Tara Duncan and the Spellbinders Read Free Page A

know. I don’t know any more than you do. Listen, we’ve got to get together. Because my father saw it all.”
    Tara groaned. “What did he say?”
    â€œThat’s where things really got weird. He took me in his arms and started to cry. Then he said this was the best day of his life and the biggest gift I could ever have given him.”
    Tara was speechless.
    â€œAre you still there? What should I do? Should I tell him about you too?”
    â€œNo!” said Tara instinctively. “I’d prefer if we talk about it tomorrow. Meet me in front of my place at nine o’clock. And until then, not a word, okay?”
    â€œOkay.”
    Fabrice sounded disappointed, but he didn’t argue.
    As soon as she hung up, Tara grabbed her forelock and started chewing on it. What if Fabrice was right and she really was contagious? Tara ruminated on this for ten full minutes, then sighed. There was no point in worrying; she would see tomorrow. There was also no point staying locked in her room. She may as well go down to the library and see if she could find something distracting to read.
    Moving like a shadow, Tara made her way to the big library with its thousands of books. Opening the door, she gave a sigh of pleasure. Tara had access to almost all the works, although one section of the library had some that were under lock and key. That always tickled her. Was her grandmother afraid that the books would run away, or what?
    She was glancing at the familiar titles in silence when a murmur made her stop her search. She could hear something.
    To her surprise, she realized that the sound was coming from a point high above the fireplace.
    The voice was her grandmother’s. She was on the phone, and sounded so angry, she could probably be heard at the other end of the village. Tara couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, however. She had to get closer to the source of the sound, but it was ten feet off the ground!
    She quickly climbed the rolling wooden ladder used to reach the highest books. Stretching as far as she could, she leaned toward the upper part of the mantelpiece and cautiously stepped onto it. She was crouched pretty precariously, but could now hear the conversation.
    â€œYou’re the guardian of the Transfer Portal, Besois-Giron!” her grandmother yelled. “You were forbidden to tell your son the truth. That’s unacceptable!”
    Yikes! The count was getting a royal chewing out. He must’ve answered something, because Isabella’s voice dropped to the point where Tara had to strain to hear.
    â€œWhat do you mean, he is like us? ” hissed Isabella. “You must be joking!”
    â€œ . . . ”
    â€œHe did what? He pushed the falling scaffold back? Emanations? What emanations?”
    â€œ . . . ”
    Her grandmother’s voice became dangerously threatening.
    â€œLet me see if I understand this, Guardian! You’re telling me that you, a descendent of a long and faithful line of totally nonspell guardians, have produced a spellbinder, your son Fabrice, because the emanations of the Portal somehow affected your wife? That hasn’t happened in nine hundred years, so why should it happen now?”
    Tara caught her breath. A what ?
    Still furious, her grandmother continued: “I didn’t tell Tara anything because I have to protect her! If nobody knows Tara might be a spellbinder, she’ll be safe. Anyway, she hasn’t shown the least sign of magic up to now.”
    â€œ . . . ”
    â€œThat’s out of the question! Telling her the truth and presenting her to the High Council is completely off the table. Before her father died I swore to him that she would stay out of all that. And I’ll keep my word even if I don’t agree. In the meantime I want no further contact between the two children, understand? Fabrice must go to OtherWorld. Oh, and one more thing, Guardian. This is not a suggestion; it’s an