Mad Magic

by Nicole Conway

  He didn’t answer. Instead, his jawline went tense and he turned his face away to look out the window. His hands slowly curled into fists, making veins stand out along his forearms. Confusion whirled through my brain, and I fought the urge to touch his hand. Anything to let him know I hadn’t meant that as an insult.

  We passed house after house, and nothing looked out of the ordinary. People were out walking their dogs, sitting on their front porches, or checking their mail. We were several blocks away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown area, in a neighborhood that clearly housed middle-income families. This didn’t seem like the right place to find bogles or monsters.

  Then I looked up at the front of the house. There was a car parked in the driveway, and two men dressed in robes like catholic priests standing outside it. They were talking to an older woman who stood with two younger girls on either side of her. One of them looked to be in her mid-twenties, while the other was probably in middle school.

  Everyone in their group turned to stare as we parked on the street, right in front of their house. I got the feeling these people hadn’t been expecting us. The mother and her daughters all looked concerned, maybe even a little afraid—not that I blamed them. Hank was officially the scariest looking person I knew, besides maybe Zeph. The priests, however, seemed irritated when they saw us getting out of the car. Their noses wrinkled with disapproval and they leaned together, muttering to one another secretively.

  “Got anything for me?” Zeph murmured as he dropped his cigarette butt on the pavement and ground it with the toe of his shoe.

  Hank grunted thoughtfully. “Three bogles. Smells like swamp spirits. They’ve made themselves a nice little nest in there. This is gonna be interesting. I’ll deal with the family, you get it done.”

  “That’s not what I meant, old man.”

  Hank scrunched his lips. I watched him go digging through his pockets and take out a small paper box about the size of a deck of cards. He passed it to Zeph, who immediately opened it to smell the contents. It was more of those strange cigarettes.

  I arched an eyebrow. So that’s where they came from. Interesting.

  “Alright, then.” Zeph nodded firmly. “Josie, you’re with me.”

  The instant my feet hit the pavement, a fresh wave of pure anxiety washed over me. It made me nauseous just to look at the front door of the house, and the closer we got to it, the heavier the air became. A strange mixture of fear and excitement made my chest tighten, like I was about to go over the first big drop on a roller coaster. I wanted to grab onto Zeph, but he’d seemed so upset when I had done that before—I couldn’t bring myself to try it again. Not to mention the only reason I was even here in the first place was because I’d insisted on it. Now was not the time to chicken out.

  Hank went directly to where the family and two priests stood and struck up a conversation. The priests sneered as though they were already well acquainted and wanted nothing to do with him. The mother and younger daughter seemed curious, but the older daughter stared at Zeph with wide, love-struck eyes.

  My eye started to twitch. Seriously? Didn’t she see me walking right next to him?

  If Zeph had noticed her though, it didn’t show. He looked straight ahead, his gaze calm and focused. “Don’t be afraid,” he whispered to me.

  “I’m not,” I attempted to lie.

  He slowly opened the front door, and we were met with a rush of cold air like we’d just opened a freezer door.

  Inside, there was nothing but darkness.

  “You can sense them, right?” Zeph whispered. He reached for my hand, lacing his warm fingers through mine, and drawing me closer to his side. It made my stupid heart pound sloppily again. “Tell me what you feel.”

  What did I feel? That idiot … I couldn’t feel anything right then except how his hand was big, strong, and warm as it held firmly onto mine. I felt like I never wanted to let go. I felt like I wanted him to kiss me again. I swallowed hard and tried to focus. Now was not the time and I was not some love-struck little child.

  I let out a slow, controlled breath and forced my mind to go quiet.

  “It’s different from Eldrick.” A tingling warmth crept up my spine. “I think they know we’re here.”

  A strange smirk curled up his lips. “Of course. I told you, my aura draws a lot of attention. They know I’m coming to kick them out, so they’re gonna be pissed. Stay with me, okay? Don’t leave my side.”

