“What an…interesting suggestion,” Alec replied. “Something you would do in the human world?”
I cleared my throat. “Nope. Not me.”
Alec gazed at me with affection. “I rather like this maze. It’s as though we’ve been transported to another world where it’s only the two of us.”
I gestured to the minotaur. “Technically, it’s the three of us.”
Voices over the hedge suggested others were working their way to the center of the maze. “Ah, it appears our isolation is short-lived. We should make haste.”
I tried to hide my disappointment. “Come on, Alec. Time to find our back to reality.”
Chapter 2
Marley was every bit as excited as I expected to see the sand sculptures after school. I took her through the castle and watched her marvel at every detail, including some I’d missed the first time.
“A two-headed axe,” she exclaimed, lightly touching the sand axe affixed to the wall of the castle. “The sculptor is so talented."
"She's a teacher over at the high school," I said. "Maybe she’ll teach you history when you get there.”
"Not if I attend the Black Cloak Academy," Marley replied.
"Don't get your hopes up," I advised. "We don't know for certain that your magic will manifest next year. You need to be patient." Not a virtue for either one of us, sadly.
"It will," Marley insisted. "I can feel it." She closed her eyes as though to emphasize the point. “I’ll come into my magic at eleven, just like I’m supposed to.”
“There’s no ’supposed to,’” I said firmly. “Your father was a human, so there’s no guarantee. And, remember, I didn’t come into my magic until this year.”
“That’s only because of your dad,” Marley countered. “If he hadn’t done a suppression spell on you, you’d have known you were a witch years ago. Our ancestor is the One True Witch. That means our magic is super strong.”
I had no desire to get into an argument about a past I couldn’t change. "The sun is starting to set,” I said. “We should hurry before it gets too dark to see the rest."
We exited the castle and I demonstrated the maze to Marley. It was much easier now that I knew the correct twists and turns. I tried to block out the image of Alec’s elegant body moving alongside mine as we explored the perfectly formed paths.
"This minotaur is awesome," Marley said, admiring the structure. She jumped up to try to touch the giant horns on his head, but she was too short to reach.
"I'd lift you up, but you know I’d throw my back out," I said. My lower back was the bane of my existence. I could sneeze wrong and end up in bed for two days.
Marley cocked her head. "Why don't you use magic? You have your wand, don't you?"
I frowned. "I don't know any spells that would give you a boost. I’m still a beginner, remember?” I hadn’t even scratched the surface of my magic powers yet. My aunt was determined that I be a star pupil, though, and had set me up with various tutors to hurry the process along. I had no doubt that she viewed my abilities as a reflection on her and was trying to avoid embarrassment.
"Think of all the basic spells you've done so far," Marley said. "I'm sure you can modify one of them for this purpose."
“For this purpose?" I repeated. "One of these days, Marley Rose, you’re going to sound like a child. Promise me that."
She gave me a broad smile. "When I'm ninety and suffering from dementia, then I promise."
I crossed my arms. "If you’re ninety, that means I'll be…" I didn't dare say the word. Marley was far too anxious for me to mention the possibility of my death, even as a joke. Having lost her father at a young age, she tended to be clingier than most kids her age. I had to admit, though, since we arrived in Starry Hollow, she’d loosened up quite a bit. It was a welcome change.
Marley studied the height of the minotaur. “You know what? I’m having flashbacks of McDonald’s when you had to rescue me from the top of the slide because it was too high.”
I didn’t miss the toddler days one single bit. “Good point. Should we leave it then?”
“Yes,” Marley replied. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“To be honest, I’m glad you considered it, if only for a moment,” I said. “It’s good to test your boundaries. Break out of your comfort zone.”
“Says the woman who will only wear one brand of lipstick,” Marley said with a roll of her eyes.
“What? I’m a loyal customer,” I objected.
We found our way out of the maze and Marley pointed to the sand sculpture of the coffin. “We missed that one."
