by Bella Falls
The coven leader frowned. “Without solid proof, I don’t know what to do.”
“I didn’t say I couldn’t show you.” The doctor picked her own larger bag off the floor and placed it next to Granny’s. After rummaging through it, she took out a small ceremonial metal bowl and a bottle of amber liquid. She poured out some of the contents into the dish. “Can someone take this into the kitchen and heat it up?”
“I can do it,” I volunteered. Taking the bowl from her, I summoned more heat into my palms. After a few quick moments, I gave it back. “If you need it hotter, let me know.”
She thanked me and tipped her head in appreciation. Instructing Gloria to hold the bowl and breathe in the fumes, Dr. Tomasi took a spray bottle and misted the air around her. “Now, I’d like for you to repeat again what you think happened. What is it you’ve been seeing?”
Wesley got as close as he could to his sister, holding his breath and biting his fingernails. “I’m right here, Glo.”
“I started seeing the same thing over and over again after that coven meeting.” Gloria closed her eyes and drew in a long breath over the contents of the bowl. “I’m on the dance floor, and I see Harrison leave the group. I feel compelled to follow him because I have to or else my whole world will fall apart.”
Around her body, the same dark ribbons emerged, writhing and wriggling. Ebonee emitted an audible gasp, and my father restrained Wesley from stopping the proceedings.
Oblivious to our reactions, Gloria shifted in the seat. “It’s dark wherever he went, and I approach him. But instead of calling out his name or saying anything, I plunge what’s in my hand into his back.”
She lunged forward with her hand out in front of her, and the bowl almost fell out of her lap. Wesley yanked free and crawled closer, but Ebonee’s stern warning stopped him from interfering. The murky ribbons grew stronger in visibility the more she revealed.
“He falls down and I run,” continued Gloria. “But as soon as I see Azalea, I’m torn apart inside. I tell my best friend where to find her husband so he won’t be all alone.” She opened her eyes, the last bit of her control evaporating into tears. “I don’t know why I can see all that now, and I wish with everything in me it’s not true.”
“I understand,” the doctor replied.
Glancing down, Gloria saw the binding magic surrounding her for the first time. With a yelp, she clawed at her body as if trying to tear it all away. “Wes, get it off of me!”
A new voice cut through the tension of the room. “I would advise no one but the doctor goes near her,” Lieutenant Alwin stated.
“You just let yourself into our home?” Dad asked, his eyes finding mine. In all of the chaos, I’d forgotten to reset the wards to the house. “Isn’t that unlawful?”
Ebonee raised her hand. “I asked her to come, Buck. Based on what I was told over the phone, I don’t see how someone in law enforcement isn’t involved. And since she’s a higher-ranking warden as well, Olivia might be able to at least advise us.”
He protested, “But she’s on Jewell land. You know there are restrictions—”
Dr. Tomasi restrained Gloria’s arms with the help of Wesley. “If you’re not here to help, then take your argument to another room.” Struggling to control her patient’s squirming, she grunted at my great-grandmother. “Ms. Jewell, if you would stick around, I’m sure I could use your expertise.”
Granny Jo disappeared and materialized in between the trio of my father, the lieutenant, and Ebonee. “You three, take this to the kitchen. Dani Jo, you go on and help your mother out at the cafe. And Ruby Mae, you’ve done as much as you can. I love you, darlin’, but leave us to do the rest.”
“Thank you, Ms. Jewell.” The doctor nodded at her fellow healer.
“Call me Josephine,” my great-granny insisted.
Without a clear plan of what else I could do, I headed to the kitchen as well. The three other adults bantered back and forth over authority and what to do next. While they argued, I fetched a glass from the cupboard and the pitcher of sweet tea out of the fridge.
“Why don’t you pour some for all of us? I’m afraid I was too stuck in my thoughts to offer. I apologize, ladies,” Dad said, getting up to get three more glasses and set them on the table.
