Magic Reclaimed

by Coralie Moss

  I started with the Jeep. The driver’s seat was set to accommodate Thatcher’s long legs. I tapped the protective screen of his phone. The two had been listening to music. My heart would’ve broken into bits if I turned on the car and heard even a few notes. Songs on their playlists held memories for me, and memories became tipping points.

  I shifted, reached into the back seat, and brought the two backpacks forward. My sons had never given me reason to go through their things. Today was different. Both bags had trinkets attached to the pulls on the longest zipper. Even as my fingers curled around the piece of metal and tugged, my oh fuck light went off.

  Trinkets. Trinkets and charms, seemingly innocuous, had dangled from the Pearmains’ front gate the day I went to their orchard to investigate a complaint against their farming techniques. River had collected and bagged the trinkets and given them to me and Tanner to look at.

  We’d neglected to follow through. We’d been busy.

  I uncurled my fingers. The flat piece of metal was a three-inch-long sword, with an icy blue gemstone in the hilt. Harper’s initials were stamped on the backside. The identical trinket on the other bag carried Thatcher’s initials.

  What LARP-loving, MMORPG-playing teenager wouldn’t accept a replica of a sword?

  “Pls check the girls’ backpacks etc for trinkets,” I texted James. I included a photo then twisted the swords off their metal loops and tucked them into the card pocket on the back of my cell phone case.

  Running my thumb over the lumps, I debated the merits of sharing more with James and decided if this was happening to Leilani, Harper would want to know. We all would.

  My thumbs flew as I wrote, erased, reworded, and sent a series of texts. I ended with the promise Wes or I would keep Lei-li, James, and Malvyn as up-to-date as we could.

  Relieved, I unzipped the other sections of both backpacks and poked my fingers into every corner of every pocket. Nothing out of the ordinary.

  What else did I miss? Probably a lot. If Tanner’s badge, the one he carried when he was working in his official capacity as a Provincial agent, could alert him to the presence of Magicals, I had no problem believing doll-sized metal swords could track Harper and Thatcher’s whereabouts.

  Because that was where my thinking took me. Doug hadn’t used a tattoo on our sons as he had on me, but he’d found another way to keep tabs on them, one I wouldn’t notice.

  I slid out of the Jeep and closed the door. I’d donned my work boots out of habit. Off they went. I planted my feet in the grassy area near the Jeep’s rear tire, where the leather pieces holding the boys’ amulets and portal stones had fallen, and closed my eyes.

  Boot prints, larger than my size eights. At least two sets. Dust rising from the ground, swirling ankles, heels dug in. Following the imprints left by the boots was like trying to mimic a how-to graphic for a complicated dance. Three bodies in movement until the direction of all six feet turned at once and disappeared.

  Harper and Thatcher had gone with their father without a struggle?

  I opened my eyes, saw my reflection in the rear window of the Jeep, and spun to face the road. The kid behind the counter said the mini-truck had headed south. Brooks Farm was three miles or so away. The property in foreclosure was the same distance.

  And most of the farms and orchards on the island had identical white Japanese mini-trucks in constant use.

  “What did you find?” asked Wes.

  I fished out the trinkets and handed one to Wes and one to Christoph. “These were attached to the zippers on their backpacks. They don’t look like commercial zipper pulls to me. They look handmade.”

  Wes snapped a photo. “I’m sending this to a friend who makes trinkets used for spells.”

  “I sent a photo to James. He’ll share it with Mal,” I said. “Also, I told them about the boys and Doug.”

  “Leave the trinkets in the boys’ car, Calliope.” Christoph worked his thumb over the surface of the little sword. “Otherwise, whoever was tracking them will be able to follow your movements too.”

  I took the deepest breath I could and let it out. “I think Harper and Thatch went with Doug willingly. Either that or Doug used a spell that worked very fast.” I described what I’d read in the ground. “I don’t see any sign of resistance. Not here.” I gestured to where we were standing. “Or from the way the kid in the bakery described what he saw.”

  “Doug could have used glamour to cloak what he was really doing,” Wes pointed out. Christoph agreed.

