I’d spent most of the power of the Druid’s Curse shaking Finn free of her thrall, but enough of it remained that I could feel thunder rumbling behind my sternum, could feel lightning flickering in my veins. The storm was still alive in me, wild and dangerous, and I wasn’t sure what it would do.

  I took a step forward, and someone grabbed my arm. I half expected it to be Andre, but it was Finn who was hanging onto me when I glanced back.

  “Mom, no,” he said, tugging on my arm. “It’s okay.”

  I almost laughed, it was so absurd. It was absolutely not okay. It was so far from okay, it wouldn’t even be in the same postal code. Those kids could have been hurt permanently. Finn could have been hurt permanently. Just thinking about his glassy eyed, thousand-yard stare caused my heart to start knocking against the inside of my ribs.

  I was his mother. It was my job to protect him. And this woman…

  But looking up into his sweet face, I was surprised that Finn looked calm. There was no fear or panic twisting his expression, no anger. He was peaceful. Almost serene.

  He met my eyes and gave my arm a squeeze. “It’s okay.”

  Then he stepped past me and walked towards Regina.

  As Finn got closer, the bound woman went wild. Her lips skimmed back off her teeth, eyes wide. A bit of spittle dotted her lips, making her look half feral. The closer Finn got, the harder she thrashed, as if she were trying to get away from him or lunge at him, I wasn’t sure. But if she tried the latter, she would sorely regret it. I would make sure of it.

  Astrid grunted, her hands flexing as she bore down on the binding, keeping Regina held firmly in place.

  I didn’t want Finn near her. She’d tortured and terrorized him, hurt him. But he didn’t look upset or afraid as he moved to stand in front of her.

  Andre stepped up beside me, watching with avid interest, though I noticed the way his eyes flickered, keeping careful watch of how close Finn stepped to Regina. At least if she tried some last-ditch bit of magic, with two witches and a magician watching, I knew Finn was more than protected.

  Even with Regina shrieking and thrashing, looking half-crazed at his presence, Finn didn’t flinch. I hadn’t thought my little boy could look so determined, so mature. But I could see the reflection of the man he’d one day become in that moment, and my heart almost burst from the sheer amount of love and pride filling it.

  Finn crouched down next to the ‘Magicless’ woman, and somehow found her hand through the snarl of magic threads making up Astrid’s binding spell. Once he’d freed her palm and fingers, Finn pressed that glowing silver coin to her skin.

  Regina went still, like she’d been frozen.

  Her eyes lost some of that wild edge, the muscles in her face relaxing, making her look less like a skeleton wearing a person suit. Her fingers slowly folded closed around the coin, and then she clutched at it, hard enough that all the blood blanched out of her knuckles. Hard enough that it had to have been digging into the palm of her hand, but if it hurt her, she made no sign of it. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

  Andre stiffened beside me, tension running through his body. “That’s not possible,” he murmured, shaking his head as his eyes went wide. “It’s just not possible.”

  “What?” I glanced at him, but I wasn’t willing to take my eyes off Finn for long, not with him standing so close to the woman who, only minutes ago, had been snapping at the air like a feral dog. “What isn’t possible?”

  Andre shook his head, looking somewhere between shocked and amazed. “Some magicians lose their hope and go dark—become ‘the Magicless’. Sometimes it’s hard to keep hope alive. But you’re not supposed to be able to sway someone back and yet...” He swallowed hard, throat bobbing with the motion. “That’s exactly what it appears he’s doing.”

  “What is what he’s doing?” I asked, completely lost.

  Andre looked at me. “Finn is giving Regina her hope again. And,” a wide, incredulous grin stretched across his handsome face, crinkling the corners of his eyes. “It looks like it’s working.”

  I turned back to face my son and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Regina’s face crumpled, and her shoulders heaved with the first wrenching sobs that tore their way out of her chest.

