by Peter Saenz
Anna steps forward and asks, “Do you remember me? I used to come here a few years ago. Since then I’ve had my grand-daughter stop in to pick up supplies for me on occasion. Her name’s Mika? Pretty dark complected girl with green eyes, like mine?”
The look on his face completely freezes with terror as the last book in his hand drops to the ground. He then notices the sword handle behind my shoulder and slowly begins to back away saying, “I don’t know anything...lee-leave me alone. The cops will be here any minute.”
Tobias says, “We’re not here to hurt you. We’re just trying to find Mika. We think she’s in danger. Do you know where the others took her?”
The store owner moves himself behind a suit of armor and begins eyeing the sword displayed along with it. “How do you know there were others? How do you know they took her?”
I say, “We don’t have a lot of time. They could be miles away from here by now doing Gods knows what. If you know where they’ve gone, just tell us and we’ll be on our way.”
The guy says, “I told you, I don’t know where they’ve gone. One minute I’m talking with your friend and the next thing I know, a gang of goons comes into my store and starts tearing up the place. If I knew where they were headed, believe me, I’d tell you!”
Frustrated, Anna says, “This is getting us nowhere.” Anna bends down and picks up Sekhmet into her arms and strokes him. Sekhmet’s eyes turn white in response. Anna then locks eyes with the store owner. He suddenly goes limp. The fear and anxiety on his face completely disappear. Instead he gets a sleepy, almost day dreamy look on his face. In an ethereal voice I’ve never heard before, Anna says to him, “What is your name?”
Sheepishly the man says, “Brian.”
Still in the ethereal voice, Anna responds, “It’s nice to meet you Brian. Now Brian, do you remember the people who came here earlier?”
Brian nods.
“Do you know who they are?”
Brian slowly shakes his head from side to side.
“Do you know where they took my grand-daughter?”
Brian gets a questioning look on his face and says, “I think they used magic on each other.”
Anna replies, “Yes, now, do you know where they took my grand-daughter?”
“I think they might be witches. Not the kooky witches that come to buy things in my store, but the real kind. You know, like Samantha from Bewitched.”
Sternly, Anna says, “Brian, you must focus now. Do you know where they took my grand-daughter?”
Brian appears deep in thought for a moment, then says, “No, I don’t, but some of the people I’m in contact with online say that there’s a place near Lockwood Street and Fischer Avenue called The Cauldron. Said a lot of freaky shit goes on down there. Witchy stuff. If the people who took her really are witches, they might have taken her there.”
“Lockwood and Fischer?”
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t go down there if I were you. It’s way too dangerous for an old broad like yourself. If your grand-daughter is there, you might want to bring more people with you. A lot more. People turn up missing around there all the time.”
Anna stops petting Sekhmet and his eyes revert back to normal. She sets Sekhmet down on the ground and in her own voice again, Anna says, “Thank you Brian. You’ve been really helpful.”
Brian gets a head rush expression on his face and tries to shake it off. When he seems back to his senses again, he looks at us as if we had just tried pulling one over on him. “How did you do that? You just Jedi Mind Tricked me, didn’t you?”
The lot of us turn to leave when Brian runs over and stands in front of us. He happily says, “Come on, admit it. You just zapped my brain or something to get me to talk, didn’t you? What are you guys, CIA? Are you part of some sort of paranormal government agency or something?”
When we walk around him and edge closer to the door he shouts, “I have the Bracelet of Bastet”.
At this, Anna freezes in her tracks. She turns back to him and very matter of factly says, “You don’t. The Bracelet of Bastet has been lost to the ages. It hasn’t been seen in over a thousand years.”
Brian smirks, crossing his arms in front of him. “Well, I don’t know what to tell you but I have a bracelet that is designed exactly like the necklace you’re wearing. Seems to me it’s not a very common pattern now, is it?”
