Unruly Magic

by Chafer, Camilla

  “I can’t do that,” I said finally, with a guilty glance at Chyler.

  Dina pulsed a little more strongly, became a little more solid. She smiled when Chyler whimpered on the floor, her face contorted in pain, hands balled into fists as she drew her knees to her chest, curling up like a baby. Despite everything we had done to separate them, to force Dina from Chyler’s body, somehow there was still a connection and Dina was drawing on it.

  “It’s the circle,” gasped David. “The circles are connected and that’s keeping them connected. We have to break it.” He rushed out of the room and a moment later reappeared with a wet cloth. He wrung it as he jogged back, leave a trail of drops on the floor behind him. “If I break Chyler’s circle, only Dina’s will stand. Chyler will be safe.”

  “It’s that simple?” I asked.

  David nodded. “I should have realised earlier.” He knelt on the floor next to the junction of the circles. Hayley and Victoria sat back to let him wipe out the chalk lines that kept Chyler captive. Dina vibrated around her prison like a tornado, shrieking and hurling abuse at David until the last trace of the circle was gone. The room was eerily quiet while we all waited for Chyler’s face to relax. She drew in a sharp intake of breath, gasping and coughing like she had never tasted oxygen before. Next to her, Dina screamed.

  “Keep an eye on her,” David said to Chyler’s aunts but I saw his eye flicker to Evan, and his head dip in a brief nod at the two women cradling Chyler. His message was clear. They were to be watched too. For whatever reasons David had, he didn’t trust them. Chyler hadn’t either.

  “We need to find out what’s going on out there,” I said, turning away from the scene so I could check outside again. More people had turned up in the minutes we had been occupied in breaking Dina’s connection to Chyler and I could feel the faint trace of power bouncing off the edges of my wards.

  “Can you feel that?” I asked Étoile.

  “Yes, they want to know who is in here and what we’re doing.” She motioned to Seren who came by her side and they linked hands. “We’ll send out our own mental feelers and find out what they want.”

  “Okay.” I watched them stand there, blank expressions across their faces for a short while until Seren said, “They want to punish Chyler for dabbling where she shouldn’t and some think she should be held accountable for her mother’s death.”

  “I did that!” piped up Dina. We ignored her.

  “Some of them know Dina is here. That group,” Étoile pointed to a cluster of five on the driveway, “want Dina to be punished. And that group over there want to take Dina with them.”

  Seren added, “There’s another group thinking about Hayley and Victoria a lot. They want Chyler and I think they are fairly safe given that everyone else is thinking quite malicious thoughts.”

  I clarified, “So, they’re all different groups and they all want different things? That’s good, right? Better than having a whole bunch of them against us.”

  “Oh, most of them are against us.” Étoile seemed strangely cheerful about it. “But they’re not exactly ready to help any other group out either. Seren, do you feel that?”

  Seren cocked her head and was quiet for a moment. “That blank spot?” she asked.

  Étoile nodded. “Someone is blocking their thoughts.”

  “Someone is prepared for us,” said Seren thoughtfully.

  Some of that, I decided, could count as good news to me. There were just seven of us inside the house – me, Evan, Étoile, Seren and David, Victoria and Hayley. Chyler too, though she was unconscious. Plus there was Dina who was not quite visible at this moment as she flitted around. Not that it mattered, she was the reason my house was surrounded by witches. And not just one band; there were several who wanted Chyler tonight, or at least Dina’s spirit. I was adamant that we were not going to hand over Chyler. As far as I was concerned she was an innocent in all this. She may have been mean, but she hadn’t asked to be possessed and she had tried to get help. I couldn’t guarantee any of the witches out there wouldn’t just kill her and be done with it. After all, what was Chyler to them? Just another teen witch who had stupidly dabbled in something she didn’t understand and paid the price. She was the perfect scapegoat.

