Playing with Magic (Elemental Trilogy Book 2) (18 page)

Rowan shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “No, just put my head into a huge spider web.”

River shivered and took two steps back. “Okay, time to go!” He and Autumn shared the same phobia of spiders. He didn’t want to stay around the shack.

“So where to now?”

They both listened to River’s stomach rumble. “Maybe we can do some more tomorrow. I’m hungry.”

“Dinner sounds good.”

****

Pavana licked her lips as she stared down at the doctor. She loved him playing doctor with her when they were behind closed doors. She reached out, tenderly stroking his head. His eyes rolled up, staring at her, pleading. Lately she had been using the doctor a lot for relieving her frustration.

“If I give you what you want, my sweet, what are you going to give me?”

“I know a secret, my love.”

“Our secret?” she asked, shivering as he flicked his tongue against her thigh.

“No, another.” He wanted in her so bad that all his doctor patient confidentiality dissolved into a puddle at his feet that very moment.

Her wrinkled hand pushed him away, and he fell onto his back. He lay in the dark watching her naked body walk toward him. She bent down, straddling him, feeling him ready. “Tell me,” she said, running her tongue up his throat to his lips where she placed a chaste kiss before pulling away.

“Autumn, the Earth element, is almost four months pregnant,” he said with anticipation. “She doesn’t know. I kept it from her.”

This turned off Pavana, who rose to her feet. “This is not right.” She said, walking to the window. She peeked out the curtain. “How can this be?” She felt the doctor nuzzling against her leg, naked. She had momentarily forgot he even existed. Such a little insect that meant nothing to her, only to fill her needs like all the others.

“You said if I told you I will get something,” he whined, rubbing his body almost cat-like against her leg.

Seeing him grovel made her frown twitch into a small smile. She knew why her sister had gone evil, and the power she had gained from it. She loved power, but she would use it her way, not worshiping a dead god. She walked away from the little man and lay on the bed. She didn’t feel like sex anymore, but a promise was a promise. Plus, if she got a release from this, it would take some of the tension out of what she had to do. She crooked her finger at him, telling him to join her.

Eagerly, he climbed the bed and looked down at his lovely secret. It was so naughty to be shacked up with the eldest elder, but he could do anything being her lover. He pushed himself in her, taking his time.

She watched him as he closed his eyes, working above her. She lay there thinking. She muttered a small chant, which he thought was her way to say she was enjoying it but actually was a spell to make him last longer. A thought came to her as she felt the pull of pleasure start deep down through her body. She already had bloodstained hands, so a little more blood wouldn’t hurt. Her sister would agree. As the smile formed on her face, the poor doctor looked down at her frustrated; she was so close. When the orgasm hit her, she would release the spell. But then again, two sure could be a good number.

****

Autumn sat at her window listening to the night sounds. She thought about stuff, but mostly Rowan and River, as she gazed at the stars. How could she tell them what was planned for her? She thought about them in Florida and when they talked in the dream world. A soft knock made her come back to herself. She had been feeling better with the medicine the doctor had given her, but sometimes she felt so tired and nauseated.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s open.”

Stefan opened the door and closed it quietly. He walked over, sitting in the chair next to her. “You want to talk?”

She shook her head. “There’s nothing to say.”

“Autumn, I feel something different in you,” he finally said. “I know the doctor has prescribed some pills. I think you should stop them.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I think perhaps you might need ...” he pulled something out of his pocket and slid it over on the table top. “Just test. I can’t be sure, but I think I feel something in you.”

She looked down at the test and shook her head. “No, Stefan,” she whispered.

“Just test in the morning. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong, and if I’m right then you’re right.”

Sleep was hard to come by that night. She tossed and turned and when she did lay there staring, her eyes went to the small table in the room. The sun started to rise, lighting the windows. Autumn got up and went over to the table. She stared down at the test and went to the bathroom with it. Five minutes later she stared at the double pink lines, her mind frozen.

“How can this be?” she whispered to herself and wept into her hands.

Autumn left early, before everyone had a chance to wake up. She walked over to the clinic and waited. She sat there for two and a half hours until Thora opened the doors. She walked in, and Thora looked up at her, eyebrow raised.

“I need to see the doctor.”

