Timespell Read online

  Kaitlyn was done. “This is stupid. We’ll never find three jewels in the middle of France. Indira’s a witch or whatever. She’s probably found them already.”

  “No, she hasn’t,” Nevine said. “But you have.”

  Kaitlyn clutched the front of her corset. Freakin’ A, that was probably a dead giveaway. She sneered, lacing her voice with venom. “What are you talking about?”

  “The first jewel,” she said.

  She and the old lady stared each other down.

  “Shall I describe the moment when you took it?” Nevine asked.

  The vanity table. There had been so many jewels in that box. She didn’t think it would matter.

  Kaitlyn narrowed her eyes. “Fine, I took something.” She plunged a hand between her breasts and pulled out a gorgeous pearl necklace with a dangling emerald pendant. “Are you happy now?”

  Chapter 20

  Julia

  Julia stared at the dark green jewel sparkling in the morning sun. What the heck was going on?

  Nevine’s face twisted in a scowl. “Put it away, Daughter! Indira has spies. They will be watching you.”

  Kaitlyn shoved the gem back into her corset. Even with it out of sight, Julia saw it in her mind. She knew why Kaitlyn had taken it. The jewel possessed more than beauty; it looked like a thing of power.

  “What do we do with the jewels?” Angie asked. “Once we find them all?”

  “You find Indira,” Nevine said. “Or, more likely, she will find you.”

  A chill crept into Julia’s chest at the thought of facing an angry Indira. For that matter, how much should they trust Nevine? They knew nothing about this lady. Julia turned to Angie, trying to read her friend’s expression.

  Angie’s jaw was tight. The fingers on her right hand tapped along her knee like she was playing an invisible piano.

  Great. If Angie was nervous, they may as well give up now.

  “What kinds of spies, Nevine?” Angie asked. She turned to Kaitlyn, who seemed to be inspecting her split ends again. “Kaitlyn said she saw a sea creature.”

  “I told you!” Kaitlyn cried.

  “But the creatures of Mythos can’t cross into the present! Unless ... could Indira have sent them?”

  Nevine cackled again, a sound that was starting to get on Julia’s nerves. “You think Indira is the cause of the creatures that follow you now? Without the jewels, she has no more power over them than you do. Less, in fact.”

  “Then—”

  “You are the reason the creatures of Mythos seek to reclaim you, Daughters. You have not fulfilled your promise to the Fates. Your task remains unfinished, yet you returned to your own time.”

  Julia’s head hurt. “Always with the stupid task,” she muttered.

  “By breaking the covenant with the Fates to complete your task, you allowed the Sorceress to grow in power. The creatures can create rifts in the threads of time to follow you. They are drawn to you as iron to a lodestone, wherever and whenever you are. Return to your task. Seal the portal,” Nevine said, her head lowering darkly as her voice dropped, “or the creatures of the deep will seem as nothing compared to what else will come to find you.”

  Julia didn’t know what to make of the psychic. Why was she helping them in the first place? She bit her lip as Nevine revealed her semi-toothless grin.

  “The bones?” Nevine prompted, rattling her black pouch again.

  Julia swallowed. She wasn’t so sure about touching bones, especially the non-chicken kind.

  Angie’s hand dove into the pouch with no hesitation. Julia almost rolled her eyes. Knowing Angie, the girl had been handling weird bones since she was old enough to hold a rattle.

  “Daughter,” Nevine said to Julia. “You are next.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  Nevine cackled again. Does she have to do that every five seconds?

  “It’s okay,” Angie said. “We can trust her. And the jewels sound important. They might be the artifacts of power.”

  “The ones we’re forbidden from using or we’ll be corrupted?”

  Angie exhaled forcefully. “We won’t use them. We’ll only keep them so Indira can’t get at them.”

  “Okay,” she murmured. If Angie wanted to trust the hag from Snow White, Julia wasn’t about to stop her. She reached for the bones. They were cool to the touch and rougher than she expected. What kinds of bones were these?

  “Daughter of Future,” Nevine said.

  Kaitlyn pulled a face, but Julia wasn’t having it. “I did it. You’re doing it.”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t,” she spat, grabbing her share of bones. “Now what?”

