Crossroads Magic

by TJ Green

  She dropped her hand, clenched it into a fist, and backed away. She turned, trying to get her bearings, anything that would help pinpoint exactly where she was, but other than the stones and the moors, there was nothing. Surely, she thought, now that they knew it was close to Lochend, it couldn't be hard to find four standing stones in one spot. She took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of something sweet and flowery that merged with the scent of grass and earth.

  Drumming started again, a solitary drum that beat slowly, ominously, and the centre of the crossroads became shrouded in mist. She knew what this meant. Caitlin was coming back. She tried to run, but her feet felt as if they were bound to the earth. Caitlin's misty form solidified and she smiled, her eyes filling with a feral glint as she saw Avery. Corbin was right. She looked younger than she had even days before.

  She spoke with a low rasp, her Scottish accent hard and accusatory. "I felt you here. It's time. You need to stop resisting. It won't hurt."

  She stepped towards Avery.

  "No," Avery answered, retreating as her heart thumped and her mouth went dry. "You will not win. I will stop you."

  Caitlin threw back her head and laughed, and for a second her features distorted, showing something else beneath the surface of her skin. Something inhuman. "You're too late. And who will rescue you? You're alone."

  Avery felt something at her back, something cold and immovable, and she looked around, alarmed to find the standing stone behind her. How had that happened? She had put distance between them.

  Once again, everything whirled as she felt her magic drain away.

  And then she heard another voice, shouting desperately. Avery, wake up! Something stung her cheek, and she lifted her hand to it, feeling its heat, and then a surge of magic filled her and the last thing she saw was Caitlin's anguished face as she ran at her.

  Caspian's pale face was in front of hers, and she felt his hand across her face again, stinging her cheek with a resounding slap.

  "Ouch! What the f---"

  Caspian looked terrified and appalled all at once. "Sorry, Avery. You wouldn't wake, I shook you, and then I thought slapping you would work."

  He sank to the floor as she struggled to sit up, the blanket falling from her shoulders.

  "Shit. I was there again. And so was she." She stared at Caspian as the full implications of what had happened hit her. "I could control the pull of the stone for a while, and then she appeared, and I was so disorientated! The stone was right behind me, but I moved away from it, I know I did." She stopped talking, realising she was rambling incoherently, and took several deep breaths. "How are you here? How did you know?"

  "Our magic, remember? We're linked, which means I am linked to the crossroads, too. I felt its pull, and I knew you were in trouble. I used witch-flight to get here." He rubbed his face and laughed unexpectedly. "I was in the middle of a meeting and literally ran out of the room. They'll think I'm insane."

  Avery's eyes widened with surprise as she noted his smart suit and crisp white shirt. "Oops. Sorry. But thank you, I think you just saved my life---again. I mean, really, thank you. I'm sure this wasn't what you signed up for."

  "I knew exactly what I was signing up for, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat." His eyes met hers, holding her gaze for a fraction too long to be comfortable before he stood up, brushing down his trousers and straightening his lapels. She tried to stand too, but her legs felt weak, and he gestured for her to sit again. "Stay there. Do you want some water, tea, whiskey?"

  "No, I'm fine. I can get it myself. I just need a minute."

  He nodded, his dark eyes unfathomable. "All right, I should probably go. I need to fly back into the bathroom cubicle, like bloody Superman. Let's hope no one else is there."

  "Are you sure you have the strength?" she asked him, concerned.

  "Yes. The pull was weak for me. Briar has given me tonics too, to bolster my magic. Just promise me you won't go back to sleep again."

  "No chance. We're meeting tonight---we have good news about Corbin."

  "Great. Seven?"

  "Right here. Well, downstairs."

  "Later then, Avery," he said softly, before disappearing in a whirl of wind.

  Avery's head fell back on the pillow as she contemplated her near miss, and Caspian's undeniable feelings for her. Crap.

  ***

  Alex took a long look at Avery, and then brushed his hand across her cheek. "It still looks red."

  "It still hurts. But it saved my life."

  "If he touches you again, I'll kill him."

