“You can’t. Not unless they cast a spell. And even then, you have to be close enough to sense it. When we’re near someone casting a spell, we can hear a soft chiming. But unless they cast a spell close enough that we can feel it, there’s no other way to tell. You can’t just look at someone and tell if they’re a warlock. Julander might be a warlock, or he might simply be a fat, cantankerous curmudgeon.”
“Did you just cast a spell?” Mike deadpanned.
“No, cantankerous means, grouchy, ill mannered, or argumentative, and a curmudgeon is a—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Mike stopped her. “It was a joke. Never mind.”
Turning her attention to Crissy, Samantha said, “We should be asking Crissy.”
Crissy looked back at her and said, “Find De-win. He’ll fix everything.”
“Yes, sweetie, that’s what we’re hoping. But can you help us find Darren? Do you know where he is?”
Crissy looked quizzically at her, put her small hands on Samantha’s thighs, and forced herself up. She stood on the seat and looked carefully from side to side in front of the Jeep, then turned around, taking hold of the roll-bar and did the same thing looking behind the Jeep. At length she sat back down, looked at Samantha, and shook her head.
Samantha sighed. She’d been hoping Crissy, being Darren’s Oracle, might tell them something. She had, in her own way, tried to warn Darren back in the waiting room. There was no doubt this was her role, but she might not open up to anyone other than her Warder.
“Crissy, when you think about Darren, does anything come to your mind?”
Once again, the little girl looked puzzled. “He likes basketball.” She smiled, knowing she’d gotten this correct.
“Yes, he does, sweetheart. Anything else?”
She looked up and to the right, obviously concentrating on her brother. “He’s sad.” She frowned. “Ethan’s not alive.” Tears welled up in Crissy’s eyes, and one streaked down her cheek. “They played a mean game on De-win. That was not nice.” She shook her head, and her little hands formed into fists.
“No, it wasn’t,” Samantha commiserated. She hugged Crissy, suddenly filled with compassion for her. Unexpectedly, Samantha’s eyes welled up with tears. “What was the mean trick?”
Crissy sighed. “The man pretended to be Ethan, and De’win believed him. But he knows now it was just a trick. He’s very sad. And mad.”
“Do you know where he is, honey?”
Her brows furrowed. She looked at Samantha like she wasn’t sure. “He went to school.”
“School?”
“He was sleeping,” Crissy replied as if puzzled by that fact as well.
“They used a Somnulus on him,” Serena said. “But why bring him to the school?”
Except for Andrea’s moaning, it was quiet in the Jeep as they mulled this over. The cheerleader’s soft wails grew quieter and quieter until they stopped completely. At last, Andrea, her eyes rimmed in red, leaned forward. “Couldn’t they have found this cavern where the book is hidden? It’s supposed to be at the school, right?”
The others looked at her in surprise. Serena smiled. “Good thing we brought her with us, huh?”
Samantha laughed. “Of course. They’ve found a way to get into the cavern and took Darren down there.”
“How could there be a cavern underneath the high school?” Mike asked. “Why wasn’t it found when they excavated this area and poured the foundation?”
“There are a lot of spells we can’t do anymore. Moloch could do all sorts of things we can only dream about. Remember the blind man’s spell? He could have cast that along with several others to keep it invisible. And what’s more, it’s probably very deep in the ground. Maybe they never dug deep enough to find it.”
“How did the Northern Coven find a way in?” Serena asked. “And how long do you think they’ve been here waiting for the Key to show up?”
“I don’t know. But we do know the Northern Coven is at the school. We know they took Darren there under a somnulus. It makes sense they did all that because they found an entrance to the cavern and probably the Grimoire as well. Once they discovered Darren was becoming a fully functioning Warder, they kidnapped him and tried to kill Atavus.”
“Wait,” Mike interrupted. “Don’t get me wrong, because Darren’s my best friend, but if they’re going to try to kill Atavus, why not kill Darren, too?”
“Because.” Samantha hesitated. She looked over at Mike and then back out the windshield.
