Midnight Magic
by
Sara Bourgeois
Chapter One
“I haven’t grown at all!” Meri bemoaned.
“No, I think you’ve grown a little,” I said.
“Kinsley, I’ve been measuring every single day. I haven’t grown one millimeter.”
It had been six months since I’d done the spell that turned Meri into a kitten, and everyone thought that he’d just grow up again. We hadn’t been able to find a spell or ritual that could reverse the one I did to make him a kitten in the first place, but we did assume it would work itself out.
That hadn’t happened.
It seemed that I had permanently turned him into a kitten. He’d accepted the change when he thought it was temporary, but upon the realization that he might never grow…
Meri was losing it.
I really wished I had time that morning to indulge his neurosis, but I had to go. My new shop, Summoned Goods & Sundries had taken off, I’d been busier than I ever expected.
There was also a new shop opening across the square from mine, and I wanted to be there to celebrate with the new owner. Nobody had any idea what the shop would be. The space next to the Brew Station had opened up when a little sewing shop closed, and a new tenant had rented it. Viv, the owner of the Brew Station, and I were dying to know what was going in there. The sign was being hung that morning just in time for the grand opening.
I planned on taking over a gift basket of candles and oils, and Viv was taking coffee and pastries. We planned on welcoming the new business with open arms. I had gotten to know Astra Argent after she’d moved into town. She was a regular at both the Brew Station and my store.
“We have to go to work,” I said. “Are you coming with me?”
“I suppose,” Meri said. “Do you think Viv will have bacon for me?”
“Meri, you just had breakfast.”
“What? I’m a growing boy.”
I wanted to argue that point so badly, but I kept it to myself. I wanted Meri to go with me that day, and if I ticked him off, he'd probably stay home. Or, we'd just argue more and leave Viv standing there waiting for us.
"I'm sure she will,” I said. "She always does, right?"
"Yeah, that's the only good thing about my new stature. I do get a lot of treats."
With that, we headed out for the day. When we arrived in the square, I parked my car in front of my shop. The canvas covering the new store's name was still in place, so we hadn't missed the big unveiling.
I was so excited not only to have a new witch in town, but also a new business in the square. I hoped that Viv, Astra, and I could all form an alliance to help each other out. Viv had helped me out a great deal in the beginning, and I sent as many customers her way as I could. I was fully prepared to do the same for Astra. Speculation was that she was opening a candy shop or perhaps some other type of quick service food to cater to tourists looking for snacks.
We’d had an awesome candy store when I was a young girl, but Ruby had left Coventry to take care of her mother years back. She’d opened her shop in Florida, where her mom lived, and it had thrived. There was little chance she’d ever return to Coventry.
As I walked quickly across the square, Viv emerged from the Brew Station. For a brief moment, as I walked over it, I felt the power of the ley line under Coventry surge through me. The longer I was in town and the more I embraced my craft, the more intense the feeling of being near it grew to be.
"Good morning!" I called out to Viv as I crossed the street and joined her on the sidewalk outside of the new shop. "How are you today?"
“It’s a beautiful morning,” she said and handed me a coffee and a white paper bag. “And yes, there’s bacon in there for the little one.”
I was amazed at how easily people just accepted that the cat I was with was now a kitten. The magical veil over the town was an incredible thing. No one even asked.
“Thank you so much,” I said. “You’ll have to let me pay you when we’re done here. I don’t want to be a freeloader.”
“Nonsense,” Viv said with a shake of her head. “But you can let me come over to your shop and grab another bag of that sea salt and lavender bath soak. That stuff is amazing.”
“Of course,” I said.
A crowd was beginning to form around the store as it got closer to the grand opening and the final reveal. The event had been included in the local paper and on several of the neighborhood websites. Coventry was one of the last towns in the entire country to still have a physical paper, and the ironic thing was that it had begun within the last few years.
The Coventry Conjurer was created specifically for nostalgia and to play off the town’s witchy reputation. It was also a bit of a gossip rag, but that went over well in a small town like ours. Sometimes it did report on actual events like Astra’s store opening.
Locals standing around watching drew in the tourists as well, and pretty soon there was a huge gathering that filled the sidewalk and spilled over into the square. People were waiting on both sides of the street for Astra to pull down the canvas and show us her new store.
Additionally, there were giant pieces of cardboard covering the store’s windows from the inside. Those would be taken down once the store’s name was revealed, and everyone would finally see what was inside. Would it be worth all the hype?
At first, I’d thought all of the secrecy was kind of silly, but seeing the crowd that the little mystery had drawn told me that it was a shrewd marketing move after all.
Astra emerged from the shop, and Viv and I approached her. “We come bearing gifts for our new business neighbor,” Viv said.
“Yes, we wanted to officially welcome you to our business community,” I added.
Viv handed Astra the food she’d brought and I handed her my gift basket. It was a fancier version of the swag bags I’d be handing out at the Midnight Magic Festival.
