The Seven Spell Stories in reading order

A Spell Cast, Vol one

 A Secret, a move and they all meet.
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Oliver turned to me and with a look of wonder on his face continued, “Think about it, all those years, you could learn so much and do so much. So many chances to be anything you wanted, well maybe it wouldn’t be quite that easy, but the time would be there to try.”

Chloe is eighteen when her family moves to England from California. She didn’t want to move and had a plan to go back home, until she saw Tristan Dearing. Enigmatic and gorgeous, his blue eyes capture her attention and she finds he’s at the center of a mystery that has continued over the last eight hundred years.
She decides to make the most of her new life and as she helps her dad in his restaurant, she meets the lovely Oliver. He’s attracted to Chloe immediately and they begin a special relationship that will last forever.
One girl, two gorgeous guys, friends, lovers, inseparable. Join them on their magical adventures, a reality sprinkled with time travel, witches, and strange events.
This volume is the first part of the beginning story.

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Mistaken identity, deeper secrets, danger and surprises.
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“Well that’s true, but this is about the supernatural stuff. For a few years I kept thinking I might suddenly age, you know overnight I’d become my true age for some reason, and blow away as dust in the morning breeze.”

Oliver is mistaken for a descendant of the ancient Dearing family. Someone is owed and out to collect on an eight-hundred year old debt. How will this change not just Oliver’s life but Chloe’s too? Tristan faces discovery and danger. The three friends fight back until something completely shocking and unexpected happens.
In love with both guys, Chloe is determined to fix the new issues that face them. She and Oliver take on a wizard and find him surprisingly friendly, and so begins an adventure that changes Chloe forever.

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Finding Tristan is the only thing on Chloe’s mind. She is willing to do anything, go anywhere. Mystery, time travel, magic and a life saved.
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“Yes, what else is there to do, and Oliver don’t forget the background information, you and Tristan are immortal, how about believing that?”
The year is eleven-ninety and the waterfall on the ancient Dearing estate is swirling with magic. In the distant future, a young woman is looking for her lost love. Where is he and why?
Subjected to the jealous fury of a wizard Tristan finds himself in a place he thought he would never see again. Chloe and Oliver are out to find him.
What happens to Oliver when Tristan persuades Chloe to help him save a life? A secret is uncovered as arriving back from their adventure Chloe and Tristan discover changes in a world they thought they knew so well.

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A Spell Broken

‘Hello Oliver, we used to know you in a past life. You had my cell phone when I was in another dimension, which turned out to be back in time, 1190 in fact and… er, we’ve changed your life, sorry dude’.

After a fantastic adventure with one of the guys she loves, Chloe returns home through the time travel portal to find her other love has disappeared.
Where is the charismatic, tech loving, kind and gentle Oliver?
What exactly did Chloe and Tristan do in the past that has changed only one thing in the present time?
The loss of Oliver hits both Chloe and Tristan hard and they set out to find him, believing he must exist somewhere in the present.
At the same time Chloe struggles to believe that in saving her life Tristan has passed on his immortality.
A magical urban fantasy, sprinkled with love.

****

Seven Spell Dangerous

"I moved a little forward with my
hand out slightly I thought she would be scared of us, but she wasn't she was
staring at Tristan and her eyes gave her away, she liked what she saw."


Tristan Chloe and Oliver think they are finally safe from the influence of the 800-year-old magic spell that had hung over Tristan's life.
The arrival of a man behaving strangely at the Abbey Museum heralds a new twist in their story.
As everyday life goes on, with Jack Dearing seemingly determined to rid the family of Tristan, and Chloe heading deeper in love with Oliver, a series of bizarre magical things happen to complicate everyone's life.
Does the beautiful girl visitor that catches Tristan's eye mean the end of Chloe and Tristan?
As events spiral almost out of control, Tristan fights to save his home and his relationship with Chloe. 

****

The Sealed Door

A jealous witch, a strange spell. Two gorgeous guys and a
girl.

When Tristan asks the archaeology team to open the sealed
door found in a tunnel below his house, where Chloe lives, a surprise awaits
him.

