by TJ Green
Avery didn’t hesitate. She ran back to the cave entrance, getting pelted by rain again, but she could barely get in. The cave had completely collapsed.
Reuben watched Caspian working, utterly frustrated. He should be with his friends, not here, trying to undo some complicated, knotty spell that was completely beyond his abilities.
“Reuben,” Caspian said, not taking his eyes from the spell. “I can feel your annoyance. Help me!”
“I don’t know how!”
“That’s because you’re not focussing!”
“Because I’m worried about my girlfriend and our friends out there!”
Caspian lifted his head and stared at him, and Reuben felt pinned beneath the intensity of his gaze. “Water. I want you to focus on water!”
Reuben clenched his fists and with a deep breath, counted to five and released them again. “Okay. I’ll level with you. I don’t do this type of thing. I don’t know how to unpick a spell.”
“But you know how to make one?”
“Er, yes, I guess so.”
“What do you mean, guess? You have a grimoire full of spells, a good chunk of which are based around elemental water, and I’ve seen you work water magic, so what is wrong?”
Reuben wrestled with how much to say. He hated to confess he was useless, but Caspian should know he couldn’t rely on him. “I’m not that good a witch, Caspian. I use my magic more instinctively, and sporadically. The others, and you, seem to use it all the time. I don’t. Sorry. You’ve got the dud one.”
Caspian had been leaning on the table, but now he straightened. “That’s bullshit.”
“No, it’s not. It’s the truth.” He stared back at Caspian, unflinching, and waited to see the disappointment and derision he was due.
“I get it. You were late to the party. You ignored your magic, pretended it didn’t exist, and now you’re still doing it.”
“I’m not ignoring it. It’s just not there.”
“Of course it’s bloody there. I’ve seen you use it, and I can feel it now! You used it on us in my home last year! And on those bloody vampires. And at the Crossroads Circus,” he said, reminding him of what El had pointed out.
“It was a fluke.”
Caspian looked up at the ceiling. “The Goddess give me strength.” He levelled his gaze at Reuben again. “Water elemental magic is malleable, moody. It flows, seeping through cracks and finding ways through all sorts of things, much like water itself does. It wears things down over time. And, in large quantities, like the sea or raging rivers or masses of rain,” he threw his arms out, indicating the rain they could hear falling on the roof, “it is immensely powerful! But it is also intuitive, like you.”
“I’m not intuitive.”
“Yes, you are. You are one of the most intuitive witches I know. You feel every one of your friends, I can tell. You tune into them, their moods, their doubts, their happiness. That’s why you’re the joker. You like to put them at their ease, massaging the mood of the group, picking them up when they’re down, celebrating with them when they’re happy. You do it so instinctively you don’t even know you’re doing it.”
Reuben fell silent, debating whether Caspian was taking the piss, and then cast his mind back to when he was with them. Did he do that?
Caspian continued, “They like spending time with you, everyone does. You’re popular because you flow with people. You roll with your moods—or rather, their moods. Water is the most emotional element, more so than the psyche. We’re made of water. Water is life-giving, which means you have some healing abilities, too. And bodies of water—rivers, springs, lakes—are considered sacred spaces. And of course, you surf. You’ll use your magic then too, as I’m sure you know, but again because it’s so instinctive, you don’t even question it. Am I right?”
“You might be right about the surfing,” he grudgingly admitted.
Caspian smirked. “I’m right about it all. And that elemental magic is deep within you, like a well at your centre, and you have barely begun to tap it.”
Shadow had said a similar thing when he’d first met her, so had Oswald once, but this was the first time anyone had picked up on some of the things he did and hadn’t even noticed. He began to feel just the slightest bit more positive. “Perhaps.”
“The trouble with elemental water is that it is so malleable, so…well, watery. You think you’ve got it, and then it’s gone again, but you have to remember it’s still always there, and it flows through your veins, rich and full of life.”
“And how is that going to help me now?”
“I need you to be at your most instinctive. Let your emotional awareness flow around this spell. Water is a big part of it.” Caspian stared into the spinning words. “I think they used it because this is about cursing pirates, who are at their most comfortable at sea. And like I said, water in a mass is incredibly destructive. It sweeps away everything before it. But,” Caspian studied the spell from different angles, “this is structured differently to any spell I’ve seen before. The words are tangled together, like a knot, and we need to find the end of it to untangle it and read it fully. That’s what we’re looking for.”
“The end of the thread.” Reuben looked at the spell again, trying to let his instincts take over. He took a deep breath, and then addressing the spell rather than Caspian, said, “Thanks.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Thank me when we’ve cracked this thing. And by the way, don’t do anything too dramatic. We don’t want to end up unconscious again.”
Briar was covered in a layer of sand and earth, the ground hard beneath her, a dull ringing in her ears.
For a moment she was stunned, and then as reality filtered in, she leapt to her feet, brushing earth from her eyes and blinking rapidly to clear her vision. She was on the far side of the cave and the air was filled with dust, clogging her nose and throat. She reached for her t-shirt, pulling the hem over her nose and mouth as she tried to see the others.
