Spirits and Spells

by Bruce Coville

  “He came to Arthur and slowly poisoned him against us.

  “And Arthur let him in.”

  Now there were tears on Gwynhafra’s cheeks as well. For an odd instant Tansy wondered if the tears were for herself—or for Arthur Grimsby.

  “Mormekull took us unaware, and he banished us from Earth—from Earth to Quarmix.

  “Arthur came to Quarmix with us, though we never knew for certain whether Mormekull had planned it that way all along, or Arthur had simply been caught in his spell.”

  “And tell them what you did then!” cried Arthur. “Tell them what you did to me!”

  Gwynhafra’s eyes were blazing now, the cold hate turned to hot rage. “We changed you to what you are now,” she hissed. “We gave you a body to match your twisted soul, betrayer!”

  The creature shook and sobbed. “I loved you! Mormekull told me—showed me!—that you would lose your souls. I couldn’t let that happen. I loved you.…”

  “The fate of our souls was not for you to decide,” said Gwynhafra. “You assumed too much, and so you were cast out. Cast into the caves of Quarmix.”

  “And you would have let me die there!”

  “Of course! It was what you deserved. If Mormekull had not come and given you the sword to guard—the sword he stole from us—you would have perished quickly. But betrayal has its rewards, doesn’t it, Arthur?”

  Arthur Grimsby had closed his eyes. He did not answer Gwynhafra.

  “How did you get into Jenny’s body?” asked Tansy.

  “For nearly two centuries we have monitored Earth, seeking a way back. But the only way to break Mormekull’s spell was to re-create the circumstances under which it was cast.

  “For a long time it seemed impossible. We tried. We learned to reach past Quarmix and affect the thoughts and actions of people on Earth. But never enough. Never enough.

  “Still, we watched carefully, waiting for our chance.

  “And finally it came. We saw people begin to play at witches and wizards, pretending to use spells and powers. It struck us that if we could influence someone to create one of these games so that it reflected our reality, we could use it as a passage back.

  “And that is precisely what we did. Spirits and Spells came to its creator in a series of dreams. These dreams were sent to him from Quarmix, by Coven Karno.

  “We have watched, and waited, and tried to put ideas in people’s minds—including the thought that it would be fun to play this game in the setting it was designed for.

  “And finally we were successful. All the right factors have conjoined. Tonight Earth and Quarmix intersect in this house, in a crossing that grows closer and stronger with every passing hour. Tonight the spell will be re-created.”

  She paused. When she spoke again, her voice rang with triumph. “And when it is, Coven Karno will return to Earth. Tonight the return. And tomorrow? Ah, tomorrow the planet will be ours!”

  18

  MASS ATTACK

  For a moment no one spoke. Stunned by Gwynhafra’s pronouncement, Tansy had no idea what to ask next.

  She felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she was startled to see one of Arthur’s tentacles.

  The creature motioned her closer. When she approached, he lifted himself up and whispered in her ear.

  Tansy turned to Derek. “Is the binding that holds her still tight?”

  He nodded.

  Tansy smiled. Then she looked the sorceress in the eyes and said, “I compel from you the truth. Tell me how to free Jenny from your power.”

  Gwynhafra looked from Tansy to Arthur, her eyes blazing. She locked her jaw and tipped her head back defiantly.

  “I compel you!” said Tansy.

  Gwynhafra snarled—there was no other word for the sound that issued from her throat. Her face and neck grew red, and she began to tremble.

  “I compel you!” cried Tansy.

  The snarl turned to a shriek. Jenny’s body trembled so violently it was almost as if she were convulsing. Suddenly there was a horrible wrenching sound. The shrieking grew louder, then ceased as Jenny’s knees buckled and she collapsed to the floor.

  Denise ran forward and knelt at her side.

  “Did you know she would do that?” asked Tansy, turning toward the creature. “And is your name really Arthur?”

