The Book of Spells

by Kate Brian

  “Repeat after me,” Catherine said. “Spirits from the other side, let your wisdom be my guide, show me the place where this person hides.”

  Eliza reached out and took Catherine’s hand in her own.

  “Say it with me,” she said. “I know it will work better if you do.”

  “Okay,” Catherine replied with a smile, as if flattered.

  The two girls held hands, closed their eyes, and recited the incantation.

  “Spirits from the other side, let your wisdom be my guide, show me the place where this person hides.”

  A light breeze blew Eliza’s hair from her face, and her breath caught. She felt suddenly dizzy, and she wrenched her eyes open in an attempt to steady herself. As she watched, the crystal began to spin above the bowl of its own accord. Eliza clung to Catherine to get her bearings. After a moment, she was able to focus on the miraculous things happening before her.

  The crystal spun in a wider and wider circle, and the water in the bowl began to ripple.

  “Are they . . . are the pebbles moving?” Eliza gasped, leaning closer as the blue stones at the bottom of the bowl began to jiggle and jerk.

  Catherine nodded, her lips pressed together giddily as she held tightly to Eliza’s hand. “It’s really working!”

  Then, ever so suddenly, the pebbles arranged themselves at the base of the bowl, the water stopped rippling, and the crystal hung straight. Its tip pointed down at the water like an arrow. Eliza’s heart was in her throat. She could scarcely believe what she’d just seen.

  “I don’t understand,” Catherine said. “What does this mean?”

  Eliza bent closer to the water, narrowing her eyes as she began to detect a shape among the pebbles. An image came to her: three thick, winding limbs attached close to the base of a trunk—heavy branches, laden with leaves, hanging almost to the ground. “Is that . . . ? Yes! It is! It looks just like the old elm!”

  Catherine grabbed the sides of the bowl with both hands and stared. “You’re right!”

  “Do you think Harrison’s out there right now?” Eliza asked, barely able to believe what she was saying.

  Catherine snatched the crystal from Eliza’s hand and tossed it in the long box, then threw the whole thing back under her bed. The two girls clasped hands and ran down the hallway, nearly flattening Lavender, who was on her way to her room. They laughed as they tripped down the stairs and out the front door, then raced around the back of Crenshaw House to the garden that had been the site of one of their first punishments. Eliza sprinted to the tree, expecting to see Harrison’s blond hair gleaming in the sunlight.

  But he wasn’t there.

  “I suppose it was too good to be true,” Eliza said, her shoulders slumping.

  “The spirits would not have led us to the wrong place.” Catherine strode forward, ducking beneath one of the lower-hanging branches. Eliza watched her, amused. Did she think she was going to find Harrison hanging from the limbs?

  “Eliza!” Catherine said, her word but a gasp. “Come quickly!”

  Startled, Eliza rushed forward and ducked down. Catherine was holding a piece of white parchment in her shaking hand. “I found this tucked into one of the knots in the trunk.”

  “Well?” Eliza prompted. “Open it!”

  “But it’s for you.” Catherine held the paper out to Eliza.

  Holding her breath, Eliza took the parchment. Inside she found a short note, written in familiar, masculine handwriting. She read it out loud to Catherine.

  Eliza,

  Would you do me the honor of meeting me this evening in the woods just south of Billings Chapel? I’ll be waiting for you at midnight.

  Yours,

  Harrison Knox

  The word yours brought a warm blush to Eliza’s cheeks.

  “Thank you, Catherine. I never would have found this without you.” She stepped toward her friend. “There’s something I should tell you. That book? The one I received our second day here? It wasn’t from my father. It was from Harrison. I’m sorry I lied.”

  “I understand,” Catherine replied. “How could you have known to trust me back then?” She reached for Eliza’s hand and squeezed it. “But I hope you know you can trust me now.”

  Eliza grinned. “I trust you above anyone, Catherine White.”

  She was just about to fold the note and tuck it away in the pocket of her skirt when she caught a glimpse through the thick leaves of someone rapidly approaching. She froze.

  “Miss Eliza?”