Ash was circling overhead, the beat of his huge wings helping to clear the air. Around her, the others staggered to their feet, Ben pulling Cassie free from a mound of earth, and Newton cocking his shotgun.
But where was Alex, and what had happened?
“Alex!” she shouted, running to where she had last seen him.
He had been searching the final area they had uncovered. She scrambled over the debris, horrible memories of Gil’s death flooding back. They had found him behind the boxes, his neck broken, his eyes vacant.
For a second, grief overcame her and she couldn’t breathe. If Alex was dead…
In seconds, Newton had ran past her, throwing the remnants of boxes out of the way with surprising strength. He was quickly followed by Ben and Cassie, while she just stood there, unable to move.
What was the matter with her? She needed to focus. She needed to find Alex.
A blur of wings above her made her look up, and Ash streaked to where the mound of rubble and earth was biggest, grabbed something that was sticking out of the surface, and hauled a limp body out.
Briar collapsed, her eyes filling with tears. No. No.
Avery stared at the wall of rock, desperately trying to move it with her magic, but it stayed firmly put, and she could feel tears threatening to fall. She blinked them back, furious with herself.
“There’s no way past that,” Dylan said to Avery, his hand on her shoulder. “And if you succeed in some way, you might bring more down in the process.” He nodded up to where a huge crack ran across the rocky roof of the cave, and pulled her back with him so they were well away from the cave entrance and any potential rock fall.
“I have to get through.” Water streamed down her face as the raging weather buffeted them, and she shook his hand off. “Our friends are through there.”
“We need to find another way,” he said calmly, holding her gaze with his own.
She took a deep breath. He was right. She ha
d to focus. But all she could think of was Alex. “What if they’re injured, or…” She couldn’t bring herself to say the word.
“And what if they’re not? What if this debris has just fallen between us, not in the main cave? Come on; let’s get back to shelter and El.”
He pulled her across the stony beach and into the bubble of protection, where El was still focussing on the cliffs. As they entered she started to smile, and then she saw their faces. “What’s wrong?”
“A rock fall has blocked the cave,” Dylan said quickly, shooting a nervous glance at Avery. “We have no idea how big it is, but we can’t get through.”
El was stunned into silence, her shoulders sagging, and she looked towards the entrance. “How bad?”
“Very,” Avery said, finding her voice. “I couldn’t move it with magic.”
A portion of rock suddenly sheared off with a rumble, completely occluding the entrance, and Avery was suddenly grateful for Dylan’s calm advice.
“Thanks,” she said to him. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“You’re worried about Alex, it’s understandable. El, any luck?”
“Yes. I’ve been focussing on energy and heat signatures, and I can see a section up there that’s emitting an energy similar to what’s above us.” She pointed halfway up the cliff face over on the right. “I think it’s the entrance to a passage, or another cave.”
Dylan grabbed his camera and focussed on the area, magnifying the image, and Avery saw that El was right. It was like a flame, flickering within the cliff.
Pushing her fear about Alex aside, Avery took a deep breath. “I can fly up there. Give me a moment, and I’ll check it out. If it’s clear, I’ll come back for both of you.”
And before any of them could complain, she summoned air and vanished.
As Reuben teased the last of the elemental water away, the words of the spell floated free, lining up into orderly sentences, still hovering over the page.
“Well done,” Caspian muttered. “Let’s see what this says.”
Reuben had been working on the opposite side of the table, but now he moved around and sat next to Caspian, studying the words with him. It had taken a good hour to unravel the spell, and the start had been the hardest. Essentially, the tendril of elemental water was as sinuous and undulating as a stream, and grasping it was like trying to pick up water between your finger and thumb. But as he’d relaxed into it, he’d finally made the connection.
As he worked on his part, Caspian untangled the other. It felt like they were performing surgery together, and was certainly weird, but oddly satisfying. And Caspian, surprisingly, had been incredibly patient and utterly focussed.
As he studied the words, Reuben realised it wasn’t just an incantation; it listed the ingredients, too. Salt water, dried and ground kelp, sea holly, thrift, and sea kale, as well as dragon’s blood, cinnamon, camomile, and sandalwood. Right at the beginning was Coppinger’s name.
“Bloody hell, Reuben, this is a horrible spell,” Caspian said, raising an eyebrow in masterful understatement. “The strength of it lies in the fact that it directs the evil of Coppinger and his gang back at them.” He pointed to a line of script. “‘And by your hand, all that walk with you shall suffer your fate. By wealth, by stealth, each raid by blade, to all who have lost and failed to grow old, thou shall know their pain a thousand fold.’”
“It does extend to his men, then.”
“Absolutely. The spell turns the offenders’ ill deeds back on them ‘a thousand fold.’ Then it uses their greed to bind them to the treasure, ensuring it acts as a poison, rendering a slow and painful death. Their spirits are then denied rest. It says, ‘As your spirit leaves your body it will be forever bound to the object of your desire, and ye shall never rest. Not by night, by day, by dark or full of moon, by sunshine, rain, or snow. Thou shall always be a slave to that which wrought your doom.’”
