“Why is there more than one?!”
Neither of us breathed as a shadow approached, indicating it was coming back toward us. But what peeked around the corner wasn't a creature teeming with darkness.
Bright-blue eyes stared at us, set in the youthful face of a boy with soft, cherublike features. His brown hair was slicked back neatly. It was the little boy, Benjamin. This was Johannes’s son—the secret he wanted to keep from me, even more than his own Magus form. I couldn’t even begin to imagine why.
“Hi there, Ben. Do you remember me? I promised I'd come back.” I tried to keep my voice even as I spoke.
He nodded and grinned at me; it was wide and full of teeth. “I knew you'd keep your promise.”
“No one can break a pinky swear.”
I felt an unfamiliar tug in my chest while looking at him, like we were connected—like we were supposed to be near each other. I wanted to cradle him to me while he looked at me with that sweet grin and those wide blues.
A sudden pained expression crossed his face, and then it split in a Cheshire-like grin, contorting him into something that would be almost sinister if it weren't for the sadness that seemed to linger around him. Benjamin changed into a Ghoul before our eyes. “I want to play a game.” His voice was thicker, tainted… no longer holding that joyous innocence he previously exuded.
All at once, the world around us warped into a labyrinth of stone and moss. Mist danced on everything, the stone slick beneath our feet. Sue and I both coughed as the oppressively humid air swamped us. There was the echo of something sharp scraping against rock. The noise sent a shiver of fear down my spine.
“What the hell just happened?” Sue's voice was bordering on shrill.
“Find me, and I'll let you out.” He giggled, the sound coming from all around us.
Sue gripped my hand tighter. “Well, if he's as bad at hide-and-seek as my kids, it should hopefully be easy. And then we can get the hell out of here.”
We began moving forward, the mixture of broken stone and foliage crunching beneath our feet with every step.
“We need to stick to a pattern or we'll be lost in here,” I said, trying my best to keep a level head. God, why couldn’t I remember a single thing about the myth of the labyrinth? It seemed like that sort of thing might come in handy right about now.
“Don't suppose you think there will be a hot goblin king at the end of this, do you?” Sue chuckled, albeit nervously.
“Given what I’ve learned about this town lately, you may just get your wish for a large-bulged king.”
“That's all I'm asking.”
The giggling picked up in volume the farther we got into the maze.
“Sometimes, I may come to find you!” Benjamin shouted, appearing in front of us. His body was semi-incorporeal, no feet, only a swirling mass of shadows helping him hover over the ground. He lunged, skeletal fingers like daggers aiming straight for us.
Shouldering Sue out of the way, I put my arms up to defend us. I closed my eyes, anticipating the blow of his teeth or claws. Instead, a tingling shot up from my core to settle in my arms. Benjamin screeched in shock.
When I opened my eyes, everything was bathed in yellow light. The light had manifested itself in the form of a large shield, curving over my arms. It was such a glorious sight to see the magic, making it seem so much more real to me that I truly was a Magus.
This is who I am.
My mouth dropped open in awe. The creature stood dazed for a moment before running back into the darkness.
The shield dissipated, and long locks of shining silver hair fell over my shoulders. I startled, realizing my skin was giving off an iridescent glow.
Suzanne crawled next to me. She seemed hesitant to touch me. Was she afraid of me now? I wanted to reach out and hug her, but I was terrified she would reject me.
“I guess that means you're for sure a Magus,” she whispered. “Plus side is you're very pretty. Like a glowing angel.” She bumped her shoulder into mine.
I smiled at her, stunned. “So you're not afraid of me?”
“'Course not. You don't have creepy smoking eyes and talons for nails. You just, you know, can make a glowing shield that scares away spooks. Maybe you can make a new living scaring away monsters that live under beds for little kids.”
I sighed, staring at my glowing hands. “You take all of this in so much better than me.”
“I mean, I’m not the one with magic boyfriends and this cool sparkle thing going on. I've also sort of convinced myself that this is all a really crazy wine dream.” She giggled.
