A Different Class of Magic Read online

  “Hmmm.” I felt practically petulant, but the adult in me had to agree with him. Now probably wasn’t the smartest time, but it just felt so exciting, and the sighting had kindled the explorer in me.

  With a heavy heart, I followed his lead back to the cottages, though my face remained turned up to the sky, watching and hoping for another glimpse.

  And yet, there was something else. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we weren’t alone. As the trees thickened, my sense of foreboding grew stronger, and though I pointed my wand into every nook and cranny, I couldn’t see a thing.

  “What’s up?” Carter asked.

  “Oh, probably nothing,” I said, trying to ignore the tingling feeling in my bones. “I’m just overexcited, I expect.”

  “Most likely,” he agreed. There was something in his tone that made me wonder, though. His focus was set on the cottages, almost as if he was deliberately trying not to see anything. He had been on the lookout for something after all, but for what?

  He said it was a secret, or at least, not his secret to tell. So what, then? Had he arranged a midnight tryst with Maisy? I’d left her sound asleep in the cottage earlier on, but maybe she’d just been faking it. What if they’d agreed to have a romantic rendezvous under the pale light of the chilly moon, and maybe my unexpected wakefulness had put her off? Or not. Or something. Heck, it was hell not knowing what was going on.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Carter asked.

  I nodded. Maybe I was being silly, but something didn’t feel right. Whatever it was, clearly, he wasn’t going to tell me anything.

  “Yup, I’m fine,” I said. We’d just reached the kids’ cabins and my confidence was fully restored.

  His cottage was right by them, mine a little further off.

  “I’ll walk you to yours,” he said as we reached his.

  I was armed with a fully functioning wand and could totally take care of myself. “Okay.” I smiled, and let him.

  Something changed in the air. I went from being Athena, hunter of beasts and dragons, to a blushing romantic in a heartbeat. I kinda liked being out here all on my own, with Carter. It was such a pity that things had gotten so messed up. Story of my life.

  “Do you think it’s safe, really?” I asked. “Now there’s no one but you and me, tell me truthfully, is there any danger?”

  “There’s none,” Carter said. His tone was softer than it had been, and I sensed he’d welcomed the honesty of my question.

  “But how can you be so sure?” I asked. “They breathe fire, for chrissakes. If it had been down to me, I’d never have let Pike come, but I don’t think she’d ever have forgiven me if I hadn’t. I still think it’s a bad idea, though, and Carter, if anything happens to her, I––”

  I wasn’t quite sure how to round off that sentence. I hardly wanted to threaten him, and I so badly wanted to trust him, and yet he was expecting so much from me on faith.

  We reached the door to my cottage and he rounded on me, resting his hands gently on my arms.

  “I give you my word, the children are going to be perfectly safe. I’ll admit, you’re right to worry, normally, but we have more protection than you know. Trust me on this, please, Tamara? That’s all I ask.”

  I liked the way my name sounded on his lips. I wanted to believe him; I really did. I wondered what he meant by “more protection than you know.”

  “Okay.” I heard the remains of a little doubt in my voice, but it was a start. “Because it’s you.” I smiled.

  He stared at me, and even in the darkness I could read an unspoken question in his eyes. I hoped I wasn’t wrong, and I moved a little closer when something moved behind him.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  Carter turned, letting me go. The spell was broken.

  “Um, I don’t see anything.”

  “There, right there, by that big one,” I said, pointing to a rather large tree.

  Carter stared hard but shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t see a thing.”

  When he turned back, I could see doubt had returned to his eyes. Did he think I’d just done that on purpose? Dammit, I wasn’t imagining things!

  “Well, I, um, I guess I’d best get back inside,” I said, suddenly feeling the chill.

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  He turned to walk away and then hesitated. “Tamara?”

  “Yes?”

  “Be sure to lock the door behind you.”

  I nodded and let myself inside.

