Witch Fairy Tale (A Mackenzie Coven Mystery Book 8)

by Sonia Parin

  “Thank you. I also employ sound effects,” the fairy said.

  “That would make a significant difference.” Luna peered at Lexie. “So, are we on the same page?”

  “Mackenzie Witch.” The fairy stared her down. “Humans have a profound need to experience a reality beyond their mundane existence. You must play your role.”

  Lexie stepped back because if she stepped forward, she’d ram right into the fairy. “That’s the part I’m questioning. Who designated the role? I didn’t audition for this.”

  Fiery sparks flew out of the fairy. “And yet, you are here. So, deal with it.”

  Luna curled her tail around Lexie’s neck and whispered, “I think you’ve enraged the fairy. If she tells stories, I’m thinking she must also wield a pen and you know what they say about the pen being mightier than the sword. She can say anything she likes about you. Do you want children growing up to believe you’re a ninny?”

  “Well?” a voice roared from the kitchen.

  “Even the Giant is getting impatient,” Luna purred. “I’m a breath away from sinking my claws into you. Now, giddy up.”

  “Hang on. If I remember correctly, I’m supposed to go down the beanstalk, the giant chases me and I cut down the beanstalk and he falls to his death. I told you, I am not killing a giant. I want to make that perfectly clear. I am not a killer.”

  The fairy hovered back.

  Luna purred, “Nothing to worry about. We’re in therapy. So, we’ll be fine. Although, I really wouldn’t make her angry.” She lowered her voice, “She’s already killed quite a few people. Actually, just the one, and it seems to have scarred her. So, I wouldn’t mess with her.”

  “Fee-fi-fo-fum. I smell a witch and her stinky cat…”

  Luna screeched. “I preen and scrub myself clean every day. Who does he think he is… calling me stinky?” Luna’s claws sunk into Lexie’s shoulder.

  Yelping, Lexie took off at a run.

  “What are you doing?” Luna hollered. “Everyone knows you should never run in a straight line. Zig and zag. Zig and zag.”

  When Lexie swerved sharply to one side, Luna nearly slid off her, at the last minute sinking her claws into Lexie’s jacket and holding on for dear life. “He’s coming after us. I just thought I’d warn you in case you missed the thumping of his boots.”

  “Thieves,” the giant roared. “You’ve stolen from me.”

  For every step the giant took, Lexie had to take twenty. Her legs couldn’t stretch any further.

  “Quick, before he reaches the door and shuts it. He’s gaining on you. Yikes, and me.”

  Lexie tried to push past the burning sensation in her legs. “I can’t run any faster.”

  “If you say you can’t, then you can’t. But if you say you can…”

  “Wait a minute.” Lexie swerved in time to avoid being squashed. “Where’s his wife? He’s supposed to have a wife and… Oh, I just remembered. He’s supposed to capture us and cook us in a stew or some such thing and his wife is supposed to rescue us and set us free.”

  Luna emitted an ear-piercing meow. “Do you want us to turn into his lunch? You’re writing your own story here and you’re dealing with unresolved issues. I think that’s already more than you can handle. Don’t let your guilt take a hold of you.”

  “There’s no story if there is no moral to the story,” Lexie reasoned.

  “Needs must. How’s that for incentive. You have a responsibility to me and to Rebel and… Me. Do you have a death wish?”

  The ground beneath them shook with the giant’s awkward steps as he tried to catch up to Lexie.

  No, she didn’t have a death wish. “I think I’ve lost my raison d’être.”

  “This is no time to have an existential crisis.”

  Distracted by Luna’s yelp, Lexie didn’t see the giant’s massive hand swiping at her. It missed her but it sent Luna flying across the kitchen. Lexie swerved her way across the room and swept Luna up. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m seeing stars,” Luna said, her tone dazed.

  Grabbing Luna’s limp body, Lexie’s legs pumped hard and fast as she made a beeline for the door, the Giant at her heels. Just as he reached to slam the door shut, she managed to squeeze out.

