Roger said, “But her Aunt Hildy loved her like a mother.”
Chance said, “And this was her house, right?”
Sassy nodded.
Mac said, “Then maybe this is her crystal ball.” He stared at the orb that held his love.
I said, “And maybe she used Hildy’s spell book. Did Hildy practice old magic?”
No one knew for sure.
“But Hildy’s gone,” said Bob sadly.
“And we didn’t find any book. We searched the whole house trying to find Zelda,” said Sassy.
I looked at Sassy. “Lucky for you, we can do better than a book. We can go right to the source.”
She cocked her head like a dog trying to understand words. Then she brightened. “You’re a necromancer?” she asked.
Chance said, “The best there is.”
~TEN~
I dug into my magic bag for a few crystals. Bloodstone, for motherly love, amethyst for protection in case I accidentally conjured a rogue spirit, and phantom quartz, to represent mother and child. Or children rather.
After I placed the crystals around the ball, I called, “Hildy, if you’re here, please show yourself.”
Directly behind the table, I could see the hazy fuzz of a spirit attempting to materialize. She flickered once, twice, and then she was gone.
“Do you see her?” asked Mac.
“She’s having trouble coming through,” I said.
“That’s because she’s gone. Already off on the next adventure. It would take a miracle to bring her back,” said Sassy.
I felt my chest for the locket. “Or a secret weapon.”
I didn’t know if it would work. The locket was bound to me and worked only when I was in distress as far as I knew. So I understood that I couldn’t just free Zelda with it. But maybe I could pull forth her aunt. I pulled the Seeker’s locket out from beneath my sweater, its power hot in my hand. “Stand back, everyone.”
They all took a few steps away from the table.
I clicked the clasp open and aimed the mouth of my seeker’s amulet at where I had seen the apparition. Then I chanted.
“Witches come and witches go, Goddess make this old witch glow. Allow her sight, free her mind, for Zelda’s spell must not bind.”
A soft glow fell across the room. Then, with a burst of bright light, Hildy penetrated the veil between this world and the Otherworld.
She took one look at me and said, “Who are you calling old?”
I bowed my head. “My apologies, Hildy.”
Mac said, “Is she here? Did it work?”
“Yes. It worked.”
The lights flickered as everyone whooped and cheered.
Hildy herself flickered a bit. “There isn’t much time.”
“Then you better get to it,” I said.
Hildy placed her hands on the globe of the crystal ball, closed her eyes and recited, “As the creator of the spell that my niece, Zelda, cast, I declare it broken, deem it false, leave it in the past. Shed new light on the life inside her, in perfect love and perfect trust, I unbind her.”
We all watched as the crystal ball on the table shook and shuddered. Mac gripped the edge of the wood so hard I thought it might break. Hildy lost a bit of her glow as the ball bounced off its stand and rolled toward Mac.
He reached to pick it up and I said, “Don’t touch it.”
He pulled his hand back slowly.
Then, the ball bounced and wiggled and with a rush of lightening that shot through the room, the crystal cracked in half.
Zelda was freed just as Hildy vanished.
~ELEVEN~
Zelda stood at the door to her home as we said our goodbyes; Mac clinging to her like a fat kid clings to cake. “You know, there’s a lot of room in this house. You can stay here tonight. It’s the least I could do for your help.”
“I appreciate that, but we should get going.”
The porch and living room had been repaired magically by Sassy. Zelda was too tired to zap anything after her ordeal and she said she had work to catch up on, with a glance in Roger’s direction.
The three fat cats were on the porch going at their carry-on bags as if they were lollipops. Zelda lifted a finger and sparks flew out and hit the gray one on the ass. “Knock it off, fucko. We have company.”
I guess there was always energy to zap a wayward feline.
“Meow.”
Zelda rolled her eyes. “Because it’s disgusting and rude and you eat too much anyway, fatass.”
Chance widened his eyes. “She understood him?” he whispered to me.
Zelda shrugged. “Familiars, what are you gonna do?”
