Baffling Blend

by Kennedy Layne

  I’ll jump in right here, if you don’t mind. I’m going to take an educated—did you happen to catch that, warlock—educated guess that the Wicked Witch of Windsor thought she would be able to control the focus on which premonitions she received from them. Only upon getting the remnants of Raven’s dreams through the second relic did the toad-turning witch realize that she couldn’t control such powerful magic.

  “Is that true?” I asked Rye, my chances of fixing my predicament falling fast. “If Aunt Rowena can’t control what type of premonitions the dreamcatchers can allow through, then how in the world does she expect to alter them in her favor?”

  This sounded like I was in a lot more trouble than before I ever reached out to Aunt Rowena and Rye, asking for their help. What were Leo and I missing in this equation?

  Raven has a point, which is quite rare, by the way. The ball is in your court, cheater.

  “Rowena isn’t going to put a curse on either relic,” Rye claimed sardonically with a shake of his head. “She’s going to put both pieces in a container that has been cast with a binding incantation. The dreamcatchers won’t be able to feed off the earth’s energy, thereby muting their abilities. Nor will anyone be affected by the viewing end of the tool. It’s really very simple.”

  Oh, oh, Raven! It’s coming back to me. We didn’t tell them about your most recent premonition.

  “Thank you, Leo.” I’d finally come to accept that no amount of coffee was going to get me through this day. “I want to clarify something. You’re saying that I have in my possession the stronger of the two relics, but I’ve had the dreamcatcher in my possession for quite a while now. Why would it wait until now to start working?”

  “It has been functioning this entire time,” Rye claimed, finishing his coffee as if he had places to be and people to see. Well, he was going to have to wait to begin his day until we were able to get things sorted out before this situation drove me to insanity. “From what Rowena tells me, any witch in possession of the viewing end of the dreamcatchers will begin to have premonitions. The fact that the two are separated was what was holding you back from experiencing the clarity of the dreams. What premonition is Leo referring to?”

  The ancient relic had to warm up. Bring the subject into focus, so to speak. I get it. Thinking back to my chases with Skippy, things would have been different if I’d taken the time to stretch.

  “So, you’re saying that the effects took longer because I didn’t have both dreamcatchers in my possession.” I suppose that made sense, just as Leo’s horrible analogy was pretty accurate. I was hoping that carrying on the conversation would lead to Rye forgetting that Leo had ever mentioned a premonition. “Okay. I’ll close up the teashop for an hour or two. Follow me home, and I’ll give you the dreamcatcher.”

  Did I miss something? Since when do you trust the Wicked Witch of Windsor to do anything that would help anyone other than herself?

  “Rowena has been trying to help others,” Rye argued, picking up the dreamcatcher that he’d brought with him. “Why do you think she agreed to lead the faction against the draconian control of the witch council? And I’d really like to get back to that premonition. What did you see happening, Raven?”

  “We’re not going to get into a debate on the rights and wrongs of choosing sides in the coven war,” I warned, my fatigue too much for me to be some type of referee. There was no way that I had the mental strength to get into the fact that I saw someone plotting my mother’s death. “Leo, we need this relic out of our home so that we can sleep. I don’t mind handing over what amounts to a cursed item at the moment. It’s overwhelming me.”

  Okie dokie. You heard her, cheater. Let’s head to the cottage so that you can do the Wicked Witch of Windsor’s bidding and then you can get back to your baker.

  I closed my eyes, which was a very big mistake if the burning sensation that seared my eyelids was anything to go by, at the fact that Leo had just played out our hand…twice. He must have heard the thought that crossed my mind about how to monitor the dreamcatchers’ locations. I might be desperate for sleep, but I wasn’t so desperate that I would give Aunt Rowena full rein over objects so powerful. Then there was the fact that Aunt Rowena couldn’t know about the blonde witch I’d seen in my dream, not when there was a chance that she would use it blackmail me into helping her with the coven war.

  Which is why I didn’t mention either of those two gambits, Raven. Jeez. Way to ruin it.

