Spring's Calling: (A Witch Detective Urban Fantasy Novel) (Seasons of Magic Book 1)

by Sarah Biglow

  My mother turned her hand over and cupped the necklace. “It’s been in our family a very long time.” Her eyes darted down to Eleanor’s face.

  “In the video, you said that our family’s blood has strength. I’m guessing it’s tied to this pendant.”

  “You always were a smart girl.”

  “This is how I’m able to see you, isn’t it?”

  The corners of her mouth turned into a smile. “Nothing carries magic quite like objects with a lot of meaning and shared history.”

  I looked down at Eleanor. “So why isn’t Theodora here? She’s our direct ancestor, not you.”

  Eleanor stood gracefully, not even ruffling her skirt. As she stood there in the early afternoon sun, she looked younger than she’d been in death. We hadn’t been that far apart in age when they’d hung her for witchcraft. “The necklace belonged to me before my death. I knew my sister’s children would need its protection and power, and so, on the eve of my death, I gifted it to my sister with the promise that she would give it to her firstborn child. I imbued it with enough of my magic to keep my connection to it alive through her descendants.”

  “This necklace has been passed from mother to daughter since the 17th century. It carries the magic and the strength of every witch going back to Eleanor,” my mother said, still holding tight to the pendant.

  “Prophecies are tricky things. They are maddeningly vague and often do not say what they truly mean,” Eleanor said, looking rather annoyed at her own words. She’d been the one to spit out the prophecy back in the day.

  “So, what are you saying? I’m not the Savior?”

  “Oh, no. The prophecy was specific enough about the sex of the Savior, but you will not stand alone to face the rising of the Druids. You have the power to harness our family’s collective magic and wield it as your own,” Eleanor explained.

  “That’s … wow.”

  I took a few steps away from the ghosts of my mother and ancestor and leaned against a nearby fencepost. The metal was cool against my hands and I rested my head against the blunted tip. This was more to take in than I’d been expecting. Sure, I was getting the information I needed to fight the battle ahead of me. I’d just never expected to have access to an entire bloodline’s worth of magic to do it. And it raised more questions in my head than I wanted to contemplate. Not least of which was: can just anyone do this or is my Savior status the key to it? Does the Order know what I’m capable of?

  “Am I the only one?” I might as well put the question out into the world.

  “The only one what?” Mom tilted her head the same way she’d done when she was alive whenever I asked a vague question.

  “Am I the only one who can harness this blood magic?”

  “The world would not be in need of a Savior if anyone could do it,” Eleanor said dryly.

  “But the world exists on a balance. That’s why when the seasons change, the world shifts, never giving one side more of an advantage over the other. Having a practitioner powerful enough to use the built-up magic of an entire bloodline going back centuries, using it for good or bad, seems like the kind of thing that the world wouldn’t be happy about if it wasn’t balanced out.”

  Eleanor shrugged one shoulder and crossed the distance to stand beside the fence. “Sometimes the world cannot balance out and there are the rare occasions when the need for good is so great that it outweighs the need to have an equivalent evil to balance it.” She pulled me into a tight embrace and kissed my cheek before vanishing, leaving me to stare at my mother’s ghost.

  “I know you’re scared of what’s coming,” she said.

  “How?”

  She gave me a sad smile. “I’m a part of you, deep down where your hopes and fears reside.”

  “Oh. I know I have no choice in all of this but … what if I don’t know what to do? What if I screw it up?”

  “You may feel like you aren’t ready, but I believe in you, and that belief, like our magic, lives within you,” my mother whispered, the wind carrying her words to me.

  I couldn’t meet her gaze so I studied the headstone that marked her grave. “I wish you didn’t have to die. There had to have been another way.”

  “Ezri, we looked and this was all we could find. Shielding you from the Order was the best we could do until you were old enough to take this burden on.”

  I let out a hiccup of hysterical laughter. “I spent so much time being angry at everyone around me that I didn’t even realize stripping someone’s magic from them without their consent would probably end up killing me. That’s something I should have known.”

  In a rush of air, my mother appeared at my side and pulled me into a tight, comforting embrace. “You reacted how any teenage girl who lost her mother would. I’m sorry you didn’t get the explanation until now. That isn’t on you.”

  I blinked away fresh tears. “Am I going to be able to see you like this after what’s coming is over?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. But even if we can’t, we will always be with you in your heart. I need you to know how proud I am of the woman you’ve become. You are exactly who you are supposed to be. Now, you should rest. It’s going to take a lot out of you.”

  “I have one more thing I have to do first,” I said. I didn’t want to move from her embrace.

  “Good luck, my beautiful girl.” Her lips brushed my cheek and then she vanished. But, unlike Eleanor, it felt as if she flowed into my body, her essence and magic covering me like armor.

  I stood there, letting her power sink in and strengthen me. The added power made the mass of stone beneath my ribs feel less painful. I still needed to figure out where the Order was planning to hold their ritual. They’d clearly had a plan of where they’d made their offerings to call forth the spirits of the dark practitioners. I needed the map sitting at home in my living room. I closed my eyes, imagining myself back home sitting on the couch. I poured out as much will as I’d ever exerted and when I opened my eyes again, I was standing outside of my apartment building, my hair windswept around my face.

