Magic and Shadows: A Collection of YA Fantasy and Paranormal Romances

by T. M. Franklin

  He'd become self-centered, selfish, almost brutal in his obsession with her and how her leaving him would ruin his life. He would drag her into the dirt with him, if she allowed it.

  The Major, on the other hand, seemed supportive, caring and kind. He was also protective of her. But he might be that way with everyone, not just her. She wasn't the first person they'd had in the house to act as the caretaker. She shouldn't take her position as mistress of the house too seriously.

  The others had left after the secrets of the house had been revealed and they’d all died. She must either have more guts or less smarts than they did. She wanted to stay, to unravel the mysteries and the magic. She felt an affiliation for this house and the people within, living and otherwise and didn’t want to desert them. She was learning patience, so for now, she would sit and rock while thinking calm thoughts. Laying her head back, she closed her eyes and tried several versions of the same question; what, exactly, was going on in this house and how, exactly, was she involved?

  Jerking awake, she almost fell out of her chair. What had happened? Her neck and shoulders were stiff and the sky outside her room had darkened. She glanced at her wrist then remembered her watch had stopped several days earlier and she hadn't felt it necessary to purchase a replacement battery. She didn't need a watch. Time meant nothing in this house. It hadn’t meant anything in the last century and a half.

  That thought didn't disturb her as it had not too long ago. Was she coming to believe the insanity of the house? It sure felt that way.

  After dinner that evening, instead of moving to the living room for their evening conversation as was her habit, Miss Josephine led the way to the back of the house. Ariel followed without a word.

  "There is something you need to see now. Mamie says tonight is the night. Everything will be put to rights by morning. The changes of the past mean nothing. The past and future will come together tonight. You are the key." Miss Josephine spoke so softly Ariel had to strain to hear her.

  They stopped before the double oak doors at the back of the house. Ariel had given up seeing these rooms, though her curiosity as to what was concealed behind the dark thick panels had never dimmed.

  "From now on, there will be only happiness within these walls. Laughter and good times to be had by all who enter. A lot of learning to be done by he who's been trapped in time. You must teach him, guide him so his transition will be an easy one." The hushed words were confusing, but Ariel listened closely just the same.

  Something extraordinary was about to happen. Something that would affect her, as well as everyone else within the strong walls of the Bradley House. People she would defend any way she could. Not only had she come to know them, but had come to respect and admire them. Even love them a bit. Instead of opening the door they stood before, Miss Josephine took Ariel's arm in a surprisingly firm grip and led her back the way they'd come. When they reached the foyer, she released the woman and studied her expression for a long time, looking deep in her eyes. So deep, Ariel was certain she was studying her soul.

  Finally she spoke. "Do you understand? You're the key to what is about to happen. You and you alone have the power to give life, or take it away for all time. We thought we’d found the key on other occasions, but they proved unworthy. You have proven strong enough to provide the link needed to settle the stirring spirits in this house.

  "Once that is completed, you will be here to orient those who remain behind as to what this world of yours holds." Miss Josephine's statements were sharp and direct. Her eyes were looking for any reluctance.

  Ariel didn't hesitate. She was ready for whatever was to happen. She was ready to face it, help it along if she could. She no longer questioned the magic. She believed. “I'll help in any way I can," Ariel said, realizing this agreement was what the old woman was waiting for.

  Another moment passed in which they exchanged unspoken assurances, their gazes locked. Finally, Miss Josephine nodded. She must have been satisfied by what she'd seen in Ariel's eyes, in her heart.

  Returning to the hallway, neither saw the flash of headlights against the living room wall. Nor did they hear a car engine sputter and die outside. They were too intent on what was to come to notice an intruder.

  Just outside the heavy doors, Miss Josephine held a finger to her lips, demanding silence. Ariel nodded in agreement. She was too scared and too excited to speak anyway. This was it. Let the magic begin.

