Magic & Mini Skirts

by Beverly Sanders

  The portal slammed shut behind them and then it was gone. We were left with an empty backyard, no blood, and a barrier even we couldn’t have crossed. How had she done this? Just who was this woman we were after and what the hell was her problem?

  “What the crap just happened?” I yelled.

  “Who was that?” Kianna replied. “And where did she take Finn?”

  “That was her!” Babbs cried. “The one from the store. The one who took Hannah’s body! She has Finn! Ginni, she has Finn!”

  I ran to her. Tears filled her eyes, streaming down her face like rivers in the night. We’d prepared for so many things, but not this. Not a crazy witch with an apparent bloodlust against us. So many people had already been affected by this and the list just seemed to keep growing. Every day, every move I made seemed to be just another mistake. Another piece of crap to add to my never-ending toilet-flush of a life.

  “What do we do?” Babbs cried.

  “We find him!” Kianna snapped, obvious anger and aggravation in her tone. “I’ve had enough of this. We’re damn powerful witches and we’re going to start acting like it! Babbs! Pull it together! We’re gonna get him back and we’re gonna save Abben and Nicco. This ends tonight.”

  “Just tell me what to do.” She wiped away her tears.

  “What to do?” Finn’s grandmother said. “You’re going to find my grandson. And if you don’t . . . well, that’ll be the end of your sister.” She motioned to the house.

  “You’re holding Abben hostage?” I asked.

  “An eye for an eye.” She headed back inside. “You have until sunup to bring me my grandson.”

  I wanted to plead with her to let us take Abben, but the truth was, I knew it wouldn’t do any good. Not only that, but Abben was in bad shape. The magic inside her wasn’t meant for a witch’s blood. Slowly but surely, she was being poisoned. This was likely one of the safest places she could be. Providing, of course, that we didn’t fail.

  “We need to get out of here,” I said. “Now!”

  We just needed one more thing . . .

  “Abben is where?” Halloway asked.

  I hadn’t seen her in a few days, not since we’d asked her to come with us and she’d refused. And now we were going to have to ask her again. Only something told me this time, she would agree.

  “We need all the firepower we can get, Hall,” Kianna said. “Come with us. It’s for Abben.”

  “I told you not to do this!” She looked at me.

  “I—”

  “That’s neither here nor there.” Kianna shook her head. “We can’t change what is. We can only try to do the best we can with this situation. Surely, you’re not going to stay? You’re not going to leave Abben, your sister in this coven, in the hands of an angry Lycan. Right?”

  “Of course not,” Halloway replied. “I just . . .”

  “What’s up with you lately?” Kianna jabbed. “It’s like you’ve been a million miles away from us.”

  “I . . .”

  “Is it me?” I asked. “Is it something to do with me?”

  “Yes. Well, no . . . a little bit.”

  “Spill it, Hall!” Kianna said.

  “It’s just that . . . I watched you do your own thing. You left Enchanted Lake, you chased your dreams, and you made them happen. I guess maybe I was a little jealous.”

  “You have one of the most important jobs in the realm,” I replied. “And look at the women you share this coven with. Believe me, I’ve got nothing on you.”

  “It isn’t only that,” she replied, digging her hands into her pockets and rocking back and forth in place. “There’s another thing too . . . something not even you know.” She looked at Kianna.

  “What?”

  “Before I came here, before I joined this coven, I was in love.”

  It took me a moment to figure out why that seemed to upset her as much as it did. But as I watched Kianna’s face, I realized something. Something I didn’t like.

  “You guys aren’t allowed to have relationships, are you?” I asked.

  “No,” Halloway said. “But it was so important to my parents that I do this. That I join this coven and be part of something bigger than myself. Especially once they found out the truth.”

  Kianna wrapped her arms around her coven sister, resting her head on her shoulder. The connection between them was a beautiful thing, something so special and so real that it was almost palpable. I could feel it in the air and it was amazing.

  It’s easy to just think of a coven as a group of silly girls sitting around casting spells and talking crap about guys and wine. That’s not the case though. Covens are sacred bonds of sisterhood, something strong and unwearable.

  “What truth?” I asked.

  “The guy. The one I was so head over heels for. He’s a Lycan, pure and simple.” Tears ran down her face, soaking into Kianna’s blouse. “My family are very old-school. They didn’t approve. When they found out . . . that’s how I ended up here.”

  “Why now?” Kianna pulled back. “Why is this upsetting you now?”

  “I . . . I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want to leave Haerewayh.”

  “Why would you have . . .” Kianna’s voice trailed off. “He’s back, isn’t he?”

  “He asked me to marry him,” she replied. “He’s spent his whole life among the lycanthropes and never imprinted on anyone. He swears it’s because he’s in love with me.”

  “Are you in love with him?”

  “I always have been,” Halloway cried. “But I love you too. You and Abben. You’re my family now.”

  “And you said yes. You agreed to marry him?”

  “Yes. Two months ago. Oh, Kianna, I’m so sorry!”

