Witches & Words

by Elle Adams

  “Or the password list,” I said. “Which Aunt Candace lost somewhere.”

  “All we know is that the return date was New Year’s Day, just after midnight,” said Estelle. “The book was set to start screaming if it was returned late, so perhaps Mr Spencer decided to turn his trip into a vampire-hunting mission. It might not have been planned at all.”

  “And Mr Blake just happened to show up?” Planning a vampire-hunting mission around an unreliable book that screamed constantly seemed unlikely, too. “In the same town Mr Spencer’s ex-wife lives in, too?”

  “You think she’s involved?” asked Xavier.

  “Your guess is as good as mine,” I said. “She’s the only non-vampire suspect still around now Mr Dreyer is gone.”

  “Mr Dreyer…” Estelle paused. “You know, I did get his phone number when I was researching. I can see if he’s still reachable.”

  “Do you think he’ll answer, though?” I said. “If he was up to anything dodgy, he won’t want to be followed.”

  Xavier’s expression turned thoughtful. “There is one way to track him, but it would involve using my Reaper powers.”

  “Your…” I trailed off. “You can find people. Right?”

  “A Reaper can track anyone without being near them,” he said. “If he’s in the general area, I can convince him to come back and make a statement to the police. Then there’ll be more than our word as proof of the vampires’ involvement. Evangeline will have to get involved publicly.”

  “Can the Grim Reaper track people in the same manner?” I asked. “So he would know if a rogue vampire was in town?”

  “Not a vampire,” he said. “They aren’t trackable the same way humans are. Look, this is… classified. But I can certainly find Mr Dreyer.”

  “So can a tracking spell, and they don’t carry scythes,” I said. “You won’t tell your boss?”

  “I won’t,” he said. “Just give me a few minutes, okay? I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “Okay, but—be careful.”

  As the door closed behind him, Sylvester flew down to land on the desk. “Trouble in paradise?”

  “I thought you’d still be arguing with the book,” I commented. “Got bored, did you?”

  “If that thing is password-activated, I’m a cactus,” said the owl.

  Estelle turned to the owl. “Aunt Candace is still trying out passwords. You mean she’s wasting her time?”

  “It keeps her out of my hair,” said Sylvester.

  “You don’t have hair,” I said. “As you told me yourself. Anyway, you’re the one who’s supposed to be in charge of late returns. How come you didn’t know about this one?”

  “Because unlike some people, I take New Year’s Eve off,” he said self-importantly.

  “Really.” I rolled my eyes. “You should know, we’re pretty certain the book was planted here as bait to lure in rogue vampires, but the two people who were hunting them managed to get themselves killed.”

  “Bait!” He gave a loud squawk, his wings extending so suddenly one of them hit me in the face. The other knocked the logbook off the table.

  “Ow.” I stepped back out of reach of his talons. “Yes, bait. Have you not been paying any attention?”

  “Candace lost the password sheet, did she?” He landed back on the desk, his head rotating to face me. “I knew I should have taken that book apart.”

  “What are you talking about?” said Estelle. “Look—honestly. You’ve made me lose my page.”

  She scooped up the logbook and then held it out of reach as Sylvester gave it a jab with his beak. “There’s no record in there.”

  “Stop that,” Estelle said. “What’s the matter with you?”

  The owl spread his wings wide and launched into flight, saying over his shoulder, “I’m going to save Candace’s skin. Again.”

  Estelle put the logbook down. “That bird. I only got halfway through the long-term loans and now I’ve lost my page.”

  “He said there’s no record,” I said slowly. “You don’t think it’s odd that none of us can get the book open? I mean, Aunt Adelaide managed to open a book the other week where you have to answer a riddle to open each chapter. You’d think we’d have figured out how to stop the screaming by now.”

  The logbook slipped from her hands onto the front desk. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying the book might not even have been ours in the first place.”

  Estelle shook her head. “No… it is ours. It’s definitely on our list.”

