The Kitchen Witch Switch

by Dawn Montgomery

  There's one reaction that draws my attention. Our butler's face pales considerably; his gaze is locked onto that letter.

  Theodore was already on my shit list for threatening to kill Meghan. I narrow my gaze and prep a defensive spell from my left side, just in case he attacks. If he tries to escape, Grandmother can take him down.

  Bianca touches the envelope and shakes her head. “I don't sense a curse.”

  “Hmm, is it possible to have a hidden curse within it?”

  “Perhaps, but that's rare.”

  “Do we really need to do this right now, Viktor?”

  “Mother, please indulge me. I think the person this letter is addressed to is in this room. And aside from our personal vault, this is the safest place in the house.” He looks at me. “Can I borrow Meghan for a moment. I'd like her to hold the letter while I open it, just in case a curse activates.”

  Melanie stiffens beside me. I glance at her and see that her expression is just as relaxed as I remember it being during exam week in the Academy. An exam week where she sat in her chair with her arms crossed with no interest in even filling out her name on the test sheets.

  That same twist to her lips and nonchalant expression that's so different from her sister. Does my uncle know we switched them? My uncle already knows Meghan has a twin sister and they're very different. His accomplice may have already informed him that both sisters are here now. Were we careful enough?

  “Is it not okay to borrow her for a minute?”

  “Meghan can make her own decisions. You'll have to ask her.”

  Melanie glances at me and gives me a wink and a smile. Nope, they look nothing alike. We're screwed.

  “Would you mind helping me, Meghan?”

  “It's not really part of my job description,” she says, “But I don't mind doing it just this once.” She gets up and moves to the head of the table.

  A finger taps my shin and Silverfang appears beside me in an instant. Mystica tells us to be ready. Meghan says he will trigger the curse the moment the letter opens.

  Why at that moment?

  The letter will implicate his accomplices and the Fortuna family. She can already feel his interference magic in the air. It's subtle and directed at her sister, so you will be fine.

  Thanks for your vote of confidence.

  No problem.

  His reply makes me want to laugh, but I'm fighting with the adrenaline spike going through my system. It's one thing to have it hit randomly and something completely different when you know it's coming.

  Melanie reaches his side and opens the letter.

  At that moment, the curse lashes out, ripping the power out of me, burning down my arms and into my hands.

  One second.

  My gaze locks with my uncle and the rage inside me unleashes.

  Two seconds.

  A hand reaches out from under the table and drags my arm down.

  Three seconds.

  The glove is yanked off and her hand is in mine, fingers interlocked.

  A voice cries out from behind me, but I'm focused on my uncle. Mystica flashes past me and I know he has the other traitor taken care of. My uncle tears his attention between Melanie and me, realizing something is wrong the moment she doesn't move in my direction.

  The curse is pulled from me, ripping the last of it into Meghan and I prepare to cast an imprison spell.

  Did the curse not rebound? I focus on Melanie and see her struggle against something. Al yowls as he launches himself from wherever he was hiding. He hits my uncle across his face, claws tearing through the skin and leaving a mark of blood.

  Viktor yells and knocks the cat away from him.

  At that moment two things happen at once. My uncle is hit with the rebound curse, the mark bright and glaring on his face, and he casts a spell my way.

  I deflect it down in reflex and it shatters the table.

  “What have you done to me?” My uncle screams.

  Bianca 'ports Grandma away and the imprison spell descends, trapping us within the room.

  “You set me up,” he bellows as the curse slams into me again. I flip up the broken wood table to hide Meghan’s movement as I pull her in my arms. She's pale and focused, continuing to drain the curse as we fight.

  “Mystica, Silverfang,” I yell. Both cats cast their spells on the personnel who weren't marked by the rebound curse. They 'port out immediately.

  “I want you out of here,” I say to Meghan.

  “No,” she demands. “This isn't the only curse he's hit you with.”

