Touch of Magic

by Carin Rafferty

  Ryan opened his mouth to argue, but decided to save his breath. Obviously, she wasn’t going to listen to anything he said, so he slid across the seat.

  “Where is it?” she mumbled, running her hands over the seat where he’d been sitting, and then bending to search the floor again. “It has to be here.”

  “Maybe you imagined it.”

  Her head shot up, and she frowned at him. “I did not imagine it. She delivered the card.”

  “Well, maybe she took it back.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would she take it back after delivering it?”

  “How the hell would I know? I am not intimately acquainted with the motives of spirit—”

  “Lucien! How is the automobile?” Shana broke in as she caught Ryan’s hand and gave it a warning squeeze when Morgret appeared at the open door.

  “I think I can get it to run long enough to get everyone home,” he answered, “but I need you to help me get it out of the ditch.”

  “Absolutely not!” Ryan roared. “How many times do I have to tell you that she has a head injury? The kind of physical exertion involved in pushing a car could kill her.”

  Again, anger leapt into Morgret’s eyes. Ryan shuddered when they began to pulse with the same, strange inner glow that he had seen in Shana’s eyes. Even more unnerving, however, was that a strong breeze began to blow inside the car. He told himself that it was coming in through the open door, but he had the oddest feeling that it was emanating from Morgret.

  “Mr. Alden, I am trying to be patient with you, but I am not going to put up with your harassment any longer,” Lucien stated tautly. “I know you don’t want to believe in my powers, but I assure you that Shana is in no danger. Even if she was, I still wouldn’t call an ambulance. Shana is a witch, not a mortal, and we take care of our own kind in Sanctuary.

  “Now, I suggest you get out of the car, while we move it out of the ditch. And don’t worry about Shana doing anything physically taxing. The only thing she will have to use is her brain, although I will admit that at times that does appear to be an exhausting task for her.”

  Looking toward Shana with a stern expression, he finished, “I need your help, Shana. Now.”

  “Yes, Lucien,” she said, reaching for the door handle as he strode away. Tossing open the door, she climbed out. Then she ducked back inside. “Stop making Lucien mad, Ryan. He’ll end up reading your mind and find out about Moira, and I can’t let that happen. It’s too dangerous.”

  “They’re all lunatics!” Ryan muttered as she slammed the door and hurried toward the front of the car. But he couldn’t help noting that the breeze had stopped the moment Morgret had walked away.

  “It was just coincidence,” he told himself firmly as he began to slide toward the other door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something drift toward the floor. He glanced down, and his heart screeched to a halt. Then it began to beat in a frantic rhythm. He was looking at another Tarot card, and he didn’t have to read the writing at the bottom to know it was the card known as Death.

  Fear shot through him, because at that moment he knew his concerns about Shana were valid. Something was terribly wrong with her, and he was going to have to get her to the hospital. If he didn’t—

  He wouldn’t let himself finish the thought. Instead, he grabbed the card off the floor and hastily stuffed it into his jacket pocket. Just touching it made his skin crawl. But instinct told him that if Morgret saw the card, they would have to waste time explaining it instead of getting Shana the help she needed.

  “I’ll get the mop for you,” Ariel said, suddenly appearing and leaning into the front seat to retrieve it. “And as soon as Lucien finishes moving the car, I’ll have him conjure you up a proper crutch. We have one at home, so it will only take him a second or two to retrieve it.”

  “How . . . considerate of you,” Ryan said, forcing himself to be polite. If he hoped to get Morgret to cooperate with him, he couldn’t offend his wife. Indeed, he might be able to convince Ariel to side with him. After all, she claimed to be a mortal. Since she apparently didn’t have witchcraft delusions of her own, he might be able make her see that Shana’s health was at risk. In the meantime, he’d just keep an eye on Morgret. If it looked like he was going to make Shana do something Ryan felt was dangerous, he’d interfere. Otherwise, he’d maintain his peace until the opportunity presented itself to make another pitch for an ambulance.

