Academic Magic

by Becky R Jones

  “Okay, so we sweep the area ahead of time,” said Kim.

  “And do what?” asked Joe. “If we grab anybody, they’ll just scream, and we’ll wind up picked up by the cops on assault charges.”

  “Oh. I guess I didn’t think about that,” Kim said ruefully.

  “Well, we need to do something,” said Kieran and Kim nodded forcefully.

  “I guess just show up early and assume that they will be at the fountain,” Rob looked pained but resigned to the idea of going in with no real plan.

  Zoe didn’t like the idea either, but they didn’t really have a choice. Besides raising a demon, they didn’t know what else the coven might be planning. Kieran shifted from foot to foot, frowning. Both Joe and Kim were bouncing on the balls of their feet. They seemed totally okay with the idea of improvising. Based on Kim’s earlier comment about grabbing coven members, Zoe guessed she tended to just jump into situations without thinking them through. Faculty were almost incapable of going anywhere or doing anything without a very detailed plan. It was going to be interesting to see how the faculty mages and the other mages worked together.

  Kim looked around at the little group.

  “Okay, I’ll get a hold of the others that we know. These two,” she indicated Joe and Rob, “live on the block north of us and happened to be home when I went to tell them about the attack on your house. I’ll make sure everybody meets you all at the fountain. Text me as soon as you figure out time or whatever.” She looked ready to start attacking the coven right away and walked towards the door. “I’ll start contacting some of the others now. See ya later.”

  Kieran looked up from his phone as the door closed behind Kim. “She’s right. We need to talk less and keep moving. We’ve got three days until the solstice. I just texted George and the others. They’re going to do the same and meet us at the fountain.”

  He smiled at Zoe. “Looks like you’re the chair of the Faculty Mage Committee now.”

  Joe and Rob laughed. “Do you really have a faculty mage committee?” Joe asked.

  “No, it’s just the name I came up with as a joke,” Zoe’s ears turned red. “Like you said, we talk a lot. And with all the committees I was on this semester, suddenly it felt like I had one more and George was acting like a typical faculty chair, calling meetings all the time, but not really doing anything.” She glared at Kieran who was laughing along with Joe and Rob. “Don’t you dare tell him I said that! He’s my department chair!”

  Kieran grinned and held up two fingers. “I won’t! Scout’s honor!”

  Rob and Joe laughed again and turned toward the door. “You have our numbers now,” said Joe. “Unless we hear otherwise, or something comes up, we’ll meet you at the fountain on the solstice.”

  After the two men left, Zoe looked around at Kieran and Flash and Moose who had wandered up.

  The cats looked up at her. “Those others were right. Move faster and find as many other mages as you can. The more you have the better your chances at defeating whatever the coven does,” Flash said.

  “And, practice with your power so you can use it without having to think too much about it,” added Moose.

  Zoe sighed and looked at Kieran. “Have I told you how annoying cats are when they’re right?”

  He laughed. “Let’s actually order that pizza.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Feeling the pressure of time, Zoe spent as much of it as she could afford over the next couple of days practicing with her newfound power and becoming more comfortable and adept with it. A series of small earthquakes along with rain and hail storms struck her tiny pocket-sized back yard as she manipulated the Elements separately and together. She had no idea what they might be up against at the solstice, so she spent some time thinking about every conceivable twist. After the failed assault on her house and neighborhood, the coven had not attacked her again. This was both a relief and a worry. She suspected they were putting their energy into raising a demon rather than coming after her. At least for now.

  Zoe woke up the morning of December 21st in a state of nervous and anticipatory anxiety. Would she really be home for Christmas as she had promised her mother? Or would she be a disappointment once again? Tonight, today, she and a small group of mages had to stop a coven from raising a demon. Just your typical Wednesday before Christmas. Sigh. Sitting up in bed she shook her head and scrubbed at her eyes, forcing herself to come fully awake. Slowly making her way downstairs in search of much needed coffee, her mind wandered through a series of morbid thoughts. Who would tell her mother if she died fighting a demon? Come to think of it, what would any official report look like? Would there be an official report? Would there be enough left of her to identify? Who would take care of Moose and Flash? She pushed the swirling cacophony of thoughts away and set about taking care of the most important task…making coffee.

