Chapter Nine
The bedroom was as stark as the rest of the apartment. It had the potential of being a beautiful room though with its high ceiling and hardwood floor. Everything had a charm to it and as I walked through it, a distant familiarity.
“I almost didn’t see it.” Sage pointed her flashlight to a small niche alongside the wall. “The mural has a small keyhole.” Sage stood with her light focused on the painting of a mother and daughter.
The mother was dressed in a long dress and had her hair pulled up in a neat bun while her daughter sat in a wash basin. She tenderly looked at her child. The moment caught with paint, made me feel like I had walked in on them. I knew the painting well as it was from one of my favorite artists.
“It’s a Mary Cassett.” I announced with all eyes turned to me. “She did a lot of mother and child paintings.” I continued with my art appreciation lesson.
“Do you have the key to open it?” Nate asked stepping in front of me.
I felt my arms go numb. “No, it’s back in Minton.”
Nate ran his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh as he glared at me. I crossed my arms and returned his glare. With everything that has happened, how can it be my entire fault? I felt that it was though. My mother gave it to me and told me it opened a safe that I still don’t know the combination to.
“Check your pocket.” Donavan stood beside the Cassett mural with Sage on the other side. Both of them looked at me.
I hesitantly reached into my jean jacket pocket and felt something small and metallic. I looked over at Kelan with a confused look as I pulled out the small key that was in my mother’s box.
“I didn’t put it in there…I know I didn’t. It was in the box back at the halfway house. How…”
“Magic, or more like a spell of connection,” Lou said behind us.
“Benefactor, this is no concern of yours.” Donavan stepped in front of her. His dark form loomed over her, but Lou stood her ground looking up at him with a stone face.
“There are magical elements here. I can be of use.” Lou stared steadily at him. “You may have some knowledge, but you can’t control what’s coming.”
Donavan drew in a deep breath and shifted his weight.
“Wait, Donavan, she might be of use,” Sage casually said as he looked back at her with his eyes returning to normal.
They stared at each other for a moment as if they were having a conversation silently among themselves.
“You’re right,” Donavan finally said before turning back to Lou. “You stay, but I’m not responsible for you or any action that will likely be taken by your reviewer.”
Lou smiled. “It was her idea,” Lou said with a smile as Grace stepped in behind her.
“Grace!” I yelled a little too loud and ran to her wrapping my arms around her.
“It’s good to see you too.” Grace squeezed me tight.
“This isn’t a reunion—the key.” Donavan flashed his cat eyes at me and briskly pointed at the mural.
I tightened the grip on the key and walked over to it. The painting was beautiful and I couldn’t help but to wonder if I had any tender moments like this with my mom.
“The key Abigail,” Baranbus prompted from behind me.
I slipped the key in the lock and turned it. It sighed with a click and opened upon me removing my hand. A pink light flickered inside the safe and I jumped back into Donavan. He gave me a scowl and shoved me back towards the safe.
“We can’t touch what’s inside there. You have the protection spell in you Abigail…that’s the way your mother wanted it and her intensions.” Barnabus gazed at me from the doorway. I looked back at him then at Lou and Kelan.
Inside and illuminated in a pinkish glow was another box. I pulled it out and held it in my palm. It was a metal box, pewter, maybe and inscribed with overlapping swirls that covered it entirely. On top was a small dial pointing to different symbols. Whatever it contained couldn’t be opened without the combination, and that was still a mystery to me.
“I’ve no idea how to open it.” I looked at Donavan who looked at me with slit eyes and crossed his arms. I know that wasn’t an acceptable excuse with him, but what was I supposed to do?
“Think Abi, think of what was important to her.” Barnabus came in and pushed past Nate and Donavan until he stood in front of me. “You—you are important to her.” He slightly smiled.
I looked at the box and then at him.
“It’s a fairy box. These are symbols for times of the year.” Barnabus looked up at me.
I thought of my mother’s letter. She said I knew it well and I was the most important thing to her that she died for my safety.
