Haunting Blend

by Layne, Kennedy

  It hit me that Liam had called out of the blue because he was worried about me. He understood that Leo came with me to the store, sometimes walking with me down the main thoroughfare of River Bay, and he believed that Leo rode in my vehicle back and forth from work to home. Leo had become my rock, my foundation, through this precarious witchcraft journey. Even though Liam didn’t understand half of it, he did grasp my love for the snarky rapscallion who constantly overstepped his place.

  “Thank you, Liam,” I replied softly, his call meaning more to me than he’d probably ever know. “I appreciate the advice regarding Dr. Jameson. It was sweet of you to check in on me.”

  “I’m looking forward to dinner on Friday.” There were a few muffled voices in the background, probably from fellow law enforcement officers. Even though they were probably waiting for Liam, he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to disconnect the call. “I hope you like lasagna, because that’s the only thing I’m good at making after grilling season is over. I’m a grill master in the summer. I can whip up a pretty good filet, given half a chance.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at the vision of Liam in a red and white checkered apron with a pair of tongs in his hand while standing over a mammoth smoking grill. I’d only ever seen him out of his work element a time or two, but he did allow his playfulness to shine through every now and then—especially when he went to the trouble to sneak me coffee at a random moment during a long workday.

  “As a matter of fact, I love lasagna.” I would have eaten a starchy piece of paper if it meant spending more time with him. Unfortunately, someone else called his name. “Thanks for checking in with me, Liam.”

  “I’d like to say I called to solely offer advice on Leo’s hairball issue, but I was also being a bit selfish. I missed hearing your voice, Raven,” Liam revealed, his tone dropping an octave. Either I was having some sort of hot flash or this was what it was truly like to react to a man’s overtures. I sure was hoping for the latter. “Have a good night. Stay warm.”

  I wasn’t sure Liam heard my reply, but it didn’t matter. He had probably already joined his friends and colleagues, leaving me to wonder just what was in store for Friday night. I held the phone against my scarf and jacket as I allowed myself a few minutes of privacy to daydream.

  “Was that call about Strifle, dearie?” Mazie asked in earnest, suddenly materializing beside me as if she’d been my passenger all along. She delicately held the saucer and teacup in her hand as she waited for my reply. “All I heard was the tail end where you said thanks for checking in. Well? What’s the progress? Did you find the guilty party yet? It was that gold-digger, wasn’t it?”

  It took me a few seconds to catch my breath. My rapid heart rate was another matter altogether.

  “Mazie, you’re getting as bad as Ted when it comes to sneaking up on me.” Did being scared to the point of chest pain shave off years of one’s life? “I saw on a movie once where the air gets really cold right before a spirit appears. I noticed the temperature changes during your visit much later. Think we could switch that around for my health?”

  Mazie’s light laughter was as delicate as the china in her hands. She didn’t seem too bothered by the fact that she could induce my death in the blink of an eye. My heart was getting a workout lately. It made sense, though, considering she wasn’t disturbed in the least by the fact that she was dead.

  “Catch me up on your little investigation,” Mazie encouraged me, looking out the windshield as if we were going on a trip. “Do you have any inkling where Strifle could be?”

  “I’ve managed to dig up a name who can help me with figuring out the identities of those witches and warlocks on the council,” I offered up, wincing upon how flimsy that sounded. “He’s a possible contact with the coven, although he doesn’t seem to have a phone number where I can reach him. I was contemplating a drive up to Windsor, but I’ve been told that might not be such a good idea. You know, showing up uninvited and all.”

  Now that I had Mazie by my side to ask questions without Leo chiming in every two seconds, this could be my chance to find out more information that could solve this little mystery in short order so that I might enjoy my date with Liam on Friday night.

  “Who might that be, my dear?”

  “Merrick Bronach.” Would Mazie recognize the name? I watched her expression closely. It was quite odd to see her frown, yet also see the silhouette of the trees outside the passenger side window. “I take it that you know him?”

