Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus Legends

by Lydia Sherrer

  Satisfied with their examination, Lily motioned them all to follow her out. They did, filing silently out of the room one by one, letting its smooth walls and stone plinth fall once again into deepest blackness.

  Back down the tunnel they went, past the enchanted wall and on through all the twists and turns until finally, they came to the crack leading out into the cave. One by one they squeezed through, Sebastian once again needing to be pushed and pulled until he popped out like a cork from a bottle. Lily went last, pausing before she slipped out into the cave. The next time she came to this place, she hoped it would mark the end of this whole mess. She was both terrified and at peace. There was no guarantee what would happen, or who would come out on top. Even if they managed to subdue her father, it would be a miracle if none of them got hurt in the process. Her thoughts sped across the ocean, coming to rest beside Madam Barrington’s sickbed and wishing she could turn back time. If only she’d never answered that invitation to come to the LeFay estate, then none of this would have happened.

  Or, perhaps, something even worse might have happened.

  Sighing, Lily gently plucked her light orb from the air above her head and slipped through the crack into the cave beyond.

  On their way back up the cliff, Lily carefully sprinkled drops of magic-infused aluminum paint onto the rocks where they found their foot- and handholds, hoping it wouldn’t rain that night. Like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs, the bits of aluminum would help her find her way back down to the cave and hopefully keep her from breaking her neck in the process, since it would be past midnight when she returned.

  Once safely back up on the island, they finally relaxed. Sebastian lost his serious expression and broke into a smile, Cyril stopped chewing his lip, and Hawkins…well Hawkins was just Hawkins. Lily had yet to discern any sort of expression on his face other than blank professionalism.

  Waving hello to a couple of confused tourists—Lily and her friends had appeared out of nowhere, so the mundanes’ confusion was understandable—they regrouped and headed back toward the walkway that would take them to the mainland. Checking her watch, Lily estimated that they’d been in the cavern no more than thirty minutes and had taken about twenty to get back up to the beaten path. They would be even slower at night. Using those figures, she began calculating when they would need to wake up to get down to the cave just before low tide in the wee hours of the morning.

  Satisfied with her timetable, she caught up with Yuki and thanked him for keeping watch. “See anything suspicious while you were out there?” she asked.

  “As a matter of fact, yes. A raven landed nearby and seemed to examine the cave. I did not alert it to my presence, simply observed. After a time, it flew away.”

  “I knew it,” she muttered. Even though ravens were technically native to the area, the likelihood of one showing up, by itself, at that precise place and time, was next to nothing. No, John Faust was watching them for sure. “Well, thank you for letting me know. I believe that raven was one of my father’s, um, servants.” She didn’t know if the fox would understand what a construct was. “If you see any more ravens, unless they are grouped together, you can assume John Faust is watching us. Now, we’re going to need your help even more tonight. Let me explain what I have in mind.”

  Once she was finished discussing the night’s plans with Yuki, she motioned Hawkins over. “I need you to go into Tintagel village this evening and get a few things for me. Can you do that?”

  “Certainly, Miss Singer.”

  “Good. Now, I don’t know if John Faust will try and have one of his minions follow you. I doubt it, since he assumes you are a minor player—”

  “Am I not, ma’am?”

  “Not at all. You’re our secret weapon. You’re a mundane, and so he’ll underestimate you. And we both know, that would be a grave mistake. Am I right?” Lily looked at him appraisingly, wondering if her guess was correct.

  “Most assuredly, ma’am,” Hawkins agreed, surprising her with a sly smile. “A grave mistake.”

  “Good. Then just keep in mind that you might be followed, so try to hide what you’re doing, or else conceal it with mundane things like buying groceries or going to the drug store.”

  “I believe I shall be able to manage. What do you need me to acquire, Miss Singer?”

  She told him. Her list, while not long, was rather odd. But Hawkins took it all in stride.

  Tasks complete, she picked up her pace to join Sebastian and they walked in companionable silence the rest of the way back to the car.

  That night after dinner, they finished with a few last-minute preparations, then all headed to bed. They would have to be back up again in a mere five hours, and they needed to be awake and alert for what lay ahead.

