Magic in the Mountains

by Donna Kunkel

  Alex nodded and kept looking out the windshield.

  “The bear in him will want to propagate. Nature drives animals to want to multiply. He is no different. Even as a man, I am sure he wants children or he would have completely isolated himself from others. He would not have created his own little community.”

  Alex thought for a minute. “If we had children, would they be shape-shifters?” Her hands tightened on the steering wheel.

  “Probably. He has a lot of magic in him. I would expect his children will also be strong wizards.” Vale turned in his seat to face her.

  “Even with me not having much?”

  “Even then, but you have more magic in you than you ever gave yourself credit for.”

  “I do? Then why didn’t I do better at school?” She quickly glanced over.

  “Your powers had not fully developed. It would have been better if you had waited to come when you were an adult.”

  “Then why didn’t I?”

  “Your parents did not want you to be left out. They wanted you to attend Aspen Glen like your siblings.”

  Alex stayed silent for a few minutes. “They were right. I would have resented it if they hadn’t let me come as a kid.”

  “Most children from wizarding families feel that way, so we take them unless they show no abilities or very little. In these cases, it would be harder on them than not going.”

  “I can see that.” She stayed quiet for another minute and loosened her grip. “So, if I went back over the class material, I’d do better?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then maybe I should also come to school this summer and relearn everything?”

  “No, you only need to practice. And can you imagine how hard it would be for Mr. Davis and the other students if you were there. Especially since you already know how to do most of the spells.”

  “I guess.” She stayed silent another minute. “You’re losing your touch. I’ve never known you to take so long to convince someone to do something.”

  “Usually a student is thrilled to find out that magic is real.”

  “True. Steve hasn’t been thrilled.”

  “At least he knows why he can turn now, thanks to you.”

  “Do you think he’ll continue past the first year?” She glanced over again.

  “I hope so.”

  “He said he hates school.”

  “Aspen Glen is different.”

  Alex smiled when she remembered how she’d enjoyed being there. It was only when she went to college that she felt out of place. Why would she ever want to not use magic? Obviously, she wasn’t thinking clearly.

  “I would hate to lose someone like Mr. Davis. He has a unique talent.” Vale shifted back and watched the mountains pass by.

  “How?”

  “I have never heard of anyone shifting without using a spell or wand—to be a natural. A bear is an unusual shape to take. Most wizards become cats or dogs.”

  “Could the dragon eggs be the reason he picked this valley to live in?”

  “I believe so. I think they have an influence on him. After all, he spends time in that cave when he is a bear.” Vale pointed to the next exit. “Why not stop and get a quick bite to eat. I never get fast food at the school. Do not get me wrong, the food there is excellent. I just miss sinking my teeth into a juicy burger.”

  Alex tapped her fingers on the steering wheel while she exited the highway. Steve would have turned into his bear by now. The moment she turned the car off she grabbed Vale’s arm. “The unicorn. Will he be safe in the cave if Steve is a bear?”

  He looked at her. “Unicorns have a magic all their own. He will be safe. He probably has a calming effect on all animals, not just people.”

  As they ate their greasy burgers and fries, Alex looked at a photo on the wall of a bear standing on a rock, looking out over an open meadow. She quickly whispered, “I’m the reason Steve started turning early. Aren’t I?”

  Vale dipped some fries in his pile of ketchup and inspected them without ever looking at her. He stuffed the fries into his mouth. “These are great, aren’t they?”

  Another contraction. Vale was letting her know without saying a word. She thought back to her conversations over the last few weeks. Steve had been distancing himself because his bear was awake. He didn’t want to endanger her. And she was the reason why. She looked at Vale. He was watching her every expression. Her face probably said everything she was thinking and sometimes she swore he could read her mind.

  “You know, it never fails to astound me what happens when two people fall in love. They change in oh so many ways,” he said.

  It was amazing how he could tell you something without ever telling you—a gift all its own. She whispered, “I caused him to change that one day, and I was standing right there. He could have hurt me without meaning to, and I didn’t have my wand with me to protect me. It’s no wonder he’s been avoiding me.”

  “He shifted last year and the year before. He will keep shifting until he can manage to control it. That is the nature of a shifter.” He reached out and patted her hand. “Have faith that everything will work out.” He picked up his burger and took a big bite.

  The rest of the way back to Denver, they kept the conversation on other things. When she pulled up to The Dirty Dog, he said, “It has been an honor, Ms. Klein. I will stay in touch so we can figure out when it is the best time to move the eggs to Aspen Glen. I do not know of another location that is as well guarded. Until then…” He waved and entered the building.

  As she drove the rest of the way home, the day’s events kept running through her mind. At least Steve was willing to try school. She’d have to keep positive that the magic would enable him to not shift. Otherwise, he’d refuse to keep seeing her. He’d do anything within his power to keep her out of danger. She’d have to convince him that this was the right path or else lose him.

  Chapter 28

  Two weeks after Principal Vale’s visit, Alex got a call from Steve. “I can’t figure out who can look after my animals if I’m gone all summer. Peter can do the occasional day, but he isn’t up to a whole summer.”

