Chapter 14

Tanner and I returned to my apartment. Faith hadn’t returned and Jordan had left. With no one there, I wouldn’t be distracted. Tanner followed me inside and looked around. “You ready?”

I walked through the living room and realized that this was going to be different from casting the spell on a chalk outline. With the outline, I could see the entire border, but in the apartment, the internal walls blocked my view. I told Tanner about my concerns.

“Why do you think I made you practice both the purpose of the spell as well as the shape?” he said.

Casting the spell at the warehouse hadn’t been enough for Tanner. All during the ride back, with the wind whipping my hair around and Tanner zipping in and out of traffic, he had me focus on the shape and purpose of the spell. It hadn’t been easy, because a couple of times I thought we were going to be flattened.

I took a deep, calming breath, and focused on the shape and purpose of the spell again. Once it was solid in my mind, I reached out and touched the wall. I felt the same warm, tingling sensation flow down from my head, through my arms, and into the magic embedded in the apartment. Unlike the spells I cast at the warehouse, I could feel pressure in my ears as this casting took hold.

I looked up and around the room. Nothing seemed to have changed. I shook my head and wiggled my pinky in my ear, trying to clear the pressure. “Are you sure the spell is working?” I asked and walked to the kitchen.

Tanner was looking around too, including up at the ceiling and along the floor. “I don’t know for sure,” he said, “I can sense the magic, but not its purpose.”

I pulled out a glass and the bottle of orange juice. “Okay, what about any side effects? Should there be some kind of ... feedback from the spell?”

He studied me and asked, “Why? What kind of feedback?”

I pointed at my ears while downing a full glass. I finished it and some of the pressure had let up. “I feel like I’ve climbed thirty thousand feet.”

He grunted. “Did anything like that happen back at the warehouse?”

I nodded. “I felt a small pop in my ears when you broke the line after my first attempt.”

He frowned. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to,” I said with a shrug.

He sighed and said, “You have to tell me about anything that happens while we practice. Mostly because I might have to correct any problems that arise, but also because it helps me understand how you think while you’re focused on a spell. The more I know about you, the more you benefit from what I teach you.” He pointed at my glass. “Now drink up. I’m sure the pressure will ease with each swallow.”

I wanted to argue, but held my tongue instead. I had no reason to dispute anything he said. I just didn’t like his attitude. I poured a second glass and started drinking again. With each swallow, my ears felt better – just like he said. I walked around with that glass, taking sips to stretch out how long it would last and to see if it was the amount of liquid I drank or the act of swallowing that made the difference. I also noticed that being in different parts of the apartment didn’t change the intensity of the pressure as it continued to diminish with each sip.

I went to the front door and pulled it open, intending to step just outside. The pressure vanished completely even though I was still inside. To help keep with the spirit of the Law of Secrecy, part of the design of the spell required that the effects paused when the door was opened and start again when it was closed. I walked down the sidewalk to Tanner’s motorcycle.

Tanner called out, “How are you feeling?”

I looked up and said, “The pressure’s gone.” Then I returned to my door, and went back inside. The pressure returned the instant the door click shut, but was at the same level as when I opened the door.

I finished that glass, and poured myself a third one. Before I finished that one, the pressure was gone.

Tanner watched me the whole time. “Better?”

“Better,” I said, nodding.

“Well,” Tanner said. “Since I can’t tell whether the spell worked or not, we’ll have to test it like we did back at the warehouse.”

We spent the next few minutes with one of us outside and the other inside. Whoever was outside could be heard just fine. They would ask the one inside to knock on the door or generally make noise, as well as talk, yell, or sing. The noise could be heard, but nothing vocal made it out. As soon as the door opened though, the effects stopped, and when the door was closed, the effects were in play again. I had to admit, it was a cool bit of Magic.

“Well, that works,” he said, standing in the open doorway. “I’m going to go get some lunch. I’ll see you later today.”