“It’s fine, Buck. This has been a strange beginning to the day for all of us,” Ebonee admitted, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. She moved back a little when I served her iced tea.
Feeling like an outsider to the three adults who held different levels of authority, I hopped up on the counter. “I can’t work out what would be the next steps. I mean, are you here to arrest her, Lieutenant Alwin?”
“Actually, Miss Jewell, from my understanding, I don’t hold any authority over what happens here on your property as part of the county sheriff’s department,” the lieutenant explained. “Whether it was intentional or not, your friend picked the right place to come to for sanctuary. And I offer my apologies to you, Mr. Jewell. I shouldn’t have entered your domicile without your permission.”
Dad considered her words with care and nodded. “Apology accepted.”
My mind reeled trying to figure out how we’d come to this peculiar moment. “What exactly does it mean if Gloria’s spellbound? I’m still unclear about that.”
Ebonee leaned back in her chair, oddly comfortable and at ease in yoga pants and a comfort-fit top instead of her usual tailored outfit. “It’s not something that’s easily executed. Magic of that caliber has to have someone of rare power spellcasting it. And given that it was done with sinister intent, whoever did this won’t be doing well themselves.”
My father set down his glass after taking a drink. “It’s like I’ve always told you, butter bean. Magic has consequences.”
The lieutenant stared into the sweet tea. “I hate to disagree, but you’re not totally correct, Ebonee. Any witch who can wield magic can technically spellbind someone. And based on what you told me before I arrived and what I witnessed, this was far from a well-executed spell. I might even venture to guess whoever did it is pretty incompetent.”
I considered their words carefully. “How could something like this happen? I mean, Gloria was acting completely fine leading up to the wedding. Even after, when she was supporting Azalea every day in the hospital, she didn’t remember anything.”
“I think Beverly can tell us more when she’s finished, but my guess is that something triggered the spell the night of the wedding.” Ebonee tapped the wooden table with a manicured nail for emphasis. “And if Olivia’s right and the binding wasn’t perfect, then she snapped herself out of it until the energy we shared at the end of the meeting ritual stripped whatever internal dam was holding the magic at bay.”
“Like I said,” added the lieutenant. “She was actually smart coming to you. If she’d been left on her own much longer, she might have done irreparable damage to herself or even others if things got even more out of control.”
Her words eased a little of my guilt that the final outcome might be that Gloria had to be arrested and taken away.
Granny Jo’s head poked through the far wall. “Y’all can come back now.”
We found Gloria prostrate on the couch with Wesley cradling her head. The doctor continued to clean up and put things back into her bag while she talked to us. “I’ve given her a sedative to keep her calm since it seems the bindings are reacting to her emotions.”
“What’s your final assessment, Beverly?” Ebonee pushed.
The healer wiped her hands on a nearby towel and glanced between the coven leader and the lieutenant. “I’m not prepared to make an official statement. But off the record, I’d say she’s not making this up. I think someone placed a spell on her that made her do things she wouldn’t normally do.”
“My sister would never knowingly stab Harrison,” Wesley spit out, every muscle in his body tensing as if ready to fight. “You can’t hold her responsible for something someone else made her do.”
Lieutenant Alwin stepped in front of all of us. “I think it’s best if I take her with me.”
Gloria’s brother and I both erupted into arguments. “I thought you couldn’t arrest her because you’re on our property,” I pointed out, grasping onto any straw.
“As a county sheriff, she doesn’t have the jurisdiction to apprehend Gloria. But as a district warden, she has free reign to do what she thinks needs to be done,” Ebonee warned me, her voice low and even. “And I agree. I think it is for the best.”
“You can’t take her. I won’t let you,” Wesley threatened.
Dad moved between the coven leader and me in case things went sideways. “Take it easy, son, and listen first.”
“I’m not your son.” Gloria’s brother balled his hand into a fist.
