Back Room Bookstore Cozy Mystery Boxed Set: Books 1 - 12

by Susan Harper

  “The original sentence was five hundred years,” Abigail said. “But the council has since lowered that significantly. I only have twenty years left to serve when we return to our time.”

  “You’ve served over three hundred years of that, though?” Isaac asked, clearly shocked.

  “Yeah,” Abigail groaned. “Believe me, it was no cake walk.”

  “Well, it is what it is,” Brian said. “Right now, our main focus is finding someone who can work a time coin so that we can find our way back home. And Isaac, you know you can’t put any of this on your blog, right?”

  “Just tell me one thing… Are aliens real, or have I been believing in the wrong mystical creature my whole life?” Isaac asked.

  “You’ve been believing in the wrong creature your whole life,” Monica said with a laugh. “No aliens, I’m afraid. Just magic.”

  Isaac smiled slightly at Monica from across the fire. He shrugged. “Well, at least I knew something was up. So that thing I saw when I broke into your house was no alien?”

  “Wait, you broke into her house?!” Holly exclaimed, looking from Monica to Isaac, eyes wide.

  “It’s a long story,” Brian said, shaking his head. “For now, guys, let’s just try to get some rest. It sounds like we have a lot of walking to do in the morning.”

  Monica sighed. They very quickly discovered that four people plus a cat was a little too cramped for a hobbit hole, temporary refugee housing or not, but they curled up together and made it work.

  2

  Monica awoke the following morning with a slight smile on her face. Brian’s nose was inches from hers, and he looked rather lovely with the way he was sleeping peacefully despite their cramped quarters. She took a moment to enjoy her ability to openly stare at him. She never got this opportunity while he was awake. This blissful moment was ruined by the sound of Isaac snoring in her ear. “Move over,” Monica groaned, and instantly, everyone in their cramped little hobbit hole awakened and elbowed and kneed one another trying to get out the small door. The hobbit hole was full of grumbling, groaning, and angry throat clearing as everyone worked their way through the exit.

  “My back…” Isaac groaned as they exited the hole, stretching and rubbing his neck. “So, it was real. Yesterday was not a dream. My friends really are a couple of witches.”

  “Not a witch,” Holly reminded him and then whispered, “Ibeji.”

  “Right. Same thing,” Isaac said, rubbing his eyes.

  “Move it or lose it, I have to pee,” Abigail said, darting around Isaac and disappearing behind a tree.

  “Right, and the talking witch turned cat,” Isaac said. “All real. And we’re still stuck in 1698?”

  “Looks that way,” Monica said, stretching her arms above her head. “We should probably grab a bite to eat and then start heading toward Boston. That’s probably our best bet at finding someone who can tell us how to work a time coin. Or maybe a wizard’s bookshop with a book on time coins.” She groaned softly as she felt her back pop and she dropped her arms.

  Abigail reappeared, having relieved herself evidently. She kept walking around in a sort of circular motion, constantly looking over her shoulder. They made their way to the nearest campfire where the hobbits were passing out rations. In the night, it hadn’t looked nearly as sad and desolate as it did in the morning light. Hobbits were strewn around the fire, bedraggled and hungry, with deep bags under their eyes. Monica felt a deep appreciation for these creatures sharing their homes with them, even for a night.

  “We really do appreciate your hospitality,” Monica told Toph. “Really. I know rations must be low in a refugee camp.”

  “It’s nothing, dear,” Toph assured her, giving her a weary smile. “We’ve only made it as long as we have thanks to the kindness of strangers. Who are we to deny weary travelers such kindness as that we have been offered? Eat your breakfast. I’m sure you’ll need the energy.” Toph passed around food for each traveler, smiling as they all thanked her in turn.

  Monica ate her breakfast quietly, watching Abigail, who was still constantly looking over her shoulder. “Are you all right?” Monica asked.

  “I just don’t like being in this time,” Abigail said. “The sooner we get back the better. I’d really rather not any of you see this side of me if we can avoid it. Plus, with Remembrance running around, you could be in danger, Monica. And we can’t exactly take refuge with the Sorcerer’s Council with Holly. So it’s like either side we look to for help could wind up biting us in the rear.”

