Shadow Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Book 6)

by Constance Barker

  “No, but seriously!” Pippa handed over the paper, pointing to the cursive, bolded lettering across the top. “It’s my officiant’s license! I’m going to marry you, Thea.”

  Jesse rolled his eyes. “Uhm... Alright then. Marry her then, I won’t stop you.”

  “Technically, I’ll be marrying Blaine. You know that, right?” Thea said, laughing at the way Pippa scowled at Jesse’s reaction. “And how did you manage to get that license so fast? I didn’t know it was that easy.”

  “With a little bit of determination, anything is possible,” Pippa replied, taking the paper and pocketing it. “But enough about all that. Are you ready for lunch? I haven’t eaten all day.”

  “I could hear her stomach growling while we talked,” Jesse quipped, which made Pippa swat his arm.

  “It’s not my fault it makes those weird sounds,” she countered, crossing her arms over her chest. “And it’s not like I can just stop them from happening, either.”

  Thea almost face palmed, remembering that she and Blaine had planned a lunch with Pippa and Jesse in the days prior. She figured that it wouldn’t hurt to spend a bit more time outside the shop. Besides, it wasn’t as if the shop was that busy during that time of day.

  “Of course I’m ready,” she replied, brushing out the wrinkles in her clothes.

  “Good. And I hope you’re in for an exciting day because after we finish lunch, we’re heading over to the bakery to finalize the cake order,” Pippa explained, linking her arm with Thea’s and leading her outside. Jesse followed behind them. “Sounds like a good plan, huh?”

  “Hold on,” Thea said, sending her friend a confused glance. “Why is everyone coming to finalize the cake order? I didn’t think it would need that many people present.”

  A mischievous smile emerged on Pippa’s face. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she shrugged one of her shoulders.

  “I just... figured I could get some dessert after lunch, y’know? It would be like killing two birds with one stone. Right, Jesse?”

  “You need to be careful with that sweet tooth of yours, Pippa,” Jesse responded.

  “Hmm. That wasn’t the answer I wanted. I’m going to start ignoring you.”

  He furrowed his eyebrows. “What–”

  “Anyway, we have to hurry up. I already texted Blaine that we were on the way with Thea, so we need to move quickly!”

  “SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING,” Pippa said to Blaine as they took their seats. “Traffic can be a little crazy.”

  “We walked here, Pippa,” Jesse said.

  “Okay, and? My point still remains.”

  They were in a small café, comfortable enough to accommodate the four of them as they sat in the outdoor patio. Looking through the lunch menu, Thea settled for a sandwich with a side of fruit. Pippa, Jesse, and Blaine decided to get some light meals, as well.

  Once they were done ordering, Pippa was the one who decided to go all in on finalizing the wedding details. She whipped out her phone, scrolling through the various photo albums she had created for the occasion.

  “I’ve got a bone to pick with you, Blaine,” Pippa said, sliding her phone to Thea so she could glance at the wedding cake ideas. The comment caught him off guard, rightfully so. “Thea told me you wanted the wedding to have dark colors. What were you thinking?”

  “It seemed more mature in my mind,” he replied with a shrug.

  “But you wanted to mix some darker colors along with the lighter colors. How are you going to risk that during a wedding? What if it ruins the mood?”

  “I doubt the mood is going to be ruined if the vases are filled with blue roses rather than the pink ones you wanted,” Jesse pointed out, which earned him a dark look from Pippa.

  Blaine leaned back into his seat. “I’m leaning towards whatever Thea wants. If she wants the place decorated in red and orange, so be it. It’s her call.”

  “Red and orange at a wedding?” Pippa shuddered at the thought. “Thank goodness Blaine isn’t the one planning everything.”

  Thea slid the phone back towards Pippa. “I like the designs you have right now. Everything looks great so far. I don’t think I want to make any major changes this far down the line.”

  “Good,” Jesse replied. “Because if you suddenly started shifting things around, Pippa might have spazzed out.”