Trouble is on the horizon from a surprising source. Tristan,
Chloe, and Oliver think they have encountered enough magic to have grown used
to it by now, but they find this latest brush with witchcraft almost too much
to bear.

Who is Lily and better still who is Anna?

As everyday life goes on between magical happenings, we hear
from Oliver and Tristan. Oliver describes his experiences and we find out more
about how he really feels.

The Sealed Door has some interesting revelations about
Tristan's past. He finds himself with emotions he never expected to feel. He
surprises his friends by his actions; this is not the Tristan we have come to
know.

When yet another experience from the past catches up with
Tristan, and the only thing that will fix things is another time travel
adventure.

The love story continues and Chloe finds herself taking her
relationships with Oliver and Tristan to a new level. With a twist in the
ending, The Sealed Door is sprinkled with love, magic, romance, danger and the
unexpected.

****

The Task
 
The three friends and lovers unite at the request of Aristide the old wizard to whom they owe a favor.
Chloe, Oliver and Tristan have not seen each other for nearly three months and now they have gathered to hear the nature of the favor. It soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary favor and the three fall into the habit of calling this favor the task as they talk and prepare for it.
Still in love, Oliver and Chloe take up where they left off and the romantic moments are back immediately.
Tristan is so sad about the part he played in Chloe leaving the country and staying away for such a long time. Does he forgive himself?
Chloe still loves Tristan and the old dilemma of being in love with both the beautiful, immortal knight and the equally gorgeous modern guy Oliver dominates Chloe's thoughts through some bizarre incidents.
Who is Jean-Paul and what is his relationship to Aristide?
Has the magic in the waterfall always been because Tristan has special powers he does not know about, or is it something much more ancient and supernatural?
Chloe faces danger from a surprising source. Time travel takes the reader to a rock concert and to the twelfth century.
There are so many romantic moments between the characters that you just know something is waiting to go wrong.
This book is about love and fate. There are a more than a few steamy moments.
In book five The Task is not just about the favor owed to Aristide it is about Chloe deciding to choose between Oliver and Tristan.
The Seven Spell Saga is a love story you will want to follow to the end.

****

Bartholomew Pike's Spell Book

Book Six follows on from the author's cut in Book five.
The voices of Chloe, Oliver, and Tristan are once again telling the story, and there is a new voice, a simple narrator voice, which tells parts of the story that the three friends and lovers do not know.
New characters emerge, and a surprise is in store for Chloe McGarry, and her two companions Tristan Dearing, and Oliver Tarrant.

The three friends and lovers find themselves embroiled in yet another adventure, this time indirectly caused by the time travel portal on the Dearing estate.
Tristan and Oliver are both in love with Chloe, and she reciprocates. A young woman seeking out Tristan for help arrives on the Dearing estate; her message is about the young knight Gaston. Gaston is in trouble, held captive, and being tortured.
They must attempt a rescue. What can go wrong?

Magic has always followed Tristan Dearing around, his lover Chloe has caught the habit, and now so has the lovely Oliver Tarrant.

In the attic of Tristan’s reacquired house in the White Witch woods they find a cache of antiques. Where have they come from and why does Oliver feel an affinity with them?

Already the trio has found their special abilities evolving, and now Oliver, with his love for technology suddenly finds himself with as much magic surrounding him as Tristan.

In this enchanting continuation of The Seven Spell Stories the romance between the characters takes new turns.
They find new directions for their lives, which have been so changed over the last three years by their meeting.
They try to settle down to use the special abilities they have received from their blood bond with the enigmatic, immortal knight Tristan Dearing.
Does fate let them?

