Destined Magic Page 5

  “So, that’s why my Destined One is an Earth Master.”

  “Most likely, dear. Would you like a biscuit?” Venetia handed her a tin of cookies.

  “But the opposite is true as well. Lack of Air can smother Fire, and Water can drown Earth,” Gabriella pointed out.

  “Of course, all the elements can affect each other in a positive or negative way.”

  “But what should I do about Brenna?”

  “That is a hard decision. If she’s killed a human, then her soul is marked, and she can’t be rehabilitated. If she killed animals, you might be able to nullify her powers without making her lose her mind.”

  “In the last ritual, a baby was killed.” Tears welled up in Gabriella’s eyes. Brenna was truly lost.

  “Oh, no. That is dark, dark magic. I’m sorry, but your sister has crossed a line and has become truly evil. She is no longer the loving sister you knew. You should listen to your Destined One and let the Guardians have her.”

  “But, Venetia, she’s my little sister?” Gabriella started to sob, and Venetia stood up and put her arms around her.

  “She was your little sister. You can’t save her. You can only let her go to the Goddess and hope her spirit will be cleansed.”

  §

  Garrett sifted through the information his team gathered. There was a clue in there somewhere, he was sure of it. But his mind kept skipping to the look of panic on Ella’s face when she saw him in front of the coffee house. How was he going to make things right with her?

  He fingered the tarot-card deck Elise had returned to him. Gabriella’s energy permeated the cards. It wasn’t enough to port to her location, but it might be enough to pull her into a dream connection. Somehow, he needed her to know she didn’t have to run from him, that he would protect her better this time. That no one would take her powers from her again. Sighing, Garrett went back to the file.

  Mabel stood staring at him from the doorway. “Call it quits for tonight. You need some sleep after pulling an all-nighter last night. Go home and rest. Your mind will be clearer in the morning.”

  Garrett nodded. Exhausted and frustrated, he wanted to scream. At least, Damek and Josiah had caught up with two of the men who attacked him in the basement. Hopefully, by tomorrow they would find the last rat.

  That left three other blood-cult members, including Brenna. But who was helping them stay hidden?

  He had a feeling he knew who helped Gabriella get the nullifying bracelet off. Aiden Kindle, known as the Blacksmith, went against the council when he thought it had overstepped its authority. He would help an innocent, but would he help blood-magic users?

  Garrett didn’t think so, but maybe it was time to go down to the Black Cauldron for a pint. Aiden usually showed up around nine. Garrett could ask a few questions and maybe get a few feelers out for what was going on with these blood-cult covens.

  §

  Gabriella sat on the porch of the Beach Inn and rocked her chair as she stared out at the ocean. Normally, waves soothed her, but her mind was still in turmoil over what Venetia had said. Was it possible her sister was lost to her? Her heart ached, and she clutched her shirt over her chest.

  She stood and walked down to the beach. The waves rolled up the sand. She took her shoes off and dipped her toes in the water. She breathed deeply, pulling in the smells of salt and sea. In the distance she could see the Longstone lighthouse with its red and white stripes. The breeze blew her hair and clothes. Standing here should make her happy. Water was her element, but her mind was confused.

  She closed her eyes as waves rushed over her feet and ankles before pulling back into the deep. She missed Garrett. Her eyes flew open with the thought. Part of her needed comforting, and who better to do so than her Destined One? Of course, they had the whole nullifying bracelet thing between them. She sighed.

  The cliffs behind her ran farther up the beach and rose higher the farther north she looked. Trees towered majestically at the top. To the west, black clouds were gathering. There would be a storm soon. She sank her feet deeper into the warm sand.

  What was she going to do about this mess? Trusting others to take care of it was living in a fairy tale. If she wanted to fix this situation, she needed to take charge. So the first thing she had to do was locate her sister. Once she did that, she would decide what her next step would be.

