Crossroads Magic

by TJ Green

  Alex was in the kitchen grinding herbs in his pestle and mortar. He stopped and looked up at her. "No, but you said you felt you were being sucked in."

  "This gets worse. I'm going to be immortalised in stone."

  "No, you're not. Go on, tell me more."

  She glanced down at the page again. "Standing stones in many places are supposed to represent witches, or other figures frozen in time. One of the most well known is Long Meg and her Daughters. It's a stone circle, not far from where Hunter is from. Apparently, they were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath. The circle is supposed to be magical, and many say you can't count the same number of stones twice. To do so will break the spell. Some legends also suggest that witches were buried at crossroads under standing stones, as a way of neutralising their power."

  Alex resumed grinding his herbs. "That's good to know. It's a link. You can't identify four standing stones on a crossroads, though?"

  "No, annoyingly."

  "That's okay. We'll find a way."

  "What if this is exactly what that woman wants us to do? We could be walking into a trap!"

  "And that's why we have back-up."

  ***

  As the afternoon progressed, Avery felt more and more lethargic, so that by the time everyone else arrived, buzzing with energy and intent, she was drowsy.

  Alex had prepared the salt circle in front of the fire again, and the room was filled with candles and was bathed in firelight.

  Briar took one look at Avery and ran over to hug her. "You look worse."

  "Thanks Briar, I thought Reuben was the one who was going to tell me that."

  "You do look terrible," Reuben agreed.

  Briar ignored him. "I've been working on spells to break this connection, and I'm struggling."

  "We all have," Caspian told her, as he arrived partway through their conversation. "But to break a psychic connection with force is very dangerous." His dark eyes fell on Avery. "That alone could kill you."

  "Is there any positive news?" Avery asked, trying to subdue her panic.

  "Yes, your link to her is her weakness," Shadow said confidently. She had dressed for battle, wearing black fatigues, and Avery could see the glint of her knives in the sheaths on her thighs.

  "Exactly," Reuben said. He pointed at the salt circle on the floor. "Shall we sit?"

  Alex nodded. "Yes please. The elemental places are marked by candles and compass points. The usual. Avery, Shadow, let's take our place in the circle, too. Caspian, are you ready?"

  He nodded and sat between Briar and El, opposite Reuben, a purple candle in front of each of them. Alex, Shadow, and Avery sat virtually knee-to-knee around one solitary candle in the centre.

  "We're going to raise a protective circle before we begin," Alex instructed, "and then we three need to drink this potion. It will help relax us to enter the necessary mind state."

  "We're not connected, then?" El asked. "We were last time."

  "I'm not going to link to you. You four are our magical protection and support," Alex told them. "It may also take longer than we think, considering Avery thought she'd been gone for minutes and it turned out to be a couple of hours. Are we all clear?"

  They nodded, and the four witches in their elemental positions started the ritual to raise protection, while Alex drank some of the potion from the silver goblet and handed it to Shadow and Avery.

  Avery could feel the heat and low lighting begin to work on her already weakened state, and the potion quickly exacerbated it. Within seconds she felt the protective circle around her activate, and all noises of the outside world disappeared.

  Alex held his hands out. "We need to join hands, and then say the spell after me. This will link us, so that where you go, we follow."

  Shadow looked wary. "I have never done magic like this before."

  "Trust me, it's safe. Do you want to see this place?"

  She nodded.

  "Come on, then."

  She linked hands with Alex and Avery, and as they repeated the spell after Alex, Avery felt their energies connect; Shadow's sharp, wild energy was distinctly different to Alex's. They all took a moment to adjust, and then Alex guided them again. "Avery, just focus on the crossroads. Don't resist it."

  She nodded and closed her eyes. It didn't take long. The crossroads was lurking just beneath her waking mind, a constant presence that she had battled to ignore all day long. But in this state, it rushed in, and so did her fear.

