by Vega Lizzie
Shannon spoke without thinking, “Constantly.”
“You hide your fear well, my dear,” Augusta stopped short on the narrow path, “because you’re not afraid for yourself. Come with me.”
A few more steps and the overgrowth thinned to reveal a rustic homestead. Shannon was quick to notice how sparse the little house looked but also how clean and tidy.
“When we clashed in the parking garage, I was impressed by your use of a rare containment field. At the time, I dismissed it as you adapting to your magic within the confines of the garage. Having to deal with your partner was far more than I had counted on.”
“She’s only gotten stronger since,” Shannon offered, her pride not masked in the least. “I very proud of her.”
“So, her power is also now balanced by her passion,” Augusta said quietly, “Your alliance, shall we say, has no doubt attracted attention.” She broke away from Shannon to take hold of a gnarled tree branch that was leaning on the porch rail
“True,” Shannon agreed, suddenly aware that Augusta was turning back to her, the stick raising in her hand. Her right heel pivoted slightly in the gravel. Augusta shook her head, “Not to worry. I’m going to show you something.” She pointed across the small yard, “Stand over there, I will join you in a moment.”
Suddenly hyperaware of her surroundings, Shannon watched as the old monk labored to push the tip of the branch into the ground then suddenly produced a matching one with a flick of her wrist, “I have not done this since before crossing the Atlantic many years ago. Please forgive me if I’m rusty.”
Walking across the yard, the second branch was set at angle to the first. Augusta moved to stand next to Shannon, “Start thinking back to your first days with magic. Remember the shapes you’ve seen and the ones you’ve made when spellcasting.”
With a wave of her hand, a bright rail of light appeared between the two makeshift posts. With Augusta and Shannon standing in between, Augusta began to manipulate the line and it rose into the air to form a transparent wall. “That will get us started,” she said as it hovered, crackling in the air.
“A protection barrier,” Shannon said confidently.
“Correct,” Augusta acknowledged, “and only that. One sided and the farther it stretches between the points, the weaker it becomes.” She swung her arm up and over her head and the wall rushed towards them snapping and crackling as it passed through the two women. Shannon jerked in surprise, then grinned slyly, then wavered on her feet as a sensation registered in her mouth, “Cognac,” she whispered, licking her lower lip, “Peach cognac. How the hell did you do that?”
“Don’t be mad,” Augusta, grinned, “It was just a random thought as I cast the spell. Think of it as a good memory of better times. I don’t mean anything by it.” She gestured on both sides of them, “Now, what do we have?”
“A containment field, a simple one.”
“Yes, but also a weak one. Any of the four sides could be easily breached with minimal effort. Even less effort if the field has a lid on it. Too many angles.” With another sweep of her hand, a dome appeared over the top of them.
“Much stronger,” Shannon said as the glittering ball shimmered above them.
“Yes, all particles working in concert,” Augusta said, “Attack from the outside and they condense together to absorb or reflect the opposing energy.” Shannon nodded, “depends on the intention of the attacker. It could be a false impression to weaken the field.”
“I wondered,” Augusta said as she twisted her fingers to bring down the protective dome, “You can already cross reference. Normally, I’d like to get a look at your grimoire but…” She shook her head and sighed, “I thank the stars for me having some semblance of a brain the day you and I fought. I’m going to show you something. Go pull that stick out the ground, we’ll set them closer together.”
Augusta began to move her hands, palms flat, back and forth as if she was shaping a small box. As her movements quickened, small boxes of light began to assemble on either side of the vertical branches. As the small rectangular boxes continued to stack on either side of the branches, they began to curve toward the center, Shannon called out the design, “You’re building a doorway…with an arch.”
“The last block, the keystone, in fact the last leading up to the pinnacle aren’t quite perfectly square.” Augusta said as her hands began to slow their movements, “Gentle angles to multiply their inherent strength.” Her hands stopped and a single virtual stone was missing from the center of the arch. “Who were,” she asked, emphasizing the past tense, “the most fascinating builders in the world?”
