A Class of Conjuring

I didn't think any of us were surprised when the road ended and the castle began. It wasn't like Challis would have lived in a single-story home with three bedrooms, one and a half baths, and a small backyard with a dog name Fluffy. A castle made perfect sense. If one of the other guys had been with me, we may have looked like the start of The Wizard of OZ.

The castle stood at least four stories tall and sat toward the back of the property within the walls. The large square blocks that made up the castle walls were old, dirty, and some were home to wild plants and moss. The windows in the two front turrets were empty. There were no guest houses or stables outside the castle. A thin white mist wafted through the trees and pressed against the castle walls. Add the dark, looming clouds and the night sky and we were in the middle of a gothic novel. It seemed a lonely existence to live in such a place by yourself. Maybe that was why Challis wanted Dash and Braeden to herself.

"Should we knock?" Kyler asked and chuckled. He didn't seem one bit worried. In fact, all he talked about on the way was battling Challis and sending her back to whatever rock she crawled out from under. None of us were surprised to hear the stories about him and Dash, and eventually him and Dash and Oliver.

Kyler said the first time Dash saved his life was while they were ridding New York of the Sarchi. Kyler had taken a wrong turn and ended up in the subway where the Sarchi were spawning. Kyler managed to hold them off for nearly thirty minutes but then things got tiresome. Forty of the creatures surrounded him, and he could barely raise his arms. When they charged, Dash came out of nowhere and destroyed the entire lot. He helped Kyler walk out of the subway and promised he would never let him die on his watch. According to Kyler, that day sealed their friendship. Time for Kyler to repay the favor if he hadn't already.

Oliver tugged on the gates, and neither budged. "We can climb over," he said. I really couldn't imagine him doing that as he was nowhere near in the shape of Dash, Braeden, or Kyler. He wasn't overweight or flabby, but his muscles were smaller, and the climb just didn't look possible for him. I also didn't want Kyler laughing at him for trying.

"Or we can use magic and force them open," Kyler said. "Do I always have to be the brains of this outfit?" Oliver gave him the evil eye, and Kyler elbowed him in the ribs. They seemed to know Braeden and Dash well enough to have confidence they were still safe. Though I knew them both in ways neither Kyler nor Oliver did, I still worried. But maybe worrying was part of the connection. Things would not always be kisses and orgasms. I was sure, at some point, one or all four would eventually disappoint me and themselves. Our relationship had to grow strong enough to avoid problems from tearing us apart.

"I'm game," I said, referring to the use of magic to get in. "Stand back."

The two guys looked at each other in horror. "Are you sure?" Kyler asked. "I mean, we can try something if you want?" "Let her be," Oliver said. "She knows what she's doing."

"Thank you, Oliver." I kissed him on the cheek and was sure he'd be full of compliments from that point forward. I rolled my hands together and created a small fireball in my left hand. It was a little smaller than a ping pong ball but not quite as small as the sphere Headmaster Eliphas helped me create in class. I approached the gate and shoved the ball into the lock. The lock glowed and then, right before our eyes it melted, the fireball cooled, and the gate's lock fell to the ground. I'd done something right. "Work smarter, not harder," I said with a huge smile. They looked at one another and shrugged. I pushed the gates open and felt my entire body tense. "They're here," I said. "I can feel their power." "So can I," Kyler said. "It's even stronger than it was at the academy."

Oliver nodded. "It's because they're in trouble."

I held up my hand and showed them the ring glowing on my finger, the glow pulsing like a heartbeat. "It's amazing," I said. "The connection the five of us have."

"It'll always be there," Oliver said, and I thought he was about to get sentimental again. Luckily, he didn't. We didn't have time to rehash our feelings.

"Cassandra, what's wrong?" Kyler asked. He moved closer and then backed away.

