Margali's Spell

Kurt stared out of his caravan window. The circus troupe were all busily dismantling the circus, taking down tents, fetching and carrying various pieces of circus equipment, and generally clearing the area. It was a sombre affair, with people rarely talking to each other, and when they did, their conversations were limited to where certain objects should be placed and stored. Jimaine entered the caravan, and came over to where Kurt was staring out of the window. "You're not missing much," she said, looking out at the circus troupe, "everyone's barely said a word to each other."

"I should be out there," Kurt said, looking down, shame and guilt written all over his face, "I'm the reason we have to pack up early, after all. The least I should do is help them out."

Jimaine shook her head. "When Mother and the doctor examined you earlier, they agreed that you were fine, but it's not like Margali to take chances, especially not with us. She says you should rest, so that means you should rest. You've got a good excuse, and besides, do you really want to risk angering Mother?"

"No," Kurt admitted, "but honestly, I feel fine. It just seems wrong that I'm not helping, that's all."

"Because you're the only one who can reach certain high places?" Jimaine laughed. "This is a circus, Kurt. You're not the only acrobat here. There are plenty of others who can perform your tasks when necessary. Admittedly, not nearly as quickly as you can do them, but as far as dismantling the circus is concerned, you are not completely irreplaceable."

Kurt smiled at her, and then turned his attention back to the window. "How's it going, anyway?" he asked.

Jimaine merely shrugged. "As well as can be expected, I suppose," she said, "everyone is doing what needs to be done, but it's not much fun," she sighed, "usually when we have to pack up and leave somewhere it's an occasion for celebration, with everyone discussing how things went in the town, lots of laughter, and one too many drunken songs for Margali's liking." She grinned, but it soon faded. "Not this time, though. It's quiet, concentrated, and sombre. Everyone's determined to get everything packed up and moved as soon as possible, leaving no evidence that we were ever here."

"Because of me," Kurt said sadly.

Jimaine sighed. "Something like this was going to happen sooner or later, Stefan, Mother and I have always said that it was just a matter of time until something like this happened. It's a shame that it had to happen the night before our final show here, but that's how it is. We're all alive, we're together, and things could be a lot worse."

"And I'm cooped up here while the rest of you are doing all of the work," Kurt added.

Jimaine shrugged again. "There's not much more to do now, anyway. Mother insisted that I come and see how you're doing, and to be perfectly honest, I was glad for the excuse to get away from everyone. It's so quiet out there, so unlike what I'm used to. It seemed weird, almost unnatural. Still, things should be better when we leave this place."

"When will that be?" Kurt asked, watching as two acrobats carried a large pole towards a bright yellow caravan.

"As soon as we can," Jimaine replied, "once everything's all put away and organised, we'll be on the move. Mother wants to do the spell as soon as possible after everything's packed away, and that means she's not going to let anyone slack off at all. The spell will prevent the town's people from knowing that we were ever here, and it will also remove any trace of our presence. Caravan tracks, that sort of thing. Still, Margali has insisted that just because she intends to perform a spell to remove the memories of our ever being here, that's no excuse for us leaving tracks or any trace of our existence behind. Everything has to be cleared away effectively, the same as always."

"I still don't like the idea of changing people's minds about us being here," said Kurt, "altering people's minds, it seems kind of invasive somehow."

"I said something similar," Jimaine agreed, "but that man, Mortotten, he's got it into his head that you're some sort of evil demon that needs to be hunted and killed. Mother got inside his head, and nothing is going to convince him otherwise, not even her magic. So why try if it's doomed to fail anyway? If we can't convince him, we just convince everyone else that we were never here at all. There's a certain elegance to it, you have to admit."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully. "I forget how powerful Margali is sometimes," he admitted, "I mean, she's just Mum, she keeps the circus going and most of the time, keeps her children from getting into too much trouble. Yet she's also this really powerful sorceress who can do wonderful spells, and has all of these strange abilities."