  “Yes, I do.” Mazie’s essence began to ebb in and out, indicating that she was losing the energy needed to stay on this side of the veil. “Merrick isn’t who you…”

  And just like that, Mazie gradually evaporated into thin…cold…air.

  Finally! You’d think that woman had nothing better to do.

  A tiny scream erupted from my throat as Leo popped into the passenger seat that Mazie had just vacated.

  “Are you, Ted, and Mazie in cahoots to give me a one-way ticket to the other side?” I exclaimed, unable to keep my irritation at bay any longer. Unlike Mazie, there was nothing preventing me from putting a bell on his collar and fastening it around Leo’s neck. “Stop doing that or I’ll put that bell on you!”

  I found the spell that will allow you to speak with Merrick Bronach without physically putting us all at death’s door. You just need to cast it very carefully, if you know what I mean.

  “You’re exaggerating about death’s door, Leo.” Technically, I wasn’t so sure that was the case given what Mazie was trying to tell me right before she disappeared, but I’m sure death wouldn’t be the end result. A toad, maybe. But death? No. Of that, I was certain. “But I agree that we should probably try to contact Mr. Bronach through other channels.”

  Will wonders never cease? You’re open to other opinions besides your own.

  I quickly turned the engine off and gathered my things, wanting to be inside where hopefully Ted had started a fire in the hearth. The rush of cold air coming in off the shoreline had me losing my breath briefly as I got out of the car. I made it through the front gate that practically groaned when I opened it and was at the front door at the precise moment Ted swung it open from the inside to reveal…

  Well, I didn’t expect that.

  Unfortunately, my fight or flight instinct didn’t kick in the way I’d come to rely on over these past few months. The energy that usually gathered in the palm of my hand had failed me to the nth degree. My favorite pair of black knee-high boots seemed to be frozen in place, which technically wasn’t out of the question seeing as how cold it was this evening.

  In case you didn’t realize it, we might be in trouble.

  “Ms. Marigold, I presume?”

  An older gentleman was standing beside Ted as if the two of them were best buddies. Ted was even attempting to give me that endearing smile that had melted my heart upon first sight, showing a bit of his chipped teeth. As for his newfound friend, the elderly man was rather distinguished looking and his kind expression had me somewhat confused as to his purpose.

  Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to think about this bizarre encounter.

  What was this stranger doing in my house?

  Pssst.

  “Yes, I’m Raven Marigold,” I replied, following an innate need to answer the man. What I really wanted to do was demand to know why he was in my home. Upon further reflection, why had Ted allowed such thing to happen? “You’re Merrick Bronach.”

  You had to state the obvious? I’m sure he’s impressed beyond words.

  I wasn’t sure how I was aware of this man’s identity, but I knew it all the same. I also realized that my composed response wasn’t natural. I should literally be screaming for help, running toward my car, or dialing 911.

  You’re just now figuring that out? Witchcraft, Raven, witchcraft. Merrick is using some sort of spell, and you’re going to have to break it if we stand a chance of—

  Whatever Leo had been going to say was cut off, and with very good r
eason. Had I been my normal self, I might have recognized just how out of hand this current situation of ours had become.

  Duck!

  Duck?

  Goose!

  Leo’s directive didn’t make sense to me at the time. Instead, I could only stand by and look on in disbelief as two apparitions began to gradually form on either side of me. Neither Mazie nor Lucille looked happy with the man currently standing beside Ted.

  Before Mr. Bronach, Ted, or myself could utter a word, a battle of wills originated on my doorstep with a brilliant flash. The force of energy coming from Mazie and Lucille had me stumbling backward and eventually landing in a small snowdrift with a plop. By the time my eyesight adjusted, Ted stood alone in the doorway looking a little worse for wear with his blondish white hair standing on end and what appeared to be soot on his chin.

  I told you to duck, you silly goose.

