by Martha Carr
The piece of granite beneath her feet was an artifact, fixed in place, absorbing all of the magic from generations of witches and wizards who had performed spells, small and large on the smaller mountain over the millennia, only adding to the kemana. The magic seeped too slowly back out of Earth to be of much use. But there were those in Phoenix hundreds of years ago who drafted a spell to draw it out faster. It worked to a point but even that limited success was powerful. The leeching spell, as it became known, was a closely guarded secret.
Through the ages, each family line of the original witches and wizards passed on the family legacy of spells. The Gnomes secreted away any artifacts and relics into the library vault on Oriceran and the Silver Griffins took the rest into their vault in Chicago.
The young witch smiled triumphantly. There were still a few pieces they didn't grab, and one large one in Phoenix they couldn't remove. She stomped her foot on the ground, feeling a spark of energy shoot up her leg. It's a good morning for a ritual. She walked around the perimeter, looking for any intruders that could interrupt their spell. The wind whipped around her bare legs, rustling her skirt. It was too cold for the outfit she was wearing. It couldn't be helped. She would have to go straight to work. Work life balance, she thought as she looked down the gravel path. All she saw in the darkness were trees and rocks.
The Silver Griffins were particularly vigilant in the Phoenix area and there were always rumors of moles infiltrating the older families. It all created an air of suspicion and mistrust that for some just added to the allure.
Other magical families who wanted nothing to do with the outlaw magic warned their offspring to stay away from the area, telling tales of mishaps with the powerful artifact or a spell gone wrong that left a young witch looking like a crone or a wizard sucked into the world in between. None of the stories were really true, but they served their purpose. The place became the bogeyman of small witches and wizards' dreams.
Lately, something had changed. The followers of Rhazdon were infiltrating the area in larger numbers, working on recruiting the entire community to their way of thinking. Purity of magical thought over ordinary humans.
"Stop your goofing around. There isn't much time left," said the young witch, flipping her blonde hair streaked with purple back over her shoulder.
A tall male Wood Elf with long stringy blonde hair nudged his friend, winking as he rolled his hands in front of his chest, one hand passing over the other, creating a small blue fireball no bigger than a marble. He let it bounce in the center of his hand for just a moment before he flicked it at a male Light Elf standing on the other side of the group.
The fireball bounced off the young man's cheek, exploding sparks in front of his face, singeing his left eyebrow. "Hey! What the fuck?" The air was scented with burning red hair. "Not cool, man! Not cool. You could have burned my uniform. I have to go to work after this!" He quickly brushed off the front of the blue shirt from a big box store, checking for any tiny embers he might have missed. "Bunch of assholes," he muttered, as they piled over to him, pushing and shoving, laughing as they gave him a friendly shove.
"Come on, we were just having fun."
"If I could find new friends I'd ditch you clowns," he said, already laughing, relieved his shirt was still intact. "You know they make us buy these shirts," he said, laughing.
"Who invited them?" asked a curvy witch with bright red lips and dark black hair, leaning in to whisper to the small clot of witches all gathered together near the designated spot.
"They're legacy going back thousands of years. We had no choice," said a young wizard, who looked bored and let out a long yawn.
"Well, something got watered down over the generations," sniffed another witch, wearing green cotton scrubs, her hair pulled back into a tight brown ponytail.
"Okay doorknobs, come on, the sun rises soon and we all have places to be." The short witch's voice was sharp and curt, fitting her normal role as a loan officer in a local bank. She clapped her hands together twice. "Keep it up and the next fireball will come from me and with a lot better aim!"
The young men sheepishly got into the circle, muttering amongst themselves.
"Bitches make angry witches," said the tall Wood Elf, getting snickers out of his friends. The short witch whipped out her wand and sliced the air with it, sending a spray of sparks that cut a dark line right in front of the young men, leaving the rubber tips on the front of their sneakers smoking. They stopped talking but took on a unified slouching and sullen stance to let her know they weren't happy, scowling at her from a distance.
The witch looked at her watch. "Thirty seconds. Here we go. Join hands everyone. Hannah, you come stand by me."
Hannah Beecham nervously slid over to the short witch, taking her hand. Rhazdon's followers had moved her out of Chicago as quickly as possible, moving her from house to house among loyal followers until she found herself in Phoenix, Arizona. Her head was still spinning from all of it.
She took the hand of the girl on her other side, who looked like she was about the same age, a tattoo of a raven on her shoulder partially hidden by her long, straight jet-black hair. Be brave Hannah, you can do this. She had repeated the same thing to herself for what seemed like a million times since the day she was recruited while hanging out in Welles Park.
The Chicago sect thought she was a weak link and might be interested in joining the new uprising. After all, didn't she have a distant cousin who was already in the cult? But others didn't trust her. They wanted a test and it had to be something that would leave no room for doubt. Leave no room for Hannah to change her mind later.
Help them steal the necklace.
Of course, by then, Hannah had already told everything to the head of the Chicago Order of the Silver Griffins, Lacey Trader, an older witch who was too old to go on missions anymore but still ran a tight ship.
