Shadow Magic (Tabby Kitten Mystery Book 6)

by Constance Barker

  Thea always felt a little bit like an imposter in places this nice, as if she would be quickly found unworthy and firmly escorted out. Blaine, however, made himself right at home in the lobby. He slid immediately into the hunter green wing-backed chair facing the window and chuckled.

  “What?” said Thea, happy to have an excuse to delay talking to the imposing woman at the desk. He smiled up at her.

  “I’m not really a cigar guy, but this chair might turn me into one,” he said. Thea’s face pulled into a deep grimace and he laughed, reading her clear and wordless opinion of cigars. Thea turned to the desk and approached the immaculate receptionist, who flashed a warm smile at her.

  “How can I help you?”

  “I’m not sure if we needed to make reservations,” said Thea. “But we have a gift certificate for the spa and we were hoping to use it today.” She handed the envelope over the polished wooden desk and watched as the receptionist opened it and typed into her computer. She was wearing a small frown as she typed, but in a flash something she read on the screen changed her demeanor.

  “No problem at all. No reservations needed,” said the receptionist as she handed Thea a menu. “This is a full listing of what we offer. I can book any treatment you like.” Blaine rose from his “cigar” chair and came to stand at Thea’s side reading the list over her shoulder. The receptionist moved out from behind the desk.

  “But you don’t have to decide just yet,” she said. “The saunas and baths are all available to you until we close at 8 tonight. Take your time and just let one of our attendants know if you want any service.” She started walking down the corridor trailing the bemused couple behind her. She stopped at an elaborate closet and handed them the warmest, softest robes they had ever held. Slippers and keys on ribbons followed.

  “These are for your private changing rooms just down through those doors. The pools and saunas are on the other side.”

  Thea glanced at Blaine. He was looking at the fluffy white slippers with suspicion.

  “Thank you,” she said as the receptionist glided away.

  “Okay,” she said to Blaine. “I’ll see you on the other side.” They trotted off to their luxurious dressing rooms. There was a huge bouquet of fresh flowers in Thea’s and a lemongrass water waiting for her. The robe enveloped her like a caress and she stepped out into the spa. To her left were three pools, each clearly hotter than the one before. On the right were two different doors with “Clay'' over one and “Salt” over the other. At the end of the room was a grand window, and beyond it, Thea could see steam rising from an outdoor pool next to what looked for all the world like a clay oven. Blaine joined her.

  “Where should we start?”

  “I’m feeling pretty brave,” he said. “Should we start outside?” They ventured out and lowered themselves into the steaming hot water. A cold stream trickled in from the pine covered hillside keeping the temperature just right. Thea leaned her back against a jet and sighed. This was amazing. She looked over at Blaine. His eyes were closed and his feet floating in front of him. He looked more peaceful than he had looked in days. They spent the next two hours exploring the pools and saunas. Salt, it turned out, was a hot sauna literally filled with salt crystals...you could bury your feet in the floor like it was hot summer sand. Clay was a bubbling mud pool and the oven, it turned out, was just that. A tiny super-hot sauna that turned Blaine’s face bright red. In between they sampled the healthy snacks and different fruit waters arranged discreetly around the space.

  Finally they settled on a spa treatment. They chose a couple’s massage and facial. At first it was a little awkward lying next to each other with strangers touching them. Thea couldn’t help but laugh when the therapist cracked Blaine’s back. It sounded like a kid jumping on bubble wrap. But soon they drifted into their private thoughts and the pleasure of release. The massage took a full hour and Thea could barely stand when it was over. Her legs felt like jelly, her back like clouds. She and Blaine just naturally took each other’s hands as they moved from the massage room to get their facials.

  Thea jumped right into her chair while Blaine stood puzzled in front of his.

  “What is it, “ she asked him.

  “What the heck are all these buttons for,” he said gesturing at the elaborate controls on the arm of the salon chair. Thea laughed.

  “Believe it or not those are options for more massage or heat or recline, if you think you need more,” she said.