  Looking to the south, she spied the inn where Venetia was now fixing dinner. Being one of the strongest water witches, Venetia would have a scrying mirror. If Gabriella could borrow it, she might find some answers. She squared her shoulders and headed back to the inn.

  §

  Garrett ordered a hard cider and sat at the bar of the Black Cauldron. This bar was one of two in London that catered to witches and wizards. An occasional non-magical would wander in, but thanks to wards set at the four corners of the room, they would feel uncomfortable and leave after a few minutes.

  At nine o’clock on the dot, Aiden Kindle strolled in. He walked up to the bar and ordered a pint before nodding at Garrett.

  “You’re a long way from home, Guardian.”

  “I needed to see you, Aiden. We used to be friends, fighting together in the Elemental Compass matches in school.”

  The Elemental Compass games were a way for the four elemental houses to interact and work together. A team consisted of four members, one of each element, battling against another team also made up of the four elements.

  “Aye, I remember. But now you work for the council, doing their dirty work.”

  “Someone needs to stop this blood cult from converting covens to evil. The cases have more than doubled in the last six months. The Aiden I knew would never condone going against our commandment to harm none.”

  “You’re right. I would never do that. But the council also cuffs innocents and waits for them to go insane.” Garrett thought Aiden meant more than his mother.

  “You helped her didn’t you? The woman who came to you today. No, don’t say anything. Let me finish. She’s my Destined One, and I never should have put that cuff on her. Thank you for helping her.”

  “You cuffed your Destined One? I thought you were smarter than that, Amhurst. Talk about royally screwing things up. She’ll never trust you now. Let me guess, the council told you to do it, and you have to be the dutiful son of the Speaker of the Council.”

  “Can we leave my father out of this for now? I know I screwed up. But, right now, I need to find out what is going on with these blood cults and keep my Destined One from being one of their sacrifices.”

  “All right, I’ve heard a few whispers.” Aiden stared at him a moment, then nodded. “I’m helping you only because we were friends once. I’ve heard of someone called the Red Wizard. He wears crimson robes and a hood. No one ever sees his face. I haven’t heard his real name. Only the higher ups in the cult know who he really is. But he has meetings, like old-fashioned revivals. He calls on the witches’ community to rise up and take their rightful place as leaders of the United Kingdom. He hands out pills like candy. Then, when he gets them hooked on drugs, he tells them how much higher they can get on blood magic. You have to be chosen to be invited to one of the meetings. In other words, he has people picking his targets. They’re always the lost and lonely. He gives them a place and makes them feel wanted and powerful. Then, he turns them to evil. But unless you’re invited, you can’t find the meeting place. Some kind of protection spell.”

  “How do you know so much?”

  “When it first started, some of the family members of the targeted ones came to me for help. They were afraid to approach the council since their loved ones were probably doing blood magic. But you know as well as I do that if they haven’t killed someone, there is still a chance to redeem them. So their families came to me.” Aiden ran his hand over his shorn head. “I tried to help. I really did. But what I told you is the most I could find, even with all my contacts.”

  “You should have come to me. I would have helped you.” Garre
tt shook his head. This whole thing was ten times worse than he thought.

  “You would have wanted to help me, but would the council let you? They made you cuff your Destined One, a woman whose aura was clear. Whoever is behind this has to be powerful and connected. Maybe even on the council. Otherwise, he could never keep it underground like this.”

  “You think someone on the council is behind this?” Garrett couldn’t believe what he had heard. Could Aiden be right?

  “Who else has that kind of power?” Aiden took a swallow of his beer.

  §

  Gabriella paced in her room. She felt so guilty for taking the scrying mirror she found in Venetia’s workroom off the kitchen. It sat on top of the bed. Each time she passed by, she thought it silently accused her of being a thief. Sitting next to it was a bottle of water that had been harvested under a full moon.

  As soon as she was sure Venetia was asleep upstairs, she would take the mirror somewhere outside to conjure the spell and see where her sister was hiding.

  “Goddess, please let this work and forgive me for not asking permission to borrow Venetia’s mirror.”