  “Maybe a little bit,” she conceded softly, which made Thea and Blaine laugh in response. “But we have to talk about the decorations in the venue. What are we going to do? Should we get a chandelier?”

  Thea folded her arms across the table. “I think everything’s fine as is, Pippa.”

  Being surrounded by the ones she loved did wonders for her morale. Pippa’s quips, Jesse’s banter, and Blaine’s smile was enough to uplift her spirits tenfold.

  “But I think you’re right. We should get a chandelier,” Thea decided with a smile.

  The audible groans from Blaine and Jesse were masked by the sound of Pippa’s excited squeal.

  Chapter 13

  As Thea waved goodbye to Pippa and Jesse, she felt Blaine slide an arm around her shoulders and squeeze her gently in a half-hug.

  “Have fun?” He asked.

  “I think I’m on a sugar high,” Thea laughed, leaning into him.

  “Well, not to bring you down, but I have something for you.” Blaine slipped a small, folded piece of paper into her hand. “That’s Shannon Mercer’s address.”

  Thea felt the seriousness of the situation fold around her once more. Lunch had been a nice break, but she was ready to get back into this mystery. Shannon Mercer was her next step to find possible answers.

  “I know you said you want to go alone,” Blaine said. “But I could go with you. I could even stay in the car if you want.”

  “No, it’s alright,” Thea assured him. “I want to do this one alone. Besides, you’ve already skipped out on half a day of work to be here. You should get back before someone misses you.”

  “Alright,” Blaine said, still skeptical. “If you’re sure.”

  Thea turned to him and reached onto her tiptoes to kiss Blaine lightly on the cheek.

  “I’m sure.” As Blaine started to turn away she pulled him back to her. “Blaine, thank you. For everything. For your support and all the help with this Marie thing. I know part of you thinks it might be nothing. But thank you for caring so much about it anyway.”

  “Of course,” Blaine said, smiling down at her. “If you haven’t figured it out by now, I want you to be happy.”

  “You make me happy,” Thea said as she began gathering her things to head out for Shannon’s house. “Quick update before you go. Granny and I tried scrying on Marie, but we didn’t get anything. The spell could be blocked or else...”

  “Or else she can’t be found,” Blaine finished. “Not alive, anyway.”

  “Right,” Thea confirmed. She didn’t want to think of that possibility.

  “How’s Danny handling all of this?”

  “Well, he beat Granny at Scrabble, so that was the excitement at breakfast. Of course, she might have been going easy on an eight-year old. I seem to remember winning quite a few games when I was Danny’s age.”

  “I’m glad he’s having a little fun. Under the circumstances, I mean.”

  “Me too. I want to make things as easy as possible on him.” Blaine pushed open the door and Thea led them out onto the sidewalk. Her car was parked just down the street while Blaine’s was in the other direction.

  “Text me when you’re done? After you’ve talked to Shannon?” Blaine asked.

  “Sure thing. See you later.”

  With a quick kiss goodbye Thea and Blaine headed their separate ways. Thea couldn’t deny the hopeful feeling she felt growing with each step she took towards her car. It was a new day filled with the possibility of answers, and all she had to do was ask the right questions.

  THEA CHECKED THE ADDRESS on the paper against the faded numbers on the front door a hundred times before she fina
lly had the courage to go up and knock. After a moment, she heard the unlocking of a deadbolt and then the door was opened by a young woman with worried, round eyes.

  “I’m here to see Shannon Mercer,” Thea said.

  Instead of answering, the young woman looked Thea up and down, taking her in.

  “Wait here.” She closed the door and locked it, leaving Thea to pace back and forth on the small front porch. She heard the click of the deadbolt again before another woman appeared. She was of average height, with light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had dark brown eyes and the hint of crow’s feet at the corners.

  “I’m Shannon Mercer,” she said, and she eyed Thea up and down in the same way the first woman had. Thea belatedly realized they were using the magical mediation on her, looking to see if she was one of them.

