Seeing Magic (The Queen of the Night Series Book 1) (22 page)

***

We’d just turned the bend that preceded the gate when we saw headlights approaching.

“Oh no,” Evan groaned. Then he called out, “Run for it, Maggie! It’s our only chance.” 

I looked at him and he tossed the backpack to me. Since it contained the video footage and the dirt specimens, it was our most important possession. I pulled it on over my shoulders and ran for the gate. As I did so several of the fairy lights flew around me and started to sneeze. Angus flitted up behind and grabbed me by the waistband of my jean shorts as I started to rise off the ground. Floating over the fence I thought,
Oh…I’m covered in
boogies
.

Angus put me down right by the passenger door of the Jeep. I yanked it open and threw myself on the seat.

Evan hopped over the fence and ran for the car. The growling and barking of the dogs told me they were right behind us. A truck crested the hill and slammed on the brakes. Jeremy Rogers was right in front of us. Evan threw himself into the driver’s seat. Then he did the weirdest thing.

Evan slumped over motionless. He seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Evan!” I shouted.
Did he have a heart attack
? I wondered. As I turned in my seat to reach for him, I saw him through the back window. There were two Evan’s. One was unconscious next to me. The other was standing in front of the gate, challenging Jeremy Rogers. Rogers got out of his truck and started striding toward him. My eyes bulged out when Rogers pulled a handgun from the back of his waistband and aimed it toward the second Evan.  

“Who are you?  What the hell are you doing snooping around my place?” Rogers screamed at Second Evan, who incensed him more by shouting and dodging him.

“Your illegal mine is killing people! It has to be shut down!” Second Evan shouted back.

None of the bullets fired by Rogers struck their mark and I wondered how Evan could keep jumping out of the way of flying bullets. Eventually, Rogers fired and nothing happened because he’d emptied his clip. Second Evan disappeared.

The Evan next to me woke up with a start. He turned the ignition and put the Jeep in gear. Rolling down the window, he pulled something out from under his seat.

While he did all of this, Rogers was looking around for the missing Second Evan. When he heard the Jeep rumble he whipped around to face us. In the moments it took Evan to lower the window, Rogers reached under the right leg of his jeans. He pulled out another gun.

Evan pointed his own firearm out the window and fired two shots. Two of the tires on Rogers’ truck exploded. Evan tossed the handgun on the dashboard and using two hands drove the Jeep backwards down the hill. He was gunning the engine in reverse and the wind whistled as several shots from Rogers’ second gun barely missed us.

We shrank down the mountain road and out of Rogers’ line of sight. It wasn’t until we reached the paved road that Evan stopped and turned the Jeep facing forward. Rogers wasn’t chasing us. We’d gotten away safely.

I was still petrified with fear but once I’d processed that the shooting had stopped, I shrieked, “STOP THE CAR!”

“Why?”

“What the hell is that
thing
?”

“What thing?” Evan looked genuinely confused as to what upset me.

I backed up in my seat away from the dashboard.

He followed my gaze, and then pulled over onto the side of the road. “Oh, the gun,” he said nonchalantly, “Deputy Wallace gave it to me that day at the meadow. He told me Jeremy Rogers was a bad guy and if I was going up against him I should be armed, because Jeremy would undoubtedly have a gun.”

I still stared at the dashboard like it was Death itself. In Santa Monica guns are the highest form of taboo. Even before we moved to California, Mom made Dad keep his army-issue firearm locked in a special case at the back of the closet.

“What?” Evan still didn’t understand my fear. “Okay, I’ll put it in the trunk.”

Only when the gun was safely stowed in the hatchback did I began to relax. By the time Evan had returned to the driver’s seat, I could think again. Hundreds of Sidhelas still hovered overhead. “The fairy lights are still following us. We should let them go back home.”

“Oh yeah,” he said.

I reached into the backpack at my feet and pulled out the mirror. I held it upright, facing Evan’s window, with both hands. I was still shaking. “Trí na chéile a thógtar na cáisléain.”

