Spells and Sorcery

by S. Usher Evans

  Still nothing.

  I tried to bring my pencil case to me.

  Stubbornly, it remained in place.

  The magical hum under my skin was gone, too.

  Then I remembered what being "grounded for two weeks" meant in magical terms. And worst of all, my magical books had been hidden away where I couldn't get to them.

  "I hate being grounded!" I bellowed.

  "That's the point!" Nicole called back.

  As per the rules of my grounding, I could go exactly two places—school and home. And since we were still on break for Thanksgiving until Monday, that effectively left me chained to the house for the long weekend. Jeanie still couldn't look at me without grinding her teeth, and though Nicole's anger had lessened somewhat, there was still a clip in her voice when she spoke to me.

  I hadn't realized how dependent I'd become on my magic to keep me occupied. Marie had gone to the Black Friday sales, and Jeanie disappeared early with a warning that if I left the house, she'd know and extend my grounding to three weeks. I was already aching to get my books back, so I heeded my warning.

  First, I attempted to work on my history homework, which took a lot longer when I had to do it by hand. After I finished a terribly written essay, I moved onto science homework but got bored after the second question. I stood and walked to the window, staring out into the distance.

  I spotted a figure in my backyard and grinned.

  After barreling down the stairs, I nearly flew out the back door when I remembered Jeanie's warning. So I stood there awkwardly and waved to Gavon. "Hey!"

  "Hello there, jailbird," Gavon said, turning his head to the side. "I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay after your little…"

  "Hissy fit?" I asked, with a weak smile. "I'm still headache-y but nothing too bad. Not that I could tell anyway. My magic's gone."

  "Grounded, hm?" Gavon said with a smile. "I suppose you should've expected that. Frankly, speaking that way to a Clanmaster should've resulted in worse punishment. In the days of John Chase, you would've been put in the stocks or hung upside-down by your ankles."

  "Doesn't make it any less sucky." I chewed on my lip for a moment. "Hey, do you think you could… I magically hid my books under my bed and without magic, I can't—"

  "They're sitting under your bed," Gavon said with a small flick of his wrist. "As are a couple new ones to pass the time. How long until you're free?"

  "Two weeks, but…" I panicked at the thought of not seeing him for two weeks. "But I still want to…train."

  "Going to be awfully difficult for you to defend yourself without any magic, Alexis."

  "I mean, maybe not spar but…" I glanced up at him. "I have so many questions. About New Salem, about you, about…"

  He considered me for a long time before he glanced at the sky and sighed. "All right. But only if your aunt says you can leave the house. No sneaking out."

  I nodded and grinned at him. "I think my rule-breaking days are over."

  "Good girl."

  He disappeared in a puff of purple, and I spun and ran back upstairs. I released a loud sigh of relief when I saw a pile of spell books under the bed. I'd amassed quite a collection already—the original primer, the book on the Separation, and a couple odds and ends that Gavon had given me when I'd asked. Even though there were a few new ones, I picked up the Separation book. The first time I'd read it, I'd thought it a fascinating study of some event that had happened over three centuries before.

  But now, I was searching for clues.

  April 1st 1692. At the request of Guildmaster Chase, Johanna, his daughter, presented an idea to the Salem Guild to use a Magical Space as a prison and performed a demonstration. She was able to create a habitable space before her magic gave way, and she fainted from exhaustion.

  April 10th 1692. Johanna, Abigail, and Hannah Chase demonstrated how a Magical Space could be enlarged to the size of a town until their magic gave way.

  April 15th 1692. A second attempt was made with Johanna and sisters, plus three brothers from the McMahon family. John Chase toured the world for ten minutes before the six Magicals gave out.

  April 18th 1692. Ulysses Mark suggested the Magical Space could be created permanently by a coven of Thirteen Magicals.

  April 29th 1692. A coven of Thirteen Magicals attempted to construct a permanent Magical Space. Their attempt failed.