  “Hi,” Thea said, suddenly finding herself tongue-tied. She thought Shannon might invite her in, allow her to sit down. Instead it seemed their whole conversation would happen on the front porch with Shannon’s hand on the door. “Um, I’m trying to help find someone. And I think you may be able to help. Her name is Marie Carpenter.”

  Thea saw a flash of recognition in Shannon’s eyes, but it was gone in an instant. Shannon gave a soft smile and attempted ignorance.

  “And you think I know her?”

  “I’m wondering if you have some mutual friends? Maybe there’s a group...um, a hobby group you both belong to?”

  There it was again. The flash of something on Shannon’s face. Fear? Knowledge? Shannon shook her head and started to close the door.

  “I can’t talk now,” she said. Thea thought Shannon would flee without another word, but she hesitated for a moment. Shannon reached out and grabbed Thea’s hand, shaking it hard.

  “Nice to meet you,” Shannon said, and then she abruptly turned and closed the door in Thea’s face. Thea heard the deadbolt click and recognized a decisive end to their conversation.

  A slight tingle in her palm drew Thea’s attention to the hand Shannon shook. There, in shining letters on her skin, was another address. Thea was shocked to realize she recognized the place. It was an office building in a strip mall on the outskirts of town. And below the address, shining brighter, was a time. Seven o’clock.

  Thea felt her heart beat faster as she made her way back to her car. She had a location and she had a time. It was more than she had this morning. She knew it could be risky to show up for a secret meeting like this, but she couldn’t deny her longing for actual answers. By the time she got to her car and slammed the door, the letters and time had faded from her hand, but Thea knew them by heart and was already planning her trip there this evening.

  Her phone chimed next to her and Thea unlocked it to see a message from Aunt Tiegen.

  You’re late.

  Chapter 14

  “It’s about time you showed up,” Tiegen said, looking up from her wristwatch.

  Thea huffed out a quick breath. “It’s not even that big of a deal. We still have the whole day to practice.”

  “Time is our most valuable resource, Thea. It’s best we don’t waste it.”

  Biting on her bottom lip so that she didn’t toss back a retort of her own, Thea cast her gaze to the floor and nodded.

  Tiegen gestured towards the door. “Remember that one time you tried to sneak into my office?” Her aunt let out a wispy laugh at the memory. “You and Sybil looked like deer in headlights when I came in through the entrance.”

  “Don’t remind me,” Thea mumbled, still recalling how humiliated she felt by getting caught in the ward.

  The experience was a wake-up call, one that emphasized just how powerful her aunt was as a witch. It also showed her the types of skills she was able to learn if she focused on her magical lessons.

  “The reason why I appeared out of thin air is because I did exactly that. I teleported,” Tiegen explained, pushing her desk to the side so that they could have more space. “I think it’s safe to say that you’ve improved a lot since that little mishap, don’t you agree?”

  “Yeah,” she said, gazing down at her hands. “I think you’re right.”

  “You’ve made a lot of impressive progress in such a small period of time. That’s remarkable,” her aunt continued, making her way around the desk. “In fact, it’s commendable. It shows how much potential you have as a young witch.”

  In Thea’s eyes, it was difficult to wrap her head around the whole thing. A small flutter of disbelief still lingered in her chest as she realized everything she had learned since the time she was caught in her aunt’s ward. The past version of herself would be amazed at the change.

  “However, you shouldn’t start settling now,” Tiegen pointed out, crossing her arms. “You still have a lot to learn and you haven’t reached your peak just yet. Since we’re on the topic of wards and shields, let’s start practicing with them right now.”

  Even though she was still a bit rusty with her focus and agility, it was a massive advancement since the first time she tried. Tiegen watched her diligently, commenting on ways to enhance her technique and make her wards even stronger.

  As Thea focused on maintaining her shield, a thought emerged in her mind.

  “Aunt Tiegen, how did you do that thing you once did?” she asked, tossing a look her way. “You know, when you managed to get the rock to pass through my physical shield. That was cool.”

