Do You Believe in Magic

chapter THIRTY-ONE



The police arrived in a cacophony of sirens that brought out the neighbors, and a pool of spectators formed at the bottom of the stairs. The officers took charge of Brenner, who demanded to be taken to a hospital. He claimed his nose was both broken and burned. They sat him in a squad car instead and told him to shut up.

Clay, Francie, and Tamara were sitting in Francie’s living room when Bill Childress walked in. As the police lieutenant went straight to Tamara, Francie exchanged an eyebrows-lifted glance with Clay.

“Is everybody all right?” Bill asked, his eyes on Tamara.

Tamara nodded, and Clay said, “Everybody but Brenner.”

“Good. What happened?”

“Before we start again, I’m thirsty,” Francie announced. “Would anyone like some coffee or a soft drink?”

“Coffee for me,” Clay said. Several officers nodded.

“Tamara?” Francie asked and couldn’t help grinning when she had to ask again. Tamara’s attention had been totally on Bill.

Francie excused herself to make the coffee as the redhead said, “I had just come home from the shop, and Kevin came up behind me as I opened the door.” She then launched into her tale.

Clay followed Francie into the kitchen and took some cups from the cabinet while she fixed the coffee. “So what did you do to Brenner?” he asked in a low voice. “I was thinking about popping a light ball in his face, but then his nose seemed to catch fire. I know that wasn’t my spell.”

“I’m not sure what happened,” Francie replied in a whisper. “I was so furious with him, and my anger made me feel hot. Then I started thinking about the spell you tried to teach me, and my center began to tingle, and then it got hot, really hot, and it felt like something inside me was trying to get out. So I said, ‘Flamma! ’ and pointed at his nose. And this flame appeared! I don’t think I’ve ever been so shocked in my life.” Her center itched, and she rubbed it. “Now it’s bothering me again.”

Clay stared at her with a speculative look. “Darlin’, we have to get you tested. I think you may just have become a practitioner.”

“What? From the First Mating? But I thought it was impossible.”

“No, it’s probably just never been recorded as happening before. We’ll talk to Daria and my mother. They’ll know what to do.”

Francie looked at him helplessly. She was flabbergasted. One minute she didn’t believe in magic, the next, she could make it happen. As if to punctuate that thought, her center vibrated, and happiness seemed to spread throughout her body. All she could do was shake her head.

“Come on, the coffee’s done,” Clay prompted her. “We’ll talk it through later.”

Francie nodded and busied herself with the mugs.

The police finally took Brenner off to the hospital, and Bill walked Tamara back to her apartment. The neighbors who had come out to investigate the hullabaloo also departed.

Francie shut the door and turned into Clay’s arms. They hugged for a long moment, until Francie took a deep breath and leaned away from him. “Thank you,” she said.

“For what?”

“For being here when we needed you.”

“Francie, you and Tamara didn’t need me.” He started laughing. “I thought she was going to kill the son of a bitch, and that was a mean body blow you gave him, not to mention setting his nose on fire. He’s lucky I was here to save him.”

Francie had to join in his laughter at that last claim.

“Now,” Clay said, “let’s get this place cleaned up and decide what we’re going to do about dinner. I’m starved, and it looks like Tamara has other plans.”

Francie mopped the entryway tiles, washing away the smears left by Kevin’s bloody nose, while Clay put the coffee cups in the dishwasher and rinsed out the pot. When she had replaced the cleaning utensils in the closet, she turned to him. “Let’s get out of here.”

“I agree. Throw what you need for tonight in a bag. We’ll go to my place and order pizza.”

Within ten minutes, they were on their way.





At Clay’s they ate and then called Daria and Bent. Both couples switched on their speakerphones. Clay explained what had happened, including the multicolored light show, his attempt to teach Francie the spell, and her successful casting of it against Brenner.

“Lights?” Daria said.

“A rainbow?” Bent asked.

“Yeah,” Clay replied. “Around us when we kiss.”

“I don’t remember lights, do you, Bent?”

“Neither do I,” Bent said, “but I do remember ‘internal fireworks,’ so to speak. Remember the first time we touched each other’s magic center?”

“Oh, that’s right,” Daria said. “Have you two tried it yet?”

“Yeah, but it was internal and external fireworks for us.” Clay grinned at a blushing Francie.

“This is embarrassing,” Francie whispered to him. She hoped he wouldn’t go into any more details.

“It’ll be okay,” he whispered back and kissed the back of her hand he was holding. “You know,” he continued in a normal voice, “that particular instance may be the moment when Francie actually became a practitioner, when she received the true enhancement from the First Mating. She couldn’t cast flamma before it. I know because I tried to teach her the spell. Her ability to see my spell aura—like you, Bent, can see Daria’s—could be just a secondary enhancement.”

“Man,” Bent said with a wistful note in his voice, “I’d really have liked to have seen Brenner’s nose go up in flames.”

“Clay,” Daria interjected in a worried tone, “you tried to teach her the spell by yourself ?”

“Yeah, well, I thought we’d see if she had gained the ability. Wishful thinking at that point, but it paid off later.” He shrugged at Francie.

She thought he looked very smug and sure of himself, but she had nothing to add to his statement. He was correct.

“Whatever else, Francie, you must be tested and quickly,” Daria said. “When I was undergoing all my magic studies, and the master teachers were trying to help me cast flamma, the one thing they all impressed on me was that an untrained practitioner is dangerous, both to herself and others. Don’t try to cast it again by yourself, or even with Clay. I saw novices with the power to burn down a building.”

Remembering Clay’s nonchalance about her attempt on his deck, Francie looked at him with consternation. “A building? Clay, we could have set fire to your house.”

He just shrugged. “I have a fire extinguisher.”

“So, what should I do next?” Francie asked after rolling her eyes at him. “I’m not even sure I can cast it again. And the thought I have become a practitioner is throwing me for a loop.”

“I’m going to take her to the HeatherRidge here,” Clay told Daria and Bent. “Francie, that’s a center for practitioners where we study and there are master teachers who can test and train you. We have them all over the country.”

“Clay, we’ve got to tell Mother and Daddy,” Daria said. “You both are going to need them. Think of what will happen when you march into the HeatherRidge and announce that a nonpractitioner has become one of us with a First Mating.”

“What?” Francie asked. “What will happen?”

“Oh, holy hell,” Clay said. “It will be a three-ring circus.”

“What? ” Francie said, her voice climbing.

“Don’t worry, Francie,” Daria said. “Practitioners all demand privacy. Mother will run interference with anybody who tries to invade yours. But I’d tell our parents soon.”

“Francie has the week off, so we’ll probably go see them in a couple of days.”

Francie opened her mouth to protest all these plans being decided for her, but Clay stopped her words with a kiss.

“It will be all right,” he murmured. Turning to the phone, he spoke into the microphone. “Listen, you two, thanks for the help. We’ll keep you apprised of events.”

“You’d better, big brother,” Daria said. “And Francie? We’re glad you’re Clay’s soul mate.”

“Thanks,” Francie said faintly. “I am, too.”

“Bye,” Clay said and punched the button to hang up the phone. He rose and held out his hand. “Let’s go to bed, darlin’. We can worry about all this in the morning.”