Timespell (28 page)

He barely looked at her before yanking his hands away.

“Nice to see you too,” she muttered.

“I’m supposed to be happy to see you? After what you did?”

She blinked at the sting in his voice. “Completely unfair. When are you going to get it through your head that I didn’t know you were brothers?”

His silver eyes flashed. “You did know, Julia. Fates be damned, I’m going to tell you just what you’ve known—”

Warmth poured out from Julia’s mark so unexpectedly she sucked in her breath.

His eyes widened. “Julia?”

“Yeah?” She rubbed her arm. Weird. Her mark had never done that before.

He reached out, not really looking at her, until his hand found her head. He slid his fingers down her cheek. “Do you usually become invisible for no reason?”

She lifted her arms.
Okay, this is new.

“I thought you needed the power of all three sisters to use your magic.”

“I do,” she said. “Magic malfunction going on here. Oh, man, I need to find Angie and Kaitlyn.”

“That might be difficult if they’re having the same problem.”

Crap. Three invisible girls in a ballroom of drunken party people. Not ideal.

“Come on,” he said. “Just stay close.”

He moved through the crowd so quickly Julia had to grab the back of his shirt so she didn’t lose him. “Ouch,” she muttered after someone stepped on her foot for the third time. What if the others were invisible too? What was the point of searching through the crowd? Even if she hung from the chandelier she wouldn’t be able to spot them.

“Bonjour, monsieur
,” a lady said, her boobs practically popping out of her dress. She said something else in French, trailing her fan along Ethan’s shirt.

Julia gave Ethan a shove from behind. He looked back, a wicked gleam in his eye as he turned to the lady and smiled.

Julia’s pulse ran hot. “Are you my protector or what?”

“Yes, I’m yours,” he said. “You made sure of that.”

The lady looked behind him, lowering her mask.

Julia poked the lady in the shoulder. “Boo!”

Her eyes bulged.

“Julia, you’re flickering,” Ethan said as the lady started fanning herself.

She looked down at herself. Holy crap, the magic was going nuts, clicking the invisibility on and off like it was short-circuiting.

People around her shrieked and a lady fainted. Ethan pulled her by the arm. “Let’s get somewhere a little more hidden.”

Across the room, Julia caught sight of Angie’s small, pallid form flashing in and out of invisibility. She pushed her way through the freaked-out crowd in the opposite direction. “Angie!”

Angie turned, and in the motion vanished.

“Balls,” Julia muttered, rushing to the spot where she had last seen her. “Where are you?”

“By the pillar,” came Angie’s little voice.

She stumbled past the people around her, feeling Angie’s body pressed against a wide column. This was the worst. She
hated
being invisible. “What’s going on?” She looked behind her. “Dang it. I lost Ethan.”

“We have to find Kaitlyn. She was with Indira. She used the Jewel of Time to enhance her power. I don’t know what’s happening, but we have to find her!”

She and Angie became visible for a moment, making a couple nearby point and yell. Julia was sick of it already. “Get a grip, people!”

“They think we’re ghosts.”

A flicker caught her eye as they again went from visible to invisible. Kaitlyn’s coal-black hair came into view for a second, obvious beside all the powdered wigs. “This way. I saw her!”

“Wait,” Angie said, her voice hushed. “Look, Julia. Look! It’s the queen. It’s Marie Antoinette.”

Julia didn’t know which of the women sitting in the oversized armchairs was the queen, but she
did
know where Kaitlyn was. “Forget the queen. If we don’t follow Kaitlyn right now, we might never find her again.”

“We have to speak with the queen,” Angie said. “She might be the one who gives us one of the jewels, and we can’t let Kaitlyn be the one to find it.”

“Angie, are you demented? The queen will think we’re evil
spirits or something! Let’s find Kaitlyn and get that first jewel back.” She stuck out her hand until she found Angie’s arm. “The queen isn’t going anywhere. Come on.”

They followed after Kaitlyn, who kept flickering as she hurried down a corridor. She led them backstage in the opera house, with stacks of props and backgrounds blocking their path. The darkness would have made it hard to spot Kaitlyn anyway, but now? How were they supposed to find her while she was invisible?

“Hold on,” Angie whispered.

Julia held her breath, listening for a sign of Kaitlyn. Loud scraping met her ears, like someone moving furniture. She sent Angie a bit of magic.
This way.

