by Jack Massa
Kevin arrives a few minutes later. He didn’t realize I was calling from the shop, and he’s puzzled. He reminds me that he offered to cover Granma’s shop today.
“I know. I need to talk to you about something else. I need to see The Book of Lebab.”
He scowls at that. He goes and puts his bag behind the counter, then sits down and stares at me. “Why?”
“I know. It’s only for adepts. But before her accident, Violet told me I should go ahead with the advancement rites as soon as possible, and that I might meet guides along the way. Last night, I spoke with Lebab.”
He lets out a breath, rubs his forehead. I know he’s exhausted, and I’m sorry to trouble him with this. He looks at me across the glass counter, considering, appraising me.
“Abby, I don’t think you should do this. I know you’re very talented. I get that. But the stuff in that book—it can blow up in your face. And if Violet couldn’t handle banishing this thing, I don’t see how any of us can.”
I’m already scared enough that this doesn’t faze me. “I understand. But Kevin, I can’t hide from it. It’s going to come for me. The book is my only hope.”
He stares at me a few more seconds, then shrugs. “Come with me.”
I follow him to the back of the bookstore, where there’s a locked room with a glass panel in the door. It’s a climate-controlled room for rare and collectible volumes. Kevin opens the door with a key and flips up the light switch.
An air filter gives the room a pure, clean smell. The walls are lined with shelves, some with books set out for display, others with locked glass cases. Kevin uses another key to open one of these. It’s packed with oversized books with old, worn covers. He pulls one out and sets it on the reading table.
“Lock the door from the inside,” he says. “I’ll be up front if you have questions. I don’t know that I can answer them, but I’ll do what I can.”
When he leaves, I turn the lock in the doorknob. I sit down in the oak chair and stare at the book. It’s like the one Violet used the day she expelled Raspis—brown leather, brass bindings, gold lettering on the front. The Book of Lebab.
I slide it toward me and lift the cover. On the first page, below the title, I read:
Welcome, good friend on the Path of True Magic.
Herein you will find the Formulae of Magic revealed by LEBAB.
Use it only in accord with the Five Principles, lest your mind be baffled and your soul lost in Great Confusion.
As I turn the pages, I see the whole book is handwritten—penned in fine lines of black ink. Some of the writing is cursive, some blocky printed characters. Mixed in with the writing are diagrams, drawings, and glyphs.
I turn back to the first page—and feel a slicing pain. A paper cut, which is strange, because the paper is so old and soft. Worse, drops of my blood have fallen onto the page.
As I suck my fingertip and stare at the red drops, I pass into a vision.
I’m standing again in the clearing, at the start of the spiral maze. Annie is there, this time not wearing her hood.
“Greetings, Fighting Eagle. Before you read the book, it is best that you drink from the fifth Spring.”
I take her hand, and we walk along the curving path. This time no guardian interrupts us. When we reach the center, we stop before the fifth Fountain. It appears as a circular curtain of water with no basin, no boundaries. The water seems to be falling, but at the same time motionless. It makes no sound.
Annie says, “Behold, Fighting Eagle, the Spring of Bliss, the ultimate goal of our quest. It is union with your own higher self, that which is a fragment of the One Eternal Mind, the Spirit of the Universe. In mortal life, even great mystics and magicians know this union only in fleeting moments. It can only be reached by surrender, by abandoning all personal hope and desire. But remember this: surrender does not mean abandoning the struggle against evil. To oppose evil and bring good into the world is always our duty. What surrender does mean is making peace with the outcome of your struggle, whatever it be, peace with the knowledge that you may fail. That is the final key to Bliss.”
She hands me a cup of cut glass or crystal, like a wine glass. I drink. The water tastes like…nothing.
When I lower the glass, Annie is gone. In her place is a slim man of medium height. He has long hippie hair and a beard. He’s wearing jeans and boots and some kind of cowboy hat. I’ve seen him before, but I can’t remember where.
He’s grinning at me. “Abby Renshaw…it’s so cool to meet you at last.”
“What is your name, spirit?”
His eyes light up. “In the Circle, I was called Star Hopper.”
Then I know him. “But your other name was George Renshaw. My granddad.” He died long before I was born. I’ve only seen a few faded pictures.
“I want to thank you for being so good to Kat,” he says. “And I want you to tell her something for me: that I’m still watching out for her, and I’ll meet her up the road. Will you remember that?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” He waves a hand at the Spring behind him. “Pretty nice, isn’t it?”
I gaze at the silent, silvery water. All the terror I’m living with seems a billion miles away. “Yeah. Bliss is great. But I know I’ll have to leave soon. To go back and…uh, oppose evil, as Annie said.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. You know, you’ve done really well to get this far. All of us Renshaws are rooting for you. You’re the last of the line, at the moment.”
“Right. That has occurred to me.”
I must have sounded sarcastic, because he laughs. “Girl, you are a hoot.” He tilts his head back at the Spring. “The thing about this is, you have to let go. I learned that when I had leukemia. You can only do what you can do, and then the Universe is going to do its thing. All the worrying in the world won’t matter. You just have to make peace and move on. See what I mean?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“Good. Well, that’s it.” He shrugs. “Before I go, can I get a hug from my granddaughter?”
