The First Spell

by Rachel Carrington

  “You aren’t serious,” she whispered, praying he wasn’t. Or praying he was. She wasn’t sure which one took precedence in her mind. Still, she refused to meet his gaze. What was he thinking to even suggest a union? Didn’t he realize the strife it would cause between her world and his?

  “What makes you think I am not serious?” Jensen pushed himself up, dislodging her position and making her rise with him.

  “We barely know each other.” She took the easy way out.

  “That has nothing to do with your hesitation. It is our families that concern you.”

  “True, but what I said was the truth. We don’t know each other that well, and a couple of times,” she lowered her gaze to the sheets, “here, doesn’t mean we’re suited for marriage.”

  His brows lowered into a scowl. “Suited? You make it sound as if we should be measured and fit into perfect corners. My parents met and married within a week. When you know a person is right for you, why wait?”

  She folded her legs and tucked her hair behind her ears, wondering what to say next. Nothing seemed to dissuade him now that he’d issued the suggestion. “Perhaps we should talk about this in the morning after we’ve both gotten a few more hours of sleep.”

  “Taking the easy way out?” He slid his palm alongside her cheek, and she shivered at its warmth.

  “Just being practical.”

  “Come then. It is unpractical to stay out in the cool air. You should be covered and warm.” He drew her back against his chest and slid their bodies beneath the thick blankets. “Hot even.”

  Her mouth went dry as his hand slid up her leg. She didn’t need to be a seer to know Jensen was used to getting what he wanted, and obviously, she was next on his list.

  Charlemaine.

  The call of her name sent a cold chill racing through her for it wasn’t Jensen’s voice; it was her father’s. And this time, there was no mistaking it for a dream.

  Charlemaine. Help me.

  She sat up straight in the bed.

  “What is it?” Jensen popped up right beside her.

  “My father’s calling my name.” She touched his arm. “I know you can’t hear it, but trust me.”

  “I do.” Jensen studied her face for a long moment before nodding. “I believe the seer has had enough sleep for one evening.”

  “Your father is trapped in between two worlds.” The seer didn’t mince words. “The only way back is with your help.” She pinned black eyes on Charlemaine’s face. “But it will be risky.”

  “No.” Jensen intervened, positioning his body in front of Charlemaine’s.

  “’Tis the only way.” The protest was delivered as soundly as a smack on the hand.

  “Can you guarantee any risk to her will be offset by the return of her father? If she risks her life, will her father come back to her?”

  Lips pursed as though sucking on a lemon, the seer, an old wizened woman who’d been around as long as Jensen could remember, gave him her full attention. Eyes like tiny, black beads, she studied his face for a long moment before responding. “You are looking for that which does not exist, young Jensen. No one’s safety is promised, but only Charlemaine can unlock the door separating her father from this world.”

  “Tell me what I need to do.” Charlemaine ignored Jensen’s splutters of protest.

  “There is only one way to communicate with him.” She waved a wrinkled hand toward the bed behind her. “Through your dreams.”

  “Like hell.” Jensen tugged Charelmaine back by the arm and glowered at the seer. “Have you been in the cups tonight, woman? What you propose is both dangerous and ludicrous.”

  “I’ll do it.” Charlemaine pulled free of his hold.

  “Were you not just listening?” Fury borne of panic increased the sound of Jensen’s voice. “What the seer suggests risks not only your life but your mind even if you were to survive the transpose.”

  She turned back to him, took both of her hands in his. “Would you not do the same for someone you love?”

  “What I would do is of little consequence. Think what your father would want you to do. Is he a man who would have his daughter risk her life for his?”

  Her hands curled into small fists. “You’re asking me to choose between my life and my father’s.”

  “I am asking you to choose wisely.”

  Charlemaine walked over to a chaise, pausing to ask over her shoulder, “Do I need to lie down?”

  Jensen intercepted the seer before she could make it to Charlemaine’s side. “You will not do this, Seer. I forbid it.”

  One white eyebrow lifted. “You forget where you are, Jensen. I do not take directions from you or The Assembly. I am here because this is where my fate led me.” She touched his arm, and sparks flew from her fingertips. “Now, step aside, please.”

  Jensen swung his gaze from the psychic’s face to Charlemaine’s determined expression before finally nodding. “Fine. If she goes, I go with her.”

  “You cannot accompany her into the dream world, Jensen.”

  “Yes, I can.” He lifted Charlemaine up and onto the chaise then lay down in front of her, his arms folded like a statue. “And I will.”

  Muttering, the seer moved forward. “I cannot concern myself with your travels, Jensen. I will only be able to assist the girl.”

  “Do what you must.” His decision made, Jensen didn’t budge. Though he didn’t know how much use he’d be in the dream world, he wasn’t letting Charlemaine risk her life alone. He raised his head. “Will our magic work in this other realm?”

  “I cannot answer that. No one knows what goes on in that world because no one has ever come back from it alive.”

  “How reassuring.” Jensen’s head flopped back down onto the chaise, reached behind him, and took hold of Charlemaine’s hand. “Ready?”

  “I don’t want you to do this,” she whispered, her warm breath bathing his ear.

