As I turned down one aisle, it was as if the books were whispering to me. I glanced over their titles. I couldnt read any of them. They looked like German to me, lots of huge words starting with das or der. Still, even though I couldnt understand them, I wanted to touch them. I wanted to pull them from the shelves. I wantedthis oneEdelsteine und Metalle, whatever that meant. I needed this book. Gently I slipped it from the shelf. It seemed warm to the touch, as if Id been holding it for a long time. Surprisingly there was nothing on the front cover. It was plain green book, covered in cloth, obviously very old. I flipped it back and looked at the spine again, but I now saw nothing written there.
I almost dropped the book in shock.
Charlie! I called, my voice husky.
He came right around from the row behind. I explained what I had seen and offered the book to him. He took it, examined it all over.
Edelsteine und Metalle, he said, holding the spine out for me too see. Something and metals.
I looked at the spine again. There was the title, in gold letter in the greenish black cloth. It hadnt been there a second ago. I was shaking a bit now, and he put his hand on my shoulder to steady me.
It must have been spelled with some kind of glamour or concealment spell, he said. Thats all. Youre not going crazy. Lets have a look at it and find out why it was being hidden. This is a private family library, so its kind of strange for a Rowanwand to hide a book from a relative.
We took it over to the reading table and switched on the light. Charlie began to page through the book. In the first moment we could see it was definitely not a German textbook on something and metals. It was handwritten, in English. It looked like a Book of Shadows, with dates at the tops of the pages. Charlies eyes grew wider with every page.
This is Máirins book, he said, looking up, his eyes full of awe. Oonas daughter. No ones seen this book in years. How the hell
Máirins book. That was what I had found. The story of the family witch, down here, in the secret Curtis family library. This was where my mother had experienced a frightening telekinetic episode. There was too much magick, too many feelings tied into this house. I chose this moment to become completely overwhelmed. Even though I tried to will them back, I felt tears well up behind my eyes. Charlie looked up in alarm and saw my eyes glistening.
What is it? he said, setting his hand back on my shoulder.
All these weird feelings, I answered, rubbing my eyes. All of these strange things I dont understand.
As much as I knew he was dying to look in that book, he slid it aside and turned all his attention to me.
It must be really hard to have to deal with so much magick at once, he said. Just try to relax. Im right here. Nothing thats happened is too out of the ordinary.
Everything is out of my ordinary, I moaned.
Instead of reading, we sat there for a while, talking. I found myself telling him about the dark wave and how frightened I had been. I told him about Hilary and all the things that had led up to my running awayall of the really personal things that Id left out of my first explanation. I finally explained that I had a problem with telekinesis and that that what I was trying to find out more about.
The newest thing, I explained, feeling my defenses collapse under the calming weight of his hand on my shoulder, is that I can feel other witches around me. I can sense their feelings. I can sense my mother here, even though shes gone. I like the feeling of connection, but it also scares me. Everything comes so fast now. Im never expecting any of it.
Then he leaned in, and his look took on a new level of seriousness.
Can you feel my senses right now? he said.
My body seemed to freeze in time. My heart stopped. I didnt breathe, didnt move. Everything was anticipation. I could feel him. He was going to what?
He came in close, took my face in one of his soft hands, and kissed me.
Id never been kissed before, and Id been kind of worried that I wouldnt know what to do when and if it ever happened. Luckily I didnt freak out or accidentally bit him or anything. I pressed to his mouth and responded naturally. He slipped his hands behind my neck and pulled me closer. Warmthso much warmth. A universe of warmth. As he pulled away, he looked at me in happy surprise.
I He seemed to catch himself speaking bit didnt know what to say. Ive been wanting to do that since I saw you yesterday.
Could I speak? Did my mouth still work? Was my voice going to come out all funny? Only one way to find out.
Me too, I said. I mean, not kissing myself. You know. You.
Smooth, Soto. Smooth.