“The Romans, of course,” Shannon said, gesturing at the incomplete structure, “that’s not a portal is it?”
“God in heaven, no,” Augusta blurted out, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s just a simple door for this example, and no,” she added, “not the Romans, though I’m biased, of course.”
With a quick flash of her hands, she drew out a tall column of light alongside the unfinished door, “You’re the artist, I should make you do this.” The columns rectangular sides tipped in the came to a sharp point. “Something like that maybe?”
Shannon nodded, “An obelisk. The Egyptians. I should have known.”
“Yes,” Augusta said firmly, “I might have influenced you a little.” She looked at the angular spire next to the doorway, “And so we don’t let all this energy go to waste…”
Compressing her hands, the tall shape compressed, its pointed apex hovering in the air next to the doorway. As it rotated and slid into place firmly between the waiting stones of the doorway, Shannon raised her hand with the intention of shaping the now hanging sharp point into a far safer keystone, “That would hurt if you hit your head on it.”
Augusta reached out and took Shannon’s arm before she could begin to manipulate the glowing shape. “Not what you want to do right now, but your thinking is correct. The Egyptians knew of the arch. They used it for small practical projects but the big projects, they stayed with the strength of post and lentil building. They kept the arch, Shannon, the point of the arch, for something special.”
“It would be dangerous to leave it like that. If it fell…”
“Pointing up, pointing down, it almost doesn’t matter. Egyptian sorcerers knew the power of the obelisk. Hatshepsut built one.”
“The first female Pharaoh,” Shannon said, “I knew that.”
“Mmm,” Augusta mused, “Not surprised by that. She built one as a single piece. It was four hundred tons of stone. I would suggest you study up on that, lest I overstep my boundaries again.”
“How so?”
“Oh nothing, and I apologize for dragging this out for you. I’m just happy to use some long-buried skills. Allow me to make my point.” She gestured to the hovering stone, “Before we fought, you enclosed me in a triangle. Skilled wizards at both corners and you at the apex. Had I not been so blinded by greed; I would have released your daughter on the spot. But I had to have more power, I wanted revenge against your partner for the death of my brothers. The triangle you formed, is the strongest and most obvious. I had no choice but to fight you.”
“Augusta, had I understood at the time, I may have had some influence on Terra. She reacted out of fear. She’s only now beginning to understand why she can do the things she can.”
“Be ready, my friend,” Augusta interrupted sharply, “once she is fully aware, there will come a time when you can’t control her.”
Chuckling, Shannon shook her head, “That’s my point,” she said softly, “I trust her with my life, my daughter’s life. I have no need to be in control when it comes to her. We work together.”
“Even in the time of your greatest conflict between each other, she fought by your side,” Augusta sighed, “I have wasted so much of my life without understanding that such a bond could be had.” She raised her hand, “So, I will give you this.”
Raising her hand, the pointed top of the form
er obelisk rotated to point into the clear blue sky, “Direct it up?” she spun her finger, “Or direct it down, under any other circumstance, it is a most impressive weapon.”
“But I’m not looking to impress anyone. I only want to get my father out of a situation he finds himself wrapped into.”
“Shouldn’t be difficult, given what you can do. Determine those involved and send a message. Tell them to back off.”
“That’s why I’m here. I thought you may know of some of them.” As Shannon began to list the names. At the mention of the sheriff, she held up her hand, “Stop. Go back to the constable, how did you learn of him?”
“He has warned my father regarding some of the issues he is having with a land deal. They go back a lot of years. Should I be worried about him?”
“You need to go now.” Augusta said and spun to walk away, the tower of glowing rocks tumbled to the ground and disappeared, “It was dangerous for you to have come up here. For your own safety, you need to leave.” She stopped and looked around the small yard, her hands on her hips, “there are some young men that practice magic sometimes, mostly on the other side of these hills. The source of their magic is from the old texts. Have you seen anything like that?”