  She stood next to the standing stone she had connected to before. A full moon was again overhead, illuminating everything with its silver light. She stepped away from the stone, already feeling its hum of energy, and it took every part of her to resist its pull. The markings on it were already starting to glow with the strange light that looked like molten gold. Once again, no one was here, and the landscape stretched around her, devoid of life.

  Avery immediately heard Alex's voice in her head. You're blocking us, Avery.

  I'm not, I promise.

  It's your fear, he replied. I can feel it. Relax, let us in.

  Avery took a deep breath and then another, willing herself to calm down. She hated it here, alone. She needed them.

  For another few seconds nothing happened, and then suddenly they were there, standing on either side of her.

  "Wow," Shadow said, turning slowly. The crossroads enhanced her otherness in ways that were indefinable, but obvious at the same time. "This is amazing. I feel the fey magic rising." She trembled slightly. "It's so odd to feel my home when I haven't in weeks."

  Alex squeezed Avery's hand gently. "I knew it would work. I can see why you were freaking out. This place definitely has Otherworldly vibes." He looked at Shadow and his voice was sharp. "Focus on the stone. What does it say?"

  Shadow ran her hands gently across the surface, and the writing became more visible. She was silent for a few moments as she read the script. "It's ancient and I don't recognise some phrases, but essentially this stone calls to the energy of the wind. It demands that someone who commands it be made sacrifice so as to give honour to Hecate, Goddess of the Crossroads. Those who are sacrificed will receive her eternal blessing."

  Avery felt a cold fear wash over her. "She chose me because I wield elemental Air. Which means---" She broke off, looking at the other three stones, and Alex followed her gaze.

  Shadow had already anticipated them, and she reached the next closest one. She didn't need to touch it; the writing was already glowing with golden light. "The language is identical. I presume they were all placed here at the same time, but the script calls to the Fire element instead. They must represent the four elements," she said, confirming their suspicions.

  While she made her way to the two remaining stones, Alex asked Avery, "But why only you? Why aren't the other witches being called here?"

  "I don't know, but the other stones remain lit from within, unlike this one. I have a bad feeling about this. We need to get out of here."

  Alex turned around, taking in their surroundings. "Not yet. Is there something that will help us find this place again, in the real world?"

  Avery threw her arms wide. "Look at it! It's virtually featureless! And the moon never changes. It should be waning by now---I've been here three times. It's still full and overhead. I feel as if we're in a bubble."

  Shadow re-joined them, and it was clear she'd overheard the conversation. "We are in some sort of stasis, like a spell that has frozen this place in time. That's how it feels to me, anyway. The fey magic that surrounds here is," she frowned, as she tried to find the right word. "It's less wild...harnessed, like a horse."

  "And why isn't that woman here?" Avery asked. "I keep expecting her to appear at any time!"

  "Because she doesn't need to appear," Shadow explained. "Her job is done. She brought you here, and now you're linked to that." She pointed at the stone dedicated to elemental Air. "It's draining your power, even now. I don't know about you, but I can feel its energy growing. And I think I
know why the other stones are lit, and it's not good news. And I think you know why, too."

  Avery swallowed, fearing she also knew the answer, but she'd been trying to ignore her suspicions. "I think these have already been activated---if that's the right word."

  Shadow nodded. "Yes. Their power is already complete, which means---"

  "Other witches have already been sacrificed to them," Alex finished for her. He raked his hands through his hair, his eyes wild with worry. "So how do we break the connection before Avery dies?"

  Avery felt sick. Three witches with strong elemental magic had already been sacrificed to these stones, and she could be next. "Where did that woman get the other witches from?"

  "It might not be where, but when," Shadow suggested. "This stasis could have existed for a very long time."

  "Which suggests that this woman has also been doing this for a long time," Alex said. "Who the hell is she?"

  Before she could answer, Avery staggered as her energy dipped and her vision dimmed, and Alex quickly stepped forward, supporting her before she could fall. "Time to get you out of here."