“I wish it were.” With another sigh, I stood and dusted myself off, my new Magus form breaking away to leave me back to my normal, non-glowy self. “Let's find our way out of here.”
“Sounds good to me!”
We started moving through the maze again, now even more determined to make it out.
“So, do you know any other tricks?”
“I, uh, I can make a magic ball…”
“Seriously?” she deadpanned.
“We were in a restaurant, it wasn’t like we were in private,” I grumbled.
“Wait, restaurant? Who were you with?”
I scratched at the back of my neck. “Johannes…”
“You know we’re going to have to get some of that $4.99 wine and spill, right? Johannes was teaching you about your magic?”
“Atohi was going to teach me, but I have to get him out first,” I tried to defend.
Sue just clicked her tongue. “Whatever, I’m not judging you.”
When I looked over my shoulder at her, the smirk on her face told me otherwise. “I was having a panic attack, and he was just trying to help me calm down. It was really…” Sweet. I didn’t want to say it out loud and verbalize the conflicting emotions I felt about him right now. It was easier to view him as the villain. I shook my head.
A sudden sound caught my attention, and I stopped. Sue nearly ran into my back. It sounded like… someone crying? As soon as I heard it again, I knew that had to be it.
We turned and rounded another corner, following the noise as it got louder. Benjamin was there, curled up with his forehead against the far wall and his back to us in his human form, but his shadowy Ghoul form was bearing down on him from above.
I called out to him, voice shaking. The shadow immediately reverted back into his body. He looked at me over his shoulder, tears in his eyes.
“Hey, it's all right.” I approached slowly, kneeling down next to him. Despite everything, he was still just a child, and there was no way I could leave him like this. He flinched away from me, and a pang of guilt went through me. He was cradling his hand. I hadn’t meant to hurt him with my magic—I hadn’t meant to do anything with my magic at all. “Can I see it?”
He whined, but extended his hand to me to show me his bruise.
“It hurts,” he whimpered.
“I'm sorry that you got hurt, sweetie.” I pressed a light kiss to his hand.
“I'm sorry I tried to hit you. I'm not good at being a Magus. That’s what he tells me…” He sniffled.
My brows furrowed. “Who tells you? Johannes?”
I swear, if—
“No, Papa would never say that to me, silly!” Benjamin pouted.
I had to hold in my sigh of relief. I was feeling fiercely protective of this little boy, and I didn’t even want to imagine what I would say to Johannes if he’d been berating him.
“Then who, Ben?”
“My Ghoul…” He sighed and looked down at the ground. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want to help.”
I took that moment to really look at him. His brown hair and blue eyes were all Johannes. But the shape of his lips and nose… those were like mine, like Grandma Maggie’s. But how?
The world around us swirled, melting back into Johannes’s kitchen. My head rushed from the sudden change. I don’t think it’s a feeling I’ll ever get used to. Or ever want to get used to.
But,
what did he mean his Ghoul? I thought someone’s Magus form was still them. I mean, I had only been in my form once, but I still felt like me. I was getting more questions than answers.
“Maybe next time we can play something else.” I rubbed a thumb over his round cheek.
Sue bent down near him. “I have three children who would just love to play with you. You know, if you keep them in this dimension. And don't try to eat them.” I shot her a look, and she amended, “We've got lots of ponies, do you like ponies?”
Benjamin nodded, eyes still a little glossy from unshed tears. His gaze suddenly darted to something behind us. A happy grin lit up his face.
“Papa!” He grabbed my hand and pulled me to… Johannes, who stood there, arms crossed, staring at us with a grin to rival his Ghoulish form. “She came back!”
“Alice, my sweet,” he purred, “you've come to me this time. How delightful.” He looked at Benjamin. “My little darling, why don't you take your new friend Suzanne away for a moment.”
In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
“Where did he take her?” I demanded, a panic building up in me. I’d hardly wanted Suzanne to have to be here with me, let alone somewhere without me.
