Crossroads Magic

by TJ Green

  Caspian grabbed Avery's arm. "This is impossible. We need to get to the crossroads."

  "But Alex---he's trapped!"

  "There's no way we're getting to that ring here. Shadow and El between them can't even get close to her. We have to go!"

  "But I can't even move. She's anchored me here." Avery was bewildered. "I thought she'd send me to the crossroads."

  Caspian's face was pale. "You're magnifying her link. You're probably of more use to her here than there."

  Avery swayed on her feet, suddenly dizzy. "Shit. I think you're right. What about you? Are you connected with her because of me?"

  "Not yet, but it's only a matter of time. We're going, now!" He stepped behind her, pulling her close. "Work with me. Close your eyes and see the crossroads."

  Avery was trembling with weakness, but she did as she was told and closed her eyes tightly.

  22

  Avery was at the crossroads. And she was alone. She'd left her friends battling the Empusa, Rafe and Mairi, and she had no idea if she'd ever see them again.

  Where is Caspian?

  The thick mist had vanished and once again the full moon was overhead. The crossroads waited as if with baited breath. Three of the standing stones were lit up, the fiery gold script speaking of the untold magic of the fey and of the witches whose powers the stones had taken. And the fourth standing stone was silent and grey, waiting for her.

  Suddenly, a voice yelled at her, as if it was coming from the depths of a well, and once again she felt a sharp sting on her cheek and she cried out in shock. The voice was louder now. "Avery! Come back to me!"

  She wrenched her eyes open to see Caspian's panic-stricken face inches from her own. As soon as she opened her eyes, he relaxed. "Sorry, Avery. That was a stupid suggestion, but it did help."

  "What's happened? Are we here?"

  "You tell me. We'd better be."

  Avery felt dizzy and sick, but she forced herself to focus and look around.

  They were standing dead centre of the crossroads, but now the stones were sentinel, dark and forbidding. The full moon was still overhead, casting the place in sharp relief, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of honey and pollen. The feeling of stasis was still prevalent there. The moon was like a malevolent eye watching them, and Avery had to remind herself that the moon was also her friend, not just Hecate's.

  She sighed with relief. "Yes, this is it."

  Caspian exhaled heavily. "Good." He fell to his knees, retching.

  Avery dropped next to him, her hand on his back. "What's wrong?"

  "Alex was right. That was far harder than I expected. Especially bringing two of us. I'll be okay. Just give me a minute."

  She looked deep into his weary eyes, and listened to his laboured breathing. "Liar. This has half-killed you."

  He glared at her. "I'll be fine."

  "I'm sorry. This is my fault. Look what I've done to you."

  "Caitlin, not you. And I volunteered."

  She rummaged in her pack, and found Briar's last tonic. "Drink this."

  "You'll need it."

  "Not as much as you do."

  "No," he said stubbornly.

  "Take it! Right now you're weaker than I am. Be logical."

  She thrust it at him, and he reluctantly took it, knocking it back in one go.

  Avery stood up, trying to steady the shaking in her limbs. "I have to act now. I can feel it...the stone is pulling me." She looked at her itching palm, and the glow of the mark became stronger. "Bollocks. I have to find the ring."

  Caspian nodded. "I feel it, too. Which stone is it?"

  Unlike in her dreams, these didn't glow with a magical light. "I'm not sure."

  But even as she spoke, the stone to her right started to glow, the carved script igniting with the fiery light.

  Caspian gave a hollow laugh. "That one, I presume."

  "Well, it can wait," she answered, desperately trying to ignore its pull. She'd got used to it now. "Move away."

  Caspian dragged himself across the ground to the edge of the crossroads, well away from the beckoning stone, and Avery said the spell to find the ring, the spell she'd rehearsed all day.

  Nothing happened.

  "Damn it!" she shouted into the night.

  "You're too weak," Caspian told her.

  Avery didn't answer him, instead grounding herself and calling the wind to her, wrapping it close like a blanket. She felt it giving her strength, and she said the spell again, uttering it with conviction as she shaped the necessary signs in the air.

  Again, her words tumbled across the moors, meaningless and spent.