“You don’t have an appointment,” she said.

“Is my name on there?”

She just stared back at Autumn, giving her a look.  Autumn stared at her. The doctor came in and was going to say something but saw Autumn. “I didn’t know you had an appointment.”

She pushed away from the counter. “I don’t. I do however have this,” she said, pulling out the pregnancy test. “How long have you known?”

He shook his head and turned around. “I don’t know what you are talking about. Maybe you just got pregnant.”

Angry, her magic rose. The building started to tremble. “I am not here to listen to excuses, doctor. So let me ask again. How long have you known?”

His nervous eyes darted around at the pictures shaking around off the wall. “I um- I have known since the blood test.”

“Why would you keep this a secret?”

“Because it is against your stars,” he said. “You were supposed to have air’s baby. Not a baby with a normal.”

She pointed at him, and wisps of green magic swirled in the air around her finger. “You had no right keeping this from me. NO RIGHT AT ALL. From now on, you shall never tell a lie,” she said. The wisps of green smoke left her finger and wrapped around the stunned doctor.

“You can’t use your magic against me!” he shouted as the wisps wrapped around him and bound him. The spell shrunk together and disappeared.

“Well, doctor, what are the vitamins you gave me?”

His mouth opened and closed, and his eyes bugged out as he tried to fight it. “Prenatal vitamins.”

“Doctor, is it time for me to have an ultrasound or other testing?”

He fought again, but the spell held fast. “You should have had some other tests, and yes, it is time for an ultrasound.”

“Then let’s get it done. I am going to be missed by my grandmother, and you sure in the hell don’t want to explain what you have been hiding from her.”

He thought about it. “Thora, reschedule the next few appointments.”

“Whatever.”

After doing all the tests, she stared at the picture of the baby growing in her belly. He said it was healthy, and the sex was undetermined. She sighed as she walked out of the clinic, her hand on her belly.
Oh, you unexpected surprise.

She could hear the yelling and screaming outside the house. At first she didn’t want to go in. But she didn’t have a safe place to disappear to like Anatha. She really had nothing to say about Anatha and her new sex buddy. Hell, she had two boyfriends, one who happened to be the father of the child growing inside of her. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the loud house.

All eyes turned to her, and everyone fell quite. “Where have you been?” Anatha finally said.

“Getting in trouble as usual,” Autumn replied.

“Oh,” Pyrus said. “Please say it was a joke.”

Autumn shook her head. “You might get a call from the elders about unwanted spells being put on lying doctors.”

Stefan stared at her, and she nodded at him. His mouth fell open, and he sat down hard. “On a positive note, I have full proof the stars are hooey.”

“How?” Anatha asked.

“It’s not weight gain. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go throw up,” she said and ran from the room.

Mabon turned to look at Stefan, whose face still held the shock of the truth of it. “What is wrong with you?”

He blinked and looked away. “Nothing. I was just thinking of something.”

Mabon stalked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. “Autumn, are you okay?”

“No,” she said as she looked at herself in the mirror. “Not at all.”

“Autumn, what did you do to the doctor?” Pyrus asked through the door.

“He’s fine. He just needs to learn not to lie.” She heard the phone ring, and Pyrus cursed as she went to answer it.

“She did what? Well that ain’t bad. Why? Why? What? No.” Pyrus said, and her silver eyes looked at Autumn as she came out of the bathroom and into the living room. “No, we will not come to the elders. If they want to talk to us, they can come to us.”

“In case you wanted to know, it’s a boy,” Shantaina said in a low voice.

Autumn looked at her, and Pyrus hung up the phone. “I should have noticed. I’m sorry,” Pyrus said.

“I should have noticed too,” Autumn said.

“Stars be damned,” Pyrus said. “There is no way Pavana can fix this.”

“What is she talking about?” Aarawn said.

“Yes,” Mabon asked.

Autumn pulled out the ultrasound picture and placed it on the side table. “The doctor has been keeping it secret. Stefan gave me a test, and I took it this morning. It came out positive.”

Everyone came to look at the picture. “Stefan?” Aarawn said.

“I could see the green heartbeat growing over the months. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but I had a clue.”

“Who do you think the dad is?” Anatha whispered to her.

