by K E O'Connor
“He’ll be back. Especially once I’ve secured you again. And this time, you’ll be under guard. I won’t let you out of my sight.”
“You poor thing. That won’t be any fun for you,” I said. “All I’ll be doing is napping and enjoying all the snacks you bring me. There will be snacks, won’t there? A prisoner has rights.”
His expression hardened. “Ensuring a dangerous witch is finally imprisoned for the rest of her life will be my fun.”
I held up a hand. “Just before you take away my freedom and ruin my life, how did you know I was here? Are you tracking me?”
“No, I’m not tracking you. Did you get the note I left at your house?” Olympus said.
“I did. But why did you think I’d go back to Magda’s house? There’s nothing there for me. Not after you ordered your goons to destroy it.” I swallowed my panic. Did he know I was hiding the house, or was he working on an unfounded hunch that a little magic was in play?
Olympus breathed in deeply. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist going back to take one last look at the place you called home. I wanted to give you a final chance to turn yourself in. Giving yourself up would be looked on more favorably than if you’re arrested. But it’s too late for that now.”
“Okay, well deduced. But how did you know I was visiting Ursa?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I didn’t. That was just fate stepping in to help me out. When Ursa answered the door, she told me you invaded her home. She said she was scared for her life.”
“I knew we couldn’t trust her,” Nugget said. “I hope all the dolls turn on her and attack her in her sleep.”
I repressed a smile. I also secretly hoped the dolls would get revenge on my behalf. I’d been doing Ursa a favor by facing off with her hexed horrors, and this was how she repaid me.
“Dolls?” Olympus said.
“It’s another story. Although... it could all be linked to something bigger.”
He arched a brow. “Bigger than a dark witch trying to finish what she started?”
I pursed my lips. This conversation had to go well, or I was in a world of trouble.
“Let’s move,” Olympus said. “I need to get you processed and somewhere secure before you cause any more damage.”
“I was being helpful to Ursa. These days, I’m a reformed character. Ursa has a hexed house problem. Or possibly a ghost, but I don’t think it’s your standard haunting.”
He sighed. “She always has some problem or other. That’s just in her nature.”
“It sounds like you’re not much of an Ursa fan either.”
“I can’t comment on that. Let’s go.”
“Hear me out before I lose my liberty. It’ll only take a few minutes, and then I won’t say another word.”
“You’ll need to say a few words when you confess to your crimes.”
Olympus was like a dog with his favorite bone when it came to seeing wickedness in me, he just wouldn’t let it go.
“I think there’s a bigger problem in Witch Haven. The Magic Council has missed it,” I said.
“We miss nothing. And we’re in full control of the situation now we have you.”
“I’m not your biggest problem. And you’ll soon see that once you arrest me.” I backed away as Olympus beckoned me closer. “Don’t try telling me this place has been trouble-free since I was arrested. If you do, I’ll know you’re lying.”
“It hasn’t been idyllic. There will always be a few unstable magic users to keep an eye on, but nothing like you.”
“Have you seen an increase in magic-related problems in Witch Haven over the last decade?”
He leaned back on his heels. “If we have, it’s under control. And we don’t want it getting worse because you’ve moved back.”
“I think it will get worse, but it won’t have anything to do with me. Luna’s haunted apartment, Ursa’s hexed manor house, and all the weird happenings in the area, they’re connected. And they’re a small part of something much bigger. A darkness has entered the village, and it’ll only get worse unless we tackle it.”
“We’re not tackling anything. You’re a criminal. You’re a part of the problem.”
“But you admit there is a problem? How bad have things got?”
“Indigo, you’re only making this worse for yourself by resisting arrest.”
“I’ve resisted nothing. I’m interested in the place I live in.” And I hadn’t resisted, not yet. But I had to get Olympus to listen to me.
He shrugged. “Hauntings and strange goings-on aren’t unusual in Witch Haven. After all, this is a center for magic.”