“It’s a day, Abigail…the day that transformed her life…and mine as well.” Barnabus added.
“My birthday,” I said meekly. It was clear to me now and certainly a number I would never forget. “I was born May 18th.”
Barnabus smiled and looked at the dial. “The sign of the Minotaur and also spring. Turn the dial to the U shape.” I did and it made a click. “Good, now turn it to the one that looks like an upside down V with curls at the bottom.” Again, another click only this time it was louder. “Now,” he rubbed his chin. “You are female; turn it to the circle with the line through it.” This time there was no click, but a thin silver needle that popped out of the top.
I nearly dropped it in surprise and would have if Barnabus didn’t grab onto my shaking hand. Our eyes met and locked for a moment with his hand holding mine which cradled the box.
“I could smell it all the way to the lobby.” From the shadows a voice came. “I believe that belongs to me little one.” Victoria in all her blackness contrasting with whiteness, smiled at me.
Victoria like lightning flicked her hand towards Sage freezing her where she stood. Victoria smiled as Sage’s body slowly crackled until greyness filled her image. She looked like a stone statue and Victoria ran her fingers over her cheek.
“Simply beautiful and a wonderful addition to my garden,” she said with another quick flick of her fingers.
“Witch!” Donavan hissed as the rest of the guardians pulled weapons from their belts.
Barnabus took the box quickly in his hand and turned it over stabbing me with the needle. I screamed as he dropped the box and it shattered on the floor. I looked at Barnabus with half scared half questioning eyes as I could feel my body turn as cold as ice.
“It will protect you.” Barnabus looked at me holding out his hand that held the box for only a second. It was burned with the impression of the scrolling design of the box.
Barnabus then turned let out a growl and threw his knife at Victoria. She stood passively where she was turning the throwing weapons into stone until all that was left was the guardians themselves. She smiled and pointed at them one by one with her gloved hand turning them into pouncing stone statues. Even Nate and his super human quickness wasn’t a match for Victoria. I stood helplessly looking at Kelan.
“Get the staff,” he said looking at the safe then back at me with his skin slowly turning grey.
“Kelan!” I yelled but it was too late.
Lou stood in front of me and pointed her finger at Victoria. “Leave her be!”
I looked at Kelan with his eyes still locked with mine. Something rolled in the pit of my stomach. It was fear mixed with hatred. My blood was no longer ice, but molten lava and it burned my insides as I looked at Victoria playfully blowing on her fingers.
“I’m not going to do that.” Victoria gazed at Lou giving me time to look in the safe.
I reached inside not knowing what I would pull out. Donavan had said it was in a book and a book is what I pulled out.
“Open it!” Lou yelled as a ball of light came from her hand and exploded in front of Victoria.
I sat on the ground flipped open the black, leather bound book. There were no pages but a whi
te misty void that gleamed with something gold just under the mist’s surface. It reminded me of the fishing lures that Aunt Kathleen had that would flicker the sunlight when she would reel in her line to discover the fish had ate her bait.
Not sure what to do, I stuck my hand into the book. Victoria tried to get closer to me, but Lou and Grace kept her busy. Balls, streams and burst of light expelled from Lou’s hands. Her hair had come undone and sweat glistened on her forehead.
I reached farther into the book hoping nothing took a bite or tried to pull me in. Finally, elbow deep into the book, I grasped onto something cool and metallic. I pulled it out and looked at the gold scepter that I remember seeing as a child. Victoria’s scepter.
Victoria stopped dead in her tracks and glared at me.
“That is not for librarian hands!” she growled.
“Stop sister,” Grace yelled. “What happened to you?”
Grace stood in front of Victoria speaking in a soft voice. “This doesn’t have to be this way and it isn’t worth it.”
For a moment a shadow of softness casted over Victoria’s face and like a winter gust of wind, it was gone.
“You have no idea about me. Everything always revolved around Grace the perfect.” Victoria’s gaze return to me. “Move aside, I’m giving you a rare chance.”
Lou raised her hands as Grace motioned for her to stop.