****

An Ending and a Beginning

In this final book of The Seven Spell stories, it’s three years since Chloe moved to England with her family. She has grown up and it shows. Her relationship with Oliver and Tristan has produced some fantastic adventures, and Tristan who sometimes has shown a little jealousy at her loving both him and Oliver, suddenly finds out just how hard it is to love two people.
The voices of Oliver, Tristan, and Chloe continue in this final book as they were introduced in The Sealed Door. In Book five and six, the stories were told by all three, and a different element was added, a narrative voice. That continues in book seven.
Dale and her people attract more danger and magic to Tristan, Oliver, and Chloe as they all try to use their special abilities to help others. They don’t know it but the seven spell that has caused so many adventures in the last three years is far less worrisome than magic that is far older.
When Oliver and Chloe meet the owner of a photography gallery, they find a big surprise awaits them. Tristan was sure he wasn’t being influenced by magic but is he right?
What is Dale’s destiny? Will Chloe and Oliver actually get engaged?

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The whole series is now free on Smashwords, Nook, KOBO, and other retailers.

Interview with Oliver Tarrant

Welcome Oliver Tell us about yourself and the book you star in.

Thank you for inviting me to interview.

Well I think Tristan Dearing said it all in his interview a couple of weeks back. I’m not going repeat all about the books. I looked at the blog too and it’s got a lot of information about The Seven Spell Saga, so let’s just say I’m a character in the books. I start out being just your average guy and end up being different shall we say.

That’s because of Tristan saving my life. He rescued me in book one from a wizard who had kidnapped me thinking I was Tristan. Tristan has special blood, which he didn’t know about for , can you believe, 800 years! Anyway he saved me and changed me at the same time into an immortal.

I still try to be normal, you know I keep my job at the restaurant as a wait staff member. That’s where I meet Chloe and I don’t mind telling you, I knew I loved her from the outset, but it’s been a bit difficult as she loves me and Tristan.

Now in the last book I think I get my wish of having her all to myself but it’s an illusion. Well book six, Bartholomew Pike’s Spell Book has us seemingly being a real couple. Tristan finds someone else. It’s too good to be true, right?

Right. He doesn’t think he’s been influenced by magic but everyone has been. It’s complicated and it’s a surprise, but although we are looking around to do something better with the special abilities we have developed, and that’s true and real, there’s something else going on with magic. Naturally (laughs) since that stuff has been hanging around Tristan all his life.

There’s an event that is supposed to happen in someone’s destiny, and we have all been lined up to fulfill it.

I maybe better stop telling you this stuff.

Book Seven is due to be released December so it’s going to be in that.

What else can I tell you about me? I’m into technology and love computers and stuff. I really care for Tristan too you know like a brother and that’s why it’s been so easy to cope with the fact Chloe loves him too. I’m pretty laid back but I do have quite strong emotions. I’m blond and brown eyed, Tristan’s kind of opposite he’s blue eyed, dark hair, we are sort of reverse twins. (Smiles)

I like to think I’m a good guy. I want Chloe, but you know I also want things to work out well for everyone.

Oliver, I know that we all want to be different, so what is the one thing you wish your creator had done differently with you?

Well now that’s hard to answer. You know what I can’t think of one thing. I’ve had a wild ride in The Saga and I know I’m not a warrior type but I think I’ve done some cool things and been there for people. I’m hoping it will not end to be honest.

If you could have added something to the story, and your creator would have let you, what would that have been?

I think it might be chock full of magic, time travel, adventure, happiness, angst and weirdness already so I might have added a little more quiet times. As we have all grown up, you know I’m twenty-one now and Chloe is twenty, I think I would have liked a few more love scenes. (Laughs)

What do you love best about yourself? What do you like least?

I love my ability to understand the Chloe loving both Tristan and I thing. I think I actually accept it in a very philosophical way.

What I like least? I suppose like everyone I have my moments of self-doubt. I think it’s not so much what I don’t like as what I haven’t done. You know I’d like to go horse riding. (smiles)

What part of the book was the hardest for you and your creator to work through?

I need to talk about book seven again. I think I’m going to marry Chloe but things might not work out that way. 

Clearly there will be another book, but do you think that will be the end of the saga?

It will be the end of The Seven Spell saga because the seven spell in question will be completely dealt with, but it’s not the end of our adventures, well I hope it will not be. I know the author is writing a special post about the actual seven spell and that will be published in a couple of weeks time.

Can you share one of your favorite parts of the book without giving too much away and tell us why you chose it?

