by Lauren Quick
The surface of the water wavered in front of her. All she could think about was that stupid coin and all the trouble it was about to cause. Her focus blurred. Something flickered in the water—a flash of gold. Vivi bent over the rocky edge of the pool and saw a golden coin sitting on the bottom. She leaned forward and plunged her hand into the cool water, but when she tried to scoop up the coin, it vanished. Her hand hit the jagged surface. There was nothing there.
She scooted back on the edge of the pool, feeling foolish. She’d probably just imagined the coin. But that was her gift, to see things, wasn’t it? All the meditating in Everland wasn’t going to help her unless she started using her magic. The sound of rocks falling jerked her attention behind her. She jumped to her feet, her eyes straining in the darkness. The feeling that she wasn’t alone crawled over her skin. Light flickered from one of the tunnel openings, pulling Vivi slowly toward it.
“Hello!” Vivi yelled entering the mouth of the tunnel. Footsteps approached. A flush of fear raced over her skin. Someone was coming.
Suddenly, she saw the wizard with the mustache standing right in front of her. She stumbled backwards, barefoot on the rough stone. He held his hand out to her, the coin flashing in his palm. The golden coin had a hole cut right through the center with a glittering blue gem fastened inside. It was the strangest coin she’d ever seen.
He wore the same fine suit he had in her dream. His eyes were kind, brimming with emotion as if he knew her. “Vivian,” he said. “Is that really you?”
“Yes,” she mumbled before she could stop herself, her heart hammering in her chest. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” Panic surged through her.
“None of that matters. You must stop what you’re doing.”
“Tell me what’s going on,” she said. A familiar feeling washed over her. His eyes stared deep inside her. “How did you get here?”
“This is what you’re looking for, but you must stop,” he said, holding out his hand, the golden coin flashing from his palm. His brow creased, worry marred his face. “Stop looking for me. Stop meddling. Go back to your shop and brew potions. But don’t come looking for me or the coin again.”
“Wait. You’re Devlin Strange.” Seeing him in person made the situation suddenly real. “Why stop? What’s so important about the coin?” She moved toward him, grabbing his hand, but he pushed her back.
“Stay away!” His voice sharpened. “This warning is for your own good.”
Vivi tried to follow as he backed down the tunnel, watching her, but her foot caught on a loose rock and she winced in pain, having to grab the wall of the cave to keep from falling. Once she regained her balance, it was too late. He was too far down the tunnel. In his outstretched palm, the coin burst to life in a swirl of energy and the wizard disappeared.
“It’s a magical coin,” Vivi said aloud. Her heart raced, her voice echoing off the cave walls. That’s why it’s so valuable.
She sat down and rubbed her head in her hands, trying to understand what had just happened. Had the wizard from her vision literally shown up in the Canary Caves? But how was that even possible? Somehow the coin was involved, but she couldn’t reason why. The stale air clung to her throat and a sense of claustrophobia crept over her body, pressing down on her. Taking a few deep breaths, she rubbed her temples and a sharp headache overwhelmed her. A vision flooded her mind’s eyes, but this time it wasn’t about the wizard.
She was looking down on the Meadowlands from above. The image of two witches flying on broomsticks flashed before her. Wind whipped their long black gowns as they rode across a midnight sky—the full moon glowing above them. Cackles carried on the wind. A large pitched-roof house with orange siding and black shudders came into view. The witches circled the house before descending and Vivi smiled. The aunties were on their way to Clover’s house.
Gaining her bearings after having the vision, Vivi collected her pack, slipped on her boots, and navigated her way out of the cave and to the bat sanctuary. She wanted to get as far from the caves as possible. Sitting on a stool in the bat recovery center, Pepper helped bottle-feed an injured bat.
Vivi pulled up a stool. “He’s a cutie,” she said. “And lucky to have so many caring witches and wizards watching over him.”
“The sanctuary does an amazing job protecting the little guys. Did you know that without bats Everland would be overrun with insects?”
“Ew. Really? I had no idea Everland was so buggy.”
“Yep. The sanctuary is trying to educate witches to keep from from sacrificing live bats for spellwork.” Pepper stroked the bat’s tiny head.
“What are you going to do about the bat wings you need?” Vivi lowered her voice. “How do they get them humanely?”
“I’m using the wings of a naturally expired bat. The sanctuary sells bat wings and claws and fur clippings from bats that have died here at the caves over the years or ones they’ve discovered in the wild that have died from injury. That way no new bats are killed for magical purposes like potions or spells.”
“That’s a great idea. Were you able to procure the bat droppings also?”
“Not surprisingly, the sanctuary has plenty of bat waste to go around. Seems it’s being used as fertilizer, but not so much in spellwork anymore.”
Pepper handed the swaddled creature back to a sanctuary member. “Let me wash my hands and we can have lunch. Did you enjoy the caves?”
“They were really cool. I got a little time to think.” No need to hijack the day right then by telling Pepper about her encounter.
“I hope you were thinking about potion making, because once we’re done lunch, I’d like to get your help with a little surprise brewing.”
“Surprise. I can’t wait.”