“As your sister that loves you, please stop.” Grace begged as Victoria only smiled.
I looked between them. If Victoria had any resemblance to Grace, it was gone. I watched in paralyzed horror mixed with shock as Victoria flicked her hand at Grace turning her to stone.
“You may still love me but, my love for you is gone.” Victoria stood in front of Grace watching her magic at work. I wanted to attack her myself—I wanted to kill her for what she did to Grace…to Kelan and the rest of the guardians. I could feel it burn from my very core to my skin.
“Use the scepter!” Lou yelled throwing a ball of light at Victoria.
I looked at the gold rod that was no longer than my arm with the caged ball at the end.
“Flick it open!” Lou dodged the balls of light that exploded on the wall behind me.
Sparks flew around me and the smell of burned hair encased the room. I flicked the scepter in one quick motion. It immediately doubled in length and began to glow and sparkle at the balled end just like a sparkler.
A bright explosion filled the room and when I gained my vision again, Lou was a grey statue along with the rest of the guardians. It was just me and Victoria.
“My little one, just hand that over and you won’t have the same fate as your friends here.” Victoria nearly blended with the blackness as she stepped around Lou smiling gleefully at me.
“Stay back!” I pointed the scepter at her and it hissed slightly at the end.
Victoria laughed with amusement. “You don’t know how to use that darling.” Her eyes turned black. “Better give it to someone that knows how.”
“Victoria, stop!” Jack’s voice echoed from the other room. “Don’t touch it”
Jack stood behind her holding a long curtain rod with a lime green sheer curtain still attached. Roan, Beannca and Ella came in behind him. Ella’s mouth dropped and a lighter shade of paleness filled her complexion seeing her sister as a statue. Jack only half looked at the once guardians and Lou.
“You’ve been busy.” He smirked ripping off his green curtain and threw her the rod that looked exactly like the one I had. “Do you think I would let it actually rest where it was supposed to be? I think not!” Jack exclaimed standing in his silk pajamas and betraying me. “I thought of this trick a long time ago.” He laughed jovially. “Emma, your mother,” he nodded to me as he held the scepter vertically gazing at it. “She trusted me with it and told me to keep it safe. Then I thought, there will be many after this so why keep it where it’s supposed to be? No one would suspect it to be displayed out in the open and I do have to say, it made an excellent curtain rod.” Jack sighed handing it over to Victoria with a bow of his head.
Victoria gingerly held the scepter in her hand examining it. Jack glanced over at me and winked while Roan made a shushing motion with his finger to his mouth.
“We wish to serve you Victoria—all of us.” He motioned behind him at Beannca, Roan and Ella. “We are tired of the guardians governing us and tired of librarians imprisoning us. I think it’s time for a change, don’t you?”
Victoria studied them for a moment. She walked around them keeping her black eyes on them as she did.
“How do I know this is the right scepter?” Victoria questioned flipping it through the air and then grabbing mine. She looked at the two and then smiled at the one Jack gave her dropping the evidently fake one to the floor with a clank. She stroked the metal rod like one would do to a pet dog or cat.
“Try it out. The Green Man never lies.” His tone had a dark flare to it. “That way you’ll know for sure.” Jack sounded like a car salesman asking her to test drive it.
She waved it overhead in a circular motion like a whip and then expelled a burst of light towards me.
I was jolted into the air slamming in the wall behind me. My head smacked the wall making my ears ring.
“If you want to join me prove it and kill the little librarian for me.” Through my fogginess, I could see Victoria smile at me as Jack bowed to her. “I didn’t get the chance so long ago, but now I do.”
“Of course,” he said casually. “May I have the use of your scepter?”
Victoria stiffened and raised her eyebrows at the question.
“I know it’s yours and I did bring it to you. Otherwise you’d be beating her to death with an actual curtain rod. Isn’t that enough proof of my gesture of loyalty to you? And I’ve even recruited a few minions for you.” Jack motioned behind him with his thumb.