I glanced back at my own familiar who was in the driver’s seat of the SUV, convinced that if a cat could drive, then so could he. “Tell me about it.”
“Oh, and I’m sorry you had to meet Baba YoMamaFace. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone I liked,” said Zelda.
“Well, I’ve got one of those myself. Maybe I’ll send Birdie to you one day and repay the favor.”
“Please don’t. I don’t want to smite you.”
I laughed. “Deal.”
We said our good-byes and climbed into the car as Thor reluctantly hopped into the backseat. As we pulled out of the driveway, headed for a Waffle House, I couldn’t help but notice the line of animals forming in Zelda’s back yard. The pretty witch opened the door and yawned. Then she ushered the gathering inside her home with a wave of her arm and closed the door.
“Strange town,” said Chance.
“Witches be crazy,” I said and closed my eyes.
END
If you enjoyed this Story, email The Author for a *FREE* copy of Witch Way To Amethyst – Book 0 in The Stacy Justice Magical Mysteries Series! [email protected]
Description Of Witch Way To Amethyst, Book 0 in the Stacy Justice World:
Stacy Justice is a young reporter who lives in Chicago, far away from the kooky small town of Amethyst, Illinois, where she was raised by a family of witches. She’s perfectly content with her career, her cat, and her lack of a love life until her cousin informs her that their grandfather is deathly ill. Stacy road-trips home only to discover that her grandfather was poisoned, her grandmother has confessed to the crime, and there’s a new chief in town who is easy on the eyes, but tough on witches.
Now, the reluctant witch must prove her grandmother’s innocence, save her grandfather from meeting an untimely end, and fight the killer that’s bent on destroying them all.
This is the prequel novel to the Stacy Justice Witch Mysteries—where secrets only lead to more secrets and being the member of a family means that you make sacrifices that can lead to murder.
Excerpt From The Bitches of Everafter, Book 1 in the Dark Princess Fairy Tale Series:
PROLOGUE-Before
You think you know these women, but you don’t. They are nothing like the gentle, fearful maidens in the fairytales you have read. The faces they show to the world—bright eyes, fresh skin, cherubic cheeks—reflect not what is deep inside their hearts. Their hearts are darker than their skin, heavier than their laughter, even sharper than their tongues, and I can attest that all of them possess tongues chiseled into dagger points—one lashing by which would have a man checking that his genitals were still intact.
But it takes more than words to lead a kingdom.
Should a ruler grow too trusting or complacent in her role as princess, she just might wake up one day to discover that her story has been altered, without a trace of the original in her memoryscape. She could find herself living another life in a place that seems vaguely familiar, but isn’t exactly where she belongs. Her days may seem... shadowed somehow. Her mind fragmented, as if she were trapped in a nightmare from which she will never awaken. Although the princess may not be able to put her finger directly on the mark, she knows deep inside that something is askew.
You might be wondering how I know all this. It’s simple, really. I’m the one who wrote their s
tories. Every word, from the very first drop of ink to the last—every line, every bit of dialogue—spilled from my quill.
It might surprise you to know that I was also the one who changed their stories. Not of my own accord, of course. A scribe has not the power to alter the path of a princess, nor would I ever want to. I loathe editing. I say tell the tale once and be done with it. That’s how the best work emerges. But, alas, these orders came from above my head.
The messenger who stood before my cottage door smelled of onions and rain clouds, with a pumpkin shaped head too large for his neck. He handed me a scroll which I unrolled and read. My orders were to change only one thing in each of the original five manuscripts I wrote. One word, really. I was to add the word “in” to the very last line—the line that concluded each of the princesses’ stories. I wouldn’t have to revise any other part of the books, nor would I have to add the dreaded epilogue. I loathe epilogues even more than editing. I say if you need to add to the story, then pen a sequel.
But for the purposes of our story, all you need to know is that once upon a time five beautiful princesses ruled the United Kingdoms of Enchantment. Five princesses who presently have no recollection of the royalty they once were, nor the harshness the world imposed on them when they were so very young.