After they finished eating their sandwiches at a picnic table, Vivi and Pepper changed clothes and headed to Haven Academy to meet the famous Serafina Snapdragon. She was the premier brewer of eclectic potions, using strange and often hard-to-find ingredients. No pick-me-up potions or calming elixirs for her. She was into lucid dream potions, past lives tonics, and long-lost loves potions.
“It was nice of her to meet with you. How’d you swing that?” Vivi asked.
“My old adviser, Cornish McDavis, knows her from his old academy days, and he called in a favor. It just so happens that she was giving a lecture to the faculty, and she said she’d speak to me when it was over.”
They pulled into the visitor lot at Haven Academy and made their way along a cobblestoned path between the old stone and brick buildings. Pepper and Vivi waited in one of the student laboratories. Within minutes Cornish and Serafina strolled into the classroom, both wearing long plum-colored professor’s robes. Serafina was a commanding witch at six feet tall, wearing a pointy witch’s hat and a thick necklace of blood opals around her throat.
Her eyes sparkled with intelligence as she spoke. “Good afternoon, ladies.” Her hand was soft and warm when Vivi shook it. “I knew your grandmother,” she said, recalling Gwendolyn Mayhem. “Lovely witch. Very ambitious, stubborn, and funny.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Vivi nodded to Serafina and Cornish.
Serafina turned to Pepper whose eyes were wide with astonishment. “Cornish tells me you are a talented brewer and that your magic is pure and strong.”
Pepper’s entire face went red. “That’s an honor. Really flattering.”
“I hear you are working on a submission for this year’s potion competition. I’m not a judge this year, but I plan to attend as a spectator. If there is any advice I can give to you, please ask.”
“The potion’s a secret. But I’m basically trying to heighten senses and cross physical and mental boundaries,” Pepper said.
“Fascinating. You’ll need bleached willow bark for the senses. And bat wings for crossing boundar
ies,” Serafina said.
“We were just at the Canary Caves!” Pepper blurted. “Bat wings—check.”
“Try experimenting with snakeskin for shedding fear and inhibitions and the tooth from a blind dog for seeing into the beyond.”
Serafina knew her ingredients—the weirder the better, it seemed.
“Where will I find a tooth?” Pepper asked.
“Try the animal sanctuary in Willow Realm,” Cornish said. “Ask for George. He’s helped me before.”
“Thanks for your advice, both of you,” Pepper said and addressed Serafina. “I’m a big fan of your books and potion techniques.”
Serafina smiled impishly. “Would you like to see a few tricks? I’m working on a new warming potion for travel in the frozen tundra they call the North Woods. It uses fire ants and goose fat.”
“We’d love to.” Pepper beamed.
“Sounds amazing,” Vivi said, taking a step away from the case. Who knew potion making involved so many creepy crawlies?
With a flick of a long crimson fingernail, Serafina had a cauldron bubbling within seconds. Vivi and Pepper had a front-row seat to the witch in all her glory.
10
After spending the afternoon watching Serafina conjure up potions and listening to her and Cornish talk about the good old days, Vivi headed back to her shop to check on Abby and see how her day went. Not surprisingly, sales were up. With an upbeat personality, Abby was a real go-getter and knew how to charm customers.
“I was pushing some of the new spring potions. The Got-the-Sneezes potion for spring allergies literally flew off the shelf.” Abby glowed, grabbing her purse from under the counter on her way out.
“I’ll have to brew up another batch. Thanks for your help today.”
“Any time. You know where to find me if you need me.”
Vivi restocked the shelves and filled some outstanding orders before closing up the shop and setting the security ward for the day. She grabbed a sweater before heading out for the evening. On her way to the green door portal down a crooked alley, Vivi passed by Goodspells Grimoire and thought about going inside to ask Bear if he had any information about the mysterious coin, but she changed her mind, wanting a fresh perspective, and instead popped into a new magical antiques shop called Bric-a-Brac.
Vivi’d met the owner, Tish LeFerve, only once, but for some reason she felt that an antique dealer might have some inside knowledge on a magical coin. The one she’d just seen in the caves wasn’t an ordinary gold coin. It was special. Vivi pushed through the door and was enveloped in a scent of lemon polish and old wood. As far as liking antiques, Vivi was in the middle. Clover loved them, relishing the craftsmanship of the pieces and the nostalgic feeling they inspired. Honora hated them, saying they gave her the creeps and smelled like the bottom of a witch’s old boot.
An overstuffed high-backed chair with a floral print dominated the display window next to a tufted footstool and an elaborately carved side table. A black cat was curled up in the chair, warming itself in a stream of sunlight. Vivi paused to admire the display.
“That chair belonged to the beloved councilwoman Caroline Whispers. It’s over three hundred years old. It’s been reupholstered of course,” Tish said. Her short blonde hair made her look like a pixie. Her jeans were covered in patches and her shirt was bright blue with flowing bell-shaped sleeves.
“It’s beautiful. My sister Clover would love it.” Vivi ran her hand over the velvety arm of the chair, the cat blinking slowly up at her.
“How can I help you, Vivi?”
