“You want me to follow you?” she asked.
He barked. Several times.
“Okay, I heard you,” Olivia said, and followed.
The poodle stopped outside the door of Mr. Feldstein’s room, which was closed. The dog jumped up and began to scratch on it.
“Go away!” came a voice from inside the room. “I can’t do anything.”
Olivia turned the knob and opened the door. Mr. Feldstein was sitting at his desk, wearing what looked like a colonial woman’s gown and powdered wig. “Olivia?” he said. “How did you—”
Olivia showed him her sachet. “I guess you have one of these too,” she said. “Since you’re a witch.”
He frowned. “If you had any knowledge at all of Wicca,” he said, “you’d know we’re not supposed to recognize each other in public.” He closed the door.
Olivia was annoyed. “Don’t you think the situation makes that rule a little silly?” she asked. “There’s nobody here but us, anyway.”
Mr. Feldstein pointed. “Don’t fool yourself. That dog, if I’m not mistaken, is Paul Phillips. He appears to think I can do something.” Mr. Feldstein peered at Olivia over the granny glasses he was wearing for the costume. “Someone seems to have called demons to infest the school.”
She hung her head. “It was me,” she confessed.
“That’s absurd,” Mr. Feldstein said. “You couldn’t have developed that kind of power. You’re too young.”
“I had a book,” she explained.
He snorted, and replied, “Well, supposing that’s true, I would personally take it as a great favor if you expelled the demons and restored everyone to their proper forms. Otherwise, I’ll have to find another job. And I won’t be able to get references from Ms. Dolfinger, who is now a box turtle.”
“I can’t,” Olivia admitted. “But I know someone who can.”
“Your aunt? Of course. Summon her at once.”
“She’s actually... out of town,” Olivia said. “I was thinking of Eva.”
“Eva McBride? Out of the question.”
“I know she could help us,” insisted Olivia.
“She certainly could,” replied Mr. Feldstein. “She’s one of the most advanced practitioners in the city. But she has to stay inside her veil. You know what that is?”
“It protects her against the Sheelins.”
“And so you know—”
“Can you contact her anyway? Please? Tell her Olivia is really in trouble.”
Mr. Feldstein hesitated. The poodle, who’d been standing by throughout the conversation, barked.
“All right,” said Mr. Feldstein. “You could contact her yourself, you know.”
“How?”
“By the fastest means of communication yet devised.”
“Something magical?” Olivia asked eagerly.
“Cell phone,” he answered, taking his own out.
After Mr. Feldstein reached Eva, she, too, had trouble believing that Olivia could have caused the trouble. “I know,” said Mr. Feldstein, “but she’s right here, and she and I are the only two inside the school to retain human forms.” He listened, said “All right,” and handed the phone to Olivia.
She heard Eva’s voice. “Olivia? Bernard tells me you’ve somehow called up demons. How did that happen?”
“I’m sorry,” said Olivia. “I had this book with some of Dr. Dee’s incantations, and I got angry at everybody, and I just... used it.” Her voice shrank. She felt like crying. What was Aunt Tilda going to say?
“Well, calm down now,” Eva said, “and let’s talk. Did you catch a glimpse of what the demons looked like when you called them?”
“Just some black and red smoke. And they laughed a lot.”
“Well, all demons do that. Black and red, you say? How many did the incantation call for?”
“Um... seven.”
“All right, seven isn’t so bad. You’re sure the incantation didn’t say ‘a multitude’?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Very good. And for how long did you invite them to stay in the school?”
Olivia struggled to think. When she remembered, she felt a little chill go through her. “I guess it was... until all within are deceased.”
There was a long silence that made Olivia more uncomfortable. “Didn’t we have a little chat about setting time limits for spells?” Eva asked finally.
“I know, I’m sorry,” Olivia said. “At the time, I didn’t think of that as a time limit.”
“Training, training,” Eva said. “That’s why training is soo important. I told your aunt she should—well, never mind. I guess I really ought to come down there.”
“But Eva, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“By seven demons? I’ve had seven demons before breakfast.”
“But what about James Sheelin?”
