by Paul Ruditis
Alysha finally turned to face him. Any hint of a smile was gone. “Coming here was stupid. You should be at least a couple hundred miles away.”
“I was actually three hundred miles away a few minutes ago,” Austin replied. “Bet you know at least a couple ways I could have gotten here so fast.”
Now came the fear. She was trying not to show it, but it was there in her eyes and the slight tremble in her hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It’s okay, Alysha,” Austin said, taking her arm. He guided her toward a quiet corner of the gallery. “I’m honestly not here to hurt you. I need your help.”
“You try to shoot me the other day and now you want my help?”
“I wasn’t . . . I didn’t have the gun.”
“You were with the guy that did.”
“Yes and no,” Austin said, checking to make sure Isaac wasn’t near. “I was with him, but not really. He’s dangerous. I’ve gotten myself into something that I didn’t intend to. And you’re wrapped up in it too. But if we work together—”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Because you don’t have a choice,” Austin said. “Look, Isaac’s insane. And he’s got magic too. He can teleport. Maybe do other things. I don’t know. What I do know is that he’s got a video camera. He wants me to force you to reveal your powers so he can record it and give it to the media. He wants to out you as a witch.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Alysha said.
“I’m not.”
“Look, Austin—that’s your name, right? Or were you lying to me at the museum?”
“It’s my name,” he said.
“You may or may not already know this, but I come from a long line of witches,” she said. “I learned to hide my magic before I even learned to control it. Do you honestly think I’m just going to whip out a light show in the middle of a crowded gallery? My magic makes for a pretty show, but it’s nothing useful. What’s the plan anyway? Did Isaac think you could scare me into putting on a fireworks display?”
“He said he’d leave it up to me to figure out. That I should get you talking and find out a way to get you to use your magic. But that’s not the point—”
Alysha laughed. “You’re kidding, right? Your partner has some big scheme to reveal that witches are real to the world and it all comes down to small talk? That’s a pathetic plan.”
“He’s not my partner.” Austin was speaking to Alysha, but his eyes were scanning the room. “And you’re right. It’s not a plan at all. Which means Isaac’s up to something else. We’ve got to get out of here.”
Austin moved toward the back exit, which was just around the partition. When he turned to make sure Alysha was with him, he was surprised to see that she hadn’t moved. “Are you coming?”
Alysha stayed were she was, about eight feet away. “Look, Austin, you seem like a nice-enough guy who pals around with questionable friends, but there’s no way I’m going anywhere with you.”
“We’ve got to leave,” he insisted.
“I get that,” she replied. “It’s not safe here. Message received. But I’m not going with you. You’re cute and all. I’m enjoying the chat, weird as it may be. Still, there is no way in hell I’m going out some back exit to some dark alley with a total stranger. So just continue on your way and I’ll go mine. There’s a security station in the quad outside the gallery. I’m taking the front door and heading there.”
Austin couldn’t imagine what campus security could do in this kind of situation, but he wasn’t about to argue. He considered forcing her to go with him, but she was not the type to go quietly and he figured they’d never get anywhere with her kicking and screaming. The only way this didn’t blow back on both of them was to follow her lead.
He reached into his pocket and took out a page from the Book of Light that he’d torn out during his brief visit to headquarters to drop off the books before coming to the gallery. “Okay, fine. But take this. Keep it someplace safe. If we get separated, you need to give that to someone who can help.”
“I know just the people,” she said.
“Take care of yourself,” Austin said, resisting the urge to give her a quick kiss on the cheek that would likely wind up with him getting smacked in the face. “I’ll meet up with you later.”
“I’ll count the seconds,” she said, dryly.
Austin couldn’t help but smile as he made his way around the partition for the back door. A sign said that it was alarmed, which stopped him for a moment before he realized that worked in his favor. An alarm going off could clear the place quickly. Not only would Alysha be safe, but so would all the potential innocent victims in the gallery as well. He gave the door a hard push, bracing for the sound, only to find it refused to budge. He pushed again. And again. No movement. No alarm.
There were only two exits from the gallery and one of them—the emergency exit—was locked. That seemed like a fairly serious fire hazard. It was possible that it was just an oversight, but it seemed more intentional than that. This was Isaac’s work.
Austin took a step back and checked to make sure Alysha was making her own way out of the gallery. Everything would be okay as long as she was safe.
It took a few seconds to see her through the crowd, but Alysha had just reached the front door. There was no sign of Isaac. It was possible he was waiting for her in the quad, but the gallery with its security cameras and dozens of guests with cell phones was the best spot for the attack. If she just made it through the door, Austin felt she’d be safe.
His heart fell as he saw her push the glass door, only to step back from it a moment later. It was locked as well. She turned in his direction and their eyes met through the crowd. Any trace of humor in her expression was completely gone. She knew just how serious this was about to become.
Austin saw a fire alarm. An alarm would call for help, but it might also cause a panic inside the gallery when the patrons realized they couldn’t get out and there might be a fire in the building. Security was just across the quad, as Alysha had said. They would probably have some kind of universal key that would get them into the building, but again he had to wonder what they could possibly do to stop whatever Isaac was.