“I was wondering if you knew anything about old or enchanted coins?”
“Sure. I know a little about antique coins,” Tish said and guided Vivi to a glass display case filled with gold coins of all shapes and sizes. When Everland was first developing a monetary system, gold quickly became the currency of choice, but styles of coins had varied over the years. The earliest gold coins were stamped with the image of the witching world matriarch, Hazel, but new coin designs emerged with portraits of popular council leaders, favorite Haven Academy professors, and famous witches and wizards who’d performed great magical feats.
“This is the rarest coin I currently have.” Tish pulled out a gold coin shaped like a witch’s hat.
“Beautiful,” Vivi said. “I’ve never seen one in person.” The coin was used hundreds of years ago and had gone out of style with the actual pointy hats, which were now only worn by professors or as formal garb. Plus a pointy-edged coin had its own issues, constantly snagging.
“Is there a specific coin or currency timeline you’re looking for? There’s a coin for almost every head council witch or wizard.”
Vivi furrowed her brow, imagining the coin she’d seen for a flash in the cave. “The coin I’m looking for didn’t have an image on it. It had a hole in the center. A blue gemstone was fastened inside the hole, and the blue stone was much brighter than a sapphire. I think the stone spun like it was on a spindle.”
“Interesting. Some antique coins had holes in them to represent a divide in the council when the leader was unpopular. There was also an early dark coin that had the Black Bishop’s image depicted on it, but I’ve never been lucky enough to have one of those coins in my shop. Let me check my reference book.” Tish pulled out a small parchment book on coins from under the counter and flipped through it.
“Do you sell a lot of antique coins?” Vivi asked.
“A good amount. Mostly to collectors who enjoy buying and trading rare coins. There’s a bigger market than you might think.”
“I guess gold never goes out of style.” Vivi’s gaze roamed over the multitude of coins nestled on the velvet bed.
Tish spread the book open on the counter. “This is strange.”
“What?” Vivi asked, leaning in to get a better look.
She tapped the page with her finger. “Well, according to my reference and your description, the coin you’re looking for is a unicorn.” Her light gray eyes sparkled.
“A unicorn?” Vivi asked, confused.
“I mean it’s super rare. Maybe even a myth.” Tish leaned her slender hip against the display case.
Vivi glanced down at a picture of the coin she’d seen and read the name and description. “A portal coin.”
Her senses tingled. Excitement flooded her body. That was how Devlin Strange had entered the caves, appearing out of nowhere and then suddenly disappearing in a flash of light. He had his own magical portal in the palm of his hand.
Tish directed her attention to the passage. “Not just a portal coin, but the portal coin. It says here that the coin you described was the original portal coin used by one of the master magicians who built the portal system. The portal coin could be used to create a portal anywhere to anyplace. Whoever held and activated the coin could portal jump or basically hop throughout all of Everland.”
Vivi vaguely remembered one of her witch history classes covering the portal system, but recalled nothing specific about the coin. Now she felt practically giddy. Tish had filled in a major piece of the puzzle. “That’s incredible.” And rare. And extremely valuable.
“Yep. But it also says that the coin was confiscated by the council and locked in their vault to keep it from getting into the wrong hands. It’s been out of sight for so long that some witches and wizards question if it ever existed.”
Things started to rapidly click into place. “I can see why the council wouldn’t want a coin like that floating around. Whoever possessed it would have immense power. They could go anywhere in the world and no one could stop them.”
“Exactly. Anywhere and anytime. Can you imagine?” Tish smiled. “What made you think of it?” she asked.
“Oh, I was doing some historical research and was just curious,” Vivi said vaguely. Now it made sense why the Darklander w
as after the coin and why Devlin Strange was on the run. If he really did have the coin, the council would be obsessed with getting it back. That’s why her mother and Hex were involved. They too were on the hunt for the portal coin. It was worth so much more than gold. Whoever possessed the coin would be able to travel anywhere—banks, jewelry stores, homes, shops, restricted areas, just to name a few—and go completely undetected.
Vivi swallowed hard. The stakes had risen significantly.
“Thanks for your help, Tish.”
“No problem. Sure I can’t tempt you into buying that chair as a gift for your sister?” She wiggled her brow. “I’ll throw in the cat for free.”
“Not today, but I’ll be sure to tell Clover about it and to drop by your shop,” Vivi said and hurried out the front door. She needed to get to Clover’s house and fast.
Vivi wasn’t surprised when she found Honora and Clover hanging out on the front porch waiting for her arrival. “About time you showed up,” Honora said. Vivi dropped into a wicker chair.
“I’m glad you came all the way out here,” Vivi said to Honora who was nursing a huge mug of coffee. A scent of hazelnut wafted on the air.
“What did you expect after receiving that cryptic note about a strange wizard named Jack Rabbit who works for the Darklander paying a visit to our little Clover?” Honora wrapped her arm around Clover’s shoulder and squeezed. “Someone had to protect her.”
“I’m really not that fragile,” Clover said, steadying the porch swing she shared with Honora. “But I’m glad you came. That Jack Rabbit wizard sounds super creepy.”