  “Your sister—”

  “Can take care of herself. Trust us to help you.” Her fierce green gaze locks onto me, ripping my heart to shreds while empowering me to end this as soon as possible.

  “Stay behind me.”

  She nods with a tired smile. “Sure, but don't let me go.” Her hand clenches mine.

  “Not a chance,” I say as we dive down onto the ground. Another curse shatters the wood where we were standing. My gut instinct saved us. I drag us up and throw out a reflection spell.

  Melanie casts several spells his way, battering against the shield he rebuilt. I had no idea my uncle was so powerful in combat magic and defense. What else has he been hiding?

  “Why are you doing this?” I yell over the explosions and curses being thrown around. “We're family.”

  “Family? I am Mother's first-born son. I should be the inheritor of the magic!” He casts another spell.

  I deflect it and it explodes behind me. Meghan trembles and I check her shield. I can feel the ring on her hand doing its job. My lips say a soft prayer that the ring will hold up. Grandma's enchantments are some of the best in this world, but that doesn't mean much against this kind of magic barrage.

  “Killing me won't give you the family magic.”

  “I am the only inheritor remaining. Your cousins are too weak.”

  “By design?” I ask as I watch Melanie sneaking up behind him with an obviously hurt Al in her arms. They're both focused solely on my uncle.

  “Perhaps.” His laugh chills me. “Your parents were just as unlucky as they are.”

  My gut twists, doubting whether or not they actually died in an accident.

  Why is he taking so long to run out of magic? I ask Silverfang.

  He's using an artifact to extend his ability. When it runs out, he'll be completely drained.

  So you're suggesting I piss him off some more?

  There's a pause and I cast a spell at my uncle for the first time. He glares at me. “You think something like that can hurt me? Your sentimentality is your weakness.”

  Mystica says Viktor is trying to teleport out constantly. He's using this fight to cover his attempted escape.

  If he breaks the shield, my uncle will disappear. Over half of our overseas properties are managed by him, and who knows how many more he has out there?

  “How long were you working with the Fortuna company?” I sling a fire spell at him.

  He easily deflects it, knocking it to the side. “Long enough to gain a significant prize.”

  What type of artifact is he using?

  “You mean the magic extender you're using?” I hit him with another spell, this one ice.

  It's a metal of some type.

  Is he wearing it?

  Yes.

  Tell Al that he and Melanie have one chance. Get ready.

  They're ready.

  I smile, then and my uncle's expression changes. I cast another fire spell, but this time to the right of him, igniting the banquet table beside him.

  He laughs. “You missed.”

  “Did I?” I ask as I cast an ice spell immediately after. When the ice and fire collide, steam and fog explodes out. In that split second, Melanie and Al hit him with everything they have.

  I drag Meghan with me. Heat explodes behind us, scorching the floor where we stood. Meghan stumbles beside me and I can see how drained she is.

  He's going to break the shield, Brandon
. Silverfang yells in my mind and I wince.

  Where is the magic artifact?

  His wrist.

  I latch onto a crazy idea.

  “Is he still cursing me?”

  “Yes,” she says.

  “Let it hit me,” I say as I tug on my hand.

  “No,” she holds tighter.

  I don't want to hurt her, but we have to stop him now. “I need to stop him and this is the only way. Let go. You can save me as soon as I touch him.”

  Without hesitation, I lean in to kiss her, causing her grip to loosen. I pull free and rush at my uncle, knocking broken furniture out my way with magic. The curse tears through me, letting free a desperation I didn't know I had. She was taking this much power?

  Which hand? I force the thought out through the pain.

  The one closest to you.

  Melanie screams and Al's yowl rips through the room. A sudden blast of air explodes outward from my uncle, clearing the rest of the fog. My hand reaches his wrist and I let the curse loose.

  My uncle screams and Meghan reaches my side at that moment.

  Her hand rips off my other glove and interlocks our fingers. Her other hand locks onto my uncle's arm. Crystals had formed from the wrist up to the elbow. His hand was encased, as well.