She swore Hannah to secrecy, spying an opportunity that didn't come along very often. She held Hannah's hands in hers and looked her square in the eyes and asked, "Are you courageous enough to do this task knowing even your own family will think you've betrayed them?" Lacey didn't try to sell her on the idea or point out that in the end it was for the greater good. Hannah had to be sure all on her own.
Hannah nodded her head, slowly at first, gulping in air, never taking her eyes off Lacey's face.
"Good." Lacey gave her hands a good shake. "Because this will be one of the bravest things you ever have to do. I will help you as much as I can but we will not be able to tell anyone we know of a coming attack."
"But...but..." Hannah stammered.
"No, no! There can be no hint that you are not completely devoted to them. None. Your only advantages will be that you will know when the attack is coming making it possible for you to position yourself to steal the necklace. And no one in the Order will suspect your loyalty." Lacey brushed the hair off Hannah's forehead. "I admire you. Such bravery hasn't really been necessary for a long time. The Second World War, really. A lot of us went into battle during the big one, all over the world. But even then, we had each other. You are marching out there alone."
"I have you." Hannah's voice came out with a quiver but her gaze stayed strong.
"Yes, yes you do. I take it seriously how much trust you're placing in me. I will be the only one who holds your truth for you while you're gone. It's quite an honor!" She hugged the young witch, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tight for a moment. "Till we meet again. I'm proud of you Hannah Beecham. Remember those words when so many call you a traitor." It seemed like that was so long ago.
Hannah stood on top of the small mountain, the twinkling lights of Phoenix below. People were starting to rise for their day. She shivered in the cold as the girl with the tattoo squeezed her hand. They all shut their eyes and drew on the energy from the rock, letting it come up through their feet, swirling inside of them until it moved around the circle, traveling faster and faster.
The large pieces of granite strewn a
round the mountain emitted a low, silvery glow that sparkled as it let loose some of its stored magic.
Hannah felt the ground shift slightly under her feet and loosened her grip but the witches on either side of her squeezed her hand harder and she kept her position. Be brave, Hannah. She thought of Lacey and bit her lower lip, determined to keep going. I will not back up. I will not back up.
Suddenly, there was the sound of something sliding open and Hannah opened her eyes to see a portal in the center of the circle.
An elderly Gnome reached an arm through the portal, the necklace dangling from his hand.
"Take it!" he barked. Hannah could see a dense forest behind him. "Oriceran," she whispered.
"You! You take it," he snarled, looking directly at Hannah. The short witch next to her looked hurt and surprised, wounded at being overlooked.
"Sorry," whispered Hannah, as she let go of her hand and stepped forward, cautiously reaching for the necklace. She peered through the darkness at the high priest handing over the necklace. Lacey had warned her about making direct contact, skin to skin with anyone skilled at dark magic. There was always the possibility they would be able to see through to her truest self.
She let the artifact drop into her open hands. The heavy gold necklace shimmered in the early morning light.
"Protect it with your lives. Our entire movement depends on it," said the mysterious Gnome as he waved his hands, shutting the portal.
"I'll take that," snapped the short witch the second the portal was firmly shut. She was determined to take back her rightful place in the pecking order. "What did he see in you?" she whined.
"No idea." Hannah shook her head. The necklace was back on Earth but she still didn't know who was leading the new movement. An elderly Gnome on Oriceran. That wasn't enough information. Hannah wasn't even sure who was in charge of the movement on this planet but she was getting closer.
"Time to move it, people. We all have places to be. Well, most of us." The short witch curled her lip, looking at the gangly young men who were too busy retelling what they saw through the portal, already making up fantastic details that never happened.
"Little wrinkly dude was levitating!"
"You see the gold rings he was wearing? Guy must be loaded?"
"Yeah, doesn't have to work some shit job and last on Ramen noodles."
"You live in your mother's basement and she cooks for you. Every night."
"So, still have the shit job part. I want to be rich."
"Bet he can make his own gold."
"Bet he can turn on women."
"You've got the turn off women part down so well, you could show him how to do that."
"Surprised the Gnomes haven't asked you how you pull that one off, you're so good at it. Lock that secret away in their vault."
They shoved and poked and jostled each other till the short witch thought she would lose it and light up the rock with a bolt of lightning. She whipped out her juniper wand and waved it in their direction, letting out a low growl. That was enough to get them to shuffle in the direction of their cars, even if it didn't stop the jokes.
Hannah followed behind them, glad she would get a little time to herself where she could relax and be herself, even if she was all alone. She couldn't even contact Lacey. It was part of her instructions. Take no chances.
The short witch grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back and pressing her face close to Hannah's.
"Listen, I don't know what you did back there," she snarled, still grasping the necklace against her chest. "But when this story gets told I'm going to be the hero who retrieved the necklace. No mention of you. Got it?" Hannah could smell that morning's pepperoni pizza pocket on the witch's hot breath.
Something slithered over Hannah's foot in the near darkness. She looked down trying to catch a glimpse but was too slow. She knew rattlesnakes lived around the rock and felt a chill go down her spine, shaking her shoulders in the cold.
