Love Charms

by Multiple

  Surprised, he said, “Is something wrong?”

  Catching sight of the subway map on the wall above us, I pointed to it. “Our stop is coming up.” It was the first excuse I could think of, I had no idea where we were, but looking closer, I realized I was actually telling the truth.

  “Oh, we have a few minutes then.” He ran a hand through my hair and smiled.

  I intercepted his hand and placed it on his lap. “Please don’t do that.”

  “But I thought…”

  “You thought wrong,” I said my voice crisp, but eyes downcast avoiding both Mark and Jacob.

  “I see. You didn’t feel it?”

  “What?” I peeked up at Jacob and my heart cringed at the hurt in his eyes.

  “Never mind. If I have to ask, you didn’t feel it.”

  But I had and I wanted to tell him so, yet couldn’t. Not with Mark glowering at me. I couldn’t openly hurt Mark like that when he was so obviously not ready for me to move on. I slumped in my seat, and, when the train stopped, I practically climbed over Jacob in my rush to get out.

  Jacob ran after me, calling my name, but I didn’t stop. Mark floated silently next to me, but I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t say anything to Mark, it would break my ‘no talking to empty air in public’ rule and really, what could I say that wouldn’t feel like a knife thrust in his heart? He still loved me. I would always love him, but I wasn’t in love anymore. I loved what had been, the haunting not so much. Mark was dead, I wanted to move on, but he made it impossible.

  My own guilt made it worse. I felt like I owed Mark something since it was my fault he was dead. But what could I give him that would balance the scales? Mark seemed to think he could ask me to put my needs, my life on hold and it irked me. For one, it wasn’t fair. Even convicted felons weren’t continually forced to face their victims or their families. Two, I was attracted to Jacob. Really attracted to him. I had a chance at something good and I wanted it with an intensity that surprised me.

  But could I do it in the face of Mark’s jealousy? I glanced at Mark and he ignored me, his face set in a stony frown. Jacob caught up with me then and I turned toward him, thinking to say something, but the hurt anger in his eyes stopped me cold. My pace faltered, I reached out to touch Jacob’s shoulder, but he brushed past me.

  From the stiff indignation of his shoulders, I realized it might already be too late. With a sigh, I trudged after him wondering if everything good in my life was destined to be ruined.

  Chapter Eight

  Vera opened the door before we could knock, a bright smile on her thin face and her blue eyes dancing with amusement. Nothing phased Vera. She met disaster with the same good humor most people reserved for sunny days. Only she didn’t need sun, her cheer was innate. Built-in cheer. Some people had all the luck.

  “Come in, I’ve been waiting for you.”

  I bent down to give her a quick hug and stepped over the threshold with Jacob following right behind me. Vera led us to the kitchen, the blue robes she wore for her work billowing around her bare feet. “Why don’t you two have a seat while I get us something to drink?”

  Jacob and I settled into chairs at the antique oak table. Jacob took in his surroundings with wide eyes. For a witch, Vera was pretty mainstream and her house looked a lot like a home you would see in House Beautiful except for the tools of her trade. Mixed in among the wood floors and cathedral ceiling with sky lights were all sorts of unusual magical implements. Clear jars filled with things like dried frogs’ legs, eye of newt, and tarantula fuzz lined the kitchen counter. A cauldron bubbled in the kitchen fireplace, and several tomes of arcane lore sat open on the kitchen counter. Although not visible from where we sat, on the other side of the kitchen lay a scrying room. Vera had let me see it once after I pestered her about it.

  A gifted futurist, Vera’s divination abilities were the best in the nation, and the scrying room was where she did her readings. As a psychic I had some clue as to what she did, except I sifted through time to see the past instead of the future. I used to ask her all sorts of questions about seeing the future until, with a few gentle nudges from Vera, I figured out she didn’t like to talk about it. The future, she often said, will come whether we know about it or not and it was all too easy to spend the present worrying about it without her making things worse. Before Mark died, I thought they were wise words. Now I wasn’t so sure.

