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I loved my car. The 1997 Jeep Cherokee first belonged to my father. When I learned how to drive, I took it out of the garage, cleaned it up, and painted it blue. On the dashboard, I kept a custom bobblehead doll that Joe bought for me. She wore a lawyer’s gown and had a silly grin on her face.
From the rearview mirror hung a tassel with small crystals. Tara once said it would keep me safe while driving. That was before I knew about magic, so I just laughed at her, but I kept the gift anyway. It was nice to have these little mementos of the people I love, so no matter how far I drove, I had a part of home with me.
Although my father and I never met, that Jeep made me feel connected to him. The more time I spent on the road, the more I felt like he was watching over me. God only knew how I needed that, especially when I was driving around the island, sealing portals and hunting Katarus. One day, I’d drive Northeast. A few days later, I’d go all the way to the south.
When I had no portals to seal, my guides and I drove to the abandoned factory where I killed my first beast. I’d use a shapeshifting spell to transform Vanna and Kirby into Katarus, and to reverse my spell, I had to kill them. That was my training. I’d kill them over and over again until my powers were drained.
After my long training session, I usually drove home and slept for hours. But I remember one day when I couldn’t get any sleep. Walking into the house, I glimpsed Joe in the living room. He stood near Tara’s old piano and drummed his fingers on random keys, his gaze flitting between his watch and the door. He grabbed and ungrabbed the black panther figurine, scraped his scalp, and adjusted his tie.
"Joe?" I tried not to startle him when I walked in.
"This didn’t use to be here," he said, referring to the black panther.
"I almost broke it one time, so I thought I should move it." With this, came the realization that Joe hadn’t been in our living room in months. "I didn’t know you’re coming over."
"I figured this is the only way to talk to you." He turned to me.
I put my backpack on the couch. "I have been busy at school."
"Too busy to answer your phone?" he asked with a hint of annoyance. "It’s been days, and I can’t get a hold of you."
Ever since I learned I was a witch, my relationship with Joe had gone south. I had to keep my mission a secret, which meant I had to lie to him all the time. Where have you been? How was your day? —I couldn’t answer the simplest questions. I hated this so much that I chose to avoid him instead. My mission became a wall between us, a wall I was too scared to break.
"I get that you’re mad, Joe, and I wish I could explain."
"Echo..." He blew out his cheeks. "Are you having second thoughts about us?"
"Of course not." My voice rose an octave.
"Then let’s go out," he said. "Let’s sit down and talk... I miss talking to you." Despite his justified anger, he looked at me with wistful eyes.
"I miss talking to you too, but I’m spent. I had a really long day," I pleaded. "Can we do this tomorrow?"
"One hour." He put up a finger. "Give me one hour of your time."
I leaned my back against the piano. I had been training since sunrise, and I needed to rest, but saying no to Joe would’ve crushed him.
"Give me a few minutes to freshen up," I said hesitantly.
Ten minutes later, I walked out of the house to find Joe with a bouquet of roses. I wondered if he had them ready in the car. He had always been that thoughtful.
"Thank you." I took the flowers and sniffed their sweet fragrance.
"So where would you like to go?" he asked with excitement.
"I’d go anywhere with you, Joe." I meant that.
He smiled and opened the car door for me, but before I got in, the PPS beeped and vibrated in my pocket.
"Oh, God," I murmured.
"What’s wrong?" Joe quickly noticed the change in my expression.
"I have to go." I looked up to see the smile on his face disappearing.
"What? Where?" His eyes widened in shock.
"I can’t explain." I turned away, avoiding his gaze.
"Don’t flake on me, Echo," he shouted.
"I’m sorry," I called out as I ran away. I truly was sorry.
Joe watched as I got into my car and drove away, never looking back to see him. I didn’t want to watch his heart break.
***
The PPS pointed to Herotreat Coast, a small fishing town, two hours to the south. I had no time to spare, so I used a spell to speed the car up. Our ride was like a roller coaster that only went down, but at least we got there on time—almost on time.
The smell of fish pervaded the air at the waterfront. The boats lined up along the pier, bouncing against the raging waves. Colorful piles of fishing nets waited for the sun to dry them, but the sun never showed up.
A group of fishermen gathered, hollering as they watched the whirlpool that surfaced a mile away. The ocean had always been their friend, but that day, it betrayed them.
"Ol’Man Rufus is out there!" someone cried out, shifting my attention to a small boat drifting towards the whirlpool.
My heart pounded.
None of those fishermen knew, but at the bottom of the swirling mass was an open gate to the Land of No Return.
