Alchemy With Benefits

by Katalina Leon

  “Why didn’t my mother see any of this or tell me about it?”

  “The first night Shai-tan arrived, she was asleep and I didn’t want to frighten her. As a brujo and a man, I knew what I had to do, so I acted first. I used my stalking skills and divination tools to track the djinn. I found his lamp buried in a few inches of sand at the edge of a construction site. I knew it was just a matter of time until the lamp surfaced and Shai would be discovered and liberated.”

  “I’m confused. Isn’t he free when he takes the form of smoke and roams around?”

  “Yes and no. He’s only free as smoke, and only members of the enchantment community would notice him. To a regular human, Shai’s presence is weak and ineffective. To the unwary, a trapped djinn merely feels like a gritty gust of wind, a bad feeling or smell that can’t be located.” Ernesto looked at Shai. “Isn’t that right? When a master traps you, you’re not much of anything at all.”

  Shai nodded. “Unfortunately, the sad brujo is telling the truth. While trapped in this damn lamp I can’t do anything but build power and wait for my twin brother, Luther, to devise a plan to release me. He too is recently freed of his human master. I can sense it. Luther is cunning and manages humans with skill. I have lain dormant for over a century, gathering power from the earth and spending none of it. Together, we will unite and rule as a single titanic force.”

  Worry for her friends and the community made her chest feel so tight she could barely draw breath. “S-so,” she wheezed, “Luther is the one doing all the damage topside, not you?”

  A cruel smile cracked Shai’s lips. “Yep, and I can’t wait to join in the fun. Once I’m free, Luther and I will claim the West Coast as our territory.”

  She was intentionally snide. “Just the West Coast? Are you sure that will be enough for the two of you? Why not move into Nevada and beyond?”

  “Because a rival djinn rules Vegas!” Shai thundered in a petulant outburst.

  “Oh. That makes sense. We all have to learn to live within our limitations. Why now? Why didn’t Luther find you and free you years ago?”

  “I can answer that.” Ernesto’s eyes shone with pride.

  “Be silent, brujo!” Shai bellowed. “You’ve nothing to tell. I bested you in battle and stole your spirit.”

  Estele’s head ached. It seemed impossible to get a full breath. “And you think I would help you after saying something like that to my father?”

  Shai grinned. “You’ll help me because you have no choice.”

  Ernesto walked behind Shai, standing in his blind spot. He rubbed his palms together and opened them. Glowing letters appeared on his hands that read “Beware. Time is distorted here.”

  She leaned closer to Ernesto and blinked. The letters were fuzzy but legible, and she had no idea what to make of the message.

  Ernesto briskly rubbed his hands together again and opened them. A new message appeared. “You’re dying, Estele. Shai is slowly suffocating you inside his lamp. Save yourself. Force him to speak his secret self-destruction spell.”

  “What’s going on behind my back?” Shai turned to confront Ernesto. “Let’s move on to the matter that concerns me most. Estele, I command you to cast an enchantment that will banish that fool Captain Manx from the earthly plane forever. Then I’ll be free, we’ll be free, and you can have anything you wish for, including stopping the chaos at the fair. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to see children getting hurt unnecessarily.”

  Djinn were manipulative, but they didn’t seem very smart. How dare he say “we” as if she would ever accept someone who killed her father as any sort of partner. “First, free my father from the lamp and then we’ll talk about what you want.”

  “I’m proud of you, daughter.” Tears formed on Ernesto’s lashes. “But don’t waste a wish on me. You can’t save me. The dead can’t come back to life. I can only move on to the next world.”

  His sincerity broke her heart. “But we never knew each other, and I want to. What you did for me and Mara, you did out of love. It was heroic and changes everything.”

  “Estele, you’re running of time.” Ernesto looked worried. “You have a big problem to solve. Put your heart into it.”

  Shai stomped between them. “What’s going on here? Estele, why aren’t you casting the spell on Captain Manx? Send him away forever and I’ll release you from my lamp. Don’t you care about what’s happening above?” He turned on Ernesto. “You’ve been here long enough. Go!”

  Ernesto was swiftly pulled backward. He retreated into the wall, but the look on his face clearly conveyed that he didn’t want to leave. His eyes had a pleading quality and his hand tapped his heart. “Estele!”

