Playing with Magic (Elemental Trilogy Book 2) (16 page)

“The cells are protected by a magic that rivals even us,” he said, frowning.

“What is it?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“She might not, but I do,” Anatha said. She wrapped her fingers around the bar, and then pulled them away. “Ouch!” She looked at them closely and saw small welts blooming on her fingers.

“The bars are charmed to use our own magic against us,” Aarawn said as he sat down in the middle of his cell.

“Are you afraid of us, little manlings?” The guard who pushed Anatha said, walking in front of his cell.

“You wouldn’t have much power out in the sun, would you,” Aarawn said calmly.

Autumn closed her eyes as a small dull ache entered her head. She felt their power, and it didn’t feel right. She opened her eyes and stared at the one, bringing up just a small bit of magic and saw them through the glamour magic. She gasped softly. “Unnatural faeries,” she whispered to herself.

“The womanling is right,” said another guard in the back. She walked close to the bar, sniffing. “She possesses the power of Earth. I find that seemingly attractive.” It said, licking its lip as it reached into Autumn’s cell.

Mabon got to his feet. “Leave her alone.”

They all laughed. “You can do nothing to us down here.”

****

“Ah-ha!” Detective Corgan said as he looked under the table.

“What?” the doctor asked, his vision slowly going back to normal.

“I found a match,” he said, holding it up, but remembered the doctor couldn’t see it very well. “Which means the Elements did not do this. Whoever did was very messy, leaving this clue.”

“Really?”

“The sprinkler system is easy to get going with a spell and the match. A powerful witch could mind rape someone.”

“What about the plant?” The doctor said, squinting down at the dead husk of Dack and the dead plant. Everything was still very fuzzy, but it was slowly coming into focus.

“I’ve never seen it before, and if we brought in Earth, she would have no knowledge of it.” He stopped. “What a good idea,” he said, complimenting himself. “Sit still, doctor. I’ll be back in a few.”

“Sure, no rush. I’ll just wait until I can see again before I move.”

“You can have your receptionist help you to your office.”

He laughed. “Have you met the bitch? She does her work and that’s it. No good favors on her side.”

****

One of the guards went to Autumn’s cell and opened the gate. “Come, pretty, you are requested.”

Mabon jumped up, going close to the bars but not touching them. “Where are you taking her?”

Autumn got to her feet. “I’ll be okay, Mabon.”

“She is wise too,” another said in the darkness.

The one that opened the door touched her face. “So interesting to have such pure Earth energy down here.” Autumn’s head pounded at the touch. Her eyes became unfocused as the room spun. She went to her knees and put her head to the cool ground.

“Autumn!” Anatha shouted from her cell. The hardness of the cement controlled the dizziness. When she was sure she could stand on her own, she did. She centered herself. Outside the cells she could use a little more power.

The guard was going to touch her again. She shrunk away from the hand. She picked energy from the ground, and clarity filled her.  She knew then that she could break her cousins and brother out. The power of the Earth called for her to use it, to fix the wrong that it sensed in the room.

She gave Anatha a small smile. “I’ll be back,” she said, following a guard to the doors leading up.

****

Detective Corgan led her into the room where the doctor still sat with the dead body of Dack. The smell hit her first as she neared the door, making her stomach clench. She looked in, and then at the detective who motioned for her to come the rest of the way in. She took a deep breath and readied herself. She could smell the death in the room. She could also feel unnaturalness in the room.

“How did someone do something like this without getting caught?” She wondered out loud, trying to take up some time so she wouldn’t have to go inside the room.

Corgan paused. “Good question.”

“Do I really have to go in?” She asked. Her voice quivered.

He nodded. “I’m sorry, but you have to.” She went, feet heavy with each step. The doctor’s head turned to them.

“Who is that?”

“Autumn, sir,” she said politely, avoiding looking at the body on the bed.

“Please tell me you didn’t do this.”

“I did not, but I guess there are factors against us we have yet to hear about.”

“She is the most level-headed of the Elements,” the doctor said.

“Oh, geez,” she said, rolling her eyes. “That is nice of you.”

“I actually wanted you to see something,” Corgan said.

Her eyes fell on Dack, and she turned away. “Oh, my, that’s gross.” Her stomach flip-flopped, worrying her that she may get sick.

“Do you know what kind of plant can do that?”

“I know some things, but to get a plant to grow in someone … I can’t do that.” She tried to look closer, but the smell got stronger. She looked at the plant, something unnatural and dark. Good thing it was dead.

“If you could?”

She took a breath, and it made her stomach contract. “Excuse me,” she told them.  She ran from the room as the queasiness took over. After she got sick she came back in, avoiding Dack’s body. “I could do that if I knew how.”

Corgan nodded. “I like it when things are straight. I need to know, can you help identify the plant?”

She made a face. “That would mean getting close to the body again?” He nodded.

She examined the stuff on the floor. “Were these blooms?”

“Black star-shaped flowers.”

She shook her head. She looked at the body, seeing where the root came from. “Oh, geez,” she said to herself. “That’s really really sick.” She walked closer, ignoring the roots in the body, and thought of it as a flowerbed uprooted. “That’s interesting.”

“What?” Corgan asked, scooting in by her.

“Have you shown this to any other botanist in the area?”

“A couple, and none saw anything they could make any sense of.”

The roots had filled his whole body. She looked at the dark goo and decided it must have been his insides. “Plant fertilizer,” she mumbled to herself, the grossness now replaced by curiosity.