In book seven you mean? It would be when we go up against Dale’s brother is pretty cool. We have Bartholomew helping us naturally and there are some very tricky magic things happening. I like that part as I get to do some sword fighting.

Anything else you would like to tell us Oliver?

I think I might have said enough, there’s bound to be some secret I have let out that I shouldn’t have. (Laughs)

Oh yeah I have a final secret to let out, I think the cover might be changing. In the preview you see Tristan isn’t on it, Bartholomew is there with Dale in the magic storm. Well Chloe kicked up about that and we think (Tristan and me) that the cover is changing as the graphics are all being looked at by the author again. (Smiles)

You must think I came here just to let out secrets huh? (Smiles) 

Thank you Oliver for joining us today. I hope that you enjoyed yourself and I hope that our readers enjoyed it also. 

I did enjoy it, so thanks again for having me as your guest. Thanks to all the readers of the saga, I’ve had a great time sharing my adventures with you.

 

Tristan Dearing interview

Welcome to the blog Tristan and thank you for agreeing to be interviewed.

You look very young in your pictures can you just refresh my memory? How old are you?

The pictures do wonders for me. I'm 841 years old. Well preserved huh? (smiles)

What is the name of the book where we'll find you? Can you tell us a little about it?

"There are nine books where you’ll find me. The Seven Spell Stories is the name of this series.

It’s new adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy, stuff. That’s genre speak for stories people aged about 17 to 24 might like. I say might because people read outside the box all the time don’t they.

The books incorporate real life with all these fantastic things going on between the characters. As the series goes on and a couple of years go by it does get a little steamy in the love scenes.

It’s weird because although Chloe and I are in love, she loves Oliver too. I think it’s safe to say now that will always be the way. I mean really we’re not normal, we don’t love normal lives, Oliver and I are related way back in history, Chloe too down through time has always been with us somehow. We’re not giving each other up now we’re all in the same time together and now all three of us are immortal. Why?

The books involve, our magic, time travel and our epic love story.

As the series of books progresses it spans about three years, and we do have a lot of adventures. Chloe falls in love with Oliver and with me. That’s hard at times and in book four I very nearly drive her away, but we get together again.

Chloe is twenty+, Oliver is twenty-one+ and I am---- well I just told you that. We’re almost used to the magic that keeps cropping up in our lives and since I saved their lives, and then Chloe saved me, we’ve developed some special abilities. Oh yes that was so weird very nearly dying.

I wish the author hadn’t given a choice of endings in book five. IT’s all very well having reader interaction but the seven spell story hadn’t finished. I know why she did it though. She had lots of emails asking for Chloe to Choose between us. So she gave those ending choices for readers who wanted to step off our story with Chloe having only one love.

Then naturally she picks our story up again and something very strange happens to set the scene for the final two books in the series.

We’re having a holiday right now…I know that’s hard to understand, but you think we’re not real. How do you that the author isn’t just telling you the story of three people she met on her travels. She lives nearby and she’s always into history and spooky goings on, she’s pesky sometimes.

So, we’re on holiday but when we come back we’re moving into Hawthorns together. That causes a bit of a stir (laughs) but the fact is we pretend it’s for our business and that we share the place, but in reality it’s because that’s it, we’ll live together forever now, and we have our own bedrooms. The author does actually let readers into the love scenes a little too. Chloe wears both mine and Oliver’s ring and we wear the ones she gives us. Mmm maybe I’ve just let out a secret…

What do you think of the author? Be honest. We won't tell.

"I’m certain you will tell but I don’t care anyway. She’s great. I think she really likes us three, me, Oliver and Chloe because she gives us all chance to talk, starting in book four, and she gives us all chance to really explore our feelings. She’s been committed to us so that we grow, and develop, and certainly, Chloe and Oliver get to grow up, mature, and re-define their lives by the end of the series so I think that’s cool. She’s let us show our love for each other with lots of romantic moments in the books, so that’s good of her."

How do you feel about the story you're in?

"The story is a lot about me and my history. It allows me to find things out about my family and past that have been kept from me. It gives me love and friendship. I have some very cool things happen so I really like it. It’s a love story, and about friendship and how people grow. It's a story about magic and time travel and really what people do for love."

