Body Bags & Blarney (24 page)

CHAPTER
NINETEEN

By ten in the
morning, Vivienne was starting to feel like a human again. She had taken a hot
shower, had a deliciously fluffy omelet with whole wheat toast, and most
importantly had a chance to call Joshua from the apartment’s landline and check
in.

As she
expected, Nana Mary was taking excellent care of the gentlemen in her small
apartment inside the Whisperings Oaks Assisted Living Facility. But, there was
the rather large matter of Joshua, Hunter, and herself having gone missing for
almost the entire week that concerned her the most.

Lucky for her,
Miss Octavia had done an excellent job explaining the missing chunk of time
that they had been isolated from in great detail. The sorcerer and Elemental
had collaborated together to cast a suggestion spell that made everyone in town
believe that she, Joshua, and Hunter had gone away for various reasons. Thanks
to the abundance of portal energy around Cayuga Cove, the simple spell spread
like a virus in record time and it kept the local population from disrupting
their work by alerting any authorities to the fact that they were missing. They
only needed the ruse to work until Sunday evening when they would unleash the
dark magic that would consume everyone who mattered.

 
When Miss Octavia had returned from the Elder
Council on Tuesday morning, she soon discovered the spell-induced selective
amnesia through her interactions with the townsfolk. The evil duo had crafted
quite a believable backstory as to where each of them was thought to be. She
had overheard Nora Finch excitedly talking to Clara in the diner about how
wonderful a time Vivienne was having while relaxing on a beach down in Miami
with Joshua for a spontaneous romantic getaway. She mentioned she had a strong
feeling that her daughter would be returning with a new ring on her finger as a
souvenir. Octavia carefully let herself into Vivienne’s home and brought the
cats back to her place, getting a few scratches for her trouble. She left a
note for Nora not to worry, as she had arranged for a good friend to care for
them until she returned.

On Wednesday,
Octavia had a bad feeling that the coming Nor’easter predicted to strike Cayuga
Cove on Sunday by the weather service was the doing of the sorcerer and his
Elemental master. A general sense of unease began to filter through the town as
people started to stock up on supplies should the predictions for a direct hit
prove to be true. Two feet of snow was the possible total called for, but she
had a feeling that the figure was going to go higher before the weekend hit.
While waiting in line at the Monarch Grocery, she had overheard Kathy Saunders
gossiping to the cashier about how Hunter Arkins had returned to his hometown
in Indian Lake to gather his possessions and return to town as a permanent
resident. Later that evening as she washed her dishes from the slow cooker
roast she had enjoyed for dinner, she watched the meteorologist on the local
newscast display fancy color-coded graphics showing his forecasting data. This
storm was unlike anything seen in a hundred years, he stressed. It was massive
and its formation seemed to take everyone by surprise.

Thursday
afternoon, the weather service was now calling for snowfall amounts at three to
four feet and indications for a direct hit seemed more and more likely. The
bright sunshine and almost forty degree temperatures gave a false sense to some
people that the storm wasn’t going to be that bad. As Octavia stood in line to
cash a check that afternoon inside Colonial Bank, she overheard Eunice
Kilpatrick telling a customer that Alexis Warner remained in a coma at Cayuga
Memorial Hospital. Sheriff Rigsbee maintained hope that upon regaining
consciousness, she could explain the bizarre suicide that claimed the life of
the young man known as Johnny Guido. Of course, Eunice was quick to point out
that her brother, Pastor Kilpatrick, was spending every waking moment in her
hospital room praying for a speedy recovery for the poor girl. Octavia,
however, knew better. She had no doubt that the Elemental masquerading as
Seamus Kilpatrick was making sure she remained unresponsive to treatment.
 
Later that evening during the six-o-clock
news, an announcement was made that the Luck of the Irish Carnival was to be
shortened to Saturday only, as Sunday was looking too dangerous with a blizzard
nipping at their heels. All of the residents and vendors agreed that Mayor
Pembroke had made the right call to ensure that public safety was the top
priority.

Friday proved
quite busy as the vendors and local merchants prepared Main Street for the
festivities. All of the lamp posts were wrapped with strands of green and white
ribbons which transformed the dull winter surroundings into a spring-colored
bonanza. Shop windows were bedecked with shamrocks and leprechauns, food trucks
rolled into parking spaces offering such delicious fare as hot bowls piled high
with corned beef and cabbage and double-decker Rueben sandwiches. Eager to earn
extra money given the shortened duration, many of them opened early on Friday
night much to the delight of the local residents.

The Luck of
the Irish Carnival was in full swing on Saturday despite the winter storm
warnings that were blasted over the television and radio stations. Local
residents enjoyed the day that was filled with boisterous, yet controlled
merriment. There had been no protest from the Shoreline Baptist Church members.
Much to the surprise of everyone, Seamus Kilpatrick had kept a low profile. As
the end of the festivities drew near, Mayor Pembroke and Father Daniel O’Reilly
asked everyone to observe a moment of silence in honor of Father William. At
the bandstand in the center of town, the local musicians that had been
entertaining the crowd with toe-tapping Irish songs ended the night with the
song ‘Fields of Gold.’ Local vocalist, Melissa McKay, joined them and her soft
soprano voice moved many residents to tears as they raised glasses in honor of
not only Father William, but all of their loved ones who had passed away.