  Is this how it had started for Brenna? One little indiscretion followed by another until she was doing things she never thought possible? Gabriella trembled and rubbed her hands up her arms. She would return the mirror as soon as she finished. She wasn’t a thief.

  A squeak of bed springs sounded above her head. She looked up. Venetia was getting into bed. Gabriella slipped on a windbreaker and put the bottle into her pocket before reaching for the shiny concave bowl that constituted the mirror.

  §

  Garrett jumped in surprise when his cell phone buzzed. The call was from Mabel. He waved goodbye to Aiden, then headed for the door while answering the phone.

  “Give me a minute. Let me get outside.” Making his way to the door, Garrett dodged around pub patrons. Once outside, he moved down the street toward his car. The sun was finally down and a cool breeze blew across his face.

  “Okay Mabel, what’s up?”

  “I received news as to where your Destined One is hiding. She is staying at the Beach Inn with Venetia Ainsworth, Sevan’s sister.”

  Garrett’s mind raced. “Councilwoman, Sevan Ainsworth?”

  “Yes. Venetia called her sister and told her that you were Gabriella’s Destined One. Sevan called me out of courtesy. She will have to inform the council tomorrow at their meeting. Go get your Destined One and bring her back. She needs to be put into protective custody until this case is solved.”

  “Call Damek and have him port to the Black Cauldron and text me Venetia’s number. Will she answer the phone so we can use the frequency of her voice to port in?” Why did Gabriella go to Venetia?

  “Sevan assures me she will. Standby while I get in touch with Damek.”

  “Will do, Mabel, and thanks for letting me retrieve Gabriella.”

  “She’s your Destined One. I am very curious to see how your elements will merge. Good luck, Garrett.”

  Garrett ended the call and headed back to the front door of the pub. Damek should arrive any minute.

  §

  Looking for a place to do her ceremony, Gabriella hurried up the cliff path. The wind was picking up, and she needed to find a secluded place where she could light her candles. Guilt assailed her again as she thought of all the items she took from Venetia’s workroom. Finally, about halfway up the trail, she found what she was looking for. The space was surrounded on three sides by rock and the open side faced the sea. The walkway continued to the top of the cliff, but the winds came from the west, so her candles should be safe. Already, the clouds hid the stars. The moon would rise shortly, and even hidden by clouds, its mere presence would help infuse the water she would put in the mirror.

  She emptied her pockets onto the dirt, then grabbed a stick to draw a circle on the earth. Once finished, she placed candles in the four directions to signify the elements. Then, she placed the scrying mirror in the center and the bottle of water next to it.

  Ready to begin, she walked three times around the circle, starting in the east. “I call on the Goddess, Maiden Mother Crone, do I ask. This sacred circle blessed by the thrice do I cast, for working with the future and present—not the past. The powers of Universal Love and Knowledge bless me; the powers fill this circle—so said—so mote it be. Embracing these powers, let my ears be open to your words, my eyes to see. I thank and honor thee always and tonight for your love, wisdom, guidance, gifts, and light.”

  Next, she moved to the candle in the east. As she knelt to light the wick, she chanted. “I call on the element of Air, the breath of life and new beginnings. Come and be welcome.”

  Moving to the candle in the south, she knelt to light the wick. “I call on the element of Fire, the spirit of life and transformation. Come and be welcome.”

  Moving to the candle in the west, she knelt to light the wick. “I call on the element of Water, the flow of life and emotion. Come and be welcome.”

  Finally moving to the north, she knelt to light the wick. “I call on the element of Earth, the growing of life and the physical. Come and be welcome.”

  Moving into the middle of her circle, she raised her arms to the sky and finished sealing the circle with this chant. “Blessed now, this circle is cast with love, protection, and power that will last. Powers of light and all that is, a sacred circle I do cast. Let all intentions set here come to pass.

