Funny Tragic Crazy Magic (Tragic Magic Book 1) (19 page)

I
did need the Grandfathers’ help. They convinced the pilots, TSA, the air
traffic controllers… everyone, to let the plane take off exactly twelve hours
earlier. They used magic, of course. I couldn’t tell you what runes they used
or how they did it, because my eyes didn’t leave Joe’s for more than a second.

We
didn’t talk for a couple of minutes after Joe opened his eyes. The Grandfathers
seemed to hamper my need to ask the questions that had been pounding in my head
since Joe collapsed. I helped him into the airport, and we sat together on
those plastic chairs at the terminal while the grownups did their magic.

He
looked at me with eyes that knew me. His fingers ran through my hair, despite
the fact I didn’t have any runes making it look beautiful. His hands were on my
waist, my own waist, not magical in any way. A river of hope coursed through
me. Maybe, me… as I was, not the me I wanted to be, or the me I should be, but
the me I was... Maybe I was enough. Knowing Joe loved me gave me a confidence I
didn’t trust.

“Why
now?” I asked when we had a moment on our own. “Why do you want me now, but you
didn’t earlier?” I bit my lip and looked down at our hands entwined together.
“What changed?”

“Larissa,”
I loved the way he said my name, and I looked up at him. “I’ve always wanted
you. From the first time I saw you, I wanted you… I, well, I don’t know… I
guess I was scared. I was scared I’d mess it up…” He glanced away, and then
turned back, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed, “I was scared I’d do
something wrong, and then we wouldn’t even be friends anymore. For a long
time…” Joe looked down and sighed, “I didn’t think you even liked me, least not
the way I liked you. Because every time I took… like a baby step toward being
with you like this,” he gestured with his hands and smiled, a hint of a blush
filling his face, “you would hit me, or call me an idiot, and push us back to
just friends.”

“Really?”
I asked. My go-to move had betrayed me.

“And
then…” Joe let go of my hands and cupped my face in his hands. I leaned into
them. “Then I did that
love
rune, and you basically attacked me.” I
blushed and Joe laughed, “I’m not complaining. I figured out what the rune was,
and I knew you loved me an unhealthy amount. And you still hit me, still called
me an idiot.”

“Well,
in my defense, you deserved it.”

“See,
just like that. When you feel uncomfortable, you push people away. And
apparently, I have the ability to make you more uncomfortable than anyone else
can. I thought I was just being the idiot you always called me, trying to push
back to be close to you. I thought I had to make it clear that I knew you only
wanted to be friends, just to stand near you.”

“But
I didn’t want to be just friends.”

Joe
laughed, and then kissed my forehead. “Well good, because it’s too late now. I
love you, Larissa, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” His eyes seemed
to dare me to try.

I
put my forehead against his and closed my eyes. “I might be okay with that,” I
said.

“Yeah?”

I
took a deep breath and then turned back to his sunflower eyes. The warmth of
his look toasted gently on my face.

“I
love you, Joe.” I smiled, “Always did.”
Always will
, I left unsaid. I
think we both heard it anyway.

“You
want to hit me?”

“Maybe
once.” I said, pushing his shoulder away from mine, When he was as far away as
my arm would push him, I pulled him back and kissed him. It wasn’t as sweet and
empty as that first kiss, or as hot and burning as our second, but this one was
perfect. We both gave each other the kiss, without any holding back, without
any feelings of discomfort. The kiss kind of sealed Joe’s words into my heart,
and made them real. It was just… magic, you know? I don’t want to talk anymore
about it, because it was mine, Joe’s and mine, and I don’t want to share.

For
the next hour, while the world moved around us, we sat together talking,
staring at each other, and yes… kissing. Nosey people. It was as if the
sunshine was back, a kind of calm before the storm. It was the perfect kind of
calm, the tropical sunsets of calm, just as it was a tropical storm that was
coming.

About
an aisle away, Ash sat reading a newspaper and watching us. I glanced at him
once, and he smiled at me, then looked away.

