Silenced by a Spell

by Fiona Grace

  “What can I get you folks?” Ash, the mustachioed mixologist, asked. He looked like he’d dressed for the occasion, but Lacey happened to know Ash always dressed that way, with a little handlebar moustache waxed into curls at the edges.

  “Nothing for me,” Lacey said.

  Ash’s eyes widened. “Are you…” he whispered, “…pregnant?”

  “No!” Lacey exclaimed. “I just have an early start tomorrow. I’m holding an auction.”

  “Oh,” Ash replied. “I can make any of these virgin if you’d like?”

  “I’ll just have a Coke,” she replied.

  “And I’ll have a Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary,” Tom said.

  Just then, Gina came up behind him and punched him in the arm.

  “Ow,” Tom exclaimed, rubbing his arm. “What was that for?”

  “You said Bloody Mary three times!” Gina scolded him.

  “But it’s only bad luck if you say it in a mirror,” Tom contested with a pout.

  The superstitious woman pointed over the bar. The whole back wall was a mirror, reflecting the bottles of spirits, optics, and Gina’s own thunderous face back at them.

  “Oh,” Tom replied sheepishly.

  Once they all had a drink in their hand, the group headed to the garden where the main party was happening.

  The lawns had been beautifully decked out for the event. The wooden bandstand in the middle was draped in lace. Over to one side, a DJ in a big red hairy monster mask worked behind his booth. And right in the center, a huge bonfire burned. Lucia’s oak tree effigy was waiting to one side, ready to be incinerated in the big red flames.

  Lacey felt a thrill of excitement ripple up her. She glanced around at the partygoers. It seemed like everyone in Wilfordshire was in attendance, from Linda the hairdresser dressed as Catwoman, to DCI Beth Lewis, who was looking elegant as a corpse bride.

  Just then, Lacey spotted Suzy, dressed in a floaty green dress like Tinker Bell. It was a very apt costume for her; Lacey often likened her friend to a fairy.

  “I’m going to say hi to Suzy,” she said in Tom’s ear, raising her voice to be heard over the loud music.

  Tom nodded.

  Lacey began to weave her way through the tightly packed crowd, exchanging hellos with her acquaintances and complimenting their funny costumes on the way.

  “You’re here!” Suzy cried as Lacey popped out the other side of the tightly packed crowd. They were even closer to the speakers here, and Suzy had to yell to be heard over the music. She pulled Lacey in for a bone-crushing embrace.

  “Wow, you’re very strong for a fairy,” Lacey said, laughing.

  Suzy chuckled and spun around, showing off a pair of shimmering fairy wings attached to her back. She was a little unsteady on her feet as she spun back to face her, and Lacey guessed she’d had more than a couple of Diabolical Daiquiris that evening.

  “What are you dressed as?” Suzy shout-asked.

  “A vampire,” Lacey yelled in reply. “I think.”

  “You look like one of them,” Suzy cried, pointing to a group of strangers standing to one side of the celebrations.

  Lacey looked over at the strange group. They seemed to be taking the Halloween celebrations very seriously, all dressed in extremely elaborate gothic attire. It reminded Lacey of Naomi’s high school goth phase. As she remembered it, her sister had proclaimed she was a witch and started wearing pentagram necklaces and black lipstick. But like most of Naomi’s phases, it only lasted five minutes before she’d moved on to something new—cheerleading.

  “Who are they?” Lacey asked, turning back to Suzy.

  “Guests,” Suzy shouted. “Violet Jourdemayne fans. They’re here for the effigy.”

  She jabbed her pointer finger in the direction of Lucia’s incredible ten-foot oak tree, which was being maneuvered toward the bonfire as they spoke.

  “They only called a few hours ago,” she continued. “Talk about last-minute bookings!” She pulled Lacey closer and yelled into her ear. “Get this. They asked if they could bring their magpies with them!”

  Lacey attempted to move her head away from her exuberantly tipsy friend, but Suzy was gripping her arm tightly with her pixie fingers.

  “What did you tell them?” she asked.