“One of his little rooms. What do you think of my little darling? He’s rather sweet, isn’t he?”
“He is, but where did you steal him from?” I spat, trying to lash out in my fear from the situation.
“He was stolen from me.” He growled and approached, but I held firm in my position to show him I was not afraid of him. “Atohi has likely been praising Zella as if she were a goddess. But sometimes it seemed like she was really a cruel woman in hiding. I'm sure you've noticed Benjamin’s resemblance isn't only to me. He definitely has your family's nose.” Johannes swiped his finger across the tip of my nose in a way I'm sure he thought was playful.
“You're lying. How could that be true?” I denied it, even with the similar observation I had made earlier.
“Do you really want to know how? She hid the pregnancy from me—from everyone. Her precious new beau wouldn't have been excited about her bastard. And after she gave birth, she used what power she had left and Fae magic to put him in a state of preservation. Like a pickled specimen. She did all of that to live like a normal human. To keep us out of her life.”
There was an energy flowing around him, heavy and stifling. It was difficult to breathe with the oppressive presence.
“H-How did you find him?” I managed to stutter.
Even just looking at him was becoming difficult as magic started pouring in flame-like ribbons from his eyes. The swirls of blue and black looked like a weeping galaxy.
“I left this wretched town when Zella passed. Six years ago, I started feeling a tug at my soul, like something was calling out for me. It was the only reason I returned. That's when I found him.”
I could practically feel his anger consuming him.
“Johannes, please calm down.”
“I found him in the unmarked mausoleum. I never thought anything of its construction when we were young. I had assumed some family built it, but couldn't continue to fund it. I didn’t realize she’d built it. For him. She put him in a tomb, Alice!” he seethed.
“Johannes—”
“Am I scaring you?” His eyes were wild as he pulled back.
“Yes, now stop it!” I shouted. A tingling built up in my fingers, slowly going up my arms. I focused on that feeling, magic coursing through my body and collecting in my chest. As my body changed, I crossed my arms in front of me to summon the shield, picturing it in my mind’s eye before it appeared. I needed to put space between us.
He stared at me through my newly formed defense. “Did my little darling help bring this out in you? His power has likely been calling out to yours too.” He dragged a finger down the surface of the shield. My magic rippled in the wake of the trail he left. “I’m so impressed, even with the ring I gave you, that you could conjure something like this. But you aren't strong enough yet to wield it properly.”
His black magic engulfed his hand, and he slashed at the shield. It shattered. I gasped, feeling the ripples of magic blasting back at me, taking my Paean form with it.
“I'm not going to hurt you.” He kissed my forehead. “I'm so proud of you.”
Johannes sighed as he pulled me into his arms. They tightened around me, pinning my body to his chest. “I knew that ring I gave you would help amplify your powers, but for you to advance this far this quickly, your magic must’ve been just begging to come out.”
I struggled against him as his hand traveled down my side. He must have known I had the stone. I tried to summon my magic, but I barely managed a spark.
“Stop!”
“Whatever would you want this old rock for?” he taunted as he took it from my pocket.
I reached for it, desperate, but when he opened his hand, the orange jewel was gone, replaced by a slate-gray rock like any other riverside stone.
“What did you do to it?” My voice was barely above a whisper as I stared in disbelief.
He let me grab it from him. I turned it in my fingers, searching for any sign it was still the jewel I’d pinned all my hopes on. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t.
Tears gathered in my eyes. I’d blown my chance—my one chance to set Atohi free.
“Aww, don't cry, Alice. Benjamin has the ability to shift items and dimensions. It was never what you were looking for.”
I dropped the rock to the floor, a small, petty part of me hoped it damaged the wood flooring. I had been so sure we were on the verge of breaking Atohi’s curse. Now he would never be able to walk free. Johannes would probably hide it somewhere no one would ever find it.
“What now?” It was a little more than a whisper, and I wasn't sure if I was asking Johannes or myself.
