Was this real?
“Anyone there?”
My voice echoed back.
Maybe I was inside my own mind. Didn't they have a scene like that in Harry Potter? If this was my mind though, I really needed to read more books. Hopefully, it wasn't this empty.
Laughter filled the room.
“Empty.”
The word came out of nowhere and everywhere.
I lay back on the floor and stared upward.
On the ceiling. There. The room flipped.
Before me stood my father.
“Dad.” I ran to grab him, but he kept getting further away.
No, wait, he wasn’t my father, too big. And what was up with the clothes? Lacy cuffs under a black blazer and tight pants. So not his style, not anyone’s style anymore, in this century anyway.
“Not your father. Your father's father's father.”
Um. “Great grandfather.”
“Plus a few.”
Huh. Smart alec relatives.
“I believe you are the smart acre here, young man.”
Telepath.
“Yes.”
Uh oh. What had I been thinking? Nothing stupid I don’t think.
“No.”
“My father is ill, poisoned. I need the book.”
“Are you capable of understanding the repercussions of your actions?
“Of course.” Maybe.
Great grandfather laughed. “I don't think so, not yet, but you will be.”
“So, you’re going to give it to me then? I have to save my dad.”
“I’m going to give you the chance to prove to me you deserve it.”
Oh-kay. “So how do I do that?”
“I’m going to ask you a series of questions. Answer them as truthfully as you can. I will know otherwise.”
“Okay.”
“If you were to have a spell that made you irresistible to the opposite sex. Would you use it?”
“Why would I need to?”
My greaty-great laughed.
“What if you have a spell that gave you unlimited money.”
“I would use it to help at the hospital where mom works. Money not earned is for everyone.”
“Very good.”
“What about smiting your enemies? You will find out on this quest who poisoned your father. What would you do if you could do anything?”
“I don’t--I don’t know.” This one was hard. I wanted to make them pay. They threatened his life, but I knew the witches code. Do no harm. “I don’t know.”
My greaty-great laughed. “Honest. Good. At least good enough to try.”
“Does that mean I get the book?”
“No, it means that you earned the right to try to get it. The tome is enchanted and choses who can use it. You must pass that test before getting the book.”
“If I were to give the book to someone else in return for my dad’s safety, what would happen?”
“I don’t know. That is something you must seriously think about. Family spells are long and involved and can be life altering. You should not sue them lightly. Think, young Miers.”
The wall behind me started to glow.
“Time for your test.”
Chapter Fourteen
I passed through the curtain of light and entered a final room. One big cone of a room that narrowed to a desk in the middle and on that desk sat a lone book.
Given all the trouble we'd gone through to get here. I expected it to be made of gold. It wasn't. It was a plain notebook, black leather cover. Our last name on the front like any number of notebooks. All this trouble for one little book. It wasn’t even a thick book. Barely qualified as more than a notepad.
I put my hand on the cover.
Heat met my fingers and I pulled back.
My skin was red and started to form a blister before my eyes. How would I pick it up?
Duh, telekinetic.
I used my powers and tried to lift it.
And nothing. Didn’t work.
I still had the knife, I put that under the book and tried to lift it with that. Did not work. Didn’t budge. It was like the book weighed a ton. I put my hand over the book again and saw how close until it got hot. I pulled the knife out from under the book and, shit, cut myself. And I was bleeding on the book. Suddenly my hand got heavy and settled over the cover of the book.
Heat shot down my hand. Searing pain. My skin starting coming off. I could feel it burning. My knees buckled and fingers curled, but I couldn’t lift my palm. My back bowed and I started to sweat. I hadn’t realized but I was screaming until suddenly the pain stopped and my throat hurt.
Just like that. It was done. I raised my hand and saw my family name scrawled on the palm. The letters smooth and healed, nor swollen and sore like a new tattoo. Weird. I closed my fingers and felt the edges of the words scrawled there. Miers.
When I went to pick up the book there was no heat anymore. I put my hand back over the cover and whoosh, I was gone.
My mind wandered. I saw forests far away. Trees and boats and sand. Floating, I flew everywhere and nowhere. I saw people dying in the street. Over in seconds. I saw people rising up. Herding others in cities. I saw vampires. I saw weres. I saw fairies and witches and everything we all thought wasn’t real standing in the sun, in places I’d seen. Home and others I heard of, the Eiffel Tower. Pyramids. Everywhere. A fairy tale come to life and death with screaming, running, pain.
Bright light.
I was on the floor, back in the room, and I had the book in my lap.
I stood up, no worse for wear, except for my fancy new hand tattoo, and ran to get my friends. What was that? A vision?
My head hurt but I needed to get out of here. I burst through the door. The white room was empty. A few more meters.
Chapter Fifteen
Jamie and Ian were huddled on the other side of the door waiting for me. Jamie had her light out. Holding the animals at bay. I could see that what we all saw as different animals was actually a squirrel-sized, mouse-like creature.
Ian hugged me. “Glad you’re back.”
Jamie peaked and nodded at me before aiming her flashlight at the animals when they moved.
“What is this?”
Ian pushed up his glasses and stepped back. “They’re shrews. Jamie remembered a spell and released the glamour on them.”
“These look like moles to me.” Jamie muttered.
Ian pointed at Jamie. “I told you they were shrews.”
“Isn’t that a type of mole?” she replied.
“No, well, I don’t know. I don’t think so. Who cares anyways?” Ian threw up his hands.
“I do. I am a geek, get over it. I love animals,” Jamie said.