  “Now, throw them onto the board,” Nevine said, her jack-o-lantern smile dimming as her eyes became serious. “We shall see.”

  Julia’s gaze fell onto the board. Etchings covered it; a figure eight, a pyramid, three interlocking rings. “Should we count to three or something?” she asked.

  “Okay,” Angie said, tossing back her hair.

  Julia concentrated on the board. “One ... two ... three.”

  The bones clattered, falling like dice on a game board.

  “Look carefully,” Nevine whispered. “Let your minds go.”

  Julia leaned forward, trying to make sense of the random pattern of bones. Staring at the board felt like staring at a hidden 3D picture. If she could just relax her eyes, she was sure something important lay just beyond her grasp.

  “Look,” Kaitlyn said. “Three of the bones fell onto that cup-looking thing. If you stare at it—”

  “It glimmers,” Angie cried. “Oh, wow, it looks real now ... a goblet with jewels all around it. Oh! Another three bones landed in that circle.”

  “The circle has sticks coming down like table legs,” Kaitlyn said, her voice coming in a rush, “do you see?”

  Angie’s face flushed with excitement. “The vanity table from Tuileries Palace, where you found the first jewel!”

  Julia squinted at the board. Cup? Table? She saw lines and curves. Nothing glimmered at all. First she couldn’t summon Ethan, and now the stupid bones board wouldn’t show her anything. “I suck at having powers.”

  “Daughter,” Nevine said to her, “your sisters have done their work. Now you must help them find the third jewel.”

  Julia looked again. “Okay. I see nothing.”

  “Present always has difficulty seeing,” Nevine said. “That is to be expected.”

  “It’s all right,” Angie said. “Those three fell together, that must be the clue to the third jewel. Look at them ... what do you see?”

  Julia focused. There was a line going down, and a circle on top. “I don’t know,” she said.

  “Just look at it. Say whatever comes to your head,” Angie encouraged.

  “Okay ... balloon ... lollipop ... upside-down yo-yo?”

  Kaitlyn crossed her arms in front of her and glared. “Can you think of something helpful?”

  “Oh, so now you’re the expert?” She stared at the symbol again. What was it? She reached out and traced it. First the circle, then the stick ... and immediately she wanted to make two arms and two legs, like a stick figure. “A person,” she said.

  The mark glowed.

  “Oh, it is a person,” Angie breathed.

  Long hair ... a dress ... Julia could almost make out a face ... almost ....

  She lost the image and gritted her teeth in frustration. She tried again, envisioning a person. She needed to see who it was. How else would she know who to look for?

  But the glow faded away.

  “A person,” she repeated. Her heart sank. There would be a lot of people.

  “A girl or a woman. It’s a start,” Angie said. At Kaitlyn’s raised eyebrow she added, “Well, you already found the jewel in the table. Another jewel will be on a cup, and the last will be given to us by a person.” Her eyes shifted to meet Julia’s. “Simple, right?”

  “Simple,” Julia said without much conviction. “What happens if Indira
gets the jewels first?”

  Kaitlyn’s eyes became dark and gleaming. “What do the jewels do?”

  Nevine scooped up the bones, returning them to the bag and drawing the string tight. “The Jewels of Time are the Fates’ power on Earth. They are the reason Indira was cursed to begin with. With the jewels she would have had the power of time and control over the universe—over life and death itself. She tempted the Fates with her arrogance. The Sorceress felt the lust in her heart and convinced Indira to serve her.” Nevine’s gaze sharpened. “It will be dangerous. Do not keep the power of the jewels to yourselves. It can only lead to your own destruction.”

  “Of course,” Angie said.

  Julia couldn’t be sure, but she thought Nevine’s eyes rested on Kaitlyn for a moment.

  And Kaitlyn’s hand rested over her chest. Just where the jewel lay.

  Julia froze time and Journeyed them to Angie’s house—or rather, to the house past Angie’s house. She could not get the hang of Journeying. It didn’t help that she kept thinking of Ethan. Her mind was being bombarded with fleeting images of him making his way through Paris with grim determination.