Do you like being a character in the books?

"I enjoy the freedom of being a character in these books because I do have a lonely existence until Chloe comes along and starts to tell my story to the author. I enjoy having more friends and openness in my life."

How do you see your future? Without giving anything away about the story, naturally. What do you know about your author's plans? Can we expect to see you in any future stories?

"I’m in this for the long haul because the author likes me and because I am a principal character. I feature strongly in book six and seven. There is also a spin off in the pipeline at the moment. It’s about our ‘adult’ lives and so it can’t be called anything with the seven spell in the title. There will be more books now the seven spell has been dealt with. I can’t say too much as it will give the plot away."

Let's say they make a movie about these books. Who do you want to play you, and why?

"That’s so hard to answer.

For two reasons, I want to play me (smiles) and I don’t know many actors. Also I think it might be hard to find someone enough like me for the author not to just say well you do it Tristan (smiles)

Seriously, I can’t answer. I suppose if it were to happen the author better sit in on the casting and make the decision as she knows exactly what I look like, all my mannerisms and what I sound like. Maybe I could watch from the wings."

Tell us three things you really love and please don't include people.

"I love horses, and animals in general.

I never get to say much about this but I love the sea.

I love the countryside.

Can I have one more?"

Yes okay,

"Apples, I love apples, music, and swords, I love swords too" (smiles).

You know that's more than three things don't you?

(Smiles again) "I love so many things, after all 800 years is a long time to fall in love with the beautiful things in life."

Welcome Chloe,

Thank you for inviting me, and it’s a pleasure to be here. 

Firstly let's do the ordinary interview then we might get to the news about new stories.

Give up three of your deepest, darkest secrets.

Oh no, I hoped we'd have a less frightening opening to the questions.

Three secrets,

•       I don’t want to get married ever to anyone

•       I don’t want to stop seeing either Oliver or Tristan, so I want them both (smiles)

•       I hate my name

If you could have one super power in your existence, what would it be?

You’re kidding?

You’re not.

Well how could I possibly want more than I have but I came to answer the questions so I think given the things I get up to invisibility might be the way to go.

If money were not an object, where would you most like to live?

I live where I want to be. As long as I am on the Dearing estate I’m happy.

Just answer these questions as quickly as possible.

Chocolate or vanilla?-----chocolate

Dog or cat?----Both and horse too, after my adventures I can't leave out horse

The film or the book?----- the movie, the TV series and the book

What’s your favorite food? Cake (laughs)

What kind of car would you have if money was no object?

You know I love my old Jeep Wrangler but I’d have a new one, hard top because it’s colder in the UK than in California.

Jeans or dress? jeans

Heels or flats? boots always

Beach or Ski resort?

Beach (grins)

Flowers or chocolate?

Flowers

You say in the first book that your favorite color is blue has that changed at all over the last three years.

Yes I’ve started to really like purple too now.

Partly because of a dress I bought and went to dinner in with Tristan, and partly because of how cool Dale looks in purple and the boots she's given me that are purple.

Is there anything you would have changed about the way the books are written? Would the writer have listened to you?

We've made a lot of changes to the books in the last six months. For one thing they were sent away and completely reedited. That doesn't mean the story changed. The first book has to be told the way it is. You have to know how Tristan, Oliver and I met. You have to know about Max and what he does to Oliver because that's the start of the immortals story. So the first three volumes of the story deals with each part of our first months together. Then of course there's the story of finding Oliver, which is another book. 

Then there's the way I grow up. I'm pretty sheltered whn I first rock up in the UK. I change. I also start to fit in. You can't help picking up some of the words they use, but I still have my accent. I still call a phone a cell, I still say mom, although Clare calls her mom, mum, I haven't fallen into that yet. It's too weird huh? 

The writer listens all the time. She changed the cover for me too for the story six and then seven.

You get the chance to have the author change your name what will it be?—
 I think I’d like something that is less popular. It feels like every other girl is called Chloe now. Maybe I’d like an old name like Maud, or Emily, or a place name.

