The Legacy: The Weight of Magic, Episode 2 Page 5

  “’67.”

  “You can bring your friend with you.” Leia beamed at Nathan.

  At those words, Nathan’s hand slid down to my thigh. He kissed my temple, and pulled me closer, making me look at him.

  I tried to hide my shock when his eyes met mine. They moved down my face and stopped on my lips. My insides vibrated. I wanted him to kiss me so badly. But I put my hand over his, wrapped my fingers around it, and smiling at Jess and Leia, pierced his palm with my nails as hard as I could.

  “Thank you for wherever you’re inviting us,” he said politely, turning to Jess and Leia, “but we already have plans.” He lead me to the passenger seat of his car and opened the door.

  “What the heck, Nathan,” I muttered through my teeth, turning my back on Jess and Leia. I felt their eyes on my back.

  “Get in the car,” he said with this manly, sexy look on his face, then drew his lips close to my ear and whispered, “We are having a meeting at your Gran’s store with Brian and the others.”

  I turned my angry glare on him and slid into the seat while he closed the door. The moment he got in the car, he looked at the blood spots on his already healed palm.

  “Nails? Really?” he said, gazing at me.

  “What the hell were you doing?” I glared at him. “If you were trying to make Jess jealous, he already was. You didn’t have to try that hard.”

  “I didn’t do it for him.” He started the car. “I did it for that little . . . whatever her name is, who was trying to make you jealous.” He grinned, raising one brow. “Did you see her face?”

  He was right. The expression on Leia’s face was priceless, but I’d told Jess there was nothing romantic between me and Nathan, and this made me a liar.

  “Wait,” I said as he took off. “What about Connie? I didn’t even say bye to her.”

  He slapped the horn, and it croaked. Connie and Logan turned their heads to us and waved their hands.

  “What about my car?”

  “We can’t leave in separate cars after this whole scene. We’ll pick it up later.”

  I glanced once more at Connie and Logan.

  “Nathan, is Logan a good guy?”

  “He is,” he said, becoming serious.

  “He’s not going to hurt Connie, is he?”

  “Don’t worry, he isn’t going to bite her, if that’s what you’re afraid off. In the beginning, he had to fight the temptation. He knew if he got off the rails, I’d kill him myself. But he passed those hard times long ago, and now it’s just who he is. A nice guy.”

  “Do you think he likes her?”

  “I think he does. Listen, Nicky, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I needed someone to look after you when I’m not around, and Logan is the one who I trust with such an important task.”

  “I know,” I sighed. “But it’s still happening. Because, you know, she likes him too.”

  “They’re grown-up people. They’ll figure it out.”

  “Does this mean he doesn’t have anyone?”

  “Having someone and being in love are different things.”

  I glared at him.

  “What?” He looked at me.

  “I know the difference, Nathan. Don’t hide behind the words.”

  He turned his eyes back on the road.

  “He hasn’t been in love for a long time. And those questions . . . You’re asking the wrong person. All I can say is he’s a good guy. And what’s with this Nathan? Call me Nate already.”

  “We’re not that close.” I turned away.

  “I’m sorry?” He laughed. “Yesterday morning you woke up in my bed. It doesn’t get closer than that. Well, it does, but then it would be ––”

  “I woke up in your bed because you put me there.” I glared at him. “If I had climbed up there all by myself, that would be different.”

  “Different how?”

  “That would mean I trusted you, and I felt close enough to you to—”

  “So what? You’re saying you don’t trust me?”

  “There are different kinds of trust. I trust you with the mission. But climbing into your bed . . . it’s another kind of . . . ” Suddenly, it became very hot in the car. “This conversation is going . . . So, tell me what the meeting’s about.”

  But he was too busy laughing to answer me.

  12

  He stopped the car in the street across from Gran’s store. The sign on the door said Closed. I glanced at the logo, from which the owl stared at me through the glasses with its big, round eyes, and pushed the door open.