Out of the portal, four Katarus emerged, swimming towards the pier with their bodies submerged in the water, except for the heads. I had no problem fighting four Katarus, but there were people in the boat. Too much was at stake.
"Vanna, you take care of the boat. Kirby, you’re coming with me." I pointed my finger at him and chanted, "Di terra, commoda mihi potestatem tuam."
Kirby let out a cough, followed by a few more. His eyes bulged when a flame came out of his mouth. The skin on his hand expanded and turned scaly and purple. Baffled, he tried to scratch it off.
"What the—?" he uttered, right before his face contorted. His ears sank into his skull, and his nose and mouth extended in front of him and morphed together to give a reptilian look.
Groaning with discomfort, he endured the tail and the pair of wings piercing out of his back. His neck stretched out, like Reed Richards in the Fantastic Four movie. Soon enough, Kirby’s body had grown three times his size and was covered in shiny scales that sparkled like a million jewels. There he was, a flying dragon soaring the sky.
Well, perhaps 'soaring' wasn't the best word to describe Kirby's first flight. Clumsily, he flung his body into the air, flapping his wings quickly then slowly, trying to figure out the right pace. It took him a moment to adjust to his new form and land in front of me on the pier.
The crowd screamed and huddled together. The Magic Board will take care of them. Whenever something or someone revealed the truth about magic, the Board altered the public memory. That was their only job, as far as I knew.
I had never been good with heights, never dreamed of skydiving, let alone shooting into the sky on the back of a dragon. As I held tightly to Dragon Kirby’s back, I prayed not to die of fear. I recall shutting my eyes and holding my breath as we went up, but the thud in my heart was unforgettable. My chest still aches when I think of that day.
The dragon thrust through the air, which blew into my eyes and hair. It was like standing in front of a huge fan. I lost all feeling in my legs and lower body, though I was painfully aware of my hammering heart. Songs always describe love as the feeling of flying. But if that was love, I wouldn’t want any part of it.
Hovering above the Katarus, Kirby attacked with his fiery breath. The beasts scattered in different directions.
He lowered himself to slap a Kataru with his tail, but the Kataru dived underwater. I almost threw up because of the motion.
"It’s impossible to hit them this way," Kirby said.
"O-okay." I uncovered my mouth and pointed a finger. "Let’s do this. Per vires lucis, hoc objectum mihi pareat." Using the object-control spell, I pulled one Kataru above the water, suspending it in the air to give Kirby a chance to attack. The dragon’s fiery breath caught the Kataru’s head, entering from its mouth and burning its way through.
Aggravated, the remaining Katarus leaped out of the water, flinging their claws and slashing Kirby’s abdomen, forcing him to fly back up.
"You okay?" I asked.
"I’m fine. These things are pretty fast, even in water. We need to go all in."
I glanced at my watch. "We’ve got a minute and forty seconds."
After a lot of practice, I had learned to sustain my shapeshifting spells for two full minutes. This might not seem like a long time, but in my experience, most fights lasted for minutes—life-on-the-line, action-packed minutes.
In exactly a hundred seconds, Kirby would transform back to his human form, so we had to make the best out of our time. I pulled the second Kataru up. With the tip of his tail, Kirby slapped it around and threw it back into the whirlpool.
The third Kataru jumped up, its claws extended towards Kirby, who wrapped his tail around the beast, entrapping it. But in doing this, Kirby allowed the claws to cut his skin. The dragon blood poured down into the ocean.
"Kirby," I cried while the dragon and the Kataru wrestled against each other. They hissed and smashed their heads together, each one trying to bite off the other. All that, and I was still holding onto Kirby’s back. At one moment, I was upside down, soaking in my anxiety sweats as the water beneath me spun furiously.
To make things worse, the fourth Kataru was about to attack. It swam our way, ready to pounce and rip off Kirby’s tail.
"Glacio," I chanted. I wasn’t as proficient at Water Magic as I wanted to be. I couldn’t part the ocean or even launch a massive wave, but I had recently learned the Freezer Spell, so I used it to freeze the water around the Kataru’s body into a block of ice, floating on the ocean’s surface. Waving a hand, I pushed the ice block into the whirlpool before the beast broke free.
Meanwhile, Kirby dug his teeth into the third Kataru’s neck and spit out its blood. The Kataru dropped into the water, and Kirby adjusted himself, so I was finally right-side-up.
The waves lapped on the Kataru’s dead body, and I took in a breath of relief. "Now, all I have to do is close the portal."