  “I hate you. I hate this whole family.” he grinds out the words. The whites of his eyes flash, eyelids fluttering as he collapses. Meghan falls with him, and I pull her free of his touch and into my arms.

  “Is it over?” she asks with her voice muffled against my chest.

  My uncle's face ages by decades right in front me. His body shrivels up and he gasps for air. The cost of extending your magic was devastating. He would be lucky to ever use magic again. If he survived the rebound of using such an idiotic artifact. “Yes. It's over.”

  “Melanie?” she calls out.

  “Here. I'm fine. Al's hurt though.” I can hear the sobs in her voice.

  “Silverfang. How many accomplices?”

  My familiar jumps on one of the only chairs not burned to a crisp. “One. It was Theodore”

  I force my mind to clear out the rest of the pain. “Is he secured?”

  “Mystica 'ported him out before you tried to burn the room down.”

  “Good.”

  “I am told to tell you that the Baba Yaga is on her way and there are doctors waiting for us outside the room.”

  Meghan clenches her fists in my shirt and I sweep her up in my arms. “Tell them to secure the prisoners. I'll take her to her room. Have them meet me there. And have Al taken care of immediately.”

  “Of course. He saved our lives. That will go well for his familiar evaluation.”

  I ignore the rest and 'port us to her bedroom. The doctor is already waiting for us.

  “I feel like ragged hell,” Meghan says with a half-smile.

  My heart pounds in my chest as fear roars through me. Meghan's face is pale as a sheet and I know she's pushed herself beyond the limit. “You were amazing in there.”

  “Good. You owe me big time. That sucked.”

  “Anything you want.” I put her on the bed and grip her hands in mine. “The doctor is here.”

  She laughs. “Pancakes.”

  “No problem.”

  “My sister's fried chicken.”

  “Okay.” I kiss her knuckles.

  “A real date.”

  My lips twitch. “Done. Anywhere in particular?”

  “Nowhere near explosions, fire spells, or magic food and curses.”

  I laugh. “No problem.”

  “Maybe a beach.”

  “Done. I know a great beach. No one else but you, me, and the waves for miles on end.”

  “Sounds perfect.” Her voice fades and my panic rises.

  The doctor tries to push me to the side and I move slightly. Dr. Kale rolls her eyes at me and 'ports to the other side of the bed. I sit on the edge of the mattress and run my hand over Meghan’s cool forehead.

  “Why is her temperature so low?”

  “Magic shock. She took too much magic inside her and now her body has to process it.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  “Keep her talking. Help her circulate her magic. You remember how to do that, right?”

  I nod with a jerk of my head. When I was first cursed, it was part of my daily regimen. I interlock our fingers on one hand and place my other one on her forehead.

  Meghan licks her lips. “It must be pretty bad this time.” She blinks slowly, a drowsy lift of her lids that tells me I'm about to lose her.

  “Do you have any other demands?”

  “Punishment,” she says.

  “You want me to punish you?” I ask with a smile.

  “No. You punished.”

  “For what?” I ask as I gently push my magic into her hand and guide it toward her head and all around her body, letting it circulate through her magic system. What I feel rocks me back in shock. I can sense an almost limitless amount of power within her.

  “That kiss wasn't fair.” Her eyelids tremble as they lower.

  “Stay awake. You have to move the magic inside you first. Then you can sleep.” I shake off the amazement at the giant well of magic inside her.

  “What magic?” she asks.

  “Oh, good news. You're a witch. And those idiots in your family who thought you were a null were blind as bats.”

  “Really?” Her eyes open. “Magic? You're not lying?”

  “No.” I grip her hand in mine. “Do you feel something moving inside you? A strange pressure in your chest or head?”

  “Yes,” she says as her lips pale considerably.

  The doctor's spells are being cast on her in layers. I can feel every one of them as they sink into her body. Dr. Kale is one of the most powerful white witches, I’ve met, and she’s still taking it slow with Meghan.

