11. Gold Magic
11
GOLD MAGIC
For a long moment, there was no reply to his knock, and Seth wondered if they were somehow mistaken, if maybe Lorenzo the Magnificent had decided to spend the rest of his evening in one of the saloons that crowded Flagstaff’s downtown area.
But then the door opened, and the man stared out at him and Devynn, clearly puzzled. He’d taken off his tailcoat but still had on the white brocade vest and stiff white shirt that had been part of his performing ensemble.
“May I help you?” he asked.
All politeness, but Seth hadn’t missed the flicker in the other man’s eyes, a flicker that had occurred almost at the same time he had experienced the telltale twinge that told him the other man was indeed a warlock.
Devynn must have felt it, too, because her expression registered a single second of shock before she said, “You’re a warlock, aren’t you?”
At once, Lorenzo sent a worried glance down the hallway, but no one was around.
“Quiet,” he said. “And come inside.”
Well, an invitation was an invitation. Seth entered the room, Devynn a pace behind. It was a bit smaller than the one he was occupying at the Hotel San Francisco, the furnishings just a bit more worn, as though the management here didn’t see the need to keep the decor in its rooms in quite as tiptop shape as the premier hotel in town.
“What you’re doing is dangerous,” Devynn said. She had her hands planted on her hips, somehow emphasizing the slenderness of her waist in that teal brocade gown, but Lorenzo was only looking at her face, something almost pleading in his expression.
“I’m not endangering anyone,” he replied. “Everyone thinks it’s just stage magic, not the real thing.”
Maybe that was true on some level, but if anyone decided to probe a little more deeply into Lorenzo the Magnificent’s tricks and discovered that some of them weren’t the kind of thing any normal human could accomplish, they could all be in a lot of trouble. Witch-kind had managed to survive all these centuries because the members of the regular population had no idea they even existed, and they all worked very hard to keep it that way. One slip-up, and it could be the Salem witch trials all over again.
“Except it is real,” Seth said. “And what’s that amulet all about? Does it help you somehow?”
The other man blanched — no easy trick, since his complexion was swarthy to match his eyes and hair.
“How can you know about that?” he demanded.
“We saw you backstage,” Devynn said. “We watched you slip it into your trunk. Is it still there, or did you go back to retrieve it?”
Lorenzo stiffened…but also appeared resigned, as if he’d guessed it wouldn’t be a very good idea to lie to the witch and warlock who stood before him. “I would never leave it alone for very long. I only put it there while I was with the other cast members — it’s quite powerful, and I’m still learning how to control it, so I try to only use it when I’m performing. Once we were done discussing the show, I went back to get it.”
Seth flicked a look at his companion, who inclined her head ever so slightly, as though telling him he could go ahead with his questions.
“What is it, exactly?” he said. “Does it allow you to perform your tricks somehow?”
For a moment, the other man didn’t reply. His expression seemed to indicate he’d like nothing more than to bolt past them, but because he had no idea what sorts of powers they commanded, he’d probably guessed that sort of maneuver might not be a very smart move.
“Some of them,” he admitted, and let out a breath. “The small things are just sleight of hand, and I don’t need any help with those.”
“But the Ethereal Passage?” Seth prompted, and Lorenzo nodded.
“Yes, that isn’t anything I could manage on my own.”
Devynn’s eyes narrowed. “Where did you get the amulet? Somewhere in Europe?”
The man looked startled by her question. “Why would you think that?”
“Your name, I suppose,” she said. “Are you Italian?”
Lorenzo chuckled. “No. I’m just ordinary Lawrence Pratt from Duluth, Minnesota.”
Seth felt his mouth start to twitch and did his best to school it to remain still. “And you come from the Pratt clan?”
Something resembling amusement came and went in the magician’s face. “No. It’s the Olsens in that part of the world. But my father isn’t from the clan, and of course I have his name. But to answer your question, I found the amulet in a curio shop when I was in Chicago. Something about it called to me, and after I bought it, I discovered that it did something to amplify my powers.”
“Which are…?” Seth inquired, not sure whether he would get a response. While Lorenzo — Lawrence — had been fairly forthcoming so far, it wasn’t the sort of question that most witches and warlocks would feel compelled to answer after such a brief acquaintance.