They turned a corner in time to see a trunk open by itself. The stuff inside disappeared and reappeared. Angie gripped Julia’s arm.
Kaitlyn’s looking for the next jewel.

Then we’d better find it first,
Julia said, scanning the dim room.

Shots of green-tinted light burst from Kaitlyn’s direction. “Where the hell is it?” Kaitlyn knocked over the trunk. Julia’s mark shot heat through her arm like crazy as all three of them became visible. Kaitlyn’s mouth fell open. “What are you two doing here?”

“We were wondering the same thing about you,” Julia said. “You’re talking to Indira and using magic without us, and now you’re looking for the next jewel?”

“So?” She went back to rummaging through the musty pile of junk behind her. “Indira found me and I listened to her. Big effing deal. If she’s stupid enough to tell me how to use the jewels, why shouldn’t I?”

“Because she’s part of the cult of the Sorceress!” Julia cried. “You’re risking being sent into the nether, dummy. And somehow I doubt the Sorceress is the nicest lady to be around if she’s bent on taking over the world.”

“I’m not joining her stupid cult! I’m just letting her think I am. If it keeps her from the jewels, it’s a good thing, right?”

“If that was your plan,” Angie said softly, “you could have told us.”

“You two
never
include me unless you have to. The jewels make my power stronger. I’m not giving them to Indira, okay? I just want them for myself.”

“You expect us to stand by while you get another jewel?” Julia flung her magic to a nearby lamp, lighting up the place. “What did Indira say? How did you make us disappear without sharing the magic?”

“Like I’d tell you anything,” Kaitlyn said, opening a wardrobe and tossing costumes aside.

“Fine, but I’m looking too.” Julia hauled out something heavy that turned out to be thick, musty curtains. Then something dawned on her. “Man, Kaitlyn, you’re so dumb you’ve made
me
dumb.” She slumped against an enormous fake tree, almost laughing at their stupidity. “Do you think Indira would have told you the truth about how to find the other jewels? She wants the jewels for herself! She told you to come here to distract us. Now she probably already found the other jewels and is on her way here to kill you for the one around your neck.”

Kaitlyn’s eyes narrowed. “She told me how to use the jewel, not where to find the next one. So far, everything she’s told me has been the truth. Including the fact that you two want the magic all for yourselves.”

“You are totally falling for her crap.” Julia wrapped her hand around her mark of magic. Heat rushed through her, just like last time. “Are you turning us invisible again?”

Kaitlyn touched her arm. “No, but my tattoo stings.”

Julia lit up another lamp, her heart falling to the pit of her stomach as she looked around the empty space.

“Where’s Angie?”

With
a flick of her wrist, Angie lit the candelabras lining the wall. She shouldn’t have gone this far into the backstage labyrinth of the opera house without Kaitlyn and Julia. Listening to them fight, hearing the loathing in Kaitlyn’s words, made up her mind. She had decided to slip away on her own. And now she couldn’t go back. Not when she sensed the magic drawing her forward. Its pull was irresistible.

She turned a corner, lifting her hand to release a shimmer of light. It trailed to where the hall opened up to reveal a stage. She had circled the entire opera house.

Despite the layers of her gown, Angie shivered. The magic grew stronger with each step she took. Her eyes slid closed as her entire body pulsed with warm energy that swelled inside her, filling her like a breath that wouldn’t end.

The music from the masked ball became louder as she neared the stage. She took another step then froze at the sight of a door. Beneath it, light shone against the gloom.

Light. And the shadow of footsteps.

Her heart buzzed behind her ribcage as she raised her hand again, opening the door with a gentle nudge of magic.

Indira stood on the other side, her dark eye lit with fury. She raised her arms and Angie staggered back, unable to evade the dark energy Indira shot at her. She slammed against the wall, shards of magic slicing deep into her being. She cried out, her heart stuttering against the onslaught of dark magic as the mark on her arm blazed in response.

Indira laughed, black bolts of lightning jumping from her body to the floor. “You wanted to find the jewel. You thought to imprison me again!”

She forced herself upright, aware of the way magic flowed from her mark into her heart, as if forcing it to keep beating.

“With you gone,” Indira said, her mouth pulling back in a vicious sneer, “the others will remain trapped in the past forever. The Sorceress will rise in power and take her place in this world once more!”