  “I am aware of that just as you are aware I do not want you to go at all. It appears we both have made our choices.”

  She huffed out a breath. “In case we don’t make it back,” she squeezed his hand, “I would have gotten around to saying yes to your speculative marriage proposal.”

  “I was already aware of that.” Jensen turned his head so she could see his wink.

  “Close your eyes.” The seer’s voice had transformed into a hypnotic lull. “May the fates be with you both.”

  An icy wind brushed the hair back from her face, and Charlie shivered. “Jensen? Where are you?” She couldn’t see him. Darkness surrounded her. In desperation, she snapped her fingers to produce a flame, but her magic didn’t respond. At least now she had an answer for the seer. That was, if she made it back alive.

  “Charlemaine?” Jensen’s call came from so far away, echoing as though a distance of many miles separated them.

  “Jensen!” She raced toward the sound of his voice, hoping to see him emerging through the blackness, but the wind only carried the faintest sound of his answer.

  Charlie waited interminably for her eyes to adjust to the darkness to no avail. She couldn’t even see beyond the tip of her nose. Her insides jittery, she shuffled forward a few steps, hands extended to ward off any foreign objects that might be in her way.

  The hard rocks pummeled her bare feet with each step. Where in the hell was she? She knew of no place in the galaxy that had such a rocky earth surface. And what kind of a dream world was this that kept her blind?

  “Charlemaine?” A flickering light ahead illuminated a familiar face.

  “Papa?” She couldn’t risk running so she held out her hand, hoping he would come to her.

  “I can’t get the door open, Princess.” He waved the candle he held toward a latched wooden door behind him. “I can’t get through.”

  “I’ll help you. Just shine the light on the ground so I can walk to you.” She edged forward, waiting for the assistance that never came. For when she looked up, her father had disappeared.


  “Papa? Where are you?” She whirled around in a circle, desperately searching for that one glimpse of light.

  “Did you find him?” Jensen’s hand on her shoulder had her letting out a shriek. “Are you all right?”

  She clutched her hand to her chest. “I called for you. Where have you been?”

  “Never mind that. Did you see your father?”

  “Yes, but he’s gone now. He said something about not being able to open the door. Oh, and my magic doesn’t work here so yours probably won’t, either.”

  Jensen snapped his fingers, and flames flickered from the tips.

  “Why does that not surprise me?” she muttered.

  “It could have something to do with the difference in our ages or your father being the one who needs help.” He cupped her elbow and walked her forward, stopping when she let out a hiss of breath. “What is wrong?”

  “These rocks are killing me.” She tipped her head to see his feet. “And you have shoes. Is this going to be some kind of a test?”

  The light extinguished just as suddenly as it had appeared, and Charlie froze. “Jensen?” Silence. “Jensen?” She couldn’t be faulted for the note of hysteria in her voice.

  When she called his name a third time, and he didn’t respond, she let out a scream of pure frustration. Someone was playing a game with her. No, with her mind.

  “You’re back!” Her father stood less than three feet away from her, a beaming smile on his face.

  Relief made her legs weak, but she managed to make it to him before he left again. As his arms went around hers, she sank into the comforting woodsy scent of his robe. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  He took hold of her shoulders and pushed her back from him, all traces of welcome erased from his face. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I had to come get you.” She recognized that tone in his voice, that little inflection that said “I don’t approve”.

  “No. You must go. Now. It’s not safe here. They’re watching us.”

  “Who? And I’m not going anywhere without you.”

  His warm hands clasped hers, and the calluses on his palms felt so real she could almost forget this was a dream world. “The Pravus,” he whispered, pulling her close again. “They won’t let me go back.”

  “They’ve trapped you here?” She clutched at his arms. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll figure out a way to get you out of here. Jensen is with me. You don’t know him, but he’s a wizard from another guild. He came to help.”

  “No!” Her father shoved her back so hard she stumbled. “You must get him out of here now! This is what they want! They will drain your life’s essence, and you’ll be trapped here, too.”

  Horror caused Charlie’s stomach to pitch like a ship on a storm-tossed sea. “I can’t just leave you here.”

  “You have to find your friend. If they corner him, they will have gained another wizard.”

  “It’s okay, Papa. Jensen has his magic.”

  He gripped her shoulders so hard she winced. “No! He mustn’t use it here! That’s what draws the Pravus. They know you are here now, and they will do everything to keep you here. Both of you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Where in the hell was Charlemaine? Anger soon segued to panic when the minutes became hours. And he’d spent most of that time walking in circles because, apparently, his dream world was a place meant to drive him completely insane.

  “You can wake me up now, Seer!” he shouted the words just in case the psychic wasn’t paying attention. “Better yet, send me back to Charlemaine. I didn’t come here to be useless.”

  Greeted by silence, he growled his frustration. He had a few more things to try, but so far, even his magic hadn’t been helpful. And the more he used, the weaker he got. But he couldn’t just pace. Charlemaine was out there somewhere. Alone. Possibly in danger.

  His hands clenched into fists. Damn it all. He was going to help her even if it killed him. Seconds later, he smiled.