It didn’t matter what Austin decided. Everything stopped when the red whirlwind formed in the middle of the gallery.
Cries of fear and shock filled the gallery as the people along the edges of the room made for the exit. Austin stepped aside as the first few patrons to reach the back door slammed into it. “It’s locked!” he called over the noise, hoping to stop the crowd and avoid anyone being crushed. Some listened, but most did not.
Alysha was having the same problem at the front.
Some patrons remained, transfixed by the swirling red that finally formed into a body. Austin had expected to see Isaac at the center of the maelstrom. The creature that did appear bore some resemblance to the man he had come to know, but not very much.
The thing’s skin was red with streaks of silver. His black hair was wild and unkempt, raising inches off his head and forming two peaks around what seemed to be horns. He was taller than Isaac, by at least a foot, maybe two. When the creature turned to face Austin, there was no doubt in his mind. This was Isaac in his true form. He was some kind of monster, not a man. And his eyes blazed with fiery hate.
Before Austin could speak he watched as those eyes turned to face Alysha. She’d moved away from the doorway and was trying to hide behind a partition. People cleared the path between her and the unexpected visitor, trying to get out of the way.
The Isaac thing raised its hand—or paw—and a fireball shot toward Alysha.
“No!” Austin shouted.
The fireball took out the partition, destroying the serene painting of a white winged horse drinking from a moonlit pond in the process. Alysha was unharmed, but Isaac was moving towar
d her.
“Alysha!” Austin pushed his way through the crowd, fighting upstream, as the patrons ran toward him and away from danger. A heavily perfumed woman took him down with her overly large purse, and a man stepped on his thigh as he hit the floor.
Austin fought his way back onto his feet as the crowd continued to surge toward him. Over their heads he saw bursts of green, yellow, and red coming from the opposite end of the gallery. The gallery lights flickered with the colors as he pushed his way past the final person in time to see what was happening.
Another partition had been taken down, leaving a clear space by the front of the gallery. The area was filled with fireworks of light, a beautiful show that had absolutely no effect on the Isaac monster as it stomped its way toward Alysha. She had been right. Her power put on a nice show, but it was completely useless as a form of defense. It was going to look incredible on the security cameras filming it and the cell phones raised by the few lunatics more interested in posting this crazy fight online than concerned for their own safety.
Not that anyone would be looking at the light show. The news would be about the huge creature approaching the young witch, looking like he was about to kill her.
Austin had to do something. He had to stop Isaac, but there was no way he’d be able to clear the destruction in time to reach her. Isaac was already raising his paw-like hands and another fireball was forming. There was nothing between the creature and Alysha to stop it from killing her.
“NO!” Austin held out his hands and green spiraling lights shot from his fingers. They zipped across the room, striking the monster in the back, forcing it to unleash a howl of pain and rage.
The Isaac thing was unsteady on its feet, but it did not fall. Instead, it turned toward Austin with what appeared to be a smile on its face.
Austin held up his hands, examining them, wondering what the hell had just happened. Did those lights come from him? What were they? Could they stop the creature?
That last question was all that mattered as the Isaac thing took a step forward, leaving Alysha safely behind as it moved toward Austin.
Piper took in the world around her as Paige completed the orb. It wasn’t the first time she and her sisters popped up in the middle of a storm of trouble, and this one didn’t disappoint. A big red and silver demon was fighting off a guy that threw spiraling green laser beams while their Innocent created a fireworks display that was hardly even a distraction. Smashed paintings and broken walls littered the gallery surrounding them all. “This must be the place,” Piper said.
“I told you we didn’t have time to brew the potion,” Phoebe said.
“It’s a good thing we did, because we’re going to need it.” Paige nodded toward the spectators taking in the view. Some were cowering in fear in the far corners of the gallery, but most of them were pushing one another out of the way to get the best view as they recorded it for posterity—and for posting later—on their cell phones.
“Not good,” Phoebe said. “Not good at all.”
“One problem at a time,” Piper said. “Let’s start with the demon in the middle of the room.”
Paige sighed. “If I had a dollar for every time we said—”
“Down!” Piper pushed her sisters to the ground as a fireball came their way. It hit the wall behind them, incinerating two ugly paintings of fairies that bore no resemblance to actual fairies whatsoever.
Piper and her sisters were back on their feet in time to watch as the demon grabbed the kid with the laser spirals and blinked out of existence, leaving Alysha behind, along with a few dozen wide-eyed witnesses who all had their cell phones trained on the witch.
“Okay, folks. The evening show is over.” Piper discreetly pulled the three potion bottles out of her bag and handed them to her sisters. “Thank you all for taking part in our little performance art piece. Hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did.”
Both Paige and Phoebe let out a sarcastic huff behind her.
A thoroughly agitated older man pushed his way out of the crowd. “Performance piece, my ass. This is my gallery showing. There was no performance piece scheduled for tonight. And even if there were, I’d never allow such a scene that would destroy my precious artwork.”
