The Lion, the Witch, and the Secret Garden

by Larissa Emerald

  “A lot of good that did.”

  “Again, I’m glad we kept in touch.”

  “Me too.” She rested her hand on Zoe’s arm. “You were to only one who knew the reason behind the bald head. You and my mom Everyone else thought I was just a defiant teen.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  Kamdyn nodded. “I keep telling myself that. It doesn’t change the fact that I hate him.”

  “I’m right there with you. You endured more than I could have.” Zoe shook her head. “You deserve to be happy.”

  Zoe sipped hot chocolate, drawing a miniature marshmallow into her mouth. A week ago, she hadn’t an inkling she’d be here now with her long-time best friend. That was the thing about life, though. In a heartbeat, it could stand you on its head.

  She had wanted to visit Nocturne Falls for forever—she’d heard fabulously entertaining reports about the small Georgia town that celebrated Halloween every day of the year—but the timing had never been right before. Now, Kamdyn had begged for her help, and everything else in Zoe’s life had fallen apart, so she’d figured, why not?

  The magazine she’d been working for had closed its doors, the lease was up on her apartment, and she’d broken it off with her not-so-great boyfriend months ago. Her parents were on an extended holiday to their homeland, Greece. All the signs had pointed her to Nocturne Falls, so here she was, a guest in Kamdyn’s adorable rented house. Not the type of dwelling she had ever envisioned Kamdyn in, but a roof over her head, nonetheless.

  Zoe had gotten settled in the guest room of Kamdyn’s cottage earlier this afternoon and learned the place was owned by Kamdyn’s fairy godmother, Erika Tschanz, who now lived up the mountain with her dragon shifter fiancé, Marshall Chadwick.

  If only Zoe could find a fairy godmother to work that magic for her. She sighed wishfully.

  The adorable cottage with its stone fireplace and storybook setting was not where she’d envisioned her friend staying. No, Kamdyn, with her blonde hair with its rose pink under-layer, her coal outlined eyes, and her gothic clothes, didn’t exactly jive with this fairytale abode.

  But the rest of her was completely the old Kamdyn she’d known, brooding, artsy and creative. When Zoe was settled, Kamdyn had whisked her off to eat dinner out at a darling place called Mummy’s Diner. Then Kamdyn had given her a quick tour of the town as they drove home, pointing out the fountain in the center of town with a gargoyle. Had she actually seen the stone figure move?

  Currently, they lounged in the backyard, enjoying the fire and the array of fairy lights among the shrubbery. Her friend rearranged the logs in the fire pit, causing sparks and glowing embers to rise and swirl on the cool breeze. She returned to her seat and sipped an identical mug of hot chocolate.

  “I so appreciate you coming,” Kamdyn said. “You’re the only one I know who might be able to match my father’s powers.”

  “Well, I’m not sure about that,” Zoe said. “What’s he done now?” The idea that Kamdyn may want her to pit her skills against Roar Braun was ludicrous. He was an extremely powerful warlock.

  “He’s been staying at The Black Rose, a dead and breakfast in town. I’ve gotten to know the owner. She’s a sweet hobbit woman who has takin’ a liking to me. Guess she feels bad knowing who my father is. Anyway, after he finally agreed to stop harassing me about my boyfriend…”

  “You have a boyfriend? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Kamdyn shrugged. “Wait till I tell you about him. He’s such a romantic.”

  “It sounds like you have quite a lot to fill me in on.”

  Kamdyn smiled, a spark lighting her eyes. “We’ll get to that. Anyway, after I’d moved in here, I realized I’d left my books of spells in a drawer in a side table. The owner at the inn, Mrs. Turnbuckle, let me in my father’s suite. My mother had already gone home, so it was as easy as going in, getting the book, and leaving.”

  “But it wasn’t that simple.”

  “Not quite. As I was making my way down the hall to exit, I overheard my father’s muffled voice, angry—almost vicious.” She paused with a shiver. “He was speaking to someone on his cell phone. Making a promise to find the mirror stone, Clach Sgàthan he called it. And the incredible power of the stone would be theirs. Although I don’t know to whom he was speaking, I had the instant knowledge that my father had to be stopped or something horrible was going to happen in Nocturne Falls.”

