by T. A. Foster
I had to stifle my giggles as I watched him try to catch up to her.
They turned north toward the tip of the island and followed its curves clockwise until they were at the opposite end. I didn’t know why we flew such an indirect route, or what was at the end, but they both seemed to change their demeanor. The playful, flirty banter was gone. I could tell this was a serious situation.
Leo leaned into her ear and I flew closer to listen in.
“Remember, we don’t have to get close. We just need to count them. No stunning, no confrontation.”
Lily looked at him with an expression I had seen from her a million times. It was the I-know-what-I’m-doing look.
I tried to think back to my history lessons on South Carolina, but I couldn’t place this island or its significance. Fort Sumter was still another half-mile away. The skin on the back of my neck prickled, and I felt the nervousness in my stomach churn as we flew closer to the island. Who could possibly see them if they were using the Fade Spell?
It was hard to see the island with so little light. There was a new moon, and now I understood why they were paying attention to the moon charts—they wanted it to be dark. It looked like there were a few shrub bushes, but the island was mainly covered in tall grasses. There was nowhere to hide if they touched foot on the island. Then I saw it. At the tip was a structure. Was it a castle? A chill ran along spine, and I could do little to shake it while flying.
The closer we flew, the better I was able to see that a giant wall circled the area, like a fort, and jutted out into the Charleston Harbor. I watched as Leo and Lily descended toward the turret-like building. My witchy tingle was on overload, and I tried to remind myself that they would be fine. My grandmother’s journals never mentioned a catastrophe from tonight, and she lived a long life. It was going to be ok. I took a deep breath.
They lowered to the ground along the wall closest to the island brush. I decided to hover above, keeping an eye on what they were planning. They motioned to each other to split up. Leo stuck to the wall on the right, and Lily charged to the left. I still hadn’t seen what they were observing, but I could feel it. Every hair on my body was standing straight up, and every nerve told me this was dangerous.
Leo ducked into one of the side alcoves, and I lost sight of him, so I followed my grandmother. She tiptoed along the sandy terrain until she hit a break in the stone wall, then slipped inside. Great! They were both out of my reach. I drifted toward the center of the courtyard, waiting for them to reappear.
I tried to think what this place could have been. It was fortified like a military fort, but looked like a castle with the turret. The most famous fort in this area was Fort Sumter, and I could see it from this little island, so it didn’t make sense that there would be another one so close by. The bricks were crumbling and oyster shells were piled along the borders of the wall. Whatever this place was, it had been here for over a hundred years and had been abandoned long ago.
I spun in the air when I heard a rustling sound. I relaxed when I saw it was only a seagull returning to its nest. I shouldn’t be this jumpy. I felt slightly more comfortable on the outside of the wall; something about this place was completely creepy. I drifted along the stone wall, waiting for Leo or Lily to reemerge.
Then I heard it. The hiss. The screeching, hissing voice that invaded my dreams. He was calling out to someone. I whipped around to see the cloaked figure walk from one end of the compound to the other. Oh my God. Was I living in one of my nightmares?
I soared backward, creating distance between the hooded man and myself. The line that separated my bad dreams from my Foresights had become so blurred I couldn’t sort through them anymore. My instincts were jumbled, and my witchy tingle burned inside my mind. I froze as he spun in my direction and stared directly into my eyes.
Sullen’s Grove, 2004
“I HAVE been working on this spell for two years now. Don’t you think I should be able to go to Paris or something?” I huffed at my grandmother.
She was trying not to lose her patience with me, but it wasn’t always easy, considering how I wanted instant spell gratification.
She waved her hand through the air, creating a rainbow overhead.
“What is that about?” I rolled my eyes at the beams of color.
“That—” She pointed to the ceiling. “—is to remind you that there are happy, wonderful things in magic that you can do, like making rainbows.” She patted my shoulder. “You’ll go to Paris and wherever else you want to go, Ivy. You’re a unique witch.” She eyed me. “And I’m not saying that only because you’re my granddaughter. You have talent, but I would recommend some patience.”
I was leaving for college in a week, and I knew that magical studies and practice would have to wait until I was home for a break. I couldn’t risk trying any of my spells when I was around so many humans. Deep down, I was partially relieved to have an excuse to do normal girl things. I could paint my nails, study Jane Austen’s themes, and eat loads of pizza. That’s what regular college students did, right? The Time Spell could wait.
“I’m going to miss you being around so much. I enjoy our practice every week.” Gigi walked toward the kitchen. “Would you like some tea?”
“Yes.” I nodded and followed her into the next room as she retrieved a pitcher from the refrigerator and poured two tall glasses. “Gigi, how long did it take you to complete the Time Spell you wanted?”
She did everything flawlessly; I imagined she was successful on her first attempt. She handed me a glass and slid into a seat at the kitchen table.
“I was actually older than you.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Really?” The tea was sweet and lemony, just the way I liked it.
“I was in my twenties before I really came into my full magical abilities.” She looked out the kitchen window. “It seems like another lifetime.”
“Did you want to be a Traveler?”
