The Affairs of Witches

by Paula Lester

  I studied her face for a moment, wondering if it was safe for me to share with her what had happened with the Vampire Guard. Her expression was so open and concerned that I sighed. “Yes, something’s really, really wrong. Here, let’s sit down for a minute.”

  I led her across the grass to a bench under an immense oak tree. Celeste sat with me, and Griffin wandered away toward the water’s edge, far enough that I was confident he couldn’t hear us.

  Celeste turned toward me, concern etched all over her expression. “Tell me,” she said.

  I recounted what happened with Lila and Albert and the Vampire Guard. I did not tell her about being able to talk to animals or that the ability was now gone, but I told her my magic was no longer available to me.

  Celeste’s frown deepened the longer I spoke. By the time I finished, she wore a full-on frown. “Oh, this is awful. Just awful. Lila should’ve waited for the Trio to reform and handle this. I can’t believe she overstepped her boundaries like this. I’m definitely going to talk to Kressida and we’ll have to call Lila in and talk to her.” She glanced down at her hands in her lap. “Of course, Kressida isn’t very available right now. And with having only two-thirds of our Trio, the most we can really do is talk. There’s no way we can censure Lila or get her to reverse what she did.” She looked up at me again. “Our hands are tied until our Trio is reformed. There is a power vacuum. I think that’s why Kressida is hiding out—she fears what will happen when the witch community fully understands that we aren’t a functioning Trio right now. There could be anarchy.” She glanced at Griffin and then lowered her voice. “I think it worries Kressida that vigilante witches may come for us. They may wish to wipe out the rest of the Trio, so there will be no way for us to reform. I think the Crux is scared. She doesn’t want me going out for walks like this, but I just can’t handle staying cooped up in the hotel all the time. I’d rather risk some danger to have some fresh air.” She smiled, looking more like the old Celeste. She reached out and patted my knee. “I think I may be able to get that amulet for you, though. If I can, I can get your power out of it and back into you.”

  My brow furrowed. “How on Earth could you get that amulet? The Vampire Guard guy is like a tree—he rooted himself to the spot in my office, and no amount of fighting even moved him a centimeter. He wears the amulet around his neck.”

  Celeste shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’ll try.” She tipped her head. “I’m just so sorry it has all come to this. I really like you, Willow. I feel like you’re the first friend I’ve made in ages—since before I became the Key. I’ve always struggled with making friends.”

  “Really? I can’t believe that—you’re so sweet and nice.”

  “Well, thank you, but it’s true. You’re different, though. You’ve been kind and welcoming to me. I won’t let that go unrewarded. Don’t worry.”

  Something niggled around the edges of my brain, and I wondered if it was safe to say it. But I really had nothing to lose, so, I said, “When all those witches were in my office taking my power, Lila said something along the lines of not letting me do what my parents did. I don’t know anything about my parents—they disappeared when I was around three. And my aunt hasn’t told me anything that would account for what Lila said. You’re the Key, and you have been more involved in the witch world your entire life than I ever was. Do you know anything about my parents? Do you know what Lila meant?”

  Over Celeste’s shoulder, I saw Griffin re-approaching us. Celeste saw him too, and she blurted, “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Seriously, it’s nothing. Lila is just an old fuddy-duddy, that’s all.” Celeste got to her feet and held out her hand for Griffin, who took it firmly. She smiled at her Guard. “Let’s continue our walk, shall we?”

  “Of course, Key. Let’s go.” Griffin gave me a cool look and then led Celeste back to the sidewalk.

  The Key gave me a wave as they walked away, and I waved back, wondering what the big secret was about my parents. Because even though Celeste told me it was nothing to worry about, the expression in her eyes had let me know that it most definitely was.

  Chapter 15

  IT WAS TIME FOR SOME answers. I squared my shoulders, steeled my spine, and marched toward the clinic and my car, intending to drive straight to the farm, find my aunt, and let her know in no uncertain terms that she needed to tell me everything she knew about what was going on. It was time I stopped making allowances for her and let her know how serious the situation was.

