by R. A. Gates
sure they won't come anywhere near my
place again with a well-placed memory
charm.”
When they met the boys again by
the bright pink cottage, Garren was
leaning against the wall, his eyes
following her as she approached.
“Disappointed
I'm
fully
dressed?” she asked with a smirk,
following Irene past the house to the
back of the property.
“You wish. I'm actually glad I
left before being traumatized for life.”
He closed his eyes and shuddered.
She had the sudden urge to punch
him in the stomach.
Finally, Irene led them to a
small, brightly colored warehouse.
Painted on all four walls were pictures
of rainbows, birds, flowers, and
animals. The preschool she attended had
something similar by the playground.
Next to the building was a large
chicken coup with about a dozen
chickens pecking the ground. “Those
aren't...?” she asked, pointing to the
birds.
“Oh,
no,”
Irene
chuckled.
“They're my egg layers. You might've
seen my free-rangers in the woods. Just
don't look at that one too closely.” She
veered her away from the chickens and
to the warehouse. Irene unlocked the
door and swung it open. When the lights
came on, her eyes bugged out at all the
shining, silver weapons hanging along
the
opposite
wall.
There
were
crossbows, swords, daggers, ball and
chains, mace, shields and even a full suit
of armor.
The guys couldn’t contain their
excitement as they took everything in.
They practically drooled over the shiny,
but deadly, toys like a starving man at an
all-you-can-eat buffet.
“I didn't realize we were going
to war.”
Garren tore his eyes away long
enough to notice her standing next to
him. “Oh, we're not buying these, just
having some fun while we're here. The
charmed packs are what we're here for.”
“Hey, look!” Thane rushed over
to a glass display case at the side wall.
Red, yellow, green and blue lights
glowed inside. Curious, she followed
him to see what he was so excited about
and left Garren slobbering over some
enchanted arrows. Behind the glass,
globes the size of baseballs radiated
different colored light. They were
beautiful.
“What are these things?” she
asked no one in particular as she stared,
mesmerized by their brilliance.
“Those,” Irene said, opening up
the case, “Are Element Orbs, kind of
like bombs. You throw one at your target
and one of four things happen.” She took
a red ball out of its stand, cradling it in
her hands. “The red ones are Fire Orbs.
See the flame inside?” She held the item
closer and, sure enough, in the center
was a tiny flame.
“One of these babies will burn
down a large tree or small house. But if
you need a bigger fire, just merge two
together. No more than two though, or
you might not have time to throw it away
before it goes off.” Irene eased the orb
back into its place.
“What do the others do?”
“Well, the blue are Water Orbs.
The yellow are Air Orbs, which create
large gusts of wind. And the green ones
are Earth Orbs. One of these will turn
whatever it hits to stone, so don't drop it
on your foot.” She chuckled and locked
up the case.
Ivy knew of something similar.
“Are these made by the fae?”
Irene smiled brightly. “Yes, they
are. I have a great contact who supplies
these in exchange for other weapons.”
She nodded and backed away.
Faeries were well known for creating
effective weapons like these. No wonder
the Eradicators were after her.
Irene and Thane moved over to
the counter with all the potions to unpack
Thane's case, so she decided to see what
Garren was up to. He had taken one of
the bows off the wall and was shooting
arrows at some targets. Amazingly, he
hit the bull’s eye at least the three times
she watched him.
She couldn't help staring at the
way his biceps flexed as he pulled back
on the string and took aim. He jerked his
head sideways to toss his black hair out
of his eyes as he concentrated on the
center of the red and white target. Her
stomach fluttered as he released his
fingers and the arrow flew through the
air and hit the wooden target with a
thump.
She hated to admit it, but she was
impressed. She studied his technique for
a few more minutes, waiting for a
chance to test out the bow herself.
He turned around to catch her
watching him. “Who knew that you
secretly lusted after my bod? Not
surprising, actually.” He lifted the hem
of his shirt, exposing his six pack abs.
She resisted the urge to roll her
eyes as she held out her hand. What an
arrogant ass. “ Are you done?”