  As Lily snuggled down under her covers, this time with alarm wards set and Sir Kipling firmly ensconced at her feet, she paused before turning off her bedside lamp. Rolling over, she looked at Sebastian, who had already bedded down and laid his head on the pillow with eyes closed, attempting to go to sleep despite the lights.

  Gazing at his face, memorizing every precious detail, she reflected that she was no longer afraid of the thrill she felt at seeing him. Nervous? Definitely. Embarrassed? Inevitably. Self-conscious? Incurably. But not frightened. She no longer felt the need to fight it, and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. What had changed that day? She’d gone from finally admitting her feelings but fighting them, to being at peace with them. Accepting them even. She wasn’t sure what that meant for her future, but at least she wasn’t exhausting herself trying to figure everything out anymore. Feelings were feelings. You couldn’t always make sense of them, and they certainly weren’t logical, reasonable, or reliable. They just were. And for the first time in her life, that was enough.

  Perhaps it had been the opening of Morgan’s tomb. Even though Lily knew the woman wasn’t technically dead, that’s still what it was. A place of endings.

  Perhaps it had been thinking about her beloved mentor, still near death with no cure in sight. Though everyone was hopeful, there was no guarantee she would ever recover. Another ending.

  And tonight, or tomorrow morning, she supposed, anything could happen. Any one of them might find their end. Even if they emerged unscathed, it would still mark the end of their task, their quest. The end of “them.” “Us” would turn into “you” and “me,” and Lily realized she didn’t want that to happen. At least, not between her and Sebastian.

  “Are you still awake?” Lily whispered.

  “Unfortunately,” Sebastian mumbled.

  Silence.

  “Thank you.”

  There was a pause, then Sebastian opened his eyes and looked into hers. Even that simple gesture sent her heart thumping in her chest. Though she didn’t try to suppress it, or deny it, she did wish her bodily response wasn’t quite so…vigorous. She’d never get to sleep at this rate.

  “Why?” Sebastian asked, brow developing a wrinkle as he considered her words.

  Lily thought about it, not actually sure what to say. The answer was obvious: everything. But that didn’t sound right.

  “For being my friend,” she finally said, voice barely above a whisper. It was a simple statement, but full of much more meaning than she could have expressed otherwise, no matter how many words she used.

  Sebastian looked momentarily taken aback. Then he slowly smiled his crooked smile. For the first time since she’d met him, it seemed to have a tender edge to it. “Right back at’cha, Lil,” he said softly. “Right back at’cha.”

  4

  Awakening Morgan

  They rose at 3:00 a.m., preparing in silence and continuing without a word out to the car. The drive to Tintagel village was short and they stopped there, about half a mile from the coastline, so as not to give themselves away with headlights and a parked car. Tintagel Castle and Island were closed, so they were wary of security guards as much as they were of John Faust.

  Taking a circuitous r
oute, they headed for the coast below Tintagel Island, planning to hike up along the cliff until they reached the wooden stairway, bypassing the normal tourist entrance. They’d brought red filters for their flashlights to make the light less noticeable and prevent their night vision from being ruined, but by a stroke of luck there was a full moon that night. With the bright light above in a clear sky, they hardly needed their flashlights.

  They made it safely down to the walkway bridging the gap between headland and mainland, but, as they climbed the other side, the sky began to grow dark. Looking up, Lily saw a thick fog rolling in, obscuring the moon. The air grew damp, and they moved closer together, walking single file and almost needing to touch each other to stay together in the fog that grew thicker by the minute. Thankfully, they reached the top of the island without mishap, but Lily was deeply uneasy. What was already going to be a dangerous climb down a cliff face in the dark had become nearly impossible, possibly suicidal.

  Sebastian, having the best sense of direction, led the group, kept on point by Yuki, who seemed completely unfazed by the fog. As planned, they headed for the small man-made cave on the western edge of the island. Since it went so far back, there was plenty of room for all the members of their party—two-footed and four—to fit inside and keep hidden from prying eyes.