  It wasn’t a hopeless weeping, like when you know there’s absolutely no recourse in a situation, and the only thing left to do is cry, to give up. No, this weeping almost sounded cathartic, as if a dam had burst open somewhere inside her and all the water was surging free at once, knocking away the accumulated sludge until the river could run clean again. Whatever horrible emotions had been choking Regina Rose, they were all being torn free now, washed clean.

  Finn stayed at her side, speaking quietly. It looked like she was listening, really hearing whatever he was saying to her, even over those loud, chest shaking sobs. Eventually, she slumped over on her side on the ground, but her hand stayed locked closed over the coin. I didn’t think someone could have pried it away from her if they’d tried.

  After a moment, Finn stood up again. He wasn’t exactly smiling, but there was something like satisfaction in his face. He glanced down at Regina, then back up at me.

  “She’ll be alright,” he said quietly.

  And then I ruined his cool moment by rushing forward to wrap my arms around him. He didn’t even protest, just hugged me back, his head buried in my shoulder as I held him as tightly as I could. He was solid, and real in my arms, and that was worth more to me than any magic in the world.

  Epilogue

  As it turned out, Finn was right.

  Regina was pretty distraught, pale and kind of listless, but she did seem to be recovering. Olga and Betanya were keeping an eye on her until Andre could get her to another magician, one with more extensive knowledge of rejuvenating magic, to see if she could be healed fully. Andre seemed thrilled at the possibility, and extremely hopeful that she could be brought back to the light, as it were.

  Unfortunately, that meant he’d have to leave Haven Hollow, and much to Finn’s disappointment, it meant he’d also have to take Ouire when he left. They’d need the book if they were going to help Regina Rose come back to herself, which Finn understood.

  Andre was nice enough to join us for a kind of farewell dinner, so that Finn could say goodbye to Ouire, or Vellum, properly before they had to go. Yes, I’d fought myself over whether or not it was the right thing to have Andre over, when I had a boyfriend. I even debated over whether or not to invite Marty, but then I decided it really was a non-issue because Andre was leaving and I doubted I’d ever see him again. He’d made a point to mention that he was a traveling magician and that meant he did exactly that—traveled.

  Even though my heart hurt at the idea that this was it, I decided in the end, that there was no harm in thanking Andre with a home-cooked meal, all with my son present, and then wishing him good luck with Regina, and with his life in general. Even though my feelings towards him definitely piqued my curiosity, in the long run they didn’t matter because our paths were going in very different directions.

  It was odd, having Andre at the farm house. Not because he didn’t fit in here, but because he fit in a little too well. It felt like he’d always been here with us, his ridiculous black slacks and sweater combination not even seeming out of place against the comfortable coziness of our furniture and décor.

  Lemon and rosemary chicken with a green bean casserole probably wasn’t very exciting to a globe-trotting magician, but Andre seemed genuinely delighted by it, anyway.

  “—and then the next night, when the ghost started lifting my bed off the ground again, Mom came out of the closet where she’d been waiting.” Finn gestured expansively, somehow never losing his hold on Ouire in his lap. The book wriggled like an excited terrier, red-ribbon bookmark wagging madly. “And she hit it with a banishment potion!”

  “You don’t say!” Andre answered, eyes wide.

  Finn nodded. “I do say! And the ghost really didn’t like that, but it only weakened him. So, she hit him with another potion, and then another. The ghost finally turned on her and chased her out of the room. But she managed to hit it with two more potions, and it kicked the ghost out. Well, one of them, anyways. The other ghost followed us here, but she’s okay, I guess. Her name’s Darla and she’s not a ghost anymore. She still talks weird, though.”

  Andre listened raptly through Finn’s story about the poltergeist that used to haunt our old house back in Silver Lake, just before we’d moved to the Hollow. And to think, back then, my biggest worry had been a ghost paying too much attention on my son. If I’d only known what I was in for, what we both were in for.

  Andre tilted his head, glancing between Finn and I. “Not a ghost, anymore? What is she, then?”

