Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Revelations

by Lydia Sherrer

  * * *

  The rest of that week wasn’t nearly as pleasant as her meeting-turned-date with Agent Grant. A large shipment of books for the upcoming semester had somehow gone astray and she had a dreadful time tracking it down. She was kept busy scheduling last-minute orders in case it didn’t arrive, and rearranging the reserves with all the professors’ new selections for their classes—changed at least three times before she finally put her foot down, of course. Finals for summer classes had been the last week of July, so all the books on reserve had to be rotated out to make room for the fall semester books. Though classes didn’t start until the last week of August, it was essential to get the stacks and archives organized well before that to make sure the incoming students had everything needed ahead of time.

  Lily’s week was especially hectic because she had to get everything organized and lined up by end of business Friday. She’d taken the next week off, in case she had reason to extend her stay at John Faust’s estate. If things were less informative than she anticipated, she could simply cancel her vacation time and come back early. But, if everything worked out, she’d have significant research to do to keep her busy. Penny, her assistant, could oversee the process of actually moving the approved books next week, and Lily would double-check everything once she got back. Penny was an excellent assistant when she had clear instructions to follow, and she never seemed to get bored with moving things around—or else bossing the work-study students who were usually assigned the actual grunt work. Lily was apt to get distracted when she saw an interesting title, and so she stuck to organizing the databases and making the rotation plans. The only actual moving she ever did was when some of the fragile documents or valuable books from the closed archives needed to be handled, or when they were sending or receiving such documents to and from other libraries.

  To make matters worse, Sebastian kept trying to call her. On Thursday, after she ignored the first call, he kept calling once every minute, obviously in an attempt to annoy her into answering. So she turned her phone off. When she turned it back on, she deleted the five waiting voicemails without listening to them. After that, he made only a few more half-hearted attempts. She got so used to ignoring him that she almost missed a call late in the day from Rick. Scrambling for the phone, she managed to pick up on the very last ring, and so her voice was rather breathless when she answered.

  “Yes? Hello?” Not the cool, collected, and thoroughly unruffled impression she’d hoped to give.

  “Hello Miss Singer. I’m not interrupting anything, I hope?”

  “No, not at all,” she hurried to assure him. “It’s just, I had set my phone down, and had to rush to pick it up and...well, anyway, what can I do for you?”

  “Well, I had hoped we might spend a little more time together, if you’d like. I apologize for rushing off yesterday. It comes with the job, unfortunately. I wanted to make it up to you by offering dinner sometime. I know a nice little diner on Ponce De Leon called Majestic. Would next Friday work?”

  Lily’s heart rate picked up. She was being asked on a date—a real date—by a handsome guy who seemed halfway decent, could argue Greek philosophy, and didn’t wear pocket protectors. Was this really happening?

  “Hello? Are you still there?” Rick’s voice echoed over the radio waves of distance between them and Lily was jerked back to reality.

  “Sorry, yes.”

  “Yes, you’re still there? Or yes, you’d like dinner?” he asked, and Lily could hear the amusement in his voice.

  “Both. But I’ll be gone on vacation next week, so it will have to be the week after.”

  “Oh, vacation? Going anywhere nice?”

  “Um, not really. Just staying close to home and relaxing. I like to keep things simple.” The truth—that she was going to meet a mysterious wizard and delve into the secrets of her past—was much more information than Rick needed to know. Now, or ever.

  “Well, enjoy your vacation, Miss Singer. I’ll see you in two weeks. Is it alright if I pick you up about six?”

  “I...yes, that’s fine,” she said, about to refuse but changing her mind. Ponce De Leon avenue was close to home. She could always get a taxi back if the date went awry, as they usually did. She had terrible luck with men.

  “Great. I’ll see you then. Have a good evening.”

  “Thank you. You as well.” She hung up and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She’d carried on a normal conversation and had successfully been asked on a date. It felt like something she should celebrate, but she didn’t drink wine and wasn’t one to yell triumphantly or pump her fist. In any case, she still had mountains of work to do.

  When she finally returned home after staying late at the office, she was relieved to find another spelled letter waiting for her, this time with directions to the LeFay estate. A bit of the tension she’d been carrying around all week loosened. John Faust was obviously courteous and understanding, as evidenced by his willingness to change plans to accommodate her. That was a good sign.

  There was just time to make dinner and pack for her trip before bed. Sir Kipling followed her from room to room, listing reasons she shouldn’t go or why she should, at least, take him with her.

  Finally, she got fed up. “Look, Kip, I’m going, and you’re not. That’s final. Will you please leave me alone and let me pack?”

  “I’m supposed to keep an eye on you,” he meowed plaintively. “How am I supposed to do that if I’m here and you’re there?”

  “Someone has to look after the house while I’m gone. I need you here.”

  “Poppycock.”

  Lily raised an eyebrow. Where had her cat learned such a word? “Fine. Look at it from this perspective: people don’t normally travel with pets. They especially don’t take their pets to strange places uninvited. It’s unhealthy for the pet and rude to the host.”

  “I’ll be fine, and I’m sure Mr. LeFay is a cat person. All smart people are.”

