by Ava Day
I step up and do it because Joy is having none of Verne for the moment. The stone slides easily into the wall and a loud thumping starts. Jumping back, I'm awestruck when the solid stone begins to shimmer and transform into an ordinary looking door. Verne passes through the door without a word. I pull the handle and find a staircase behind it. Shrugging my shoulders at Joy, I follow the steps up. They only go up one flight and at the top is another door. Tentatively, I try the knob and peek my through.
“Wow, Joy come look at this!” I say excitedly to her.
She pushes past me and stops. “It's our apartment. But how?” Joy says quizzically.
“Magic. This building is capable of a great many feats due to its geographical location. It's not alive by any sense of the word, it's more infused with pure magic. Technically you can go from anywhere in the building to anywhere else through one of these doors,” Verne explains.
“How do we find the doors if they are hidden?” I ask.
“Good question. It takes practice at sensing magic. Which is a skill that I did not lose upon my death, thankfully,” Verne replies, “There is plenty to learn, but first we need to find my sister so she can fill us in on the situation.”
“I have everything ready but the lock of hair,” I say.
“It's under the third floorboard from that corner. Hopefully there’s a loose nail.”
“I've got tricks of my own,” I tell her.
Standing over the board, I put my hand out palm down. With a simple thought, the board begins to lift on one edge until it is standing straight up. With my other hand, I gesture towards the small packet that is sitting in the cubby. It floats to my outstretched hand and I let the floor board fall back into place with a thud.
“That's incredible! I have never met a witch with powers before. I thought it to be a myth,” Verne says.
“Then you better not make Joy angry or she might zap you,” I reply. “Witchcraft is supposed to be a myth, too.”
“What? Two witches gaining powers within the same century is impossible. There are higher powers at work here than any of us can understand.”
“First things first. Let's find Beth,” I say, marching into the kitchen with Joy and Verne on my heels. Joy pulls out the spellbook and Verne directs her to the right page.
“Is that what you've been using as a cauldron?” Verne asks when I place the large mixing bowl in the center of the table.
“Yes. Is that a problem?” Joy replies.
“No, it's just unconventional is all. Let us begin,” Verne says with a smirk twisting her ephemeral face.
Joy adds the ingredients in the correct order and amounts as I read them out loud to her. This spell is much simpler and more straight forward than our disastrous attempt at summoning a ghost. Finally, we place a single strand of Beth's hair into the mixture. Fog starts to rise from the bowl and coalesces into a cloud near the ceiling.
“Is this supposed to be happening?” I ask.
“Yes, now pay attention,” Verne replies.
The clouds multiply and grow darker until streaks of lightening are shooting around inside of them. It turns into a full on storm as rain drops begin to splatter against the table. I sigh inwardly. We just got that table. I don’t want it destroyed.
“Move the cauldron and place the map in the center of the table. Hurry before the storm passes!” Verne shouts over the crackle of thunder. I grab the bowl and Joy quickly smooths the map on the table.
“What now?” I ask.
My question is answered in an instant as multiple streaks of lightening rain down from the clouds. They all strike the same point on the map, leaving a smoldering hole behind. The last few rain drops extinguish any chance of fire as the storm clouds swirl and condense on themselves until they are a tight ball. With a loud pop, the ball of clouds implodes on itself, disappearing without a trace.
“Oh, now wasn’t that exciting! I haven't helped cast a spell in so long,” Verne says wistfully.
I lean over the table and take a look at the map. A perfect circle is burned into it in the lower left corner. “So, that's the spot?”
“That would be it. I can't go with you ladies because I'm still trapped inside The Beacon. All you need to do is convince Beth to come back here with you so I can speak with her,” Verne says.
“Sounds easy enough,” Joy adds.
“She can be stubborn, so don't get discouraged if she doesn't believe you,” Verne explains.
“We'll figure it out,” I assure her. After eating a very late lunch, we grab the map and head out to find the mysterious Beth.
“Now that we're sure that Verne cant' hear us, what was Beth doing at The Beacon last night? Why was she using a magic wand at the door? What is she after?” I say to Joy once we're in the car.
“Those are all good questions that I'm sure we'll get answers to,” Joy says sarcastically as she rolls her eyes at me, “It seems that every time we solve one mystery, two more pop up its place.”
“We have to find the end of this rabbit hole eventually. I hope.”
The map takes us out into the country far past the lake where Brent and I had our date a few days ago. The forest grows denser as we drive. I direct Joy to turn off the main highway onto a quaint country road that we ride for a few miles. The next turn takes us off the comfort of pavement and onto a single lane dirt road. After thirty more minutes of bumpy driving, we arrive at a dead end. Joy parks the car and we both get out to investigate our surroundings
“According to the map, this is the place,” I say.