  Avery struggled to focus, her thoughts jumbled, as the script on the stones virtually ignited. She collapsed to the ground, her body shaking uncontrollably as her magic start to ebb.

  "Draw on me!" Caspian shouted. "We're linked. Use it!"

  "You're not strong enough!"

  Avery looked around her at the stones and faint silver lines of the four roads leading away across the moors, and she felt despair and loss. She would die here, away from Alex, away from her friends, and they would die, too. Caitlin and the Empusa would win, and Hecate would once again have her crossroads sacrifice.

  The loud screeching of a bird shattered her reverie, and she jerked around, seeing an enormous raven perched on a standing stone. It looked at her, its head cocked, and its dark eyes reflected the silver of the full moon. It screeched again, burning through her foggy thoughts, and she suddenly remembered all she'd planned that day.

  Sacrifice be damned.

  Avery was soul-yoked to a stone that channelled fey magic from beyond the boundaries of their world. That magic was now hers. She slipped her boots off and wriggled her feet in the loamy earth of the moor, and then stood on her trembling limbs. The moor started to spin around her, but she threw her arms wide and faced the standing stone, allowing it to feel her soul, opening herself up to its power. The tiny pull she'd felt before became a rope of sinewy magic, as old as the Earth itself. She grabbed it with her mind and pulled it back to her, and it was like flipping a switch. Power flooded into her so quickly that she felt as if she'd dissolved into it. Her feet left the earth and she turned slowly, her hair streaming around her.

  This is power! This is magic!

  Images flashed through her mind---strange faces and stranger places, beings whose lives were different from her own, from another place and time. The moors seemed to move, the earth rustling as if it was waking, and she heard the drums again, far in the distance.

  They didn't frighten her anymore. They were the drums of the fey shaman calling to their Gods, and one of them was already here.

  She uttered the spell to summon Hecate. It was time to remind her who she was.

  Within seconds there was a rumble of thunder, the earth shook, and the sky ignited with forked lightning. A bright white jagged finger crashed down into the crossroads, and the earth sizzled. Avery could smell the ozone, but she didn't flinch.

  A figure rose from the ground, mist-wrapped and wraithlike, until she finally revealed herself. A woman towered over her, regal, imposing, and draped in darkness. Stars whirled around her head, and snakes hissed at her feet. She was ageless---maiden, mother, and crone all at the same time.

  "You called me, child?" Her voice was as a soft as a feather and as hard as steel, and the weight of worlds lay within it.

  Avery was still hovering in the air, fey magic flooding through her. "Yes! I demand an apology! I have been summoned here as sacrifice to you! How dare you keep me here? I am a witch! I carry your power, as all witches do! Release me from this binding."

  Hecate regarded her silently for a moment, her eyes narrowed, and Avery knew she was being judged. "I do not keep you here, nor do I ask for sacrifice. Others act in my name, but it is not of my choosing."

  "You promised Caitlin the Empusa! She wields it now. She kills with it."

  "The Empusa has always been a difficult servant...wilful, spiteful, eager
to dabble in the affairs of men. This place," she gestured around her, "was always her place more than mine. It is the Empusa who controls your fate, not me." She stepped closer to Avery, bringing the scent of decay and earth with her, as well as the stench of death. She looked into her eyes. "Break your bonds, I will not interfere. That which you seek is beneath your feet. You have the power to find it."

  Hecate vanished in the blink of an eye, as if she had never been there at all, and relief washed through Avery. She'd been terrified that Hecate would stop her, or try to kill her, but she hadn't. She slowed her breathing, and at the same time eased her grip on the standing stone magic, slowly lowering herself to the earth.

  Caspian looked up at her. He was still prostrate on the ground, his face whiter than before. "Well, that was something else."

  "Did I imagine that?"

  "Nope." He gestured to the centre of the crossroads. "Time to get the ring."

  Avery looked down. The fey magic still affected her vision. The earth seemed to shimmer and move, as if there was another Earth just out of sight. She smiled. There probably was, she just couldn't normally see it.

