Crescent Marked: StarHaven Sanctuary Book One

by Tera Lyn Cortez

  She proceeded to give me step-by-step instructions. I mimicked her motions and repeated the words she said, matching her syllable for syllable.

  “Et abierunt!” I thrust my hands, palms facing the doorway, toward the mist seeping through the seams of the glass.

  An enraged shriek rent the air, but the encroaching witchery vanished. The moment my incantation was completed, the power flickered back on. I sank into the chair, sapped of energy. For a second, I was sure there wasn't enough food in all the world to replenish me.

  “For someone who doesn't use her magic, you seem to still be pretty decent at it.”

  Mom sighed. “I've lost much of it. This was a simple spell, one of the ones that you practice on as you learn to harness your magic. It only stuck in my memories because of how many times I used it growing up. I used it to send away bugs, and snakes when out in the woods, and creepy strangers who approached me when I was out in public. It's a simple banishing spell.”

  “Does this mean that she has broken out of her cell?”

  “No, but it means she is getting stronger, and the spell is getting weaker. She is able to send magic farther now, which means she will be able to reach you outside of the temple. We need to restore the wards on the house, and you will have to be extra vigilant from now on. We are running out of time.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “She may have been the one blocking the locator spell. We need to assume at this point that she is strong enough to do just about anything. I want to try again with her gone and see if I can find the pages.”

  Mom nodded. “That's possible. She will do whatever she can to keep you from getting stronger. She knows if you can remove the curse on the wolves they will be firmly on your side and will do anything they can to help you rid the sanctuary of her altogether. She may be evil, but the one thing she isn't is stupid.”

  Before we can make another attempt, Isaiah jogs across the clearing and knocks on the back door. We motion him in.

  “I felt the commotion and got here as quickly as I could. What happened?”

  We filled him in, my mom explaining what we thought it meant for the spirit to be able to reach out to us from the temple. He frowned, replacing it just as quickly with a blank look, trying to hide his worry from us.

  My mom reached out and touched his arm gently. “I am going to help Leah to shore up the defenses for the house. That will mean it can continue to be a safe space, while you prepare for the upcoming battle. After that, I have to return to our house to get something I think might help her. If you'd stay with her, I would appreciate it.”

  “What? You are leaving? And you didn't feel the need to tell me first?”

  “It just occurred to me. I have some of your grandmother's things back at the house. They have been packed up and in the attic for years. It might point us to her given name, which will help give us the power to banish her when the time comes. I won't leave here until I know you will be safe though. The books will give us the information that we need to turn this house into a fortress. If I know Aimee as well as I think I do, there will be instructions down to the letter that she left for you, knowing that one day all of this would eventually be yours.”

  Isaiah agreed with her and looked me straight in the eyes. “As long as you are safe here, I think we need all the help we can get, and she should go get whatever she has that she thinks will be useful.” He turned to my mom. “I will definitely stay here until you get back. We can find the journal pages and prepare for removing the curse.”

  “Let's get moving then. I am going to go into the library and find the book we need. Even after all these years, I think I have a good idea of what I'm looking for.”

  She left without waiting for either of us to respond. Isaiah pulled up a chair next to me, leaning his forearms on the table. I pulled the book with the locator spell over, positioning it between us.

  “I already tried twice, but couldn't get anything. I think it was because the spirit was preventing me from accessing it. Now that she has been sent back to her bubble, I am going to try again. It has to work. It just has to. We need those pages.”

  Without waiting for his response, I closed my eyes, laying my hands over the pages of the book that contained the words. Nothing told me I had to do that, but it gave me more confidence to have a physical connection for some reason. I ran through the words once more in my head before saying them out loud.

  A single image shimmered into view after I spoke the incantation. Despite focusing all my energy on the journal pages, the only image I got was of a tiny teacup. The white porcelain had dainty flowers painted all over it in hues of purple and pink. Gold edging ran around the rim. Not a single paper was in sight. In the bottom of the teacup, a single word had been penned. 'Revelare.'

  “What the hell?”

  Isaiah watched me patiently, not pushing me to tell him anything. My fingertips drummed a pattern on the wooden table top. The image turned over and over in my mind. Nothing I could think of would draw a connection between the missing journal pages and a tea cup. It didn't make any sense.

  “I did something wrong. I must have.” I replayed the entire thing for him, exasperation ringing in my voice.

  “Maybe not. She wanted to be very sure that not just anyone could do the locator spell and find the pages. This is a clue for someone close to her, one only a few people might be able to figure out what the image means. Did she collect teacups?”

  “Not that I know of. My mom might remember something that would help us, though. We can ask her when she gets back in here. I want to try again while we wait.”

  He didn't try to dissuade me, just sat next to me to lend me his support. Which I needed. Desperately. Failure wasn't an option, and yet I had no experience to bolster the natural power that everyone said I had within me. Everything I did, I did running blindly ahead, just hoping that I didn't find myself falling suddenly over the edge of a cliff to my death.

