More than Magic Book 6: Magic Awakened

Honestly, Mystic Cay seemed exactly like the Caribbean Islands I visited with my family a couple of years ago. It was surrounded by peaceful clear waters that I was itching to dive in to and the palm tree dotted beach we were standing on was the sort of place I could imagine sunbathing for hours. Even the somewhat gaudy resort screamed tropical paradise, with its pink cement walls and over-the-top nautical theme.

There was just one problem with it all…

“Okay, let me get this straight,” Thomas said, looking pained. “Fletcher told you that if you want to become a blood witch, you need to find the mystic key?”

Jen swallowed hard and nodded.

Jen nodded again.

Everyone, including me, turned to Dani for confirmation.

Jen shrugged. “It can’t be a coincidence. Fletcher told me to find the mystic key and now we’re supposed to kill a blood witch on an island called Mystic Cay.”

TS cursed. “No, I don’t think it is a coincidence. Right, we should—Tom?!”

Thomas had suddenly snapped his head toward the water and was looking out over it with a frown. “I think I heard a ship. Danio?”

“No,” TS said quickly. “Not until we figure out more about the island. No sense in taking an unnecessary risk for what could just be a ship passing by.”

We carefully made our way back toward the dock and watched as the ship approached. It wasn’t a very large ship, clearly not designed to travel very far; I could only see a couple of decks, one made of large windows, and an open one above it, both lined with people.

“I guess tropical blood casters prefer tacky to creepy?” said Dani.

Using the dunes as cover, we crept as close as we dared, keeping an eye out for anyone nearby.

It took some time and I was starting to long to get out of the sun and into the water, but at last, people started disembarking. Some looked like they were ready for a day at the beach with towels and totes, while others had fairly large suitcases, and some had nothing at all. The line slowly moved as people got off the ferry. It seemed like they were stopping somewhere, then slowly they began to break off, most heading for the resort, some ambling down to the beach.

“They smell like non-magics,” Thomas said as a breeze blew in our favor.

“Charlie, is anyone the wrong temperature for non-magics?” Dani asked.

“No…” Charlie answered slowly, eyes flickering as he watched them with thermal vision. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“What would a bunch of blood casters be doing running a resort full of non-magics?” Thomas asked.

“Maybe they aren’t running it?” Jen suggested, although she didn’t look very convinced. “Honestly, we aren’t even sure Alaria is here. The only thing we have to go on is Mystic Cay. Maybe…” She pulled out her phone and frowned at it, then held it high, obviously trying to get a signal.

TS took out his own and glared at it. “Of course,” he snorted in annoyance. “Why would we be lucky enough to have service? Anyone?”

We all checked and shook our heads.

“Mine won’t even turn on,” Thomas said. “Probably ruined in that stupid ocean.”

“Bugger. Right then, we need to get closer.” TS turned and studied us. “Tom, you’re in; we’ll need your ears and nose down there. I’d go, but I’m bloody useless while the sun is up. If anything happens… well, it’s best we’re split up anyway, so we know.”

Thomas nodded grimly.

“Plus, you look human,” TS continued. “If there are blood casters or other kinds of magics down there, you won’t draw attention to yourself. With any luck you’d smell them before they got too close anyway.”

“I suppose that means we’re both out,” Dani said, tilting his head toward Charlie.

“I’m afraid so.” To my surprise, TS turned to me. “I want you with Tom.”

He nodded. “I don’t want Tom down there alone, but with Jen’s connection to Rak if something happens to her… Besides, with our phones not working we need another way to get word to Jon, if all else fails we’ll have to send Danio, then Rak will be the only way they know we’re okay and where to find us. That means the last place we want Jen right now is in the middle of things. If you do think you’re in danger, just get to the water and get clear.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“She may be human,” Dani said, “But her hair is going to be a dead giveaway if someone sees her.”

I pulled a handful of it from over my shoulder and frowned at the obvious streaks of green mixed in with blonde. A non-magic couldn’t even see it, but a magic would know immediately I was a mermaid. If only I had something to cover it with… actually…

“I have an idea!” I said. “Since we need to blend in with tourists anyway…” I certainly wasn’t going to need my sweatshirt here, so I untied it from my waist, then grabbed my knife and cut off a sleeve.

“Question,” Dani said.

“You’ll see.”

I tugged the larger side over my hair like a massive ponytail holder and started trying to adjust it.

“Clever,” Dani said, coming over to help. He fiddled with it for a moment, humming softly in Panth.

“Oh, don’t let him near your hair,” Charlie groaned. After watching briefly, he came over and shouldered Dani out of the way. “Move before you cause permanent damage.”

“Hey!” Dani chuckled, stepping willing aside.

I couldn’t see what Charlie was doing, but a minute later he backed away in satisfaction.

“I’m… actually impressed,” Thomas said.

“I wouldn’t know it was a sweatshirt if I hadn’t seen it,” said Jen.

“Why are you so good at that?” Dani demanded.

“I have a twin sister,” replied Charlie, “and a daughter.”

“I have the same daughter!”

