Legacy of Magic

by Denise Carbo

  “You’re a hard woman to get ahold of.”

  The smile faded, and she spun around to see Sebastian sauntering toward her. His blond hair ruffled in the breeze. A small smile etched his lips. He cocked his head to the side as he stopped in front of her. “You don’t answer or return my calls. A less confident or persistent man might conclude you were giving me the brush off. I, however, choose to believe there is another explanation.”

  Cory winced. She had been avoiding him and Finn. Work gave her the perfect excuse, mostly. The couple times Finn had stopped by to visit with her aunt she had managed to be elsewhere or occupied. Sebastian had left her four messages, one per week. He had stopped by to visit with Aunt Addy as well. Cory had been at work. She should have returned his calls.

  “I’m sorry, Sebastian. I’ve been really busy with work and settling in here. That’s no excuse for not returning your calls, however. I apologize for my rudeness.”

  “Have dinner with me and all will be forgiven.”

  Cory gave him a slight smile. “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. I’ve decided not to date for the foreseeable future. It’s nothing personal.”

  “Date anyone, or just me?”

  Had he heard about her date with Finn? “Anyone.”

  “Well then, I’ll have to change your mind, won’t I?” He reached out and clasped her hand in his. A sizzling arc of electricity jumped between them.

  Cory yanked her hand away and rubbed it on her shorts. She started to laugh, but his intense stare halted the response.

  “That’s some case of static electricity,” she murmured.

  Sebastian placed both hands in his trouser pockets. “Perhaps, or it could be a sign.”

  “A sign of what?”

  “That we are destined to be together, of course. The power of attraction.” He leaned toward her slightly. “I, for one, strongly believe in signs. What do you say? Change your mind about having dinner with me?”

  Cory smiled. “Sebastian, I didn’t take you for someone who believes in whimsical things.”

  “You might be very surprised what I believe in. Have dinner with me and find out.”

  “I’m sorry, but no. I have to stick to my plan on this.”

  “Very well, but be forewarned, I intend to change your mind.”

  “And how do you intend to do that?”

  He smiled and placed a brief, soft kiss on her cheek. “Persistence and charm.”

  Cory chuckled. “Sebastian, I’m not playing hard to get. I don’t feel I’m ready to date yet.”

  She couldn’t help but be flattered by his attention. It was nice to feel wanted by such an attractive man, but she needed to be single and focus on herself for a while.

  “Some things are meant to be, Coralea.” He gave her a smile as he turned and walked away.

  Cory sighed as he disappeared around the side of the house. A small part of her was pleased he wasn’t giving up, but it was only a small part, and not enough to change her mind yet.

  The small circular garden drew her focus once again. She smoothed the mulch around the flowers and trailed her fingers over the delicate leaves of the butterfly bushes. It was as perfect as she could make it.

  A last look at the flourishing garden before she entered the house generated a warm feeling of contentment. The boxes on her nightstand captured her attention as she walked into her room to wash up.

  Clutching her arms around her middle, she walked over and stared down at them nestled in a small cluster together. The fourth box, the smallest, rested in the center.

  Cory frowned and shook her head. She was getting as paranoid and superstitious as her aunt and ancestors. A tiny, coincidental accident along with an ominous verse and she was ready to start believing in curses.

  No, she wasn’t. She was an intelligent, rational adult. Dropping her hands to her sides, she took a deep breath and then rolled her eyes at her antics. Talk about overdramatization.

  She snatched up the smallest box, and gripped it in her hand. Small grape clusters linked by vines embellished the wooden box on all sides. Pressing randomly along the etchings produced no results. She stopped and stared at the carvings for a moment trying to discern a pattern. Counting the grapes in each cluster she noticed each was different. The clusters ranged from as little as three grapes, all the way up to nine, with every number in between represented. Cory began pushing on each group of varying sizes, but they didn’t budge. She tried different sequences all to no avail.

  Setting it back down she entered the bathroom and washed up. Returning, she picked it up again. She plopped down on the bed, staring at the box cradled in her palms. There was a pattern she just needed to search hard enough.

  Twisting to lie on her stomach, she placed the box on the bed and rested her chin on her folded hands. Her gaze traced each cluster and followed every vine linking them. Periodically she would turn the box and examine another side.

  Cory got up and grabbed paper and pen and recorded how many of each number was represented. There were three groups each of three, six, and nine. The other numbers appeared random. She concentrated on different sequences of the multiples of three. She pressed each group of three, then six, and finally nine.

  A soft gasp slipped from her lips. The box opened. A small tingle of disappointment speared inside her.

  Another box rested inside. Although she had expected it, she had still hoped for a culmination of the puzzle boxes. An explanation or prize.

  She sat up and removed the inner box, which fit easily in the palm of her hand. Cory peered at the carvings. Oak leaves covered the entire cube.

  Feed Your Power

  Never Cower

  The words were etched inside leaves on one side of the box. She touched each word. And what was that supposed to mean?