  Chapter Nine

  “I’ve witnessed my first battle between beings existing on the ethereal versus astral planes of existence…and lived to tell the tale,” I exclaimed in utter disbelief, lifting my wine glass in salute to no one in particular. It didn’t matter that my fingers were still trembling at the thought of having been on the receiving end of a charm spell that had suppressed my true natural reaction to the situation. The fact that I’d perceived such a sight without reacting in my own defense had me a bit rattled and jacked up on adrenaline. “Goose, Leo? Really?”

  I panicked. It tends to happen when I’m magically ambushed by someone using an astral projection spell in combination with various other offensive invocations.

  Ted and I were sitting in the living room in front of the fireplace while Leo was stretched out on the coffee table cleaning his right paw as if nothing was amiss. As for Mazie and Lucille, they’d vanished right along with Merrick Bronach.

  None of us were certain what happened to the two apparitions as a result of their various forms of attack and their innate exposure inherent to each plane’s differing set of physics. I could only assume the discharge of such energies had depleted their resources to stay on this side of the veil. They were probably cast back to their proper individual point of travel.

  “We should call your mother, Miss Raven.”

  Leo’s left eye twitched.

  “No,” I immediately replied to Ted, who clearly didn’t understand the ramifications of his suggestion. A colossal amount of wine to settle my nerves was the proper prescription for my expert diagnosis. “Absolutely not. A thirty-year-old woman cannot continue to rely on her mother every time she is attacked by magical beings traveling on other planes to attack me for looking into other people’s business. Besides, that’s what Leo is for. Handling the day-to-day business of magical combat.”

  Although, there was helping and then there was helping.

  “Goose? Really?”

  Could we please stop rehashing my faux pas and focus on our options moving forward?

  “And what options would those be, Leo?” I tilted my head back against the cushion and closed my eyes. This supernatural stuff wasn’t getting any easier the way I’d hoped. Neither was attempting to even out my breathing, but that didn’t stop me from continuing to try. “Merrick Bronach clearly has the upper hand and experience. I thought he was a friendly older warlock who had helped my mother at some point in her life, but I’m beginning to think otherwise now. He clearly didn’t want me to find him. From the multipronged offense strategy he’d unleashed during his unexpected visit—which I’m pretty sure was in self-defense—and the fact that he could control my native responses, surely it’s a notable sign that he’s a very powerful warlock.”

  I hate to say this, but…

  “Then don’t say it,” I warned Leo, bringing my head forward a little too fast. I blinked away the double vision to focus on only one orange and black cat instead of the initial two I had in my vision. Dual Leos would have definitely sent me straight to a mental institution…do not pass go. “We’re not calling my mother. Absolutely not, though something does have me curious. How did Merrick Bronach even know that I was trying to reach him? Could it be possible he was here to answer our inquiries?”

  “That is highly doubtful,” Ted answered while lifting his large hand and attempting to smooth down his blondish white hair that was still somewhat untidy from the blow he suffered from the blast of energy that had smacked into him.

  You said yourself that Merrick was a talented warlock who wasn’t to be trifled with. Can we just go along with that assumption and slam the lid on this case?

  “Mazie and Lucille slammed something into Mr. Bronach, and it wasn’t a lid from what I could tell.” I tapped my finger on the side of the wine glass as I ran through our options. “It’s too dangerous to use that spell you advised earlier, Leo, isn’t it? I mean, Mr. Bronach would most likely be waiting for me to contact him through magic. After the attack Mazie and Lucille unleashed, it’s not unwise to believe that he might retaliate. Who knows what that wizard would do once he had me trapped? Then again, Mazie and Lucille might have blasted him into another plane of existence. I don’t know much about science, but I’m pretty sure the negative material plane would destroy him on contact.”

  Are you going to tell Mazie the bad news, or am I? This little game has become far too dangerous to prolong any further.