  Repeating the spell got me the exact same image I had seen before, right down to the angle of the teacup as it hovered in my mind's eye. Either I was the suckiest witch to ever try witchcraft, or that teacup was what I needed to be looking for, whether it made any sense to me or not.

  My mom returned to the room with a teal colored notebook in her hands. “This is it. Everything you need to make sure that this house is impenetrable.” She handed it to me.

  Flipping open the cover, tears filled my eyes when I read the first page. Aunt Aimee had left me a note.

  Dearest Leah,

  I hope that you will never need to read these spells without me, that I will instead be here to teach you everything you need to know. But, just in case, I have written everything down for you. Each of these spells is meant to protect the house and the clearing, and by extension, you.

  If you are, indeed, reading this without me, then the house is yours now. It holds many secrets, some of which will be easy for you to discover, and some that will not. The sanctuary itself holds a good many secrets as well, but those are for another time. If you are looking for ways to protect yourself, danger must have found its way to your door. It means that I have failed you, and for that I am so very sorry.

  The grimoires contain just about everything you might need to know. Read them carefully. I will leave you other notes throughout them as well, if I get the chance. For now, follow these instructions. Do each page in the order it's written.

  You have so much potential in you. The power you were gifted will serve you well as you learn to master it. I have every faith that you will be amazing. If I never got to tell you this in life, I'm so very sorry. I wanted to every time we were together.

  Love you always!

  XOXO

  Tears spilled down my cheeks, making reading her words almost impossible. I read them to myself three times before reading them out loud for my mom and Isaiah to hear. Thunder crackled again from the sky, interrupting the emotions I struggled to get under control.

  “We need to d
o this right now.” My mom looked out the window as she spoke. “There is no time to waste.”

  Flipping through the journal, I read each page quickly to give myself an idea of what I needed. Her instructions were detailed and thorough. They laid out where to stand, in what room and what direction I needed to face as I spoke the words. Some of them required me to touch certain objects. Others had me kneel on the floor, or put my hands on the wall. Each layer was meant to build on the ones before it, reminding me of the analogy of tying knots.

  Isaiah and my mother followed me throughout the house as I performed each formula for protection. It took over an hour and drained me of what little energy I had left, but I completed the entire book. The storm raged outside as I worked, anger charging the air. The spirit knew what I was doing and was powerless to stop me.

  My mom gathered her purse and keys, preparing to head to our house for the items she wanted to bring back to me. “Be safe, and please, stay in the house until I get back. Please.”

  “Don't worry, Mom. At this point, I know I need to rest and recuperate before I will be of any use to anyone. I'm about as strong as a newborn kitten right now.” We walked her toward the front door. “I want to place a protection on you too. Just in case she tries to keep you from leaving.”

  I waited for her to make a protest, or flat out refuse. When she didn't I took it as acceptance. Laying my hand on her arm, I repeated the words I had found in the back of the notebook. She held still and didn't complain.

  “I only need to make it off the sanctuary property. She cannot reach anything past the boundaries of this place for now.”

  Throwing my arms around her, I squeezed her tightly. “Please be careful. Oh! One more thing.” I relayed what I had seen when I did the locator spell. “Do you have any idea what I should be looking for?”

  “These spells are pretty straightforward. Look for the teacup. I'd be willing to bet it's around here somewhere, probably hiding in plain sight.”

  Isaiah and I stood on the porch and watched her as she maneuvered the car down the gravel drive and out of sight. Once her tail lights had disappeared from view, we latched the door and faced one another.

  “Let's find that teacup, shall we?”

  High and low we searched. In cupboards, on shelves and behind books. We opened boxes and lifted lids. Hours passed as we hunted for the elusive cup. The first go-round we did a visual check of every room. When we came up empty, we retraced our steps and did a more thorough search. Still nothing.

  Starting in the basement, we methodically searched every nook and cranny. Not a hiding place went untouched. Every room in the house got the same treatment. By the time we made it into the attic, every single item in the building had been touched by one of us, most of them by both of us. While we found a few things that might prove helpful in the future, the location of the teacup itself remained a mystery.

  I sank to the attic floor in defeat. My arm hurt, and the rest of my body wasn't in any better shape. My brain felt like mush. Frustration beat at me like an old lady trying to smack the dust out of a rug with a broom. And not the kind you could fly on, either.

  Isaiah crouched down next to me. “Don't give up yet. We just need to get creative.”

  “Hmph. We've looked everywhere. I don't know that creativity is going to get us anywhere. I'm just so tired.” So tired I wanted to cry, but even tears required energy I didn't have to spare.

  He took my hands and gently pulled me to my feet, trying not to hurt me any more than I already was. The motion made me flinch anyway.

  “Come on, let's go downstairs where you can rest in comfort while we come up with a Plan B.”

  “You might have to carry me,” I replied, leaning into him for support just to remain standing.

  “Can do.” He reached for me to do just that.

  “Ugh, stop. I'm just joking. I'll take all the support I can get down those stairs though.”

  Relying on him to keep me on my feet, we made it down to the living room where he maneuvered me onto the couch with a pillow behind my back and a blanket over my legs.

  “Do you want anything? Need anything? Food? Water?”

