by Joyce
Being part of Brian’s family now as his coven meant that we had to support him in times like these. We had to set aside our feelings about this glittering world he’d grown up in. It also helped to know he didn’t want to be there either.
Dorothy didn’t stop talking. She had a tendency to be that way when she was nervous. Elsie was grinning and staring at the rings on her fingers. I fingered my amulet, feeling its coolness against my skin, and hoped for the best.
The entire trip didn’t take more than a few minutes—at least we didn’t have to spend much time worrying about what was to come. When we emerged from the car, we were in a different weather pattern with unusual landmarks.
“I really don’t think this is our world,” Elsie said, glancing around as we got out of the car.
“Maybe it’s a magical realm created by the Fullers,” Dorothy suggested.
“If that’s the case, I don’t want to see the monthly bill for additional magic.” I took the driver’s hand when he offered to assist me from the car.
We were outside the same castle as last time. It was a huge, imposing structure with mullioned windows and immense double doors. But this time the stone was glowing a soft pink color.
“I think the castle is happier this time,” Dorothy said as we started up the wide staircase to the front door.
“I should hope so, since the last time we came for a funeral,” Elsie said. “If they have so much magic, why don’t they have moving stairs?”
Dozens of people in elaborate, expensive clothes were moving slowly toward the arched, open doors where Abdon, Brian’s parents and Brian were greeting their guests. Dorothy waved to Brian and then stumbled in her very high-heeled sandals. I caught her arm to keep her from falling, but Brian was there a moment later.
“Are you okay?” he asked with an arm around her.
“I guess I should’ve worn flats like usual,” she said. “I’m kind of clumsy in heels.”
Unexpectedly, Brian lifted her in his arms and kissed her. “Maybe, but you’re also beautiful, and I’m so glad you’re here with me tonight.”
People around us stared but didn’t remark on the gesture as Brian carried Dorothy the rest of the way up the stairs.
“I don’t suppose he’d be willing to come back for me,” Elsie wondered as she huffed and puffed up the stairs.
“Probably not.” I took her arm and drew her close. “But you can lean on me.”
“Can I take off my shoes when we get inside? I’d forgotten how much I hate being dressed up.”
“That’s why we don’t go to many of these things, I suppose. We’re just too settled and we’re happy to be comfortable.”
Elsie chuckled. “I suppose we are, Molly. But we can do this for Brian, right?”
“That’s right.”
There was no sign of Brian or Dorothy by the time we reached the entrance. A few guests milled around at the top of the stairs after being greeted by Brian’s family, but most descended into the ballroom right away.
We were greeted by the Fuller family. There was as much warmth in that greeting as one might expect from frozen fish. Not so much as a smile graced the three party-givers’ faces. We barely touched hands and then moved on through the doorway. They didn’t want us there and we knew it. Always a fun way to start a party.
We stood at the top of another set of stairs, this one leading down to the bottom of the large ballroom. With dozens of crystal chandeliers above us, we watched the glittering crowd of wealthy witches as they stood in groups to chat, drank champagne from sparkling flutes or whirled around the dance floor past the colored fountain and ornate furniture.
“It might have been worth it just to see this,” Elsie murmured. “I’ve never seen so many diamonds in one place. It’s almost blinding.”
“Don’t forget that they probably came by their jewels like we did, and they’ll all disappear at dawn.”
“Not hers, I’ll bet.” She nodded toward Yuriza Fuller, Brian’s mother. “I’ll bet those are real.”
“They most definitely are.” Council member Makaleigh Veazy joined us. She had an open, interesting face that was both stern and merciful in its countenance. There was a ring of gold in her dark eyes, and her black hair was coiffed to become a ring around her features. She had been born on the Nile River centuries before and had been instrumental in starting the first Council of Witches. She was dressed in a bright orange floor-length robe but had come without any jewels. “Just ask her. She’ll be glad to tell you.”
We smiled at her remark but were careful with what we said. Makaleigh was my favorite of all the council members, but our first meeting had shown that she had a streak of maliciousness too when it came to the laws of the council regarding witches and non-witches marrying and having children. I couldn’t agree with her ideas, probably since I was married to a non-witch and had a son who had no magic.
The council’s strict policy about erasing the memories of magic and witches from non–magic users’ minds was a thorn in many witches’ sides. The punishment was swift and could be badly done—using magic to erase memories was tricky business. I’d known too many lives that had been ruined by it. I understood the fear of the Inquisition and other witch hunts down through the centuries and certainly didn’t want them to happen again, but this was a different time.
No one could convince the council of that.
“You know, Molly, I’ve thought a great deal about what you said when we first met,” Makaleigh said. “I think you may be right.”
“Really?” I could hardly believe she would have softened her stand on this major rule of the council. “That’s amazing.”
She nodded regally. “I believe you are correct about the council playing too much of a role in protecting magic from the families of witches. We have been harsh in our judgments. At the next council meeting, I intend to bring up changes in that code of conduct.”
