The Complete Spellbound Trilogy Bundle

by Penelope King

  The intensity behind Nicholas’s smoldering gaze was unnerving. “You think he should have his memory erased? Even if it’s against his wishes?” he finally asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I mean…once the spell is performed…he won’t even remember that he didn’t want it done in the first place, right? He won’t know that he’s living a lie and unhappy, right?”

  “Technically, I suppose. If all goes well.”

  I let out a frustrated sigh. I covered my face with my hands and shook my head. I couldn’t even convince myself that this was for the best. Logically it was, but my heart and soul told me it was all wrong. Very wrong.

  Nicholas cocked his head to the side, appraising me. I cast a stealthy glance downward to make sure I was still covered with foam. “Did you still want me to take you to see Saffron? She might be able to help you.”

  “Who?”

  “Saffron. The woman I told you about last night. She and her family live in the Australian Outback, and she knows more about spells than any witch alive.”

  “But we can’t just bounce over to the other side of the world just to ask someone a few questions,” I protested. “It’s crazy.”

  He arched another eyebrow. “Can’t we? We could be there faster than it would take you to walk to Ana’s house.”

  I considered his offer while I turned on the hot water again with my toes and added a touch more bubble bath. “Do you really think she can help me? I can trust her?”

  Nicholas nodded. “If she can’t help you, then no one can. I firmly believe that.”

  “And I can trust her?”

  “She doesn’t know who you are, and truthfully, she probably won’t care. Nothing you say or ask would shock or offend her. People from all over the world go to see her. They have for hundreds of years.”

  I gasped. “What? Hundreds of years? I thought you said she was a witch!”

  “She is.”

  “But witches are human. And humans don’t live for hundreds of years!”

  He chuckled again under his breath. “I told you, she’s a very talented spellcaster. She knows all there is to know. I’m sure she’s cast some spell on herself to keep her and her family alive as long as she wants.”

  “Wow,” I whispered. “I knew magic could do a lot, but not that. I mean, it sounds like she’s practically immortal.” And definitely not practicing the type of magic Ana would approve of.

  Nicholas shrugged. “I don’t know about that. But she’s been around the block once or twice.”

  “When would we go?” I was getting excited…and a little nervous.

  He checked his watch. “It’s almost 8:00. That means it’s almost noon there now.”

  I thought about it again. I needed answers, and I couldn’t get them from Ana. And we were running out of time to help Justin. My gut told me that this woman was different than what I was used to, but Nicholas trusted her, and I trusted him. I nodded.

  “All right, let me finish up here and…oh wait. Lily and Sophie are stopping by for a bit. They wanted me to fill them in on Justin.”

  He nodded. “How’s an hour sound?”

  “That should be perfect. I’ll see you then.”

  He stood up and gave me a quick kiss before wavering and fading away into nothingness.

  *****

  Sophie’s jaw dropped.

  “Australia?” she repeated, shocked. “You’re just flitting off to Australia? Now? Have you completely lost your mind?”

  I shrugged and finished brushing my hair, then fastened the top section back with a large barrette. “What’s the big deal? Nicholas can shimmer us there faster than it takes to walk to Ana’s house,” I said, reciting his earlier argument.

  Lily shook her head in amazement. “How can he even do that?” she murmured. “I can only shimmer a few hundred miles max. Not that far. Not across the globe. Over oceans.”

  “He says he’s been doing it most of his life.” I wandered into my closet. What was the weather like in Australia this time of year? I settled for some jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. If it was too hot I could always take off the sweatshirt and tie it around my waist.

  “What exactly are you hoping to accomplish?” Sophie asked when I emerged. “You think you can really find a spell to save Justin?”

  I’d filled both of them in on my earlier conversation with Justin, and then my later one with Nicholas. But I hadn’t told them my real reason for wanting to talk to this woman…the woman Nicholas had promised could answer all my questions. I didn’t want to tell them of my fears…my suspicions…my hopes. Not until I knew if they were at all valid, or if I was just totally off my rocker. Best they thought this trip was all about Justin for now.