  Gathering at the very back of the cave, they sat down to rest before the next leg of their journey. Lily was glad she’d invested in a pair of extra thick leggings to keep out the cold and damp threatening her with their clammy tendrils. As it was, her hair was covered in tiny droplets of condensation from the fog, and poor Sir Kipling was dripping with it. He took the opportunity to shake and roll about, even though he’d just get wet again when they ventured down to the cave.

  They rested about five minutes, then Sebastian went to check the fog. As he came back, crouched to keep his head from hitting the ceiling, Lily could see from his face that the news wasn’t good.

  “It’s ridiculous out there. The fog is even thicker, if anything, and there’s no sign of it clearing up. I don’t like it, Lily.” He turned to her, face taut with worry. “You can’t go down there. It’s too dangerous. Why don’t we come back tomorrow night? You said yourself John Faust doesn’t know how to get to Morgan. There’s no harm in waiting.”

  Hawkins and Cyril murmured their agreement.

  Lily shivered but shook her head. “We can’t wait. There’s no guarantee he won’t figure it out in the next twenty-four hours, and if he gets to her before we do, it will all be over. We can’t risk it. And anyway, low tide tomorrow won’t be until seven a.m. That’s too late in the morning. We’d risk getting caught, or hurting a tourist in the crossfire if the fighting isn’t contained. I won’t let that happen. It’s now or never.”

  They stared at each other in silence, exchanging tense, worried looks.

  Hawkins, having that mysterious sixth sense that all butlers and manservants seemed to possess, drew Cyril away toward the entrance, asking if he remembered the plan and going over contingencies. This left Lily and Sebastian alone at the back with Sir Kipling nearby grooming and Yuki outside keeping watch.

  Lily looked down, unwilling to face Sebastian’s pleading stare.

  “Don’t do this, Lily. Please. You’re going to get…”—he paused and swallowed—“you’re going to get hurt. I just know it.” He reached up, barely brushing his fingertips over her cheek. “I couldn’t live with that.”

  “I have to. You know I do.”

  “Let me go instead. I’ll—I’ll figure it out. Somehow.”

  She looked up then, smiling in spite of herself at his gallant ridiculousness. “Don’t be silly. You aren’t a wizard, and you aren’t Morgan’s descendant. You can’t do it.”

  “I’d figure out something,” he said stubbornly. “Anything is better than this suicidal plan.”

  “Stop worrying. I’ll have Hawkins to take care of me,” she pointed out, trying to make him feel better.

  “But Hawkins is just…Hawkins. He’s a mundane. He won’t be able to protect you, not like I can. Please, Lily. Let me go with you. I need—I need—to be there. I need to protect you,” he finished in a whisper, looking down miserably.

  Lily’s heart constricted, making it hard to breathe. She was terrified of what she had to do, terrified of leaving him. But she couldn’t let herself think about that. Duty drove her. To be true to herself, to continue being the person she knew she was and was meant to be, she could not shrink back. Nor could she let someone else take her place. This was a task only she could do, even if it killed her.

  Gently, almost timidly, she took Sebastian’s large hands in hers. They were warm, bringing relief to her cold fingers. She squeezed them, and he looked up at her, expression tortured.

  “You have to let me go,” she whispered, absolutely refusing to let that burning behind her eyes form into tears.

  He pulled her gently forward. Their bowed foreheads met and they rested against each other, taking what comfort they could from that meager connection.

  “But…I only just found you,” he whispered, voice full of pain.

  Lily shivered, though it wasn’t from the cold. She knew she shouldn’t be feeling elated at such a dark, serious moment, but she couldn’t help it. He’d as much as said he loved her. Maybe that’s not how he meant it. Or maybe it was. Either way, it was the first time he’d ever expressed desire for her of any kind. It filled her with hope. “And now that you have found me, I have no intention of disappearing. That would be extremely rude, and I hate being rude.”

  Foreheads still pressed together, she felt him chuckle, though it sounded a bit wet, as if she weren’t the only one fighting back a certain burning behind the eyes.

