Book Review: Maskerade by Terry Pratchett

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Maskerade

Discworld #18, Witches #5

by Terry Pratchett

genre: fantasy, mystery

Summary from Goodreads

Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, the Discworld’s greatest witches, are back for an innocent night at the opera. Naturally there’s going to be trouble, but at the same time there’ll be a good evening’s entertainment with murders that you can really hum to.

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Book Two Excerpt

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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

BOOK TWO

TATIANA DAWSON

Tatiana climbed out of the pool refreshed from swimming laps. Her gaze fell on the hesitant Spaniard whom she had helped figure out his gift among other things. She had not seen him for months since Leocardo had broken his ankle. He greeted her, and she responded with a look of indifference. He persisted to engage in conversation, one of his more annoying traits.

“Hello, how are you? I haven’t seen you lately at your house.”

“I know.”

She did not have time for small talk, particularly about her absences at her own house. He didn’t know her well enough to realize that spending inordinate amounts of time at her house was more reason for concern. Ever since Leocardo and Aniela became an ‘item’, he frequented their house trying to create the best impression amongst the entire family. Sometimes he would bring along his blind yet fascinating sister.

“I’m worried,” Leocardo said as if waiting for Tatiana to question why. She stared blankly. “I hope Odette can control her gift once winter is gone…”

“There’s not much you can do about that.”

Leocardo did not look taken aback by her short and sour response, rather he seemed to have gotten used to it and now smiled as if humored by it. He shrugged and wished her well before she left him to exercise. Of all the people who swam there regularly, he was one of the least unpleasant, at least before he started dating Aniela. Now he seemed to be trying too hard to be good natured with her family and she quickly grew tired of him. She had a similar feeling for Nate, he was now Aniela-tainted.

The air outside was crisp and the pavements polished with a thin sheet of ice. The roads were dangerous and masses of salt had been thrown onto them to stop accidents. Tatiana’s thick soled non-slip shoes came in handy as she walked, mindful of where she stepped and the devious black ice beneath her.

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Chapter Twenty-One

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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter TWENTY-ONE

BLIND FAITH

Leocardo’s body was in a state of shock, immovable. A split second later, his body flooded with adrenaline as he saw that Odette was not only awake, but that she had lunged at William and her hands were tight around his neck.

“Odette!” he shouted as he grabbed her arms, prying them apart.

Ana’s exclamations behind him pierced his ears as she pulled William toward her. Odette’s arms suddenly went flaccid and she nearly fell straight back onto the bed, but Leocardo eased her into the pillow. Her eyes swelled with tears.

“What…what…where?” Tears streamed down his sister’s eyes and Leocardo just held her hand and caressed it.

“It’s okay, you’re in the hospital. I’m here. Ana’s here. You’re just scared. You’re safe.”

Leocardo’s gaze was glued on Odette. Her hand gripped his wrist with amazing force as commotion broke out all around them. She tried to get up when she heard Theodore’s voice enter the fray and one of the monitors cycled violently from extreme highs and lows. Her face contorted in confusion and her mouth parted as if ready to scream in anxiety or fear. Ana rushed over trying to soothe Odette as well.

“Out,” a female nurse ordered. Leocardo did not know when she had entered, but she was ordering people out with severity in her voice. “Everyone who is not family, get out. You’re straining her. She’s recovering and needs her rest.”

Leocardo murmured soft words to his sister and Odette squeezed his hand, her head facing in his direction. He heard Ana leaving. He turned around and Ana squeezed his other hand.

“No, wait. Ana can stay, she’s like family,” he begged the nurse.

“Just family,” the nurse insisted and shooed them out. He saw that Theodore was also in the room and was moving toward Ana.

“But…”

The nurse gave Leocardo a dirty look before asking Odette some questions about what she could remember. She also checked the monitors.

“Yeah, no Leo, it’s fine.” Ana smiled at him after shaking her head. “You need some time alone with her. Call me when you leave?”

He nodded and watched her until Theodore guided her out of the room. He turned his attention back to Odette who still looked petrified, but better. Once Theodore, Ana, and William had left the room, it was quiet. The doctor entered, wrote down some notes, and flashed a light in Odette’s eyes before confirming she appeared perfectly healthy.

