by Sonia Parin
Chapter Six
Organic v Organic
“There’s a store,” Luna pointed with her little paw. “The sign says they only stock the freshest produce. That should satisfy the gnome.”
Lexie walked right past the store. Her boots were about to get a rough workout. She knew exactly where they needed to go. “Mrs. Ellsworth made it plainly clear. It has to be the purest produce.”
Luna rushed toward the store. “Look, it says on the sign it is pure. Organic is organic and it’s only a couple of minutes from the apartment. This is all time sensitive. Not just for Rebel’s sake but for mine as well. I’m developing a nervous twitch.”
“Luna. They’re two little gnomes. You won’t even know they’re there.” Lexie kept walking. She only knew of one place where she could procure the freshest produce. Pushing out a long breath and calling for patience, she waited for Luna to catch up to her. When she did, she clambered up to her shoulder and curled her tail around Lexie’s neck.
“The gnomes are country bumpkins. They’ll never know the difference,” Luna muttered.
“Something tells me they’ll take exception to you calling them gnomes.”
“Why? It’s what they are.”
“You don’t care to be referred to as a cat. I don’t understand why they stress you out so much. They’re defenseless little creatures.”
Luna twitched her whiskers. “All right. I see your point. But it’s difficult for me to yield to your reasoning. I can’t stop thinking Mrs. Ellsworth would like to have me as a main ingredient in her stew.” Luna pressed her cheek against Lexie’s cheek. “You saw for yourself. She came prepared with implements. Must I suffer the indignity of feeling insecure in my own home?”
“It would be inhospitable to ask them to leave. You know very well I can’t do that.”
Taking another tactic, Luna said, “How dare they impose on you? You are the incoming High Chair. Couldn’t they have landed on someone else’s doorstep? There are plenty of other witches in town.”
There were?
“The fact they live in Cat’s forest makes them Mackenzie gnomes,” Lexie said. “It is our duty. Even if they were generic gnomes, we would still have to give them asylum. It’s only right to help them out until it’s safe for them to return to their homes.”
Luna licked her paw and brushed it against her face. “Did they actually give you assurances? What if they stay? What if they come to like the metropolis? Give them enough to get by but not enough for them to get too comfortable and complacent. There, I’ve said my piece. You won’t hear any more complaints from me.”
Ten seconds later…
“What if they brought a stowaway with them? Who knows what we’ll find when we return. The whole apartment could be under siege. They might even be imposters, sent ahead as scouts to find out our weaknesses and you fell for it. Their plan is already in place. They got us out of the apartment.”
Lexie laughed. “So, you think they went to all that trouble to claim squatter rights.”
“I should never have complained about your humble abode. Now we’ll end up living on the streets.” Luna fell silent again. But not for long. “By the way, we’re being followed.”
Lexie fought the impulse to turn around.
“Unless my eyes deceive me,” Luna added, “and that is not likely, Random O’Rourke is on your trail. I’d include myself, but there are times when I have to at least pretend I have a fighting chance of remaining free. Of course, I’ll do everything in my power to speak up for you. When they capture you, I could give testimony via video link so my whereabouts remain anonymous. Yes, I have an escape plan. Call me overly cautious, but my kind have survived through centuries of persecution, so the habit is inbred. I’m not about to be the first in my line to be captured and thrown into a dungeon.”
“Why would they want to capture me?” Lexie asked.
Luna’s eyes widened. “I see. You are in denial. Would you like me to remind you what happened several days ago at the warehouse?”
“No.” Lexie scanned the street for signs of other O’Rourke detectives. “Are you sure it’s Random?” They’d recently met the O’Rourke detective when he’d been part of a task force to locate victims of a serial killer. Lexie had been a key player in finding the killer, but that hadn’t been enough for her…
Random had witnessed Lexie’s act of vigilante justice. He’d warned her of the repercussions but she hadn’t listened. He had a job to do and that included capturing renegade witches so they could face the Coven Disciplinary Board.
