Midnight Moon (The Unbidden Magic Series)

by Marilee Brothers

  “Damn!” I said. “They’ve got enough people to step in if one of them gets taken down.” I heard the sound of shifting rocks, blows landed, moans of pain. My crew was doing their best.

  “Let’s try to help the others. Make sure you stay back from the perimeter. If you touch it, you’ll get fried.”

  When I used TKP, it drained my energy. I’d been shooting some good-sized rocks, so I wasn’t sure how effective I’d be. Also, I wondered if Mike had used up all his juice as well. Still, I had to try. Trotting to the edge of the clearing, I reached out an arm and swept in in a semicircle, yelling, “Go, go, go!”

  A cluster of small but deadly rocks rose from the ground and rained down the Trimark perimeter. Anna stood next to me, throwing rocks as fast as she could. Once again, the triangle blinked out. Mike, Beck and Nicole took advantage of the break and rushed through. As before, new Trimarks stepped in to reactivate it.

  “Oh great,” I groaned. “Now we’re all trapped inside.”

  “No,” Beck said. “Now we get the job done and finish them off.”

  He swiped at the blood streaming from a gash in his forehead, ripped a small branch off a tree and hurled it at the nearest Trimark. Nicole followed up with a well-placed, super-powered rock that zinged through the air like a heat-seeking missile. Another Trimark down. The perimeter blinked out. Another Trimark stepped in and the perimeter fired up again. We spread out, attacking the perimeter with whatever weapons we could find, but it was no use. There were simply too many of them.

  Mike shouted, “We’re running out of time. Get behind me.”

  We all scooted behind him as he lifted his arms and uttered his summoning spell. He lowered his arms and blew out a breath that morphed into a violent twister. He raised his right hand and pointed at the perimeter, sweeping it across all points of the triangle. The twister picked up speed and velocity as it spun along the Trimark’s perimeter, scattering bodies like rag dolls. Wind howled. People screamed. Chaos reigned. The perimeter went dark.

  Beck’s voice rose above the melee. “Allie! Get Anna and go to the rock. It’s almost midnight. We’ll take care of the rest of them.”

  I grabbed Anna’s hand, and once again, we scrambled onto the rock, praying it was where I was supposed to be. I lifted the moonstone toward the sky and watched in amazement as the tiny sliver of moon brightened and glowed with ever-increasing brilliance. With a blinding flash of light, moonbeams shot from the heavens to glitter and dance upon its surface.

  “Yes!” I screamed, pumping a fist in the air.

  The earth began to tremble beneath our feet. The rock jiggled and danced, and a crack snaked across it’s surface. Slowly, the rock began to grow, lifting toward the sky.

  Anna screamed as she teetered and fell, her cap flying from her head. She scrambled up the bank and clung to the tree trunk, her silvery blond hair tumbling around her shoulders.

  Caught in the light of a magical horned moon, I was mesmerized, unable to move.

  “Anne Marie. Listen up!” The sound of the woman’s voice, the same commanding voice we’d heard earlier barking orders, snapped me out of my trance. Paula Scott, Anna’s Trimark mother, appeared out of the darkness, her hood thrown back to reveal her face.

  “No,” Anna gasped, cringing behind the tree. “Oh my God, Allie, you were right.”

  Shock waves radiated through my body, and I groaned. Oh, please, not now. Could there have been a worse time for Paula Scott to show up?

  She stopped a few feet away from the tree. “You don’t want to do this, Anne Marie. I’m your mother and I’m ordering you to come with me. Now.” She stepped closer to Anna and held out her hand.

  Anna recoiled, paralyzed with shock.

  I had to do something. Quick. “Anna! If you want to help me, show her the cross.”

  A few precious seconds passed while Anna hesitated. But when she finally spoke, all doubt had fled from her voice. “Sorry, Mother.” She thrust the cross at Paula, who yelped, threw up a defensive arm and stumbled backward.

  Anna turned toward me and screamed, “Jump, Allie. The crack’s getting bigger.”

  She was right. The crack bisecting the center of the rock was growing larger by the second. Before I could move, the gap widened and I saw a red glow and dark figures scrambling toward the surface. Suddenly the surface of the rock shifted, and I flapped my arms to keep from falling.

