Autumn's Legacy

Chapter 2

Two

We followed Belladonna back down to the first floor. Instead of making the turn to the library like I expected, she led us back to the kitchen. Memories of our first meeting flashed through my thoughts—the kind way she’d spoken and the overeager interest her son had expressed. We still weren’t entirely sure he’d been a willing participant in the kidnappings three months ago, but I’d clearly missed something upon meeting Adrian. A regret I’d have to live with for the rest of my life. I left my entourage in the hallway.

Yvette Covington sat on the bench, resting her head in her hands as a young boy clung to her side. His big brown eyes tracked every movement around him. As I approached, he burrowed further into his mother’s protective embrace. Yvette was relatively new to her seat on the Council and I didn’t know her well.

“Yvette, what’s going on?” I sat across from her on the other side of the table.

“It’s gone,” she whispered, not meeting my gaze.

“That’s not possible,” I stated.

Her gaze shot up to meet mine. “I can’t feel it anymore. I even tried to do a simple spell, and nothing happened. I feel empty, like a piece of me is missing.”

“Let’s not panic. I’m sure there’s an explanation for what’s going on,” I said and tried to give her a calming look. “How long ago did you try to do the spell?”

“Right after I got here.”

“Okay.” If she’d done magic that recently, I should be able to pick up traces of it without trying too hard. “I’m going to try something, but in order to know if it works, I need to know what your magic smells like.”

“Eucalyptus.”

I nodded and reached beneath my shirt to find the pentacle pendant and sandalwood charm I always wore. I inhaled deeply, letting the charm wash my senses clean. Every time this ritual came with a little tingle at the back of my nose, preparing me to take in the world anew.

I blew out the breath and let the space tell me about all the magic that had been used recently. I picked up on a hint of strawberry from my own magic putting my intent out into the world and a vague taste of spearmint. Desmond must have done some magic recently, too. No sign of eucalyptus anywhere.

“I’m not picking up anything, but that doesn’t mean your magic’s gone. Like you said, the spell didn’t work. So that could explain why I’m not picking it up.” I opened my eyes to find Yvette’s dark grey gaze boring into me. Her short blonde bob framed her face, highlighting the paleness to her skin.

“I’m telling you that I can’t feel it anymore.”

“Mommy, I’m scared,” the boy said from beside her.

I turned my attention to the child. “What’s your name?” In the six months since I’d been back on the Council, I’d never met her son. Actually, we didn’t talk much about anything other than Council business.

“Alex,” he answered.

“I know this seems scary, Alex, but you’re being really brave for your mom.”

“It went away,” he said.

“What did?”

“The world,” he answered.

I looked back to Yvette. “Has he already come into his magic? He’s pretty young.”

“Not that I sensed,” Yvette responded.

“Alex, can you make things happen if you think really hard?” I probed.

He nodded, but then shook his head. “I try and it went away with Mommy’s.”

“I’ll be right back.” I retreated to the hall where J.T. and Desmond waited. Belladonna and Avery were nowhere to be seen. “How much do you know about the connection between parents and their children’s magic?”

“Nothing. Why, did she really lose her magic?” J.T. replied.

“I don’t know. She claims to have tried to cast a spell when she got here, but it didn’t work. I didn’t pick up on her magic just now either. Yet if the spell didn’t work, then I would expect it not to show up.” I rubbed at my chin. “But her son, who seems awfully young to have come into his powers, says he can’t feel his either. That it disappeared at the same time his mother’s did.”

“Well, I mean magic is passed through the maternal bloodline. That much we do know. So, if something happened to his mother’s abilities, theoretically it could affect his, too,” Desmond chimed in.

“I’ve just never seen it manifest in a kid as young as Alex. I mean, I knew about magic, but I couldn’t really do much with it until I was at least eight or nine. He can’t be more than five.”

“Every child is different,” Desmond answered and for a second the haunted look he’d had right after we’d rescued Neveah surfaced.

“I’m going to see what else I can get out of Yvette. I mean, if we can figure out where she was or what she was doing when it happened, that will make it easier to undo whatever it is.”

“Be careful,” J.T. and Desmond said in unison.

“Guys, relax, I’m just going to ask her questions.” I waved away their concern that I was about to do something foolish and returned to Yvette in the kitchen.

“I’m going to help you in whatever way I can. You have my word on that. But I need to know more about what you were doing when it happened. Where you were … Everything you can tell me.” I sat back down across from her.

Yvette scrunched up her face and shook her head. “It’s hazy, kind of like I know it’s there but I can’t remember.”

I looked at Alex. “Do you remember where you and your mom were before you came here, and the world went away?”

The boy shook his head. “It’s empty.”

“Okay. I have an idea of how to see what you did. It’s risky, but it works.”

“Have you done it before?”

Yes, except the last time was on a dying woman in a coma. “Plenty of times.”

She nodded for me to go ahead. I could see Desmond and J.T. lingering just out of view in the hallway. Somehow they had known what I was about to do before I did. Time to throw caution to wind.