Spellbound Magic: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (The Witches of Pressler Street Book 3)

by Martha Carr

“Literally anything.” Emily widened her eyes and stared at him. “Like elf slippers and the ugliest holiday sweaters you’ve ever seen. And cat pillows.”

  John snorted. “Everyone’s got their gifts, I guess.”

  “Or not.”

  They were silent for a bit, listening to a few birds twittering in the trees around them. The lampposts scattered around the park lay bright pools of light over the grass. “How’s your leg?”

  “What?”

  John nodded at her knee, which was no longer bouncing . “Your muscle cramps.”

  “Oh. Those. Yeah, it’s feeling a lot better.”

  “Good.” He grinned and leaned toward her. “I had a feeling a walk might help with some of that.”

  Oh, man. That sounds like he knows I was lying. Emily forced a smile. “Well, good thinking on your part.” She turned toward him and glanced at his lips. Talk about old-fashioned date night, making out on a park bench. “Does that mean you’re taking back that free massage offer?”

  He leaned closer, slipped his hand below her ear toward the back of her neck, and whispered, “Absolutely not.”

  Emily could have sat there with John on that park bench all night just kissing him, but that bit of wishful thinking was shattered by the loud, cracking boom that came from all around them. She and John leapt away from each other, and they gazed around with wide eyes. “What was that?”

  “I have no idea.” Emily slid her hand down his chest, gave him a reassuring pat, and rose from the bench. “But I don’t think—”

  The ground rocked beneath her feet, sending her off balance and into John’s lap.

  He caught her, but it wasn’t one of those cute moments between a new couple when tripping and being clumsy was endearing. John looked terrified. “Is this an earthquake?”

  “I mean, Texas has been getting a lot more of those lately.” And I seriously wonder how many of them have been from the energy cores, destroyed or activated. “I’m not sure that’s it, though.”

  “Okay. We should get back to my car.”

  “Wouldn’t this be the safest place during an earthquake? Out in the open with nothing huge to fall on us?” She glanced behind him and saw a wave of shimmering blue light seeping up from the path they’d taken to the bench. Or we’re in the most dangerous place to be caught up in a bunch of magic gone wrong. “I’m gonna go check it out.”

  When she stood from his lap, John grabbed her wrist. “Hey, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” He still hadn’t seen the magical light rising behind him like smoke, and Emily didn’t want him to.

  “I’ll be fine. It’s better to know what’s going on, right?”

  “What can you even check out about an earthquake?”

  Emily smiled and gently pulled away. When she turned around to head somewhere so she could tune into the wayward magic out here without being obvious about it, she froze.

  A vaguely human-shaped ten-foot tall form was plodding toward the park. With every step, the ground shook—not as much as it had with that first explosive boom but enough for Emily to feel in her feet. A few birds flew from their nests just before the giant creature’s shoulder brushed against the tree branches.

  Emily retreated. “At least we know it’s not an earthquake. Mostly.”

  “What is that thing?” The only part of John’s body that hadn’t frozen was his mouth, which seemed to keep going despite how much he knew he should be running away. “It’s huge. How did it get that big? I’m not…this isn’t…Emily, are you seeing this?”

  “If you are,” she muttered without turning to look at him, “then, yeah, we’re seeing it together.”

  “Oh, God.” John sucked in a deep breath.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The massive creature stepped under a lamppost, almost knocking the light off with the top of its head. It reeled, grunted, and stooped to squint up at the bottom of the light. “It’s like they’ve taken everything we’ve done and gone backward with it,” the thing muttered. “Stupidest thing I ever saw. And now they’re destroying what’s left of it.” A massive hand smacked against the lamppost and bent it at a small angle.

  “It can talk,” John said.

  “That’s what it looks like.” Emily stared at the creature beneath the lamppost, and now that it was in more light, the young witch realized ‘it’ was actually a ‘she’—a massive woman in an olive-green jumpsuit with patches of brown, gray, and tan, her gray hair piled on top of her head as if she’d knotted it there on purpose. Huge, dark eyes blinked from behind what looked like magnification goggles as the woman scowled and scanned the dark sky and the first of the stars out for the night.