  Zoe leaned forward, resting her elbows onto her knees, holding the mug of chocolate between both hands. “Gut feelings are powerful. And it’s best to pay attention to them.”

  “I agree. I need to find the Clach Sgàthan before he does. My father’s abilities are potent already; with the stone, he would be unstoppable.” Kamdyn turned pleading eyes on her. “Will you help me?”

  “It’ll be my pleasure.” Zoe tamped down the memory of she and Kamdyn shackled in a dark, dreary basement. She’d warned Roar Braun then that she would find a way to make him pay for terrorizing them. It was time to teach him that taunted teenage girls grow up to be strong, fierce women.

  * * *

  He’d been here four months, and the overflowing cuteness of Nocturne Falls gave him hives. Roar Braun scratched his neck, wincing. With Halloween around the corner, the tourists poured into town in droves. Every inn and rental was full. He had arranged long-term accommodations at the Black Rose because, despite his dogged investigation, he’d yet to come upon Clach Sgàthan. But now the stinkin’ little innkeeper, Mrs. Turnbuckle, demanded he change to a different room—a smaller, less appointed room.

  Mrs. Turnbuckle lowered her chin and turned her eyes up to look at him over her wire-rim glasses, saying firmly, “The vampire has reserved this room five years running. I told you upon arrival that you could have lodging until the last week in October. You may move upstairs to the room I gave you, or you may get out. I’ll call Sherriff Merrow to evict you, if I must.”

  Roar fumed. Vampires. They thought they ruled over everything. Sadly, he couldn’t afford to lose the room. He still had work to do. He slapped his best fake smile on his face. “I see. I’m sure you did everything you could not to move me.” He tapped the head of his walking cane in the palm of his left hand. “I will move my belongings within the hour.”

  The hobbit innkeeper nodded. “Good. Good.” She turned and shuffled away, grumbling under her breath—something to the affect that he should have done it yesterday and that she’d have to team up the cleaning crew in order to have the room ready.

  Roar growled at the inconvenience of it all. He had no intention of making it easy for the old hobbit biddy. She was just like all the other tad-poles of the world—a nothing thinking she meant something.

  * * *

  “There is no more volatile time for magic than in October leading up to Halloween,” the High Priestess of the Nocturne Falls Coven warned.

  Kamdyn pointed out in a whisper, “That’s Alice Bishop. She’s the most powerful witch in Nocturne Falls. They say she has the power of ten witches.”

  Alice stood in the center of the room next to the circular fireplace. From what she could gather, they were in a vacant building next to the Nocturne Falls Library. It used to be a funeral home, empty caskets still dotted the room—at least she thought they were empty. Now it seemed the building was used for a variety of purposes, including meetings when the town was crowded due to holiday festivities. With a flick of her wrist, Alice tossed a handful of sage and bay leaves into the flames. “Let the air be cleansed and our intent be for good.”

  A youthful witch with golden hair brought forth small handfuls of flowers and deposited them around the ring. Kamdyn whispered again, “And that’s Marigold Williams. She recently found the love of her life and got engaged. Over there are her mother and sisters. You can see the resemblance.”

  Alice turned her head and shot Kamdyn a stern look. “Sorry,” Kamdyn mouthed.

  Zoe didn’t usually attend coven meetings. At least, she hadn’t when she lived in
Florida. The people there seemed so stuck on themselves. So far, in Nocturne Falls, everyone acted friendly and open. Maybe it was because they could be themselves without having to hide.

  “I’ve encountered a vision,” Alice said. “A scion of evil will descend upon us. Be wary, my friends.”

  Kamdyn looked at Zoe, her brow pinched. A shiver skated along Zoe’s spine. She questioned if the evil could be Kamdyn’s father, or if it was something else.

  The witches whispered among themselves. Alice cleared her throat. “Okay. On to the business of Halloween.”

  Whatever Alice said after that, Zoe tuned out. She kept wondering about Roar Braun and what he was up to. When the leader had finished, she adjourned the meeting and the witches headed to the table for snacks and punch.