  “Huh.” Tiegen seemed astonished. “I didn’t think you’d actually remember that spell.”

  “How could I forget? When the stone hit my shield, I thought I had gotten electrocuted.”

  Her aunt laughed. “I’ll teach you how to do that spell eventually. Right now, you’re not quite ready for it yet.”

  “Alright, then what am I ready for? Teleportation?” Thea prompted, relaxing her focus and watching as the shield she created gradually dissipated into the air. “That seems like a useful skill to learn.

  “And a dangerous one. A lot of things can go wrong,” Tiegen said, moving to one side of the room. “Pay attention to how the magic reacts.”

  It only took her aunt a few moments to fixate her attention on the spot where she wanted to teleport to before accomplishing her goal. Meanwhile, Thea observed the spell with her magical meditation. She let out a stunned breath as a burst of energy emerged from the spot Tiegen wanted to teleport towards.

  “It’s like creating a portal, kind of,” Thea muttered. “A temporary one, at least.”

  “I guess so. Seems like an appropriate analogy,” she replied, dusting off the wrinkles in her clothes. “How has that investigation of yours been going? Have you found anything interesting?”

  On instinct, her hand twitched. She was reminded that the meeting’s time and location was imprinted onto her skin.

  “I haven’t found anything concrete. Not yet, anyway,” Thea said, purposefully clenching her fist. “But I’ve been talking to a few people. I don’t think this is a big operation. Not many are involved with the group, from what I’ve seen.”

  “I’m glad. There’s only a limited amount of trouble they could cause with low numbers in their ranks.”

  “And Aunt Tiegen...” Thea began, changing the topic of their conversation as her aunt made her way to sit in her office chair. “Are you sure you haven’t heard anything about a warlock named The Sorcerer before? Maybe not now, but decades ago?”

  “To be honest, I might have, but that’s because ‘The Sorcerer’ is hardly a unique name. Warlocks trying to appear menacing and all-powerful are going to give themselves a name to reflect that. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are dozens of people currently going by that alias.”

  “I see,” Thea replied gently, doing her best to mask the disappointment behind her words.

  She wasn’t going to get much information about the warlock from her aunt, that was for sure. Thea nearly disclosed more details she found out about the rebel group. The words rested heavy on the tip of her tongue.

  However, she held hers
elf back. Something was telling her that her aunt wasn’t being completely honest with her about what she knew about The Sorcerer. Whether it was her intuition or her paranoia, she didn’t know.

  If Tiegen wasn’t going to help her, Thea found no reason to discuss the rebel group further. She had to have known something about them. After all, both of Thea’s parents were involved with the organization decades ago. Considering how perceptive her aunt was, Thea found it hard to believe that her parent’s affiliation with the rebels would have slipped under the radar.

  She didn’t want to press things further, but the knot in her stomach didn’t form without a reason.

  “How are all those wedding plans going for you, Thea? Is Blaine excited?” Tiegen asked out of the blue as she got to work reading and signing documents.

  She glanced down at the lettering on her palm, remembering that he and Pippa were going to join her when meeting the rebels.

  “He’s over the moon about it.”

  Her aunt clicked her pen. “And are you?”

  “Of course,” she replied. “It’s everything I could have ever dreamed of.”

  Tiegen smiled briefly. “That’s good.”

  Chapter 15

  Thea was too anxious to sit at home and wait for seven o’clock to roll around. Instead, she found herself driving around following her lesson with Aunt Tiegen. Driving seemed like a good way to think these days. She had told Blaine and Pippa about her earlier encounter with Shannon, and when they heard about the second meeting, both insisted on tagging along.

  “She didn’t tell me to meet her at a secret location with five of my closest friends,” Thea protested while she chatted with Blaine on the phone.

  “She also didn’t guarantee your safety,” Blaine reasoned. “I agreed to let you meet Shannon on your own. At her house and during the day. But I can’t leave you to go into some random building on the outskirts of town. At night, no less. That one’s too much to ask, Thea.”