Lexie felt Luna grow still and suspected she had heard the thought. She waited to see if she would voice her opinion on the matter, but she didn’t.
Luna had stood up to the one hundred O’Rourke detectives who’d appeared. If not for Luna’s heroic action, she would no doubt be languishing in an O’Rourke dungeon.
Luna lowered her head and said, “There’s another O’Rourke detective across the street. I suggest taking evasive action.”
Lexie continued walking. She knew of only one place where she could find the ingredients Mrs. Ellsworth had asked for. She would have to visit the Crone’s realm. That meant, she would have to go to O’Connor’s Bar and access Jonathan’s inner sanctum. The room in the cellar had a small fairytale like door leading to the other realm. As far as Lexie knew, there was no other way in.
She turned the corner, looked across the street and stopped. The O’Rourke detectives hadn’t taken her in. The Coven Disciplinary Board hadn’t issued an arrest warrant, not that she knew of. Yet…
They were keeping tabs on her.
“If you ask me,” Luna said, “they’re waiting to catch you in the act again. Do you know what happens to rogue witches? Of course, you do. You’ve already encountered a couple and you saw what the O’Rourke detectives did with them.”
“I’m not a rogue witch.”
“Is that your line of defense?” Luna snorted. “You’ll need to be more convincing than that. In your place, I’d lawyer up.”
“I did nothing wrong,” Lexie answered, her tone distracted as she scanned the street. Just how many detectives had they sent out to keep an eye on her? And what was their endgame? “Come on. We’ll go in the back way.”
Luna’s whiskers twitched. “There is no back way.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I’m afraid I do. You know what they say. Ignorance is bliss. Sometimes I like to pretend I don’t know what’s about to happen but then my superior intellect prods me. You’re going to click your heels and transport us inside. At least I get to land on top of you while you land on your butt.”
“Is Random still following us?” Lexie asked.
“No. He might have shifted or whatever it is the O’Rourke detectives do. Now I’m thinking this might be a trap and the gnomes are in on it. They got you to take action, and the O’Rourkes are waiting to ambush you. Yes, they flushed you out of hiding.”
“You’re full of conspiracy theories today,” Lexie mused and ducked inside a store opposite the pub.
“Let me guess, you’re trying to shake them off.”
“I only want to get the lay of the land.”
“They should give you a medal, not try to haul you to the dungeons,” Luna said.
Inside the store, Lexie looked out the window. Had the O’Rourke detectives been keeping an eye on her all this time? Since the episode with the serial killer, they hadn’t stepped out of the apartment. But that wasn’t unusual for Lexie. Looking around her, she saw a stack of backpacks. “We might need one of these for the ingredients.” She grabbed one and took it over to the cashier.
“Oh, what’s that?” Luna asked and leaned forward.
“It’s an impulse purchase item,” Lexie whispered.
“Yes, but what is it?”
“It’s… a cow.” Studying it, she added, “It’s used to pour milk.”
Luna sniffed it. “Milk comes from cows so I guess that makes sense. Sort
of.”
“It’s a novelty item, Luna.”
“Will you get it for me?”
Lexie picked it up. When she tipped it, the cow made a moo sound.
“Oh, yes please. Can I have it? Please. Please.”
Setting it next to the backpack, Lexie drew out a few bills and paid for her purchases.
“You should get a baseball cap and sunglasses. Oh, and a hoodie.”
“I didn’t realize you were so familiar with disguises.”
“A wig too,” Luna purred. “You’d look good as a blonde. Actually, I should play it safe and disguise myself too.”
When Lexie looked at her, Luna’s shiny black fur had turned white. “I forgot you could do that.”
“I think if you put your mind to it, you might be able to do it too.”
As far as Lexie knew, she had the elements at her disposal. Earth. Wind. Fire and water. She’d never heard any mention of hair dye, she thought.