Garren
glanced
at
her
outstretched hand and then back to her
face. He shrugged and handed over the
bow. “Suit yourself. Don't feel too bad
when you miss the target. It takes years
of practice to reach my level.”
This is going to be fun. She took
the bow and nocked the arrow, aiming at
the center red circle on the board. The
rest of the room faded away as she
focused on where she wanted the arrow
to be. She let go.
A loud thwump echoed through
the room when the arrow pierced the
center of the bull's eye.
“Beginner's
luck,”
Garren
muttered behind her.
Without a word, she grabbed
another arrow, aimed, and released,
hitting the mark again. It landed
centimeters from the first. She pivoted
on her heel to hand the bow back to
Garren. She had to bite her lip to keep
her amused smile from taking over her
face.
“So, you've done this before,” he
said. “What else can you do?”
She strode over to the display
table of various knives, ranging from
large machetes to small daggers. She
picked up a silver throwing knife, held it
in her palm to gauge the weight, and
before Garren could protest, she spun
around and threw it across the room. It
stuck right between her two arrows in
the middle of the target.
“Show off,” Garren said as he
strode away toward the camping
supplies.
Smiling
in
triumph,
she
wandered to the jewelry corner. Various
crystals and metal pendants dangled
from chains or rope. The necklaces hung
from pegs along the wall, organized by
function. Some were charmed to modify
a person’s appearance. Others could
enhance the senses, such as better vision
or hearing. One, the most expensive
diamond, could give the wearer the
ability to read someone’s mind.
“Is there a particular feature
you’re interested in?” Irene asked as she
approached Ivy.
“I don’t suppose you have one
that will make me invisible.” She
doubted such an object existed, but she
had to ask.
Irene tilted her head to one side
and studied her from head to toe. Then,
she walked over to the display and
plucked a sapphire on a black rope from
the wall.
“It won’t make you invisible in
the physical sense, but it will mask your
magical signature, and anyone else’s
within a 50 foot radius. To those that can
detect magic, you’ll be just another
Bane,” she said with a wink.
Ivy’s eyes grew wide as she
reached out to touch the precious stone.
Eradicators wouldn’t be able to read her
magic. That was better than being
invisible.
“I’ll take it,” she said, reaching
for the money she stashed in her pocket.
With this baby, she didn’t need the town
wards anymore.
“Hold on,” Irene said as she held
the necklace out of her reach. “There are
some details you need to be aware of.
Firstly, the charm only lasts an hour, at
most.”
Her
shoulders
slumped. An
hour? That isn’t very long.
“Secondly,” Irene continued,
“Using it too often will drain your magic
and make you sick. It should only be
used in emergency situations.”
So, it wasn’t a permanent
solution to hide from the Eradicators, but
it would give her enough time to escape
if she was trapped. It was better than
nothing. She glanced back to where the
guys were playing with samurai swords.
“Got it. You take cash?”
Irene tied the rope with the
dampening stone around her neck. “To
activate the charm, hold the stone firmly
in your palm and whisper the phrase
‘Non evidens.’ You’ll know when the
charm wears off because the sapphire
will be clear. When it becomes blue
again, you can re-activate it. I don’t
recommend using it more than once a
day.”
She paid for the item and left to
round up the guys. Having some
protection, no matter how small, eased
some of the anxiety swirling in her gut.
Hopefully, their mission would go as
planned and they’d be back in
Salmagundi before they became a blip
on the Eradicator’s radar.
When they left, Thane had a case
of chocolate, three charmed backpacks
and a bunch of those Element Orbs.
Garren was carrying his new bow with a
large supply of arrows in a leather
quiver. Also attached to his belt was a
new dagger.
The car ride back was full of
excitement, at least from the boys.
“Since next week is spring
break, we'll leave this coming weekend.
Before anyone realizes we're gone, we
should be in California already.” Thane
explained.
She peered in the rearview
mirror, watching Thane eagerly packing
his backpack with all the new supplies.
Next to her, Garren was polishing the
new throwing stars he got when she
wasn't looking.
It was dusk by the time she
pulled the car up in front of Thane's
family's shop to drop them off. Thane
patted her shoulder before getting out.