  Miss Josephine threw her entire body against the door, shoving it open just enough for them to pass through. Stepping through the portal, she motioned for Ariel to follow. Once they were through the opening, Josiah shoved the door closed again.

  Ariel glanced around, entranced by the room. Obvious this was the library or study of some sort. Maybe Anna’s papa’s office? Two walls were lined with bookshelves and every leather bound edition was in mint condition. A book collector would throw down his life to have access to such a room, much less to actually own any of the tomes.

  The room was filled with shadows, but she could see Mamie and Etta were on their knees in the far corner. They moaned and muttered foreign sounding words with a unique rhythm, as if they were singing.

  Candles flickered in the corners, providing just enough light to see by. Josiah returned to his position beside the double doors, alert to anything that may happen beyond this world of Mamie's magic.

  The magic, Ariel told herself silently. She watched, awed as the chanting continued. One hour, then another slipped by as Mamie and Etta begged, pleaded and cajoled with whomever was in charge of the magic.

  Exhausted, Etta fainted, falling back and laying still as death. Mamie continued on, her chanting growing louder and louder. As if she were chasing down the spirit she was calling to.

  Then Mamie fainted. The room grew so dark Ariel could barely see across it. She watched with wide eyes, afraid to blink for fear she’d miss something. Not even the science and education channels on television had anything that remotely resembled this ceremony.

  After a moment, Mamie regained consciousness. She easily stood for such a large woman. Crossing to Ariel, she held out her hand. Ariel paused for a moment, but the glittering, glowing expression in Mamie's eyes was not to be denied.

  Lifting her hand, she placed it into Mamie's, holding on tight for fear she might turn and run. Mamie kept her grip loose, just in case Ariel did decide to flee. Her participation had to be of her own free will. She would no longer be a spectator; she was now to be a full-fledged participant.

  Following Mamie, she could feel the Major’s presence. He was here, in this room. Had he forgiven her for bellowing at him the night before? Or was he here because Mamie had finally corralled him into this one room instead of the entire main floor?

  Mamie halted, pulling Ariel up to stand next to her beside the long leather couch. Lying on the couch was the body of a man. The shadows were deepest here in this part of the room. All she could make out was the impression of a strong face; high cheekbones and sharp, hawk-like nose and chin. His hair was dark as night, yet looked soft as the kitten's fur she'd played with just that morning.

  His body was long and appeared full of strength, with broad shoulders, narrow waist and lean hips. He was garbed in a loose white shirt with an open collar, tight tan pants and a pair of shiny knee-high black leather boots. He was dressed as a man of the mid-nineteenth century, yet he looked familiar. As if his face had been etched into her memory though she'd never laid eyes on him before.

  The Major. Who else would be lying here waiting to return to life? This handsome, sexy devil had to be the Major.

  While Ariel made her assessment, Mamie knelt, chanting again. Ariel was tempted to kneel as well in order to examine the Major more closely. But when she tried to shift, she found she couldn't. She was paralyzed standing next to the Major. Mamie reached up, grabbed her hand and held it palm to palm with the Major's. Ariel didn't panic, she watched the proceedings in wide eyed amazement. Mamie hadn't explained any of this to
her.

  Josiah carried Etta off, closing the door to the library behind them. Miss Josephine had settled into an armchair across the room. She was within Ariel's vision, yet out of Mamie's way. The old woman was fanning herself with a lace and ivory fan as she watched the ceremony with wide-eyed interest.

  The winds outside the window picked up, heralding the storm's arrival. Just like the night of Anna's death. The big storm hit then Anna was killed in her room. The Major had then allowed himself to be separated body from soul, here in the opposite corner of the same house.

  He made it into the house easy enough, slipping through the unlocked front door. He leapt into the living room and crouched down behind a large chair in the corner of the room when he heard voices. But no one appeared and a moment later the voices faded. Confident he wouldn't be discovered he started his search.