“And she won’t let you near her hair.”

Dani shrugged agreeably. “Yeah, that’s fair.”

“Hey!”

“—you two need to get down there and mingle with the crowd before they get too far from the ferry.”

Thomas nodded to me and the two of us headed down the beach toward the dock.

“Stick close,” he said. “If I say run, get to the water and swim like hell.”

I hummed agreeably but slipped a hand into my pocket and clenched it around my knife.

The soft sand turned into sand-covered boards as we headed up a ramp onto the dock over the shallows. We hadn’t gone far when I heard a quiet whistle, followed by a splash. We both turned toward the water. There was nobody there, but two pairs of sunglasses were sitting on the edge of the dock.

“Perfect,” I said, kneeling down to grab them.

“Where did he get those?” Thomas demanded as I handed him a pair.

“People lose their sunglasses near docks all the time,” I told him. “There are probably a hundred down there.” I inspected mine and was pleased to see Dani had cleaned them quite thoroughly. “Be glad he didn’t get you a girly pair.”

Thomas chuckled and put them on. “Oh, that’s actually much better, even if they are just to help us blend in.”

As we walked along the dock, we watched the people gathered alongside the ferry. The line of people disembarking turned into more of a cluster as people filled up the dock. Thomas and I wordlessly stopped just on the outside of it – nobody seemed to notice or care. In just a few minutes we were folded into the milling crowd.

The crowd gradually moved down the dock and we went with it. If Thomas heard or smelled anything, he kept it to himself. I craned my neck over the people and could see several podiums set up, each one had someone in a colorful polo greeting guests.

It wasn’t long before we were at the front of the dwindling crowd. A woman at a podium waved us over and, with a nervous glance at each other, Thomas and I joined her.

“Welcome to Mystic Cay!” she said happily. “The Caribbean’s best-kept secret! Is this your first visit?”

“Yes,” Thomas said, forcing a smile at her.

“Wonderful, welcome, welcome! Did you get a chance to go over how everything works while you were on board?”

“We uh…” Thomas began.

I added an embarrassed giggle for show and the woman smiled at us.

“Not to worry, I know it’s a bit hectic and exciting,” she said. “Let me go over it all quickly with you. Mystic Cay is all-inclusive…” We both nodded and she continued. “The ferry arrives at eleven and leaves promptly at six; you’ll be back in Miami by ten.”

Miami! I swallowed hard. Miami was where our list of suspected blood casters kept visiting. It was either a coincidence or we were smack in the middle of something huge and probably dangerous.

“Yes…” Thomas said carefully.

I reflexively reached for my purse and sighed in relief as she waved a hand at me. “No need to show me, just don’t throw them out! If you choose any activities or rentals that aren’t covered, they’ll need to mark your cards. When you return to Miami, they’ll check them over and you’ll pay for the length of your stay and any additional fees before disembarking… Let’s see… you can also choose to stay overnight in our luxury hotel. Your cards are dated, so you’ll be charged accordingly per night and based on three meals a day, although our buffet is always open, for the duration of your visit.”

“How long can we stay?” I asked.

“As long as you want!” She grabbed a booklet from a pile on her podium. “Here’s a map of the resort, please stay in the designated areas for safety. It also includes a list of activities, with meeting times and places – we have snorkeling, kayaking, nature hikes – and restaurant hours… basically everything you need to know!” With a wide smile she handed me the guide. “If you do want to stay the night, just head up to the hotel and they’ll help you out in the lobby. Any other questions?”

“No, um… Well, how long have you worked here?” Thomas asked.

“This is going to be my third summer!”

“Do you like it?” I asked.

“How do you get a job like this?” asked Thomas.

The girl shrugged. “I saw it advertised on the internet.”

“Cool. Thanks,” Thomas said.

“Enjoy your visit!” she called as we started walking up an oyster-shell path to the gaudy pink castle.

“What was she?” I asked as we walked.

“Non-magic.” Thomas glanced behind us with a frown. “They all are; I haven’t smelled a single magic since we got here.”

“So, the blood casters are running a non-magic resort?”

“That’s what it seems…” He trailed off and yawned. “Excuse me.”

I smiled sympathetically. God, he must have been exhausted. I was too and so were the others. It had easily been an entire day since I had slept, no exaggeration. Escaping the vines and other things in the labyrinth had been tiring enough, not to mention walking for miles upon miles. Poor Charlie was still suffering from blood magic too; throw in just the emotional strain and I was honestly surprised I wasn’t ready to collapse, although I did have a headache.

“Maybe we should get a room,” I suggested. “We all could use a place to sleep.”

Something occurred to me and I stopped in my tracks. “It’s all-inclusive,” I gasped. “We get food and a room and can stay as long as we want without paying anything until we leave!”

“Yes?” Thomas said, eyeing me curiously. “I sort of just said that.”

“Why would…” His eyes widened in shock. “Holy shit,” he breathed.

