by TJ Green
“I said it’s over,” Johnny said, planting his feet firmly and looking the young man in the eye. “Go home.”
The man spread his arms wide as if he was looking for a fight. “But the night is young!”
Tom and the original group, all older men, gathered behind Johnny as he repeated, “It’s done. Go home. This is our business, not yours.”
But the mood, grim to begin with, had changed to something more sinister, and deciding that now was a good time to get involved, Reuben turned to El. “We need to break this up, but that belligerent little shit is spoiling for a fight, and whatever I say won’t change that. And Bernie,” he said, glancing at the now shivering man who had no coat on, “is freezing to death.”
“Can you lower the temperature?” El asked, keeping an eye on the fraying tempers in the middle. Pushing and shoving had started, and a fist fight was imminent. “Maybe pull the water from the air and, I don’t know, make a local blizzard?”
Reuben considered his chances. Any magic they used would either be magnified or revealed by the strange spell, which could mean they would be targeted, but they had to do something. “That might work,” he admitted. “The spell might aid my magic, and the blizzard would hide us, too.”
As the older men tried to reason with the younger group, El thrust her hand into Reuben’s. “Draw on me, and do it—now!”
As the first punch was thrown, Reuben didn’t hesitate. He focussed his power and drew the water from around them, simultaneously lowering the temperature. With shocking suddenness, snow started to fall. At first it was gentle, but as Reuben’s intent manifested, it thickened until they were all engulfed in a snowstorm. The loiterers disappeared, but the fight continued as the men wrestled and rolled on the icy ground.
It needed to be much colder, and Reuben lowered the temperature again. In seconds the snow turned to ice, and huge hail stones rained down, stinging their skin. Shouting and cursing, the men fled, leaving Bernie yelling in the stocks.
By now the visibility was poor and Reuben was freezing, too. He squeezed El’s hand. “Let’s get Bernie out of here and go home.”
El’s hair was plastered to her face, but her hand was warm in his, and Reuben suspected she had used a spell to insulate herself from the cold. Fire burned in her eyes, and Reuben knew she was furious about the events. He could feel her energy crackling as they both ran across the square to Bernie’s side.
“Are you okay, Bernie?” El asked, her hands resting lightly on his arm as Reuben freed him from the stocks.
He straightened up, shivering uncontrollably. “No, I’m bloody not!” he yelled, trying to wrest his arm from El. But he wasn’t just angry. He was embarrassed, too.
El gripped his arm tightly, and Bernie’s shivering started to reduce. “Do you need help getting home?”
“No. I’m not a bloody child. Just let me go.” He finally shook her off, gave Reuben an uneasy look, and then ran, leaving Reuben and El standing in the deserted square as hail lashed down around them. The square looked a mess. The rotten veg was being mashed into the ground, and the bin rolled across the pavement, but Reuben ignored all of it. He eased his spell, and the hail turned into big, fluffy snowflakes that billowed around them.
“It looks almost pretty, doesn’t it?” he said to El, admiring his handiwork.
“It would if not for the ugly circumstances that caused it.” She warmed the air around them, placing them in a protective bubble. “We have to speak to Stan tomorrow. The stocks must go! I don’t care what Bernie did, that was awful.”
“Agreed.” He leaned forward to kiss her. “Now, let’s get home for a hot shower, and hope nothing else happens.”
Ten
Avery had plenty of news to share at Happenstance Books on Wednesday morning.
“Alex saw what?” Dan asked her, amazement etched across his face as they clustered behind the counter.
She grinned, unable to contain her joy. “He actually saw the spell being cast!”
His eyes widened. “He travelled back in time?”
“No, numpty! He had a vision,” Avery explained. “He didn’t actually physically go anywhere.”
“But how is that possible?” Sally asked. She looked shocked, and maybe a little bit scared, too.