  “That’s an Engineer,” Emily muttered.

  “A what?”

  She turned to glance at John and shook her head. “Nothing, I just…” Gotta make it sound like you have no idea what’s going on, Em. “Does that look like a woman to you?”

  “Emily, I don’t think any woman grows that big.”

  The massive woman beneath the lamppost stomped her foot and roared at the open sky. “Where is everyone? I’ve been trying to send messages for days! That’s immensely difficult to accomplish when none of the messengers answer my summons.”

  “Uh-oh…”

  John grabbed her hand. “Hey, we need to go.”

  “It’s just a giant angry woman yelling in the middle of the park, John. No big deal.”

  “Seriously big deal. It’s a ‘bigger than any person should ever be’ kinda deal. Come on.”

  The Engineer stomped away from the lamppost, shaking the ground with her massive boots that could have been boulders. Emily and John almost toppled backward onto the bench. The giant woman reached into one of the many pockets of her jumpsuit and pulled out a screwdriver every bit as huge and heavy-looking as Laura’s Velikan socket wrench. The woman shook her tool at the sky and the trees. “I don’t play games, I’ll have you know. If the messengers don’t come to me, I’ll come to them. Where are the Tree Folk? Why am I being ignored?” She stumbled sideways a little, her magnified eyes behind the goggles clenching shut, then growled in frustration. “I can feel the ship malfunctioning, you cowardly imbeciles. What happened?”

  Emily swallowed. That would totally be our fault.

  The Engineer thrust her screwdriver toward the closest tree, and a blue light shot from the tip to encompass the entire plant—roots, trunk, branches, and leaves—in a swirling blue dome. “Someone needs to tell me why this ship is in so much pain.” The tree in her magical embrace shuddered despite the lack of a breeze strong enough to blow it like that. Bright dots of light in every color pulsed up the tree trunk, then another wave of rustling leaves and swaying branches spread outward from the glowing tree. The others around it moved in unison, sending a ripple effect of voiceless conversation through the park.

  Oh, great. Now she’s getting her information from the trees. Emily wanted to go to the Velikan woman, but a higher-than-normal voice came from behind her.

  “What—” John’s voice cracked under the one word, and he cleared his throat. “I’m not seeing this.”

  “Crap.” Emily turned toward him, her mouth opening and closing as she thought of something to say, anything to explain away her new and very human boyfriend was seeing magic right out in the open. “This isn’t what it looks like.” Oh, good job, Em.

  “I don’t even know what it looks like!” John couldn’t pull his stare away from the giant woman throwing blue light out of a giant screwdriver. “This is insane!”

  From behind the Engineer, came the rise and fall of police sirens. As soon as they echoed into the park, they cut off.

  Three transport bubbles appeared between the Velikan Engineer and where Emily and John gaped at her, and three Huldu gnomes went running across the grass the moment the bubbles popped. Two of them headed for the Engineer, and the third made a beeline for Emily and John.

  “Okay.” The gnome stopped, huffing a little to catch his breath, and scowled at
Emily. “Since you’re more inclined to listen and not freak out about every little thing, is there anyone else in the park?”

  Emily glanced around and shook her head. “I don’t think so. Just us.”

  The gnome nodded, then glanced from her to John and back again. “A witch and a human, huh?” He shook his head. “People are always trying to make things difficult.”

  “Wait a minute, what?” John gaped at the Huldu mechanic. “Forget giant women and tiny dudes—”

  “Hey, watch it, pal.” The gnome folded his arms.

  “Did you just say witch?”

  Rolling his eyes, the gnome scoffed and looked at Emily. “Not a very smart human, though, is he?”

  She tried not to wrinkle her nose at the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves coming off the Huldu. Emily nodded toward the Engineer, who howled in outrage at the two gnomes failing to calm her. “What’s going on?”

  “Burst right up out of the ground.” The gnome spread his arms, his short-cut goatee twitching with his lips in agitation. “Ripped off the back side of the museum downtown, so that’s gonna be an expensive fix. Time-wise, of course. Had a whole bunch of people running around and screaming their heads off at the sight of a giant stomping across the city. We’ve been following her the whole way trying to clean up her mess.”

