“So I’m guessing getting a complex poison potion from one of those sources wouldn’t be impossible,” I said.
“Exactly,” Scarlett nodded.
Lauren shook her head. “I hope Chief Enforcer Tyson finds the culprit, and fast. I don’t like knowing there’s a killer in town, regardless of who it might be. Thomas was a good wizard, and he’ll be missed here at the hospital. He always fought for what was right, even if it meant putting himself in harm’s way.”
“I’m sure the killer will be found,” I said to Lauren. “Thank you again for fixing my tail.”
“No worries,” Lauren replied, the smile returning to her face. “Welcome to the paranormal world. I hope your future attempts at magic don’t land you in this emergency room too often.”
“Me too,” I replied with a laugh. With that, Scarlett and I headed back out into the bright sunshine. Pawdrey Hepburn sat on a decorative post, obviously waiting for us.
“Did you find the murderer?” she asked me, falling into step with Scarlett and me as we walked along the road.
“Not yet,” I replied. “Just a mysterious journalist.”
“Oh, the surprise mystery man. I wonder if he’ll end up being your love interest.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Sorry, not happening. I’m too busy to have a love interest. Besides, he comes off as being a bit of a jerk.”
“But that’s a classic trope,” Pawdrey replied. “The enemies-to-lovers is a tale as old as time, and featured in many of the greatest dramas of the day. The greatest romantic drama known to the world, Pride and Prejudice, is the perfect example.”
“Yeah, and it’s a book. And a movie. Fiction, whichever way you look at it. Whereas this is real life, no matter how much it feels like I must be dreaming.”
“Life is far more entertaining when you consider yourself an actor in a role,” Pawdrey Hepburn replied. “After all, are we not all actors, and all the world’s a stage? I personally do my best to play whatever role I need to at any given time.”
“So my new cat is the most dramatic creature I’ve ever met,” I said with a laugh.
“Thank you,” Pawdrey Hepburn replied. What had I just gotten into?
CHAPTER 19
By the time we made it back outside, evening was well underway.
“Well, I’m afraid I’m not sure there’s anything more we can do today,” Scarlett told me. “But at least we have a few investigative avenues to travel in the morning.”
“I think you’re right,” I replied. “I have a bit more work I’d be happy to get done tonight, anyway. I really hope we can solve this case tomorrow so I don’t have to fake surgery.”
“If you want, I can show you how to do basic magic,” Scarlett said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
I paused. I had so much work to do I could easily spend the entire evening at the laptop Eva had lent me, trying to get it all done. But the truth was, a part of me kind of wanted to learn how to do magic.
I just couldn’t prioritize magic over my job, as much as I wanted to.
“We’ll see,” I said. “If I’ve got the time.”
“Sure,” Scarlett said. “I’ll order some pizza so we don’t have to worry about cooking.”
“That sounds great,” I smiled gratefully.
The two of us walked back to the house together, each lost in our own thoughts. Who had killed Thomas? Was it Borbordir, doing it to save Yamordir’s reputation and his own? Or was it Mercutio, who was mad about Thomas stepping in to stop him from his unwanted flirting with Lauren? That seemed like it would have been a heck of an overreaction, but who could be sure? People had been killed for less.
As soon as we got back, Pawdrey quickly settled herself down onto the bed, curled herself up into a ball, and fell asleep while I tried switching my brain over to work mode. I had never had any problems doing so before; work was my entire life. I went to bed thinking about work; I woke up in the morning thinking about work; I thought about work in the shower and basically every waking moment of my life.
And yet, for the first time in years, this time, when I sat in front of the computer, I just stared at the screen. There were questions from my team in Slack that I had to answer, there were emails I had to look at, designs to finalize. But I just couldn’t focus on any of it. My mind kept turning back to Thomas and who killed him. My mind flew over the events of the last few hours. The look on Linda’s face when she realized her boyfriend was dead. Grandma Eva’s kind face. Scarlett taking care of me. All the witches at the gym being incredibly friendly. Lauren making the potion to get rid of my tail.