Luna pressed her cheek against Lexie’s. Her voice lowered as she asked, “Do you think Rebel will be all right?”
“Of course. She will make a full recovery,” Lexie assured her. “Mrs. Ellsworth is looking after her.” Stepping up to the store window, Lexie scanned the street. The O’Rourke detective outside the pub had gone. “I think the coast is clear, but we’ll play it safe and go around to the back of the pub.”
Exiting the store, she tried to blend in and match her steps to everyone else’s. She even took the extra precaution and crossed the street at the lights. When she reached the sidewalk, she thought she caught sight of an O’Rourke detective.
A whisper of a thought crossed her mind. In the next instant, a gust of wind swept down the street sending everyone scurrying for cover.
“Did you do that?” Luna asked.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Good thinking. I haven’t seen you meditating lately. Have you been practicing getting in touch with the elements?”
“Have I had the time to practice?” She hurried down an alley. After a quick glance over her shoulder, she closed her eyes and pictured the door leading to Jonathan’s inner sanctum.
She’d never bothered to pay attention to that split second in time when she shifted from one place to another. This time, however, she noticed something different. A swishing sound.
“That was me,” Luna said. “I thought you might need special sound effects.”
Lexie opened her eyes. She’d hit a bull’s eye and had landed right outside Jonathan’s inner sanctum. “Okay. This is an improvement. I’m standing. Luna?”
“Right here. Hanging off your back. Holding on to dear sweet life. I’m afraid your leather jacket has suffered some damage.”
“What do you mean?”
“I might have sunk my claws in. You forgot to tell me to hold on and you moved rather swiftly… So, I might have slipped off your shoulder.” Luna leaped off and landed by Lexie’s feet to lick her paw. “Leather is rather tough.”
Lexie looked up the stairs that lead to the bar. Conversations and laughter mingled with the clinking of glasses. Business as usual, Lexie thought. Jonathan hadn’t mentioned anything about the O’Rourke detectives coming after her. If anyone knew of any impending danger, he would. As her guardian, he had the task of watching her back. Jonathan had given her a heads-up before. He would again. She knew she could count on him.
Distracted, she pressed her hand against the door and ended up going right through it.
She found Luna already inside preening herself.
A candle flickered to life casting a soft light over the leather-bound tome sitting on the lectern.
“Oh, let’s have a peek inside your Chronicle.”
“No time for that, Luna. Come on. If we don’t get back soon, Mrs. Ellsworth is going to enjoy giving me an earful.” She strode toward the small fairy tale door in the far corner. A part of her urged her to take care. The last time they’d gone through it, they’d ended up being chased by a force dwelling within the Well of Tortured Souls…
Luna strode up to the door, with each step she took her fur changed from white to black. “White is too difficult to keep clean.”
“It’s now or never.” Lexie slung the backpack she’d purchased over her shoulder and followed Luna through the door.
Chapter Seven
The Crone’s realm
“Why is the forest in perpetual darkness?” Lexie asked.
“To discourage unwanted visitors. That’s my guess,” Luna said. “Even if it is meant for us, the Crone should know better than to try such a cheap trick. We are indefatigable. Persisting tirelessly until we achieve our goal. I thought I’d tag that on just in case you didn’t know what the word indefatigable meant.”
Lexie kept her focus on the path. From experience, she knew they couldn’t stray away from it. She hadn’t asked for explanations. For all she knew, the Crone’s fairy might have been having fun at her expense, issuing a warning that would have her on tenterhooks.
“Wait a minute,” Luna seethed. “I didn’t question your decision to go through the door. As your loyal feline companion, I understand there are times when I simply have to blindly follow wherever you go, but I don’t recall you ever mentioning visiting the Crone. I’m going to have to draw the line. You know how she feels about me and, needless to say, the feeling is mutual.”
Lexie tried to ignore Luna’s rumbling. Hard to do when she had no idea how to tune her out. “Maybe she’s allergic to cat hair. Did you ever consider that?”
