Witch Fairy Tale (A Mackenzie Coven Mystery Book 8)

by Sonia Parin

  The Queen of Clubs croaked, “Quiet? Quiet? Is she telling us to be quiet? In our own land? Where are your manners, girl?”

  Jonathan nudged her with his elbow. When Lexie looked at him, he signaled toward the nearest flagpole.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Lexie saw a small shape hovering just above the flagpole.

  The fairy they’d met at the Giant’s castle.

  “What is she doing here?” Lexie muttered under her breath.

  “I bet she’s the reason why the cards are giving you so much trouble,” Luna said.

  “You’re probably right.” But what could she do about it? After meeting the fairy at the Giant’s castle, Lexie hadn’t given her any more thought. Had she been trailing them all along? And, if so, why hadn’t she done something to help Lexie? She would have known about the poisoned apple…

  Lexie took a pensive step forward. The cards reacted by thrusting their swords and lances at her.

  “We don’t want any trouble,” Lexie said.

  “But trouble is precisely what you will get,” the Joker warned.

  Lexie’s back teeth clenched together. Her stomach tightened with rage. She really didn’t have time for games…

  Lexie responded by calling on the wind.

  A gust swept across the fields and headed toward them.

  The queens shrieked.

  The wind picked up speed, swirling faster and faster until it turned into a mini tornado. When it reached them, it lifted the queens up and scattered them in all directions.

  The fairy scowled down at Lexie.

  “I think you’re about to have a showdown with the fairy,” Luna warned. “You managed to talk your way out of the last encounter but something tells me she won’t let you off so lightly this time. Remember, she wants us to complete our task.”

  “That’s what we’re trying to do,” Lexie said, her teeth gnashing together. “What am I saying? We’re not here to play her games.”

  The fairy swooped down, cannoning toward them.

  “Yikes.” Luna ducked and scrambled to get back inside Lexie’s jacket. “If you need help, holler. I’ll be your backup. But remember, the offer is only good in case of extreme emergencies. Preferably something that doesn’t involve a fairy.”

  Jonathan took a defensive swipe at the fairy and crouched down in time to miss her. “What did you do to her? If her scowl is anything to go by, she means business.”

  “I warned you, witch,” the Fairy Tale Fairy spat out.

  Lexie leaned in and pressed her nose against the fairy’s nose who now hovered in front of her. “Be careful, Sparkles. I’m a High Chair.”

  “Incoming,” the fairy mocked.

  Lexie slashed the air with her hand sending a pack of cards flying. “You want that to happen to you too?”

  The fairy stood her ground for another minute and then hovered away putting a safe distance between them.

  Lexie took a determined step forward. “Not so fast. I have a few questions for you.”

  “You have no time to waste, Mackenzie Witch. Complete your task and move on.”

  “Nice try.” Lexie took another threatening step forward. “How did you even know Luna and I would be here? Who are you working for?”

  The fairy looked over her shoulder. “I am not at liberty to say.”

  Lexie knew she had a long way to go before she became cynical and jaded. That road, she knew, would lead to paranoia. “My patience is wearing thin, little fairy.” She advanced toward the fairy. “We didn’t end up here by accident. Something… Someone brought us here.” Lexie made a grab for the fairy but the fairy was too quick for her. She shot up into the sky and disappeared.

  “How do we find our way out of here now?” Luna asked.

  Good question, Lexie thought. “By moving forward.”

  Chapter Twenty

  No looking back

  “If we came in through a rabbit hole, it makes sense to go out through a rabbit hole,” Luna said.

  Lexie scanned the landscape and gave a pensive shake of her head. “I’m thinking the fairy has a point. We need to move forward and that means leaving behind the cards and the rabbit hole.” No looking back, she thought.

  “Are you afraid of turning into a pillar of salt?” Luna asked.

  “When we came out of the rabbit hole,” Lexie said, “we fell through the sky. If your genius brain can figure out a way to fly up and through the rabbit hole, then I’m all ears.”

