fantasy | Angela Harrison

The twigs snapped under her paws as she dashed through the forest. The shrill scream of a bobcat urged her on, faster. Heart pounding, limbs aching, she had to get away.

She sat up in the bed with a start. She leapt out of bed to search for her familiar. The dream she had just experienced made her scared for him. It was not the first time she had dreamed his thoughts. Uri was a large, orange tabby cat who roamed the woods at will. He was independent and maddeningly aloof at times. It was not uncommon for him to stay out for days at a time. He always showed up eventually and the psychic connection she had with him always reassured her that he was fine.

She stood on her front porch, eyes searching the woods desperately and cast out a binding spell to ensure the bobcat could not hurt her Uri. Then she returned to her cottage to make her morning tea. Twenty minutes later her wayward cat sauntered in as if he hadn’t a care in the world. As if he hadn’t just almost been eaten by a bobcat.

“You’re welcome” she said as he strolled past with studied indifference and parked himself in front of the cracking fire.

Alexander stood in the jewelry store eyeing the necklace nervously. This would be the biggest test of his powers yet.

The necklace lay in the case with an almost imperceptible glow. He doubted anyone else noticed the glow, he saw it because he could sense its power, feel it calling to him. It was a large silver pentagram with a deep red ruby pulsing at the center. It was attached to a long chain. It was nestled on dark purple velvet in the display case.

He took a deep breath and glanced around the shop. The owner was helping other customers. A woman with a fidgety toddler was browsing on the other side of the shop. The girl who had greeted him when he entered had gone into the back of the store. No one was watching him.

His palms were sweaty, so he wiped them on his pants then rubbed them together in concentration. He had to get this just right.

Reaching out, he touched the glass gingerly and slipped his hand right through it. Ecstatic he stood next to the case, fingers to forearm inside the case, the rest of his body outside. It had worked, he knew it would! He was getting pretty skilled at passing through solid objects.

His hand grasped the necklace and he carefully moved his arm back out of the case. His hand passed through the glass again, easily as a hot knife moves through melted butter. He brought his hand up, turned it over and opened his fist. No necklace.

The necklace lay in the case, tangled in an untidy heap next to the glass. So he had moved it, but it had not passed through the glass with his hand. Disappointment surged through him. He had not anticipated this, had not taken into account the mass of the necklace in his calculations.

Sighing, he stuffed his hands into his jacket pocket and walked out of the shop into the oncoming blizzard. Hurrying toward home, he wasn’t watching where he was going so he never noticed the girl. He just knew that he had more work to do.

From a shop two doors down, she stepped out onto the sidewalk to follow him. She knew little about him other than that both The Society and the Astyrian Brotherhood were watching him. That was all she needed to know. Silently, she trailed him through the falling snow as the sun sank below the horizon.