“I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I was sixteen, except go to dances and meet boys.” She giggled. “It took me awhile to accept magic in my life, but once I did, I found out I could do more than I ever thought was possible.” She took a sip and smiled. “It will be like that for you too. You’re very strong, my dear. You’ll be able to do the most amazing things. Be patient and don’t give up your practice. One day all of this will make sense, and you’ll know your place in the magical universe.”
Before I could prod her further, the phone rang. She walked across the kitchen to answer it.
“Oh, hi, Elizabeth. Yes, I have everything ready for the church auction. Mmm…hmm.”
I listened as she reported how many articles she had sewn for the upcoming charity event. Little did they know, her needle and thread had a life of their own. She had probably stitched fifty aprons in less than two hours. She and my mother were similar like that. The two of them together were a domestic force to be reckoned with.
“Right, right. Just tell Hazel I’ll drop everything off in the morning. Ok. Bye-bye.” She returned the phone to its cradle and faced me.
“I better get going, Gigi. I still have packing to do and I’m not sure how I’m going to get all my clothes in my suitcases. You think I should try a Shrinking Spell?” I giggled, picturing all my outfits the size of Barbie clothes.
She crossed the room and hugged me. “Stop by before you leave town, ok?”
“I will.” I pulled my keys from my purse.
“And don’t forget what I said. You are a strong witch. This will all make sense eventually. You have a great purpose.”
I waved goodbye and pulled the kitchen door closed behind me. I knew she was trying to help, but that was our last practice. My only purpose right now was figuring out what to wear on my first day of classes. College was on the horizon, and traveling spells would get my attention another day.
Charleston, 1949
The man from my Foresight was staring in my eyes. I had never seen pupils swirl with so many flecks of orange and red
before. In all my dreams, he had kept his face hidden, but now I saw only his eyes and I wanted to fly as fast and as hard as I could back to the seam. However, I couldn’t leave while Leo and Lily were still in the compound.
I pushed the panic back that wanted to tear through my body. I fluttered to the side and closer to the shore, hoping he only sensed me and maybe didn’t see me. He had the kind of eyes that could sear through metal. I was in a Double Fade Spell, after all. He didn’t follow my movement, and for a second, I let myself breathe again. Just because he didn’t see me, didn’t mean Lily and Leo weren’t still in danger. They were on the ground and hadn’t returned.
I wish I knew what the directives were from the council. I also wish I knew what the council was. Who would put these witches in danger like this? I didn’t know much, but I knew the hooded man was pure evil. Evil like I had never encountered except in my worst nightmares.
His cape enveloped him like a black cloud, and he turned to enter one of the doors under the turret. A few seconds later, I saw my grandmother and Leo walk to the center of the courtyard and push off for flight. They were silent as they flew back to the park. There was no doubt I was glad to be away from the island, but new fear had gripped me and I didn’t know if I would ever be able to shake it. I had seen evil’s face.
They touched down next to Leo’s car. I was careful to make a soft landing nearby.
“I didn’t think there would be that many here so quickly,” Lily whispered.
“No, me either. It’s still four weeks until the full moon.” Leo looked worried. He had lost his carefree smirk.
“I think we need to call the council together right now. They have to know what we’re dealing with.”
“All right, let’s go.”
They entered the car, shed their Fade Spells, and Leo sped off toward town. I had to follow them, but fatigue was starting to set in. I didn’t know how much more I could process tonight.
I trailed them along narrow corridors until the car stopped near a museum. They were still dressed in black and looked like thieves as they tiptoed along the sidewalk to the back of the building.
Leo pulled on the handle and ushered my grandmother in. I would have to wait to let myself in once they were away from the door. I landed on the stoop, counted to five, and braced myself for meeting the council.
The hallway was dark and smelled musty like an old garage. I guess this is what the back of museums smell like. I followed the murmur of voices. At the end of the hall, I turned for the next corridor and stopped. A group of witches was gathered in the break room; my grandmother and Leo were in the center.
“Lily, you think all one hundred were there?” A man with a goatee and striped bow tie asked. He looked like a museum curator.
“One hundred?” a shorter woman piped in over the group’s rumblings.
Leo put his hand in the air to quiet the crowd. “We both scoured the area. They have all assembled.”
The shock and awe fell on the room.
“Listen, let’s calm down.” The bowtie man seemed to be the leader. “Leo, Lily, thank you for your work tonight.” He nodded at them. “We knew this was going to be a tough battle, but you both signed on knowing that ridding the world of evil wouldn’t be easy. If it were that easy, it would have been taken care of. Your families have selected you, because you each have special skills. Skills that are necessary to bring light back into the world.”
Everyone’s heads bobbed in agreement. “With that being said, we need to move swiftly. They only gather every sixty-five years. This is the year. This is the spring we can take them down. With our Guardian and Laurel, we have the power to extinguish them forever.” He slammed his fist on the table. “No more removing them one at a time. No more tracking them around the world. We can end the plague they have launched at us in one sweep. If we don’t, we have to wait another sixty-five years.
