by Silver Nord
“Well, I do have an idea or two. Watching people when they didn’t know they were being watched was kind of my job. I’ll look into it and see what I can find out. I’m not the only person in the world with my skillset.”
I nodded silently, knowing he was watching through some hidden camera. I wished it was two-way, so I could look into the eyes of the man who was one half of me. “How did you meet my mother?” I said, asking a question that had plagued me since I’d learned my father was not part of the magical community.
“It was by pure chance. I passed through Wormwood and was feeling under the weather, so I stopped by the apothecary for some herbal medicine. I met your mother there and we got talking. Once she found out the business I was in, she was even more interested.” There was something in his voice that made me think he was amused by her tenacity. “It was only later when I finally accepted the existence of magic that things really started to happen. I’d initially just been a rebellious choice of boyfriend to annoy her family, but once I knew the truth and came up with the idea of blending spells and technology together, we really fell for each other.” He sighed. “Things were going great. We married and wanted to have a family, but… that didn’t work out on its own. The doctors said we didn’t have a chance. Out of the blue, a man turned up and offered me the opportunity of a lifetime - a baby in return for signing a contract. I took it. But then I made my biggest mistake. I pushed the magic-tech too far and word got out to the wrong people. I felt I had no choice but to run and leave everything I loved behind… all in the hope that you would never have to face the horror of my invention.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling in my heart that this was the truth at long last. This was the story of how my life had come to be. “I hope we speak again soon,” I said, meaning it. “I still want to get to know my father.”
“And I my daughter. The turbulent times won’t last forever. They never do. Sooner or later, something’s got to break,” he said before wishing me goodbye.
I sighed and sunk down against the trunk as soon as his voice faded. I’d spoken to my father for the first time in my life… and I’d been left with more questions than answers.
A flash of purple caught my eye.
I focused on it and was astonished to see a plant bearing the memorably shaped monkshood flowers. “Aconite,” I murmured walking over to see the unusual plant growing out here in the wild. It wasn’t even the right time of year for the early autumn bloomer. At least now it was apparent where it had originated from… and how readily available it was to anyone with even the slightest knowledge of plants. In all my life, I had never seen it growing in Wormwood Forest.
I gently nudged one of the purple flowers with a finger, considering how something so delicate and pretty could be so deadly. It was a reminder to not underestimate your opponent, no matter what they looked like.
I took a tissue out of my pocket and used it to pluck a small flower and leaf sample. At least this might finally clear up where the poison came from. Then, Sean’s gaze might finally turn away from the apothecary to other, far more guilty parties.
It was with this hint of the truth and the knowledge that it might all lead to murder that I walked back to Wormwood with thoughts of my father and his terrible invention joining the swirling cloud in my head. I was so wrapped up in these many threads that I nearly walked straight into the person standing in the middle of the pavement, blocking my way.
11
A Slimy Solution
“Mayor Starbright!” I said, looking up just in time to avoid a collision.
His mouth curved into his trademark mayoral smile. “Hazel Salem. It’s good to see you out in the open and not up to anything. How’s the scheming going? I haven’t been hearing news about any progress.” He pretended to look sorry.
“Maybe some things are inevitable, but I’m not giving up,” I told him, never breaking eye contact.
Gareth’s dark eyes crinkled as he looked back at me. This time, the smile seemed genuine. “That’s what I’ve grown to admire about you so much, Hazel. You love your town and you’ll do just about anything to keep it safe. Where did such devotion come from, I wonder? I remember you at school… no one was ever too kind to you.”
“I don’t hold things that happened when I was a child against anyone now,” I told him primly. It was mostly true, if you didn’t count Aurelia and Natalia… but some people never changed.
“Good for you,” Gareth said, looking a little more mocking before the smile seemed to slip. “Your love for Wormwood is actually the reason why I came looking for you. I need someone else’s perspective on something.”
I folded my arms. “If you’ve come to ask what colour streamers to use at your fatal festival, then I’m not interested.” I couldn’t help but feel this whole conversation was supposed to be a big gloat session set up to pat the mayor on the back.
“Not at all. That was all decided on right at the start. I wanted to ask you something else, something about destiny.” He raised his dark eyebrows. “I trust you’ll keep this between us, but I’m not sure that this is what I want after all. Now I find myself in quite the sticky situation with no way out and some very intimidating deities watching my every move.” He glanced heavenwards when he said it, and I could have sworn the clouds swirled in response. “Fortunately, I don’t think they’re actually listening. Just watching.”
“You’ve decided you don’t want to destroy Wormwood after all?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
The mayor lifted up his shoulders before releasing them again and looking off towards a point in the distance. “We have a shared love of this town, and, dare I say it… a connection on a deeper level. Now, more than ever, I find it revealing things to me.” He reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a lightly crushed monkshood flower. “Little things I would never have noticed are brought to my attention. Everywhere I go, I see the simple beauty of life. I can’t help but feel a pang of regret that it might soon be over, and by my own hand!”