I
slept on the plane, my head on Joe’s shoulder, and his arm around mine. I could
sleep, even with Leo on the plane, because I trusted Joe to keep me safe.

When
I woke up, Joe was running his fingers through my hair while reading a science
fiction novel. Where did he find that? There was a white label stuck on the
side, with the words
Property of Ashford Zabriskie
written in black
marker. Ash sat on the aisle next to us, and he smiled at me.

“Welcome
back,” he said, his voice friendly. I sat up, and Joe smiled at me. The others
were on the back of the plane, talking in closed circle. Miles had the
silence
rune written on the one hand of his I could see.

I
swallowed.

For
the first time, I wondered if bringing a few Grandfathers to the Grandmothers’
Study was a good idea. The silence rune ended, and Leo’s laugh filled the
corridor of the plane. A chill ran up my neck, and even Joe’s presence wasn’t
enough to comfort me.

We’re
about to make a huge mistake
, I thought.

I
had no idea how right that thought was.

We
landed in Paris at 8:19 at night. It was freezing, and the sun had already gone
down. Walking out of the airport, I was struck by the beauty of the city and by
the age of everything. Everywhere I looked, from the pipes to the doors,
everything just looked so beautiful it couldn’t be real. It had to be like a
photo, or a movie. It just felt different from what I was used to, and with
Joe’s hand in mine, I felt like I was living inside a dream. The buildings
seemed like they were built too close together; it felt like driving through a
canal of stone architecture.

Cars
parked all along the side of the roads as we drove down the street in a rental
car purchased in Leo Zabriskie’s name. I felt sick about the whole thing, this
overwhelming sense of dread. Even as I was trying to avoid the Grandmothers, I
surrounded myself by… No. I put my trust in the people who beat me. Over my own
mother. Over Giara. Over people who I probably should trust, but couldn’t. They
wanted to take Joe away from me. They wanted to end this spot of light in my
life, in the world. Joe could do so much good in the world. Right? It wasn’t
just that I loved him, or that I turned my back on doing what was right because
I couldn’t control my hormones.

Right?

Frustrated
and full of feelings, I ignored the city that loomed up over me and focused
instead on my notebook. One last cramming session before facing… whatever was
coming.

About
fifteen minutes out of Paris, as we drove around the outlying cities, I put the
book away. Maybe I didn’t have to be anyone else. I didn’t have to be better
than who I was. I was my mother’s daughter. It was my right. It was my
notebook.

That
was worth fighting for. With the notebook in my hand, I would be able to keep
Joe safe, both by the wealth of runes and by authority. I would be a
Grandmother. That was something my mom would want. Even though I’m not sure how
much she would have approved of my journey, I know she would have liked my
destination.

I
took a deep breath and glanced at Joe. There were just three of us in the car:
me, Joe, and Ash. The others took a different car, and at the time, I was glad
to see them go. Now I wish I had kept a better eye on them. There were just so
many Mages. When we had landed, men had come from all around the world to nod
to Robert, and avoid Leo with a subtle lean-away he didn’t seemed to notice.
When we left the airport, Leo and Ash had walked a few paces behind me, and I
felt so confused by what we were about to do. It didn’t feel real. All the
Mages had left to go into the Grandmothers’ Study by the front, and Joe, Ash,
and I would sneak into the back unnoticed, and (by my thoughts) unaffiliated.
We’d get the notebook, and then we’d leave. It’d be simple.

The
car parked with a bump that sent anxiety into my stomach that wouldn’t leave. I
put both my hands against the window of the rental car and took it in. The
Grandmothers’ Study was a grand-looking building outside the main city. The
façade looks a bit mismanaged, with peeling plaster and cracks spider-webbing from
the side of the windows, but it’s still a beautiful building. It seemed so
large, so imposing, the first time I had come here. I was twelve, and I had
held my mom’s hand as I entered, because I felt like the building was going to
fall down on top of me. Now the building seemed too small, almost defenseless.
I felt strangely like it was my job to defend the building, and not bring
poison into it.