“Sure, but I’m only interested in the problematic magic, or troublesome hauntings.”
He stared at me. “Perhaps there has been a slight shift in paranormal activity and misfiring magic. Occasionally, a ghost needs re-education, just like some witches do. But as I said, everything’s under control.”
“So where is Luna? Why haven’t you found her? If you have a handle on the darkness ruining this place, bring her back.”
“There’s no case to investigate. Her uncle has no proof Luna was taken from the hospital. She could have checked herself out and gone on a vacation.”
“Olympus! That’s bull-hang! Her room was messed up. And she was still weak from being drained by that ghost. Luna wouldn’t have had the energy to go anywhere. Have you even tried to locate her?”
He pulled back his shoulders, and his scowl deepened. “No formal investigation has been launched. Besides, you’re my focus.”
“I shouldn’t be. It means you’re missing what else is going on. Ursa told me about the magic misfiring, things being set alight, and animals behaving strangely. That’s all normal?”
“In a village filled with magic users, it’s not unusual.”
“You’re wrong. Witch Haven isn’t safe anymore.”
“I agree. It isn’t safe whilst you’re in it.”
“No, not me. How many times do I have to say this? And I have proof that Magda was influenced by a witch coven. They made her attack the other villagers.”
“What kind of proof?”
“I found some of Magda’s journals. She left me a message telling me she wasn’t responsible for what happened.”
“Of course, she’d say that. A dark witch will absolve herself of her wrongdoings in an attempt to get away with her misdeeds.”
“No! Magda was exploited by this coven. They took personal items of mine and threatened my life if she didn’t do what they wanted her to.”
“If this is true, why didn’t she come to us and get help?”
“Because she was scared for my life. They would have killed me. And the witch she was dealing with lied to her. She said they wouldn’t harm any villagers, and the magic was only meant to control and subdue. Magda would never have used it if she knew it could kill.”
“That’s not proof. It’s just her words. And they mean nothing,” Olympus said.
My rising anger and frustration made magic spark on my fingers. I clenched my hands behind my back to stop Olympus seeing. “You knew Magda. You’ve even told me you thought her behavior was odd. This explains it. And she hid the information using magic inside her journal so I’d find it. There was no point in doing that. If she’d wanted other people to know, she’d have written it for anyone to see. Or Magda could have told you what happened after she’d been arrested.”
Olympus was quiet for several seconds. Maybe I was getting through to him. He had to have a heart beating inside that broad chest of his.
“Magda always was a decent witch, until the end,” he said. “I’ve always been puzzled as to what made her go bad.”
“The dark witch coven happened. They threatened my life, and she acted to protect me. She thought she could control the magic, but it was too much for her.”
“Even if I believe that, why did you act the way you did? What caused you to turn on the village?”
“That was never the plan, but the ma
gic she’d been given was too strong for her to contain and it seeped out. I became infected. And it messed with my memories. All I know is that I began to have dark thoughts about everyone, and would talk to Magda about what we could do about the Witch Haven problem. Neither of us was in control.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you still have this journal entry?”
“Of course. And I can show it to you. It’s at the—” I stopped myself from saying the house. As far as Olympus knew, Magda’s house no longer existed. “It’s in safe keeping. I can bring it to you.”
He worked his jaw from side to side. “It’s a good story, and it even gives me pause, but the issues in Witch Haven are to do with you and Magda.”
I shook my head and sighed. He hadn’t listened to a word I’d said. I understood his caution, but he was so closed-minded. That’s what years of leading a bureaucracy does to you. You lose touch with the real world. I’d never get through to him if he kept this attitude in place.
“I’ve heard enough, Indigo. Come with me. Then you can tell me where this journal is. I’ll take a look and draw my own conclusions.”
There was no way I was telling Olympus about Magda’s house. If he didn’t already have enough suspicions about me, he would once he knew my familiars had concealed the house to stop it being destroyed, and we were secretly living there.
