Prelude to Magic: The Prequel to Moonlight and Illusions

by Diane Wylie

  Opening his hand, he studied the other solid object; the ancient Mayan charm the old woman had given him. The odd little face of the Companion Spirit looked back at him, its smooth side catching the moonlight. The tiny wizened lady had also named it the Way. What sort of a name was that?

  “What are you, little stone…the way to find a Companion Spirit? I already have my life-long companion…my Ruby. Can you bring me good luck, little charm, and help me get back to her?”

  The stone face just sat there looking cheerful, but blank. Stephen sighed. Getting thrown into jail for trying to amaze and entertain people didn’t seem fair. The events of the night must be taking a toll on him; he was talking to a glowing stone.

  Wait a minute…the stone is brighter. As he stared at it, the light grew even more luminous. The intensity changed from yellow to white. The brilliance of it seared his eyes. He shielded them with his free hand.

  Then the charm grew warmer. It pulsated in his palm until the heat and blinding light made the thing impossible to hold. The moon! The old woman had told him, no moon!

  Stephen threw the stone across the room, but the Companion Spirit did not land outside the moonbeam’s reach. The light intensified. White light filled the tiny cell and penetrated his head. A stunning pain radiated through his body, and he collapsed.

  * * *

  “Señor Elliott. Wake up. El Señor usted tiene una visitante.”

  Stephen forced his eyes open. A pounding headache split his skull as if he had been imbibing the night before. The guard gave him a strange look then turned heel and left.

  “Are you all right?” Michael stood on the other side of the cell door. Groaning, Stephen staggered to his feet and lurched to the bars, holding on for support.

  “I’ve been better. How are Ruby and Calvin?”

  His brother put a hand over his. The human touch helped steady Stephen.

  “Upset, but all right. I wanted to see you first, before I brought her in, to make sure you hadn’t been badly mistreated. Have you?” Michael’s blue eyes raked him up and down.

  “They were not exactly welcoming. Do you know what happened? Why did they accuse me of sorcery? Can you get me released?”

  “Slow down, Stephen. Is that dried blood in your hair?”

  Reflexively, Stephen touched the top of his head and remembered. “It doesn’t matter. Tell me what you know.”

  “Omega was the problem. The governor thinks you had a real disembodied head in the cabinet. Apparently they believe strongly in witchcraft and the black arts here.”

  “But didn’t you show them the mirrors covering Carlos’ body, and the hole where he put his head?”

  Michael had been downcast before and now he was even sadder. “The crowd got out of hand and smashed the Omega cabinet, table, and mirrors before I could show them.” He reached through the bars and put both hands on Stephen’s shoulders…something worse was coming. “They went backstage and destroyed everything. The crowd launched a full-scale riot. I had to get Ruby and Calvin out of there. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop them. Everything is ruined.”

  Gone? Everything is gone? Stephen leaned his head against the cold bars. “Thank you, Michael. Thank you for protecting my family.” He sighed. “All right. It doesn’t matter if everything is demolished. We have enough money to buy more props. When can I get out?”

  He raised his head to study Michael’s face and didn’t like what he saw there.

  “There’s another problem. Without the cabinet to show Governor Diaz how the trick works, I wanted to get Carlos to explain his role.”

  “But?”

  “Well, Carlos ran off when the crowd got angry and I haven’t been able to find him. But I will. I promise I’ll get you out.”

  “Didn’t you and Ruby explain the trick?”

  Michael’s expression became rueful. “I tried, but I don’t speak Spanish. I don’t know what he thought I was saying, but he only appeared angrier.”

  Stephen’s head spun. Each heartbeat pressed against the back of his eyes. He rubbed his temples.

  “Headache?”

  When he nodded, Michael appeared sympathetic. “Your clothes are torn, too. They roughed you up, didn’t they?” Then his expression changed. “Did something else happen last night? When I asked for you, the guards reacted as if I was asking to see the devil himself. Pure fear was on their faces, I say.”