  May 1st 1692. Separatists obtained list of potion-makers and non-magicals living in Salem. Fifty deaths accounted for. Guildmaster Chase determined Magical Space must be created at all costs.

  May 13th 1692. One hundred and sixty-nine magicals—a coven squared—gathered in Salem. A Magical Space was created and the world called New Salem.

  May 15th 1692. Guildmaster Chase determines the world is habitable by eating from the magical plants and drinking from the well placed in the world. He declares the war between the Guild and the Separatists must end.

  June 12th 1692. John Chase and seventy Warriors attacked the Separatists, capturing them with the help of a clever potion-maker by the name of Loren David. He developed a potion using iron dust to trap the Separatists in their camp.

  June 13th 1692. Trial of Separatists. All sixty Magicals found guilty and sentenced to life in New Salem. James Riley sentenced to death by potion, and it was done. John Chase sealed the portal between worlds and perished.

  I sat back, watching the sun shine outside my window. When I'd first read that passage, I'd been more focused on how James Riley had gotten what he'd deserved (and the juicy poetic irony that he'd been captured and executed by a potion-maker). I'd thought the Separatists had gotten off relatively easy. Having a brand new world created and all of the amenities that they'd ever need included? At first blush, it had sounded to me like Chase had been too lenient.

  Having actually been over there, it really was a prison. Even more surprising was someone as brilliant as Gavon could've grown up in such a place. Until he'd made that tear, he'd never known what the sun felt like, or the waves of the ocean. He didn't even know that electricity existed, or coal-burning machines. His whole world was stuck in 1692, just because his ancestors decided to run amok.

  It was no wonder he decided to try to figure a way out.

  At least Gavon wasn't three hundred years old. I wasn't sure how long magicals lived, but I knew they weren't immortal.

  Still, I had thousands of questions for him, but as the sun set, I didn't even bother to get up. I knew I'd just be making things worse if I even broached the subject of leaving. But I was starving, so I closed my book and carried my questions downstairs.

  "…She can't possibly be serious. We haven't seen him in…in years!"

  "It's not him she's worried about, it's Lexie. She's powerful."

  I stopped mid-step on the staircase, recognizing the hushed voices of Nicole and Jeanie.

  "So, what? Gram thinks Lexie could take over as Clanmaster?"

  "Of course not. That's silly." But the way Jeanie phrased it, it didn't sound all that silly.

  I folded my arms across my chest and pursed my lips. If that woman was pissed off at me because she thought me a threat, she had another thing coming. The last thing I ever wanted to do was take over a big group of Magicals—let alone Magicals who had ignored me for the first fifteen years of my life.

  I'd thought it was because they hated my Warrior magic. But were they actually afraid of me? Did they think I was more powerful than someone as formidable as Gram?

  "But we're… None of us are allowed back?" Nicole sounded stunned.

  "Just for now. Just until Gram figures out…figures out what we're doing with her."

  My excitement evaporated in an instant. They weren't letting any of us back? I could understand why they'd ban me, but Jeanie and my sisters?

  "She's not… She's a good kid, Jeanie."

  "I know that. But she's not acting like it right now."

  I chewed my lip and looked at my hands, expecting them to start glowing before
I remembered I had no magic. Perhaps the punishment fit the crime after all. Just like Gavon was dealing with the aftermath of decisions his ancestors made, Jeanie and Nicole were having to deal with my mess. It wasn't fair to Gavon, and it wasn't fair to them.

  Instead of continuing downstairs, I turned and walked back to my room. Later, when Nicole brought me a sandwich, I made sure I was working on my homework.

  21

  I spent the entire weekend keeping my nose clean and head down. I wanted to prove to Jeanie, and Gram, if she was watching, that I was a good kid. Not that I wanted to be in her stupid clan, but she shouldn't punish my family for my actions.

  When Monday morning rolled around, I assembled my books and supplies into my backpack the way I'd done for weeks before my fifteenth birthday.

  "How the mighty have fallen," I muttered, hoisting my backpack and grimacing under its weight.