  Alex extended his left hand to Shadow, still holding Avery with his right arm. "Grab my hand and don't resist."

  For endless seconds, nothing seemed to happen, and then with a rush, Avery was back in the centre of the circle, and the room dissolved into blackness.

  12

  Avery heard the murmur of voices all around her, and then slowly a warm, orange light began to seep into the blackness that surrounded her like a shroud.

  As the voices grew louder, Avery began to make out words. It sounded like a spell. Why could she hear a spell?

  A male voice shouted, "Her eyes are fluttering, she's coming around!"

  And then she heard Alex's voice and felt his hand slide into her own. "Avery, can you hear me? Are you all right?"

  She tried to speak, but it felt like her mouth was full of dust and grit. With the greatest effort, she opened her eyes and then quickly closed them. The light seemed blinding. "I'm fine," she finally muttered, realising as she said it that she was not fine at all. "Water."

  "Here," Briar said, and she felt arms slide under shoulders and lift her so she was sitting up.

  "Let me," she heard Reuben say from somewhere behind her, and suddenly she felt a warm, solid mass behind her, and she leaned into it with relief.

  Alex said, "Have some water, Avery, just a sip."

  A glass was pressed to her lips and she took a few sips of cold water, thinking she'd never tasted anything so delicious in her life. It was only when she finished drinking that she opened her eyes again, squinting against the light for a few moments until her vision adjusted. The fire still burned, candles still illuminated the room, and Alex's worried face swam in front of her.

  "Hello, gorgeous. Glad to have you back."

  "Glad to be back," she croaked. "What happened?"

  "Crossroads bloody magic, that's what," Reuben said from above and behind her. Avery realised a pair of legs were stretched out on either side of her, and she twisted to look up into Reuben's anxious face. She must be leaning against Reuben's chest. "You had us worried then, Ave."

  "Sorry. It wasn't exactly what I planned."

  Now that she was awake, she could see Alex next to her, and beside him was Caspian. On her right was Briar, and at her feet was El, all of them white-faced with worry. Shadow was watching from beyond the circle.

  "By the Goddess," Briar said, "you had me worried. You're very weak."

  "I feel as weak as a kitten. What happened?"

  Alex explained, "I think that stone drained your magic while at the crossroads, far quicker than it would by just your psychic link. We shouldn't risk you going there again."

  "How can I not go?" she asked. "It's there, all the time, in my head! I see it every time I close my eyes!" She could hear her own panic rising, and she tried to subdue it.

  "I have made a suggestion," Caspian said, his voice low. "It should help, but not everyone agrees."

  Alex shot him a look of annoyance. "I'm just not sure that another magical link will be a good move."

  Briar's calm tones interjected. "But it could buy us valuable time---at Caspian's expense."

  "I've told you that I'm happy to do it. I'm the only one who can." He looked around at the other witches. "And you know I'm right."

  Avery held a hand to her head. "I'm not thinking particularly clearly right now. Can you be more specific?"

  Briar took Avery's hand in her small, soft one. "Since Caspian also commands elemental Air, his power will supplement your own, and hopefully feed that standing stone that continues to drain your power, until we can sever the link completely."

  Avery looked at Caspian and knew he was completely serious. "I think that's too dangerous, Caspian."

  "But it's too dangerous for you not to have support. How long do you think you've been out for, Avery?"

  She looked around at the others' faces and noted how tired they looked. "An hour or two?"

  "Try five or six."

  "What!" She tried to sit upright, but her limbs still felt heavy, and she sagged back against Reuben again. "How is that possible? How long were we at the crossroads?"

  "For us, a matter of minutes," Alex said. "But in reality, over an hour."

  "We were starting to panic," El told her. She still sat cross-legged at Avery's feet, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders. "You three were motionless. It was freaky. And when you finally came out of your weird psychic trance, you just collapsed. For the last few hours, Briar has been trying a variety of healing spells on you."