“So, don’t do it. Don’t open the gate,” I implored, sure that he had to be able to stop it. “You have all the power of Wormwood behind you, thanks to your deal. You could stop all of this, and the gods could do nothing about it. In Wormwood… you’re their equal.” It was hard to admit, but I knew it was true. Hadn’t I seen the mayor take a direct hit from a thunderbolt with my own eyes? I was sure he could withstand anything they threw at him.
“You flatter me, but you could be right. Maybe I could change all of this and reject that nasty little prophecy. But then again… we’re talking about unlimited power and the ability to run just about everything. I love Wormwood as much as you do, but every town in the country - or even the world - could be like Wormwood at its best! This town’s sacrifice can make it all possible.”
“Don’t do it. It won’t have a happy ending,” I warned him, knowing that much had to be true.
“You don’t know that,” he told me, smiling like a benevolent god. “In history there has always been sacrifice for the greater good. Yes… it feels right now. The wheels are already in motion. Fates have been cast. Now we act out our destiny, you and I.”
My attention was suddenly diverted from the monologue when I saw the air shimmer and ripple right next to the mayor’s side. I felt my muscles stiffen, and much as I detested everything Gareth Starbright had become, I reached out to sew up the thin place again.
But Gareth got there first. He touched the air with a calming hand. I watched as it firmed up and stopped shimmering immediately.
His teeth flashed white and bright. “See? It’s like I told you… I can see everything now.” And with that very creepy final remark, he bobbed his head once and walked away down the street, whistling ‘The Imperial March’.
I watched him go with my fists clenched. I didn’t believe a word of his claim that he was regretting making the choices he’d made and the situation he found himself in. It had all been one big gloat to sho
w me how much he knew about everything that happened in Wormwood.
If only there was a way to make it so he couldn’t get power from the town, I thought, my mind going back to the two deals with devils I knew Gareth Starbright had made. The exact contents of those deals was now out in the open and all had been revealed.
I chewed my lip as I walked back towards the shop. The only thing I could think of that might give us the edge was if the mayor’s power was somehow limited. I knew that once the gate opened and the dark dimension came through, there would be no stopping him, but it was clear from the tourism drive that he needed people to make it happen. If there was some way to sabotage the festival and make sure it was a damp squib, it might leave him a little more vulnerable.
And even a little more vulnerable was something worth gambling on.
It was with a small glimmer of hope that I sent messages out to the coven and my few friends in town, letting them know that this was our best and only shot. We needed to foil the festival.
My heart was lighter when I returned to the shop and saw my aunts working inside in the dim light of the cloudy day. They looked like they were bickering as usual. Hemlock and Artemis watched from their position of lazing on the shop counter. From the way Artemis had sprawled out over a house plant, I knew Hemlock was teaching him everything he knew. Mostly the bad stuff.
It was a snapshot of daily life, and I suddenly felt more love for this normality than I’d ever felt before. Sure, I didn’t have the world under my thumb and I wasn’t particularly wealthy, but for me, this was happiness. It was all I’d ever wanted. And I was going to do everything I could to keep it that way.
“Hazel, we’ve thought of something!” Linda greeted me when I walked into the shop with the tangle of emotions still tugging at my heartstrings. “We think it might save the town… or at least the people.”
I stood in the shop as she and Minerva shared their idea.
“It’s a last resort, but I think the time has probably come for last resorts,” Minerva acknowledged.
I nodded. “It’s all we have. Even if we can’t save Wormwood, we might be able to save those who live here. Evacuating the town is the only way we can do that.”
Linda clapped her hands. “Excellent! Now all we need to think of is something that will get everyone on the run without arousing suspicion or killing anyone unnecessarily.”
I shot a concerned look in my aunt’s direction. “That would be preferable.” I’d just opened my mouth to tell them about my surreal meeting with the mayor when the shop door opened. The immediate freezing atmosphere in the room was almost enough to make me think the mayor himself had walked in to spoil our plans. But when I turned around, it wasn’t the mayor.
I understood the icy welcome.
Aleister Root, the head of the Witch Council, had decided to visit Wormwood.
“How did you get here?” I asked, wondering why the barrier would have let him pass.
His forehead creased as he considered his journey in. “With great difficulty and will power. You really do have a problem here, don’t you?”
“One that we would all appreciate the Council’s help with,” I said, not too proud to ask for assistance when we were in such dire straits.
He sighed theatrically. “I wish I was able to send help, but alas, we are unable to involve ourselves prior to an actual magical crime being committed.”
I considered his words before I hit upon the meaning. “You’re saying that the town needs to be wiped off the map before you can lift a finger to help?”
“Naturally, we hope that no such thing ever happens, but… magical law must be broken for action to be taken. I’ve met Mayor Starbright on multiple occasions. He seemed like a very stable man with Wormwood’s best interests at heart.”
I frowned when I remembered the mayor himself mentioning his meetings with Aleister Root, and Root’s alleged assurances that Starbright could take over the Witch Council. At the time, I’d assumed it was the mayor’s second deal at work, hoodwinking the Witch Council. Now… I wasn’t so sure that Aleister wasn’t playing a few games of his own.