  Jeanie, Nicole, and Marie were sitting around the counter eating breakfast when I came into the kitchen. Jeanie's eyes drew to me sharply as I silently joined the trio at the table, but she said nothing. I'd received three variations of the same lecture about the dangers of shooting my mouth off, so I was glad not to get a fourth iteration.

  Nicole slid over the cereal, a sign, perhaps, that she was ready to forgive me. I poured the cereal into a bowl and, out of habit, reached out to summon the milk.

  Nothing happened.

  Marie snorted into her cereal bowl.

  Oh, right.

  I sighed quietly and stood up to get the milk from the refrigerator. I opened the door but didn't see the carton.

  "Where's the—"

  "Milk?" Marie taunted, holding it in her hand. When I stormed across the kitchen, it disappeared before I could grab it.

  "Marie, for crying out loud," Nicole said.

  "What? It's up there." She pointed to the ceiling where the milk levitated above our heads. "You could get it, if you had your magic back."

  "That's it," Jeanie grunted. "Marie, you're grounded."

  The milk fell to the table and exploded, covering Marie from head to toe.

  Nicole and I shared a look of shock and horror and glee. Marie slowly realized that her hair and makeup and perfect outfit were all ruined. The only sound in the kitchen was her loud panting. Then, sloshing in the wetness around her, she turned to Jeanie and asked in a too-calm voice, "For how long?"

  Jeanie brought her coffee cup to her lips. "Until Lexie gets her magic back."

  Marie's angry gaze swept to me, as if I were somehow responsible for her punishment.

  "Be good, girls. I'm off to work." With that, Jeanie disappeared in a cloud of yellow magic.

  "You…little…shit," Marie said, baring her teeth at me.

  "Marie, cut it out," Nicole said.

  "Yeah, and what are you gonna do?" Marie snapped.

  Nicole looked over to me and smacked her in the back of the head. "That. Now get cleaned up or you'll be late for school."

  I took the opportunity to grab a paper towel and offer it to Marie, tauntingly. "Towel?"

  "Lexie, really..." Nicole sighed, walking past me. "Grow up."

  And then it was just Marie, sopping wet, and me.

  "No one here to save you now, twerp!" Marie snarled, getting up from the table, murder on her face.

  She lunged at me, but I'd been doing a lot of dodging lately and I easily leaped out of the way. Marie ran straight into the fridge.

  I made a beeline for the table, grabbed my backpack, and scampered out the door, not slowing down until I was at least four blocks away from the house.

  By lunch, I was hurting. My back, my right hand, and my brain were all cramping. I'd forgotten how difficult it was to write and listen at the same time, and not to mention, lugging around books thicker than my arm. It was with no small amount of glee that I forewent the cafeteria again and found a picnic table outside.

  I'd been very good and not looked in any magic books all day, but I was eager to start reading one of the new books Gavon had given me. I settled on the picnic table bench and yanked the heavy tome out of my bag, running my hands along the gold-embossed cover.

  A Compendium of Great Magicals

  I grinned brightly and gently opened the cover. Inside the front flap was a note handwritten on a bit of old parchment.

  Something to aspire to.

  -G

  I ran my fingers over the note, warm and fuzzy at the thought that Gavon would want me to be a "great magical." I tried not to consider the implications of such a sentiment, but—

  "That's an excellent book."

  I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed someone standing in front of me. I willed the book to become invisible, but, as I was grounded, it didn't move.

  The man before me had an odd look about him, something familiar that I just couldn't place. His reddish-brown hair was neatly combed, his black shirt neatly pressed. The way he was watching me made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

  "I said," he gave a smile that I didn't trust, "that's an excellent book."

  "You...you've read it?" I asked, looking down at it. "Do you have magic?"

  "You can't tell?"

  "I can't tell anything right now," I muttered. "Who… Do I know you?"

  "I'm a friend of...Gavon's," he said slowly, as if gauging my reaction.