  “Oh, Darla’s human now.” Finn ate another green bean, then offered one to Ouire, but the book didn’t seem interested. “She can talk to ghosts, though.”

  I laughed, a little nervously, when Andre raised a brow in my direction, as if seeking confirmation. Darla’s status as an ex-ghost wasn’t something we usually shared. It wasn’t our secret to tell. And while Finn clearly trusted Andre completely, and so did I, that didn’t mean I wanted to share someone else’s secret.

  “Darla is human now,” I confirmed. “Freak magical accident plus one hundred-year-old ghost, and bam.”

  Andre shook his head, but not like he didn’t believe it, more like he was amazed by it. “Remarkable,” was all he said.

  Ouire had flipped open, laying pages down on Finn’s lap, and the latter was running a careful hand down the book’s spine. The dejected expression on his face made my heart hurt.

  Andre must have felt the same, because he draped his elbows on the table and leaned closer to Finn, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t think this is good-bye. It’s just, more of a: see you later. Ouire has to come with me for now, Finn, but I’ll be sending him back to you sometime soon.”

  Finn perked up, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Really?”

  “Cross my heart,” Andre replied solemnly, drawing an ‘X’ over his chest. “You’re going to need training for your gift, after all. Why do you think the old boy showed up at your door in the first place?”

  Finn glanced at me, and I gave him an encouraging smile as I wondered if Ouire would be the only one to show up or if Andre would be with him. I hoped Andre would be with him.

  “But I thought you said Velum, sorry, Ouire, just likes to wander?” Finn asked.

  Andre shook his head, the corners of his eyes crinkling, revealing fine lines that exposed his age. Just what that age was, I still wasn’t sure, but mentally added it to the long list of questions I already had for him. But then reminded myself that list of questions didn’t really matter, anyway...

  “Haven Hollow was no accidental visit, Finn. Ouire sought you out because of your gifts,” Andre answered. “The book found its new owner.”

  Finn’s face was luminous, joy painting his features rosy. “Really? He can really come and stay with me?”

  “I honestly don’t think I could stop him if I tried,” Andre answered on a laugh, pausing to take a sip from his water glass. “The silly chap’s a bit of an escape artist, if I haven’t mentioned it before.” Then he gave Finn a conspiratorial smile. “You’re in for a handful.”

  Andre winked then, and Finn actually giggled.

  I wished I could have frozen the moment and kept it forever in a little glass bottle. It all just felt so perfect, like some part of me was nodding its head saying, ‘yes, this is how it’s meant to be. This is right.’

  But time just kept moving forward, and eventually the events of the day, the past week, the past month caught up with Finn, and his blinks kept stretching longer and longer, until I thought he was going to face plant into the mashed potatoes.

  He didn’t even grumble much when I told him it was time for bed. Instead, he just hugged Ouire tight while the book wriggled in his arms. Then, placing the book down on the kitchen table, Finn turned, and much to the man’s surprise, threw his arms around Andre and hugged him.

  It only took a second and then Andre wrapped his arm around Finn’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze in return. “You take care, young man. And keep doing what you’re doing. The path of a magician can be a difficult one, but it is worth it, I promise you that. And you’re going to be an amazing magician some day.”

  “Thanks, Andre,” Finn mumbled against his shirt. “I’m going to miss you.”

  Andre’s eyes met mine over the top of Finn’s head. He swallowed hard enough that I could see it.

  “I’m going to miss you too, my boy,” he said, voice suddenly hoarse.

  ***

  After Finn had gone upstairs to get into his pajamas and brush his teeth, I walked Andre to the front door. Each step felt like another bruise on my heart, which was ridiculous. I didn’t even know the man. Or rather, I did, but I shouldn’t have. We’d only spent a few days together, but I knew him. It was like I recognized him from somewhere, another life maybe.

  I didn’t want him to go, that was the truth. I knew he had to, that there were very good, important reasons for why he had to go, but that didn’t change the fact that I wanted to grab hold of his hand and beg him to stay.