  “That we have a no pets policy!” Suzy exclaimed, giggling. Then she held up her index finger. “Unless, of course, they were guide magpies for the blind.”

  Lacey tipped her head back and laughed heartily. It was nice to let loose for once, to get some respite from the worries that had been plaguing her.

  She eyed the odd bunch again and considered if perhaps they weren’t in costume at all. Perhaps they were actual goths. If they genuinely had magpies as pets, they were probably pretty hardcore fans of Violet Jourdemayne. So hardcore they’d traveled to the place of her execution to watch an effigy of her burn.

  Lacey didn’t know a huge amount about the sub-culture, beyond her younger sister’s flirtation with all things gloomy in freshman year. But she did know that they liked to go against the grain, not just with their fashion choices but often with their lifestyles.

  The peculiar group were certainly curious.

  Just then, Lacey spotted Lucia over by the effigy, waving an arm over her head at Suzy.

  “That’s my cue!” Suzy shouted. “Effigy time!”

  She slipped away, disappearing into the crowds.

  At the same time, the music changed to the “Monster Mash” and everyone around Lacey began to dance exuberantly. A flash of silver caught her eye, and Tom suddenly emerged from the wall of dancers.

  His eyes sparkled with mischief at Lacey.

  “Would you care to ‘do the Mash’ with me?” he asked, offering his hand.

  “I’d be honored,” Lacey replied, giggling as she slid her hand inside his.

  Tom led her into the crowd, finding a small space for them to dance together. Lacey had to accept she was having fun. Being playful and silly didn’t come naturally to her, and it was nice to let her hair down for a change.

  She heard a whomp noise and turned in unison with the rest of the dancers to face the bonfire. The effigy had been maneuvered into it and flames began to lick up its sides, crawling up the fake oak wood and swallowing the ghostly image of Violet Jourdemayne.

  The crowd cooed, but Lacey felt a shiver run up her spine. She tried to shake it off, but she couldn’t.

  That’s when she noticed, from the other side of the bonfire, someone was watching her.

  Orange flames distorted their image, making them waver like a mirage.

  It was one of the goth men from the peculiar group of out-of-towners, Lacey realized. He was tall and willowy, with dark sinister eyes that didn’t detract from the elegance of his black silky suit and ruffled shirt. Something about him seriously gave her the creeps.

  And just like that, Lacey lost her desire to dance.

  CHAPTER NINE

  In her bed that night, Lacey tossed and turned, struggling to get to sleep. The wind had gotten up, and it ripped noisily through the crisp autumn leaves of the tree outside her window. Branches scratched against her window like knocking. The moon was full and bright against her curtains, casting shadows that looked like fingers tapping. It didn’t help that Tom was snoring contentedly beside her, and Chester was snoring contentedly at her feet. She couldn’t even take anything to help her sleep; she didn’t want to be groggy for the auction tomorrow.

  She stared at the ceiling, listening to the twigs tapping on her window. Then suddenly, she heard a distinct change in the noise on the French doors. It wasn’t the scritching of twigs anymore, but a distinct knock-knock-knock.

  Lacey sat bolt upright and looked toward the balcony. Her heart went into her throat as she realized someone was standing on the other side of the glass door, on the balcony, peering in through the curtains. A man.

  Lacey tried to scream but no noise came out.

  The figure knocked again on the window. Lacey realiz
ed she recognized him. It was the man from the party. The elegant man who’d been staring at her through the flames of the burning bonfire. Had he followed her home? Was he stalking her?

  “Lacey?” a voice said.

  Lacey squeaked with terror. But she realized the voice was Tom’s. He was suddenly sitting up beside her, peering at her with concern, a comforting hand on her back.

  Lacey gasped, her heart slamming against her ribs.

  “I think you’re having a nightmare,” he said, gently

  Disoriented, Lacey looked back to the window. There was no one there. Just the usual branches of the tree occasionally tapping against the glass in the wind.

  Tom was right. She must’ve fallen asleep and dreamt the whole thing.

