by TJ Green
Dan and Avery blinked at her, and Avery said, "That's quite brilliant, Sally."
Sally looked pleased. "Is it? Oh, good."
Dan continued to theorise. "She could be that Caitlin woman."
Avery's voice filled with excitement. "Rafe said 'Caitlin's arrangement feeds this place,' but it didn't make sense at the time. That could be what it means---an arrangement to get crossroads magic. I feel something is just beyond our reach, though."
Dan nodded. "Yeah, we're not quite there yet, but it will all drop into place."
"But when? We're running out of time. They've killed once already. What if once isn't enough this time?"
"Let's hope Dylan's film suggests something," Dan said, before falling silent as the doorbell chimed, announcing a customer.
"I'm hitting the books," Avery announced, aware they'd know exactly what books she was referring to.
They nodded, and Sally called, "Good luck!" as Avery made her way up to her flat
.
***
As Avery walked into her lounge, she looked around, wondering how her home would feel once Alex moved in. She smiled. It would feel great. As long as he didn't try to make her tidy too much.
She glanced at the sofa. Hers was a little worn compared to his. Maybe they should bring his sofa here. It was important that he had some of his belongings here, too. She stroked the cats that curled around her legs, and headed to the kitchen to give them snacks, thinking about what Dan and Sally had suggested. It was an intriguing suggestion that someone was carrying crossroads magic, essentially boundary magic.
What would this mean for Shadow? Was that a way for her to get home? She shook her head. Unlikely. As they knew from past experience, the power needed for that was huge, and she couldn't feel that much magic so far.
After feeding the cats Avery headed to the attic, spelling on lamps, candles, and the fire as she went. The day was gloomy, and the mist that had lifted earlier was back, blurring the outside world, and making her rooms dark.
She'd already checked the occult section in her shop for books on boundary magic, but hadn't found anything particularly relevant. However, she knew that all the best books were in her private space, anyway. She pulled a few off the shelves and spread them across her wooden worktable, trying to decide where to start, when she realised she hadn't yet phoned Genevieve. Steeling herself for rebuke, she called her, and Genevieve immediately picked up.
"Hi Genevieve, how are you? It's Avery."
"I'm fine, are you? You don't normally call to chat."
"Damn it. Sprung already," Avery admitted.
Genevieve groaned. "What's happened now?"
She updated her as succinctly as possible and then asked, "Do you know much about crossroads magic?"
Genevieve was silent for moment. "Not really, but there are ways of linking yourself to a crossroads, to carry the power with you. I'll have to do some reading to check exactly how, though."
"No, don't bother, I'll do it. I'm sure you're busy."
"To be honest, I am. Are you sure you don't mind?"
Avery breathed an inward sigh of relief. "No, this call was just to keep you informed. Caspian's offered to help, too."
"Has he now? He's quite the reformed character," she remarked. "Thanks, Avery. Do continue to keep me informed, and if I think of anything, I'll call you."
Happy she'd kept Genevieve up to date and also escaped her ire, Avery turned back to her books, and spent the next half an hour identifying all the ones that had the most relevant articles. Then she turned to her grimoires. She found more crossroads spells in them than she expected, but then again, she'd never looked for such things before. Most talked about the power of boundaries and performing spells on crossroads, and also suggested ways to draw on spirits for their aid. She shuddered. She had no intention of doing that.
As usual, whenever she worked with her original grimoire, she thought of Helena, her ancestor who'd been burned at the stake, and whose ghostly presence inhabited her flat. Naturally, it wasn't long before Helena appeared. She manifested on the opposite side of the table, watching Avery with her cool brown eyes, and she brought the scent of smoke and violets with her. Helena had saved her life when Bethany the vampire had knocked at Avery's window in the middle of the night, trying to tempt her to let her in. As much as Helena unnerved her, and the fact that their past together was complex, Avery liked to see her. She made her feel grounded with her history.