  I sighed when I realized that Rye wasn’t going to let the premonition thing go, so I took a very large sip of my now lukewarm coffee in hopes that the slightest spike of caffeine would help me get through the next half hour or so.

  “I’m not even going to ask how the two of you figured out that I’m dating Bree. We’ll get back to that. Right now, Raven, we have to take care of these dreamcatchers. I realize that you never agreed with my decision to stand by Rowena, but she’s been the only mother I’ve known,” Rye said quietly and with what sounded like raw honesty. “I also hope you know that I would never allow you or your family to be hurt by her actions. I’m just trying to help everyone while minimizing any damage that may spill over from the coven’s difficulties.”

  I won’t point out the holes in the cheater’s explanation. I’m not sure my theory would make sense right now, anyway.

  “The premonitions that I’ve been having aren’t anything to worry about,” I replied when the stone around my neck began to heat, even though my palm remained cool. I wasn’t sure if that was a sign for me to share with Rye the fact that my mother’s life was in danger, or the complete opposite. Until I had some sleep, I wasn’t going to make any decisions that could potentially draw my mother and I into what could possibly be a trap. “I foresaw Candy mixing up the dyes during Pearl’s appointment and a couple of other mundane things. Let me grab my coat. I’ll meet you at the cottage.”

  Oy vey. A five-year-old is better at lying about drawing on a wall than you are at dodging direct questions. Hey, do you want to join in next week’s poker game?

  “You’re a horrible liar,” Rye muttered as he tossed his empty disposable cup into the trashcan. “I’ll let Rowena know that you’re going to hand over the other dreamcatcher. Hopefully, she can contain its abilities while keeping it out of play between the two factions since we know it can’t be controlled.”

  On one hand, I was very anxious to get home. Sleep deprivation was nothing to sneeze at, and I now completely understood the ramifications of insomnia. Those poor people had to function on a daily basis like this for their entire lives. It was a good thing that I’d created a magical blend to combat such a horrible sleeping disorder. I’d decided right then and there to promote a specific tea blend that had natural calming properties with my own special twist from here on out. No one should have to live their lives with constant exhaustion.

  It’s great that you’re planning to help customers who suffer from insomnia, but I think you’re forgetting about something…like the fact that your mother’s life hangs in the balance. I’m not saying I haven’t thought of a million ways to push her in front of a bus without anyone being the wiser, but that right is reserved for me. Some random blonde witch shouldn’t have such a privilege.

  Chapter Eight

  It was the ringing of my cell phone that woke me out the most blissful sleep I’d had in weeks, but it was actually the front door bursting wide open with the loudest bang that had energy pooling in the palm of my hand. I sat up so abruptly that the living room spun in circles, but I could still make out where to aim.

  “Hold your fire!” Heidi yelled as she ducked, using her purse to protect her head. “It’s me!”

  I know that she’s my soulmate and all, but go ahead and zing an energy ball her way. Maybe it’ll make her disappear and come back tomorrow.

  “What were the two of you thinking?” Heidi reprimanded me and Leo as she slammed the door shut behind her. My headache had dissipated somewhat with the much-needed sleep, but it returned
with a vengeance now that my friend had so loudly and abruptly arrived. “I finished up another client’s tax return this morning and was going to reward myself with a trip to the boutique to see those new blouses when I saw the closed sign in the teashop’s door. What on earth made you think you could do that without at least warning me? Then you wouldn’t answer your phone! You’re lucky that I didn’t wreck my car on the way over here. By the way, remind me to check on Newt. I’m pretty sure it was him who I nearly ran off the road into a ditch.”

  By the time Heidi had reached the middle of her lecture, I’d shaken off the remnants of energy that had coiled in the palm of my hand to protect me from such a sudden rush of adrenaline. I then collapsed back on the couch with a groan. The warmth of the cushions was almost too much for me to resist, but Heidi’s continued reprimand kept me from sliding back into that blissful slumber.