  “Dad!” She gasped for breath. It was getting hard to think. Was that brief meeting all that would be offered? At least she now knew her mother had been wrong; her father had always cared. He had hinted for her to do something, but what? Could he be referring to the Heart of Hecate? Did Ernesto even know she was holding the stone?

  Unzipping her purse, she reached for the ruby and removed it. It glowed scarlet as a sunset in her hand.

  Shai’s eyes lit at the sight of the gem. “What is that? Is it the source of your power?” He reached for it. “It feels very potent. Have you always possessed it? Hand it to me.”

  She shook her head. “Stand back. I need it to cast the spell. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  The djinn’s gaze never left the pulsing stone. His hand trembled as if he fought the impulse to snatch it from her. “What are you waiting for? Do it.”

  “Hold on a moment. I like to freshen my breath before I speak an incantation.” Estele dug through her purse with her free hand until she located the pack of chewing gum infused with Sidhe the Fae’s candor spell. “Try a piece.”

  “Why?” Shai stared warily at the offered pack of gum.

  “Because it’s delicious.” She pressed the pack into his palm. “Aren’t you curious to try something from my world?”

  Shai removed a stick of gum from the pack, unwrapped it, and held it to her lips. “Ladies first.”

  Estele bit into the stick of gum. “See? Would I eat it if it wasn’t safe?”

  After sniffing the gum like a dog, Shai unwrapped several pieces, shoved them in his mouth at once, and chewed. A smile crept over his face. “I like it.”

  Tension rose and left her knees trembling. Would Fae magic work on djinn? There was only one way to find out: start asking questions. “Are you going to kill me?”

  He grinned. “My brother likes to trick his masters and turn them into animals. He thinks it’s funny, but I have no patience for that sort of escapade. The moment I’m free of this lamp, you’re dead.”

  Her blood chilled at the anger in his tone. “That’s very candid of you.”

  He chomped the gum like a cow. “You’ll be dead to the world but still useful to me. I’ll trap your spirit the same way I trapped your father. The two of you can occupy this fucking lamp until the sun swallows the earth for all I care.”

  What a nasty djinn. “I’m holding a very powerful stone.”

  “I can see that. It doesn’t look or feel like anything a human has any right to possess.” Shai’s gaze narrowed. “I’ll be taking that ruby from you just as soon as I can safely grab from your hand.”

  “Shai.” She licked her lips. Speaking took more air than the cramped lamp provided. “Isn’t it true that the djinn are from another realm and only allowed into this one if they willingly serve a human master or mistress?”

  Conflict twisted the ugly features of his face into a snarl.

  “Don’t stall. Answer me,” she demanded. “And remember, you called me mistress and you must serve me with a correct answer.”

  “Yes!” Shai spat the word. “It is true!” He looked disgusted at betraying himself.

  “Is it also true that every djinn has a secret phrase that, if said aloud, will cause him to self-destruct and leave this realm forever?”

  Shai’s ey
es flashed red. He gnashed his teeth together with such violence, his mouth bled.

  “Say it,” she persisted. “I compel you to say it.”

  He clamped his hands over his mouth and muttered.

  “That’s not good enough.” She waved the Heart of Hecate under his nose. “Take your hands away from your mouth and speak the phrase of self-destruction. As your mistress, you must do as I ask.”

  His eyes bulged horribly and he looked more frenzied demon than djinn. “Nether, manocathal, holqu mon, Zarran zon....”

  The impulse to cower was almost overwhelming. Standing beside a raging djinn was mortifying, but knowing her father was near and proud of her, she held her ground. “What language are you speaking?”

  “Djinn, you bitch! I’m speaking Djinn.” Enraged by Estele’s trickery, the veins in Shai’s neck throbbed like tiny snakes writhing beneath the skin. “Nether, manocathal, holqu mon, Zarran zon kalcodar....”

  “You don’t belong here anymore.” Her voice was steady and strong. “I banish you from the human realm and demand that you self-destruct. Go home and take your brother with you.”

  “No!” he screamed.