  “I need you to watch my back, Sebastian. You will be there protecting me, just from behind instead of at the front. If you don’t do your part, we’ll all be doomed.”

  He nodded, fog-damp bangs brushing against her forehead as he finally lifted his head with a deep, steadying breath.

  “Of course. You’re right. I won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t.” She tried to smile, but he still looked worried, so she gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

  At his look of surprise, Lily gave him a cherubic smile. “What? You aren’t the only one who reads Sun Tzu.”

  Sebastian finally grinned, seeming his old self again. “I guess I should have known better than to try and one-up you.”

  “Yes, yes you should.” She squeezed his hands one last time and let go, fingers brushing over the Dee family ring as she did. “I’m so glad Mr. Dee gave you that. It’s incredibly strong. I can feel its power from here.” Having a sudden thought, she took his ring hand, drawing it close to her face and examining the heirloom. “There are some active aspects you won’t be able to harness, of course, but the passive wards are the best I’ve seen. You should be safe from average battle spells, quick casts, things that don’t have too much power behind them. I’m not saying don’t dodge, but at least you won’t go down the first, or even the second or third time you’re hit. Of course, without being able to recharge and channel more magic into it, it will weaken over time. I’ll have to talk to Mr. Dee about its upkeep for you.”

  “Will it last the night?” Sebastian asked.

  “Yes, but don’t get the wrong idea. Without the active shield spells, this ward isn’t a battle suit. It’s more like, um….football padding. The pads soften blows and prevent many injuries, but they can only do so much. So stay on your toes, avoid direct blows, and try to keep close to Cyril. Shield spells have a spatial limit so the further away you are the harder it will be for him to keep you safe.”

  They stared at each other, solemn in the semi-dark as thoughts of battle, danger, and injury sank in.

  Gently letting go of his hand, Lily took a deep breath. “So, yes, well…keep a sharp eye out and wait for Yuki’s signal. And be ca
reful out there. You’ll be in just as much danger as I will be going down those cliffs. I shall be extremely vexed if you…if you get hurt.” Lily swallowed, voice thick. “Promise me you’ll use the rope?”

  “I will if you will,” he said, flashing her a grin.

  Rolling her eyes with a playful smile, she headed toward the entrance to the cave, spirits lifted at least momentarily. Dwelling on the danger ahead didn’t help, so she tried not to.

  “You lovebirds have a nice chat?” Sir Kipling asked lazily, in a much better mood now that he was almost dry.

  “Oh hush,” Lily said in a suppressive tone, even as she was unable to hold back a grin. Looking at her watch, she saw it was about three forty-five. They were on schedule. All of them huddled near the entrance of the cave, flashlights on their lowest setting, the red light barely illuminating their faces like some hellish glow from the depths below.

  “Alright,” Lily said, speaking quietly. “Remember the plan. Cyril, you’re on the defensive. Make sure you keep yourself and Sebastian heavily shielded at all times.” The professor nodded, looking even more pale than usual in the red light, but determined. Since he knew little or no battle magic and had refused, in the end, to stay behind, Lily would at least feel better knowing there was a wizard protecting Sebastian’s back as he jumped into the fray.

  “Sebastian, you’re the shock troops. Come in hard and fast. If we don’t take them by surprise we might not…well, we’ll just do the best we can.”

  Turning to Hawkins, she met his level, cool eyes. “Do you have my list of things?”

  He nodded, taking two coils of rope out of his backpack, one of which he handed to Sebastian. He’d taken the initiative of acquiring a bit more than her list had outlined, however, also picking up sturdy hiking boots for himself and Cyril and four pairs of tight-fitting gloves with anti-slip pads on the palm and fingers, as well as four headlamps with elastic straps. Boots already on their feet, he now distributed the gloves and headlamps, all switched onto the red-light setting. He was an uncanny judge of size—Lily supposed he had to be, being a gentleman’s gentleman—and everything fit snugly. Flexing her now much warmer fingers, she wondered if she should look into acquiring a butler. Or would that be a maid? She had no idea, but the thought made her smile, feeling much more optimistic about surviving a climb in which she could see where she was going and wouldn’t lose her grip.