Crystal Magic (Clearwater Witches Book 1)

by Madeline Freeman

  Jodi holds up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

  A sense of dread sinks in the pit of my stomach as I leave the house, but there’s nothing I can do except get back as quickly as possible.

  Chapter Thirty

  A black Honda is parked in the driveway when I get home, and a champagne minivan sits in front of the house. Jodi’s friends have arrived. I park Jodi’s Focus behind the Honda and head into the house with the bag of supplies I grabbed from the shop. I feel a little silly with them—it’s likely Jodi has all of these things here—but I wanted to bring them just in case.

  I hear voices from the sitting room when I enter the house. I close the door behind me and open my mouth to let Jodi know I’ve arrived, but something stops me. It’s not the words that are being said—their tone is too low and the sounds too indistinct to make out—it’s the feeling of the room. A darkness, a dread, wraps itself around me like a blanket.

  Curious, I edge toward the back of the house, taking care to avoid the creaky floorboards near the middle of the hallway.

  “That’s just it—the tea should be working.”

  The note of apprehension in Jodi’s voice makes me pause. Is she talking about the tea I made for her?

  “Maybe just give it a little more time.” The woman’s voice is familiar an it takes me a moment to place it: Millie, the owner of the coffee shop downtown.

  Jodi wheezes. “You forget who you’re talking to. I’d put my knowledge of herbal remedies up against anyone’s. Believe me when I say something’s not right.”

  “I’m not saying I don’t believe you,” says a man whose voice I don’t recognize. “I’m just not sure what you expect the two of us to do.”

  “As much as I hate to say it, I’m afraid whatever’s wrong with me isn’t going to be cured by homeopathy alone. I’d do it myself, but…” Jodi coughs a few times. “Whatever’s affecting me is affecting my connection with magic, too.”

  My heartbeat picks up. She’s talking about magic with these people. Why would she call them instead of telling me about it?

  “You know we don’t practice anymore,” the man says.

  “Come on, David. Are you telling me you haven’t cast one spell in the last eighteen years?” There’s a hint of doubt in Jodi’s voice. Silence stretches for a few beats before she says, “That’s what I thought.”

  “Still, what do you really think we can do?” Millie’s voice is quiet.

  Pages rustle. “There are a few healing spells. I’ve got most of the supplies in my greenhouse. If you could give them a try…” Jodi trails off.

  My muscles tense and heat flushes through my body. She wants them to cast spells for her. I don’t know if I’m more mad that she plans to use magic after telling me that I shouldn’t use mine, or that she wants them to do it and not me.

  Couch springs squeak and feet shuffle against the hardwood floor. They’re about to walk into the hallway. Not wanting them to know I’ve been listening in, I creep back to the front door and open and close it firmly. I take in a breath to steady my nerves before calling, “Jodi, I’m home.”

  Jodi and her friends poke their heads out into the hallway, each of them looking like they’ve been caught doing something naughty. I do my best to rearrange my face into a mask of innocence, like I really have just walked in.

  “Ah, you’re back,” Jodi says. She nods toward her friends. “You know Millie, of course. And this is David Cole. David, this is my niece, Krissa.”

  David is shorter than I imagined he would be from his voice. His hair is dark and wavy and there’s the shadow of a beard on his face. He meets me halfway down the hall and holds out his hand for me to shake.

  I place my hand in his tentatively. “It’s nice to meet you.” His surname sticks in my mind and I almost ask if he’s any relation to Mrs. Cole, but one look at his face makes the words stick in my throat. Up close, his eyes are puffy and his face has the pallor of a person in mourning. He’s Mrs. Cole’s widower. Releasing his hand, I hold up the bag of supplies to Jodi. “I grabbed some things from the shop. I don’t know if they’ll help, but…”

  She takes the bag from me and peers inside. She smiles and another coughing fit overtakes her. When it passes, she nods at me. “This is good. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  The four of us stand in the hallway and I get the feeling David and Millie are uncomfortable with my being here. Since Jodi has reached out to them to do magic on her behalf, it’s possible they don’t know about my abilities.

