Free Fire Spell by T.A. Foster

didn’t know much, but I knew the hooded man was pure evil. Evil like I had never encountered except in my worst nightmares.
    His cape enveloped him like a black cloud, and he turned to enter one of the doors under the turret. A few seconds later, I saw my grandmother and Leo walk to the center of the courtyard and push off for flight. They were silent as they flew back to the park. There was no doubt I was glad to be away from the island, but new fear had gripped me and I didn’t know if I would ever be able to shake it. I had seen evil’s face.
    They touched down next to Leo’s car. I was careful to make a soft landing nearby.
    “I didn’t think there would be that many here so quickly,” Lily whispered.
    “No, me either. It’s still four weeks until the full moon.” Leo looked worried. He had lost his carefree smirk.
    “I think we need to call the council together right now. They have to know what we’re dealing with.”
    “All right, let’s go.”
    They entered the car, shed their Fade Spells , and Leo sped off toward town. I had to follow them, but fatigue was starting to set in. I didn’t know how much more I could process tonight.
    I trailed them along narrow corridors until the car stopped near a museum. They were still dressed in black and looked like thieves as they tiptoed along the sidewalk to the back of the building.
    Leo pulled on the handle and ushered my grandmother in. I would have to wait to let myself in once they were away from the door. I landed on the stoop, counted to five, and braced myself for meeting the council.
    The hallway was dark and smelled musty like an old garage. I guess this is what the back of museums smell like. I followed the murmur of voices. At the end of the hall, I turned for the next corridor and stopped. A group of witches was gathered in the break room; my grandmother and Leo were in the center.
    “Lily, you think all one hundred were there?” A man with a goatee and striped bow tie asked. He looked like a museum curator.
    “One hundred?” a shorter woman piped in over the group’s rumblings.
    Leo put his hand in the air to quiet the crowd. “We both scoured the area. They have all assembled.”
    The shock and awe fell on the room.
    “Listen, let’s calm down.” The bowtie man seemed to be the leader. “Leo, Lily, thank you for your work tonight.” He nodded at them. “We knew this was going to be a tough battle, but you both signed on knowing that ridding the world of evil wouldn’t be easy. If it were that easy, it would have been taken care of. Your families have selected you, because you each have special skills. Skills that are necessary to bring light back into the world.”
    Everyone’s heads bobbed in agreement. “With that being said, we need to move swiftly. They only gather every sixty-five years. This is the year. This is the spring we can take them down. With our Guardian and Laurel, we have the power to extinguish them forever.” He slammed his fist on the table. “No more removing them one at a time. No more tracking them around the world. We can end the plague they have launched at us in one sweep. If we don’t, we have to wait another sixty-five years.
    Spells that are in place are in jeopardy. Be careful what promises you make and what magic you use. If they are still searching for power, none of our spells are safe.”
    The group was silent. I leaned against the wall, trying to steady my nerves. I wanted to reveal myself more than I ever had. I had questions and desperately needed answers. If I shed my spell now, I could never come back to this moment. What if I needed to observe this meeting again? What if, by revealing myself, I set off some horrific butterfly effect that changed all outcomes? I bit my bottom lip, willing myself to stay hidden.
    A woman with red curly hair leaned over to whisper in the leader’s ear.
    He cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but Jana has picked up on a visitor.”
    I froze. He couldn’t be