  “Nicholas said that she’s more knowledgeable about spells than anyone he’s ever known.” I leaned over to tie my shoes. “I just want to make sure we haven’t missed anything.”

  Sophie and Lily exchanged glances. “That almost sounds like you’re looking for answers outside our type of magic,” Lily said softly. “Just who is this witch Nicholas is taking you to see?”

  I sat up straight and looked her square in the eyes. “Is she a dark witch who practices black magic? Is that what you’re trying to ask?”

  “I’m just wondering why she would know so much more than anyone here…or have different ideas. What does she know that we don’t?” Lily questioned.

  I shrugged. “Dunno. That’s what I’m going to find out. If there’s a way to help Justin…to make him be okay without ruining his life…shouldn’t we do it? Isn’t our friend worth that much?”

  “You’re right,” Sophie sighed and shook her head. “It’s just scary thinking of you going all the way across the world to a strange and possibly dangerous place to meet some powerful witch none of us know. Maybe we should go with you—”

  “Yes, we should all go, together,” Lily seconded. “That way if there’s trouble I can shimmer us away, or Sophie can fly us somewhere safe.”

  I shook my head. “No. You can’t go. It was hard enough to get her to agree to meet with just me,” I lied. “Any more strangers showing up and she won’t see us. She’s only doing this as a favor to Nicholas.”

  “Calista’s right,” Nicholas said as his body suddenly wavered into view. “Saffron is very particular about who she’ll see, and she’s quite skittish with strangers. If I showed up unannounced with three unknown witches, she’d refuse to see us for sure.” He moved over beside me. I was grateful for his support with my story, but even though I knew I’d been lying, I couldn’t tell if Nicholas was. He words came out so smoothly, so naturally.

  Lily and Sophie turned to him. “How do you even know this woman, anyway?” Sophie asked.

  “I met her when I was a young boy. My magical foster family was familiar with her work. She’s a legend of sorts.”

  Lily narrowed her eyes. “How come we haven’t heard of her?”

  “With all due respect…” Nicholas cocked an eyebrow. “Who have you heard of from outside your own lineage? The only witches you seem to care about are the ones in your own family tree. The only magic you believe in is the kind that is in line with your own.”

  “There’s a very good reason for that—” Sophie started.

  “Wait a minute. Are you insinuating that this woman…her magic is different?” Lily asked.

  Nicholas shrugged. “Perhaps. But different doesn’t always equal bad. You know, it would do you some good to brush up on the theory of evolution. Every progression in every species was caused by a mutant who was better than the rest and passed on the superior genes to next generations—”

  “So she’s a mutant who’s better than us?” Sophie quipped, clearly annoyed. I was getting more and more uncomfortable. Why were Sophie and Lily so worried? And why was Nicholas egging them on?

  “We should go,” I whispered and put my hand on his arm. It was now or never, and we didn’t have time for their bickering.

  “How long
do you think it will take?” Sophie asked, her voice tense.

  Nicholas glanced at me. “However long Calista needs to talk with Saffron and get her questions answered.”

  “Maybe thirty minutes…an hour…two max?” I guessed.

  “Fine.” Lily plopped down on my bed. “We’ll just sit here and wait for you then.”

  “And brush up on our mutant evolution,” Sophie sniffed.

  Nicholas ignored her and glanced at me. “Ready?”

  I nodded almost imperceptibly. “As I’ll ever be.”

  The last images I saw before the blast of white light and the sensation of freezing ants was Lily’s concerned frown and Sophie’s disapproving scowl.

  Chapter 19. Saffron

  The icy sensation was quickly replaced by a blast of scorching heat and bright yellow sunlight. I was starting to look around to orient myself when my legs suddenly gave way.

  “Whoa…I got ya,” Nicholas said as he grabbed me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and held me steady. “Here, sit down for a minute until you adjust.” He eased me onto the hot, caked sand.

  My stomach was queasy, and my face felt numb and rubbery. “Why do I feel so weird?” I whispered.