“Oh, thank you both so much,” Astra said. “You two are so kind. I’m so glad you gave these to me before the big reveal.”
“Of course,” I said not quite understanding what she meant, but at the time, it didn’t sound sinister. “You’ve been over in my shop so much. I included some of the things that seemed like your favorites.”
“That’s quite a gesture,” she said to me and then turned to Viv. “And thank you so much for hyping my business up for me. I have a feeling this is all going to pay off for me soon.”
Viv and I shot each other a look, but I just shrugged. Astra was a bit quirky, that was for sure. We were certain she’d find her place in Coventry, though. The town was full of quirky people.
Before Viv and I could say anything else to each other or to Astra, she turned to face the crowd. “Is everybody ready?” Astra called out.
A bunch of people said “Yeah!” in response.
No one was quite sure what they were excited about, but they were still enthusiastic. The anticipation was buzzing through the crowd like a hive of bees.
“I just want to let everyone know that for the first hour of the grand opening, everything in the store is 50 percent off. As long as you’re in line by the time the hour is up, you get the discount. So, all you great folks are getting a great deal just for being here to support me.”
People actually cheered. They were cheering for getting 50 percent off, but nobody knew on what. It seemed silly, but then again, I felt myself getting keyed up too. After all, even I loved a good sale.
“Just do it already,” Viv whispered into my ear. “I’m going to have a line out the door if I don’t get back soon. Charles will be flailing around dramatically at the notion he has to work.”
Charles was her only day-shift employee that worked during opening hours with her. It
would be another half an hour before her second employee came in to help with the morning rush.
I chuckled, but it was short-lived. Astra finally pulled a rope that was hanging from the canvas covering her sign. The whole thing fell away and revealed the name of her store. At the same time, my stomach dropped. My intuition knew something was wrong before my conscious mind could piece what I was seeing together.
The Summoning Scroll
At first, I thought that perhaps it was just a metaphysical bookstore. I sold books in my store but having a competing book shop wouldn’t be so bad.
But then Astra walked into her store and took down the cardboard covering the big front windows. Her shop was just like mine. I could see the shelves filled with crystals, herbs, potion bottles, and books. Most of the items near the front were the same as my most popular goods.
She hadn’t been spending time in my store because she liked it, she’d been spying on my business. The stuff in her gift basket, that I’d thought she loved, was displayed in her front window. She’d figured out my most popular sellers and put them on full display.
I could do the same thing, but it occurred to me that I’d look like I was copying her. She’d put me in the position to look like the bad guy, but as my temper rose, I felt my concern over my reputation begin to erode. The spark of annoyance in my gut was about to turn into a raging fire.
It took a moment for what was happening to register with Viv, but when it did, she let out a gasp. I felt myself grow furious and nauseated at the same time. Viv’s arm shot out to support me when I wobbled a little. I wasn’t faint, but the wrath in me had turned into an actual fever. I was burning with anger, and I had to get a lid on it before I began to shoot actual flames.
Astra came back outside with a huge Cheshire cat grin on her face. People in the crowd were a bit stunned at first, but the lure of 50 percent off was more than most could resist. The tourists had no idea what was going on and happily filed into the store. Some of the locals went in too, though they wouldn’t look at me.
Astra approached us. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said to me, “but this gift basket will be perfect for a giveaway in my store. I’ll do a raffle.”
My hands itched and tingled, and somewhere in the dark parts of my brain, I knew the only thing that would make it stop was for me to wrap them around her devious little throat. I balled my hands into fists and fought the urge to strangle Astra, but that only made me want to punch her.
A second later, I felt Viv’s hand around my arm. She was dragging me away toward the Brew Station.
“Let me go,” I growled.
“No, honey. No,” Viv said as soothingly as she said. “Not right now. We’re going to go have some tea, and if you still want to kill her, then I’ll help you.”
“I am absolutely not going to go have tea while she does this to me,” I said and yanked my arm away from Viv. Probably a little too hard, and the guilt from that turned down the gas feeding my rage.
“Please,” Genevieve pleaded.
“I won’t kill her. I promise. But I am going to say something. I will not just let her do this and skulk off like a wounded dog.”
I took a deep breath, and I could almost see the flames behind my eyes reflected in Viv’s pupils. That was all in my mind’s eye, though. It had to be.
“All right. I guess we’re doing this then,” Viv said and straightened her back. “You have to keep it together, Kinsley. You cannot sink to her level.”
I held my head up high, and we marched into The Summoning Scroll.
The place was pretty packed because most of the people outside had funneled into the shop. A few people, who I assumed were loyal to me, had just shaken their heads in disdain and walked away.
Astra wasn't going to get any business from the witches of Coventry. None of them would dare cross me or my family, but she could steal tourism business. People who just liked herbs, crystals, and candles might go to her as well. Many of the humans of Coventry were deferential to the Skeenbauers, but not all.
