Sorcery in the City Ch. 01

"I'm so sorry but I can't. I can no longer affect the living in ways that are required to do what you ask."

"Could I do it if you told me how?

Veronica went quiet, staring at Opal, then floated closer to circle around her. "Not yet. You need time, a lot more time. There is a way to sort this out if you are willing. It won't be easy."

"What way?"

"You can become the legal guardian of this land and keep it as it is now. Follow the yearly rituals and everything will calm down. You will have the time you need to learn how to help Shu."

Opal laughed and exclaimed, "The hatpin clause, is that what you are talking about?"

Veronica nodded, "Yes. I was going to leave information on how to find it for those capable of retrieving the object, even had it all written down, but the documents burned with the house and I ... well, I ran out of time. Let that be a lesson for you."

Opal thought for a moment, "Is it still possible to invoke that clause? It will be a major legal battle with the city and the developer."

"As I said, it won't be easy, but if you are in possession of the object you will prevail. It isn't simply a pin, it is an enchanted object. It can help you convince others of your right of guardianship. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. You have to retrieve it first, if you can't do that then you are out of luck and so is Shu."

"What do I have to do?"

"Stick your hand in the Samhain fire, picture the hatpin in your mind and call it to you."

"Shit ... really? Can you tell me what I'm supposed to picture and how to do the rest of it?"

Veronica shook her head, "I cannot."

Opal had been watching Veronica the entire time and could see she was starting to fade away. "Come on, give me something ..."

Opal heard Veronica whisper "I think it was Sigmund Freud who said Time spent with cats is never wasted" before she disappeared.

Crap. If the only way to get the hatpin was with the Samhain fire, there wasn't much time left. Of course there had to be tricks before the treat on this night of all nights - sorcery sucked! Opal quickly moved out of the circle and called to Shu, still sitting up a tree, "Come down, I need your help. Move it!"

She explained what she'd done and what Lady V had said, then asked "Can you help? Do you know about that hatpin, what it looks like?"

He nodded but said nothing.

"Well ... transform and describe it for me please."

He sighed but said nothing.

"Oh fuck ... you can't can you? What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Shu started prancing around her. He sometimes did that when he was frustrated so she didn't pay much attention until he froze in front of her, sitting up with both front paws folded over his face. She'd never seen him do that before, it wasn't a natural thing for cats to do. He then ran around in a circle and froze again, in the same way.

She bent down and ran her hand down his back. "It's ok, not your fault ..."

He growled at her, let out a loud meow, ran in a circle and froze again.

It finally clicked, he was showing her something!

"It's you isn't it, the hatpin has you on it? In that position? Will that be enough of a picture to retrieve it? I guess it will have to be. So now I just have to go stick my hand in a fire and make a call ... am I able to do that?"

Shu became human again, reached out and hugged her ... the first time he'd ever done that. "Remember what I told you. You must believe in what you do, believe in yourself and the power around you. If you doubt you will not succeed."

She hugged him back. "Right. Focus, belief, strength ... and purpose. For you, and for everyone in the city ..." She took a deep breath and walked back inside the circle. The fire was still large and hot. She knelt down as close as she dared, closed her eyes and focused on seeing Shu in the position he'd shown her, picturing him in as much detail as she could, even down to the missing tip of his ear.

Her hand was sweating and she was scared but she had to try. If Shu and Lady V said she had potential then she did, didn't she? They would know.

Clenching her teeth, her eyes shut, she thrust out her hand, waiting for pain. She could feel heat, it wasn't pleasant. She resisted the desire to pull her arm back and called out, "Spirits of air, water, earth and fire ... help me. Give me what I see, the hatpin with the image of a cat, the image of Shu. I pledge to use it as Veronica Robertson intended, to become guardian of this land and protect this place as I have promised to do."

Opal felt something drop onto her palm. She wrapped her fingers around it and yanked her hand out of the fire. It took her quite a while before she dared open her eyes and look at her hand. There was a thin line of burned skin where the pin had landed but otherwise everything looked ok. Wow ... and whew!

She stood up and ran outside the circle to show Shu what she'd done. Giddy with relief, she grabbed him and kissed him. It startled them both, and for a few seconds they just stared at each other, before their lips met again.

2020 was indeed a very different year. Difficult, dangerous, exhausting ... happy, challenging, exciting ... it had it all. Whatever lay ahead, being together, working together would get them through it.