  “Can’t think. Need coffee,” she muttered, shambling around the kitchen.

  Feeling a bump against her knee, she looked down to see Moose and Flash rubbing their heads against her legs. Moose looked up at her.

  “We know you will be able to defeat the coven and its demon. You have a great deal of power, that’s why we’re living with you. Have faith in your abilities,” the grey cat held her gaze.

  Flash jumped up on the counter and studied her face, his head tilted to one side.

  “Remember, as an Elemental you are capable of tapping into the power of all four Elements…simultaneously if you wish. You have far more power than any of the others who can only access the power of one Element. We will accompany you to the power locus this evening,” he jumped back down to the floor.

  “Now, about breakfast…” Flash gazed up at her expectantly, changing gears as only a cat could.

  Zoe was a little surprised at the serious tone of the cats’ comments. While they had helped her with some things, such as protecting the house from attack, and she knew that they were in contact with other Watchers, Zoe had never really absorbed the idea that they were magical creatures themselves. Of course, they were, they talked. But she had never thought about why they were able to talk. They also obviously had other abilities that she was only just beginning to understand. Moose’s comment that her power was why they had come to live with her was surprising. The cats had known she was a mage long before she had any inkling. Was that why Rowantree had decided to speak with her way back at the beginning of the semester?

  As much as she wanted to sit down with her cup of coffee and the cats and spend the day discussing the ins and outs and philosophies of mages, power, Watchers, and magic in general, she had an appointment with a coven and a demon later in the day. And, she was not going into that fight without taking a shower! If she didn’t survive this battle, she would at least leave a recently showered corpse. Her thoughts flashed to her mother’s reaction on receiving the news of Zoe’s demise… “But officer, was she wearing clean underwear?” Zoe giggled and taking her coffee, went into the living room to sit down on the sofa and contemplate the looming fight. She might not be able to spend the day thinking about this new reality, but she could at least take an hour to (try) to relax.

  By lunchtime, there had been no contact with the neighborhood mages and Zoe was growing more anxious. She had texted Kim, Rob, and Joe, but had not received any replies yet. This was a worry. Zoe began conjuring up scenarios where her neighbors only pretended to help her while in reality they were helping the coven (paranoia accompanied her new-found power) or that they had decided that this was Zoe’s problem alone. Despite Moose’s reassurances that morning, she was doubting her power and her ability to use it effectively as well as facing growing doubts about whether the small group of mages could find any more allies for this fight. Did the others assume that since she was an Elemental mage she could handle this by herself? Was any of this real? Was there really a coven on campus trying to raise a demon? Was she really a mage with power over Air, Earth, Fire, and Water? In less than four months her life and her view o
f the world had gone completely upside down. Sigh. Fake it ‘til you make it, I guess. Gear up for a demon attack tonight and maybe it won’t happen. Murphy’s Law, right? Yes? Please?

  Finally, at about two in the afternoon, she got a text from Kim.

  Sorry abt the delay. Been out finding more help. Coming by w Rob & Joe.

  Zoe breathed a sigh of relief. It must have been loud because Flash looked up from where he was napping next to her on the sofa.

  “Did you hear back from the Fire mage?” he asked, stretching luxuriously.

  “Could you not act like there’s nothing going on?” Zoe snapped, irritated that the orange cat didn’t seem at all concerned with the looming disaster. “Yes, it was Kim. She’s on her way over with Rob and Joe.”

  Moose looked up from where he was curled up on the floor next to her feet. “Calm down. We care. We are coming with you. The Fire mage is coming over.” He gave a jaw-splitting yawn.

  “Sorry. I’m stressed and anxious. I’ve never faced a demon before, you know.”

  “Well, not the inhuman kind at least,” Flash head-butted her arm to show he forgave her for snapping at him and she gave him an ear scratch.