  "Alex! Didn't you hear me? He saved my life. I should be dead!"

  His long, dark hair was pulled back in a half-pony, and his chin and cheeks were grazed with stubble. As usual he wore an old band t-shirt, jeans, and boots. He couldn't be more different from Caspian. His shoulders dropped, and his aggression disappeared as he pulled her close, hugging the breath out of her. "I'm sorry. It should be me saving you, not him." His voice was rough next to her ear.

  "You did. You cast the spell that linked our magic." Avery slid her hands around his waist and pulled him closer, savouring his warmth. "If you want to kill anyone, it should be Caitlin."

  "True." He released her. "We need to find her tonight. The sooner we end this, the better."

  "I don't want to sleep again. Despite Caspian's magic and Briar's tonics, I still succumbed to the magic." They were standing in Avery's kitchen, waiting for everyone else to arrive, and she had just updated Alex on her day. She poured herself a glass of wine, slid a beer towards him, and then leaned against the counter. "Have you had any ideas?"

  "Other than isolate her and try to get that ring from her? No."

  "I think we'll have to do more than steal it off her."

  "We can destroy it. We have spells that will destroy jewellery or melt metal, especially El. It will be easy for her."

  "I have a feeling that won't be enough. She told me I was too late, when I told her I'd win. Maybe we are?"

  He tried to reassure her. "Then why does she still need you dead, sacrificed? It's not over yet."

  The door slammed and they were interrupted by Briar shouting, "We're here."

  Avery and Alex headed through to the living area to see Briar had arrived with El and Reuben. Reuben was carrying half a dozen pizza boxes, and the smell of spicy tomatoes, cheese, and meats filled the room.

  "That smells amazing," Avery said, pointing at the dining table that was already stacked with plates, knives, and forks. "Drop them there, please."

  He grinned. "No problem." Then he paused and frowned. "Avery, you look pale. What's happened?"

  She shrugged, self-conscious. "I had another episode this afternoon, but I'm okay."

  "No, you're not," Alex said gruffly. "You almost died. Again."

  Briar left her bowl of salad on the table, and raced to her side. "How?"

  "I dozed off on the sofa upstairs, and well, I ended up at the crossroads. If it wasn't for Caspian, I'd be dead right now."

  At that point, the door slammed below them and the chatter of voices announced that Shadow, Newton, and Caspian had arrived at the same time. Caspian appeared at the top of the stairs first, and stopped. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

  "Sorry," Briar said. "We've just found out Avery nearly died and you saved her."

  "Ah, that." He looked uncomfortable at the attention, and moved into the room to make way for Shadow and Newton behind him. "That was the purpose of our magical link."

  Newton looked confused. "What's happened?"

  Avery sighed, as uncomfortable to be the centre of attention as Caspian. "Grab pizza, everyone, and we'll fill you in."

  For the next few minutes there was a flurry of activity as everyone poured drinks, plated up food, and found seats either around the table or on the sofa. By the time she and Caspian had finished telling everyone about the afternoon, the mood was sombre.

  "We can't let this carry on anymore," Reuben declared. "We have to act tonight
."

  "But are we even close to being ready?" El asked. "Don't get me wrong, we have to do something, but Avery has already told us that magic won't work on Caitlin. What are our options?"

  Shadow shrugged. "It's simple. I'll kill her."

  Newton looked appalled. "You will not!"

  Shadow was unimpressed. "Your laws don't apply to me."

  "They bloody well do! I can lock a fey up for murder just as I would anyone."

  She smirked. "You could try. Gabe had to use an iron cage to keep me in."

  An ugly flush of red started to spread up Newton's neck and his face. "You will not kill anyone. You're in our world now, and I do not condone this."

  "That's just what I told her," Alex said.

  Briar intervened. "No one condones it. Shadow, we're going to try other options." Then she paused as she looked around. "I presume we have other options."

  "Perhaps you should hear what we found out from Corbin first," Shadow suggested. "Our options are small."

  Newton jabbed a finger at Shadow. "This is not over!"

