Magic and Mayhem: A Collection of 21 Fantasy Novels

by Jasmine Walt

  I rooted around through the glass jars of herbs and found what I needed. I didn’t have a real sachet, so I put everything in a light blue sock. The last step was to invoke the powers of the plants. It didn’t say how to do that, but I did a similar process as with the water. I held the makeshift sachet up and envisioned energy radiating from the herbs. I put the sock under my pillow. Underneath the nightmare spell was written, “Just ask your Guardian to watch you.” I wanted to know what a Guardian was.

  Feeling kind of hokey, and thinking this could be a bad idea, I said, “Guardian, I invoke you, please watch over me and don’t let me have nightmares.” Nothing happened. Maybe it meant a guardian angel, though I didn’t think Aunt Estelle belonged to the secret Coven of Guardian Angels. No…a Guardian was something else.

  What could it be?

  12

  “Where did you get that necklace?” Ethan asked on our first official date that Saturday. We had just finished a round of miniature golf, which I won, by the way. Ethan swore I cheated because I got four hole-in-ones. I told him I was lucky.

  “My aunt gave it to me. Well, Great Aunt technically.”

  Ethan’s fingers touched my skin as he picked the pendant up off my chest. “I swear I’ve seen this before. What does it mean?”

  “I don’t know.” I felt bad for lying. “I think it means good luck.”

  He tipped his head and ran his finger over the triple moon. Then his eyes met mine, and he let the pendant drop back onto my chest. “Want to get something to eat?”

  “Of course, I’m starving.” I squeezed his hand and smiled. Hand in hand, we walked back to the black Jeep. Ethan opened the door for me again.

  The conversation flowed freely during dinner. Being around Ethan was so easy. It was as if I’d known him for years, well except that I could tell he was hiding something about himself. Then again, I was hiding something as well.

  “So, what next?” I asked as we walked back to Ethan’s car.

  “Don’t know. Want to see a movie?”

  “What? On such a beautiful fall day like today?” I grabbed Ethan’s hand. “I have a better idea.” He pulled his hand back, causing me to stumble towards him. He wrapped his other arm around my waist and dipped me back for a kiss. He straightened me up and twirled me around, then pulled me back in close. He was so different from any guy I had ever met. I loved it.

  “What do you have in mind?” He put his hands on my waist and pulled my hips into his.

  “Have you been to Green Lake yet?”

  “Never even heard of it.”

  “Well, you’re in for a nice surprise.” I smiled.

  It didn’t take long to get to the State Park. I showed Ethan the best place to park, and we got out, walking toward the water holding hands. Today was turning out to be absolutely perfect.

  “Why is the water green?” Ethan asked, staring intently at the lake.

  “It has something to do with the minerals, I think. Oh, and the lake is meromictic, which means that the top and bottom layers don’t mix. So anything that sinks to the bottom takes forever to decay. I’m not sure if that has anything to do with the color, though, but it’s kinda cool, I guess.” I picked up the pace. “I want to take you to Dead Man’s Point before it gets dark.” Ethan looked up at the sky. We didn’t have much daylight left.

  “Hang on,” he told me and jogged off towards the parking lot. He came back a few minutes later carrying a flashlight and his jacket. “Now we don’t have to rush.” He held up the flashlight. “And I thought you might get cold,” he added, almost sounding embarrassed at his thoughtfulness.

  We reached Dead Man’s Point at sunset. I pointed to the bacteria reefs. “Isn’t it cool?”

  Ethan took my hand and nodded. We walked as close to the water’s edge as possible. Finding a dry spot, Ethan sat and pulled me on his lap. A slight breeze made me involuntarily shiver; Ethan put the jacket around me. The sun was sinking behind us, and the orange, red, and yellow colors from the sky reflected beautifully off the glass-like surface of the water. I rested my head against Ethan’s broad shoulder. I never wanted this day to end.

  Ethan and I hung out together again Sunday afternoon, but he had to leave suddenly when his dad called with a family emergency. Ethan apologized and rushed off, promising he’d call if he got the chance. I didn’t hear back from him the rest of the day.