  “How about I boil some water?” I suggest when it’s clear no one else is going to say anything. As I walk toward the kitchen, Jodi holds the bag out to me. I take it, and something on Jodi’s palm catches my attention. “What’s that?”

  “What?” Jodi asks, but she starts coughing before I can respond, holding her right hand against her mouth.

  I wait until the fit passes before reaching for her hand. I turn it so her palm faces upward and my stomach sinks when I see a dark red mark there, like a smear of strawberry jam. “This. Jodi, what’s this?”

  Jodi’s eyes go wide when she inspects her palm. “I don’t… I have no idea.”

  “I’ve seen it before. At the dance. When Mrs. Cole was taking our tickets, I saw it.”

  David closes the distance to Jodi and inspects the mark. “Oh, my…” He nods vaguely. “Wednesday before she… Shelly was in the kitchen making dinner and she passed out. We both just assumed she burned herself.”

  Jodi sways and grips David’s shoulder to steady herself. “I was wrong.”

  The color drains from Millie’s face. “What does that mean?”

  “I’ve been thinking whatever’s affecting me is organic, natural—just strong. But if Shelly had this mark too it can only mean one thing. It’s a curse.”

  Jodi’s words seem to fill up the space around us, consuming the air. It takes several tries before I’m able to take in a full breath.

  Millie’s hand goes to her chest. “You mean someone’s doing this to you? Someone did it to Shelly?”

  “It can’t be a coincidence,” says David. “The mark—it’s exactly like the one on Shelly’s hand.”

  “Which means,” Jodi says, her voice quiet and calm, “whatever happened to her is happening to me.”

  Millie shakes her head. “No. We’re going to figure this out. Now that we know what we’re up against—”

  “Now that we know what we’re up against, what?” David snaps. His eyes flicker to me momentarily before he continues. “Do you remember what it would take out of us to do something simple like make something levitate? I can’t imagine the kind of power someone would have to have to do something like this.”

  “He’s got a point,” Millie says. “Who’s strong enough to cast a curse like this? Is there anyone in town who’s even practicing?”

  David snorts. “Of course there is. Shelly told me she had suspicions about Jenny Jamison’s daughter and her friends.”

  “Come on—a bunch of teenagers?” Millie crosses her arms. “David, think about how little we could do at their age. Do you really think they’d be capable of something like this?”

  “Don’t sell them so short,” Jodi says, her voice quiet. “They’re stronger than we were—I can sense it in them. But, no, I don’t think they’re behind it.”

  “Then who?” Millie asks.

  She shakes her head. “It doesn’t really matter, does it? We can worry about the who after we take care of the what. David, you said that Shelly passed out the Wednesday before she died?”

  A spasm crosses David’s face. “Yes.”

  “And before that she seemed perfectly healthy?”

  He nods. “She was just at the doctor that Monday for her yearly physical, and she was in perfect health.”

  Jodi jerks her chin toward the greenhouse. “We should get to work. The way I figure, at best I’ve got two days.”

  Her words cut through me. “Two days? Wait. You can’t mean—�
�

  “That I’m going to die?” A muscle jumps in her jaw. “Unless we can figure out how to break the curse, then yes. I’m afraid that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

  I feel as though the air has been pressed from my lungs.

  David pulls his cell from his back pocket. “I’m calling Ryan Alcott.”

  As he walks toward the living room, Millie begins ticking names off on her fingers. “You, me, David. Shelly, Crystal. Sarah Riddell… I guess Ryan really is the only other one left.”

  “He’s down in Ohio, last I heard,” Jodi says.

  Millie puts a hand on Jodi’s shoulder. “He’ll come.”

  My brain finally kicks into gear. “What can I do? To help?”

  Jodi shakes her head. “No. I won’t involve you.”

  I gape at her. “But you guys don’t have the power you need.” I lean toward her, lowering my voice. “Crystal said I’ve got more magic than she’s ever felt before. I can help you.”