Everyone here had been so kind to me. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life. I had never had family that was actually kind to me, and that didn’t seem to have any sort of hidden agenda, either.
After spending half an hour trying and failing to solve a problem with a client’s marketing plan, I eventually sighed, pushed the computer away from me, and wandered toward the main living area.
“Great, you’re just in time. I ordered pizza five minutes ago,” Scarlett said when I found her, sitting on a couch while reading a book. “It should be here in a few. Do you want me to teach you your first-ever spell while we wait?”
“Sure,” I said with a smile. After all, maybe this was what I needed. Maybe getting my mind off things for a little bit would let me get back into work mode afterward.
“Great,” Scarlett beamed, jumping from the couch. She rushed over to a cabinet on the other side of the room and rustled through it. “I know I have an extra wand here somewhere.”
A moment later she turned around, triumphantly holding up a gorgeous pastel-green wand with specks of silver leaf scattered along it.
“Wow,” I whispered in a hushed voice as I took the wand carefully. “This is incredible. Are you sure I can use this?”
“Sure,” Scarlett said with a shrug. “Wands are a dime a dozen here in the paranormal world. When this is all over I’ll take you shopping and you can pick one out for yourself.”
“I really like this one,” I said, taking it from Scarlett and turning it gingerly in my hands. The silver flecks glittered in the light, the perfect accent color to the pale shade of green. “Are wands interchangeable?”
“Totally,” Scarlett replied. “Any witch and wizard can use any wand as their own. If you like this one, then that’s cool, consider it yours.”
“Thank you so much,” I said softly, holding the wand like a newborn. I didn’t want to risk hurting it. This was mine, and I was going to learn to use magic with it.
“Now, the key to using magic is the spell you have to chant. Every coven has different spells, and they’re all chanted. A lot of them — although not all — rhyme. Here in the coven of Venus, maybe seventy-five percent of our spells rhyme. A lot of the ones that don’t take advantage of alliteration; we’re one of the few covens whose spells do that.”
“Wait, so for every bit of magic that you want to do, you need to chant a spell? That means memorizing them?”
“Yes,” Scarlett said. “That’s going to be the hardest thing for you, I think. We all learn to chant spells when we’re four years old, so over a lifetime we end up learning a lot of them, and it helps that we did it when we were young, when it’s easier to learn things. So yeah, you’re going to have to memorize a whole bunch of spells, but think of it like learning a new language.”
I sighed. “Well, I hope it’s not too hard. I’m not sure I’ve got the time to do my job and learn a whole bunch of spells.”
“Not only are the spells pretty easy to learn, but there’s no pressure on you, either. If you plan on living in the human world, it’s not like you’re going to be using magic on a regular basis, since you can’t use it in front of humans, and even if you decided to spend some time here, everyone will understand if you’re a little bit behind the others in terms of skill.”
“Thanks,” I said, shooting Scarlett a grateful smile.
“Anyway,
you’re thinking too far ahead. Life’s more fun if you live in the present, and in the present I’m going to teach you a cool spell. What do you want to know how to do?”
“Umm,” I said, biting my lip. “I’m not actually sure. What’s a cool, easy spell to start with?”
“I have just the thing,” Scarlett said, snapping her fingers. “We’re going to teach you how to dye your hair.”
I laughed nervously, my hands immediately moving to my hair and gently fingering my locks. “Dyeing my hair? I have a stylist who does that, and she charges two hundred bucks a visit to do it. She’s very good. In my line of work, I can’t afford to have hair that’s not perfect.”
“Don’t worry,” Scarlett grinned. “It’s totally reversible. I can fix almost anything you mess up. But fine, if you want to practice on someone else, do it on me.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, and Scarlett nodded.
“Sure. As I said, I know how to reverse anything you do. And besides, you never know, I might like what you come up with.”
