Of Stars and Spells Page 8

  I hold his gaze, mentally arguing, but knowing I’m far out of my depth of expertise when it comes to the ninjas below. “Magick might be able to help you.”

  He rises to his hands and knees. “I’m very aware of that, and appreciate the offer, but I have to insist you remain out of sight. No magick.”

  “But—”

  He cuts off my argument with a kiss, a then disappears down the side of the hill, becoming a shadow in the night.

  10

  Quinn disappears right in front of me; one second, he’s a dark shadow along the tree line as he goes downhill, and the next it’s as if he evaporated into the gloaming.

  Sirius crawls next to me and we stay low as we look below. I hold my breath, sending out feelers to the visitors, and what comes back is a mixture of aggression, anticipation, and like Quinn guessed, the feeling they’re on a mission. There is something—or someone—they seek.

  I remain still and quiet, calling on my water element to reach out and wrap Quinn in a bubble of protection. I imagine holding his energy in a container, the walls of water cushioning and keeping him hidden as he moves into the area near the barn.

  While I can’t see him, I sense his strong presence that’s intimately connected to my heart. I close my eyes and use my weaker gift—the Sight—to see through that space, sensing his movements, while still tracking our visitors as well.

  After a few moments, I realize Quinn is pursuing one of them, staying just behind him. The man doesn’t know Quinn is there.

  I sense another at the back entrance of the farmhouse, trying the knob to see if it’s locked.

  My telekinesis is normally used to move things, but this time I use it to keep the man from entering because the door is unlocked. Concentrating, I freeze it and send a little push of mental energy that makes the intruder release the handle and turn around.

  The two men who have walked into the rows of Christmas trees are harder for me to sense because of the distance, but I send a pulse of magick, like a pinch. What echoes from them is confusion; they don’t understand why they’re being compelled to leave, but within seconds, they both emerge and head toward the SUV.

  The man by the barn also begins to walk toward the vehicle, picking up his companion at the house. They struggle against my magick, but I don’t let up. I hold out my hands and propel all four away.

  The car motor purrs to life. I open my eyes as it backs away from the gate and pulls onto the highway, heading north.

  For a moment, a seed of fear takes root deep in my belly. Are they heading to Conjure? I stand and Sirius comes to his feet alongside me. I look for Quinn, then quietly call his name.

  He materializes at the edge of the woods. I swear it’s as if he’s using Winter’s invisibility spell.

  When he reaches me and holds out his hands, I fall into his embrace. “They didn’t find what they were looking for,” he tells me. “We chased them away.”

  I wonder if he suspects I had anything to do with it. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”

  We pick up the blankets and head down the hill. “I’ll take you home,” he says.

  “Let’s hurry. I’m afraid they’re heading to Conjure. I sensed they’re part of Watson’s group, and they might be looking for something on all of the properties she’s trying to buy.”

  “You could be right.” He helps me navigate the last of the slope and we run to his truck. He opens my door and Sirius jumps in before Quinn helps me into the seat. Once he’s inside, he peels out, slowing so he can stop and open the gate, but I send a wave of magick to the latch, and do it for him. He glances at me and then floors it.

  My telepathy is only strong when I’m near my sisters, so I send a group text, alerting them to strangers. They shoot back plenty of questions as we speed up the highway, but we never see the SUV again, even as we pull into the parking lot. I only respond with stay inside and lock your doors.

  The shop is dark, except for several nightlights inside and I see no evidence of anyone sneaking around. Before I let Quinn check, however, I send my magick out, feelers, searching for unusual activity or unwanted guests.

  I sense nothing, other than the usual—the cats, the familiars, my sisters. There are two more energies, but familiar, friendly ones.

  “I’ll walk you to your cabin,” Quinn says.

  “Everyone’s in the Conjure kitchen,” I tell him. “Waiting. We have some explaining to do.”

  We go in the back door of the shop and find my sisters sitting at the table with two more people. Prudence, an ancient witch who has knowledge about the demon and the missing colony, and Kaan Fontaine, another person familiar with our mission and who’s a dark magick practitioner. Luckily, he’s come to the light side and is a friend.

  “What’s going on?” I ask when I see the looks on their faces.

  Everyone’s eyes go to Quinn, the outsider in this equation.

  “You first,” Winter says.

  Quinn’s earlier warnings ring in my brain, so I jump right to the ninjas invading the farm and the fact I sensed they’re part of Watson’s group. To say I have a captive audience is an understatement. “We don’t know what they’re up to, but Quinn believes the Algon Corp is only a front for something much more sinister.”

  Prue fiddles with a teacup in front of her, turning it in circles. “Then maybe he should stay and hear what we’ve discovered.”

  “I’m all ears,” Quinn says.

  Kaan gives a nod. “The city council is selling the park near my house to that corporation. They claim it’s to put some sort of satellite observation tower there, but we suspect it’s more than that.”

  “What do they need an observation tower for?” I ask.

  No one seems to have a good answer for that.

  “I did some digging on the corporation,” Winter says, “They do build housing, but it appears to be tied to government contracts. The hill, being one of the high points in town, would provide the perfect spot for satellite communications, we just can’t figure out for what. A cell tower for this resort they plan to create would make more sense. We have no idea why they’d need a satellite observation tower.”