The short witch mistook it for fear and leered at Hannah. She had made her point.
"Sure. We can rewrite the history." Hannah straightened up and gave her a cold hard stare, standing firm. She could only be pushed so far in all this mess. "If that's what you need." She narrowed her eyes and felt in her pocket for her wand. A good dust up between two witches might just help her standing. She curled her fingers around the wand, ready for the fight.
"What the..."
The rock lit up with a blinding white light as a woman blocked the rest of the group's path off the summit. She was using a fireball as an enormous spotlight, bobbing in the air near Hannah and the short witch. Hannah shaded her eyes trying to get a better look at who was after them.
Doesn't matter who this is. Only Lacey knows the truth. I need to get out of here.
She could barely make out something writhing on the woman's head. She's an Atlantean.
"Looks like we have ourselves a little problem here? A little illegal use of magic for illicit purposes?" Almost everything the woman said sounded like a question. "My name is Katie Toler. I don't want there to be any confusion about what's about to happen? You are going to hand over the necklace and leave peaceably or else."
The short witch pulled out her wand ready to knock out the fireball.
"No, no, no," said Katie, shaking a finger in the air. "Not so fast. You didn't think I came alone to a nest of childish vermin, did you?" She snapped her fingers, flicking off the light from the fireball as it evaporated into the morning air. Hannah was left seeing spots in front of her as she tried to get accustomed to the lower lighting as quickly as possible. The sun was starting to rise into the sky.
A long thin tentacle climbed up Katie's leg till she could reach down and grab it, placing it back into the moving mass on her head.
Not a snake, thought Hannah. A tentacle!
"Hello psychobitches! Who wants to play?" The voice was heavily accented in French and was coming from behind Katie. A tall, black woman clad in black leather from head to toe stepped out from behind the Atlantean, an elderberry wand held lightly between two fingers as she smiled flirtatiously. "No one?"
"You need to introduce yourself, May. These are witches and wizards from some very old families. They were raised right. They don't talk to strangers?"
"Your twisted point taken. My bad. Where are my manners? My name..." said the woman, taking a few steps forward, her high heeled boots clicking on the granite, "...is May Sage, May for short. Hello pretty kitten." May ran the tip of her wand underneath the chin of a willowy young witch with long curly brown hair. "Honey, if you're going to bust into tears so easily this may not be the kind of group you want to hang with...ever. They tend to venture into the realm of darkness on a pretty regular basis." The girl's lips trembled as May gave her a cold look. "Your parents know you're here, my dear bitch?"
Katie smiled malevolently, still standing at the edge of the summit, her wand ready as she watched May move among the group.
"Once upon a happy ending..." sang May, taunting the remaining members of the cult trapped there, "there was a band of misguided magical youth..." She ran her wand down the arm of the tall Wood Elf who giggled from nerves. There was a sheen of sweat across his face. "You look a little scorched, young man," she said, running the end of her wand across his burned eyebrow. She ran her wand along the edge of her lip, suddenly baring her teeth at the young man who barked at her in return.
"Now that was an interesting reply, young man. You'll tell me, won't you? Who has the pretty necklace?" May smiled at him but the smile never reached her deep brown eyes. He pointed nervously at the short witch still standing close to Hannah.
"You little prick!" The short witch spat at him and took a step behind Hannah who stood her ground. Hannah still wasn't sure what side the two women were playing for, but she did know one thing. If she was going down today, she was going out fighting. No more slinking around.
At least my family will know I fought bravely. Make sure you tell them, Lacey. Hannah raised he
r wand, running the best battle spells through her mind, searching for a good one that could shoot fire. Excalibur...
She didn't get to finish the thought. One of the young wizards accidentally shot off his wand, sending out a spray of sparks and a small flame at Katie that she easily blocked, returning fire, letting it lick at the edges of their faces without really hurting them.
The others broke out their wands, combining streams and shooting more serious flames at Katie. She changed tactics and sent out a shining silver stream of energy that transformed itself into barbed wire, wrapping around the legs of a witch. The more the witch struggled, the more the magic barbs bit into her skin. Hannah knew she didn't have long before they would turn their wands in her direction. After all, the necklace was right behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the short witch making her way off the side of the summit, scrambling down the rocky terrain.
Okay, not willing to fight for your friends. Good to know. "I suppose loyalty is too much to ask of this bunch," Hannah muttered, ready to do battle.
Hannah tried the spell again, taking in a deep breath of air, "Excalibur.." May sent out a spray of sparks that stung Hannah's lips and hands. "Dammit!" Hannah spit, brushing off her mouth. "Will I ever get out this goddamned spell!"
The firefight was raging in front of Hannah. Katie gave pursuit, flicking away the streams of fire as fast as they sprayed them at her, returning volleys of her own. May was helping her defend her position, slowly easing her way closer to Hannah.
Hannah raised her wand again, determined not to die without ever having said a complete spell but all at once, she could hear May's voice coming to her in the middle of the thunderous noise down a narrow tube of light. May had opened up a sound tunnel and was speaking easily to Hannah. No one else could hear them.