Prelude to Magic: The Prequel to Moonlight and Illusions (3 page)

“We’ll find someone who can translate for us and put
this nightmare behind us soon.” The confidence in her voice was
greater than his feelings at the moment.

Stephen cleared his throat and focused his thoughts
on his wife.

“Not to worry, my love. The worst is behind us now.
I can, perhaps, explain the Omega trick by way of a drawing. Can
you ask Michael to get some paper and pen and arrange a meeting
with the governor?”

She agreed and hurried out, leaving Stephen alone
again. A few minutes later the same small, mustachioed guard who
had come in earlier brought him bread and a tin cup of strong,
bitter coffee.

He thanked the man, but only got a frightened look
in return as the guard backed away from him, leaving quickly.

As he sat chewing the stale breakfast, Stephen put
his hand in his pocket and slowly drew out the little square stone.
Cautiously exposing the charm to the weak daylight from the small
barred window, he was ready to shove it back into its hiding place
should it start to glow again. It didn’t. The little happy,
half-smooth, half-checkered face remained unchanged, unmoved.

What had happened last night? Was it real or was it
just a dream? Had the guard heard him screaming? Was this the
reason for their fear Michael spoke of? There were so many
questions and so few answers.

Over the next five days, he was left alone, the only
time he saw anyone was when the same guard appeared to bring him
one meal a day. It normally consisted of stale bread or a corn
tortilla, perhaps with a little meat or some beans. Stephen’s belly
growled often and loudly.

But he was little bothered by the physical
discomforts of his imprisonment, suffering more from the lack of
contact with his family. No visits from Michael or Ruby came to
give him hope, and he was left with only his overactive imagination
and the
Companion
Spirit
Mayan stone for company.

Hour after hour he lay on the damp cot in the dim
cell with his fingers in his pocket touching the little charm. When
he took his hand away from it, despair fell like a blanket around
his shoulders, threatening to overwhelm him. But the warmth and
solidity of the icon soothed and comforted.

As night fell and the moon beams made their way
between the clouds to fall again on Stephen’s face, the temptation
to expose the Mayan relic to the light seized him. He wanted a
chance to see once more what sort of magic might occur. He fingered
the stone in his pocket for a moment, hesitating, then pulled it
out, curling his fist around it.

Creating the best magic show possible was his dream.
Rebuilding the cabinet needed for Omega would be simple, and he
would resurrect the trick. The people of Philadelphia would not be
as superstitious as the Mexicans; of this he had no doubt. But the
time had come to add something else to draw newcomers, once Omega
had been debuted in his hometown. It would be a feather in his cap
to be able to rig some wiring and perform levitation.

Caught up in the idea, Stephen got off the cot and
stood looking around the dingy cell. He spied the only other item
available, the waste bucket. Taking his magician’s stance, feet
splayed apart, he performed the customary sweeping motion with his
arms; a dramatic gesture Ruby had suggested to display the red silk
lining of the magician’s cape. Now, of course, he would need to
replace the cape as well.

Able to get lost in daydreams since he was a small
boy, Stephen had no trouble now giving himself over to the fantasy,
even though the circumstances were beyond unpleasant. No matter how
many times he had performed, it always gave him a rush of
excitement.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” he said in a hushed, but
theatrical tone. “I, The Illusionist, will attempt to defy the
powers of nature. Watch closely as I attempt to raise this…hmm…this
woman…high into the air.”

He held his left hand out, palm up toward the
stinking bucket. Fluttering his fingers slightly, he pretended to
strain against a heavy weight as he stepped forward into the bright
moonlight.

Closing his eyes, he imagined the crowd watching
with rapt attention as the stage hands raised the platform holding
a recumbent Ruby. He opened his fingers with the good luck charm
resting in his palm.

A burning sensation traveled up his outstretched
right arm across his shoulders to his left elbow. His eyes flew
open. A greenish-yellow glow engulfed his left arm from shoulder to
fingertips.