  “But does the list say whether it was taken out or not?” I asked.

  Estelle flipped open the logbook and began frantically turning pages. “I was searching for Mr Spencer’s name—but if he didn’t check it out—”

  I fidgeted, wondering when Xavier would come back, as she skimmed the logbook until she came to a halt. “The book is still out there. That one… that one’s a fake.”

  “What?” I stared at her. “How? It’s a sentience spell, right?”

  “That doesn’t make it one of ours.” Estelle dropped the logbook on the desk. “I’ll have to break the news to Aunt Candace, if Sylvester hasn’t already.”

  “I think he has,” I said. “But your mum needs to know, too. I’ll wait for Xavier—I thought he was going to take a minute or two.”

  Had something gone wrong? He can’t be in danger. He’s the Reaper.

  While Estelle hurried through the stacks in search of her mother, I pushed open the doors and peered outside, cursing the Grim Reaper for refusing to let Xavier carry a mobile phone so I could check what was taking him so long.

  A chill brushed against my neck. As though my thoughts had conjured him up, the Grim Reaper appeared in the doorway before me, his scythe in his hands.

  12

  Darkness flooded the library, so dark it turned the shelves to hunched shadows and masked every source of light. Whenever I set eyes on the Grim Reaper, I forgot how to speak, how to think. He looked at me, and the breath froze in my lungs. I stumbled backwards, catching my balance on the front desk.

  “Where,” he said, “is my apprentice?”

  My tongue unstuck itself from the roof of my mouth. “He’s on the tail of someone we suspect might be a murderer.”

  “Someone you suspect?”

  I swallowed against my dry throat. “The suspect left town but is still in the area.” I was starting to think he wasn’t a suspect at all, but misleading the Grim Reaper was easier than admitting I’d sent his apprentice away for no reason. “The two people who were murdered at the hotel this week were vampires. Mr Dreyer was the only witness who might have seen a rogue vampire in town.”

  “Vampires,” he said. “Which vampire?”

  “I don’t know yet.” I took a deep breath. “We have reason to believe a certain group of individuals are after one of the library’s books. We know the two dead men were vampire hunters who used the book to lure their prey to town, but their plan went wrong.”

  I decided not to mention the book was a fake. I doubted the Grim Reaper would be impressed to know it had fooled all of us, and besides, Xavier really ought to have made it back by now.

  “And why not leave it up to Evangeline?” he said. “She’s the leader of the town’s vampires and a more logical choice of confidant.”

  “Because she…” I hesitated. “She wants the book herself. And I don’t trust her.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes,” I said, my voice growing steadier as my lies merged with the truth. “The book was planted in the library to turn my family into targets. Given her mind-reading skills, it wouldn’t have been hard for Evangeline to find that information, yet she decided not to tell us we might be at risk.”

  “You’re not naturally trusting,” he mused. “I thought, given your interest in my apprentice, that you were naive as many humans are. But I seem to be mistaken.”

  My insides shrivelled up at the implication that he knew my feelings for Xavier,
though it wouldn’t be hard for him to figure it out by now. Despite my mortification and fear, I couldn’t help wondering who had the Grim Reaper been, before he’d turned into this cold, terrifying being. I couldn’t imagine him as human, but if he was really immortal, he wouldn’t need an apprentice like Xavier. That was a topic to ask Xavier himself about, though, not his boss.

  “However, you’re not telling me everything,” he added. “Why would they target you, an unremarkable witch who grew up ignorant of the magical world? I don’t think you’re being entirely truthful with me, Aurora.”

  I have to tell him. It wasn’t like he could use the journal, considering his total lack of interest in anything living. If vampires counted as living. If it came to it, he might even be able to help me deal with them.

  “That’s not all.” I swallowed my fear. “I have a journal that used to belong to my dad. A group of vampires were already interested in obtaining the journal before I even moved to the library, including Mortimer Vale. He’s in jail because he tried to steal it from me and two of his friends are still out there somewhere, so it’s not unreasonable to assume the same group of people might be connected to the rogue vampires who killed two people at the hotel.”

