Making Magic: Books of the Kindling, Book 3

by Donna June Cooper

“We all learn how to use these gifts, like any skill, through experience,” Daniel added. “By the time we require their particular talents, they’ll be ready to handle it.”

  “When I start thinking about the things Emmy might overhear, I see why we should worry about people with these gifts who might misuse them,” Al said.

  Daniel nodded. “That’s an interesting dilemma for all of us. But for right now and the near future, our most important task is to find other people like us.”

  “And protect them,” Nick spoke up. “The same way we need to protect everyone in this room. Even if they choose not to help us, we need to keep them safe from people and organizations like the one Greg represents.”

  “Amen,” Marty said.

  “It’s a lot to digest,” Jake said.

  “To be honest, it scares the heck out of me,” Thea said, her voice a croak. “Why us? How does it all work? I know everyone calls it the old magic, for lack of a better word, but what is it really?”

  “Good point,” Al said. “I’m really interested in the origins of this old magic, as you call it. It reminds me of some stories I heard when I was a child. Your grandfather said it was older than the Cherokee and that is…” He smiled. “Well that is very, very old.”

  “Exactly,” Thea said. “And are there other caves? Are there other potters out there like Emmy making platters of carvings they’ve never seen? Or artists making paintings of dreams they don’t understand? Are there people out there with gifts who will turn them against us, use them for personal gain, instead of working with us?”

  “Mel and I have already encountered someone like that,” Daniel said.

  Grace nodded. “And Old Annie.”

  “Well, that complicates things,” Thea said, mostly to herself.

  “It’s like a cool superhero movie,” Aaron said in a sleep-roughened voice, his eyes still shut.

  Marty stroked the boy’s hair. “Or a dream.”

  “To me, this seems real.” Marilyn’s voice was cautious, but hopeful. “My life before this was the nightmare.”

  Jake leaned over to kiss his mom’s cheek. Thea wondered how many other people were stumbling around with a gift they didn’t understand and ended up damaged—like Marilyn and Emmy—or worse—like whoever it was Daniel and Mel had encountered.

  “I had a baby a few hours ago.” Grace touched the baby monitor. “If anything can make you believe in things beyond your comprehension, it’s holding your baby for the first time.”

  Nick kissed her cheek.

  “Sometimes we need that sense of awe,” Thea said.

  Grace smiled at her and Thea smiled back. Grace was a mom now. Thea was an aunt. She felt they had said volumes to each other with that one smile.

  “Awe,” Grace agreed. “Because what we’re dealing with is something unimaginable and very powerful. Granny Lily and Pops called it the old magic, but it isn’t magic in the traditional sense of the word. There are no spells or chants or—”

  “But if it’s not magic, what is it?” Marty said. “Isn’t it by definition supernatural?”

  “I prefer preternatural,” said Grace. “When isolated tribes were first exposed to instant photography, they thought that was magic. I’m a scientist and I think there is science somewhere in this. I’m hoping some of those people out there are going to have gifts that will help us answer Thea’s questions.”

  “Thanks for putting what we were all thinking into words, Sissy,” Daniel said.

  “That’s my job, apparently. Putting words around things.”

  “That might be truer than you might realize.” Nick said. “And because of what Thea is going to do for all of us in a minute, there’s an additional page from Granny Lily’s journal that I think everyone should hear right now.”

  Thea saw Jake shift uncomfortably. Apparently he had already seen this page, whatever it was.

  Nick rifled through the stack of papers he had brought in from his office and pulled one out. “Daniel has a friend who’s been restoring some of the journal pages. She finished this one a few weeks ago. As you could tell from the page we shared with you earlier, Granny Lily fancied herself a bit of a poet. This was on a prior page in the journal that was illegible until she restored it.” Nick began to read:

  “A girl child of the fated line

  Will ken the portrait as a sign,

  For not all treasure glints with gold,

  Nor is undone by rot and mould.

  Beneath the man root is a palm,

  For Her ills a healing balm.

  Hand in hand begins the song

  That was silenced for so long,

  Kindling riches wrought of dust,

  Gifts unstained by blight or rust.

  My burden now the eldest bears.

  The youngest suffers future cares.

  But she who fingers ancient song

  Will provide the aegis strong,

  To hide these marvels with a veil

  So all who seek to gain will fail.

  Only those who hear Her voice

  Are burdened with this awe full choice,

  To serve in silence year on year

  The people of this blessed Sphere.”

  There was a long moment of silence.

  “Oh my.” Marilyn had her fingers over her lips.

  “I agree,” Al said. “That’s a lot to absorb.”

  But all Thea could remember of the poem was that fourth verse. She reached out to Nick, ashamed that her hand was shaking. He gave her the paper without a word.

  But she who fingers ancient song will provide the aegis strong, to hide these marvels with a veil so all who seek to gain will fail. Aegis. She knew that one. It meant shield. She swallowed and picked up her mug to take a long gulp.

  “I think it is important for us to realize that what Thea is going to do in a minute will provide us all with that aegis—a shield to help protect us all from others like Greg,” Nick said.