Fleeting concern zapped through my brain. What about Brigid? What did this mean? Those feelings were numbed when I felt the sensation again. He wanted to pull me into him, and I wanted him to wrap his arms around me. But the flow cooled quickly, like wed blown a fuse, and all the power went down. We must have become aware of it at the same moment. We sat very still and listened.
Someone was upstairs.
13. Attack
September 24, 1952
Goddess, goddess, where have I been? I'm only just now getting the strenght to get out of bed and resume my daily activities.
We opened the lith dearc two nights ago. Claire Findgoll and I, down on the shore below the house. It is a terrible yet fascinating thing, this small hole that rips through the fabric of the universe and seems to go on eternally. I maintained the dearc while Clair comducted the spell to try and draw Oona from the house into the opening. I am glad that Claire stood away from it, as it possesses a devastating force. It actually drains you of life energy. I feel as though I've been poisoned.
We haven't had any visitations since we performed the spell, but only time will tell if we've been successful.
Oh, I must go to sleep again. There is nothing left in me. No energy at all.
Aoibheann
"Hello?" called a female voice. "Mom?"
"It's Brigid," Charlie whispered, all color draining from his face. "She's home early.
"Should I hide down here while you go up?" I offered. Good one, Alisa. The sitcom situation always works so well in real life.
"No," he answered, shaking his head. "She knows we're here."
Brigid, I had figured, wasn't a powerful witchbut she was still a witch. Feeling another's presence in the house seemed like something she would very well be able to do. We head her walking through the kitchen and then opening the basement door.
"Okay," Charlie admitted, "this is kind of bad."
"What do we do?" I asked.
He squeezed my hand quickly, as a kind of apology for what was probably going to happen next. "I have no idea," he said.
"Hello?" Brigid called again. She approached the door to the library, which was still open behind us. "Aunt Evelyn?" Brigid said. She came down the steps and looked at the two of us, first in confusion and then with a growing flurry of emotion.
"Charlie? Alisa?" she said, her voice wavering. "What are you two doing here?"
"Researching," Charlie said simply.
"Researching?" she said. "You came in here when we weren't here both of you?"
Whether through magick or regular female intuition (which might also be magick, I don't know), Brigid seemed to know at once that there was a problem. She sat down on the bottom step, blocking our way out. Did kissing a witch leave a mark on your mouth? Did my lips glow? Could she see some kind of imprint?
"Alisa needed help." Chalrie said. "She's trying to find out about her ancestors, and Evelyn was definitely wasn't going to give her a hand. Sorry. We had to come in when Evelyn wasn't here."
"You could have told me," she said. "I would have helped you."
Oh. If we didn't feel bad before
"So," she said, staring hard at me, "did you find anything?"
"A book," I said immediately realizing how stupid that answer was. I went to a library and found a book. Not for the first time in my life, I wished the floor would open under me and swallow me whole.
After a few moments of silence it finally dawned on my that I should leave them alone. I didn't want to leave Charlie to the wolves or anything, but had no place here. They needed to talk. And I had a feeling Charlie was going to come clean about what had just occurred.
"I should probably go," I said, "before Evelyn gets home, like you said. She'd be furious to find me here."
"That might be a good idea." Charlie nodded. We probably realized at the same moment that he had driven me here.
"I'll walk back," I added. "I could use some fresh air." I tucked the book into my messenger bag. "I'll return this to Sam," I said to Brigid. "He'll put it back in the library." Then I did my walk of shame, crossing the room and headed to where she was perched.
Brigid slid aside to let me pass. She said nothing. She wouldn'tor couldn'teven look at me. As I stepped past, my leg brushed against her. I almost jumped as a surge went through that whole half of my body. I felt a wave of pure raw emotion coming off her. She might look furious, but inside, everything in her was weeping.
It was a long walk home through the mist and the wet, with my brain clanging between elation and guilt.
I mean, he kissed me. What was I supposed to do? Slap him, like they do in old movies. Call him a cad. I hadn't done anything wrongit wasn't my fault
But then I examined my motives. Did I want Charlie to kiss me? Yes. Was he my cousin's boyfriend? Yes.
Guilty.
I sucked. I sucked, I sucked, I sucked.
