Essential Magic

by T. M. Cromer

  “Earthquake is my best guess.”

  The cries of the injured men below drowned out Nash’s affirmative response.

  “We need to move.” He grabbed Ryanne’s hand and pulled her toward the zip line. Miraculously, it still held. “This is going to be a tandem ride, babe. Don’t freak out when our weight causes a major dip in the line.”

  “What about the light-as-a-feather thing?”

  “We need the weight to carry us faster.”

  “No spell for that?” she muttered.

  He dropped a kiss on the shell of her ear and double-checked the straps securing them together. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Try not to scream. We don’t want to alert them to our getaway plan.”

  * * *

  Ryanne squeezed her eyes tightly shut and managed to keep her mouth closed as well although that particular feat was a little more difficult. If asked before tonight, she probably would have said she wasn’t afraid of heights. Zip lining to another rooftop from ten stories up had her reevaluating her fears.

  How had Nash found time to retrieve the Red Scorpion? The thought of it this close to their bodies made her shudder. If she never saw that creepy freaking thing again as long as she lived, she’d consider herself fortunate.

  She also wondered why Victor’s men hadn’t made an attempt to kill them while they were in the parking lot? Had the soldiers figured the chance of escape was greater on the ground floor?

  She shrugged off the questions as she extended her arms to Knox. He pulled them to safety and glanced over the edge. “They are regrouping. Hold on, kids.”

  Before she had a chance to blink, Ryanne’s cells were heating to burning. Within seconds, the three of them were in a place she’d never seen before. She glanced around the glen and looked to Nash for an explanation.

  “This stretch of land is protected on all four sides. Thorne Manor lies there in the center of that land.” Her eyes followed the path of his finger. “The Carlyle lands run adjacent. This is the middle ground and is sacred. Blessed by Isis herself.”

  “We’re safe here?”

  “As safe as we can be for now.”

  Knox stepped forward and steadied her as she stripped her harness off. “There was a breach once, but the wards were strengthened since then. We’ve also added some high-tech gadgets. You’re safe.”

  “Incoming.”

  The air crackled, and Alastair stepped through a rift in space.

  “I still don’t understand how you can do that,” Ryanne said to Nash. His abilities left her in awe.

  “I feel a temperature change in the air.” He stepped away to hug his father. “Thanks for the locusts. I’m not sure how you knew to come back, but it’s appreciated.”

  “Call it a feeling, and I simply followed your lead with the bloody trash pandas, son. The swearing was inspired.”

  “I feel bad for unleashing a hundred raccoons on the town.”

  “They’ll find their way home soon enough.”

  Nash cast his father a worried look. “Salinger isn’t going to stop until he has the necklace.”

  “The necklace?” Surprise lit Alastair’s face. “I thought he was targeting you because you’re my son.”

  “Maybe that, too,” Nash agreed. “But Spring made a point of retrieving the Red Scorpion before she left the standing stones. She handed it off for safekeeping.”

  Alastair scrubbed his hands up and down his face then ran his fingers through his hair. Ryanne couldn’t remember a time when she’d seen him so disturbed. It was concerning.

  “He won’t stop, son. We have to find a way to keep you and Ryanne safe.”

  “I only hatched an escape plan. I’m not sure where to go from here.”

  The men locked eyes.

  Alastair grimaced. “I think you do.”

  Ryanne suspected the only way to stop Victor was death and that they all knew it. “How do we eliminate him?” She was proud her voice only shook slightly.

  “Good question, child.” An admiring light flared in Alastair’s sapphire gaze when he looked down at her. “That’s what we all need to figure out together.”

  His kind regard warmed her. Alastair Thorne didn’t tolerate incompetence, as she now well knew. Any type of praise from him meant a lot.

  “It’s been a long few days. Let’s get everyone back to Thorne Manor to rest,” Knox suggested. “It’s safe for the time being.”

