Southern Karma

by Amy Boyles

  “I’ll go to my house, get the time watch,” Axel said.

  I curled my fist into his shirt. “We’ll be here. I should have drank the spell by then and gotten rid of this stupid gorgon eye.”

  His lip curled into a smile that made my heart speed up. “Maybe when this is all over, you can explain to me what we were doing in the giant’s cave and why they didn’t barbecue us.”

  I laughed. “They wanted to, but we talked them out of it.”

  “Good thing for that,” he said. Axel squeezed my hand. “I’ll be back in few minutes.”

  Betty grabbed my arm. “Come on. Let’s get inside and get that potion in you. Should be ready by now.”

  She flung open the door. The house was quiet. I could hear water running upstairs. One of my cousins was probably taking a shower. I dropped my bag by the couch and turned to Rufus.

  “Sit.”

  He did as I said, though he did it while keeping a steady gaze on me. It was enough to send a splinter of unease down my spine.

  The cauldron sat on the hearth like it always did. The wooden spoon stirred away, all by itself.

  Betty peered inside. “What in tarnation?”

  I crossed over and glanced over her shoulder. The pot was empty. I gasped. “Oh no. What happened? How could this have happened?”

  Betty’s lower lip trembled. “It was full when we left.”

  I glanced at Rufus. He raised his palms. “Don’t look at me. I was with you, remember?”

  I darted up the stairs to find my cousins. The sound of a blow-dryer came from the hall bath. I knocked on the door.

  Amelia answered. “Oh my gosh, am I glad to see you. The town’s a mess. Garrick was irate when he found out about Axel. He’s going to be talking to you later today.”

  I nodded. “Okay. Fine. I understand. But the potion downstairs. The one in the cauldron.”

  Amelia dotted gloss to her lips and smacked. “What about it?”

  “It’s empty.”

  “What?” Her face reddened. “What’re you talking about?”

  “The cauldron is empty. Empty. The potion is gone.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know anything about it. No one’s been here.”

  “Where’s Cordelia?”

  “In her room.”

  Full-fledged panic coursed through my veins. I rushed to Cordelia’s room and pounded on the door. It flew open. She stood at her vanity brushing her long blonde hair.

  “The cauldron downstairs is empty. Has anyone been here?”

  Her face twisted in confusion. “No. No one. It’s empty? Are you kidding? We need that.”

  “I know.”

  “Where were y’all last night?”

  “Captured by hillbilly giants.”

  Her eyes widened. “And they didn’t eat you?”

  “Barely escaped that fate. Why do we let giants live next to us when they could eat us?”

  She shook her head. “They only threaten. None have ever eaten one of us.”

  “Well at least that’s something,” I grumbled.

  I darted back downstairs. Betty had her pipe in her mouth and was puffing away. “We could redo the potion.”

  “There isn’t time,” Paige said quietly.

  We all turned to her. She hitched a shoulder. “There isn’t time,” she repeated.

  I shot Betty a concerned look. My grandmother blew a smoke ring. “What d’ya mean, kid?”

  “The time watch,” she said quietly. “The effects are growing. About to break through the shields.”

  “The town shields?” I said.

  She nodded.

  “How long do we have?”

  She shook her head, which I took to mean not long. I exhaled a staggered breath.

  “You have to mend the time watch without the potion,” Rufus said quietly.

  I dragged my gaze to him. It was something I didn’t want to admit, a deep pit in my stomach, rotting and twisting. I would have to find a way around the gorgon power to mend the time watch. But how?

  “I’ll help you,” Rufus said.

  Of course. Yeah, let me, Rufus and Axel all get together to mend the time watch. That should fix things.

  “I can help you with your power,” Rufus said. “I know Axel has experience with head witches, too. We can both guide you. Let me help.”

  I searched Betty’s face for a hint of what I should do. “It’s your decision,” was all she said.

  She was no help. My grandmother was doing it on purpose, I knew, but now was not the time to start letting me figure things out for myself. There was too much on the line. Too much at stake.