Now, they live far, far away. In a town called Everafter.
~Jacob Grimm, The Scribe
TWO -Once Upon a Crime
“You took a wrong turn back there, Aura,” Cindy said, snapping open a map that momentarily obstructed Aura’s view.
The car swerved on the rocky road as Aura slapped the map away. She aimed a green-eyed glare at Cindy who smirked back, batting her long lashes.
“Well, I wasn’t the one holding the map, now was I, Cindy?” Aura snapped. She blew out an impatient sigh.
The two women in the front seat of the electric silver automobile glared at each other for another brief moment. Cindy made an obscene hand gesture before reaching inside her pocket for a flask. She unscrewed the top and took a swig. Aura got a whiff of tequila.
From the back seat, a sing-song voice said, “Come on, ladies don’t fight.”
The honey-haired tequila drinker and the green-eyed driver both spat, “Shut up, Snow!”
Snow balled her fists in her jacket pocket.
Next to Snow, Punzie said, “I think we should have gone to the river. I hate the canyon. It gives me the creeps. It’s like an endless pit of...nothingness.” She picked up her platinum braid off the floorboard and twisted it around her fingers. Punzie’s security blanket (and ultimate weapon) was her hair.
Cindy moaned. “Not the fear of heights thing again.” She hiccupped and downed another shot of tequila. “You swing from a pole for god’s sake.”
Snow said, “Doc said we aren’t supposed to use the word ‘fear’. It gives power to our weaknesses.” Snow had been weakened long enough, for reasons she still didn’t understand.
Punzie ignored Snow. “Have another drink, Cindy. Maybe you’ll find a personality in the bottom of that flask.” She kicked the back of Cindy’s seat.
Cindy turned around to grab Punzie’s braid, but the lighter-haired woman was too fast. She ducked into Snow’s lap.
“Hey, maybe a personality would dry her out.” Aura turned the wheel of the car she had stolen and pointed it north down Briar Patch Road toward Forest Canyon Lane.
“Up yours, Aura,” Cindy said. “Don’t judge me until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes.”
“How could I do that? Didn’t your ex get the shoe store in the divorce?”
Cindy huffed and turned toward her window.
Aura picked up speed, guiding the car deeper into the canyon. She flicked a look to Cindy who was still pouting. “Oh please, so your husband is gay. It happens. Get over it.”
Cindy said nothing.
“Don’t antagonize her, Aura,” Snow said. She didn’t get angry often, but this entire situation made her want to collect every animal within a sixty mile radius and take them all home for a group hug. Animals were never cruel to her—only people. She wished she could live in the forest forever just to get away from the damned human race.
“Mind your own business, Snow, and stop with the psycho-babble. We get enough of that bullshit from Doc.” Punzie looked out the window at the evening sun. It was slowly slipping behind the mountain that anchored the slate colored rocks.
“Thank you, Snow,” Cindy said. “At least you understand.” She swigged some more tequila.
Aura snorted. “Of course she understands. She’s...” She looked in the review mirror at the raven-haired beauty, who met her gaze with a glare. She cut her words short.
Punzie caught the exchange. “Oh, so now you’re going to shut your trap? Because Snow frowned at you? Wow, Aura, you’re getting soft.”
Snow’s pale skin grew even paler. She bit her tongue, but she wanted to take Punzie’s braid and wrap it around her neck.
Punzie flicked Snow’s cheek.
“Ouch!” Snow took her hand out of her pocket to rub the sore spot. “Don’t do that again.”
Punzie snorted. “Oh what are you going to do, Snow?” She gathered her hair up tighter and twisted it into a fresh knot.
Cindy said, “Well she could cut your braid off while you sleep—that’s always an option. She’d probably get a medal for it, too.” Cindy twisted her head to look at Punzie. “How many guys have you tried to strangle with that noose?”
“At least I wasn’t dumb enough to punch a cop,” Punzie said.
Cindy’s face reddened with rage. “For the umpteenth time, I was aiming for my ex-husband!”