  “Y—yes,” she stammered. “You’re right. It was just a nightmare.”

  She lay back against the soft pillows, settling into Tom’s warm, comforting arms. He quickly began to snore.

  But Lacey’s heart was still pounding. The dream had shaken her to the core. She wasn’t usually one for signs or premonitions, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling that her dream had meant something, and that it was an ominous warning of things to come.

  *

  Lacey woke early for the auction. Despite having avoided booze at the party, she still had a groggy head. She’d slept poorly, thanks to the creepy goth man showing up in her nightmare.

  She left Tom in bed to sleep off his hangover and headed out with Chester for the walk to work.

  They headed down the cliff path and onto the beach. To Lacey’s surprise, there were several groups of the strange gothic-looking out-of-towners, sitting in circles around smoldering bonfires. Considering it was a chilly autumn morning, the sight looked rather sinister.

  Lacey shuddered. What were they all up to, on the beach at this time in the morning? Had they been here all night? By the smoldering bonfires, it certainly appeared as if they’d spent at least the last couple of hours down here. But why?

  Lacey couldn’t help but think they were performing rituals or something. She knew that was a prejudiced thought, but there was really no other explanation. The group had traveled here to watch an effigy of their heroine burn in a bonfire, after all. Now the bonfire had burned, what were they all still doing in Wilfordshire, if not continuing with their bizarre homage to their martyr? What other reason could they have for sticking around?

  Lacey decided to pay it no more mind. She had plenty of other things to think about beyond some strange black-clad, witch-loving, out-of-towners—things like her decision to visit her father after the auction, something she’d not yet found the right moment to tell Tom about.

  After the auction, she decided. One thing at a time.

  She reached the bottom of the high street and stopped in at Wilfordshire’s newest coffee shop. She had a long day ahead of her, as did her staff, and turning up with caffeine for everyone was the least she could do.

  The Coffee Nook was quickly becoming Lacey’s favorite coffee shop in town. It was run by a pair of polite Danish siblings—Jens and his heavily pregnant sister Freja. Jens had lived in Wilfordshire for a few years now, but Freja had only recently moved over with her family to join him.

  Through the condensation-steamed window, Lacey spotted the sister on duty today. She was dressed as a Teletubby, her protruding pregnant bump making the perfect TV. She was busy serving a man who Lacey guessed was one of the out-of-towners, because he was wearing a black velvet suit and a long black cape that reached his toes.

  “Morning!” Lacey said to Freja as she entered the store, the bell above tinkling.

  She stepped to one side to keep out of the way. The store was very small. More of a kiosk than a shop, really.

  From her place behind the counter, Freja flashed Lacey a tense hello. She looked a little stressed, and it didn’t take long for Lacey to guess why. Her choice of costume had been very ill advised. She was struggling to key in the prices on the register, and fumbling in her attempts to make the coffee. The out-of-towner was impatiently drumming his long, black-painted nails on the countertop, putting even more pressure on Freja to hurry up. Lacey couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

  Just then, the door opened again, and the bell tinkled as Ivan Parry, the landlord Lacey had purchased Crag Cottage from, squeezed into the small store. He was dressed in his usual jeans and shirt combo, the only difference being the addition of a black baseball cap with plastic bat wings stuck on it.

  “Morning Lacey,” he said, sardining himself beside her. “I hear you’re having an auction today.”

  “I am,” Lacey replied, noticing the way his gaze went over her shoulder to the peculiar caped man, before a disdainful frown appeared on his forehead. Which was a bit rich, considering the ludicrous hat that he himself was wearing. “Are you coming?”

  He shook his head. “Not this time around, I’m afraid. I don’t think you’re selling anything I’m in need of.”

  “What do you mean?” Lacey joked. “You can never have too much taxidermy.”

  Ivan chuckled at her joke.

  Just then, the caped man turned from the counter, coffee in hand, and Lacey and Ivan squidged up closer to the wall to give him space to leave.

  As the man inched past them, he took a sip from his cup. Then, suddenly, he spat it out everywhere.