  The two women spent the next few minutes in a silent embrace, each holding the other. I could feel her pain as she thought of leaving her sisters, as she thought of leaving the place she’d been calling home for only God knows how long. I hated it and wanted nothing more than to make it stop. Women deserve better than this. No one should be able to tell Halloway who she can marry or what coven she may or may not join because of it.

  “You won’t have to leave,” I said. “I promise you that!”

  “What?” Halloway asked through her tears.

  “My father is a high-ranking member of this Council. He’ll make an exception. I’ll see to it.”

  “It’s impossible. The rules have been in place for—”

  “If there’s one thing I’ve proven to myself, it’s that nothing is impossible. I’ve taken every rule they’ve thrown at me and bent it until it broke. He’ll do it. I promise you that!”

  “And if he doesn’t?” Kianna said, “Then the Haerewayh will show them where the true power lies!”

  “It won’t come to that,” I assured them. “Trust me.”

  People say not to make promises you can’t keep, and I guess technically, I had no way of knowing I’d be able to come through on my word. But I’d been through this before. I’d danced this dance and sung this tune. The truth of the matter was, much in the way a Gypsy curse only tricks you into thinking something is happening, so does the Council. The power they hold is reliant on people actually abiding by it. And with the borders between the witch world and the mortal world so blurred and easily passable these days, it would serve them well to adapt. And I’d be sure to tell them.

  “I’m so happy for you,” I said.

  “You’re not mad?” Halloway asked, trying her best to blot away the remaining tears from her face.

  “Mad?”

  “The other day . . . I was a real witch to you.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I assured her. “If the fashion industry has afforded me anything, it’s a pretty thick skin. Besides, you were dealing with a lot. What kind of friend would I be to hold that against you?”

  “Thank you!” She smiled, chuckling a little bit as more tears fell. “I’d hug you if I could get these damn tears to stop. I’m so sorry to delay you like t
his. I know time is of the essence here.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “We’ll make it. We’ll fix all of this.”

  “Screw the tears!” Babbs yelled, running toward Halloway and giving her a massive bear hug. “I mean . . . I know this isn’t really anything to do with me, but I’m just so overwhelmed with sisterhood! Bring it, girls!” She called for a group hug. “Let’s get that estrogen river flowing!”

  “All right,” Halloway said, finally breaking away. “Let’s get this show on the road. We’ve got a sister and a hottie to save!”

  “Well, we can’t go looking like this!” Babbs stepped back. “I want all of y’all to close your eyes.”

  I grabbed Halloway’s hand and took a few steps back. Babbs painted on a massive smile and began rubbing her hands together like a cricket on speed. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for whatever was about to come. The warmth of Halloway’s hand was oddly familiar, but not just because we’d spent so much time together. There was something else, another layer I couldn’t really put my finger on. In the end, I decided to brush it off, chalking it up to just nerves. After all, we only had until morning to get Finn back and I needed to be as focused as possible.

  “Open your eyes, ladies!” I felt a rush of energy push through me then rapidly fizzle away.

  I looked around to find Babbs, myself, Halloway, and Kianna all wearing knee-length matching purple patent leather jackets, each one tied at the waist with a matching purple belt. Black leggings and ankle boots completed our look.

  “We look amazing!” Babbs screeched. “Amazing!”

  “We really do!” Kianna twirled.

  “But,” Babbs asked, “how are we going to find her?”

  “Actually.” Kianna smiled and pointed to her skirt. “I took a page from your book.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Once I saw the portal and realized what was going on, I tore a piece of my skirt off, wrapped it over a rock, and threw it in.”

  “You did what?” Babbs clapped. “That’s like . . . epic!”

  “Yeah,” I said. “That really was a great idea.”

  “Just another day in the life . . .” She gave a fabulous hair-flip. “So, Babbs. Where’s that skirt telling you to go now?”

  Babbs placed her hands on her skirt and began rubbing. It looked a little strange to say the least, but hey, it worked once before, so I wasn’t about to complain. All I wanted was to find this crazy witch, get Finn back, and fix the world. Was that too much to ask? I think not!

  “I’m getting this weird feeling . . .” She looked to the sky, her eyes closed. “I keep seeing . . . I don’t know . . . athletes.”

  “As in football players?” I asked.

  “No.” She shook her head. “Older than that. They’re throwing javelins and running.”

  “What else you got?” Kianna asked.

  “I see people. Lots of people. They’re watching. I feel it. It’s sports or something. There’s a big fire. This tall flame.”

  “Old athletes . . . crowds . . .” I repeated. “And a big flame?” What the hell was she talking about? Where on earth could she have possibly— “Centennial Olympic Park!” I yelled. “That’s the Olympic torch. You’re seeing gladiators!”

  “Yes!” She clapped her hands. “That’s it! Centennial Olympic Park. That’s where the piece of my skirt is. That’s where the portal closed!”

  “Then that’s where we’re going!” I said.

  21

  “Why would she bring him here?” Halloway asked, looking around at the empty park.

  It was already pretty late in the evening and for the most part, there was no one around. We walked through the park, trying our best to stay as quiet as possible and keep an eye out for both Finn and the witch who’d taken him. She was obviously powerful and smart. And as anyone with two working brain cells could tell you, that was a pretty hard combination to beat.