  The moonstone!

  I suddenly knew what I had to do. I had to drop the moonstone into the crack to stop the Trimarks from escaping. But I needed Anna’s hand on it as well, and she was out of reach. If I didn’t make a decision soon, I’d be a toasty little treat for the waiting Trimarks. As the fissure grew in size and heat, it came down to one option. I crouched and sprang, desperately reaching for an overhanging branch of the pine tree Anna was clinging to.

  When my fingers locked around the branch, I looked down. My body was dangling over a fiery crevice at least three feet across. A creature with claw-like hands hissed in anger and made a grab for my ankles. I curled my legs up, hopefully out of reach. The rock was still moving skyward. We didn’t have much time.

  I called to Anna. “We have to drop the moonstone in the crack to close the portal. I can’t let go. Help me! Hurry!”

  Puffing with effort, Anna shinnied up the tree trunk, reached out for a branch and it broke off in her hand. With a yip of fear, she threw both arms around the trunk. The muscles in my arms seized up, trembling with fatigue.

  My fingers had gone numb. Hang on, Allie! You’ve got to hang on.

  As the rock inched closer to my dangling body, the creatures hooted with excitement.

  “Hurry, Anna,” I panted. “I can’t hold on much longer.”

  Anna again made her way toward me, clinging to the branch above her. She stretched out her arm. I slid my hands down the branch so she could reach me, praying my fingers wouldn’t give out. Sweat streamed from my forehead into my eyes.

  “Get the moonstone,” I gasped. “Slide it over my head. We’ll drop it in together.”

  Anna’s hand trembled as she grasped the chain and lifted it over my head.

  Scott screamed, “No, Anne Marie! Don’t listen to her. If you love me, do what I say.”

  Anna and I stared into each other’s eyes. Hers filled with tears. Mine were silently pleading. All I could manage to say was, “Please.”

  “Let’s do it,” she said and held the moonstone out with her left hand. I let go of the branch with my right, wrapped it around hers, and together we dropped the moonstone into the fiery pit.

  The sound of the portal grinding to a close was punctuated with Paula Scott’s howl of rage. Unable to hold on a second longer, the fingers of my left hand gave way and I fell, facedown, on the surface of the rock, still hot from the flames below. Dazed, I felt the rock move beneath me, returning to its previous size.

  Anna jumped from the tree and ran to me. She lifted me to my feet and used her shirttail to wipe the blood from my face.

  Paula Scott backed away from us, her pale eyes blazing with fury. “You ungrateful little bitch! After all I’ve done for you. You’re no longer my daughter.”

  “I never was your daughter.” Anna threw an arm around my shoulder. “This is where I belong. With my real family.”

  Scott lowered her voice and hissed. “It’s not over until I say it’s over.” She spun on her heel and marched past Mike, Nicole and Beck, all of who’d been listening to every word. Without a backward glance, she joined the other Trimarks who were removing their dead and injured. I noticed quite a number of the “new age whackos” were among the downed Trimarks.

  We stepped to the edge of the clearing, as far away as possible from the remaining Trimarks. A weary-looking Mike held out his arms. Anna and I stepped into his embrace, both of us bawling like crazy. Mine were tears of relief. It was impossible to know what Anna was feeling, but my heart went out to her. She’d acted bravely, but in the process, lost the woman who’d raised her.

/>   I was the first to push away.

  Mike continued to pat Anna’s back as she sobbed into his chest.

  I hugged Beck and Nicole, blubbering something totally inadequate like, “Can’t thank you enough.”

  The Bradford twins exchanged smiles, and Beck said, “All in a night’s work.”

  Finally, Anna pulled herself together and stepped away from Mike.

  I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “If you hadn’t showed up, the world would now be crawling with way more bad guys.”

  She smiled through her tears. “Plus, you’d be dead.”

  “Good point,” Nicole said. “Hey, what about Mike? That twister was awesome.”

  “Absolutely,” I said. “Without it . . . well . . .” I choked up again, unable to continue.

  Mike held up a hand. “Let’s just say it was a team effort.”

  The Trimarks vanished as quickly as they’d appeared, leaving the five of us standing in the dappled moonlight.