The fairy lights disappeared and we were left with only the lights from the car. Evan grinned from ear to ear.

“We did it,” he exhaled.

Still confused, I asked, “How?  How can you be in two places at the same time?”

“Oh…” Evan seemed to relish his secret. “It’s astral projection. A few Seers have the gift. How else do you think I won the bonfire contest?”

I giggled. Perhaps, because I felt relieved at being alive, or relieved that we had the proof we needed to shut Rogers down, or just happy being with Evan, but astral projection seemed very, very funny.

“We did it,” I smiled at him.

He just grinned in return.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Fairy Justice

This time, when we all gathered in the break room, we ate sub sandwiches. Personally, I could live off pizza every day of my life, but the others wanted something different.

The respect showed in Deputy Wallace’s face as he spoke to Evan and me. “You guys did well, the guy at the local EPA extension office took the dirt samples for testing, but we’re pretty sure we already know the whole story. The videotapes were enough to get a court order. The Sheriff led the team in to shut Rogers down first thing this morning. All the government agencies are involved now. Federal, state and local departments are starting a task force to manage the clean-up.”

I wanted to know the details. “The stuff he was mining, Bentonite…what is it?”

Fiona answered, “Yesterday I talked to the only private geologist in the area. He was happy to tell me everything, because Rogers never paid him for the report he’d prepared. Sleepy Mountain sits on a large deposit of Bentonite, a special type of white clay. It’s become popular recently because it’s used to make sludge for off-shore oil drills. It’s an important ingredient in preventing or stopping oil spills because it swells up to many times its size when put in water. Rogers stood to make millions if he could extract the special clay, but this geologist told Rogers that the government would never grant him a permit to mine it because Sleepy Mountain also contained some rare deposits of Cadmium, a mildly radioactive substance which could cause a number of medical problems if inhaled or ingested.”

“We know that’s true,” Evan added.

Deputy Wallace continued, “Cadmium is the radioactive chemical found in the water samples the EPA collected weeks ago. The report was also delivered yesterday.”

“How can they clean up all the Cadmium washed into Warm Spring Run?”  I was worried about what would happen to all the people, plants and animals living near or in the stream.

Deputy Wallace already knew the answer. “It turns out that large amounts of Cadmium have to be present for it to be dangerous. Tiny amounts of mildly radioactive substances exist all around us. They only cause the kinds of medical problems we saw when there’s a lot of radiation in one place at one time.”

Fiona interrupted him, “Oh, I get it. They flush it out of the stream.”

“You’re exactly right,” continued the deputy. “Trucks carrying huge amounts of water are already being put in place on Sleepy Mountain. Once the clean water washes out the stream, the Cadmium will be broken up and spread out over a much larger area. It won’t be as dangerous.”

“Do you mean they’re going to flush it into the Potomac River?  Won’t that affect a lot more people?”  I was surprised.

“Now we’ve prevented any further pollution it won’t be a problem because the Potomac has so much more water than Warm Spring Run. The Cadmium will be diluted to the point where it’s safe,” Fiona assured me.

“Besides,” Evan contributed, “all of the water from the Potomac is processed through water treatment plants with filters for small amounts of contaminants before it reaches any people. If we hadn’t shut down the mine, the amount of Cadmium that accumulated in the river would have caused all kinds of problems”

“That’s a relief,” I decided.

Fiona added, “The Health Department has already started treating everyone who was exposed for radiation poisoning.”

“What about Zoe?” I asked. “She was affected by it the most.”

“Luckily, you and I have been giving her weekly treatments since this all started so the damages done to her stomach and lungs were kept to a minimum. She has no cancerous tumors and can be treated with Iodine and fluids.”  I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Easnadh was not so lucky,” Fiona added sadly.

“Is there nothing that can be done to help her?”

“There’s nothing I can do to help her now. My healing hands magic isn’t strong enough to remove fully-formed tumors, but the Sidhe might have secret magic which can help.” 

I had one last question.

“What will happen to Jeremy Rogers?”