“Can I see that stick?” she asked, motioning for the three foot stick on the other side of the body. Corgan handed it to her. The doctor, finally regaining his full sight, stood up. He too was looking at what she was looking at.

“The heart is untouched,” he said.

Autumn nodded. “It ate everything except the heart.”

“Why?” Corgan asked, more to himself than them.

“I know. I’ve seen this before,” she perked up, remembering.

“Where?” The doctor asked.

“The infection! It turned insides to goo, but the heart and brain were almost untouched.”

“Dark magic,” Corgan whispered. “We have a traitor in Fontaine.”

****

“Come, pretties, you are free. I feel saddened that you will leave. For once, I would like to have time to play with you.”

“Tough luck,” Mabon said. “By the way, where is my sister?”

The human looking creature gave him a knowing smile, but its black eyes were cold. “Telling you would be giving too much, manling.”

They walked up the stairs in silence.  A human guard opened the door for them. “Creepy buggers, aren’t they?” he said as he locked the door when the three came up.

They each nodded. Autumn sat at the desk, covering a smile as she watched Pyrus shrieking at people. She looked over at the others and waved them over. “You guys are missing it. Grandma is ripping these guys a new one.”

“If you kept better track of knowing what your grandchildren do, we wouldn’t be having this problem!” Yelena shouted back.

“They are adults! You don’t even know where your good-for-nothing son is. He might be working for the black witch!” she screamed. “You could be out there looking for this so-called traitor, and let me and mine go home!”

“They are free,” Corgan said.

She walked around them, looking each of them over. “Did those awful creatures harm any of you?”

“No,” Aarawn said.

“Let’s go home,” She said and shot a nasty look at Yelena.

Autumn got to her feet. “Thanks for the help,” Detective Corgan told her.

“Any time,” she gave him a slight wave and left.

“You did what, exactly?” Mabon asked her as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

She gave him a big hug. “I got to see a dead body today,” she shivered as she explained what she saw. “He called Pyrus and found she was waiting at the station. When we got here, she went fucking nuts.”

“Not fucking nuts, Autumn,
fucking ballistic
,” Pyrus corrected.

Autumn shrugged. “They had to process us and fill out paperwork. They’ve been doing that for the past two hours.”

“Don’t remind me,” Pyrus said.

“So someone is trying to frame us,” Anatha said, “But why?”

“Maybe it’s Davies,” Aarawn said.

“He would not!” She shouted, punching him on the arm. “You’re just jealous.”

“Whoever it is knows certain things about you, I don’t. Like brain raping.” Pyrus said as she eyed Aarawn. “When did you learn that?”

He looked away. “Okay, I uh …”

“It’s entering someone’s mind and messing with it,” Autumn said. “We did it.”

She stopped. “So both of you did that to Yelena?”

They nodded. “Gods, at least tell me what new stuff you learn, so I can keep track of it too.”

Autumn turned, looking back at the police station. She smiled. “Autumn,” Mabon said, reaching his arm out, but he felt her power gathering and dropped his arm to his side. She ignored him and everyone else around her. Her power raised around her as she called her Earth power. It made every witch within miles stop and look around. She clasped her hands in front of her and pushed down. At first they all just heard a deep rumbling, like something growling. Then the ground started to move.

“You’re going to hurt someone!” Mabon said, finally grabbing her shoulder.

“No, I’m not,” she said with a ghostly smile still on her face as her eyes burned with a dark green fire that matched the aura surrounding her. When she felt that the unnaturalness was gone, she released her hands. She turned to the others.

“The police station is still standing. I just had to send some unnatural things back where they belong.”

“Autumn?” Pyrus said.

Autumn nodded. “I’m completely okay. I had to do it. I felt its need, Pyrus. The things back there weren’t meant to be up here. And my power wanted to send them back inside the ground.”

“That’s sort of creepy,” Anatha said.

“I just felt it, this need that I am connected to the very Earth.”

“Pyrus!” Yelena shouted, running out of the police station.

“Leave us be! Come on, guys.” They walked home, leaving a staring Yelena watching them.

****

“What are you doing?” Mabon asked as he walked outside.

Aarawn was doing a small spell. “I think it’s time for Anatha and Autumn to talk to their boyfriends.”

“You’re all right with it?”

“Better that small dork than Davies. I don’t like him much.” His eyes looked down, uncertain.

“Me either.”

****

Autumn fell asleep. She awoke in her apartment, but it wasn’t really.
A dream
, she thought. She got out of bed and went to the living room. “Rowan? River?” she asked, seeing Rowan sleeping on the couch. River woke from the floor.

Rowan woke up, looking at her. “Autumn?” he said, his voice sleep-filled.

“Autumn!” River said, getting off the floor. He looked down briefly, trying to remember why he was on the floor.

Rowan sat up quickly and tried to stand, but his feet got tangled. River grabbed him. They stopped, looking at her, confused. “It’s a dream,” she said and laughed. “Anatha’s bratty brother is playing with magic again.”

“You mean we are both here, you and us?”

She nodded and started to cry as she rushed to them. They held her so close, pressing her into them. She held them back just as tight. “Almost four months,” she whispered. “I have missed you guys so much, it hurts at times.”

“We are going crazy over here,” Rowan whispered into her hair.

“Something is not right here,” River said. “I want to be with you.”

“I know how you feel.” They sat talking for a while, sharing stories.

“You’re joking, right?” Rowan asked. “You, in jail?”