Jimaine smiled, and hugged Kurt. "She's still Mum," she said, "just because she's also a sorceress doesn't change that, just like me being an acrobat and witch doesn't stop me also being your big sister, and you being a mutant and acrobat doesn't stop you from being my little brother. Kurt, we all have layers, Margali just happens to have really powerful sorceress as one of her layers, that's all."

Kurt turned his attention back to the window, and stared at where the last few poles of the circus were being dismantled and placed into the caravans. "I guess so," he admitted.

"You seem worried," Jimaine observed, watching him intently.

Kurt shook his head. "It's just this spell Mother is going to perform, I mean, is it even possible to alter that many minds all at once?" he asked. "I've never heard of her doing anything like that before."

"I've spoken to her about that," Jimaine replied, "she's done it before, long before we were born, it's not something she likes doing. She says that some people will remember bits, those with strong minds and very powerful memories, but even in those instances, it will just be fragments, as though memories from nearly forgotten dreams. They will simply think that they dreamed those fragments, or that they are half-remembered experiences from other times when they visited circuses long ago." Jimaine smiled. "You don't have to worry about that."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully. "Will we ever come back here?" he asked, a little wistfully.

Jimaine merely shrugged. "Maybe," she said, "but not for a few years at least. Mother wants to make sure that the wizard Morttoten has left here before we return here again. That means that we should not be returning here for a good long while."

Kurt sighed quietly to himself. "It's a shame, I rather like this town," he said.

"You'll like the town were going to just as much as this one," Jimaine assured him, "once Mother has completed the spell, we can start travelling west. Mother wants us to cross the border by midnight, as there will be fewer people around asking awkward questions if we travel in the middle of the night. Then we can set up the circus again in the new country, and start again in a brand new town without having to worry about annoying wizards trying to kill you, won't that be nice?"

Kurt looked like he was about to reply, when Stefan burst through the door of the caravan, and grinned at Jimaine and Kurt. "Well, that's everything," he said, sitting down next to Kurt, "we can be on the move as soon as Margali finishes the spell. We should be across the border and into the new land before midnight, how does that make you feel, my beautiful siblings?" he gave them one of his most charming smiles.

"I just wish this wasn't necessary," Kurt admitted, "I rather like it here. Or I did, until I was attacked," he amended.

Stefan got up and hugged Kurt, giving him a bright smile. "Never fear, my little brother, I have a surprise for you when we cross the border, which I think will cheer you up," he said, winking at Kurt.

"Why do I feel worried?" Jimaine asked sarcastically. "Don't get him into trouble, Stefan, I know what you're like," she said.

"Me?" Stefan asked in mock hurt, getting to his feet and placing a hand over his heart in a theatrical manner. "You wound me deeply, little sister. Would I lead anyone into trouble?"

"Yes," Jimaine said decisively, turning away from Stefan and looking out of the window, "and talking about trouble, Mother's just about to do her spell, so be quiet, both of you," she said, "I want to watch and learn, in case I ever need to perform a similar spell in the future."

Stefan and Kurt merely shrugged at each other, but clearly had enough sense to remain silent, as they watched Margali change into a powerful green being with long green hair. There was a flash of lightning in the air, and the sky became purple, and then blue, and then black, as Margali chanted an incantation in a strange language that Kitty did not understand. Then there was a moment of silence, as Jimaine, Kurt and Stefan looked at each other, uncertainty written all over their faces. Finally, Stefan broke the silence. "Did it work?" he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course it worked," Margali replied, entering the caravan. She was no longer in her powerful green form, and she looked older somehow, more haggard, and her hair was untidy and limp. It was clear that the spell had worn her out, as she slumped on a chair opposite Stefan and Kurt. "I'm getting too old for this," she muttered, smiling up at Jimaine as she gave her a glass of water, "thank you, child," she said. She sipped the water for a moment, before turning her attention back to her worried children. "The spell worked, just as I said it would," she said, "we will be out of this town within an hour, and across the border by midnight. Right now, I suggest that you all get some sleep, we will have a busy day setting up tomorrow, and I for one feel completely tired and drained." With that, she left towards the bedroom section of the caravan, and the magic mirror darkened once more.