  “I can,” Alex answered. “I can come out and spend the summer there.”

  “What about your new job?”

  “I can do it from almost anywhere. With Peter’s Internet access, I won’t have any problems.”

  “I don’t know. You had a lot of trouble when you were here.”

  Alex guffawed. “You haven’t even begun to see what can be done with magic. I’ll come out in ten days and prove it to you.”

  “You’ll have to leave well before sunset.”

  “No problem. I can stay at the hotel or Peter’s.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you in ten days.”

  Alex hung up and grabbed a piece of paper. It had been years since she’d cleaned a barn with magic. Not since her days at Aspen Glen. She thought about all the chores they’d done when she was there and made a list. Next, she contacted Principal Vale and asked if she could come to the school and get a refresher session from Mr. Sheppard, or whoever taught the Animal Husbandry course now. Of course, it would probably be a crash course since she figured she’d forgotten it all by now. He agreed and arranged for her to come between one and three on the upcoming Tuesday afternoon. That settled, she went over to her parents so she could practice household chores. Her parents had limited electronics so she could practice there. Her apartment had way too many gadgets. She couldn’t afford to fry her TV or computers by practicing. With a couple of hours practice, she had honed up on the spells, leaving her parents’ house spotless.

  By the time she headed to Steve’s, she felt confident she could impress him. Her sessions at school went pretty well, except for the small disaster of cooking the horse droppings instead of making them transport to the pile outside. The stench filled the barn for several hours. For some reason, their horses’ mess didn’t respond to her magic.

  While driving to Steve’s, she kept
reviewing the spells the instructor had gone over. By spending the whole summer there, she would have the spells perfected. So many changes had happened since they’d met. Steve led her to believe that he loved her. Did he still after everything? All she knew for certain was that she loved him. No way was she going to let him slip away without a fight. He was worth it. Alex hadn’t quite reached the drive when she stopped and looked toward the cabin.

  Mandy was sitting there holding a hose in her jaws. Steve was bent over rinsing his hair under the running water. He thoroughly rinsed his hair, arms, and upper chest. Then he threw his head back and shook, flinging water like a wet dog. Alex sucked in some air and slowly released it. The water glistened in the sunlight, showcasing his broad shoulders and arms. It had been too long since she’d come for a visit. She took another deep breath and drove into the driveway. Steve had shaken out his t-shirt and had slipped it on by the time she pulled up. Mandy bounded out to the car and jumped up on her door the moment she stopped.

  “I was just chopping some firewood.” Steve pushed Mandy down and opened her door. “How are you?”

  “I’m better, now that I’m here,” she said.

  “I purposely didn’t clean for several days to make sure you had enough to work with.”

  Anna Belle was grazing in the outside pasture. When she walked into the barn, the odor overwhelmed her. Whatever it takes, I will get this done. She looked around to see what could be taken care of first to get rid of the stench. She decided to clean up Anna Belle’s pies so she could at least move around the barn without stepping in one. Now I’ll show him what a wizard can really do. With this, she pulled her wand out of her purse and took another look around. She said, “Levare,” and waved her wand around the barn. All the cow pies lifted up five feet and hung there. “Where do you want them?”

  Steve’s mouth hung open, but he pointed to the open barn door.

  Alex pointed her wand at the open door. “Evolare.” All the drifting hunks flew out the door and landed in a pile outside. She headed to the hen house. The moment she walked in, the speckled hen squawked loudly, flew at Alex, and pecked her on the arm. Then the hen flew to the far corner and turned her back on Alex. Alex repeated the spells that she’d used in the barn, and all the droppings joined the pile outside. She filled the water and corn for the chickens. The Houdini hen ruffled her feathers but remained in the far corner ignoring Alex. Then Alex performed a spell that collected all the eggs and put them in her basket. The startled hens flew up to the perches and eyed Alex from a safe distance. Alex stepped out of the hen house and handed the basket to Steve. Next, she used her wand to spread some more hay around the barn and moved a bale over to Anna Belle’s stall. Brandishing her wand some more, she filled the buckets with water, then the oats, making them empty in the correct place. Satisfied that the barn was done, Alex headed into the cabin.

  The sink was full of dirty dishes, books were strewn all over the place, and hair balls floated along the cabinets. This’ll be a piece of cake. She did spell after spell. The dish cloth washed all the dishes, the towel dried them, and they all went back into the cabinets. The books flew around the room and re-shelved themselves. Hair balls, dust, and trash flew into the trash can that Alex held out. She wiped her hands together and looked at an astonished Steve.

  “What in hell?” he asked as he wandered around looking.

  “Isn’t magic wonderful?” Alex brimmed with glee. She’d shown him.

  “It only took you minutes to get everything done!”

  Alex nodded.

  “You could have done this all along?”

  “Except…I didn’t know you were a wizard, so I couldn’t do magic in front of you.” She walked over to the kitchen sink and got a glass of water. “I couldn’t have done this if you had a lot of electronics. Magic tends to fry electrical gadgets. It would be disastrous to try this in Peter’s house.”