All eyes turned to Deputy Wallace. “Besides what’s happened to Easnadh, this is the only bad news we’ve received.” 

Evan groaned. He knew what the deputy was going to say, but I hadn’t figured it out.

The deputy’s face softened as he looked at Evan. “I still think you guys did the right thing. It was more important to stop the strip mining and save lives than it was to punish Jeremy Rogers. Nothing short of what you did in gathering that video footage would have convinced the Romans that Rogers was running an illegal mine.”

I was still confused. “What did we do wrong?” 

“You trespassed on Roger’s land to collect the evidence. Because you broke the law to do it, none of the video or the dirt samples can be used in court against him. The District Attorney has decided he can’t file criminal charges against Rogers. Of course, Sleepy Mountain has been seized by the government. Rogers has lost any assets he had on that property. He’s financially ruined. His story will be made public by the press and I doubt he’ll recover socially or economically. Those men working for him in the mine will probably try to sue him for knowingly exposing them to Cadmium, but he won’t go to prison, at least not for running the mine.”

“Oh,” I said. That was disappointing.

***

Later on that afternoon, Fiona and I were working in the secret treatment room when two fairy lights visited us.

“The King and Queen of the Sidhe Clan invite all of the members of the Cacapon High Council to bear witness. They will convene a Sidhe tribunal against the Roman named Jeremy Rogers tonight at midnight at the Temple of the Crossed Rings for his crime against the Nyad Easnadh, of Warm Spring Run. The Healer apprentice, Margaret Fiona MacDougall Stewart, is invited as Queen Dariene’s honored guest. Great Healer, please inform the other council members.”  They flew back through the crystal mirror.

I looked at Fiona and she looked at me. All she said was, “I have to make a few phone calls.”  She left the room.

***

I decided to visit Jenny. I hadn’t had a chance to ask her about my dreams.

She greeted me with a warm smile when I entered the library, lugging all of the books I’d borrowed over the summer. I plopped them down on the counter.

“Hi Jenny, I’ve brought them all back.”

“I can see that. Congratulations, by the way. I hear that you and my son had quite an adventure yesterday.”

“It was a bit too exciting for me. I’d never seen a gun up close before last night. Being shot at scared the heck out of me.”

“I understand that Evan used his little party trick. That must have scared you, as well.” 
She is way too insightful
. The last thing I need is for Evan’s mom to figure out how much the possibility of losing him terrified me last night. She continued, while scrutinizing my face for any reaction, “That’s the first time his gift has been used to save his life. I’m glad now Logan taught him astral projection.”

I nodded my agreement because I was afraid if I spoke, my voice would betray me. Changing the subject seemed like the safest response. “Speaking of gifts, I have a question. I’ve been having dreams, could they be prophetic?”

“Sure, you have other Seer gifts, so it’s not unexpected that you might have dreams about other people’s futures.”

“I thought that only male Seers had the gift of Sight.”

“Only male Seers can have waking premonitions, but women can see the future in dreams.”

“I saw myself standing in the middle of Warm Spring Run while people were sick all around me.”

“Were you sick?  Did you do anything in the dream?”

“No, I just stood there.”

“That’s not unusual. I’ve noticed that young children often project themselves into their prophetic dreams. They usually stop doing that after they get older and learn to control their gifts. Did you have these dreams before or after Dariene unlocked your abilities?”

“I had them before she cursed me.”

“Then I’m sure that you won’t project yourself into prophetic dreams in the future. Your abilities aren’t a curse, you know. They are gifts. In time, you’ll appreciate them.”

“Oh, you’re right,” I quickly responded, “I don’t think my abilities are a curse, but what Dariene did to me was horrible.”

“I don’t think she meant to be malicious. I think she was doing what she thought was best for her family. Any mother or leader would do the same thing.”

“You’re probably right. We did change the future, too. My dreams won’t come true.”

“Exactly, hon, you and Evan saved everyone. You can put those nightmares out of your mind.” 

I can put the nightmares about the stream out of my mind, not the ones about my mom.
Luckily, I’m going home soon
. “Thanks, Jenny. I’m going to miss you.”