  “Maybe I don’t want you around. Maybe I don’t want this LeFay man to know I have an intelligent familiar who can communicate. If you’re so concerned about his trustworthiness, we should keep you a secret.”

  “Excellent plan. So I’ll go with you and lurk about unseen.”

  “No!” Lily threw up her hands. “Mundanes might not notice you, but this is a powerful wizard we’re talking about. I don’t want to risk it. You’re staying here.”

  “You’re being foolish.”

  “And you’re being annoying, so we’re even.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I.” Hands on hips, Lily glared at her cat, and he glared right back. Unfortunately for her, he happened to be far better at glaring than she was. She chalked it up to his being a cat and relented. A little bit. “Look, how about this. I’ll put a location spell on your collar and my bracelet. That way we’ll always be able to find each other, no matter where we are. So, if something goes wrong you can bring help.”

  “And how will I know if something goes wrong, pray tell?” he asked, glare easing only a microfraction.

  “I don’t know. How do you walk through walls and be invisible?”

  “I don’t. I’m a cat. Enough said.”

  “Then use your ‘cat magic.’ I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Now, will you please leave me alone? I have to finish packing.”

  With one last glare, he stalked off, leaving her feeling alone and uneasy. She pushed the feelings away and finished her preparations. This was important. It might be her only chance to find out the truth. Maybe it was a bit risky, but she’d figure it out. She had to.

  * * *

  The next morning, Sir Kipling wouldn’t speak to her. So she did her spell in silence, casting a location link between bracelet and collar. The spell would give the bearers a feeling of direction, like a compass, pointing the way to each other. You didn’t have to tap the Source to feel it, so it would work for mundanes—or cats, in this case—as well as wizards. Once finished, she gathered all her thi
ngs and left the house without a word of farewell.

  Before getting into the car, once at a stoplight, and again when she got to the library, she carefully searched her car, ensuring that Sir Kipling hadn’t stowed away somewhere discreet. He was nowhere to be found. Obviously he’d decided it wasn’t worth bothering, knowing she’d find him and take him back.

  The day went by quickly and, before she knew it, it was five o’clock. She half expected Sebastian to waylay her again as she locked up her office, but he was nowhere in sight. With a feeling of relief, she headed to her car, excitement growing inside at the thought of the adventure she was about to embark upon.

  She pulled up short as she exited the library and found Sebastian leaning against her car, waiting for her. He was rolling that silver coin over his knuckles again, and she remembered the symbols on it she’d wanted to examine. Apparently he remembered, too, because as soon as he noticed her, he pocketed it and stood straight, looking apprehensive.

  As there was no avoiding him, she simply went to her car, keeping her mouth shut and her eyes straight ahead. Perhaps if she ignored him he would go away.

  “Look, Lily...are you okay? Usually when you’re sure you’re right, you waste no time putting me in my place. Why so secretive all of a sudden?”

  “There’s no secret,” she replied tersely, trying to get past him and to her car door. “It’s just none of your business.”

  Surprisingly, he didn’t make a scathing reply. He seemed to be making an effort to remain calm and respectful, keeping his razor-sharp sarcasm in check. “Okay. But it’s pretty normal for someone going on a trip to leave a point of contact for their hotel or wherever they’re staying, in case their pet gets sick while they’re gone or there’s an emergency at home. Maybe it’s not my business, but you’ve told someone where you’re going, right?”

  “Of course I have,” she said. It wasn’t really a lie. She’d cast that location spell, after all, so Sir Kipling would know where she was...in general terms. “Now, will you please move so I can leave? I have a schedule to keep.”

  Hands in pockets, he moved away from the car, brows angled in concern. “You know I’m just trying to help, right, Lil?”

  “Well, stop. I don’t need your help,” she said, brushing past without looking at him. “Have a nice weekend.” Swinging her purse into the passenger seat, she got in and closed the door, shutting out whatever he was about to say. She tried not to look at him as she pulled away, but she couldn’t help seeing his hunched shoulders and pained expression. As if he’d just been punched in the stomach. Fixing her eyes straight ahead, she didn’t glance at his image in her rearview mirror, though she could see from the corner of her eye that he remained frozen in place, staring after her as she drove away.

  ⎡⎡⎡⎡

  It turned out John Faust’s estate was much closer than Lily had imagined, a mere hour northeast of Atlanta—well, three hours if you started at five o’clock, when everybody else was leaving Atlanta, too. Throughout college and the years since, when she’d spent countless hours thinking about who her real family might be, she never imagined the information she sought would be so close. Because, of course, this mysterious wizard had to have information about her family. He’d said he had answers to her questions, and that was the question that had burned in her heart since she’d discovered she was a wizard herself. Obviously, as a powerful, connected member of the magical community, John Faust had the information she sought. Perhaps wizards kept their own genealogies. Maybe he knew her family personally. The thought was an exciting one, after so many years of fruitless questions.