“But Augusta, I only…”
“Please go. As quietly as you can. Study your Egyptians and their geometry. I will reach out to you when I know more.”
“But, please.”
Augusta disappeared only to instantly rematerialize in front of Shannon. Taking her arms strongly, the manifested images of her face spun to reveal the craggy old monk’s face. “Do I have your permission if I need to seek counsel with you?”
Shannon half shrieked until she regained her composure, “Wait, my permission? You don’t need to ask me…”
“I do. The man you mentioned has a connection far above you in the hierarchies. You have surpassed where I was at one time. The one who is directing this has put you and your family, both families, in grave danger.”
Shannon’s eyes narrowed as Augusta’s word sank in, “You have my permission, always.”
“I will send a sign of my arrival as to not startle you. There is much work to be done.” The sound of Augusta’s voice was beginning to make Shannon fearful. The once powerful adversary was looking weak in her eyes. To be suddenly deferred to by Augusta made her afraid.
“Yes, but doesn’t that make trust more difficult? Too many will know. Why would you do this for me?”
Without hesitation, the old woman reached to her shoulder to grasp the light linen shirt she was wearing and shredded the garment from the seam. In the bright sunshine, a long but barely visible scar ran over her collarbone. “Why would you do this for me?” she asked, her time worn voice almost breaking, “I complain about the life I had and now I’m to go through eternity in regret? Not if I have a chance to balance some of the things I’ve done. I do this for you wanting nothing in return. Sound familiar?”
Shannon could only nod. Now she was rattled.
“Go. Be safe and trust no one until I speak with you again. Where are you going next?”
“I…I was going to the Dolmens…we used to go there, my sister and I…I feel…”
“You feel calm there,” Augusta said, “Like you belong there. Which structure?”
“What?”
“What formation? The cap stones, the boulders, which ones?”
“Uh, mainly the cap stone I guess, we called it our chapel,” Shannon said quickly choosing between the multiple rock formations that formed the mysterious mountain outcroppings, “I haven’t been there for years, I don’t think I’ve even seen them all.”
Augusta pointed to where the doorway shapes had been, “Explore toward the Northeast side of the hills. See if something speaks to you.”
“Not literally, okay, the shapes…an obelisk? Triangles, oh God, we may have already done that.” She looked up to see Augusta beginning to fade, “I’ve seen a triangle, that was supposed to be my first question, you can’t…you can’t leave me.”
The visage returned, “What have you seen?”
“On the flatlands above Helena, we rode horses out there one day. There was a bone circle, but it wasn’t shaped….”
“A triangle?”
“A rough shaped one, but yes. We all saw it. Ollie saw it first.”
“Right now, Shannon, is Terra with your daughter?”
“No, she’s um, not here, exactly…a few miles away.”
“Call your two wizards, Get them to your daughter’s side as soon as you can. This young man may choose to send a message. He will want you to listen and he will stop at nothing to get your attention. I will reach out soon.” She vanished leaving Shannon standing in the empty yard. Shannon turned on her heel and ran.
“Terra,” she shrieked into the phone as she ran down the service road to her car, “you need to travel. You need to get home to Ollie as soon as possible.”
“What’s happened? She’ll still be at school. I can be there quick. Is it Augusta? I warned you.”
“It’s not Augusta. She warned me about one of the men on our list. He may attempt something to make sure we stay clear. I’m worried about her, get Issac and Liam too. Get her to the loft while I sort this out.”
“When are you coming home?”
Chapter 15
Olivia walked up behind Karly. The young girl’s head was tilted down, and she was deep in concentration. Olivia was quick to tease a little, “Seriously, you need an extra hobby or two.” The staring down the hallway continued.
“Huh?” Karly finally reacted, “That’s kinda mean. Well, a little anyway.”
Olivia looked down the school hallway, “You get so focused on the aura thing, your forehead does this frowny pointy thing. Just branch out or it’s wrinkles for sure. Just sayin’.”