“Later today?” I asked and he stopped to look at me again. It was obvious that he said exactly what he meant and there would be no arguing tolerated. “I have to work this afternoon. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

He slipped on his sunglasses and looked at me. “That’ll give me a chance to find a place to stay while I’m in town. Don’t get any ideas though, kid. We’ve only scratched the surface of what you need to learn.”

He left and I briefly wondered what else he could teach me. I checked the time. It was already noon. Not sure what else I would be facing before going to work, I decided to eat something too.

I scrounged around in the refrigerator for something to eat and thought about some of the things we talked about at the warehouse. After pulling out everything I needed to make a sandwich, I went to my bedroom and got some paper and a pen to write down any questions I had about spell casting and the factions he told me about. By the time I finished eating I had a couple of pages worth of questions. So, I cleaned up my mess, put the notes in my backpack so I wouldn’t lose them and decided to go over to Jordan’s place to find out where Dalton had decided to question the girls.

I got the answer to my query as I walked to her apartment. The Sheriff’s Suburban was parked next to Jordan’s car in front of her apartment. I didn’t see my car anywhere, which meant Leanne wasn’t around. I went up the stairs and knocked on Jordan’s door. She opened it.

Seeing Jordan was similar to feeling like everything would be alright. It wasn’t just her looks or the outfit she wore, but the woman herself. She had a will that was difficult to sway once she had her mind set on something. She also looked better than she did this morning. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a black top with an open sweater. Her legs were concealed by a long, flowing skirt and I could tell by her height that she was wearing a pair of heels.

“Seth,” she said, upon seeing me, with a bit of relief in her voice. Before I could say anything, she grabbed me and dragged me inside.

Of all the people in the apartment, I noticed Sheriff Dalton first. She sat at Jordan’s small dinette table across from Danielle. My redheaded Fonte spotted me, perked up, and threw a defiant glance at the Sheriff. Without a word, she stood up and sauntered over to me. She wore a dark red long sleeved blouse with wide lapels. The top button was open, showing off the top edge of her cleavage. Her long legs were encased in black pin-striped pants that hugged her hips and thighs. Her height was augmented by the stylish shoes she wore, putting her at eye-level with me.

I watched her approach and welcomed the hug and kiss she offered. The kiss wasn’t a quick peck either. Danielle did her best to brush my teeth with her tongue. It had been a couple of days since I last talked to Danielle face-to-face, but she was acting as if it had been a lot longer.

By the time I was able to surface for air, she had both arms and a long sensuous leg wrapped around me. She kissed me again and then pulled back to look me in the eyes. “You have got to get me out of here, she’s driving me crazy.”

I frowned and glanced at Jordan.

Danielle unwrapped herself from me, glanced at Jordan too and then punched me in the chest. “Not her,” she said and pointed at the Sheriff. “Her!”

Dalton watched us with a slight smile on her face and an ornery twinkle in her eyes.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Sheriff, my apartment is now secured. If you need to ask them any relevant questions, feel free to use my place.”

She stood up, looked around at the others, and left the apartment without a word.

I thought that was a little odd, since I knew she wanted to talk to them she should have asked someone to go with her. I didn’t have much time to put any thought to it though, because after the door closed Danielle asked, “Do I HAVE to talk to her anymore?”

I looked around again, noticing who else was present. Milena was there and dressed like she normally did for work, though with her figure the jacket and double blouse did little to hide it. Katrina was also there, dressed casually in a sweater and jeans. The sweater had an over-sized turtle neck that, with a slight tug, could be pulled down past her shoulders. And her jeans looked painted on, they were so tight. I waved at the couch and said, “Let’s sit down for a minute.”

I moved toward the couch. Danielle just stared at me, so I grabbed her hand and pulled her along. She plopped down to my right. Katrina sat to my left. Jordan and Milena sat on the loveseat adjacent to the couch. All of them were looking at me expectantly. I didn’t like the weight of all those eyes. It made me feel like I was about to betray them or something.

I told them about the Sheriff listening in to me and Leanne that morning and how the conversation led to this decision. Danielle looked hot under the collar, Katrina seemed worried, Milena was deep in thought, and Jordan met my eyes when I looked her way.