Victoria scowled at them as her white hair sparkled and curled around her shoulders like snakes trying to come to life. I tried to move but felt sick when I did. Roan shook his head at me and I sat back.
“I can kill you without it, so here you go.” Victoria handed it to him.
Jack took it with a bow and came over to me motioning for me to get up. I stood up as he pointed the scepter at me with the opposite end.
“Take that you scurvy librarian.” His voice had fakeness to it as he motioned with his eyes to grab the end of it. “Put all of your emotion into is sister!”
I grasped onto the scepter and it immediately vibrated through me. I tightened my grip becoming one with the scepter until I could feel its pull, extracting something deep inside of me that I didn’t know was there.
Jack turned and held the scepter steady aiming at Victoria. Ella released a ball of light that exploded into hundreds of glitter particles while Beannca and Roan held a large book behind Victoria.
A steady stream of light burst from the end of the scepter like a continuous lightning bolt that slowly faded to waving tendrils of light. Immediately they curled around Victoria who stood with wide, black eyes filled with surprise. She tried to gasp for words and aimed her hands at me. Her eyes grew in blackness with a frantic hatred for me. I only tightened my grip on the scepter that felt as wild as a winter wind.
“Hang on!” Jack encouraged. “One more big push!” He looked back at me for a second.
I could feel strength fill me in one burst and I let that out in one explosion. Victoria’s image began to swirl and her face curled with pain. She reached out to me in a last desperate chance to gain leverage that simply wasn’t there.
Like a vortex of glitter and light that mixed with the blackness of Victoria, she slowly funneled into the book like a tornado. Roan and Beannca pushed back on the book until the last echoes of Victoria’s screams were gone. They fell to the floor slamming the book shut and catching their breath.
Jack let the scepter go and picked up the book plac
ing it inside a velvet green bag with a gold emblem of a tree embroidered on it.
Suddenly the sound of cracking brought me to my senses. The guardians and Lou were coming back to life. Jack immediately went over to Lou.
“My darling, are you alright?’ Jack’s voice was overflowing with concern. “I’m sorry I had to let you go through that.”
I stood holding the scepter watching each of the guardians break from their stone shells. Chunks of grey stone littered the floor as they looked around in awe. I stood in front of Kelan waiting for him to turn back. I gently touched his arm and it was cold, just like stone. My stomach churned with bile as I watched all the other return to themselves and then back at Kelan. I let the scepter slip through my numb fingers.
“Kelan,” I whispered his name.
I felt a hand gently touch me on the shoulder, it was Grace.
“Grace, what’s wrong…” I could feel a lump in my throat as I continued to stare at Kelan.
I looked at Grace and she shook her head. “She knew you cared for him and…” her words became choked.
“Here, don’t fret my little librarian,” Jack said handing me the scepter. “Use this. It has many uses, I know because I’ve played with it a few times.” Everyone looked at him. “What? Well, what do you expect? Leave something magical with a magician and they’re going to play with it. Just because it was Victoria’s doesn’t make it bad.”
“How do I use it?” I asked.
“Just like you did before darling,” Jack said folding his arms and looking passively at me as he rested his chin in his hand. He looked at me like I should know, like I’ve done this a hundred times. “You have your mother’s gift in you so don’t tell me you don’t know. It’s called instinct dear, and all you have to do is follow it.”
I looked to Lou and Grace for encouragement.
“Go on you can save him,” Grace said in a soft voice.
I stepped in front of Kelan gazing at his solid grey eyes. Somewhere in there was his magnificent blue eyes.
Suddenly, I could feel warmth surround us as I stood unblinking and waited for any sign of life to surface. A pinkish-purple fog curled around us and tendrils of light vined like snakes that dissolved as quickly as they formed. Then, slowly, a shadow filled Kelan’s face, almost like I was looking through a ghost. His image grew stronger and the light turned to almost silver.
The greyness dissolved in the air like water in the blistering summer sun. He opened his eyes blinking his confusion away before focusing on me.
