Allium (The Magician – Chapter Seven)

This is the seventh chapter of the serialization novel I am working on, The Magician – < click there to read the other chapters if you missed them.

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Allium

It would not do to ruminate on a long-missing family member, Vanessa thought as she stared off into the distance through her window on the train. There were an exorbitant amount of emotions that simmered under the surface when she thought of the circumstances surrounding that story. She knew she needed to compose herself, given that she was in public.  She did not want to draw so much attention to herself. So, she instead turned her thoughts to the history of the city of her birth instead.

Allium was one of the largest cities in the center of the new country.  It was founded on the site of one of the largest lakes known to man. The city had been erected by both magical and normal settlers many generations removed that had come from the old country, some of whom were Vanessa’s own ancestors.  They wanted a safe haven for those persecuted by tyranny in the old country. The city grew quickly, becoming a bastion of tycoons and capital. While there were problems, as any city had, there was also a rich mixing of history, both old and new. Vanessa could not imagine living anywhere else, despite traveling the world with members of her illustrious family. Nothing felt quite like this city did in terms of home.

While the Tamberlanes had chosen to remain in the more elegant neighborhoods in the northern portion of the city and the Rankins remained on their estate north of the city, Vanessa loved living in the heart of downtown Allium. She had used the funds she had inherited when her father had passed to pay for her apartment, which had great security and a doorman who knew her by name. Some of the members of her family did not understand her need for independence, but her mother did.

Evelyn Tamberlane Rankin had encouraged such independence for her only child. And since Vanessa was fully an adult, she was allowed to come and go as she chose within reason.

She was still under Alexander’s edict, of course.

As the train lurched forward yet again, Vanessa noted the skyline, distinct for its wonderful skyscrapers. She knew that a handful of the buildings in the heart of the downtown portion of the city had the distinctive marks of her noble ancestors, for many of them either designed the buildings, financed them, or played other roles in having them constructed.

An endless sea of parking lots and buildings passed by as Vanessa continued to watch the sights and sounds of the city. Though she had seen this stretch of city more than once, she kept her eyes open as she had been taught to do by her father, looking for minute details she may had missed before. There was a fire escape on one building that had been freshly painted with shiny black paint. There was that engraving on another that she hadn’t quite noticed in the past. Each and every street seemed to have some hustle and bustle going on. She watched a magician casting spells on one sidewalk. On another street, kids were chasing a dog that had gotten loose, running with wildness in the early autumn afternoon.  At one stop, there seemed to be an argument between two normals going on, while at another a magician was helping gather papers being blown about the tracks with a spell.

Vanessa was aware of the way the train seemed to squeak and creak along the tracks over the sound of her music. She was also aware of the ambiance of the car in which she was seated. She glanced around at the other passengers. A couple at the front of the car was chatting quietly, their voices muffled by the noises of the train and the songs that played in her ears. One young teenager sat just across from her, his nose deep in his phone as he scrolled through some social media application. Everyone around her seemed to be simultaneously minding their own business and watching everyone else.

Vanessa got off the train at the next stop and then waited for another train, which would be going in a different route though it looped around the heart of the city as well. She looked up, glancing at the overhang above her head. According to the teleprompter, she had about five minutes to wait.

A man was at the end of the stop, just beyond the turnstile exit. He stood there, proselytizing loudly at the top of his lungs about the world ending. He had cornered one weary commuter and was excitedly talking the man’s ear off about accepting the one true way as the man tried to slip past him to get to the staircase. Vanessa was glad he was not on her side of the turnstile. She probably would have felt as trapped as the poor commuter appeared.

She felt her watch buzz and looked at it. Her mother had sent her a text.

Where are you?

Vanessa frowned as she took in a deep breath and reached for her phone in her bag. She knew she was running late to meet up with members of her family, but she was only going to be a few minutes late.

I’m at the Columbine stop on the el, she texted back. Next train in five.

She could see the chat bubble moving and knew she was receiving a response.  She waited for the message.

Get off at Wilmington. Already sent the car for you. See you soon.

Vanessa sighed as she sent a thumbs up emoji as an answer and went back to her music as she waited.  She ruminated until her train pulled into the station. Though she knew she did not have to, she would do as Evelyn wished.

While Evelyn had given her independence, she also coddled her when she could. Sometimes, Vanessa felt stifled with that coddling, but she was still a part of the Tamberlane family.  That silly decree made her have to deal with the sometimes near-suffocation of members of her family. 

But there was another reason she respected as many of her mother’s wishes as she could. She wanted to honor the memory of her father, Ben. She would because she felt she was to blame, at least in part, for his death. 

Besides, if she allowed herself time to think about it, the events that surrounded her father’s death were because of her own greatest folly. She knew she would spend the rest of her life regretting it.

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What Evelyn did not tell her daughter in a text message was that she was already in the car that was being sent to the Washington exit of the elevated train stop.  Vanessa discovered that when the black sport utility vehicle pulled up and she opened the door.

“Hello, Mom,” she said with a surprised smile.