The man now looked almost rueful. “Not much of anything, I’m afraid. I suppose that’s why I became interested in sleight of hand, card tricks…it was the sort of thing I could do without needing any real magic. Oh, I can do a few small things — light a candle with my fingertip, unlock a door without a key — but the bigger magic never developed in me.”
Interesting. Seth had heard of such cases occurring in clans from time to time, but if there had ever been someone like that in the McAllisters, they’d lived and died long before he was born.
“And then you found the amulet and realized you could do a lot more,” Devynn said.
“Exactly,” Lawrence replied. “It’s almost as if it allows me to think of something, and then the amulet makes it happen. Of course, I haven’t used it for anything too extreme, such as altering the weather or conjuring great wealth. But it lets me be much more than merely someone who pulls a dove out of their sleeve or produces a penny from an audience member’s ear.”
Watching him, Seth felt almost sorry for the man. His own gift was a strong one and had developed when it was supposed to, so he’d never had to worry about feeling lesser…at least, not on the magical side of things.
If he’d been born nearly magic-less in a clan full of witches and warlocks, would he have also reached out for something — anything — that might make him feel more worthy?
Devynn appeared understanding, and yet there was a certain firmness to her jaw and a steadiness to her eyes as she gazed at Lawrence Pratt that told Seth she wasn’t merely going to thank the magician for telling his story and then go on her way.
“You can’t keep using it like this,” she said, and at once, the man placed a protective hand on his waistcoat pocket.
“I’m not hurting anyone.”
A defense he’d already offered. Seth guessed he believed it as well, but that didn’t change the situation.
No witch or warlock was supposed to use their powers in a way that might lead the general public to realize magic was real.
And, unfortunately, for Lawrence, he’d already betrayed the location of the precious amulet.
A blink, and now Seth stood directly behind the man. He reached into the pocket Lawrence had touched a moment earlier and felt the coolness of a metal chain beneath his fingertips.
“What the hell are you doing?” the magician exclaimed, hand going at once to the amulet.
But it was too late. Seth had the chain wrapped around his fingers, and he immediately blinked himself back to Devynn, who appeared startled but who also recovered herself at once.
“Taking the amulet,” she said. “You’ve already proved that you can’t be trusted with it.”
Now Lawrence’s face was even paler, his dark eyes filled with panic. “You can’t do that,” he protested. “How am I supposed to earn a living as a magician without it?”
“You could keep doing the small tricks,” Seth said. Even as he spoke, he felt Devynn take hold of the chain and drop the amulet into her reticule. Judging by the way Lawrence’s eyes flickered in that direction, he’d also noticed the maneuver.
Seth doubted the man would do anything about it. All Devynn would have to do was scream that Lawrence was assaulting her and attempting to take her purse, and he’d be cooling his heels in the local jail before you could say Jehosophat.
“But you shouldn’t even be doing that,” Devynn said, her voice firm. “You need to go back to your clan and make your peace with them. No witch or warlock is supposed to be out alone in the world.”
Lawrence’s jaw set, and Seth had the impression that the magician was doing his best to think of an argument to counter her words…and not coming up with much of anything at all.
She’d spoken the simple truth, after all. Those born to witch-kind were supposed to remain among their own. Anything else was just asking for trouble, since living among civilians without the necessary buffer of one’s clan only amplified the chances of discovery.
“You’re thieves,” the man said, and his voice trembled.
“No,” Devynn said, her face and her voice both sympathetic. In fact, she looked just the faintest bit guilty for taking the amulet from the magician, even though Seth knew they were only doing what needed to be done. “We’re just putting things to rights. I hope one day you’ll understand this was for the best.”
She looked up at Seth then, and he understood the message — they’d done what they had to, and now there was no reason to linger here.
“You have a good evening, Mr. Pratt,” he said, then looped his arm around Devynn’s and led her to the door.
He half expected the man to launch himself at them in a desperate attempt to get his precious amulet back, but apparently he’d realized such a ploy would only end in failure when he was up against someone who could move in the blink of an eye.
Seth opened the door, and he and Devynn both left as calmly as they could. Right then, he wished more than ever that his power allowed him to transport two people at once, because he would have blinked himself and his companion back to his room, even if doing so might have been risky.
But because he couldn’t manage such a feat, they instead walked down the stairs into the lobby and then out into the cold night.