  “I see,” he said. “ I think the facial will be plenty.” As if on cue the beautician sat down and wrapped a steaming hot towel around Blaine’s face.

  “Just let that sit there for a moment and open your pores,” she said. “I’ll be right back with the cucumber mash.”

  “Mash??” said Blaine through the towel. “Is she going to put actual vegetables on my face?”

  “That is what they mean by a cucumber facial,” said Thea.

  Blaine relaxed back into the salon chair. “I’m too relaxed to care,” he sighed. “If this was an elaborate plan by your Aunt to hex me, I give in.”

  `

  Chapter 22

  “Come in for a late lunch?” Thea asked.

  They had arrived back at Thea’s house, both loose and relaxed after their day at the spa. The whole drive home Blaine rubbed his fingers along Thea’s forearm, commenting on how soft her skin felt. His touch was magical, and it made Thea want nothing more than to curl up in bed and enjoy the feel of each other for a while.

  “Sure thing,” Blaine smiled. He looked restored after his all-nighter, and Thea couldn’t help admitting to herself that Aunt Tiegen had been right. It had been good to get him away from work and force him to relax. And she hadn’t realized just how much she herself needed some rest and relaxation.

  Thea took Blaine’s hand and led him inside, but as she pushed through the front door she immediately realized something was wrong.

  “The wards are down around the house,” Thea said, dropping Blaine’s hand. Concern was instantly etched on his face.

  Thea saw Danny in the living room, sitting on the floor with his back resting against the couch. He had Charlie the gecko balanced on his knee, and he seemed to be talking to him, wrapped up in some childish conversation. Granny wasn’t there to meet Thea and Blaine at the door. Neither was Sybil. With her heart in her throat Thea rushed into the kitchen, hoping to see Granny busily preparing lunch, but she was hit with cold emptiness.

  The chill continued to spread through Thea’s body as she passed Blaine without a word. She rushed from room to room, too fearful to even call out to Granny. She didn’t want to upset Danny. Who knew what he had seen or been through today.

  Thea checked her own bedroom and then the room where Danny was staying. The rooms had never felt so cold without Granny’s warm energy radiating through them. Thea hoped to see Sybil curled up in a ball on her bed, but her favorite blanket was unoccupied. It all felt empty and wrong—like an alternate reality.

  Thea heard Blaine speaking to Danny, perhaps asking him questions. She flashed back to their first conversation with the boy, when they carefully asked him about his mother’s disappearance. The poor kid should not have to have this conversation again. After a thorough search of the bedrooms with nothing to show for it, Thea turned to Granny’s room. Perhaps she was sleeping, Thea reasoned. She was getting older, and she could have wanted a nap.

  But even as she thought it, Thea knew that sounded wrong. The air in the house felt off...violated somehow. The comforting presence of Granny, something so hard to recognize on a normal day, was painfully absent now that Granny was missing. She rushed into the bedroom with a final scrap of hope that vanished as she saw the perfectly made bed. There was nothing here and nothing out of place. It was like Granny had just...disappeared.

  With cold dread Thea scanned the room, fighting the tears that were brimming in her eyes. As she blinked hard she saw a few scraps of paper on Granny’s nightstand, and she crossed to the side of the b
ed where she slumped down. One by one she struggled to make out the notes, forcing her brain to make sense of what she was seeing. Feeling numb, her eyes took in the words “artifact” and “power”. And then, at the top of another “Sorcerer”.

  Thea flashed back to Granny’s comment about working with Thea on Marie’s disappearance. Was this part of her work? Researching or investigating the Sorcerer? Granny had written a few theories about the Sorcerer’s artifact, similar to some of the notes Thea had seen on the whiteboard at the rebel headquarters. There was also a note about a possible ritual circle and the word “portable” in all caps and circled.