  Accepting the mop from Ariel, he got out and followed her a short distance away from the car. When they stopped, he saw that Shana and Lucien were standing on either side of the vehicle and facing each other. Shana had both arms extended over the hood, and Lucien held one over it, while gripping the crystal around his neck with the other hand. They weren’t speaking, and Ryan couldn’t figure out what they were up to.

  “What are they doing?” he asked Ariel, his curiosity aroused.

  “They’re going to levitate the car out of the ditch,” she answered.

  “You’re joking!”

  She gave him a wry smile. “Just watch, Mr. Alden. We’ll make a believer out of you yet.”

  Ryan didn’t know how to respond, so he didn’t even try. Instead, he focused on Shana and Lucien, determined to interrupt at the first sign of anything that he felt would be injurious to Shana’s health,

  Suddenly, Lucien’s crystal began to glow. At the same time, Shana’s eyes took on that strange, pulsing light. Ryan couldn’t see Lucien’s eyes, but he knew instinctively that they were also lit with that seemingly inner force. It was one of the eeriest sights he’d ever seen. It also scared the hell out of him, and yet it held him enthralled.

  Then Lucien dropped his arm and stated impatiently, “Shana, I know your head hurts, but you have to concentrate.”

  “I know I have to concentrate, Lucien, but it isn’t as easy as it sounds,” she told him. “Can’t you draw on the powers of the others?”

  “They’re at the festival, Shana. I don’t want to interrupt the festivities to move a car. Now, please, try to concentrate.”

  “Just give me a second,” she said as she pressed her hands against her eyes.

  Ryan frowned. Obviously, she was in pain, and he wanted to order her back into the car. He quelled the impulse, reminding himself that if he wanted Morgret to listen to him, he couldn’t interfere unless it appeared the man was putting her in jeopardy. Even if their eyes were glowing, looking at each other across the hood was not harmful.

  “Okay, let’s try it again,” she said, removing her hands from her face and extending her arms over the hood.

  Lucien nodded, gripped his crystal, and extended his arm. Again, the crystal began to glow, and, again, Shana’s eyes began to shine. For several seconds nothing happened, and then suddenly the car began to rise. When it was a few inches off the ground, it began to float backward until it was out of the ditch.

  Ryan’s jaw dropped, and he shook his head. It’s impossible! People cannot levitate cars! But as much as he wanted to intellectually deny it, he couldn’t discount what he was seeing.

  “Well, Mr. Alden, what do you think?” Ariel asked, amusement tingeing her words.

  “It’s incredible,” he allowed, looking down at her.

  “Believe me, it’s nothing compared to some of the things they can do. If you hang around for a few days, you’ll discover—”

  She was interrupted by a sudden, agonized scream that made Ryan’s blood run cold. He jerked his head up in time to see Shana’s hands fly to her head. The car dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, and she disappeared behind it as she crumpled to the ground.

  “Shana!” he yelled, instinctively starting to run toward her and forgetting about his knee. He almost fell to the ground at the tearing pain that ripped through it. But his physical distress was nothing compared to his emotional upheaval. By not forcin
g his hand with Morgret, he was sure he’d just lost another battle with that old bastard, Father Death. Now, Shana’s strangely glowing eyes would join the others that would forever haunt him.

  Chapter Seven

  The Magician Card

  Will, Mastery, and Power

  SHANA FELT AS if her head was ready to explode. The pain was so excruciating that she couldn’t see or hear or speak. All she could do was clutch her head and moan in agony. What had happened? Why was she in such horrible pain?

  Let me help you, Shana, Lucien’s voice murmured in her mind. Let me link with you and ease the pain.

  No! she replied frantically, knowing that she couldn’t let him mentally join with her. If he did, he might find out about Moira. I can do it myself!

  Shana, now is not the time to be stubborn. Let me help you.