“They want Samantha,” Serena finished for her. “If they know where the Grimoire is, they want it badly. But they can’t get to the Grimoire without the Key.”
“The Key of Endor,” Samantha whispered.
“What’s the Key of Endor?” Mike glanced back at Serena.
“Samantha. Samantha’s the Key.”
“I’m the Key of Endor,” Samantha confirmed. “There’s a prophecy by a demon named Ulkobach, and it said the only way to acquire the Grimoire of Moloch was with the Key of Endor. I don’t know how I’m supposed to be able to do it, but I’m the only one who can get the Grimoire.”
“So the Northern Coven has been here waiting for you to show up so they could get their hands on this Grimoire,” Mike said. “And now, they’ve kidnapped Darren to lure you in, using him as bait.”
“That’s right. They’ve set a trap, and I’ve no choice but to walk into it.”
“Oh, I don’t like this.” Mike leaned on the steering wheel and looked out at the dark night.
“I’m not asking you to come, Mike,” Samantha said. “The trap is for me. I put Darren in this mess. I’m responsible for getting him out.”
“Right.” Mike turned back to her. “I’m Darren’s Guardian, remember? I’m not going to leave him to die at the hands of those...witches! No offense. Like it or not, I’m in.”
“What about this one?” Serena nodded at Andrea. “And Darren’s little sister?”
“We’ll take Crissy home, and Andrea can stay with her until Darren’s folks return.”
“No,” Crissy said, standing up on the seat. She leaned over and pointed at Andrea. “This one must go, too.”
Andrea’s eyes grew wide, and she backed up. “Get that kid away from me!”
“Why does she need to come, Crissy?” Samantha asked.
“Yeah, why do I need to come?” Anxiety was apparent in Andrea’s voice.
“I don’t know.” Crissy’s voice sounded small.
“Are Mike and Serena supposed to come as well?”
Crissy nodded.
“Okay then, I guess that’s settled. We all go. I’ll have my aunt watch Crissy.”
“You can’t make me go!” Andrea stood up and prepared to jump from the Jeep. Serena grabbed her and slammed her back down. Undeterred, Andrea was up again. Serena pulled her back. They struggled until, Serena incanted, “Vestis aerisimo.” Andrea’s arms and legs were frozen to her sides, but her head bobbed about as she struggled against the invisible restraints. Serena added, “Adstringo.” The girl’s eyes widened and filled with tears.
“Serena!” Samantha barked. “Not so tight.”
“Okay.” Whipping a hand in Andrea’s direction she said, “Laxo.”
Andrea’s color returned to normal as Serena magically maneuvered her back into a sitting position.
“You’ve got to let me go. I’m not part of all this,” Andrea wailed. “Please, let me go. I’ll watch Crissy. I’ll get you help. Anything, but all this is scaring me. Please, don’t make me come with you!”
“Andrea, I’m sorry, but you’re supposed to come with us. It wouldn’t be my first choice either, but that’s the way it is.”
Andrea sobbed. “I’ll just be in the way.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Mike agreed. Turning to Serena he asked, “What’d you do to her exactly?”
“I wrapped her in an air cocoon,” Serena explained.
“Nice trick. Too bad you can’t teach that sort of thing.”
“I’m sorry, Andrea,” Samantha said. “The Oracle has spoken, and our best hope for success is to do as she says.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Mike banged his hands on the steering wheel. “We know who has to go, and we know it’s at the school, underground someplace. How are we supposed to get to this underground cavern? Do you know where to dig?”
Samantha sighed, realizing she had no idea where to start. Once again it was Crissy who instructed them. “Mike has been there. Mike knows the way.”
No one was more surprised than Mike to hear this astonishing revelation. “Crissy, what are you talking about?”
“I don’t know,” she squeaked.
“Mike,” Samantha said. “Somehow or another, you know.”
“Come on! How would I know how to find an underground cavern beneath the school?” He looked incredulously at her. Then his eyes lost focus for a moment as something occurred to him. Like lightning flashing in a dark night, a memory came back to him, and he smiled. He looked up from the steering wheel and chuckled. He turned to face Crissy. “I do know, don’t I?”