Evelyn Tamberlane Rankin looked like an older, more sophisticated version of her daughter.  While Vanessa wore a department store blouse and designer jeans she had bought at a trendy boutique, her mother wore clothes that had been tailored specifically for her.  The silk blouse was a beautiful shade of green that brought out the similar shaded flecks in the woman’s hazel eyes.  The black pants had nary a wrinkle.  Upon her feet were the latest shoes from a chic designer.

But then again, Evelyn was also the epitome of fashion.  She had been the owner and operator of one of the most upscale salons in the northern part of the city for many years.  If one were not already a client, there was a waitlist several months long to see one of the elite that worked there.  The clientele was also the older generation and old money.  Many who came were old country rich, but they did not look down upon the Tamberlanes for being new country money.  In fact, the fact that she was as strong a magician as she was a stylist only added to the allure her name brought.

“Hello, Nessa,” Evelyn replied as Vanessa climbed into the car, ignoring the honking cars that waited for their vehicle to move. 

The two exchanged pleasantries for a few moments and then lapsed into a comfortable silence as the radio played some blues music.  The ride through city traffic would be a bit long, but the car was much quieter than the train ride.  Vanessa also did not have to remain circumspect with her emotions in the company of her family and could let her guard down.

After some time had passed, the elder woman looked over at Vanessa and smiled amusedly as Vanessa watched the autumnal scenery pass by with a childlike fascination.  The colors enthralled her, as did the way the sunlight seemed to catch just right.  Even though it was mid-afternoon, the waning light seemed muted and softer than it did in midday in summer.  That kind of detail had always been something Vanessa noticed, just as she noticed many details along the way.  

“Are you pondering again, dear heart?” she asked, reaching out to smooth her daughter’s collar.

Vanessa shook her head as a small smile crept across her face.  She looked at her mother with the same wonderment she had just exhibited watching the scenery.

“Trying to remember the details and the colors so I can try to recreate them later,” she said.  “I know I won’t get them all down correctly.  But Freddy is impressed by my practice.”

Evelyn smiled knowingly.

Frederich “Freddy” Domingues was Vanessa’s childhood best friend.  He lived with his father in a cottage on the Rankin estate and had since he and Vanessa were quite young.  He was a year older than Vanessa and had seen more of the streets in his young life than Vanessa could ever imagine.  Most of the family had accepted him and his father as part of their world even though socioeconomically they should not have been rubbing shoulders.

But Benedict Rankin had rubbed shoulders with Bartolo Domingues once upon a time while working patrol, saw that the man was struggling and knew he could help.  But that help was short lived, partly because Bartolo slipped back into his rapscallion ways once more and partly because Ben had met his demise.  But Freddy had endeared himself to the family and was looked at as an extension of both the Tamberlane and Rankin families.

The fact that Bartolo continued to mooch off of the extended family, working only the occasional odd job, was moot.  Freddy was, in the eyes of most of the family, a saving grace for Vanessa.  He was, after all, the only one who could communicate with her after the death of Benedict many years ago.  He was the one who helped pull her out of her deepest depression.

Freddy worked as a jack of all trades, helping both the Rankins and Tamberlanes procure anything they needed.  He also took care of his father, who often just hid in their little cottage drinking his life away. While that annoyed Vanessa, it didn’t seem to faze Freddy as much.  He had a family in the Rankin and Tamberlane clans to make up for his mostly absent father.

He also knew his way around the city of Allium and had a number of friends as a result, a trait he had picked up when he was homeless. While he was not a magician like his deceased mother had been, he had inherited from her some intellectual prowess that allowed him to see things that others often missed.

Freddy was also profoundly deaf.  While he could read lips on occasion, with much effort, he communicated by sign language and the written word.  Some looked past him because of what they perceived to be a defect, but Vanessa knew better. Freddy was the most intelligent, most loyal, and most cunning person she knew.  Though most of her family had learned to sign to communicate with Freddy, the pair had a code all of their own, made up when they were little.  It was one none of their family could crack and they were proud of it.

As their car turned onto the long, winding driveway of the mansion, Evelyn smiled at her daughter as Vanessa shifted in her seat and began to gather her belongings.  She paused to look out at the sight of the sprawling estate with its large yard and perfectly manicured gardens. 

The lack of density was why the Rankins, who enjoyed their solitude a bit more than the Tamberlanes, remained up here instead of migrating into the city proper.

Vanessa owned a share of this sprawling mansion, inherited when her father had passed away.  Set in what originally had been 50 acres of land generations ago when Felix Rankin purchased the plot, the family had sold and bargained away bits and pieces to gain financially.  Now, the house and land totaled just over six acres, but it was six acres that was theirs.  Best of all, it was six acres with a perfect view of the large lake that all could see from the main rooms of the house.

There was a buzz on Vanessa’s watch as she climbed from the car.  She glanced down to see the text message scroll by.

I see you.

She smiled and waved at the cottage in the distance.  Another buzz quickly followed.

Have fun.  I am here if you need an escape from the suffocation.

She put her thumb up and then waved again.  She signed her thanks and walked up the massive walk to the front door, ready to face her father’s family. Her father’s fate was still fresh in her mind as Ophelia opened the door.

Click here to read the next chapter – Rankins

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Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction written by K. S. Wood, and thus is copyrighted 2023. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.  All rights reserved.

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