There
were two sides to the Grandmothers’ Study. On the back of the building, the
side that pointed toward Impasse Compoint, was a beautiful façade, with warm
wood shutters framing perfect windows, white pristine stone, a black roof, and
ivy gently climbing up the side. The two sides couldn’t be more separate, more
different, yet inside they connected into one building. The pretty side was
just the face.

The
Grandmothers’ Study. I leaned back in my chair after we drove past it.

“We’re
here,” I said for Joe’s benefit.

I
opened the car door and then stood up, brushing off my clothes. I had changed
clothes at the airport in Paris. It was such an elegant city, I didn’t think my
pink sweat pants would cut it. I wore, instead, my favorite red silk vintage
dress. I leaned against the rental car and pulled gloves on my hand, trying to
cover my palms. I reapplied my
transformation
runes on the back of my
neck while Joe got out of the car. I was as thin as it was possible for me to
be, with my eyes lined and my hair curled. I guess this was vain, but in case I
was to die, I wanted to go out looking my best.

So
yes, that was vain.

Oh
well. I was who I was. I think part of who I am is being someone who likes to
dress well. Vanity or not, even the bad things about me are part of who I am.
I’d have to accept them, right alongside my strengths.

The
rest of our company parked on the side reserved for visitors. Robert, Leo, and
Miles (all three were Grandfathers) were going in the front entrance. Their
presence alone was the distraction Joe, Ash, and I needed to sneak in the back.
I didn’t think they were going to attack the Grandmothers. I thought most
people thought the way that I did, and wanted peace.

Joe
joined me at the side of the car. He took my hand and then pulled me close to
his side. Ash got out of the driver’s seat and then pulled a big black bag out
of the trunk.

“We’re
not going to need weapons, Ash,” I said.

Ash
laughed once, without humor, “Right.”

He
pulled out a large black assault rifle, then put the bag back in the trunk. He
smiled at Joe, then drew the rune for
hide
on his arm. When I looked
directly at him, I could see him, but as I shifted my eyes, he faded to a
blurred shadow.

I
closed my eyes and thought through my notebook until I remembered the rune h
ide
,
and I drew the rune on Joe’s arm. It felt as if he became a shadow; I barely
noticed him, and I always noticed him. I think a rube wouldn’t have seen him at
all. I kissed him once; the blur made it difficult for me to see where his lips
were, but we made it.

Then
we turned and together, we walked towards the building. A rust orange curtain
fluttered from a window on the third floor. I bit my lip.

It
was time to go inside.

There
was graffiti on the front door, but when I got closer, I realized it was
actually runes carved together. I saw the runes for
protection
,
hide
,
stay
, and a few more that I didn’t recognize. It was beautiful and
complicated, yet anyone walking by would only see it as defacement to the
already crumbling building.

Joe
put his hand against the door, and it waved like an image painted on water. Ash
cocked his gun, and then walked through.

“I
didn’t know you could do that,” I said.

I
could see a flash of Joe’s smile inside the blur. “My dad showed me a few
things I could do.”

His
dad. Wow.

Shots
fired from inside the building. I ran through the door and Joe followed close
behind. Joe’s “Dad” stood over the body of an elegantly dressed woman. I
recoiled in horror, but then I saw a tranquilizer dart sticking from her
shoulder. Ash reloaded another tranq.

“I
don’t like this,” I said.

“Come
on,” Ash said, gesturing left with a quick nod of his head.

I
ran after him through the dark room, only noticing the herringbone patterned
wood floors enough to watch out for missing chunks of wood. I glanced back at
the woman lying on the floor; a deep bruise was already appearing from her
shoulder up the side of her neck.

We
stopped around the corner from the grand staircase. Ash had the gun raised
toward a woman walking down the stairs. She looked… she looked familiar to me.
Ash pulled the trigger and the tranq exploded from the gun.

“No,”
I shouted.

I
drew the rune for
stay
in the air, and threw it toward the tranquilizer
dart. Runelight twisted around the dart and stopped it, just inches from the
woman’s neck.

“What
are you doing?” Ash asked, his voice frustrated.