  Lacey turned away just in time not to get a face full of hot coffee spray, but she felt it splatter into her hair and grimaced.

  “This has milk in it!” the man bellowed loudly. “I asked for soya!”

  Freja looked mortified. “I am so sorry. Here, let me exchange it for you.”

  “Exchange it?” came his incredulous cry. “I can’t trust you not to mess up my order again! If you weren’t wearing such a stupid costume, perhaps you’d have heard me the first time!”

  “Hey!” Lacey said, stepping forward. The man’s outburst was outrageous, and Lacey wasn’t going to just stand by while he shouted at a heavily pregnant woman. “You need to calm down.”

  “Calm down?” the man cried. “This imbecilic woman just tried to poison me with liquid from the mammary glands of a cow!”

  “Okay, I think you’re being a little bit OTT now,” Lacey told him.

  The man glared at her angrily. Then he threw his coffee cup on the floor. It hit the ground with a thud, spraying hot liquid into the air.

  Lacey jumped back as the hot puddle of coffee spread across the tiled floor.

  “I, Alaric Moon, curse thee!” he bellowed, glowering at Freja. He glared at Lacey. “I curse thee.” Then he spread his arms wide and cried to the ceiling, “I curse all who enter these walls!”

  With that, he swished his stupid cape around him and stormed away.

  There was a moment of stunned silence. Then, all at once, the three inside the store burst out laughing.

  “Well, that was ridiculous!” Lacey exclaimed.

  “I wonder what curse will befall me?” Ivan added. He was laughing so hard, tears were plopping out the corners of his eyes.

  “I’m pretty sure you were spared the curse,” Lacey said, wryly. “Just me and Freja.”

  “And all who enter,” Ivan corrected. “Don’t thee forget.”

  Lacey laughed.

  Freja came hurrying from behind the counter with a tea cloth to wipe up the mess.

  “Let me,” Lacey offered.

  Freja gratefully handed over the tea cloth. “Thank you,” she said, her hand going down to her stomach. “I don’t think I’d be able to reach.” She patted her belly. “I’m just about ready to pop.”

  Lacey bent down and began mopping up the coffee puddle.

  “Is it normal to dress and act that way in England?” Freja asked, nervously.

  “NO!” Lacey cried.

  Ivan began to chuckle. “We all have Lacey to thank for those oddballs being in town!”

  Lacey paused what she was doing. She looked up at him from the puddle and frowned.

  “Me?” she asked. “What
do you mean? They came here because of the bonfire, didn’t they?”

  “Right,” Ivan replied. “But they’re sticking around for the auction!”

  Lacey gulped. She’d wanted this to be a good-natured Halloween auction for locals. She had no idea it would draw this sort of bizarre attention.

  Ivan’s chuckles died away and he wiped his tears from his eyes. “Poor Lacey,” he said. “You’ll be the one on the receiving end of that temper tantrum next.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  With Ivan’s warning ringing in her ear, Lacey hurried back to her store to warn the others.

  She pushed the door so hard the bell almost came right off its hinges, and rushed inside with such haste she almost dropped the cardboard tray of teas and coffees.

  “Gina! Finn!” she exclaimed.

  Then she screeched to a halt. It was too late. Her employees were not alone. A tall, black-clad man was standing in her store.

  Lacey gulped. The man was perusing the shelves, his long black hair hanging halfway down his back. Gina and Finn were standing behind the counter, staring at him openmouthed. They looked hypnotized. Perplexed. Confounded.

  Lacey’s first thought was that it was the awful Alaric Moon from the Coffee Nook. But then she realized the man had no cape on, and a little bit of tension left her body.

  That was, until Lacey suddenly realized who it was standing in her store. Not Alaric Moon, but the elegant man from the party, the one who’d watched her through the flames of the bonfire. The one who’d made an appearance in her nightmare last night.

  Prickles went up and down her spine. The man who’d spooked her to such an extent he infiltrated her nightmares was now standing in her store… and she would have to serve him!