by TJ Green
He was referring to the three paranormal investigators, and Avery was startled. "Ben! Why?"
"If they can set cameras up, they might be able to read a weird energy signature."
"But where can they do that? That's nuts. The whole place is buzzing with people."
"On the hill somewhere? Dylan's clever, he'll think of something." He put his mug down. "I'm keen to stop a murder. If we can find whatever it is first, we could save a life."
"Yes, of course, but I'm not sure it's possible with a camera."
Buoyed with positive news, Newton headed for the door. "Can you contact them and let me know? I'm heading back to deal with vampire fallout." He grinned. "Thanks, Avery."
The door banged in his wake and Avery groaned. This was the most cheerful she had seen Newton in weeks, and although it was horrible news, it was also good news. They had an edge. She wasn't particularly pleased about being his deputy, though. She sighed and reached for her phone and tried Dylan first, but he didn't pick up, and neither did Ben, so she called Cassie, who answered quickly.
"Hey, Avery! How are you?" Her voice was warm and welcoming, but she also sounded tired.
"I'm fine, how are you?"
She sighed. "Busy with finishing our papers. We graduate this year, hopefully, so we're trying to get back into coursework after all that vampire madness."
Immediately Avery felt guilty at distracting them with another request. "Of course, I forgot you were in your last year. Have you and Dylan fully recovered now?" They had both been injured after Bethany the vampire had attacked them in the tunnels below West Haven.
"We're fine. Dylan's back to being his annoying, bouncy self, and my head injury cleared up really quickly."
"Good. Well, in that case, I'll leave you to it."
Cassie leapt in quickly. "But you must have called for something?"
"It's fine, you're busy, and you need to graduate."
"But what did you want?" she persisted.
"Newton wondered if Dylan could do some filming for him." She went on to explain what was happening at the circus.
"Of course he can," Cassie said, "and we'll do anything else you need."
"No, you're too busy."
"It's a bit of filming. Dylan will do it." Cassie hesitated for a moment, and Avery could hear other people around her. "I'm heading into lectures now, and then I'll find him and we'll call you. Sound good?"
"Great, but only if you're sure---"
The line went dead, and Cassie was gone.
Avery headed into the shop, taking a plate of chocolate biscuits with her.
Happenstance Books was quiet, with just a few customers browsing the shelves, and the place had a calm, reassuring feel to it. That morning she had reinforced her protection spells, and she felt soothed as she strolled through the shelving units to join Dan and Sally at the counter.
However, as soon as Sally saw Avery, she stood and grabbed a biscuit. "Great, have you finished in the back?"
"Yes, why?"
"I'm going to do a stock take of our children's section, and handle some accounts while we're quiet. That okay?"
Avery shrugged. "Of course, you don't need to ask me."
Sally disappeared, leaving Dan and Avery alone. Dan crunched into a biscuit, and speaking through a mouthful of crumbs, he said, "You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"Do I?" She peered into the glass at the front window, hoping to catch her reflection. He was right; she did look slightly dishevelled. She rubbed her hair, pulled a lip salve out from her pocket, and ran it around her lips. "Better?"
Dan squinted. "Only if I look at you like this."
Avery looked over her shoulder to check that they weren't being watched, and then flicked her fingers at him, making a little whoosh of air ruffle his hair. "Cheeky sod."
He laughed. "I'm kidding. You look great. Apart from the weighed down-thing. What's happened now?"
Avery explained what they had found the night before, and what Newton wanted Dylan to do.
Dan whistled in surprise. "Wow. So the Crossroads Circus really has crossroads magic? There are lots of myths associated with that."
"So I gather. Got any to add to the list?"
He held up a finger and then pulled out his phone, scrolling through Spotify. In seconds, the music that was playing in the shop changed to an old Blues tune, and an achingly smooth voice filled the shop. "This is Robert Johnson," Dan explained. "Heard of him?"
"No."