  There was still one customer inside, browsing the shelves. But Gran didn’t rush him.

  “They’re not here yet,” she said, looking at us from behind the counter. “You must be hungry.” She nodded toward the back room. “I just made coffee, and there are sandwiches in the fridge.”

  “Thanks.” I kissed Gran in the cheek and followed Nathan to the back room.

  He grabbed two mugs from the shelf, and I opened the fridge, pulled out the plate loaded with sandwiches, and put it on the table.

  The moment I stretched my hand to take one, the plate moved away.

  “Funny,” I looked at Nathan sideways. I reached for the plate a second time, but it moved again. “Stop it, I’m hungry.”

  “Then pull it back.” He put the mugs on the counter and came closer.

  I stretched out my hand, but he seized it and pushed down.

  “Not like that.” He stood behind me and drew his face so close to mine that I felt his breath on my cheek. “You can do it by just thinking about it.”

  “I’m afraid if I do, I’ll end up scraping those sandwiches, or what would be left of them, from all over the place. And I kinda need them.”

  “Okay.” He put the sandwiches back in the fridge for safe-keeping, then took an empty plate from the shelf. “Here.” He put it on the table. “Right now you’re afraid of doing something wrong. Don’t be. Stop thinking about what might happen and think about what you want to do. You have to feel it; the surface, the plate, the motion.”

  “Right.” I gazed at him, then looked at the plate.

  “Concentrate, Nicky.”

  I stared at it for a few seconds, and when nothing happened, I shouted in my head, Move, you piece of . . .

  The plate flew up, hit the ceiling and crushed into pieces. But it seemed that Nathan had predicted the outcome of this experiment, and his hand was already in the air, stopping the splinters from shooting back at us.

  “What’s going on?” Gran showed up in the doorway. “What are you doing?” She looked at Nathan.

  “Teaching.” He pulled me to the door and lowered his hand. Suspended in mid-air, the pieces dropped down.

  “That’s nice of you,” Gran said with artificial smile. “But next time, take your lessons somewhere else. It might take awhile,” she turned around, “and I’m afraid I don’t have enough dishes for that.”

  “It didn’t work because I need to eat first?” I said, flapping my eyelashes.

  “It didn’t work because, judging from the look on your face, instead of feeling it, you were talking to it,” said Nathan, picking up the pieces of white ceramics scattered around the room.

  “More like yelling at it,” I sighed.

  We cleaned up the mess, and I got myself a sandwich.

  “So,” I said, taking a bite. “What’s the meeting about?”

  “Brian is going to Orlando tomorrow for a couple of days to meet Kate’s father. I thought that, before he leaves, we could fill you in on the progress the covens have made to destroy Kenneth’s body.”

  I took another bite and sat down. Nathan filled two mugs with coffee, put one in front of me, and leaned on the counter.

  “There are things Sam and Kate don’t know either,” he said. “Before we thought, the less they knew, the safer it was. But now, when it’s only a few of us left . . . Well, you get the point.”

  We heard the tinkle of the bell. I swallowed the last piece o
f my sandwich and drank some coffee to wash it down.

  “Hi, Nicky,” said Brian, walking into the room, followed by Kate and Sam. He nodded to Nathan and moved forward.

  Gran came in and crossed to the cupboard. She took out a plate of cookies and grabbed the coffee pot before putting both on the table.

  “Hi, guys.” Nathan pulled more cups from the shelf. “Kate, are you okay?” he asked, looking at her gloomy face.

  “I’m fine.” Kate made her way to the other side of the table.

  She had been in a bad mood since Nathan told her he found her father.

  Sam glanced at me, then at the vacant seat beside mine, but before he could take a step, Nathan’s mug landed next to mine, and he dropped down on the chair.

  “Here, Sam,” said Gran, putting a cup of coffee in front of the seat next to Kate’s.

