I certainly hoped so, anyway. Something about this story was incredibly intriguing.
Chapter 25
I left the café, walking down the main street with my brow furrowed and my head down, thinking about the words I had just heard. Unfortunately, it turned out that was a phenomenally stupid idea, since a moment later I walked headlong into a wizard walking along with a couple of friends.
“Sorry,” I blurted out, and immediately brought my hands to my mouth. Oh no, what on earth had I just done? Not only had I just run into someone while being invisible, but I had actually spoken while being invisible as well.
“Who was that?” the wizard asked, pulling out his wand.
I didn’t know what to do, so I ran. I ran as fast as I could in the other direction, tears of fear and embarrassment stinging my eyes. What on earth was going to happen now?
As I looked down, I realized I had suddenly become visible. I looked back and saw the wizard with his wand out, pointing it in a circle. Obviously he had just cast some sort of spell that negated my invisibility one. He saw me running and immediately took off after me.
Great. Now I definitely regretted not going to the gym, ever. Did the magical world even have gyms? If I got out of here alive, I was definitely going to find out, I promised myself mentally.
For now, however, I had bigger issues. The wizard and his two friends came straight after me, and I began running down the street, turning down the first alley I found in the hopes of eventually losing them.
I raced down the alley and found that it led to a street behind the main drag, filled with residential buildings made of wood that were built to let the breeze through. I darted over the first high fence I saw, and as I landed, pain shot up my ankle.
“Not now,” I muttered, but luckily, a couple of steps later the pain dissipated. Walking—or in this case running—it off seemed to be the ticket. Thank goodness.
I made my way through the yard and waved at a witch who was looking at me through the window, hoping that she wasn’t about to call the Enforcers on me. Not that I really would have been able to blame her if she had; she probably wasn’t expecting to see somebody rushing through her yard. Still, I flashed her a smile and a wave that I hoped screamed I’m not actually here to cause any trouble for you, please don’t call the magical cops, and rushed past to the other end of her yard. I climbed the fence on the other side into the neighboring yard, but I could still hear the three wizards coming after me.
Great. Luckily, at the back of this yard was a set of hedges. And even better, there didn’t appear to be anyone in the house looking out, either.
I dove headfirst into the hedges, hoping that there was nothing too sharp on the other side, and crouched down in my new hiding spot. The three wizards rushed past, but then one of them stopped.
“No, the spell tells me she’s still close,” he said. “She’s still in this yard.”
This was just perfect. Evidently, one of the wizards had cast a spell that told him where I was at all times, which was going to make escaping particularly difficult.
How on earth was I going to break this spell? If I took the portal back to the human world, would that do it? I kind of figured that was my only hope. Without Amy and her infinite knowledge of every spell, I had no idea what else to do.
A split second later, I realized what an idiot I had been. The wizards were looking around now, and it wasn’t going to take long before they honed in on the hedge where I was hiding. I pulled out my phone and typed out a quick text.
Being chased by wizards with a homing spell. What can I do to counter it?
I pressed send right as one of the wizards came close to the hedge. I held my breath, then cast a spell which was one of the first Amy had taught me.
“Jupiter, God of Thunder, use my wand and bring forth water.”
I pointed my wand directly at the wizard, and a spurt of water shot out, hitting him squarely in the chest. He called out in surprise, which attracted the attention of his two buddies, with the three of them suddenly realizing where I was.
I only had a split second, but I used it wisely, running in the opposite direction and along the side of the house, back toward the street.
One of the wizards called out something, and I knew he was casting a spell, but he was too late, as I was casting one of my own.
“Jupiter, protector in the sky, shield me from all spells cast awry.”
I pointed my wand behind me as I cast the protection spell that Amy had just taught Sara and me, and I silently thanked her for choosing that particular spell. I didn’t bother looking back, but I could tell from the protective shield that had formed all around me, including in the front, that my spell had worked.
The wizards swore behind me as they followed, and as I passed the side of the house, an object leaning against it reached the corner of my eye. It was a broom, and I had never been happier in my life to see one. I still didn’t really like broom riding that much, and while I could definitely do it without falling off now, it still wasn’t my preferred method of transport.
Still, right at that moment it was like having a chariot from the gods dropped in front of me.
I reached over and grabbed the broom, and in a single quick motion leapt over the side of it and took off, flying over the gate at the end of the yard and back onto the street while the wizards that were after me hurled insults.
I kept the broom low to the ground and sped off as fast as I dared. After all, I knew this was only a temporary solution. Sooner or later the wizards were also going to find brooms of their own, and then they could use the spells the one wizard had cast on me to catch me. I had no idea what they were going to do then, but I didn’t want to find out.
I had had enough of being in Kilokilo for now. Besides, Kyran would be waiting for me, if he hadn’t already decided that I had been captured by the denizens of this town and escaped back to Western Woods without me.