  Jodi’s expression is stony. “I won’t risk it. We don’t know who’s behind this. Shelly, me—my whole circle—we disbanded after Crystal Taylor died. If magic really is the motivator for whoever’s casting this curse, it doesn’t seem to matter if you’re practicing it or not. Revealing the kind of power you have could put a target right on your back.”

  “So, what? You not letting me help is protecting me?”

  A relieved look crosses her face. “Yes.”

  Tears gather in the corners of my eyes. “Who’s going to protect me when you’re dead?”

  Jodi presses her lips together but says nothing. There’s nothing she can say. And I can’t just sit here. Pivoting on my heel, I head toward the front door.

  I hear Jodi calling after me, but I ignore her. She can’t stop me from helping her. She’s the only family I have left.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  My vision is completely obscured by tears by the time I reach Jodi’s car. I open the door and slide into the driver’s seat before wiping them away with the edges of my sleeve. I can’t fall apart right now. If Jodi needs more magic to break the curse that’s hurting her, then I need to acquire more magic.

  Fortunately, I have a lead about where to get it.

  I pull my cell from my back pocket and tap through the contact list. Pressing the phone to my ear, I hold my breath as the ringer sounds once. Twice.

  Crystal picks up in the middle of the third ring. “Krissa?”

  “Gather the others,” I say without preamble. “I’ll help you find the crystal, but we’ve got to do it now. Call everyone, set up a meeting or whatever. And as soon as we find it, I get to use the crystal. You can have it once I’m done, but I need it first. Those are my conditions.”

  “What do you need the crystal—”

  “Take it or leave it.”

  I hold my breath as seconds of silence tick by.

  “Oh—okay,” Crystal says finally. “I’ll have everyone meet up at Fox’s house.”

  I bite my lower lip. “As soon as possible. Please.”

  The drive to Fox’s place doesn’t take long. The lone car in the driveway tells me I’m the first to arrive, but that doesn’t stop me from approaching the house. I knock on the front door and wait for a response. When none comes, I knock again. I try the doorbell. After a few moments, no one comes to the door, so I lift my hand to pound on the wood. Just as I bring my hand down, the door swings open and Fox only just manages to avoid my falling fist.

  His gray eyes are wide. “Whoa, what’s up?”

  I push past him into the house. The living room is just as disheveled as I remember it, with dirty laundry strewn everywhere. The air smells stale. “Didn’t Crystal call you?”

  “I think Griffin was on the phone with her.”

  I walk through the dining room, toward the stairway in the kitchen. “The circle’s heading over here. I’m going to help you find the crystal.”

  Fox follows me down to the basement and sits on the couch adjacent to the one I take a seat on. “I thought you weren’t going to help. You know, the perils of having too much magic and all that? I thought you were too worried we wouldn’t be able to handle our magic once we anchor ourselves to the crystal.”

  I shift on the cushions. “Yeah, and I’m still concerned about that.”

  The corners of his mouth turn downward. “Then why are you helping?”

  “Does it matter?” I ask, not making eye contact.

  “I wouldn’t ask if it didn’t.” Fox’s voice is low, but persuasive. Even with my charm firmly in place, he’s still magnetic. The attraction spell he uses amplifies what he already possesses.

  I don’t want to tell him. Telling him will make it real. But I owe him, I owe the others, the truth about why I need more magic. “It’s my aunt.”

  “Jodi?” His eyebrows cinch together and his eyes darken with concern. “What’s wrong?”

  I press my lips together. I forget that he’s known her longer than I have. “Whatever killed Mrs. Cole... She didn’t just get sick. It was magic that killed her. A curse.”

  He stands and begins to pace, agitated. “This isn’t good.”

  “You’re telling me? Fox, she’s all I have.”

  He looks at me and the expression on his face reminds me how little he knows about my past—how little anyone around here—besides Owen—knows. I turn away, but he moves toward me. “What do you mean?”

