by Rose Pressey
There had always been rumors that my great-great-great-grandfather’s bones had been hidden up in the attic. But that was just urban legend, something the kids told each other during Halloween. At least I hoped that was the truth. It did make me wonder what had actually happened to him. I knew very little about him other than that he’d been a famed alchemist. Had he been the leader of the Underworld way back then? That was something I filed away in my mind to look into if I ever got the time.
“I cleared out most of the things. I did find a map of with all the books’ locations marked on it under the floor,” I said.
“I wonder if there are more hiding places under the floor.” Jon scanned the area.
I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Is the spell still pulling you?” Liam asked.
I shook my head. “Sadly, no. I don’t feel anything now. But it brought us to this room. That has to mean something, right?”
“All we can do is look.” Liam raked his hand through his hair.
“We could break up and look in sections,” Annabelle said as she fidgeted her hands.
“That’s a good idea. How about you and Jon do the front half and Liam and I will do the back half,” I said, pointing around the space.
“Sounds good,” Jon said, clapping his hands. “Let’s get to work.”
Liam and I moved to the back section of the room.
I flashed Liam a nervous smile. “This is crazy, right?”
“I’ve seen a lot crazier,” he said.
“I’ll look on this side and you can look on that side.” I gestured around the room.
I pulled out the boxes and painstakingly went through each one with no luck. They were full of old clothes with feathers and silk. My Great-Aunt Maddy had everything in there from utensils to teddy bears. It was a good thing she hadn’t been a hoarder or I never would have finished sorting through her items.
When I reached the last box, it was full of postcards from people all around the world. I flipped through a few, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She sure had a lot of friends. The last postcard caught my eye though. It had yellowed with age, but the front displayed a photo of The Eiffel Tower. My hands froze when I flipped it over and saw the writing. It was in the same strange language as the Book of Mystics.
The postcard had been addressed to my great-aunt from Catherin. What was going on? Catherin had acted as if she had been dead and never returned from the dead. If she had died in the 1800s and the postcard was marked 1938, then how had that happened? She had to be lying to me. If she was lying about this, then what else was she lying about?
“Look at this,” I said, holding up the old postcard.
Liam stopped searching under the loose floorboard and stepped closer. “What is it?”
“Look at the back. It has some of the same strange writing as the Book of Mystics. But more importantly, look who signed it,” I said, tapping the postcard with my index finger.
Annabelle and Jon had stepped closer. “What did you find?” Annabelle asked.
“Catherin sent this post card to my great aunt in 1938, but according to Catherin and the tombstone in the graveyard, she died in 1865. She is lying to me. But what else is she lying about? She had the necklace that connected her to the New Orleans Coven. When she comes back, I will demand answers,” I said.
Annabelle’s face turned a couple shades lighter.
“What does the postcard say?” Annabelle asked straining to look over at the aged paper.
“It says she’ll be back soon.” I looked up at everyone. “That doesn’t say much, huh?”
“Where is the postmark?” Liam asked.
“Far away in Paris.” I pointed at the postmark.
“May I see it?” Liam held out his hand. After studying it for a moment, he said, “We’ll have to ask her about this.”
“I’d like to hear her explanation.” Annabelle shook her head.
The likelihood that there was another Catherin who knew my Aunt Maddy was slim.
“She has a lot of explaining to do.” I felt stupid for falling for her games.
“I have a feeling that she’ll just make up another lie.” Liam handed the postcard back t me.
“We may never know what secret she’s hiding,” Jon said.
Sadly, Jon was probably right.
“Liam was a part of the New Orleans Coven. Didn’t you know what was going on in that plantation?” Jon said.
Liam glared at Jon. The last thing I needed was for them to get into a fight.
“When I was there nothing was on the wall. It must have been a new thing,” Liam said through gritted teeth.
“When we were there the other night I didn’t notice it,” I said in Liam’s defense.
Of course it had been dark… but still.
“We shouldn’t argue about what happened in the past, let’s just worry about right now,” Annabelle said.
“She’s right. We don’t have time to debate this. Let’s get back to looking for the necklace.” I had little patience for playing the blame game right now.
As I stacked the boxes back into the corner where I’d found them, Liam broke the silence.
“I think I’ve found something,” Liam said, drawing my attention away from the boxes.
This place was a treasure trove of hidden secrets. Liam held the linen cloth in the palm of his hand. It had been tied with a piece of jute. A tiny gasp escaped my lips when Liam untied the string and unfolded the cloth. I hadn’t meant for that reaction, but it was hard to hide my shock at what I saw. The item was unmistakable. Inside the fabric was a wooden stake. The pointed end was sharp and looked as if it had been used… more than once.
“Is that what I think it is?” Annabelle asked. Her eyes looked like they would pop out at any second.
“It’s a stake used to kill a vampire,” Liam said softly.
I knew that wasn’t something Liam wanted to see.
“Was it used on someone?” she asked.
“Probably, yes. That’s why it was bound. The vampire who was killed by this stake was not a pleasant person. The witch who did this was trying to bind the spirit of the vampire from ever returning.” Liam seemed transfixed by the object.