What do you think of the author?

I think she’s brave.  Our whole story is really a love story, and that’s why she’s brave because she’s put out there the notion that you can love two people, and I do.

 How do you feel about the book you're in?

It’s a little weird seeing your life out there in front of the world? I feel in awe of the whole adventure. I mean who would have thought that all this would happen when I moved here from LA. I've come to see it as my destiny unfolding. I was meant to meet Oliver and Tristan and we're meant to be together.

How do you see your future? Without giving anything away. 
 It’ll be a bit of a surprise, although I understand Oliver was over here telling secrets a few days. Oh yeah and then Tristan. We have a few more adventures to tell people about, but they're not about the spell. Bartholomew took care of that. They're about the life we have together, well at least some of it.

 Let's say they make a movie about this book. Who do you want to play you, and why?

I hope they don’t make a movie. The story is much too personal for it to be a movie. It’s my life and it might draw attention to us, although all the real places we live have been disguised by the writer. I would actively protest against a movie being made.

What do you love best about yourself? What do you like least?

I like my compassion, and my just do it attitude. I don’t like the way I can lie without missing a beat, but you know I’ve had to because otherwise people I love might have been hurt.

How did you meet the writer?

I met her on the plane over from LA, and then weirdly saw her again in a coffee shop in town after a few things had happened to me. We just got talking because she loves old places, and in the end I started to tell her my story, and she began to record it.

Can you share one of your favorite parts of the books?

There are so many things that have happened to me that’s hard.

I’ll choose two if you don’t mind.

1. I think it’s when I came back from California, where I disappeared to when Tristan had left town. Here’s a little part of our meeting again when I came home to the Dearing estate. It’s from The Task.

Tristan had tried hard. He kept his distance all the time Oliver was with us, but now he stood up as I came into the kitchen. He made a little sound like a whispered ‘uh’, and clasped me to him. I held him close as he pressed his face against my neck and then turned it into a kiss. It was totally gorgeous and made me come out in goose pimples. I started to smile. I moved to hold his face and kiss his lips. “Tristan,” I said his name, and he looked at me.

“Chloe, do I have to wait until tomorrow to spend some time with you, to talk about what a complete idiot I was. I know it’s late but could you find an hour maybe for me?” He seemed about to kiss me and then stopped to wait for my answer.

“Let’s take my netbook upstairs, we can talk in my room. I think we need that privacy, mom will be along soon to make herself coffee.”

He nodded. I closed the lid of my netbook, and holding it in one hand took hold of Tristan’s hand with the other.

In my room, I placed the computer on my desk, and turned to Tristan. I was thinking I really needed to hold him close. I moved closer thinking how blue his eyes were, how much I had missed him, and he started to kiss me. It felt as if we'd never been apart. As I kissed him I thought how much I loved him and wanted him, how much I cared about him. He suddenly moved away from me and walked to the window, he looked out into the darkness, and then without turning around he started to speak.

“Chloe, I wish I hadn't gone away. I wish I'd come back sooner. I wish I'd done what Oliver asked me, and called you. I just hope you forgive me, and I so hope there is a chance that you might understand what happened. I know it was ridiculous and I actually don’t know now what I was thinking of.”

I wanted to comfort him despite anything that had happened, because I'd left too. I was no angel in this whole situation. I walked to the window and hugged him. I thought let me hold you, let me love you and he bent his head to mine and kissed me.

It was very intense. It was so good to be kissing Tristan again that I let myself focus on the feel of his lips and his hands on my waist. I wanted to forget everything that had happened and get back to being close to him. I unbuttoned his shirt a little and kissed along the base of his neck. He moved back from me.

“Talk to me about leaving, about my leaving, about things,” he whispered.

I took his hand, sighing, “Ok come and sit down,” but I meant lie down and I led him to my bed. We sat side by side and he held my hand in both of his. He looked down at my hand in his and shook his head. “It’s so hard to think I did that ridiculous thing. I mean really after all I had ever said. Do you have any comment at all Chloe?”