That wasn't the point, though. I made money at my shop, but I didn't need to earn a living there. The point was Astra was a snake that pretended to be my friend and then stabbed me in the back. She was either deliberately trying to hurt me, or she didn't care who she hurt. Either way, that was not the sort of malarkey we needed in Coventry.
She was still smiling that infuriating Cheshire cat smile as she rang up customers. The look on her face told me she was excited to see me instead of concerned. I had to take another deep breath. If I raged against her the way I wanted to, she would use that to further damage my business and advance her own.
My shop was one of the first truly successful things I’d done in my life, and I could not allow Astra to push me into burning it down.
"Stay calm,” Viv said as if she’d picked up on my thoughts.
I barely heard her over the din of customers shopping and chatting, but I did hear her. I took another breath, and I felt myself relax a little more when Meri's paw darted out of my purse and touched my hand.
"Astra, this isn't funny,” I said as I shouldered my way up to the empty part of the counter.
"No one is trying to be funny,” she said. "But I do need you to step to the back of the line. I'll get to everyone. There's no reason to butt in."
"I'm not butting in," I said. "And, I'm certainly not here to buy anything from you."
"You need to get control of yourself, Kinsley. We're all here to have a good time and get some great deals, and you're ruining the mood."
People around us started murmuring, and I could tell the crowd was quickly going to turn against me. My only choice was to state my claim quickly and calmly.
“You knew that opening this business right across the street from mine would probably hurt my shop,” I said. “And you pretended to be my friend to get information.”
“Don’t be such a child,” Astra sniped. “This little temper tantrum you are throwing isn’t a very becoming look on you.”
And that was it. Something snapped in my brain. My face grew hot again, and I felt like I could spit fire. Instead of flames, it was venom. "You're going to regret doing this to me," I yelled. "You have no idea who you are dealing with, but you're going to find out. You messed with the wrong... woman. I won't let you do this. Watch your back, Astra Argent."
I turned and stormed out of the shop before Astra could say anything else. Admittedly, the last part was a little over the line. Okay, all of it had been over the line. The part about her having no idea who she was dealing with had to be true, though.
It was strange that a witch had decided to mess with me and my family, so that was the only explanation I could think of as to why she would risk ticking me off. How she didn’t know who the Skeenbauers were was a mystery. Maybe she did know and wasn’t smart enough to care.
The part about me not letting her get away with it was true too if for no other reason than I wouldn't allow such unsavory behavior to stand in Coventry. I wasn’t the sheriff or anything like that, but as the head of the coven, I was a de facto leader of sorts. It wasn’t as if I’d taken up that mantle yet, but I thought perhaps Astra’s shenanigans would be the thing that made me finally step up.
"You should come get that tea now,” Viv said as soon as we were outside.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I delay opening my store for a little while,” I said.
"I think it's best. I don't want you going over there and stewing all day. I can just see you at your window staring across the square,” she said.
I wanted to protest, but she was right. That's most likely exactly what I would have done. I chuckled at the mental image of me standing in my store window glaring at Astra's shop all day. "All right. One cup of tea, and then I do have to go to work. I'm sure there are some people who will still shop at my store. I'd better not let them down. I'll need every customer I can get until I fix this."
"You're going to run her out of town, aren't you?" Viv asked
as I followed her into the Brew Station.
"That's the plan," I responded. "Do you think less of me?"
"Not for one second, Kinsley. I'm just glad I've got a front row seat to the fireworks,” Viv said. "Now, let me get you a hazelnut latte."
“I thought you said I should have tea.”
“Do you want tea?” she asked and then cut me off before I could answer. “Somehow I doubt it. Let me get you what you really want.”
"I knew there was a reason I loved you,” I said. "Thank you so much."
Chapter Two
I'd been right about people still coming to my shop. There were even a couple of witches waiting outside for me to open when I left the Brew Station.
“Here she comes,” I heard one of them whisper as I crossed the street.
It wasn’t in a mocking tone, but instead, they seemed like they were waiting for the storm. I wasn’t entirely sure if they were actually there to buy anything, or if they just wanted a front row seat to my volcanic eruption.
After all, the head of the Skeenbauer Coven, whatever that meant, and the most powerful witch anyone had ever heard of, whatever that meant, had to put on a pretty good show when she blew her top. Fireworks, as Viv had described.
Unfortunately for them, Meri's soothing magic was better than expected, and by the time I reached the front door of my shop, I felt much better. I'd hoped they had some purchases in mind, or they were going to be bitterly disappointed. I would not lose it in my shop in front of my customers. If anything, life had made me stronger than that.
"Good morning, folks,” I said as I put the key in the lock and opened the door. "I won't forget your loyalty, and to reward you, I'm also having a 50 percent off sale for the next hour. I'm not going to make a big announcement in the square or anything, but if you want to call your friends or family and let them know, please do."
And some of them did call friends and family. The shop filled up after a few minutes. It wasn't nearly the amount Astra had across the street, but it was enough to make me feel even better.
Midnight Magic Page 1