  Absently, Cory rubbed the back of her neck with her opposite hand. When she realized what she was doing, she went into the bathroom and inspected the area around her birthmark. She leaned closer and peered into the mirror and angled the magnifying mirror to get a better look. Finn had asked if it was some sort of symbol when he thought it was a tattoo. It did resemble an intentional shape rather than the abstract birthmark she always thought it to be. She studied it and traced the shape with her fingers. A round top resting on a column. It almost looked like a tree. Cory shook her head at her fanciful imaginings and left the bathroom. It reminded of her of lying on her back in the grass as a child and staring at the sky fantasizing the clouds were in the shapes of unicorns and dragons.

  She wandered back to her bed and sat down to pick up the latest box from where she’d left it on her pillow. Feed your power? What power, and what could you possibly feed it? Wouldn’t it just be her luck if her ancestor had orchestrated these puzzle boxes to play a prank on a sibling or something? Although, it would be quite an elaborate charade. The craftsmanship alone must have taken a great deal of time and energy.

  Clutching the small box in her hand, she stood up and put the outer box on the nightstand with the others. She arranged the four boxes from largest to smallest in a row. She was about to place the fifth when movement outside the window drew her gaze.

  Finn was in his backyard. He laughed at someone or something out of her view. The rear window only allowed her to see a small corner of his backyard. A quick glance at her side window had her frowning. That window provided a view of his house, but not the backyard. She shook her head. Why did she care what he did, or who he did it with?

  She started to turn away, but he suddenly lunged forward. Leaning closer, she bumped her nose against the glass trying to see what he was doing.

  A puppy. He was playing with a small black puppy. A smile crept upon her lips as Finn bent and picked the puppy up to cuddle it against his chest.

  He suddenly looked up.

  Cory stumbled against the nightstand, knocking over her jade plant and dropping the small box into the soil.

  “Damn it,” she muttered.

  A peek out th
e window captured him laughing and lifting his free hand in a wave. She returned his brief wave and bent to clean up the mess. She would buy blackout shades and curtains and never look out either window facing his property again.

  Righting the plant, she packed the soil back into the pot, and then lifted the box to dust it off. The dirt was trapped in the nooks and crannies of the oak leaves. Cory used her fingernail to dig it out. As she pried the soil loose she peered closely at the design. Between the set of leaves and outline of an acorn emerged. She pressed down on the shape and felt it shift. Spotting the shape of two more acorns nestled in the leaves, she pushed down on them as well.

  The box creaked slowly open.

  There wasn’t another box. An emerald green gem set in a delicate gold filigree design was cushioned by thick fabric. Cory hesitantly touched the brooch.

  A jolt vibrated through her fingers, speeding up her arm.

  A startled cry escaped her, and she snatched her hand away. She put the box down next to the others and backed away.

  Okay, there’s a perfectly logical explanation for that. I’m not going to overreact. Static electricity. Happens all the time. Nothing peculiar or scary about that at all.

  Cory cleaned up the rest of the mess while keeping an eye on the boxes the entire time, careful not to touch them.

  All right, she was a bit spooked. She couldn’t deny it. She needed some perspective, and some space.

  ****

  The back door opened, and Aunt Addy’s snow-white head appeared followed by her smiling face as she spotted Cory sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Coralea, you’re home.”

  Cory smiled and stood to help her aunt with the bag she carried in. “Yes, I stayed home to finish the bird bath garden. Did you see it?”

  Her aunt peered out the window of the back door. “Oh, no, I didn’t. I was so focused on getting inside once I saw your car, I didn’t notice anything. But I want to see it now. Will you show it to me?”

  “Of course.” Cory placed the bag on the counter and followed her aunt out to the backyard. “I thought you were visiting your friend. You decided to go grocery shopping?”

  “Oh, I did visit Mary, and she had made this wonderful strawberry rhubarb pie. So, I had to stop by the farmer’s market in order to make my own. We can have it for dessert.” Aunt Addy paused and touched Cory’s hand. “Will you be here for dinner, or do you have plans?”

  “No plans. I’ll be here.”

  “You sure? Sebastian asks about you every time I talk to him. You could invite him to dinner if you’d like.”

  “That’s okay, he actually stopped by this morning. I explained to him I don’t want to date right now. I want to focus on just being me and figuring out what I want without adding a man to the mix.”

  Her aunt patted her hand and then continued to the garden. “That’s fine dear, but if you change your mind, you know you can always invite someone over. I can make myself scarce too, if need be.”

  Cory laughed. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”

  “Oh, look at what you’ve done. It’s beautiful, Coralea, simply beautiful, like a little fairy garden.”

  “I’m glad you like it. It ended up exactly like I pictured.”

  “It’s wonderful. You really have the gift, dear.”

  “It makes me happy, and I think I have found my calling. Not sure how to make it into a career yet, but I’m working on a plan.”

  Her aunt looped her arm around Cory’s. “You will, you will.”

  After admiring the garden for a moment, Cory escorted her aunt back into the house. Aunt Addy unpacked the berries and rhubarb while Cory cleaned up her dishes from her lunch.

  “Aunt Addy?”

  She faced her with a smile. “Yes, dear?”

  “I opened all the boxes.”

  Her aunt placed a palm to her chest. “Oh my, was there anything inside?”