  Of course there was the small matter that maybe one of these groups were rather hopeful of keeping Dina, and not thinking about banishing her at all. That would mean death in all but body, seeing as she didn’t have one. Dina was a powerful witch; just moving into someone else’s body was proof of that. There would be others who would want her skills especially now that the witches’ council had fractured so severely. Perhaps they wanted to give Dina the very thing that she’d been drawn back to this world for. I didn’t have to take a moment to think how bad it would be if Dina was brought back to the world. Speaking of which...

  “How come some of them are thinking about Dina?” I asked. That puzzled me. How could any of them know Dina was here?

  “That’s a very good question.” Evan had drifted closer to me but if he was worried he didn’t show it. “Did you get anything from any of the witches? Any thoughts about how they knew about Dina?”

  Both sisters shook their heads and Seren said, “They weren’t thinking about that when we listened in.”

  David had bent down to Chyler, two fingers pressed against the pulse point on her neck. Her breath was shallow and every so often she gasped a long breath before falling still again. “If we’re going to get a plan together, we need to do it now,” he said urgently. “Now we’re not protecting her, I can’t guarantee her safety.”

  “Shh!” Étoile flapped a hand at him from where she had positioned herself by the window. I was the other side from her, trying to see if there was any sign of movement from my neighbours’ house. For the first time I cursed the house being built at a right angle to the road. I still hoped Gage and Annalise were out and wouldn’t be back any time soon. It wouldn’t be fair for them to get caught up in this. Our small crowd would easily draw them out if they were at home and who knew what would happen then. “I think I see something,” Étoile continued. “Way back, at the edges of the woods.”

  I peered through the dusk to see. There were more than forty people on my lawn now and they kept carefully to their groups. My enemy’s enemy was supposed to be my friend, but I didn’t think I could count on that saying any time soon seeing as my enemy and my enemy’s enemy were both apparently very keen to get what they wanted. I followed Étoile’s gaze and sure enough I could see the scrub rustling. A cold chill passed down my spine.

  “What the hell is that?” Evan asked from behind me. “More witches? Did they program their WitchNavs wrong?”

  I stifled a giggle.

  Étoile shook her head as the scrub parted and something stepped out. “Something much better. Wolves.”

  I felt my heart thump. When I’d hoped Gage and Annalise would be out for the night, I hadn’t meant quite like this. A drink in one of the nearby towns, maybe, or the movies, or over at a friend’s house... anywhere but here.

  “Damn wolves,” said Evan, his voice cold.

  “Depends whose side they are on. We’re already outnumbered. If they’re here to help, we need them,” Seren pointed out. She looked at me, asking, “Are they here to help?”

  “I don’t know.” I was puzzled. What were they doing here anyway? My brain searched for a plausible response to this implausible situation. Maybe they had just been out running and had stumbled across the gathering, maybe they had just felt the magic in the air. Even from this far away I could hear the low rumble of the wolves growling. It was an ominous sound, the kind a dog makes when it hears a prowler and it’s giving a warning. Several more wolves were stepping out of the scrub and the witches were turning to see what was going on. I saw the big frame of Gage at the head of the middle group. Several witches shrieked and stumbled backwards at the sight of the wolf pack. I just caught sight of one witch step forward from his group and raise his hand. He was pounc
ed on and tackled to the ground before he could do any damage. I was riveted to the scene as two large wolves stood over him, their teeth bared as the male witch lay still, not daring to move. Clearly no one else was foolish enough to approach the pack, but chaos was beginning to disrupt the groups, distracting them from us.

  While this was going on, a larger group had fanned out, positioning themselves squarely in front of the house. A woman stepped forward and she walked steadily towards the house, a long coat swishing around her ankles giving the appearance that she was gliding. Maybe she was. She stopped at the foot of the porch steps, and I saw her tentatively push a foot forward then draw back again. I felt the breath in my lungs catch. The wards I had woven were there to protect me from harm and no one could enter my house if they intended any ill will towards me. This woman was positively seeping with it.