  I can do it myself, she reiterated, growing even more frantic at the realization that he might not listen to her. As the high priest, he was obligated to help a coven member in physical distress.

  She had never realized that an exasperated sigh could be mentally communicated, but she heard his before he said, Fine. When you stop being stubborn and decide you’re ready to accept my help, just ask for it.

  She was both relieved and infuriated by his response. He was patronizing her, and she was so tired of being treated like a recalcitrant child. Her anger at him gave her the extra impetus she needed to handle this on her own. Forcing herself to breathe deeply and evenly, she concentrated inwardly, trying to reach a meditative state. She wanted to curse when the pain hampered her attempt.

  I have to do this, she lectured herself. If I don’t, Lucien will take control. I can’t let that happen. I can’t!

  It seemed to take forever, but she finally managed to go into a self-hypnotic trance. Then she began to carefully construct the mental barriers that would ease the pain into a manageable ache. It was a slow, arduous process, and the drain on her physical strength became apparent when she let herself surface from the trance. Her entire body was trembling, and she felt lightheaded and queasy. But her maladies were overshadowed by her feeling of triumph. Not only had she kept Moira a secret, but she’d worked her way through the pain without any assistance from Lucien. He would have to acknowledge that, and maybe he’d finally start treating her like an adult.

  As she became peripherally aware of her surroundings, she was horrified to hear Ryan bellow, “If you don’t get out of my way and let me see to Shana, I swear I’ll beat you to a bloody pulp, Morgret!”

  Shana’s eyes flew open. She was lying on the ground and looking at the sky. Quickly, she pushed herself up on her elbows and stared in horror at the scene in front of her. Ryan and Lucien were facing each other, and for the first time she realized how comparable they were in size. There was no doubt that they were a physical match; however, not only was Ryan injured, but Lucien had the advantage of magic on his side.

  Instinct told Shana that Ryan wasn’t issuing an idle threat. His expression was so livid that she was sure the only thing stopping him from hitting Lucien was Ariel, who was trying to get between them. She couldn’t see Lucien’s face, but she didn’t need to see it to know he was enraged. The wind that accompanied a warlock’s temper was swirling around the trio with the force of a small tornado.

  “Ryan, stop yelling at Lucien!” she demanded.

  His head instantly pivoted toward her, and his furious expression altered to one of relief. As Lucien turned to look at her, the wind died, and Shana felt damned relieved herself. She was sure that if the argument had gone on much longer, she would have been facing disaster.

  “Shana, are you all right?” Ariel gasped as she rushed to her.

  “I’m a little weak, but I’m fine,” Shana assured as she sat up.

  “You are not fine,” Ryan stated tightly. “And you’re getting to a hospital as soon as possible.”

  “I have already told you that we take care of our own, Mr. Alden,” Lucien said just as tightly. “Shana is not going anywhere.”

  As they glared at each other, Shana recognized that a new confrontation was imminent. To prevent it, she said, “Lucien, what happened to me? Why did I suddenly have so much pain?”

  “Before I answer that, you need to try to perform some magic,” he replied grimly.

  “Why?” she asked, alarmed.

  “Just try it, Shana, and then I’ll answer your questions.”

  “What kind of magic should I do?” she questioned next, understanding what he was intimating and terrified at the prospect.

  “Something simple. Try turning off the car’s headlights,” he suggested.

  Shana glanced toward the automobile in dread. Wanting to put off the inevitable, she started to tell him that she didn’t know how the headlights functioned. She knew, however, that it didn’t matter how they worked. Magic could make them behave in whatever manner she wanted.

  “Don’t be frightened, Shana. Just try it,” Lucien urged.

  I can do this, Shana told herself firmly, focusing on the headlights. It’s so simple, it’s child’s play.

  When she propelled her energy toward the vehicle, however, nothing happened. She looked up at Lucien, stricken. “My power is gone!”

  “It isn’t gone,” he soothed as he dropped to a knee beside her. “It’s just short-circuiting because of your head injury.”