Spells that are in place are in jeopardy. Be careful what promises you make and what magic you use. If they are still searching for power, none of our spells are safe.”
The group was silent. I leaned against the wall, trying to steady my nerves. I wanted to reveal myself more than I ever had. I had questions and desperately needed answers. If I shed my spell now, I could never come back to this moment. What if I needed to observe this meeting again? What if, by revealing myself, I set off some horrific butterfly effect that changed all outcomes? I bit my bottom lip, willing myself to stay hidden.
A woman with red curly hair leaned over to whisper in the leader’s ear.
He cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but Jana has picked up on a visitor.”
I froze. He couldn’t be talking about me. I looked around the room for someone who might be out of place.
He continued. “She says the visitor is a good witch, but I ask that you reveal yourself. I presume you’re using a Double Fade Spell.” He turned to face the open door of the lounge. “We can use all of the good forces of the world right now. Please, show yourself.”
I didn’t wait another second before I raced along the hall, taking the turn with force and barreling out of the door. No one seemed to be following me, but I sped into the air and flew toward the theater before I found out if the council had sent someone to search for me.
I slipped into the back of the movie theater, which was empty by now. The western had ended hours ago, and the clerks had locked the building for the night.
“Open.” I pointed to the handle and urged it to unlock.
I walked toward the broom closet, tugged on the door, and closed it behind me. I waved my hand toward the wall, and whispered, “Unfold.”
I pushed through the seam and into the supply closet. I had never been so happy to see an overhead projector. I swiveled on my heels to close the seam and the mysteries of 1949. It felt safer to have the Double Fade Spell, but I couldn’t walk through the hotel invisible. I needed some sort of normal.
“Radiance.” I commanded the spell to fall from my limbs. The glitter piled around my feet and disappeared into the carpet.
My room was waiting for me. If I could just make it to my room, I could fall apart there, but not here in this closest or in the hotel lobby. A deep breath filled my lungs, and I slipped out of the closet.
At this time of night, there would probably be one clerk at the desk.
My legs wanted to run, but I pushed them to a normal walking pace. I retraced the steps of the conference corridor to the lobby.
The chandelier had been dimmed, and the music that usually played on the overhead speakers was off. The desk was empty, but the computers were bright, so the attendant was probably in the office. I started toward the elevator when I saw a man sleeping on the couch. His tall frame filled the designer sofa, and he was hunched in a position that would give anyone the worst neck cramp. I pivoted toward him, feeling there was something familiar about him. I took two steps and stopped.
It was Jack.
WHAT IN the hell was Jack doing sleeping on the hotel’s couch? Part of me wanted to shake him awake and demand some answers; the other part wanted to run to my room like my original plan.
I walked toward the couch and knelt beside him. I patted his forearm. “Jack? Jack?”
He moved his head to the side, and one eye opened.
“Ivy?”
“Yep.” I tried to smile.
“They wouldn’t— I couldn’t—” He looked around the lobby and sat up. “I fell asleep. They wouldn’t let me in your room, and they’re all booked up.”
“And why is it you’re here, exactly?” The clerk had returned to his post at the desk. He eyed me disapprovingly.
Jack sighed. “Can we talk? I really need to talk to you.”
If he were going to try to pressure me again with this crazy western agenda, I would have to stun him. I couldn’t take any more surprises tonight. I needed wine or chocolate. Something that would steady me after my Time Spell. What I did not need was to get in an argument with Jack in the middle of the
night.
“Jack, I’m exhausted and you’ve been sleeping on a couch.”
He stood in front of me and stretched his arms to the side. “I drove here to talk to you. We can’t do it in the lobby. Just five minutes, and then I’ll head back to Sullen’s Grove. Ok?”
He had that sad, forlorn look that I couldn’t say no to. “Ok. Five minutes. We can go to my room.”
I walked toward the elevators with Jack in tow. His messenger bag was slung across his chest. It looked small on him, but only because his shoulders were broad.
Neither one of us talked as the elevator carried us upward. The doors retracted, and I led him to my room at the end of the hall. I liked the quiet and privacy having an end room gave me.
I retrieved my key card and slid it into the slot. Jack waited while I tried to let us in. I was holding my breath the entire time, confused and anxious to find out why he left Sullen’s Grove and drove to Charleston. After tonight, nothing made any sense. I might as well add something else to the list.
He closed the door behind us, and I slouched on the bed. I didn’t think I could muster the energy to keep my good posture going. The exhaustion had settled into my muscles. All I wanted was a hot shower.
I looked at him. “Ok. Tell me. What catastrophic thing has happened in the book world that couldn’t wait?”
He knelt in front of me on the floor. We were almost eye level this way. His eyes pooled with warm chestnut hues. For a fleeting second, I thought how amazing it would feel for him to wrap me in his strong arms and hold me until I could figure everything out. But that was impossible. No touching. We were work colleagues, and I was not going to contribute to his death. Plus, too much had happened since Vegas.
“Jack, just spit it out.” He seemed to have lost his nerve.
His eyes locked on mine. “I remember.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure what he meant. “What do you mean? What do you remember? A new deadline?”