  “It’s not negotiable. You must do it! Munda quoque oblivisceris. Cleanse our realm of your presence and forget your way back.” Wow, had she just remembered a little Latin? Miss Dahlia would be stunned that she got a spell right. She stepped closer and shoved another piece of gum between Shai’s jagged teeth. “One for the road. Speak the charm of self-destruction. Nice and loud. I command it!”

  “Nether, manocathal, holqu mon, Zarran zon kalcodar emar.” He muttered faster. “Nether, manocathal, holqu mon, Zarran zon kalcodar emar.” A crazed look overcame him. “Nether, manocathal, holqu mon, Zarran zon kalcodar emar!”

  The air around them heated and the lamp shook. Shai opened his mouth and roared as he burst into a ball of green flames that intensified until he glowed white-hot. The flames reached a zenith and then died down. His silhouette flickered out of focus as he shrank to the size of a tiny orange ember and then exploded in a burst of light that shattered her senses and the walls of the lamp.

  Blinded, Estele was knocked to the ground, gasping. “Witches be bitches. Deal with it!”

  Chapter 15

  ESTELE WOKE TO BRIGHT sunlight in a blue sky. Dozens of shrill seagulls circled overhead, diving as a group to pick discarded containers of food off the ground.

  “Are you okay?” Val’s voice soothed her. His hand stroked her cheek. “Estele, what happened to you? I searched inside the funhouse but I didn’t see you anywhere. I came out and you were lying on the ground, gasping like a stranded fish.”

  She rose on her elbow and gulped air. Her ligaments were as sore as if she’d been wrestling with a rhino and her lungs ached like she’d been holding her breath at the bottom of the deep end. “What do you mean, what happened to me?” Her voice wheezed. “I just had to jail-break my way out of a djinn’s lamp. That bastard Shai-tan tried to trap and suffocate me.”

  He looked appalled. “You were inside the lamp? No way!”

  “It’s true. I wish it wasn’t.” Rolling onto her side, she tried to stand and faltered.

  “Hold on.” Val was quick to grab hold of her and lift her into his arms. In a single graceful swoosh, she was cradled against his chest. “Don’t try to walk.” He carried her away from the funhouse. “You’re pale and you look faint.”

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she held on tight and looked over his shoulder. The fairgrounds were empty of people and in shambles, rides had toppled, barricades were knocked aside, and wads of cotton candy, trash, pie tins, discarded jackets, and lost shoes cluttered the midway. “How did you know I was in the funhouse?”

  His grip on her tightened. “Look in my top pocket.”

  She reached into his pocket and pulled out a broken shoelace with a car key tied to it, dangling it from her fingertips. “A makeshift divination tool?”

  He smiled. “It didn’t take long to track you down.”

  “Smart.” She gazed into his sparkling eyes. “I’ll never underestimate brujos again.”

  “That’s good news.”

  The rides were empty, and thankfully she saw no injured bodies lying on the ground, but overall the sight was chilling. “Where is everyone? Except for the mess, this place could be a ghost town.”

  “Did you mean to say ghost town or ghost ship?” He tilted his head. “Look over there.”

  Estele glanced toward the beach. The Lady Alice shimmered on the sand, pale and translucent as green bottle glass, her broad sails billowing in the wind. The ghost crew and Captain Manx trod up the gangplank. “Captain Manx’s leaving and he didn’t even say goodbye. Captain!” she shouted, but he didn’t turn or acknowledge her in any way. “Why isn’t he saying something? Can’t he hear me? Captain!” She wiggled in Val’s arms. “Set me down!” Her feet hit the ground and she ran to the ship, but as the last man boarded, the ship slowly faded and disappeared from view. She came to an abrupt halt and stared at the space where the ship had been. “He’s gone! No drama. No sailing over the horizon. He’s just gone.”

  “He was ready.” Val stroked the side of her arm.

  “I wasn’t.” First a long-lost father was introduced to her and snatched away, and now that old pest the captain was gone. “The apartment is going to feel empty without him.”

  Val kissed her cheek. “Maybe someone else will move in?”

  She turned to face him. Was that a hint? Could they work as a couple? They hadn’t really started dating yet. Brujos sure moved fast. “I’m afraid to ask, were there any casualties? Where’s Fredi, Miss Dahlia—?”