Stifling a cry, he attempted to lower his arm. He
couldn’t move it. Light shot out of each fingertip, striking the
bucket. It vibrated and rocked as he watched silently, eyes
watering with the pain. Slowly, shakily, the bucket lifted off the
ground. One inch. Two. Five inches.

Stephen’s whole body trembled now.

Crash!

The bucket came down and tipped over, spilling the
effluent, which flowed over the dirt floor.

A string of Spanish curses erupted from the cells
around him.

Unable to stand a moment longer, Stephen fell to his
knees, below the reach of the moonlight. The glow disappeared and
with it the burning pain.

Gulping air and dripping with sweat, he remained in
the same position waiting for his heart to slow its wild beating.
He let his head drop, unable to escape the stench soaking into the
earth nearby.

Finally, gathering enough strength to move, he
crawled onto the cot, sprawling on his stomach exhausted. Slowly
opening his right hand again, he stared at the
Companion
Spirit
. The little stone was barely visible in the dimness,
but its face stared back at him, the pleasant expression
unchanging.

Chapter Two

Two Months Later

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Someone knocked at the front door, but Stephen was
too engrossed with his ledgers to get up. Ruby would take care of
it. The woman was a tireless wonder. She had found their new house
and arranged everything so quickly. All of the furniture had been
purchased and was in place. All of their clothes and Calvin’s toys
were already unpacked.

“Thank you so much for coming, Michael,” her
melodious voice rang out clearly. Ruby was admitting his brother.
Stephen started to rise from his seat just inside the elegant,
completely stocked library off the front hall, but paused when he
heard Ruby speak again.

“Stephen is busy in his workshop again and doesn’t
know I’ve asked you to come.” Soft rustling noises accompanied the
removal of his brother’s coat and hat.

“I can’t stay long, Ruby, I’ve had several new
clients since our return from Mexico.”

“Mexico!” The bitterness in his wife’s voice was
evident. “Mexico ruined our lives.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know Stephen came home from Mexico exhausted
and ill.”

“Yes,” Michael’s voice was well-modulated and calm
in the face of the agitation growing in Ruby’s. “But he recovered
fully, did he not?”

“He did, but he seems to relapse over and over.”

Michael’s professional tone gave way to confusion.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’ve seen, Ruby. When last I saw my
brother two days ago, he never looked more fit.”

“No, no, Michael. I just cannot explain myself with
justice. Stephen spends long hours in his workshop. He thinks I am
sleeping when he comes to bed, but I see the way he looks. It just
tears my heart out to see him tremble with weakness, so exhausted
he can barely stand.”

Hearing his wife’s anguish nearly caused Stephen to
leap from his hiding place to reassure her he was hale and
hearty.

“At first he needed to sleep an entire day to
recover from one night in the workshop,” Ruby continued, clearly
upset. “Gradually he has required less and less recovery time, but
every session he can hardly make the trip across the lawn. I’ve
seen him stumble and fall more than once.” She paused for a moment
and added, “I’m concerned for his health.”

Their voices faded away as they walked to the back
of the house, most likely headed to the fancy new sunroom.

Dropping the quill he had been using to make entries
into the ledgers, Stephen rubbed his temples. In a way, Ruby was
right. Everything had changed since Mexico.

Although he had been able to win back his freedom by
drawing and pantomiming the Omega trick for Governor Diaz, the trip
back to Philadelphia by stage coach had left him humiliatingly
debilitated. Since he had come of age, Stephen had never been
lacking in physical strength and prided himself on his health and
abilities, so the loss was hard to bear.

Pushing to his feet, he went to the sideboard,
poured himself a small glass of whiskey, and gulped it down.

What should he tell his wife and brother? Could he
say he had not only recovered his strength, but since the
Companion
Spirit
had come into his life, he
was…different?

Once they moved into their new house, complete with
a separate workshop for his carpentry and magical prop-making, he
had been experimenting with magic. This time, however, the tricks
were not all smoke and mirrors and sleight of hand. He could
perform
real
magic.

