People of Fae

by M.M. Gavillet

  Chapter Seven

  Eli

  Eli wished he had never woken up. His head throbbed with each heartbeat making it hurt worse with each beat. Pushing through the pain, he sat up rubbing his goose egg size bump on his head.

  “Here is something that will make your headache go away,” Lizzi said, in a soft voice.

  Eli looked at her. Holding a glass in front of him, Lizzi smiled at him with her icy, blue eyes twinkling at him.

  “It really works.” Lizzi moved a little closer to Eli.

  Eli glanced at it then back at her. Gingerly, he took it from her and drank the sweet, cool, juice until it was gone.

  “Now, in about a half an hour, it will be like it was never there.” Lizzi smiled at him.

  Eli laid back down looking up at the ceiling. “Where is Li- I mean Zoey.”

  “She had to go somewhere for a little bit. She’ll be back soon.” Lizzi stood up peering down at him.

  “This isn’t how everything was supposed to go.” He spoke his thought aloud.

  Eli closed his eyes and held his head to contain the throbbing.

  “Zoey talked a lot about you,” Lizzi said, sitting back down.

  Eli turned his head looking at the girl. Her slick black hair was pulled back letting only a few strands frame her rounded childlike face. Her thin pink lips curled into a smile.

  “What did she say?” Eli inquired on her comment.

  “Mostly girl things. She liked the way you kissed and she was always talking about how passionate you were with her.” Lizzi then stopped biting her lip. “Look, I shouldn’t have told you that, but Zoey is so kind and I hate for her to lose you….again. I know what I am saying is way too revealing, but I had to because time isn’t on your side for your relationship to grow on its own.”

  Eli’s head began to hurt worse. He gave a moan and tried to forget what Lizzi had just told him.

  “Please just go,” Eli said not even looking at her.

  He felt her gaze upon him for only a moment before she quietly left the room. Eli was glad she had gone as he sat up thinking about Zoey. Did she really care for him? If she wanted him she would have tried harder to get him out of prison. He ran his fingers through his hair and gingerly touched the bump on his forehead. His pain began to dissolve and thinking about a plan of action was much easier.

  The room Eli was in was simple with only a bed, nightstand and a chair. The wall was made of logs mortared together with clay-like substance. Several hooks lined the wall in front of him, and his cape hung from one of them.

  Slowly he got up and put it on before he pushed the door open as quietly as he could. A crackling fire greeted him with a table in front of that. The room was unadorned and filled with only things of necessity. Pots and pans hung over the fireplace, a shelf behind the table held a few jars of provisions and a small stack of wood for feeding the fire.

  “Ah, Sleeping Beauty joins us,” the boy said, taking his feet off the chair he had them on.

  “Shut up, Wes.” Lizzi scolded at him in a whisper. “You have absolutely no manners.”

  “That’s not true. I do have them, but I’m not going to waste them on some wanna-be-sentry.” Wes propped his feet back up and stuck his nose into a book he had on his lap.

  Eli didn’t care what they thought of him, and much less of what they said. He had a mission and a mission only.

  “Look, I have nothing to offer you here and I will be on my way.” Eli wanted to keep his parting words simple.

  He walked over to the door, reached for the handle when a large hand flicked his hand away.

  “I believe Zoey said for you to stay,” Elijah the head-butting Giant said, smiling down at him.

  Eli withdrew his hand swallowing hard. “Really sir,” Wes let out a small snicker. “I mean, thank you, but I have my own mission and for the record I am nothing to your leader Zoey because if I was, she would’ve contacted me sooner, and not leave me to rot in prison.”

  “Do I sense resentment?” Wes asked behind him. Eli ignored his comment as Lizzi scolded him with a shush.

  “But I would like for you to stay with us and have dinner. I want to make up for your bump there. I am really sorry about that, but you left me no choice. I would hate to give you a matching set.” Elijah placed his large hand on his back and turned Eli towards a chair. “Now, come and join us here.”