“She just needs rest now. Welcome back, Miss Reyes,” the doctor said before leaving. Leocardo was unsure if he liked this quiet as it reminded him of waiting beside his sister alone when she was unable to wake up. This time it was different; he could feel the pressure of her fragile fingers around his hand.

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Chapter Twenty

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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter TWENTY

TICK TOCK

People swarmed toward them while others yelled, “Stay back!” Leocardo kept blinking as his eyes attempted to adjust to the harsh light. His jeans were beginning to soak up the frosty grass despite, mere seconds ago, they were being charred by flames. A young man in a white uniform came toward him; Leocardo shook his head and groaned.

“Ana and the boy, she got hit on the head,” he insisted, pushing away their helpful hands. He wanted them to help Ana and William first, not him.

Leocardo’s gaze drifted to Ana; her peaceful yet ashen face scared him, it reminded him of Odette and he begged the universe to make sure that neither of them would sleep forever. Within seconds, Ana had her head and shoulders held in place by a neck-brace and she was hoisted onto a stretcher. The little boy received a similar treatment as no one knew what he had damaged, but they all received masks except Leocardo who continued to deny it.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “I’m out now.”

“Leo,” the groan of pain was so soft he nearly missed it and noticed Ana’s eyes were opening the slightest before closing again.

“Ana,” he murmured and reached out for her, but the nurses pulled her away in the stretcher before he had a chance.

They helped him into the ambulance where they had taken Ana and he had to hold back tears. Pain shot up his leg from his ankle, but nothing hurt more than the thought of Ana’s possible death and Odette’s eternal sleep. The team in white asked him numerous questions and he tried to answer them as best as he could on the way to the hospital.

“She’s going to be fine, right?” he demanded.

“It doesn’t look severe, but she needs testing,” the EMT replied as he kept checking her monitors. Leocardo just stared at her and ignored the painful throbbing of his ankle. When he wiped the sweat from his brow, he found his hands blackened and moist. The sweat stung the shallow cuts on his fingers. He could see some thick splinters anchored along Ana’s palm and fingers. He reached out and caressed Ana’s wrist, afraid he would damage her further.

When they arrived at the hospital, they were wheeled in different directions. He tried to hold his gaze as long as he could on her, but she disappeared around the corner. All his energy was focused on her safe recovery and that her brain had not been severely damaged as a result of the blow. If that happened he would never be able to forgive himself.

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Chapter Nineteen

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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter NINETEEN

SCORCHING FEAR

Adrenaline raced through his system. He knew what he had to do, but before he could discuss any of it with Ana, she was already running toward the children and teachers. It frustrated him that she was running off without even a few words. He felt lost and she was not helping give him direction. Instead of following her blindly, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He ventured toward a firefighter.

“Where’s the boy?” Leocardo was not going to mess around and hoped they would not either. The firefighter didn’t look at him as he was walking back toward the fire truck.

“Get out of the way! We are trying to save him.”

“Where is William? At least let me know where he is. Aniela Dawson arrived and she deserves to at least know where William is,” Leocardo said firmly. He didn’t want to have to use the power that Ana’s name wielded but it worked.

“He’s upstairs somewhere. We have a man handling the situation. Only in the last few minutes has the fire become uncontrollable. Just step back and let us deal with it,” he said firmly as Leocardo moved away. He did not want to start a fight, especially not with a man who was trying to help the child inside. He turned to find where Ana was. At least he had some kind of direction now.

Leocardo started to worry. Where was she? He could not see her. Marcus stood outside the car on the phone, talking rapidly. He jogged forward. He could see some of the adults with bandanas or make-shift masks over their mouths. They were moving back and forth, worried and confused. Where the hell was Ana? She would not have gone inside alone…would she?

His feet took him to the group of children where he had seen her last. One of the children pointed around the side of the building as she nudged her friend. “Did you see the princess?” Leocardo’s gaze snapped to where the child was pointing and he rushed around the building. Suddenly he saw a familiar looking female attacking the window with her elbow.

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Chapter Eighteen

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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter EIGHTEEN

WHISPERS OF KINGS

A loud and irritable buzzing sound awoke Leocardo as his phone rang in his pocket. It took him a moment to register what it was so he missed the call before he could answer it. He pulled it out and when he saw that it was Ana, he placed the phone down and rubbed his eyes with the base of his palms. With his head resting in his hands, he felt a wave of tiredness wash over him and he rested there half-conscious. He did not want to wake up to see his sister in a coma.