  The warm night air ran across my legs, wafting up my tightly cinched purple jacket. Even though it didn’t really amount to much in the grand scheme of things, I still couldn’t help but silently take stock of just how bad-ass we all looked. Especially walking side by side like this. In the moment, I kind of felt like those girls from Charlies Angels. You know, if they were witches with a little better fashion sense.

  “You know . . .” I said. “I have no idea why she would pick this place. There’s nothing obviously magical about it. At least, not from what I can tell.”

  “Feel anything yet?” Kianna looked at Babbs.

  “Sort of,” she said. “I know it’s strange, but I can’t help but feel like the other piece of my skirt is watching us.”

  “Watching us?”

  “Yeah. I know it makes no sense, but . . .” She came to halt then turned her attention to the large Ferris wheel. “There! I think Finn is in one of those!”

  The Ferris wheel she was referring to must have had over fifty large enclosed pods, each one higher off the ground than the one before it. Living in Atlanta meant I’d seen the thing almost every day. I’d just never actually taken a ride on it. Not because I was afraid of heights or scared to do it, but just because it seemed like a tourist thing and I was no tourist. I’d planted my flag in this place from almost the moment I’d left Enchanted Lake and I had no intention of going back.

  I also had no intention of letting some crazy witch ruin everything I’d worked so hard to build.

  “Then let’s check it out,” I said. “Though I don’t see how we’ll ever find her if the stupid thing isn’t moving. Halloway, you wanna do the honors?”

  “Love to!” She smiled, rubbing her hands together then opening her palm and blowing.

  Seconds later, the Ferris wheel sprang to life, each pod beginning its turn through the sky. We made a run for it, positioning ourselves at a fairly decent vantage point. There would be no way for her to hide once her pod reached the bottom.

  This was it. We were so close to ending this thing, to finally putting all of this behind us. I could almost feel Nicco’s lips press against mine, the thick heat from his body engulfing me like a flame. I wanted so badly to tell him all the things I’d realized. I wanted him to know just how much he meant to me and how stupid I felt for holding back for so long. I wanted to tell him all of that was in the past. That now, we could finally be together.

  “Look!” Babbs pointed.

  Magical energy emitted from near the top of the wheel. A bright red light shone through the darkened windows of one of the pods. It was her, the witch, and she likely had Finn in there with her.

  “Can you speed this thing up?” I asked Halloway.

  “You’re damn right, I can!” she said, blowing on her open palm once more.

  The giant structure began moving faster. But with every passing second, the energy emitting from the pod seemed to grow more and more intense.

  “What’s going on in there?”

  “I don’t know!” Halloway replied. “Kianna! Can you do your thing?”

  I had no idea what thing she was referring to. Sure, different witches had different specialties, but up until that point, I’d never seen or heard any evidence of Kianna, Abben, or Halloway having distinct strengths, though I guess it made sense.

  “You bet I can!” She took a few steps back. With a deep breath, she looked at the sky and then stomped her foot hard against the ground. A bolt of lighting, strong and vibrant, shot out, rising through the air and striking the pod. Surging electricity covered the entire contraption until finally, the pod broke lose and began quickly falling to the ground.

  “I’ve got this!” Halloway said, extending her hand. Seconds before it hit the ground, the pod stopped in mid-air, floating and spinning in place. “Open!” She yelled, the doors flying apart.

  I gasped loudly when I saw him. There in the pod lay Finn, his body limp and lifeless. His skin was pale and his mouth was hanging open. I ran as fast as I could, pulling him out of the small pod and laying him on the ground
. I placed my ear next to his nose and felt for his breath.

  “He’s alive!” I cried.

  “What did she do to him?” Babbs asked, a look of horror on her face.

  “His blood,” Halloway said. “She drained him. She wants his blood too.”

  “But why did she take it all?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. She only needed a few drops. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “We need to get him back home,” I said. “To his grandmother.”

  From the looks of him, we didn’t have long. His body clung to life as his heart struggled to pump what little blood remained in his body. There was no gasping for air, no big production of pain or struggle to live. He was just there, barely alive and barely breathing, and the witch responsible for this was nowhere to be found.

  “I’ll call an Uber,” Babbs said.

  “An Uber?” Halloway asked.

  “Unless you know a way to teleport us all to Dunwoody, then this is the fastest way.”

  “He won’t make it that long,” I cried. “He won’t make it.”

  “Then what are we supposed to do?” Kianna asked. “The only way to heal a wolf is with the blood of a wolf. Once again, we need Lycan blood.”

  “What is it with this week and Lycan blood and Lycan curses? What’s going on? Where are we supposed to get Lycan blood now?”

  There was no good answer. We knew that moving Finn wasn’t an option and that there were likely no werewolves around for miles. Especially ones willing to just fork over their blood to a bunch of witches in the park. Not to mention the noise we’d made. I’d have been surprised if the police weren’t already on their way.

  “I can do it,” Halloway said. She was slow to move and slow to speak. There was an obvious hesitation in her.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Lycan blood.” She took a heavy sigh. “I can give it to you.”

  “Here? Now?” I asked. “What are you—”