Matt's father glanced up sharply at that. “They want your spells.”
I nodded.
Mr. Bane glanced at his wife again who inclined her head.
She held out a hand to me. “Let’s go find your mother.”
But at that moment my mom walked in from the dining room. Her eyes were red and she had a stack of books in her arms.
“What took you so long?” Her words were addressed to me.
“What?” I asked. “I ran and got them. We came as fast as we could.”
“That was over thirty minutes ago.” She dropped the books onto the table. Matt’s mom put the milk away.
“Thirty minutes?” Holy crap, I must have been stuck on the path longer than I thought. “There was a déjà vu spell on the walkway.”
Matt’s dad repeated what I said like a parrot. “A spell.”
“Yes.” As I just said.
Mom’s eyebrows drew together. “That doesn’t make sense. None of this makes sense.”
Exactly what I was thinking. “What are the books for, Mom?”
We spread out the books on the table. Mom indicated that Mrs. Bane and the rest of us should sit.
“I grabbed some books to see if I can figure out the cure for the venom. Unfortunately, you need to know the type of snake so you can make a counter potion. That’s why they didn’t leave the snake. I could have figured this out easier otherwise.”
Matt finally dropped from his position on the counter and ended his search for a snake to join us.
Mom ran her hand across her forehead before stepping over to Dad’s body. She turned his head.All of us studied his neck. She applied pressure to the wound and a clear liquid oozed out. She grabbed a tiny vial from her pocket and pushed it under the wound to collect the liquid. “This should help me. I need to study this. And these books. I am not an expert on poisoning.”
“Are you sure that is what this is?” Matt’s mom asked.
Mom nodded. “Yes, It has to be and it makes sense but again, we need to know the type of snake to cure him.”
“But that about what they said to do. The family bible?”
Mom took a deep breath, she stepped over to the table. Mrs. Bane side-hugged her when she got close.
“Is it true, Colleen. Do they want your spells?” Mr. Bane asked.
She sighed. “I don’t know, but there was a note on his body.” She pulled it from her left pocket and smoothed the paper on the table.
Mr. Bane snagged it before I could, but I saw the words.
Sorry about this.
If you want your husband to recover, bring the
family grimoire to the cemetery at midnight.
Mr. Bane whistled soundlessly. “They are after your spells. This is bad.”
“So we give them the bible and he will be fine, right?” Easy enough.
All the grown-ups exchanged meaningful glances.
Mom sighed. “It is not that easy, Aidan.”
“The priests will have to be informed,” Mrs. Bane said.
The priests were the ruling body of all the covens, not just ours. Holy crap. This was big.
Mom nodded.
A pall fell over the kitchen. Mom shook herself.
“Aidan, go upstairs. This is grown-up talk.” Her tone said she would brook no arguments.
“Mom!” I folded my arms. “I am a part of this.”
“Aidan, go to your room and stay there.”
Matt's mom joined in. “Matt, go with him.”
“Now!” My mom shouted, scaring me. Her eyes started to tear.
Fine.
I stomped off to my room. Matt followed hot on my heels.
Grown-up talk. That was a lame freaking excuse. I was twelve already. Practically a teenager. I should be allowed to help. I wanted to help.
My hands clenched.
When we got to my room, I threw myself on the bed. Matt sat uncertainly next to me. “I’m sure your dad will be fine.”
“Oh, are you? How do you know that, huh?”
Matt held up his hands. “Friend here, remember?”
I burrowed my face in the mattress, and the remote on the blanket poked me in the cheek reminding me of my dad telling me to make my bed. My eyes teared.
No.
We could do something. I could help. I wiped my cheeks hard. “We need to go get that book.”
“Say what?” Matt replied.
“We need to get the book.” I hated repeating myself.
“Your mom said that we couldn’t.”
“No, she said it was not that easy.”
“Right and then she sent us to your room.”
“I am sure she meant she had to keep dad alive. The spells are family spells. She can’t get them but I can.”
“I’m pretty sure that is not what she meant.”
“Shut up.” I stood and opened the window. “We are doing this.”
“So why are we sneaking out your window?”
I shrugged. “Just in case. I won’t let my dad die.”
Chapter Five
Matt crossed his arms and frowned, clearly displaying his displeasure with being outside. “We are going to get in trouble. Your mom said to stay put.”
“My mom’s going to keep my dad alive, but the only way to cure him is to get that book. I won’t let my daddy die.”
“We can't go alone.”
I hesitated. That was true. I remembered the spell from earlier. It didn't make sense that they were trying to stop us, but regardless, I wasn’t going to turn back.
“Why don't we get Ian?” Ian was another friend of ours and magician. Plus, he was a year older and a bit of a geek. He would have figured out that spell a lot quicker than me.
Matt perked up at that. “Yes, let’s get Ian.”
Ian lived on the other side of the playground behind Matt. One good thing about the coven was we all got houses near each other in a complex surrounded by forest. It made it easier to contain the magic and hide the results. I didn’t want to go through the forest, not since the spell. The road would be slower but safer.
I walked toward the sidewalk and Matt didn’t question me.