  “And does my apprentice know all this?”

  “Yes.” I buried my freezing hands in my pockets. “So does my family.”

  “Irritating,” he muttered. “If my apprentice became their target… this won’t do. Fine. I will send you after him to find this suspect. I do hope that you don’t disappoint me.”

  He stepped towards me, and I froze, my eyes caught on his scythe. This is it. He’s going to reap my soul this time, and I can’t stop him—

  I squeezed my eyes shut, and a roaring wind blasted into me. When I opened my eyes, the library had disappeared, replaced by a long, curving road. A blond figure not ten feet away walked alongside a row of cottages painted in pastel shades. Despite my chattering teeth, my heart lifted at the sight of Xavier. He’s okay.

  The darkness receded, and the Grim Reaper was gone, as though he’d never been there to begin with.

  Xavier started when he spotted me. “Rory? How’d you get here?”

  “Your boss gave me a lift,” I said, and his jaw dropped. “Believe it or not, he actually takes the vampire threat seriously, so I’m here to help you with your interrogation.”

  “I’m hoping it won’t turn into an interrogation, but I’m glad to have you with me,” he said. “I’ve never seen him use his power on a mortal before.”

  “He seemed to think you might be in danger just by knowing about my dad’s journal,” I added.

  His brows rose. “You told him about that?”

  “He didn’t give me much of a choice,” I admitted. “Besides, I had to tell him why I don’t trust Evangeline despite the clear connection between this case and the vampires. He didn’t indicate whether he believed me about that or not, but I’d rather be on his side than against him.”

  “Most people would agree,” he said. “Mr Dreyer is somewhere in this village, which is a couple of miles from Ivory Beach.”

  “Can you sense his precise location or just the general area?” I asked.

  “It depends if he’s moving.” He scanned the street. “He’s close, but I reckon he knows he’s being followed.”

  I walked alongside Xavier, and as we rounded a corner, I spotted Mr Dreyer’s cloaked form walking out of a shop. The instant he spotted us, he stopped in his tracks.

  “Hello,” said Xavier. “We just want to ask you some questions.”

  The relic hunter turned and ran, but Xavier overtook him, blocking his path. I hurried to pen him in from the other side. I might not move as fast as Xavier did, but after the Grim Reaper himself had helped me get here, I couldn’t afford to let Mr Dreyer run away again.

  All the fight went out of him when he saw he was cornered. “What do you want? If it’s my time to die, I’d be happy to pay you whatever I’m worth.”

  Xavier shook his head. “We’re not here to take your life. We’re here to ask you about the two people who were murdered at Ivory Beach’s hotel this week. You were seen walking around Mr Blake’s hotel room a few hours before his death. You haven’t acted like an innocent man. Why were you there?”

  “I was looking for relics,” he said, his voice tremulous. “I didn’t lie.”

  “But you wanted the book,” I pushed. “Right? The one Mr Spencer returned to the library.”

  “The book was a fake,” he blurted. “A creation of magic. I saw the instructions for creating it in Mr Blake’s room when I searched. I don’t doubt the original book is somewhere, but it’s not with you in the library.”

  So it’s true.

  “Then is the real book still out there?” I said. “You’re looking for it?”

  “No,” he said. “Certainly not. Two people are dead, and I don’t want to join them, thank you very much. As soon as I found out the truth, I packed my bags and made preparations to leave.”

  “How did you find out?” I asked. “You didn’t come to the library, and there was nothing in Mr Blake’s room to suggest the book was a fake or otherwise.”

  He blinked. “The police must have taken the evidence away. I found notes all over his room, all about the spells he used and the people he hired to help create the fake book. It didn’t look like an easy job.”

  “And did you put them back where you found them?” said Xavier.