  Eliza’s heart dropped. “Helen? Is that you?”

  Helen ducked under the low branches and stood next to Eliza, her hands folded in front of her skirt. She glanced at Catherine, then at the piece of parchment trembling in Eliza’s hand. Her face went ashen, and she took a step back.

  “Mr. Harrison Knox sent word through one of the Easton servants that he had left something for you at the tree,” Helen said. “I was to give you the message. How did you know it was—”

  She stopped abruptly as Eliza and Catherine exchanged a look.

  “Oh. I see,” she said, her tone shifting completely.

  Eliza felt as if she had been kicked in the chest. What, exactly, did Helen see?

  “Aren’t Harrison Knox and Theresa Billings betrothed?” Helen asked.

  Eliza’s skin burned. She opened her mouth to speak, but Catherine stepped up and touched her arm, stopping her. “Our affairs are none of your concern, Helen,” she said. “You’ve delivered your message. Kindly leave us.”

  Helen’s face hardened as she dipped into a quick curtsy. “Yes, Miss White.”

  Then she ducked under the branches and was gone.

  Suddenly Eliza’s breath was coming at an alarming rate. She looked at the ground and fought to calm it, pressing one hand against the comforting strength of a thick tree limb.

  “Are you all right, Eliza?” Catherine asked.

  “You needn’t have spoken to her that way,” Eliza replied, bringing Harrison’s note to her chest. “I think you’ve upset her.”

  “Well, as much as I like the girl, she has no right to judge you,” Catherine replied, supporting Eliza with an arm around her back. “No one does.”

  Eliza took a deep breath in through her nose and blew it out through her mouth. “You don’t think she’ll tell Theresa, do you?” Eliza asked, looking off in the direction in which Helen had disappeared.

  “I don’t know. She didn’t tell on us before, but who knows if her discretion or her loyalty to the Billings family will win out?”

  Eliza nodded and rolled her shoulders back, trying to appear collected, but that look in Helen’s eyes had unnerved her. She had a feeling that Helen Jennings was not a good person to have as an enemy. And she hoped the young maid hadn’t just become one.

  A Blessing

  Eliza’s hands fidgeted with the folds of the skirt on her favorite navy blue dress, the one with the buttons all up the side of the sleeves and the wide boatneck collar that showed off her gold locket perfectly. Harrison was going to love it. If he ever got a chance to see her in it.

  “Here’s a good one!” Theresa announced from behind the podium at the center of the temple. “The Genius Spell.”

  It was Theresa who had called this last-minute meeting of the coven, then announced to the others that they were going to go through the book of spells, page by page, and make a list of the next ten spells they would try. The other members of the coven were all gathered around in a circle, seated in rickety wooden chairs they had lugged down from the storage closet. Marilyn yawned, which caused Genevieve to yawn as well. Jane, Bia, and Viola were focused on Theresa, but Clarissa looked bored as she gazed up at the ceiling, and Lavender and Catherine were both working on literature homework at Eliza’s side.

  “It will make you all-knowing for twelve hours,” Theresa continued. “I’d say that’s long enough to take a history exam, no?”

  “Oh, I like that one!” Jane announced, raising her hand.

  “B
ut that’s cheating!” Clarissa protested, dropping her booted feet to the floor and leaning forward. “We can’t use that.”

  “Maybe you can’t, but I will,” Viola said with a sniff, tugging on the lace cuffs of her sleeves. “Just because you’re a genius every day doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the chance to experience it for ourselves.” She raised her head, sitting up perfectly straight on her chair.

  “All in favor of the Genius Spell?” Theresa asked.

  Everyone but Catherine, Eliza, and Clarissa raised their hands. Theresa surveyed the room and made a quick note. Eliza glanced quickly at her delicate gold watch, and her heart lurched. It was already eleven forty-five. In fifteen minutes, Harrison would be standing out in the woods, waiting for her. She reached into her pocket for his note, intending to check it again to make sure she was right about the time, but her fingers felt nothing but fabric. Her heart skipped a beat and she dug deeper, but there was nothing there. Her pocket was empty. The note was gone.