Neither of them spoke.
Once they were safely inside his hotel room — again, no one had seen them enter, so he thought it safe enough to talk before it was time for Devynn to retire for the night — she pulled the amulet out of her reticule and laid it down on the bedside table. It was better lit in here, so now he could see that strange symbols had been etched into the bronze surface, could tell that the stone embedded in it was a garnet, giving off a deep blood red in the glow from the room’s gaslamps.
“Have you ever seen anything like it before?” she asked, and immediately Seth shook his head.
“Never. I don’t think I’ve even ever heard of something like that. How does it work? I thought the whole point of our magic was that it was a part of us and not embedded in an inanimate object.”
Devynn looked as puzzled as he felt. “I’ve always been taught the same thing, too. I suppose it’s possible that maybe a witch or warlock came along whose gift was being able to imbue an object with magic, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone mention anything like that.”
Neither had Seth. He noticed how she seemed loath to touch the thing now that it was safely here in his hotel room, and he felt much the same way. Since neither of them knew precisely what they were dealing with — whether the amulet was activated by words or a clear intention or what — it just seemed safer to let it be.
“We’ll have to ask Jeremiah on Monday,” Seth said. “If he doesn’t know where something like this might have come from, then I doubt anyone would.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she replied, although she still looked troubled. “And even though I was supposed to go to his house on my own, I don’t think he’ll mind too much if you come along, not when we’ll have something like this to show him.”
Seth hadn’t even considered that angle to the situation, but he supposed he could see why the primus might be surprised — and possibly not all that happy — to have him appear when Jeremiah had only been expecting Devynn to come to his house for an exploration of her gift of time travel.
“Probably not,” he said. Something occurred to him then, and he added, “But what if it turns out this amulet can help us?”
She caught his meaning right away. “By making my time travel gift more reliable?”
He nodded. “Exactly. Lawrence said it helped him focus his powers, so maybe it will do the same for you.”
“Or maybe it’ll help me focus them so much that it sends us back to the Stone Age or something.”
True, that didn’t seem like a very desirable outcome. On the other hand, it could be that Jeremiah would be able to offer them some insights into how the thing worked and how they might be able to harness its powers to send them back to the future…either his, or Devynn’s.
Right then, it didn’t seem to matter so much, as long as they were together and not in 1884.
“What’s the future like?” he asked abruptly, and she smiled.
“That’s kind of a big topic.”
Probably true, and yet, although she’d hinted at how much Flagstaff had expanded over the years and a few other things, she’d been notably reticent about providing too many concrete details.
Out of fear that whatever she told him might change the future somehow?
He supposed that was possible, but if there was even a small chance that he might end up in her time, he thought it was probably a good idea to know something about where he was going.
“Well, start with the little things.”
She smiled, and reached out so she could take his hand in hers. “It’s probably the big things that are easier to talk about,” she said. “One thing I’ve learned from traveling to the past is that people are pretty much people no matter what the year is. They might dress differently or talk a little differently, but what’s inside doesn’t seem to change all that much.” A pause, and then she went on, “But yes, there are a lot of things that have changed quite a bit. Our cars mostly run on batteries that we charge when we park them in the garage, and mostly they’re self-driving — ”
“‘Self-driving’?” he interrupted, not sure he’d heard her correctly. “You mean a person isn’t driving them?”
“Right,” she replied, then let go of his hand. She smiled as she did so, however, signaling that she hadn’t cut off the contact because she disliked it, but only because it might have seemed odd to keep holding hands as they continued the conversation. “I mean, you can drive manually if you want to, although in certain places, like on the interstate, it’s required to let the car do it for you.”
His brain boggled at the thought of a vehicle sailing down the road with no one behind the wheel. It must feel like being driven by a ghost. “How does that even work?”
“All the cars in my time have computers installed in them,” she said, and went on, “I guess you could call it kind of an artificial brain. Anyway, they think really fast and can do millions — maybe billions — of calculations per second. So it can see what’s going on while it’s driving and react to the world around it. We have computers do all sorts of things for us.”
“Does that mean you don’t have to work?” he asked, wondering what such a world would be like, when these machines called computers did everything for you.