“That’s enough,” insisted the lieutenant. “I’m not doing anything official with your sister. No arrest either through mortal or magical institutions unless you choose to attack us. If I take her with me under warden protection, we can get her even better care to try and free her from being spellbound.”
“So, she won’t be arrested?” Wesley clarified. “I’m not letting you take her and then find out she’s been put in jail.”
My father shifted to face the lieutenant. “If all you’re doing is sheltering her at a warden facility, then maybe he can go along with you. That way, he’ll better understand your intentions and how it’ll help his sister.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Ebonee agreed. “I’d like to accompany you as well as a coven representative.”
Lieutenant Alwin nodded once. “I’ll wait in my vehicle outside.” She left, and the air seemed easier to breathe in her absence.
Wesley cupped Gloria’s cheek in his hand. “You okay with this, Glo?”
She blinked her eyes open. “I think it will be best. Then if anything truly bad happens, I won’t hurt anybody else.”
“Let me help you.” Dad scooped the girl up in his arms to allow her brother to stand. “Here you go.” He handed Gloria off to Wesley.
She threw her arms around her brother’s neck and snuggled into his chest like the little girl who needed a tiny stuffed bunny named Benjamin. My heart clenched as they walked past me on their way to a warden facility. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Wes.”
He stopped before walking out the door and spoke over his shoulder. “I won’t lie and tell you I’m happy about this. But I think I might have to thank you in the long run if this all works out.” He slowed down to make sure he didn’t hit Gloria’s head on the way out and disappeared.
Ebonee slung her purse over her shoulder. “I’m impressed that you held up your end of our agreement by bringing me in. It’s a good step on your end of solidifying your place in the coven.”
I walked behind her to the front door. “That’s not why I did it.”
“I know, which is what makes your actions even more noble. It seems the apple doesn’t fall too far from the Jewell family tree.” She tipped her head at my father and took her leave.
Granny Jo floated beside my father. “I still dislike her.”
“Hmm.” Dad kept his judgment to himself.
“How about I whip up some breakfast?” she offered, happy to do something more normal. “With all the stomachs rumbling in that room, I thought a storm was a-brewin’.”
A storm was coming, but its fury would be aimed at whoever set everything in motion. “You know, Dad, there is one good thing that I learned.”
“What’s that, butter bean?” He placed his arm around my shoulders and squeezed.
I stared out the front door at the day just getting started. “Because the person who created the spell wasn’t careful, Gloria only wounded Harrison, instead of killing him.”
“True.” Dad kissed the top of my head. “We can all be grateful for that.”
“But there’s one more thing,” I continued with gleeful hope blooming in my chest. “If they’re so inept that the magic didn’t even work properly, then whoever they are, they’ve made it easier for me to catch them.”
Chapter Sixteen
Exhaustion hit me after I ate my fill of breakfast. With all of the stress of the efforts made to help Gloria plus my ever-growing lack of sleep, I had a hard time figuring out how to even start narrowing down where to find the witch responsible.
“Maybe you should take a nap, butter bean,” Dad suggested, peering over my shoulder at the few scribblings I’d scratched out on a piece of paper. “You look plum tuckered out. A little rest should do you good.”
“I guess,” I mumbled, doodling a cloud with lightning shooting from it.
He kissed the top of my head. “Stop being so hard on yourself. You did good this morning. It was tiring for all of us. Heck, even your great-granny’s taking a break, and she’s not even alive.”
Although my ghostly great-grandmother’s strong manifesting powers allowed her to appear more often than the other ghosts in the house, she had her limits. Involving her as much as we did this morning meant she needed to stay incorporeal to replenish her reserves. I tried to get her thoughts on how spellbinding worked, but she’d used up the rest of her energy making us breakfast.
I rubbed my eyes and yawned. “I know. Sleep has been challenging for me ever since the night of the reception. I can’t believe that was more than two weeks ago.”
