Ian groaned. We all turned away from the want-to-be lothario.
Chapter Eight
“Which way is it?” Jamie asked.
“You are not coming with us.”
Jamie ignored me. “Which way?”
“How do we know you aren't the one who arranged this?” Why on earth would we take her. She could be setting us up. Though, since she was our age, how’d she get the snake? How’d she get all the spells and men? No, she didn’t start this but she did know something.
“I'm a kid,” she exclaimed.
“What is your power?” Nobody outright stated their magic. It was taboo. Knowing what power someone else had made it easier to counter them. You could buy spells too, but the magic was innate. Even if she didn’t tell us, I had an answer of sorts.
She growled. “We don’t have time for this.”
“What is your power?”
“I can control animals.”
Matt gasped. “The wolves were yours?”
She nodded. “That’s why they didn't attack. I was just trying to scare you.”
“Well, it worked,” Matt grumbled. He kicked the dirt.
“Did you do the déjà vu spell too?”
She nodded.
“Why stop me?”
“It wasn't to stop you. It was to stop people from going to your house. I placed them all around to protect you.”
“Didn't work very well, did it?”
“I tried.”
For some reason, I believed her. I glanced at Ian who shrugged. Matt had his arms crossed and studied her openly. For my sake or his, I didn’t know.
“Ok, let’s go.”
“Where is the book.”
“It is in the crypt. The area is spelled. You have to know where to go to get there, even if you have a general direction. My dad brings me here every so often so I know the way. It’s my birthright.”
Jamie stood beside me, and Matt bound in front of us. “This is actually kind of cool, guys...and girl.”
Chapter Nine
For a cemetery, it wasn’t what most people expected. It kind of looked like a park. It was a little-known fact that witches, when they died, were cremated so that their bones couldn’t be used for nefarious purposes. Thus, they were burned and buried under pavers with names and for the older witch families in the coven, glamoured crypts. To people without magic, it was just a cobblestone path through a well-manicured park with benches and big oak trees. Rows of flowers lined the path--red, yellow, white puffy ones of some kind. I’d also always thought a cemetery would smell old and deathly. This one smelled of flowers. Old flowers.
I love it here.
“The crypt is just past those trees.”
“Okay.”
The family tomb itself was non-descript. Red brick with white piping. Nothing about it stood out from the rest of the park. That was sort of the point. It resembled the main office of the cemetery itself. We did have some white roses out front. Mom loved roses. It was her favorite plant. They were in bloom now and were beautiful.
A simple white door marked the entrance. Unfortunately, as we got closer, I saw that the entrance was guarded. Two men in black suits stood on either side on the building on the sides. They had no visible weapons, but they kept glancing around them as if expecting trouble. There was a radio on their belts that occasionally squealed and emitted gibberish.
“Guards?” Matt squeaked. “Big guys too. We can't do this. Let’s head home and get your mom.”
Ian grabbed Matt's arm, stopping him from leaving. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Jamie pushed her way in front of us. “They are not here to stop you. I think they are meant to steal the book as you leave the crypt.”
“They are doing a crappy job of hiding.” Ian said.
Matt snorted. “I know right?”
I rolled my eyes “We need to get the guards away from the entrance.” I added.
“How do we do that?” Jamie piped up.
I hated to asked, but, “Ian can you travel through walls yourself?”
Ian grimaced. “I can, but only short distances, and with the magic on the building, I’m not sure. I could end up in a wall or stuck in something if I don't know what’s on the other side. The door would be easier. Most of the time people don’t put furniture in front of the door.”
“What about me? Can you move me through the door?”
Both boys looked at me in question.
“I mean it. Send me through the door. It’s my dad, anyway. This is my quest.”
“Are you crazy?” Matt hissed out the words. The high pitch must have travelled. One of the guards jolted and walked toward us after a word to his friend.
Ian pulled them both backward further behind the tree. “Another plan. Matt, can you distract this guard?
“What?”
“Be quiet,” I whispered. “Both of you.”
“Distract this guard. Jamie, Aidan, and I will slip around the other guard. If we can get to the door, there is much less likelihood of our being thrown into anything.”
“I can't do that.”
“Yes, you can. Just start running back towards Aidan's house and have the guards follow you. Shock them if they get too close.”
Matt back up and shook his head. “I can't.”
The guard was almost to us. Ian grabbed Matt and threw him out from behind the bushes.
Everyone froze.
“Asshole.” Matt whispered to Ian before he from one foot to the other in the middle of the path and then waved. “Hi.”
Both guards started running toward him and Matt took off home.
When the guards got close to our hiding spot we ducked and moved out of sight. After they were past, it was time.
“Let's go.”
Chapter Ten
Jamie, Ian, and I snuck to the doorway. I tried the handle. Locked of course. Made sense. I didn’t really expect the door to be open. But still, my shoulders fell. I guess we would have to do this.
I turned to Ian. “Ready?”
Ian shook himself all over then bobbed his chin. “Yeah.”