  “Your body just has to adjust to the new temperature, altitude, and air pressure. You’ll be fine in a few seconds. Sorry,” he added sheepishly. “I hadn’t realized what a shock this would be for your body. You’ve never travelled more than a couple hundred miles before.”

  “I’m fine,” I said, as the wooziness started to clear. The scorching ground was burning through my jeans. I stood up. “Hot, but fine. It must be over a hundred degrees out here.”

  Nicholas glanced around. “Yeah, it’s the middle of summer right now. Don’t worry, it’s not really a problem.” He gracefully whipped off his sweatshirt, revealing a tight white tank top that showed off his muscular, tanned arms and ripped, washboard abs.

  “Not for you maybe,” I muttered enviously. I removed my own bulky sweatshirt, annoyed that my t-shirt was long-sleeved and made of thick cotton.

  Nicholas blessed me with his delicious trademark smile, and I felt even hotter.

  “So now what?” I surveyed the unfamiliar landscape with a hint of nervousness. I couldn’t help but wonder if Nicholas had gotten blown off course somehow. All I could see were endless acres of arid land covered with dark red clay, occasional patches of grass, and a cloudless blue sky overhead. And it felt like a bake oven.

  “Don’t worry…they know we’re here. Someone will be along shortly to let us in.”

  I was confused. “Who knows we’re here? Let us in where? There’s nothing here—”

  Suddenly, a wiry, brown-skinned man covered head to toe in long white sheets appeared out of thin air. Literally. I caught my breath and stared as he shuffled toward us.

  “That’s Josiah,” Nicholas whispered. “He’s been the gatekeeper here for decades. No one gets in without his say so.”

  “Gets in where?” I whispered back. I looked around again to see if there was something I had missed.

  Nicholas stretched out his arm. “Josiah, my old friend. How are you?” He grasped the man’s hand in a warm embrace, and Josiah gave him a toothless smile in return.

  “Nicholas,” his voice rasped. “It’s been far too long since your last visit. We sometimes wonder if you forget about us.” Josiah’s black eyes squinted in playful jest, but I sensed a serious undertone.

  Nicholas draped his arm over Josiah’s frail shoulders. “I could never forget about you guys. You’re like my family…you know that. I’ve just been really busy lately.”

  “And is this beautiful young thing what has been occupying so much of your time?” Josiah’s eyes twinkled as he gave Nicholas a knowing look.

  Nicholas half-grinned. “Josiah, may I present to you Calista McCoy. Calista is…” He paused briefly, and I wondered for a moment if he was going to say ‘my girlfriend’. Instead he said, “Calista is…very, very important to me. She is my most special friend. And she needs our help.”

  Josiah hobbled forward and reached for my hand. He gave it a light kiss, then smiled at me with watery eyes. “We welcome you, Miss Calista. Any friend of our brother Nicholas is a friend of ours.” He stepped between us and placed his wrinkled hands on our backs. “Come now. Let’s get out of this ungodly heat, shall we?”

  There was a light pressure on my spine, and a quick tingle. This time my feet didn’t move an inch, and I hadn’t even blinked…but suddenly we seemed to be standing on another continent entirely.

  I brought my hands to my mouth and stared in astonishment. “But how…how is this possible?” I gasped, a little pleased that I was still capable of being utterly shocked by magic.

  Nicholas smiled. “I didn’t want to tell you anything and ruin the surprise. The first time is always the best. Unforgettable.”

  “It’s magnificent,” I gushed, trying to soak everything in at once. There was so much to see…I had to laugh at the wonder of it all. Seconds before we had been in the middle of nowhere. Now we were surrounded by people dressed in every sort of fanciful attire, bustling up and down a colorful tree-lined avenue. The whole scene looked like something straight out of an old-fashioned World Faire.

  But that wasn’t the craziest part. It was almost as if we had landed in the middle of a traveling carnival. Brightly colored striped tents were situated among fragrant flowers along the boulevard. And wild animals wandered amongst the passersby, who didn’t seem to be the least bit bothered by their presence.