  My palms were getting sweaty. The sneer on Zeph’s face kept me mute as he walked into the house.

  “Don’t talk to them,” he warned. “Don’t acknowledge them in any way. If I end up having to pull one of them off you, I’m going to be seriously pissed. You’ll be making dinner for months as payment.”

  Wait … what? Pull one off me? I dug in my heels, but he jerked me closer and shut the door. The darkness swallowed us whole. My pulse raced. Something wasn’t right. I didn’t belong here—in this situation. I was getting in way over my head.

  The house was an absolute wreck from one end to the other, which wasn’t an unfamiliar sight for me. Things were scattered all over the floors, furniture was upturned, and there were marks all over the walls as though someone had gone crazy with a permanent marker.

  “Notice anything different?” Zeph asked.

  I let my eyes wander around the room.

  In my own apartment, the chaos had always been random, like the result of someone throwing a violent tantrum. But here, all the items on the floor were arranged in lines or strange, specific patterns. Spray bottles of household cleaner were arranged in a circle, stuffed animals had been placed in lines going around the room. Even the marks on the walls appeared to be writing of some kind.

  “W-why is it like this?”

  “Because they’re trying to run those humans out of here. Someone had to have invited one of them in first, though. They can’t just move in whenever they want. It’s an ancient law; a fae can’t take up residence in the dwelling of a human without a direct invitation. They’ll sometimes play tricks to try to get an invitation. They’ll take the form of someone familiar, pretend to be the ghost of a dead child, appear like a divine creature bringing some heavenly message—you name it, it’s been done.” He kept his voice low as we walked from room to room, surveying the damage. “By the contract, Eldrick is bound as your servant, so there’d be no point in him trying to run you out. He’s just been throwing a fit—like the spoiled brat he is.”

  As we moved into the kitchen, the familiar sight of food spilled on the floor gave me an eerie feeling. There was a big, three-toed footprint clearly pressed into a mixture of ketchup and mashed potatoes right in the middle of the floor. My blood ran cold at the sight of it.

  “What a lovely little nest they’ve built in here.” Zeph held out his hand. “All right, let’s get to work. Hand me the sage.”

  With his lighter, Zeph set two of the bundles of sage on fire, and quickly blew them out. The smoldering ends of the herbs released a fragrant gray smoke, and he handed them to me before quickly covering his nose. His eyes were watering again, and he took a few big steps away.

  “Well if that doesn’t stir them up, I don’t know what will.”

  Suddenly, a wave of nausea made my skin clammy and my throat go dry. Something was watching us. I didn’t know how I knew it—I just did. I couldn’t see anything strange in the room yet, but I could feel it as though someone were breathing down the back of my neck.

  I gagged as a terrible smell wafted past my nose. It was like a mixture of burning hair and old vomit. Disgusting.

  “What is that?” I coughed and sputtered, waving the sage around so the scent of the smoke would help clear away the stink.

  “Hank was right.” Zeph shed his long wool coat and flexed his thick arms like he was about to get into a fistfight. “Swamp spirits. Stand back.”

  “Oooh, look who it is,” a whispery voice echoed through the room, seeming to co
me from every direction at once. “Zephiel has come to play. And he brought us housewarming a gift!”

  Zeph’s body rippled like a mirage. Then he made a deep, snarling noise—a sound that should have come from a beast, not a man. His faerie form unfolded before me just like it had when he saved me from Eldrick. His shirt seemed to melt away like liquid as glowing violet runes ignited on his body, shining brightly in the dark house. His muscular back twisted, and beautiful angelic wings took form—filling the kitchen and brushing against the floor and ceiling. Black spike-like horns grew from his head and his ears became long and pointed. His fingernails grew into claws. His features sharpened, his purple eyes glowed, and he bared his fangs at the darkness.

  Even though I had already seen him like this once, it still terrified me. I stumbled back, tripping over a pile of pots and pans, and landed squarely on my rear end. It made a ruckus, and Zeph snapped an annoyed glare back at me as if I was ruining his cool entrance.