  Eli sat across from Lizzi who smiled at him. Eli could only wonder how much private information Zoey shared with her. The thought of that made him feel uncomfortable.

  “You need to be properly introduced to us. My name is Elijah and I believe you know Lizzi and Wes.” Elijah said placing a steaming bowl of broth in front of him. “Sorry I couldn’t make anything better. I hate it when we are not at home where all of my supplies are.”

  “You mean you don’t live here?” Eli asked.

  “No.” Lizzi leaned towards Eli from across the table. “We live closer to the Arrinia ruins.”

  “We will be going there tonight or at least headed back that way. Zoey is supposed to come back tonight,” Elijah said smiling before taking a slurp of his broth.

  Eli glanced at them resting his eyes on Wes who had his nose still buried in a book. Eli thought the book looked familiar. It looked like Lyssa’s, the Etherling’s, book. Frantically, he opened his cape reaching into the side pocket he had the Everspell in. It was gone.

  “Give that back right now!” Eli jumped up nearly taking the table with him.

  Wes paid no attention to him. Eli knocked his feet from the chair glaring at him before ripping the book from his hands.

  “I was only reading it,” Wes said, standing up. “It’s just a book.”

  “It is something your pea-sized brain doesn’t understand, and something your sickly mits should not latch on to.”

  “I wasn’t stealing it,” Wes said defensively.

  “I wasn’t accusing you of stealing.” Eli placed the book back into his pocket. “You just admitted to it when you said you weren’t stealing it.”

  Wes kicked the chair aside stepping within inches of Eli’s face. Eli had dealt with liars and thieves with the same fire in their eyes when they had gotten caught.

  “I am not a thief. The book fell from your pocket when Elijah here gave you a little love tap on your head. I picked it up or you would’ve never found it.”

  Eli gazed at him. “Yes, maybe so, but were you planning on giving it back.”

  “Why would I care about the ravings of some lunatic girl Etherling? Better yet, why would you?” Wes then turned to his comrades. “I told you he is no good and we should just tell Zoey he escaped into the woods.”

  “That would be a lie, Wes.” Lizzi prompted.

  “I do have to ask you, Eli,” Elijah stepped closer. “What purpose does the book have, especially something from the Etherworld. Zoey would like to know as well.”

  Lyssa

  “Wake up darling.” Lyssa felt Deravon’s breath on her ear.

  Lyssa slowly opened her eyes. Her mouth felt like she just ate a bottle of glue and her neck ached from sleeping on the couch.

  “What is going on?” She asked half asleep.

  “Time for plan “B”… especially since your Auntie Gwen and Uncle Sean had to go unexpectedly.”

  “Where did they go?” Lyssa asked standing up.

  “Look darling, if you want this all to come to an end, rescue your father and save the world,” Deravon twirled his hand in the air, “then come with me because we can’t waste time.”

  Lyssa didn’t have a chance to answer before Deravon took her by the wrist, helped her with her coat and shoes before going outside.

  Lyssa followed Deravon into the forest until they came to a large oak tree. He ran his fingers over the rough texture, and then put his ear to the trunk, and closed his eyes as if trying to hear something. Lyssa looked at him like he’d gone mad.

  “De
ravon, what are you doing?”

  He held up his finger for her to be quiet. Lyssa watched his strange actions wondering if he was just plain crazy.

  “This tree is very agreeable or actually, I am sorry.” Deravon turned from Lyssa as if apologizing to the tree. “A beautiful Landmerrow you are. We are in luck Etherling, we can pass here and quite secretly as well.”

  “Through a tr—” Deravon quickly placed his hand over her mouth.

  “Don’t say that word because it isn’t what you think.” Deravon’s eyes gazed into her as he slowly released his hand.

  “What is it then?” Lyssa asked as Deravon got out a thin silver rod about the size of a pencil. Lyssa remembered Cinnia having one.

  “…A spirit of the woods, the land, a protector and guardian of the forest. There aren’t many left, and I suspect that your aunt and uncle are harboring this one from certain death from the Fae world.”