He
moved toward the woman, but I stopped him with
stay
. He stood there, out
in the open, the panic on his face visible, even through the blur from the
hide
rune. The air felt stale in my lungs.

The
stairs thundered under my feet as I ran up them toward the woman.

Joe
took my hand. “Are we doing the right thing?” he whispered.

I
shrugged.

“How
did you… How did you do that?” The woman said in a strong Brazilian accent once
we reached her. She started speaking in Portuguese, and I didn’t catch much of
it.

“You’re
Ana, right?” I said, trying to calm her down. “We met when I was twelve. I’m
Larissa, do you remember?”

“You
drew a rune in the air, and then you threw the air-written word quick enough to
catch a bullet.” She pulled her hands in the sign of the cross.

I
plucked the dart from the air.

“Tranq,
actually.” It was still warm. I glanced down the stairs, at Ash, he hadn’t
moved.

Ana
stared at me. “No one has been strong enough to write a rune in the air since
Camilla Fortuna, the first Grandmother. I had heard rumors of your strength,
but the rumors were not enough. Você sabe como ...”

“I
told you,” Joe said, coming up the steps behind me, “freakishly strong.”

Freakish
anyway.

“...Como
é que nós não sabemos?”

Ash
inched the gun so it was pointed toward us on the stairs. I threw another
stay
at his hand. He gave up struggling but glanced at me with wrath in his eyes.

“You’ve
betrayed us,” he hissed.

“We’re
on our own side here.” I said after a second to catch my thoughts. “Ana isn’t
our enemy, no more than you are.”

“You
must come with me to Helena, she will want to know why you are here.” Ana’s
voice was rising in volume.

Ash
looked around like there were people there watching us. The hairs started to
stand at the back of my neck. I heard a screaming sound come from within the
building.

“Um,
we’ve got something we need to do, Ana.” I whispered. Joe looked back at me.

“We?”
she asked. “Who is this we? How are you in company with Mister Zabriskie here?
And arriving at the same time as three Grandfathers. I assumed they would send
Zabriskie around through the back, which is why I came, but that you were in
their company I had no premonition. Miss Alvarez, are you with them?”

“No.
They just gave me a ride?” I smiled, hopeful.

Ana
laughed. What a strange woman, laughing just seconds after someone tried to
knock her out. “How like your mother you are.”

I
smiled at the compliment.

“May
I?” she asked, gesturing to the tranq in my fingers. I handed it to her, and
she looked at the point, grimaced, and walked carefully down the stairs. When
she got to the bottom, she circled frozen Ash like a shark.

“This
is the second time, Ashford, you have tried to kill me, and it is the second
time you have failed. You do not live up to your reputation. But I fear that
most people, present company excluded,” she smiled up at me, “of course, have
the same malady.”

It
sounded like a compliment, but felt more like a curse. She put the dart into
Ash’s arm, and he fell to the ground.

Joe
ran down after his dad, but when he reached him, Ana looked up at him with
death in her eyes.

“And
you, young man,” she said, “I see you have the Zabriskie smile, although I
didn’t realize there was a younger male Zabriskie. What is your name?”

Joe
looked warily back at me.

“He’s
with me,” I said firmly.

She
smiled, and the threat lifted.

“Are
these yours,” she asked of the runes on the back of Joe’s neck. I nodded, “Very
nice work. Most people wouldn’t see him.”

“Then
how did you?” I asked.

Ana
noticed my confusion, “Just my talent, dear.
Clean
. I can see through
runes. Not the most powerful of talents, yet I find I’m very useful. The
Grandmothers like to keep me here close to them, and I don’t mind so long as I
can peruse the library. My talent is why young Ashford here tried to knock me
out, tried and failed might I add, just for a snippet of revenge. He’s met my
talent many times before.” She said in a too loud voice. “Isn’t that right,
Ashford?”

She
laughed and patted Joe’s arm.

She
turned to us, as if waiting for us to obey her. But… I wasn’t on her side
either. I stood there for a minute. Even though I wasn’t on Ana’s side, I did…
trust her. Sort of. Moreover, since her ability meant she could see through
enchantments, maybe she could answer some of the unanswered questions that were
still running through my head.