  "Oh," I said, relaxing a little. "So are you from New Salem, too?"

  His smile widened and I began to wonder if I'd said the wrong thing. "I am. Has Gavon told you much of our hamlet?"

  "Not really."

  He took a step forward. "Where are my manners? My name is Cyrus."

  "I'm L—"

  "Alexis, yes. I've heard a lot about you."

  His smile was definitely weird and I wished I had a good excuse to get out of this conversation. But in case this was a friend of Gavon's, I didn't want to be rude.

  "So how long have you known our friend Gavon?" he asked.

  "A few weeks?" I said. "He's been teaching me how to use magic."

  "Has he now?" Cyrus nodded. "I hope he hasn't been boring you with magical history."

  "No, we've mostly been sparring," I said, being careful not to reveal too much. Being vague was the best option, I decided.

  "And are you any good at it?"

  I shrugged. "I'm doing okay."

  Cyrus smiled, almost a little too much. "I'm sure one day you'll be as good as the magicals in that book."

  I looked down at the book, and the note from Gavon. "I—"

  But he was gone.

  Standing, I shoved the book back in my bag, deciding it was safer to eat lunch indoors today. Something about this Cyrus dude creeped me out—mostly because I had the strangest feeling like I'd met him before.

  I was dying to ask Gavon about his friend, but when Jeanie and Nicole got home, I knew immediately that there was absolutely no way I'd be allowed out of the house. Tuesday was pretty much the same story, so I made sure to do the dishes and be extra respectful after dinner.

  By Wednesday, Jeanie could be in the same room with me, and Nicole even asked me what I wanted for Christmas, so I was well on my way to mending fences. Marie, of course, still couldn't stand the sight of me, but she'd also earned herself an additional week of grounding by throwing a tantrum when Jeanie told her to do the dishes, as I'd done them three nights in a row.

  As Nicole and I excused ourselves, I said, "Boy, maybe I can get out of grounding sooner, you think?"

  "Don't push your luck," Nicole replied, shoving me up the stairs.

  But I was beginning to really miss my daily chats with Gavon. Without the hours spent on magical study, my regular homework suddenly didn't seem so challenging. Also, I had thousands of questions for him about the Separation, about life in New Salem, and, more importantly, about the weird guy who'd shown up a few days before.

  Friday night, I was feeling confident in my good behavior, so I decided to ask Jeanie if I could take another walk after dinner. But Nicole and I
ate alone, as we'd done for the past few nights.

  "She's been gone a lot," I said, helping Nicole put away the dishes. Marie hadn't even bothered to come home yet, so we didn't save her any food.

  Nicole sighed and looked out the dark kitchen window. "She's trying to smooth over the giant shitstorm you caused at the compound."

  I winced. This wasn't the way I wanted this conversation to go.

  "I can apologize to Gram." I didn't want to, but if it meant I could get off grounding, I would've sold my soul.

  "If it were that simple…"

  I wondered if I should tell her that I'd heard her and Jeanie talking about me, but I decided against it. Focus on the mission—get out of the house tonight.

  "I'm really sorry," I said quietly.

  "I know you are, Lexie."

  Good! I thought. Maybe I have a chance here. Gotta play this right…

  I sighed loudly. "I just wish I wasn't grounded so I didn't have to ask this."

  Nicole looked at me, unconvinced.

  "I have to go to the library."

  "Why's that?"

  Another loud sigh. "Be-cause, I have this research paper due in a few weeks."

  "Isn't that what you have a computer for?"

  "My history teacher is old school. You know Millsie. He says we have to have four non-internet sources."

  There was a research paper due (at the end of next semester) that required that sort of source-finding, so it wasn't like I was totally lying.

  "Can't you go to the library at school?"

  I was really milking these sighs. "I could, but they won't give me a hall pass because I asked and they said no. And I can't go between classes because there are only a few minutes and if I'm tardy, they'll mark it and more than ten tardies and they drop me a letter grade, and I can't go after school because the library closes at three and—"