  “Leo, it’s not that simple.” I wasn’t going to be able to get on board with Leo’s train of thought with Strifle still missing. “You said yourself that Strifle was probably in a good deal of pain being forcibly separated from Mazie. How can we just stand back and pretend nothing is wrong while someone suffers?”

  “Miss Raven has a point, Leo.”

  You tell that oversized lump of wax that I didn’t ask for his opinion. He could very easily end up as a bunch of candles if we run into that warlock again.

  “No.” I wasn’t going to hurt Ted’s feelings just because Leo was a scaredy cat and acting out. “I’m going to finish this glass of wine, we’re going to find a spell that can protect me while I’m astrosurfing or whatever it’s called, and we’re going to get the answers we need.”

  Those words came out surprisingly confident considering that I was probably more afraid than Leo was at the moment. I’m not ashamed to admit that I downed the glass of red wine to gain the fortitude I’d need for this almost impossible incantation.

  You’re going to die there while we watch from here. You cannot leave me here with Ted—the candlemaker. Or worse, your mother—the wicked witch.

  “What does happen to you if…” Saying the D word was like jinxing myself, so I reworded my question. “What happens when I’m old and grey, getting ready to pass on? Do you come with me or are you no longer linked to anyone?”

  Truthfully, the thought of crossing the veil without Leo by my side was unimaginable. It was easy now to see how selfless Nan had been in her bid to leave Leo behind to help guide me through my witchcraft journey, which more than demonstrated her love for me.

  And she wouldn’t want you to die before your journey even had a chance to begin. There. Decision made. We can now tell Mazie we’re not continuing with the case.

  “No, Leo.” If anything, knowing the lengths Nan had gone to in order for me to have Leo by my side only fortified my decision to find Strifle. I peered into my empty glass, but then thought better of having more wine. “Let’s do this for Mazie and Strifle.”

  Or not. Is there something you’re losing in translation here? I thought I was rather clear in my opinion.

  Leo rolled over onto his back and stayed in that spot the entire time I browsed through the grimoire looking for something I could use. The various invocations inside the section on protection spells were rather unsettling, but I persevered until I finally found an incantation that could help us.

  “Leo?” A quick look at the clock told me that it was after ten o’clock at night. Ted had absconded a while ago, but he’d left several ingredients in his wake that could potentially come in handy. I just hop
ed that whichever ones were needed weren’t something so unique that it was impossible to get in the spur of the moment. “What do you think of this one?”

  Does it protect you against a warlock casting a spell on you?

  “Yes.”

  I’d read over that part twice to make sure.

  Will it work while you’re astroplaning?

  “Yes,” I replied, having already considered that tiny issue.

  I was quite proud of myself.

  How long does the invocation last?

  “Long enough for me to ask the questions I need and then get back to my body.”

  Answering the question like that had me a little excited that I was about to attempt my first astroplaning trip. If this worked, maybe I could visit Heidi or my mother in New York.

  What about the house?

  “The house?”

  Yes, our house…the one I’ll currently be in while you jet off to some other place.

  Okay, I was a bit lost by that inquiry. Then again, this was one of the main reasons that Leo had been left behind with me. I couldn’t get upset with him triple checking everything when that was part of his job description.

  “What does the house have anything to do with me casting a…ohhhh.”

  Now Leo’s question made sense. Merrick Bronach could easily cast a spell—an offensive conjuration known as arcane magic, in this case—on my surroundings, thereby affecting my body, and thus disturbing what I was trying to accomplish by simply burning me to ash. I read the spell for the eighth time, contemplating on whether or not the house was included in the sphere of the protection spell.

  “Aha!” I replied in victory, very proud that I’d made it this far. “Yes, it does! It protects against offensive spells cast with an area of effect on one hundred yards from where I’m casting my own incantation.”

  I bit my lower lip as I waited for Leo to come up with another question that might put a wet blanket over my excitement. He was still draped over the coffee table, but the audible sigh told me that he didn’t have any other requirements of the evocation/abjuration spells I’d chosen.