She shot her a nasty look. “It doesn’t matter. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a nap.” They all watched her leave and looked back down at the ultrasound.

Pyrus reached out and ran a finger over the picture. She thought their fate was set. She thought the battle would be their end but looking at the baby, it couldn’t be an end. Which meant she could not trust what the elders had been telling her. Not any of it.

Mabon left the crowd and followed his sister up the stairs. He knocked on the door and let himself in. “You’re going to call Akasha even if we decide against it, aren’t you?”

She shrugged, gazing out the window. “I don’t know. I love them, so why do I have to choose? We call Akasha or we die. If we call her, we don’t know exactly what will happen and maybe the child I carry will come along. He sat down and took her hand. “If it makes you feel any better, I will always be with you. If you call Akasha, I will too.”

She looked at him, her vision blurring from the tears. “It doesn’t make me feel any better.”

He gave her a small smile. “Okay, but it makes me feel better. I don’t want you to ever think you’re alone. And you are not in charge either. We choose together.”

She gave his hand a squeeze. Their power flowed between them. “Are we still going into the cave to find out more on Akasha?”

“Yes, and Stefan and Shantaina are coming along. I think something bad is going to happen.”

Their eyes locked. “I know, soon.”

Chapter 14

Autumn sat eating breakfast, watching Pyrus run around. To her, she looked like a freshly killed chicken without a head. “Where is my watch?!” she cried as she ran in and out of the room.

“On your wrist, Grandma,” Autumn said.

She paused, looking down at her wrist. “Yep, there it is,” she said, and then looked over at her granddaughter. It might be the last time she ever looked at Autumn again. She looked so much like her son. She picked up a book she had dropped and walked over to her. She pushed it across the table.

Autumn looked at the book then at her grandmother. “What’s this?”

“A book,” Pyrus said as if it answered everything.

“I know it’s a book, but why give it to me?” Her fingers vibrated with magic as she tried to open the old beat up cover.

“The book was given to me by my grandmother, to her by her grandmother, and so on. You are the eldest girl, and now it is mine to give to you.”

“Where is the key?” Autumn asked, looking at the book closely.

“The book has not been opened since it was sealed so many years ago,” she explained. “It is one of a kind. It’s full of magic and secrets that were spoken before the written word, and then the secrets were all written down here.” She reached out, touching the book. “It was sealed because the knowledge in this book could have cost our family line so much danger, it was best to seal it until it needed to be open.”

“Do you think I’ll need it?”

“I think it might be the answer you, your brother, and cousins seek.” She looked down at her watch. “I’m late. You know how to reach me.”

Adair jumped on the table. “Oh, look, a magic book,” he said, looking at it.

“How do you think I can open it?”

“Why not tell it to open?”

She swatted the monkey, and he jumped back. “You are no help.”

“It is the easiest thing, and you can count on whoever it was to be bright. It was written a very long time ago,” he said.

Annoyed, she pointed her point finger at him. “Climb a tree.” As soon as it was out, she regretted it. “Crap,” she said as he vanished with a pop. “Oh no, did I turn him into a tree?” she asked herself out loud as she ran to the window. She looked around.
No new tree
, she told herself as she scanned the backyard.

Aarawn ran down the stairs. “Autumn, your monkey is in the tree next to my window. He told me you’re going crazy.”

Her eyes darted up, scanning the tree. Sure enough, he was holding onto the limb tightly. Autumn laughed loudly, bringing tears to her eyes. She pointed her finger, steadying her hand with her other hand. “Adair, down,” she said between gasps for air.

Adair popped back on the table, shivering. “That was uncalled for!” he shouted.

“How was I to know you were going to be up in a tree?” she shouted back, her laughter draining away.

“You never point your finger at someone and say things. It’s like a witch rule. No pointing your finger!”

She pointed her finger. “Shut up!” she shouted as Mabon walked in front of the monkey to see what was going on. His mouth disappeared. She put her hand to her mouth.

“Oops,” she said, and Aarawn started laughing.  She couldn’t help laughing too.

Mabon was feeling for his missing mouth. Anatha walked in, yawning. She stopped, looking at Mabon. “Where is his mouth?”

Autumn pointed her finger at Mabon. “Speak, Mabon.” His lips grew back.