“No,” she cried as Indira raised her arms again. Angie drew what magic she could, gathering it in her palms.

“Farewell, Evangeline.”

Thunder rumbled in her ears. Her body shook as she was knocked to the floor—not by magic, but by something solid.

The air fled her lungs with the force of her impact. She lifted her head, gasping for breath as her vision struggled to focus.

Ethan stood between her and Indira.

“Guardian of Time,” Indira said, bolts of darkness shooting out from her fingers, “it is as the prophecy proclaimed. But you have no power over me.”

Dark lightning struck him. Angie screamed, but Ethan only smiled as shadowy vapors slithered off his body. “And you have no power over me.”

Indira’s eyes widened. She lifted her hands and Ethan did the same. White lightning met black with sparks that lit the dim stage. Great arcs of both dark and light crackled angrily, repelling each other like magnets of the same polarity.

Angie forced herself to her feet.

“Angie!”

A spasm of relief shook her. “Julia! Kaitlyn!”

Indira swiveled her head in their direction. She backed away, wind whipping her hair. Angie recognized the signs of Indira’s escape, and she knew the reason for it. Ethan couldn’t harm her, but together, she and the other Daughters could.

“Use the magic,” Angie yelled.

“You can do nothing,” Indira yelled, shooting lightning at her again.

Angie screamed as Ethan jumped in front of her, absorbing the shadowy energy. His body glowed black, as if soaking in the darkness from every shadow in the room. “Destroy her!” he yelled.

Julia held out her palms and Angie did the same, white light building between her fingers.

Indira cackled, the fierce wind tearing at Angie’s gown. White light shot from Julia’s palms. With a choked cry, Angie released her own magic, the flow leaving her body in disjointed throbs, but Indira vanished. Her words followed after her, “Nothing! You can do nothing.”

Angie fell to her knees, her mind spinning too fast to make sense of her thoughts. She lifted her eyes.

Kaitlyn hadn’t shot her magic at Indira.

She met Kaitlyn’s gaze. Kaitlyn only lifted her chin.

“Are you okay?” Ethan asked, offering her his hand.

“Yes, thank you,” Angie said, accepting his help.

Ethan stiffened as he lifted her to her feet, his head turning sharply.

“Is something the matter?” Angie asked.

He shook his head. “I thought I felt something.”

Julia bit her lip. “A creature?”

“I don’t know. Let me check it out.”

“I’m coming with you,” Julia said.

“No. Stay with the Daughters.” He relaxed his jaw. “I’ll let you know if anything’s wrong, okay?”

Julia’s gaze darted to him and away. She nodded.

Angie watched him leave, her hands becoming restless as she realized Kaitlyn had gone inside the room where she first saw Indira.

Indira’s words echoed through her mind.
You can do nothing.
They could do nothing ... not without the power of the jewels.

“Come on,” Angie said to Julia. They couldn’t let Kaitlyn find the next jewel. The fact that Kaitlyn hadn’t joined them in trying to defeat Indira meant things might be worse than she first thought. Angie had no doubt that Indira was trying to convince her to join the cult of the Sorceress. What she didn’t know was whether Kaitlyn would be seduced by the power the Sorceress could offer her. Indira had been, after all.

A moment later she stood at the doorway where Kaitlyn had gone. Satin dancing slippers lay scattered across the floor. Gowns were strewn about in heaps. The aftermath of what appeared to be an explosion of corsets, ribbons, hats, and stockings covered everything.

Kaitlyn’s dark hair spilled over her shoulder as she checked a box on a table, which turned out to be full of powder.

Julia rushed up behind Angie. “She’s looking for the jewel.”

“You’re quite the detective,” Kaitlyn mocked. She closed the lid on box with a snap.

Julia started digging through a pile of petticoats. “If you think you’re getting your hands on that jewel, you’re nuts.”

“Oh, bite me.”

Angie let her gaze wander the room, ignoring their bickering. Something caught her eye. A panel on the wall seemed out of alignment with the rest of the room.

Julia made a comment that riled Kaitlyn, but Angie didn’t hear the words. She crossed the room and ran her hand along the wall. “A door,” she whispered, pushing it open. Her heart stammered
as she checked behind her. So far, the others hadn’t noticed what she was doing.