  Lyssa looked up at the twisted limbs that had large knots everywhere on it. She was always fascinated by its sheer size and tree characteristics. Sean even hung a swing from it years ago. She never realized it was anything else but a tree.

  Gold leaves fell from its massive limbs resting gently beside Lyssa. Deravon intricately ran a thin line of light over the rough bark, slowly connecting his lines until a doorway was constructed.

  “You just made a portal,” Lyssa said, standing next to Deravon.

  “Very good, you get an A plus.” Deravon put his silver pencil away. “Now...”

  “Deravon!” A voice ran through the trees. “Deravon!” The voice repeated.

  Deravon didn’t answer, only gazed over the landscape. “Lil?”

  Lyssa saw her just cresting over the top of the hill. The woman’s hair was red-gold just like Zoey’s. Her movements were agile as she quickly descended the hill until she was standing in front of them trying to catch her breath.

  Lyssa could hardly believe her eyes. The woman looked exactly like Zoey except her features were angled more. She smiled at Lyssa the same warm way Zoey always had. She was always happy to see Lyssa, to hear what she had to say no matter how stupid it was. That was Zoey—the one person she could say anything to, and was always there to help her no matter what.

  “Zoey?” Lyssa questioned in a meek voice.

  The woman gave a small laugh. “Lyssa, I look a little different don’t I?”

  “You left me.” Zoey’s smile faded and that was not what Lyssa really wanted to say. She envisioned them reuniting with a hug then talking into the night, and then Zoey telling her that her and her dad were going to marry and they’d be a true family. From the pit of Lyssa’s heart, she’d never thought of saying what she just did—it simply bubbled up from the heartache she’d contained.

  “I never left you.” Zoey shook her head as she moved closer.

  Lyssa backed away. “You left with only a note on the table.” Lyssa’s desire to be in Zoey’s arms, hear her sing and talk, transitioned into anger.

  “This reunion would be better if we could pass through the tree!” Deravon motioned towards the Landmerrow as a deep groan filled the wood, and the portal began to fade. “No! I’m sorry for my ignorance, Landmerrow!” Deravon pleaded.

  The portal faded as if it was never there.

  “Great,” Deravon said. “Now we will have to find another way, because no one is going to be able to charm that one again.” Deravon pointed with his thumb to the tree behind him.

  “Lyssa, I never meant to hurt you. That was the last thing I wanted.” Zoey stepped closer to Lyssa.

  Lyssa didn’t step back. She wanted to hug Zoey so hard and make her promise to never leave again. But she couldn’t. Lyssa didn’t want to. She let herself love and it only betrayed her. She then realized that there was no one she could trust, no one that truly just wanted to help her.

  “You must’ve never thought twice about it because you did! You left me and it hurt!” Lyssa bolted through the trees with Zoey yelling her name and Deravon going on about how they didn’t have time for this.

  Lyssa didn’t care. She ran dodging the low limbs that seemed to be reaching for her trying to stop her. She pushed through them until she reached the backyard. She didn’t know where she was going, and she didn’t care, because it didn’t matter where she went now.

  Lyssa ran to the front of the house and found Toby’s truck parked crossways in the driveway. She stopped dead in her tracks with Zoey and Deravon behind her.

  “Toby,” Lyssa said his name going over to the truck.

  “Lyssa.” Zoey came up behind her.

  The truck looked empty until she reached the passenger’s side window. Hunched over in the seat was Toby. His eyes were closed and his skin shifted in greyness.

  “Lyssa, you need to put everything aside and help me with Toby,” Zoey said opening the door.

  “What happened?” Lyssa asked supporting Toby’s right side.

  “It is a spell, Lyssa…a very bad one too,” Zoey said. “I can’t cure him on my own. I need Sean’s help.”

  They took Toby inside to the living room. Lyssa thought he looked dead, and if it wasn’t for the rise and fall of chest from breathing, he’d pass for a corpse. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. His grey skin shifted in color like something was just on the surface flowing over his skin.