“Want to go up and take a nap in my bed?” he offered. “I’ve got to go over to Smooter to inspect and maybe purchase a collection of hand-punched pie tin safes. The dealer’s retiring, and if he’s willing to make a me a deal for the whole bunch, we’ll get some nice editions to sell. And I’ve been invited over for sweet tea and cookies by Ethel, Gladys, and Myrna.”
Thinking of the infamous Thirsty Three who had a little crush on my father cheered me up. “That means you won’t be getting home until much later because they’ll chat you up and then convince you to stay for supper because you’re too much of a Southern gentleman to turn their kind offer down.”
“It means your father still has a little pep in his step.” He winked at me, and I made a face at him.
“Yeah, to flirt with a bunch of old ladies. Way to go, Dad!” I shot him two thumbs up. “You know, one of these days, you should really try getting out there and dating someone closer to your age.”
My father twisted the gold ring he still wore on his left hand. “I’d like to tell you not to bother me about that like I always do, but you know what? I’ve been thinking about that lately. Maybe I should at least try.”
My eyebrows crawled into my hairline, and I bolted out of my chair. “Really?” I squealed, running up to him and almost jumping up and down with glee. “When you get back, we can sign you up for dating online and you can start looking at potential candidates.”
He frowned again. “Can’t I just go out and meet them like I used to?”
“This is the twenty-first century, Dad. You usually get to go through a list of candidates online first before you even see each other in person.” Although he carried a spell phone with him, I never could get him to update to the latest model. “We can do it together if you like.”
His face dropped with doubt. “Sounds like too much work to me.”
I grabbed his hands. “Oh, don’t give up so quickly. If you want to do it the old-fashioned way, we can go out to the Watering Hole.”
Uncle Jo stomped into the kitchen, wiping his face off with a handkerchief. “Did somebody say the name of my favorite place other than here?”
“Dad says he might consider dating again,” I exclaimed, hopping between my father and his brother.
“It’s about time, Buck. I’ve been tellin’ you for ages to dust yourself off and stop acting like you’re already one of the ghosts that hasn’t a lick of sense to move on after death.” My uncle opened the refrigerator and pulled out a hunk of ham from last night’s dinner. “If you want, I’ll be your wingman.”
“Like that’s supposed to make me feel better. Remember the last
girl you tried to hook me up with?” Dad asked. “It didn’t end so well.”
I quieted down. “Who? Mom?”
My father chucked me under the chin. “No, butter bean. This was right after your mama left us and I was feeling some kinda way. Your auntie stayed home with you and let the two of us go out to blow off some steam. The woman your uncle tried to set me up with wasn’t exactly free to date.”
Uncle Jo whipped off his trucker hat and scratched his bald head. “Yeah, you ended up with a mighty shiner and swore it was karma for cheating on your own wife.”
My head bounced back and forth between the two brothers. “Just how old was I at the time?”
“Let’s see. Dani Jo had just started kindergarten, so she was five,” Uncle Jo mused.
“That would have made me around seven.” My mother must have just left my dad and me when this happened. I went over to my father and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Sometimes I forget how tough you had it.”
Dad embraced me and rocked me back and forth. “Don’t you go thinking I resented you, butter bean. You’re the absolute joy of my life. What happened between your mother and me, well, I never meant for it to splash onto you.”
I lifted my face to gaze at his. So many people would tell me I looked like the spitting image of my mom when I was growing up. With flaming red hair like ours, it was hard for them not to make the comparison. But beyond sharing my father’s eyes without the wrinkles, I knew I resembled him more than anyone else saw.
“I keep telling you this, old man,” I teased, pinching his arm. “You deserve happiness, too. And whether you want me or your brother to be your backup, it’ll warm my heart to see you take that first step to grab it.”
Uncle Jo finished carving off slices of ham and put the dish back in the fridge. “It’s getting a might bit too mushy in here. Don’t you have an appointment to keep in Smooter?”
In a role reversal, I slapped my father’s behind like he usually did to me. “Tell the Thirsty Three I said hey. And bring me back some pickled okra.”