  Thea could hardly process what she was seeing. Instead, she pulled out her phone and called first Pippa and then Jesse to ask if they had seen Granny. Both said no, and Thea hung up without explanation. She called Eleanor who wanted to gab about the wedding menu, but after hearing that she hadn’t seen Granny today, Thea hung up on her and called the library. She knew the answer she would get before they even told her. Granny had not been in.

  Thea sat on the bed and stared at the floor. Of course Granny hadn’t been out. She would never leave Danny alone in the house. Not of her own free will. Thea was pulled back to reality as she felt arms wrapping around her. Blaine was next to her, hugging her tightly.

  “We’re going to find her. It’s going to be alright.” It took Thea a moment to hear what Blaine was saying. She looked up at him and Blaine repeated himself.

  “We’ll find her. Right now, we need to get Danny somewhere safe.”

  Thea wanted to collapse on the bed and cry, but the mention of Danny brought her back to action.

  “We can take him to the hideout. I’ll call Shannon,” Thea said.

  “Wait,” Blaine said, stopping her. It was clear he was also struggling to process everything. “I should make sure she’s not out for a walk. I’ll do a perimeter around a couple of blocks. You can make some calls.”

  “I already called everyone I could think of,” Thea said as Blaine left, but she had a sudden thought to call Tiegen. She found the number and called, but the phone rang without an answer. She hung up without leaving a voice-mail even as an image of her fluffy orange familiar popped into her head.

  “Sybil!” Thea called, panic in her voice.

  The cat poofed back into the room looking frazzled and angry.

  “Someone sent me away. I didn’t see what happened. I was just gone,” Sybil said, starting to groom herself.

  “Granny’s gone,” Thea said plainly, unable to cushion the blow. Sybil looked at her before dashing out of the room to make her own search of the house.

  “I already looked,” Thea called out as she stood, but her voice trailed off. Thea dropped back to the bed, feeling doom settle around her. And something else. A sense of loss and emptiness that had lived inside her since her parents disappeared. As she felt the loss ripple through her body, Thea was forced to admit that she knew all too well who had taken Granny. The Sorcerer.

  Chapter 23

  He parked his car in front of Thea’s home, easing his foot on the gas until the car came to a complete stop. A tiny part of him wanted to slam his hand into the steering wheel, which would have activated the horn and alerted the whole neighborhood of his frustrations.

  In the end, Blaine decided against that. He gathered his keys and made his way towards the house, mentally preparing how he was going to explain to Thea that he was unable to find anything.

  If he were in her shoes, he wouldn’t know how to process this information. History was repeating itself. For that reason, Blaine knew he had to go about this carefully.

  “Thea?” he called out once inside.

  After a quick inspection around the house, he was able to find Thea sitting alone in the living room. She was hunched in an armchair, staring at her shoes. Deathly calm, regardless of the circumstances that would have evoked an erratic response from anyone.

  Blaine swallowed down the knot in his throat. “...Are you alright?”

  “I have to talk to Eileen,” she uttered softly, picking up her gaze. “And we have to get Danny to safety as soon as possible.”

  Without hesitation, Thea reached for her phone and began to dial Shannon’s number. Determination was etched on her face and she didn’t beat around the bush when she heard the click that confirmed Shannon was on the other side of the line.

  “Granny has been taken by The Sorcerer,” Thea said, hearing a stunned breath from Shannon soon afterwards. “She left behind some notes. Something about a portable ritual circle.”

  Shannon hissed in a breath. “If someone were to burn marks into leather, or even embroider these patterns into a cloth, they could have a circle that would only take a few words to activate. In that way, they could get around as they pleased without making too much noise.”

  Thea sunk into her seat, still pressing the phone into her ear. “So that would explain how The Sorcerer is getting around so easily, then.”

  Shannon hummed in agreement.

  “But why would he do this? Why would he take Granny?”

  “I...” Shannon sounded reluctant.

  Thea scowled. “I don’t have any time to waste, you know.”

  “I-I know! Believe me. It’s just that... well...” Shannon let out a deep exhale before continuing. “This was supposed to be confidential information, given the situation we’re in, I guess I can tell you the truth.”