  Nicholas turned to Josiah and chuckled. “A circus? Really? Who put that in?”

  Josiah grinned. “Some of the children. On occasion they’re allowed to contribute to the scene, as long as it doesn’t get too out of hand. But I must admit many of the adults have grown quite fond of the nightly shows as well.” He placed a hand on Nicholas’s shoulder. “You know your way around, so I’m going to get back to my poker game. Please come visit me before you leave.”

  “We’ll do that,” Nicholas replied. Josiah turned to me.

  “It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Calista. Nicholas must be very fond of you, and I can see why. Enjoy your stay, my dear.”

  “Nice to meet you too, Josiah,” I murmured, still in shock. What was this place? Even Ana’s magical third floor room and the Isle of Druantia seemed tame by comparison.

  I jumped back as an enormous elephant adorned in gold chains and a pink diamond tiara wandered by. Nicholas laughed.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie. None of these animals can hurt you. They aren’t even real.” He reached for my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

  “Are you sure about that?” I whispered, gawking at the beautiful, tawny lion that sat not a dozen yards away, watching us with interest.

  “See that zebra right there?” Nicholas pointed a few feet to the lion’s right. “Do you think a real lion would ignore a dinner like that?”

  I moved closer to him. “They sure look real.”

  “Well, in a way they’re real,” he conceded. “But they were created with magic, so they’re totally harmless. In fact, this entire place is created by magic, and everyone who lives here is a witch or wizard.”

  I felt like I was walking through a fantasy movie set. “So all this…this whole place, is really an illusion? There really isn’t a tree there and waterfalls there and houses up there?” I asked, pointing to the surrounding mountainsides.

  Nicholas shrugged. “Yes and no,” he replied. He reached for my hand, and we began to walk along the sidewalk. “Yes, it’s real for us in that we have magical vision, so we see it and experience it as real…like Ana’s special room. To those who have no magical vision, this place doesn’t exist. To them, it’s just an empty desert.”

  As the colorful parade of characters passed us, I picked up an overwhelming sense of acceptance and welcoming from more than one of them. They knew instantly I was a newcomer…an outsider. Yet they weren’t threatened in the least by my presence.
/>   “Here we are,” Nicholas said, stopping in front of a small red and white house made of what looked like candy canes. I was tempted to lick the side wall, just to see.

  “What’s here?”

  “This is Saffron’s house.” He tapped on the door. “You never know how she’ll have it decorated. One day it’s a swank metropolitan retreat, another day it’s a ski resort—” The door suddenly swung open and Nicholas chuckled. “Or a tropical island.”

  I stepped through the door and was amazed as we were greeted by the gentle lapping of ocean waves. Hundreds of brightly colored fish swam in crystal-clear waters, and in the distance a school of dolphins bounded playfully in the surf. Under our feet, fine white sand stretched for miles in either direction. A slender bronze beauty lay sunning herself in a hammock nearby, sipping lazily on a fruity drink. It was straight out of an ad for a five star vacation.

  “Working hard on your tan, Saffron?” Nicholas sounded amused.

  The woman’s head popped up from its cradle. She turned to us, her eyes hidden behind oversized sunglasses. I could feel her deep pleasure.

  “Nicholas, dahling!” Saffron gracefully glided her way over to us, wearing nothing more than a miniscule gold bikini and the enormous black sunglasses. Her full afro was a rich chocolate brown, but heavy with bright red and shiny blonde streaks that made her skin appear like a delicious shade of caramelized sugar. My stomach gave a little twitch when she leaned over and gave Nicholas an affectionate hug, which he returned in kind. This woman was one of the most beautiful creatures I’d ever laid eyes on, and I felt positively dowdy by comparison.

  “And who do we have here?” she asked, turning to me. She lowered her dark sunglasses and I gave a start. Her eyes were shockingly light blue…so unnaturally pale they appeared almost white, but for the distinctive black circles around her irises. The contrast was strange, but beautiful.