  They all concurred with this plan. Ryanne especially because she felt like the walking dead. Could witches turn into zombies? She’d have to ask if that was a thing. At this point, she couldn’t even think about her sister and the fact Rylee’s body needed to be left behind in the apartment. If she did, she’d lose her mind. Better to allow the numbness to take hold.

  The silence around Ryanne registered, and she glanced up to find three sets of concerned eyes focused solely on her.

  “I’m sorry. What did I miss?”

  “We were discussing Rylee.” Nash squeezed her hand. “Dad intends to send a team of men to your place to move her to a safer location and to gather anything you can’t live without. Are you okay with that?”

  Tears burned her eyes, and she pressed her lips together. A single nod was all she could manage.

  While she could feel the intensity of Nash’s gaze, she avoided looking at him, preferring to devote all her attention to the blades of grass at her feet.

  “You go ahead,” she heard him tell the others. “Ryanne and I will be along shortly.”

  Once the others were gone, he led her to a spot under an ancient oak tree. He took a seat and gently drew her down into his lap. “Want to talk?”

  “No.” She heard the catch in her throat, and she feared saying another word.

  “Then let me just hold you for a bit, okay?”

  She nodded and folded into him, her face buried against his neck. The warmth of his embrace eased a fraction of the coldness invading her mind and soul. And it was there, in that precise moment, that she understood what selfless love was. Nash’s silent consideration was the perfect example of what true love should be.

  “I love you, Nash,” she whispered fiercely, gripping his face to stare into the depths of his beloved jade eyes. “I love you so damned much.”

  His grin was slow to form and transformed his entire face. The wink he shot her should have made light of the moment, but it only emphasized the fact that he was perfect for her. She snorted, an aborted laugh, and wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him tight.

  “I love you, too, Ryanne.” He rested his cheek against her temple. “You make me a better person in every way.”

  They sat in silence for a while, each digesting their feelings for the other and maybe what that meant going forward. As Nash cuddled Ryanne close, she allowed her fingers to play with the thick hair at the base of his neck.

  “I never want to go back,” she told him. “If I could stay like this with you forever, I’d die happy.”

  “Let’s not talk of dying today. It’s still too raw for me.” He shifted marginally. His beautiful eyes left no inch of her face unexplored. “I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you—to either death or to indifference.”

  “I feel the same.” She frowned and glanced down at the pocket containing the necklace. “Why do I feel so at peace here? Why isn’t that horrid little thing upsetting the balance?”

  “I can only guess it’s because we are on sacred land. Or perhaps it’s done all it can do to us.”

  Sacred land.

  “Nash? Do you think if we buried the Red Scorpion here, it might neutralize its power?”

  He squinted into the distance as if he were doing mental calculations. Finally, he focused his attention back on her. “It might just work.”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  “I will need Knox’s help, I think. He’s as strong as Serqet, and if anyone can spell the piece so she can’t find it to start her reign of terror again, it might be him.”

&nbs
p; “Should we ask Isis, or is that pushing it?”

  He worried his lip with his teeth as he stared at her.

  “Nash?”

  “I’m not sure. Let’s go to Thorne Manor and worry about it later.”

  “If we take it with us, we risk exposing someone else to its evil influence.”

  “We’ll talk to my dad and get this worked out.”

  They walked hand in hand toward his family’s estate. With each foot traversed, Ryanne became more uneasy. She’d lost too much to that damned necklace. Her sister was the greatest loss. Rylee had been too young to die and didn’t deserve to go out like that. Anger began at a slow boil within. Pulling to a stop, she reached for his pocket.

  “No!” He shouted as he gripped her wrist. “No, Ryanne,” he said again, softer this time. “I can feel your rage building along with your desire to strike. It’s the necklace again. It seems to affect you more than others. If I had to guess why, I’d say Serqet’s blood in your veins.”

  “Evil attracts evil?” she snarled. “You’re saying I’m a horrible person.”

  He distanced himself from her and shifted his body to put the necklace as far from her as possible. “I’m saying Serqet created this cursed object. It could be the scorpion tempts you more because of it.”