  “Everyone’s okay and accounted for. You’re the only one we couldn’t find. We were under attack. The midway was a war zone. Everything was in chaos. Luther was howling around the fairgrounds like a hurricane, and the ground was crumbling under our feet, but then it suddenly stopped. Luther disappeared in a ball of black smoke, then nothing, just an eerie silence and sound of crashing surf on the shore. We regrouped and I went looking for you.”

  She squinted against the bright light bouncing off the steel rides. “It felt like I was only inside the lamp for a few minutes.”

  “More like thirty.” He led her by the hand toward the parking lot. “Everyone’s at the truck waiting.”

  They walked past the Ferris wheel that had toppled onto its side. That was an unsettling sight. “What are they waiting for?”

  “You. Witch Griselda wanted to know you were safe and accounted for before she changed anything about the fair.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Witch Griselda’s holding everyone and everything inside a bubble of protection. The fairgoers are invisible in their current state. Miss Dahlia said they were being held in a safety zone at the edge of this dimension, and we would bring them all back just as soon as the situation is corrected. That’s why you don’t see much going on and the EMTs and the police haven’t arrived. Everyone is in a state of suspended animation, held in the moment.”

  “Wow, I didn’t even know that was possible. What a day.” The Brujo Tacos truck sat at the end of the lot, looking shiny and bright and basically untouched by disaster. Fredi, Bruno, Sidhe the Fae, Miss Dahlia and Witch Griselda, Marge, and Blackjack the pony had all gathered on the shady side. “There’s everybody! Hi! I can see them.”

  “The enchantment community is the cleanup crew, and we are in the same time zone, so to speak.”

  “Cleanup crew? A disaster this size is going to take a hell of a lot more than a broom and a vague explanation to the authorities. This could be the incident that gets us all outed.”

  “Estele!” Witch Griselda hobbled toward her, pounding her walking staff on the pavement. “Did you manage to hang on to the Heart of Hecate?”

  She reached into her purse and grabbed it. “Yes, Grissy. Here it is. I’m not sure I should be holding on to it any longer.”

  “Nonsense.” Griselda waved the comment of
f. “You’ve done splendidly and sent two troublesome djinn packing. I couldn’t have done that with such aplomb.” She screwed the ruby back onto the top of the staff. “Now that we know where you are, I can start cleaning house. I was afraid to tamper too much with the temporal realm until we knew your exact location.” She waved her staff toward the Ferris wheel. “Lift!” The command was spoken in a regal tone that would not be denied. “Rise!”

  With the harsh sounds of flexing metal, the Ferris wheel defied gravity by picking itself off the ground with loud creaks and crunching sounds and set itself upright.

  Griselda swept her staff through the air. The Heart of Hecate glowed like a stoplight. “Now for the real magic. Spin!” she commanded. The wheel began to slowly spin counterclockwise. “Emit kcab nrut dluoc I fi!”

  Estele listened carefully but didn’t recognize the spell. “Grissy, is that Latin?”

  The old witch frowned. “No. It’s something more powerful. It’s the lyrics to a Cher song, sung backward. If I could turn back time!” she sang at the top of her quavering voice. “Uoy ot lla ti evig d’I!” Griselda glanced at Bruno. “I’m talking to you, brujo. If I were ninety-six years younger, I’d melt you like hot fudge on a sundae.”

  As the wheel spun, the fair began to restore itself. The rides crept back into the proper places and anchored themselves down. Wads of cotton candy flew off the tarmac, zipped back into the aluminum drum that blew hot air through it, and turned itself back into heavy grains of colored sugar. The porta-potties righted themselves and appeared sparkling clean. Last, the faint outlines of people came back. Jackets flew back onto shoulders and shoes slipped back onto feet. For a moment, everyone was frozen in place, and then they started to move again in one loud, colorful blur of happy activity.

  “It’s working!” Estele couldn’t believe it.

  Fredi reached into her boot, took out a wand, and gave it a flick. A conspicuous rut that the octopus ride had scraped into the asphalt miraculously filled. “I’m going to do a walk-through and fix anything that looks out of place that anyone might question.”