  Her doorbell rang a few minutes later. Checking through her peephole and sending out a tendril of Air to make sure it really was Kim, Zoe marveled at both her growing abilities and increasing paranoia. A few short weeks ago she wasn’t worried about the possibility of evil creatures disguised as her friends and neighbors showing up at her door. She gave a small sigh in honor of her previous life. It was indeed Kim, along with Rob and Joe and three more people, two women and one man. Zoe didn’t recognize them, but there was no evidence of possession or other magical interference in them. She opened the door and stood aside so that the small group could enter the house.

  “Hi, Zoe. How are you feeling?” Kim gave her a tight hug.

  Zoe smiled. She felt better almost immediately. “I’m okay, thanks.”

  Kim gave her a warm smile and moved into the living room.

  “Hey, Zoe,” Rob put a friendly hand on her shoulder and Joe gave her a quick hug.

  “Hi, guys,” she smiled at both men.

  “This is Jeff, Monica, and Laura,” Kim made the introductions. “Earth, Water, and Fire, respectively.”

  Zoe shook hands with the three newcomers in turn and suppressed a start of surprise when she felt very clear pulses of magic coming from each mage. The pulses not only told her they were mages but identified their individual Element as well.

  “Zoe’s an Elemental,” Kim went on with a slight smile lifting the corners of her mouth. As eyebrows went up, Zoe was reminded how much Kim enjoyed surprising people with that piece of information.

  “It’s good to meet you guys. I’m really happy you are helping us,” Zoe said.

  “Well, a demon running through the city could cause a few problems,” Laura commented with a wry smile.

  Zoe laughed. “True. It could get messy. Did Kim fill you in?”

  “Yeah, she gave us what you told her. How many mages do you have from Summerfield?” Jeff asked.

  “Well, there are eight of us plus you six, so I think we outnumber the coven by one.” Zoe frowned. “At least I hope we do.”

  “Well, as the man said, you go to war with the army you have, not the one you wish you had,” Monica gave a grim smile.

  Zoe swallowed. “Yeah, I guess.”

  She felt a shove against her calf and looked down. Moose and Flash gazed back up at her.

  “Oh! This is Moose and Flash. They’re my cats. They’re Watchers. Moose is the gray one and Flash is the orange one.”

  The six mages looked down at the cats.

  “Very nice to see you again,” Rob nodded graciously.

  The other mages nodded at the two Watchers.

  “I like them. Especially that Earth mage,” Flash nodded in Rob’s direction.

  Zoe was a little embarrassed by Flash’s directness but reminded herself that he was a cat.

  “Okay. I wanted you to meet everybody before tonight,” Kim looked closely at Zoe. Are you really okay?”

  “I’m scared shitless, honestly, but I don’t have much choice, do I?” Zoe returned her neighbor’s gaze.

  “No, we don’t,” Kim answered.

  Zoe was extremely grateful for that “we.” Untenured faculty didn’t get that feeling or act of solidarity very often in the hierarchical world of academia. She vowed to herself that when this was all over, she was going to make a conscious effort to be closer friends with Kim. She needed friends outside of academia. After a few more minutes of small talk and arguing strategy, the others left, promising to meet her at the fountain later that evening.

  “Eat some protein and rest,” Kim admonished as Zoe followed her out the front door. She gave Zoe a quick hug.

  “I will. Thanks,” Zoe assured her.

  Zoe closed the door after Kim and turned to sink on to the sofa. The cats jumped up beside her.

  “The Fire mage is right. We all need food,” Flash stated.

  “Well, she said I need to eat,” Zoe glanced sideways at him.

  “We all need to eat. You don’t want us to collapse in the middle of the fight, do you?” Flash looked indignant. Moose was staring at her.

  Zoe laughed. “I love you guys! Of course, we’re all going to eat. You know I wouldn’t neglect you.”

  She gave simultaneous ear scritches to the two cats and stood up. The cats jumped down and raced ahead of her into the kitchen. She didn’t know if they were purposefully trying to make her laugh, but she couldn’t help it.

  In the kitchen, Zoe dug around in the refrigerator and came up with a package of ground beef, some mushrooms, and a container of fresh pasta. She threw it all together in a pseudo-spaghetti sort of meal and wolfed it down. She was hungrier than she thought.