  She held her hands out, cupping her palms, and said the spell to find the ring. Within seconds, the earth writhed and buckled, and a small box rocketed upwards, as if it had been spat out. It landed in her outstretched hands and she opened it cautiously. There, on a bed of black velvet, was an elaborately designed silver ring with a deep red stone set within it. Next to it was a bundle of feathers, and a bundle of twigs and leaves. The totems of the Raven King and the Green Man.

  She grinned at Caspian. "Got them. Shall I destroy it?"

  "I think you should try, after all this."

  She dropped to her knees, pulled the knife from her belt, and then placed the ring on the grass. She brought the knife down on the ring, gently at first, but nothing happened. Then she raised it above her head and brought it down quickly, stabbing the metal. Sparks flew outwards, sending Avery backwards in shock.

  "Damn it!" She looked at Caspian. "Harlan was right."

  "It seems the sorcerer knew his stuff."

  "We're going to have to go back and get that ring off her finger after all. Are you better?" she asked, concerned.

  "I can fight, the tonic has helped, but I can't fly."

  A horrible thought struck Avery. "What if the time thing works against us? We could have been gone for hours." Her heart almost stopped. "They could all be dead!"

  Caspian rolled to his knees and looked around. "Tricky to say. The boundary magic is making everything weird. But, you have got fey magic, temporarily at least. Use it. Think of the place and the time you want to return to."

  The screech of the raven shattered the night and sent the sound of the drums fleeing, and at that Avery stood, pulled her boots on, and held her hand out to pull Caspian up. "Time to go. I'm strong enough now to take both of us."

  He looked up at her for a moment, his expression deadly serious. "You're extraordinary, do you know that? I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful."

  Avery felt incredibly self-conscious, and her voice faltered. "I'm not extraordinary or beautiful. It's the fey magic."

  "No, it's not. You always are. I wish I had found you sooner, Avery."

  Caspian looked suddenly lost, defeated, and with horrible clarity, Avery realised the depth of his feelings for her.

  She started to speak, fumbling for her words, "Caspian, I'm sorry, but---"

  "I know. You love Alex."

  "I really do." She smiled at him, tears threatening to fall. "But thank you. You're quite extraordinary, too. I couldn't have done this without you."

  "We're not done yet." He took her outstretched hand, and she pulled him to his feet.

  "True. But when we get back and this is all over, because we are going to kick Caitlin's butt, I'm going to find you a girlfriend."

  He stood behind her, sliding his arms around her waist, and said softly in her ear, "She won't be you."

  "But she'll be amazing. Trust me. I'm a witch."

  23

  The fey magic was strong, and Avery and Caspian arrived back in the madness and chaos of the area around Caitlin's gypsy caravan. Caspian reluctantly released her.

  The wood that had appeared out of nowhere was thick and rustling with life, and from somewhere in its dark confines, Avery heard the clang of steel on steel, and the zing of magic and spells. A figure appeared just at the edge of her peripheral vision, and Avery turned, catching the briefest glimpse of a strange, green-skinned, almost ethereal creature before it stepped back into the trunk of tree, disappearing from sight.

  Avery blinked, doubting what she'd seen, but this was not the time to think. It was time to act.

  She and Caspian ran towards the noise, and it seemed as if they had arrived only minutes after they left.

  Reuben and Newton were fighting with Rafe and Mairi, Newton trading punches with Rafe, while Reuben ensnared Mairi with magic. El and Shadow were fighting furiously with the Empusa. Shadow was moving so quickly that Avery could barely follow her, but El ran forward when she could, making quick jabbing thrusts and flinging fireballs at the Empusa when there was no danger of hitting Shadow. Briar and the Raven King were everywhere all at once. Tree roots and branches were tearing through Caitlin's home, and the fire in front of her van had reignited, fed by chunks of wood that fell onto it. Overhead, ravens screeched, wheeling through the branches above them.

  Avery left Caspian to help El fight the Empusa and ran to the hedge, just in time to see Alex break free, leaves exploding outwards as he spelled his way out. She launched herself at him, wrapping him in a hug. "You're okay!"