  “I know,” Monica said. “But we’re in this together.”

  Just then, a handful of hobbits burst through the trees, throwing fearful glances over their shoulders as they ran. “Help! Remembrance! Remembrance!” came the shouts.

  “Crud,” Monica said, her heart leaping into her throat as they all jumped to their feet.

  They heard the loud, cackling sound of witchy laughter from beyond the trees just as nearly a dozen witches and wizards came zipping through on their brooms, brandishing their wands to send flames through the air, damaging the hobbit holes and blasting trees down all around them. “Nasty, impure hobbits!” one of the wizards cried, sending a bolt of lightning down with his wand. Remembrance was shocking with their brutality and hatred for anything impure. Monica was always shocked when she came into contact with the hateful group.

  “All right! Enough of this!” Brian roared, jumping up and snagging a wizard clear off his broom as he came flying by. They fumbled on top of one another, and Brian delivered a strong punch to the man’s jaw. The wizard yelped and ran for his broom, hopping on and fleeing as swiftly as he was able.

  “Stop!” Monica shouted at the flying group, taking out her own wand.

  A young witch landed not far from her. She was flinging her wand about, and she had a hobbit floating in the air in front of her, who she sent flying. The hobbit slammed into a tree and shrieked in pain. The witch cackled. Monica threw a blast with her own wand, anger bubbling up in her, but it missed. It wasn’t entirely useless, though. It caught the witch’s attention. She was a slender young woman with jet-black hair, a button nose, and dark, round eyes that seemed a bit mad with the way they fluttered about looking for her next victim.

  Monica held her stance. The young woman glared at her for a moment. “I can tell by the way you hold your wand,” she hissed. “Unnatural.” She flung her wand in Monica’s direction. “Dilacerant!”

  Monica dodged just in time, and a tree split right in half behind her, crushing one of the hobbit holes. “You psycho!” Monica shouted, and the witch was on her in a second.

  “Ooh! What’s this you got, unnatural?” the witch asked, and Monica realized with a start that the woman had the time coin.

  “No!” Monica yelped, trying to snag it back.

  The witch snapped her fingers, and her broom came flying by at lightning speed. She jumped on it as it flew by. The others zoomed after her, and the witches and wizards were gone as quickly as they had arrived, leaving a wave of devastation behind. Monica felt a horrible panic in her stomach over the loss of the time coin, but she had no broom to use to chase the Remembrance group. She turned in time to see Holly standing with her eyes wide open, her hands glowing a bluish tint.

  “What in the world?!” Monica exclaimed, hurrying over.

  “You missed it!” Isaac exclaimed. “She blasted a witch off her broom with a bunch of light that came right out of her hands!”

  Monica hushed him and hurried over, telling Holly to stuff her hands in her pockets before any of the hobbits saw. Holly did as she was told, and the hobbits all instinctually started gathering up supplies. “We’ll have to relocate,” Toph said as she stuffed supplies and equipment into bags. “I’m sure you are going to need to head to Boston.”

  “We’re so sorry they attacked your camp,” Brian said. “Is there anything that we can do?”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” Toph said. “This is just how things are now.” The little hobbit cont
inued to pack up, offering help to whoever was closest to her as the travelers walked slowly away, thanking those that they could for their hospitality.

  Monica, Brian, Isaac, Holly, and Abigail gathered together on the outskirts of camp, ready to begin their journey to Boston. “So, we have a problem,” Monica said. “One of those witches took the time coin.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Holly said, slowly removing her hands from her pockets to make sure they were no longer glowing. She looked at her hands, absentmindedly massaging one hand with the other and then alternating.

  “Unfortunately, I’m not,” Monic said. “What are we going to do?”

  Just then, a number of additional witches and wizards came flying in. There was a moment of panic amongst the hobbits, but it became clear that these were not enemies when they landed and immediately began checking on the hobbits. The witches and wizards offered helping hands to the quickly-packing hobbits and used magic to help speed the process along.

