The Aurora Stone (11 page)

“Caleb, I need you to get out here, I’ve had a premonition!” she yelled through the solid wooden door while banging frantically. Seconds later, a wide-eyed Caleb opened the door and found himself clutching Eve as she tumbled through.

“Come on; I need you to extract my dream so we can make sense of it,” she rushed, righting herself and grabbing his hand, she began to drag him back towards her room.

“Hang on; I can’t perform that spell, I don’t know how,” Caleb explained, as he tried to pull away from her, for a female she had a very strong grip. Eve didn’t appear to be listening to his protests. Once back in her room, she turned to her friend and explained rather quickly about the premonition. He listened ashen faced.

“So you have to try, Cal, I know this is important, but it’s already hazy now that I am awake, it is slipping away like leaves caught in the breeze,” she pleaded, holding his hands, her eyes wide with fear and unshed tears. Caleb knew how to perform this spell, yet even though he had decided to start using his magic, he still held back.

“I don’t know how, Eve. I’m sorry,” he lied, letting go of her hands, he went over to the small dressing table hoping to find writing materials, maybe if she wrote it down then they could capture it before Eve lost it to her subconscious. Finding nothing of any use, he was about to head for the sitting room when he felt Eve behind him.

“Please, I need you to try.” Eve was doing her best to hold back the tears. The vision had scared her and even though the vivid images were already fading away, the fear she had felt was still present. Hanging his head, Caleb turned back to face her.

“Ok, I will try, but I cannot promise it will work. We should wait for Jericho to wake, though how he slept through your banging, I will never know.”

Eve wasn’t willing to wait for a second longer; she returned to Caleb’s room and began banging on the door. Jericho appeared almost instantly. Explaining that he had heard her the first time but seeing as she was screaming for the witch, he had decided to stay put until he was sure the drama was over, or she came looking for him. Eve explained to Jericho what had happened; it came out in a rush. She was desperate to have the vision extracted. When they reached the sitting room, Caleb was ready, he had cleared a space on the floor, there were four candles each a different colour. There was also a bag of salt and one lit, white candle. On seeing the other two enter, Caleb stepped away from the cleared area. Eve looked at the strange setup and wondered where the candles had come from.

“For a non-practicing witch, you seem to carry the tools of the trade,” Jericho commented with a hint or sarcasm. Ignoring him, Caleb reached for Eves' hand and led her to the cleared area between the four candles.

“Are you ready to begin?” he asked. Nodding her head, Eve watched as Caleb bent down and picked up the white candle; handing it to her, he smiled and said.

“How did you know about an extraction spell?”

looking him right in the eye Eve replied. “Violet let me read her books.”

Rolling his eyes at the carelessness of the young witch, Caleb picked up the box of salt and made a circle that encompassed them, while muttering under his breath.

“Now for the technical bit,” he murmured. Wondering why he had agreed to this and how he was going to explain if the binding spell still held this far from Clear Water Valley.

Caleb turned to Eve and explained that once he began the spell, she must not break the circle; it was there for protection. Nodding her head, Eve stood still, holding her candle. Caleb went and stood before the green candle; he then began to call upon the elements.

“All hail the watchtower of the east, the element of Air.

I do summon and call you forth, to guard and protect this circle.

Be here now.”

Eve didn’t dare move. As she watched his back she saw his hair ruffle as if caught by a breeze, which was impossible, they were indoors and all the windows were closed. Caleb then picked up an anthem she had not noticed from the floor and drew a five pointed star over the candle. Once complete, Caleb lit the green candle and moved onto the red candle.

“All hail the watchtower of the south, the element of fire.

I do summon and call you forth, to guard and protect this circle.

Be here now.”

As Caleb invoked the element of fire, he felt the temperature rise slightly, feeling relieved that he no longer seemed spellbound as all witches were, unless members of the council; only simple everyday charms were allowed for normal citizens. He once again drew the pentagram and lit the candle that represented elemental fire. It felt wonderful to feel his magic awaken, like waking from a long sleep and having the most wonderful stretch.

“All hail the Watchtower of the West, the element of water. I do summon you and call you forth, to guard and protect this circle. Be here now.”

Jericho watched from outside the circle. He could feel the change in the atmosphere, the moment Caleb had begun calling the elements to him.
He is powerful
, Jericho thought to himself. Miscurts were naturally wary of witches; they did not trust beings that could conjure. They much preferred a fair fight of arms than one of spells and potions. The irony of his current situation was not lost on him, given that he now travelled with a witch and within Gloria.

If he disliked witches, then Jericho really disliked the Fae. Their magic was all the more dangerous. They did not need to cast circles or say spells. A fairy could think you tied up and helpless, and you would be. Yes, the sooner they found Eli, the better. As Jericho became lost in his thoughts, Caleb completed invoking the elements.

“All hail the watchtower of the north, the element earth. I do summon and call you forth, to guard and protect this circle.

Be here now.”

As the last element was invoked, Caleb gazed at his handy work. Forming a barrier around the circle, were for bands of coloured light, one representing each element. Now he was ready to perform the extraction spell and collect the premonition from Eve’s memory.

“I need you to hold the candle in your left hand and hold my right hand,” Caleb instructed Eve. Once she was in the correct position, he rested his hand on her left one so he too was holding the candle and they formed a circle of sorts with their arms. Asking her to close her eyes, Caleb began the spell.

“Images, now memories, hidden from sight.

Draw towards the candles light,

Show me what has been seen,

What was discovered in a dream,

Reveal yourself to me.

So mote it be.”

Eve experienced a slight pulling sensation within her memory and then she saw a rush of colours and blurred images on her closed lids. As quickly as it had begun, the sensation stopped and Eve felt lighter.