  “That is your magic. You have so much of it that it's drowning you. Circulate it so it can burn itself off enough to be comfortable.”

  The door to the room bursts open and Melanie is running to the bedside. She throws her arms around Meghan and cries. “Are you okay?”

  Meghan chuckles and pats her sister on the back with her free hand. “How is Al?”

  “He's bad, Meg.” She cries again and Meghan sighs as she runs her hand down her back.

  “He's too much of a stubborn little shit to let a little injury like this take him down. He'll be okay.”

  Melanie sniffs and sits back up, finally noticing that I had to practically stand up to keep my hand on Meghan's forehead. “What are you doing to her?”

  “Saving her life,” Dr. Kale says. “She's overflowing with magic and we need to help her siphon it off.”

  Melanie scrubs at the tears on her face and stares at Meghan. “You have magic?”

  “A lot of if apparently. You were right.” She smiles at her sister.

  Melanie sniffs again and smirks. “I'm always right.”

  Meghan laughs and I feel her gently take the magic in hand to push it on her own. In a few moments, she's taken complete control of it.

  “There. She can sleep now.” The doctor touches my hand and I ease away from her forehead.

  “Good. Remember. Pancakes and fried chicken,” she says.

  “I won't forget.”

  Her eyelids tremble again and they close.

  “Brandon, the Baba Yaga is here,” Silverfang announces from the door.

  I brush a kiss on the back of Meghan's hand and ease it down onto her chest.

  “Tell her I'll be there in a moment.” I lean over to press a kiss to her brow. “Don't sleep too long or the pancakes will get cold,” I say quietly.

  Her mouth pulls a frown and I chuckle as I pull away.

  My smile dies as I head to the door. Everything will be finished before she wakes up. This is the last time she will ever risks her life for anyone.

  “Take care of your sister,” I say to Melanie.

  “You don't have to tell me
that.”

  “One thousand five hundred and twenty-two curses. You’re not exactly reliable.”

  Her eyes widen as her face pales. “I swear I will never do anything to hurt her again.”

  “I’m not exactly keen on leaving her with you. This is your last chance. Don’t screw it up, or you’ll get a date with the Council instead of a recommendation letter to the Kitchen Witch Academy.”

  I glance at Silverfang. “Watch her.”

  “Halibut,” he says as he jumps onto the bed and curls up next to her.

  “Keep her safe and I’ll get you two of them.”

  Epilogue

  Meghan

  Two weeks later

  Sunlight invigorates me as I walk down the beach while holding hands with Brandon. We're both barefoot and enjoying the wet sand as waves crash softly against our ankles.

  “There's no chance he'll escape?”

  “The Council has stripped him of all his magic.”

  “Your butler, too?”

  Brandon's expression hardens. The investigation proved that Theodore had also had a hand in his parents' accident. From the beginning, he has been Viktor's personal spy and saboteur.

  “He turned on Viktor in exchange for a shorter sentence.”

  Which means he'll still have use of magic. Likely a life with restricted magic, but better than Viktor's sentence.

  I pull free of his hand and run ahead to turn around and smile at him. “This beach really is amazing.” I kick at an upcoming wave.

  “I told you. This is one of the perks at my company. We have amazing vacation spots for all of our staff. This door is the most popular one to choose.”

  “And everyone gets to enjoy the beach by themselves?”

  “Yes, unless you choose to lock onto the same spot with others. It's a spell like the food court in the Kitchen Witch Academy.”

  “When will you go back to class?”

  “Soon. Not as a student, this time. I've been invited to teach a lecture on bloodline curses for the Cupcakes and Curses class.”

  “Was that professor really the reason your uncle knew how to interfere with my curse eating spell?”

  That's right, I have an official witch’s job class. I am a curse eater. The first of my kind. The more curses I eat, the more powerful I become. If my reserve magic was a backup battery, I'd be able to live comfortably using magic for a hundred years without having to lift a finger.