“Maybe there's a path somewhere around here? She can't just be in the woods without a place to live,” Joy replies. We scan our surroundings, looking for anything that looks like it could be a trail.
“What if it's hidden by magic?”
“That's probably it.”
“Yeah, but how do we go about finding it? We didn't bring any spells with us and Verne's not here to help,” I reply, rolling up the map and tossing it in the backseat of the car.
“We need to concentrate and let our minds focus on magical energy. The only thing is I don't have the slightest clue on how to do that,” Joy says.
“I have an idea. When I use my powers, I clear my mind and let the magic flow through me and gather around me before using my power,” I explain. “What if it's the same idea? Let the magic wash over us and then scan the forest again while we're bathed in magical energies.”
“I never pegged you as a hippie, Penny.”
“You have a better idea?”
“I'm willing to try anything at this point,” Joy replies.
I laugh at her skepticism, but she hasn't really used her power as much as I have. Standing by the car, I close my eyes and try to concentrate on the magical energy that permeates the world. If I had to describe it to a non-magic user, I’d say it feels like the earth’s heartbeat. When I open my eyes, I can see a clearing right next to the road where we are parked. A small cabin sits beside a tiny pond. Giggling, I start walking towards it.
“What's so funny?” Joy asks. I don't want to break my concentration so I ignore her, hoping she'll follow me. I spot a woman bent over pulling weeds in a large garden on the opposite side of the pond.
“Hello?” I say, not wanting to startle Beth.
“What the heck?” Joy gasps. “All I saw were woods on all sides until poof, here's a cabin.”
“I told you it would work,” I gloat.
“You really have to teach me that trick so I can learn to use my powers.”
“Right now we need to talk to Beth. That's her over there in the garden.”
We approach cautiously, trying to make as much noise as possible. Finally at the edge of the garden, Beth picks her head up and stares at us. Joy and I stop in our tracks as I wave to her. She seems wary, but starts moving in our direction nonetheless.
“We aren’t here to hurt you. Your sister Verne sent us to find you,” I explain.
Beth brushes past us and continues
towards the cabin. I don't know whether to follow her or wait here. Joy isn’t as conflicted and starts walking behind Beth to the porch. She unlatches the rustic looking door and enters. Joy and I hesitate to follow her into her home uninvited. There's an awkward moment of silence between us before Beth turns to wave us in and we let out a sigh of relief.
Chapter 19
The inside of the cabin is very sparse. It's a single room and I don't see any door for a bathroom. My gaze catches on a shelf in the corner. There are various magical tools and reagents strewn amongst a handful of old books. I spot the wand from the night before laying on a piece of black velvet.
A loud thump on the table jolts my attention back to Beth. She tosses a folded piece of paper on the table in my direction. I shrug my shoulders at Joy before picking it up and unfolding it. The page is covered in the most elegant handwriting I've ever seen. I start to read aloud.
If you are reading this, you are probably wondering why I can't speak. The answer is a simple one. I have been cursed. Many years ago, on the night my beloved sister died, I was struck by this awful magical affliction. I tried to enter the Beacon to search for a cure only to find myself unable to pass the threshold. A strong warding spell was keeping me out. I have been living in this cabin, keeping the Beacon safe from afar and trying to regain my voice. I am crippled as a witch without the use of my voice, so I have had to rely on the few artifacts I could find.
I stop reading and make eye contact with Beth. Her expression is filled with sadness.
“So you're the person that tried to stop me from buying the Beacon?” I ask Beth. She shakes her head yes in response.
“Why didn't you just come ask us for help?” Joy questions. Beth grabs a notepad and jots her answer down, holding it up so we can both read it.
I wasn't sure how much you knew about magic or if you were secretly evil.
“Fair enough,” Joy says.
“Why did you run the other night when you saw Verne?” I ask.
She scribbles quickly. It was overwhelming. I haven't seen her in so many years.
“You poor woman, living out here all alone. You should come with us to the Beacon,” Joy offers.
Beth writes another line on the paper with eagerness in her eyes. The spell is still keeping me out. Maybe you two can help me?
“We’ll do our best,” Joy replies.
“Of course we will. You could help us learn more about witchcraft,” I say.
A smile cracks Beth's tough facade for the first time since we've met her. Outside, a piercing shriek breaks the serene silence of the surrounding forest. Beth swivels her head around, searching for something. She starts darting around the room grabbing various objects and placing them on the table in front of me.
The sound outside is getting closer as a gust of wind starts to batter the door of the small structure. Beth taps me on the shoulder and shoves a piece of paper in my hand.
“What is it?” Joy asks.