  “I want to talk,” she said simply and loudly enough that we could all hear. Her eyes flitted over to the window and we locked eyes for a moment before I turned away.

  “Georgia Thomas,” breathed Seren and beckoned me away from the window.

  “You’ve mentioned her” I said. When they had first told me about the council having problems, her name had come up as one who saw herself as a potential leader, whether they wanted her or not.

  “The blank spot. She was also one of the biggest critics of the witch council under Robert Bartholomew’s leadership. This is bad news.” Seren looked over to Étoile and pulled a face. “Georgia wants control of the eastern seaboard at a very minimum. We’ve heard she’s been canvassing all over the country for support.”

  “And she’s on my lawn?” I asked.

  “Seems that way,” replied Étoile. She looked over to the spirit. Dina was taking on a corporeal form again, and she was substantially more solid than before despite the severed connection. “From what I’ve heard, she was an old cohort of Dina’s. She’s very dangerous and very devious.”

  “Could she have anything to do with Dina being here?” I pondered.

  Seren pursed her lips in concentration. “Maybe. It’s certainly no coincidence that both are here now.”

  “Stella Mayweather,” called Georgia Thomas, a little more forcefully. “Seeing as you are not inviting me in, will you step outside to talk?”

  “I suppose we should have known that she would have worked out who owned the house. Still, at least she’s not tried to blast her way in,” said Étoile.

  “Yet,” added Seren, unhelpfully.

  “Do I have to talk to her?” I asked, panic rising. Devious and dangerous where two ‘d’ words that I wasn’t overly fond of. Now if they said ‘donut’ that would have been an entirely different matter.

  Étoile nodded. “We have to find out what she wants, and she has asked for you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s behind all this, if she’s behind Dina’s return.”

  “I’m not going to talk to a mad person.” Also I wasn’t going in the basement or the attic, just fyi, I wanted to add.

  “Oh, she’s not mad, she’s just horrible,” said Étoile. “One doesn’t have to be insane to be a bad person, just ruthless.”

  “I’ll deal with her,” said Evan, muscling up to the challenge. He was by the door, raring to go, seemingly ready to protect me, my honour and anything else of mine he thought the witches might threaten. I wasn’t too sure about anyone else’s chances though. He’d already made it clear I was his priority and I didn’t want that tested.

  I shook my head. I didn’t know much about witches but I knew a lot about bullies. If I didn’t stand up for myself, I might as well paint a target on my head myself. “You can’t do that. I’ll face her,” I said.

  “Seren and I will be with you. We wouldn’t let you go out there alone,” said Étoile emphatically.

  “Um, thanks,” I replied, realising that it came out much more sarcastically than I’d intended. Even so, Étoile flashed me a smile and said, “You’re welcome!” like she was doing me a favour.

  “I’m coming with you,” said Evan, flashing me a dark look as if to say I dare you to say no. There was no chance of that though, I was happy to take all the back-up muscle I could get.

  “David, Hayley and Victoria,” said Étoile, her voice all authoritative, “you watch Chyler and that... Dina while we find out what Georgia Thomas wants.”

  I didn’t like the idea of us splitting our group up, any more than I liked the idea of standing on a porch with two witches and a daemon to face a growing crowd of witches and wolves and there wasn’t even a punch line to fall back on. I felt like a frightened novice who was putting on her capable game face while quaking inside... which was exactly what I was doing.

  “Let’s do it,” I said and opened the door, stepping out onto the porch, Evan just a step behind.

  Georgia Thomas was waiting for me at the base of the steps. She was a tall woman and one who had been strikingly beautiful once though she was aging well – I put her at around her late-forties – with fine cheekbones and raven hair that swung in a glossy bob cut severely at her chin. Her long coat was thick velvet, dark as night, and pooled at her feet. It was finished with a thick collar made of something fluffy and tactile that buried her neck right up to her chin. She held herself with the absolute assurance that she would get, and could get, whatever she wanted. She was a woman who clearly did not take ‘no’ lightly.