  Steve walked out to the barn and carefully inspected everything. Alex watched him trying to find anything she’d missed. He went out and brought Anna Belle in. She wandered into her stall, and Steve handed Alex the footstool.

  She took the stool. “What’s this for?”

  “Anna Belle. You need to milk her. She’ll be tapering down in June and you won’t be milking her in July and August. She isn’t due to have her calf until September, but I’ll make sure you have the vet’s number.”

  Shit, shit, shit. She forgot to find out how to milk the cow. She thought back to her years at school and remembered how they had to do that by hand. She took the stool and placed it near Anna Belle, like she’d seen Steve do every day. But she couldn’t remember what to do next.

  Steve whispered into her ear. “You can do this. I know you can, you’ve done it to me, sort of.”

  Alex chewed on her lip, trying to remember.

  “Take your fingers and wrap them around a teat, like you do me.”

  Alex reached out and grasped a teat. Steve put his arms around her and reached in. He showed her how to do it. Her heart pounded and her pulse raced with him wrapped around her like this. As she got the milk to come out, he moved away. This made it easier to concentrate on the milking, but she didn’t want him to leave. Once she’d gotten enough milk, he picked the bucket up and carried it back into the cabin. Anna Belle shoved Alex as she tried to head back into the cabin. Alex rubbed her neck. “Not right now, I have something I need to do.”

  She walked into the cabin and shut the door.

  Steve left the milk on the counter and started to wander around. “You know, if I could learn to do this, it would be worth going to school. I know you know how to fill the lanterns and brush Anna Belle but—”

  Alex had moved close. She pulled him into her arms and started kissing him. As she worked to undo his buttons, she whispered, “Do you still have any of those condoms left?”

  Steve nodded and Alex pulled him into the bedroom. She quickly removed their clothes as he pulled the box of condoms out of the bedside table’s drawer. She lingered over slipping it on him while she plundered his mouth. He never said a word, but quickly became an active participant. After they’d exhausted themselves they lay entwined on top of the bed.

  He kept running his fingers over her, exploring every inch. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

  “Any regrets?”

  “No…it’s just…everything’s changing. I don’t know if we can ever have anything more.”

  Alex rolled over on top of him. “We can have a lot more if you want to.” She took out another condom and slowly slipped it on his already enlarging member. “At least…I want a lot more.” She started kissing him, and they made love again.

  The afternoon was already slipping by as they lay on the bed. “We missed lunch,” Steve said.

  “I had the kind of lunch I wanted.” Alex continued to stroke his chest.

  “I’d invite you to dinner, but we know I can’t.”

  “I know.”

  “I need to ask you about something else, but it’ll have to wait now. Did you make plans to stay somewhere overnight?”

  “I’m staying with Peter. He invited me.”

  They both got up and started dressing.

  “Can you come by about nine?” Steve asked.

  “Sure.”

  Steve helped her into her t-shirt and they headed to the front door. He walked with her onto the front porch. “Make sure you stay inside tonight. I don’t want to run the risk of smelling you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned and went back into the cabin.

  Alex walked down to her car. As she pulled out onto the road, she looked at the cabin again and shook her head. She and Peter fixed a steak dinner with all the fixings and talked until bedtime. She stayed up a while and watched out the second-floor window. A large brown bear could be seen wandering around the fir trees in the far distance, but he seemed to be staying in the trees away from Peter’s. She sighed. If only she could convince him that everything would work out.

  The next
day when she pulled in, Steve was waiting on the porch. His eyes had circles under them and he was drinking a large mug of hot tea. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I didn’t get any sleep yesterday. Someone kept me awake all afternoon.”

  Of course; she’d interrupted. If he prowled all night, he’d have to sleep during the day. “Sorry.”

  He got up and headed toward his truck. “I need you to help me with something else.”

  She got in his truck and they headed off down the valley. After passing the other houses, the road turned into a rutted dirt path. He drove on until they reached the edge of a mountain. He got out and walked over to the boulders. “If I’m going to be gone all summer, how am I supposed to get my prospecting done. Without the stones, I won’t have enough money to get by.” He looked up into the rocks.

  Alex walked over and stood next to him. “Are some of the stones on the surface?”

  He nodded.

  “Show me one of the most valuable.”

  He pulled an aquamarine crystal out of his pocket.

  Alex took it from his hand and looked at it closely. She pulled out her wand and placed it in her hands with the stone. She closed her hands and concentrated on how the stone felt—its inner structure, temperature, and shape. She lifted up her arms and opened her hands. Sweat poured down her face, but she refused to give up. After what felt like an eternity, her hands started filling with one rock after another. When she felt she couldn’t go on, she closed her hands and collapsed.

  The next thing she knew, Steve was speaking to her. He was using the end of his shirt to wipe her forehead.

  “I’ll be okay, just give me a moment,” she managed to whisper.

  He continued to touch her face.

  “Do you have any water?” she whispered. She could hear his feet pound and crunch over the rocks as he ran back to the truck.

  He helped her sit up and gently tipped the water bottle so she could drink.

  After a couple of minutes, she’d recovered a little. She cracked her hands open and held them out to him. “Is this enough for this year?” She poured the stones into his hand.