“Oh, him. I have somebody keeping an evil eye on him, and she informs me that James stays out at the bars all night and doesn’t get up until two in the afternoon. That should give me plenty of time.”
“All right, but be careful,” Olivia said.
“Coming from you, my dear, that’s empty advice.”
Olivia blushed.
Less than a minute after Olivia hung up the phone, Eva strode through the door of the classroom, followed by her cat Brighde, which arched her back and hissed when it saw Paul the poodle. “You didn’t tell me you had a dog,” Eva said.
“He’s really a boy,” said Olivia. “His name is Paul.”
Paul sat up and looked intelligent as Eva surveyed him. “I would have preferred an Irish setter myself,” she said.
“Eva, how did you get here so fast?” said Olivia.
“I used the fastest means of transportation yet devised,” Eva replied.
Olivia tried to think what that might be. “The subway?”
“Broomstick,” said Eva. “It’s on the roof. Now let’s get down to business. I don’t have time to tarry. Bernard, where’s the foulest place in the building, where our foes might settle in?”
As Mr. Feldstein thought about it, Olivia was about to suggest the shower drains in the gym. But instead, Mr. Feldstein said, “Cafeteria kitchen.” He took out what appeared to be a small flashlight and shone it onto the surface of his desk. Olivia saw a floor plan of the school appear.
“The cafeteria is here,” Mr. Feldstein said, and a yellow light began to blink at the spot. “And this is the kitchen.” A red light blinked there. “And we’re here.” He pointed to a green light, which turned into a dotted line that led down the hallway and into the cafeteria.
“Two entrances, I see,” said Eva. “Bernard, you and this dog will cover the left one. Just make sure none escape.” She handed him some plastic bags filled with herbs. “This one is Scottish broom leaf. Scatter it in their path and they’ll turn back. If some persist, throw this Spanish moss at them. They detest that.”
She turned to Olivia. “You and I will go into the kitchen and call them out.”
“Me?” said Olivia. “I haven’t had any training.”
“You’re about to get some. Do you think you can just make a mess and not clean up after yourself?”
Chapter Seventeen
THEY SPLIT INTO TWO TEAMS as they reached the cafeteria. There were two doors to the kitchen and Mr. F. went off with Paul toward one of them. Eva took out her wand, and Brighde arched her back, turning and hissing at every little sound. Even though she trusted Eva, Olivia felt terrified. By the time they reached the other door to the kitchen, she felt like throwing up.
Maybe that was from the stink. It was far worse here than it had been in the janitor’s room when Olivia summoned the demons originally. “Lots of spoiled food,” Eva commented. “They love to eat rotten stuff.” She handed Olivia a little blue jar that held some salve. “Rub it under your nose,” Eva said.
The salve had a sharp smell, but it masked the fouler odors. Eva gave Olivia two more of the bags of herbs. “You remember what I to
ld Bernard,” she said. “Try the Scottish broom leaf first, then the Spanish moss. If all else fails, use this.” She held out a third bag. “St. John’s Wort. Use it sparingly. It makes them angry.”
Olivia heard the evil laughter again. Eva took out her wand. “Just think, before you came to visit Tilda, I was wishing I could get some practice with this again,” Eva said. She waved the wand in the air and said in a loud voice, “Dico mihi vestri nomen.”
The laughter grew louder and shriller. Then there was a sound like a gigantic belch. Tim Glidewell would have been jealous. “Dico mihi vestri nomen,” Eva said again. She whispered to Olivia, “I need to know their names.”
All of a sudden, a heavy stream of dark brown liquid shot toward Eva and Olivia, covering them. Olivia gasped. It was like being vomited on by the most immense, sickest elephant in the world. Her clothes, her hair—everything was drenched by this foul, awful, thick—
Splash! A second stream of liquid hit them. Olivia saw Brighde hiding under a table, untouched, but Eva was as drenched as Olivia was. Only... she was smiling! “They know I mean business,” she told Olivia and repeated once more: “Dico mihi vestri nomen.”
Olivia wiped some of the foul liquid from her face and saw some of the black and red smoke rising from a drain. “Quick,” Eva said. “The Scottish broom, quick! Sprinkle it across the doorway.”