  “Zoey, I saw this before,” Lyssa said, turning to Zoey. “He gave me a ride home, and then started to freak out when I noticed these black snakes crawling over him. I pulled them off and threw them out the truck window.” Lyssa gently touched Toby’s cheek. The blackness cleared from where she touched him only to fill in when she removed her finger. “Zoey, how do we get rid of it?”

  Zoey gave her a grave look. “That is why we need Sean.”

  “They won’t be back for a while,” Deravon said, standing behind them.

  Without a word, Zoey got up and went into the kitchen. Lyssa followed wondering what she was doing. She quickly turned on the gas stove as the flame made a poof sound upon ignition. Pulling out a copper pan, she filled it with water and then began to search the cabinets.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “…Things to make an elixir at least to slow the poison. Whoever did the spell, made it so it would self-destruct when someone tried to pull it out manually.”

  “You mean Toby is going to die?” Lyssa felt a lump in her throat.

  “No, Lyssa.” Zoey stopped and turned to her. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

  Zoey continued pulling open a bottom drawer. “Ah ha, here it is,” she said pulling an old key out.

  “A key is going to save him?” Lyssa asked.

  “What it opens behind a door is what will save him. Come on, we’re going to Sean’s potion cellar.”

  Zoey opened a tall pantry cabinet filled with all the normal canned and boxed goods. Gwen had her pantry custom made, and Lyssa could see why. Placing the pull-out shelves a certain way opened to the back where a small glass knob with a keyhole in it sat.

  Zoey shoved in the key and turned it opening the whole back of the pantry. A black abyss opened before them with an unexpected blast of vanilla.

  “It smells like cookies.” Lyssa commented on the appealing odor.

  “Gwen has always kept things nice. She likes the smell of vanilla.” Zoey pointed down at an electrical outlet with an air freshener plugged in.

  Zoey stepped in as a blue light illuminated the first step. Lyssa followed going down a set of rock steps that illuminated one by one as they went down.

  The air was still, and yet fresh smelling for going in what seemed like a basement. The stairs then took a small curve that opened to a large room with a ball of gold light shining above them. The diffused light made shadows around them, but Lyssa could tell the room was circular with shelves all around. Neatly arranged jars sat on the shelves that were labeled with a single marking of curving lines.
>
  “I never knew this was here,” Lyssa said amazed. “How do we find the right potion?”

  “We ask.” Zoey smiled back at Lyssa. “Cellar Keeper, I have a request.” Zoey’s voice seemed to echo in the room that didn’t appear to be very large.

  “I ask the Cellar Keeper for assistance.”

  “What service do you ask?” A rough, dry voice that sounded like it hadn’t spoken in years, echoed from the darkness.

  In the middle of the room, Lyssa could vaguely see a shadow appear. It was thin and almost vine like as it twisted up from the dirt floor. Two yellow eyes gazed down at Zoey and Lyssa. Its true appearance was still shrouded in darkness as it hovered over them.

  “I seek your wisdom in the removal of spell….ones made by Banshees.” Zoey peered up at the creature that held Lyssa in amazement.

  “Humm…Banshee…Tricky…..But not tricky enough for the Cellar Keeper. Now what is the password for my knowledge?”

  “Password,” Lyssa said under her breath.

  Lyssa looked at Zoey. She felt doomed. A password could be anything and Lyssa thought with most things three tries and you’re out. She thought of pleading with the Cellar Keeper, but before she could say anything Zoey gazed back up with confidence in her voice and replied with the password.

  “The password is that there is no password. Knowledge is gained through trial and error not passwords.” Zoey looked back at Lyssa and slightly smiled.

  “You answer wisely. Banshee spells need to be drawn out slowly with one part tears of a frog prince and a kiss of a spider.” The Cellar Keeper then began to curl downward slowly into the floor until it was gone.

  Zoey scrambled through the jars looking for what she needed.

  “Sean always keeps everything organized,” Zoey said with two jars in her hand. “Come on lets go.”