  “I’m guessing that’s been working out.” Emily gave the gnome a sympathetic smile.

  “Given the fact we’re not supposed to be up here in the first place, sure. It’s perfect. Nobody’ll remember a thing.”

  With another roar, the Engineer swiped her huge arm toward one of the gnomes beside her to bat him away. The Huldu conjured a shield with good shock-absorbers just in time and skidded backward across the grass.

  “She will, though, won’t she?”

  The Huldu shrugged. “Dunno. Velikan remember everything, up until they live so long that their brain eats itself.” He scrunched up his face at John, who’d lowered himself onto the park bench.

  “I think I might be able to talk her down,” said Emily.

  “Ha!” The gnome belched, jumped in surprise, and thumped himself on the chest. “Sorry, witch. This might be a little beyond your wand-waving skills.”

  “I don’t need a wand.” Emily showed him the ring on her thumb, and the gnome’s eyes widened. “And my sister had a nice chat with that Engineer just a week ago.”

  “Huh.” With a shrug, the gnome cocked his head. “Knock yourself out, kid.”

  “John.” Emily turned toward him and reached for his hand. “I know this is hard to—”

  A bright-pink bubble burst from the gnome’s hand, floated in front of John’s face, then flashed a brilliant light right in his eyes. Emily’s date let out a little groan and slumped back on the bench, unconscious.

  “Hey!” Emily glared at the gnome. “I was working on it.”

  “Not fast enough, you weren’t.” The gnome frowned at her as he stepped toward his fellows trying to reason with the infuriated Engineer. “Gotta close all the loopholes. I’m sure you understand.” He waved a dismissive hand at John. “He’ll wake up a little dizzy and wondering why he can’t remember the past half hour. You’re welcome.”

  “Oh, boy.” She bent over John’s head propped against the back of the bench and gently brushed her hand across his forehead. “I’m so sorry. But I think it’s actually better this way. I’m not supposed to tell you what’s—”

  A loud whistle interrupted her, and the gnome trotted backward with his hand flung out toward the raging Engineer. “Put your money where your mouth is, kid. You coming or what?”

  “Right.” With a last glance at her passed-out date, Emily gritted her teeth and headed across the park behind the rude Huldu and toward the last living Velikan Engineer.

  The two other gnomes were having no luck calming her. One sent a bright white bubble at her hand, which knocked the massive screwdriver out of her grasp. The blue light around the closest tree sputtered and went out, and all the other trees became still.

  “Have you lost your minds?” the Engineer roared, glaring at the Huldu with comically magnified eyes. “The trees are the only ones willing to talk to me. Everyone else on the surface has clammed up like a—” Her gaze fell on Emily, and those huge eyes blinked.

  “Friend of yours?” the gnome asked in a flat, unamused voice.

  “What?” The Engineer glared at him. “I’ve never seen this witch before.”

  “You’ve met my sister.” Emily stuck her finger in the air, like it was a good idea to show how well she could make her point, then lowered it again. “Laura Hadstrom?”

  “Hadstrom?” The woman straightened with a grunt and sniffed the air. “That name is so…”

  “You’re Rutilda, right?”

  For a few seconds, the park was silent as the last Engineer and three Huldu mechanics blinked at the young witch. The Velikan woman narrowed her eyes. “How do you know my name?”

  “My sister told me.” Yeah, she’s totally losing her mind. “Laura Hadstrom. She came to visit you about a week ago to talk about the—” Emily glanced at the gnomes and licked her lips. “The problem with a prison break and a…small vessel needing some mechanical work.” Definitely not a good idea to just say it all out in the open. Assuming none of the Huldu know about the mess we’re trying to clean up.

  The gnome who’d wiped John’s memory snorted. “Kid, if anything on this ship needed mechanical work, you think we wouldn’t already know about it?” The other two sniggered. “This one designed it, but we keep things running—”

  “Nothing is running at optimal performance,” Rutilda hissed. “And who failed to keep this ship sailing toward its final destination in the first place?”