"Okay, fine," I said. "But that's the last one tonight. These sculptures aren't going anywhere for two weeks. We can come back and see the rest another time."
She skipped ahead to the coffin and touched the exterior that was crafted to resemble wood grain. “I don’t know how they do this. It looks so real.”
“I know. You can lift the lid," I told her. "It won't be as cool because the vampire who made it isn't here, but you'll still get a kick out of it."
Marley recoiled. "Nothing will pop out at me, will it?"
I fought the urge to laugh. Like mother, like daughter, apparently.
"No, no," I reassured her. "Thomas made the sand sculpture inside the coffin a likeness of himself. That’s all it is.”
Marley placed a hesitant hand on the lid and slowly lifted. She peeked inside and smiled. "He has a very pleasant face, although his nose is a bit funny."
"What's funny about his nose?" From what I remembered, it was Roman rather than weird.
"I think he's had a nose job," Marley giggled.
I peered over her shoulder to get a better view. She was right. The sculpture seemed to be falling apart. The eyebrows were now blended with the rest of the head and the nose was smashed. Even the body looked more like a cocoon than the detailed vampires cloak from earlier.
"I wonder if Thomas has seen this,” I said. “Maybe he can fix it before the official judging begins.”
At that moment, a gust of wind blew past us, kicking up sand in all directions. The loose sand on the vampire scattered and I gasped in horror.
"Marley, look away,” I snapped.
"Why? What's wrong? Did his cloak blow open?“
If only. I pulled my phone from my pocket. "I need to call the sheriff."
"Because someone tried to sabotage the vampire's sculpture?" Marley asked. "It isn’t really a job for the sheriff, is it?”
I stared into the coffin. “Maybe not…but murder certainly is."
Sheriff Nash swaggered across the sand, looking out of place on the beach in his tight jeans, plaid shirt, and boots. Deputy Bolan was behind him, struggling to keep pace with the werewolf’s longer legs. The leprechaun scowled when he saw me.
"It always has to be you, doesn't it?" the little green deputy asked.
"It's not like I seek it out,” I said. "Marley and I were enjoying the sculptures when we found the body."
Sheriff Nash surveyed the area. "Where’s Marley now?”
"I asked Florian to come pick her up," I said. "She's anxious enough. I didn't want her to see any more than she had to."
"This is certainly going to put a damper on Florian’s big tourist idea," Sheriff Nash mused. "Nice to know that not everything he touches turns to gold. Makes the rest of us mortals feel better about ourselves.”
I squinted at him. "Shouldn't you be more concerned with the dead body in the coffin than whether Florian is getting knocked down a peg?” The sheriff’s prejudice against my family was fairly relentless. He’d made it clear to me on multiple occasions that he disapproved of my family's position of power in the community. In his view, my aunt was a de facto leader in Starry Hollow and he resented her influence.
The sheriff studied the outside of the coffin. "I'd like to look for clues before we destroy it."
"Do you have to destroy it?" I asked. "Thomas worked so hard on it. It seems a shame."
; Sheriff Nash cast a sidelong glance at me. "If you can think of a way of getting the body out without sacrificing the sculpture, feel free to speak up now, but I don’t have time to wait for one of your coven members to get here with a magical plan.”
I was still too green to conjure the right spell. “Go ahead, I guess."
“Now don’t go sulking, Rose,” the sheriff said. “You’ve been a witch for five minutes. You can’t expect to know everything.”
Deputy Bolan took out his phone and began taking pictures of the crime scene. "This won't take long. Then we can excavate the body."
Sheriff Nash looked at me with amusement. "I would've loved to see the look on your face when you realized what was actually inside the coffin."
I made a face. “This whole incident just fills you with pleasure, doesn't it?" I said.
He gave me a lopsided grin. “Don't be like that. You know I like to give you a hard time."
I folded my arms. “Yes, I'm familiar with your certain brand of charm."
He chuckled. "Any idea who's in there?"
"A young man," I said. "That's the extent of my identification skills. I didn't recognize him. No horns or wings that I could see. Honestly, I was more concerned with shielding Marley.”