  I wasn’t worried this time. Somehow, I knew I’d see him again.

  My good mood from hanging out with him continued, lasting throughout the entire day of school on Monday. I pushed through the doors at the end of the day, hurrying into the parking lot. I was busy digging around my messy purse to find my keys. I slowed when the energy turned soporific. I looked up, blinking in the bright light, and saw Ethan leaning against my car. He had his hands in his jacket pockets and was looking at the ground, rolling a piece of gravel under his biker boot.

  He smiled as soon as he saw me. I walked over, my face lighting up. I dropped my bags on the ground. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and pressed his lips to mine, his tongue going into my mouth. Still aware I was in the school parking lot, I tightened my arms around him and kissed him back just as passionately.

  “Anora,” he breathed, coming up for air. He had a bruise on his left cheek. I reached up and gently touched it.

  “What happened?”

  Ethan looked down. I knew what he was going to say. “I can’t—” he began but cut off suddenly. “I’ll tell you later.” He took hold of both my hands.

  “Are you okay?” I asked softly.

  A bit of panic flashed across his face. He nodded. “I have to go away for a while, Annie. I really don’t want to, but I have to…and I can’t explain.” He looked up. “God, this sucks,” he said to himself. “Listen, I hate lying to you, but I can’t tell you, okay?” He looked back into my eyes with an expression that pleaded for my understanding. My heart sank. I didn’t want him to leave me. “But before I go, I want to ask you something.”

  “Okay,” I said, pulling my hands out of his and putting them on his waist. He took a step in and held me tight.

  “Do you want to be my girlfriend?” he asked, voice tight with nerves.

  “Of course.” I nodded, unable to keep the broad grin off my face. Ethan’s chest rose and fell in a sigh of relief. He wrapped me tighter in his arms for a moment before he kissed me again.

  “I don’t know if I’ll be able to call, so don’t worry if you don’t hear from me for a few days,” he told me.

  I forced a smile and told him, “It’s okay. Take care of everything and hurry back. I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too. Be careful, please?”

  “I will,” I agreed, again not really knowing what he was talking about. Ethan took one final look at me, gave me another kiss goodbye, and left.

  “Is that your boyfriend?” Jill called from a few cars down, looking at me in disbelief.

  “Yes,” I told her, the smile coming back to my face. “It is.”

  13

  It was a week before Halloween. I’d talked to Ethan almost every day on Skype since he left, but it had been three days since I last had contact with him. Worry and unease grew stronger as each day passed. I needed to distract myself from obsessing over the illogical nagging feeling I had that something terrible had happened.

  I got to the barn around ten that Saturday morning. I brought Hunter with me since I hadn’t planned on riding. After brushing and letting the horses out, I went to my car to get something. I checked to make sure no one was looking and buckled a belt around my waist. My dagger hung from it. I clipped Hunter’s leash to his collar and darted to the woods.

  I’d become even more obsessed in the last few weeks with reading everything I could from my magical book collection. I stayed up late almost every night practicing different spells. I could now get a bowl of ice cubes to turn to boiling water in under five minutes. I could glamour a different eye color on myself and Romeo, though I couldn
’t get it to work on Hunter. I had forgotten to remove the spell one night and almost gave Harry a heart attack. I didn’t study for an econ test, did a spell to help me, and got a 95%. I felt almost of guilty for that. Almost.

  Even with my anti-nightmare sachets, I had a hard time keeping the bad dreams away. Last night, I dreamed that I was the blonde ghost again. He was being chased through the woods by one of the dog-creatures. The woods looked freakishly familiar. I was certain it was the woods behind the barn.

  I had to find out.

  Hunter and I dodged into the forest, sticking to the trail. I thought that we would come across something for sure. But everything was normal. The trees, mostly bare now, housed birds, chirping happily in the fall sunlight. When we reached the end of the trail, I decided to keep walking, not bothering to keep track of the time. I had no idea how far we had ventured from the barn.