Piper nodded toward Alysha, subtly indicating the girl should make her way over to the Charmed Ones. She picked up on the move and took a few slow steps in their direction while the artist raged on about his “works of lyrical genius with a hint of hipster sarcasm.”
“Yeah, okay,” Piper said. “You know what?”
The artist finally stopped babbling and waited for her to continue.
“Now!” Piper threw her potion bottle, followed by Phoebe and Paige.
The three bottles broke together in the center of the floor as green, blue, and red swirling smoke curled together and wafted over the room.
“Alysha, come closer,” Paige called.
As soon as the girl was within a couple of feet of the Charmed Ones, Paige held out her hands and created an orb shield. The newest evolution of her power protected all four of them in a translucent light blue bubble that kept the memory potion from affecting them.
“That should wipe their memories of everything that happened tonight,” Piper explained to Alysha.
“What about the cell phones?” Alysha asked. “Do you have a potion that erases digital images?”
“That would be nice,” Phoebe said. “But no.”
“Once the potion has taken effect I’ll freeze everyone,” Piper said. “Then we can erase all the recordings. Afterward, we’ll escort everyone out, pull the fire alarm, and sneak off in the confusion.”
“Until then, we wait for the potion to clear,” Paige said, hands still raised to create the bubble. “Anybody want to play twenty questions?”
Chapter 16
The Isaac thing had Austin in a chokehold and he couldn’t get free. Even if he could, he wasn’t sure what he could do. The creature was too strong for Austin to fight. Its muscles were nearly crushing Austin’s neck and he was pretty sure it wasn’t even trying to hurt him. The thing that used to be Isaac smelled slightly of sulfur and something Austin had never smelled before. Its skin felt scaly, scratching him where it met his flesh.
Austin had to concentrate on the creature. He had to find a way out. But all his mind could focus on was the crazy light show that burst from his fingers. Maybe that was the solution. If only he could remember how he made the spiraling lights come out in the first place.
“Stop struggling,” Isaac said, his voice deeper and more gruff than usual.
They were back at headquarters, in Isaac’s private chamber. It was empty. None of his followers were there, but Austin wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
Austin wondered if there might be a few people in the next room. A new stack of Books of Light sat on the table. Obviously, some of the group had returned to drop them off and restock with other empty ones. If they were in the building he could call for help.
And then what?
What would normal humans with no magical powers do against the creature? Sure, they’d be shocked and outraged that they were following something cut from the same dark cloth as witches—if witches were even truly a dark power. But what then? Even if someone found Isaac’s gun, would it be any use on the thing that held Austin? The muscled arm around Austin’s neck relaxed as the creature released him. Austin wanted to run. He wanted to throw his hands out and create those spiraling laser lights, but he didn’t know how. He thought of a half dozen things he could try to do to escape, but it was all useless because he didn’t know what the thing that held him could do to him in return. The fireballs it used earlier might only be one weapon in its arsenal. Did it breathe fire too? Could it teleport Austin straight to Hell?
“What are you?” Austin asked between gasping breaths. It felt good to take in air again without struggling. On
ce he got past the initial spasms he breathed deeply.
The red and silver skin began to fade as the hulking beast grew smaller. It blurred slightly as it changed, only stopping once it was Isaac again. The man that had been their leader stood in front of Austin, shirtless and shoeless, but Isaac all the same.
“Sorry about that,” Isaac said as he walked over to the closet. “But I wanted to give a good show for the cameras. I figured it would look best if I were in my natural state.”
“And what’s that?” Austin asked. His eyes flitted around the room. There was only one door. No windows. Why hadn’t he noticed that before?
“Demon,” Isaac said matter-of-factly as he dressed in a fresh shirt. “But the question I think you’d rather know the answer to is what are you?”
“A witch, obviously,” Austin said. “But why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why aren’t you trying to steal my powers?”
“All in good time,” Isaac replied. “But you’re not a witch.”
Austin was going to be sick. “Am I like you? A demon?”
“You should be so lucky,” Isaac replied with a laugh. “No. Not a demon. Not a sorcerer. Not a seer. Not a vampire, werewolf, or Frankenstein’s monster. Come on, Austin, you can do it. You were warm when you said you were a witch.”
Austin was sick. His stomach roiled and he was afraid if he opened his mouth he would vomit what little he’d had for dinner. It was bad enough to find out that he wasn’t the person he’d thought he was all his life. He might not be a person at all. But that wasn’t the truly disgusting part. This was all some kind of game to Isaac. He was taking pleasure in Austin’s pain. That was a level of disgusting that Austin couldn’t fathom.
“Oh, come now, Austin, you’re much smarter than that,” Isaac prodded, slipping into a pair of sandals. “If you’re not a witch, then you’re a . . .”
“Warlock?” Austin whispered.
“Give the boy a prize!” Isaac clapped him on the back so hard that Austin almost did lose his dinner.