So, I did what every witch would do when her back was against the wall. I cast a look around to make sure my familiars were okay. Hilda had joined Russell on the gate, and Nugget was licking his paw.
I sparked up a spell.
“Don’t do anything foolish.” Olympus raised a hand.
I blasted the spell at his chest.
He reeled back, letting out a yelp as my knockback spell hit home.
“Run!” I turned to the gate, yanked it open, and we raced away from Ursa’s manor house.
Hilda launched herself at me and clambered onto my shoulder. “Oooh! You shouldn’t have done that. You’ll be in so much trouble.”
“You heard him! He didn’t believe me. So much for getting Olympus Duke on our side. He thinks the problems in Witch Haven have to do with me.”
“Well... they did get worse after you and Magda blasted the place to pieces and killed all those people. He’s got every right to be suspicious of you.” Nugget cantered along beside me.
“Hey! You’re supposed to be on my side.” I checked over my shoulder. Olympus wasn’t following yet, but he wouldn’t be far behind.
“What do we do now?” Hilda said. “I still think we can find a way to bring him around. You could send him a copy of Magda’s journal entry with the details of how the witch coven tricked her. He already has his doubts about what happened that day. That could persuade him to go easy on you after the whole hitting him with a spell business back there.”
“It’s too late for that. We have to do this without him. We’ll go back to the house, hide out, and come up with a plan. And first thing tomorrow, we’ll—” my breath whooshed out of me as I was taken off my feet by three scarecrows with glowing eyes and scary smiles painted on their faces.
Russell squawked as he flew over our heads.
“Scarecrows! Run!” Nugget yelled.
“No! Don’t run. Help me.” I lost sight of my familiars as the scarecrows thrust a bag over my head and dragged me away.
“Ouch! Wait! What are you doing? Are you Odessa’s scarecrows? We’re friends.”
I grunted as something hard hit the side of my head, and the fight drained out of me as I blacked out.
Chapter 6
It felt like I was being stabbed with lots of small scratchy pins. They dug into my arms, legs, and the side of my face.
I opened one eye and looked around. I was in a hay barn. At least, it looked like a hay barn. I was surrounded by bales of hay, and there was a rough, bare wood ceiling overhead.
I rolled onto my back and winced as my head protested. Those scarecrows had hit me hard.
I had no idea how long I’d been out for, but there was a pale dawn-like light filtering in through the warped boards, suggesting it had been hours.
“She’s finally back with us.” Odessa Grimsbane appeared at the top of a ladder, a smile on her round face. “We thought you’d never wake up.”
“Did you set those scarecrows on me?” I eased myself up gingerly and tensed, half expecting the scarecrows to be waiting to launch another attack.
Odessa climbed the rest of the way up the ladder and eased herself onto the hay beside me, smoothing her hands over her pumpkin colored tunic. “Noooo! That wasn’t my doing. I’d never send attack scarecrows after you.”
“Then who sent them? You’re the queen of the scarecrows around here.”
She twirled a piece of hay between her fingers. “I’ve been having one or two problems with my scarecrows lately. Well, I say lately. Ever since you and Magda unleashed a darkness onto the village, they haven’t been themselves. They’re prone to bursts of anger and enjoy misbehaving at every opportunity. I’ve even had to send some away to advanced training school to see if I can get them to behave.”
“There’s an advanced training school for scarecrows?”
“Oh, yes! I was mentored by September O’Dell. He’s excellent at dealing with the problem children. It’s important you make scary scarecrows. But if they get too scary, everyone runs away in terror when they see them, and not just the crows.”
“Hmmm, I’m not sure I can take the blame for your scarecrows going haywire. Although it seems I’m being blamed for everything that’s going wrong in this village.”
“I don’t blame you for anything.” She smiled brightly. “Who else is pointing the finger at you?”
“Olympus Duke, for one.”
“Oh, ignore Limpy. He gets so serious about his work. Which reminds me, I must send him a hamper of pumpkin goodies. He’s always more cheerful when he gets a treat from my farm.”