  The dark, oppressive air that had filled her lungs and clouded her brain moments before eased with each step Nash took away from her. Damned if he wasn’t right!

  “I can’t be anywhere around that thing, can I?”

  “It doesn’t look like it,” he replied grimly.

  “What are we going to do?”

  He shook his head helplessly. “We’ll figure it out. In the meantime, we have to set a safe distance for you from this blasted necklace.” Nash eyed the distance between them. “Would you say this is about eleven feet?”

  “At least. Maybe more.”

  “Do you want to lead or follow?”

  “I don’t know where I’m going.”

  “Right, but I’m not comfortable turning my back on you right now.”

  What the hell did he think she’d do? Club him on the head? His distrust tempted her to do just that.

  “Come here and we’ll teleport. You’ll only be next to me for a minute at most.”

  Chapter 27

  “Where’s my father?” Nash asked without preamble the second he arrived in the front yard with Ryanne.

  Spring silently pointed toward the kitchen window.

  “Please stay here, babe. You need to be as far away from this necklace as possible for the time being.”

  As soon as Ryanne nodded her agreement, Nash jogged up the porch stairs and sailed through the large mahogany door to find Alastair. He found his father in the kitchen, a large hunk of cinnamon roll in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

  “We need to devise a plan to get rid of this cursed necklace. I can’t take the risk of surrendering it to the Council. If the wrong person gets their hands on it…” Nash ran a hand through his hair and shot a helpless look at his father. “It’s already affecting Ryanne, and if I’m being honest, I’ve developed a crushing case of anxiety.”

  “I can feel it.” Based on Alastair’s grim look, his father was experiencing the same unsettling emotions rolling around inside of Nash.

  “We found it doesn’t have such a heavy effect if Ryanne stays at least eleven feet away.”

  “Then let’s discuss this outside and put a safe distance between you and the rest of us. Can you handle the strain of the piece for a while longer, or do you need to pass it off to me?”

  “I think I’m good for a few minutes more.”

  “Let’s not waste time.”

  Any family members present gathered on the front lawn and maintained a twelve-foot perimeter around Nash. He explained his fear regarding the pull of the Red Scorpion in addition to the legend surrounding the curse. “I can’t, in good conscience, turn this over to the Council. We need to destroy it, or barring that, encase it in cement and bury it a few stories beneath the surface of the earth.”

  “Put it down on the ground and let Ryanne try to melt it,” Spring suggested.

  Nash placed it in the center of their impromptu circle and backed away to stand beside Ryanne. He reached for her hand and merged his power with hers as she directed a blast of fire toward the necklace. Everyone shielded their eyes against the silvery-blue light created by her attempt to torch the metal. After fifteen seconds of the constant bombardment, she pulled her magic back.

  The necklace remained untouched, with the exception of a seemingly irate scorpion. Light reflected off the ruby stones as the arachnid twirled in a circle, tail raised as if to strike.

  “Back farther away.” Knox shifted forward and began to pull energy from the air molecules around him. Arcs of light sparked from his fingertips as he built for a lightning strike.

  When they were all at a safe distance, he hammered the jeweled piece with bolt after continuous bolt until the ground around them was a charred ruin. It seemed to enrage the Red Scorpion further, and the ruby arachnid scrambled toward Knox with its tail ready to inflict the deadly poison.

  Utilizing his ability to freeze, he stopped the oncoming threat.

  “Apparently, it can’t be destroyed.” Alastair sighed in resignation.

  “Now I’m curious if it can even be contained? Would it find a way to free itself?” Nash quickly conjured a thick, chain mail-type sack. He scooped up the necklace with a stick and eased it inside the original leather bag he’d been using, then secured it inside the armored sack, melting the opening. “Colliquefacio!”

  Quickly, so as not to burn his fingers, he dropped it in the dirt at the center of their circle. He hurried away, not convinced the bag would do the trick and keep that fucking scorpion locked away.