  “I can’t believe that worked,” I said with a broad grin. The satisfaction of having effectively teleported across the city dampened as the world caught up to me and knocked me sideways into the building. “Need to work on that,” I muttered and let the vertigo pass before heading inside.

  I took the stairs two at a time and shouldered the door to my apartment open in my hurry to get the information I needed. The printout of the five locations sat waiting for me on the table, as if someone had known I was coming and what I needed. For a moment, I wondered whether my will had managed that feat as well. I was working with another person’s magical strength added to my own after all.

  Tucking my feet beneath me, I settled on the couch to study the map. The points definitely created a focal point on the Common. Tracing the lines connecting the five points led to a tightening pentagon around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and the bandstand. It was only a hunch at this point, but it wasn’t like I could just march up to Agent Taggart to confirm my suspicion. There was no way I was risking a solid case in court just to ensure my curiosity. Besides, my gut told me I had the right place. Now I just had to wait.

  March 20, 2017

  Twenty-Eight

  It turned out downing Nyquil and one of Belladonna’s pills was not the greatest of combinations when you wanted to do anything but sleep. March 19th was a complete blacked out space in my memory. I barely even woke up long enough to shovel some soup down my gullet before passing out again. But it meant I woke up the morning of the Equinox bright-eyed and ready to kick some evil ass.

  As I pulled on loose fitting pants and long-sleeved shirt a little after eleven o’clock, a knock at the door signaled I had visitors. I took in a breath and caught the honey scent of J.T.’s magic and the floral scent of Kayla. At least the Whisperer was starting to respect my boundaries and things liked a locked door. I tossed my hair into a messy knot at the nape of my neck and went to answer
the door.

  “You look better,” J.T. said with a smile.

  “Sleeping for a day straight will do that for a girl,” I answered and beckoned them in.

  Desmond and Jacquie brought up the rear. Five people made my one-bedroom feel slightly cramped, but going into battle, it felt good to feel the closeness of the people who were going to have my back.

  “How are you?” Desmond looked nervous.

  “I’m okay. I worked some things out over the last few days and I’m ready for this. Assuming we all make it through, I think it might a good idea to keep talking. I may understand what happened, but I suspect I’m going to need more time to sort out how I feel.”

  “Whatever you need.”

  “Do you know where they’re going to try pulling off this ritual?” Jacquie’s turn to pepper me with questions. Kayla remained silent.

  “My best guess is somewhere near the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the Common. The points linking the scenes crossed around there so it’s as good a spot as any. And I’m pretty sure it’s going to be hard to miss a power-intensive magical working. I have to believe most of the Order is going to be there.”

  My partner nodded, her hand resting on the holster at her hip. “We’ll be waiting to take them down.”

  “Not to put the kibosh on your plan to arrest anyone involved, but what exactly would you be arresting them for?” Desmond questioned.

  “If we can link them to Taggart, then conspiracy to commit murder. Even if he’s high up on the chain of command, I don’t believe for a minute he did this all on his own,” she answered.

  “We’ll take down whoever we can, but stopping the ritual is the goal,” I interrupted.

  “You’re sure you’re ready for this?” Jacquie’s face bore a maternal look.

  “Yeah. I was literally born for this, as cliché and cheesy as that sounds. I’ve got all of you backing me up and I’ve got my family.” My hand clutched the pendant and it flared warm with energy. A cacophony of magical signatures filled the air around me. Like when my mother’s spirit had disappeared, they settled over me, hardening into more layers of protection.

  “We should go,” Kayla said.

  Taking a steadying breath in, I led our small group down to the street where we split off into two cars and wove our way through traffic on Commonwealth Avenue, racing the inbound B line train until it disappeared underground at Kenmore Station. We peeled away and ended up on Charles Street. The sky above us was starting to darken as the moon slowly moved into position, ready to block the sun. I peered out the passenger side window of Jacquie’s car and tried to spot the meteor shower, but it was either not in view or was waiting for the sun to disappear to make its appearance.

  “Maybe this is a good thing,” Jacquie blurted as she found parking near the church outside of Arlington Station.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Think about it. Everyone is going to be so preoccupied with the eclipse and the meteor shower that no one is going to notice a magical battle going on.”

  I could almost see the benefit in her argument. Almost. “That’s what the Order’s counting on. That everyone would be so distracted they could just bring forth their ancient Druid buddies without interference. Besides, what better time for them to work such a huge spell than on the day the world is supposed to be balanced and it’s thrust into darkness?”

  She shook her head at my pessimistic view. “We’ll do what we can to keep the civilians out of your way. And try not to die, okay? I don’t need that on my conscience.”

  I snorted. “I’ll try my best. It would really suck for you to have to break in another new partner.”

  Her face lost its jovial look. “Yes, it would.”

  An awkward silence fell between us and I broke it by climbing from the car and heading up Boylston Street toward the Common. The rest of my entourage fell into step around me as we marched to meet our opponents on a literal field of battle. They weren’t going to pull any punches and neither was I. Whatever had to happen to quash their plans I was ready and willing to do. Too many lives were at stake to be cautious.

