Marriage is Murder

"Jack's overdoing it to work a guy with comparatively no time in the gym. He's had Brant in the gym all day," Robert said. "Brant is probably going to be miserable tomorrow, and if he has any sense to him, he'll hex Jack good and proper tomorrow."

"Be careful with those books," Edward said. "None of you can read the runes, so I doubt you'll get much out of them, but do be careful since we don't know if any of them are enchanted or not."

Khaat sat with the book she'd chosen and slowly flipped through the pages. She found, sporadically, beautiful paintings on some of the pages that were made of a paper that was a bit heavier. They were of lovely gardens, and then she began to notice there was a woman in some of the paintings. She was slender, with long blond hair and had some sort of a circlet she wore around her head. Her gowns reminded Khaat of lovely slender princess gowns. In some of the paintings, she seemed to be in the very same garden, near a silver pensieve.

And then she turned the page again and what she saw caught not only her interest but Marcus's as well.

"Well, I'll be," he said quietly. "Look. If I didn't know better, that portrait could be you."

"There is a resemblance," Khaat said, looking at the old portrait of the blond princess. It was very odd to find herself looking into an image she'd never seen before--but one that looked almost identical to herself.

"Do you suppose, since she's with the pensieve in so many of the other paintings, that she's one of the seers connected to this?" Marcus asked.

"I don't know," Khaat said.

Steven nodded to Robert's words " I'll tell him to give the guy a break, and true we can't, well I'm leaving them in your capable hands." he said and stood up. Moving below he found Jack with Brant "Hey you know sometimes we need a break" he said and Jack looked at Brant and nodded.

"Okay" he said and Brant stood up and went to his room. Jack stayed and worked out more "Guess I forget that I need slightly more of a work out" he said and Steven chuckled.

" yes you do but right now why not spend some time with Jess" he said " she would love to get to know you again, even if it is in the bed room " he said and Jack sat up and chuckled.

" yeah sorry about that" he said rubbing the back of his neck.

" nothing to apologize for, I'm sure you had to listen to Cassidy and myself more than once" he said as Jack wiped away some sweat and patted his shoulder.

" yeah more times than I can count." he said and chuckled again at Stevens face.

" yeah well when you have a woman that loves you regardless you want her to know she is loved as much as you can" he told him and watched Jack head up to the main deck.

"Did you find something?" Robert asked, seeing Khaat and Marcus pouring over the book she'd selected.

"Possibly," Marcus said. "Not sure. I can't read it. It seems beyond mere coincidence to me, though."

"Let me see," Robert said. He went over and sat with them. Marcus and Khaat showed him the pictures, ending on the portrait of the woman. Robert's frown had grown with each picture, and when he saw the portrait, he sighed.

"I would agree. This was not coincidence, Marcus," he said. "But I will need some time to translate this before we have any chance of knowing more. She certainly could have been your double, Khaat."

"She had some rank, evidently," Marcus said. "I can't tell if she was a princess or a seer."

"Or both," Robert said. "Its hard to tell. But, yes, she had some nobility. Why don't you let me read it, an I'll translate it for you?"

"What will you do with the rest of them?" Khaat asked.

"I'm going to have Steven and Jack move them off the ship. We really do need to be getting back to England. We've been gone about long enough, haven't we?"

"I suppose."

"Angus," Robert asked, "Have the books packed again. When Steven and Jack are free, I'm going to have them port them off the ship."

"They might well need to take a box or two at a time," Angus said. "Unless we can spare some others to help."

"Yes. It would drain too much magic to take them all at once," Robert said.

Jack walked up on deck to hear his name spoken and the mention of the boxes and knew what they wanted Steven followed behind him. " we'll get started right away " he told Robert "We'll put them in to the lab, unless theres someplace you want us to?" He said and Steven nodded as he moved to pick up the first crate.

" no time like now" he said and ported off the ship. Jack picked up two crates and left. Jess shook her head and looked out over the ocean before she headed down to their room to pack. Walking up she found Robert.

"Shall I return to the main house with you or.." she paused unsure if he wanted her to return to Jeffery or if she had at least done enough to be aloud back with them.

"Jack, you and Steven take the books and take them to my potions lab at the farm. I dont' want them at the main estate. Take Brant with you if you think he can handle a crate. Take them downstairs and simply leave them there. Once they're locked again, I don't think we're at any risk."

Michael closed the crates and saw the locks magically secure the crates again.

"I hope that flower is enchanted enough to last," he said. "Or we'll be locked out for another millennium or two."

"It will," Khaat said.

"That reminds me," Marcus said. He put the lid back on the jar to secure the flower in the lab jar. "That might or might not help, but I'll feel better knowing I at least secured it."

"Agreed," Robert said. "Whichever one of you is most responsible with a potions jar, take that thing and secure it in the lab at the farm. Secure it in the volatile ingredients section.