  Maisy was just where I’d left her, still sound asleep, and snoring like a banshee. “Great,” I whispered. I watched until Carter was back inside his own cottage before closing the door softly behind me. I sighed, confused beyond imagination, and with little hope for any sleep, quietly undressed myself for bed. It had been one helluva night, and with T-Rex tonsils lying in the next bed over, there was a fat chance of it getting any better.

  9

  A Hole in the Tree

  “Gather round, guys. That’s it, make a circle, come on now, Bo, that means you, too.” Carter was waiting just outside the children’s cabin. Lazuli was perched on his shoulder, the ferret’s head bobbing up and down as the children gathered round. If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn he was counting.

  Breakfast had been muffins and juice, and my gut groaned, having gorged on two very large maple and apple muffins. I rubbed my eyes; last night sleep had finally come to me, but it had arrived late, and now I was beyond exhausted. Maisy had slept like a baby and looked fresh-faced and bouncy. How did she do it? Her smile was as broad as ever. If she was miffed at missing a midnight meeting with Carter, she certainly didn’t show it.

  I took my place at the edge of Carter’s circle, standing just behind Pike, who, from her animated chat with Evelyn, looked like she was having fun. That was a relief, if nothing else. I also noticed they were the only two without familiars.

  “Hey, Pike,” I said. “Having a good time?”

  “Sure.” She nodded. She’d been munching on a bag of trail mix and offered some to me. I shook my head, full enough.

  “Hello, Mrs. Candlewick.” Evelyn was a short little witch with an abundance of freckles which I thought were adorable, even if it made her look a little nerdy. She carried a little Dragon guidebook, and I noticed her page was marked with a twisting dragon-head bookmark. Pike had one just like it.

  “You girls having fun?” I asked, sounding like a lame-mom question, even to my own ears.

  “Yes!” Evelyn said. “I’ve been studying dragons for a while now and can’t wait to see a real live one.”

  “Don’t I know it,” chimed in Harrison, who was standing beside me.

  “How about you, Mom?” Pike asked. “Up all night polishing your wand?” The two teenagers snickered, sharing some in-joke.

  “As it happens, I did give it a good cleaning last night. You never know when you’re gonna need it.”

  The two girls snorted more laughter. Whatever, I thought. If they meant what I thought they meant, I’d be having words with my daughter later. Teenagers!

  Carter clapped his hands to draw our attention and everyone grew silent.

  “Okay, everyone. First things first; let’s talk safety. I want to see those amulets. Does everyone have one?”

  One by one, the children pulled their safety amulets out from under their coats and sweaters. Carter checked each child was wearing one, and Maisy did the same. At the end of their count the two compared tallies.

  I put my hand to my chest where I’d secured my own amulet. When I caught Carter’s gaze I nodded. All present and correct––except where was Björn? It seemed we were a man down.

  Carter must have read my mind. “We’re just waiting on Mr. Van Asker who is running a little behind this morning. He shouldn’t be long.”

  Harrison nudged me, a knowing look on his face. “He had a rough night,” he whispered. “The bed wasn’t big enough for him, I suspect.”

  We both snickered, then turned as we hear
d footsteps, expecting to see Björn coming to join us at last. Instead, an old man came wandering along the path, with an old crooked staff in his hand.

  Carter waved in greeting as the weather-beaten pensioner approached the children’s cabin. He had the look of a sea captain about him, and as if to reinforce this idea in my head, he touched his forelock in salute.

  “This is Mr. Reynolds,” Carter said. “He’s the keeper of this estate and has kindly agreed to be our guide in the caves today. Say hello, everyone.”

  The students all nodded and grunted, and Mr. Reynolds smiled, satisfied.

  “Remember to listen and do what he tells you to do. It’s very dark down there in the caves, and I don’t want anyone doing anything foolish, like getting lost, understood?”

  I heard a few muffled groans and giggles from the kids.

  Carter cast a stern glare over their excited faces. Everyone calmed down. “Good. Now before we head down to the caves, Mr. Reynolds is going to go over the rules. Let him finish, and if you have any questions you can ask him when he’s done.”