  After hiking up a rather steep hill, I stopped to catch my breath. Looking down, I could see a large pond with a rickety old dock. I stared at it for a while. I had no idea that was out here. I wondered whose property I was on.

  Hunter ran past me through the fallen leaves. Something about the pond looked wrong. There was a slight breeze, but the water was completely still. I was halfway down the dock when I realized a hush had fallen over the woods. Cautiously, I walked to the end of the dock, knelt down, and stuck my hand in the water. I gasped and pulled it out. It felt like I was sticking my hand in a bucket of ice.

  “How is this possible?” I asked Hunter as I shook my head. I reached down again, my hand hovering above the glassy surface.

  A low growl came from behind me. I yanked my hand up and whirled around, almost losing my balance. My heart skipped a beat, and fear paralyzed me. My eyes widened in terror. Hunter stood at the end of the dock, fur on end and fangs bared.

  He circled the horrible dog-creature. Was it the same one from before? It was bigger and its face wasn’t as flat. But it was missing a strip of fur on its muzzle, in the same exact spot where Mystery had clipped it with his hoof. My heart pounded in my ears, and my mouth went dry. I reached for the dagger, ready to rush forward and help my dog.

  Before I could, a dark shadow rushed down the dock with inhuman speed. The darkness swirled into the shape of a man. His eyes were dead. The pale blue that they once had been was an echo of gray, bloodshot with thick veins. His skin was tinged brown with decay. Paralyzed with fear, I stood motionless as the old man reached out and put his hands on either side of my head. A high-pitched screech rang in my ears. I thought my heart was going to rip right out of my chest.

  My instincts took over. I unsheathed the dagger and shoved it into the man’s chest. A moan escaped his mouth. The dagger felt red hot in my hands. I could feel its power. With one final twist, the man burst into flames. I threw my arms up to shield the flames, stepping back dangerously close to the edge of the dock. The heat was too much. Dizziness crashed down on me and my vision blacked out.

  The dagger slipped through my fingers and clanked on the dock. The world around me faded, and I stumbled backwards into the icy water.

  14

  My mind woke up before I opened my eyes. My head throbbed, and I was really uncomfortable and couldn’t move. Hunter must have been laying on me. I opened my eyes and learned I was wrong. I was laying face down on a sleeping Ethan. I was so tightly wrapped in blankets that I was stuck pressed up against him. My struggling movements woke Ethan up. He untucked me and helped me sit.

  I was happy to see him, but I didn’t remember him coming over…or us getting into bed together and falling asleep. Wait—I looked around—I wasn’t in my house. I was lying on a couch that had been pushed next to a fireplace. The walls in this room were painted a soft gold, and boxes full of books and papers cluttered the room. I looked down at Ethan again. He didn’t have a shirt on, or pants I realized as I cast my gaze lower. He had on a pair of navy blue boxers, and that was it. I looked down at myself and saw that I, too, was only in my bra and panties.

  “Anora,” he said, sitting up. A sharp pain shot through my head. My hand flew up in reaction to the pain. “Are you okay?” He was suddenly very close to me again, looking right into my eyes.

  I took in a breath to answer, but my voice died in my throat. My lungs burned. I wheezed.

  “Careful,” Ethan said gently. “You probably inhaled a lot of water.” What on Earth was he talking about? “Are you okay?” he asked again.

  “I don’t know.” I was truly confused. “Did we…you know…?”

  “No.” Ethan shook his head. “You don’t remember what happened?” Now he looked worried. Great. What the hell was going on? I put my head in my hands again. Ethan wrapped a blanket around me and pulled me to his chest. “What is the last thing you remember?”

  “Umm…today is Saturday. I woke up and went to the barn. I went for a walk and—” I gasped. “Hunter!” I panicked. Ethan pointed to a pile of blankets next to the fireplace.

  “He’s fine, I promise.”

  Hunter too was covered up and looked rather comfy. He opened a tired eye to let me know that he was okay, then went back to sleep.

  “How did you find me?” I turned back to Ethan.