  "With very limited success," Briar said, grudgingly.

  Caspian was impatient. "You haven't got time to wait, Avery, and you have very few options. Do you want to link with me? It will help slow the drain of your power."

  Avery glanced at Alex, not sure what to do. Caspian was probably right, but she wasn't certain it would be a good thing, and she wasn't sure Alex would like it, either.

  Before she could respond, Briar said, "For the record, I think it's a good idea, Avery. Tell us honestly how you feel."

  She met her calm, quiet gaze. "I'm shattered. My limbs feel heavy, and my thoughts are clouded. I can't feel my magic as much, either. It actually feels pretty scary."

  "Well, I think you have your answer then," she said softly. Briar looked at Alex. "You know Caspian is right, and I know you want to do this, but Caspian is the only one to truly wield elemental Air like Avery. And his magic is strong. Your powers are different, and we're going to need you to help Avery break this link. That is your strength, Alex."

  Alex looked stricken for a moment, and then nodded. "Agreed. Avery?"

  She nodded. "Agreed."

  Alex turned to Caspian. "Thank you. What do you suggest?"

  Caspian could swagger when he wanted to, but he must have realised how difficult this was for Alex, because he said, "You're the expert on this. What do you think?"

  Alex thought for a moment, looking at their arrangement within the broken circle of salt. "I don't think what we three have just done is the way to go. That was for a short-term connection only. A type of binding might be more effective."

  Caspian nodded thoughtfully. "But it has to link me to the crossroads too, or it's pointless."

  "I think whoever links to Avery now will be bound to the crossroads, regardless," Briar said. She held her hands a few inches above Avery, sweeping over her body. "I can feel it. You're sort of vibrating with it. It has changed your energy."

  "I agree," Shadow said. "As soon as we connected, it was obvious."

  Alex nodded as he started to look excited. "Yes, you're right. We needed to connect mentally and psychically because we needed to visit the crossroads with you, but Caspian doesn't. He just needs to lend his power to yours. The connection you have to that place will automatically feed from Caspian, too."

  "I think you're right," Avery agreed. "But Caspian, I think you'll get flashes of the cro
ssroads anyway."

  "Good. There are positive aspects to this link. It links us to her, too---whoever she is."

  "Exactly," Reuben said from behind her.

  Alex rose to his feet. "I'm just going to get my grimoire. I have a binding that should work, but happy to take any suggestions."

  "We trust you," Briar said, still gauging Avery's energy levels. "I've brought more potions with me. You have to drink them every two hours. I've upped the dose."

  "Whatever, I'll drink anything at this stage. I might have to increase my alcohol consumption, too."

  "I've already beat you to that," Reuben said. He shifted slightly, and Avery tried to sit up on her own, but failed. "Stay put," he commanded, his hands resting on her shoulders. "I can cope with a numb ass."

  Avery reached up and rested her hands on his for a moment. "Thank you."

  Alex returned to the circle, and sat cross-legged with his grimoire on his lap. "You two need to sit in the middle, knee to knee, hands linked," he instructed Avery and Caspian.

  Avery reluctantly pulled herself away from Reuben, summoning all of her remaining reserves of energy to sit upright, and sat opposite Caspian.

  She watched his expression, wondering if this was really a good idea. He liked her, he'd made that clear, and she hoped this link between them wouldn't make his feelings stronger. But he gave nothing away; he just looked his normal, collected self. He held his hands out and she took them in hers, uncomfortably aware of his strong, sure grip, and the light touch of his knees resting against hers.

  Alex pulled a white cord from his pocket. "I'll say the spell, and you repeat it after me. As we continue, I'll wrap this cord around your wrists. The cord will then be kept safe in a cedar wood box until we break the binding." Alex then spoke to El, Reuben, and Briar. "You all can join in, too. Our magic will reinforce the binding and act as a sort of secondary defence."

  They murmured their agreement, and moved back into their positions, and then Alex began to chant.