Of Curses and Charms

by Nyx Halliwell

  “But she wasn’t considered part of the colony. From the sounds of it, she might have been a witch. In fact, I’m pretty sure she was. Apparently, Mr. Finton and his sons gave Mary Ellen to her to raise. He mentioned how the witch went to the hot spring every full moon and stayed the whole night. She didn’t seem to age, and she brought the child with her. He said the water was bewitched, but it improved the baby’s health, who was sickly and small for her age.”

  “So Mary Ellen grew up with a witch?” I ask. “Light or dark?”

  Winter shrugs. “No way to be sure, but he mentioned that she used herbs, flowers, and tree bark to treat sick people in the colony. He was very interested in the properties of all of those, so naturally, he wanted to know why and how they worked.”

  “No mention of what happened to her? Did she raise Mary Ellen to adulthood?”

  “The only other thing is that when she started walking, she followed his son—the one who found her—everywhere. The entries stop about ten months after the colony vanished.”

  I sit back in the chair and wiggle the pen I’m holding. I lock on to it with my eyes, and make it hover over my open palm. Telekinesis is not one of my strong skills, but I work on it and find it helps hone my focus at times.

  “I don’t want any of us to have to go to Fontaine’s house to return his stuff, but he doesn’t have a phone—landline or cell—nor email. His realtor isn’t available to contact him, and I don’t want to involve Mrs. Sorensen, even though she knows him and offered to help. I’m flat out of ideas on how to communicate with the man other than pure magick. Any suggestions?”

  Autumn glances at Winter. “I offered to astral travel to his house.”

  Winter leans on the filing cabinet, twirling a piece of curly hair between her fingers. “I can make myself invisible and take a written message to slip under his front door.”

  Spring appears in the doorway. “We’re all locked up. Dad and I are ready to go.” She sets Mariel’s necklace on the desk. “Dug this up for you.”

  “Thank you, sister. Do you think he’ll have his place warded just in case?” I ask all of them

  Winter flips the lock of hair over her shoulder. “I would.”

  “You can’t meet him on neutral ground if you can’t tell him where that is,” Autumn says. “And if he really wants his stuff, he won’t try anything until he’s got it. We should be more concerned with protecting ourselves once we hand it over.”

  “Dad and I have that covered,” Winter informs us.

  I want to ask exactly what that entails, but before I do, Autumn’s body slumps to the floor.

  “Holy Hestia,” I say reaching for her. Most people might freak out, thinking my sister fainted, but I know better. “Tell me she did not just astral project there!”

  Winter laughs and Spring helps me prop Autumn against the desk.

  We stay put, kneeling beside her until she returns to her body. She takes a deep gasping breath and her eyes fly open.

  Relief spreads through me and a trace of black magick tingles the back of my neck. Autumn looks at me and smiles. “Message delivered. I told him to meet us at the park up the road from his house in thirty minutes.”

  “By all that’s holy,” I say. “Thank you, but please don’t do that again.”

  “You’re welcome.” She reaches out and pats my cheek. “Have a little faith, sister.”

  Winter pushes off the filing cabinet. “Let’s get going and pick up Hopper on the way.”

  19

  Hopper is ready when we arrive.

  With him, the four of us, and Dad, sitting room is limited. Winter drives and Dad, in the passenger seat, hands the kittens to Hopper when he sits next to me.

  Along with them, we have our familiars—Shade, the ghost cat, lies in Winter’s lap. Spring’s mockingbird, Hoax, hops between the seats. Sirius paces between the windows in the back while Autumn gripes at him about leaving muzzle prints on the glass. Cinders swings on the bar in his fireproof cage that hangs from a hook in the cargo area.

  Godfrey, not to be left behind, lays on the dashboard, licking his paws and cleaning his face.

  “So, what if Fontaine admits killing Mariel?” Winter asks. “I mean, is there really anything we can do about it?”

  Spring leans forward in her seat, “Tristan is meeting us there. He’ll stay hidden, but just in case Fontaine confesses anything illegal, he’ll be ready to take him into custody.”