  “Would it be wise to bury it in the clearing? Maybe we should find a sacred site at the far ends of the earth where no one is likely to discover it,” Ryanne said. The strain of the last days dulled her eyes and deepened the grooves around her mouth. “The farther away, the better, to my way of thinking.”

  Nash gently drew her close and sighed his relief when her arms encircled him. His concern for her mental and emotional state was great. “Not a bad idea. We’ll add a magical boost to conceal it while we’re at it.” Over her head, he met his father’s watchful gaze.

  “I have an idea. It’s risky, and if the rest of you don’t want to be involved, I will understand,” Alastair said to the group at large.

  “I’m in,” Knox assured him.

  “Me, too,” Nash said. He dropped a light kiss on Ryanne’s lips before they could form a protest. “I have to see this through,” he told her, gently sweeping a hand down her dark hair. “And I need you to stay here.”

  “That’s not happening.” She rolled her eyes and lightly pinched his side. “I thought you knew me better than that.”

  The atmosphere around them grew heavy, and the hair on Nash’s arms rose. “We’re about to have company.”

  No sooner had he spoken than his uncle showed up. Ryker grinned and gave Nash a hug. “You’re looking a helluva lot better than you did the last time I saw you, kid.” He gave the group a cursory look. “Looks like deviltry’s afoot. Count me in.”

  “I thought you were out of the spy game,” Nash said dryly. He knew good and well his uncle’s wife, GiGi, would have a fit if Ryker were to embroil himself neck-deep into intrigue again.

  “I’m not going undercover. Nor do I intend to be gone for any length of time. A singular mission here or there never hurt anyone.” Ryker rubbed his hands together, the light of interest flaring brighter. “Now, deal me in.”

  “This isn’t poker, and unless the world is coming to an end, you are to stay out of it.” GiGi’s strident tone came from behind their group.

  As one, they turned to face her. She was curled up on the porch swing with a tall glass of what looked to be iced tea in her hand. Knowing his aunt, Nash had no doubt her drinking gla
ss had something stronger than southern iced tea.

  “But, sweetheart…” Ryker’s tone softened and his smile cajoled. “… you said yourself, if the family needed me, I could help.”

  Without looking away from her charming rogue of a husband, GiGi addressed her brother. “Al? On a scale of one to ten, how badly do you need my husband?”

  Ryker flared both hands behind his back, fisted them, and flared them wide again. A clear signal to Alastair to say “ten.”

  “Maybe a five,” Alastair delivered with a straight face.

  The look of betrayal Ryker sported was priceless. Comical enough to set GiGi off into peals of laughter. Ryker swore and spun to face his best friend. “You jerk.”

  Whenever amusement lit Alastair’s face, he was transformed from austere to approachable, like now. He clapped Ryker on the shoulder and laughed. The family was helpless not to join in. Only Ryanne looked uncertain and somewhat sad.

  Nash wove his fingers with hers.

  “Ryanne and I are going to take a little walk. I’ll let you fill in Uncle Ryker and Aunt GiGi regarding everything up to now. When we come back, we can discuss this plan of yours.”

  He led Ryanne down the gravel path Spring had so painstakingly created through her gardens.

  “This is lovely, but why did you really pull me aside, Nash?”

  “I needed to check your state of mind. A lot has happened in the last few days: us, your stasis, your sister’s passing.” He guided her to a nearby bench. “I can tell you from experience, things are about to intensify. Alastair’s schemes are never for the faint of heart. He intends to stop Victor for good.”

  She studied the roses on the other side of the path as she digested his words. He remained quiet to let her sort through her feelings on the matter.

  “I’m okay with that.” She spoke softly. Finally, she raised her eyes to his. In those dark depths, he saw determination and the promise of revenge. “He needs to pay for what he’s done to my family. For both my sister and my adoptive parents.”

  “There is no coming back from this, Ryanne. No doubt he doesn’t deserve to live, but make sure you can live with his death on your conscience before we go further.”