He tried to recall his dream. There had been some kind of tower and he knew Odette was at the top. He climbed the never ending spiral staircase. The air thinned as he went higher and he gasped for breath. He stumbled as he tried to climb further, but felt a powerful drowsiness that overtook him. It had been the same feeling as when he had first arrived in Nevaeh, but this time he knew it was Edaion that had sedated him. He struggled against the drowsiness; he hated it so much. He detested the feeling of being drugged. As he felt his eyelids weigh down over his eyes, he tried to teleport to the top, to where Odette waited for him to return. “Don’t forget me,” he begged, trying to hurry. His vision blurred.

Leocardo snapped himself awake and wiped his mouth. The dream had unnerved him, would Edaion separate him and Odette? He rose to his feet, looked over to his sleeping sister, and his heart faltered. He left the room. In his pockets he still had the premonitions he had taken from Ana. The buildings meant something. There was purpose to the damaged premonition. Ana preferred to look at the faces, the ghosts behind them, but he knew Odette was not a medium, she was a seer.

Leocardo went to Daisy’s home. He was not sure if she would accept him again. The last time he had been there he had left rather abruptly. He hoped she did not think he did not appreciate the information she had provided. His knuckles rapped on the door.

Daisy answered and pursed her lips when she saw who it was. “Hello, again.”

“Hi, I’m sorry about how I left last time but…what you told me…it really meant a lot to me,” he insisted. “I can’t tell you why it upset me either.”

“That’s alright, boy,” she patronized. She began to close the door.

“Wait,” he urged, reaching out to stop the door from closing. Her eyes widened, afraid. “I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to know if you can interpret this drawing. I need help.”

“Yes, yes you do.”

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Chapter Seventeen

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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter SEVENTEEN

CONSTRICTING WEB

The emptiness of the apartment threatened to consume him. It was painful to pass Odette’s room or glance at it. The scents of her perfumes had faded, and he even missed her angry slamming of cupboards and doors. Somehow he managed to sleep for a handful of hours before waking up early and going to the pool again, unsure of what else he could do to clear his mind. On the way, he teleported, increasing the distance with each jump. He didn’t want to tell people about his gift until he had good control over it.

When Leocardo arrived at work, he saw Nate there as well and received a brief but firm brotherly embrace from him.

“Thanks Leo, I owe you one.” Nate’s face broke into a smile.

“Peter hired you, not me.”

“I owe you one. I’ll buy you a round, you choose!” Nate insisted.

Nate held Leocardo’s gaze for a moment, his eyes watering before marching off to work. Leocardo could see that he had done more than provide a job for Nate.

Work proved to be more of a blessing than a burden. There was a monotonous rhythm which he found familiar, easy and rewarding. It kept him from dwelling on the fact that there had been no calls from the hospital. Since Nate had been called back to work again, there was a new, uplifting mood at the bar. Whispers emerged between the co-workers, excluding Leocardo.

“Are you going to do anything?” Elizma asked Nate in soft tones, but Leocardo heard it. He hoped they were not trying to hide things from him.

“I don’t know…with Odette’s situation it’s really hard. I just got my job back. Usually Ana pushes me to do something, but she’s been somewhere else lately.” Nate’s voice grew too soft and Leocardo assumed Nate made a comment about him. “I don’t blame them, but yeah, I think I’ll call off the small party at the bar. It’s not the time for a party.”

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Chapter Sixteen

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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter SIXTEEN

SILENT BEAUTY

Next thing he knew he could feel someone softly breathing, they were close to his face. His eyes opened and he saw Ana dozing. A thin, streak of drool from her parted pink lips had dripped onto the pillow. He smiled and reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear before placing his hand back under his head. His back ached from sleeping on the hard floor, but he didn’t care. Her face scrunched up and slowly, her eyelashes fluttered open.

Ana’s shocked eyes said it all. “You have to go,” she whispered, scrambling to her feet.

He understood her reaction and tried not to take her demands personally. He clambered to his feet, nodding as he went.

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered, and went to collect the papers strewn over the ground.

Ana pushed him over to the glass paneled windows which Leocardo had thought were only walls. Ana clicked something and the window opened wide enough to let him out. The air was cold, and snow was piled on the ground. Ana gave him instructions on how to escape without being caught. He could guess how serious the consequences would be for her if he was caught sneaking out. If any of her family members had found them only the most corrupt ideas would influence their thoughts, and he was sure he would not be allowed over anymore, despite his innocent intentions.