  Zoey and Lyssa scrambled up the stairs, closed the hidden door behind them and then went over to the boiling water. Zoey opened the green bottle first. She assumed that since the jar was green that it was the tears of a frog prince. It was quickly followed by the second black-brown jar with an oval shaped top.

  Zoey opened the cork top with a pop as pink smoke slowly drifted out and into the boiling concoction. Zoey gave it one stir and then turned off the burner.

  “Now, we will let it cool and hope it works.” Zoey sat the pot on a hot pad as she got down a mug.

  Toby

  Toby tried to move his legs and arms, but couldn’t, something had him bound hanging in midair. Slowly he opened his eyes and peered into the whiteness. He looked to his right and then left. He was sprawled out like a scarecrow, only something white and sticky was wrapped around his arms and legs.

  “Hello.” His voice echoed back at him.

  Suddenly, a flopping sound came from the infinity of whiteness—like feet on pavement, but only wet sounding. There were many of them slapping on the ground and coming closer to him. The slapping stopped, and was followed by croaking.

  Toby looked down to see Megan smiling up at him.

  “Megan?” Toby questioned his vision.

  Then came the slapping sound again, followed by more Megans’ that were attached to frog bodies. Hundreds of them gathered gazing up at him. Then, slowly one by one they crawled up the wall beside him, coming within inches of him. They smelled like week old garbage, and were slimy like a snail leaving thick goo where they touched him.

  Toby struggled to free himself, but the strong white fibers wouldn’t give. Suddenly, one of the Megan frogs came up in front of him opened her mouth and forced her slimy tongue into his mouth and down his throat until….

  “Stop!” Toby sat up in a dim light surrounded by several people.

  He tried to get up but someone pulled him down. His body ached and his stomach churned. He had never felt so bad before. He wondered if he was dead.

  Something cool touched his skin. It smelled sweet and comforting. He opened his eyes trying to see who was there, but he could only see shadows and flickers of light.

  “Who are you?” Toby asked in a rough voice.

  “It’s Zoey.” Her voice was soft and soothing. “Everything if fine now.”

  Everything faded to blackness with the sound of Zoey’s soothing voice.

  The smell of burned toast filled the air. Toby opened his eyes taking a moment to focus them. Above him was a ceiling fan, unmoving with sparkling glass globes that covered the light bulbs. It looked unfamiliar to him as he tied to piece his memory together.

  “Toby.” He heard Lyssa call his name.

  “Lyssa.” He felt like he had swallowed sand.

  “I made some toast for you,” she said presenting to him a tray.

  “I could smell it,” he replied sitting up.

  “I imagine you are wondering what’s going on.” Lyssa’s voice was soft.

  “Zoey told me a little when I went by your house to see if you were home.” Toby said between bites of slightly burned toast and sips of orange juice.

  “I am really sorry you had to be involved in such a mess.” Lyssa ran her fingers through her hair looking away with a distant look in her eyes.

  Toby looked at Lyssa. Something about her made him feel right, like they were meant to be together. He didn’t care where she came from or what she was involved in. He wanted to tell her this; he had to tell her this.

  “Lyssa…I don’t care how strange everything is. I want to be with you.” Toby looked at her even though she continued to stare across the room.

  “It’s a spell you know.” Lyssa turned her head looking at him. “A spell Zoey placed on you to…this is so embarrassing…to make you fall in love with me just because I had a crush on you and she used you to protect me. For all costs too.”

  “I don’t care, and I know it was a spell, but when I look at you I see a person who I want to be with. I’m tired of being with someone just because they are pretty.”

  “So you’re saying that you want to be with me even though I don’t look good just because it feels right?” Lyssa’s voice rang with a pinch of sarcasm.

  Toby let out a groan. “No!” He yelled making his head slightly hurt.

  “Toby,” Zoey said poking her head from behind the door. “I am glad you are up and I see Lyssa is taking care of you.”

  Zoey came in looking at both of them.