Stephen splashed another bit of whiskey into the
glass and gulped down the drink. The alcohol made his eyes water as
it burned a path to his stomach. He normally did not indulge in
spirits, but his mind needed soothing.

Long ago he and Ruby had agreed to keep no secrets
from each other and, until Mexico, they had not. How could he
possibly tell her what happened when the Mayan charm was exposed to
moonlight? He could hardly believe it himself. This was 1889! They
were not living in the dark ages of witchcraft and sorcery. This
was America, where educated and thoughtful men had shaped a new
nation. How inconceivable a tiny ancient stone could do what it
did, and yet…

Light footsteps approached. Ruby was coming. Quickly
settling himself back at the mahogany desk, Stephen bent his head
to the ledger.

“There you are, my darling.”

He looked up and gave her his best, most cheerful
smile. “Were you seeking me for something?”

“Yes. Your brother has arrived for a visit. I’m
asking him to stay for dinner. Would you like to join us for tea in
the sun room?”

His wife’s guilt was as plain as the smile on her
lovely face. After twelve years of marriage, he prided himself on
sensing his beloved’s moods and feelings, and she was culpable. Her
gaze met his and slid away.

“I didn’t know Michael was visiting today,” he said,
watching her face closely.

“Um, it was a surprise. He was calling on a client
nearby,” she responded

Her statement hit him a blow. She lied. Had their
relationship come to this? Were her lies any worse than his
secret?

As he followed the dark-haired beauty he married,
Stephen briefly considered telling them both about the
Companion
Spirit
,
and the
powers he had discovered. Then it occurred to him they might try to
take the little stone away. An irrational, hot rage flooded his
body at the thought.
No!
It could not, and would not happen.
Plunging his hand into the pocket of his jacket, his fingers
wrapped about the Mayan charm.

“Why hello, Michael. What a surprise to see you here
today.” Stephen was pleased to hear the control he had over his
voice. Within seconds his heartbeat slowed to normal and he took a
seat next to Ruby on the sofa in the cheerful sunroom, decorated in
bright colors and living plants in large pots.

“I’ve business in the area, but I wished to see for
myself how you’ve been faring,” his brother replied, giving him an
accessing look Stephen had come to know all too well of late.

“Fit as a fiddle, right sweetheart?” he responded,
reaching over to give Ruby a pat on her skirt-covered knee.

She too looked him up and down. “You do appear to be
well now, Stephen, but I must be honest with you. I fear for your
health each night when you are out in your workshop.”

For a few seconds he considered refuting her claims,
but decided to let this little drama proceed.

“Ruby tells me you’ve been working yourself to
exhaustion each night,” Michael accused.

“Are you really so worried, Ruby?” Stephen took her
hand in his. He was sincerely touched by her concern.

“Yes, I am.” She met his gaze and held it, in her
determination to bring him to task.

“If it will help ease your mind, I promise to reduce
my time there. I just want to perfect a few new tricks before we go
back on stage.”

“Are you thinking of performing again so soon?”
Michael took a sip of his tea as he settled back to continue the
conversation. Stephen noticed the prominent veins and dark spots on
the back of his brother’s hands…the hands of an aging man.

As Michael continued to ask questions about whether
they would be performing the Omega act and asked about other
specific tricks, Stephen gave the answers his brother sought. He
withdrew his hand from Ruby’s, glancing down at the back of his own
hand. The skin looked the same as always…smooth and unblemished. He
raised his head to answer another question.

“Oh, I really doubt the audience in Philadelphia
will react as badly to the Omega trick as the Mexicans. I made a
new cabinet for Omega. It is larger so we don’t have to worry about
the size of the actor we use.”

There were only five years difference between him
and Michael. Would he have old hands in only five more years? His
brother had turned forty a month ago. While growing up they had
looked quite similar, but now Michael’s hair was liberally
sprinkled with gray.

With effort Stephen forced himself to concentrate on
the conversation, and the next hour passed pleasantly enough.

Later, as he listened to Calvin reading from his
school book before bed, he wondered if tonight would be the night
he learned to control the power given to him through the
Companion
Spirit
stone.