  “If we’re done here, let’s go to the farm,” I said. “Standing around waiting makes me nuts.”

  I leaned over the driver’s seat of the Jeep and dropped both swords into a side pocket of Harper’s backpack.

  “If we don’t learn anything new, I suggest we go to Cliff and Abi’s and use their house as our base. There’s at least one portal on the property that we know of, and I wouldn’t mind checking the burial mounds again. They reeked of magic,” Wes said. “Druid and fairy magic.”

  I agreed with a nod and buckled my seat belt. The Pearmains’ was where I had first met Tanner and where the Apple Witch had been able to manifest both her human and tree forms. Plus, the bag of trinkets River had collected off the gate was sitting on the floor behind my seat and one of these days I was going to go through it and figure out which of the bits and baubles were magic.

  Those earliest days of this protracted adventure felt like a lifetime ago. I pinched my forehead. Two weeks, three at the most. I punched the ignition and waited for Wes to move his car.

  Christoph elected to travel with the druid—his wings would never fit in my tiny electric vehicle—and they followed me to the Brooks family’s farm. My grandfather stayed in the car, wrapped in a blanket of sorts. Wes and I talked to the farmer in charge of summer help. She had neither seen nor heard from my sons that day and was slightly put out they hadn’t contacted her. I gave her my cell phone number and asked if she would please call or text if the boys showed up.

  “They’re such goofy guys,” she said, squeezing my upper arm gently, “and they manage to work really hard. I hope you hear from them soon.”

  * * *

  Our two-car caravan pulled up to the Pearmains’ gate. I opened it so we could park close to the house and wavered on whether to leave the gate open or shut.

  “Leave it open,” said Wes. “Anybody wanting entry to the property will have the means to run right over the gate and the fence. This way, if we have to get out in hurry, it’s one less thing to worry about.”

  My phone had been silent on the drive. I gripped it tight, willing some piece of good news to set off a musical alert as I waited for signal bars.

  James and Rose had both texted. His message was a terse show of support, and hers said she’d picked up the sample kit and was bringing it to L’Runa. I blew out a quick breath.

  A loud fluttering pulled my attention off my phone. Christoph had extended his wings.

  “I need to stretch,” he said. “I told Wes I wanted to head to the burial mounds and poke around. Unless you need me to stay with you?”

  I stared at my grandfather, standing a couple inches taller than me, with silvery-white hair flowing down his back and his wings agitating. A little girl-like part of myself wanted to trust him simply because he was my grandfather. Adult me drew her close and voiced my hesitation.

  “Christoph, the truth is I’m uncomfortable that there’s no one at the house, and if the boys end up there for some reason, they don’t even have cell phones to call for help.” I bounced the toe of my boot against the car’s rear wheel. “The best thing you could do for me right now would be to portal back to the house. Someone responsible—and capable of magic—should be there for Harper and Thatch if they show up.”

  “You got it, Calli-lass.”

  “How can I reach you though, if something happens here?” I asked.

  Christoph plucked three smallish feathers from different places on his wings and handed them to me. �
��Slide the feathers between one of the rings and your thumb like this,” he said, demonstrating. “The calamus and shaft will glow. Three feathers mean you three are safe. Two feathers means the boys are on their way to me. One feather means you need my help. You will feel the metal go cold. When it does, drop the feather to the ground and try your best to bury it. If it’s help you need, the hard part will be the wait between sending the signal and my arrival.” He coughed and smoothed the front of his vest. “I’ll take the portal from here. It’ll give me a chance to exercise these old wings.”

  “Thank you.” I tucked the three feathers into the outer pocket opposite where I kept my wand and hugged Christoph.

  We separated, and he gave me a thumbs up and leaned forward into a take-off I never imagined witnessing. My sense of awe and respect for raptors in general was magnified by the sight of my grandfather’s wings flapping, lifting him toward the trees.

  I brought my phone to my ear as he skimmed over a cluster of stone fruit trees and disappeared.

  “Jack?” I said, the second my call was answered. “I need your help.”

  Chapter 20

  “What’s up, Calli?”