  Lyssa crossed her arms looking away. Toby didn’t mean for his words to come out like that. He was such an idiot with girls and now that he had one that meant something to him, Toby didn’t know how to talk to her.

  “Excuse me; I am going to take the tray down to Gwen.” Lyssa snatched the tray and went out the door.

  Zoey watched her leave casting her eyes back on Toby. “What is going on?”

  “I just put my foot in my mouth,” Toby said leaning back.

  Zoey tried to hide her smile as she sat down.

  “How are you feeling?” She asked.

  “I would be fine if my head didn’t feel like it just got ran over by a truck.” Toby couldn’t think straight with his head hurting so badly.

  “If it wasn’t for Sean you would feel much worse,” Zoey replied.

  “By the way, where exactly am I and who is Sean?” Toby opened his eyes back up looking at Zoey. “My parents are probably freaking out by now. Did you call them?”

  Zoey gave Toby a small reassuring smile, the kind that usually follows bad news. She let her eyes drop away as if trying to find the right words to say, then, she gently took his hand rubbing it in circular motions.

  “What are you doing?” Toby pulled it away.

  “Look at your palm,” Zoey simply said.

  Toby gazed at her for a moment, hesitated and wondered why she wanted him to look.

  Faint speckles of a glitter-like substance sparkled back at him. He turned it over trying to rub it off on the sheets. It was no use, whatever it was, was permanently on his skin.

&n
bsp; “What the hell is it? What did you do to me?” Toby whipped the blankets off, and stood up pacing the room trying to find his clothes. “I am taking Lyssa, and getting the hell out of this crazy house!”

  “Toby, listen to me,” Zoey calmly said, taking him by the arm.

  “Get your hands off of me!” Toby pushed Zoey away as he found his pants.

  His head throbbed and stomach ached, but all he could think about was getting away. Even though some things made sense to him now, he didn’t want any deeper into this.

  Trying to pull on his pants, Toby slipped and fell to the floor as Zoey pleaded with him to get up and not to be frightened. He wasn’t frightened, he was pissed off at Zoey for bringing him here and more likely poisoning him.

  Suddenly, he felt weak and disoriented. His sight blurred and he could feel his heart race. The room shifted and bent like it was made of clay. Everything around him was distorted and out of kilter. He could hear Zoey try to talk to him, but her words were nothing but soft mumbles. Toby felt the house was on a roller coaster and even the floor seemed to buckle under him. All he could think about was trying to get out alive with Lyssa.

  He didn’t realize he was still on the ground until two strong arms pulled him up and onto the bed.

  “There now,” a man’s voice said. “You need to stay in bed especially recovering from a spell as extensive as yours.”

  Toby turned his head looking at the weathered man. He sat next to him with his hands propped on what looked like a cane. He gave Toby a crooked smile causing a deep crescent scar to deepen around his eyes. His hair was blonde turning grey and even though he appeared crippled, he still retained a strong look to him.

  “By the way my name is Sean and everything Zoey told you is true, but I don’t want you to worry about that right now.” He gave Toby a glass of clear liquid.

  Toby looked at it giving it a quick sniff.

  “It’s a beverage I like to call water. Though, I did put a little lemon into it. If you don’t like it I can get you something else.” Sean’s voice was charismatic and had a calming effect that put Toby at ease.

  “I’m not thirsty.” Toby gave the water back to Sean. “All I want is to leave.”

  “I’m sure you do, and in a couple of days you can.” Sean gave the glass to Zoey.

  “Can I call my parents… no, I need to call them. They’re probably going crazy by now, they can pick me up.” Toby pushed back the blankets and swung his legs over the side as everything began to spin. He steadied himself though as not to show it.

  “That has been taken care of and they are not worried.” Sean gazed at Toby with eyes hardly blinking.

  “What do you mean taken care of?” Toby’s voice cracked with anger. “What did you do to my family?”

  “I would never do anything to hurt your family Toby. There are things that you are involved in now that need to be handled discreetly. To put your mind at ease, I put a spell on them. As far as they know, you are visiting family before the holidays. I will remove it when you are better.”