  The creature’s face twisted in what Tansy took to be a smile. “Yes, I did, and yes, it is. Arthur Grimsby, at your service. You had Gwynhafra right where you wanted her. She had to answer you. But to do so would reveal her weaknesses. So rather than tell you, she simply fled Jenny’s body—giving you what you wanted anyway.”

  Denise and Derek had helped Jenny to a chair. Denise was singing a healing song to her.

  “Are you all right?” called Tansy.

  Though obviously shaken, Jenny nodded. “I’m just glad to be back,” she said weakly.

  “Where were you?” asked Matt. “What was it like?”

  “I was right here,” said Jenny slowly. “Kind of. I mean, I could see what was going on—hear it all. But it was like I was dreaming. And I had this sense of someplace else behind me.” She shivered. “It was bad—a very bad place. And I knew that if something didn’t happen, if somehow Gwynhafra didn’t get out of my body, I would be stuck in that bad place forever.”

  She reached out and clutched Derek’s hand. “I want to go home,” she said urgently.

  “We all do,” said Derek, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. “We just have to figure out how.”

  “Well, we have the rod, the ring, the sword, and the stave,” said Tansy. “So we can complete the spell. Since everything else from the game has been coming true, I think we can expect that to work, too.”

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

  “What?”

  “The outcome of the game. We’ve been thinking that we had to win it. But if we win, we free the coven. Remember, we’re acting out their roles.” He shook his head bitterly. “They were playing a game we didn’t even know about, and we’ve fallen right into their hands. We’ve already done most of what they want. Now if we go ahead and complete that spell, we’ll be letting them loose on the world!”

  “Yeah, but if we don’t, we die here at dawn,” said Derek.

  “Do you think that would really happen?” asked Jenny. Her voice was trembling.

  “Yes,” said Travis. “I do.”

  They all looked at him. He was standing behind the library table. Something about the way he had spoken, something strong and powerful, made Tansy uneasy.

  “What do you suggest we do?” asked Denise.

  “I think we should complete the spell,” replied Travis. “The first thing is to get out of here ourselves. And who knows—their powers may not be anything like they claim.”

  “They sure seem to be so far,” said Matt. “What’s been going on tonight isn’t exactly what you would call normal.”

  Several of the players began talking at once.

  “Be quiet!” yelled Arthur. He was waving his tentacles frantically, and his voice held a note of terror.

  The others stopped speaking. “What is it?” asked Denise.

  Arthur looked fearfully at the group. “He’s here,” he said at last, blinking his great drooping eyes. His voice dropped to a whisper. “I can sense him. Erik Karno is in this room!”

  Tansy felt a chill shiver its way down her spine. Her eyes locked on Arthur, she moved back a few steps and reached for Travis’s hand. Slowly the hair on the back of her neck began to rise. She could sense something—someone—behind her. “Travis!” she shouted.

  He shook his head and blinked. The color drained from his face. “Arthur was right. Karno is here.” He paused, then whispered, “He was inside me!”

  The look of terror on his face made Tansy’s stomach clench with dread. But before she could think of what to say, what to do, Jenny began screaming.

  “No! No, you can’t come back. Go away! Go away!”

  Tansy spun toward
Jenny, intending to go help her. But before she could take her first step, it began happening to her, too.

  Tansy, crooned a voice in her mind. Tansy, relax. Let me in. There’s so much I can teach you. You’ve heard our story. You know what this is all about. Let me in, and power beyond your wildest dreams will be yours. Strength will be yours. Knowledge will be yours.

  Tansy clapped her hands over her ears and screamed. It did no good. The voice was coming from inside. She began to beat herself about the head, trying to drive it away.

  “Stop!” cried Travis, his voice strong and masterful. He grabbed her wrists.

  Tansy looked into his eyes. Travis wasn’t there.

  “You get out of him, Erik Karno!” she shrieked. “Get out of Travis’s body! It doesn’t belong to you!”