For Elsie and me, and thousands of other witches who had children without magic, that was good news. The idea of protecting your child from being marked by the council was a frightening thing. You never knew when someone might hear a careless whisper, and then your life would be changed forever.
“Thank you for considering it,” I said. “It means a lot to many witches.”
She patted her orange turban–wrapped head. “Thank you for being bold enough to say it. I think the council should go out amongst the people more often and gain back their trust. We must hear what they have to say and try to make their lives better. That was my intent when the council was formed. We lost it along the way.”
I was too stunned to speak. No one on the council ever talked like that. I glanced at Elsie. She shrugged and wiped a tear from her eye.
“I hope I can count on you to support me in this, Molly.” Makaleigh smiled. “Elsie. We can make things better, you know. There is always room for improvement. I shall speak with you later. Have a wonderful time.”
Elsie and I hugged each other after she left us to head down into the ballroom.
“Did she really say what I thought she said?” Elsie asked.
“She did.” I cleared my throat. “I don’t know what to say.”
“It would be so wonderful to tell Aleese about magic, even if she won’t ever be able to use it herself. I know she’s thought I was crazy all these years. But I was so afraid of what could happen to her if she knew about witches.”
“I know what you mean.” Would I tell Mike? It was hard to say, but at least I could tell him if I wanted to, or needed to, as I had Joe. I could protect them from the council, but how wonderful it would be not feeling as though they had to be protected.
The world would tilt for many witches who were afraid to share that part of their lives with their families. I would certainly support Makaleigh in that quest. I knew many others would too.
Of course there would
be many who weren’t ready for a broad change like that. I knew there would be stiff opposition. But Makaleigh led the council, and that could make all the difference. The evening took on a shimmering highlight that had nothing to do with diamonds or champagne.
Elsie and I still hadn’t moved from the large stone landing. We stared at the array of blue diamonds on Yuriza’s chest, making a few impolite remarks to ourselves, before we finally turned away.
I hadn’t bothered looking for Dorothy, since I knew she was with Brian and was probably busy being introduced to his other family and friends. But there she was suddenly marching back toward us.
“Isn’t this amazing? I’ve never seen anything like it, have you?”
“That’s just what we were talking about,” I said, not telling her what Makaleigh had mentioned. It had no direct bearing on her as yet. Maybe never would, since she might marry a witch and have witchlings. “Where’s Brian?”
“He brought my birthday present and went to get it so he could show her off. I wish he wouldn’t have. Did you notice the gift table over there?” She pointed to the far end of the room. “A cat isn’t going to seem like much compared to all those other things.”
We gawked at the tremendous pile of gifts—some wrapped, others open to scrutiny. There was a new red Harley-Davidson that only had a bow on it. Probably supposed to match his Corvette. I had to assume the motorcycle came from the same source.
There were wrapped boxes that size as well as smaller gifts. One of them was a moving waterfall that we speculated might contain a vacation gift. Another was wrapped in rainbows, and still another was encased in a pyramid that had fiery torches on it.
“These people go all out, don’t they?” Elsie shook her head.
“There are real golden fish too,” Dorothy said. “Made out of gold. Brian and I saw them. My cat is really pathetic.”
“But I’m sure it will be well loved,” I assured her. “What do you do with real gold fish anyway?”
“You can’t eat them,” Elsie said. “I’m starving. Has anyone seen the food table? I hope it’s better than it was at the funeral.”
The three of us went to search out the food as trays moved magically past us containing glasses of champagne and other colorful beverages, including some that were on fire.
“What do you think that is?” Dorothy asked.
“Let’s try one and see.” I grabbed two of the fiery beverages and handed one to her.
“I want one too,” Elsie said, and grabbed one for herself off another passing tray.
The drink that was on fire was surprisingly frosty and tasted like pineapple. Dorothy took a second one from another tray going in the opposite direction.
“I wouldn’t want to live this way, would you?” she asked over the top of her drink. “I hope this isn’t what Brian expects after we’re married. This isn’t normal.”
“Brian has made it very clear that this isn’t the lifestyle for him,” I assured her. “He said he wouldn’t even come tonight if it wasn’t for you.”
“I know.” She watched Brian as he tried to get across the crowded room carrying the pink cat carrier with the pink bow. “But things change, don’t they, Molly? You and Joe aren’t the same now as you were thirty years ago. What if Brian becomes like his parents?”
“I don’t think Brian will ever be like them,” Elsie said. “He was born a rebel, Dorothy. He’s going to do what he wants to do, not what they want him to do.”
Dorothy smiled. “I think I need another drink to get through this.”
“Oh, look!” Elsie pointed. “There’s the food. At least we don’t have to grab it as it waltzes by. Come on. We’ll all feel better after we’ve eaten.”
The food was as elaborate as the rest of the party. I’d never seen so many large, dead animals displayed in a buffet before. There were also huge amounts of vegetables and fruit, some of them on fire as well, many artfully carved. Several ice sculptures of Brian at different ages graced the long table too.