“You can open your eyes now, Eve. The spell is complete,” Caleb whispered. He was trying to stay calm, as the rush of images had come at him after they passed through the candle flame. It was like being hit by lightning, too long he had been without his magic. His heart hammered in his chest, and adrenaline ran rampant through his system. Checking to see if the circle was still protected, Caleb was relieved to see it was. Turning back to Eve, he asked her to concentrate on the white candle they both held.

“I am going to reveal the images now. Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, looking for any flicker of doubt on her beautiful face. Slowly shaking her head, Eve held firm and returned her gaze to the candle. Grounding himself, Caleb prepared to release the power and project the images onto its smooth wax surface.

“New knowledge I have gained, borrowed from another,

Reveal yourself to us once more, so that we may learn your meaning,

Draw to the candles pure light and cast your secret upon it.

Reveal yourself for all to see.

So mote it be.”

Even though he had braced himself for the release of power, it still made him slightly dizzy. Once he had regained his equilibrium, Caleb focused on the candles wax. There on the snow white surface was Eve’s vision, swirling and moving in and out of focus. Pleased that it had worked, Caleb uttered the word that would project the images exactly as Eve had seen them out of the candle and into the circle.

“Release.”

It was a surreal experience to stand in one’s dream with someone else and be objective. They both watched as Eve ran through the dark corridors. When she reached the copper doors, Caleb gasped. The symbols on the doors were ancient and very powerful. Even more disturbing was the glimpse of the creature he saw standing behind the dream Eve. It seemed to waver in and out of substance. Darkness so complete, you felt sucked into it. The only solid thing he saw was the gnarled claws reaching out with sharp points for Eve’s shoulder. Moments later, the images evaporated.

Jericho sat and listened, as Caleb recounted what had taken place in the circle. Eve was taking a nap. The magic had drained her, and she needed to rest before they could make their way to the city. The only part Caleb omitted was about the markings on the copper door. He would need to think more about those and their meaning. Jericho had found the entire spell casting unnerving, even more so when a strange white mist had blocked his view of the pair within the circle.

“That was the images releasing around us, the circle keeps us safe and also acts as a screen when performing these types of spells, to stop unwanted eyes seeing the information,” Caleb informed Jericho an apologetic grimace contorting his expression. Understanding that this could not be helped, and information was being shared with him now, Jericho did not feel the need to make the witch feel any more uncomfortable than he already did.

“So, what does it mean, where is this place?” Jericho asked as he got up and began pacing. He found he thought better while moving. Shrugging, Caleb couldn’t give him an answer as he wasn’t too sure himself; the only thing they agreed on was that it was definitely some kind of premonition and wherever this place was, Eve must not enter it.

It was mid-morning before they managed to get out the door. First, they headed back to Betty and Albert’s to return the key and thank them for the use of the cottage. Waving away their thanks, Betty handed them a parcel of food and the use of her pony and trap. If they were surprised at the gift of food and the offer of transportation, that was nothing compared to how they felt when the ‘pony’ was led from the stable.

“Is that a…” Eve started to speak, but words failed her as she stared at the wondrous creature before her.

“Unicorn, yes dear, we call him Bobby,” Betty replied to Eve’s half-finished question. Walking over to the animal, Betty reached into her apron pocket and pulled out some chunks of apple, Bobby made quick work of them and then stood perfectly still. Eve stayed back, drinking in Bobby’s beauty; he was silver grey with a mane and tail that were the colour of snow, so white she could almost see rainbows in it. His horn was magnificent; long and proud, the perfect twist of molten silver crowing his forehead. While Eve gazed adoringly at Bobby. Jericho and Caleb climbed into the trap and were busy securing their belongings.

“Well, go on dear, the day is wasting. If you’re worried about him nipping you, don’t be. Bobby is a gentle soul, never harmed anything in his life,” Betty assured her, giving Eve a shove in the small of her back which sent her into Bobby’s line of sight. The second he saw her, his blue-grey eyes seemed to light with recognition, like other animals had along her way, and just like the animals that came before, Bobby gracefully bowed to her. Eve was now becoming used to this strange behaviour that animals kept demonstrating whenever she was near and dropped a curtsy in front of the unicorn.

“Well, I never saw him do that before, clever boy, Bobby,” cooed Betty, as she ambled back to her front door. Eve took Jericho’s arm and pulled herself up into the trap. It was quite comfortable with her cloak folded up to make a cushion. Eve felt the journey would be a pleasant one, exploring the countryside on their way to the city.

“Thank you, Betty, we will make sure Bobby and the trap are returned in excellent condition,” Eve called, as Jericho clicked his tongue to get Bobby moving. Eve was about to ask how were they to direct Bobby, as he wasn’t wearing a nose strap when Caleb leaned forward and politely asked the unicorn to take them to the city. Laughing at her confused expression, Caleb explained.

“Bobby is a magical creature. He understands everything we say to him; that’s why he hasn’t got reins, there is no need for them. As long as we treat him with the respect and kindness his kind deserves, he will be most amenable.”

Feeling a little out of her depth but absolutely ecstatic to be in the company of a real unicorn, Eve settled herself into a comfortable position and watched the village begin to thin, giving way to green fields and the open road.

Grimmer was suffering, the darkness he had cloaked the inside of the summerhouse with was holding, but the sickening pureness of the place was leeching him of his strength. It was only going to get worse; he knew instinctively that the sun had not yet reached its highest point. This, combined with keeping his darkness stretched to guard him against prying eyes was making him extremely angry. Anger was good; anger fuelled him, made him feel stronger, even as the pureness of Gloria sucked at his strength. The hours would soon pass, and once twilight fell, his mission would be complete. With this thought sustaining him, Gimmer closed his eyes to conserve his energy, for he would need it later for the torture he was anxious to administer.