Enchantment (10 page)

Daddy said, “It might be simple, but you have to admit it was powerful, and that was only the first part.”

Channie had been so busy trying to save Enchantment that she never heard the second half.
 

“What’s the rest of it?”

Daddy said, “I don’t rightly understand it, but it goes like this …
To keep you chaste and set you free. The name we give is Purity.
” Daddy shrugged his shoulders. “We changed it around a bit — ‘To keep you pure and set you free, the name we give is Chastity.’ We probably shouldn’t have done that.”

Ya think? Sometimes Momma and Daddy’s arrogance was downright astonishing. “How is one spell supposed to keep me pure and set me free at the same time?”

Momma said, “Your new name has given you powers beyond your years. We cain’t control you no more. I just hope we done a good enough job of raising you to keep you outta serious trouble. So far, I ain’t too encouraged.”

Channie ignored the insult and said, “Did the book tell you how to break the curse before I get married?”

Daddy said, “Nope. I think that part’s up to you.”

“Oh that’s just great. How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

Momma bristled but she didn’t even try to cast a clean-speech spell. She said, “Unless you’re planning on getting married anytime soon, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“I don’t want to wait until the last minute. Maybe you better look inside that book and find a way to fix this.”

Daddy said, “We already tried. The book is sealed to us now.”

“How could you do this to me?” Channie’s eyes stung, but she refused to let them see her cry. She turned her back and said, “Don’t forget about my phone,” then ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door.
 

Channie cried herself to sleep, then woke up in the middle of the night with a sore throat and a fever. She crept down the hall to Momma and Daddy’s room to ask for some magically enhanced chamomile to make a cup of healing tea. She didn’t think it would be a good idea to ask Momma to heal her outright since she was probably still mad at her. She’d just wind up cursing her, whether she meant to or not.
 

She wouldn’t bother Momma at all, except she kept her potted herbs in her room and the medicine kit in the hall was out of chamomile. Channie was surprised to hear murmuring voices behind Momma and Daddy’s bedroom door. They should have been sound asleep. They weren’t. They were talking about her.

Daddy said, “I want my sweet baby girl back. I don’t like what this power-name is doing to her.”
 

Momma huffed so loudly Channie had no problem hearing it through the closed door. “You can blame her name if it makes you feel better, but your sweet baby girl has been a snot-nosed brat from day one. Her old power-name just blinded us to it. She’s always put on airs and acted like she’s better’n everybody else.”

“Yeah, well you can thank your sister for that. Wisdom’s the one what went and filled Channie’s head with all that book learning, convincing the girl she needed an Empty edge-you-ma-cation.”

Channie whispered “education” under her breath then bit her tongue when Momma said, “Ever-time that girl corrects someone’s grammar, I want to slap her face.”
 

It was an automatic response, but Channie vowed to resist the urge in the future.
 

Daddy said, “I don’t recommend slapping her, no matter what the offense. I’ve never been hit with a curse so powerful in my entire life — not even when your daddy caught me sneaking into your bedroom through the window.”

Channie did not want to hear any more of that particular story and went back to bed without getting any chamomile. She’d just heal her throat without it. It was always best to let someone else cast a healing spell, but Channie didn’t have anyone else.

She’d made a mess of Josh’s nose after his fight with Eric, but she’d used Chastity’s negative energy to fuel the spell. This was a perfect opportunity to try to reconnect with Enchantment.

Channie focused on finding Enchantment’s energy inside her heart-of-hearts. It wasn’t easy, it took her over an hour to find and activate Enchantment and another hour until she felt confident Chastity’s magic wouldn’t interfere. But once she was ready, it took less than a second to cast the healing spell that cured her sore throat. It worked like … well, like magic.

~***~

The next morning, Daddy came into Channie’s room and sat down on the edge of her bed. He put a hand on her shoulder and said, “Your Momma and I had a nice long talk last night and decided we’d like to meet this boyfriend of yours. Go ahead and invite him over for supper.”