“What the hell was that?” he asked when he was sure his lips were normal.

Autumn shrugged. “Hormones.”

“No more finger pointing,” Aarawn said, laughing.

“Your hormones suck,” Mabon said. “Please, god of love, don’t let me fall in love with a witch. I doubt I would live to see my first child born.” They all knew it was already too late. He thought he was secretly seeing Crystal. But lately they hadn’t been hanging around together. Autumn actually couldn’t recall the last time she had seen Crystal.

“Remember, you are the Zen man. You should be able to look past the magic hormones,” Anatha said.

The guys left Autumn and Anatha in the dining room. Autumn picked up the book as her cousin got something to eat. She tested it with her power. She got a little fed up and started shaking it.

Anatha paused with the fork to her mouth. “What are you doing? Does pregnancy make you forget? It’s a book; just open the cover.”

Autumn gave her an annoyed look and pushed the book across to her. “You try.”

“Okay,” Anatha said, putting her fork on her plate. She barely touched her fingertips to the cover when a giant energy force pushed her chair backwards. Autumn got up and ran around the table. She looked down at Anatha as she blinked up at her. “What was that?”

Autumn looked at the book. She ran her hand over the cover. “The book, I guess. Pyrus says the oldest gets it. Maybe it was binded that way so no one else can touch it.”

“Well that’s not fair, is it?” she said, getting up and righting her chair.

“It might hold the secret to Akasha. Well, that’s what Pyrus said.”

Anatha bent her head close to the book but not too close. She didn’t want to be pushed around by it.
Old power
, she thought as the magic radiated from the old cover. “You think it might contain the spell to call Akasha?”

“I hope.”

“Me too, so how do you open it?”

“I really don’t know. Pyrus told me that it will open for those who need it or something like that.”

****

“The field is in place,” Yelena said as she made the last mark on the cave entrance. “Father was good enough with symbols to teach me.”

“Your father was a great magician,” Pavana replied, turning to Henley. “Call the others. We need extra magic, just in case.”

“Is it necessary?”

“They have broken in once, and they can do it again.  I know for sure they are going to do it soon.”

“How?” Yelena asked.

She smiled. “I am a great elder. I know things others don’t. Henley, go.”

****

“Stefan, hurry now,” Shantaina called from his bedroom door.

“Should I take my egg?”

“You should take your familiar everywhere. Usually they follow or know where you’re at. But since yours is an egg, you should take it with you.”

He came out with the egg in a small pouch she had made for him. He adjusted the pouch on his belt. “Has anyone else gotten an egg before?”

She shook her head as they walked down the stairs. Autumn had a book under her arm, Anatha had on all black, Mabon had a goofy smile on his face, trying to hide his nervousness, and Aarawn had his head out the door, looking around. 

“Coast is clear,” he said.

Anatha, Aarawn, and Mabon grabbed hands, closing their eyes. Clouds covered the sky, and raindrops drummed down. Thunder rumbled and lightning splashed through the sky.  A thick wind blew, bending trees over.

Autumn moved the curtains a little so she could look out. “They did a good job.”

“Lucky for you guys the clouds were building up naturally,” Shantaina replied.

Aarawn paused, looking at her. “Are you so sure?”

She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it. Sometimes things were best left unsaid and unanswered. “Should we go?” she finally asked.

Aarawn nodded. “I go first to keep the wind and rain away.” They walked out the back. Aarawn in front, Mabon taking the rear, and the rest in-between. Hands out, nothing touched them as they made their way into the forest. No one spoke a word until they got to the cave. Shantaina stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Stefan asked.

“The stars are in a cave. That should be seen as a bad omen. Stars should be held high not buried.”

“She has a point,” Autumn said. “Anatha, how would you feel if you were stuck in a cave?”

“Pissed.”

“Me too,” Aarawn said. “Come on, follow me.”

Anatha and Mabon shared nervous looks. They had never been inside. They were almost too scared to.

Aarawn did a small chant, and the wind was silent. He took a torch and gave it to Anatha. She touched the top of it with her right palm and called forth fire. It sprang to life with fiery vengeance. She handed it back to him.

