The Wizard Returns: Book Three of the Wizard Born Series (19 page)

“Rollie’s mom will want to see it,” Jamie said.

“Maybe we can all come back tomorrow after church. Would that be okay, Mrs. Tully? Can you be here to let us in?”

“I’m here every day.”

“All right. We’ll try to come tomorrow in the early afternoon.”

Brinna looked at John Paul. “Will you be coming tomorrow, also?”

“I have to work.” He held her gaze for a long moment, took a deep breath and said, “But maybe I can get somebody to cover my shift. I’ll, uh, try to make it.” Then he nodded. “No...I’ll be here. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She smiled at John Paul and Carl thought,
Hoo boy. Tomorrow’s going to be an interesting day
.

* * *

That afternoon, Rachel listened intently while Carl and Jamie related the events of the morning. “So, do you think one of those books at Renn’s house will have the answer to the problem with the demon?” she asked.

Jamie sat up on the edge of the couch in their family room. “There’s a real good chance of it. I looked through a few more before we left, and there’s some good magic in there, I mean
really
good. None of that dumb witch stuff, like curing dandruff and rashes or whatever.”

“But don’t you think that’s a little crazy, staying there? Even if it’s just one day?”

“Yeah, it’s crazy, but it makes the most sense right now. Although I don’t think we’ll find the answer in one day, unless we get really lucky. There are a lot of books. Maybe thousands...I’m not sure. We didn’t look in the bedrooms.”

“Are you sure we can’t just bring them here?”

Carl shook his head. “It would take forever, and that might be more dangerous, because we’d have to leave a magic doorway open for a long time. Besides, where would we put them?”

“The garage?”

“What if somebody came over who doesn’t know about the magic, like the exterminator? He goes in the garage. What if he saw the books? How would we explain that?”

“Oh.” She put a finger to her lip. “I don’t know. I guess it would seem strange to have your house full of magic books.”

“Right. So unless somebody can think of a better solution, Jamie and his friends are going to spend part of spring break on another world. We just have to figure out who’s going to stay with them.”

“We need to have a meeting. I’ll try to get Lisa and Larry over here tonight.”

“Rollie’s mom, too,” Jamie said.

“Of course, Jamie.” She exchanged a look with Carl and thought,
This is insane!

Chapter 15

Evelyn stood with Rachel and Lisa in Rachel’s crowded family room after church. Evelyn glanced at her watch, a wind-up Elgin that had belonged to her mother, the silver band freshly polished. “Shouldn’t we be going soon?”

“We’re still waiting for Adele,” Rachel said. “I hope she can make it.”

Evelyn looked across the room to where Jamie and his friends stood. “Why are Bryce and Melanie going with us? I thought there was a chance this could be dangerous.”

“Fred asked them to,” Lisa said. “She’s hoping to talk Jamie into letting them stay at Renn’s house with them over spring break to help with the books.” She gave her head a quick shake, her loose reddish-blonde hair slipping across her shoulders. “Though I really should call it Jamie’s house, shouldn’t I? It’s his house now, after all. That’s so exciting!”

Rachel frowned. “Jamie isn’t too keen on calling it that. I don’t think he’s accepted the fact yet. I’m not sure I have, either.”

Lisa leaned closer and said in a low voice, “John Paul looks nervous, doesn’t he?” She chuckled. “I bet it has something to do with that young lady he met yesterday.”

“He’s too nice of a man to not have a woman in his life.”

“Honestly,” Evelyn said, “you two sound like a couple of gossipy schoolgirls.”

“Mom, you’re as bad as Carl. I think it’s romantic, and —” She looked toward the hall. “Ah, Adele’s here.
Finally
.”

Adele hurried in and went straight to Rollie, giving him a warm hug before coming over to where Evelyn, Rachel, and Lisa stood.

“Adele,” Rachel said, “did Garrett finally leave for his basketball game?”

“Yes, but I was going to come anyway, whether he likes it or not. There’s no way I’m letting my baby boy go off to some other world without me checking it out first.” She widened her eyes and exhaled heavily. “But I’m a little scared. I’ve never been through one of those magic doorway things.”

Lisa raised her head and scanned the room. “Has anybody seen Larry?”

“He’s over by the kitchen with Carl and John Paul.”