I moved my left hand, which he wasn't holding, along his upper arm, trying to give comfort. “Tristan, only that I am so thankful it’s over, that I love you dearly and felt totally distraught every day I was without you. Maybe we could just forget it,” I said softly. I didn’t know what else to say. Oliver and I had just fallen back into loving each other and behaving just the way we always did. I wanted that to happen with Tristan too. I put my head against his shoulder and thought, Tristan I'll always love you no matter what.

He smiled a little sadly, as he turned his head to me, and whispered “I'll always love you too, no matter what.”

Copyright T.Stokes 2011

*****

2. This snippet is when I’ve been stabbed and Tristan takes care of me.

From Book three The Seven Spell: Dangerous

When we went back to the table Oliver was grinning at us, and began saying he'd expected Tristan to be able to dance like Corbett, but he guessed that Tristan was better at horse riding than dancing.

Oliver danced with Clare as James and Tristan started talking about the sealed door under the hunting lodge. I listened interested because maybe now Tristan had the deeds to his house he wanted to get the door opened.

I looked around for Lily or Samantha because I wanted some bottled water, but not seeing either of them, I began walking up to the counter at the back of the room to ask for some.

It happened really quickly, one minute I realized Emma was in front of me and she was saying, “Tristan his mine, I love”, and the next minute she had stuck a knife into me. I had turned, ironically to hear her better, and the knife missed my stomach because of this, and went into the soft part of my body between the top of my hipbone and bottom of my ribs. I was shocked because I felt the cold metal go into my body and she grimaced at me. “You dead now”.

I hadn’t realized she spoke any English, even heavily accented, and I thought strangely, perhaps she'd learned these broken phrases especially to say to me as I watched her expression.

I swallowed as she carried on walking as if nothing had happened and I put my hands over the handle of the knife she'd stabbed me with. I turned around feeling dizzy, and my mouth had dried up. I found the crowd parted a little as I went towards the table where my jean jacket was draped over the seat I was using. Tristan was still talking to James. I grabbed my jean jacket and put it against my body. I didn’t know if I was bleeding. I knew it couldn’t kill me, but it hurt, and I felt queasy. Somehow, Tristan realized something was wrong and stood up looking at me.

“I’m not feeling well. I’m going to get some fresh air,” I said as loudly as I could, and it sounded like a whisper to me, but James turned, and looked at me.

“You do look pale, Chloe, even in this light.”

Tristan said, “I’ll go with her. James will you tell Oliver when he comes back please?”

He came around the table to me and we somehow got through the room to the front door and out into the night air. It was crisp and quite cold. I went straight to the wall just up from the front doors and leaned back onto it, taking my jean jacket from the knife sticking in me.

Tristan gasped. “What the hell, who, how did this happen?” He was taking his shirt off and then pulled his T-shirt quickly over his head.

“Emma just came up to me and said you were hers, and I was dead, and just stabbed me. It hurts.” 

He had put his shirt back on and got the T-shirt in a wad. “I'm taking the knife out so you can heal, you'll be okay, really. It will hurt, but just hold on to me”.

I did hold him, and he pulled the knife out. A little silver dagger with a silver carved handle. He held me sideways and shielded me with his body. He pressed the wadded T-shirt onto the wound, which was bleeding now quite a bit. He put the little dagger down on the stone that jutted out at the bottom of the building to form a little ledge all the way around.

“Dear God, Chloe, I'm so sorry...she must be mad. I didn’t realize she was violent. How do you feel?”

He was holding me, and I leaned against him and the wad of T-shirt. I put my head against his chest. It felt safe to be with him. Just then Oliver came up to us, and I saw him across Tristan’s arm, as he came out of the door, saw us and suddenly ran the few steps to reach us.

“Bloody Emma has stabbed her,” Tristan said immediately. “Can you believe it? It will be okay, but it’s horrible all the same.”

Oliver went pale. “Chloe, how is it, are you okay, does it hurt, where is Emma, where’s the knife?”

He  put his hand on my back, and was bending over me as I leaned onto Tristan.