  “Hurry,” Julia said, rushing in as Angie put the key back in the hideaway rock by the doormat.

  “Why hurry?” Kaitlyn asked, heading for the kitchen.

  Because of Ethan! How was he going to get back? Julia’s stomach knotted up at the thought of him not frozen while everyone else was.

  “Here, have something to eat,” Angie said, opening cupboards and setting out a bag of bagels and some bananas. “Then get some rest. We’ll need our strength. I think we should meet tomorrow at dawn.”

  A sinking sensation spread over Julia’s whole body at the thought of not being able to summon Ethan until tomorrow. She pushed away the bagel Angie shoved at her, too upset to eat.

  “Are you okay?” Angie asked. “What time was your mother expecting you home?”

  “My mom?” She shook her head to clear it. “My mom. Right. She said to call her if I was going to be out past midnight.” The clock on the microwave showed just before seven in the morning.

  Kaitlyn laughed, grabbing a bagel. “Your mom’s going to be pissed off.”

  Julia couldn’t muster the energy to say anything to Kaitlyn. Her head drooped. Ethan was stuck, and her mom probably thought she and Brian had spent the night together. There was no way to explain herself. Not at all.

  Kaitlyn eyed Angie as she chewed a piece of bagel. “Are your parents going to freak out about you not coming home last night?”

  Angie shook her head as she finished off her bagel.

  “What?” Kaitlyn cried. “I didn’t think your parents were the type who let you do whatever the hell you wanted.”

  “It isn’t like that. They trust me to do the right thing, and they know about the magic.” She wiped down the counter and added, “Now that we’ve been sealed, I can let them know where I really was.”

  “Wow,” Kaitlyn said. “I’d be all over that trust.”

  “Come on,” Angie said, sunlight filtering through the window and across her hair. “I want to change clothes. And Julia needs to get home.”

  The walls in Angie’s room were the palest blue imaginable. The rest was done in all white, from the eyelet lace curtains to the four poster canopy bed. The smooth top of Angie’s whitewashed dresser didn’t have all the clutter that Julia’s did. Julia had never seen Angie’s room anything less than picture perfect.

  Angie opened her closet. Her clothes were organized by color. She grabbed some things and handed them to Julia. “Here. They’ll be small, but it’s better than walking around in eighteenth century underclothes.”

  The sweat pants and T-shirt smelled fresh out of the wash. “Thanks.”

  Kaitlyn pursed her lips, eyeing the closet. “That’s okay. I’m fine with the corset look I’ve got going on.”

  Angie nodded before heading to the bathroom adjoining her room. “Julia, if you think your mother will need an explanation, you can tell her you were with me all night.”

  She blinked in surprise. Angie had never offered to cover for her before. “Thanks.”

  Angie hesitated. “It isn’t like you were out doing anything wrong. I’d hate for you to get punished over something that wasn’t really your fault. Honestly, we have other things to worry about.”

  “Yes.” Ethan. A plan was forming in her mind. They could Journey back to Paris. Bring Ethan a phone, maybe a credit card—

  “What are we going to tell Brian and David?” Angie asked. “We disappeared on them at prom. How do we explain that?”

  Julia sank onto Angie’s bed. “Brian,” she murmured. Just another worry to add to her growing pile. “What about Ethan?”

  Julia and Kaitlyn waited in Angie’s little white Honda Civic for her to come out of her house.

  “My mom wasn’t happy about me losing my cell phone,” Angie said when she got into the car. “It was brand new.”

  “Was she thrilled that you sealed yourself to me and Kaitlyn, went back in time, and were an accessory to the theft of an ancient jewel of power?”

  “Actually, yes.” Angie smiled.

  “Lucky you,” Julia muttered. Her mom might not be so understanding.

  Angie put on her sunglasses and backed out of the drive. “Okay, Kaitlyn lives closer, but Julia’s mom is probably freaking out. Who goes home first?”

  “Take Julia back first,” Kaitlyn said. “I have until ten in the morning, so I’m good.”

  Julia glanced over into the backseat incredulously. Kaitlyn, being considerate? “Okay. What’s going on?”