Crissy nodded apprehensively.
He pointed at the little girl. “You’re talking about the trapdoor under coach’s desk, aren’t you? Somewhere underneath there is an opening that leads down into this cavern, isn’t there?”
Crissy smiled, as if Mike’s words made sense to her. “Mike knows,” she said and looked back at Samantha. “Mike knows!”
“Okay then.” Mike was energized with this little bit of comprehension witchery. “I know where we’re going.” He turned back to Andrea in the back seat. “Remember the basketball rolling uphill?” She nodded expressionlessly, the only movement she was capable of making. “It’s because underneath there, something magical is going on. Right?” He turned back to Samantha for confirmation.
“A ball rolled uphill?”
“Yeah, there’s a ramp down there covered in dirt, and the basketball rolled up it.”
“That must be it,” she said. “And the magic below must be very strong to upset the laws of physics.”
“All right then! Let’s go get Darren!”
They travelled to Darren’s house. Mike parked his Jeep in the driveway, ran around the side of the Jeep, and picked Crissy up. Samantha followed him to the front door. She cast a quick spell to open the lock, and the three of them rushed into the Stevens’ house. No sooner had they turned on the lights than Samantha moved to the center of the living room and began an incantation, “Tehlo mi-ah Clara.”
The lights flashed brighter for a second. “Sahwin.” The disembodied voice of Samantha’s aunt filled the room. “My pet, are you safe?”
“Whoa! The ultimate speaker phone.” Mike looked up at the ceiling.
“Dear One, I’m at the Stevens’ home. We need to go after Darren. He’s being held by the Northern Coven. Can you come and watch his little sister?”
“The little girl?” The voice was happy as it quavered. “Tell her I’ll play that card game now.”
“Thank you.”
“Mmm,” Mike forced a yawn. “My ears popped.”
“That happens sometimes.” Samantha smiled at his reaction. “My aunt should be here in minutes.”
Crissy looked up at Mike and took his hand. “Come.” She tugged on him, and he followed. Samantha kept up with the two of them as they headed up the stairs to her brother’s bedroom.
“De-win needs that.” Crissy pointed to Darren’s bed.
“He needs the bed?”
Crissy shook her head.
Samantha kneeled down on her level. “What does he need, sweetie?”
Crissy looked around confused. She walked over to the bed and put her finger underneath the mattress.
“Is there something under the bed?” Mike slipped his hands under the mattress and lifted it. Several sheets of slightly discolored paper lay between the mattress and box springs.
“Does Darren need those papers?” Samantha held the little girl’s hands.
Crissy nodded.
Mike grabbed the pages and dropped the mattress. “What are they?”
“Ethan wrote them,” Crissy said.
“Darren will know what to do with them?” Samantha asked.
Once again the little girl simply nodded.
Mike folded them in half and shoved them into an interior pocked of his leather jacket. A rattling noise downstairs caught their attention, and they rushed down to see what it was. Someone was trying to open the front door.
Samantha pulled the front window drapes aside and peered out at the porch. She smiled and let her aunt in. Clara, wearing a black gown, her hair piled up on her head in a mess, worked her aged feet up the step into the house using her ornately carved cane. She smiled but a bewildered expression was in her eyes.
“I think my spell must have locked the door,” she explained. “I’m sorry. I’ve been making ridiculous mistakes lately.”
Samantha smiled patiently at her aged aunt. “That’s okay, Dear One.” She held an arm out toward the little girl. “This is Crissy. She’s wonderful. Crissy, this is my aunt Clara. She will be watching you until your parents get home.”
Crissy looked up at the old woman and cocked her head. Suddenly she rushed off into the kitchen.
Samantha shared a confused look with her aunt.
Crissy rushed back into the room with a deck of cards in her hands. She motioned to Clara to join her at the table.
Clara grinned. “I think we’ll get along just fine.”