  “Wait a second…” Abigail said, giving one of the witches of the group the up-and-down. “She’s part of the Sorcerer’s Council of this era. That’s Madam Hort.”

  “Perfect,” Monica said. “We can talk to them and let them know we’re time travelers. They can probably locate us a time coin.”

  “Um, what about me?” Holly whispered, worry showing clearly in her voice. “If they find out what I am…”

  “Just no more fire blasts from your hands, all right? As far as they know, you’re mortal,” Monica said. “You guys stay here. I’ll go talk to them.”

  Monica approached the group of witches and wizards who had landed amongst the camp. She knew they meant no one any harm, but after their run-in with the Remembrance, she wasn’t taking any chances. She walked over slowly, examining the situation and interactions without seeming intimidating or suspicious.

  Madame Hort noticed Monica first and inclined her head, letting Monica know it was safe to come over. Evidently, they had been tracking the Remembrance group that had just attacked the hobbits, and they knew about the hobbits in the area. “We’re sorry we didn’t get here sooner,” Madam Hort was saying as she shook hands with some of the hobbits, smiling at them warmly and reassuringly. “I’m assuming you will be relocating.”

  Monica waited patiently for Madam Hort to finish speaking with the hobbits, and then the older witch turned around and gave Monica a once-over. “Well, you don’t belong here,” she said, eyeing her clothing.

  “Accidental time traveler,” Monica said and waved back at her friends, who were standing a short distance off. “And the Remembrance group who came through here just stole our time coin.”

  “Oh, dear,” Madam Hort said, shaking her head sympathetically. “That is a problem. Well, lucky for you, we have been tracking that particular sect of Remembrance members. We believe we are closing in on one of their locations. We’ve been terribly busy between chasing down Remembrance and hunting the last of the immortals. They all seem to be gathering around here, you see.”

  “Hunting immortals, you say?” Monica said.

  “You are from the future, yes? I don’t recognize those clothes as anything from history,” she said.

  “Yes, future,” Monica said.

  “Then I assume you know about the immortals we’ve been hunting?” Madam Hort said. “We’ve nearly gotten them all. I do hope history finds this to be a good use of our time?”

  “Uh…”

  Madme Hort shook her head, smiling a little at her own slip-up. “Yes, believe me, I know the rules of time travel. You cannot comment,” Madam Hort said. “Authority Roderick! Do come here for a moment!”

  A young wizard dressed in traditional mortal clothing of the era came over, his broom over his shoulder. “Yes, Madam Hort?”

  “We have a group of time travelers here,” Madam Hort said, waving at Monica and her friends. “What was your name, dear?”

  “Monica,” she said.

  “Yes, Monica has had her time coin stolen by the Remembrance group that came through here,” Madam Hort said. “I’m putting you in charge of helping them to locate their missing coin.”

  Roderick smiled at Monica and held out his hand. “Time coin, eh?” he asked. “Those are rare even now. I can’t imagine they’re more common in the future?”

  “Yeah,” Monica said, shaking his hand. “Which is why we’re in a bit of trouble. We didn’t mean to travel to this period of time. It was a mistake, but now we’re stuck here until we find that coin.”

  “Well, I will have to see what I can do about that,” Roderick said. “That Remembrance group has their meeting place somewhere in Boston. I’ve been tracking them for months. I’m sure we can find you some accommodations in the city until then. Come along. I’ll lead you all to Boston.”

  Monica thanked Madam Hort for her help and then walked with Roderick over to her group. Roderick smiled and addressed the group of time travelers. “I am Authority Roderick, and I will be escorting you lot to the city. We’ll set you up with a place to stay until we can locate your time coin.”

  “Thank you,” Brian said and stuck out his hand to shake.

  “Fun little group you have here,” Roderick said, shaking Brian’s hand.

  “Officer Brian,” Brian said.

  “Mortal, I see,” Roderick said. “A bunch of mortals it looks like,” he added, looking at Holly and Isaac.

  “Holly,” Holly said.

  “Isaac,” Isaac said.