  “I had an odd dream.” Stephen plunged his hand into his pants pocket. The Mayan charm was inside. He couldn’t remember retrieving it after he’d thrown it. Without thinking he pulled it out.

  “You dreamt about a stone?” Michael asked.

  “Certainly unusual, but true. The stone glowed.”

  Michael plucked the little stone from his hand just as Stephen was about to put it away before something else happened. Immediately a rush of red-hot rage surged through his entire body with a surprising intensity. He had to clench his teeth and force himself to be still when all he wanted to do was snatch the charm back. It is mine! Mine! The child-like demand repeated itself inside his head, and he fairly trembled with an incomprehensible need for the thing.

  Apparently oblivious to Stephen’s mood swing, his brother shrugged and dropped the Mayan artifact back into his outstretched palm. Immediately the anger dissipated and Stephen’s heartbeat resumed a normal rhythm. He rubbed a hand over his face trying to fathom the metamorphosis and carefully returned the Companion Spirit to its resting place in his pocket.

  “Will you be all right to see Ru—”

  “Stephen!” A door banged open and the rustle of skirts interrupted Michael’s question.

  Ruby’s arms reached through the bars, and he went into her welcoming embrace thankfully. If ever he needed the loving touch of his wife, he needed her now. His world had been turned upside down in the space of a few hours. What had been the best experience of his life was now the worst.

  “My darling! I have been frantic to see you.” She repeated Michael’s earlier action and scanned him up and down. “They’ve hurt you! The barbarians! They’ve accused you of evil and done evil upon you.”

  Abruptly she swung around to his brother. “Would you mind very much going out to stay with Calvin? He’s waiting in the front room. I would not allow him to come back, and I couldn’t wait any longer to see Stephen.”

  “Of course, Ruby.”

  Before Michael had even reached the door, Ruby had stretched out her hand and pulled Stephen’s right hand through the bars. For a moment, she held it against her face then tenderly kissed his scraped knuckles.

  “How I’ve worried about you, husband,” she said quietly.

  He only nodded, his emotions so raw and powerful speech became impossible. The wild anger from moments ago had been replaced by a profound sadness, which gripped him by the throat and chest, making them constrict.

  “We’ll find someone who can translate for us and put this nightmare behind us soon.” The confidence in her voice was greater than his feelings at the moment.

  Stephen cleared his throat and focused his thoughts on his wife.

  “Not to worry, my love. The worst is behind us now. I can, perhaps, explain the Omega trick by way of a drawing. Can you ask Michael to get some paper and pen and arrange a meeting with the governor?”

  She agreed and hurried out, leaving Stephen alone again. A few minutes later the same small, mustachioed guard who had come in earlier brought him bread and a tin cup of strong, bitter coffee.

  He thanked the man, but only got a frightened look in return as the guard backed away from him, leaving quickly.

  As he sat chewing the stale breakfast, Stephen put his hand in his pocket and slowly drew out the little square stone. Cautiously exposing the charm to the weak daylight from the small barred window, he was ready to shove it back into its hiding place should it start to glow again. It didn’t. The little happy, half-smooth, half-checkered face remained unchanged, unmoved.

  What had happened last night? Was it re
al or was it just a dream? Had the guard heard him screaming? Was this the reason for their fear Michael spoke of? There were so many questions and so few answers.

  Over the next five days, he was left alone, the only time he saw anyone was when the same guard appeared to bring him one meal a day. It normally consisted of stale bread or a corn tortilla, perhaps with a little meat or some beans. Stephen’s belly growled often and loudly.

  But he was little bothered by the physical discomforts of his imprisonment, suffering more from the lack of contact with his family. No visits from Michael or Ruby came to give him hope, and he was left with only his overactive imagination and the Companion Spirit Mayan stone for company.

  Hour after hour he lay on the damp cot in the dim cell with his fingers in his pocket touching the little charm. When he took his hand away from it, despair fell like a blanket around his shoulders, threatening to overwhelm him. But the warmth and solidity of the icon soothed and comforted.