  “Paige? Can you do it?”

  She shook her head. “No. My power does not go there.”

  “But I thought you were a head witch?”

  She shrugged. “I have limits. I can do some things but not others. This I can’t do.”

  I threaded my fingers and brought them to my nose. All I had to do was trust myself. With Axel’s help we could do it. I’d seen into his heart. I knew how he felt about me. The fear of rejection was gone. He loved me.

  I loved him.

  There were no complications between us, only a time watch that needed to be fixed. By gosh, it was high time that sucker was mended.

  I had to make it right. There was no more time for dillydallying. There was only time to suck it up and be the head witch that I was born to be.

  I inhaled a deep, cleansing breath and turned my laser focus on Rufus. Anticipation flared in his eyes. Or was that mischief? Sheesh. He better not be up to something.

  “Get up,” I said. “We’re going to Axel’s. We’ve got a time watch to fix.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  I called Axel to let him know we were on our way.

  “The potion is missing,” I explained.

  “Missing? How?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. Listen, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need it.”

  He paused. “Are you sure?”

  I fisted my hands. “I am. I can do this.” I figured if I dug deep and gritted my teeth a lot, I could make just about anything happen.

  Rufus and I arrived at Axel’s house a few minutes later. I took a chance and drove my old sedan through town. Things were quieting down, but I could see a red streak in the distance.

  “What’s that?” I said.

  “Probably the time watch’s effects,” Rufus said. He smoothed his hair repeatedly as if it were some sort of nervous tick. Or perhaps Rufus was worried. Crap. If Rufus Mayes was worried, then we were definitely in trouble.

  I pressed the gas and gunned it all the way to Axel’s.

  He answered the door immediately. “It’s getting worse. I can feel the watch losing stability.”

  I brushed past him. “That’s what Paige said. There isn’t much time.”

  He glanced at Rufus. “You here to help?”

  Rufus bowed slightly. “As much as I can.”

  Axel’s jaw twitched. “Good. We might need you. Everyone to the cellar.”

  Candlelight warmed the room. If it had been any other occasion, I would’ve said the whole thing was very romantic. But as it was, the last thing floating through my mind was romance.

  Axel arranged the pieces of watch on a stone table. “Everyone join hands.”

  I took his and Rufus’s. Axel squeezed mine. His gaze bored into me. I wanted to curl up in the hollow of his chest, listen to his heartbeat and let the problems of the world melt away.

  Yeah, right. That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  Power flowed through us. Axel spoke, and the pieces of the time watch floated, swirling in a mass.

  He called for a piece of the griffin feather. A sliver snipped off as if cut by invisible scissors and floated to the watch. One side of the clock linked together as the metal melded seamlessly.

  A sparkling cloud of magic swirled around us. It enveloped me, making my nerve endings flare.

  “Rufus, I need your help with
this part,” Axel muttered. “Help me mend the opposite side.”

  Rufus nodded. His brow furrowed as he lowered his head. Both men grunted and gasped, locking their gazes on the watch.

  Clink!

  Another piece locked into place.

  Without stopping to look at me, Axel said, “Pepper, I need you to lock the last piece into place. The emerald.”

  I nibbled my bottom lip. This was it. The hardest part. The last thing that needed to be done.

  I opened my mind to Axel and Rufus. The three of us needed to be joined if this was going to work.

  My stomach soured at the idea of it, but I opened my mind to Rufus first, figuring if there was something bad to deal with, I wanted to meet it straight on.

  Images and thoughts flurried into my head. Rufus as a child. Rufus being heartbroken at losing Georgia. Rufus trying to make sense of life by learning the dark arts. Once he mastered those, convincing himself he needed other people to help him become stronger, better.

  People like me.

  The first words he spoke to me—the threat of death if I didn’t come with him, echoed between us.

  It had been a lie.

  Rufus had never planned on killing me. It was an empty threat. He thought if he scared me enough, I’d go with him. But Rufus’s reputation wasn’t unfounded. He’d done bad things. Used people for his own purposes. Played Dr. Frankenstein to see if he could unleash more power in witches he thought were latent.