  “Hold on tight.” She ran through the kitchen garden even though she could barely scoop in a breath. “I think we have to ditch the gold. It’s weighing me down.”

  “Not going to happen. I warned you, but just in case you missed it the first time, my claws are drawn and they are sharp.”

  Seeing an axe leaning against a bucket, Lexie dug inside the little fairy dust pouch, took a giant leap and flung a handful of the dust. She landed with a hard thump, rolled and scrambled to her feet. With the giant barreling toward her, she grabbed the axe and took off, the giant only a step behind her.

  I cannot have another death on my conscience, she thought.

  “Oh, look,” Luna said still sounding dazed. “It’s the pearly gates.” She twisted around to look over Lexie’s shoulder. “I’m seeing double. Now there are two giants.”

  A glance over her shoulder, confirmed it.

  “I think it’s Mrs. Giant and she’s wielding a rolling pin. Looks like you won’t have to kill him after all because she’s going to do it for you.”

  When they reached the gates, Lexie didn’t bother looking back. Using the thick leaves as steps, she hurried down. With only a few yards to go, she jumped off the beanstalk, sprung upright and looked up.

  “I have no idea what that was all about.” Yes, she’d had to procure some cabbage for Mrs. Ellsworth, but something didn’t feel right. How had the Fairy Tale Fairy known about them?

  “Why worry?” Luna asked. “It might never happen.”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s the lesson for the day. You were worried about becoming a serial killer. In the end, the Giant’s fate is out of your hands. Let his wife deal with him. He’ll be lucky to get off lightly.”

  “No harm in making sure.” Lexie set Luna down and, swinging back the axe, she began chopping the beanstalk.

  “What are you doing? We could have gone back for more gold. Do you even know where it’s going to fall?”

  Actually…

  No.

  “Timber,” Lexie shouted.

  Chapter Eleven

  On the road again…

  “Why are you still looking over your shoulder?” Lexie asked. “A while back, you were telling me to only move forward.”

  “Repercussions,” Luna murmured. “I think I caught your bug. There’ll be hell to pay along the way, I’m sure. Also, I can’t stop thinking about that fairy. Is she keeping track of us right now? Pervert.”

  “Are you going to accuse me of being a bad influence?” Lexie asked.

  “Well, not in so many words. Although, your bad attitude does, on occasion, rub off on me. So, if I ever display bad behavior, I can blame it on you.” Luna paused, but not for long. “Where are we going now?”

  “I have no idea,” Lexie admitted. “We still have a few more items on the list and I assume we just need to keep going along the path.”

  “You’d think they’d at least pave it all in yellow bricks. Those loose pebbles must be hard on your boots.”

  Lexie nodded. “Actually, it’s not as bad as the load on my back. We need to offload some gold.”

  “You’ll have to go through me,” Luna warned, her tone casual. “Consider me the keeper of the gold coins. Someone has to look after my interests.”

  Lexie glanced at her. “Do you ever listen to yourself?”

  Luna scrunched up her little nose. “All the time. I love the sound of my own voice.”

  “You risk giving cats a bad name.”

  “Impossible. No one could ever say a bad word about a cat. We’re too lovable and perfect and I’m only mentioning two general characteristics. As your traveling companion, I could keep you entertained throughout the entire journey with stories about my positive qualities. Wo
uld you like me to? See, I’m well-spoken, polite and considerate. If cats were in any way obnoxious, I would simply drone on about our wonderful qualities without even asking if you wanted to hear about them.”

  Lexie’s thoughts drowned out Luna’s voice.

  Had she succumbed to guilt? For the first time, Luna had remarked on the incident…

  A few days before they’d been out and about and had encountered several O’Rourke detectives on the streets assisting the local police department in locating possible kidnapping victims. Stepping in to assist Random O’Rourke, they had searched through empty warehouses until finally they’d found a victim, bound and gagged.

  Something inside Lexie had snapped.

  Something inside her had awakened.