  We stepped out onto the front porch together, and I wrapped my cardigan a little more firmly around myself in the face of the mid-June chill, which really didn’t make much sense, considering it was now summer. It was almost as if the elements were reflecting the chill inside me.

  Andre held out his hands, and I took them without a second thought. We fit together so perfectly, his long, slender fingers folding around my smaller palms. It was like two puzzle pieces clicking into place.

  He just stood there for a long moment, holding my hands, staring down at me. We stood close enough that I could feel the heat emanating from his body, but not close enough to brush against each other. The moment felt drawn out like toffee on a chilly day, sweet and golden, but at the same time it flew by way too quickly.

  “Poppy, I…” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head as if he couldn’t find the words he wanted to say.

  From the moment I’d met him, Andre had always seemed so cool and collected, minus the time he first met my eyes and dropped my box of potions. Since then, he’d always seemed to know what to do, what to say. He was a calm, steady presence.

  But watching him struggle to find the right words now, feeling him clutch at my hands like he couldn’t bring himself to let go, it set off fireworks in my chest, all brilliant colors and explosive joy.

  It’s what gave me the courage to lean a little closer, to whisper, “I hope this isn’t goodbye for good.”

  He huffed a laugh, his dark hair falling across his forehead. It made him seem a little less put together, a little less polished. “I know the feeling.”

  He looked down at our joined hands and gave mine a gentle squeeze. “Poppy, I will be back as soon as I’m able. But I won’t know when that is. With the state of things as they are…” he shook his head, a sigh ghosting from his lips. “It could be some time. But I promise you…” He looked up at me then and his eyes were narrowed on mine, serious with intent. “I will be back.”

  The cold settling into my bones had nothing to do with the night breeze, but I forced my lips up into a smile. “Then it’s not goodbye. It’s… see you later, right?”

  “Right.” He nodded firmly, like he was trying to convince himself. “It’s simply… see you later, Poppy.”

  He released my hands slowly, reluctantly. Our fingers slid against each other as they slipped apart, and a shiver danced up my spine.

  He took a step back, and it felt like something between us was stretching, pulling taut, like there was an elastic band tied between us. Andre took another step, and it pulled tighter, until I wanted to move forward to close the distance again. I didn’t, I stayed put on my porch as I reminded myself that whatever this was, now wasn’t the time for it. Not when I had a boyfriend, not when I wasn’t sure how I felt towards that boyfriend, and not when that relationship was a mystery I still had to figure out.

  You have to let him go, I said to myself and I wasn’t really sure if I was talking about Marty or Andre.

  My arms wrapped around my chest like I was trying to hold myself together…

  ***

  I stayed there, standing on the porch for a long time after Andre left.

  The wind tugged at my cardigan, tossed my hair gently around my face, but I couldn’t bring myself to go back inside.

  That strange tugging feeling I’d felt as Andre walked away had lessened, but it hadn’t gone entirely. But it was soon smothered by a towering wave of guilt as soon as I thought about Marty.

  Marty was a good guy, a great guy. I was lucky to have him in my life.

  Any rational person would have advised me not to feel something for some random magician who blew in and out of town just like that. That would be ridiculous to build something on… well, on nothing.

  I’d known Andre for all of three days, and regardless of the strange sense of familiarity between us, I didn’t know him. Not really.

  It was just gratitude, I told myself firmly. What you feel for Andre… it’s just gratitude.

  Andre had helped me save Finn, had brought my son’s smile back. And if Andre kept his word to Finn, then that meant he’d help guide Finn along the path to becoming a magician, and he’d make sure Finn stayed safe while he explored his new powers.

  Of course, I was grateful.

  That was all it was.

  But even as I stepped inside and headed for the stairs, I didn’t need Finn’s gifts to know I was lying to myself.

  That wasn’t all there was at all.

  And whatever existed between Andre and me, I was fairly sure it had been there for a very long time.

  The End

  ~~~~~

  Return to Haven Hollow in:

  Colonial Corpses

  ~~~~~

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