  Quinn gives me a loaded look. “The hill on my parents’ place—that’s why they want to buy the farm, to gain access to that as well.”

  “But why?” I ask. “Two satellite towers in one small town like ours? For what?”

  He leans over and kisses my temple. “Nothing good. I need to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  He exits before I can stop him.

  I look at the group gathered at the table, and wish I could talk to my sisters alone. I need to tell them what Quinn is involved in, his suspicions about Charlie’s death. About PNR Labs looking for people with our skills.

  But that—and scrying for Charlie and the truth about his death—will have to wait. Right now, we need to brainstorm more about Watson and her cohorts.

  I wonder again if the men we saw tonight are with her, or the bunch Quinn has been investigating. Is it possible they’re one and the same?

  The group conversation falls away as I grab a cup of herbal tea, my mind going over and over what we know, what we suspect.

  Satellite towers, communication…

  Telepathy.

  Witches.

  The memory of having to text my sisters instead of sending them a telepathic message tonight to warn them of impending danger scoots through my mind.

  What if the towers are to boost our innate telepathic abilities?

  Shivers run down my spine. It’s possible the group Quinn’s been trying to protect me from has already found us.

  11

  The next morning, I sleep through my alarm, and wake to a cat sitting on my chest. Sirius is on the floor and manages to lick my hand as Godfrey stares down into my face.

  Feed me, human.

  With a groan, I shoo him off, roll out of bed, and shake the cobwebs from my brain. I take care of the animals and then myself. Our family and friends stayed up
talking until after midnight, and then I called Quinn to tell him my theory.

  He’d already figured it out.

  I fell asleep talking to him, and woke sometime later to a text telling me goodnight. He also said not to worry. That he had a plan.

  My limbs are so heavy, I almost skip my run, but decide I need to clear my head, and the cool morning air will do me good. I place the invisibility spell on Sirius, and it seems to work, an electric blue light tinging his aura. I almost put it on me, too, but decide not to. I refuse to live in fear and, thanks to the very powers this group wants to capitalize on, I have other means of protecting myself.

  At the shop, my sisters can see my familiar, as I still can, but when Hale and Storm arrive, they can’t. That tells me it’s working. The dog and I take off along our normal route, stopping when Mama Nightengale comes out and hails me down.

  She doesn’t see Sirius and looks around as if searching for him. “Where’s that pretty baby of yours?” Her skin, the color of dark coffee, glistens with a sheen of sweat, even though her breath shows white in the air.

  “Sleeping in,” I lie. “I kept him up past his bedtime last night.”

  Sirius is actually sniffing at a nearby car parked behind the store. Probably belongs to the young man she employs to stock shelves.

  I’m about to tell her I know about her cloaking us, but she asks a question before I can.

  “Has that busybody been bothering you and your sisters?”

  “You mean Ms. Watson with the Algon Corporation?” At her nod, I continue. “She was at Harrington Farms. I suspect she’ll make her presence known to us soon.”

  “She came by here yesterday, asking questions about your place and Caldwell’s Antiques.” She jerks her head to the north. “Why are they trying to buy up all of this land?”

  I consider telling her my suspicions, but without proof, there’s no reason to alarm her. “We’ve heard it’s for a resort, but it appears they might be looking for the tallest hills to put satellite observation towers on. Are they trying to buy your place, too?”

  She glances at the parking lot. “I wish they’d make me an offer,” she chuckles. “I’d show them where they could put it. They must know better than to come on my property.”

  “Did you cloak yourself too?”

  One eye narrows. “What’cha talking about, Autumn?”

  “I know you helped Quinn when he broke up with me. That your spell has been shielding us from the group wanting to use our magick for warfare.”

  She whistles softly and glances away. “He told you?”

  I nod. “That veil messed with me figuring out the real reason he did it. Which is probably a good thing, but I’m still a little peeved at you.”

  Her gaze comes back, steady and unyielding. She crosses her arms over her ample bosom. “Well, I’m not sorry. You girls needed protection. Still do, especially with your momma gone. Quinn may have gone about things all wrong, but he did it for the right reasons.”

  I lean over and wrap my arms around the testy woman. “Thank you, Mama N. You need to protect yourself from Watson too, okay?”

  “Don’t you worry about this old gal.” After a moment, she relaxes, but then clears her throat as if this emotional display makes her uncomfortable. I let go and step back, a smile on my face.

  “Our city council, and the government in general, needs a good boot in the backside,” she says, squinting at a car passing on the highway. “They’ll have us all screwed up before you know it.”

  “You’ve been here a long time. Have you ever thought about running for the council?”

  She throws her head back and cackles. “They’d as soon run me out of town on my broomstick as let me have a seat on their highfalutin platform. You, or one of your sisters, should get on it.”

  I grin. “That’s never going to happen. We’re as much outcasts as you are.”

  “You ought to work some of your mojo on them,” she says, her dark eyes sparkling.

  “I suspect yours is more powerful. Maybe we should join forces.”