“I don't know, let me read it,” I reply.
Skimming the page, I realize that it's a hastily written spell. I glance at the table to find that Beth was gathering the proper reagents. There is even a small black cauldron. Handing the spell over to Joy, I start uncorking the first ingredient, a putrid smelling liquid called demon juices. Joy starts reading to me what to add next. Ground nightshade, bone marrow from a liche, 14 fish eyes, soil from the grave of a murderer, and one squirrel tail. Each reagent is creepy and gross, as always. I have no idea what type of spell we are casting, but Beth is watching the door intently as the wind thumps against it.
Suddenly the wooden door bursts into a thousand pieces as a shadowy figure flies in. Darkness emanates from its form as if it’s consuming the light from the room. It looks like a twisted version of a ghost, cloaked in long black robes trail behind it.
Where its face should be is a pulsing, shadowy fog. It flits around the room above our heads. Beth slaps my arm and points to the spell in Joy's motionless hand. The creature has her transfixed with its blank gaze. I can sense Joy straining to break from its thrall. With no other option, I finish the spell with three words.
“Dominus Noctus Exhilus”
A light begins to shine inside of the cauldron, growing brighter and brighter until I shield my eyes. Joy slumps to the ground, exhausted. The creature turns its attention to the ball of light. It bends towards the cauldron until its face is lost in the brilliant glow. Through squinted eyes and disbelief, I watch a pair of large hands spring forth from the cauldron and seize the shadow creature. It struggles to free itself from the indomitable grip of the spell, shrieking and thrashing. It begins to sizzle and pop as it is pulled into the intense ball of light, shrinking until it is only a small splotch of darkness. The spell ends abruptly.
With the monster finally dealt with, I look over at Beth and ask, “What the heck was that thing?”
She writes in her notebook. A wraith. It probably followed you here. This place isn't safe anymore.
“What was it trying to do to Joy?” I ask as I look over at my friend slumped in her chair. She smiles at me weakly and gives me an unconvincing thumbs ups.
It feeds on the light of people's souls.
“That's not terrifying at all,” I say sarcastically.
There are creatures that are much worse. Luckily we had the reagents to stop it.
“Will Joy recover? Is the damage permanent?” I ask with a concerned look at Joy.
She should be fine in a few minutes. Beth goes to the sink and fills a glass of water for Joy. She pulls up a chair and sits down, gesturing for me to do the same. Evil is stirring in Spring Valley again. A necromancer, most likely. You need to help me get my voice back.
“We've heard. What can we do when we don't know who the necromancer is?” Joy manages to say between gulps of water.
I know of a spellbook in the Beacon that could help us uncover the necromancer before it's too late.
“What is it called?” I ask.
The title is unimportant. It's hidden in one of the dimensional rooms. Only I know how to find it.
“Dimensional rooms?” Joy says.
Didn't Verne explain that? The entire building exists within a dimensional fold. There are possibly thousands of rooms in the Beacon that no one has ever seen. There might be dimensional pockets with things from before the Beacon was even built.
“You'll have time to explain it all later once we figure out how to fix your voice and break the warding that prevents you from entering the Beacon,” I say. “We really should get back to town now. Do you want a ride or do you fly on a broom?”
I will stay here for now. There are things I need to prepare before I leave.
“Alright. You know where to find us,” I reply.
Joy is still weak from her encounter with the wraith so she has to lean on me as we walk back to the car. She fishes the keys from her pocket and hands them to me. I turn back to wave goodbye to Beth, but the mirage is back in place and I don't have the mental energy to see through any magic.
“That was intense,” Joy mutters weakly.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Better. Whatever it did seems to be wearing off quickly enough.”
“We'll go tell Verne what happened. Maybe she has an idea on how to cure you faster.”
“We don't need to worry her. I'll be fine,” Joy protests.
The rest of the trip is spent in silence as we head back to the Beacon. By the time we get home, Joy no longer needs my help to walk. We find Verne waiting for us in the lobby.
“So, what did you find out?” Verne's voice says from my amulet.
“We found Beth. Something evil has warded her against entering the Beacon and stolen her voice,” Joy interjects.
“Where is she? Didn't you bring her back with you?” Verne asks.
“No, she said she needed to take care of some things first,” I reply. Even though I think we should tell Verne about the attack at the cabin, I don't.
“It's getting late and some of us need to sleep,” I say.
“Yes, that sounds good,” Joy replies as she covers a yawn.
We shuffle upstairs and Joy heads off to bed. I take a quick shower and ponder the strange turn my life has taken recently. As I'm toweling off, my phone buzzes to life. It's Brent.
“Hello?”
“Hey, how did your day go?” he asks.