  Drawing a deep breath, she settled herself on the ground, cross-legged in front of the scrying mirror. The moon filled the sky with white light. She poured the moonlight-infused water into the shallow bowl. “Mirror deep, Water sweet. Show me my sister wherever she meets. Bound by blood, bound by magic. Show me the building she now inhabits. Water sweet, Mirror deep. I command the element my will to keep.”

  Leaning over, she gazed into the mirror. Light began to swirl in the bowl, and Brenna appeared. Flashes of different scenes appeared around the edges of the mirror. Brenna was surrounded by people who were drinking and popping pills in their mouths. Wanting to moan, but afraid to break her concentration, Gabriella bit her lip and continued to watch as a red-robed figure walked among the group. He put his hand on Brenna’s shoulder, and she smiled up at his masked face. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear. Brenna laughed and nodded her head. Then, she looked right at Gabriella.

  “Hello, sister dear. We’ll be together very soon.”

  Gabriella gasped, and the image in the mirror went blank. How had Brenna known she watched her? One thing was certain: Brenna was in London. Gabriella had caught a few visuals of a park and statues she knew were there. Who were all those people Brenna was with? Who was the red-robed wizard?

  Sighing, she went around the circle, putting out the candles. Next, she picked up the little whiskbroom and began to sweep away the circle she had cast. “I dismiss and thank all spirits—now you must go. No unwanted energy of any spirit will this circle ever know. This circle is now open, now all spirits depart—make it so.”

  She finished sweeping away the circle and began to gather her belongings. A raindrop hit her nose. She looked up and lightning flashed from cloud to cloud followed by a crash of thunder. She hurried to collect her magical tools. A little rain wouldn’t hurt a water witch, but getting soaked wasn’t going to be fun.

  She had finished putting everything in her pockets and held the scrying mirror in her hands when the first man ported in. Soon, three others joined him. All of them stood leering at her, then the leader stepped forward. “Your sister sent us to collect you.”

  Chapter Five

  Garrett and Damek ported into the living room of the Beach Inn. Venetia Ainsworth stood in her terrycloth robe and fuzzy slippers, her long silver hair in two braids. She hung up the phone clutched in her hand. “She’s gone. I think she went up the cliff path.”

  Garrett swore and ran out onto the porch, peering up at the cliffs. With rain coming down, it was hard to see. A flash of lightning s
howed someone struggling at the top. Garrett immediately ported, hoping Damek wouldn’t be far behind.

  Garrett arrived with a whoosh of air and saw a man struggling with Ella at the cliff’s edge. He started forward when a root came out of the ground and wound around his leg. He turned to see another man who stood at the edge of the trees muttering a spell. Two others were standing nearby, all wearing black robes.

  Garrett reached for his magic. A limb on the tree above the man dipped down and hit him on the head. The root holding Garrett’s leg gave way. Damek appeared next to him and swore as the other two mages stepped forward.

  One started building a fireball in his hands while the other, a teenager, fed the fire with his air magic. Garrett used his magic to hurl a rock at the fire witch’s head. The rock hit dead center, and the man fell to the ground as the fireball winked out. Damek rushed toward the air witch, while Garrett turned his attention to the man struggling with Gabriella.

  The man pushed her back toward the edge of the ledge. She held on to him, but the ground under her feet was crumbling. Garrett called on his magic, and a second rock flew through the air and bashed the man in the head. The man tipped over the edge and knocked Gabriella from her feet. Her legs slid off the cliff. She held onto the ledge, her hands clawing at the dirt. Garrett leaped to the cliff’s edge and landed on his stomach. He reached down to Gabriella. “Give me your hand.” Ella looked up at him, terror stamped on her face. “Dammit, Ella. I’m trying to save you. Stop fighting me.”

  Her fingers began to slip. Garrett called his magic again, and a rock spur shot out of the cliff under her feet. He wasn’t going to lose her. Not this time. “Ella, honey. Step onto the spur so you won’t fall. Then, give me your hand. I know you’re scared, baby. But I won’t let you fall.”