Avery smiled. "Helena, good timing. I'm investigating crossroads magic. Any idea how you link to a crossroads? You know, bring its magic with you?"
Helena was unable to speak, but she did help in other ways, depending on her mood. She frowned, and floated around the table, her long black skirts moving across the floor silently as she arrived next to Avery. She leaned forward over her grimoire and a gentle wind ruffled the pages, finally falling open on a page with a scrawl of writing on it and the images of keys. The spell was written in Middle English, and was difficult to read; no wonder Avery hadn't found it. One word, however, was clear. Hecate, the Goddess of crossroads magic.
Having found the spell, Helena moved away, towards the fireplace. She settled on the small sofa and stared into the flames, a very human activity that was more sorrow-inducing than scary.
Avery called over to her, "Thanks, Helena. By the way, Alex is moving in."
Helena nodded, disinterested, and Avery turned back to the spell. She needed her dictionary if she was to understand this. She settled on a stool and lost herself in the translation.
It was well over an hour later when her phone rang, and she jumped as her silence was disturbed. "Dylan. How did you get on?"
"Pretty well," he said, cautiously. "Do you want to see it?"
"Of course."
"Great. Get the beers in and the witches round, and we'll see you at seven."
After talking to Dylan, Avery decided she should call Shadow, too. It was only fair, and she had proven useful the night they had first surveyed the campgrounds. It was a short conversation. She agreed to join them without hesitation.
Avery had one more call that afternoon from Newton, and his mood was grim. "We prioritised the post-mortem on the young man we found this morning. His death is like the others. His organs are atrophied and old, as if his insides were older than his body."
Avery fell silent for a moment as she took in what he was saying.
"Are you still there?" Newton asked.
"Yes, sorry. I guess that was only to be expected. I think we are making progress, though. Dylan is bringing the footage we've captured around later if you want to see it."
"Of course I bloody do," he said brusquely.
"Did you find any evidence on the body?"
"Nothing. Just like the others. I hope you have something on this, Avery. Otherwise, this will keep happening, and the pressure's on."
"We're moving on this as fast as we can, Newton!"
Now it was his turn to fall silent, before he eventually admitted, "I know. I miss Briar."
Avery's heart sank. "She's still your friend---most of the time."
Newton made a grunting sound. "Is he coming down again?" He meant Hunter.
"Not for a couple of weeks. It's too far to travel very often, so you don't have to force yourself to be polite."
"Good. And I'm always polite."
Avery threw her head back and laughed loudly, disturbing both the cats and Helena, who still reclined on the sofa. "You know that's bullshit, right?"
"Oh, sod off," he said, impatiently. "I'll see you later."
7
Briar was the first to appear that evening, and she brought crisps and dips to share.
As Avery welcomed her, she couldn't help but notice how pretty Briar looked, and how content. "Have you been chatting to Hunter?" she asked her.
Briar glanced at Avery as she filled a bowl with crisps. "Yes, why?"
"You have a glow."
She wrinkled her nose. "I do not."
"Yes, you do. Don't deny it. I'm pleased for you. Is he treating you well?"
Briar blushed. "Yes. He says the sweetest things."
"Sweet is not the word I was expecting to hear describing Hunter."
She grinned mischievously. "There are times that he's very naughty."
"How naughty?"
"Too naughty to share with you!"
Avery laughed. "Excellent. You deserve some naughtiness. No regrets about Newton?"
Briar met her eyes. "No. It was the right call. Does he ever say anything?"
"He grumps about Hunter, but he knows he has no right to. He'll get over it. We met his new detective friend, Walker, today. He doesn't seem to be sharing much about us at the moment, which is a relief until we know her."
"Good. It will be interesting to see how she deals with the paranormal world."
"Maybe she's involved because she knows a lot of it already. Looks like she'll keep Newton on his toes, anyway."
They were disturbed by the arrival of some of the others, and before long, everyone was present. After a flurry of snack-grabbing and finding drinks, they crowded onto seats in Avery's living room, wedged either on the sofa, the floor, or on chairs pulled in from the dining table.
