The Trouble With Magic

by Tania Hutley

  “After my father died, my mother threw herself into work. Now she’s obsessed with her job. It’s all that matters to her.”

  I take a big gulp of water to help the cornflakes go down. “I’m sure you matter too.”

  “She likes the fact I’m a detective. It’s good for her career to have a son who’s on the force.”

  “Do you like being a detective?” I ask. But I already know what his answer will be. The determination in his face when he talked about stopping the demon told me all I needed to know. That, and the fact he was promoted to the rank of detective so young. If the only reason he was on the police force was because his mother had pushed him into it, I doubt he’d have been so successful.

  His phone rings again, and he glances at it. “If I don’t answer, she’ll just keep ringing. May as well get this over with.” His mouth flattens as he brings the phone to his ear. “Hello, Mom.”

  “Xander? Are you okay?” Her voice is so shrill, he winces and pulls the phone away from his ear. She’s loud enough that I can hear every word.

  “I’m fine.”

  “The entire police force is out searching for you and that… woman.”

  “Her name’s Saffy.”

  “She murdered at least two people that we know of. Probably her parents, too.”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  “Listen, Xander, if you bring her in, you won’t be charged with anything. I’ve made arrangements. You won’t get your job back, but you’ll be able to walk away from this. You can still have your life back.”

  “I’m not doing that. She’s innocent.”

  “Don’t be naïve, Xander. They have proof. There’s no doubt she killed her cousin in the most gruesome way possible.”

  Xander raises his eyebrows at me. I put my spoon down and shake my head. What kind of proof could they have? Did someone plant false evidence? My stomach clenches. What if I end up convicted on a murder charge? It doesn’t matter that I’m innocent, I could still get a life sentence.

  “She didn’t kill anyone. I’m trying to find the person who did.”

  “She’s going to drag you down. Don’t let her ruin your life.”

  “I’ve got to go, Mom.”

  “Xander, wait. Tell me where you are. I’ll come and get you. We can sort this out together.”

  “I’m fine. I’ll talk to you later.” Xander hangs up with a sigh. “She wasn’t like this before my father died,” he says. “At least, I don’t remember her being this intense. She was more relaxed back then.”

  “I’m sure she just wants what’s best for you.”

  “People assume my mother pulled strings to get me promoted.” His mouth presses into a bitter line. “Thing is, I’m not entirely sure she didn’t. She denies it, but having a successful son is just so damn important to her. I think she’d do anything to get what she wants.”

  “You’re good at what you do.”

  He pours more cornflakes into his bowl. “She said they have proof you killed Sylvia. Any idea what that could be?”

  I shake my head. “We’ve seen what really did it, but who’s going to believe us?”

  “After your parents’ murder, it took several years for the demon to kill again. Now it’s killed three people in quick succession. Why?”

  “Like you said, it needed the spell from Sylvia’s grimoire.”

  He nods slowly. “Maybe. Could there be another reason? When the first spell went wrong, perhaps it got injured. It could have been waiting all these years for its injury to heal, or to get stronger. The Unseen said the demon would need a lot of magic to be able to escape from the bone. Perhaps the witch it’s got working for it wasn’t powerful enough until now.”

  I tap my lip, considering. “There are certain times when there’s more magic around. Uncle Ray was complaining just the other day…” I stop and slap my forehead. “I’m an idiot. Why didn’t I think of it sooner? I bet it has something to do with the blood moon celebration.”

  “Blood moon?”

  “In a total lunar eclipse, the moon turns red and magic gets stronger. This year is special, because the moon is closer to the earth than normal, so it’s a super blood moon. Uncle Ray has been complaining about all the mystical energy making witches edgy.”

  “Stronger magic?” He raises his eyebrows. “Thereby making it easier for the demon to get the power it needs?”

  “I’ve barely had anything to do with the witch community for so long that if Uncle Ray hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t even know it was happening. But of course, you’re right.” I stand up, the realization sending a surge of nervous energy through me. “The council are planning a special ceremony this year, to renew the bonds which unite all the members.” My voice rises. “Magnus runs the ceremony. If he’s under the control of the demon it’ll have all the power it needs.”

  “When is it?”

  “Not sure. Tomorrow, I think.” I pick up my bowl and dump it in the sink. “Can I use your phone to try and get hold of my uncle again? He needs to call off the ceremony in case the demon is—”

  The window over the sink looks out to the main house, and I’m distracted by a flash of movement in the yard. Craning my neck, I see two men dressed head-to-toe in black creeping to the back door of the main house, their guns drawn.

  “They’re here.” I drop the bowl and spin to Xander, grabbing his T-shirt to pull him to his feet. “The police have found us.”

  Twenty-Four

  We bolt for the stairs.

  “How are we going to get out of here?” I demand as we rush to the bottom.

  “We’ll take that.” Xander points at the sleek jet boat. “Get in.” While I clamber into the boat, he sprints for the big double door, unlatches it and swings it open. Then he goes to the winch. The boat sits on the top half of a steeply-sloping track that disappears into the water. The winch lets Malcolm gently lower his expensive boat down the ramp. Only Xander doesn’t have time to be gentle. I grab both sides of the boat and hang on tight.