After Autumn made the boulder turn to sand, they went into the room with all of the star charts, and the candles that were dead sprang to life as they all stepped into the large room. “Is that normal?” Mabon asked, watching Aarawn, who was trying to blow out the fire on the torch. Mabon clapped his hands over the flame, and it went out with a hiss.

“Yes,” Anatha said with a sly smile. “When I’m around.”

“Something’s different,” Autumn said, looking around.

“What?” he asked.

She shivered. “I can’t place it. A feeling maybe.”

“What are we waiting for? Let’s get looking,” Aarawn said, clapping his hands. The loud echoing noise making everyone jump.

“Don’t do that again,” Mabon said.

“There’s a lot of books and stuff to go through,” Stefan said.

They all took a shelf and started scanning through books and papers. Autumn still had a weird feeling, which was growing on Mabon. He kept walking over to the open hole and looking out. Shantaina felt something as well, some darkness just beyond reach in her mind. But lately everything felt out of reach. Like Autumn, there was some magic around her keeping her pregnancy unknown. She had to wonder what kind of spell the doctor had used to cloud her mind and wondered if the others felt it too.

****

River woke from a dream. He lay there in bed, trying to recall what had awakened him. He heard whispering. He looked over at Rowan and saw him deeply asleep. He got out of bed quietly, and made his way to the door. He opened it, and it made a small squeak. He held his breath, listening. The whispering went on, not pausing. He let out his breath and snuck out the door. He walked to the edge of the stairs. He could see his mom in the brightly lit kitchen. She was talking to someone, but he couldn’t see who it was, but he could hear clearly.

“He can’t leave. We need him. If he doesn’t stay, we will add him to the list.”

What list?
He thought.

“No,” his mom said. “He will stay. I don’t want him on the list, please.”

“We have found a small sacrifice, and that is the real reason I came over to see you. We have to go. The sacrifice will hold them off until we make a bigger one.”

“Is it the boy?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We can’t have pesky children running around.”

Sacrifice? Boy?
His mind raced.

His mom came out followed by some person he had seen in town but had never met. He sank down, his foot hitting something. They both looked up as he pushed his head into the ground.
Please don’t see me
, he thought.

“Probably a cat,” his mom said, and he heard the door open and close.

“Rowan,” he called out when he got into the room, but he didn’t stir.
I should wake him, but if I do, we would miss them.
He looked at the front door and then behind him at his half-opened bedroom door.

“Shit,” he muttered. He walked down the steps and popped his head out. He saw his mom and the other person waiting at the end of the driveway, still talking. He snuck out and hid in the shadows.

Another person walked over to them. They started walking, and he followed far enough behind so they couldn’t hear him, but he could see where they were going. They turned into another driveway and went to the door. The man who was with his mom knocked on the door. The door swung open, showing Misty. River cringed out of habit. They went in, and he ran to the house and peeked through the window. It was open, and the stench made him pull away.

Plugging his nose and taking shallow breaths, he peered back inside. His eyes grew wide as he saw most of the town in the living room. From where he looked, he could see the dining room. There was a fence up, blocking the rooms from each other.

“We need to feed the oldest first. The others can wait until we have our main sacrifices ready,” the man who had knocked said. “Go ahead and let them out.”

He watched as another man opened the door from the garage, letting out two infected people. No one he recognized. The guy ran out another door. The zombies came to the fence, groaning.

“Now the boy,” the man said.

Kelsey and Misty walked towards the gate with a small figure all tied up. They had a burlap sack over the figure’s head. The man ripped off the sack, and River saw it was the boy who had talked to them yesterday. The man opened the door, and the women shoved him in. The boy jumped to his feet and looked around. His eyes fell on the infected, and he screamed, jumping on the fence. He climbed to the top. Kelsey let out a loud giggle as she held out an electric cow prodder, zapping him. The boy fell, landing hard. He looked up at the people watching.

The infected, slow and old, came over to him, moaning hungrily. Grabbing with their bony fingers. He used his legs to push himself against the wall. He looked around pleadingly, and saw no one was going to help him. He brought his knees to his chest and cried. The infected fell on him, feeding, as the boy screamed. River turned away, sick. He had seen what the infected could do to people, and it was something he really didn’t want to watch ever again. This was too much.