  I doubt Kaan will allow himself to be arrested, but I appreciate her trying to help. Tristan, too. “Mostly, I need to know the truth. If Fontaine has been using black magick to try to save Mariel, maybe he needs help, and even if he is guilty of raising her from the dead, there’s not much we can do about that.”

  Hopper stays quiet, so does Dad. I wonder what’s running through their minds.

  The Tina Cloister Memorial Park, nestled between Mrs. Sorensen’s house and the Fontaine mansion, spreads over an acre or so of ground with a tall hill in the center. It’s well-appointed with trees, bushes, and blooming flowers, named for the woman who originally had a large atrium here. There’s a koi pond, a large white gazebo, and a look-out spot on top.

  Parking spaces are limited, as if those who designed the lot didn’t want it to turn into a tourist destination. An absence of playground equipment keeps it from being a hot spot for toddlers. Most parents take their kids to the Raven Falls park downtown.

  Luckily, there’s one open and Winter pulls in. A young man walking a German Shepherd goes by on the sidewalk. A couple on a bench under a nearby willow tree stare dreamily at each other. A mother with a couple pre-teen children are near the pond, feeding the fish.

  “We don’t want collateral damage,” I say. “We may need to use a little magick to get these people to move along.”

  Dad absentmindedly strokes Godfrey, who looks at him with annoyance. “I’ll handle them. If I can’t get them to leave, I’ll shield them.”

  “Thank you, Dad.”

  He reaches back and takes my hand. His is rough and wrinkled, several turquoise rings on his fingers. I don’t worry about touching him—like my sisters, I don’t get visions about him. I squeeze his fingers, the cool metal of his turquoise jewelry reassuring against my warm skin. “I love you, daughter,” he says. “Be safe.”

  “Are we ready?” Winter asks. “Before I make you invisible, we need to figure out where everybody’s going to stand.”

  The dashboard clock tells me we have ten minutes before Kaan is due. Sirius jumps into Autumn’s lap, whining. He’s far too big to be a lap dog and she nearly disappears under all that wolfhound hair. In my mind, it sounds like he’s saying, “Going? Now? Outoutout. Walk? Smell… What is … scent?”

  She scratches around his ears and he pants. “We should form the five points of a pentagram and lock our magick together, like we do in the woods. Spring and Hopper need to be in the center, so that leaves us without the fifth point.”

  Hopper glances at the sleeping kittens in his lap. “I’ll meet Fontaine in the center and give him his stuff back. Spring can stay at one of the points.”

  “No way,” I tell him. “I don’t even want you in the pentagram. You should stay in the van.”

  He looks at me with serious consideration in his eyes. “You know that won’t happen.”

  Rats. I sigh. “I had to try.”

  “Tristan has magick,” Spring volunteers. “He can hold the fifth if you want.”

  The mother and her kids finish and begin walking to the entrance of the park. That makes me feel better. Now if the couple would leave.

  “Getting Fontaine into the center might be tricky—he’ll be expecting it.” Winter taps her fingers on the wheel. “Even if the five of us are invisible, he’ll be able to feel the magick.”

  “We won’t raise it until he’s with you,” Autumn says. Light through the van window brightens her red hair to orange. “We’ll stay invisible and contain our magick until he’s in the center of the pentagram.”
>
  “That might work.” I finger the phoenix pendant. “I put a beacon spell on the journal and jewelry, so he knows where to find us. They’ll give a magickal pulse he should be able to pick up on. I don’t want to put him on the defensive if there’s any chance I can get information about Mariel’s tie to the demon. Hopper and I have the leverage with her stuff, so I’m hoping Kaan will divulge it. If he refuses, or tries any funny business, I’ll say Cinders’ name. That’ll be the signal to raise the pentagram.”

  Nods and murmurs of agreements fill the van. Winter turns to look at us. “Grab hands.”

  We form a circle, Spring on one side of me, Hopper on the other. I’m wearing my fingerless gloves, so the Touch doesn’t kick in.

  I still feel a buzz of electricity from Hopper’s skin through the lace and my heart beats faster. For a sweet moment, I want to burst out, “I love you,” but bite my tongue. I do send him the mental message, along with a shy smile.