“Alright,” I said, laughing. “You’ve convinced me. Let’s do it. How do I change your hair color?”
“Yay,” Scarlett replied excitedly. “Ok, so the first thing you have to do is learn the chant. You need to repeat it exactly right. If you get even one word wrong, it can mess up the whole spell, and then it’s just a mystery as to what will happen.”
“Well, at least there’s no pressure. You’re sure you’re ok with this? What if I mess it up and all your hair falls out?”
“Then I’ll use a spell to make it grow again,” Scarlett said with a shrug. “And if that didn’t work, I’m pretty sure I’d rock the shaved head look.”
“Ok,” I said, feeling a little bit more confident now that it sounded like Scarlett was ok with it no matter how much I messed this up. “So what’s the incantation?”
“Venus, goddess so lovely, this hair is ugly, make it the color of honey. Repeat those words exactly, except you can change the color at the end of the spell. You can choose any color, but the more specific you are, the better. Saying ‘chestnut’ instead of ‘brown’ will give you more accurate results, for example. Also, if you imagine the exact shade you want while you’re chanting the spell, that will help also.”
“Ok,” I said, nodding. “Let me try.”
“When you start to chant the spell, you’ll feel magic building up inside of you. Let it out through the wand. Don’t worry about how; your body will do it instinctively.”
I steeled myself, holding the wand firmly in my hand. I was going to do this right. I pointed the wand at Scarlett, and butterflies immediately began fluttering through my stomach. What if I messed it up? No, I couldn’t think that way. I wasn’t going to mess up. I was going to do this right.
I repeated the chant to myself a couple of times, then decided I was ready.
I pointed the wand at Scarlett and immediately thought about her red curls turning into a gorgeous honey blonde. “Venus, goddess so lovely, this hair is ugly, make it the color of honey.”
As soon as I started chanting an energy built up inside of me, right behind my sternum. It felt a little bit like when I felt stressed and a ball of anxiety formed in my chest, only it didn’t have any of the negative energy associated with anxiety. It was more like a ball of adrenaline, instead.
Once I finished the chant, the ball of energy immediately began moving toward my arm, and I imagined it leaving through the wand, as if the wand was an extension of my body.
I gasped as a split second later Scarlett’s hair went from red to a deep blonde color, exactly like honey.
“Wow!” I said, a grin spreading across my face. Scarlett moved to a mirror hanging on the wall and admired her new do.
“You did this,” Scarlett said. “How did it feel?”
“Honestly? It hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I did it. It’s really true now. There hasn’t been a mistake. I’m a witch, aren’t I?”
“You sure are.”
“It’s pretty cool,” I said, staring at Scarlett’s hair. “I can’t believe it. I did that.”
“And now you’ve officially learned your first spell. I just saved you two hundred dollars a month. You’re welcome.”
“I’m not sure I have the guts to do this by myself,” I said, laughing. “The fact that you’re here to save me if I mess up is a big reason why I’m ok to try this whole magic thing out.”
“That’s normal,” Scarlett said. “You’ll get used to it. The more you practice, the more confidence you’ll build, and eventually you’ll feel ok using magic without me there. Although it’s important to remember that you’re not allowed to use magic in front of humans. You can cast spells and that sort of thing in the human world, but you have to make sure you’re not seen.”
“Right,” I said, nodding.
“How about we try another spell?” Scarlett offered. “I think I’m going to keep my hair like this for a few hours. I like it.”
“Plus I’m guessing you don’t have to deal with the damage the harsh human-world chemicals cause,” I added, and Scarlett looked at me, confused.
“Wait, dyeing your hair in the human world hurts it?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Too many harsh chemicals. You’re not supposed to do it too often because of it.”
“Wow, I had no idea. No, there’s nothing like that here. You can change your hair color every hour for the rest of your life if you wanted and it’ll be none the worse for wear.”