  “She’s just a waif, look at her,” the cold whisper sneered. “But her power … can you smell it, my brothers? Such power!”

  “Yes,” another voice agreed, seeming to come from right beside me. “Not in five hundred years have I smelled it!”

  I winced as a rancid breath puffed right in my face.

  “Zeph!” I screamed, dropped the sage, and thrust my hands into the empty air in front of me. I was stunned when I touched a solid mass—something I couldn’t see. It felt scaly, slimy, and alive.

  And it was right in front of me.

  The creature belted out a booming laugh of pleasure.

  I scrambled across the floor to get away, not daring to look back.

  “That power!” It roared with delight. “Give it all to me!”

  A huge, scaly hand grabbed my foot and dragged me back. I kicked and flailed, screaming for Zeph again. Where was he? Was he just going to let them take me?

  The monster kept laughing, reeling me in inch-by-inch. “That’s right! Scream for him! He can’t protect you, just like he couldn’t protect your father!”

  “Hey! Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!” Zeph’s voice suddenly boomed over me. He appeared like an angel of vengeance, and there was an awful crunching sound. The monster released my foot.

  I scrambled away, my whole body shaking in terror. I shambled to the closest wall and tried to stand as my legs threatened to buckle. Before me, the creature wavered and solidified.

  It looked like a humanoid lizard—a mixture of monster and man—with a long scaly body and jagged teeth in its oversized mouth. Zeph had it by the neck, holding it above the ground with one hand as the creature squirmed and shrieked. It clawed at Zeph’s arm frantically, snapping its massive jaws and lashing its long tail.

  “You dare touch what belongs to me?” Zeph roared like a lion and squeezed the monster’s neck. There was another gory, cracking sound, and instantly the monster’s body went limp.

  A chorus of yowls screeched. I clamped my hands over my ears. The kitchen windows began to crack and burst. Two more of the scaly creatures were crouched in the stairwell that led to the second story of the house. They wailed and spat in dismay, but didn’t dare to come any closer.

  “Get out.” I didn’t realize Zeph was talking to me at first.

  Then he cast an icy glare in my direction.

  My legs were numb with terror.

  “I said go! Now!” His voice was so loud it rattled the whole house.

  Before I realized what I was doing, I found myself running for the front door. I bolted outside and went straight to the car. Hank was still there, talking to the family and the priests in the driveway. They all watched me go sprinting past, running with my head down so I didn’t have to make eye contact with anyone. I shut myself in the backseat of Hank’s old Cadillac and curled up, drawing my knees to my chest.

  I counted my breaths, shutting my eyes tightly and letting my forehead rest on my kneecaps. My pulse was still racing, and my foot still throbbed from where that awful creature had grabbed me.

  That’s when I remembered.

  The monster had said something about Zeph protecting my dad.

  That liar!

  It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Tears filled my eyes as I tried to rationalize it. Zeph hadn’t known my dad … had he? How could he? My dad had died almost four years ago, before I even lived in that apartment building.

  I got angry just thinking about it. If Zeph had known my dad, then that meant he’d been lying to me about it all this time. He’d been asking those questions, probing me for information like he had no idea what was going on or who I was. He’d been deceiving me from the start—and I’d fallen for it!

  By the time Zeph emerged from the house, looking like a normal, human delinquent again, I had already worked myself up into a fit of rage. I tested out a string of insults I fully intended on hurling at him as soon as he got in the car as I peered over the edge of the window he had left cracked open.

  Hank got into the car first, and cranked the engine. He didn’t say a word to me as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. We both watched as Zeph made his way down the driveway toward us, putting on his coat and adjusting its collar. He took his time, pulling a fresh cigarette out of his coat pocket, and holding it between his lips. Relishing the victory, probably. Although, I noticed the expression on his face was closer to one of total exhaustion than smug satisfaction.

  Then that girl, the oldest of the two daughters, stopped him.