“I thought I lost you,” I said surprised at my words. I’ve never felt this way or even allowed myself to care for someone like this. “I don’t know what I would do…”
Kelan only smiled and gently cradled my cheek in his palm pulling me closer until I could feel his lips on mine.
“Really,” Jack said. “Well, what did I expect from young people displaying their affection after such a tense situation? I usually go for a nice glass of wine after fighting the forces of evil and then a little love making…”
“Where’s Victoria?” Barnabus asked cutting off Jack.
Roan stepped forward handing him the bag with the book in it. “In here and I think all that needs to be done is to seal it.”
“You put her in the book?” Nate grabbed the bag jerking it out of Roan’s hand with his smile fading.
“Well, no not all by myself.” Roan cowered and then put his hands behind his back. “You see…I mean I know…”
“I think what our bumbling gnome here is trying to say is that it clearly went against the law, but if we didn’t do something while you guys were all stone lawn ornaments, we would be serving Victoria for real.” Jack stepped beside Roan and looked between him and Nate. “You see, I kept the real scepter in my apartment—made a wonderful curtain rod—got lots of compliments and a really good hiding place. I knew Victoria would be coming and I had to be prepared and I certainly wasn’t going to just hand it over—even if you are Emma’s daughter. It’s something that is simply too important. I had to wait for the right moment and when it came, I’ve got to say we made a really good team. Roan and Beannca held the book and Abi and I shoved Victoria in.” Jack smacked his fist into his hand.
“So you held out on me?” I asked. “Why didn’t you give me the real scepter?”
“Because my dear it’s too powerful to just hand over to some young librarian who isn’t even accepted as one. What if you would’ve had it and Victoria took it from you? How do you plan on getting it back?” Jack raised his eyebrows. “I had another scepter made,” his eyes flickered to the guardians, “all within the legal bounds if you’re questioning that. That’s why it’s about as harmless as a flashlight. It was just for looks,” he said with a small chuckle. “I did it to keep it safe and within my eyesight. Emma wanted me to and asked me before she moved out to hold it for her and well, being a trained magician, anything containing magic is like giving a candy store to a bratty mortal child.”
The guardian’s exchanged glances as I reached for Kelan’s hand. I laced my fingers in his and instead of an expression of shock; Kelan returned the gesture with a firm squeeze.
“I think we should overlook the benefactors’ behavior here and get a sense of the big picture.” Barnabus finally stated. “Victoria is contained and we have all of us here to thank, especially the benefactors and The Green Man, whose cunningness saved what could’ve been disastrous.”
I glanced at Nate. He looked at Roan and the rest of the benefactors setting his jaw with a sour look on his face. “And how’s that going to look for the report?” Nate asked.
“It will look just fine.” Donavan came from the shadows with his arm around Sage. “It took all of us and all us need to be included.”
Nate only sighed as Barnabus stood in front of him meeting his cold eyes. “We would still be stone if it wasn’t for them.” Barnabus lowered his voice, but not low enough to not hear. “It was a group effort and by that group’s effort, Meg is going to be fine.”
“Meg,” I said nearly forgetting about Meg being sick.
I stepped in front of Nate letting go of Kelan’s warm hand and still holding the scepter. “What happened to her?”
“Victoria, who was disguised as Danielle, poisoned her and threatened to kill her if I didn’t get the scepter.” His eyes skimmed over the scepter as if he wanted to grab it from me.
“With her death I’m sure that has been lifted, dissolved, poof! Gone my tall and handsome guardian,” Jack said with a smile with no reaction from Nate.
“It’s not that easy.” Nate kept his eyes on me as my head suddenly began to spin.
I now leaned on the staff trying to steady myself, but the room kept spinning.
“Abi are you alright?” Kelan asked.
“Of course she isn’t, she just used an enormous amount of energy vaporizing a powerful librarian turned sorceress into a book. I’m surprised she didn’t faint earlier.” Jack’s voice sounded muffled. “Strong, like her mother…”
Kelan wrapped his arms around me as everything faded to black