  Again Travis shivered. His eyes rolled back in his head, and his body arched as if an electric current were passing through it. He moaned, and Tansy could tell that Karno was gone.

  The room fell silent.

  The attack had passed as quickly as it had begun.

  But it would come again, and they all knew it. For a moment they simply stood and looked at one another, their eyes haunted, their expressions wary. Each of them was wondering the same thing: Were the others really their old, familiar friends? Or was one—or more—of those faces now merely a mask behind which hid some member of the coven?

  Tansy looked at Matt. Was he truly Matt—kind-hearted, sharp-tempered Matt, who had been her first boyfriend, way back in seventh grade? Or was he now Wathek, member of Coven Karno? And Denise. Was that really Denise? Or had Niana taken over and simply chosen to remain silent for the moment, letting the others in the coven regroup for their next attack?

  She could feel her friends looking at her, and knew they were asking themselves the same questions. She wanted to cry out to them, to say, “I’m Tansy! There’s no one else inside me! Theoni has gone!”

  But then Theoni was back again, pushing and prodding at Tansy’s brain, trying now to accomplish by force what she had failed to achieve with honeyed words. Tansy pulled at her hair, then began pounding her head against the table, hoping the pain would keep her aware, would keep Theoni out. She could hear the others around her, crying out as she was.

  The second wave passed as quickly as the first. A moment later the players stood looking at one another even more uncertainly than before.

  “Let’s do what they want!” cried Jenny. “Let them finish the game and come back. At least we’ll get our bodies back when we’re done. What difference does it make to us if they escape?”

  “You don’t understand!” cried Arthur. “You don’t know them. Their exile has made them bitter. They are angry now, angry and filled with hate. If you let them into your world, they may well destroy it.”

  “But we’re not strong enough to stop them,” said Jenny, pleading, desperate. “Someone else will have to do it. There must be someone who can stop them. We can’t do it. We’re just kids.”

  “Maybe someone else can stop them,” said Arthur. “But there is no guarantee. You are the first line, and maybe the last. If you don’t stop them, it may be too late—for you, and for everyone.”

  “But how can we resist them?” asked Matt. “I nearly gave in that time, and each attack seems stronger than the one before.”

  “That’s right,” said Arthur. “The two worlds are coming together more completely by the moment. The wizards are stronger, wiser than you. But for them to force their way into your minds is unnatural. You have to remember that. They are stronger, but they are going against nature. You do not have their strength, but you have only to keep the balance, not destroy it. So the battle is more equal than you think.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” snapped Jenny. “They’re not after you.”

  Arthur spun about, and two of his tentacles lashed out at her. For a moment Tansy thought he was going to grab Jenny and choke her. “Be quiet!” he hissed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You have no idea—”

  “Wait a minute!” yelled Derek. “Where’s Travis?”

  Tansy spun around. Travis was gone.

  And he had taken the objects of power with him.

  19

  SPIRITS

  Travis watched helplessly as his body moved stealthily across the hall. He felt like a marionette, his arms and legs controlled by invisible strings.

  That’s not a bad simile, said Karno. In many ways you are my puppet now.

  The words were not spoken aloud; they sounded in Travis’s head, coming from the being who had taken over his body.

  Travis reacted with a flash of anger. Instantly he was slapped with a burst of psychic pain that would have made him scream in agony, if he had had a mouth to scream with.

  Settle down! ordered Karno. I am in charge for the time being, and you will just have to accept that.

  What are you going to do? asked Travis sullenly. His words, like those of Karno, were spoken silently in his mind.

  I think that should be obvious! We’re going to complete the spell.

  Karno forced Travis’s body to enter a room on the other side of the hall. As they stepped through the door, Travis felt a sudden jolt of memory. He had already been in this room once tonight, while the others were out seeking the objects of power. He had forgotten it until now.

  So, you do recall our earlier trip to this room.

  I don’t understand. You were in control of me then. You must have let go, then taken over again.