  “And that last verse is talking about all of us,” Daniel added. “It is a burden, but it’s also a choice. No one is going to be forced into participating. And everything we do will serve the planet and the people on it.”

  Aaron was wide awake now. “So that voice I hear sometimes, singing to me. It’s Her isn’t it?”

  Grace nodded. “She sings to me, too.”

  Aaron’s grin was huge. “Good. I didn’t want nobody to think I was crazy.”

  Thea didn’t think Aaron understood why his mother hugged him so tight.

  “And before Thea falls out of her chair, I think we need to conclude this, since she has to use her gift one more time,” Grace said. “There is a lot more to discuss, but we aren’t going to achieve anything when everyone is so tired.”

  This from the woman who just had a baby.

  Nick agreed. “We’ll be glad to meet with any of you any time you have any questions. As Thea is going to cover in a minute, we won’t be able to talk about any of this on the phone or by email or in any other way except in person, and then only in a controlled environment. We’ll find a secure meeting place where no one can eavesdrop.”

  “But I’ll be able to hear you,” Emmy said. “I mean…I think I will.”

  Nick’s eyebrow went up, then he smiled. “Yes I suppose so. And we’ll figure out a way to use that later, if your parents agree.” He smiled. “But for now, we’re all dog tired. Let’s get some rest. We can design some way to meet in the future without drawing too much attention, I think.”

  “I have a question, before Thea uses her talent on us,” Al said.

  And here she thought music was her real talent. Thea took another drink of Grace’s special tea, staring at the poem in her lap. To hide these marvels with a veil.

  “Are you going after those two people?” Al asked. “The ones that fool said t
hey have?”

  “Absolutely,” Nick said.

  Jake was avoiding looking at Thea. Something was wrong. Normally he would second Nick’s response with enthusiasm, but he wasn’t really participating in this discussion at all.

  “Sometime soon I’ll tell you all about the Firefly Foundation, but for now it’s enough to say that it’s our goal to find and protect others like us—people with gifts,” Nick said. “As Grace says, rescuing fireflies.”

  “Firefly Foundation, huh?” Al smiled. “Do you take civilians with no flashing parts along?”

  Nick grinned. “I can’t think of a reason why not.”

  “I wanna go, Dad!” Aaron said.

  “First, we all need to get some rest,” Nick said. “Anything else?”

  “Like Daniel said, no one is going to be forced into participating in anything we do,” Jake said. “Right?”

  That was why he wouldn’t look at her. Even Nick looked surprised, so this must be sudden.

  “What’s the problem, Jake?” Nick said.

  “Nothing. But I’ve been fully aware of my gift for a while and managed to keep it to myself.” Jake was still studiously avoiding her gaze.

  This wasn’t good. Jake was having second thoughts about her using her gift on him. But turning the Croate children loose with all this information without some kind of control would be a disaster.

  Grace took Nick’s arm as they looked at the Croates.

  “Is there something we—” Al began.

  “Wait a minute,” Thea croaked. She was too tired for this.

  “Yes, let’s all—” Grace began.

  “No. Let’s not,” Thea said. She cleared her throat. Jake took a step back, as if he expected her to use her gift to keep him here. Not in your wildest dreams, Jake Moser. “Jake’s right,” she said at last. “He’s used his gift for a long time without detection, just like you did, Nick. And he’s learned who he can trust and who he can’t.”

  Grace and Nick seemed concerned about where she was going with this. The Croates also looked uncomfortable. And Mel looked as if she was about to use her gift to calm everyone down, if she hadn’t already.

  “We’ve already agreed that we wouldn’t use our gifts on each other unless the other person consents.” Thea glanced at Mel, who looked guilty. “That’s part of the commitment, correct?”

  “Yes,” Grace said. “Unless someone is in physical danger or unconscious. And there’s Lily—”

  “Of course, Lily is a baby after all.” Thea looked right at Jake and saw him go red. Her voice sounded bitter, but she didn’t care. Jake was afraid of her, just as she feared he would be. He had seen her gift in action, and he was afraid of her now.

  “Thea—” Nick said. There was a note of wariness in his voice. Hell, maybe everyone was afraid of her now.

  “Let me be clear about this, I’m not removing your memories of anything,” she said. “I’m only taking away your ability to communicate about these events or your abilities to anyone outside the group. This is to protect you from people like Greg who might try to extract information from you.”

  There were nods all around. All except for Jake, who had gotten to his feet.

  “Al, Marty, is it a problem for you if I put these temporary constraints on you and the children?”

  The Croates looked at each other, then at Emmy and Aaron. “No, not at all,” Al said. “We are aware of what it involves and we accept it.”

  “It’ll put our minds at ease about sending the kids back to school,” Marty said.

  Emmy’s eyes lit up. “School!”

  “We still need to talk about how to explain Emmy’s recovery,” Marty said, clearly savoring that last wonderful word.

  “No problem,” Grace caught Thea’s eye and nodded. “Thea and I can work with you and the children on that.”

  When Thea looked back around the room again, Jake had left. The Croates still looked at her expectantly, but everyone else was staring in the direction Jake had gone.

  “Marilyn, do you feel the same way Jake does?”