  The Huldu stared at her. “Okay, fine. We try to keep things running. We do our best.” He thrust a fat finger toward the Engineer and leaned forward. “Don’t forget that none of us were actually here when that happened, okay? You can blame our great-great-grandfathers, if you have to blame someone.”

  “I was here.” Rutilda’s voice lowered into a snarl, and she bent her aged back to rest her hands against her knees and stick her giant nose into the gnome’s face. “This ship was designed to perfection, Huldu. Someone failed in performing their sworn duties.”

  The gnome with the goatee swallowed and glanced at his fellows. “Point taken.” He shot Emily a sideways glance. “She’s all yours, kid. Try not to get stomped on.” With that, the Huldu snapped his fingers, and all three popped out of the park.

  Emily rolled her eyes and muttered, “Yeah, nice to meet you too.” Then she felt Rutilda turning her magnified stare onto the young witch. “You too, of course.” And if I can’t get this Engineer to calm down, I’m in a lot of trouble.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Emily swallowed as the Velikan Engineer glowered down at her. “Please tell me you remember my sister.”

  Rutilda narrowed her magnified eyes, then exploded into a long, wheezing cackle. She pushed up off her knees, grunting through laughter as she straightened. Emily heard the ancient woman’s spine creaking. The engineer slapped a knee and shook her head. “Of course I remember your sister.”

  “Oh. I thought maybe you’d—”

  “That I was losing my mind? That I’ve gone far too senile to be allowed aboveground?”

  “Uh…maybe?”

  Rutilda waved a dismissive hand and tilted her head. “Had to get rid of the Huldu, didn’t I? They’re well-intentioned, of course. I know this. And the fewer people who know about your sister’s dangerous little secret, the better.”

  “I agree with you on that one.” Emily scratched her head and couldn’t help a little chuckle when she realized how well the Engineer had lied to the Mechanics. “So, you know about my sister—”

  “And her secrets, yes. Laura Hadstrom, archaeologist, oldest of three, and the witch responsible for freeing the Gorafrex from its prison.”

  “Yeah, that part was an accident.”

  �
��So she claimed.” The woman raised an eyebrow and smacked her wrinkled lips. “It would seem she told her sisters all about the little chat we had.”

  “Well, we sort of tell each other everything. At least the important stuff.” Emily gave the woman an unsure smile and shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I can answer some of your questions.”

  “What do you know of my questions, little Emily Hadstrom?”

  “Um…” The young witch glanced around at the park and the trees, all of them still once more. “Not like I was trying to hear you or anything. I’m kind of on a—” Emily glanced over her shoulder at John on the bench and shook her head. “Well, I was on a date. But you were kinda screaming your questions out one right after the other, so…”

  The Engineer wheezed with heavy laughter and shook a giant finger at the witch. “I like you, Emily Hadstrom. Your sister tried very hard to be polite with me. Too hard, one might say.”

  “Yeah, she tends to do that.”

  “Ha! And you eliminate any form of pretense whatsoever. I enjoy this very much, Emily Hadstrom.” The Engineer chuckled and folded her arms. A few bits of dust and rock and what looked like a massive slug fell from the folds of the woman’s jumpsuit. “Now, if you can answer my questions, I suggest you do so quickly. I haven’t been aboveground in far too long, and I must say it’s too bright for my liking.”

  “It’s…” Emily glanced at the black sky and the few stars she could see despite the streetlamps. “Really?”

  Rutilda grunted in response.

  “Okay, I’ll try to be fast. You told my sister the symbol we found in that house, the symbol drawn in another witch’s blood, was a blueprint of another smaller ship built inside this one. With the Gorafrex’s prison at the middle.”

  “Your sister was adamant about calling it an escape pod.” Rutilda’s eyes narrowed.

  “Yeah, I heard about that. I also heard you really don’t like that name, so I figured I wouldn’t use it.”

  The Engineer hummed in approval and smiled. “Go on.”

  “We’ve been destroying the energy cores. That wrench is pretty awesome, by the way.”