  “But it was working fine when we were levitating the car.”

  “I know,” he said, frowning. “Evidently it was too much effort, and that’s probably why this happened. But don’t worry. When I was a boy, I saw another case like this. The warlock regained his powers in a few days.”

  “A few days? I can’t go without my power for a few days!” she gasped, petrified at the thought of what Moira could accomplish in that much time. How was she going to defeat her if she couldn’t fight her with magic?

  “Shana, don’t get yourself all upset,” Ariel said. “You can stay with us until you’re feeling better.”

  “The only place Shana is going is to a hospital,” Ryan said angrily.

  Lucien leaped to his feet, his legs spread apart and his arms akimbo. “I have heard enough from you! Shana is our responsibility, and the only thing you need to worry about is how you’re going to get out of Sanctuary.”

  “I am not going anywhere until Shana is on her way to a hospital.”

  “Then you will have a hell of a long wait, because the only place she’s going is home with Ariel and me.”

  “Damnit, Morgret! What does it take to get through that thick head of yours? Shana has been unconscious twice, and the way she was clutching at her head a little while ago tells me that there’s something drastically wrong with her. She needs medical attention.”

  “Stop arguing about me as if I’m not even here!” Shana interjected as she climbed unsteadily to her feet. When both men turned their attention on her, she perched her hands on her hips and glared at them. “I am not a child for you to bicker over. I am an adult.”

  “What you are is an injured woman,” Ryan contradicted.

  “What she is is an injured witch,” Lucien shot back.

  “What I am is very angry,” she supplied, knowing she had to diffuse their argument before Lucien lost complete control over his temper and ended up delving into Ryan’s mind. “And if both of you don’t shut up, I’m going to . . . to . . .”

  She wanted to scream when she realized that without her magic, she couldn’t even issue a good threat. “I don’t know what I’ll do,” she admitted grudgingly, “but I can guarantee that it won’t be what either of you want me to do. So stop fighting over me.”

  “Shana, you have to listen to me on this,” Ryan said, raking a hand through his hair. “I am a doctor, and I know what I’m talking about.”

  He looked so distraught that Shana’s hear
t went out to him. “I’m sure you do, Ryan, and if we were discussing Ariel, I would listen to every word you’re saying. But we’re talking about me, and as much as you want to deny it, I am a witch. Your medicine doesn’t apply to me.”

  “That’s absurd,” he said. “Even if you are a witch, you’re still a human being.”

  “Yes, I am a human being,” she agreed. “But there are physiological differences between us. Granted, they aren’t big differences, but they are significant.”

  “So you’re saying that you refuse to go to the hospital?”

  “What I’m saying is that there is no need for me to go to a hospital,” she corrected. “And even if there was, I couldn’t go. If mortal doctors started working on me, they might find those differences I’m talking about. Once they learned about them, it would only be a matter of time before they discovered us. We can’t let that happen, Ryan, because your race is not ready to accept ours. The witch hunts could begin again, and we’re dangerously close to extinction.”

  “Witch hunts?” he repeated in disbelief. “For God’s sake, this isn’t the Middle Ages. People don’t engage in witch hunts!”

  “Ryan, your people engaged in witch hunts a mere three centuries ago in this very country,” she said, pressing her hand against her forehead. The pain was becoming more difficult to control. All she wanted to do was lie down, but she knew she had to make him understand so he’d stop fighting Lucien. “That may seem like a long time to you. For us, it seems like yesterday, because we’ve been persecuted for more than a thousand years.”

  He opened his mouth to respond, but she went on before he could speak. “I know you don’t want to believe that any harm would come to me if I went to a mortal hospital, and maybe it wouldn’t. I can’t, however, take that chance. I can’t put the coven at risk.”

  “So what are you saying? That you would rather die?”

  “Of course I wouldn’t rather die,” she responded impatiently, “but I don’t have a choice. My life is insignificant if saving it could destroy the coven.”