  Had it always been there? She had no idea. She could only assume it had been there all along because the alternative…

  She didn’t want to think what else it might mean, but the obvious explanation didn’t require much thinking. Had someone or something taken possession of her?

  Since accepting the role as incoming High Chair, she had been acquiring powers without help from anyone. Although the Monkey God had equipped her with a few constructive tools to help her tap into her inner self.

  Lexie had been honing her skills, learning to meditate and to call on the elements to assist her. She had even found enjoyment in spending time deep within herself, discovering the benefits of quietening her mind.

  The power she had felt all those days ago had been overwhelming and mesmerizing. If she’d had any sense she would have felt fear, but she hadn’t. Her focus had remained fixed on one task. Finding the depraved, twisted mind responsible for the kidnappings. All her energy had been funneled toward that purpose alone.

  She had stood back and given into it because she’d needed to find the kidnapper. If someone had told her she would be risking life and limb, she would have gone ahead regardless.

  She’d told the Crone she had seen all the possible outcomes but she hadn’t said anything about the moment she had decided to take matters into her own hands. It had just happened and, if she had to, she would do it all over again.

  She had killed a man. A human.

  There were rules and she had broken them.

  The Coven Disciplinary Board should have come down on her like a ton of bricks. They’d tried…

  One hundred O’Rourke detectives had descended upon her. She’d seen them in action quite a few times but she’d never been their target.

  “Look,” Luna exclaimed. “An apple orchard. Do we need apples?”

  Lexie’s eyes snapped open. She only then realized she had never closed them. Somehow, she had withdrawn inside herself, almost as if she could be a separate entity within the person who stood on the path with loose pebbles beneath her feet and a chatty feline companion sitting on her shoulder.

  “Yes. Apples are on the list.” The thoughts she had been entertaining hung like a thick mist in her mind. If Luna had been aware of them, she didn’t mention it. “Is there something you want to say?” she asked Luna.

  “Are you inviting me to tell you a travel tale or do you want me to go through my list of feline merits again? I think if I tried a little harder I could come up with some excellent points I hadn’t even considered before.”

  “No, that’s fine.” Lexie had a feeling Luna could add evasive to her list of feline merits. She knew something. Could she question her loyalty?

  “I’ve been thinking, once we return home and Mrs. Ellsworth heals Rebel, we should move to the Ritz-Carlton and leave them the apartment,” Luna purred. “We can afford it now. Can we move? Please, can we move to the Ritz-Carlton? It doesn’t have to be the Royal Suite. I’d settle for a regular suite. They all have views of Central Park. Well, all except the Avenue View Suite which has a view of Sixth Avenue. Okay, if you want to know my preference, I’d vote for a Central Park view because it’s always soothing to have something green to look at. Some might say it’s therapeutic. If you ask me, I think we should stay in the Royal Suite. There’s no reason to skimp, especially not after the perilous journey we’ve undertaken. And we have all these bags of gold coins. I think you’d enjoy a soak in a luxurious marble tub. It would do you a world of good after a long day of landing in closets on your butt.”

  As Luna rambled on, Lexie couldn’t help thinking she had an ulterior motive. She waited for Luna to finish and then said, “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  Luna tilted her little head, scratched her ear and said, “No. I’m sure I didn’t leave anything out.”

  Chapter Twelve

  A bite of the apple

  They rounded a bend on the road and stopped. “I can’t believe it. Where is it? I know I saw a sign saying Apple Orchard.” It had been on a hilltop and visible from where she’d been standing. They’d followed the road which had suddenly dipped and then had undulated along the meadows filled with wild flowers.

  “I hope you’re not about to blame me for distracting you,” Luna purred.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” More than ever before, Lexie suspected Luna of trying to hide something from her. Lexie made a point of looking at her and mentally thinking there was something Luna wanted to hide from her. She didn’t see anything wrong in baiting her. When Luna looked askance and then turned her attention to preening herself, Lexie knew she had her proof.

  She hadn’t imagined it.