  Ditto. I’m sure there’s a handy spell to shut her up somewhere in the grimoire. Silence is the obvious choice.

  I peered through my lashes to find that Leo was on the back of the couch with his right front and back legs hanging down on my side of the cushion. His head was tilted toward me with his tongue hanging out and his eyes closed tight. He’d been enjoying his sleep free of my dreams, as well.

  “Hello?” Heidi asked, and it took me a moment to realize that she hadn’t been referring to me. “Yes, I’m here now. I know, right? I had to find out when I dropped by the teashop on my way to the boutique. She knows better than to do something like that without telling us.”

  Heidi had answered my phone, which was fine by me. I began to stretch, finally allowing myself to experience the fact that I’d slept for an hour without dreaming about something that could happen in the future. As a matter of fact, I felt fantastic the more I took stock of my tranquil form.

  Speak for yourself. I can’t feel my tail, but I’m too comfortable to move. It reminds me of the time when you messed up Otis’ arthritic blend. You didn’t slip some of his tea leaves into my catnip when I wasn’t looking, did you?

  I raised my arms behind my head to arch my back, taking the time look up at Leo. Sure enough, I spotted the reason why his tail had gone numb.

  “Leo, you fell asleep on your tail again,” I murmured, partially still listening in on Heidi’s conversation. I was trying to figure out who was on the other end of the line while reaching up and trying to help Leo lift his body off his tail. It wasn’t easy with the weight he was carrying around. “Shift to the left.”

  Leo’s eyes were still closed. I hadn’t realized that would be a problem until he shifted to the left…and promptly fell off the back of the couch. The thud was enough to catch Heidi’s attention, whose lips formed the perfect circle of astonishment as she ran around the end of the couch.

  Ouch.

  “…let her know, but she was sleeping. Yes! I agree, and it looks as if her meeting with Rye went great. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been sleeping like a baby when I got here.”

  Heidi had tucked my cell phone in between her cheek and shoulder to help Leo. When she came back up with him in her arms, my stomach immediately felt as if a boulder had taken up residence. Her lips had once again formed the perfect O, but this time in horror, which was a dead giveaway as to who was on the other end of the line…and it wasn’t Liam.

  Dead being the operative word here. Shift to the left? Really? You’re lucky that I didn’t break my neck. Tell my soulmate that I need some tender loving—oomph!

  Heidi had all but dropped Leo on the back of the couch as she slightly stammered, attempting to collect all the beans that she’d spilt. I had no fear that she would pull something out of her hat. She had always been a better liar than me. That wasn’t to say that she was a bad person. Quite to the contrary. It was just that she had the ability to smooth a path when one was desperately needed.

  Well, I desperately need a hit off my catnip pipe. You two could make anyone want to wallow in the bottom of my catnip bag.

  “Oh, it’s nothing like that, Ms. M. Right after you left, Raven saw Rowena drive through town,” Heidi explained, finally catching her groove. My thumbs-up told her that she was on the right track, giving her even further momentum to the story that she was weaving. In our defense, it was based around the truth. “Turns out she was just passing through, but you know Raven. She was just being thorough. You know how she is when it comes to the coven. What? Yes, of course. I’ll let her know. You and Beetle have fun, and don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do!”

  That was a rather disturbing vision that I could have done without.

  “Don’t do that again,” Heidi admonished as she tossed my cell phone toward me. I wasn’t the most graceful person, so the fact that I didn’t catch it wasn’t a surprise. It thudded to the floor. “I had visions of that blonde witch abducting you and throwing you into her cauldron.”

  “Nothing like that, but I just couldn’t resist the urge to close my eyes for an hour.” I gave one last stretch and finally sat up so that I could lean down and fetch my phone. “You have no idea how nice it was to just sleep without visions.”

  I’m still waiting for my soulmate to say what she thought might have happened to me. I mean, she did mention that she’d been worried about the two of us. Where did I fit into that vision of hers?

  “An hour?” Heidi motioned toward my phone. “Check the time, Raven. It’s almost two o’clock in the afternoon.”