  Precisely. It’s a strain at first, but it becomes easier each time.

  The easy contempt in Karno’s tone incensed Travis. With a burst of mental energy, he tried to push the wizard out.

  Again he felt the slap of psychic pain. Next time I will not be so gentle, warned the sorcerer.

  Travis forced himself to subside, to wait warily for his chance. He offered no resistance when Karno directed his body to the far side of the room. They stopped beside a tall candelabrum holding seven candles.

  Scratched in to the hardwood floor in front of the candleholder was a five-pointed star, inscribed with strange symbols. The star was about eight feet wide.

  Looking at it, Travis felt a need to shudder. But his body wouldn’t respond, so the shudder stayed trapped inside him, like an itch he could not scratch.

  It was about then that he became aware of what was behind him. Not behind him in the literal sense; it was nothing he could turn around and see. But it was there, waiting for him.

  Quarmix.

  That’s where you’ll be going, said Karno pleasantly. It’s a simple one-for-one trade. We remove you to make room for us here—and send you to Quarmix to fill our place there.

  Travis felt a wave of sickness wash over him. This was a kind of fear he had never felt before, a dread that reached to the roots of his soul and made him want to weep.

  Because Quarmix was awful.

  He was not sure how he knew this. But it was as plain as brown bread, as sure as death. Quarmix was horrible, and horrifying. Now that he was aware of it, it seemed to yawn like an abyss behind him, a great hole toward which he was being forced, inch by slow inch, and into which he must tumble before the night was over, never to return again.

  I don’t want to go there! he screamed, though not a sound left his lips.

  Of course you don’t, snapped Karno. No one wants to go to Quarmix. But you’ll go when you’re sent. You may even survive there. We did. Now be quiet while I make the arrangements.

  He turned toward the door and made a gesture. Though he said nothing, Travis understood that he was sealing the door so no one could enter. He was not exactly reading the magician’s mind. It was as though Karno’s thoughts were his thoughts.

  Karno was busy preparing the pentacle for his spell. He thrust the sword into the floor at the peak of the star. The wood split beneath the blade as easily as a baked potato beneath a table knife. At least two feet of the sword vanished into the floorboards.

 
The two arms of the pentacle Karno left alone. At its feet he planted the rod and the stave, pressing each about six inches into the solid wooden floor.

  Murmuring an incantation, he placed the arm ring in the center of the pentacle.

  While Karno worked, Travis tried to regain control of his body. But his arms and legs were no more responsive to his commands than if they had been dead meat.

  At the same time he became aware that he had access to Karno’s thoughts and memories. He began to sift through them as Karno worked. It was not an easy process—not something he could direct and control. But as scraps of memory floated past, Travis examined them to see what he could learn.

  The first thing he found out was that Gwynhafra had spoken the truth. Karno was dedicated to learning.

  The second was that he felt an enormous sense of injustice at his banishment to Quarmix.

  The third was that he had had experiences more horrifying than anything Travis had ever dreamed of. After briefly tasting a memory of an encounter with angry spirits, and then one with a bloodthirsty vampire in an ancient Albanian cave, Travis decided to leave Karno’s memories alone. They were too terrifying to deal with.

  Karno was lighting the candles when the shouting began.

  “Travis, let us in!” cried Tansy, pounding on the door.

  “Unlock that door!” bellowed Matt. “Bring those things back!”

  They were joined by the others, an angry chorus demanding to know what he was doing, what he expected to accomplish.

  “Who do you think you are, anyway?” cried Denise.

  Good question, thought Travis.

  Karno smiled serenely at the doorway. It won’t be long now.

  What do you mean?

  Wait, said Karno. Just wait.

  The others were still yelling. “Let us in! Open this door!”

  Suddenly their voices began to change.

  Travis felt cold fear.

  It was no longer his friends calling.

  It was Diaz, Niana, Wathek, Gwynhafra, and Theoni.