CHAPTER 14
Down the Rabbit Hole
Under a blind-man and deaf-man’s spell that covered the four students as well as Mike’s Jeep, they drove into the high school parking lot. It was 12:56 a.m., according to the bank they passed en route. Mike pulled in through the first west entrance on the south side of the school and slowly came to a halt. In amazement, they stared at a new structure glowing in the center of the west lawn where the marching band practiced during the day hours.
Ordinarily, a large wood and metal structure referred to as the band tower loomed over this area. From atop it, the marching band instructor could watch the progress of his students as they choreographed their simultaneous maneuvers. Used to this fifteen-foot high framework day after day, it was only remarkable in that it now towered over a marble edifice that had never been there before. A small, squat building, white and glowing in the night as if lights were trained on it, stood firm, looking like a detailed and expertly carved mausoleum. The image seemed appropriate to Samantha as she eyed this new building, shining in the night like a beacon to the underworld.
“Well, that’s new,” Mike drawled.
They gaped at the obvious invitation laid before them.
“Apparently, they have their own way in and out of the cavern,” Serena said.
“Look at that thing. How come there aren’t more people showing up to gawk at it? It’s like a spotlight advertizing a new store.”
“Because, we’re the only ones who can see it. To everyone else it’s still invisible. It looks like they’ve decided to show us the front door.”
Samantha turned back to Serena. “Would you mind checking it out as Grimalkin? Take a quick look around and let us know what you find?”
“Reconnaissance,” Mike said.
Serena leapt from the Jeep a beautiful young lady, but landed on the dark macadam as a black cat. Samantha and the others tracked her as she darted across the lawn toward the mausoleum. She paused, sniffed around the entrance, then stalked between two Doric columns, before finally disappearing inside.
Samantha leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed. “Okay, she’s inside. There are several vestibules to the left and right, but at the far end is a large marble staircase.”
“What’s Samantha doing?” Andrea was still sitting in the back, but was no longer encased in an air cocoon.
“She and Serena have a telepathic connection,” Mike explained. Then he shushed her.
�
��She’s started down the stairs, but she can already feel magic invoked. Her hair’s on end. Smelling something sulfuric; that’s not good. She’s at a turn; it’s dark but leads down a long way. With her feline eyesight she can still see, but it’s very gray, almost black. She’s stopped for a moment; she thought she heard something. She just asked me if there is a spell that allows witches to see through the blind-man. I told her no such spell exists as far as I know. She feels like someone is watching her. She’s moving on again, darkness except for a faint glow up ahead. She’s descending... descending.” Samantha paused.
“Up ahead, the glow is...torches. There’s a crossways tunnel at the base of the stairs. She can see the cavern.” Another pause.
“Grimalkin!” Samantha screamed bolting upright. “Someone just about grabbed her! She’s running back up the stairs. She can hear someone chasing her, as well as a skittering sound, like hundreds of rat claws scratching against tile. The skittering noise is faster than the person chasing her, but she’s faster than the claws—by a bit anyway. She’s making headway; she’s way out in front now. The skittering is heading back down and away from her.” A pause, then, “Whoa!”
Mike jumped. “What is it?”
“Stunning spells are ricocheting off the walls, falling all around her.” Samantha gazed through the windshield. Mike and Andrea turned their attention toward the west lawn as well.
A small black form darted out of the mausoleum and sprinted toward the Jeep. Seconds later, Grimalkin jumped up on the back bumper, and Serena joined them in the Jeep. She breathed hard as she took her seat beside Andrea. “Somehow they can see through the blind-man,” she panted.
“If there was a counter-spell, Aunt Clara would have told me. Some witches have spells we don’t know about, but I’ve never heard of anyone seeing through a blind-man other than a Warder.”
“Okay, so they’ll be able to see us,” Mike said. “But, I’m thinking they don’t know about the other entrance. Or if they do know, they must not know that we know about it.”
“Right,” Samantha agreed. “Obviously, if we go in by way of the mausoleum over there, it’s over before it’s even begun. And they’re not coming out to get us because they know we’ve got to come in to get Darren. Let’s get this over with.” She jumped out of the Jeep and headed for the south doors of the school.
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