Fire Spell (9 page)

Charleston, 1949

I rubbed my arms trying to shake the chill that settled on my skin from the seam. I never knew why it was so cold. No matter how many times I traveled, I never got used to it.

The closet looked practically the same, but instead of presentation equipment, there were mops and buckets. I tilted my ear toward the door, straining to hear outside noises. I thought I heard the muffle sounds of a movie.

I turned the handle and pressed against the door, moving it inches at a time until I knew the hallway was clear. I sighed, grateful I had chosen a location that would allow me to
Time Spell
undetected.

The theater erupted in laughter and I scurried toward the exit. I stopped short of the door as I heard the bang-bang sounds from the movie. What were the chances there would be a western playing? Well, at least I hadn’t completely ignored all of Jack’s suggestions. I pushed on the door, eager to avoid getting caught in the theater patron traffic.

I made sure I gave myself plenty of time to get to Hattie’s engagement party. I would have to fly from the theater since it was a mile from the party. Sensible shoes or not, that was too far to walk and stay hidden.

Charleston in 1949 didn’t look much different from the Charleston I had just left. The streets were cobblestone, and the historic buildings had been a part of the city for over a century.

I walked past the edge of the theater to the corner of the street. For a moment, I forgot about all the reasons I was nervous and breathed in the spring Charleston night. I watched as a couple held hands and crossed the street in front of me. Something in the air felt magical, as if the city was alive with a love spell.

I stifled a giggle, thinking about my grandmother’s journal entries. She had felt the magic of the spring, but I had a feeling it had more to do with Leo than anything else. Maybe love was always like that. It made us feel like every nerve and pulse in our bodies was infused with such bliss that we couldn’t even describe the feeling with words. I had felt it, and right now, I missed it.

I closed my eyes, tucked my arms across my chest, and leapt into the air. I loved soaring upward like this, with the air rushing past me and the strength I had surging in my legs. Eventually, I slowed and leveled my flight so I could take in the street names below me. I was looking for Loblolly and Magnolia. According to the news article I found on the Society Page, the dance was held at a country club on the outer edges of town.

Before I spotted the club, I could see a line of cars. They wound along the driveway and along the block leading toward the club. It looked more like a movie premiere and less like an engagement celebration. I landed in the grass near the side of the main entrance.

I watched as couples nodded and greeted each other outside of the country club. The dresses the girls wore were stunning. Bright blue, pink, and yellow skirts flounced as the women climbed the steps on the arms of their dates, pausing to have their pictures taken. I didn’t see my grandmother anywhere, so I decided to enter the party in case she had arrived early with Leo.

As soon as I saw a doorman open the door, I scurried inside before the next set of guests could make it through the doors. I followed the crowd to the ballroom. There was a big band playing on the stage. The woman singing reminded me of the musicals my grandmother and I used to watch together with Rosemary Clooney or Debbie Reynolds. It felt like this was something straight out of a classic movie. Eddie Fisher could walk through the door any minute.

I leaned against a pillar, far enough away from the crowd I could see the entire dance floor. The couples swayed and twirled while the band played. Then I spotted honey-blond hair, swept to the side and pinned with blue flowers. The dress was deep blue. I held my breath, waiting for her partner to spin her around so I could see her face. His cheek was pressed against her ear, and he whispered something to her. Her head flew back with laughter as he spun her in the middle of the dance floor.

I clutched my arms to steady my hands, but it did nothing to slow the nervousness welling inside me. My grandmother was dancing right here, only yards away from me, and I couldn’t talk to her. I couldn’t hug her or tell her how beautiful she looked in her blue dress. This
Time Spell
may have been the hardest of my life. I turned just in time to dodge a man, getting ready to lean into the column next to me. I dropped to the floor and crawled to the other side.

By the time I stood from my crouched position, I lost them. The band stopped playing to introduce Hattie’s father, Mr. Trad, on the stage. Everyone gathered and moved closer. I searched for Leo and my grandmother, but they weren’t on the dance floor with everyone else. I stood on my toes and peered over the bobbing heads. They were gone.

“T
HANK YOU
so much for making this such a special night for our dear Hattie.” Mr. Trad spoke into the microphone. I searched the perimeter, hoping Gigi and Leo were somewhere in the room. The country club was so enormous that it would take forever to track them.

On the other side of the buffet line, I saw a door close. I was sure it could be a waiter, but it was the only movement in the room. All eyes were on Mr. Trad. I raced to the serving table, checked behind me, and then opened the door as little as possible before slipping through.

The hall was lined with serving trays and carts. I hurried forward, hearing whispers ahead. I tried to run softly, but I was so anxious I would lose them that I was almost in a full heel-to-toe sprint.

“Don’t you think they’ll notice we left the party?”

“Not at all. They’re all too busy congratulating Hattie and Ernest.” The man’s voice paused. “Of course, I would notice the second you were out of my sight.”