  Luna gave her a kitty grin. “Firstly, thank you for acknowledging my extraordinary intelligence. Secondly, I’ve been asking for wings for quite some time now. I think this is the perfect opportunity for you to indulge me and come through with the goods. If you’re afraid the novelty will wear off, I promise you it won’t. I’ll make good use of them.”

  Jonathan’s eyebrows quirked up.

  “I suppose you want wings too,” Lexie said.

  “I’m beginning to think providing us with wings is well beyond your abilities,” Luna purred.

  “Are you taunting me?” Lexie asked.

  “Is it working?”

  “Are you flying?”

  Luna scrunched up her little face, curled up into a tight ball, and grumbled in silence.

  As they followed the road, the undulating hills gave way to a forest. The further they went along the road, the more trees they encountered.

  They could still see the sky but the trees were getting taller. Up ahead, the branches crisscrossed and formed canopies. While daylight still filtered through, the road ahead definitely looked darker.

  Hearing a strange sound she couldn’t quite identify, Lexie took a wild stab and asked, “Are you sucking your paw?”

  “It’s been so long since I last ate,” Luna explained, “I’m trying to find traces of my last meal.”

  Food. Yes. She wouldn’t mind some food, and she’d give anything to put her feet up.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Lexie saw Jonathan swing around, stop, and swing around again. He took a couple of steps forward, stumbled and swung around again.

  “Are you right there?” Lexie asked.

  “Y-yeah. I’m fine.”

  Jonathan picked up his pace but he kept looking over his shoulder.

  Lexie tried to figure out how the road would connect back to the road they’d been on and gave in. Brushing her hand over her wrist, she thought if she had a watch she would bet anything it wouldn’t work here. Time had either stood still or it moved at a different pace.

  When she nearly tripped, Lexie knew she’d reached the end of her reserves. They needed to stop.

  Luna poked her head out long enough to say, “I think I see a cabin. There’s smoke coming out of the chimney. It looks cozy and inviting. That’s a good sign. Or not. We won’t know until we get there.”

  Lexie squinted but she couldn’t see anything. “Are you hallucinating?”

  “Probably but I’m not quite ready to give up. If I think about it long enough, I’m sure something will come of it.”

  If wishes were horse, beggars would ride, Lexie thought. Looking over her shoulder at Jonathan, she couldn’t help asking, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said and caught up with her.

  He hadn’t said anything about the fairy or the cards. In fact, none of them had discussed their recent encounter, but Lexie had been thinking of nothing else.

  Mention of a trial had set alarm bells ringing. What if the O’Rourke Group or the Coven Disciplinary Board had contrived a way to get her to the Crone’s realm and encounter the Queen of Hearts so she could stand trial for killing that serial killer?

  Lexie shook the thought away and said, “I think it’s safe for you to come out now.”

  Luna scrambled out of her jacket and settled on Lexie’s shoulder.

  Lexie gave Jonathan a nudge. “At the risk of sounding like a cliché, you’ve been very quiet.”

  It took him a moment to snap out of the thoughts he’d been entertaining. “I’
m still trying to figure out how I came through the door. The idea of going through a rabbit hole is beyond me.”

  “Are you really going to tell me you’re surprised by all this? You? My guardian and chronicler of all my deeds and or misdeeds?”

  “There are a few degrees of separation between us,” he said. “Remember, I tend to see things from the comfort of my scribe’s room.”

  Luna flicked her tail and laughed. “Is that what you call it? We refer to it as your man cave.”

  Hearing the sound of a door slamming, they stilled.

  Stopping, Lexie tried to remember if they’d encountered a crossroad. So far, their options had been limited. A single road had led them from one point to the next. Almost as if someone had set up a series of challenges and roadblocks.

  Luna sniffed the air. “I smell fish. Smoked fish.”

  Lexie couldn’t be sure, but she thought she caught sight of a warm glow up ahead.

  Luna straightened. “It’s definitely a cabin. I hope they have food. I can’t remember the last time I ate. Have already said that?”