  “Well, Nicky.” Brian and Gran took their places at the heads of the table. “As I said yesterday, I’m not rushing you. But Nathan thinks it’s time for you to learn what we’ve achieved so far. There’s not much to tell, really, because what we need the most is only two things. First, we need to find the place where Kenneth’s body is hidden. Second, we need a weapon that can kill him.

  “We’ve learned from Henry’s son’s journal that it wasn’t just one spell Kenneth used to become unkillable. Yours and Nathan’s ancestors knew that to create the weapon—the antidote to Kenneth’s immortality—they had to know what kind of spells and ingredients he used. And to find it out, they needed to find his grimoires.

  “It took Kenneth decades to get the final result. It was obvious that he wouldn’t just memorize all those experiments. Your ancestors were sure he wrote them down, and they were right. But they also knew his followers wanted those grimoires, too, and surely they knew where to look for them.

  “So the covens sent an undercover witch to join the Order and found out Kenneth’s secrets were locked in a vault which no one could open. And that was good news. The vault was sealed with a spell that could be removed only with Kenneth’s blood, which the Order didn’t have. But the Callahan clan knew where to get some.”

  “So they got the grimoires?” asked Sam.

  “Yes,” said Brian. “If the Order knew they got the grimoires, they would try to get them back, and it would create another war. So they had to be very careful. It took them several attempts, but at the end they succeeded.

  “They started working on the weapon. At that time, it was the only thing they needed. But after they were betrayed, Kenneth’s body was replaced, and,” he looked at Nathan, “we have a live witness of what happened after that.”

  Nathan sighed. “Because the first map was stolen, after replacing Kenneth’s body, Joseph Callahan hid the new map. I’m sure Vincent, if didn’t know exactly where it was, had enough clues to find it.” He glanced at me. “I think you’ll find out soon enough what the clues are. He kept them a secret because he was afraid that history might repeat itself. Vincent said we’d start looking for the map as soon as the weapon is ready.

  “And about the weapon. It’s a sword. To create it required the kinds of dark magic the covens had never used before. The spells, the potions. To study Kenneth’s records took many years. But by the end, we got most of it done. The blade was impregnated with necessary potions and engraved with required spells. The last spell was improved and engraved by us. I mean by Vincent, me, and the coven. And the sword is nearly ready. There’s only one ingredient missing.” He exchanged a glance with Brian. “Vincent and I both had ideas about that ingredient. His idea didn’t work, and mine. . . . Let's just say we had a disagreement about it and were still working on it.”

  “Where is it?” I asked. “The sword. Is it safe?”

  Brian and Nathan exchanged a smile. And the curiosity on Sam and Kate’s faces made it clear that, just like me, they were hearing all this for the first time.

  “What?” I looked at Nathan.

  “Well. If even you don’t know where it is,” Nathan chuckled, “then I’m sure it’s absolutely safe.”

  “What does that mean?” I glanced at Gran.

  “Honey, you’re the one who has the sword. You just don’t know it yet.”

  “Oh,” I said, shocked. “Okay.” I understood that I’d get all the answers from the message my dad left for me.

  Nathan looked at Kate and Sam, and his face became serious again.

  “When you joined the coven, you vowed to secrecy. I know that you know how important this is, but I have to remind you once more. Everything you’ve learned today is dangerous information. Yours and Nicky’s lives depends on it. So be very careful. Nicky, you can have your private photos, but no public pictures. Not with each other, not alone. As soon as the Order gets back on its feet, they’ll dig through the earth to find another Callahan, or the map, or anything that will help them find Kenneth. If you have any public accounts, like Facebook, or Instagram, get rid of them at once. Google yourselves and get rid of as much as possible that’s already there.”

  “Like you,” I murmured, nodding.

  Nathan raised a brow.

  “You Googled me?”

  “Of course I did. You were acting like . . .” For a second, I forgot we weren’t alone. “But there was absolutely nothing there,” I said, looking at the others. “So, yeah, I should do the same.” I nervously nodded again, feeling my face warm up.