Channie blinked her eyes open and yawned. She sat up and leaned back against the headboard. “His name’s Joshua Abrim but he’s not my boyfriend. He might not even be my friend. I sort of zapped him the other day.”

“Zapped him?”

“It’s what the Empties call it when I curse one of them. They think I’m using some sort of weapon.”

Daddy chuckled until Channie narrowed her eyes.

He coughed and cleared his throat but he couldn’t hide the tone of satisfaction in his voice. “Is the boy okay?”

“He’s fine. Except he thinks I did it on purpose, even though I explained how you and Momma cursed me and it’s not my fault.”

“You told him about magic?”

Channie lifted her chin, daring Daddy to reprimand her.

“Oh, baby girl, I hope you ain’t too attached to this fella.”

Not quite the reaction she was expecting. “What do you mean?”

Daddy took a deep breath and shifted his weight, making the bed springs creak. “If one of the clans finds out, they’ll most likely execute him.”

“What!” Channie’s heart stopped, then pounded against the base of her throat. “You’re making that up.”

“I wish I was. If he starts blabbing about magic, it could lead the Veyjivik’s right to our front door.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“It never come up. Besides, I had no way of knowing you was planning on breaking the oldest and most important mage law.”

Channie drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins. “It’ll be okay. He didn’t believe me.”

“We’d all be better off iffen he did. That boy needs to know what’s at stake before he goes and blabs what you told him.”

“Can’t we just put a no-speak spell on him?”

“We can try, but it takes a considerable amount of energy to maintain a spell like that. And all it takes is one slip up when the spell’s weak. It’d be safer to just go ahead and kill him.”

Channie exploded out of the fetal position and jumped to her feet. “No!”
 

Daddy raised his shield and shrank away from her.
 

“You can’t kill him! I won’t let you. I’ll—”

“Alright, baby girl. Let me talk to him. We’ll get it figured out, I promise.” Daddy was treating her like a dangerous animal, talking softly and patting her arm. “No need to get upset.” Channie didn’t even try to hide her smile as she felt the balance of power shift. Things were going to be much different around here.

CHAPTER FOUR

A New Believer

Instead of going to her first class, Channie sat outside and wrote a letter to Josh, stating again that magic was real, that she was cursed and that she hadn’t meant to hurt him. She also invited him to supper. She pricked her finger with a rose thorn and squeezed three fat drops of blood onto the page, over her signature. No one, not even an Empty, could deny the truthfulness of her words now. She waited for her blood to dry then rolled the paper into a narrow tube. She bound three rose petals to the scroll with a strand of her hair then tied it to the crossbar of Josh’s bike. There was enough life in the rose petals to hold magic for months so she had to be careful to confine her touch-me-not spell to everyone but Josh. It might convince him magic was real if the rose petals zapped him, but she wanted him to read the message.

Josh still refused to talk to her, but Channie caught him stealing glances at her during lunch. She didn’t want to be around when he found her note on his bike, so she cut her last class and went to Heritage Park.

She bypassed the pavilion and sat down in one of the black rubber swings. She rocked back and forth with the toes of her shoes buried in the soft pea-sized gravel as the afternoon sun warmed her shoulders and made her drowsy. Colorado weather was strange. Channie had gotten so cold last night, she’d crawled into bed with the trips, but it was at least eighty degrees now.

Someone grabbed the sides of Channie’s hips from behind and shoved her so hard she nearly fell out of the swing. She clenched the chains in her fists as Chastity’s magic flew out of her body and zapped her attacker. He yelped in pain and ducked under the swing. It was a good thing Channie recognized Josh before she had a chance to kick him — or intentionally curse him.

Josh frowned and shook his hands as if she’d burned him. Channie drug her feet through the gravel then jumped out of the swing, landing about three feet away from him. “I’m so sorry.”

He blew on his palms and said, “I still don’t get how you do that.”

“Did you read the note I left for you?”

He chewed on the corner of his lower lip and nodded his head.

“And?” He had to know she was telling the truth. The blood-spell was undeniable.

His voice was soft and gentle. “I think … that you honestly believe in magic.”

“But you don’t?”

Josh ran his hand through his hair without answering her question.
 