“I’d like that.”
I open my arms, and we embrace. He feels kind and strong, and really present. His fingers press the muscles on my back.
“Dang,” he says. “You are a tough little thing!”
Back in the rare books room, I smile at the memory of meeting my grandfather. Then I drop my eyes to the page below, now stained with my blood.
General Formula for Raising Power
This practice can be used for any occasion when you need to summon magic energy. Simply visualize the waters of the Springs flowing into you, and repeat this chant until the power is strong:
By the Sun who daylight sings,
By the Moon beneath Her Wings,
By the One Who Shapes All Things,
I raise the Power of the Springs.
I turn the page and keep reading. The book seems easier to follow now. Maybe that’s because I’ve gone through the last advancement rite. Each section describes a magical operation or formula. They all follow a similar pattern: call upon the aid of spirits, declare your intentions, raise energy—usually with a chant—and then point and release the power.
Time passes. I slip in and out of trance, becoming alert suddenly to find myself staring at an unfamiliar page, my lips moving with the words. There are formulas for every kind of magical purpose—“Raising Protective Energy,” “Achieving Invisibility,” “Traveling Outside the Body,” “Bending Events in Time” (whatever that means). I find the banishing ritual Granma taught me, and the Profound Expulsion Violet used. But both of these have already been used against Raspis. I need to find something better, something that will free Lebab.
Maybe it’s as simple as that chant on the opening page: “I raise the power of the Springs.”
But how can I be sure? There’s plenty I don’t understand. And I know I’ll never remember everything I’m reading. My hope is that
my subconscious mind will take it all in and call up what I need at the moment I need it.
My only hope.
I hear a loud, persistent tapping.
I raise my head from where it rests, heavy on the pages of the book. I was far away, in trance or asleep. I realize I’m terribly thirsty. And that I really need to pee.
I turn in the chair and see Kevin pushing open the door. “I thought I’d better check on you. It’s almost seven.”
I’m dazed. “Seven…at night?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh my god!” I’ve been in the rare books room almost ten hours. I reach for my backpack, take out a water bottle, gulp some down. It makes me cough.
“Are you okay, Abby?”
“I think so. Bathroom.” I brush past him and go to the little closet restroom across the hall.
When I come out, I’m still trying to clear my head. Kevin’s waiting for me in the rare books room. I gaze down at The Book of Lebab on the table. I feel supercharged with energy, like I could float away, like I need to run, like I might burst into flames any second.
“Do you need more time?” Kevin asks. “I was going home, but I can stay…”
I’m gaping stupidly at the book. Do I need more time to read it? No—it feels like I’ve swallowed all the knowledge of the book. It’s all inside me now.
“No. No thanks, Kevin.”
I shut the book and grab my backpack, clutching Kevin’s wrist as I step past him. “Thank you very much!”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Sure?… I have to run!” I hurry toward the front door. I open the door, then pause. I don’t know why, but I call back to Kevin, “Listen. If things go well tonight, Violet will be okay.”
Outside it’s still daylight. Sunset won’t be for over an hour. A short time after that, the moon will rise. I unlock Granma’s minivan and get behind the wheel. After cranking the engine, I sit there panting, trying to think.
Focus, Abby.
Tonight Fiona and her crew will do some badass magic at the Alden house, aimed at giving Raspis all the power of this special full moon. According to Lebab, they will try to draw me there and either convince me to join them or else murder me and suck up the energy of my death agonies.
I have to try to stop them… but how?
The knowledge I need is in The Book of Lebab. The knowledge of the book is inside me now.
As I’m struggling to grasp that, I’m startled by my phone buzzing. I fish it out of my pack. Three missed calls—Granma! She must be frantic, wondering where I am. I start to call back, then decide I’d better not. She’ll want to know where I’ve been and when I’m coming home. Whatever I say will freak her out.
I tap the phone to call Molly.
“Hey, Abby.”
“You said I could call when I needed you.”
“You know you can.”
“Good. I need you to call my Granma at the house. I haven’t been home all day, so she’ll be worried bad. Tell her I called you, and that I’m fine, and that I’ll be home later tonight.”
“Abby, this does not sound like you’re fine.”
“Then I need you to ride over and stay with her till I get there. Fix her something to eat and keep her company. Okay?”
“But where are you? She’ll want to know.”
“I can’t go into that. Molly, I need you to do as I ask. Please!”
I hear a grim sigh. “Okay. But Abby, be careful.”
“I love you, Molly.”
But careful has nothing to do with it.
I back out of the parking space, put the car in drive, and point it toward Bliss Road. But after less than a block, my inner sense is screaming that it’s too early. Nothing will happen before moonrise. I need to arrive at twilight—that seems terribly important.
Somehow, tonight darkness is my friend.
I drive over to Founders Park and stop beside the river. I sit in the Odyssey and watch the blue waters flow below me, flowing down from Harmony Springs as they have for who knows how long.
Tonight, I need to free the power of those waters, use the power to sweep Raspis away. What are my chances, realistically? Probably approaching zero.