I heard a light giggle. It had to be them. If I turned the corner, I should be able to see them, but my hands started shaking again. I wasn’t quite ready to see her so close.

“Leo, you always say things that make me blush.”

“That’s because I love how your cheeks look when they glow.”

I heard her swat him. “You can’t talk about
glowing
.”

He laughed. “Ok, we’ll talk about it
later
.”

I rolled my eyes. There was no way this man wasn’t related to Finn.

“Darling, I could dance with you all night, but we need to go before we miss our opportunity. The council was very specific about our meeting time. Moon phases and all that jazz.”

Apparently, she agreed because when I peeked around the corner, they were walking toward the back exit of the country club. I tried to keep enough space between us so they wouldn’t sense me. I had never
Time Spelled
around witches, and I had no idea how much of my energy they would be able to detect. Although, watching them, it seemed the only thing they noticed was the other.

Leo held the door for her, and took her hand as she descended the stairs. If I didn’t know they were on some kind of mission for the council, I would have thought they were skipping out of the party early to be alone. They walked to a parked car, and Leo shuttled her into the passenger side before hopping behind the wheel and easing the car onto Magnolia Road.

The only way to keep up with them was from the sky. I sprang upward and flew close behind. They were headed east, toward the harbor. Leo sped up the straighter the road became, and it was hard for me to match his acceleration.

Finally, the car slowed along the harbor, and he pulled into a park. I hovered overhead, waiting to see what their next move would be. Lily opened her door and stood outside the car. I noticed she was no longer wearing the dazzling blue dress. Her pants and shirt were black; her hair was pulled up in a bun.

Leo walked toward her. He had also shed his engagement party clothes. There were so many advantages to being witches.

They planted their backs against each other, scanned the parking lot, and then performed a
Fade Spell
, until each one was covered in the glittery dust that made them invisible to humans. Something about the way they performed the spell made me think this wasn’t the first time they shared magic with each other. My grandmother shot straight up, and Leo followed. They were headed out over the harbor, and I was right behind them.

The air was cooler over the water than in the city. I couldn’t imagine where they were flying. Civilization and the lights of the city were behind us. I circled near them as they slowed. We were maybe a mile from the Charleston harbor, and just in front of us was a dark land mass. I didn’t remember seeing an island here before.

“Do you think they’ll detect us if we get much closer?” my grandmother asked.

“I think we can fly in for a better view, but don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.” Leo clutched at her hand.

“Oh, I wasn’t worried about me.” She winked then darted ahead.

“Lily, wait!” Leo tried to keep his shout to a whisper, but he was fighting the winds at this altitude.

I had to stifle my giggles as I watched him try to catch up to her.

They turned north toward the tip of the island and followed its curves clockwise until they were at the opposite end. I didn’t know why we flew such an indirect route, or what was at the end, but they both seemed to change their demeanor. The playful, flirty banter was gone. I could tell this was a serious situation.

Leo leaned into her ear and I flew closer to listen in.

“Remember, we don’t have to get close. We just need to count them. No stunning, no confrontation.”

Lily looked at him with an expression I had seen from her a million times. It was the I-know-what-I’m-doing look.

I tried to think back to my history lessons on South Carolina, but I couldn’t place this island or its significance. Fort Sumter was still another half-mile away. The skin on the back of my neck prickled, and I felt the nervousness in my stomach churn as we flew closer to the island. Who could possibly see them if they were using the
Fade Spell
?

It was hard to see the island with so little light. There was a new moon, and now I understood why they were paying attention to the moon charts—they wanted it to be dark. It looked like there were a few shrub bushes, but the island was mainly covered in tall grasses. There was nowhere to hide if they touched foot on the island. Then I saw it. At the tip was a structure. Was it a castle? A chill ran along spine, and I could do little to shake it while flying.

The closer we flew, the better I was able to see that a giant wall circled the area, like a fort, and jutted out into the Charleston Harbor. I watched as Leo and Lily descended toward the turret-like building. My witchy tingle was on overload, and I tried to remind myself that they would be fine. My grandmother’s journals never mentioned a catastrophe from tonight, and she lived a long life. It was going to be ok. I took a deep breath.

They lowered to the ground along the wall closest to the island brush. I decided to hover above, keeping an eye on what they were planning. They motioned to each other to split up. Leo stuck to the wall on the right, and Lily charged to the left. I still hadn’t seen what they were observing, but I could feel it. Every hair on my body was standing straight up, and every nerve told me this was dangerous.

Leo ducked into one of the side alcoves, and I lost sight of him, so I followed my grandmother. She tiptoed along the sandy terrain until she hit a break in the stone wall, then slipped inside. Great! They were both out of my reach. I drifted toward the center of the courtyard, waiting for them to reappear.