  Lexie pushed out a breath. “I’m not sure I’m up for another encounter.”

  “I say we take our chances,” Luna said. “Someone who goes to the trouble of smoking fish can’t be all that bad.”

  “We need to remember why we’re here,” Lexie said. “Just in case we’re tricked into forgetting and end up trapped in this realm.” At this stage in the game, Lexie thought she needed to consider all possibilities, even the most ludicrous ones.

  Frowning, Jonathan asked, “Where did that come from?”

  Lexie shrugged. “Live and learn. Trust no one.” Recently, she had discovered she had been made to forget about her father. Lexie’s eyebrows drew downward. Growing up, she’d never asked about him because she hadn’t held any memories of him. The Coven had a lot to answer for. What gave them the right to think they knew best? She’d never be able to trust them again. Had her mother been in on it all along? If she couldn’t trust her mom, what hope did she have? She’d always have to rely on herself…

  “You’re too young to nurture such a cynical outlook,” Luna remarked.

  “And yet, here we are. We’re ready to go home and yet… I don’t see a door. Do you? We’re wandering around aimlessly and it looks like someone is actually responsible for us being here. I have more reason than ever to expect the worst.”

  Luna bounced up and down. “It is a cabin. It is a cabin.”

  They slowed down. While Luna had smelled smoked fish, Lexie could smell pine needles and roast beef. She could also picture a rocking chair by the fire and a mug of hot chocolate.

  Were they about to walk into a charmed cabin? Her mind filled with a dozen scenarios, each one contrived to lead Lexie further into the Crone’s realm.

  “Irish coffee. Can you smell it?” Jonathan asked. “I can almost taste the swirls of whipped cream flavored with a hint of whisky.”

  Lexie hunched her shoulders and murmured, “I think we should keep going.”

  “I could do with a drink,” Jonathan said. “And Luna must be ravenous.”

  Luna peered down at Lexie. “I believe that’s two against one.”

  Lexie didn’t want to say she held the deciding vote. Would she listen to her instinct or test the waters and see what they found inside the cabin? For all they knew, the person who had slammed the door didn’t want any visitors.

  Lexie looked over her shoulder. The Fairy Tale Fairy had told them to keep moving. But for how long? There had to be an end. At some point, they had to find their way back. She couldn’t see a reason why they should linger…

  “I’m not being paranoid,” she said under her breath. They had been forced to enter the Crone’s realm and the Queen of Hearts had threatened her with life imprisonment. What good were her powers if they couldn’t help her to find a way out?

  Complete darkness surrounded them now. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of the dark sky but she didn’t see any stars.

  They drew close enough to the cabin to see a light flickering by the window and the inviting glow from the fireplace. The cabin looked welcoming. Too big a temptation to pass up on, Lexie thought and hoped they weren’t being lured into a trap.

  “We’re three weary travelers seeking refuge for the night,” Luna purred. “We won’t be turned away. It’s an unspoken rule.”

  “Is that the same rule that should have applied to Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth?” Lexie asked.

  Luna shifted on her shoulder. “It’s not the same and you shouldn’t be too quick to jump to their defense. For all we know, they are guilty of setting a trap for us.”

  “You can actually see Mr. Ellsworth as the mastermind?” Lexie couldn’t help laughing. “One glimpse of any of us and he turns into clay.”

  Luna reasoned, “He has the perfect cover. No one would suspect him of wrongdoing.”

  If someone had sabotaged them, the gnomes would have to be the least likely candidates. And yet, if not for Mrs. Ellsworth, they would never have set foot outside the apartment…

  “Okay, here goes…” Lexie looked at the old wooden door with its round iron handle. When she knocked, she stepped back and braced for a possible attack.

  The door eased open. The hinges creaked slightly.

  “I think I’m about to change my mind,” Luna said. “This is the stuff of movies where I usually scream at the TV, urging the people to turn back before they are hacked to pieces.”

  Lexie took a tentative step inside.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Luna murmured.