  All that swept past me. I looked at the shell of the man and realized that all Rufus ever wanted was his friend back. He wanted to love and be loved. Yes, he’d gone about it the wrong way. He was nothing if not seriously cotton-picking misguided.

  In the very center of his mind throbbed a spot of light. It shimmered and shone so brightly it was like looking at a sun. Or his soul.

  I shielded my eyes because it was bright, y’all. It was like looking at a house with every square inch covered in Christmas lights. Yes, it was that spectacular.

  As I gazed upon it, I felt an overwhelming ray of emotion—remorse. Rufus regretted so much of what he’d done.

  Then I sensed something else—feelings.

  For me.

  Whoa. Okay. Let’s hold on, now. I pushed all that aside. I had to focus on the now. I reached out and touched the orb, linking Rufus to me. We were joined. I could pull on his power, use it for myself.

  I turned my attention to Axel. He opened like a flower, petal after petal peeling back. It was so easy. Probably because I’d done this before. Of course the last time I looked into him, I’d been afraid of what he’d find inside me.

  I wasn’t anymore. There was no fear. Only love.

  And Axel’s heart shone bright. His love was like warm sunshine flooding over my body, making my skin prick and come alive.

  You came so easily, he said.

  I felt myself smile. I’m not afraid anymore.

  I touched his mind deep, deeper than I’d been before. The werewolf was now locked away. But I could feel the beast pacing. It was like someone stood behind me, breathing on my neck. I couldn’t see him. Couldn’t touch him.

  Yet there was something else. A blemish on Axel. It was like a smudge on his soul. I yearned to ask him about it. To know what it was, but there wasn’t time.

  He was hiding something. I could sense it. Some knowledge he didn’t want me to know. That hadn’t been here the other day.

  My mouth suddenly tasted of iron. Whatever Axel had stuffed away, it was bad.

  No matter. I had work to do.

  The emerald needed to be inserted in the time watch. It was the last piece of the puzzle. Do this and Magnolia Cove would be fixed.

  Make it right.

  In my mind’s eye I saw the emerald. I snatched it from the table and pressed it toward the time watch.

  A force of power blew back, shooting the emerald across the room. I blinked. It was lying on the floor.

  Axel and Rufus both squeezed my hands. I thought the emerald to me, and it came. I tried once more to hold it toward the time watch, going slow, expecting the blast of power.

  The emerald levitated. It inched forward, but the power of the watch was rejecting it.

  “I don’t understand,” I said.

  “Use our power,” Rufus said.

  I dug deep, yanking as much magic as I could from the men. A surge of energy fueled me. I wielded it, lashing the emerald with a tsunami of power. The stone whipped up into the air and crashed down on the time watch, aiming for the empty slot.

  It touched the surface. An explosion ripped from the object, sending the three of us crashing through the cellar.

  I landed against the floor. Rufus crashed into a shelf, but Axel was barely blown back.

  Figured.

  The magic in the room evaporated, leaving waning candlelight in its place. Axel picked me from the ground.

  “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “Sore but okay. What happened?”

  Axel dropped my feet gently to the floor. “The spell is missing something. We need magic more powerful than the griffin feather.”

  “What’s more powerful than a griffin feather?” I said.

  Rufus pulled away from the wall and dusted himself off. He hobbled over. “Unicorn mane. It’s more powerful.” He rubbed his shoulder. “Good luck finding any, though. We can’t get out, and no one can get in.”

  My mind raced. “Unicorn mane. Unicorn mane. Oh my gosh, unicorn hair! That’s it!”

  I crossed to Rufus and nearly kissed his cheek. Instead I hugged him to me. “You’re a genius!”

  Red tinged his cheeks. “It only helps to be a genius if you can also solve the problem, not just create a new one, as I did.”

  I shook my head. “No, you didn’t create a problem. You have solved it. You have!”