I exchanged a glance with Liam. There was never a dull moment at LaVeau Manor.
“What do you think that means?” I asked, looking over his shoulder.
“By the look of the cloth, I’d say it’s been here for a while. I’m not sure if it came from my Aunt Maddy. It may have been before her time. Although she’d lived many years, so it was possible she’d performed the spell when she was younger.”
Liam folded the stake back in the cloth.
“Let’s finish looking so we can get out of here.” I trudged back to the corner that I’d been scrutinizing.
After searching through the last box, and not finding another postcard like the one from Catherin, I closed the boxes and looked around the room. I’d exhausted all my options.
“I found it,” Annabelle yelled.
She ran over with the necklace clutched tightly in her hand. “It’s the necklace, right?” she asked breathlessly.
I took the necklace from her outstretched hand. How would I know if this necklace was the right one? My aunt could have had a hundred pieces of costume jewelry hidden away. There was only one way to find out if it worked.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The necklace was similar to the one I’d found at the plantation and the one I’d found in Catherin’s room. However, the symbol on this one was a little different. It had a circle in the middle with small circles running through it, then scrolled patterns at the top and bottom.
Like the other necklace, this one was gold and had the same gold chain. Unlike the other necklaces though, this one had an energy emitting from it as I held it in the palm of my hand.
“I have a feeling this is the necklace,” I said as I studied the necklace.
“It has a lot of magic around
it,” Liam said.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out if it’s the right one. I’ll see if the magic works when I’m wearing it. And the first spell I plan to cast is a call to meeting, just like the Book of Mystics said.” I tried hard to keep the insecurity out of my voice.
Liam smiled as if I’d just learned how to ride a bike or figured out how to tie my shoelaces.
“Let’s get out of this creepy room before we find something that I don’t want to see,” Annabelle said.
Annabelle and Jon hurried down the stairs, but Liam grabbed my arm as we headed toward the staircase. I stopped and spun around to face him.
“Are you sure about calling the meeting? Things are unpleasant with Jacobson now, but when he finds out what you want to do, it will get a lot worse,” Liam said.
“So I’m supposed to allow him to continue to be a bully? You are the last person who I thought would want to put up with that.” I fixed him with a stare.
Liam exhaled. “No, I don’t want to allow him to get away with that, but I don’t want him to come after you.”
“That’s just the chance I’ll have to take. It’s my job now. Besides, I have to get Nicolas back,” I said.
Liam looked down. I knew he wanted to say something, but was currently having a debate in his mind about whether to speak up or keep his mouth shut.
“Don’t you want to help your brother?” I asked.
He looked up and met my gaze. “No, I do want to help him.”
There was more to that sentence. Liam wasn’t telling me everything. After all that had happened, I didn’t know what my feelings were for Nicolas and Liam. I was more confused than ever, but I knew I had to help Nicolas.
Liam grabbed my hand and we headed downstairs. I couldn’t deny the way his hand felt in mine. I couldn’t lie and say that the thought of calling a Coven meeting didn’t leave my anxious, but it had to be done. I had to put on my big girl witch panties and do the right thing for once.
Liam and I gathered around the cauldron while Jon and Annabelle stayed in the parlor. I thought she needed a break from the magic for a few minutes. Besides, if things went as planned and the necklace worked—I know, my plans never worked out—then I wouldn’t need anyone’s help performing magic from this point forward. I’d get rid of the spell-blocking someone had placed on me and find out who was doing it in the first place.
As I placed the book on the counter, I didn’t even have time to search for the spell before the book started turning pages on its own. The pages flipped with the wind until finally stopping. When I glanced down at the page, the spell was written in English. Another spell that I could understand. I’d have to check the other pages and see if the language barrier was finally broken.
“It stopped on a spell,” I said, glancing up at Liam.
“Let’s do it before it disappears,” he said, tapping the page.
Liam and I ran around gathering the items listed on the page. Finally, I began to recite the words: “Element of Earth, I call to you. Strip the power that is binding me.” As I threw herbs into the cauldron, I recited the words: “Element of Air, I call to you to push the unnatural force from this place.” Grabbing more herbs and tossing them into the water, I recited the words: “Element of Fire, I call to you for warmth and protection will I oversee the call of witches.” With the last of the herbs, I splashed them into the water, and said: “Element of Water, I call to you for force and tranquility. Give me the force to change the power and banish the evil.”
When the herbs hit the water, flames flicked and crackled from the cauldron. The necklace vibrated around my neck. Only time would tell if this spell had worked.
“If this spell worked, then they’ll be here tonight,” I said, touching the pendant around my neck.
“Where do you think your guests are?” Liam asked.
I’d been so distracted that I’d forgotten we had to find Catherin.
“I don’t know, but I have an idea whatever they’re doing isn’t good,” I said with a click of my tongue.
“We could look for them, but I wouldn’t even know where to start,” he said, peering down into the cauldron.
“Which reminds me, I have to check to see if I can read the rest of the Book of Mystics.” I moved over to the book and flipped the pages.