  Jack’s take-charge baritone, the one I pictured him affecting in emergencies and around hysterical people, had an immediate and calming effect. I was ready to tell him everything.

  Almost everything.

  “Doug took my sons,” I said. “The boys were on their way to work this morning at Brooks Farm. They stopped at that bakery, the second one on the main road out of Ganges, and the kid behind the counter says he saw them go with Doug.”

  Jack’s desk chair squeaked and groaned. “Harper and Thatcher going with Doug is not the same as them being taken by Doug.”

  “Harper’s Jeep was abandoned, along with their backpacks and cell phones.” I pressed the tips of my thumb and forefinger into the tight spot between my eyebrows and pressed hard. “Do you know a single teenager who would agree to be separated from their cellphone?”

  “Okay. Tell me more.”

  “I’d rather show you,” I said. “That way, it’ll make a lot more sense than me telling you about the chick that turns into an apple tree and how my grandfather is flying around an orchard right now.”

  “What’s he piloting?” Jack asked.

  “Jack, he’s under his own wing power. He’s a gyrfalcon, remember?”

  A low whistle. “Sorry, I forgot. Where are you now?”

  “The Pearmain orchards. Cliff and Abi are technically still missing, but we know where they are. Their grandsons were kidnapped, but we got them back the night of my party and they’re here too. And last night, a necromancer and I took a portal to Doug’s mother’s estate and rescued two sisters. They’re Fae, and Alabastair—he’s the necromancer—brought the sisters here. It’s a shit show and a circus,” I added, in case Jack hadn’t already figured that out.

  This time the groan in the background came from Jack. “I pulled desk duty today. As soon as I can bring in a replacement, I’ll be there.” He sighed. His head probably hurt worse than mine. “What’re we talking here? A family dispute that I’m going to need to mitigate? Oh, make that two families, because if you’re harboring Fae sisters and they’re underage or promised to others by their family, some Magical shit is going to hit the Magical fan. I need to know what weapons to pack. Please, fill me in.”

  “Okay. Doug and his family are Fae. They use glamour and have this wicked-looking weaponry that shoots out of their hands and fingers. Blades. Sharp, silvery blades. My guess is Doug’s mother, Meribah, is the brains behind whatever they’re trying to do, and ‘they’ includes the Flechette Realty and Land Development Group.”

  “What do you think the Flechettes are maneuvering to do?”

  “Acquire land, especially orchards.” I didn’t want to tell Jack about the Apples of Immortality, but there was some information I could share. “We know the Pearmains’ orchards have portals. And that two of Meribah’s cohorts killed hidden folk who’ve been caring for the special trees.”

  “Hmm. The Fae could be planning to take over access to portals. Controlling Magicals’ ability to come and go puts a lot of power into only a few hands.”

  “There’s more,” I said, “but it’s all connected. I have friends here right now, those river otters you scented, and I’m expecting—well, hoping—a couple of witches I know will be here too, as soon as they can.”

  “Rose de Benauge one of those witches?”

  “Yes. You know her?”

  “Everyone knows Rose.” Jack muted his phone, maybe against his chest, and spoke to someone at the station. Voices floated up from the far side of the farmhouse, opposite from where Christoph had flown. “Calli, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Call me if something happens.” I started to thank him, when he said, “One more thing. I told you I’m a wolf.”

  “You did.”

  “Have you ever seen a wolf shift? Or any other kind of Shifter?”

  I grimaced at the memory of the werecougar I’d dated. Jack did not need to know the particulars of my intimate life. “A friend of mine, a druid, can take wolf form. And those river otters, they’re druids too. I sort of saw them shift the night of my party, but I don’t really remember the transition.”

  “I’m going to need meat,” he said. “Lots of it. The Pearmains probably have a separate freezer for the cows and pigs that get processed at the abattoir. Pull out a few steaks and get them thawing for me. Please. Just in case.”

  Jack ended the call. I shuddered at the thought of opening the freezer in the Pearmains’ pantry. Then I remembered Maritza had joined the heads I discovered to their missing bodies and thanks to her and others, the two dead hidden folk were well-buried. My sense of relief barely registered.