Anna instinctively feels at her neck, expecting the Eye of Bastet to be in it’s hidden cameo form. Instead she realizes it has reverted back to it’s original necklace state. Astonished, she says, “What do you know about the bracelet?”
Brian shifts his hands into his pockets and leans back onto the balls of his feet saying, “I know that one of my childless online clients was very protective of it and had it willed to me once he passed away. According to him, the bracelet is part of a jewelry set Pharaoh’s and priestesses wore in ancient times. In all, there’s supposed to be three items in the set: the necklace you’re wearing, the bracelet, and a ring. The set was broken up and hidden a long time ago by some cult that has since disappeared. No one’s ever seen any of the pieces united since then...until now.”
Tobias flings his hand dismissively at Brian and he suddenly freezes in place. Tobias then turns to Anna and says, “We’re wasting time. No disrespect to your devotion to Bastet, but we have a solid lead on where Mika might be. Why are we standing here talking about a bracelet?”
With hope in her eyes, Anna says, “You don’t understand. As you know, only a select few witches have the ability to transport themselves from one place to another. And even then, they can only travel a few feet at a time before the effort becomes too exhausting. The Jewels of Bastet are said to hold tremendous power. Each item carries with it a particular gift to it’s wearer. The amulet can channel a witch’s gifts, either lowering or increasing it’s potency when needed. The bracelet is said to allow the witch wearing it to travel great distances in the blink of an eye. The ring gives it’s wearer eternal youth. Don’t you see? If we were to have access to the bracelet, we’d be able to travel to where Mika is being held, get her, then travel back to safety before anyone realizes what is happening. We NEED that bracelet.”
I ask, “Then why don’t we just make him tell us where it is and take it.”
Anna shakes her head and says, “Bastet’s items can not be taken. They’re enchanted to always return to their owner when called upon. No, if we have any chance of possessing the bracelet, we need to have it’s owner give it to us by his own free will. Magic can not take part in it.”
“Then what do you expect we should do?”, I ask.
I then hear Fenrus’ voice in my head say, “Offer a trade.”
I look at him and ask, “Trade what? We don’t have anything to give.”
Suddenly I hear a new voice in my head say, “Knowledge is power. Offer him knowledge on something he desperately wants to know.” I turn to Sekhmet and know it was him that just spoke to me.
With that, I remove Tobias’ hold spell and walk up to Brian. When he sees the look on my face, he takes a few steps back. As forcefully as I can, I tell him, “Someone we care about is in danger. If we don’t get to her soon she could die. No more games. You can stop wasting our time by either offering us the bracelet to give us a change at saving her; or you can keep playing your games without us until those witches come back to finish the job they started.”
This, I can see, gives Brian the necessary scare I needed. “They-they’re gonna come back?”
Now I smirk and cross my arms. “Who’s to say? Most magical witches like to keep our presence hidden from normal people. I can tell you this much though: those Initiators either want to use you for something later or were too much in a hurry to tie up loose ends. Either way, you’ll be seeing them again.”
A sickening look come across his face. “I’m listening.”
“I have something that can help you stay under their radar. And more than that, I can tell you about the broken Synoro sword you had
earlier.” The mention of the sword suddenly peeks his interest. I remove my own sword from it’s scabbard and show it to him. Brian gets a look of confusion.
“That sword looks exactly like the one what was stolen, except it isn’t broken.”, Brian states.
“This sword is one of many. I know all about the people who stole your sword from you. I’ll offer you this: give us the bracelet and I’ll give you the means to hide yourself from the witches AND the knowledge of who attacked you and why. Deal?”
Brian pauses a moment, then nods his head slowly. “Deal.”
Anna then says, “Good. Now, where is the bracelet?”
Brian says, “Here, in the back. After the sword break in, I don’t like to keep any of the rarer pieces out in the open anymore. Follow me.”