  “Of course I did.” He raised his chin. “I’m done with this. It’s not worth risking my life.”

  “But…” I frowned. “You knew they were vampire hunters, right? Didn’t you see a vampire yourself, outside the hotel?”

  “I’m starting to think I imagined it,” he mumbled. “I was half asleep at the time, and you know… the guy looked like—”

  He broke off, going even paler than he had when he’d seen us. Given the chill on the back of my neck and the way Xavier stiffened at my side, I could guess why.

  Shadows spread behind me, heralding the arrival of the Grim Reaper. “That is not a vampire,” he said. “You told me you were looking for a suspect.”

  My throat went dry. “I never said he was a vampire.”

  “You led me to believe my apprentice was in danger,” he said, his voice low, dangerous.

  Fear flooded me. “We haven’t found the vampires who the two ex-hunters were trying to lure to town. The murderer is still at large.”

  “Yes, and what if there were souls in need of reaping while my apprentice was busy helping you?” he said. “You divert his attention from his purpose and make him forget what he is.”

  “It’s not like when he was under a spell,” I said. “I wasn’t stopping him from doing his job. He chose to come with me.”

  “You’re a distraction and a liability,” he said. “I told you not to contact him again.”

  “Someone is trying to play both of us. With the fear creeping up my throat, my voice was more of a squeak, but I pressed on. “Those vampire hunters planted a fake book in the library to lure vampire rogues to town, only for it to backfire and them to end up dead. Xavier became involved by default when he had to take their souls to the afterlife.”

  “And his involvement should have stopped there.” The Grim Reaper moved closer to Mr Dreyer, who whimpered. “I will take this one to the police. My apprentice will come with me. And you, Aurora, will go back to the library.”

  For a heartbeat, I expected him to leave me here alone and force me to walk all the way back to Ivory Beach alone. Then shadows folded over my head, and I held my breath. An instant later, the darkness cleared, and I stood in the town square on the library’s doorstep. Xavier was nowhere to be seen, and nor was the Grim Reaper.

  I turned to face the library, my legs shaking. So much for catching the culprit. Despite his unscrupulous nature, Mr Dreyer had been an unlucky bystander, or so it seemed—and he’d be spilling his secrets to the police soon enough, one way or another.

 
I opened the library door with trembling hands and slammed it closed behind me, my heart racing. How had I managed to land Xavier in hot water again? He’d end up taking the brunt of the blame, one way or another, and I could say goodbye to any tentative chances I might have had of rekindling our friendship.

  “Rory!” Estelle looked alarmed. “What is it?”

  “Oh, nothing,” I breathed. “I just got chastised by the Grim Reaper for wasting his time, that’s all.”

  “Ouch.” She winced. “What went wrong? Didn’t Xavier find Mr Dreyer?”

  “He found him all right.” I sucked in a breath. “But the Grim Reaper got mad at me for implying it was the vampires he was after. He claimed I was making it up on purpose to lure Xavier away from his job.”

  “I’m sorry, Rory,” she said. “It’s not good news here, either. Aunt Candace and Sylvester have been arguing over that wretched book for the last half-hour. As for my mum, she’s been helping Cass re-settle all her pets. They got so freaked out by the book’s screaming that they escaped and knocked a bunch of shelves all over the third floor. She has to deal with that before she comes to look at the book again.”

  “At least I’m not the only one having a bad day.” I rubbed my eyes. “Whatever Aunt Candace thinks, it sounds like those two vampire hunters wanted to trick whoever they were hunting into coming here, so they made a fake copy of the book to lure them in. They left proof of the spell they used to create the fake book in Mr Blake’s room, supposedly, but Xavier and I already searched and found nothing.”

  “Mr Dreyer told you that?” She blinked. “Is he with the police at the moment?”

  “He is,” I said. “The Grim Reaper took him there, in fact. But we need to find your mum. Cass, too. I think that book should be moved out of the library, fake or not. How is Sylvester handling it?”