  I heard a door close somewhere behind the cabin, and a minute later Björn strolled over to join the group. His brow was pinched, and his pace slow, he was clearly in no hurry to catch up. He looked ten times worse than I felt, and I wondered if he’d gotten any sleep at all.

  I was about to say something sympathetic, but he shook his head and said, “Don’t ask.” So I didn’t.

  “Thank you,” Mr. Reynolds said, tipping his head toward Carter in respect. “I’ve been the dragon keeper here at the Darcy estate since before you all were born. In the old days we had a ton of dragons, but now we just have the one.” He held up a solitary finger.

  “Aww, bummer,” Bo said.

  “Let the man speak, Bo,” Carter chided.

  Mr. Reynolds shrugged and continued. “There are two entrances to the cave: one up at the great house which is a privately-owned home. The second is a public entrance, which is the one we’ll use, and it’s hidden in the trees just over there.” He nodded toward a spot a few feet away.

  “It can’t be!” Pike exclaimed. “I looked all over there this morning and there’s nothing but leaves and trees.”

  “Ah, well,” Mr. Reynolds said. “You can’t find it without knowing the right kind of magic. As you know, Maine dragons are protected, but people will still try to get into the caves to steal the mushrooms or the eggs, so the entrance has been enchanted to keep out any troublemakers. It’s encrypted, rather like the password on your diary.”

  A few students chuckled, and Pike nodded, seeming satisfied there was a rational explanation after all. She looked over to where Bo and Crystal were standing just a few feet away, playing with their familiars, but then stared down at her feet when they didn’t respond to her at all. I guessed she’d expected some reaction from her friends, but they didn’t even return her gaze.

  Still, I could detect no interest or animosity. To me, they just seemed totally absorbed in each other and the animals. Maybe Pike was just feeling left out?

  “When we get in the cave, feel free to explore, but keep your wands in your pockets,” Mr. Reynolds continued. “The luminous mushrooms will provide enough light, so you don’t need them. And no familiars.”

  “Awww,” cried a few of the students.

  “How come?” Bo asked.

  “Well, bring them if you like, but don’t look at me if they get eaten.”

  Bo’s jaw dropped in shocked understanding.

  I smothered a snort.

  “They’ll be fine running free around the campsite, trust me. Parts of the cave are tight, and it’ll be a whole lot safer without all these animals running around. Just don’t use your magic unless you need to or feel threatened in any way.”

  Wait? What? I raised an eyebrow. Carter had assured us we’d be perfectly safe, and I was about to voice my concern when I noticed Mr. Reynolds and Björn exchange glances, and Björn silently nodded. Carter clearly noticed them, too. What the heck was going on?

  “Really, everything will be just fine,” Carter said. There was a hint of irritation in his voice, like he was fed up with reassuring me.

  Well, boo, hoo! I thought. Fine. We were here now, so we might as well do this thing, but one thing was for sure, I was damned well gonna keep my hand on my super-shiny wand!

  “Ready?” Mr. Reynolds asked.

  “Yes, let’s get going,” Carter said.

  As Mr. Reynolds led the way, I fell back, determined to keep an eye on everyone and everything, just in case.

  I saw Carter pair up with Björn again, and the two men were whispering among themselves. Was it some secret man thing? Were they popping potency pills or something? No, surely not, because Mr. Reynolds seemed to be in on it as well, and I doubted they’d involve him in something like that.

  Oh, my Gaia, could they be gay? If they had found love, then nothing would please me more. But I dismissed the thought, though, only after giving it serious consideration. If Carter Wells and Björn Van Asker were gay, then I was the Queen of England. When these two men were around me, they gave off the kind of hormones I could get giddy on. Then again, who could really tell? Maybe they liked those hormones, too.

  I steeled myself for the possibility I could be right, trying to ignore the rascal of a demon in my gut reminding me no matter how much I protested, I really liked Carter, and I’d be miffed if this was the reason he was acting so strangely. Shut uuuup, you crazy imp! I told it.

  Mr. Reynolds stopped by the largest tree. I wondered what kind of enchantment there was; everything looked perfectly ordinary to me. It was just a regular-looking pine, nothing special or anything.