We took off at a trot.
The pavement stretched before us. I kept glancing around, but Matt remained focused on the ground. His obsessive neatness kept him from stepping on cracks. He hopped between stones and along the grass.
While we were walking, the street lights flickered on and off as dusk approached.
Matt squeaked and moved closer, slick like, so I didn’t realize he was scared. I, of course, wasn’t scared, not at all.
I swallowed hard.
We could do this.
We turned the corner and arrived at Ian’s house. A simple ranch with a ton of rose bushes surrounded by a chain link fence.
The light was fading, but I saw enough to know that Bitsy wasn’t out. Bitsy was Ian’s dog. Normally, she was on a leash looped around the big oak on the left side of the house and would bark like mad when we got close.
Matt opened the gate and we stepped to the door.
Ring.
Ian answered the door, his voice deep. “Hello?”
“It’s Aidan and Matt. We need your help.”
“What’s going on?” Ian asked and stepped outside. Ian wore track pants and a hoodie. He’d begun to break out, a wonderful accompaniment to his voice change, and his hair had gotten longer in what he liked to call a skate-boarder cut--short on the sides, long on top.
Out of all of us, he was the only one with any sort of muscle. Hopefully, he would help.
“Aidan’s dad got poisoned,” Matt said.
“There’s no time to explain,” I said at the same time.
Confused, Ian blinked and said slowly, “Oh-kay.”
“We are going to go find something that will help cure my dad.”
The light dawned. Ian nodded then called out to his mom. “Mom, going out with Aidan.”
“Be back by nine,” she replied.
<
br /> My mom would’ve never let me go out at this time of night normally. Lucky.
“Which way?” Ian asked me.
“Cemetery.”
“What?” Matt said, voice high. “You didn’t tell me we were going to the cemetery.”
“Would you have come?” I asked.
Matt glanced at Ian and then shifted. “Um.”
Ian put on a jacket and shut the door behind him. “Stop being a weenie.”
Now there was no going back for Matt. No way he would let Ian think he was scared. No way out for any of us for that matter.
Lets find this book.
Chapter Six
We’d only gone a few steps before distant howling reached us.
“What the hell was that?” Matt squeaked out.
Even Ian, the oldest and bravest of us looked around spooked.
The sounds came from the woods. Suddenly, I was so, so glad we hadn’t gone that way, and I felt a little bit vindicated at my fear.
Matt whispered. “Sounds like wolves.”
“Just dogs I'm sure.” Ian said.
Right dogs.
My heartbeat raced in my ears. “The cemetary is that way.” I cleared my throat. I pointed toward the left. Dusk had fully fallen and shadows spread toward us from the branches of the trees. Freaking spooky.
“What?” Matt whispered. “That is the way the noise is coming from.”
“Stop being a wuss. Aidan's dad is sick.” Ian said weakly.
I hurried forward down the asphalt, ignoring the exchange. I had to save my dad.
More howls erupted in front and behind us now.
Matt and Ian huddled close to my side and we sped up.
I could hear clicking behind us. Matt whimpered and Ian's glasses slid down his nose as he nervously adjusted them. Another howl. Closer.
We all started to jog.
My breath came out in a spurt and my lung hurt.
A growl sounded behind us.
“Ian!” Matt said.
I closed my eyes for a second before I turned around.
A sleek gray wolf stood outside of Ian’s house, looking straight at us. It had white around its eyes like contouring, making the red glowing eyes stand out. Obviously spelled, the animal moved stiffly and without the grace I’d seen wolves have on TV. It raised its head and let out a long, slow howl. More bodies flickered at the edge of the grass. Another body slinked along the pavement toward us.
Crap.
Matt whispered, “What are we going to do.”
My gaze panned the area.
Ian checked out the other side. Ian's hand slapped my shoulder.
“There.” He pointed to my left. “A fenced in yard.”
“And what does that get us?” I asked.
“You can use your telekinesis and make a cage to hold the animals. Matt can electrify it and trap them.”
“Oh, good idea.” Matt nodded always the yes man.
“I don’t know. That’s pretty big.”
Ian shook his head. “You use the same amount of magic no matter the size. It’s all about the power.” He wiggled his fingers. “You got this.”
I got this. He was right. For my dad, I shook my hands and held them out, willing the power to come. Little things I could move easily. Big things seemed harder. I don’t know if it was me or the size that did it. I’d never moved anything this big or this complex.
I focused all my thoughts on the fence and felt the magic tingling down my hands. The metal posts shivered.
My power had to be enough. I pushed more, straining. My ears popped and belly tightened.
Matt let out a squeak next to me.
A second wolf came into view on my right. My stomach fell and my concentration broke.
Ian put his hand on my shoulder. “You can do this. Put the fence around us, then move it to herd the animals. Matt, be ready.”
“Okay.”
His confidence flowed into me. Or maybe it was more power. I could do this.
I focused again and this time, the metal lifted and the pressure on my head eased.
I’d been working too hard. Who knew it was so easy?
I floated it towards us and placed it on the ground.
Holy schnikes. I did it.