“Can you do both of us?” Jamie asked.
Why was she sticking around?
Ian glanced at me.
I shrugged.
“Yes,” he said.
The guards’ voices grew closer. They must have turned around.
Dang it.
“Hurry.”
Ian raised his hands, his eyes drifted closed. One second, we were outside the door. The next, we were careening forward. I hit the floor, and Jamie tumbled on top of me.
Ian followed a second later and landed on top of us both.
“Get off me.”
Jamie shoved Ian right and his back hit a desk. Something rolled off and hit the floor.
Crap.
I held my breath.
Ian shoved up his glasses and mouthed “Sorry.”
Nobody came through the door. My shoulders relaxed. What was I thinking? The door was locked. Jamie even said they weren't there to stop us, at least not until after I got the book. But why post the guards? None of this made sense.
The dim lighting made it hard to tell, but the crypt appeared to be an office. How about that. I stood up and let my eyes adjust to the dark.
“Do you think we can turn on the light?”
“I’m sure the windows are spelled. People are paranoid.”
True.
I felt along the edge of a desk on my right then moved my hands across it surface. A desk lamp sat next to the computer. I flicked it on and a dim glow filled the room.
“Better.” Ian said. He kept his voice low just in case.
The desk looked ancient like some old apothecary table with all these tiny drawers and the lamp was a twist one. Odd. At least twenty years out of date. No computer. I saw what I felt was a platform for a book, without the book.
All the walls were covered in bookcases and various knickknacks.A hand mirror, dolls, and a vase. I s
aw a crystal with something moving inside. Was that a fairy? When I looked closer it was only glitter maybe? Creepy.
“So, we’re in an office.”
“This office is weird,” Jamie said. She’d picked up a book and was thumbing through the pages. “This tome is ancient with a ton of spells, some of them aren’t class specific either. This would be pretty awesome to try.”
Ian glared at her.
I grabbed the book from her hands. “This is not a scavenger hunt and these are my family spells. No touching. We have to get to the next level. The office is on top of the crypt.”
“So, where is the entrance to the actual crypt?”
“Um.” I gestured to the wall. “My dad went to the bookcase over there.”
“You don’t know.” Ian blinked at me. With his glasses, the movement made him look like an owl.
“No, it's not like my dad showed me how to enter. He only made sure I knew the way here. I’m too young to start taking on the tasks of protecting the items in here per him.”
“Well that is less important now. You have to save him.”
“Yeah.”
I touched the case and, in a flash, knew what I had to do, but at the same time, something told me that what I was about to do would change everything.
Again, this was big. Was I sure I could, would, should do this? My hand hovered over the right books. All I would have to do to start this process would be push or I could lie and we don’t go forward. Then my father would die. I couldn’t have that.
Whatever happened, I would deal with the consequence.
I tugged the book forward and opened it. Inside was an old-fashioned brass key. I pulled the rest of the books off the shelves and there was the keyhole.
“Here.”
Jamie and Ian drifted over as we took the first steps on the true adventure of the night. Time to explore the crypt.
And as the door opened, we saw stairs into parts unknown.
Chapter Eleven
You couldn’t see the bottom from the very old ornate stairways. No rust on the metal but still rickety and narrow. This had to be unsafe. My mom was going to kill me for doing this.
“Does anyone have a flashlight?”
“Sorry,” Jamie replied. “I forgot to pack one.”
Ian chuckled.
“We need light down there.”
“Check the desk.”
I reached into the right desk drawer and found a knife. The drawer Jamie opened had a flashlight. Not bad.
“Is there another knife in there, Aidan?” Ian asked.
“I didn’t see one.”
He checked the desk himself just in case. That kind of guy. When he reached in, he pulled out rope, no knife. But the rope hadn’t been there when I checked earlier.
Huh.
“Hold the drawer open.” I peered inside and saw nothing like what I’d seen earlier before. No files, no pencils etc. It was like the drawer gave you what you needed. Interesting. I really should come explore this area later.
Jamie sighed. “Enough wasting time, guys. We need to get downstairs and get this book.”
I guess there was no putting it off. Down into whatever awaited us downstairs.
Ian took the lead and I held up the back. We went down one by one. At the base of the stairs there was only darkness until Jamie turned on the flashlight. It provided a cone of light, but the dark waited with eager claws to claim us.
Ian took a step forward.
“Wait. “Jamie grabbed a hold of Ian's shirt, just barely holding him in place.
The ground moved down and away then drifted back. Faint letters glowed gold in the light. Blocks of letters pulsed in a moving pattern along the floor.
“What is this?” Ian put his back against the wall. I forgot he was afraid of heights.
“I’ve heard of these.” Jamie said. “They are kind of like a word search.” She brought her flashlight down to shine on the letters. “You find the right letters and they will line up to spell a word.”
“What word?” Ian asked.
Jamie frowned at him. “I don’t know. It is caster specific.”
The letters caught my eyes and a phrase drifted through my mind. “Palma non sine pulvere.”