  Marilyn shifted uncomfortably. “I know my Jake can keep all this under his hat, but I-I’m so… Well, I’m afraid I might blab all of this to someone. So, no. It makes me feel a lot safer. I’m fine with it.”

  Jake had said, “It’s a talent, Thea. Just another talent, like playing a flute.” But once confronted with what she could really do, he had run away. Despite all his protests to the contrary, he was terrified of her so-called talent.

  Thea tried to get rid of the huge lump in her throat, but couldn’t. “If…” she croaked, then cleared her throat with a gulp of coffee. “If at any point, you want any of the constraints removed, contact one of us. All right?” She managed a smile for Emmy and Aaron.

  Jake had waited in his truck until the dim gray light of dawn, watching everyone leave, then he had tailed Greg after the man slashed the correct tire on Thea’s BMW and drove off the mountain. Once he was certain Greg was headed for Asheville, he’d come back up to the farm and resumed his search for Bailey.

  He still couldn’t get the expression on Thea’s face out of his mind. Betrayal. Pain. And a whole lot of anger. Despite how tired she’d been, his Matchstick had been furious.

  “Bailey!” Jake’s voice echoed back from the ridge in the soft morning air. No answering yap. No white fur ball barreling out of the underbrush into the sun.

  Her anger had been justified. Jake had thought when Nick had brought up the subject and shared that eerie poem with him, that he could manage it. He could allow Thea to use her gift on him—set a good example for his mom and the kids.

  But when it came right down to it, he couldn’t.

  On top of everything else Thea had been through yesterday, he had turned his back and walked away.

  No. He needed to be honest. He had run. Just when he had found her again, he had run away from her.

  He had always thought of himself as strong and capable. Not much could shake him. Nothing but his little firebrand and her talent—her voice.

  Finding out that his mom’s drinking problem had been brought on by her own gift—by her fear of what she was seeing—had been unsettling. On top of that, he was stunned by the change in her after whatever Mel and Grace and little Lily had done.

  He shook his head. It wasn’t as if twenty years had fallen away and he had his old mom back, but it was still pretty amazing. Although no one else would probably notice the change, Eric would—if Eric ever came home again.

  “Bailey! Come on girl!” He waved the bacon he’d brought in the morning air, leaving a scent trail no dog could resist. As reluctant as he was to face Thea, he really didn’t want to face her without Bailey.

  Watching Thea use her gift on Greg the way a surgeon employed a scalpel had given Jake a whole new perspective on her anxiety about using it. In the hands of a skilled attorney it was truly a formidable weapon. The idea of anyone having the power to control his mind that precisely, and without leaving a trace, really bothered him. Even if that someone was Thea. It wasn’t about trust. It was more fundamental than that. It was about free will.

  Jake wasn’t surprised that she had wanted to leave the mountain. When he thought about the sacrifices the people in that room last night were going to make—for the future of the planet, he was dismayed. The look on Thea’s face when she heard Granny Lily’s poem had said it all.

  “Only those who hear Her voice are burdened with this awe full choice, to serve in silence year on year the people of this blessed Sphere.”

  Awe full choice. Now that was a phrase full of double meaning. But there was no real choice for any of them. Not really.

  “Bailey!” he yelled and waved the bacon in the humid air as he walked further into the woods.

  After last night, normal had become a thing of the past. But then again, his life had neve
r been normal. So much had been lost as a result of his mom trying to drown her gift in alcohol—Becca, maybe even his dad. So many years of going through the motions.

  Physically, Grace had healed his mom. But mentally? Emotionally? In spite of the relief Mel had given her last night, she was going to need counseling. Hell, he was going to need counseling. Maybe they should go together.

  And try to explain to a psychiatrist what his mom had been so afraid of that she took to drinking in order not to see it? Not a good idea. It was going to be interesting trying to explain to Eric what had happened, if he was ever allowed to do so.

  Allowed. The word raised his blood pressure again. He had fought for control his entire life, even when there hadn’t been much he could control. He could control his gift. He could control his music. He had tried to control the way that the roller coaster of their family life impacted Becca, but he had failed at that in a big way.

  He didn’t deal well with losing control. At all. He practically had a damned phobia about it.

  And giving up part of his free will, even if it was for their protection? No. Nothing would have kept him in that room last night. Even the thought of losing Thea didn’t keep him from running out that door.

  “Bailey!” he yelled. “Come on, girl.”

  But Thea, of all people, should understand. She had given up years of her life trying to atone for Becca’s death and her father’s bad choices. And here she was confronted with giving up the rest of her life for what—the greater good? Maybe. But he could tell by the look on her face last night that she was fully aware of what that poem had meant.

  “Bailey, girl!” He whistled long and loud this time.

  Aegis. Shield. He could only imagine what that was going to mean in terms of her personal life and health. She had almost run out of steam last night because they were relying so heavily on her gift. Even Grace couldn’t get her voice completely back to normal. Someone needed to protect Thea from herself.

  He frowned. If he was going to somehow get back in her good graces, it was going to have to be with that fur baby of hers in his arms. A nice Thea-proof shield to get him into the house so he could apologize.

  “Bailey, honey, you need to come out for some of this nice bacon!”