“Shut up, all of you, or I swear to God I’ll pull a Thelma and Louise and drive us all into the fucking canyon!” Aura shouted.
Silence. Doctor Jack Bean had made them all watch the movie together in a feeble attempt to force them to bond during one of their sessions. The real strength you all have lies within you. And if you would open yourselves up to the nurturing love of female friendship, you might find that you have more in common than you think.
The car bumped along the rocky road for a while, edging up the side of the steep cliffs, the women inside unusually quiet for a change. A lot had transpired to bring them to this moment. To bring them together. It wasn’t every day a woman found herself in such dire straits. But these were no ordinary women. These were fallen women, all of whom were now inextricably bound together by one horrific thread.
None of them were happy about that.
Aura swung the car around the final curve and crested the hill. The car sputtered and struggled, so she switched it into second gear until they reached the top of the canyon where it met the evening sky. A slender woman with wavy walnut hair leaned against a large boulder tapping her foot. She was wearing faded jeans, boots, and large sunglasses despite the darkening sky.
Aura stopped the car, and the foursome stepped out.
The brunette spit out a wad of gum and said, “It’s about time. Where have you bitches been?”
Aura ran her hands through her long locks. “Bella, I’ve had a nightmare day, so just back off, all right?”
Bella looked around at the dusty road. “You’d better not have been followed.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Punzie said. “No one saw us. No one knows.”
Bella relaxed her shoulders. “Good.” She approached the group. “Let’s get this over with then.”
Aura walked around to the back of the car and stuck a key in the trunk. She pointed her chin at Snow. “Ready?”
Cindy parked a hand on her hip, swaying a bit. “Yeah, Princess.” She waved her arm over her head in an exaggerated motion. “You ready?”
Snow sighed. This had gone too far. Of course if they had cooperated with her in the first place, they may have found a solution to their dilemma before it got to this point. No one had to get hurt. Instead they fought her right from the get-go.
“It’s not my fault we’re in this mess,” she
said.
The other three began arguing about exactly who was to blame for the tangled web they found themselves in now. Aura left the trunk, heading toward the front of the car to settle the others down. With each woman trying to outdo the other by raising her voice an octave, Snow fought the urge to leave them all behind. She’d find her own way home. She could be free of them. All of them. Forever. All she had to do was run.
Except running away wasn’t her style. Besides, what good would it do to leave? They were all in this together, and one way or another, they had to finish it. There was no turning back.
Finally, tired of listening to the squawking, Snow tossed up her arms. The other women were still flapping their jaws as she turned the key in the lock and the trunk popped up without a sound. Snow gasped and jumped back as if she had been burned.
It couldn’t be.
And yet, it was.
She called to the others whose voices were growing louder, angrier. “Ladies?”
When no one answered she raised her voice. “Hey, guys?”
Nothing.
The thing about Snow was that she was, at heart, a gentle soul. There was a calmness in her speech, a softness to her touch, a simple grace to her movements. Her very essence was a silky wave of comfort, like snuggling beneath a blanket with a favorite book in front of a glowing fire. But after spending time with these other women in court-mandated housing, a tiny nugget of her being had hardened.
She stuck two fingers in her mouth and blew out a whistle that echoed across the canyon. “I’m talking to you, bitches!”
Bella, Aura, Cindy, and Punzie all turned toward Snow, mouths agape.
They had never heard her shout, let alone swear. She took some sweet satisfaction in shocking them.
“You need to see this.” She motioned for them to join her at the back of the car.
The four begrudgingly shuffled across the rocky unpaved road and toward the trunk of the car. They peered inside.
Cindy pulled out her flask and took a swig, her hand shaking. A bead of sweat formed on Aura’s brow as she stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the contents of the trunk. Punzie grabbed the tequila from Cindy’s quivering hand, sucked some down, and passed it to Aura who took a long pull.
Magic and Mayhem: Witches Be Crazy (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Stacy Justice Magical Mysteries Book 0) Page 4