  Zoe selected a slice of pumpkin bread and a few skeleton sugar cookies. She turned to head back to her seat. When she glanced about, Alice Bishop stared straight at her.

  That was really odd. She’d only just met the High Priestess for the first time. How could Alice possibly have any interest in Zoe?

  Chapter Three

  Heads turned as Rylan drove his motorhome down Main Street. The sleek coach sported stripes of copper and shades of brown along the sides with a polished chrome stripe across the bottom. He towed a matching copper Hummer H3T. Big, bold, beautiful.

  A lion was pretty hard to miss. That didn’t bother him in the least.

  In planning his journey, quick online research had revealed that October was the height of tourist season in Nocturne Falls, so he’d decided his home on wheels presented the best option. Besides, he liked having his time away from everyone.

  He drove slowly through town, noting the Halloween motif he’d seen during his cursory search. But in reality, good gravy the place was bright. Orange and purple and green buildings with jack-o-lanterns and ghouls on every corner and decorations in every shop window. Good thing he planned on staying off the beaten path.

  He traveled through to the far side of town. The coach resisted as the elevation increased and quickened on the decent down the other side of the mountain path. The campground sat near a small river and falls, the namesake of the town. He’d called ahead, so they were expecting him and his big rig.

  He stepped down from the driver’s seat and strolled to the check-in booth. “Hello. I’m Rylan Lewis. I made a reservation.”

  The tall, slender man took a gander at him and eased back a step. Used to the reaction, Rylan smiled and tried to put the man at ease. Even in his human form, his lion side showed through. “Nice place you have here.”

  “Yes, sir. Let me check on that reservation.” The man side-stepped into the cubicle. He punched keys on a computer, frowned, then hit several more keys as if he was searching further. He swallowed hard.

  Rylan tensed.

  The guy considered a paper map, comparing it to the screen. “When did you make your reservation?” he asked.

  “Yesterday morning before I left Minnesota. Wait. I have a receipt.” Rylan went to the RV and reached in the inside door compartment of the bus. A moment later, he produced a print-out of the reservation. He held it out to the man. “Here. This may help.”

  The guy scrutinized the paper, tapping more keys. “I’m sorry Mr. Lewis.” He ran a hand across his sweat-beaded brow. “It looks like we’re overbooked. This is our busiest time of the year, you know.”

  “What?” A soft growl escaped Rylan’s throat.

  The man rushed on to explain. “I can give you an overflow lot. It doesn’t have water or electric, though.” He peered at his motor home. “If you’ll fit.”

  “That will do. I have plenty of both.”

  Rylan signed the usual release forms and then the guy locked the check-in booth door behind him, flipped a “BE RIGHT BACK” sign, and hopped into a golf cart parked next to the building. “Follow me. This spot is a bit off the beaten path.”

  The campground was well-kept, with good roads and ample space, and stayed with the Halloween theme of the town with lamp posts sporting skeletons, gargoyles, and spiders. When they came to what seemed like the back of the campground, they veered off onto a dirt road. Finally, the golf cart stopped. The guy came around to the side of his camper door. “Pull in there,” he said, motioning to a spot cut out among the trees.

  Rylan barely managed to position the huge camper bus between the trees and brush. Although it wasn’t what he’d expected, he didn’t mind because the location was secluded, private, and had a view of the falls. The guy gave him a thumbs-up and drove the golf cart away. Funny, Rylan felt like the man couldn’t leave fast enough.

  As he went about the business of unhooking the Hummer—which he’d use to visit in town—he heard the gushing sound of a waterfall and rippling river. He grinned to himself. The map featured a waterfall. And here it was so close. He looked forward to investigating.

  From the map Sela had given him, the mirror stone resided somewhere near the falls. He wasn’t foolish enough to think it would be that easy to find it, but at least he had the general vicinity. He’d begin his search first thing in the morning.

  One good deal about traveling in his RV, it was already stocked for dinner. With his generator and supplies, he didn’t need to go into town—although he would. He wanted to learn for himself why people and supes alike were enamored with Nocturne Falls. His friends Nathaniel Newburg and Val Solberg had both recently returned to Terror absolutely thrilled with the Halloween inspired place.