Yes.
A body hit the fence next to me dragging me from my celebratory thoughts.
At least five wolves surrounded us now. Mostly grey, but one was a pretty cream color. The first wolf was bigger than the rest and clearly in charge. I flexed and the fence moved around them in a circle. I could see the hindquarters of the dog bunch up. Quickly, I moved a top over the cage.
“Now, Matt.”
Matt’s hands sparked and the cage glowed bright white and then faded. One of the wolf hit the fense and fell with a thump, out.
It worked.
Chapter Seven
We all stood staring at the cage.
I let out an elated laugh.
Matt staggered against me. “Will that kill them?”
“Um, I don't think so.” I said then smiled. “I didn't know I could do that.”
“Well you saved our butt. Thanks!” Ian clapped me on the back.
It felt pretty good. But my dad was still sick. “Let’s get the book and get this over with.”
The wolves let out some unholy growls as we left them in their cage. The next few hundred yards were uneventful. No spells, no dogs, no bad guys. Once we broached the boundary of the graveyard, the skin between my shoulder blades tingled. The air started to cool around us.
Cemeteries freaked me out as much as Matt. Especially this one. There was something in the air that almost weighed on me. Plus, it didn’t smell like any place I’d ever been. Not bad per say, but some spice I couldn’t name or a odor you knew, but couldn’t remember the name. I hated that feeling.
The ground vibrated beneath our feet and the street lamps on the street behind us flickered. My ears popped like earlier with the magic spell by my house.
“Down.” I screamed and ducked,just in time.
Something flew over my head and hit a tree nearby. Ian swore a hot streak. Matt collapsed in place like a doll.
Once flat, all of us remained motionless. I army-crawled to the nearest oak. I could barely see Matt next to me. Ian was on my left. My breath misted in the air in front of me.
A figure moved towards us.
I held my breath like that would help. Matt covered his mouth to stifle his wheezing. The body stopped near the tree where the object hit and the figure moved in a circle. I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl--just a person in a cloak. A real live cloak. I would scoff if it wouldn’t give my position away. Pretentious much?
The figure waited by the tree. Probably hoping one of us would move, but the person obviously didn't know us well. We’d gotten away with enough stuff to know when to play dead and pretend for a few hours if need be. We were masters at it, especially Matt.
I closed my eyes and started to count, stilling my breathing. My power came to me automatically so I didn't need to prepare anything. I just needed to focus the power on what I wanted to move. I still had problems with big objects, but like I said, little ones were easy and made effective weapons. I piled up some rocks to use them as potential weapons.
The person muttered something under its breath and turned. We finally caught a glimpse of its features. The person was slight, smaller even than Matt who weighed sixty pounds soaking wet, and blonde and thin. Hard to tell eye color.
I grabbed Ian and put my mouth near his ear. “Can you hear what the dude is saying?”
“Not me.”
Matt stuck his face right up next to me, cheek to cheek. “What are we talking about?”
Ian growled.
The figure twirled and came right at us.
“Look at what you did, Matt.” I hissed and then zipped my lips.
We huddled behind the tree.
A minute passed and Ian stuck his head out.
With a squeal, he
jerked back.
The figure moved around to stand in front of us. I stepped up to confrot them.
The figure pulled down the hood revealing short spiky hair along with deep set eyes. No make-up, no jewelry. It was kind of hard to tell if it was a boy or girl. At least I couldn’t tell. And if I couldn’t tell-.
“Hey,” Matt said. “Are you a boy or a girl?” I knew he would ask that.
Ian slapped Matt’s shoulder. “Why did you ask that?”
“What does it matter?” the figure and I said at the same time.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“My name is Jaime.”
That didn’t tell me anything.
Ian snapped his fingers. “You’re the new family at the end of the street. The Baneon’s. You’re in my class.”
Jamie nodded.
“Why are you following us? Why did you throw something at us?” I moved closer with each question until I was right in their face.
Jaime stepped lithely out of the way. “I threw something at you so you didn't go that way. They’re patrolling the woods.”
“Who’s patrolling the area? Why are they after us? What is going on. Tell me what you know!” Each question poured out of me until I was screaming.
Jamie put a finger to their lips. “Shh. They’re following you. They’re going to steal the book from you when you get it.”
My head spun.
“What?” Matt squeaked out in a tight voice.
Ian took charge. “How do they know about the book. For that matter, how do you?”
Jamie hesitated and glanced down. “I heard them talking about it. I couldn't let them hurt your dad, but you can't give them the book.”
“You heard who?” I bit out the words.
“Some men who were arguing with my dad. He told them not to.”
“Do you know how to cure my dad?” I asked.
“Well no.”
“Then I am giving them the book. They have a cure, right?”
“I’m not sure.”
I frowned. “Then let’s get the book and decide then.”
Ian nodded and pushed up his glasses.
Matt leaned closer to Jaime. “Are you a boy or a girl?”
Seriously?
Jamie glared at Matt. “I'm a girl.”
Matt grinned and sidled closer. “Hi.”
Quest for the Enchanted Book Page 2