  I can tell he’s reluctant to grab me hard, afraid the lace won’t be enough to protect me, so he rubs his thumb across my knuckles, that sweet familiar sensation sending more bolts of electricity zig-zagging up my arm and into my heart.

  Godfrey reluctantly climbs into Dad’s lap and yawns. I mentally lock onto Cinders’ magick. Power flows from each of the animals into us sisters, our familiars giving an extra boost. I mentally tell Godfrey to give Dad the same.

  He yawns again, looking at me through half-slitted eyes.

  We can’t hold this for long, but I revel in the fiery sensation of mine, feeling my power ratchet up several notches. I’m not sure what Hopper feels, but I imagine even he can sense an increase in energy. My magick turns protective, flooding his aura.

  Dad says a prayer to our ancestors, spirit guides, and our higher selves, asking for blessings and guidance as we confront Kaan. He asks for what is hidden to be revealed, and to assist us to make sure justice is done for Mariel.

  He also asks our spirit guides to grant us knowledge about the demon—Mariel’s beast—that might allow us to help our mother.

  When we’re done, my body buzzes from head to toe as if I’ve stuck my finger in a light socket. Winter and Spring break their hold on Hopper and I and they hook hands. Winter says a spell over the others to create the invisibility cloak around them.

  To the novice, it’s an impressive sight. Hopper sucks in a quiet gasp before shooting me a hesitant grin.

  I look at the map of the park on my phone and dole out instructions about where everyone should stand.

  The center is actually at the top of the hill, and according to reviews, you can see the Pacific from the highest point on a clear day. I consider using it, but the rest of the group won’t have a view of Hopper and I if I do.

  I choose the gazebo instead for our meeting place. From there, it’s easy to position the others so they form a pentagram. Tristan shows a minute later, receiving his own dose of invisibility along with instructions on where to go and what to do.

  We fan out, each of our familiars following close by. Dad takes the kittens and sets them under a shady tree close to Autumn’s spot. Sirius stands guard. Hopper brings the jewelry and books, and I carry Cinders in his cage.

  I glance at my phone. Two minutes. Anxiety crawls up my spine and I try to shake it off. I’m hoping Fontaine will cooperate—that underneath the black magick he’s actually a good person.

  But what if he’s not?

  I can almost feel the seconds ticking by. I free Cinders and he hops to the top of it, spreading his wings and flapping as if he’s shaking off his worries, too.

  My sisters check in telepathically, letting me know they’re ready. Hopper places the items on the ground and looks around. “Do you think he’ll walk in like a normal person, or do that projection thing?”

  “I suspect he’ll be in astral form, but he can’t carry his stuff out if he does that, so at some point, he’ll have to materialize in physical form.”

  Hopper nods and continues to scan the area. He keeps his hands loose by his sides. He removes a pair of sunglasses from his shirt pocket and puts them on, and suddenly, I feel like I have a bodyguard as the mirrored lenses reflect my face back to me. “No matter what happens,” he says, “I’ll protect you.”

  My heart swells, and again, I feel the words I love you wanting to burst from my lips.

  Timing, I remind myself. Those words are sacred. When you say them for the first time, it should be in a special place, intimate and memorable. This evening might be memorable, and the location special, but the situation makes it…

  Well, I’m not sure what, but it’s not conducive to spilling my heart to him.

  “Thank you,” I tell him, which honestly, sounds a little lame.

  I can’t help it; I check the time once more. We’re at fifteen seconds. I reinforce my shields, extending them to Hopper.

  He may believe he’s protecting me, but I definitely am him.

  In my head, I hear Winter’s voice counting down. Ten, nine, eight…

  I wonder if she’s as anxious as I am. She never shows much emotion, good or bad, so it’s hard to know, but I suspect putting us on alert to Fontaine’s impending arrival is her way of controlling her worry and doubt.

  Six, Five, Four…

  I take a breath and hold it. Hopper touches my arm, a show of support.

  Three, two, one.

  Go time.