  As night fell and the moon beams made their way between the clouds to fall again on Stephen’s face, the temptation to expose the Mayan relic to the light seized him. He wanted a chance to see once more what sort of magic might occur. He fingered the stone in his pocket for a moment, hesitating, then pulled it out, curling his fist around it.

  Creating the best magic show possible was his dream. Rebuilding the cabinet needed for Omega would be simple, and he would resurrect the trick. The people of Philadelphia would not be as superstitious as the Mexicans; of this he had no doubt. But the time had come to add something else to draw newcomers, once Omega had been debuted in his hometown. It would be a feather in his cap to be able to rig some wiring and perform levitation.

  Caught up in the idea, Stephen got off the cot and stood looking around the dingy cell. He spied the only other item available, the waste bucket. Taking his magician’s stance, feet splayed apart, he performed the customary sweeping motion with his arms; a dramatic gesture Ruby had suggested to display the red silk lining of the magician’s cape. Now, of course, he would need to replace the cape as well.

  Able to get lost in daydreams since he was a small boy, Stephen had no trouble now giving himself over to the fantasy, even though the circumstances were beyond unpleasant. No matter how many times he had performed, it always gave him a rush of excitement.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen,” he said in a hushed, but theatrical tone. “I, The Illusionist, will attempt to defy the powers of nature. Watch closely as I attempt to raise this…hmm…this woman…high into the air.”

  He held his left hand out, palm up toward the stinking bucket. Fluttering his fingers slightly, he pretended to strain against a heavy weight as he stepped forward into the bright moonlight.

  Closing his eyes, he imagined the crowd watching with rapt attention as the stage hands raised the platform holding a recumbent Ruby. He opened his fingers with the good luck charm resting in his palm.

  A burning sensation traveled up his outstretched right arm across his shoulders to his left elbow. His eyes flew open. A greenish-yellow glow engulfed his left arm from shoulder to fingertips.

  Stifling a cry, he attempted to lower his arm. He couldn’t move it. Light shot out of each fingertip, striking the bucket. It vibrated and rocked as he watched silently, eyes watering with the pain. Slowly, shakily, the bucket lifted off the ground. One inch. Two. Five inches.

  Stephen’s whole body trembled now.

  Crash!

  The bucket came down and tipped over, spilling the effluent, which flowed over the dirt floor.

  A string of Spanish curses erupted from the cells around him.

  Unable to stand a moment longer, Stephen fell to his knees, below the reach of the moonlight. The glow disappeared and with it the burning pain.

  Gulping air and dripping with sweat, he remained in the same position waiting for his heart to slow its wild beating. He let his head drop, unable to escape the stench soaking into the earth nearby.

  Finally, gathering enough strength to move, he crawled onto the cot, sprawling on his stomach exhausted. Slowly opening his right hand again, he stared at the Companion Spirit. The little stone was barely visible in the dimness, but its face stared back at him, the pleasant expression unchanging.

  Chapter Two

  Two Months Later

  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  Someone knocked at the front door, but Stephen was too engrossed with his ledgers to get up. Ruby would take care of it. The woman was a tireless wonder. She had found their new house and arranged everything so quickly. All of the furniture had been purchased and was in place. All of their clothes and Calvin’s toys were already unpacked.

  “Thank you so much for coming, Michael,” her melodious voice rang out clearly. Ruby was admitting his brother. Stephen started to rise from his seat just inside the elegant, completely stocked library off the front hall, but paused when he heard Ruby speak again.

  “Stephen is busy in his workshop again and doesn’t know I’ve asked you to come.” Soft rustling noises accompanied the removal of his brother’s coat and hat.

  “I can’t stay long, Ruby, I’ve had several new clients since our return from Mexico.”

  “Mexico!” The bitterness in his wife’s voice was evident. “Mexico ruined our lives.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know Stephen came home from Mexico exhausted and ill.”

  “Yes,” Michael’s voice was well-modulated and calm in the face of the agitation growing in Ruby’s. “But he recovered fully, did he not?”