  “You’re not done, you know.” The voice came from the shadows behind us.

  Still operating on adrenalin and nerves, I must have jumped six inches, because Beck murmured, “Easy, it’s Grace Peterson. Time for your next magic trick, Allie.”

  “Who’s Grace Peterson?” Anna said. “What magic trick?”

  Overcome with weariness, I just shook my head. “You’re part of it too.”

  “What about the others?” She pointed at Beck, Nicole and Mike.

  “Nope, just you and me.”

  Grace and Ralph stepped into the clearing followed by two young Indian men carrying Joe Peterson in his wheelchair. They set him down, wished him luck and disappeared into the night. Grace set three white candles on the rock and struck a match to light them. She added an assortment of totems next to the candles, including a beaded leather headband and the claws of a bear.

  Joe gestured for me to come closer. He handed me a photo of a smiling baby boy with a shock of unruly black hair. “My son,” he said. “That’s why I’m here.”

  “He’s beautiful.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and handed the photo back to him. “The moonstone’s gone. But I’ll do my best.”

  “That’s all I ask,” Joe said.

  When all items were arranged to her satisfaction, Grace looked at the sky and said, “It’s time.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  MIKE, BECK AND NICOLE slipped behind the trees at the edge of the clearing.

  Before I could tell Anna what was in store for us, Grace stepped around me and said, “Who’s this?”

  “My sister, Anna Starr. It’s a long story.”

  Grace narrowed her eyes and looked Anna over. “Your name’s Anna Starr?”

  Anna nodded.

  “What’s that around your neck, girl?”

  Anna held the pendant out.

  Grace leaned close to examine it, caught her breath and staggered back.

  I grabbed her arm to keep her from falling.

  She whispered, “It’s her. She’s the one. Why didn’t you tell me about her?”

  “Didn’t know she was going to show up. We’re not close.”

  Grace gazed back and forth between Anna and me. Finally, she pointed at the pendant, then at the Big Dipper overhead. “Together,” she said. “She has the pendant. You have the power. You girls must do it together.”

  “Do what?” Anna asked.

  Grace took Anna’s hand and led her to Joe, filling her in on the Kiowa legend plaguing the males of her family.

  Apparently Anna shared a bit of our history with Grace as well. Because when they finished exchanging stories, Grace cupped my face in her hands and smiled. “If you succeed in summoning the seven sisters, we’ll ask them to forgive their brother bear. You have forgiven your sister for her past behavior, the sister who shared your mother’s womb. Therefore, our chances are good.”

  I said, “Let’s do it.”

  Anna and I went to the middle of the clearing. She said, “But I don’t know what to do.” Two worry lines crinkled her forehead. Exactly like Faye’s when she was confused.

  “Um, Anna, there’s something I haven’t told you. You and me, we’re part faery.”

  Anna’s eyes went wide with shock. Her lips moved but no words came out.

  I waved a hand. “I know. It blew me away too. Anyway, I learned how to do summoning spells in Boundless. That’s faeryland by the way. I’ll teach it to you, and we’ll do it together. I think that pendant of yours is the key. We’ll find out soon enough.”

  Still unable to speak, she nodded her head.

  I looked at the sky. The stars in the Big Dipper, centered directly over the tower, glittered and danced, as if demanding my attention. The moon was low in the sky but still visible, positioned beneath the last star in the inverted cup.

  Now, we needed a summoning spell. Something simple Anna and I could chant together. Recalling the things I’d learned in Boundless, I mumbled the words to myself and then repeated them to Anna.

  I glanced over at Grace and her family. “Ready?”

  Joe gave me a thumbs-up. Grace and Ralph nodded and walked to Joe’s wheelchair, Ralph on the left, Grace on the right. They each held one of Joe’s hands.

  Anna and I stood facing each other. The star pendant hung from the chain around Anna’s neck. My hand kept reaching for the moonstone that wasn’t there. Saddened by its absence, I hoped I’d have the juice to help Anna without it.

  Darkness settled around us like a soft black curtain. The seven sisters could no longer be ignored. Anna and I joined hands and chanted, “Seven sisters of the heavens, we honor you and humbly request your presence. You will come to no harm. We summon you.” We repeated it three times and stood in silence, waiting.