“How exactly did Kimberly escape?” I asked as the question jumped into my mind. Her cell consisted of four solid walls, and the only way in had been through the use of magic to pass in essential items.
“It was a lapse of judgement on our part. We thought she was ready to start rehabilitation. Unfortunately, our second attempt to remove her magic proved just as ineffective as the first - in spite of early signs of success. Somehow, she retained enough power to be able to take out her guards and steal back what we took from her. It’s truly a regrettable situation. I hope she didn’t cause you any trouble?” He looked curiously at me. We both knew Kimberly had made a beeline to Wormwood. My alive state was surely the only clue Aleister needed to work out what had happened to the mad witch.
“No trouble at all,” I said lightly. “In fact, I think she’s probably a changed woman.” By which I meant she’d been digested.
“I’m so glad that no harm was done. Now, if you don’t mind, Hazel, I think it would be wise if we had a word in private…”
My aunts duly filed out of the shop and into the kitchen, but that wasn’t enough for Aleister. He waved a hand and the shop door locked and the window glass darkened. Next, he surrounded us in a protective shield of magic I knew was designed to stop sound escaping. When he’d said private, he’d meant it.
“I’m only going to ask you this once, and I would appreciate an honest answer,” he said, looking at me seriously.
“Of course,” I replied, still playing the part of law-abiding citizen.
“Where is your father?” he asked.
Like dominoes falling down one after another, several things seemed to slot into place.
“I have no idea,” I said truthfully, pleased that I didn’t have to lie. “Why would the Council be interested in a non-magical human?”
“That’s the Council’s business, young lady. I believe you know where he is. Constantine fed you instructions, and I think you’re smart enough to unravel them.”
I frowned and Aleister looked amused.
“You didn’t really think that we don’t monitor every single word our prisoners say, did you? Especially after what your Aunt Linda managed to pull with her spyders. I don’t know if she told you this, but she’ll have got that idea from your father. He’s a very interesting man.”
“I thought you believed he was dead.” Aleister had been the one who’d come to tell me that my father had officially been declared dead after being missing for ten years.
“I did wonder. There are a lot of people who are very interested in what your father was working on - the Council included. It’s understandable that he might have wanted to take the pressure away by going into hiding, but unfortunately, he’s in breach of magical law and must answer for his crimes. Anyone protecting him would also be breaking magical law.” He smiled sympathetically at me, a benevolent dictator.
“Which laws has he broken?” I enquired.
Aleister’s smile faded. This was not going the way he wanted. “He ignored a summons from the Witch Council and is suspected of magical misuse by a non-magical person. We can’t have normal people misusing magic they don’t even own, can we?” The smile was back but this time I felt a shiver crawl up my spine.
“That sounds fair,” I said, trying to look like I agreed with his logic.
“I’m glad you see it that way. Rules are there for a reason. They protect us and keep the order in place. We need young witches like you to uphold the system. I know it’s hard when a family member is the one who’s made an error, but I promise that if your father turns himself in voluntarily, no harm will come to him. In fact, we may even have a job for him.” He tried to look humble, as if this job was a great reward rather than a punishment.
I did my best to keep my expression blank. It was exactly as my father had claimed. People wanted him to work for them to make more of the
invention that he’d hidden from everyone. I just hadn’t realised that when he’d been talking about different groups, he’d meant that the main interested party was the Witch Council itself.
“Also… did he leave anything with you or your aunts to keep in a safe place? I hate to ask, but it might be important in the magical misuse trial. He was known for inventing magically augmented technology. Did you ever see anything like that?” Aleister asked, like butter wouldn’t melt.
“No, I haven’t seen anything like that. A lot of technology struggles to work properly in Wormwood. Things like surveillance cameras,” I said, watching Aleister closely when I said it. I thought I saw him flinch.
Did he know my father had been watching him? The contract had made it look like it had been at my mother’s behest, but after finding out what my father was hiding, I thought that might have been just another coverup of the truth.
“Well… let me know if you do find anything out. You never know what families keep locked up in the family safe, forgotten and gathering dust,” he said with a casual smile.
I tried to answer it with one of own, but I knew it was strained.
He knew about the safe.
I hadn’t mentioned the safe in Constantine’s hearing.
Sure, Aleister could have been guessing, but the only other group to mention the safe was the gang of robbers. Up to their old tricks again, I heard Constantine’s gleeful voice in my head. He’d spoken about Aleister Root without me realising what he’d been telling me.
I didn’t believe in coincidences. And that meant Aleister Root was the one behind the gang of mercenaries currently doing their worst in Wormwood.
“I’ll let you know if I think of anything. It’s terrible to learn all of this about my father. I would very much like to see him,” I said, tiptoeing carefully around the truth. “However, I haven’t ever met him. I owe him no loyalty, and you’ve made me see that he is breaking magical law. Thank you for showing me the truth,” I said, wondering if I was laying it on too thick.