“I’m getting better. I think it may have stopped bleeding, and I still feel a bit sick, but let’s look at it.” Tristan moved a little away from me as I lifted my now ruined, antique green, T-shirt up to check the wound. It had stopped bleeding and had started to heal. It still hurt a little, and the cold air seemed to sting me.

Tristan spoke first. “It’s healing fine you're almost as fast as me now, thank heavens. Though it’s not in all that vital a place, well no vital organs, or you could have fainted or something. Bloody hell, that’s it, she must go home, we can’t have her going around stabbing people, that’s not love.”

Oliver took over holding me, and he gave the T-shirt to Tristan who picked up the dagger and wrapped it in the T-shirt.

“The truck is just over the road in the pub car park. I’m going to take this over there hang on.” He was off crossing the road.

“I’m absolutely amazed, and horrified, yes horrified. Are you sure you're okay? I think we should go home and make sure Chloe,” Oliver said softly to me, and rocked me a little as he held me to him.

I looked up at him and took a deep breath. “I think I’m okay but I do want to go home, plus I think we can’t let her know I’m okay, because how would that be explained? She knows she got that dagger fairly well into my body.”

Tristan was back. “Could we just check the wound again Chloe?” We did, and it was obviously healing fast. It was cold, and I got my jean jacket from the nearby table where Tristan had tossed it and put it on.

Tristan was fastening his shirt buttons. “I’m shocked. I really am, of all things, she’s unbalanced, even back in her time you know ordinary girls don’t go stabbing other girls like that.”

“We can’t let her know I’m okay, well not yet." I pulled my jean jacket around me and shivered. Oliver put his arm around me.

“It might have been worse, but I'd been polite and turned to  hear what she was saying to me. I didn’t realize she could speak any English. She knew what she was saying, and she must have practiced the little she said. I got it in the side instead of the stomach.” I told them both as they looked at me.

Oliver shivered then too. I felt him against me.

“It’s cold now. I was thinking I should get Chloe home. What about you Tristan?” Oliver asked.

Tristan sighed. “I want to come too, this is madness. I just don’t want to be here. I’ll go in and say Chloe's been taken ill. I’ll say goodnight to Liz and Will, as well as James and Clare. Will I say it for you too Oliver?”

“Yes okay, Tristan. The Landrover is over in the library car park, we’ll get going and see you at Chloe’s place okay?” Tristan nodded his answer and started into the front entrance of Kool Kafé.

Copyright T Stokes 2011

*****

So what about now the seven spell has finally been put to rest, what happens in your lives? Do you all three stay together?

The seven spell, which was what made Tristan immortal in the first place and what gave us all those adventures, has actually come to it's natural end. The fact we three are immortal and have our special abilities is still a secret from the old magi family. The debt's been paid by Tristan anyway. You know being cast in glass was a big deal, good thing he'd saved both Oliver's and my life or he'd still be a stained glass window. (shivers) That's so horrible to think about. They think the witch Anna let him out. It's all okay now we've become friends and Max or should I call him Rene found love himself. Bartholomew closed the portal from our end, we think. I'm not sure what happened there and I don't care really. There's not much chance of anything coming to us from the past now unless the water has already carried the magic to another place we don't know about and some portal is out there. Don't go there.

We have matured. Even Tristan's changed since I first met him. You know he's lost that forlorn look and that weird old world stuffiness. We have to move in together, Oliver, Tristan and me , because it's the best thing to do and because Hawthorns needs looking after. We base our office there too for the next part of our journey, oh we do have a little office in the town, but the real work is done in the field as I like to call it, and in the house office. The research and stuff like that.

I'm in love with them both and we just get on with it. I'm not choosing, we tried that in an alternative plot line and it was dangerous and horrible. The next couple of stories are about our lives together. It's still weird because how could it not be, I mean we all have these special abilities and Oliver can control Bartholmew's magic stuff. I might stop talking now. Tristan is waiting for me too. We're all on vacation right now and I left him by the pool.

Thank you Chloe for joining us today. I hope that you enjoyed yourself and I hope that our readers enjoyed it also.

I did enjoy it (smiles), thanks for inviting me.