Streaking toward the forest, I wondered what kind of crazy magic those wizards had used. They had cast spells—the one that broke my invisibility spell, and the one that allowed them to track me—that I had never even imagined existed. Maybe it was my own naivety in coming here to this paranormal town that I wasn’t invited to. Maybe I shouldn’t have done it with just an elf as company. Still, what was done was done.
As I got closer to the forest, I looked behind me. My shield was still up, but my heart sank as three large forms on brooms appeared in the sky, shadowed by the sun behind them. The wizards had obviously found brooms, and they were coming to get me.
I landed right where Kyran and I had agreed to meet.
“Tina?” I heard Kyran’s voice say a second later. “Where were you? Why are you visible? Is everything alright?”
I decided to tackle that last question first. “No. There are three wizards coming after me. Go, go back to the portal and get out of here while you still can. They have a spell on me to track me, and Amy hasn’t replied with a spell to break the curse yet.”
“I’m not going without you,” Kyran said.
“Don’t be stupid. It’s better that only one of us get caught than both.”
“Yeah, right. Like I’m going to leave you here on your own. Listen, I’m still invisible. If I get the chance, I’ll try and take them out. If I do, run back to the portal and back to the human world. Do your best to get a spell off Amy and cast it.”
“If I’m in the human world, will they still be able to track me?”
“Yes. The portals don’t cancel out spells. You need Amy to tell you how to stop it.”
I gulped.
“Do you hear me?” Kyran said. “The instant I do something, I need you to run.”
“I got it,” I nodded. “What about you?”
“I’ll meet you back in Western Woods, where someone will be able to reverse your spell for me. Hopefully it’ll be you.”
“Right,” I said. “Ok, here they come.” The wizards were only about a hundred and fifty fe
et away now; any closer and I worried they’d see me talking to Kyran.
“Good luck,” he whispered. A moment later, the sound of the bushes rustling slightly reached my ears as he moved away.
“Now, Karen, why in the name of Titan were you running away from us?” one of the wizards laughed as they landed. “And what’s wrong with you? You looked like a toddler on that broom.”
Karen? What was going on?
The confusion on my own face matched theirs as the three wizards landed and finally got a good look at me.
“Hold on, you’re not Karen,” the one on the left said suddenly.
“What on earth?” the one on the right said.
“You guys know what this means?” the one in the middle said suddenly, and the blood drained from his face so fast I could practically see it.
“No way.”
“It can’t be.”
“We have to get out of here.”
As fast as they’d arrived, the three wizards hopped on their brooms and left, leaving me standing there, more confused than ever. What had happened? At the mere sight of me, the three of them had run off like they’d seen a ghost.
“What was all that about?” Kyran asked.
“I have absolutely no idea,” I replied.
“Ok, well, why don’t you reverse this spell and the two of us can get out of here? The sooner we get out of this town, the better.”
“Agreed,” I nodded, pulling out my wand and casting the invisibility-reversing spell on Kyran, who reappeared suddenly with a slightly worried look on his face.
I grabbed the broom once more and invited Kyran to hop on behind me. We flew down the path as quickly as I dared and took the portal back to the human world, leaving Kilokilo with more questions than answers.
Chapter 26
About two minutes after we crossed back into the human world, I got a text from Amy with the counter-spell I needed. I cast it straightaway and hoped it worked. I didn’t know what had happened with those wizards, but I didn’t like it, and I didn’t want them knowing who I was or how to find me.
I had so many questions.
“Do we have to fly back to Seattle?” I asked Kyran, and he shook his head.
“No. We can use a regular portal to get back to the paranormal world; there’s another one on the other end of the island.”
The two of us walked in silence as we made our way back to the road, where Kyran pulled out his phone and ordered us an Uber. I spent the entire time thinking over what had happened.
Everything about that trip had been so strange. I had so many questions now. Who was that wizard the old witches were talking about? Why had the wizards run away as soon as they had realized I wasn’t Karen?
Kyran led me to the next portal and told me to say “Western Woods” and jump through the hole in the rocks to the ocean below to access the portal. I did so, and straightaway I found myself back home, at yet another portal that I had never been to.
A moment later, Kyran followed.
“Come on, this one’s actually not too far from your place,” he said, leading the way. When we got home, Kyran followed me in without me needing to ask. I definitely wanted him there. I wanted him to hear everything that had happened.
Luckily, all three of my roommates were home, and as soon as the two of us entered, they piled onto us.
“Did you really go to Kilokilo like your note says?”
“What was it like?”
“Did you get caught?”
“Obviously they didn’t get caught.”
“Are you from there?”
Eventually I had to hold up both my hands to get them all to give me a moment.
“There’s a lot to say about today,” I said. “And Kyran hasn’t really heard any of it either. And I don’t know Kyran’s side. But let’s get settled in first.”
The five of us made our way to the living room, where I told the entire story of everything that had happened once we got to Kilokilo. Mine was the only voice as I told the story that I overheard from the old women, then explained about the wizards chasing after me.