“But,” he said, eyes narrowing, “we didn’t see any huge charges after they get back to Miami…”

“Maybe they aren’t being charged,” I suggested. “What if this is a non-magic resort, but the blood casters are behind it somehow? Go to Miami, sneak onto the ferry, and then just stay here for six months doing that initiation or whatever Fletcher talked about. It would be impossible to trace them.”

“I hate how well that fits,” Thomas said.

“Drought, no,” I said. “Then, why the labyrinth? What’s the point of being able to come and go through that, if they’re going to Miami and getting on the ferry?”

“Every time I think we’re closer, we get more questions,” Thomas snarled.

We fell silent as we reached the gate to the castle-like hotel. I bit back a laugh at the cheesy, trident-wielding mermaid statues flanking it. Both tails were ridiculous; whoever made the statues obviously had never seen a real mermaid.

The lines up to the front desk moved quickly. To my relief, it looked like they weren’t asking for the cards or any sort of ID at all. As we waited, I flipped through my little booklet.

“There are private cabanas,” I said, pointing to a spot on the map. Thomas looked at them curiously.

“They’re pretty far from the main resort…” he said, “and look, this here says there’s an employee area nearby.”

Before I could reply, it was our turn.

“Welcome,” said the guy at the desk as we walked up.

“Hi,” I said. “We just got here and wanted a room?”

“Sure thing.” He grabbed a key off a pegboard behind him and held it out. “Just drop this in the basket when you leave.” He nodded to a basket on the counter.

Thomas started to reach for it, then hesitated. “Can we get a cabana? Are those included?”

“Cabanas are extra,” the man said. “I’m afraid you have to reserve them in advance though; they’re all booked.”

“How far ahead do you have to reserve them?” Thomas asked.

“Months,” the guy said. “I’m sorry, but I assure you our rooms here are just as nice and almost as private. Plus, they’re closer to the food and the beach!” He held out the key again.

Thomas took it with a smile. “Thanks. Hey, I don’t have any service, could I make a phone call?”

“Oh…” The guy smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, someone should have told you, we’re off the grid here. No phones. No internet either.”

Thomas and I exchanged a look of alarm. “What if there’s an emergency?” I blurted.

“Not to worry, we have medical staff on hand and a clinic equipped to handle just about anything that could happen here.” I could tell from the way he rattled it off that it was a practiced speech. “In the event of a more serious emergency, we can radio for medical transport.”

“Okay…” Thomas said. “Um… thanks, then.”

We were directed to our room and we headed off.

“Great, that leaves Dani swimming for help, unless we can track down this radio,” Thomas muttered.

I agreed and we turned out of the lobby and down a hall lined with doors to the guest rooms. As we walked, Thomas seemed to be going quite slowly, taking his time near each door.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Checking for magics… so far nothing.” He took a step back and looked at the door. “Most have been slept in… Everything seems so… normal. Except…”

“Yeah,” Thomas said grimly. “Except that.”

We found our room and poked our heads in. Thomas sniffed and hunted around but found nothing out of the ordinary. Armed with our map, we started heading back to the others.

As we walked down the hall we passed a woman in an employee polo. We all nodded and smiled to each other, but as soon as we rounded the corner Thomas picked up his pace, then turned the wrong way.

“What…” I began, hesitating when I realized he was trying to follow a scent.

I swallowed nervously and looked behind us. “Do you think she noticed us?”

“I don’t think so… Let’s hope not.”

“So, one witch,” Thomas said.

“Who works here,” I added.

We were almost to the buffet when Thomas stopped in his tracks and whipped his head around. “Something’s wrong!” he gasped.

“What?!”

“Come on!”

We hurried through the hallways and out onto the beach, as fast as we could without attracting attention. Just when I thought it was safe to start running, Thomas slowed down a little.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s not an emergency… still urgent, but no need to be reckless.”

Nevertheless, we hurried along the beach, trying to avoid the crowd. There were people spread out on towels and splashing in the water now. We kept going, around the dunes and back to where the labyrinth entrance was. There, much farther down the beach, I spotted the others. Everything looked fine to me. Jen and Charlie were standing on the beach and Dani and TS were in the water. As I watched, Dani bent over abruptly; it looked like he was throwing up!

I glanced behind us; we were out of sight from the tourists. That was all I needed to know. I sprinted down the beach. Instead of stopping me, Thomas took off as well, easily outpacing me.

I caught up after he was already standing with Dani and TS. Charlie was right at the edge of the water, eyes flaring wildly. Jen was between him and the others, clearly ready to stop him from impulsively getting wet, but she looked worried too. TS, in all honesty, looked a lot better now that he wasn’t able to sense Delilah dying, but he certainly wasn’t happy.

“Dani?” I cried as I splashed up.

He turned toward me with a weak grin. “Hey, calf,” he said hoarsely. His eyes were churning with gray and his normally tanned skin was pale. “Hold that thought!” he said quickly, before I could say anything.

Dani spun away from me and then started retching. It didn’t seem like anything was coming up, he was just dry heaving, but it sounded awful and he was obviously in some sort of pain. I started to panic, had his stomach injury somehow returned?