  “And that’s my familiar Abigail,” Monica said, nodding down at her. “I call her Abs.”

  “What a fun nickname,” Roderick said with a friendly smile. “Well, let’s get going then. As I only have one broom, it looks like we will be walking.” Roderick gave them an apologetic smile, but they weren’t bothered.

  They began their walk, and Roderick chatted happily about his work as an authority. “I work directly under the Sorcerer’s Council, you see,” he said. “We’ve been hunting down the last of the immortals—it’s their top priority right now, that and negotiating the possibility of separating our worlds. They’re calling it the Split. Not sure if it’s going to happen, but with the way things are going between the mystics and non-mystics, I wouldn’t be surprised. I suppose you can’t comment on that without getting yourselves into trouble with your future Sorcerer’s Council, eh? Oh well. I bet if the Split does happen, the world looks rather different form your point of view, then?”

  “I suppose you’ll never know, will you?” Brian teased, and Roderick laughed. Monica wished she could tell the witches and wizards of this time about the Split—what it meant for the world, what it meant for their reality—but it wouldn’t do any good, and it would break far too many rules. She was deep in thought when she heard Holly ask Roderick a question, only a slight tremble to her voice.

  “You really hunt immortals?” Holly asked.

  “Too powerful. No creature, mortal or mystic alike, should have that sort of power,” he said, voice hardening a little as he spoke. “Especially on the chance they create Ibeji.”

  Everyone instinctually swallowed hard. “Have there been any Ibeji lately?” Monica asked, trying her best not to glance over at Holly. She doubted Roderick would notice, but she didn’t want to take any chances.

  “Are you kidding? No one has seen an Ibeji in nearly twenty years,” Roderick said with a snort. “And with so few immortals left, I’d be surprised if there will ever be one again. Could you imagine, though? I’ve heard some wild stories about them. It’s best they’re gone, if you ask me!”

  3

  “I’ve got to tell you,” Roderick said as he continued leading them through the trees. “I get so tired of that Remembrance group. Can’t stand them. Always causing trouble for us authorities. I’m part of a particular sect of authorities, you see, whose job it is to bring in dangerous witches and wizards.”

  “The Huntsmen,” Abigail said under her breath.

  “Ah, very good! Do they have Huntsmen in your tim
e?” Roderick asked.

  “Er… No…” Abigail said.

  “Ah, so the familiar is good with her history, then,” Roderick said, clasping his hands together. “Yes, we’re basically bounty hunters the Sorcerer’s Council hires out. Of course, I’m still an authority with the same level of security someone with my experience would have, I just specialize in hunting down rogues. Keeping the world safe—particularly from those who go after mortals.”

  Monica wasn’t listening to him. Brian, Holly, and Isaac were chatting with him, asking a number of questions about the Huntsmen, but Monica was watching Abigail. She knew that this period of time was probably not her ideal vacation time, but Abigail was still far more tense than Monica would have thought possible. She scooped Abigail up, surprising her slightly. “What?” Abigail asked. Monica rarely just picked her up without asking or an explanation.

  “What’s up with you?” Monica demanded in a whisper, allowing herself to fall a bit behind the others so that they could talk a bit more privately.

  “Nothing,” Abigail said, turning her head away from Monica and wiggling slightly in an attempt to get Monica to put her down.

  “I don’t buy it,” Monica said, getting a better grip on Abigail. “Something is up with you.”

  Abigail’s face fell, and her gaze lingered on Roderick for a bit. She sighed heavily and allowed a confession to slip through her cat lips. “Roderick is one of the authorities who brings me in to the Sorcerer’s Council.”

  “Ah,” Monica said. “That’s how you knew about the Huntsmen.”

  “Yeah,” Abigail said. “He worked alongside the Sorcerer’s Council to catch me in Boston. This week.”

  “No wonder you’re acting so weird,” Monica said. “I’m sorry you’re having to relive all this, Abs.”

  “I mean, it is what it is, I suppose,” Abigail said, sniffing and shaking her head. “It’s just a little weird reliving all this. New mindset too, you see.”