  She widens her eyes with false surprise. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about, girl.” Then she leans in and lowers her voice. “But times are a’changin'. We all need to be extra careful. I’m gonna freshen up my protection spell over all of us, and if you ever need a little of my special brand of mojo to go along with that witchy stuff you do, you let me know, y’hear? We can make this Watson gal very uncomfortable.”

  I wink at her. “Sounds like fun.”

  “By the way, I can see the dog’s aura,” she says, shooting a glance to Sirius, now seated next to me. “But it’s a good spell. Muggles won’t notice him at all.”

  We say goodbye and I continue my run, slower today than normal. Sirius and I pass Harringtons’ drive and I see Kirk out front, restocking pumpkins. I wave and he returns it, but there’s no sign of Quinn or his truck.

  Maybe he’s already at the hospital. Sirius and I continue to the entrance to the National Park, but we don’t go in. We turn around and I walk now, thinking about everything that happened last night, and what I need to do today. Even with possible dangers all around us, life must go on.

  This afternoon Spring is hosting a Halloween craft time for kids, so I have to run the counter. I have several online clients to respond to and I hope I can do that, even if I have to take care of customers. After that, we have an evening magick circle ritual for adults. I’m in charge and we stream it live, so there’s some technical stuff to get set up. Hale usually helps in that arena.

  I hope I can focus enough to make it a worthwhile experience for those joining it. I usually love doing them, but I’m so distracted and tired, I’m not sure going live is a good idea. No telling what might come out of my mouth.

  As I walk, I call on Coventina and ask for her wisdom and guidance. Whenever I’m scared, worried, or tired, I reach for her loving presence. “May love guide my thoughts today. May love guide my words today. May love guide my steps today,” I say to the sky.

  When Sirius and I reach the Harringtons’ again, I call out to Kirk, “Where’s Quinn?”

  “He’s at the hospital. His dad is awake and talking.”

  “That’s great news.” I wonder why Quinn didn’t text to let me know, but that’s the selfish me talking. He will later. “Looks like it’s a banner year for pumpkins.”

  Kirk is in his mid-twenties and seems to like the physical labor of a farm. “There’s a rumor going around that Mr. and Mrs. Harrington are selling out. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Folks in town think this is the last year people are going to be able to get pumpkins and they’re getting all nostalgic about it. We’ve had quite a run on them.”

  Typical town gossip. I wonder if Watson stirred some of it up herself. “We’ll probably need some next month for Thanksgiving too.” I tell him. “If you have any of those fancy gourds, we’ll take some of those as well.”

  He gives me a weak salute and I walk on.

  After a shower and some breakfast, I prep the materials I’ll need for that night’s circle. Keeping myself busy helps me forget that Quinn still hasn’t called. I pull a card and get the Ace of Pentacles. Clarity. At the bottom of the deck, I find the Three of Pentacles. Work.

  Okay, time to take action in a focused manner. I understand the obstacles in front of us—all of us, including Quinn and his parents—and now it’s time to go on the offensive.

  It also means, in a more practical manner, to get my backside in gear and help my sisters. It’s Samhain Eve and we will be downright hectic.

  I go about my day, organizing the circle’s agenda, aiding my sisters with their jobs, satisfying my online customers, as well as handling all of the customers who come in, while Spring is helping the kids with their craft time.

  I also put a charm on the apple cider donuts and pumpkin muffins, just to keep my hands off them. I run to stave off the extra pounds that glom onto me because Spring is such a good baker. The fall items
are entirely too addicting and I can see why we sell out every day. The charm is only for me, and as expected, they’re all gone before noon.

  Around four, I receive a text from Quinn. Dad’s awake. Still confused. But doing better.

  There’s nothing else, and I reply that I’m happy for him and to keep me updated. In a way, it feels like our time up on the hill last night was a dream.

  At six, I have a spot at the front of the store cleared out and ready for the magick circle. Godfrey, Snow, and the kittens make themselves at home as people begin filtering in, and I work on making sure the online stuff is ready to go.

  Thanks to Hale, we don’t have many technical issues anymore, but in the beginning, it felt like Mercury retrograde every time I went live. The microphone wouldn’t work, or the monitor would freeze, or some other glitch would happen. I used to be nervous, but now it feels like old hat. I believe I enjoy the circles as much as those who attend, either in person or online.

  The place is soon packed. Even those who are light practitioners, and only occasionally dabble in the idea, are present. Online, we have people checking in from all over the world.

  This paranormal monitoring group might be tuned in too. At the thought, a wave of anxiety washes over me.

  But then I close my eyes and say a spell to block them from seeing or hearing anything I’m about to do. For a brief heartbeat, I feel another magick also circling around the cyberworld—Mama N.

  Relaxing once more, I’m just about to go live and open the circle, when Quinn walks in.

  12

  I do my best to not let his presence throw me off my game, but it’s challenging to see his face in the audience. What’s wrong? I mouth.

  He smiles and silently says, Nothing.

  Okay then.

  He sits quietly in the back, listening and watching as I chat about the history of Samhain as though sitting with a small group of friends. I discuss the fact the veil between worlds is thinnest at this time, and we go through a ritual to connect with our ancestors.