"He's an American Blues musician who performed in the 1930s. One day his guitar playing became phenomenal, and when asked about it, he said he'd sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads in exchange for musical talent."
Avery's coffee cup stopped halfway to her lips. "Really?"
"Really. He was very honest about it. And then he died at that spooky age when all great musicians die."
"27?"
Dan nodded. "The Devil came to claim his soul! This track is actually called 'Cross Road Blues.'"
The Blues guitar and Johnson's haunting voice filled the room. Avery shivered. "Well that's just spooky."
"I'll try and find some more stuff for you later. In the meantime, I'll line up his album."
The bell ringing above the door disturbed them, and Avery turned to see Caspian enter the shop. He paused and listened.
"Delta blues. I like it." He joined them at the counter. Caspian looked smart, dressed in a formal suit and three-quarter length woollen jacket.
"To what do we owe this pleasure, Caspian?" Avery asked him, suddenly self-conscious of her appearance.
"Gabe told me we have a new problem."
"News travels fast!"
"Need my help?" he asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow.
"I'm not entirely sure what we need help with right now. We're just starting to investigate."
Dan waved them away. "Off to your meeting, Avery. I've got this."
Avery wasn't really sure she wanted to spend time alone with Caspian, but this certainly wasn't a conversation for the shop floor. "Fair enough. Follow me, Caspian."
Sally was in the back room, on the computer, and she looked up as Avery entered. Her face fell as she saw Caspian. Reformed character or not, he had kidnapped Sally months before, and she hadn't forgiven him. She went to stand. "I'll leave you to it."
"No, you stay here," Avery said, gesturing for her to sit down. "We'll talk upstairs."
She led Caspian up to her flat, and as soon as they were alone, Caspian took his jacket off and draped it across the back of a chair. "Crossroads magic is complicated, Avery."
She perched on the arm of the sofa. "So I gather."
"We should tell Genevieve."
"But nothing's happened yet."
"Even better."
"I'd like to keep this small. The vampire thing became huge!"
"It needed to be. Vampires are deadly."
"Well, hopefully this thing isn't as dangerous. I think we can handle it."
He watched her silently for a moment, and Avery's living room began to feel very small. He finally spoke. "You're very stubborn."
"It's part of my charm," she shot back.
"I know." His eyes drifted to her lips and then back to her eyes, and a smile crossed his lips.
Shit. Wrong thing to say. Caspian did not need any encouragement. "Behave," she warned him. "Have you some gems of wisdom to share?"
"Not yet, but I'd like it if you'd tell me what's happening."
Avery sighed, and for what felt like the hundredth time, explained what had happened at the circus the night before, and the suspicious events around the country that made them suspect the circus in the first place.
He nodded. "A circus is a good place to hide a supernatural creature. Circuses already have a reputation for odd characters, and they travel frequently."
A thought struck Avery. "True, but although this circus is named after crossroads, it's not actually on a crossroad, is it? So why has it got c
rossroads magic? It's a travelling circus. They're not even on crossroads up at the castle!"
"Interesting point." He smiled again. "It's a good thing we like a puzzle, isn't it? Are you going again?"
"We're going to go to the opening night, on Saturday, and we'll probably go with Dylan if he agrees to set up cameras. That might be tonight."
"Good. Keep me informed. I can help if you need me." He picked his coat up and headed for the door.
"Thanks, hopefully we'll be fine."
"Hopefully." And then he left, smiling at her enigmatically.
As the door clicked shut, Avery's phone rang. It was Dylan, and he didn't waste time with pleasantries. "Hey Ave, of course I'll help. Let's do it tonight. I can go alone."
"No, you can't. We don't know what might happen. Where are you thinking of putting cameras?"
"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something. I'll come around at eight tonight. Laters!" And then he was gone, and once again Avery felt as if her life was spiralling slightly out of her control.