“What?” Ian asked.
“It’s something my dad always told me. Palma non sine pulvere. No reward without effort.” Dare to try, the only way to succeed. The family motto. Again, we were big on mantras in my family.
“Its your families crypt and spell so that makes sense.” Jamie said. “Try it.”
I swallowed hard and then stepped on the letter P and it didn't move.
Jamie stepped into the same spot and the brick dropped out from under us. Ian pulled both of us to safety.
“One at a time maybe?”
I went to P then to A. Jamie stepped on the P and it started to drop.
My block remained stable.
“This is my quest. Let me get to the other side and see what I can do.
Ian nodded and Jamie looked worried.
“I got this.”
I turned back.
A, and then L, M, and A. Then there was a jump to the N. I stretched and got the corner of my foot on it before it started moving further away. I threw myself forward to catch it and fell onto the letters in front of the N. Luckily it was the O-N-S that I needed.
I glanced back at Ian and let out a relieved breath. He nodded and gave me a thumbs up. Jamie had her hand over her mouth.
This was stressful.
What was the rest of the phrase. Palma non sine Pulvere. Where was the rest of the letters?
Oh, great, another leap. I had a three-block lead to get a bit of steam. I backed up and did a running jump to the next three letters, I-N-E. They remained stable. That left the last word in the corner. I just needed to remember if is was pulver or pulevere?
When I got to the end of the room. I saw three large blocks on the ground. They all looked alike except subtle difference in the images on the blocks. Good think I knew my family crest. I pressed the middle block and the room shook. A hoverboard popped out by each door and the room shortened with a squeal.
Jamie screamed and held onto Ian. Ian glanced at me.
“Throw me your rope, Ian. I think I can use it to pull you the rest of the way.”
Ian made a lasso. It was one of his favorite things to do and threw it to me. I caught it in the air and pulled it to me with my magic. I hooked it to one of the blocks.
“Now hook it to your block.”
Ian complied then stared at me.
“You need to get on the hoverboard, genius.”
They jumped on their block and I used the rope to pull them across the room over the letters. The room spun and Jamie and Ian were right next to me.
Ian slapped my shoulder. “That was intense.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Boys, we need to keep going, not gloat and giggle,” Jamie said.
Ian made a face at her behind her back and I hid a smile.
“You’re right.” I opened the door and stepped through the doorway.
Chapter Twelve
Holy Moley, it was a roomful of dogs. Big dogs. Looked like wolves. Given my earlier encounter, I really didn’t like them. Not that I ever have. Well, they were kind of cool, but scary.
I froze. My heart skipped a beat then resumed at a gallop. I didn't realize I'd backed up until my butt hit the door.
Ian gasped next to me. “Cats!”
“Spiders,” Jamie whispered.
Jamie whimpered. Ian swallowed hard.
Wait! What?
“What do you see?” I whispered.
“Cats.”
“Spiders.”
“But how? I see wolves...”
Jamie’s eyes sparked. “Confusion spell.”
“But those are placed on objects.” My skin crawled. “What is really here?”
I took a brave step forward.
The wolves growled and drifted clos
er.
Jamie reached out and grabbed my hand. “Don't, they’re moving.”
“Do you see it too, Ian.”
His voice barely audible, Ian muttered, “Yes.”
“So, something’s there. It can hear us if we talk loud or when we move.”
“I don't think whatever it is can see us. Hear that chittering sound? That is echolocation. Blind people use it to see.”
“So we move quietly passed them?”
“Worth a shot.”
Ian grabbed my shoulder standing to my left, Jamie hugged my right. We crept forward an inch at a time. Funny how things seemed so much further away when you are inching toward them.
The first wolf drift past us toward the right.
Jamie put her head against my shoulder and squeezed my hand so hard it started to go numb. Ian's hand tightened on my shoulder. The dog didn’t attack.
I took a soundless breath.
I looked behind me at Ian and nodded.
The next wolf passed on the left. It lifted its head and sniffed.
We stopped on a dime.
I twisted so I could see the animal. It snuffled and slipped closer. Ian was now at my side. I saw his eyes widen.
Oh, this wasn’t good. He covered his mouth with his hand.
Shoot.
Ian was allergic to cats.
A sneeze busted out of him in an explosion of sound.
Jamie swore next to me.
The animals eye's flared.
“Run,” I screamed.
Chapter Thirteen
The next room appeared empty. White walls, white floor, white ceiling, no real smell, and a weird echo. Or maybe that was the sound of silence.
I turned to Ian, comment on my lips, but he wasn’t there.
I spun, my stomach dropped. Jamie either. Neither of them followed me. Shazbot. I was alone.
“Ian. Jamie.” I called out. No response.
I stepped forward. The room was so white, it was hard to tell the dimensions of the room. My steps thudded along the floor. It almost sounded like someone sneaking up on me. I twisted around in a circle. All the white made me dizzy, or maybe I was hyperventilating. I sat on the floor.
Quest for the Enchanted Book Page 3