The sheriff nodded. “Because you’re one of those broomstick mothers.”
“I haven’t even started broomstick lessons yet,” I shot back.
Behind me, Deputy Bolan strangled a laugh.
I fixed him with a menacing stare. “What’s so funny?”
“That’s not what a broomstick mother means,” the leprechaun replied.
“Well, I certainly don’t beat her with one,” I said hotly. Although I wouldn’t mind knocking both of these guys over the head with one right now.
“It means you hover,” Sheriff Nash said, one eye trained on the crime scene. “You need to give her more freedom. Let her experience life a little.”
My jaw tightened. “What do you suggest? That I let her see a few more dead bodies at the tender age of ten? That’s your recommendation? No wonder you and Wyatt are so screwed up.”
He took my barb in stride. “Admit it, you’re a broomstick mama,” he teased. “I’m gonna get you a T-shirt to wear so everyone knows the truth.”
“Go ahead and see where that T-shirt ends up,” I said. Marley called this particular tone of voice ‘getting my Jersey on.’
"All done here," Deputy Bolan said. "How do you want to remove the sand?"
“The old-fashioned way,” the sheriff said. He and his deputy began scraping away the sand.
"He's got pointy ears,” Deputy Bolan said. "I don't recognize him, but I’m going out on a limb and say an elf.”
"We’ll have to try to ID him," the sheriff said. "Contact transport, Bolan.”
Deputy Bolan shot off a text.
"You sure you didn't see anyone out here earlier?” the sheriff asked.
I shook my head. "It was starting to get dark, so Marley and I were finishing up. There wasn’t anyone else around. The coffin was our last stop before we planned to head home."
"And you said the vampire that created this sculpture is called Thomas?" Sheriff Nash typed notes on his phone as he spoke to me.
"That's right," I said. “Thomas Enders.”
“I know the name. Enders runs a funeral home in town,” Deputy Bolan said.
“I guess that explains the coffin,” the sheriff said.
I frowned. “I thought being a vampire explained the coffin.” I sighed. “He was really nice and so proud of his work. He's going to be crushed when he sees this."
"He'll be more disappointed to learn he's part of a murder investigation," the sheriff replied.
I put my hands on my hips. "I highly doubt Thomas is involved in this. He would never want to ruin his creation.”
“You don’t know how long the body has been here. Maybe Thomas chose this sculpture in order to hide the body.”
“He runs a funeral home,” I said tartly. “I would think he’d have easier methods.”
The sheriff shrugged. "Paranormals do desperate things in times of need."
"Like that time we were on a stakeout and you drank too much water,” the deputy said. “You had to shift into wolf form and then peed on the fire hydrant.” The deputy began to laugh at the memory, but stopped abruptly when the sheriff failed to join in.
"Well, I was covering the competition for the newspaper," I said, "but it looks like I’ll be covering a murder instead.” Poor Florian. One of his good deeds was finally going to get recognition, but it would be buried by a true crime event. "Will you call me when you ID him?"
Sheriff Nash gave me a cocky grin. "I'll do you one better. When I find out his name, I'll take you out to dinner and tell you all about it.”
I groaned. “Are you sure you want to keep doing this?" I asked. “We could just leave it at the mild flirtation stage and call it a day.”
He winked at me. "Now, Rose, where's the fun in that?"
Chapter 3
Hazel swept into the cottage, lugging the Big Book of Scribbles. Technically, the book was filled with runes, but to my stubbornly untrained eye, the markings appeared to be nothing more than a toddler’s handiwork.
“You’re going to throw your back out carrying that book around all the time,” I said.
The Mistress-of-Runecraft set the book in front of me and opened to a new section. “My back is as strong as a Kraken’s, I’ll have you know.”
I gave her a curious look. “Seriously? How’d you manage that? Because mine is as strong as an arthritic ninety-year-old’s. It doesn’t seem fair.”