She came around the counter and gave me a hug. “I have a feeling we’ll see each other again,” she smiled mysteriously.

***

It was time to leave for the sacred meadow. I had decided to wear the periwinkle dress. It seemed like this might be a dress-up occasion. One look from Fiona and I knew I’d made the right choice. It was also a solemn occasion. Neither one of us felt like talking during the drive.

Evan and Judge Sinclair were standing together talking in the parking lot when we arrived. The four of us started walking toward the clearing together. Fiona walked alongside the judge. Evan and I walked a couple of steps behind them. As we entered the path through the woods, we saw fairy lights overhead, lighting our way.

Judge Sinclair glanced over his shoulder to include us in the conversation. “I went back through all the old songs. As far as I can tell, there hasn’t been a Sidhe tribunal against a human in over four hundred years!  Can you believe that?”

Fiona asked, “Do the songs say what happened at that tribunal?”

“They don’t say specifically what happened, but I got the impression it wasn’t good for the defendant. Of course, back then the defendant was one of the Gifted, from a magical clan. I don’t know how they plan to get away with this and not expose themselves to the Roman community at large.”

“You look nice tonight,” Evan whispered in my ear. I think I blushed at the way his warm breath felt against the sensitive skin of my earlobe, but I was terribly interested in knowing what was going to happen to Jeremy Rogers, so this time
I
ignored
him
.

“Judge,” I started, “is Rogers going to be executed for killing Easnadh?”

“I really couldn’t say what will happen, but you may want to prepare yourself. The Sidhe can be quite cruel.”

I fell silent at that news. I wanted justice dealt to Jeremy Rogers as much as everyone else. Maybe I wanted it more, since it had been my actions which resulted in his going unpunished, but I wasn’t sure I wanted him to die. I was sure I didn’t want to witness his execution. When we arrived at the clearing, we could see Connor McCoy and Mark McFadden, Liam’s father, already there. We joined them at the altar. Within minutes, the rest of the council had arrived. Two Sidhelas flew through the arch they always seemed to use as a portal, and disappeared.

A few minutes later, the fairy lights returned, followed by Dariene, Buach, Poplar, a nyad I didn’t recognize, a female dressed in brown, two males — one dressed in baby blue and the other wore light green, and a lot more Sidhelas.

As we (humans) watched, Poplar and Buach stepped away from the others and faced the arch. Poplar stood to the right of the arch and raised his arms while mumbling an incantation. Buach did the same on the left. Each dryad called forth four bushes straight out of the ground. The trunks of the bushes pushed their way out of the soil under the tall grass of the clearing with enormous speed. Branches and twigs sprang forth and wound themselves around the trunks. It looked as if the bushes were shaped as round balls about three feet in diameter. Leaves sprouted and covered the balls in green. Then an indentation appeared in each bush ball.

When the bushes had finished taking shape, each had formed a chair. The shape looked comfortable enough, but I didn’t relish sitting on a pile of twigs. As if the dryads had heard my complaint, they changed the cadence of the incantation and a soft, tightly weaved, pale green moss started to grow within the indentations. When the seat cushions had been fully formed, Poplar and Buach returned to stand next to Dariene.

She addressed us as a group, but as she spoke she moved her head to make eye contact with each one of us in turn. “Welcome, brothers and sisters of Mother Earth and Father Sky. Thank you for attending this tribunal and bearing witness to these proceedings. As I call your name for the record, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable.”  She moved closer to our group.

The fairy lights spread out over us and bathed this half of the clearing in a soft light.

“Mark McFadden, Great Hunter of the Cacapon Clan, welcome.”  Liam’s dad took the chair on the far left.

“Robert MacGregor, Great Farmer of the Cacapon Clan, welcome.”  Farmer MacGregor was easily the oldest of the group, and he moved slowly. It took a while for him to settle into the seat next to Mark.

“William McCormack, Great Dowser of the Cacapon Clan, welcome.”  John’s uncle took the chair on the far right.