  “He did, but he seems to relapse over and over.”

  Michael’s professional tone gave way to confusion. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’ve seen, Ruby. When last I saw my brother two days ago, he never looked more fit.”

  “No, no, Michael. I just cannot explain myself with justice. Stephen spends long hours in his workshop. He thinks I am sleeping when he comes to bed, but I see the way he looks. It just tears my heart out to see him tremble with weakness, so exhausted he can barely stand.”

  Hearing his wife’s anguish nearly caused Stephen to leap from his hiding place to reassure her he was hale and hearty.

  “At first he needed to sleep an entire day to recover from one night in the workshop,” Ruby continued, clearly upset. “Gradually he has required less and less recovery time, but every session he can hardly make the trip across the lawn. I’ve seen him stumble and fall more than once.” She paused for a moment and added, “I’m concerned for his health.”

  Their voices faded away as they walked to the back of the house, most likely headed to the fancy new sunroom.

  Dropping the quill he had been using to make entries into the ledgers, Stephen rubbed his temples. In a way, Ruby was right. Everything had changed since Mexico.

  Although he had been able to win back his freedom by drawing and pantomiming the Omega trick for Governor Diaz, the trip back to Philadelphia by stage coach had left him humiliatingly debilitated. Since he had come of age, Stephen had never been lacking in physical strength and prided himself on his health and abilities, so the loss was hard to bear.

  Pushing to his feet, he went to the sideboard, poured himself a small glass of whiskey, and gulped it down.

  What should he tell his wife and brother? Could he say he had not only recovered his strength, but since the Companion Spirit had come into his life, he was…different?

  Once they moved into their new house, complete with a separate workshop for his carpentry and magical prop-making, he had been experimenting with magic. This time, however, the tricks were not all smoke and mirrors and sleight of hand. He could perform real magic.

  Stephen splashed another bit of whiskey into the glass and gulped down the drink. The alcohol made his eyes water as it burned a path to his stomach. He normally did not indulge in spirits, but his mind needed soothing.

  Long ago he and Ruby had agreed to keep no secrets from each other and, until Mexico, they had not. How could he possibly tell her what
happened when the Mayan charm was exposed to moonlight? He could hardly believe it himself. This was 1889! They were not living in the dark ages of witchcraft and sorcery. This was America, where educated and thoughtful men had shaped a new nation. How inconceivable a tiny ancient stone could do what it did, and yet…

  Light footsteps approached. Ruby was coming. Quickly settling himself back at the mahogany desk, Stephen bent his head to the ledger.

  “There you are, my darling.”

  He looked up and gave her his best, most cheerful smile. “Were you seeking me for something?”

  “Yes. Your brother has arrived for a visit. I’m asking him to stay for dinner. Would you like to join us for tea in the sun room?”

  His wife’s guilt was as plain as the smile on her lovely face. After twelve years of marriage, he prided himself on sensing his beloved’s moods and feelings, and she was culpable. Her gaze met his and slid away.

  “I didn’t know Michael was visiting today,” he said, watching her face closely.

  “Um, it was a surprise. He was calling on a client nearby,” she responded

  Her statement hit him a blow. She lied. Had their relationship come to this? Were her lies any worse than his secret?

  As he followed the dark-haired beauty he married, Stephen briefly considered telling them both about the Companion Spirit, and the powers he had discovered. Then it occurred to him they might try to take the little stone away. An irrational, hot rage flooded his body at the thought. No! It could not, and would not happen. Plunging his hand into the pocket of his jacket, his fingers wrapped about the Mayan charm.

  “Why hello, Michael. What a surprise to see you here today.” Stephen was pleased to hear the control he had over his voice. Within seconds his heartbeat slowed to normal and he took a seat next to Ruby on the sofa in the cheerful sunroom, decorated in bright colors and living plants in large pots.

  “I’ve business in the area, but I wished to see for myself how you’ve been faring,” his brother replied, giving him an accessing look Stephen had come to know all too well of late.