“Ivy, I'm really glad you decided to join
us. We're doing the right thing.”
She gave him a small smile, not
feeling as confident as he was; her gut
twisted with unease about the whole
quest thing. She knew more than anyone
how dangerous the Eradicators were and
hoped they weren't making a huge
mistake leaving the wards, deteriorating
or not.
When she reached the boarding
house, she turned the engine off and
coasted into the dirt parking spot. She
didn't want to be heard returning, just in
case Mr. McGregor was home. The
driver's door managed to stay quiet as
she eased it shut. She exhaled slowly
and crept up the back steps, not
believing she got away with it.
As soon as she opened the back
door, Athena shoved her full backpack at
her. “Go. Now,” the blonde urged
quietly.
“What—”
“Is that her?” Mr. McGregor
shouted in the background. He sounded
pissed.
Athena shoved her again, causing
her to stumble backward on the steps.
“Unless you have a death wish, get the
hell out of here.”
Nodding, she took off running
down the dirt alley behind the boarding
house. She didn't look back. Not
knowing where to go, she ran downtown
where she could possibly blend in with
the night crowd by the bars.
She turned a corner and tripped
over a crack in the sidewalk, face-
planting in the gutter. Her hands and
cheek took the worst of it, scraping
along the pavement. She rolled over and
touched her face, blood glistening on her
fingers.
“Ivy!” Mr. McGregor yelled. He
was getting closer.
She had a decision to make—
keep running or fight back. She glanced
around as the clomping of his boots
echoed off the brick buildings around
her. A couple tin garbage cans in front of
a wooden fence made adequate cover as
she stumbled behind them. The scrapes
on her hands stung against the wooden
plank she picked up to use as a weapon.
Mr. McGregor slowed down to a
walk. “I know yer here somewhere, lass.
I can smell ye.” He sniffed the air as he
passed by.
She held her breath as she
watched him through the crack between
the cans. Splinters bore into her skin as
she gripped the board tighter.
You can do this, Ivy. He's just
another werewolf.
She prepared herself to jump out
swinging, but hesitated when he spoke
again.
“I've finally reached the end of
me tether with ye. Come out now and I'll
only break yer legs.”
All the air must've vanished
because suddenly she couldn't breathe.
She stood frozen, Mr. McGregor's
words ringing in her head.
He's bluffing.
But the steely glint in his eyes as
he caught her gaze said otherwise. His
thin lips pulled up in a disturbing smile,
exposing his yellowed teeth. “Hey,
lassie.”
Instinct guiding her, she jumped
up and swung the plank as hard as she
could at his head. He didn't expect it.
The board made contact with the side of
his face. Painful vibrations shot up her
arms and she felt like a cartoon
character trembling all over from the
blow.
He went down and she took off
at full speed. Unfortunately, he wasn't
out. “Ye better run,” he yelled as he
chased after her.
She pushed her feet to move
faster and take her to the first place that
popped in her mind. His footsteps faded
as she rounded corners and dashed
through alleys until the little apothecary
shop came into view.
Garren flipped over the sign,
closing up the store. When the light
inside switched off, she moved faster.
No! Come back! She ran right
into the door and banged against the
glass to get his attention. The window
fogged beneath her heavy breaths as she
waited for him to notice her.
“What are you doing here?”
Garren asked as he unlocked the door.
“Couldn’t wait to see me again?”
She pushed him out of the way
and slammed the door behind her.
Grabbing his arm, she pulled him down
and around a display stand of charmed
jewelry. Her lungs were burning and her
legs felt like rubber as she struggled to
catch her breath.
He opened his mouth to speak
until she held up one finger, silently
asking for a minute to compose herself.
“McGregor... pissed... chasing
me...,” she said between painful gasps of
air.
He didn't seem to understand at
first, never seeing the more aggressive
side to her landlord's personality before.
Mr. McGregor had the whole town
fooled. But something in her face must
have conveyed her sincerity, because
without a word, Garren took her by the
elbow and led her upstairs to the
bathroom.
“So, what'd you do?” he asked as
he turned on the faucet and wet a
washcloth for her.
“I borrowed his car without
asking, remember? He got home before I