  If only she’d had a name to go on, she might have found out who her family was by now. But her mother had never breathed a word about her past. It was a black hole of silence in their household. Lily had never found any public record mentioning her mother, not a marriage license, birth certificate, nothing. She hadn’t started looking seriously until she’d left for college, so there’d never been a chance to search the house for records; she hadn’t been home since. Oh, she sent Christmas cards and birthday presents. But she hadn’t laid eyes on her family in seven years. It wasn’t that she didn’t love them. She just didn’t fit in. They spent their time farming, she, reading. They got excited about tractor pulls and county fairs, she, exotic teas and historical manuscripts. After the furious fight with her mother the year she left for college, she couldn’t bring herself to go back and reconcile. It was just easier to stay away.

  Shaking off the feeling of loneliness such thoughts always brought on, she concentrated on the directions John Faust had given her. There’d been no address, just a step-by-step guide for someone leaving Atlanta and traveling north on Highway 19. Once she’d passed the worst of the rush-hour traffic, the drive went smoothly, and she even rolled down the windows to enjoy the early August evening. The scenery was peaceful, and she tried to use the time to figure out who John Faust could possibly want her to meet. A famous historian, perhaps? Maybe a mutual friend of Madam Barrington’s? Her mentor’s silence on the wizard community in general had always annoyed Lily, but she’d long since discovered it was useless trying to pry information from her she didn’t want to divulge. Her teacher would have made an excellent spy, with those tight lips of hers.

  Soon enough, she was nearing the end of her road trip. The directions said to follow Highway 19 to the north end of Lake Lanier, a large, man-made reservoir north of Atlanta. The next step was to turn east onto Route 318, which ran into the neighborhoods along the west side of the lake. She was supposed to follow it until it ended, so she kept an eye on her map as she drove. The road wound through mostly woods, though she frequently spotted houses through the trees or came upon open yards. Finally, she drove onto a peninsula of land, passing boat docks and parking lots for waterside activities. The road went over a neck of land onto what was almost an island, or at least would be during high water. It seemed deserted. She drove slower and slower as the road wound into thick woods, a mixture of deciduous and evergreen growth. Though the sun was still visible on the horizon, under the trees it was unnaturally dim, so she switched on her headlights. Finally, she reached a dead end. Confused, she scanned her map. As far as it was concerned, the road had ended. There was no house or buildings of any kind. She peered ahead at the guardrail and bright yellow sign that read “dead end.” A lone crow cawed in the distance, and Lily shivered involuntarily.

  Turning her car around with difficulty on the narrow road, she started driving back very slowly, searching on both sides for a driveway she’d missed. It was the bridge she spotted first. Looking through the trees where the road came close to the shore, she saw a dark line against the water. Following it with her eyes, she finally spotted the turnoff. Once she’d found it, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it the first time she drove past. It was there in plain sight. Yet she could have sworn there’d been nothing there a moment before.

  Relieved, she turned onto it and drove onward, trees bending down close over the driveway. Abruptly, the trees thinned and a sliver of evening sun broke through the foliage, almost blinding her. That’s when she felt the magic. It hit her like a wave and she was amazed she hadn’t felt it earlier. In front of her a bridge stretched across the water for a hundred yards, closing the gap between the peninsula and a true island that sat surrounded by deep water. The magic didn’t even start until the island shore on the other side of the bridge, but she could feel it all the way over here. It was blatant. Obvious. Someone didn’t care if anyone magical knew where they were. Mundanes, on the other hand, would never find the place unless they knew exactly where to look.

  Halfway across the bridge she felt the urge to turn back. It was an external, not internal urge, and she recognized it for the spell it was. Pushing onward, she finally reached the high gates at the other end that barred her from proceeding onto the island. Perched on one wrought iron peak sat the lone crow she’d heard earlier. It was so big she wondered if it wasn’t a raven. But it couldn�
�t be, as they didn’t live this far south. It examined her with beady eyes, then croaked and took off, winging away over the island.

  Nervous at the forbidding gate, it took Lily a moment to notice the panel to the side, illuminated in the setting sun. She pulled her car close and pressed the call button on it.

  “Please state your name and business,” said a cool, mechanical voice.

  Hesitating, Lily leaned in and said, “Lily Singer. I’m here to see Mr. John Faust LeFay.”

  There was a slight pause, then, “Thank you. You may proceed.” The gates swung open, and Lily drove forward. As she passed through she felt multiple wards, very strong ones, slide over her like heavy silk fabric. They examined her and ultimately let her pass. Someone around here liked their privacy, she thought. The place was warded like the magical equivalent of Fort Knox.

  The road passed back under thick foliage that blocked out what little sunlight was left. It wound through the trees for another hundred yards or so until the tree line ended abruptly, giving way to manicured lawn and gardens. She felt more wards, spells for seeing, for warning, for hindrance. As she approached the house, she spotted what looked like a tennis court off to one side and a horse stable in the distance. The house was surrounded by a smaller, more ornamental wall, and its beautifully wrought gates stood open as the road left the lawns and passed through to a circular drive with a fountain in the middle. Resisting the temptation to hang out of her window and get a good look at the enormous building before her, she pulled all the way up and parked by the wide front steps before clambering out to gaze in wonder at the LeFay family mansion.