“The spell is very powerful.” Avery lowered her voice, aware of the customers milling about her shop, and turned the volume up on the Christmas jazz music to mask their conversation. Ever since Helena had appeared yesterday, the shop had been twice as busy as usual. “It didn’t take much effort on Alex’s part to see the vision. It is his strength, after all.”
Sally looked around nervously, as if the shop would disappear. “So, it’s not like this could happen to any of us?”
“Certainly not. Alex is receptive to those sorts of energies. I could never do what he does.”
Dan nodded thoughtfully as he snagged a biscuit. “Okay. So, who cast it?”
Avery grimaced as she recalled her conversation with Alex. “We don’t have a name, but he seemed to be a witch for a king’s court. From the conversation he overheard with the witch’s apprentice, the king suspected the queen of treachery and needed a spell to reveal the truth about her actions, and those who worked with her. But we have no idea who the king was or where. Alex thinks it was a small kingdom from the way they spoke. And,” she added, feeling envious, “he said it was so real! As if he was actually in the room.” Avery didn’t often envy other magic. She respected the fact that all witches were different, but she wished she had experienced Alex’s vision with him.
“That’s just so amazing,” Sally said, a faraway look in her eye before she suddenly focussed. “At least it wasn’t done just for mischief.”
“No. It had a very real purpose,” Avery said, “and potentially put the witch and his apprentice in danger. And we may never know if it actually worked.”
Dan brushed crumbs off his t-shirt and said, “If he had seen any more details, we may be able to research it, but I guess it’s a long shot. The important question is, did the vision help you work out a way to stop the spell?”
Avery slumped on her stool behind the counter and leaned back against the shelves. “No. We discussed a few possibilities, and I’ve been researching ideas, but so far, nothing concrete.”
Sally’s eyes narrowed as she asked, “And was the hail and snow last night your doing?”
“Not mine, but Reuben’s,” Avery admitted. “He had to do something.”
All morning there had been talk in the town about the sudden storm that had swept through White Haven, sending people running for shelter. And there had been rumblings about the unpleasant use of the stocks on poor Bernie Campbell. The news had spread quickly, and everyone was furtively muttering, all with divided opinions.
“It’s scaring people,” Dan said, suddenly serious. “Those stocks have to go. If I see Stan today, I’ll tell him.”
“I think you’ll find they’re being removed already,” Avery told him, already feeling brighter. “El and Reuben have already complained to the council, and I bet others have, too. Stan made a misstep with that one,” she said, feeling sorry for him, but annoyed too. “He should have foreseen this.”
Sally nodded. “When you put stocks in the middle of town, you really are risking disaster.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Dan mused. “It might have just remained a bit of fun, if the truth of things hadn’t emerged.”
Avery looked at Dan, startled at his expression. “The truth of things! That’s a great way to describe it.”
Their conversation was interrupted when the shop door swung open and Avery saw James enter, the vicar of the Church of All Souls. She hadn’t seen him in a long time, and he smiled as he approached the counter.
“Morning all.” His smiled encompassed all of them, but there was also concern in his gaze. “I hate to interrupt when you’re so busy, but I wondered if I could have a word, Avery?”
“Of course,” she said, already standing.
“We’ll go to the back room.”
They threaded their way through the customers, and he began, “I take it you have extra interest after yesterday’s events?”
She laughed as she shut the door behind them and turned on the kettle. “You heard, then?”
“Of course. That’s why I’m here.”
Avery swung around to look at him, alarmed. “You have a ghost problem?”
“No. A parishioner problem.” James sank into a chair, despondent. “It seems not all couples are loyal to one another, and I’ve been doing a fair bit of marriage counselling over the last few days.”
“Ah. The truth of things.”
He frowned, and the lines that etched across his face made him look more tired. “The what? Is that what’s going on?”