We are doing well, or so I thought. Right away, Kirby started to move strangely—up, down, side to side, and spinning around 360 degrees. "What the hell are you doing, Kirby?" I fought hard not to fall off.
"I don’t know." Dragon Kirby shouted. "Something is happening to me. I can’t control myself."
"Watch out," he warned before he heaved me into the water.
***
With a similar shapeshifting spell, Vanna transformed into a water dragon with fins lined along her elongated body. While Kirby struggled with his new wings, she plunged into the water, sweeping her tail left and right in a wave-like rhythm. No signs of clumsiness or discomfort showed.
As she swam farther, she saw the whirlpool spinning like a graceful ballerina. It was stunning, yet dangerous, much like Vanna herself. Shredded seaweed and pieces of wood seemed stuck to the rotating body of water, unable to break free from the never-ending motion.
Looking up, Vanna glimpsed the bottom of a fishing boat moving towards the whirlpool. Even though she swam as fast as she could, it was too late for a rescue. The old fisherman soaked in his blood.
Why would the Katarus kill a person instead of taking him to Jivar? Vanna had no time to rationalize. With her teeth, she grabbed the anchoring rope and pulled the boat, fighting against the current. She knew that alive or dead, humans had dignity. That old fisherman deserved to be buried at home.
As she brought the boat to the pier, she was met with hollers. Understandably, the civilians were terrified to see a real-life dragon, but they were also confused. Why would a dragon drag the boat all the way home and place it safely near the deck?
Vanna didn’t care to explain. She turned around to join the fight, though she never expected to be attacked by her brother. By the time she swam back to the whirlpool, Kirby had lost control over his body. He didn’t hesitate to attack her with fire.
***
I sank. My limbs flailed as the waves buffeted me. The surface seemed near but out of reach. No matter how hard I fought off the waves, they drew me towards the portal.
The worst part about drowning was fighting the urge to breathe. My chest was about to explode, and my throat clutched up. I was dying for air, ready to surrender to the water. Yet, all I could think about was my father’s Jeep, parked somewhere behind the pier. I wondered what would happen to it if I died, and I wished I were safe in there, surrounded by my precious mementos.
I felt a tug on my wrist. Dragon Vanna wrapped her tail around it and hauled me out of the water. In a moment, I was back on the surface, holding to her long, slithery neck. I inhaled. There was a loud whoop, then I fell into a coughing fit. Saltwater stung my eyes and purged out of my mouth and nose.
Once I gained back the ability to speak, I yelled, "W-hhat the hell is going on with Kirby?"
"I’m not sure." Vanna’s voice wavered. Looking closely, I could see her dragon’s skin was slightly burned. "He’s going after the people."
"We have to fix this," I said, wiping my eyes and spitting out the remaining seawater. "Take me to the pier."
***
Flapping his wings, Kirby created a gust that blew away the colorful nets off the pier. The crowd bolted. Some people tried to get to shore; others took refuge in the boats. A young boy in a fishing wader ran along the pier. He toppled over and fell into the water, but luckily, Dragon Vanna was there to catch him.
"Stop it, Kirby." Standing on the pier, I tried to turn him back into a human, but it didn’t work.
"I can’t." He blew his fire at me, but I protected myself with a golden shield that absorbed the attack.
"What’s wrong with me? I can’t stop myself," Kirby yelled.
I looked at my watch. Less than ten seconds remained before the shapeshifting spell ended. Vanna had climbed into an empty boat, preparing for the transformation, but Kirby continued to throw fire at me.
Looking at the whirlpool, I saw another group of Katarus approaching. They weren’t swimming but, somehow, walking on the surface of the water. At a second glance, I realized they were the same Katarus we had killed. The one Kirby burned was moving towards us like a living pile of ash.
No magic can wake up the dead. I was certain. First Kirby and now the dead Katarus? Someone is controlling their bodies? What type of magic is this?
Most witches used a pentacle to ground their spells in the five elements of magic: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Vision. Those who knew better believed the Octagram held much more powers, aware there were other elements, rare elements the lore never mentioned. That day, in Herotreat Coast, I encountered the sixth element.
The ten seconds passed while I fended off Kirby’s attacks, but he never turned back into his human form. In the boat below me, two old men shivered out of fear. They feared not only the flying dragon but also me.
"This is going to hurt, Kirby." Sitting on one knee, I placed my hand on the ground and asked the earth to lend me its powers. "Di terra, commoda mihi potestatem tuam."