  Mr. Reynolds raised his staff, and I expected him to point it at the tree roots, but instead, he turned his face up to the sky and made a great circle in the air.

  “Venite ad me: avem,” he cried.

  We all looked up, but there was nothing. For a moment, I wondered if the old man was off his gourd, because nothing at all happened.

  And then we all heard it. It sounded something like a bicycle horn being squeezed many times. And then a large bird appeared in the sky. It circled our party, swooping down slowly and carefully, and to my utter astonishment, it hovered thoughtfully over my daughter, before tearing off and landing on the bark of the tree.

  Pike gasped with wonder, and Mr. Reynolds chuckled.

  “Well, I never,” he said. “I suspect he’s after your bag of nuts.”

  The bird had a black-and-white body, with a beautiful red crest, and sharp talons which allowed it to move effortlessly around the bark of the tree.

  Once it found the perch it wanted, the bird began to tap carefully at the bark; first this way, then that. It moved so quickly I couldn’t tell where it was pecking, but then there was a great crack, and the tree tilted at an angle, its roots tearing up from the ground.

  Underneath the tree was a set of wide steps, almost four times as wide as the actual bark, and I imagined it was wide enough for two students to walk down at a time.

  The bird honked again, it spread its wings, which I figured must have been about three-feet wide, then it flew off to another tree and began to eat normally, as if nothing magical had happened at all.

  “Wow, that was cool,” Bo cried, impressed. “What kind of bird was that?”

  “That was an Ivory-billed woodpecker,” Mr. Reynolds replied.

  “An Ivory-billed woodpecker?” Harrison repeated. “I thought those were extinct?”

  Harrison listed ornithology among his numerous nerdy hobbies. I’d often had to listen to his chittering on about Shoebills and Victoria Crowned Pigeons, and now he was in his element, his face had lit up with joy at the mention of the name.

  “Endangered, yes,” Mr. Reynolds explained. “Maybe extinct in some places, since they haven’t been sighted in years, but this one seems to like the place.”

  “Up here? In the cold?” Harrison continued. “I thought they favored warmer climates?”
>
  “I see you’re a bird watcher.” Mr. Reynolds inclined his head with a small smile.

  “I prefer birder,” Harrison replied. “It’s a hobby of mine.”

  “Well, you are right,” Mr. Reynolds said, “and yet here the fellow is, and here he’ll remain until he passes the secret combination onto a new keeper.”

  “Secret combination?” I rose an eyebrow in question.

  “Yes. Only Reggie here knows the precise combination to open the tree. Not even I know it. Anyway, that’s enough about the bird for now, we’ll see him again later when we come back up. Now it’s time to go find us a dragon.”

  Dragons! I’d almost forgotten why we were here in all this commotion.

  Maisy and Harrison took the lead down into the dark earth, and with a growing sense of excitement, the children quickly followed.

  “Remember, my dears, don’t touch the mushrooms.” I heard Maisy say.

  Pike lingered behind, her attention on the beautiful and rare bird watching us all from the safety of another tree. If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn the thing was watching her with as much interest and more. I noticed Pike hadn’t put away her bag of trail mix, just in case. Hmmm. I kinda guessed what she was thinking. I just hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed.

  “Come on, Tamara, let’s get going.”

  It was Carter. His smile was warm and genuine, and for a moment, I’d almost forgotten about his shenanigans as well. But not quite. I gave him a wary look and put my hand on Pike’s shoulder.

  “Come on, Pike, sweetheart, leave the wildlife alone,” I said. “We have dragons to tackle, oh child of my loins.”

  “Mom.” Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and I smiled sweetly, having exacted my revenge for her wand-polishing comments.

  I urged Pike ahead of me, and Carter went down the steps just before I did.

  I thought of Carter, Björn and that stupid glass vial that had passed between them. I wanted it to be nothing, I really did, I just couldn’t shake off the feeling of impending doom that had come over me. Well, okay, maybe not doom, but the feeling someone was going to get their eyebrows singed before the end of the morning.