” I wasn’t explaining it very well. “Before Nevada met Connor, we all pretended that we were ordinary. Even after she met him, when I had to use my magic, I could still pretend that those were isolated incidents. Nobody knew I was a Prime except for people we trusted. And then we became a House. When I was working on this wedding, I had to use my magic. And it worked. I had tried things that were purely theoretical, and they worked.”

“Why is that cause for concern?” Mrs. Rogan frowned.

“Because my magic always came with a price. It was only to be used as a last resort. There was no expectation placed on me. I didn’t place any expectations on myself. Now I have learned I can use my magic just like any other Prime. There is no hiding from it now. The next time I’m involved in an investigation for our family business, I will likely use it. Sooner or later, people will realize I’m a Prime and that scares me.”

“Because being a Prime puts you in greater danger?” Mrs. Rogan asked.

“No. I know how to be Catalina Baylor, ordinary person. I know what’s expected of me. I have no idea how to be a Prime. I don’t know what the rules are. I need the rules. They make me feel safe. As long as I followed the rules for using my magic, nobody got hurt.” I waved my arms. “All my rules are gone. I don’t know how to be. I don’t know when other people are breaking the rules and how I’m supposed to react to it when they do. Like this room.” I pointed at the bench where I sat and the colorful pillows. “I don’t know how to mix these patterns together. If I tried, I have no idea if the result would be tasteful or tacky. I feel like I’m drowning.”

I should not have said all that.

Mrs. Rogan leaned back in her chair. “When I left Spain and came here with Connor’s father, I felt like I was drowning too. I didn’t know anyone. I had no idea how to be a Prime in Texas. I didn’t know what was expected of me and I couldn’t tell if I was making a fool of myself. But I learned. All those things you have listed can be learned.”

“I don’t have anybody to teach me.”

Mrs. Rogan smiled. “That’s not true. You have me. And I have nothing but time. I think we should start with fencing. I suspect there is a lot more to the way you move your sword than pure luck.”