We follow Brian through a set of curtains and into the back of the store. Lots of strange items fill wall shelves. A petrified monkey who seems to be over a hundred years old sits beside a large raven’s claw holding a dark crystal orb. Scrolls and parchment lay underneath posters of long forgotten silent films. Normally I’d be interested in exploring a room like this more but the thought of finding Mika keeps me focused on the task at hand.
We head over to one wall containing a large framed poster advertising a circus freak show from the 1800s. Brian pushes on the left side of the door sized frame. The frame then clicks and swings open, revealing a hidden panic room behind it. Brian flicks a switch and suddenly we find ourselves in a room containing a small supply of food and water in one small corner. The main of the room however is filled with glass enclosed display cases, each spotlighting one oddity after another.
The moment Anna enters the room, her necklace begins to shimmer. A small wooden box on one of the shelves begins to move slightly. Anna gasps saying, “That’s it.”
Brian moves over to the box and removes it from it’s glass housing. “I haven’t been able to figure much out about this bracelet other than it always appears in my hand whenever I wish for it hard enough. The person who had it before me told me that it will always return to me unless I officially offer it up to someone else. If you keep your promise to me, it’s yours.”
I can magically sense he is speaking the truth. “Fine”, I say. I take off the leather bracelet Anna had given me earlier and offer it to Brian.
Horrified, Tobias says, “Devin, what are you doing? You need that to hide yourself from...”
I take Tobias’ hand and say, “It’ll be fine. I can have Fenrus mask my presence until Anna can create a new band for me. We need his bracelet Tobias. It may already be too late.” Again, I offer the bracelet to Brian. “This will shield you from anyone trying to find you magically. It should buy you enough time to run to safety if the witches come back.”
Brian takes it, seeing that Tobias is wearing one also. “Guess I’m not the only one on the run then?”
Tobias angrily says, “No, you’re not.”
Brian puts the bracelet on and just as Tobias before him, I can’t magically sense Brian’s presence at all.
“As for the sword and who stole it from you...” I begin to say.
“More witches?”, Brian asks.
“No, not witches. This.” I place the palm of my hand on Brian’s forehead and flood his mind with images of the werewolf scenes we had experienced earlier. The effort takes a strain on the both of us, causing me to have to lean against a wall for support. Tobias moves behind Brian to help him stand upright. After a few moments Brian looks at the lot of us and says, “Werewolves? Are you fucking kidding me? They really exist?”
Tobias, obviously annoyed, says, “We’re witches. Do you doubt that?”
Catching himself, Brian says, “Sorry, you’re right. Whoa, this is just way too much to take in at once.” Brian takes a deep breath inward. “But a promise is a promise.”
Brian holds up the wooden box and hands it over to Anna. “I offer you this gift willingly. Do with it as you will.”
With shaking hands Anna accepts it. The contents of the box begins to shine brightly through the cracks of the ancient box. Anna slowly lifts the small latch, revealing a beautifully created bracelet inside. It’s markings perfectly match the necklace she wears completely. “I can’t believe it. After so long, to have two of the pieces finally together again.”
“Put it on Anna.”, I say. “Let’s save Mika.”
With a newfound giddiness, Anna puts the bracelet on. Tobias helps her with the clasp. When the bracelet is finally affixed, Anna instinctively morphs back into her white priestess clothing, causing Brian to gasp in awe. Sekhmet jumps into Anna’s arms and begins to purr.
“This is amazing! I’ve never felt so...”
And with that Anna and Sekhmet suddenly disappear into nothingness. Tobias, Fenrus and I look on in disbelief. We glance around the room in vain, hoping she simply moved herself to another location nearby. Nothing. We then scan for any mystical energy around the building to see if there’s any trace of her anywhere to be found. Again, nothing.
Breaking our concentration, Brian shouts, “What the hell just happened? One minute the old broad is here, the next she’s gone?”
I can feel Tobias gathering energy around him. He uses that strength to lift Brian by the collar of his shirt and slam him against a set of glass shelves. “What did you do?!”