As he was speaking, Khaat shivered hard.

"Cold?" Marcus frowned.

"Yes," she said softly. She had just lied to him. She got up and went below deck to her quarters. He frowned. Robert caught it.

"Go after her," he told Marcus. "It isn't cold. Find out what she knows."

"I intend to," Marcus said.

"Jess, you have the right to be with Jack," Robert said. "But as I said, your duties will be a bit limited away from bodyguarding responsibilities. Edward, would you be so good as to prepare the children...."

"I...wouldn't do that," Edward said cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Robert frowned.

"I got the same shiver. It always means some sort of trouble. Leave the kids in safety until you know more," Edward said.

"I do not need anymore trouble," Robert scowled. "I do not want to hear that you have one of those gut instinct things about impending doom."

"Then I won't tell you," Edward said.

Both men nodded and left as Jess nodded to Robert. "Understood" she said glad to be close to Jack and her kids again. She looked to Edward as he spoke " was it like a run of cold ice down your spine?" she asked " I got that a few minuets ago when I was in my cabin" she told them " I thought it was just the weather getting colder" she looked to Kate then back to Robert and Edward.

Steven and Jack returned six more times until there was only three boxes and the key left. " I'll take the key" Jack says " I'll put it in your cabinet and bring back the key to the main house." He said to Robert as he picked up a case and the jar. Steven picked up the last two and together they ported to the farm house where they placed them down with the rest of the boxes. Jack walked to the cabinet and placed the jar in it. locking it he hung the key around his neck and together they ported back .to the main house to wait for the others to arrive

"It was," Edward said to Jess. "I never like it when that happens."

Marcus went downstairs to see Khaat had set a pack spell into motion.

"Leaving, are we?" he asked.

"I am," she said. "You can't go with me this time."

"Bullshit," he said firmly. "That's my job. I go where you do. Look at me."

"I'm busy," she said, trying to fold a sweater with one hand.

"Oh, here, let me," he said, making quick work of it. He took hold of her and forced her to look at him. "I know you're afraid. If we need to run, then we run. But you don't do it without me. That's not an option."

"If I take you with me, you'll probably die trying to keep me alive. It'd be a suicide mission this time, Marcus. And I can't do that."

"Its not your choice," he told her. "Its not your life, if that's the mission. Its mine. I'll spend it how I please." He flicked his wand at his bag, to set his own pack spell in motion. "Taking our bags, are we?"

"No. I'm going to shrink mine and tuck it in Brian's bag. He can't come along. He's not strong enough. He can't know my bag is there."

"Oh, give it here, would you?" he sighed. He shrank it and tucked it into his own. "Shrinking things twice is generally a really bad idea. Too much trouble getting the back to size. Leave the bags to me. Where are we going, exactly?"

"London--I think," she said.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific," he said.

"I'm working on it," she replied

Jess looked at Edward and sighed " first for me, I didn't like it " she told them both. It was now she felt something was wrong and looked at Robert worried " I'm not sure but somethings up with Khaat shes agitated so much I'm picking up on it" she said " I swear I'm not intensionally doing it" she looked over at Kate " do you feel it too?" she asked as Brant walked up and looked at every one knowing he'd missed something.

Jess looked at Brant and spoke " were going back to the main house" she said and he nodded heading back down to get his bag he could hear Marcus and Khaat talking but didn't want to interrupt so he continued to his room.

"That merely means she knows more than she's telling," Robert said.

"She's afraid," Kate said. "I can feel her fear."

"Let's not get unwound about it," Robert said. "Marcus isn't about to let her do something stupid." Angus saw Marcus's bag come up on deck.

"It would appear that he's going without his bag," Angus said.

"No. They are," Robert said. "Its a message. He has her, and he's going to handle it. The best for us to do is to do what he expects us to do--go home. If he needs help, we need to be where he will expect us to be."

"You lot go home, and I'll stay with Angus, dock the ship and then follow to help if I can," Edward said.

"That sounds like the best plan."

"Not to me," Brian said, going below deck. He got to Khaat's quarters and found them empty. He was furious. He cursed and kicked the cabin door out of frustration.

Brant looked at Jess and offered his hand as he returned on deck. Jess had heard Robert and Kate. she was prepared for what ever happened and would help best she could. Seeing Brant offer his hand she took it accioing her and Jacks bag sending it ahead to the main house. Brant ported her off the ship.

Arriving Jess saw Jack who smiled to see she was there and he walked over to her. " glad to see Robert let you come back" he said softly she smiled and nodded.

" yes but somethings got Khaat scared and shes left with Marcus , Robert said to let it happen but to be prepared" She told them Steven nodded.

" if Robert said that then we do as he says I'm sure he has his reasons for not wanting us to go after her." He saw Cassidy arrive with her weaving and smiled taking it from her and sending it to their room.