  Luna pointed her paw. “There. I see it. Apple Orchard.”

  “Don’t take your eyes off it.” Lexie picked up her pace. If she asked the right questions, she knew Luna would answer her. Would her loyal feline companion willingly participate in a duplicitous conspiracy? On her own, she would have nothing to gain. If she had been enlisted by a third party… by the Coven Disciplinary Board…

  Lexie shook her head.

  What nonsense. Luna would never betray her.

  Unless she thought it would be for Lexie’s own good.

  No. She refused to allow her thoughts to stray in that direction.

  Luna lowered her head and purred deeply. “Dead ahead.”

  They finally reached the entrance to the orchard.

  “Tread with care,” Luna warned.

  A chill ran up and down Lexie’s spine. “If anything happens to me, just follow the road back to the door. Don’t stop at the Crone’s cottage. Go straight to Jonathan’s.”

  “Why would you say that?” Luna asked.

  “I don’t know. I… I just have a feeling…”

  “Will he take care of me?” Luna asked in a small voice. “Not that I foresee anything ever happening to you. But just in case it does, we never did get around to discussing my fate.”

  “I think he’ll be happy to adopt you as the pub’s mascot. Just don’t spend the rest of your nine lives mourning me.”

  Luna’s whiskers twitched. “I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not. If you’re jesting, I must say, it is in very poor taste. In any case, we just tackled a giant. The Giant. I think it will be smooth sailing from here on out.”

  There were rows upon rows of trees dotted with shiny red apples. Lexie strode toward the nearest one only to stop when Luna yelped.

  “Stop.”

  “Huh?”

  “The path. Remember, we’re not to stray away from the path.”

  “But the tree is two steps away from it.” Lexie didn’t argue. Instead, she continued along the road.

  “I see a table,” Luna said. “Whatever happens, do not give them all my gold. You need to barter and drive a hard bargain. Better still, don’t say a word about having gold coins. Use the cabbage to trade.” Luna huffed out a breath. “Then again, they probably saw you coming.”

  “They? I don’t see anyone.”

  “No, neither do I but I didn’t see anyone at the bean roadside stall and yet, they knew you were trying to buy beans using your non-magical realm currency.” Luna shifted and said, “You’re slouching. Try to straighten up. You’re givin
g yourself away and telling the whole world you’re loaded with gold coins.”

  As they neared the trestle table, Lexie sent her gaze skating around her. They only had a couple of items to tick off the list; an apple and, from memory, a carrot and something else... They were close to the finish line. Nothing could go wrong.

  “Oh,” Luna groaned. “This does not look at all good.”

  Lexie pulled her gaze away from the surrounding apple trees and looked toward the trestle table. “What do you see?”

  “If I tell you, I’ll be the bearer of ill tidings and I don’t wish to be labeled a killjoy.”

  A few more steps brought her up to the table where a couple of apples sat. What could be wrong with that?

  Reading her thoughts, Luna said, “Well, I do have superior eyesight so I suppose I can’t really expect you to be able to read the sign. Or perhaps you should have your eyes checked.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my eyesight.” Although… She would swear she saw two apples but maybe she was seeing double. Lexie squinted. Sign? What sign?

  Luna snorted.

  “Oh, right.” Lexie leaned right up against the trestle table. “Pick one.” As soon as she read the sign, it changed. “But beware.” Oh… Here it comes, she thought. “One will heal.” Lexie didn’t dare blink in case she missed the next message. “One will kill.”

  Luna leaned forward and peered up at her. “I think you need to blink.”

  “Did I read that right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure?” Lexie asked.

  “Those feline merits I spoke of earlier, I guess I forgot to mention my reading skills. Do you know of any other cat who can read? One will heal. One will kill. What’s the plan?”

  “We could take both and let Mrs. Ellsworth decide,” Lexie said. “I’m sure she can tell a good piece of fruit from another a mile away.”

  “I really don’t want to be a killjoy, but the sign said to pick one. What do you think are the chances they’ll let you take two?”