“Good to know,” I replied. “Maybe I will pass on the expensive salon visits in the future.”
“Anyway, what spell do you want to cast? What would you like to be able to do?”
“Hmm,” I replied. “I’m not entirely sure.”
Before Scarlett had a chance to reply, there came a knock at the door.
“Well, it’s too late anyway,” she replied. “Pizza’s here.”
CHAPTER 20
Scarlett and I enjoyed a couple slices of pizza while sitting on the couch. I asked her all about the paranormal world, and she asked me about the human world. We compared stories, and I had to admit, I liked her. I wasn’t used to someone being so nice to me like this, and seemingly wanting nothing in return, and I wasn’t used to the feeling.
That, combined with the events of the entire day — had it really only been a day? It felt like a lifetime ago since I’d woken up that morning — meant that when we finished eating, I realized I was completely and totally wiped.
“Can I help you with the dishes before heading up to bed?” I asked Scarlett, who grinned at me in reply.
“I’ve got it, thanks,” she replied. “Watch this.”
Pulling out her wand, she pointed it at the dishes and muttered something under her breath. They immediately went from speckled with bits of sauce and dried strings of cheese to sparkling clean, then flew back toward the kitchen like Frisbees. When I didn’t hear a crash a moment later, I assumed they had safely landed in a pile in the cupboard.
“Ok, that’s a lot easier than loading up the dishwasher,” I said.
“What’s a dishwasher?” Scarlett asked.
“Never mind,” I replied. “Just know that using magic makes housework about eight thousand times easier than it otherwise would be. Anyway, if you don’t mind, I’m going to head right on up to bed.”
“Go ahead,” Scarlett said. “I’ll see you in the morning, and hopefully we’ll solve the case tomorrow.”
“I hope so,” I agreed. “Good night.”
I went back to my bedroom and snuggled up with Pawdrey. She was soft, and warm, and fluffy, and for the first time in a very long time I felt like I belonged somewhere that wasn’t a classroom or a boardroom.
That said, I still didn’t want to let my guard down. This wasn’t my place. My place was in New York, working my way up the corporate ladder. No matter how nice the people here in Fairy Falls were, I couldn’t trust them. Not entirely. Lauren had proven that when she said some people thought I was
the killer.
No, I didn’t belong here, and I had to do whatever I could to get back to New York City, where I could live in pretty much complete anonymity, focusing on my work instead of relationships. I was much better at that, anyway.
I eventually drifted away, my mind conflicted. I didn’t want to enjoy being here in Fairy Falls. I wanted to go back to New York, to the life I knew, to the security of the job I knew, that I was good at. I didn’t want to like the people here. I didn’t want to feel like I belonged.
And yet, I couldn’t help but feel that I did.
When my eyes fluttered open a few hours later it was still dark; being on New York time meant that six in the morning — my normal wake-up time — was three in the morning here in Washington. I groaned, threw the pillow back over my head, and slept in for the first time in years.
By the time I woke up once more, the first rays of the sun streamed through the window and onto the bed. A quick glance at my phone told me it was just after five in the morning, which meant just after eight in New York. That certainly qualified as sleeping in.
I climbed out of bed but was quickly chastised by Pawdrey, who lay curled in a little ball where my knees had been.
“Ugh, why are you getting up so early? Some of us need our beauty sleep.”
“Sorry,” I whispered to her, not wanting to disturb her. “I’m getting up to get some work done before the day starts.”
“Well, do it quietly,” Pawdrey muttered. I made a face at my cat — who knew they were such divas? — and grabbed the computer before heading down the hall toward the living room where I could get some work done without interrupting Her Highness too badly.
It took a while before I was able to focus on work, and not on the ongoing murder case, but I eventually managed to get some work done before Scarlett came into the room about an hour later, stretching her arms above her head and yawning loudly.
Love at First Spell: A Witch Cozy Mystery (Fairy Falls Mystery Book 1) Page 12