  “What truth?” Thea pressed. “What are you even talking about?”

  “Freya, your grandmother, is the actual leader of the rebel group.”

  In seconds, Thea felt the blood in her veins turn to ice.

  “The plan was to convince everyone that I was the leader in the meantime. She was busy trying to research more about The Sorcerer and try to track him down. All of us had a small feeling that he was going to make an appearance in Ardensville sooner rather than later.”

  With a shaky breath, Thea rested her hand on her chest. She felt her turbulent heartbeat. At the same time, her fingers trembled violently. Thea eventually mustered enough courage to manage out a few words, doing her best not to sound as if she were falling apart.

  “W-We’re going to send Danny Carpenter to the rebel hideout. I hope that’s alright with you,” she said, wetting her lips before speaking again. “It’s clear that basic wards aren’t enough to keep a person from getting inside. It’s not safe for him here anymore.”

  “Of course,” Shannon replied. “We’ll be expecting him soon.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once she hung up the phone, she turned to Blaine. He was leaning on the doorway that led into the living room, waiting for her to update him on the situation.

  “You have to take Danny to the rebel office building,” Thea said, rising from her seat. “And I have to go talk to Eileen.”

  “Alone?” Blaine asked, knitting his eyebrows together. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” she challenged.

  Expecting a quick answer, Thea stared at him. Unable to think of anything concrete, Blaine let his arms fall to his sides. He sighed.

  “Fine,” he conceded, a small twinge of defeat lingering behind his expression. “Just be careful. That’s all I ask.”

  THEA KNOCKED INCESSANTLY on Eileen’s front door. There was no denying that the woman was home. She saw her car parked in the front driveway and the sound of muffled music came from the inside.

  “I’m coming!” The door’s handle jiggled briefly. “What is going on–?”

  When she opened the door, she was almost ready to tell off Thea for almost breaking her door down. However, she stilled at the look on Thea’s face. Her eyes were devoid of their usual brightness and the frown on her face cut deep.

  Eileen stumbled her footsteps as she shuffled to get out of Thea’s way.

  “What do you know about the rebel group?” Thea asked after she passed through the threshold of the house. “Anything could help, at this point.”

>   “I... I, uh...” she stammered, gripping onto the side of the door until her knuckles turned white.

  Noticing the fear behind Eileen’s gaze, Thea ran a hand across her face in exasperation. Albeit difficult, she did her best to calm down. She didn’t like the fact that she was scaring the poor woman.

  “I’m sorry. For all of this,” Thea said, gesturing towards the door and then to herself. “I need to know more about the group. Please.”

  “I didn’t like the fact Marie was caught up with those people. I knew they were trouble.”

  “And who’d you talk to about all of this?”

  Eileen huffed. “I’m not supposed to tell.”

  “I know, but at this point, it’s kinda inevitable. You must have let it slip once or twice.”

  The woman scratched at the side of her head, a bashful expression soon emerging. “I... may have talked to a few people about it during those card nights at the recreation center. I get a little chatty when I start to lose.”

  Thea nodded. “Who’d you talk to?”

  “I mean, these people knew what was going on, anyway. Eleanor DeWitt. Tiegen Beal... that professor that got arrested, Kendrick Potter. Ada Davis and Sandra Holden, too, but I don’t even think Sandra cared all that much about what I had to say.”

  “Thank you, Eileen,” Thea replied, making her way out the door. “I’ll keep in mind everything you told me.”

  “No problem,” she whispered out, carefully watching Thea as she left the house in a hurry.

  Dialing Tiegen’s number, Thea let out a groan as the call quickly went to voice-mail Trying again resulted in the same outcome. At that point, she decided to give in and leave her aunt a message.

  “Granny’s been taken. When you hear this, call me back as soon as possible. We need to talk.”

  Chapter 24

  “Blaine? Do you think you can pick something up for me?” Thea asked him over the phone. “And how’s Danny? Is he doing alright?”