“Wait.”
I said. “Is there somewhere we can go and just talk, the three of us.” I
gestured toward Joe. “Someplace, quiet. I have some questions, and I’m not sure
who I can trust.”

She
looked at me as if trying to decipher if I was trying to trick her or hurt her
or something, and then she smiled. “I know just the place.”

There
was a banging sound and a man’s yell. Ana glanced toward the sound, then smiled
at us.

“I’ll
see you next time, Mr. Zabriskie.” Ana said as she stepped over Ash’s body. “I
always do.”

I
followed her back down the stairs, through a hallway, and into a small room.
Joe took my hand for support.

“I
don’t know about this,” he whispered. “Can we trust her?”

“How
can we trust… Leo, and not her? It’ll just take a minute, and we can get
answers. Real answers. You want that as much as I do, and you know it.”

Joe
nodded, but kept next to my side, watching for danger.

We
reached a small empty room with drop-cloth-covered furniture making odd-shaped
mounds that looked like dead bodies. I tried to ignore that and searched Ana’s
smiling face.

“What
is it?” Ana asked, “What can I tell you?”

I
took a deep breath. “A few months back, we watched a Witch die.”

Ana
put her fingers to her lips, but didn’t interrupt.

“I
don’t know who she was, but she was following me... or Joe around…” I said.

“What
did she look like?”

“She
was an Instinct, a
transformation
Instinct.”

Ana
swallowed, but didn’t say anything.

“She
had kind of reddish hair, and was older, maybe sixty,” I said.

“Carol...”
Ana whispered. Her eyes looked so sad. “Tell me what happened, how did she die?
Was it you?” she said, turning to Joe. “Did you kill her?”

“No!”
I shouted and then lowered my voice as I told her about the car crash. Ana took
it in without a word. Her eyes seemed to understand, as if she was making sense
of things that made no sense to me. “What I want to know is: how was my
mother’s color code on a rune that killed Carol?”

“I
only know a few people who are strong enough to place a
compulsion
rune
powerful enough to kill a Witch. That young mother must have been driving back
and forth for hours, around the city… Moreover, they’d have to know your mother
well enough to capture her color code. There are only a few Runes who could do
it, and only one who would have the motivation.”

“Why?”
I asked. “Why would someone want to kill Carol?”

“After
your mother passed, there was a division among the Witches over who should take
your mother’s place as Grandmother. Giara lead the majority that supported
Shizuka for the position and Carol… Carol wasn’t a Grandmother, wasn’t strong
enough. She could only transform herself, while Helena can transform others as
well as herself. Nevertheless, Carol was very loud in arguing for you, that you
should be given your mother’s notebook, and then be trained here. There were
rumors of your strength, but while she was alive, your mother silenced those
rumors, I think to try to keep you away from the Grandfather’s notice. The
Witches were persuaded to Giara’s side. But not Carol. She thought we should
look into you, at least see if you had the potential that I now see you do.”

“But
then someone silenced her,” I said. “No… not someone… Giara. A Grandmother
killed another Witch so that I wouldn’t become a Grandmother?”

Ana
sighed and closed her eyes. Her face seemed devastated by that pronouncement,
while hearing of Carol’s death had brought on only shock, not grief.

“Do
you have proof beyond our conversation?” Ana asked.

I
looked at Joe. “No, just my word.”

“That
won’t be enough.” Ana sighed again, and pulled her sleeve over her arm.

For
a second, I glimpsed the glow of runelight on her arm. Her eyes closed, and she
looked down to the floor. It seemed like there was a battle on her face as she
decided what she should do. I remembered feeling that same way as I deliberated
calling Giara, and I realized something. Ana was being
compelled
. Right
now. I stood in front of Joe, to protect him.

Ana
put her arm behind her back, and smiled at me. “I will think on this… Now,
there is something that you came here for.”

“My
mother’s notebook.”

“Perhaps
it’s time for you to be reunited.”