Dylan quickly loaded the footage on to Avery's TV. It was taken from the camera that he had wedged into the castle wall, and it was, as usual, shot using thermal imaging. The images were startling.
Reuben leaned forward, watching the screen with his forehead creased. "Is that some kind of spectral mist?"
"It looks like it, doesn't it?" Ben said brightly.
Newton almost growled. "You're not supposed to be excited about this crap!"
Ben looked affronted. "It's not every day you see a spectral mist and get it on camera!"
"I think it's cool!" Reuben declared, still staring intently at the screen.
Briar looked confused. "But where is it coming from? And is it really spectral?"
Dylan narrowed his eyes. "Mist does not normally have a red, pulsing glow. And besides, the whole place was misty! Why is it concentrated around the campsite?"
"And," Ben cut in, wagging his finger at the screen, "you can see it rolling up the hill. This started recording as soon as Dylan put it in the wall, and then these two," he pointed at Avery and Alex, "starting to behave all weird. And then look at this!" He broke off as the image of huge, spectral wings filled the screen, and then dissolved into thousands of birds.
"What the actual f---", Newton started to say. He looked around at the others. "Where did those come from?"
"If you slow the footage down," Dylan said, "you can see the place where the wings seem to come from, but it's quick---a split second. And then, in a few minutes' time, another figure emerges from the mist, walking out of the campsite and up the hill, too. We'd gone by then."
"Can you tell who it is?" Newton asked.
"No, sorry," Dylan said regretfully.
Cassie shook her head in disbelief. "No wonder you were so spooked. Where did the wings come from?"
"The Raven King," Alex answered grimly. "Corbin, the owner, is the Ring Master, and that's his costume. The mythical figures on the site are coming to life."
Newton started to look excited. "So he's the cause?"
"Not necessarily. Remember that conversation we overhead the other night?" Alex pointed out.
Avery nodded in agreement. "We think someone is using crossroads magic."
"Why?" Newton asked. "And why feed on young men?"
"Because they're youthful and vibrant, and their energy will be strong," Shadow said confidently. She had sat on a chair to the side, as if she was unsure of how involved she wanted to be with the group, but she had listened and watched intently, her concentration absolute.
"That makes sense, I suppose," Newton admitted. "That also probably explains why there's a gap between kills. But is this all about powering the circus? It seems extreme." He looked unconvinced.
Alex agreed. "And risky. Why kill to get a few extra customers?"
"There has to be some other reason, then," Shadow suggested. "The circus could be an elaborate cover."
"Or a convenient cover," Avery said.
"Where did the deaths start?" Reuben asked. "If we know that, it may help us work out what the aim is."
Newton pulled his notebook out of his pocket. He was dressed in his jeans and a sweatshirt, rather than his suit, but he still exuded authority. He ruffled through a few pages and then said, "The circus started in Inverness, but the first death didn't happen until they reached Edinburgh. They stay in place for three weeks on average before moving on, and tend to sit a short distance outside of cities, but it varies as it moves down the country."
"You'd think it would be set up outside Truro or Falmouth, rather than here," El said.
Reuben shrugged. "Except for the fact that we are paranormal central right now."
"And how many deaths do you think are associated with it?" Cassie asked.
Newton grimaced. "It's hard to be sure, but we think at least half a dozen."
The collective mood shifted as Briar said, "That many? This is worse than we thought."
Reuben continued to muse on the circus's source. "I wonder if there's a crossroads in Scotland that this circus links to? It would make sense, seeing as how that's where the new concept originated."
Alex reached for a handful of crisps as he said, "I doubt we'll ever know that, but I'd like to know how it's done, if it is."
Avery decided that now was a good time to share the spell she'd found. "I was doing some research this afternoon," she explained, "when Helena appeared and showed me a spell in her grimoire."