  Axel raked his fingers through his dark hair. “Care to enlighten the rest of us?”

  “At first I was just thinking unicorn mane, but mane is hair. I know where to find it. I know where we can get unicorn mane and fix this entire mess.”

  “Where?” Axel said.

  “Florence the Cauldron Maker.” I grabbed Axel by the shoulders. “She has a cauldron that was forged with unicorn hair. She told me herself. And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “It’s a mending cauldron! It can mend things. Fix what’s broken. She kept going on and on about it. Don’t you see? The cauldron can fix the time watch.”

  Axel and Rufus exchanged a glance; then Axel grabbed his jacket from a peg. “What the blazes are we doing standing around here? Let’s go get a mending cauldron.”

  TWENTY-THREE

  “That red strip looks brighter,” I said.

  We’d all piled into Axel’s truck and were ambling toward Bubbling Cauldron.

  “I’m surprised the town isn’t on lockdown,” Rufus said.

  “It’s coming,” Axel said. “But we need to fix this first.”

  I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “If we don’t hurry, the giants will be on their way from the mountain. Then there won’t be anything left of us.”

  “How long do we have?” Axel said.

  “I told them I’d have the king’s sister changed back by this morning. If we don’t hurry, it’s going to be afternoon.”

  “Understood.” Axel pressed the gas. The truck roared through town, passing crawling spiders and sleeping nonmagical people.

  Ugh. I couldn’t wait for things to get back to normal.

  “You brought the time watch, right?” I said.

  “It’s in my pocket,” Axel said.

  We reached Bubbling Cauldron and the row of vendors set up for what was now turning out to be never-ending Halloween.

  I spotted Florence’s display almost immediately. “There it is. Pull over.”

  We came to a stop, and I pushed open the door.

  “I’ll come with you,” Axel said.

  “No. It’ll only take a moment.”

  Before he c
ould argue, I slammed the door shut behind me. The wind had kicked up. Hair swirled around my head. I glanced at the sky. The streak was even brighter. I ran the rest of the way to the kiosk.

  She was nowhere to be seen. “Florence! Where are you?”

  I walked around. I spied her lying atop a pile of blankets. I shook her hard enough to rattle teeth.

  “Florence. Wake up! I need you.”

  She slowly stirred. “Huh?”

  I was more gentle when I shook her this time. “Wake up. I need to talk to you.”

  “It’s the funniest thing,” she mumbled. “I never get tired on Halloween, but something about this year… I’m just drained of energy.”

  “Join the club.”

  Her eyes closed. I shook her again. “Florence. The mending cauldron. Where is it? I need it.”

  She smacked her lips and looked around. Her gaze settled on the truck with Axel and Rufus inside.

  “Funny thing about that boy, Rufus. I used to live here, you know. Knew that girl. That Georgia.”

  My body froze. I held my breath. “You did? What happened?”

  Yes, I know technically I didn’t have time to hear this tale about a girl werewolf the town had turned on after she’d slaughtered a man, but there were still so many questions looming in my head about this, y’all.

  Betty ran this town. What had she thought of the girl?

  Florence shook her head. “Such a sweet child. They didn’t take it into account, the elders. Not when they sentenced her. You would have thought that was something they’d have done. But the mother was unwed, see. Back then folks didn’t know what to think about that. Of course she’d said she was a widow, but when people asked about the father, she never did give a decent reply.”

  I put my back to the truck. I knew Axel was wondering what the heck the holdup was, but I ignored the stare I felt boring into my spine.

  “What about Betty? What did she think?”

  Florence’s glassy eyes sparked. “Betty?”

  “Betty Craple.”

  “Oh. Didn’t you know?”

  “No. What?” My heart thundered against my ribs. Was this going to be horrible news? She was going to tell me that Betty was behind the whole thing. Called for the girl’s execution. I cringed just thinking it.

  “Your grandmother wanted the whole thing stopped. Got a group of us townsfolk together to march down to the police station and haul the girl and her mother out. It didn’t work, though. They went through with their sins.”