  Instantly, Eliza looked up at Theresa. Theresa was gazing right at her, a smirk on her face. The entire room seemed to darken as Eliza felt a bull’s-eye form on her chest. Had Theresa found the note? Did she know? Was that why she’d called this impromptu meeting?

  Guilt pressed in on Eliza from all sides. She was, after all, planning a clandestine meeting with another girl’s fiancé. Whatever her bond with Harrison, his engagement to Theresa was a fact. Maybe she shouldn’t be doing this. Maybe she had let herself get caught up in the romance of it too quickly.

  “All right, then, the Genius Spell is on our list with a vote of eight yeses and three nos,” Theresa announced.

  She made a final tick on her notes, then looked back at Eliza. “I notice you haven’t voted yes once, Eliza,” she said perkily. “What are you waiting for? Are you in the mood for something more creative? Because the next one will apparently make a painting come to life.”

  The other girls giggled, and Eliza shifted in her seat. She felt warm all over—conspicuous. “I suppose I just haven’t found any of the spells worthwhile.”

  “Oh, really? And here I thought you were being sullen just because this was my idea,” Theresa said, turning fully to face her. “No one likes a spoilsport, Eliza.”

  Jane gasped, and Viola whispered something to her behind her hand. All eyes darted between Eliza and Theresa. Eliza sat up straight, her guilt slowly beginning to ebb. “I’m not being a spoilsport. I just think there are better things we could be doing with our time.”

  Like meeting Harrison, she thought. Catherine closed her book and glanced at her two friends warily.

  “What is it with you Williams girls?” Theresa said, throwing a hand up and letting it slap down on the podium. “Why do you think the entire world must revolve around what you think?”

  Eliza’s face burned as the girls all gaped at her. This was the last straw. She had to get out of this basement and away from this awful girl, and she had to do it now. Across the room, Bia whispered to Viola, and suddenly a plan came to Eliza.

  “I’m sorry, Theresa,” she said, making her voice all breathy, the way Bia’s always sounded just before she went faint. “I don’t believe the world must revolve around me. I’m just . . . I’m having a hard time concentrating tonight.”

  “Are you?” Theresa asked, with what seemed to be false surprise.

  “Yes. In fact, I’m not feeling very well,” Eliza stated. “I’m feeling a bit . . . dizzy.”

  “Oh, no!” Bia jumped up, suddenly wide awake, and crouched down in front of Eliza’s chair, taking her hand. “Don’t faint, Eliza!”

  “Take some deep breaths,” Marilyn added helpfully, getting up to stand next to her chair.

  “She’s not going to faint,” Theresa said, stepping away from the podium. Her red skirt swished around her ankles, making a gratingly raspy noise.

  “Yes, she is! Dizziness always precedes fainting,” Bia said over her shoulder. “I should know.”

  “She’s right. Bia faints more than anyone else I know,” Lavender stated.

  Suddenly all the girls were on their feet and gathering around Eliza.

  “You should get some fresh air, Eliza,” Catherine said, laying her books aside, obviously catching on to Eliza’s plan. “Everyone step back and give her some room to breathe.”

  “Yes, I think I’ll just go back to Crenshaw House and lie down,” Eliza said as Catherine pretended to help her to the door. “The walk might do me some good.”

  “You shouldn’t go alone,” Theresa said, dipping down to retrieve her leather carryall. “I’ll come with you.”

  Eliza’s heart skipped a panicked beat and she looked at Catherine. “I’ll go with her,” Catherine blurted right away. “You have your votes to tend to.”

  “Thank you, Catherine,” Eliza said, sounding as weak as she could. Before Theresa could reply, Catherine and Eliza had started up the winding staircase toward the empty pastor’s office up above.

  “Let’s talk about this moving painting spell,” Clarissa said down below. “Do the subjects come to life as three-dimensional beings or two-dimensional pictures?”

  Eliza and Catherine closed the door behind them at the top of the stairs and laughed. The windows of the chaplain’s office rattled in the strong wind that had been blowing all evening.

  “Thank you!” Eliza said, drawing her friend into a hug.