I’m only a beginner, after all. A few weeks of study, a crash course in the advancement rites. No wand. No dagger. Just a kid from New Jersey.
My life in New Jersey feels like a hundred years ago. But then I wonder if that isn’t my real life, if everything that’s happened in Harmony Springs hasn’t been some huge delusion. It could be a delusion huge enough to have convinced Granma and Violet and Kevin…Maybe I could just forget it all and go home.
“You do have a choice to make, Abigail.”
My heart jumps. Annie Renshaw is sitting in the passenger seat. Annie Renshaw—who was seen in the coffee shop by Molly, and even Lewis.
“Okay,” I admit. “You made your point. You’re real. All of it is real.”
“True,” Annie says. “But you still have a choice. You can go back to your grandmother’s house tonight. Avoid the confrontation.”
“But then Raspis would still haunt me, right?”
“Probably. He will certainly flourish in Harmony Springs, and the world will grow that much darker. And you are still a Renshaw, and there is still the curse.”
Thinking it over, I realize that I have three options. I can join with Raspis and be possessed, like Margaret was. I can try to run, and be tormented, probably driven insane, as Otis was. Or I can try to stop them, as Annie did. And if I fail, as seems way too likely…
“What’s it like to drown, Annie?”
“Painful. For a time. But I don’t regret my choice. I did what I knew I must.”
What my dad said: “To be dead and have so much regret.” Annie, at least, has no regrets.
“But remember, my friend, you might also succeed. There are many on this side of the veil who will try to support you.”
All the Renshaws are rooting for me.
Then I remember what else my grandfather explained: all you can do is what you can do. Then you let the Universe do its thing.
Make peace with the knowledge that you might fail—the final key to Bliss.
Annie is gone. I’m alone in the Odyssey, looking down at the swift, shining water.
At dusk I walk down the road toward the Alden house. I’ve left Granma’s minivan parked up the trail, near the head of Bliss Bayou. My flip-flops make a little slapping noise on the packed sand as I walk. I probably should have worn running shoes today.
Ahead of me I see a guy in a cap, leaning on a tree. When he spots me, he straightens and picks up a rifle. As I get close, I recognize him as one of Casper Wainwright’s sons.
“What you doin’ out here, little girl?”
He is not someone I was expecting. “I’m, uh, here to see someone. The people who are going to be here tonight.”
“Well, you know, this is a private party.”
Behind him I can see a truck and two cars parked in the front yard. One is Fiona’s Lexus.
“Oh, I think they’ll want to see me. Tell Fiona it’s Abby Renshaw.”
He frowns, not sure how to deal with me. Then he yells out, “Hey, Daddy. Come here a minute, will ya?”
In a moment, another man appears from behind the house. Long white hair, and a pistol in his belt: Casper Wainwright.
“This one says she’s Abby Renshaw, and that Fiona will want to see her.”
Casper looks me up and down with a sneer. “I remember her. Listen, girly. This ain’t no Save Harmony Springs meeting tonight.”
I suspect I know more about what’s going to happen tonight than he does. “If you’ll let Fiona know I’m here, I’m sure she’ll want to see me.”
His face wrinkles. “Guess I better. You just wait here.”
He strolls across the yard, climbs the steps to the front
porch, and goes inside. A minute later Fiona appears, Casper trailing behind her. She’s wearing one of her light-colored business suits and high heels. She steps quickly over to us.
“Abby, what a pleasant surprise. Come in.” She glances at Casper. “Thank you, Mr. Wainwright. You gentlemen, please carry on.”
I fall into step beside her. As we cross the front yard, she says, “I’m glad you came on your own. He said you would.”
“He being Raspis.”
Fiona sucks in her breath. “Please, Abby. Be more discreet. We don’t use that name outside of the circle.”
I let that pass. I’m trying to judge if Fiona is completely possessed by Raspis, the way Margaret was.
Inside the house, the chandelier glitters in the hall. We walk into the large parlor. Since the last time I was here, it’s been furnished: brand-new Victorian-style furniture and soft Persian rugs. Three men are seated around a coffee table over a decanter and crystal glasses.
One of the men is Adam, Fiona’s husband. I also know the other two.
“Everyone, this is Abigail Renshaw, a young lady who has worked with me on Save Harmony Springs. Abby, you know Adam, of course. But I don’t know if you’ve met Mr. Philip Deering and Mr. Elston Tyler.”
“Who have worked against you and Save Harmony Springs.” I say that with a bite of sarcasm.
Fiona laughs like I made a little joke. The three men glower at me. They are not at all comfortable.
“We can’t offer you brandy, of course,” Fiona says. “But perhaps some tea. Adam, dear, do you think you could fix us tea? Abby and I have important things to talk over.”
Fiona leads me to the doorway of the next room. Adam stands and walks over to us. He whispers at Fiona, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
She gives him a serene smile. “Everything’s going according to plan. Tea, please.”
Adam stalks off, looking worried. Fiona leads me into the drawing room. It has pocket doors, the kind that slide into the wall. She closes them to give us privacy.