Luna emitted a soft kitty growl. “Here comes Trouble.”
Narrowing her gaze, Lexie saw a tiny light in the distance. Had the fairy been sent to greet them? As Trouble drew nearer, she seemed to pick up speed. If she didn’t slow down, she’d crash straight into her.
At the last minute, the light swooped down.
“Um… Luna. I think you need to dive for cover.”
Luna screeched. “Yikes. I’m not going down without a fight.”
Lexie could just make out the shape of Luna swiping at the fairy and the fairy dancing away only to dive back down.
“All right. That’s enough. The both of you need to behave,” Lexie warned.
Trouble pulled away and shot up to hover in front of Lexie. A soft light glowed around the fairy so Lexie could see she meant business. “What have you done with Rebel?” Trouble spat out.
The fairies had only recently met. How had news traveled so quickly?
Luna leaped up onto Lexie’s shoulder and sat there snarling softly.
“Rebel is fine,” Lexie assured her. “She’s… she’s just come down with a cold. There’s someone looking after her.”
Trouble crossed her arms and scowled at her. “How do I know you’re telling the truth? And what sort of High Chair are you? You’re supposed to look after your fairy. Even the Crone knows that and she only ever thinks of herself.”
Sensing Luna’s intention to take another swipe at Trouble, Lexie grabbed her and held her under her arms.
“I’m trying to look after her. That’s why I’m here. I need to see the Crone.”
“She doesn’t want to see you,” Trouble spat out. “She’s been in a snit since your last visit. It would be better for everyone concerned if you stayed away.”
“Yeah, well… that’s not going to happen. Like I said, I’m trying to take care of Rebel.” She dug inside her pocket and produced the list Mrs. Ellsworth had given her. “I need to get these items and the Crone told me this realm is the only place where fruit and vegetables grow in their purest form. Rebel is sick. Do you want her to get worse?”
Trouble bit into her bottom lip and looked over her shoulder, presumably toward the Crone’s cottage. Lexie couldn’t tell because the forest remained too dark for her to see anything clearly.
“I’m not going anywhere until I see the Crone.” Lexie leaned in and whispered, “If she mistreats you… You can come back with us.”
Luna stiffened and then tried to scramble her w
ay free. “You did not just say that. Another fairy? Out of the question.”
Trouble smirked. “I might just take you up on your offer.” She nudged her head toward the cottage. “Follow me.”
“I wish to lodge an official complaint,” Luna whined. “I’ll be outnumbered. What am I saying? I’m already outnumbered…”
Lexie put her hand over Luna’s mouth. Not that it did any good since her feline companion had other ways of projecting her voice.
“You can forget about me sticking up for you again,” Luna growled. “See if the fairies will come to your rescue.”
They left the dark forest behind and walked into the bright light of day. Lexie looked around her in awe. There were beds of flowers in all colors of the rainbow and fruit trees. Lexie saw an apple tree near the side of the cottage and crossed one item off her list. She spotted a gnome working in a field of bright red poppies. Hearing the crunch of her steps on the gravel path, he ducked for cover.
“The Crone is working on her potions,” Trouble said. “I’ll take you in but the rest is up to you.”
Luna hissed. “See, I told you. No fairy will ever watch your back.”
Trouble blew her a raspberry. “Needless to say, the cat stays out here.”
Luna managed to contain herself for a solid second before escaping Lexie’s hold and erupting into a frenzied sprint around the front yard.
As she strode into the cottage, Lexie made a note to make it up to her. “This is going to cost me. Big time.”
She heard a melodic hum coming from inside the cottage. Heading toward the sitting room, she found the Crone dusting a display of flasks.
The Crone looked up and said, “I knew you’d be back. I got your number the first time you came to visit. You’re the type who always turns up when you want something.”
Lexie plunged right in. “My fairy is sick. I have a gnome looking after her and she needs some special ingredients to make a healing broth. I need you to point me in the right direction.”