5
Avery, Alex, Dylan, and Ben stood on the ridge of the hill looking down on the castle, which had become an apparition of itself; the yellow lights that illuminated the walls were webbed by a heavy mist, which had become steadily thicker as night fell, draping the landscape in veils of illusion. They had pulled onto the verge of a road further away from the castle and trekked across the fields, approaching well away from the grounds.
Once again, the circus tent was lit up, and fires burned sporadically across the campsite next to it, but like the castle, they were ghostly. Avery glanced around and shivered. It was eerie here, surrounded by darkness and the sticky fingers of mist. She imagined she could hear things moving beyond her vision and stepped closer to Alex.
"Where are you thinking of putting the cameras?" Alex asked, shuffling on his feet to keep warm.
Dylan pointed to a black shape further down the hill. "That tree will be great. Close enough to get decent images, but far enough away for them not to see it. Besides, I'll put it up high. But I'm not sure about the other two."
"Something will suggest itself," Alex said, setting off down the hill. "Let's get this one in first."
The wet grass was spongy, and Avery was glad she'd worn Wellington boots. The others, however, wore trainers or short leather boots, and their jeans were already wet around their calves when they reached the huge oak in the middle of the field.
Dylan opened his backpack and scrabbled around, pulling out a small, lightweight camera. He checked the batteries and the settings, while Ben pulled a wooden box out of his own pack and a cordless drill.
"This is what we'll house it in," Ben explained. "We've used them before at Old Haven Church and other places, and it means the camera is fixed and protected from the weather, at least for a short time." He looked around, worried. "However, it's cold and damp out here, and I'm worried it will affect the camera's performance. The box is insulated, though."
Dylan grimaced. "It wasn't too bad at Samhain, but I'll have to come in the morning to get it, in the light. I should be far enough away that no one really notices what I'm doing, but I'll leave it to tomorrow night if it looks risky."
He took the box, drill, and screws from Ben, put them in a much smaller pack that he had pulled from the larger one, and started to climb the tree. He was quick and agile, and he swung up through the branches effortlessly. After another few minutes Ben's phone buzzed, its volume muted, and he read the text aloud. "He's ready."
Alex said a small spell designed to muffle sound, which would stop the noise of the drill from echoing across the fields. After another few minutes, Dylan reappeared, exchanged the drill for the camera, and headed back up the tree.
Avery and Alex watched the castle and their surroundings, wary for any intruders. However, everything was silent, other than the rubbing of bare branches overhead, clacking like disapproving old women. Avery could see movement around the campsite, and people going in and out the circus tent, and there were a lot of smaller stalls now erected within the castle walls. A few shouts reached them, but nothing that could be understood. Avery closed her eyes and reached her awareness out, feeling for magic. She didn't take her shoes off; that would be pointless. She couldn't feel Earth magic as strongly as Briar, but the wind could carry things to her. She reached out, pulling air towards her from the campgrounds, and all of a sudden, the faint noises grew louder. She stepped away from Alex to allow her to concentrate on the snatched conversations: questions about performances, complaints about someone's noise, an argument about costumes.
And then she felt her---the mysterious woman.
Avery was momentarily startled, but rather than retreat, she shielded herself and the others with a protective spell, blocking her probing mind. She was pretty sure she'd detected her first, before the woman became aware of her presence. She waited, feeling her mind like the gentle brush of a feather, as it moved past her and the others, moving up the hill and out across the fields. If she had detected them, she would have loitered, pushed harder to try to find out who they were. Fortunately she didn't, and Avery relaxed.
Now that Avery had detected her, she could follow her easily. She was searching for something, but what? And then she vanished. Damn it. She'd gone too far, past where Avery could follow her. How did she do that? Avery wasn't sure she could send her mind so far from her body, not without spirit-walking anyway, and this wasn't spirit-walking; she was sure of that. Unfortunately, there was nothing that would tell her more about who she was, or what her powers were, but Avery was sure she wasn't a witch. After another few moments, Avery turned her concentration back to the circus below.