  They were only a few feet away from the car, close enough that I could hear every word. She still had that flirty, doe-eyed expression on her face. I hated her instantly. I could practically feel my blood boiling in my veins as she stroked his arm to get his attention. It was way more than just a friendly gesture.

  What was there to like about him, anyway? Couldn’t she tell he was a jerk? Sure, he was handsome, but obviously hadn’t brushed his hair or bothered to shave in a few days.

  “I can’t thank you enough for helping us,” she said. She kept touching her hair, tossing it from one shoulder to the other. “It means so much to me.”

  Zeph gave her that once-over glance I’d seen other men give an attractive female, like some kind of full body scan to see if she had any glaring flaws. His annoyed expression never changed, though. “Yeah, well, whatever. It’s fine.”

  She wasn’t fazed in the slightest. She just kept batting her eyes at him. “Maybe we could get a drink sometime? You know, so I can thank you properly?”

  My cheeks were so hot they would have sizzled to the touch. I looked around, wishing I had something to throw at them. I was practically snorting steam as I peeked through the car window, watching his every move.

  Zeph stared at her as though she were out of her mind. Then he shook his head. “Sorry. I’m only interested in puny redheads.” Those words rolled out of his mouth like it should have been obvious, and he walked back to the car without looking back.

  My mouth hung wide open.

  What? But … at the bar, he’d said …

  In a matter of seconds, all the anger drained from my body. I felt like a deflated balloon, leaning against the car window. Too late, I realized Hank was watching me in the rearview mirror. I could tell by how the corners of his eyes were crinkled that he was smiling at me.

  I wanted to melt into the seat, and scrambled back to my side of the car, pulling my hood up over my head to hide my red face. When Zeph got inside, I couldn’t even look at him. I didn’t want him to know I’d heard him.

  We pulled away from the house, leaving that girl standing in her driveway, blinking owlishly with shock. She was pretty, so maybe she wasn’t used to being rejected like that.

  No one said a word as we drove back downtown. It was just after dark when Hank dropped us off in front of our building. He and Zeph shook hands, exchanging a few muttered words I couldn’t make out, and then he was gone. Zeph and I were alone. We stood on the curb watching
his taillights disappear into traffic as he drove away.

  Anger roared in my veins. I didn’t even want to look at Zeph, despite the fact that I was fully entitled to an explanation about how he knew my dad.

  I finally got up the nerve to glance over at him. He stood, staring at me as though there was something he wanted to say.

  Nope. I was 1,000% done with him today.

  I did an immediate about-face and began speed-walking toward the front door of our building.

  I was still alone as I rounded the last set of stairs leading up to our floor. A tangled mess of emotions coiled and twisted in my brain. Why wasn’t he chasing after me? Why wasn’t he yelling, cursing, or trying to justify himself? Wasn’t he even going to try to deny that he’d been lying to me all this time about knowing my dad?

  When I got to our hall, Zeph was already standing at the top of the stairs, leaning against my front door like a living barricade. His arms were crossed, and his mouth scrunched into a stubborn frown.

  I staggered to a halt. “How did you get up here?”

  He arched an eyebrow. “She asked the faerie gifted with magical power.”

  His tone was so sarcastic, so pompous … I gnashed my teeth to keep my chin from trembling. No angry crying. Not now.

  “Move, idiot. I’m going home. I’ve had all I can stand of you today.”

  “We need to talk.” He didn’t move an inch.

  “I have nothing to say to you, so move.”

  “Well that’s fine, cause I’ve got lots to say to you.”

  No. Not right now. My eyes were welling up. I couldn’t hold it together much longer, and I was not about to let him see me cry. Whatever he wanted to say, it could wait. I had to get away.

  When I tried shoving him out of my path, he grabbed me by the back of my coat and plucked me off the floor like a naughty puppy. “Quit that.”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Zeph!” I yelled, wrestling myself free of his grip. “You lied to me. You lied right to my face!”

  He took a step and reached out as though he was going to embrace me.