  The house was full of priceless antiques, but all he saw was old stuff, junk. He didn't care about things. Just money and taking Ariel when he left Goldsboro. They would go away together and take care of each other. He'd even wait to leave until morning so they could spend a couple of hours romping in the nearest bed, getting to know one another again. He couldn't wait to get his first taste of Ariel. Until now she’d always been adamant about remaining a virgin. He’d change her mind, one way or another.

  After finding no place to hide on the main floor, he made his way upstairs. There he found a door standing open several inches. Easing the door open, he stepped inside, then closed the door again. He would wait for his woman here. Then he would join her so they could have a good time and do a little exploring before they left this firetrap of a house. No one would be the wiser.

  Mamie's chanting changed tempo. The words sounded different, even more alien. She carried on for a few more minutes, then again fainted. At that same moment, a cold breeze blew even though the windows were sealed up tight. It felt as if all the warmth had been sucked out of the room, leaving a definite nip in the air in its wake.

  Ariel shifted, found she could move and propelled herself to Miss Josephine's side. Now she was out of Mamie’s way but available, just in case.

  "What happens now?"

  "We wait. Mamie has called the Major's spirit back into his body and joined you with him. Everything else is up to him. It might take awhile. You may retire to your room to rest, if you wish." Miss Josephine closed her fan with a snap, then reached for the shawl on the arm of her chair. With a flick of her arm, she wrapped the material around her shoulders, all the while watching the Major's still form.

  "Please, let me know if anything happens," Ariel whispered. Suddenly she was exhausted. Her room with the mattress made from clouds sounded like a wonderful idea.

  She retreated to her room slowly. She wasn't sure what she'd help to execute, but she was certain that whatever happened next, her life would never be the same. But that was nothing new. She'd done a lot of changing the last few weeks.

  She'd fallen in love with a house and all who dwelled within its walls. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to live out her life here, in this beautiful old house.

  She stepped into her room and pulled off her gown. She would wear the light batiste nightgown Etta laid out for her each evening. The material was so light it reminded Ariel of fairy wings she vaguely recalled her mama reading about in a book once a long, long time ago. None of her foster families had had time for foolishness such as fairies and princes and make believe. There were too many things to worry about like how to eke out a living.

  Wearing the elegant nightdress, Ariel settled into the rocking chair. She watched the storm blow around the trees and bushes in the yard. There wasn't any rain yet, but it wasn't too far off.

  Electricity cracked in the air. Or was it her own excitement at being involved in this miraculous event that caused her skin to tingle and a jittery feeling to squeeze her entire body?

  Forcing herself to breathe deeply and not jump up and pace, Ariel rocked and watched the dark storm beyond the windows.

  He kept the door cracked so he could hear, but there was nothing to listen for. He'd almost given up waiting in favor of hunting her down when he heard a swishing sound. Leaning forward, he put one eye to the crack between the door and the wall. He was just in time to see Ariel sashay past.

  Straightening, he forced himself to take a slow, deep breath. Once the pounding in his temples subsided, he eased the bathroom door open just enough to slip through. He checked over the rail and down the stairs. No one else was coming up.

  He eased his way down the hall, careful to remain silent. Laying one hand flat in the middle of the door to Ariel’s room, he pushed slowly. The door eased open without a sound. He slipped inside, then pushed the door closed again. Once the door was securely latched, he turned toward the girl in the corner. He didn’t want any interruptions during their reunion.

  She couldn't just brush him off now. She was supposed to beg him to take her back. But she'd told him to go away. Then that big black man had come in, backing her up with his own unspoken threats. Well, he wasn't here now. She'd learn to do things his way before the night was through.

  In the study, Mamie raised herself up and knelt next to the inert body of the Major. She laid two fingers over the man’s throat and started chanting again. The pulse began under her fingers, weak at first, but it grew stronger in time. The magic had worked. His spirit was back with his body. Miz Ariel was indeed the one to take Miz Anna's place. She was a lot stronger than her ancestors had been. Right now that strength was what the Major would need; a strong, fearless woman to make his time in this new world worth the long, long wait he’d had to endure.