She pushed him out to the garden and he turned around, acting on impulse, and rested his hand on her lower back. He stared at her and leaned in, brushing his nose against hers. He loved her floral scent and her soft skin. After a few moments of silence, she whispered, “You have to go.”

There was a soft sound of protest from his lips as he continued one second longer. He pulled away and whispered, “I’ll see you soon.”

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Chapter Fifteen

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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter FIFTEEN

TORN BY TURMOIL

Leocardo ran into the hospital with barely any breath in his lungs. He saw Ana pacing back and forth with a blanket wrapped around her.

“Where is she?” he managed to gasp as he hurried toward her. Ana looked pale, but she still glowed in Leocardo’s eyes. She had found Odette.

“She is in isolation and unconscious. No one is allowed to see her until they know what is wrong.”

“What about Cielo? Was she with her?”

“Nate has Cielo. Give me your keys.” Ana offered to get some things from the apartment for Odette. “You can stay here in case she wakes up before I get back.”

Leocardo fumbled with his keys in his pocket, disorientated. The keys shimmered as he placed them in her hand. He took her hand in his, not yet ready to let her go. “But she’s alive, she’s okay?” he asked, trying to make sure that Odette was within one of these sterile white rooms, that she was in the hands of expert doctors.

“She is alive…I’ll be back.”

He stared at her with his eyes wide, panicked with fear. “Don’t take long,” he whispered as he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. Ana was gone from sight within seconds and Leocardo had just enough energy to reach the chairs and slump into one, nearly falling unconscious.

He drifted in and out of consciousness as exhaustion and a need for sleep joined forces within his system. The adrenaline receded, and his eyelids struggled to stay open. To try and keep himself awake, his eyes flickered from the pristine white floor to his foot, and then to the people around him, doing anything he could to forget the gut wrenching experience he had just been put through, the endless streets, the constant stop and start motions, the wet cheeks and fractured speech.

Leocardo’s eyes flickered open and he saw Ana before him. “Hey…how long have you been there?”

“I just got back. Leo…I need to talk to you.” His exhausted brain had trouble paying attention to her words as she launched into dialogue without letting him fully wake up first.

Blind Sight: Leocardo | Chapter Fourteen

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Blind Sight: Through The Eyes Of Leocardo Reyes

Ermisenda Alvarez

Chapter FOURTEEN

LOST AROMA

The library was not a good place to find out about the royal family’s dirty history. Everything he found had shed the Dawsons’ lineage in good light, of happy childhoods and honest rulings. The only corruption he could find was about 1902 in a book about Edaion Council history. Rather than wasting time on the royals he decided to investigate more about the word ‘seer’ and the woman who had been murdered.

Once again every book he grabbed that was remotely what he was looking for had history painted in happy golds and pure silvers. The search for the word took him to an interesting find; there was a legend about seers in Edaion. The legend involved some kind of cat and mouse game between the seers and an unknown other, but it became all so fantastical, even for Edaion standards, that Leocardo lost interest.

If Theodore had investigated the word seer it would have been for the crude meaning of the word, an individual with the gift of foresight. Maybe he was not looking at seer at all, it could have been the word below that Leocardo had not memorized.

Leocardo rose in a state of irritation, and marched toward the help desk. Before leaving he thought he would ask the only living thing amongst the dead pages of history, apart from himself, in the room. The man at the desk greeted him. His acne appeared to have multiplied since their last encounter.

Leocardo hesitated. “There are so many history books here… This might be a stupid question but do you know anything about the woman who was murdered in 1902? She was involved in the royal family versus council fiasco.”

The young man scratched his chin, irritating the red raw pimples. “I don’t, but my sister loves Edaionien history. She would probably know. She comes back from her work break in ten minutes. Do you mind waiting?”

“Not at all,” Leocardo replied, enthused. Unable to sit still, he paced the corridors, running his fingers along the books or shuffling them to one side. After ten minutes Leocardo darted back to the help desk to find a woman in her early thirties with a badge on her sweater.

Leocardo rested his arms on the desk. “Hello, I’m Leocardo. Your brother told me you knew a lot about Edaionien history.”

“My name is Kate,” she smiled warmly, a pair of dimples emerged. “I do, what would you like to know?”