  “A quiet minute to think?” I teased him.

  He grinned sheepishly and settled himself onto the other end of the couch at my feet. Quietly. Suddenly, a thought came to me.

  “Oh man, I have an idea.”

  Flinging the blanket back, I hobbled to the center of the room, and spoke the word I saw written on the bottom of the teacup. Nothing. I moved from room to room, Isaiah following along behind me, speaking the word out loud in each one. Finally, in my aunt's office, we hit pay dirt.

  As I repeated the word for the seventh time, a soft glow came from the top shelf of one of the bookcases. In place of the picture frame that had been standing there just seconds before was the dainty teacup, resting on its saucer.

  Isaiah took it down, handing me the prize. As soon as my hands made contact with it, images flashed before my eyes. I knew exactly where I needed to look to find the missing journal pages.

  “Follow me!”

  Without waiting for his response, I rushed down the stairs into the basement. Excitement gave me a temporary burst of energy. Following the feelings that I had received in the office, I shoved aside boxes and crates, digging through a large pile in the corner. At the bottom, near the back, sat a dilapidated cardboard file box. Dragging it to the center of the room, I lifted the lid, making sure not to destroy it.

  Moving aside some books stacked on the top, I rooted around until I found the one I had seen in my vision. I opened it to the back cover, looking for the tiny symbol among all the printing. When I found it, I slid my thumbnail between the parchment and the cardboard. As they separated, it became obvious the cover was not nearly as thick as it seemed. In a hollowed-out section lay the journal pages we'd been seeking.

  Aimee's handwriting covered them, every word written out for me to use. At the end she had made a note. Only nature's chosen can use this spell to its full potential. One must bear the mark to unleash the power held in this incantation. Use it wisely.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “We found it.” My hands shook as I held the papers. “We found them, which means I can remove the curse and restore the pack to their former selves. They will no longer be stuck as wolves.”'

  “And the evil spirit can be banished forever.”

  He swept me up in a hug and twirled me around the room. Unable to contain my laughter, and in spite of the pain, I threw my arms around his neck and looked into his eyes, which sparkled with mischief. All the aches and pains disappeared for a brief minute. Nothing felt better than success.

  “Let's take this downstairs. I need to eat something and I want to start practicing. I think there are more paragraphs about reversing the curse in one of the books.”

  We entered the dining room to a disaster. The pair of seemingly harmless chipmunks had been chewing on the books we left sitting on the table. Shreds of paper, some over a century old, covered the tabletop and the floor. The little rodents stopped chewing at my outraged cry. Without giving it much thought, I clapped my hands together and spoke a single word.

  The spell snatched the two little critters off the table and held them suspended in a bubble above the table top, their angry chatter filling the room.

  “Why? Why would they do this?”

  Isaiah slung his arm around my shoulder. “They're wild animals. I don't think they gave it any thought. Rodents chew. It's what they do.”

  “But... the books. And the spells. There was so much inside these books that I haven't committed to memory yet.” Tears of frustration welled up.

  Those tomes held the history I hadn't had the opportunity to learn in person. The only connection to my past and my magic lay within the ink on those pages. No other way for me to acquire that knowledge existed, and these two furry cretins had just destroyed a huge part of it.

  Angry me wanted to squash them like tiny bu
gs and fling their carcasses out into the forest as a warning to any other nuisances that might be considering entering my space. Logical, slightly more humane me just wanted to send them far away so they couldn't ruin anything else while I wasn't looking. Even worse, I had nobody to blame but myself. I invited them in even when my mum warned against it.

  Leaving the two in their respective bubbles for the time being, I chanted a spell to gather every last shred of the books and sealed them in a garbage bag. There must be a way for me to return them to their original state. Something like that had to be doable, with all that magic was capable of. Hopefully the little bastards hadn't actually ingested any of the pages. Even magic couldn't undo some things.

  I sank into the wooden chair, propping my head in my hands. Isaiah moved through the kitchen, asking me what I wanted to eat.

  “To be honest, I've lost most of my appetite at this point.”

  “You have to eat. You are working your way up to doing some serious mojo and you need to fuel your body if you expect it to carry you through and help you to be successful.”

  Knowing he was right didn't help my mood any, and I scowled in his direction. To add insult to injury, my stomach chose that moment to growl, calling out my lie about losing my appetite. I slapped my palm on the tabletop.

  “Fine. I'll eat. I'll eat whatever you make for me, just don't ask me to pick something.”

  He tried to cover his chuckle by banging the cupboard doors and pots and pans, but I heard him anyway. My eyes bored into his back, willing him to feel my glare. All I got in response was a view of his shaking shoulders as he tried his damnedest to not laugh out loud.

  “Hmph.”

  I turned my attention to the journal pages we had finally found, reading through the words and notes scribbled on the pages. The complete incantation filled the first page, with notes about pronunciation scattered where my aunt had thought they might be needed. Following the indications on the sheet, I practiced some of the more complicated words out loud, knowing I would need to recite them perfectly when the time came to actually go and remove the curse on the wolves.