  Astral projection. He hadn’t used it in years, but if his body was trapped inside some type of maze, perhaps his spirit could travel outside the boundaries and locate Charlemaine.

  He had no idea how much strength this would take or how much he had left. Or what would happen when his energy ran out in this world that didn’t exist. But he’d try anyway. It was why he’d come with Charlemaine, not to hide in the shadows while she was possibly in danger.

  He closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath, and whispered the spell that would take him outside his own body and into the darkness.

  “Come with me, Papa. We’ll find Jensen and leave this place together.” Charlie tugged on the sleeve of her father’s robe, but he wouldn’t budge.

  “No, Princess. They won’t allow all of us to leave. They won’t allow me to leave.”

  “But you can’t stay here. That’s why I’m here. To get you. To bring you home.” Her chest tight with tears, Charlie tried pulling him again, but he remained firm. “I saw you in a vision. You were trying to get out of here.”

  He covered her hands with his. “That was not a vision from me. It was from the Pravus. They can intercept our dreams, make us see things we shouldn’t see.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath. “They must have known that Jensen would insist on coming with me.”

  “They’ll keep pulling in wizards until they can gain the key.”

  “What’s the key?” Her desire for answers battled with her desperation to find Jensen.

  “I don’t know. Others here have said it’s one of The Assembly, but there’s no way to know that for sure.”

  Charlie’s knees threatened to buckle, and her chest tightened. “Papa, Jensen’s guild is The Assembly.”

  Panic flashed across her father’s face. “Then you have to find him now. Get out of here before it’s too late.”

  “Charlemaine?”

  Both she and her father turned at the sound of her name, and Jensen walked toward her. Her shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank the fates. We have to get out of here.” She quickly relayed the information her father had given her then reached for Jensen’s hand only to feel air between her fingers.

  “Wh-what’s happening?”

  “I astral projected to find you. I have been trapped in a maze for hours.”

  “Hours? It’s only been minutes since I last saw you.” She shook her head, panic making her frantic. “It doesn’t matter. Tell me where you are. I’ll come to you.”

  “I do not know where I am, Charlemaine, and if what your father tells you is true, you have to wake up now. Get out of this world.”

  She stared at him for the moment it took for realization to settle in. He wanted her to leave without him. “No! We came together, and we’re going to leave together. Wake up!”

  “Do you not think I have tried that?” His tone sharp, he loomed in closer to her. “Now listen to me and wake up.”

  Before she could respond, his image flickered then disappeared.

  Hysteria threatened to pull her under, but that was exactly what the Pravus wanted. If she collapsed under the strain, they would have three wizards in their control. And there was no way she was leaving Jensen trapped here because she’d made the decision to come.

  “Papa, if I can track his magic, I can find him.” She looked over her shoulder. “Will you come with me? I could use the help.”

  “I will come, but only to make sure the two of you get out of here alive. I will not risk your life for mine, Daughter.”

  Though she wanted to argue, the mutinous look in her father’s eyes told her it would be a waste of time. Instead, she clutched his arm and lifted her free hand into the air to feel the vibrations that distorted the air—the remaining vestiges of Jensen’s magic.

  Her father’s hand joined hers in the air. “This way.”

  She wouldn’t listen to him. Jensen knew that the second his astral self reunited with his body. Damnation. The woman had no idea what she was getting herself into. If the
Pravus were really behind all of this, they would be fortunate if one of them got out alive much less three of them.

  He ordered himself to wake up without success. Yelled for Charlemaine to wake up only to hear his own words bounce back at him. He cursed. Yelled some more. Cursed louder. But only the air heard his frustration.

  Then he heard his name, spoken in that soft, feminine voice that had whispered in his ear hours before. Charlemaine had found him. Why hadn’t he remembered to erase his trail? Damn it all!

  “Charlemaine, do not come any closer. I want you to leave now.”

  “No.” She came into his line of vision, her fingers laced with her father’s. “We’re here to get you out of there. Then we’re all leaving. Together.”

  “Sorry, son. No time for introductions.” Riordan brought Charlemaine closer and tucked her hand in Jensen’s. “Just promise me you’ll take care of her.”

  “I promise.” Jensen squeezed her hand. “Any idea how we might wake up?”

  “I still have a spell or two up my sleeve.” Riordan’s smile was grim. “I knew the bastards too well to use it for any futile attempts to gain my freedom.”

  “Papa!” Charlemaine’s head jerked upwards. “You haven’t even tried to escape?”

  He cupped her face, a look of regret passing over his own. “There is only one spell to leave this world, and it comes at a high price. One I wasn’t willing to pay until now.”

  “What price?” she whispered the question, her body trembling next to Jensen’s.

  “A life, my sweet. Had I left, I would have traded the life of someone I love. The cost was too high.”

  “So if we leave you…” Charlemaine’s words ended on a choke.

  “They will not kill me, but this will be my existence.”

  “What about Mama? And our family? You can’t just give up like this.”

  Jensen felt the full penetrating gaze of the older wizard. For a long moment, they simply stared at one another then Jensen nodded. What had to happen next would be extraordinarily painful for Charlemaine, but there was no other recourse.