All living bodies are made of chemicals that can be found in the dirt—copper, vanadium, sulfur, selenium, and whatnot. In a way, all bodies are connected to Earth, and Earth Magic has the power to reshape, reconstruct, and destroy them.
That was why I dedicated most of my training to master the spells of Earth Magic, including the shapeshifting spells I used on Vanna and Kirby, as well as the one I used that day to create two panthers.
As I cast my spell, a pile of sand ascended from the shore and reshaped itself into two winged black panthers with flesh and blood. They crouched and extended their claws before they darted along the pier. The first one launched itself at Kirby. The other flew over the water to fight the Katarus. I knew that wasn’t enough to stop the attackers, but I needed to buy time.
The only way to end this is the spell from the wedding, I realized. When Kirby and Vanna first met me, they used my blood to activate a spell that closed the portal and sent the Katarus away. That spell almost killed me, so I never attempted to do it. Will I be able to pull it off today?
From my pocket, I produced chalk, which I used to draw a sigil on my hand: A triangle, intertwined with a wave and a circle. What were the words again? It was Latin for closing a door. Claude something? Think, Echo.
The drawing on my hand faded into a blur. Using one magic element after another had left me dizzy. The spell seemed to be at the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t figure it out. For a moment, all the sounds around me were muted. I no longer heard the beasts fighting, the roaring whirlpool, or the cries of the crowd. I heard nothing but the footsteps of someone darting along the wooden pier...an attacker.
"Eíbùr." I whirled around and shielded myself against a sudden sword blow, once again, saved by my survival instincts.
"Stop the fight," a blue-eyed man in black clothes commanded. He raised his sword, ready to attack again.
"Ŝutaka." I attacked him with a magic wave, but it passed right through him as if he was a ghost.
I flinched. "What are you?" I asked. Why didn’t my spell work on him?
"Stop the fight." He grabbed me by the hand and twisted my arm. I tried to wriggle out of his grip.
"Stop the fight." He pointed his sword at me.
Who the hell is this? I was shaken, and I had no choice but to obey. I called out, "Reverse," and the flying panthers vanished into thin air, Dragon Kirby fell into the water, and the remaining Katarus retreated to the portal.
The swordsman let go of me. He could’ve killed me so easily, but he didn’t. Was he trying to protect the Katarus? Why would he? Jivar doesn’t care about them.
In stunned silence, I watched as the swordsman jumped into the ocean and swam towards the portal, which closed after his passing. The leaping waves let go of their anger, and finally, the ocean restored its peace.
***
The bobblehead doll wiggled on the dashboard, and Tara’s tassel swung from the mirror. The sides of my stomach hardened. I clutched at the steering wheel, trying to ground myself. Although the fight in Herotreat depleted me, I was more angry than tired. "How could you, Vanna?"
"We never had the chance to tell you," she said as she applied ice to her burned cheek.
"Never had the chance? We spend every day together, and you never once mentioned a witch on Jivar’s team."
"Two witches," she corrected me. "Viessa and her brother, Zaros."
"That’s even worse," I yelled. There was a pause as I thought back to the fight on the pier and the swordsman who let me live. "Zaros. Are you sure he’s not the guy I told you about?"
"I don’t think so."
"Then who is he?"
"As far as I know, Jivar has two sidekicks, Viessa and Zaros, the brute and the brawn. Perhaps he’s recently recruited that swordsman, but I never heard of him. Regardless, this isn’t why I’m worried."
"You’re worried about Kirby?" I looked through the rearview mirror to see him sleeping in the backseat—his human body covered in grazes.
"Viessa played him like a puppet," Vanna said. "She shouldn’t be able to do this, unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless she has the amulet."
"The amulet?" I cocked my head. "Sounds like bad news."
"The Amulet of Divinity is an ancient artifact that holds magical powers. It can give a mediocre person the powers of a noble witch."
"Of course, it does." I tightened my grasp on the steering wheels. "And what power can it give a witch like Viessa?"
"I can’t imagine." Vanna sank in dismay.
"Great." I knocked on the wheel. "Anything else you want to tell me, Vanna? Any other villains I should be aware of? Any magical objects? Any secrets?"
"No." She looked down, glancing at the tattoo on her wrist. I had never asked her about that tattoo and why she had the word ‘faith’ inked to her skin. It wasn't like she was going to give me an answer anyway.
I watched the road before me. The bald trees on the sides, the green road signs, the twists, and the turns—they were all unfamiliar like my life had become. I pressed the pedal. The sound of the engine became blasted as the car accelerated. I had to push through the doubt, what else could I have done?