She grinned. “Oh, we work. I was working at the store when I fell into the past, remember? There are a lot of jobs you would never have heard of because they involve working with computers. But we still have teachers and doctors and engineers and scientists — and miners, I suppose, although we have machinery to do a lot of that now, making it much safer than it used to be.”
Yes, that could only be a good thing. Seth was proud of the work he’d done at the mine, and he knew the United Verde was a tight operation and fairly safe as such things went, but they lost people from time to time no matter how careful they were.
To have machinery go in and do the truly dangerous tasks could only be a good thing.
“And almost everyone in the United States has central air conditioning and solar power,” she went on. “It’s a much more comfortable time to be living in.”
Since Seth didn’t even have a ceiling fan in his bungalow, he could only imagine what it must be like to have the wonder of air conditioning keeping you cool on those long, hot summer days. Even just a few years ago, he’d thought of such inventions as something out of one of the science fiction magazines and books he used to get as hand-me-downs from his cousin Freddie, but then another cousin had gone to Phoenix to conduct some business with the de la Paz clan and had come back telling stories of how one of the movie theaters there had real refrigerated air to keep its patrons cool while they were watching the latest Clara Bow film.
“Things here must feel very primitive to you,” he said, wondering if Devynn sometimes must feel like an anthropologist studying some long-forgotten tribe on an isolated Pacific island.
She waved a deprecating hand. “Oh, it’s not that bad. I’ll admit that 1926 was easier to handle, because you had a few more creature comforts by then.” Pausing, she put a hand to her waist. “Honestly, though, the worst thing about 1884 is these damn corsets. I’d be happy to get back to your time just to be able to wear something comfortable again.”
He’d also be glad to be there, for a variety of reasons. Still, what she’d told him of the future seemed tantalizing, a place where many discomforts had been dispensed with so people could focus on more important matters.
Self-driving cars? Solar power?
It would be amazing to see those things for himself.
“And avoid a Flagstaff winter,” he added with a grin, and she smiled in return.
“I’d say I’m used to it, but honestly, I don’t know what it’s like to deal with real cold when you don’t have central heat or hot running water. Already it’s not the most comfortable thing in the world, and we’re only just past the beginning of November.”
And the coldest months in northern Arizona were usually January and February. Seth knew he wanted to be long gone by then…and it seemed as though Devynn felt much the same way.
“Well, I suppose we’ll have to see what Jeremiah has to say about that thing,” he said with a nod of his head toward the amulet, still innocently lying on the night table as though it was nothing more than a simple piece of jewelry.
They both knew better, though.
“Here’s hoping he’ll be able to tell us what we can do with it,” Devynn replied.
For a second, their eyes locked.
The draperies were shut.
They leaned in toward one another in the same instant, lips touching, then parting. She tasted as sweet as ever, sweet as the fire that burned in him the second their mouths brushed against one another.
Her arms went around him, and he pulled her in tight. Yes, it would be much better to be someplace where her slender body wasn’t encased in a cage of whalebone and heavy silk, where he could truly feel her as she pressed against him, alive and eager.
No one had seen them come in here.
But even as that treacherous thought entered his mind, Seth knew he couldn’t act on that impulse. Just because there hadn’t been any witnesses in the upstairs hall to see her enter his room, that didn’t mean someone might not come along at exactly the wrong moment to see her emerge with her hair disarranged and other telltale signs that she hadn’t just spent an innocent hour in her brother’s room discussing their day.
Gently, he ended the kiss and then backed away. Her big blue eyes met his, confused, and then she seemed to understand why he had stopped.
“This brother and sister thing is a real pain,” she remarked with a rueful smile. “Jeremiah should have just told everyone we’re married.”
What would it be like, to be married to Devynn Rowe?
Seth thought he would like to find out…one day, when all this was behind them.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t,” he replied. “I suppose I can understand his reasoning, but still, it’s definitely caused a few more problems than I would have liked.”
Once again, her gaze slid to the amulet where it rested on the tabletop. “Well,” she said, voice a little too hearty, “I suppose we’ll just have to see what Jeremiah has to say about that thing. Who knows? By this time on Monday, we may already be gone.”
Seth didn’t think it would be quite that easy…but he also didn’t want to discourage her, not when she was looking so hopeful, lips full and rosy from the kiss they’d just shared.
“I suppose we’ll just have to see.”