But still it had been the best moment of my life. I had touched his face and felt the tiny, soft curls at the back of his head, down near his neck. It had been good, so good, too good. I still felt like I was walking through an incredible dream.
Yet Brigid's feelings were still so close, so strong. She loved Charliewho wouldn't? He was adorable and funny and smart. Tall. Powerful. She had turned her back for a momentto be responsible and go to work, no lessand then her weird out-of-town cousin appeared, broke into her house, and made out with her boyfriend.
I trudged along, seagulls screaming overhead, my hair slowly collecting dampness for the air. It took me about forty-five minutes to get back to Sam's. When I got there, Enya was playing and delicious smells of garlic, fish, and cooking tomatoes were coming from the kitchen. Sam had obviously gone to the trouble to make sure I came back to a nice welcomeand I returned, the other woman, the coven wrecker
"Did you have a good day?" Sam asked, putting a salad bowl out on the table.
"Great!" I said with forced enthusiasm.
"What did you do?"
"Oh," I said, picking up Mandu and letting him climb up on my shoulder, "just hung out with Charlie."
"Charlie's a great guy." Sam nodded. "A fantastic witch, too."
You have no idea, I thought Sam looked up at me strangely, and I banished all thoughts of Charlie from my mind and set a straight and steady expression on my face.
"Before I forget," he said, "I found some pictures of your mother I wanted to show you. Could you watch the stove for a second? And feel free to start the salad."
"Sure," I said, setting the cat on the floor. As Sam headed for the stairs, I started making the salad, dumping the mesclun into the salad bowl and replaying the kiss again and again in my mind. I set it against the music, felt the surge of bliss thrumming through my body. Charlie was so handsome, so tall, so funny, so nice, so smart, so
Taken. By my cousin. What was I thinking?
I tossed some vinaigrette into the greens a little more aggressively than was really necessary. The cats cocked their heads at me.
Just as I had the night before, I suddenly felt something in the pit of my stomach telling me that something was wrong, very wrong. I looked up, all senses alert. Something was here. A presence. Something very foul. I let go of the salad tongs and looked around the kitchen.
And then it happened.
The first blow was on my left arm, and it sent me reeling backward, pain jagging all the way down my hand. I heard glass shattering behind me. I whirled around to see all of the dishes flying out of the open rack under the cabinets, and they all came at me, one after the other. I didn't have time to move or think. Something broke against my head. Glass fell onto my eyelids. I pulled my arms up to guard my face and head as best I could, but the blows were coming harder, pushing me back against the wall.
Something in me stirred, ready to battle. I felt every fiber of my being tingling. I could stop this. I could
I concentrated hard. Some of the dishes started to pop and splinter midair, before they got to me. It was as if they where smashing against an invisible wall, and I knew I was doing it. No idea howbut I was doing it. Some still made it through. There were so many. The drawers were rattling, coming loose, coming at me. I dropped to the ground and started crawling for the table, elbowing my way through the shards.
I could see Sam trying to get to me, but I felt myself growing weak. Everything went black and white, and there was a ringing in my ear that drowned out every other sound. I was fainting, I realized.
The next thing I knew, Sam was putting me down on the sofa. My clothes sparkled with bits of plate and drinking glass.
"I'm all glassy," I said, tears welling into my eyes. "Sam, I'm all glassy."
"I know," he said, checking over my head, my face, my eyes. "Look at me, Alisa. Look at me."
It was hard, but I focused on his face. He studied me.
"I'm going to take off my clothes," I said, standing uncertainly and wobbling from foot to foot. For some reason, the glass on my clothes was really preoccupying me. "I have to get this stuff away from me."
"Steady now, sweetheart." He looked over the shards that dangled like icicles from my clothes. He yanked a pair of pajama's from the top of my bag and set them down. "Get changed. I'll be back in a second."
I heard him run upstairs, heard the bang of a cabinet door. I pulled off my pants and T-shirt and dumped them in the center of the room. Then I put on some soothing fleece pants and the camisole pajama top. That was better. So much better.