  Vera set a pitcher of lemonade on the table. “I see you’ve got yourself into some trouble.”

  “How much do you know?” I asked.

  She grimaced as she brought glasses over to the table and poured our drinks. “More than I care to. A necromancer of all things. I didn’t believe it at first.”

  “It’s true and worse, he’s been turning cops into zombies.” I took the glass she offered and drank.

  “Now they’re after you.” She sat in the chair across from us and tucked her long, dark hair behind her ears before taking a sip of lemonade.

  “And somehow, the druids are mixed up in this. They were at Jacob’s brother’s house. They tried to stop the necromancer.”

  Vera whistled. “Druids? Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “I saw them same as I see you.”

  “Interesting.”

  “I thought so.”

  “Yeah, tell me more about the druids.” Jacob leaned forward, elbows on the table. “How are they involved?”

  “I don’t know anything but rumors.” Vera said with a frown. “Rumors that say the druids walk through time and space serving as guardians of what they call the circle.”

  “That doesn’t really tell us anything. Sounds like a bunch of New Age mumbo jumbo,” Jacob said rubbing his forehead.

  “Oh, you want New Age mumbo jumbo?” Vera gave us both an arch look. “How about Stonehenge is a time machine that shuttles the druids between the past and the future?”

  “How do you know this?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I don’t. I don’t even see anything when I scry. If the druids are out there mucking around with the future, they’re shielded from my talents. But I hear things every now and again. All secrets whisper.”

  “So we’re no closer to knowing what’s going on.” Jacob slumped in his chair. “And the police want to shoot us, no questions asked.”

  I sighed. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful. I should’ve read the police station before we went in.” I always worked so hard to filter everything out, taking more of a defensive approach. I wasn’t used to playing offense, to having to read things just to stay alive.

  “Nonsense,” Vera said, her voice brisk. “You can’t go about reading every little thing. It’s impossible to plan for all eventualities. You had no reason to think the police couldn’t be trusted.”

  “Still…”

  “Hush,” she raised a hand, interrupting me, “You and I have had this discussion many times. There is no way you can read things twenty-four hours a day. One, it’s exhausting and not good for your health. Two, it’s impractical. Being psychic doesn’t make you a superhero.”

  “I know, but now what?” I asked, exasperated.

  “Well, based on my divinations, you’re not safe here in this plane.”

  “What does she mean by that?” Confused, Jacob looked from Vera to me.

  “Fairy. We’re going to have to go to Fairy.” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. It was the only other plane I knew of.

  “Are you nuts?” Jacob’s eyes widened.

  Vera shook her head. “Nope, sorry. Fairy is the only place the dead cannot walk and a necromancer, while technically alive, is owned by the dead. Neither he nor his zombies can cross over to Fairy.”

  “Are you sure there isn’t a charm or spell that would work?” I gave her a pleading look. Fairy was a tricky place, and not my first choice for a safe haven.

  “At most, a charm would delay him, but not for long. Even going to Fairy isn’t much of a solution. It will only buy you some time, just enough
throw him off the trail. You’re still going to have to confront him.”

  “Can’t you just tell us who the necromancer is?” I knew the answer would be no, but I had to ask.

  Vera’s eyes clouded and she looked away from me. “You know I can’t do that.”

  “Can’t or won’t? If you know who they are you have an obligation to tell us,” Jacob said, his eyes narrowing.

  Shaking her head, she said, “Life is about the journey. The future is not a math problem you can work backwards. There are no answers before problems.”

  “Is that what my brother was, part of an equation?” Jacob didn’t bother to hide his anger and shook me off when I laid a calming hand on his arm.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Vera said, her tone even. “I understand you think knowing who the necromancer is right now is the solution you need, but trust me when I say it isn’t. There are things that must happen— in our lives, in the world— in order to end up where we should. You can’t skip parts of the journey and be successful. The future can’t be outwitted.”