Olivia did and saw the smoke turn into an arrow that disappeared under a stove. “We’ve got to keep them trapped here,” Eva said.
They’re trapped? thought Olivia. I feel like they’ve got us just where they want us.
A terrible howl suddenly emerged from the interior of the kitchen. Olivia wanted to clap her hands over her ears, but she would have had to drop the herbs. It was painful to hear it, not just because it was so loud, but because it chilled her bones. “That’s the cry of a banshee,” said Eva. “When the banshee appears, someone is going to die.”
“Who?” screamed Olivia, trying to make herself heard above the noise. “Is it us?”
“Nobody,” shouted Eva. “They’re not really banshees. They’re just imitating the cry to frighten us.”
Suddenly Olivia remembered something. “I think they’re trolls,” she said.
“Trolls?” Eva repeated. “Why?”
“Because I mentioned them in the incantation.”
“Why didn’t you say so before?” asked Eva. “Bernard!” she called. “Get ready to block their way out. I’m going to call names.”
Olivia thought she could hear barking in response.
Eva took a step into the room. Olivia tensed for another stream of foul liquid. Then Eva waved her wand and said, “Ego dico Hroogar!”
Like magic (well, obviously), the keening of the banshee was replaced by a harsh voice that sounded like Tim Glidewell trying to belch and talk at the same time. Olivia couldn’t make out what it was saying, but she could tell whatever made the sound was trying to scare them. As far as she was concerned, it succeeded.
“Ego dico Hroogar!” Eva repeated. “Ego vos dimitto!” Over her shoulder, she called to Olivia: “Scatter the St. John’s Wort. Be quick!”
Olivia reached into the bag and flung the herb around. As she looked up, she saw a column of red and black smoke form into a face—a truly scary face that hovered above Eva and then went right through the ceiling, rattling the pots and pans that hung up there.
Olivia stared openmouthed at the place where the face had been. “How... how did you know what its name was?” she asked.
“Training, dear,” said Eva. “There are only a very few troll names. I used the most common one, Hroogar. One out of these seven was bound to be named Hroogar. But we’re not finished. Six to go.”
She turned back. “Ego dico Frooi!” she called. This time the angry response sounded twice as loud to Olivia. But Eva’s face broke into a smile. “We’re in luck,” she said. “Two of them are named Frooi.”
One of them put up more of a fight than Hroogar had, however. It shot such a powerful stream of brown liquid at them that both Eva and Olivia were thrown back. “Don’t let them through the doorway,” shouted Eva. “Or we’ll have to corner them somewhere else.”
Blinded by the hideous, stinking stuff running down her forehead and into her eyes, Olivia staggered forward, scattering as much of the St. John’s Wort as she could grab. “Not too much,” Eva cautioned her. “We’ve got to make it last.”
I don’t know how much to use, Olivia wanted to shout. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I want to go skiing.
There was no time for regrets, however, because Eva was already calling out another troll: “Hadingus! Hadingus, come and show yourself to me!”
There was a tremendous roar, not like anything alive—more like a volcano exploding. Not that Olivia had ever actually heard a volcano, but she thought it had to be something at least that big to make such a noise. All at once the whole room seemed to fill with the black and red smoke. “Spread the Scottish broom!” Eva shouted. Olivia flung a fistful of it into the smoke and watched it draw back like a cloud of bees. “Ego vos dimitto!” Eva shouted, and Olivia thought she heard Mr. Feldstein repeating the spell at the other end of the kitchen.
The smoke started to collapse inward, but Olivia felt herself being sucked toward it. She screamed in fright. Whatever was at the center of this thing was so foul, so rotten... She knew it would suffocate her if it ever pulled her inside.
“Hadingus! Ego vos dimitto!” Eva called again. Olivia saw Eva use her wand to slice through the smoke, dissolving it. With a final roar—this time, one of pain and despair—the smoke called Hadingus swept through the ceiling.
Olivia turned to see Eva breathing heavily. “This isn’t as easy as it was when I was three hundred,” she said. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a packet that held several hard nutlike objects. Handing it to Olivia, she said, “You might have to protect yourself with these.”