Just then, Carl clapped his hands and said in a strong voice, “Okay, listen up, everybody. Jamie’s going to make the doorway now, and he and Fred will go through first, followed by me and John Paul. As soon as we think it’s safe, we’ll give you the okay, and the rest of you can come. But you need to hurry. Jamie wants to close the doorway as quickly as possible, so don’t dillydally, and please move immediately away from it once you’re past it so that those behind you can get through.”

“Carl is such a take charge guy, isn’t he?” Lisa said.

“I think he enjoys it.” Rachel pointed. “Look. Jamie’s making the doorway. Get ready.”

“What do I do?” Adele said, fluttering her hands. “Does it hurt? Do I need to hold my breath or anything?”

Evelyn laughed. “It’s like walking through any old door. Except that it glows and takes you to another world.”

“Or Waikiki,” Lisa said.

One corner of Adele’s lip twisted up. “Waikiki?”

“We forgot to tell you about that. We have a lot to catch you up on. You can do the oath when we get back, and we’ll fill you in on everything.”

Jamie pushed the doorway open and stepped through, hands raised to cast a spell if necessary, followed by Fred, who had taken her magic pendant off her neck and held it in her hand, ready to twirl it at a moment’s notice. Then Carl and John Paul went with their shotguns gripped firmly, eyes intent as hawks. After several tense seconds, they motioned for the rest of them to come, so they lined up and hustled through the portal to the sunshine beyond.

Evelyn found herself standing with their large group in the front yard of the stone house Carl had described.

Adele gave a nervous laugh. “Well, that wasn’t so bad.” They turned and took in their surroundings and she said, “This doesn’t look much different from home, really. It’s kinda nice. Picturesque, even.”

The quaint house sat on a low rise, offering a pleasant view of the countryside. A dirt road ran gently downhill away from them, disappearing into the trees and hills beyond. A few houses and buildings could be seen popping up in the distance, and far off to their right was an open, green field with a barn at one end.

Larry whistled and said, “Hey, nice house Jamie. It looks like something from a Scottish village or...or a French farmhouse.”

“It’s not
my
house,” Jamie said tersely.

“That’s not what Carl said.”

The front door opened and two people came out on the stoop, an older woman wearing a simple, old-fashioned long dress and an apron, and a younger woman, who dressed similarly. As Carl and John Paul walked closer to talk to them, Lisa said, “That must be Mrs. Tully and Brinna.”

Rachel nodded. “Did you see the way Brinna’s face lit up when she saw John Paul?”

“She’s kind of pretty. A little plain, but pretty.”

“That’s because she’s not wearing makeup, Lisa. Now, if we put a little eyeliner and mascara on her and —”

“Good Lord, will you two stop?” Evelyn said. “You’re forgetting why we’re here. Besides, Carl’s waving us in.”

They all lined up and filed into the house while the stern-looking Mrs. Tully stood at the door, greeting each of them as they walked by. Evelyn made it a point to be last, and as she introduced herself, she couldn’t help noticing the anxious look in the woman’s eyes. Evelyn said, “I know this is hard for you, Mrs. Tully, but we wouldn’t do this except for the special circumstances. And we can’t allow the children to stay here unless we think it’s safe enough.”

Mrs. Tully gave a tight nod as Evelyn shook her hand. “I understand, Mrs. Wallace, and I would do the same if they were my children. I think they will be safe here.” She lowered her voice and leaned closer. “I didn’t expect so many people today. There are not enough teacups here. I cannot offer refreshments to everyone.”

Evelyn laughed softly. “It’s fine. We just had lunch. This is not a social call, anyway.” She turned to look at the main room, which was much the same as Carl had described it, except that there was a stone fireplace on the front wall. Evelyn ran her hand along the carved, polished mantel and said, “This is beautiful, Mrs. Tully.”

“Master Renn had that made for Mrs. Carthy. He spared no expense for her.”

The inside of the fireplace was scrubbed clean and logs and kindling were stacked on the andirons. “I see you have a fire ready to go.”

“That was for Master Renn. I never knew when he would appear, and he liked things just so.”

“Is it cold enough this time of year for a fire?”

“It can be chilly at night. Springtime can be that way.”

“I assume this is the only heat in this house. How about the bedrooms?”

“There is a fireplace in each.”

“With wood stacked in them, ready for a fire?”

“Of course.”

Why does that not surprise me?
Evelyn inspected the mantel closely, and finding no dust, nodded to herself.
She’s a good housekeeper
. The whole room appeared to be neat, except for the staggering number of books stacked everywhere.