He whistled. Shortly after, Benjamin and Sue slipped back into view. She looked dazed, her eyes darting from me to Johannes and around the room. She reached out and touched one of the marble countertops near her before sighing in relief, seemingly to confirm she was truly back.
Benjamin approached me, hand behind his back. He looked up at me with a blush that reached all the way to the tips of his ears. My heart warmed at seeing him so shy, so sweet. If there was anything good right now, it was him.
Ben opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself.
Throwing a cautionary glance to Johannes first, I knelt down before Ben to try to alleviate his obvious discomfort. “Do you want to say something to me?”
He nodded. “Thank you for playing with me even though I tried to hurt you. I wanted to meet you for so long. I was very happy to see you the other day.”
He stuck out a little fist, clutching a yellow rose tightly. It shook slightly in his nervousness.
“Is this for me?” He nodded. I smiled widely at him as I took it. “This is very nice of you, Benjamin. Thank you for the lovely gift.”
He kissed my cheek before scurrying behind Johannes's legs to peek out at me. Even with Johannes watching me, Ben’s presence was filling me with a sense of warmth, a completeness I couldn’t place. I smiled at him.
Johannes ran his fingers through Ben’s hair before sighing deeply. “Well, I can’t be outdone by my son, can I? I have a gift for you too. Well, I suppose it’s truly for Atohi.”
He reached his hand out to Benjamin, who placed a glimmering stone in his palm. I stared, wide-eyed. Was that...?
“The stone.” Johannes gripped my wrist and pressed the cursed item into my palm before wrapping my fingers around it tightly.
The jewel felt alive, vibrating and warm, in my hand. My eyes snapped to his. “Is this a trick?”
“Temporary peace offer, sweetheart. I’ll need your help to keep Benjamin safe.”
I swallowed thickly. If whoever was taking magic people found out about the boy, they’d surely be after him. I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t let that happen.
“She'll make sure they don't t
ake me, too, right, Papa?” He looked to Johannes.
I pulled my hand away from the grip Johannes still had on it so I could pocket the jewel before kneeling in front of Ben. “I will do anything, anything, to protect you.”
He smiled wide and ran into my arms, almost knocking the wind out of me. I hugged him back, careful not to crush the flower he’d given me. I stood up, taking the boy with me as he nuzzled into my neck and clutched tightly to my shirt.
I relished in the affection he was giving me. I met Johannes’s gaze. “How do we figure out who is taking people? You have to have some sort of idea.”
“Magi and Fae are sought after, so it could be a number of enemies. Given the advanced age of some of the people taken, it has to be the Collectors.”
“The Collectors? Grandma—Zella,” I amended, “mentioned a school in her diary—does that have anything to do with them?”
Johannes’s gaze darted down to Ben before returning to me. “No. The school is run by a group of misguided Magi that wants to bring about the reign of magical peoples. This is not them. The age of the people taken are too varied. Hecate wants younger people they can groom. Adults aren’t as easy to manipulate.” I could see the struggle on Johannes’s face to maintain his poise. I’m sure it was eating him up that he’d lost himself so many times today, and this was clearly a subject that hurt him to bring up.
“Okay, so it’s the Collectors. How do we find them before they find us?”
“Um, I’m really sorry to interrupt this, but there is definitely a huge wolf looking at us right now,” Sue piped up.
All of us looked to the sliding glass doors where Atohi stood, autumn eyes glaring right at Johannes, his muzzle screwed up in a snarl. Johannes rolled his eyes and turned back to take Benjamin from me. The little boy whined briefly before settling against him.
“Hold the stone to Atohi’s chest while he’s in his human form. It will pull the curse from him.”
Johannes walked away, not giving Sue or me another glance. I squeezed the stone between my fingers and rushed out through the side door, Sue on my heels. Atohi was at my side immediately, and I sank to my knees in the lawn, hugging him to me. “We did it,” I said into his fur. “We did it.”
Eyes Like Autumn (Seasons of the Magi Book 1) Page 15