  Jacob crossed his arms and scowled. “I thought you were Sofia’s friend. Your rules mean more than her life?”

  For the first time, I saw her calm facade slip. Her eyes seemed over bright and she worried her bottom lip. “No, they don’t mean more than Sofia’s…anyone’s life. Never think that.”

  “Then tell us who the necromancer is. Tell us what will happen so we can prepare.” Jacob slapped his palm on the table. “Why not help us anticipate the future?”

  “Because it does no good…” Vera trailed off.

  “Why?” Jacob looked at me as if I knew the answer. I just shrugged and kept my silence having already had a version of this conversation with Vera after Mark’s death. If she wouldn’t tell me, she wouldn’t tell Jacob. She had more discipline than I did. If I could see the future instead of the past, I would not have hesitated to use my foresight. But apparently there were rules. Rules that demanded innocents be left to die.

  Frustrated, Jacob threw up his hands.“I don’t get it. If you can see the future, why not do something? It doesn’t make sense not to.”

  Vera sighed.“It is so much more complex than it seems and nowhere near as heartless as you believe. Foreknowledge of the future changes it. Anything I tell you would be wrong. You would act on it and the ripple effect would invalidate anything I told you. Nor can I see the effect of the druids, they are a wildcard. Since your lives are at stake, it would be dangerous, you could end up worse off than you are now.”

  “Great. Just great. So what’s the point of being able to see the future then?” Dejected, Jacob slumped in his seat.

  “Because there are things, subtle things, I can and will do to help you. The future is not set it stone, but you can’t use foresight to change it with a direct assault. Not and survive in one piece.”

  Jacob crossed his arms. “People don’t come back from Fairy in one piece either.”

  While I agreed with his sentiment, I knew better than to disregard Vera’s advice. Between the three of us, she was the only one who knew what was coming. It seemed wise to at least listen to what she had to say. “How would we get safe passage?” No human went into Fairy without some guarantee of safe passage, not unless they had a death wish.

  “It just so happens the dragons have need of a psychic and you fit the bill.”

  “What do they need?” I loved Vera, but it was exhausting sometimes to keep up with her when she was always three steps ahead.

  “You can’t be serious,” Jacob turned to me, an expression of disbelief on his face. “We can’t go to Fairy. It’s too dangerous for humans. We’ll get stuck in a time storm and end up trapped there for a century or, worse, the Goblin King will have us for dinner and we’ll be the entree.”

  “Time storms are rare and the Goblin King is a vegetarian now,” Vera said.

  “And safe passage will keep us out of trouble. It’s better than waiting for the Necromancer and his police zombies to find us,” I added.

  “Plus, going to Fairy will give me time to do what I can to help,” Vera said. “I have some contacts, some people who may know what’s going on, who can see things I can’t. Whatever this is, it’s bigger than just you two. Druids don’t get involved in simple bank robberies.”

  “I’d rather take my chances with the necromancer,” Jacob said, anger throbbing in his voice.

  I rubbed my forehead, annoyed. I understood Jacob’s concerns, but the reality of our situation overruled his reservations. If we did not cross into Fairy and do it soon, we had a good chance of ending up as zombies ourselves.

  “Jacob, what do you truly know of the Sidhe?” Vera asked. “Have you ever met one?”

  “No.”

  “Would it be fair to say what you know you’ve learned from television?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think that maybe Sofia and I might know more than you. I’m a witch, that makes me part Sidhe and she’s a psychic who knows a thing or two about my kin. Do you really think you’re the best person to make a decision here?”

  He shook his head. “No, I guess not, but why can’t we face the necromancer head on?”

  I sighed, just as frustrated with our situation as Jacob. “Look, I’ve never dealt with a necromancer or zombie cops or anyone else for that matter. I’m an antique dealer, remember? If Vera can do anything to help us out of this mess, I want to give her the time to do it.”

  “You’ve got maybe ten minutes before the cops get here,” Vera said glancing at the clock hanging over her kitchen sink. “Fairy is your only option right now. Trust me on this.”