  “So you’re Stella,” she said, running her eyes over me, starting from my toes and working upwards. “A little older than I expected.”

  “Right back at you,” I said tartly.

  “Oh, a wit too,” she smirked. “Étoile and Seren Winterstorm, I see. And Evan Hunter too. How interesting.” She gave them a polite if rather cursory incline of her head then paused. I followed her gaze and watched four wolves prowl to the front of the house. They climbed the steps, my wards accepting them willingly, and sat in front of me, absolutely tense. I recognised Gage, the big wolf at my feet, and Annalise’s smaller frame but not the other two.

  “I don’t like wolves,” Georgia said, looking across them as she fingered the thick fur of her collar, a cruel smile playing on her lips.

  Gage growled. The chills that sent through me made me glad I was behind him.

  “Let’s cut to the chase, Georgia,” said Étoile. “What do you want?”

  “Always so blunt,” murmured Georgia, not taking her eyes off me. “You’re harbouring a fugitive.”

  “If you mean Chyler Anderson, she’s not a fugitive. She’s a frightened kid,” Seren protested from behind my right shoulder.

  “I do mean Chyler Anderson. And this ‘frightened kid’ has committed crimes of magic that have required a certain level of cleaning up that we prefer not to do. Has anyone taken responsibility for her?”

  “We have. And her family will look after her now,” said Evan. I could feel his presence brooding behind me and he gave me the strength not to quake in front of the formidable woman. In front of me, Gage’s ears flicked backwards, angry.

  “She’s a murderer. She needs to answer for her crimes.”

  “She’s not a murderer. She didn’t kill her mother, and you know it,” Étoile spat.

  “Oh? Is there something else I should know about? Like, for example, what is going on in there?” Georgia asked with a smile and I wondered what her real game was. Behind her, the other witches had drawn closer, their obvious dislike for one another overthrown by their desire to hear what was being said. The wolf pack prowled behind them skittishly, fanning out as though they were herding, which perhaps they were. Georgia tried to look past me into my house but the door was closed behind us. I didn’t know if she had any kind of powers that would enable her to read minds, or see the future like Seren and Étoile could, but we were still in the boundary of my wards and I hoped the occupants of my house were protected enough that she had to rely on good old curiosity and guess work.

  “What right do you think you have over Chyler? You can’t take her in to custody,” said Seren. “Only the coun
cil can do that, and that most certainly is not you.”

  A murmur rippled through the small crowd and Georgia flashed a look at them that had them quiet in moments. It struck me that there was some play for supremacy here, and that some of the witches were here as much to watch what Georgia did, as much as others were here for Chyler. This wasn’t a simple enquiry about a crime, there was a subtle challenge playing out that I didn’t quite understand.

  “That’s right,” piped up a female voice somewhere behind Georgia. “Chyler will be taken care of by her own family. We all know she wasn’t herself when her mother died.”

  Georgia smiled up at us. “Was she really not herself? Who was she?” she asked, a small gleam of interest sparking in her eyes. With a faint feeling of unease I wondered if Georgia knew exactly what the answer would be and if Dina Lawley’s return was entirely down to Dina or if she had help. It struck me that if Georgia was building her camp ready for a coup, she would want loyal followers, not to mention someone who was vicious and powerful. Dina fit the bill on all counts, the only problem being that she was technically dead. If she could raise her...

  “We won’t let you take Chyler,” said another voice, a man this time, but he didn’t step out where he could be seen under the porch lights now that the sky had faded to night. If Georgia was the vengeful type, I could understand that he didn’t want to mark himself fully as an enemy. I wasn’t overly happy about the position I was in either; by virtue of my friends I was already clearly marked as not on her side. I felt like a target was being painted on me with a big fat marker pen.

  “Chyler was possessed,” said Evan after a long silence in which I could hear nothing but the undercurrent of anxiety from the crowd. “She was attacked by Dina Lawley.”