  After they had all eaten, she gave some thought to how she would get to the park. She could put the cats in their carriers and take the bus, but that just didn’t seem right. Taking the bus to a life or death fight with a coven and a demon just seemed wrong, especially since that general area had once served as the gallows and burial ground for Philadelphia. She could take a taxi or ride-share, but that didn’t seem quite right either.

  Striding (okay, walking) into battle, even with two cats perched on her shoulders, seemed more appropriate than other transportation options. She would walk down to the fountain at the end of the Parkway.

  Battle entrance decided on, Zoe put on her hiking boots, layered on a hoodie under her winter coat and pulled on her gloves and hat. Checking that her keys and ID were in the pockets of her jeans, she turned to the two cats.

  “Okay, guys, let’s go.”

  Moose and Flash jumped up and balanced themselves on her shoulders, digging their claws into her thick wool winter coat. Good thing it’s cold enough for this coat, otherwise this would be really painful. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked out to fight the demon.

  The dark history of the park was also the reason why raising a demon was easier at this power locus. All the fear, horror, death, and blood in the ground and remaining in the aura of the park made it a comfortable spot for demons. Calder had believed the power flow would be controlled with the installation of the fountain and that would in turn diminish the impact of the evil infecting the park. Zoe and the other mages were about to find out if that was an accurate assumption. That history and accompanying uncertainty pushed her to get to the fountain while there was still some light out to avoid running into any nasty surprises in the dark. She figured that the coven would not arrive until after sunset so that they could hide what they were doing.

  She turned on to the Parkway and increased her pace. Moose and Flash jumped off her shoulders and trotted at her heels. People passing the other way threw puzzled looks at her when they spotted the cats, but she ignored them.

  Approaching the traffic circle, Zoe cursed. They had grossly underestimated the coven and Susan Barker. Ther
e were individuals standing in a circle around the fountain and muffled chanting rose over the traffic noise. She started sprinting down Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the cats right on her heels, dodging pedestrians and crossing over to the corner in front of the Natural History museum. From there she could make out other people, likely tourists or homeless people, sitting and standing on the grassy areas behind the circle created by the coven. They appeared to be simply watching the work of the coven. Damnit! She had to get them out of there! They had no idea what was about to happen, and she did not want any innocents caught up in this potential maelstrom or God forbid, killed by any demons.

  She scanned frantically across the fountain area and relief flooded through her. The other mages, faculty and neighborhood, were running up some of the many streets that fed into the traffic circle. Thank God. She wouldn’t have to do this alone. Despite the visit earlier in the day from Kim and the others, she had harbored nagging doubts as to whether they would actually show up when the time came. Nevertheless, there was a nightmarish quality to everything. Zoe felt like she was running in slow motion down the Parkway while the coven was moving in real time. She was never going to reach them in time. She wasn’t a runner, but she lowered her head and sprinted toward the fountain.

  Zoe darted across the traffic circle dodging cars and buses with the cats close on her heels. She slipped and almost fell on the gravel path leading to the fountain when a large stone rolled under her foot. Windmilling her arms to keep her balance, Zoe stopped and took in the scene around the fountain. On the grassy verge that formed an outer ring around it, three clearly homeless men lounged watching the coven with a vague interest. There were also several bemused looking individuals standing a bit further on. Moose and Flash headed straight for one of the homeless guys, head-butting him in the arm. He gave them a sharp look and turned back to watch the coven.

  The three figures in the center of the fountain representing the main waterways around Philadelphia, the Delaware River, Schuylkill River, and Wissahickon Creek were outlined in an eerie luminescence. Zoe stared around the small park trying to decide where to start. George Wardmaster and the other faculty mages, along with Mark’s husband, David, were already at the circle. She spotted Kim Smith, Joe Chapman, Rob Andrews, and the other three whose names escaped her right then, coming in from the east. Reaching the grassy area, Zoe moved over towards three homeless men camped on the grass to one side while Kim and the others moved towards the other small group of people, who could have been tourists or locals, who were watching the coven and taking pictures. Zoe managed to get two of the homeless guys to leave, but the third stubbornly refused to even stand up.