Everything was written in English, not just the instructions on how the Underworld was structured, but the rules that I had to enforce. It would take hours, if not days to figure everything out.
“Where do we start?” I asked.
“From the beginning,” Liam said, touching my chin. “We have all day.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
We’d just reached the section in the book that might contain the mysterious symbol when we ran out of time. The Coven members would be arriving at any second. As part of the ritual, I lit candles around the room.
I’d just lit the last candle when the doorbell rang. Liam squeezed my hand as I sucked in a deep breath and walked to the door. I was bracing myself for the worst—anything less than that would be a success.
Misty, my mother, and a couple of Enchantment Pointe Coven members stood at my front door. I figured I’d never hear the end of it if I hadn’t included my mother and a few Enchantment Pointe Coven members in on the meeting so I’d invited them too. It really didn’t concern them though.
After hugging my mother, I said, “We’ll be starting the meeting soon. Please have a seat anywhere.”
I gestured over my shoulder toward the parlor.
“Hallie, are you sure of what you’re doing?” my mother asked.
I shrugged. “It’s what I have to do.”
Before she could ask another question, the doorbell rang again. My heart sped up. Without looking, I knew it was the New Orleans Coven members. I took a deep breath, then forced myself to walk over to the door and open it.
Just as I’d thought, Jacobson and Sabrina stood in front of me. Behind them were the other members who I’d met that first night. The other person standing behind them was a total shock though. I hadn’t expected Nicolas to show up. He didn’t look up at me as I stared at him.
“Hello, Halloween. I’m surprised by the emergency meeting tonight.” Jacobson showed off his dazzling white smile.
Yeah, because he’d probably figured I didn’t know how to call the meeting. I guess I’d proved him wrong.
“Good evening. Won’t you please come in? I’m glad you came. I’m sorry I had to call the meeting like this, but it is very important.” I stepped out of the way and gestured for the group to enter.
Jacobson and the others filed in, but when I looked at the group Sabrina was missing. I knew she’d been standing at the door with Jacobson, but where was she now? Nicolas had entered the foyer behind the others. He still hadn’t looked up at me. Did he think he could ignore me all evening? I was getting to the bottom of this once and for all. They couldn’t ignore my questions now. I had them right where I wanted them.
The Enchantment Pointe Coven members exchanged pleasantries with the others.
As I entered the parlor, Jacobson looked at me with his usual sly grin. “What, no refreshments? I get the feeling that this isn’t a pleasant social call.”
“Well, this meeting is all business. I’m sorry if you feel I’m being a bad hostess.” I flashed a fake smile.
He chuckled. “I really didn’t expect anything else.”
Okay, now he was insulting my hosting skills. I wouldn’t have that. Those were fighting words.
“Please everyone have a seat. This won’t take long.” I gestured toward the various seats in the room.
I looked over at Nicolas. He still didn’t look at me. And where was Sabrina? I knew without a doubt that I’d seen her when I opened the door, but after that she’d vanished. I hoped she wasn’t snooping around in the house.
There was no time to waste, so I got right to the point. “As you know, things haven’t gone as I’d planned since I accepted the leader role.”
Jacobson smirked, but didn’t offer a response, so I continued.
“Nicolas has been accused of attacking your sister, so tell me, Jacobson, why would you forgive him now? Why accept him into your Coven again? You wanted me to punish him before.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest, happy with my line of questioning.
Jacobson shrugged. “Everyone makes mistakes. I guess we worked things out.”
“I don’t believe that. There is no truth to that statement and I know it. And considering Nicolas won’t look at me and acts as if he doesn’t know me, I know you’ve done something to him. I plan on finding out what that is and reversing it. You can’t play with him like that. He is not your toy.” I looked around at the glares and frowns of the New Orleans Coven members. I knew whose side they were on with this one. “Can’t you all see what he is doing?” I asked while looking at them. They just continued glaring at me.
Jacobson feigned a look of surprise. “I have done nothing of the sort and I don’t appreciate you accusing me of something I didn’t do.”
I snorted. “So now you know how it feels.”
“You were so quick to just assume that he was innocent. You had no proof other than you wanted to go to bed with him.” Jacobson smirked.
I stepped closer to Jacobson. So close that I felt his breath on me. “Don’t ever talk to me that way again. I based my decision on what I knew of Nicolas, but I tried to be open to the facts. If it had been true, then I would have done something about it. You didn’t give me a chance to find out if it was true.”
He shrugged, but didn’t speak. I got the impression he was stunned that I’d actually confronted him and not backed down.
“Now, if that’s settled, there are a few questions I want to ask.” Jacobson’s glare didn’t falter, but I continued anyway. “We noticed the paintings on the plantation wall with the symbols and writing. They’re also at the abandoned home that I believe is your sister’s place.” I glanced around for Sabrina, but she was still nowhere in sight. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing?”
He stared at me for a moment, then said, “You’re getting around a lot. It’s nice to see a leader who is so concerned for others. But I can tell you that I have no idea what you are talking about.”