  Xander spins the winch handle as fast as he can. The boat flies down the ramp and carves into the water, throwing up a wave that drenches Xander, who’s already running to jump in.

  The craft rocks violently as he leaps on board. I unhook the cable while Xander starts the engine. It roars into life.

  I imagine all the policemen freezing in the act of searching the main house and sprinting toward the boat house. But Xander’s already twisting the throttle and the boat takes off fast enough that I’m thrown against the stern.

  We speed down the inlet, leaving the boat house behind. Policemen run to the shore.

  “Duck,” I yell at Xander urgently, terrified they’re about to start shooting. He hunches down with me as a loud noise cracks over the water.

  “Shit.” His wide eyes meet mine. “I didn’t think they’d fire.”

  I flatten myself against the back of the boat, then realize a bullet might be able to punch right though the hull and pull my limbs in as tight as I can. Xander has his head up so he can see to steer. My heart is racing. At least when the demon attacked us we could see it coming. If a bullet hits either of us, we could be dead in an instant.

  Xander keeps the throttle wound tight, and as we roar across the water the seconds stretch out into minutes. No more gunshots ring out. Have they decided not to shoot us after all?

  Xander glances back. “We might be out of range,” he says loudly enough to be heard over the engine noise. “And we’re not a very big target. Hard to hit.”

  I force my body to uncurl so I can glance back. The shore is disappearing fast.

  “They’re probably on their radios, calling for reinforcements,” he says.

  “Coastguard?” I ask.

  “Maybe.”

  I scan ahead, trying to make sense of the land in front of us. I know this area reasonably well, but everything looks different from out here.

  “Where are you heading?” I ask.

  “We’ll ditch the boat somew
here on the other side.” He gestures to a long stretch of land in front of us.

  I squint to where he’s pointing. “I think that’s Wilson Point Road.”

  “Having to cross the inlet should slow down anyone chasing us.”

  Wilson Point bristles with dozens of jetties. Almost every house has one. “Over there.” I point.

  He shakes his head. “Further in. If we land at the public boat ramp, there’ll be other boats coming and going. We won’t stand out so much.”

  I peer ahead, searching for a place to pull in. “There,” I say finally. Not only is there a ramp, but a jetty to tie up to. A couple of fishermen are launching a boat that bristles with fishing rods, and there’s a teenager on a jet ski. No police that I can see.

  When we careen up to the jetty, Xander kills the engine while I stop us from slamming into the posts. There’s a rope attached to the front of the boat, and I scramble with it onto the jetty, then tie the boat up so it doesn’t go drifting out to sea. At least Malcolm will get it back.

  “We need to get out of here,” says Xander. “Find a car, if we can.”

  “You don’t think they’ll have closed the road?” I ask, as we run toward it.

  “Not yet, I hope.”

  There’s a parking lot next to the public boat ramp, but there are too many people around to risk stealing a car here. The houses are few and far between, but after running for long enough to put the boat ramp well behind us, Xander motions toward one with a detached garage. We jog over and peer through the dusty garage window. At first glance, it looks empty. Then I spot a couple of mountain bikes.

  “Look.” I tap the window. “If we take the bikes, we could cycle through the trees. Get away, even if they’ve closed the road.”

  “Good idea.” Xander examines the padlock on the garage door. He picks up a rock from the collection that decorates the edge of the garage, then lifts it to smash the padlock.

  “Wait.” My earth magic gives me extra sensitivity, and one of the rocks in the display doesn’t feel right. I grab it. Yup, it’s plastic. Sliding open the base, I pluck out the key and hand it to him.

  “I told you putting a key in an obvious place was a bad idea,” He unlocks the padlock and pulls the door open. “You never know who’s going to break in.”

  I take one of the bikes. When I turn, Xander’s holding out a helmet.

  “Safety first?” I cram it on over my pigtails.

  “We’ll be less conspicuous if we’re wearing them. Hopefully anyone who sees us will think we’re just out for a ride, having some fun.”

  He puts his own helmet on, then takes the time to lock the garage door behind us and put the rock back where we found it. “No sense in advertising the fact we were here,” he says to my impatient look. “We’ll have to head down the road for a while, then find another path.”

  My bike is a little too tall for me, but we don’t have time to mess around with the seat, so I balance on the pedals without using it. With his longer legs, Xander’s faster than I am. I cycle as hard as I can while watching for any sign of the police.

  We pass the Martin State Airport, and then come to a busy road. I ride across with my head down. The police have already fired at us once. If they catch sight of us, will they shoot again? Do they want to kill us?

  On the other side of the road is a forested area. I’m relieved to reach the cover of the trees, but I can’t celebrate for long. I’m too busy guiding my bike over mounds of dirt and across tree roots. There’s no real trail here, so we have to find our own path through the trees, dragging our bikes through bits that are impossible to ride though, and going as fast as we can where the ground isn’t totally overgrown. I’m not used to mountain biking, and riding over this kind of terrain takes all my concentration. Not to mention that my legs are burning. Even after I take the time to adjust my seat, it’s still hard going.