Brian tries to force Tobias’ hand open, but to no avail. “Nothing! Fuck, I didn’t do anything! I promise!” He then turns to me and says, “Get your fucking boyfriend off of me!”
I put one hand on the arm Tobias is using to hold up Brian. “Tobias, he didn’t have anything to do with Anna’s disappearance. I scanned him magically when we first got here. He’s human. You need to put him down.”
Tobias gathers himself mentally and loosens his grip on Brian. Brian slowly slides back down to the ground. “I’m sorry. I just have no idea what the hell is going on anymore. I’m sorry.”
Brian smoothes down his shirt and nods in acceptance. Tobias then turns to me and says, “Devin, what are we going to do? I can’t sense Anna anywhere. It’s like she just vanished without a trace. The magic from the bracelet was so potent...you don’t think it destroyed her, do you?”
I look at Fenrus to see if perhaps he might have any insight. The only thing I can feel emanating from him is a sense of confusion. I then bend down and ask Fenrus if he thinks Anna could be dead. Fenrus mentally answers back, “No, not dead. Just not here. Pulled elsewhere else by very strong magic.” He then whimpers. “Can’t sense Sekhmet anymore either.”
Brian then says, “Whoa, you’re telling me your telepathically communicating with your dog?” I give Brian a look of annoyance. He responds by putting his hands up in front of him, and backs up.
“According to Fenrus, he doesn’t think Anna is dead. Only that some other force pulled her away to some other location. It must be pretty far away. The link he had with Sekhmet is gone too. We have no way of knowing who took them, or when or if they’re ever going to return.”
Tobias slumps his shoulders and says, “And without Anna and Sekhmet, our chances of saving Mika just went out the window as well.”
I walk over to Tobias and put his face into my hands. “No, don’t say that. Look at me, we do have a chance. We are going to The Cauldron and we’re not leaving until we have Mika with us. I promise you Tobias, we WILL save her. I mean it.”
A tear falls from one of Tobias’ eyes. “I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you Devin.”
I hold him in my arms and say, “I’m never leaving you Tobias. We’re going to get through this. I don’t know how, but we will.”
I hear Fenrus bark and look to see what’s sparking his attention. When we turn to see where he’s at, we see him pawing at a long, slender case on an opposing wall.
Brian shouts, “Hey, control your dog, man. I have some very valuable items back here. None of this stuff can be replaced. If he breaks anything, you’re gonna be paying me some serious moolah.”
I ask Brian, “What do you have in that drawer?”
Brian replies, “It’s a sword, used during the witch trials in Europe. It’s over 400 years old. One of my clients traded it to me for another item in my collection.”
“Can we see it?”, I ask.
Brian looks nervously at the two of us, then walks over to the case and slides it open. He reaches in and pulls out a beautifully handled sword resting in a detailed scabbard. He looks at the sword nervously, then reluctantly hands it over to Tobias. “Just be very careful with it, please. I’m still trying to research it’s exact origins.”
Tobias holds the sword’s scabbard in his hands and says, “This sword still has magic lingering from it.” Tobias removes the sword from the scabbard and looks it over. “Countless witches have been killed with this sword. I can still sense the magical blood that used to coat it.”
I look at Tobias and say, “Focus. That happened a long time ago. There has to be a reason why it attracted Fenrus’ attention. Let’s find out and be on our way. Mika needs us.”
Tobias takes a few deep breaths and says, “Sorry. I just got a rush of images the moment I released the sword from it’s cover. Fenrus, what’s so special about this sword?”
In my head I hear Fenrus’ voice. I repeat everything he says to Tobias and Brian. “The sword helps connect to the spirit world. Specifically, ghosts of witches who’ve died by foul play. It will help you connect with any witches who might have been killed by the Initiators.”
Tobias gulps and asks, “So you think Mika might already have been...killed?”
Fenrus has me say, “No, not dead yet. But will help you get advantage from the already dead.”
Tobias says, “I guess it’s better than nothing. Brian, what can we give you for this sword?”