“What are they?” Olivia asked.
“Boma nuts,” replied Eva. “Toss them on the floor as hard as you can to break them open. But only if you’re attacked.”
Olivia shuddered to think what an attack must be like. What have they been doing up till now? she thought.
Eva shook her head, as if trying to gather her strength. “Ermingar!” she called. “Show yourself. Ego dico Ermingar.”
There was no response this time. Momentarily Olivia hoped that the spirits had fled while Eva was off her guard. But then they heard what sounded like high-pitched giggling.
“None of them is named Ermingar,” Eva explained. “They must be from the north.” She took a breath and tried again: “Fridleif! Ego dico Fridleif!”
This time Olivia heard pounding—no, more than heard it. She felt as if something huge was pounding the room on the floor, ceiling, and walls all at once. It shook her whole body. She wanted to throw the boma nuts, but a glance at Eva told her it wasn’t time yet. “I hear you, Fridleif,” Eva called, “Et ego te dico! Ego dico Fridleif!” More of the smoke appeared, but it didn’t retreat. Instead, the pounding grew louder and stronger, and Olivia saw the smoke expand and contract like a beating heart. With each beat, it shot out a stream of the loathsome liquid. Olivia learned to time the squirts and try to dodge them, but the cloud of smoke seemed to grow larger with each one. “Use the rest of the St. John’s Wort!” shouted Eva. “Scatter all of it! Now!”
Olivia hoped she hadn’t got the bags of herbs mixed up. She switched the boma nuts to her other hand and flung what she thought was St. John’s Wort into the center of the cloud. “Ego vos dimitto!” Eva called. The smoke stopped moving for a second, trembled, and then, spewing smelly brown liquid over Olivia and Eva, it followed the other trolls through the ceiling.
The pounding stopped abruptly and the silence that took its place made Olivia think for a second that she’d gone deaf. She almost relaxed until Eva called to her, “Don’t let your guard down! You have to outlast them!”
Olivia nodded, shifting the pa
cket of boma nuts to her right hand again. Almost at once, Eva called, “Healfdene! Healfdene! Ego dico Healfdene!”
A piteous cry of pain filled the room. It sounded like a little girl’s voice—the loneliest little girl in the world, who was being tortured by some incredibly cruel witch. Olivia shook her head. Witch? What made me think witch? she thought, glancing at Eva to see if she were reading Olivia’s mind. Doubts crept into Olivia’s head. Maybe Eva is wrong and there is a good troll here, who should be left alone. Who only wants someone to play with.
“It’s filling your mind with confusion,” Eva called. “Drive the thoughts away. Be ready! Be alert!”
Suddenly Olivia saw a little sphere of red and black smoke appear. It started bouncing like a rubber ball. Then another appeared. And another. Another. All bouncing crazily so that when she tried to watch them all, she got dizzy. They came closer to her and it seemed like they wanted to play.
“Throw the boma nuts!” Eva called. “Now!”
The little girl’s crying started again. Olivia felt sorry for her. Then the first of the balls bounced against her legs. It burned right through her jeans and hurt as if it were tearing her skin off.
“DO IT!” Eva cried.
Startled, Olivia took one of the nuts and flung it on the floor. It popped loudly and the nearest of the balls cried out, just like a little girl. Even though it had burned her, Olivia still felt sorry for it.
Then Eva shouted, “Ego vos dimitto!” and it sped toward the ceiling. “Use the rest, Olivia!” Eva called.
Olivia’s leg pained her terribly, but as the other balls bounced closer, she forced herself to throw the boma nuts on the floor. One by one, they cracked open and set off more screaming, more crying. Eva kept repeating her spell and each of the balls fled through the ceiling.
Counting in her head, Olivia realized that only one troll was left. But she could see that Eva wasn’t holding the wand as steadily as she had at the beginning. The old woman muttered something under her breath; it seemed to Olivia as if she was trying to encourage herself. That was really scary, because if Eva couldn’t drive out the trolls...
Be Careful What You Witch For Page 20