“They must have thought you were Karen straightaway,” Ellie mused. “I guess they thought it was some sort of game of hide and seek. They don’t sound like wizards I’d want to know, either way.”
“Agreed,” I said. “But I wonder why they ran. Kyran, what did you find out?”
“I have a lot of the same information as you, and a different spell that you can test out. At least, I think it’s the same information. I also heard murmurings of a member of the coven of Titan who has gone out into the world and committed atrocities, but nothing more concrete than that.”
“Do you know what it could be referring to, though?” I asked. After all, Kyran was a lot more worldly than the rest of us, and I knew he kept up with that sort of thing.
“I have an idea,” he replied slowly. “There have been a few instances lately of crimes committed in various paranormal towns and cities. Generally, they’re thefts and murders. But in some cases, just straight-up murders. However, I might just be imagining connections. It may simply be murder by different people in every instance. But it might not.”
I nodded slowly. “Something bad is happening, isn’t it?”
Kyran stood up. “I need to leave. I need to look into more of this. Tina, can I talk to you alone before I go?”
I nodded, and the two of us went to the entrance hall. As soon as we left, I could hear the others talking amongst themselves. After all, this had been a rather dramatic afternoon.
“Listen, I know that you’re going to want to test out the spell and find out for sure if you’re a part of the coven of Titan.”
I nodded. “Please don’t tell me not to do it.”
“I won’t,” he replied, and a small smile cracked his lips. “Like you would listen to me anyway. But listen, if it turns out you are from that coven, I want you to lie low for a while, ok? Don’t go to Sara’s competitions. Stay in Western Woods, away from the public eye. Do everything you can to become a part of the coven of Jupiter and to make others believe that’s where you’re from. Try to avoid even talking about your human world past.”
I nodded mutely. “You’re worried, aren’t you?”
“I am,” he replied.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, exactly. It’s just a feeling I have. But elven feelings are powerful, and they shouldn’t be ignored. I’m going to go see some people I know. I want to find out what I can about this wizard people in Kilokilo are talking about. I’ll be back soon, ok?”
As Kyran turned to leave, I realized the tugging at my heart was fear for him. I really wanted Kyran to be ok.
“Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I always am,” he replied with a grin. “In the meantime, stay safe. I mean it. And let me know when you try the spell if you’re actually from that coven.”
I nodded. “I will.”
Kyran planted a soft kiss on my lips, and this time the butterflies in my stomach had nothing to do with terror. He pulled away too soon and flashed me a quick smile before heading out the door.
I really hoped he came back with answers.
Five minutes later I was in the kitchen, with a pile of cracked eggs on the floor that Ellie had taken far too much glee in breaking.
“Did you really have to throw them on the floor?” Amy asked. “The spell should work just as well if they are on the table.”
“I wanted to simulate the situation as best I could,” Ellie replied seriously, then winked at me when Amy wasn’t looking.
“Alright,” Amy told me as I held my wand in front of me. “Do the coven of Jupiter cleaning spell first. Jupiter, God of the Sky, clean up this mess, make it look less like a sty.”
I nodded, pointed my wand at the eggs, and repeated the words. Four or five eggs—about half of what Ellie had cracked onto the floor—crept toward the sink along the floor, scaled their way up the cabinet, and dropped into the stainl
ess steel tub. I couldn’t help but notice the front cabinet where the eggs had climbed up was now covered in a thin layer of egg residue, though. The spell certainly wasn’t perfect.
Amy noticed as well, waving her wand at the spot, and at the other eggs, which all followed after mine at about three times the speed, and this time left the cabinets spotless.
“Show-off,” I teased, sticking my tongue out at Amy, who laughed.
“Let’s see the other spell, then.”
I motioned to Ellie, who gleefully grabbed another container of eggs and began throwing them down on the floor.
“Is it cathartic?” Sara asked, and Ellie nodded, handing her an egg. The two of them smashed another ten or so eggs, and when they were done, looked proudly at their work while I focused on the task at hand.
This was it. This moment was going to tell me if I was a member of the coven of Titan or not.
“Titan the powerful, Titan the great, clean up this mess.”
Ten simple words. Ten words which, for any other witch, wouldn’t have meant much. But to me, they meant the world.
None of us dared so much as breathe as I said the words and pointed my wand toward the eggs. What happened next shocked us all.
The eggs moved toward the sink at a blistering pace, even the shells. They moved faster than when even Amy had cast her spell, and they left not so much as a trace of egg on the counter.
There was silence for what felt like an eternity, then Ellie finally announced what was on all our minds.
“Tina White, you are officially a member of the coven of Titan!”
Chapter 27
Sara immediately went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne, while Ellie went to the cupboard and pulled out a cake she had made.
Congratulations on finding your birth coven, the cake read, with realistic-looking waves made of buttercream that had been enchanted to move along the cake and break against the edges on one half, and buttercream that had been enchanted to make thunderbolts along the others.
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