Ian adjusted his glasses and pulled down his shirt turning back to me. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“I got the book.” I held it up as proof, hiding my scar.
“Good, that means we can get the hell out of here.”
We got to the bricks. At lease this time I didn’t have to do it backward. We were to the office in a jiffy.
The big question now was were the guards still outside? And what to do if they were.
We all stopped at the top of the stairs.
“Are we all thinking the same thing?” Jamie asked.
“I’m wondering if the guards are there and what to do if they ask for the book.”
Ian rolled up his rope and put it back in the desk. “I’m wondering if we should give them the book.”
“I’m wondering if they will even ask or if they will hurt us,” Jamie said.
“The book showed me a lot of scary things. Magic. Lands, powers, people.” I rubbed my hands down my pants. “Things are about to change majorly and I don’t know if it is because of what we do or if it is just something that will happen, but I do know that we need to be ready.”
“Okay,” Jamie agreed. “but what about now.”
“We can’t hide in here all night. My mom’s go
ing to be frantic. We have to go outside. I have to save my dad…but I can’t give them the book. It’s too powerful. Maybe the cure for my dad is in the book.”
“Maybe,” Ian said. “But as Jamie said. What about now?”
Jamie shifted from one foot to the other. “I wish we had phones.”
“You know cells don’t work in the coven.” Ian said.
“That doesn’t mean I can’t wish for one.”
True.
“Okay, time to leave.”
‘So open the door or have Ian use magic and try to run for it?”
“I say Ian uses magic and we slip out the back.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Unfortunately, the guards figured out our genius plan. As we tumbled to the grass outside, the guard ran up and sprayed us with something. And we were out.
Chapter Sixteen
I woke up in my own bed. Matt sat next me playing Terraria.
“What happened?”
Matt dropped his controlled with a squeal. “You’re up!” He jumped up like a pogo stick. “I have to get your mom. Stay here.”
Where would I go?
Mom strode in alone and came to my bed. She placed her hand on my forehead and I felt a cooling sensation along my skin. I didn’t realize how much my head hurt until if was better.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Good.” I sat up and leaned back against the headboard. I cleared my throat and swallowed. “What happened?”
“Matt ran back. Whoever was chasing him left. We came immediately when we found out what you were doing.” Her hand balled into a fist and she knocked her knuckles on my forehead. “What were you thinking?”
“I had to get the book.”
The book! Where was the book? I glanced around and saw it sitting on my desk.
Wait a minute.
I sat all the way up. Dad!
“Dad.” My stomach churned. “How is he? Where is he?”
Mom pushed me back down. “No. Stay in bed.” She tucked the covers up to my chin. “Your dad is stable.” Her words were guarded.
But. “We got the book. They said they would give dad the cure if they got it.”
Mom dropped her gaze. “You did get the book.”
Her words weren’t a question but I still felt like I had to reply. “Yes.”
She cleared her throat. “They lied.”
My heart dropped.
“No!” I shot out of bed, avoiding my mother’s arms this time but she caught me at the door and pulled me close.
No. Please don’t let him be dead.
I dropped to my knees.“Why?”
“I shouldn't have sent you out of the room. You’re old enough to know. I figured they were lying. They couldn’t give us the cure. Eric would know the counter spells to the ones in the book. It would not benefit them to get the book unless he were to remain incapacitated or dead. Without your dad, they have more power.”
“So, they never meant to cure him?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Water dripped against my chest. My shoulders shook and I gave into the storm of sensation. I started crying. My dad was gone or would be. Everything hurt and I wanted to scream. I wanted to kill them for this.
Mom ran her hand down my head. “But, there is something good. You’re dad is stable. I figured out a spell that puts him in stasis so all we need to do is find the poison so we can counteract it.”
“So he is alive.”
“Yes.”
“And we can save him.”
“Yes.”
“We just need to figure out what poisoned him?”
“Yes.” She nodded again and rested her head on his.
A smile spread across my face. I could do that and I knew just where to start.
Jamie.
We were going to save my dad. I knew it. We would.
About the Author
Colleen plays many roles. Not only is she a veteran, a mother, and a practicing physician, but she is a writer of science fiction and contemporary romances. Colleen's dreams include surviving her son's teenage years, exploring every continent on this planet, except Antarctica, cause that's way too cold, and winning the Nobel peace prize. Dream BIG! Currently, she is working on Distant Memory, the third in her Sci-Fi Romance series.
In the meantime, look for her at https://www.colleensmyers.com
Or check out her newsletter here. https://www.csmyersmusings.com/instafreebie2/
Read More from Colleen S. Myers
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Solum Series
Must Remember ( https://amzn.to/2LRTDAf )
Can't Forget ( https://amzn.to/30fUXQv )
Distant Memory ( https://amzn.to/2LEErpW )
Future's Past (coming soon)
Before the Fall/Rael ( https://amzn.to/2vRygUC )
After the Fall (Coming soon)
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Hometown Heroes
Whole Again ( https://amzn.to/2W2KlF6 )
Each Other's Only (coming September 2019)
Burning Bright (coming January 2020)
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Blood Series
Blood Will Tell ( https://amzn.to/2LEwJfz )
There Will be Blood (coming soon)
Bloody Good (coming soon)
What a Witch! ( https://amzn.to/2E5Isxn )
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Short Stories
Missed Signals ( https://amzn.to/2VTNt6k )
The Dread Hannigan Christmas Story ( free with newsletter sign up!)
Speed Dating ( https://amzn.to/2W2YPEU )
Quest for the Enchanted Book Page 4