Cassie shuddered and looked around as if Helena might appear at any moment. "I don't know how you cope with that! I would freak out if a ghost kept manifesting in my home!"
"You're a ghost hunter," Reuben said, incredulous. "Shouldn't you be excited?"
Cassie looked equally incredulous. "Not if one was in my own home!"
Avery laughed. "I've got used to it, and she's very helpful most of the time. And don't worry---it's mainly upstairs where she appears."
Cassie looked slightly relieved as Avery continued. "The spell suggests that the witch links two keys together using a red ribbon or cord, measured from your heart to the wrist of your left hand, and then you carry them around for one full cycle of the moon. You have to handle the keys every day, developing a personal connection to them. Then when the cycle is complete, you bury one key in the centre of the crossroads, cutting the cord between them. You then keep the other key on you, allowing you to access the boundaries of the crossroads."
"Wow, so there is a way!" El exclaimed, her curiosity piqued.
"There's probably more, and I'm sure that spell could be adapted, but it's the only one I've found so far."
Shadow was even more excited. "It allows the user to cross boundaries between worlds? This could be my chance to go home!"
"I don't think it's that straightforward. I think it's more to draw on the power of the boundary," Avery warned her, but it was clear Shadow wasn't listening.
"But again, something to work on," Newton said, relieved.
Dylan changed the footage. "Here's what the camera picked up from the oak tree. The mist looks similar, but you can see a better shot of the wings, and the figure---whoever it is---moving up the hill. And you can see us, retreating from the wall."
"No wonder we got lost," Alex said, watching the screen. "We veered off in the wrong direction partway up the hill."
"Yeah, but," Ben said, pointing, "we were being herded by the mist, just as we thought. And then unfortunately we move out of view and you can't see us anymore, so we can't tell what may or may not have been stalking us. It might be that figure, but---" he shrugged, his meaning clear.
"But we've made progress," Newton said encouragingly. "We know it's the circus that's behind this, and we know there are at least three key figures involved in some way. But I need
more. There's nothing I can act on, not legally, anyway."
"Did you find out if there's a Caitlin employed at the circus?" Alex asked.
Newton grimaced. "No, unfortunately. We're re-examining the list again, just to make sure we're not missing anything. I'll let you know. Is anyone going to the first show on Saturday?"
"A few of us were planning to go," Avery said. "I was thinking we should split up again. Some of us could watch the show, others could patrol the grounds, especially since the campsite should be deserted."
"Great idea," Newton agreed. "There are the stalls in the castle walls, too. We'll need to investigate those. Who wants to do what?"
There was a brief argument about who should go where. Most people wanted to investigate the campsite, but Newton stood firm. "Avery and Alex need to be at the campsite. They already know the layout and where Corbin's van is, but someone there to help them would be good."
"Me," Shadow said forcefully.
Briar, as ever, was diplomatic. "I'm happy to watch the show. I want to see if they use any magic in the performance."
Cassie groaned. "I'd love to join, but I'm just too busy right now. Coming here tonight was tricky."
"Same for us," Ben said, speaking for him and Dylan. "Uni work is stacking up."
"That's fine," Newton told them. "Just keep an eye on the cameras in case anything else appears."
Dylan shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. I checked them today and it's too damp out there. Sorry, guys. I've had to retrieve the cameras. There'll be no more footage."
"Then we'll manage without it." Newton turned to El and Reuben. "That leaves you two to check out the stalls within the castle grounds."
"Excellent," Reuben said sarcastically. "I can gorge myself on candyfloss and try to win a teddy bear."
"What about you, Newton?" Briar asked.
"I can't be too obvious about investigating anything, so I'll come and watch the show with you, Briar, if that's okay?" He looked as innocent as Newton could be, which wasn't very.
Briar merely nodded. "That's fine." She looked perplexed. "Has anyone else noticed how unseasonably warm it is? February is usually miserable. Green shoots are appearing on plants that shouldn't even start to grow until late spring."