I raised my hands and showed them the red glow. I turned them palms up and then down. I'd never had such a feeling with my magic. "It's all back," I said. "All of my power." I started to toss a fireball across the ground, but then thought better of it. Playtime was over. The only way to defeat Challis was for me to be at full strength.

"The rings," Oliver said. "That's why Aurelius sent them."

"Where did he really go when he left us in his office?" I asked Kyler. "He didn't just walk down to the Walmart and pick up magical rings."

Kyler looked at me as if I were crazy. He shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? He just showed up with a smile on his face. I thought maybe he got laid."

We laughed because we needed a good laugh to get us through the gates and whatever awaited us inside. "When this is over, Aurelius owes us answers," I said. "None of what he's been doing for us has just been chance. He's had a plan all along. He knows why we have this thing going on between us."

"The rings are strongest when the five of us are in close proximity," Kyler said. "The five of us work in unison. When one or two are hurt or trapped it makes the connection weaker, but it doesn't break the power between us." He looked up at the castle. "We need to go in there, now." "Wait!"

We turned at the sound of Ruby's voice. "What the hell are you doing here?" Kyler asked. "You shouldn't be here." He looked at me to make her return to the academy, but that wasn't going to happen. Ruby was meant to be there. I trusted her judgement.

"Aurelius sent me as backup," she said and smiled. "You all can't have all the fun." She glanced back at the road. "I had to sneak away from Nicolette. Hopefully she didn't follow me."

"She's the second to last person I want to deal with right now," I said. I pointed at the castle. "Look familiar?" Ruby shook her head. "Too bad because that's where we're going." Ruby crossed her arms and nodded at me. "What?" "You're badass," Ruby said to me. "It fits you well." She glanced down at my hands. "And you got all your powers back."

"I hope it stays," I said. "Let's go."

"You know the gates were too easy," Ruby said and stopped us.

"That's what I figured," Oliver said. "Challis knew we'd eventually find our way here. I think the way is going to get tougher. She's not going to allow us to walk right in without toying with us." "Time to find out." Kyler led us toward the castle. He raised his hand to knock on the door. "They don't come with doorbells."

We entered through the front door without knocking and stood in the great hall. A candlelit chandelier gently swayed overhead, the flames flickering. In front of us a ten-foot-wide row of steps rose to the second floor. A large library sat off to the right, the books similar to those we saw in Aurelius' office. There was also a large, unlit fireplace in the library. Above the library hung a picture of a man I didn't recognize. In the opposite direction a hallway led into a darkness so thick I was doubtful even a fireball could sufficiently light the way. We'd walked into a Bram Stoker story.

"It's the missing artifacts," Oliver said and walked along the wall. "I remember them from the pictures Aurelius showed us." He picked up a crossbow and aimed it around the room, accidentally releasing the arrow and nailing a painting on the far wall, nearly taking out Kyler. "Sorry!"

"You shit!" Kyler approached the painting and stood with his hands on his hips. "It's an original Picasso," he said and removed the arrow. He called up a spell and fixed the hole in the painting. "Next time hit your foot."

"We need to find the guys and get the hell out of here," I said. "We're on Challis' home turf, giving her an unfair advantage. Her strength is probably even more powerful here."

"In scary movies with castles the victims are always in the basement," Ruby said.

"Dungeon, I'm guessing," Oliver replied as he and Kyler joined Ruby and I. "And all the castles I've ever seen in movies have had booby traps."

"Booby traps?" Kyler asked and smiled.

"What are you, two?" Ruby asked him.

"Just trying to lighten the mood."

"Spread out and see if you can find the dungeon's entrance," I ordered.

"Wait," Ruby chided. "Something's not right." She studied the rug we were all standing on, and suddenly we were all falling.

When the dust cleared, everyone appeared okay, though all of us were sitting on our asses. I glanced up at the ceiling, and the floor above us closed, sealing our doom.

"Thanks for dropping in," Dash said and chuckled. "Where's your dog?" We looked at each other. "Never mind," he added.