  One by one, the stars in Anna’s pendant began to brighten, just as they did before. My heart kicked up a notch. Unfortunately, the stars in the Big Dipper remained unchanged. TurzahBelle had called me a mini power plant, but somebody had pulled the plug.

  “It didn’t work,” Anna said, close to tears.

  “Let’s try it again,” I whispered. “Louder. Maybe they didn’t hear us.”

  We repeated the summoning spell three more times. Immediately, the sky overhead darkened as if someone above had his finger on the dimmer switch. The seven stars in Anna’s pendant blinked and faded away, leaving nothing but the midnight-blue background.

  Eyes tightly closed and afraid to move, we listened. A chorus of voices rang out. A sharp cry from Grace. The deep bass of Joe’s exclamations. A murmur of approval from Ralph. But the sound that caused Anna and I to drop hands and gasp in surprise was that of a little girl’s infectious giggle.

  Seven girls dressed in beaded buckskin dresses and moccasins stood at the edge of the clearing, the tallest one in front, the others strung out behind her. Just to make sure, I looked at the sky. The Big Dipper was gone. The night sky may have grown dimmer, but each girl glowed, as if she held starlight within her body.

  I held a hand up for Anna Starr to high-five and whispered, “We did it!”

  Anna slapped my hand and glanced at her pendant. “The stars are gone.”

  “That’s because they’re standing right there.” I pointed at the girls.

  Grace walked to the tallest girl, who looked to be about twelve. At Grace’s approach, the girl stretched out her arms and barked an order in words I didn’t understand. The girls obeyed instantly, gathering around the taller girl, who wrapped her arms protectively around them.

  Grace spoke softly to the girls, using a language I assumed was Kiowa. Her hands inscribed graceful images in the night air.

  Ralph joined Anna and me. “Since you’ve done what we asked, the least I can do is tell you what’s happening.”

  “They’re afraid,” I said.

  Ralph said, “Yes. Grace explained the situation and told them Joe would like to ask their forgiveness. The oldest girl feels she must keep the others from harm.”

  Anna Starr gripped my hand and whispe
red, “Are we supposed to do another spell or something?”

  “No,” I said. “Now it’s up to Grace and Joe.”

  Grace pointed at Joe, who added his humble request for forgiveness. The girls were unmoved. Grace knelt before them, pleading with them. “Sate,” the girls said, shaking their heads.

  “Sate means bear,” Ralph said. “They’re afraid of the bear.”

  Though it wasn’t my business, I called out, “Joe, show them the picture of your baby.”

  The seven sisters studied it carefully, murmuring to each other softly.

  Just when I thought we’d totally struck out, the littlest girl, a chubby two-year-old, peeled away from the others and ran to Joe, black braids flying, her face alight with glee. She stood in front of his wheelchair and raised her arms. He lifted her onto his lap. She patted his face with her tiny hands and gently wiped away the tears flowing from his eyes. “P’ah Be,” she said, over and over.

  “Brother. She’s calling him brother,” Ralph said, his voice shaky with emotion.

  One by one, the rest of the girls followed their little sister, each girl touching Joe in turn, offering their forgiveness, and repeating the word, “P’ah Be.”

  “Oh my God,” Anna whispered. “We did it. It’s working.” Impulsively, she threw her arms around me, pressing her wet cheek against my wet cheek.

  I pulled away, swiped at my eyes and mumbled, “Yeah, well, I guess we lucked out.”

  Anna said, “Do we need to reverse the spell so they can go back?”

  I shrugged. “Let’s wait and see what happens.”

  Fortunately, the girls needed no help returning to the sky. Before they soared away, released from the earth’s bondage, they drifted over to Anna and me, bathing us in their starlight. The oldest girl spoke to us in Kiowa, murmuring the phrase, “Own-P’ayle-Doe,” over and over while one of her sisters, a little girl missing her two front teeth, used a stick to draw an image of the Big Dipper in the dirt. I noticed she drew it upside down, exactly as it had appeared in the sky.

  Ralph said, “They’re saying you have filled their hearts with love.”

  Anna started bawling again.