  “You okay?” Xander calls over his shoulder.

  I don’t have enough breath left to answer. He’s bigger than I am, and as unfair as it is, his gender gives him an edge. Keeping up isn’t easy.

  After riding through trees, up slopes and down gullies for what feels like hours, we arrive in a residential area where there’s no forest to hide in. We put our heads down and ride quickly past the houses, though I’m already exhausted.

  By the time we find another place where we can drop off the road and into more trees, I’m just about beat. The only reason I make it any further is that there’s a long downhill stretch that lets me rest my aching legs for a few precious minutes.

  My breath is coming in gasps by the time Xander finally stops ahead of me. My legs are on fire and my lungs feel like they’ve been turned inside out. Before he can even suggest we take a break, I’ve dropped my bike and collapsed onto the ground next to it.

  He drops to the ground too and takes his helmet off. “Let’s rest.” He sounds breathless and he’s flushed with exhaustion. At least it’s not just me.

  “Good idea.” I lie full length on the ground, not caring that twigs and stones are poking into me. “We must be far enough away now. They won’t find us.”

  A sound starts up in the distance. A siren. It gets louder and louder, until it sounds like it’s about to burst through the trees. I jerk up to sitting, my blood pumping again. Ready to grab the bike and pedal for my life.

  Then the siren starts to quieten. The police car’s gone past. But the road can’t be as far away as I thought.

  Xander meets my gaze. “They won’t expect us to have gotten this far so quickly. They don’t know we have bikes.” His tone is reassuring.

  “How long have we been riding?”

  He glances up, as though to judge the time from the position of the sun. “It must be close to lunchtime. Let’s get our breath back, then keep moving. Though it’d be safest if we can find somewhere to hole up until dark.”

  “What about warning my uncle to call off the ceremony?”

  “My phone is back at the boat house.”

  I let out a long breath that’s halfway to a groan.

  Xander picks up a twig and snaps it in half, then throws the pieces away. “Maybe we can steal another car,” he says. “But it’ll be dangerous in broad daylight.”

  I take my helmet off, then lie back down, my face turned so I can see him. “I’d give my right arm for a drink of water.”

  “Me too.” He licks his lips. “Maybe we can find a house that’s unoccupied and let ourselves in. Get a drink and something to eat, and call your uncle from there.”

  “Okay.” A thought occurs to me, and I frown. “How do you think the police found us at the boat house?”

  “The phone call from my mother.” His tone is harsh.

  “What, they traced the call, like in the movies? You think she’s working with the police and that’s why she rang you?”

  He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to. His expression tells me enough.

  Twenty-Five

  In the house we break into, we drink several glasses of water and eat a loaf of bread we find in the fridge, spread with butter and jam. But as hard as we search, we can’t find a telephone.

  “What now?” I ask, when we’ve given up the search and regrouped in the kitchen.

  I keep glancing at the front door, certain that at any moment the owner will burst in. Today I’ve learned that being a burglar is not a viable career path for me. I don’t have the right temperament for crime.

  Xander glances at the clock on the kitchen wall. “It’s almost five o’clock. It’ll be dark soon.” He pulls out his wallet and puts a ten dollar note onto the kitchen counter.

  “What’s that for?”

  “Payment for the food we ate.”

  I smirk at him. “You’re not exactly a bad ass.”

  “Yeah? Well, I’m not the one who washed the glasses and plates we used and put them away.”

  “Let’s get out of here.” I turn and limp toward the door. “But we should ditch the bikes. Now I know why cyc
lists wear padded shorts. I may never walk normally again.”

  “You think you had it tough?” He grimaces. “I think certain parts of my body have swollen to twice their normal size.”

  “Then it’s unanimous. No more bikes. Let’s steal another car.”

  He nods. “I guess we’ll have to.”

  We sneak out the back of the house, then creep around to the street. This is a quiet residential area, and most people must be still at work. There are almost no cars around, only a few in driveways. All are locked.

  “We’ll need to break a window to get into one,” I say after we’ve walked for an hour or so.

  “It’s too quiet around here. Someone will hear.” He glances at the setting sun. “At least once it’s dark, we’ll have some cover.”

  I suck in a frustrated breath. “The whole day has gone and we haven’t managed to warn anyone about the ceremony. And I still can’t believe the police shot at us. Are they going to kill us on sight now? Shoot first and ask questions later?”

  “There was only one shot. It was probably some rookie letting loose without permission.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I am.” He lets out a loud breath. “We’re both exhausted. There’s a park over there. Let’s find a quiet spot to sit and rest. When it gets fully dark I’ll break a car window and we can get out of here.”

  We find a group of trees near the back of the park that hides us from the road. When I sit down, Xander lowers himself next to me and puts his arm around me.

  The feel of his warm body is so good, it makes me want to bury my face in his neck. What have we gotten ourselves into? Wanted by the police. On the run. And for all we know, the demon has already killed enough witches to get the magic it needs. It could have gained enough power to get free of the bone, and be about to burst forth and reign terror on us.

  “I want to close my eyes,” murmurs Xander. “But if I do, I’ll fall asleep.”