  20

  The meeting time comes and goes.

  The couple on the bench leave. Hopper and I look around, watching to see if Fontaine is walking into the park, rather than projecting here.

  No Fontaine, either in flesh or spirit.

  A light breeze ruffles my hair and I turn in a circle, smelling roses and jasmine. I lean over the gazebo’s railing and look towards the hill, in case he’s out there spying on us.

  No dice. Unless his astral self is hiding in one of the trees, I can’t pick up anything.

  Minutes pass, and I hear my sisters in my mind discussing what’s going on, or more specifically, what’s not.

  Are you sure you gave him the message? Winter asks Autumn.

  I said it right to his face. Autumn sounds so calm.

  Maybe he suspects our trap, Spring adds.

  I think she’s correct. Let’s give it a few more minutes, I tell them.

  Everyone falls silent.

  Hopper gives me a couple questioning looks. I shrug. “Maybe he’s not going to show.”

  “Something’s not right.” He continues to scan the park. “He’s not coming, but that doesn’t make sense. He wants his possessions back, doesn’t he?”

  “He probably assumes we’re going to jump him. I’m not sure what we could do to a dark wizard, but I have the feeling he’s been around a long time. He’s not taking chances.”

  Five minutes pass, then ten. I sit on the gazebo stairs. Hopper next to me.

  Patience is not one of my virtues. It takes all my willpower to wait another few minutes.

  Finally, I admit defeat. “He’s not coming. We might as well wrap this up.”

  Hopper rises, extending a hand to me. “Do you want to leave the stuff, just let him have it, and we go our separate ways?”

  “I can’t.” Warily, I accept his hand and stand. “If he has information on the demon, we have to know.”

  Hopper picks up the books and jewelry. I put Cinders back in his cage.

  Frustrated, I reach out with my magick in case Fontaine is listening or hiding somewhere waiting for us to leave. I came here in good faith to return your items but I’m leaving now. I’m taking Mariel’s things with me, so if you want them, you’re screwed.

  I pick up the cage and am about to walk down the steps when icy prickles ripple over my skin.

  Dark magick rushes at me, nearly knocking me off my feet. It clamps around my ribs, closing off my windpipe. Kaan’s face floats in front of mine.

  His mouth is distorted in what looks like a scream. His eyes are wild, rolling up in their sock
ets. He seems to be reaching for me, and I back away instinctively, slapping at his hand.

  Mine goes right through it, his astral self nothing more than air.

  “Stop it! Are you trying to scare me?” I yell. “Well, it’s not working. I know what you did for Mariel, how you tried to keep her from the demon—beast—and I only want a few answers. He has my mother, too. I need your help, but if you come after me or my sisters, it’ll be the last thing you do.”

  His lips move, but there’s no sound. Behind him, I see what looks like Mariel’s bedroom.

  A ghostly hand seems to be pulling at him, keeping him from communicating. He reaches out again, urgency in his face, and I realize what he’s trying to say as I focus on his mouth.

  Help.

  A shudder races through me.

  I grope for his hand, but once again my fingers pass through thin air. There’s nothing to hold onto, to grasp.

  And then, behind him, I see someone else.

  A face stretched with anger… and evil.

  I gasp and stumble back, finding myself against Hopper. He wraps his arms around me. “What is it?”

  He can’t see the wizard, can’t see the ghost behind him.

  “It’s Kaan.”

  I search the man’s astral face, feeling helpless. “What’s happening? I don’t understand.”

  His mouth moves again. Help me.

  Before I can take another breath, the ghost snatches him away.

  For half a second, I’m frozen, trying to make sense of it. I turn on my heels, breaking from Hopper’s grip. “We have to go. Now.”

  Grabbing the cage once again, I send out a mental message to my sisters to meet at the van. “Hurry,” I add.

  When we’re assembled there, I tell them what happened.

  They gawk at me.

  “You can’t be serious,” Winter says.

  I’m still shivering from the encounter. “It was her. It was Mariel. She came for Kaan, and she’s not happy. We have to get to his house. I think he’s in real trouble.”