  Kaitlyn scowled. “Nothing. What?”

  “I thought you hated me.” Julia tried to read the expression on Kaitlyn’s picture-perfect face. “Why would you try to help me out?”

  “I’m not trying to help you out. I just don’t care whether I go home first or not.” She slumped back in her seat and stared moodily out the window.

  Julia tried to catch Angie’s eye, but Little Miss Ten-and-Two didn’t take her eyes off the road. “Okay,” Julia mumbled. “I’ll pretend that wasn’t weird.”

  When they pulled up to her apartment, Julia got out. Kaitlyn took the front passenger seat.

  “You’re not going to do anything bad to Angie, are you?” Julia asked.

  “Go to hell.”

  “It was just a question,” Julia said, slamming the door shut. “Considering your past history.”

  “Bye, super special sister,” Kaitlyn said, pretending to scratch her cheek as she flipped her off. “I hope it goes real well with your mom.”

  “Bye, Angie,” Julia said, ignoring Kaitlyn and wishing she hadn’t pushed her buttons in the first place. She was not looking forward to this confrontation with her mom. Maybe if she snuck into her room, she could fake like she had been home all along. Like Angie said, maybe her mom trusted her.

  It wasn’t the first time Julia had broken into her own apartment. She slid around back to her bedroom window. The screen popped off easily enough. After that it was just a matter of sliding the glass over.

  “Ouch,” she muttered, as always scraping her back on the entry. She tumbled into the room.

  “Hurt yourself?” her mom asked.

  Holy crap.

  Her mom stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. A mix of relief and anger played out on her face. Julia could only remember one other time she had looked like that, when Julia was in the second grade and got lost at the zoo.

  “You should have come in through the front door,” her mom said. “You did as you pleased last night, might as well do so in the morning.”

  Julia swallowed what felt like a clump of ash. She stood up straight, covering her arms.

  “You’re not a child, Julia,” her mom continued. “I hope you don’t feel that I treat you like one.”

  “No,” Julia said.

  “You acted like one last night. Staying out all night like that ... the least you could have done was given
me the courtesy of a phone call. Not for permission. I realize that in a month you’ll be seventeen, and in another year you’ll be an adult. I’m trying to give you the freedom to prepare you for that. But I had hoped you would have shown the maturity to realize that people who love you also worry about you.”

  “I-I lost my phone,” Julia said. “And my keys. That’s why I didn’t come in the front door.”

  Her mom shook her head. “I really thought better of Brian.”

  “I wasn’t with him!”

  “Please don’t lie. I’m not even mad about that. I’m mad that you didn’t think about how I would feel.” Suddenly, she looked tired. Bone-deep tired. Julia’s heart sank. “We can talk about this later. I’m going to bed.”

  The door shut with a resounding slam. Julia covered her eyes with her hands. Her mom had looked so defeated. She remembered how excited her mom had been about prom, taking the afternoon off to help her get ready. Julia hadn’t even appreciated it. She couldn’t stand herself. She was slime. She was the rotten muck on the bottom of a fish tank.

  Julia.

  She opened her eyes, losing the connection Ethan was trying to make.

  “Oops, sorry,” she said, closing her eyes again and letting her mind clear. “Ethan?”

  I’m on a flight to LA.

  He was on a flight to LA! Ethan had found his own way home. Julia danced around the room, hugging herself.

  I need your help. My flight lands just after five tonight. I need you to freeze time so I can get through security.

  “Why do you need to get through security to get off a plane?”

  She waited, unable to see anything but smudged colors behind her closed lids.

  Crap. Their connection thing. She needed to concentrate.

  Julia, I can sense you. Please try harder.

  “You can never hear me,” she said, throwing herself onto her bed in frustration.

  I snuck on the plane when time was frozen. I don’t have a passport, identification, anything. I won’t be able to explain myself to customs and I’ll be arrested if you don’t freeze time again once we land. Do you understand?

  “Yes, of course I’ll help,” she said. She tried again to focus on Ethan, to see his face, but everything was blurry. She breathed deep, allowing the magic to warm up before trying again. Ethan?