Evelyn turned again to take in the rest of the main room. Carl and Larry were nearby, examining one of the front windows beside the fireplace. Jamie and his friends had taken over the table, each with a book, flipping through them intently. Rachel, Lisa, and Adele were relaxing in the sitting area, making themselves at home. John Paul and Brinna were talking by the day bed near the bedroom doors.

“I’d like to meet your daughter, Mrs. Tully.”

“Certainly.” As she led Evelyn across the room, Rachel and her friends saw her and stood to follow.

John Paul and Brinna were deep in conversation when Evelyn and the others reached them. After they were introduced, Lisa patted John Paul’s arm and said to Brinna, “This man right here saved my daughter’s life when she was kidnapped by witches.”

“Did you now?” Brinna said, looking at him with a twinkle in her eye and a slight smile. Rachel and Adele both put a hand to their faces, trying to cover smiles of their own.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” John Paul said. “I really didn’t do —”

“Oh, foo! Don’t listen to him, Brinna,” Lisa said. “If it weren’t for him, my daughter would be dead.”

“I’d like to hear that story.” Brinna tilted her head to the side and put one hand on her hip, eyes locked with John Paul’s.

Evelyn asked Mrs. Tully, “Could you give us a tour of the house, please?”

“Of course.”

Mrs. Tully opened the door to the first bedroom. Evelyn called the others over and they filed in behind her. They crowded inside and Evelyn took stock of the furnishings: a four-poster bed, a wash stand, a dresser, a desk with a chair, and two low shelves. The bedroom was also full of books, stacked floor to ceiling. There were windows on two adjacent walls, allowing plenty of light.

Fred pointed to the washstand. “Does this mean there’s no bathroom?”

“This place probably has an outhouse,” Jamie said.

“Do you mean a privy?” Mrs. Tully said. “It’s in the back.”

Fred frowned. “But no shower.” She turned to Jamie. “Then I’m not staying here. I had to bathe in a washstand at Rita and Cassandra’s, and I hated it.”

Jamie narrowed his eyes at Fred. “Now who’s being a baby?”

“Mr. Sikes?” Fred turned to Carl. “Can you build a bathroom here?”

“Yes, but not before next Friday. We can rent a portable shower, if that would help.”

“What’s that like?”

“It looks like a portapotty, only you bathe in it. Some of them have a tank at the top for water. It won’t have warm water, though.”

She turned to Jamie. “Can you do something about that?”

“I can heat the water in the tank. Rollie probably could too, if he’d learn the spell.”

“I’d rather Rollie didn’t,” Adele said, and she gave him a knowing look.

“Jamie, you’ll have to fill the tank, too,” Carl said.

“Couldn’t we run a hose to the river or the well? This house has a well, doesn’t it, Mrs. Tully?”

“It’s just outside the kitchen.”

“Are you satisfied, Fred?” Jamie said.

“I guess. It sounds better than a washstand. I’m not crazy about using an outhouse, though.”

“Fred,” Evelyn said, “it’s not that bad. My grandmother’s house had one.”

Rachel touched the oil lamp sitting on the bedside table. “I take it there’s no electricity in this house.”

“They’re pretty far behind on this world,” Jamie said. “They don’t even have steam engines yet. Or, at least not when I lived here.” He gave his head a tight shake. “I mean, when Eddan lived here.”

Evelyn sat on the edge of the bed and patted it with one hand. “Is this a feather mattress, Mrs. Tully?”

“Yes. It is the best money can buy. Master Renn bought one for each bed not long before Mrs. Carthy died.”

“I haven’t slept on one in years.” Evelyn stretched out on it and put her hands behind her head for a moment. “This will do.” She sat up and said, “We might need an air mattress or two, but we’ll be fine here, I think.”

“
We?
” Rachel said.

“Yes,
we
. I want to stay here with the kids.”

“But I’m off for spring break, too. I thought I’d stay here with them.”

“Nonsense. Someone has to stay home and cook for Carl. Besides, this could be my last chance to spend some time with the kids before they go off to college. It’ll be just like old times, won’t it?”

Jamie, Fred, and Rollie smiled back at her, and she knew she had made the right decision. “But first I need to ask Mrs. Tully a question, and I need an honest answer. Do you think it is safe for us to stay in this house?”