  We talked for another hour. Sam and Kate had a lot of questions for Nathan. Sam asked about the sword, what kind of metal was used for the blade and if that was important. Kate asked about the covens, digging into their history, and it was good to see her face brighten.

  I was mostly listening and thinking about dad’s message. I’d just been told that I was the way to the most important items and secrets. What else would I find out that the others didn’t know about? My responsibility to the mission got bigger with each new piece of information, and it scared me.

  “Okay, guys.” Nathan got up. “The interview with the past is over. Nicky, let’s go get your car.”

  We headed to the door.

  “Good night, Nicky,” said Brian as we stepped outside.

  “Good night. Bye, guys. See you tomorrow in school,” I said to Sam and Kate. “I’ll be home in a few,” I told Gran.

  But as I glanced back and saw Sam’s eyes following us when Nathan and I went to his car, I thought my last words brought him more relief than my grandmother.

  13

  As we neared the school, the headlights illuminated my car, standing alone in the middle of the dark parking lot.

  “It looks sad,” I said. “Lonely.”

  “Here.” Nathan stopped his car next to mine. “Now it has a friend.”

  We smiled at each other. I pushed open the door and was about to wish him a good night, but he turned off the engine.

  “The air is so nice.” I took a deep breath as the two of us got out of the car.

  “Nicky,” Nathan said quietly, “you didn’t say much the whole evening.”

  “Are you asking me again if I’m scared?”

  “Are you? I know this is a lot of secrets to carry around. It’s harder for you than for Sam and Kate.”

  “Yeah, it is. And yes, it’s overwhelming.” I sighed. I walked to the side of my car that looked out at the big, dark, open space and leaned against its door.

  “You know you’re not alone,” said Nathan, following me. “If you’re sad, or scared, and you need someone to talk to—” He stopped and faced me, and his eyes were full of compassion. “I’m here for you. Whenever you need me.”

  “I know,” I said, wishing I could do it; talk to him, pour out the feelings burning my chest. About how scary it was to suddenly find out I was a part of something big, about these new people who came into my life expecting me to be like my dad. About how much I missed my parents, about my nightmares. And about him. About how I felt when he was around, and how I felt when he wasn’t.

  But I couldn’t, because what I said to h
im today was true. We weren’t that close yet.

  I glanced up at the black sky above us.

  “Is there any way the Order can find Kenneth without the map?” I asked.

  “We don’t know what the Order has been doing all these years. They might have information we’re not aware of or be working on something secretly, like we did, to find a way around the Callahan spell, or to find the body.” He leaned on the car next to me. “Have you asked your Gran about the message yet?”

  “Yes,” I replied without looking at him. “Yesterday. She said I need a clear head for that and we should wait until your potion wore off.”

  “You can’t fool Bree, can you.” He smiled. “But see, you’re still alive.” After a moment of silence, he said, “Brian is right. You don’t have to rush. Do it when you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready.” I wished I believed that. But I couldn’t wait any longer knowing that there was a message from my dad for me, and I hadn’t opened it yet.

  “Nicky?”

  “Hm?”

  “How do you feel?” he asked. “I mean, about your magic. You haven’t been burning or breaking things lately. Well, except that coffee that you thought wasn’t boiled enough. Did you find a way to suppress it?”

  “It hums in me all the time. I don’t know if I can control it, but I think it’s not bursting out of me like before because after my parents . . . I just haven’t been that emotional lately.”

  “Yeah.” He looked off into the darkness. “That could be the reason.”

  We didn’t speak for a moment, and just stood listening to the silence.

  “Nathan?”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you know where my mom and dad’s house was?”

  “Yes.” He heaved a sigh. “You’re not angry with them, are you? I mean, for not telling you about that.”

  “Angry?” I shook my head and looked at my feet. “How can I be angry? They were in danger all the time, and all they thought about was keeping me safe.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and finally turned to him. “I want you to take me there. I want to see it.”