  “Hello?” Lexie’s voice faded into the silence. Taking another step inside, she stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the spacious room. The warm glow from the fire beckoned her and she moved toward it.

  “Despite my reservations, I believe it is now too late for me to flee.” Luna didn’t wait for a signal. She leaped off Lexie and scurried around, sniffing surfaces until she spotted a bowl near the fireplace.

  “It’s that fish I smelled.” Luna lunged for it. A few seconds later, she looked up. “I’ve never tasted such delicious fish.”

  “Did you even smell it?” Lexie peered at the now empty bowl.

  “I’ve been smelling it for miles.” Luna pranced over to the table and climbed onto the chair. “There’s some more food here. If you don’t want it, I’ll have it.”

  Lexie exchanged a look with Jonathan. Nudging a chair with her boot, she sat down. “You’ve just scoffed down all that fish. You’ll get stomach cramps.”

  There were two plates and a large platter with a roast in the middle surrounded by golden potatoes.

  “What are you waiting for?” Luna asked. “Dig in.”

  Jonathan wrapped his fingers around the back of a chair, his knuckles showing white.

  Lexie could see his jaw twitching as he considered the consequences. What if the owner returned and found them gorging on his dinner?

  “This food didn’t get here by itself,” Lexie said.

  “And it’s not going anywhere. It would be a shame to see it go to waste.” Luna leaned forward, her eyes pinned on the roast.

  “Someone put this food here and then they left but they’re bound to return,” Lexie insisted.

  Jonathan nodded. “And when they return, we’ll thank them for the meal.”

  Lexie heard his stomach grumble. Her stomach answered right back. She had no idea how long they’d been in the Crone’s realm. Since time moved at a different pace here, today might still be yesterday…

  Lexie tried to take her mind off the enticing aroma of roast beef. “We should wait a while.”

  Nodding, Jonathan sat down.

  “If I had thumbs, I’d twiddle them,” Luna said.

  “We had a lucky escape. Our encounter with the Queen of Hearts could have been worse.” Lexie drummed her fingers on the table.

  “They could be waiting to ambush us and imprison us in a house of cards.” Luna licked her paw. “I suggest you fi
ll up on roast beef. You wouldn’t want to fight on an empty stomach. If you don’t like it, I could make an effort and finish it for you.”

  Lexie dug inside her back pocket and drew out the carrot. “Can we please try to remember our priorities. We need to get this carrot back home.” She set the carrot down and surged to her feet. “I’m going to look around. You two stay here in case someone returns.”

  Stepping outside, she made her way around the cabin, scanning the surrounding forest for any signs of life. Either night had descended or the trees completely blocked out the sky.

  Since arriving in the Crone’s Realm, they had followed the road, finding one ingredient after the other. Now they had everything, so they should be able to find their way back without further delay.

  So why were they still here?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Trapped?

  When Lexie returned to the cabin, Luna asked, “Why would someone go to the trouble of cooking this magnificent feast and not be here to enjoy it? Another half an hour and it will have gone completely cold. Which, by the way, is how I prefer my food. If you ask me, they have no intention of returning. Do I hear you ask why? Well, we’ve seen some odd behavior. I think everyone dwelling in this realm is strange and leaving cooked food on the table is simply part of their… strangeness.” Luna’s voice hitched. “For all we know, it could be a cultural trait and we shouldn’t criticize it.”

  Lexie nudged a door open and peered inside. Empty. The cabin only had the one other room and that was it. She didn’t see any personal belongings. Either no one lived here or they had been expecting Lexie and company and had cleared everything to make way for them.

  Stepping out of the room, she looked at Luna. “How are you feeling?” Lexie asked.

  “Quite refreshed, thank you for asking.” Luna glanced over her shoulder at the empty bowl. “I enjoyed my appetizer. Now, I’m ready for more. We don’t know when our next meal will be or where it will come from. In fact, this could be our last meal. Wait a minute. Did you ask because you suspect the food might have been poisoned and you want to know if it’s taking effect?”