  “I’ll hide up here for a few minutes, then come back saying I’ve delivered you to the front door of Crenshaw,” Catherine replied, her eyes bright.

  Eliza gave her friend one last hug before she went. “Thank you, Catherine, truly. I couldn’t be doing this without you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Catherine replied. “Now go! I’ll see you back at our room, and you can tell me all about it.”

  As she raced through the chapel and out into the moonlit night, Eliza knew that of all the blessings she had in her life, Catherine White was one of the greatest.

  Irredeemable

  It wasn’t until Eliza had crossed into the woods just south of the chapel that she realized she had no idea where she was going. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, and Eliza looked up anxiously at the sky. How far into the woods would Harrison be waiting? Would he be directly to the south, or somewhat east or west of the chapel entrance? Would she make it to him before the storm broke? She paused a few feet along one of the dirt paths that crisscrossed the woods and took a breath. The trees and bushes were being tossed by the wind, rustling and crackling, making it difficult to focus. Her heart rate was already accelerated with the anticipation of seeing Harrison. She had to calm down. She had to think.

  What would Catherine do?

  The answer came to her in an instant. Scry. But could she do it on her own? Another rumble of thunder sounded so close, it made Eliza flinch. The truth was, she didn’t have much choice. Alone she was.

  Closing her eyes and ignoring the sliver of fear that ran down her spine, Eliza concentrated on a mental picture of Harrison. She didn’t have the pebbles or the water, the crystal or the glove, but she had an intense desire within her, and she hoped that would be enough. At the last moment, she decided to change the words slightly, hoping the specificity might help.

  “Spirits from the other side, let your wisdom be my guide, take me to the place where Harrison hides.”

  Suddenly raindrops started to drop all around her, drizzling onto her shoulders and back. Eliza felt the dizziness that seemed to accompany more complicated spell-casting, and she leaned a hand against the nearest tree until it passed. She tilted her face toward the sky, letting the raindrops cool her and bring her back to herself. Once she felt steady again, Eliza opened her eyes, unsure of what to expect. A sudden wind hit her from behind, tossing her hair in front of her face and tripping her forward.

  Eliza gripped the tree and hesitated. Was this just more wind brought by the storm, or was this something else? She closed her eyes and concentrated. The wind whipped at her from behind, so ha
rd she could barely keep her grasp on the tree bark. When she looked around again, she saw that the underbrush was being flattened in the opposite direction. That was the wind from the storm. This wind, the wind at her back, was something else entirely. This wind was leading her to Harrison.

  Biting her lip in excitement, Eliza followed the breeze. Soon she came to a fork in the path, and suddenly the wind shifted. Her hair blew across her face to the right, tickling her cheekbones and making her giggle. The rain, meanwhile, grew harder and more persistent, pounding on the leaves and branches above. Luckily the branches and leaves protected Eliza from the worst of the deluge. As she took the designated pathway, she was still relatively dry. Only a few drops here and there were visible on her dress.

  Eliza walked a few paces and came to a large boulder, tall, white, and wide. When she came around the side of the boulder, she found Harrison Knox seated on a long, flat outcropping of the rock. He scrambled to his feet, and immediately the wind died down.

  Eliza’s heart pounded. Magic was becoming rather useful in her life.

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d come,” Harrison said. “Especially in this weather.”

  He stepped forward and took her hand. He was dressed in a suit of brown tweed, a green-and-blue tie loosely knotted around his throat. The color combination somehow made him appear boyish—innocent. His blond hair was slightly wet from the rain, making it appear darker than usual.

  “Of course I came.” The smile on her face was so broad, it ached.

  “Eliza . . . I can’t stop thinking about you,” Harrison said earnestly.

  The pitter-patter of the rain on the leaves above abated slightly, but another rumble of thunder sounded.

  Eliza closed her eyes, letting his words wash over her. “Nor I, you,” she said, looking up at him again.

  His handsome face broke into a grin.

  “But what about Theresa?” she forced herself to ask. She didn’t want to, but she had to know how Harrison felt about his betrothed.