  I felt the binding circle before I saw the wavy edges of the barrier. That same feeling of the air pushing in around me hit me just as the monument should have come into view. The rest of the group stopped a few paces behind me.

  “This is definitely the place,” I said and reached out a hand to test the barrier.

  It wasn’t solid like the ones Taggart had erected around the crime scenes, but it wasn’t pliable either. It was going to take some effort to take down. And this one may not shatter entirely like Taggart’s.

  I turned to Kayla, J.T. and Desmond and said, “I’m going to need your help getting through their circle.”

  Jacquie kept an eye on the street as the other three moved to stand beside me. I waited for them to give me a nod that they could sense the barrier before we poured our collective energy into the task of breaking through it. I had the impression that my family’s magic could have tackled it without much issue, but I wasn’t sure how long that connection would last and it was counterproductive to waste it on getting to the fight.

  Overhead the sky continued to fade to black and, if I squinted, I could make out the fiery chunks of space rock hurtling towards the planet. To my right, Kayla flipped between her solid and insubstantial states as she poured her flowery magic into weakening the barrier. Sweat broke out above her lip.

  “The eclipse is messing with our powers,” Desmond said as he balled his hands into fists and his cheeks turned pink with exertion.

  J.T.’s face was similarly flushed. Okay, family magic, let’s see what you’re made of. I turned my attention inward, feeling the different strands of magic from every woman who’d worn this necklace and contributed a piece of themselves to bolster mine. My mother’s magic was strongest, but I could sense dozens more. In my mind’s eye, I braided the strands around the core of my own magic until it pulsed bright. I sent it out into the world like a wrecking ball against the barrier.

  Instead of shattering, the barrier rippled beneath my palms, spreading out in a spider web of weak spots until all I had to do was push and it created a hole for me to slip through. I slid one arm through to ensure it didn’t collapse before I was through. With one last glance back at my friends, I stepped through and into a horror show.

  Within the boundary of the Order’s binding circle, the sky had already blackened to midnight. The moon was halfway across the sun and I had to blink spots from my vision from looking directly at it. Faceless figures in hooded robes stood in a loose circle. Seriously, why do bad guys have to always go with the robe trope? A shorter figure stood in the center of the gathering and I could see the five spirits of the dark practitioners they’d already raised. The hood hung low over the person’s face, but the robe was open to reveal the curve of breasts and a bare midriff. As I followed the line of her body down, I saw she was only clad in a bra and underwear beneath her robe. The sleeves were pushed up over her elbows and she held a blade in her left hand.

  No one noticed me; all of their attention was focused on the woman in the middle of the grass. Collectively, their heads turned up toward the sun. Maybe it was a trick of the light but as I glanced skyward—careful not to look directly at the sun this time—I noticed that the light was almost entirely gone. The meteors were in clearer view too. Their ritual was about to happen. Time to fulfill my destiny.

  “Hey, psychos,” I called and strode forward with purpose.

  I couldn’t tell if the group was surprised to see me, what with their faces obscured, but a few of them turned at the sound of my voice. I gave them a little smile and wave and waited for them to go on the defensive. They tightened their ranks around the woman with the blade, making it crystal clear that she was my objective.

  A group of four moved forward into a line, fire swirling forth from their palms. It coalesced into a giant ball before shooting straight for my head. The limited training I’d received
as a child kicked in. I held up my right hand, willing the molecules in the oncoming fire to turn to ice. Even though the odds were against me, my will won out and the fire turned into a giant ice ball. Unfortunately, it was still coming speeding toward me like a rocket.

  Raising my left arm up, I turned my intent into a solid shield. The ice slammed into it, sending me staggering a step or two back. The barrier held, the ice shattering into tiny crystals on the grass. My opponents were already preparing for another attack. If I could bring down their barrier for good then Jacquie and the others could handle them.

  I reached out with my senses for the knot keeping the binding together. It was at the far end of the circle and naturally that meant through the throng of bad guys. Taking a big breath in, I sprinted at a diagonal around the cluster of Order members, throwing up a shield at my back to deflect any passing shots. I felt the heat disperse over my body as a fireball collided with my protection.

  Tapping into the surplus of family magic, I extended my reach as I moved, letting it snake along the grass in front of me until it reached the anchor point. With an outpouring of will and a mixture of my own magic and that of my ancestors, I ripped it free.

  The barrier fought to stay alive, no doubt pulling from the confluence of phenomena around us, but it did die and with it the protection from my allies. The pack of Order members looked amongst each other and splintered off, some producing weapons like knives and guns while others simply harnessed their magic into a solid mass around themselves like shields.

  I left them to do battle with my friends and set my sights on the woman they’d been guarding. Only three people remained to separate us and, with the boost of the barrier coming down, that seemed like nothing to me. One of the robed figures, who was tall and lanky by the way they moved, came at me with a fist drawn back to hit me. I easily side stepped and slammed my heel into the small of their back, sending them sprawling to the ground. With a wave, handcuffs bound their wrists behind them, effectively immobilizing them. I urged the grass to rise up and ensnare their legs for good measure. The other two were a little more calculated.