“I’m afraid so,” Avery said as she prepared the coffee cups. She and Alex had divulged their true abilities to James several months ago, and he had kept their secret. They had become friends, of a sort, although having very different beliefs. “The jesters’ costumes have a spell on them. For a while, we were confused. It seemed to reveal our magic, and other paranormal things,” she admitted, not wanting to disclose who else had been affected. “But something we learned last night tells us this is a truth spell, combined with a sort of revealing spell—a powerful one, too.” She poured their drinks, added an extra sugar for herself, and carried them to the table where she sat opposite James. “For some reason I don’t understand, it has enhanced our magic, too.”
“Making you more powerful, you mean?” James asked, sipping his hot coffee tentatively.
“Not exactly. I think it’s part of the revealing nature of it.” She shook her head, perplexed. “Something to think on. But that’s not what you came to talk about.”
“No, it is,” he said, smiling sadly. “You’ve confirmed what I suspected—that something supernatural is happening to cause so many problems. Although, let’s be honest, it is the actions of those who cheated in the first place that have caused this.”
“True. But even so, the repercussions will be huge.”
“Are huge. Marriages under strain, children upset…” He reached absently for a biscuit and dipped it in his drink. “Can you stop the spell?”
“We’re considering our options now.”
“Do you think if Stan stopped the Court of Fools the problem would go away?”
Avery fell silent as she considered James’s suggestion. “Probably, but it would mean revealing what’s happening. I’m not sure I’d want to do that, because…” She trailed off, not sure what to say about her fears about Rupert and what may happen if the news of a spell reached his ears.
But it was as if James already knew. “You’re worried about Rupert.”
Avery looked up at him, shocked. “How did you know?”
“I watch him. He troubles me.” James’s eyes drifted to the window where they could just about see a patch of grey sky. “He has a dark soul.”
“You feel it, too?” Avery clutched her mug. “I always think he has it in for me. He’s so spiteful. And he looks terrible at the moment. Oh, no.” Her face dropped into her hands. “The spell. It’s revealing his true nature. One of my customers was grumbling about him the other day.”
“And the fight last night in the square?” James asked.
“The spell, too. Some of Bernie’s friends found out he was cheating them.”
“The truth is not always comfortable, is it, Avery? White lies are there to protect us. They shield us from ourselves, as well as hiding others’ imperfections.”
“I’m not sure I count cheating your friends out of money a white lie.”
“No. Or cheating on our loved ones. But the little ones can sometimes be a blessing.” James drained his remaining coffee and stood up. “I must go, but I’m glad we’ve talked. At least I know what the root of all this is. I hope you can stop it.”
“So do I.”
Avery continued to sit and drink her coffee after James had gone, thinking about what he had said about white lies and how they served to protect. He was right. Some lies were meant to soften life’s hard truths, which could often destroy or fracture lives.
A knock at the door disturbed her murky, confused thoughts, and Caspian Faversham stuck his head in. “May I interrupt?”
“Of course you can.” She smiled and gestured to a seat. “There’s coffee left in the pot if you want some. I’ve just been chatting to James.”
“I saw him leave. Are you counselling for the church now?” he asked, filling a mug before joining her.
Caspian’s dark hair was damp, making the grey at his temples more obvious, and he was wearing his usual smart suit, a heavy wool coat over the top, which he slipped off as he sat. “I saw you on the news last night. You should have called me.”
“Why? You couldn’t have done anything. Helena just appeared.” Avery nodded in the direction of the garden. “She’s probably in the shed now, next to the box and the scrap of fabric. I hope she doesn’t feel the cold.”
Caspian laughed. “Only you would worry about a ghost catching a chill.”
“She’s family. I feel she went through enough in her lifetime without having to be cold in the afterlife!” Like getting burned at the stake and being betrayed by Caspian’s ancestor.
“Tell me what’s happening here,” he said softly.
Avery summarised their troubles and what Alex had discovered. “I’ve researched spells, but nothing has leapt out at me as the best option yet.”
Caspian nodded. “A truth and revelation spell? That will be tricky to deal with. Perhaps I shouldn’t be sitting here.”