“The ingredients are water-based plants or seaside plants, too,” Reuben noted. “I guess that explains why the water element is so strong. How do we break it?”
“Good question.”
While Caspian stared at the words, Reuben stood and stretched his legs, heading over to the thermal imaging camera still trained on the island. He frowned and squinted at the image. “Er, Caspian. There’s been a development.”
“What?” He was at his side in seconds.
“The ship. It’s heading back to Gull Island, and there seems to be some big plume of energy rising even higher. Like an explosion.”
The ship had almost disappeared again, only the stern visible.
They stared at each other bleakly, and without another word, returned to the spell.
Chapter 29
Alex heard voices shouting his name, and felt someone gripping his shoulders, shaking him. His eyes jolted open. “Herne’s horns! What the hell’s going on?” he groaned.
“You scared the shit out of us, that’s what!” Newton said, looming over him.
“I did? What did I do?” He struggled to sit up, and Newton extended a hand, helping to pull him upright.
Alex’s head pounded, and he rubbed his face, feeling it covered with dust and grit. He blinked, the black spots in his vision finally clearing, and he saw Briar sitting next to him, pale and silent. “Briar, are you okay?”
“I am now! For one horrible moment…”
Memories of the explosion flooded back, and he suddenly remembered finding a trapdoor covered by layers of earth, alerted to its presence by the seal of magic.
“I think I found the passage!” He looked around him, realising he was sitting on a mound of dirt a short distance from where he’d originally been. Ash, Cassie, and Ben were there now, peering into a hole in the ground and talking quietly.
“I remember now. I released the door, and felt a surge of power. I tried to deflect it.” He looked behind him. “That way.”
Newton nodded. “You successfully deflected it, but you’ve also brought the next cave’s roof down.”
“Shit! Avery!” He’d reacted so instinctively that he’d had no time to think about where to direct the blast. “What if they were in there?”
Briar regarded him steadily. “Hopefully they’ve thrown up a protective shield, or were on the beach, but it would be good to know for sure. Any chance you could try to connect to them? I mean,” she glanced to where the hole in the floor beckoned, “we need to go, but it would be good to see if they’re okay first.”
“Sure.” He nodded wishing the ringing in his ears would stop.
Newton stood up. “I’m going to join the others. Make it quick, Alex. We need to get moving.”
As he trudged over to the others, Briar said, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Sorry I gave you a shock.” He knew exactly what she’d been fearing…and remembering.
“I’ll forgive you.” She stood, too. “I’ll give you some privacy and see you over there.”
Alex took a few deep breaths and then reached out his awareness, feeling for Avery with his subconscious. He’d done this before, and because of their strong connection he could normally find her quickly, but now…nothing. Frustrated, he kept trying, but it was as if something was blocking him, and he realised it was probably the strong magic that was pouring through the trap door. He rose to his feet and joined the others, staring at the steps leading downwards.
“Any luck?” Briar asked.
“Nope. Too much energy buzzing around.” He tried to sound more confident than he felt. “I’m sure they’re fine.”
“I agree,” Ash said, turning to him. The Nephilim looked as dusty as the rest of them, but his eyes burned with intrigue. “Glad to see you’re back on your feet.” He gestured to the passage. “Quick question before we head down there. You say this was sealed?”
Alex nodded. “Yeah, with magic. Nothing complex. I didn’t expect that surge of power to come out of it.”
“Well,” Briar said, “unpleasant though that wa
s, I think it confirms we’re heading in the right direction. The centre of Virginia and Serephina’s spell is through there.”
Ben’s EMF meter was issuing a high-pitched, steady whine, and he said, “There’s some serious psychic energy in there—lots! I think this is spirit central.”
“Why do I have the feeling we’re entering a crypt?” Cassie asked.
Ash swept the Empusa’s sword from its scabbard. “Unfortunately, I think that’s exactly what this is. Ready?”
“Ready,” Alex answered, already taking the first step downwards. “Let’s finish this.”
Avery led Dylan and El down the tunnel that cut into the cliff, a witch-light bobbing ahead of them.
When she’d used witch-flight to fly to the tunnel’s entrance, she found a series of shallow steps carved into the rock, leading up to the headland above, and she’d wondered if it was an escape route. Confirming the tunnel was clear, she’d fetched the others, and they’d now been walking inland for several minutes, on a steady downward trajectory. She quickened as she heard the boom of surf, and seeing a glow of green light ahead, extinguished the witch-light. Feeling the light was ominously familiar, she cautiously edged forward before coming to a sudden stop, the others clustering around her.
“What’s going on?” El asked.
“Herne’s bollocks,” Dylan muttered as they took in the space in front of them. “It’s a bloody pirate lair!”
They were at the side of a large cavern that glowed with a green and blue light. It emanated from a spectral, blazing fire on a beach edging a deep-water cove. The light made it seem as if the whole place was underwater, just like Reuben’s attic. The bay was cut off from the sea by a massive wall of fractured rock that had sheered a ship in the bay in half. The rotten timbers wallowed in the deep water, leaving only the bowsprit, masts, and tattered sails visible.