"Cassandra," Braeden called from behind. I started toward the cell holding him, but he yelled for us to stop. "The cells are lined with aspen."

We stopped in our tracks and jerked our hands back. Aspen was one of the few things on the planet that could kill a witch. "What about our spells?" I asked. "Can we make it disappear?"

"No," Dash said. "That shit will send the spell right back at you."

"What then?" Ruby asked.

"I didn't see this coming," Oliver said. He approached Dash's cell and studied the aspen. "Not even a break where it was applied." He stepped back and raised his hands toward the ceiling, pulling out all the moisture in the ceiling and walls. Dash moved to the far corner.

"I warned you," Dash said.

Oliver brought a wave of water down on the bars. The wave hit the aspen-covered bars and bounced back, soaking him and knocking him to the ground.

"Told you so," Dash said.

Oliver shrugged. "I don't see anyone else coming up with a solution." He waved his hand over his wet clothes and instantly dried himself. If your element was water then knowing how to dry off was a must. "Shh," Oliver said, "someone's coming." "Hide," I said. "Back here!"

We hid behind a stack of crates along the dark half of the hallway splitting the room. We peeked from the darkness and saw Challis move into the light from the opposite end of the hallway. Kyler started to dart out into the light, but I quickly grabbed him and shook my head. His jaws clenched, and I held both his hands, hoping it would force his magic back. We needed to be a cohesive group.

"You boys comfortable?" Challis asked Braeden and Dash. She enjoyed having them locked up.

Challis wore a white seethrough dress with absolutely nothing beneath. She also needed to throw in a dryer sheet the next time she dried her clothes as the dress clung between her legs, Dash's eyes having trouble not looking. I didn't blame him. Challis was a beautiful woman, and I could see why he had been attracted to her. But times had changed, and her time was coming to an end.

"Tell me about your girlfriend, Dash. She better in bed than I was." She pulled up a chair and had a seat. From the angle we watched we could see her erect nipples pointing at Dash. She had his powers, and he would be unable to fight a love potion. Same with Braeden if she felt so inclined.

"That's not hard to answer," Dash said. "Of course, she was." Challis frowned, and I smiled, though I wondered if he'd said the same thing if he didn't know I was in the shadows hiding. Based on the connection we had I thought he would have said the same thing.

"If you ever want your powers back, my love, you'll start talking." She moved closer to his cell, but not even she would touch the aspen. "Why is Edius so interested in her power? He's not allowed me to kill her. It's a little strange." "Maybe he's going to replace you with her," Dash said. He sat back against the wall opposite the bars covered in aspen. "There was no reason for you to do the things you did to me."

Challis crossed her legs and then crossed her arms, her foot shaking back and forth. "You couldn't offer me the things Edius could, Dash," she said.

"But he couldn't give you what I could, Challis," Dash said, his voice full of hurt. "He doesn't love you. You do know that? He's using you because of your powers. That's all he cares about." "You're wrong, Dash. He's promised me a lot of things you never promised or could never deliver." Her jaws clenched.

"And how many of those things has he come through on, Challis," Dash replied. He was trying to cut deep. "You'll never have with him what you could have had with me."

Challis stood. "Is that what Cassandra does for you? Give you the things I didn't?"

"Well, now that you mention it," he said. "She does."

Challis motioned over her shoulder at Braeden. "And you don't mind sharing your pussy with another man?" She laughed and stepped toward Dash's cell. "I would have never asked you to share, Dash." "No, you decided to walk away for empty promises."

Challis chewed her bottom lip. "You should be careful, Dash. The only reason you're not dead is because I asked Edius to spare you. He's looking for a reason to end your life."

"Bring him on down here," Dash said.

Challis shook her head. "It's not necessary, Dash. You're going to tell me what I need to know."

Dash shook his head. "You're outta luck, baby."

I smiled again. The connection I had with Dash incredibly strong.