  I nodded. “Besides, as long as I’m working for the dragons, we’ll have safe passage. They can’t touch us.”

  “I’ve seen you work, five minutes, half hour tops you’ll be done and then we’ll lose the dragon’s protection,” Jacob protested.

  I held up a hand. “Not quite. The Sidhe are a lot more political than we are and use magic more often than we do on this plane. Just because I know what happened doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll know who’s really behind what’s going on right away. We’ll be gone for a few days at least.”

  “Then what?” he asked.

  “We’ll have time to strategize. Hopefully Vera will have contacted the people who know what to do with a bank robbing necromancer who’s attracted the Druid’s interest.”

  “And if not?” Jacob looked doubtful.

  “We come back and kick some zombie ass.” Or die trying. Maybe some combination of the two. Hell if I knew. But I wasn’t going to stay and fight when I could run. Even out of shape, I was better at running. “Listen, Jacob. I’m going to Fairy whether you come or not. It’s the only way I can see to stay safe and shake the zombie cops. You can either come with me or stay and let the zombies have their way with you. Your choice, but I am leaving.” I blew out a long sigh while Jacob stared at me, his expression grim.

  “So are we agreed then?” Vera prompted when Jacob didn’t respond.

  Jacob was still long enough that I thought he would insist on staying behind, but then he nodded in grudging assent. I gave Vera a weak smile, “Looks like it’s Fairy for us.”

  “Very well, let me call the pixies then.” Vera took a piece of paper from a small desk she kept in the kitchen and wrote a quick note. Then she grabbed a few bottles off a shelf and mixed their contents into a small bowl. Muttering words in a language I didn’t understand, she threw the mixture into the fireplace.

  With a loud whoosh a gray cloud enveloped the brick fireplace and, when the smoke cleared, it revealed a doll-sized, lithe yellow man with transparent wings wearing, of all things, a kilt. The tiny Yankees baseball cap ruined the fairytale look though. With a sweeping bow he said, “You summoned me?”

  “Yes. I have a message for the dragons.”

  “And payment for this service?” He looked up at her, expectant.

  “A gallon of honey.”

  “A rich reward indeed. Very
well, I accept.” He reached for the note Vera held and tucked it inside his shirt. With an audible popping sound he disappeared.

  “That was a pixie?” Jacob asked.

  I nodded. Pixies weren’t rare or even unusual, but people like Jacob, fully immersed in the human world, didn’t see them often. “Yes. They act as messengers between this plane and Fairy.”

  “Actually, they do more than that. Fedex just signed a contract to have them handle some of their more critical medical shipments.” Vera began to put away the ingredients used to call the pixie.

  “A Sidhe signed a contract?” Jacob snorted. “Fedex must have a terrible corporate legal team. Even as a first year law student, I knew fairies didn’t honor contracts or filled them with so many loopholes they didn’t have to.”

  “You’re forgetting one thing,” Vera said.

  “What?”

  “We have honey and they don’t. The Sidhe will honor any contract that benefits them and this is certainly a case where the pixies get something they want.”

  “Amazing.”

  “Common sense, my dear. Sometimes you legal types over think things.”

  “Okay, so what happens next?” Jacob asked.

  “Well, normally the dragons would send a service contract and negotiate terms, but you and Sofia do not have that kind of time so I took the liberty of handling that for you.” Vera went to her desk and came back with a scroll which she handed to me. “I think you’ll be satisfied with the terms. Your weight in mundane gold in exchange for helping them find a thief.”

  I unrolled the scroll and stared at it trying to make sense of the ornate calligraphy. “My weight in gold?” I whistled. Mundane meant it would be real, not some Sidhe trick. That was a lot of coin and dragons didn’t often part with gold.

  She nodded. “Yep.”

  “What was stolen?”

  “I don’t know, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was something shiny. You know how dragons are. Whatever it is, it violates the dragon’s safe harbor treaty with the Sidhe and they are desperate to prevent a scandal.”