Alex disturbed her, gently taking her right elbow in his hand. "Are you okay? You're miles away."
"That woman has been here, searching for something."
"Did she detect us?"
"No, I don't think so. I shielded us, and she passed on, across the fields." She nodded in the general direction that she had gone.
"I felt your magic flare, and I wondered what for. I thought you were searching."
"I was. It was good timing."
Dylan landed on the ground behind them with a thump. "Done. On to the next." He looked between them. "What's happened?"
"Someone's essence is out here, searching for something," Avery told him. "But don't worry, we've got it covered."
"Good, let's get a move on," Ben said decisively. "I want to get to the far outer wall of the castle. There's no one near there. We can mount a camera on that."
He turned and led the way to a large bulk of blackness that was dense against the grey of the sky. There was no moon or stars to guide them, and it was tricky going, especially in the mist. Avery stumbled in rabbit holes and over patches of gorse, until eventually they reached the outer wall, which stood a good distance away from the main part of the castle. It enclosed a smooth, grassed area that ran to the edge of the castle's interior.
"Do you want me to focus on the campsite, or the circus tent?" Dylan asked as he pulled another camera from his pack.
"Campsite," Avery said immediately. "There are all sorts of things going on there."
All the while they had been walking, Avery had kept the protective shield around them, and now she focused on trying to feel the woman's presence again, while Dylan climbed the crumbling wall, and Alex and Ben supported him. The mist was growing thicker, and its cold fingers stroked Avery's cheek and reached down her neck. She felt moisture on her eyelashes and skin but ignored it, as she concentrated on the campsite and the surrounding area.
Then she felt the beat of wings, low overhead. Their span felt unnaturally large, and the wave of air threatened to push her into the earth. She felt Alex jump besides her as he felt it too, and they crouched to avoid being hit. A presence loomed above them, silent and oppressive, and she felt an unknown power smother her, silencing all other night sounds. Then it magnified a hundred times, and the sensation of one single span of wings exploded in
to hundreds of birds, all flapping above her as they streaked away across the land and over the sea.
They leapt to their feet as the oppressive feeling disappeared, and looked to the horizon.
"What the hell was that?" Alex asked her in urgent, hushed tones.
"I've no idea. What is happening here?" Avery felt breathless with panic.
But before he could answer, she felt a surge of something, and the unmistakable feeling of malevolent glee. She grabbed Alex's hand and felt the flutter of wings return overhead, back to the campsite where they vanished to a single point, and normal night sounds returned.
"It must be the Raven King," Avery suggested. "Did you feel wings, too?"
He nodded, looking as bewildered as Avery felt, but Ben's voice disturbed them. "What is going on with you two?"
Ben and Dylan were watching them from the shelter of the wall, both wide-eyed.
"Didn't you feel it?" Alex asked them in a low voice.
"No," Dylan said. "Why were you both crouching?"
"It felt as if there were hundreds of birds flying overhead, and I had this feeling of doom," Avery explained, for want of a better word.
Ben and Dylan exchanged a confused glance, and Dylan said, "Birds? We didn't feel a thing."
Now it was Avery and Alex who were exchanging worried glances. "Not surprising, really," Alex finally said. "It's a magic thing. You done here?"
Dylan nodded. "You want me to place the final camera?"
"Part of me wants to say yes. The more we know, the better. But most of me just wants to get out of here," Alex answered.
Avery nodded in agreement, and looked back over her shoulder to the campsite, where everything looked surprisingly normal. "I agree. Forget the last camera. Let's get back to the car. Are you sure they're set up?"
"Absolutely," Dylan said, reassuring them.
They headed back across the fields, but within a few minutes the light from the castle grounds disappeared behind them, and they were in pitch darkness, surrounded by mist that was so thick, they could barely see each other.
Avery faltered, gripping Alex's hand tightly. "Are we going in the right direction?"