Avery regarded him, knowing he was referring to his feelings for her, and wondering what to say. She decided that in the spirit of the spell, the truth would be best. “I know exactly how you feel about me. Our current spell won’t change that.”
“Or your response,” he admitted, looking regretful.
“No. We’re friends, which is more than I thought we’d be, so behave.”
“I’m trying.”
Her lips twisted into a smile. “Not hard enough. Any suggestions?” she asked, deftly changing the subject. “Things are escalating, so we need to act quickly.”
“It’s an interesting dilemma,” he said thoughtfully. “You would think revealing truths would be cleansing, liberating even, but instead it’s leaving everyone feeling uncomfortably exposed.”
“It’s like James said,” Avery reflected. “White lies protect us from unpleasant realities, or they make someone feel better about themselves. We’ve all told them to be nice sometimes, but that wasn’t what the king wanted revealing. It was the dark, dangerous lies that threatened his life and his court.”
Caspian shrugged. “For all we know, the king was a cruel man, and the queen might have been acting for the best.”
“True, but it didn’t sound that way. It’s frustrating that we might never know.”
“How long is Stan holding his Court of Fools for?”
“Twelve days, culminating on the solstice, but the town parade is on Saturday. This needs to be over before then. We’re barely halfway through the countdown and the town already feels unstable. And,” she grimaced, “those jesters are just so creepy!”
Caspian laughed. “I saw them this morning. They are…different. I prefer Stan’s Druid costume.”
“We all do!”
“And I need the Nephilim back in my warehouse,” Caspian admitted. “I’ve been away for a few days, so I didn’t fully appreciate the extent of their problem. I’ve just been up to see them, actually.”
“You saw their wings?”
“Very impressive. And they have an unmistakable aura around them.” He frowned at her. “So do you.”
“What?” Avery asked, alarmed, looking at herself as if she would see something different. “I can’t see anything!”
“Maybe it’s because I’m a witch, but you look different. More magical.”
“If thi
s is one of your cheesy chat-ups…” she warned him.
He just looked at her. “I’m over forty. I’m beyond cheesy chat-up lines. The truth spell is affecting you now, but only slightly,” he added in an attempt to calm her obviously flustered state, “and maybe the rest of the coven.”
“Shit! But my protection spells—”
“Are under constant assault by the truth spell. They’re probably why your magic hasn’t revealed itself before now. The Nephilim have no such protection. And it seems Shadow is now affected, too. Her fey nature is fully revealed, and well,” he subdued a smile, “it’s quite something to see her in her Otherworldly state.”
“I bet she’s furious!”
“Resigned, really. It hasn’t stopped her riding to Ravens’ Wood, though.”
“By the Goddess,” Avery said, resting her head in her hands. “This is a disaster. I better head back to the shop and tell Sally and Dan I’m retreating to my flat before it gets worse. I’ll spend the whole day researching counter-spells.”
Caspian’s manicured fingers stroked his clean-shaven chin. “This spell reveals the truth of things, uncovering their true nature and sweeping away lies. Perhaps you need to cast a veil of illusion if you can’t stop the Court of Fools.”
“But the truth spell would penetrate a veil of illusion! It sweeps away everything before it!”
“Maybe your only option then is to retrieve the costumes and stop the Court of Fools. I’ll give it some thought too, but now,” he checked his watch, “I have to go.”
Avery stood too, clearing the cups and carrying them to the sink, but then cocked her head as she heard raised voices in the shop. “Is that shouting?” She hurried to the door and swung it wide, and immediately stopped in shock, Caspian right behind her.
Rupert was in the middle of her shop wearing his ghoulish jester’s costume and face paint. His hooded eyes looked more malevolent than ever, as if madness kindled within them, and his arms were outstretched as he shouted at her customers who had frozen, like her, in shock.
“You are risking your souls in this place! Magic is everywhere. It seeps and grows, and it will contaminate you all!” He pointed at a young woman who was wide-eyed and silent. “You! You will carry the devil in you. He lurks here, too—within the pages of these accursed books!”