  “I was hunting the Pricolici.”

  “The what?”

  “The dog-thing. I had just gotten to the bottom of the hill when I saw you fall into the water.” He pulled me off him so he could look me in the eyes. “Who are you, Anora?”

  Time for me to be confused again. I shook my head, not looking away from his eyes. “I’m Anora Paige Benson,” I told him, but he didn’t look satisfied. “I’m eighteen, a senior in high school, I have two horses, a ferret, and a dog…I don’t understand, Ethan.”

  “You don’t have to lie to me,” he said softly.

  “I’m not lying. I don’t know what you want me to say.” He picked something up off the floor. It was the dagger.

  “Not just anyone has this, and not just anyone can turn a demon into a pile of dust like that.”

  “A what?” My headache came back. I felt like I was going to puke. I closed my eyes and rested my head against Ethan’s warm skin. He didn’t ask me any more questions for a while; instead, he slowly ran his fingers up and down my back. When I felt like I could open my eyes without barfing, I explained. “I’m a medium. I always have been. I can see and hear ghosts. But what happened today…has never happened before.”

  “You have to be more than that,” Ethan said, barely louder than a whisper. “The Pricolici don’t go after just anyone.”

  I looked at him in awe. Why was he okay with all this? “Did you kill it?”

  Ethan shook his head. “I didn’t have to.” He looked at Hunter. “Your dog ripped its throat out.”

  “Oh. Wow.” I felt a newfound sense of respect for my beloved German Shepherd. “Remind me to give him an extra treat.” The magnitude of what happened was really starting to hit me. “So what is a Pricolici?”

  “It’s the spirit of a man. An evil, malicious man, brought back from hell to torture and kill the living. The more they kill, the more dog-like they get. And the more dog-like they get, the more powerful they become. They’re often sent after someone by a demon. For different reasons of course, but they don’t stop until they get the kill.” Ethan’s voice had become very sullen. “We need to know why they are after you.”

  “I saw that one before,” I said hoarsely.

  “What? When? How did you survive?”

  “I was riding Mystery, and it spooked him. I fell and the thing, the Pricolici, came after me. Mystery reared up and was going to stomp on it. But it ran away.” Ethan’s face was a mixture of shock and fear. “It looked different then, though. It was smaller.”

  Ethan nodded, as if that made sense to him. He looked at my chest. I realized he was looking at the pendant, not my boobs. “Coven of the Sacred Guardians,” he exclaimed. “I knew that Triple Goddess symbol was familiar!” His expression changed once more. “You’re a witch, aren’t yo
u?”

  “I don‘t know…maybe.” I smiled my nervous smile. “I really don’t know. Ever since…” Something clicked in my head. “Ever since my aunt died, weird stuff has been happening.”

  Ethan thought for a moment. “When did you first see the Pricolici?”

  “The same day my aunt died. The day before that party, when I met you.”

  “It makes sense now,” Ethan said to himself again.

  “What makes sense? What is the Coven, and what is a Sacred Guardian? Why does someone want to kill me?” I pleaded for answers.

  “A coven is a group of witches—”

  “I know what a coven is,” I interrupted.

  “Your coven is a very specific one, one that you can only be born into. I don’t know too much about it, only that for centuries, no one knew it even existed. And for the Sacred Guardians, I think they are some sort of protective spirit.”

  I began to feel like I was getting sucked into a whirling vortex of dark confusion. “Like a familiar?”

  “I think so, but instead of aiding a witch in her spells, they protect her.”

  I looked at Hunter. He had always been sensitive to the paranormal, more so than animals usually are. He’d liked me more than anyone else in the family since he was only a few weeks old. He saved me today. Was he the Guardian I invoked? Ethan looked at me, at Hunter, and then back at me.

  “You said you think you are a witch,” he began.

  “Yeah.”

  “Why?”

  I wrapped the soft green blanket up over my shoulders. “I found spell books in Aunt Estelle’s house. I brought them home and tried a few, and…and they worked.”

  “What can you do?”