  She shrugged and reached for another slice of pizza. "Someone update him, please."

  "Allow me, Madame," Alex said sarcastically. He started to relay their morning meeting with Corbin, and the energy in the room started to lift, until he mentioned the Empusa.

  "A what?" Briar asked, frowning.

  "It's a shape-shifting female who likes to feed on young men," Shadow told them. "I've been researching them this afternoon with Dan. I originally thought they were a type of Lamia---we have them in our world, too. But it seems they're sisters...sort of."

  El looked baffled. "What's a Lamia?"

  "Both the Lamia and the Empusa are either daughters of Hecate or her servants, depending what source you read," Shadow explained. "The Lamia is half-snake, half-woman, and again, she likes devouring young men. The Empusa also takes the form of a beautiful young woman, but she has a copper leg and donkey's leg."

  Reuben looked horrified. "Sorry for pointing this out, but a woman with a donkey's leg does not sound that beautiful to me."

  Shadow tossed her hair seductively, and a shimmer of sensuality passed over her, making her look dazzlingly beautiful. "She will use her magic, just like this. Her powers to seduce are legendary. You wouldn't even notice. And besides, she shape-shifts. She could look like anything! Even El!" She shook away her glamour, leaving the others momentarily silent.

  Reuben looked suspiciously at El, and she shook her head. "Idiot." She turned back to Shadow. "But at the moment she's inside Caitlin?"

  "Yes. Some accounts say they followed Hecate from the Underworld. They are commonly called demonic vampires, and both are associated with crossroads. But, like all legends, there are lots of stories and little fact. Most commonly, they are thought to be spirits or wraiths, which also sort of fits, because they came from the Underworld."

  Newton groaned. "So Caitlin willingly allowed an Empusa into her? Why?"

  Alex laughed, incredulous. "Because it's a sure fire way to achieve youth and immortality. We think that's what this is about---Caitlin's wish for youth. This has nothing to do with Hecate wanting her daughter or servant to walk the Earth."

  "Hold on," Newton said, holding up his hand. "So this Caitlin is the woman who you keep seeing, Avery?"

  She nodded. "It seems so. I guess you can stop searching to find out who she is."

  "How old is she?"

  "Well, she looks to be in her thirties now, but Corbin said she was an old, wise woman."

  "I guess that fits, then. The only Caitlin I could find was Mairi's great-grandmother, and initially I dismissed her as being too old, but now it makes sense."

  "Mairi's great-grandmother?" Avery asked, astonished. "I suppose that also explains the feeling that the spell has gone on a long time, and that the crossroads is sort of timeless. Maybe it was something she once started and had to stop?"

  "Well, we may know who she is, but that doesn't help us stop her," Newton said, sighing.

  Reuben looked troubled. "So if she's already hunting, and getting younger, why does she need Avery as a sacrifice?"

  "To complete the transformation," Caspian said. "At the moment, it inhabits her. I believe she wants to become one with it. Once the final standing stone has an elemental Air witch, she will no longer need the boundary magic. Which brings me to the important question. How does she access that power?"

  "By a ring she wears," Alex told them. "She must have its counterpart at the crossroads. It would work like the spell that Avery found."

  "I've told Avery I can take us to the actual place," Caspian said. "We can try to find the ring there. That would save us from needing to take her on."

  Alex glared at him. "No way! It could be a disaster. It's in Scotland, anyway. How are you going to get there?"

  "Witch-flight."

  Reuben choked on his beer. "Is it even possible to go that far---to a place you haven't seen?"

  "Yes! And I have seen it. I got a glimpse of it, from Avery. And she's seen it several times. And that's how Avery got back from there the first and only time she went there!"

  Alex was really angry now. "And it made her really sick to travel that far! Are you for real? You know the threat that place poses to Avery. That's where it wants her to be! It's dangerous enough with just a psychic link!"

  "I am well aware of that," Caspian said evenly. "I saved her from it this afternoon. But she won't survive another night if she sleeps. Neither my magic nor Briar's tonics are working. The standing stone is too strong. Hecate's magic is too strong. Avery could manage one night without sleep, but two or more? Unlikely."