  The Major’s pulse grew stronger until it could be seen pushing rhythmically at the skin at the base of his neck. The spirit’s heat filled the body, returning life to the mass of human flesh that had lain empty and inactive for so many years. His cheeks grew less gray, more bronze. After another moment, it was time to wake him.

  Finally Mamie stood. "Major, you're back together. Body and soul's one agin." Mamie placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently to assure the man that he was safely in his body again. “It’s time to wake up now.”

  "Miz Josephine, he's back amongst the livin'. It's time to git Miz Ariel." Mamie turned to face the pale woman across the room.

  "Certain, Mamie. Oh, did I tell you that Ariel has Amelia’s necklace? The one that disappeared with her just after the girls' eighteenth birthday? She says it’s the only thing she has left of her mother." Miss Josephine continued to talk as she left the room, wandering out of earshot from the exhausted and ecstatic slave.

  Miz Ariel was kin. A member of the Bradley clan. That's why the magic worked so good.

  Turning back to the figure on the couch, Mamie noted his eyelids fluttering. She held his hand as he regained consciousness. It had been a hundred and sixty years to the day since he'd allowed her to give him the potion that separated him into his two halves; vessel of body and entity of spirit, of soul.

  "Mamie?" he croaked hoarsely.

  "Yessuh, Major. It's Mamie. We found da one. You 'member?" Mamie questioned, wondering whether or not he would remember the time he'd spent out of his body.

  "Yes, I remember. It's about time, too. I thought I'd have to float around the living room forever.” His voice grew stronger with every word, as did his eyesight and strength.

  He felt good, very good. As good as any one hundred and eighty-three year old man should feel, he thought. Flexing muscles and testing joints and tendons, he reacquainted himself with his body. Everything worked, responding to his orders as if he'd simply taken a nap instead of a sleep that lasted more than a century and a half.

  "I want to see her. Is she upstairs?" Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself up.

  When Mamie had hurriedly told him about the process of separating body and spirit, he put it down to a crazy, grief stricken woman talking. But when she explained she could do it and keep his spirit in the house, he figured why not? His life w
as over anyway since his Anna was gone.

  Thankfully the process had only taken a few minutes. He'd barely begun floating around the living room when a mob of wild eyed, half-drunk crazy men showed up. They were looking for him. They were planning on killing him, just as he'd supposedly killed Anna. But he hadn't killed her. He hadn't even seen her that day. He'd arrived too late. Mamie later told him that the craziest of the Palmer brothers, Jarrod, had done the wickedness.

  That was the past. Now he had Ariel, the spitting image of Anna. She was just as sweet most of the time, with a bite to her temper that would be delightful, once he'd tamed her.

  She was the woman he would finish his broken life with. She would teach him about her world and maybe he could teach her a little about his own. What many changes had taken place during his exile? He could hardly wait to see what lay beyond the hedges.

  Standing, he felt the blood pulsing through his body. He started across the room, intent on finding Ariel. He paused when he saw Mamie's expression.

  She was frowning. Something was wrong. She looked to the ceiling and he knew Ariel was in trouble. The circle was complete, but as yet was unbroken.

  "She's in trouble, Major. Go quick. Save her as you couldn't Miz Anna."

  13

  When the floor creaked, Ariel turned her head, a welcoming smile ready for Etta who would be bringing news of the Major's condition. Only the person standing just inside the doorway wasn't a member of the Bradley household.

  It was John, dressed in demonic black. His blue eyes gleamed colder than ice; they were the eyes of a crazy man.

  She'd pushed him too far. He was here to kill her, just as Mamie had predicted. She would die, here, in this room, dressed in Anna's nightgown. Just as Miss Anna had died a hundred and sixty years before at the hand of another madman.