Karly’s deep chuckle brought a smile to Olivia’s face, “Much better.” She wiggled her fingers in her friend’s face, “What do the school colors say today?”
“It’s another day of rainbow-colored chaos, just like always.” She grinned as she rubbed her fingers across her forehead, “Marcy is over the moon today, all yellows and pinks. Seems she is smitten with a certain young man.”
“Isn’t that interesting. You’re having fun with this, aren’t you?”
“Yep, but not as much fun as Marcy is…just sayin. Pinky swear you don’t tell anybody.” She sighed heavily then made a face, “maybe not that much fun.”
Olivia leaned in close, “It can be a burden sometimes, knowing stuff that we know. It’s not like the movies.”
“It’s so gross,” Karly sighed again.
“I wouldn’t say gross, exactly. You just have to keep it in perspective and keep your goals in front of you.”
“Noooo, not that,” Karly shook her head, “Making out with Randy Carlson, that’s gross. Have you seen him eat lunch?” she asked, again making the same face, “not all that stuff in his hair is gel. Boys,” she added, “No. Thank. You.” Karly froze, “Uh...oh dear,” she said in a shaking whisper, “I just said that out loud.”
Olivia sighed, then held up her pinky, “Whatev’s. Add it to my list of things to keep to myself. I have a lot of stuff.” After a quick clasp of fingers, Olivia snorted,” not all that stuff is gel, that’s gold. Terra will laugh really hard.” She frowned suddenly as her phone buzzed in her pocket, “My Mom would be horrified if she knew what Terra and I talk about.”
Karly huffed in response, “So not fair, I only have a little brother. He plays with trucks.” She tapped her lips with her fingertip, “Randy’s lips are so thin it looks like he drew them on with a pencil. Nice lip gloss by the way.”
Olivia tipped her head back in a sigh as her phone pinged twice in a row, “Just a sec, this has a maternal feel to it.” Karly just continued to stare as Olivia read the series of texts. After she sent two quick responses, her phone pinged back instantly. She looked up, “We gotta go. Right now.”
“You can’t go, you have a
rt. Wait, we? I have…”
“Doesn’t matter. You and me. Liam will pick us up out front. Something’s up and Mom’s calling in reinforcements.” Watching as a big grin came across Karly’s face, Olivia shook her head, “This isn’t a good thing. When I told my Mom you and I were hanging out, she said to bring you with. There might be trouble.”
Now Karly wasn’t looking at Olivia’s full lips, she was staring over her head, “This gets you pumped up, doesn’t it? You’re flaring in blues and reds, like crazy…holy crap…big green flare. You’re not scared at all, you’re excited. You are so different.”
“Shhh, you’re getting loud. Grab your backpack, we gotta go.”
Outside the school gates, Liam was leaning up against his car in the parking lot. The girls tried to remain casual as the went through the main gate, then sprinted to his car. Liam quickly attempted to play down the emergency, “Just a precaution,” he grinned as they climbed in, but Olivia knew better, “Issac is on the other end of the street. Is Terra,” she cleared her throat, “nearby?”
“Probably,” he grinned, the genuine joy on his face allowed Olivia to relax a bit, “Your Mom wants to face time us when we get to the loft. She’s had a dramatic turn of events in Montana. It might spill over here and she wants us to be on guard.” He turned to Karly, “Nice to see you again. Welcome to the chaos.”
Karly didn’t miss a beat, “Ollie is busting at the seams to kick somebody’s butt. This is fascinating…big day…oh boy.”
Liam shared a look with Olivia, “What can I say?” Olivia shrugged, “She’s all enthusiastic and stuff.” Turning to Karly, she glared through gritted teeth, “Chill a little. They get after me for this.” Karly seamlessly continued with a more subdued observation, “Well maybe kick someone’s butt was how I interpreted her enthusiasm. She was super quick to listen to her Mom…super responsible for sure.”