  The room fell silent, broken only by Alex's chair scraping back across the floor as he left the table and paced around the room. "This is shit."

  "Just wait," Avery said, desperately trying to calm everyone down. "Corbin is on our side."

  "At least someone is," El sighed.

  Avery continued, "And so are the Green Man and the Raven King. Both Sally and Dan have pointed out valuable things to me recently, and so did Corbin today. Both the God and the nature spirit have been bound against their will. Corbin knows it! He feels it. During every performance, the Raven King inhabits him and they become one. He feels his frustration and annoyance. Which means, the enemy of our enemy is our friend! They will help us stop Caitlin!"

  After a brief silence, in which everyone glanced at each other speculatively, Briar said, "It certainly seems logical, but it also sounds as if Corbin has little control of it. For example, how can he help if he's being the Ring Master? We were thinking of going during the performance. Which doesn't leave us a lot of time, by the way," she said, glancing at her watch. "It's after eight now. Corbin only feels the Raven King during the performance---we think. We need to find out if he can channel him at other times...and if he even likes the idea. And how the hell do we enlist the Green Man?"

  "And importantly, how do we isolate Caitlin from the rest of the performers?" El pointed out. "Her gypsy caravan might be at the back of the field, but it's still close to the others. We know that there are always performers around, or their security. They could very well be dragged into this."

  Shadow added, "And what about Rafe and Mairi? As far as we know, they're regular human people, but what if they're not? We need to know. Although," she shrugged, "I'm sure I could handle it, anyway."

  "Wow," Newton said, aghast. "Your ego knows no bounds!"

  "I am fey, that says it all," she declared.

  Despite her exhaustion, Avery tried to quash a giggle. That saying would end up on a t-shirt someday soon.

  "Have you investigated the other circus members?" Reuben asked Newton.

  He nodded. "I haven't mentioned it because we didn't find anything of significance for any of them. They are all exactly who they say they are. We looked into the management again---which includes Rafe and Mairi---particularly closely, but again, nothing. They come from Inverness, they've held management jobs all over the p
lace for years, and as Corbin told you, joined his circus a couple of years ago. Nothing untoward has been associated with them. However, that's not to say that Rafe and Mairi haven't got some kind of magical something." He grimaced. "Our investigations don't cover that."

  Alex caught Avery's eye. "We have something else to share, too. The man Avery has seen in White Haven, the one outside the shop, has been hanging around the circus, too. Following their tour. Corbin thinks it's suspicious."

  "Just great!" Newton said. "I'm doubly worried about him now."

  El sighed. "Okay, it seems we're not as ready as we need to be. Which means attacking tonight sounds increasingly stupid. Agreed?"

  There was a mumble of grumbling and nods, except from Alex and Caspian, who together said, "What about Avery?"

  They looked warily at each other, and then back to the group.

  Avery answered, "I agree. It's madness to go tonight. Someone needs to contact Corbin and ask if he can manipulate the Raven King, and prepare him for tomorrow night. And then we need to work on spells, plans, anything to lure Caitlin away. We can try first to disarm her to break her crossroads connection before we have to visit there. But if it fails, I will go with Caspian."

  "And what about tonight, Avery?" Alex asked. He had stopped pacing, and instead leaned against the wall, watching her.

  She pushed her wine glass aside. "I guess I live on caffeine, find a spell to keep me awake, and then spend all night carrying on the spell searches I started this afternoon. I'm guessing that we'll only get one shot at this before she dives for cover. She's comfortable now. She thinks she holds all the cards---well, other than me frustrating her. Everything else is going to plan. Let's do it right and wait until tomorrow." She looked at Newton. "The death last night? Was that her?"

  He nodded and became very official. "It looks like it. Once again, the victim was a young man. There are no obvious causes of death, other than his organs looking withered and older than they should. It's certainly not a normal death. I'm fielding a lot of questions at the station, and have loads of pressure on me to solve this."