Beckoning Light by Alyssa Rose Ivy Page B

you’re from.” His expression was full of pride.
    “I’m from Charleston,” I said slowly, starting to back toward the gate, while wondering if he had lost his mind.              
    “Not your mother.” He took a step forward to match my movement.
    “What do you know of my mother?” I asked, feeling the urge to believe him. On some level, I already knew that my mom had to have some connection to this place because she was the one who had owned the key.
    “I know a lot.”
    “Like what?” I took a step forward again.
    “Come with me, Charlotte, and you’ll learn everything you need to know.” He held out his hand.
    “Come where?” 
    “To my home, Bellgard. Trust me, you will not regret it.” He smiled, and I could tell he was trying his best to put me at ease. The usual comforting feeling of being through the gate had set in, but I was still nervous, surprised by his presence.
    When I heard the name Bellgard, I knew I had to go with James. To be near Calvin again would be a dream. I tried to picture Calvin’s reaction when he saw me and realized I had followed him. Surely, he wouldn’t mind that I came to find him. Then, I thought about Kevin and Monty; I hadn’t left a note.
    James seemed to read my mind. “We’ll leave the gate open, and Monty will figure it out,” he said softly.
    “How? Is Monty from Bellgard, too?” Then, understanding dawned.
    “Of course, your mother’s whole family is from there.”
    “Her whole family?” My mom had never told me anything about anyone other than Monty; all I knew was that my grandparents on that side had died before I was born.
    “Yes, Charlotte. Your family and my family have lived in Bellgard for generations,” he said, reaching for my hand again even though I hadn’t accepted his offer last time.
    “But then, why was I told never to come back here? Why are you telling me this now? You could have told me the other night after the party. Why wait until now?”
    “I wanted to wait until you came through the gate. I wanted the decision to be your own,” he told me quietly. “Charlotte, please trust me,” he continued. “If we’re to make it to Bellgard before midday, we need to leave now.” He was almost pleading.
    “By midday? How far away is Bellgard?”
    “The ride will take several hours, so we need to leave now.”
    My brain told me that it was a bad idea, but my heart said otherwise. I needed to see Calvin; I needed to learn more about my mother. I followed James through the garden, where I saw a horse waiting with a black canvas bag on the ground next to it.
    “We aren’t riding that, are we?” I pointed at the horse. I don’t know what I thought he meant when he said ride, but it wasn’t that.
    “Wait a second. Have you never ridden a horse before?” James asked skeptically. He didn’t wait for my answer. “Wow, who would have thought?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “It’s just that riding a horse is in your blood.”
    “My blood?”
    “Forget it, let’s go.” I stood there frozen for a moment, then he proceeded to help me into the saddle before mounting the horse himself, slinging the bag up with him. He was obviously comfortable with horses.
    “Hold on,” he instructed.
    “Okay.” I was still in disbelief that I was actually about to ride a horse to a place I knew almost nothing about. I kept telling myself it was all to see Calvin, but I knew that I was doing it for other reasons, too. Something inside me told me to go, told me that this was a chance I needed to take. I couldn’t resist pointing out the obvious. “And you said I didn’t take chances.”
    “I guess we’re all proven wrong sometimes.” He laughed, and then we were off.
    Both terrified and excited, I held onto him as we rode through the early morning light. The morning was warm but with the faintest of breezes. Although I had never been on a horse, nothing could have felt more natural. We rode through forests and clearings, the