Maybe a little demonstration would help. Channie didn’t want to scare him or risk hurting him, so she directed a mild wave of energy over his scalp and filled his hair with static electricity. He tried to smooth it down with both hands but of course that didn’t work. He shook his head and laughed. “Worst case of helmet hair ever. I guess I need to change conditioners.”

Stubborn, Magically Disabled boy. Channie cut off the flow of magic and smiled in what she hoped was an encouraging manner. “So, do you want to eat supper with my family?”

“Isn’t your Dad going to try to kill me?”
 

“Not if he knows what’s good for him.”

~***~

Channie opened the front door and led Josh into the parlor. “Make yourself comfortable while I go tell Momma and Daddy you’re here.”
 

They were both in the kitchen so they already knew. Channie lowered her voice and said, “Josh is in the parlor and he’s already nervous about meeting you, so be nice.” She narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at Daddy’s chest. “And don’t make a fuss when I turn on the electrical lights. Nobody around here uses kerosene lanterns.”
 

Daddy’s face turned red. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but changed his mind and slammed it shut, locking his jaw.
 

Channie said, “Alright?”

Daddy closed his eyes and nodded.

As soon as they walked into the parlor, Josh stood up and wiped his palms on his thighs.
 

Momma nodded at him then went back into the kitchen without a word — rude, but not openly hostile.
 

Daddy stepped forward and extended his hand, Josh did likewise and said, “Hello, Mr. Belks. I’m Joshua Abrim. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“Joshua.” Daddy’s energy field buzzed with annoyance but Channie didn’t know if was because she’d turned on the lights … or because he had to play host to an Empty. When he finally released Josh’s hand, the poor boy’s fingers were white. He extended them, balled them into a fist then stretched them out again.

Channie shot Daddy a warning glance.
 

He stuck his thumbs in his belt and smirked at her.
 

If Daddy thought she wouldn’t curse him in front of Josh, he had another think coming. She cast an itching spell at him but since it wasn’t a particularly strong spell, he was able to deflect it onto Josh. It hit him in the center of his chest. He nearly ripped his clothes off before Channie was able to reverse the spell.

Josh’s face turned bright red. He smoothed the front of his shirt with his palms and cleared his throat. “Do you guys have a cat? I’m allergic to cats.”

Channie sighed and said, “Come on, let’s go to my room.”

Daddy stepped in front of Josh and said, “Over my dead body.”

Josh stiffened and glanced at the front door.

Channie almost fell for it. Daddy wanted her to attack him with a debilitating curse. If she scared Josh away for good, she’d have no one to blame but herself. Maybe it would better serve her purposes to reassure Daddy that her stupid power-name was more of a chaperone than he’d ever be.

She took Josh’s hand, said, “I’m so sorry,” and gazed into his dark blue eyes.
 

Josh jerked away from Channie with a yelp and backed towards the door.
 

Daddy laughed and for some reason that stopped Josh in his tracks. He stared at Daddy then shifted his gaze to Channie. “What’s going on here?”

Channie rubbed her temples then dropped her hands when she realized she was mimicking Momma. “I already told you.”

Daddy chuckled again and shook his head.
 

Channie pointed her finger at him and said, “You behave or I’ll deal with you later.”

Daddy’s face turned red and the vein in his forehead pulsed but he just gritted his teeth and nodded.

“Come on, Josh, let’s go upstairs.”
 

Josh’s gaze flicked between Daddy and the front door. Channie didn’t have to be a mind-reader to know he was weighing his options. He squared his shoulders and headed for the stairs. Yes! Channie grinned and led the way to her room.
 

~***~

Josh inspected her room with a dazed expression on his face. Channie was glad she’d removed that stupid canopy before he had a chance to see it. He shoved his hands in his front pockets and said, “Do you have a docking station? I’ve got some decent tunes on my iPod.”
 

“Sorry, no.” Channie had no idea what he was talking about. Josh stared at his feet as the silence between them sucked the air out of her room. She opened her window then groaned in frustration when she saw Courage crawling across the roof.