  “Actually yes, just a moment, I’ll go get it.”

  Cory jogged upstairs to her room. She hesitated for a moment before picking up the box with the brooch and carrying it back downstairs. Aunt Addy was sitting at the table when she returned.

  “This was inside the smallest box.” She placed it on the table in front of her aunt.

  Aunt Addy extended a hand toward it, but then dropped it back to her lap. “I know it’s silly, but I am afraid to touch it. Too many years of fearing the box, I suppose. It really is quite beautiful though.”

  “Should we have it appraised? It might be worth something. Whoever hid it in the box might’ve done it for security.”

  “I suppose so. Well, it’s your decision. It belongs to you. I’m happy the mystery of the box has been solved. To think so many of us were afraid of it for so many years.”

  Cory opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. To her mind, there was still a bit of mystery to be solved. She wanted to know who had put it in the boxes, and why. Why the cryptic phrases? And what had she felt when she touched it?

  “I think there are still questions to be answered. I want to know whom it belonged to, and why they put it in the boxes. Don’t you?”

  After a last glance at the brooch, her aunt levered herself up from the table. “Actually dear, I still feel an aversion to it. I am compelled to lock it away for some reason. I guess my mother’s fear of it is fully ingrained in me. Silly, I know.”

  “It’s not silly.”

  Aunt Addy wandered about the kitchen. Cory stared at the brooch. She didn’t feel an aversion. In fact, she wanted to pick it up. Her fingers tingled to touch it again. Her brain, however, remembered the last time she touched it, and rebelled against doing so again.

  This was silly. It’s just a piece of jewelry. She needed to prove it to her aunt and herself, but perhaps she would do it in the privacy of her room. She didn’t think it was a good idea to yelp, like a wounded animal, in front of her aunt if it jolted her again. That was sure to cement Aunt Addy’s foreboding about the box.

  She picked up the box and stood up. “I’m going to go upstairs and do some research on the Internet. Maybe I can find a reference to the brooch or the puzzle boxes, or anything connected to our family. I’ll be down to help with dinner when it’s time, okay?”

  “Of course, let me know if you find anything. I’m going to start on the pie.”

  Cory climbed the stairs and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She sat sideways on her bed with the box on the bedspread in front of her. The longer I procrastinate, the more nervous I make myself and the more ridiculous I feel.

  “It’s just a piece of jewelry,” she whispered and grabbed the brooch before she could change her mind.

  The box snapped closed from her abrupt movement. Heat emanated from the brooch clenched in her fist. The words on the box seared in her mind. “Feel your power. Never Cower.”

  Panicked breaths shook her chest. A tingling vibration built within her palm.

  Cory squeezed her hand tighter. She wasn’t letting go. There was a simple explanation. She would not be ruled by fear.

  The warmth radiated outward from the brooch, encasing her entire body. A pulse of burning heat seared the nape of her neck. The crescendo of vibration culminated in a crackle of release.

  Cory’s eyes closed as she fainted away.

  Chapter Ten

  Tall trees were encased by an ominous darkness. The slap of feet hitting the earth rose in a staccato of sound. Fear was replaced by resolve. Whispered words of power danced on the wind.

  Cory experienced it all in a series of visions. From the first, she understood she witnessed someone else’s memories. They weren’t her own. It wasn’t a dream.

  Her body tensed in fear as the woman ran through the woods. The power coursed through her veins. The scene changed. A baby held in arms full of such love coupled with a fierce protection. They’d been found.

  And finally, the brooch cradled in delicate hands while an enchantment wove around the jewelry. The memories
were bound to the brooch along with her formidable magic.

  The light mixed with tears as Cory blinked her eyes open. The woman’s fear and anguish, and her fierce love of her child left behind a strong well of emotion. She remained still and tried to process what had happened. She looked down at the brooch she still held in her palm. It was no longer hot. It no longer coursed with energy. It was spent. Just a piece of jewelry. As it had been before the woman had used it to pass on her legacy while keeping her family safe. Josephine, her name had been, Josephine.

  Cory flipped the brooch over in her hand. On the back, the words be safe were etched. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and sat up.

  An awareness washed over her. She could feel the power inside her. It filled her and surrounded her like a warm blanket. Energy surged through the air.

  She stood and walked over to the full-length mirror, grabbing a mirrored compact from her purse along the way. Moving her hair to the side she examined the nape of her neck. A soft gasp escaped her. Her birthmark was now clearly defined in the shape of a tree. A halo of leaves circled a network of branches emanating from a thick trunk.

  Cory turned away from the mirror and approached the jade plant on her nightstand. Tiny threads of light cascaded from its leaves, like microscopic superhighways of energy connecting it to the world.

  Touching the tip of her finger to the thick, dark green leaf she laughed out loud as joy encompassed her. The plant stretched toward her finger, and Cory smiled. She cupped the leaves in her palm and watched entranced as it brightened and grew before her gaze.

  Cory stepped back and gulped.

  She was a witch!

  Chapter Eleven

  The stocky little, black puppy jumped around in a circle desperately trying to catch its own stubby little tail.

  “How delightful! What’s his name, Finnegan? Or is it a girl?”