  By the time he had the motor home leveled and set, he was starving and not in the mood for fixing and cleaning up after a meal. He flipped his truck keys in his hand.

  Eating out it is. He’d find a nice quiet establishment to enjoy dinner.

  * * *

  Zoe opened the door to Big Daddy Bones, allowing Kamdyn to enter. She trailed behind until Kam selected a table, then she slid in the other side of the wooden booth.

  A waitress with long curly light-brown hair hustled up to their table with water and silverware. “What can I get you?”

  They ordered the pulled pork special with all the fixings, baked beans, coleslaw, and garlic toast.

  “Cedric will join us for dessert. He gets off work at eight. He was super pleased to get hired as one of the NF performers that play the supernatural characters for the tourists. And he even was able to use his pet wolf in the part. I’m so thankful the residents in Nocturne Falls have been helpful to us,” Kamdyn said.

  “That’s great. It seems like a wonderful place to live.” Zoe allowed her eyes to roam the room, taking in the different kinds of creatures. Some she could tell, like the elves and fairies. The vampires were a little trickier, but others were even more difficult to figure out. She suspected they were in the shifter family, although she didn’t know which group they belonged to.

  “I especially like that it’s a happy place. Much more so than Cutler. The witches here are all about living a peaceful life. Not trying to outdo one another with some spell or recognition.”

  “Yeah. I know what you mean. Living in Florida, I almost forgot about being a witch. It wasn’t part of my daily life there.”

  “You still think you can outdo my father, though, don’t you?” Kamdyn said hesitantly. “Like you did that one time?”

  “I don’t know if you could call that outdoing him. I just got the slip on him.” Zoe said.

  “Then we’ll have to duplicate that again, because I don’t have a clue where to find this magical stone.” Kamdyn took a sip of her drink. “I wonder if we should ask someone.”

  “If it has as much power as you say, then I suspect it’s a well-kept secret.”

  * * *

  Dusk had fallen, and the tens of thousands of twinkling lights of the town were coming to life. Rylan parked his truck near the fountain. He liked the open, airy space there. He recalled seeing several places to eat on his drive through town earlier.

  He walked along, noticing the decked out witches, vampires, and werewolves playing it
up to the tourists. They seemed to instinctively know the supernaturals from the humans. That didn’t surprise him, really. He had that ability within him, also. He couldn’t always tell what sort of creature they were, but knew if they fell in the paranormal spectrum.

  A movement across the street jarred him from his thoughts. A huge black-and-white cat escaped a pet carrier and darted into the road. Without thinking, Rylan sprinted across the street and scooped the cat into his arms.

  “Captain Underpants,” the woman holding the pet carrier and pushing a stroller shouted.

  Rylan eyed the now screeching cat and rested it across his forearm. The Captain protested. Rylan vibrated his throat in a sort of deep purr. The Maine Coon instantly quieted as Ryland stroked the length of his back.

  “Oh, thank you,” the woman said as he approached her with the now calm cat. “I’m Delaney Ellingham. I was just heading home from the vet with this naughty guy.” She leaned closer to the cat, making fussing sounds.

  He glanced at the toddler in the stroller. “It looks like you have your hands full.”

  “I hadn’t thought so. I don’t think I’ve seen Captain Underpants move that quickly in ages. He’s usually quite the lazy cat.”

  Rylan stroked the cat again, smiling, shaking his head. “Captain Underpants. Who would have thought?” After a pause, he placed the cat back into the carrier.

  “I don’t know how to repay you.”

  “This is my first time in town. Point me to some good food. Preferably a hearty beef.”

  Her gaze intense, she peered at him, angling her head. Was she tuning in to his shifting gifts?

  “You can’t go wrong with any restaurant in town. Howler’s has fantastic burgers, and Big Daddy Bones is a barbeque joint.”

  “Great. Thanks.”

  “Here,” she paused, reaching inside her bag. She drew out a card, passing it to him. “I own Delaney’s Delectables. Stop by and select some sweets.”