Storm Winter’s head appeared at the top of the ladder. “At last. Odessa wouldn’t let me have any of her pumpkin muffins until you woke up.”
“There are pumpkin muffins?” My stomach grumbled at the prospect of something delicious baked by Odessa.
“Of course. Always.” Odessa rubbed her hands together. “And not only that, I’ve got pumpkin spiced lattes and pumpkin and chocolate chip pancakes. As always, we have a glut of pumpkins on the farm, so I need to find inventive ways to use them up. Are you feeling up to something to eat?” She gently stroked my forehead.
“I’m always ready for your pumpkin muffins.” Odessa ran a successful pumpkin farm and a scarecrow manufacturing business. The two went hand-in-hand, since scarecrows needed heads and large pumpkins were perfectly head-shaped. Well, they were if you were a scarecrow.
“Storm, bring up the goodies. We can eat up here while we catch up. I’m dying to know why my scarecrows brought you down. You must have been doing something to make them unhappy.”
“Um... not that I know of. They just jumped me. What time is it?” I said.
“Just after five in the morning. I’m up before dawn at the moment, scarecrow wrangling. My straw-filled wonders are keeping me on my toes,” Odessa said. “Anyway, enough about my scarecrows—”
“Before we move on from your terrifying scarecrows, where are the three that attacked me?”
“Don’t worry about them. They’re safely back in their barn. They slipped their chains and escaped. One of them told me you were running away from Ursa Wyrm’s house. I didn’t know you two were friends.”
“We’re not.” I looked around. “Where are my familiars?”
“I sent them home. They followed the scarecrows here. They were worried about you, but I said we’d take care of you.” Odessa leaned closer. “Now, tell me everything about Ursa. What have you been up to?”
I removed a piece of hay sticking into my side and flicked it away. “Ursa’s not a friend, that’s for sure. And we’re definitely more enemies after last night. I almost got
caught by Olympus Duke because Ursa informed on me.”
“Ursa’s such a sneak.” Storm heaved a huge hamper onto the hay and joined us. “But what were you doing at her house?”
“Being mildly blackmailed into looking at her haunting problem. Or should I say, her creepy killer hexed doll problem. Ursa bought a rogue doll off a dodgy collector, and it’s been wreaking havoc ever since.”
“Ursa blackmailed you?” Odessa flipped open the lid of the wicker hamper. She handed around enormous caramel frosted pumpkin muffins and travel mugs of steaming latte.
I nodded, but no one spoke for several seconds as we all enjoyed the muffins and hot drinks.
I swallowed my huge mouthful and licked sugar off my lips. “According to Ursa, she used to combine magic with Magda.”
Odessa nodded. “I remember that.”
“I don’t. Anyway, Ursa caught Nugget poking around her yard, and brought him back to Magda’s house.”
“The house that’s supposed to be hidden?” Storm said.
“Yep. She sensed the magical wards and broke through them. Ursa said if I didn’t help her with her problem, she’d tell the Magic Council where I was.”
Odessa shook her head, while Storm’s top lip curled.
“I shouldn’t have bothered helping because she did it, anyway. And now Olympus knows I’m still in the area. And...” I paused for another bite of delicious muffin.
“It gets worse?” Storm said.
“It does. Olympus was going to arrest me. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t see sense, so... I blasted him in the chest with a spell and ran off.”
Odessa bit her bottom lip. “Oh, Indigo. That’s bad.”
“It wasn’t my most mature move, but it was my only move at the time. He had me cornered. It was either that or go back to prison. And until the Magic Council see sense about what happened to Magda, and I figure out where Luna is, I’m not going back behind bars.”
“You’ll never go back behind bars ever again if we have anything to do with it,” Odessa said. “It’s not fair the way you’ve been treated. I love having you back in Witch Haven. You belong here. And you’re helping. You helped deal with Luna’s problem.”