“Stop trying to divert me from the lesson,” Hazel said. She tapped the book with her wand. “There are more runes than minutes in the day, so we have a lot of ground to cover.”
I groaned. “I rue the day I was introduced to runes.”
“That’s not remotely funny,” Hazel said. “However, if you applied yourself to runes with the same gusto, you might actually learn something.”
“Doubtful,” I said. “The only things I like about ancient Egypt are the pyramids and the cat gods.” I held up a finger. “Oh, and that Cleopatra was a badass.”
Hazel sucked in an irritated breath. “How many times must I remind you that runes are not the same as hieroglyphics?”
I shrugged with mock innocence. “As many times as it takes?”
Hazel slammed the book closed, nearly catching my fingers in the process. “I am well aware that runecraft is not your favorite subject, Ember, but let’s not waste each other’s time.”
I pushed back my chair. “Couldn’t agree more. I’ll walk you out.”
Hazel’s wand shot out like a streak of lightning. “Not so fast.” She murmured an incantation under her breath and my body went rigid.
“Are you kidding me?” I couldn’t move a muscle, except my mouth. It was like she’d tied me to the chair with invisible duct tape.
“Maybe next time you’ll be more cooperative,” Hazel said.
“Ha! If you think I’ll learn my lesson, then you don’t know me very well.”
Hazel squinted at me. “That’s not something you should be proud of. Now, on to the lesson. My soap opera’s on at lunchtime and I’m not missing today’s episode. The evil twin is finally going to meet her sister in an epic showdown.”
I laughed. “Hazel, if that’s how you’re spending your time, you need a boyfriend.”
“Says the witch who sleeps with her daughter,” Hazel shot back.
“Hey! That’s not my choice, and Marley has gotten a lot better lately.” It was true. Marley used to insist on sleeping with me every night back in New Jersey. Her arms and legs moved like the hands of a clock, giving me countless bumps and bruises over the years. My injuries had been greatly reduced since we moved to Starry Hollow.
“I’d like you to interpret these runes,” Hazel said, trying to redirect my attention to the newly opened page.
“You’re the Mi
stress-of-Runecraft,” I said. “Shouldn’t you be able to interpret them yourself?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I should’ve included your mouth in that spell.”
“But then I still win,” I said triumphantly. “I get to do nothing.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Hazel said. “I’ll undo the spell if you promise to get through this one page with me today.”
“Where’s the incentive?” I asked. “If I can pass the time sitting here immobile, that’s not so bad.”
She flicked her wand at the chair, which began to bounce. “Had your usual cup of tea this morning, did you?”
It didn’t take long to figure out what she was up to. “Ugh. You win, Hazel.” Everyone knew I had the bladder of a nine-month pregnant woman.
Hazel folded her arms and waited, a mischievous gleam in her eye. The crazed clown was playing hardball with my bladder. I didn’t stand a chance.
“Okay, okay,” I said, more urgently. “I promise to finish the page.”
“Today,” Hazel emphasized.
“Yes, yes. During the allotted lesson time. Now let me go!” My muscles burst free of the spell and I bolted for the bathroom.
From behind the bathroom door, I heard Hazel’s muffled laughter. “I do love being a witch sometimes.”
I washed my hands and yanked open the bathroom door. “I’m a witch, too, remember? You won’t like it once I learn some of these spells and turn the tables on you.” I gesticulated wildly. “The grasshopper will become the master.”
Hazel blinked. “I have no earthly idea what that means.”
“Me neither,” I said. “But I’ve seen enough martial arts movies to know there’s a kid called a grasshopper and the old dude that teaches him is the master.”
Hazel stiffened. “So I’m the old dude in this scenario?”
“What? It means you’re very wise.” I sailed past her and resumed my place at the table.
Hazel pointed to the first line of runes at the top of the page. “Can you tell me what these mean?”
“Only if you can tell me when I’ll ever use runes in everyday life,” I replied. “Do I need them to pay bills? Grocery shop?”
Magic & Mayhem Page 2