  “No,” I exclaimed in horror, thinking about the customers who had been going to stop into the shop to pick up their so-called holistic blends. After pressing the button on my phone to light up the display, there was no arguing with Heidi that it wasn’t still morning. “Oh, this is bad! I have to get back to the teashop. Otis couldn’t stop in yesterday for his arthritic blend. He’s been helping out at the station while Liam is visiting his sister. He said he’d walk over today, as well as Wilma and Elsie. They made a decision to try their hand at knitting, and their joints have been acting up.”

  You go on about your business. I’m staying here to catch some more Zs. It wouldn’t do for me to run down my immune system when we’re under attack by the chickadees. Besides, I’ll need to come up with a plan before Skippy and his ninja squirrels come out of hibernation. I can’t be fending off two nemeses at the same time.

  “I guess things are good then?” Heidi asked rather cautiously, stepping back when I scurried toward the door. I began to put on my favorite pair of knee-high boots, all the while checking to make sure that I didn’t look like a wrinkled mess. “No dreams? No visions? No murders?”

  “No, and it was beyond blissful.” I reached for my coat that was hanging on one of the pegs. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that the previous dream about Mom won’t come true. I need to find out who the blonde witch is from my premonition.”

  What I need is peace and quiet. Don’t let the door hit you in the backside on the way out.

  “No such luck, Leo.” I picked up my tote, making sure that my laptop and wallet were still inside. I slid my phone into the side pocket, exchanging it for my keys. “You’re coming with me. I might need you to run some errands.”

  I motioned for Heidi to join me as I opened the door.

  Now wait just a—

  I slammed the door behind us, locking it up tight before leading the way down the small path toward the wrought iron gate. Ted must have shoveled between the time I had come home to give Rye the dreamcatcher and now. Leo would no doubt be waiting for me in my car ready to give me a lecture about how felines needed sixteen hours of sleep a day for their health. Well, Mom’s health was in jeopardy. We needed to deal with her impending death before it actually happened.

  “I’ll catch you up quick, but then I might need you to follow me back to the shop, too,” I told Heidi, holding open the gate for her. It used to make a horrendous squeak, even when I opened it, but Rye had taken care of that tiny problem. He’d also helped me out today, and I sure hope that it didn’t come with a hefty price tag. “Lo
ng story short, I gave Rye the dreamcatcher. There’s actually two, and he has the other one. They’re very old relics that the Native Americans and those of their ancestors helped create to foresee natural disasters and such. Aunt Rowena thought that maybe she could alter their energy to aid her in the coven war, but that was before the two artifacts got separated and I began to get the premonitions. The dreamcatchers are not something that we can control, so Aunt Rowena made the decision to store them away in some container that won’t allow them access to their source of energy.”

  By this time, Heidi and I were standing right outside the wrought iron gate. I’d thrown a lot at her, but it wasn’t her reaction that had taken me by surprise.

  “That wasn’t a good idea, Miss Raven.”

  Both Heidi and I turned our heads to find that Ted had walked up on us from out of nowhere. That wasn’t what was odd. It was his warning that held a slight hint of impending danger to it.

  “Why not, Ted?” I asked, reaching into my coat pocket for my gloves. I hadn’t expected to be standing out in the cold for this long. “Leo and I have a plan, because I put a small spell on the bag that I gave to Rye in order to carry both dreamcatchers. I’ll use a locator spell to find out where Aunt Rowena put them. This way, I’ll be able to keep an eye on them.”

  Would the three of you finish up already? You’re the one who basically forced me out of the house, and now you expect me to sit in a cold vehicle? What am I? A dog? Tell Heidi to hit the starter button on her key fob so that I can turn on the seat warmer.

  “I don’t believe that Mr. Rye is taking them to Miss Rowena.”

  Ted was wearing a long, black dress coat overtop his suit, along with a matching top hat from the 1920s. He looked very distinguished, if one ignored the deep frown lines in between his brows. I’m sure I was copying that frown, because there was no way that I understood his words correctly.