  I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”

  “Clearly that’s not the case.” He crouches so he’s at eye level with me. “Look, I get it. You know about the attraction spell and now you think you can’t trust me. Hard to trust a guy who uses magic to mess with girls’ heads. But, look.” He pulls at the collar of his shirt. He’s not wearing the rose quartz necklace. I inhale, and there’s no trace of lavender in his scent. His mouth twitches. “I want to be the kind of person you can trust.”

  A pang shoots through me. I had no idea my opinion of him carried so much weight. I take in a breath. “My dad left me and my mom five years ago. I haven’t seen him since. I have no idea where he is. And it was hard, you know? But my mom and I were making it. But then about a month ago…” A lump forms at the back of my throat. “Jodi’s all I have now.”

  Fox takes my hands, squeezing them with a gentle pressure. His palms are warm. “We won’t let anything happen to Jodi, okay? The circle—we’re family. We’ll take care of you.”

  A prickling sensation creeps into the corners of my eyes and I pull my hands from his to rub the feeling away. Shuffling on the stairs announces the arrival of others and Fox stands, putting distance between the two of us.

  Crystal and Bridget enter the basement first, followed by Griffin and Zane. Griffin collapses into a dilapidated arm chair. “This’d better be good.”

  Crystal rolls her eyes as she and Bridget sit beside me on the couch. Zane claims the adjacent couch and Fox leans against the wall, his expression clouded.

  Once everyone is settled, Crystal sits up a bit straighter, squaring her shoulders before addressing the group. “Krissa’s reconsidered things and she’s decided to help anchor our magic.”

  A shiver courses through me. That’s not exactly what I promised, but I don’t correct her. All I want is the crystal. If it can amplify my natural magic, it might be enough to lift Jodi’s curse. What the circle does with it after that doesn’t concern me.

  “That’s great,” Griffin says, holding out his hands. “Except, of course, for the fact that we don’t actually have the crystal. Unless you suddenly know where it is.”

  Crystal purses her lips. “That’s what we’re here to find out.”

  Griffin rolls his eyes and I look at Crystal. “Okay, so, how do we do that?”

  Crystal stands and crosses the room to a small dresser tucked in a corner behind the armchairs. She opens the top drawer and begins rifling through it. “It’s simple, really. We just need to do a relatively simple spell to figure out where it is.”

  “We’ve d
one a locater spell already,” Griffin mutters. “Multiple times.”

  Crystal ignores him. “Every time, it takes us to the same place: the house my aunt Crystal died in.” She returns to the middle of the room with an armful of candles that look like they came from Jodi’s shop.

  I scan my mental images of buildings in the town, but I haven’t seen a burned-out shell of a house. Something like that would stand out in a place like this. “Did they rebuild the house or something?”

  Crystal shakes her head. “Not exactly. After the fire, my grandma sold the property and moved so she wouldn’t be reminded. It’s been almost twenty years since she died. They tore down the original structure. There’s a new house where the old house used to be.”

  I nod. “And you’re not thinking this crystal is in the new house.”

  “There’s no way,” Bridget says, even though my statement doesn’t necessitate a response. “I mean, we’ve been thinking maybe it’s under the house—like under the basement or something. But we can’t get a clear enough lock on it. The locater spell isn’t that specific.”

  “And, what? You’re thinking I’ll help it be more specific?”

  Crystal opens her mouth to speak, but Fox cuts her off. “It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds. The first time we did the spell, it was just me, Bridge, and Crystal. That time, it got us over on that side of town, but that was it. Each time we’ve added someone to the spell, it’s been a little more accurate.”

  I bite the inside of my cheek. It makes as much sense as anything, considering that until recently, I thought the idea of magic was just fantasy. If I have to participate in this spell to save Jodi, I’m willing. “Okay, how do we do this?”

  An expression flashes over Crystal’s face, but it’s too quick to read. She reaches out toward Bridget, who hands over Crystal’s purse. After a moment, Crystal pulls out a map. She unfolds it and spreads it on the floor, surrounding it with the candles.

  Bridget slides off the couch and kneels on the floor beside a candle. Fox and Zane follow suit and, with a groan, so does Griffin. I’m the last to take a place in the circle, and when I do, it’s between Bridget and Fox.