  “What?” He asked, wondering if he heard them correctly..

  “Toby, really you need to rest…” Zoey stepped closer.

  “No.” Toby sounded like a spoiled child. “I want an explanation. I deserve to know what exactly is going on.”

  A silence fell in the room. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to hear it. As bazaar as everything had become, he didn’t know if he wanted the answer to that question.

  “You’re right, you need to know.” Zoey sat on the foot of the bed gazing at him with her enchanting green eyes. Do you remember what I said to you in your truck?”

  “Yeah, magical worlds sealed off, you are from a world called Fae, stolen magic, spells, magic and…this is really insane.”

  “No, it isn’t, it is deadly and the truth,” Zoey said in a harsh voice getting Toby’s attention. “Look at your palm.” Zoey motioned with her eyes.

  Slowly, he turned it over to see a faint glitter sparkling just under his skin. It looked like the brilliant stars in an autumn night sky.

  “You’re one of us…or, actually come from a half breed of Fae call Changelings.” Sean eyes were steady on Toby. “I would guess you have relations going back to a Changeling line that is why spells work so easily on you.”

  Toby felt his skin prickle. Numbness filled him as he looked down at his palm still sparkling. This was crazy, they were crazy, but at the same time, too many things were adding up on the crazy side of things. Who was he really….Toby Winslett who lived on Oak Street or someone he didn’t even know. His parents, did they have any knowledge, any inclination of what he was?

  “So what happens now?” Toby looked at Sean and Zoey.

  “Well for right now you need to rest.” Sean’s hand gracefully picked up the glass of water and handed it to Toby with an encouraging smile.

  Toby looked down at it. It didn’t smell like anything and was clear, just like water. Sean then took it from him and went through the door opposite of his bed. With the door open Sean looked back at Toby and dumped the glass of water down the bathroom sink and filled it up fresh. He then came back and held it out in front of him.

  “The more you drink the quicker all those poisonous spells will be gone. And if you have any suspicion, here is a new glass of water, less the lemon.”

  Toby was thirsty, and he didn’t want to feel sick anymore. Pressing the glass to his lips, he drank the lukewarm water until it was all gone.

  “There, that wasn’t so bad was it?” Sean asked with a smile.

  “No.” Toby gave the glass over to Sean.

  He felt his sore muscles relax, and his stomach quit churning. He closed his eyes, letting his head rest on the soft pillow. He heard Zoey and Sean talk, but their words meant nothing. He was relaxed, and didn’t think of anything but how comfortable he was until he felt something on his arm.

  It was cold, wet and slimy followed by another one then another was being extracted from his arm. It was just like when Zoey pulled that leech thing from him.

  Toby’s eyes popped open as he tried to focus them on what was going on. Before he could even move an inch, Sean held his arm tight as Zoey held a black leech size blob over him.

  “Last one.” She stated to Sean.

  “Good thing.” He looked at Toby then at Zoey. “You are spell free now.” Sean smiled at him.

  Toby wasn’t sure if he should be happy or terrified as he looked down at his unblemished skin on his arm. He ran his fingers over the spot Zoey pulled the things from and looked up at Sean and Zoey who held in her hands a bowl filled with slimy black things.

  “Those were all in me?” Toby felt his stomach begin to churn.

  “Well, they didn’t look like that. That is what spells sometimes look like when they are in a solid form. You were lucky they came out so easily. It must have been an inexperienced Banshee that put them on you…a girlfriend maybe.” Sean hinted.

  Toby could only think of one person that would do such a thing and who had been telling him what to do from day one.

  “Megan,” he said more to himself than answering Sean’s question.

  “Megan who?” Sean inquired.

  “Megan Mourhill,” Toby replied. “She’s my girlfriend.”

  Toby looked away. He didn’t have much knowledge of Banshees, but what he did know was that they were known for their wailing cries, beauty and the fear people had for them. Toby smiled despite his situation and couldn’t help but to think that the title Banshee seemed to fit Megan very well.