  I mounted the steps to the front porch and followed the voices as they got closer.

  “Hey, anybody?” I yelled, continuing down the hall and into the kitchen. I made myself go directly to the freezer in the pantry, search for packets labelled beef, and remove an armful. I put them in the sink, wiped my hands, and stepped out the back door and onto the wide porch.

  The two fairies Bas and I had freed from the fountains at the Flechette estate were walking hand in hand with Peasgood and Hyslop. Belle and Kaz were behind the foursome, similarly hand in hand, with Wes bringing up the rear. Even in the midst of rolling crises, romance blossomed. I took that to heart and waved.

  “Calliope-ee!” Belle didn’t talk so much as trill and coo. Memories of her warm, genuine embraces lowered my stress meter five notches. I trotted down the steps and opened my arms. “We have a problem,” she whispered in my ear. “These fairy sisters are bloody frikkin’ royalty.” Belle held on another beat then let me go. “Calliope Jones, Earth Witch, may I introduce you to Silène LaFleur and Némophilie LaFleur, of the Seelie Court.”

  We all smiled and waved. Silène wrapped one arm more snugly through Peasgood’s. Némophilie bumped Hyslop’s shoulder with hers before taking a step forward and extending her arm. We shook hands.

  “Hi,” Némophilie said. “We owe you our gratitude for rescuing us. Our parents are on their way.” She looked over at her sister. Both blanched a bit, and a silent signal passed between the two. “We would be further in your debt, if you would help us to remain here rather than return to Court.”

  Belle bustled in between the two couples and planted her fists on her hips. “Sil, Néne, this is much more complicated than you think. One cannot simply wish away a marital obligation, especially given who your parents are.”

  The sisters rolled their eyes as if on cue. Sil said, “Belle, ple-ease. You promised you would help.”

  I looked to Wes for guidance. This wasn’t the time to get drawn into negotiations. “Girls. And guys. I have a huge problem, and mine trumps yours. My sons are missing. I think their father’s taken them, and I need all of us,” I circled our rag tag gathering, “to focus on figuring out how we’re going to get them back.”

  Némo
philie raised an arm. “Calliope, Wes filled us in on the walk up from my…” She darted a glance at her sister. “Our new flower garden, and we have a proposal. You have no idea how the Fae Courts work. It sounds to Silène and me as though your ex-husband and his family are likely of the Unseelie Court. That would make them bloodthirsty and devious. On a good day.”

  My jaw ached with how tight I was having to rein myself in. These Fae, charming as they were, had another thirty seconds before I lost my patience.

  “Our parents will have to grant you a boon, a…a gift for our rescue,” she continued. “Not only have Silène and I had extensive training in the theatrical arts, we each have over two decades of parental manipulation under our wings.” She pirouetted and fluttered a dainty set of faux wings, attached to her body with criss-crossed straps. Her sister did the same. “Allow us to assist you.”

  “Please,” Silène added. “We really do owe you our lives.”

  “Okay,” I said, shrugging. “At this point, I’m willing to listen to any plan.”

  “If the Fae have your sons, I have a suggestion.” Kaz’s usually mischievous expression was serious. “Get Doug to come to us. If we go on the offensive, they will have every advantage, especially if we pursue them to their home turf. If we could get them to come here and let them imagine they have the stronger hand, we stand a much better chance of getting Harper and Thatcher home.”

  “Call everyone you know,” added Wes.

  “I started to do that,” I said, as we turned and headed to the farmhouse. I paused with my foot on the lowest step. “I asked my friend, Jack, to help. He’s an officer in the RCMP. He’s also a shifter.”

  “Where’s Christoph?” asked Wes.

  “He flew to the burial mounds to portal back to my house.” I explained my reasoning as I opened the screen door.

  “Who else could we call?”

  I shrugged. “Not sure, but I’m relieved you’re on board with the idea. I texted James, but I think speaking with him would be helpful. The Brodeurs should be able to keep Leilani and Sallie safe. I’ll ask Rowan to alert Shamaha, in case Sallie needs more help.”