As she
prepared for bed that evening, Octavia found the tiny roll of golden paper, no
larger than an inch in width, resting on her pillow. She instantly recognized
it as a flash scroll, a top secret message that materialized when the Elder
Council needed to make emergency contact. Thanks to the size, the tiniest
bubble of magical energy was used which helped to conceal it from those who
were tracking such phenomena. She unrolled it carefully and the words floated
at eye level for her to read. ‘Returning the three before the rooster crows.
Two beneath the trees with the crone now aware. One to the Mother who never
wanders, guided by destiny.’ The scroll popped like a soap bubble blown by a
child, disappearing before her eyes. It was coded for safety but she knew
exactly what it meant. Joshua and Hunter were going to be sent to Nana Mary’s.
She had been under the influence of the suggestion spell like everyone else,
but the scroll would awaken her mind and she would know what to do when the two
men appeared out of thin air. Vivienne was coming to Mother Earth Mercantile
where she was to craft her wand and use it to banish the sorcerer and Elemental
before it was too late. With no time to lose, Octavia made up the spare bedroom
in her apartment above her shop and would await her guest’s arrival sometime
before dawn.

As Vivienne
finished her phone call with Joshua, she felt strangely alone. They had been
hidden for their safety but she was going to be truly on her own tonight. With
the full moon, both Joshua and Hunter would assume their natural wolf form and
be unable to assist her. She couldn’t afford to waste any time worrying about
things she couldn’t control.

She spent the
afternoon working upstairs with Octavia, crafting the wand out of the simple
branch. They stripped the bark, sanded and lacquered the bare wood, and placed
three power gems and stones in key locations to assist with the casting of more
advanced spells. Under Octavia’s guidance, she had chosen a stunning purple
amethyst for the base area where the magic flowed directly from her hand, as it
helped to transform negative energy into something positive. At the center of
the wand where the energy was forged into the desired spell, she had chosen a
yellow piece of fluorite. Well known for the power to enhance focus and
concentration, it would ensure she spoke the required spell incantations
properly. At the tip of the wand where the energy was released, she had placed
a reddish-orange carnelian. This was an action stone that accelerated the spell
into quick action.

As the hours
passed, the wind and snow were almost too incredible to believe. Much to the
astonishment of the meteorologists, an estimated six inches an hour was falling
from the sky. The full blast of the Nor’easter had settled on Cayuga Cove
around noon and was predicted to continue at least until midnight. Due to the
incredibly harsh conditions, the plows and salt trucks were barely able to keep
up. Main roads were cleared as often as possible, but it was a losing battle.
The pavement was quickly hidden and the side roads were never even touched. By
five in the afternoon, small hedges and shrubbery were buried under a blanket
of heavy white and the wind had picked up sharply, causing a few random
blackouts throughout the town as tree branches snapped and took down utility
lines.

“Can I ask you
something?” Vivienne set her finished wand down on the kitchen counter to dry.

“Anything.”
Octavia replied.

“Do you think
my magic will be enough to stop them?”

Octavia turned
the question around. “What do you think?”

“I know that
the magic has returned inside my body.”

“Spending
almost a week inside one of the magic portals took care of that quite nicely.”
Octavia remarked. “You’re turbocharged, honey.”

“What am I
supposed to cast when I face them tonight? Without my grimoire, I don’t have
access to my spells.”

“The Elder
Council is preparing a spell specifically to eradicate the ritual safely. They
have the most experienced witches in the world working on a way to undo the
magic without triggering a backlash.”

“Backlash?”

“You don’t
want to really know the specifics.” Octavia glanced warily at her. “But let’s
just say that if such an event happened, there would be no more Finger Lakes
area in Upstate New York. There would be just the ragged edges of an enormous
crater where everything once was.”

“You’re right.
I don’t want to know the specifics.”

“The group is
informally known at the ‘bomb squad,’ as they have managed to avoid magical
catastrophes with a near-perfect record.” Octavia beamed with pride. “The odds
are in your favor.”

 
“You said near-perfect.” Vivienne gulped.
“Dare I ask what happened the few times they couldn’t fix the problem?”

“You end up
with a major world-shattering event, like the Black Death in the middle ages.”
Octavia said grimly. “Like I said, this sort of thing doesn’t just contain
itself to the magic community.”

“How are they
getting this spell to me?”

“You’re going
to have to improvise until a flash scroll appears.” Octavia said as the power
flickered in the apartment. “When it arrives, your wand will be drawn to the
raw source of magic. Let it guide you to where the scroll awaits, but be sure
you do it fast.”

“The Elemental
and sorcerer will feel it too, won’t they?”

“Absolutely.”
Octavia confirmed.

 
“They’re going to cast the last part of the
ritual outdoors. It has to do with the element of air.” Vivienne wondered
aloud. “That could be anywhere.”

“Well, listen
to that wind out there. It’s something truly wicked, but it’s always worse
along the lake. The winds just seem to have more gusto there.” Octavia gave her
a little smile.

“The park by
the lake?” Vivienne asked.

“That’s where
I’d go to finish the ritual. Out near the open water, where the air was free to
pass through with no resistance from trees or buildings. It’s very isolated
too, less chance of someone stumbling along while you’re casting difficult
incantations.”

“Thank you.”
Vivienne walked over and gave her a hug. “I don’t know what I would’ve done
without you.”

“You’d have
figured that out. Have a little faith in yourself and your abilities.”

Vivienne stepped
over to the apartment windows where Tommy and Sammy batted at the snowflakes
that danced across the glass. She gave them each a pat on the head and looked
out at the town below. It was ever-so-quiet. The roads, now erased under almost
two feet of snow, had no tire marks. Mailboxes seemed like they were mounted on
mini stumps instead of posts. Front doors, normally accessed by a set of
concrete stairs, now looked level with the ground. Lights flickered from homes
where the residents were safely holed up with mugs of hot chocolate, fireplaces
blazing with wood-fueled warmth, and cozy blankets to add to the top of warm
beds. This was her home. This was the future that she envisioned with Joshua by
her side. It was worth fighting for.

“Whenever
you’re ready to charge your wand, let me know.” Octavia spoke softly as she
walked behind Vivienne to observe the storm raging outside.

“Let’s do
this.”