  He plucked twigs and leaves from his hair. "I'm fine, if half-crushed by a crazed hedge. What happened to you? You're sort of glowing."

  "Am I?" She looked down at herself properly, and saw that she shimmered, as if she was covered in gold dust. She grinned at him. "Fey magic. I'll tell you later. Take this. I found it at the crossroads. It has the ring and the talismans in it. I can't destroy the ring---Harlan was right. We have to take it off her. Can you break her bonds with the Raven King and Green Man?"

  He looked bewildered. "Sure, but---" He looked around. "I think they're doing just fine!"

  "But they can't attack her. This is as much as they can do. That's why the ravens are overhead."

  He nodded. "That makes sense. What are you doing?"

  "Getting the ring, of course. Keep that half safe."

  Avery ran to where the Empusa was fighting, and skidded to a halt. El and Caspian arrived next to her, breathless. El was exasperated. "Nothing works! I've tried spell after spell, but nothing gets through! If it weren't for Shadow keeping her pre-occupied, we'd all be dead."

  Caspian nodded. "I've tried, too. She's impervious."

  For a few seconds they watched them fight, and Avery felt breathless just watching. Although Shadow was quick, the Empusa always seemed to have the edge, but Shadow wasn't backing down. Both had cuts to their arms, and the Empusa had a long wound down her side, but it didn't slow her down as she relentlessly advanced on Shadow. In turn, she rolled, slashed and parried, while they both darted around trees and jumped over tree roots.

  "I bet she's not impervious to this," Avery said, raising her hands. "Let's see how she likes being on the punishing end of boundary magic."

  Avery summoned the wild fey magic that still coursed through her, and although it was not as strong as it had been, she sent a tendril of magic across the ground. It writhed over roots until it reached the Empusa's feet, and it started to wrap around them.

  Realising what was happening, the Empusa slashed at the magic, slicing through it with ease, but the distraction meant that Shadow could get closer, and the Empusa couldn't fight both, not successfully. With renewed enthusiasm, Avery whipped magic at the Empusa again, and it snagged around her limbs, tangling her feet and arms in bonds she couldn't get to quick enough. With a snap of her fingers, Avery dragged her to the ground, and
Shadow kicked the swords from her hands and stood over her, her blade to the Empusa's throat.

  Screams and a skirmish behind them made Avery turn briefly to see Reuben and Newton dragging Rafe and Mairi into the small clearing. Both Newton and Rafe were bleeding, but Rafe had a black eye and appeared unconscious. Mairi, mute with anger, was next to him.

  As Avery turned back to Shadow and the Empusa, a boom resounded across the newly grown wood as Alex broke the bonds tying the Green Man and Raven King. If the wood was impressive before, it was nothing compared to what was happening there now. The trees soared higher, their trunks growing broader, becoming alive with a mysterious Otherness, and already feeling ancient, even though they had appeared only minutes before.

  Alex skidded to Avery's side, the box in his hands.

  Through the tangled branches, ravens cawed and dived earthwards, until they coalesced in the shape of the Raven King. He brought his own luminescence with him, illuminating the space around him with a soft white light, and throwing the Empusa's figure into sharp relief. He watched her writhing furiously on the ground, his face impassive.

  Avery tightened her fingers and the fey magic tightened too, until the Empusa could barely move, allowing Shadow to stand back, breathless and bleeding, her eyes alive with curiosity.

  Corbin had vanished, and in his place stood the Raven King alone. He was taller, his shoulders broader, and he had long black hair, as glossy as a raven's plumage, and shot through with midnight blue. He wore a long black cloak, black clothes, and black boots, his eyes were as dark as night, and his white face was square jawed. A raven perched on his shoulder, rustling his wings and looked around imperiously.

  "You desire the ring?" the Raven King asked Shadow, his voice deep and melodious.

  Shadow nodded, unusually silent for once.

  "Take it."

  Shadow leaned forward, stepping on the Empusa's closest hand to keep her immobile, and not knowing which ring to choose, tried to pull them all free, but they were trapped on the larger fingers of the creature, far larger than Caitlin's hands. With a grim smile Shadow raised her sword and brought it down quickly, severing the hand.