As we were filling our plates with the help of white-gloved servants, Dorothy began shaking her wrist.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her. “Is the bracelet too tight?”
“No.” She frowned at her wrist. “It’s something else. I don’t know—”
Suddenly, there was Olivia. Her ghost form had slipped out of the bracelet where she’d hidden to get into the ball.
“Oh bother.”
CHAPTER 7
“What are you doing here, Olivia?” Elsie demanded. “Are you trying to get us thrown out before we even have a chance to eat?”
“I’m so sorry,” Olivia said. “I just wanted to come to the birthday ball so badly. I’ve been practicing this spell to hide for a while. Well, not really a spell, since my magic is gone. It’s more like harnessing my energy to do what I want. I know you all understand. No one wants to be left behind.”
“Shh!” I cautioned as they started getting louder.
“We don’t care what it is,” Elsie continued her rant but at a lower pitch. “You have to go.”
“I can’t just go,” Olivia wailed. “I managed to move some of my runes from the staff to the bracelet, which I thought would be much more attractive than Dorothy carrying around that big staff. You all look so lovely. I’m so jealous, even though I went to Madam Tunis’s myself many times. Dorothy, you are just beautiful.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Dorothy walked into a shadowed corner of the room with Olivia following her, tethered by the magic in the bracelet. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve helped you. I felt terrible leaving you home.”
“You are so sweet. I just didn’t want to get you in trouble.”
“And yet here you are floating around,” Elsie said.
“We need to get her back in the bracelet,” I interrupted. “Let’s not have to sneak out like last time and embarrass Brian. Elsie, find him. We may need his help making this bracelet work again.”
Elsie took her plate with her to find Brian. Dorothy and I stood in the corner, hoping no one would notice that we had a ghost with us.
“I’m so sorry, Molly,” Olivia said. “I thought I had the spell down perfectly. Well, not really a spell—”
“I know. Shh. If we can hear you speaking, so can every other witch in this room.” I glared at my old friend even though I understood how she felt. “This is why you should have included us. We could’ve helped you and made sure what you were doing was solid.”
“I know. I know. Do you think you can get me back in the bracelet?”
“We’ll see. Now please, stop talking and keep very still.”
Brian and Elsie were finally coming toward us. They had to part the ocean of sparkling witches who stood between us, each one wanting to wish Brian a happy birthday.
“What happened?” Brian asked when he got close.
“The inevitable,” Elsie said. “Olivia screwed up again.”
“You don’t have to be so harsh,” Olivia responded.
“We have to get her back in the bracelet,” I told Brian. “You know what will happen if they catch us here.”
Brian grinned at Olivia. “Nice disguise. I didn’t even see you there when I was holding Dorothy.”
Olivia preened at his compliment. “You really think so? I also managed to make a call to Larry’s cell phone to distract everyone. That’s the first time I’ve been able to do that.”
“So you were the one who called Larry to meet us. That’s why it wasn’t on his phone!” Elsie exclaimed.
“I think it’s great.” Brian laughed. “I love that you’re here. There’s no reason why ghosts and witches, and werewolves too, can’t mingle. It would be good for this crowd to get the sticks out of their butts.”
“But not right now, please.” Dorothy looked frantic. “Not tonight. We need to get her back in the bracelet before anyone s
ees her.”
He shrugged. “Okay. Whatever you want. But I still think it’s funny.”
“Is there a small room where we could go to work this magic before anyone notices what we’re doing?” I asked him. I agreed with Brian in principle, but I didn’t want our group to be embarrassed again in front of his family.
“Sure. There are hundreds of small rooms. Follow me.”
Dorothy, Elsie and I huddled around the smallest Olivia could make herself as we followed him. People kept stopping and talking to him, but they ignored us. We probably looked ridiculous—as though we couldn’t walk without one another. But better that than for them to guess that we were hiding a ghost.
Brian finally opened a door. The room it revealed was as elaborately decorated as the entire castle seemed to be. The walls were covered in pink gauze with silver shot through it. The fireplace was made of pink marble, as was the floor. The furniture was delicate pink and deeply cushioned. Mirrors of different shapes and sizes hung everywhere.
“What a beautiful room,” Elsie exclaimed. “Does your mother spend a lot of time here?”
“My mother doesn’t spend a lot of time anywhere. My parents are always going somewhere or other. This should do to give us some privacy until we can get Olivia back in the bracelet.”
Olivia was flitting around the room, admiring the gorgeous decorations. Dorothy called her back to us so we could get on with it before Brian was missed.
“What’s this?” Olivia zoomed down to the floor behind the silver and pink velvet sofa.
“Mom! Please, let’s do this.” Dorothy tried to get her attention.
“Oh, girls!” Olivia’s head appeared through the back of the sofa. “Something terrible has happened! Makaleigh Veazy is back here. She’s been hurt. I—I hope she’s all right.”