  Whatever she had to tell me must be terrible, and I might regret knowing it at some point, but there didn’t seem to be any other option. My magic was gone, and Crosby had indicated I was going to be arrested soon. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain by finding out what Aunt Dru knew.

  But as I approached the clinic, I felt my silenced phone vibrate inside the purse. I pulled it out and groaned when I saw it was the clinic’s number. I took a deep breath and tried to make my voice cheerful and normal when I answered, “Hello?”

  It was Jeremy’s voice that responded. “Oh, good. I’m glad I caught you, boss. As I was leaving the clinic, a frantic client caught me in the parking lot. Korbin was still finishing up inside. I have help, but I just don’t know what’s going on, and the dog’s in rough shape. I was hoping you would come give me a hand.”

  “I’ll be there in about thirty seconds,” I promised, switching off the phone and hurrying my steps.

  When I got to the clinic, I glanced longingly toward the parking lot and my car, wishing I could head out to the farm and talk to my aunt. But Jeremy had sounded perplexed and upset, and I couldn’t leave him without the help he needed. Plus, there was a dog in need, and I couldn’t turn my back on that either.

  So, I went through the back door and straight into the treatment area, where I found Jeremy and Korbin, their hands on a huge husky who was lying on his side on the table, panting.

  I approached quickly, grabbing a stethoscope that hung on the wall on my way past. “What’s going on?”

  “The owner found him in the yard like this about twenty minutes ago,” Korbin reported. “No medical history to speak of—he’s only four years old and in good health.”

  “Toxin?” I suggested as I popped the buds of the stethoscope into my ears and laid the bell on the dog’s chest. “His lungs are really wheezy.”

  Jeremy nodded. “Toxin is at the top of my list, and I want to take an x-ray of his lungs, but he’s not stable enough.” He held an oxygen mask over the dog’s muzzle.

  I nodded. “How about a blood screen?”

  Korbin said, “It’s in the blood machine right now. Should be ready in about five minutes.”

  I needed to get the dog alone so I could ask him what was wrong. Maybe he’d eaten some toxic mushrooms or, unthinkably, a neighbor had thrown him a contaminated piece of meat or something. Stuff like that didn’t happen in our town often, but I still had to keep it on my rule-out list.

  But as my mind raced for excuses and ways to get the other two people out of the room so I could talk to the dog, the truth hit me like a physical blow. I couldn’t talk to the dog, even if I got rid of the people. My ability was completely gone.

  A feeling of horror dropped over me. How was I going to help this dog without being able to talk to him?

  Jeremy’s eyes were on my face, and a wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows as he studied me. “Everything okay?”

  I nodded. “Yes, I’m just thinking really hard about what this could be. I would say the most probable thing would be mushroom toxicity. Because the weather is turning, and I saw a few mushrooms in the yard the other day. I would get him on some IV fluids fast.” I faltered for a moment, thinking hard. “I don’t know about inducing vomiting, though. If it’s some other toxin, like a chemical, it could be caustic and cause more problems coming back up than it’s already doing in his stomach. Some activated charcoal, maybe. To bind up whatever it is, so his body doesn’t absorb even more of the toxin.”

&
nbsp; Jeremy nodded, but he had a strange look on his face, and he still studied me closer than usual. I couldn’t shake the thought that he was on to me—on to the fact that something was different about me, anyway.

  “Um, do you need me to stick around in the clinic while you handle this?”

  He nodded. “Sure, that would really be helpful. Thanks.”

  As Korbin hurried over to the cupboard to pull out the supplies to start an IV, I gave Jeremy one last glance before hurrying away.

  Yep, he was definitely on to me.

  I went to my office and paced around. Why did this have to happen right now? I really needed to get to Aunt Dru and find out what she knew. Plus, I didn’t want to be in the clinic working on animals without my ability. It was a recipe for disaster. If I got something wrong, I’d never forgive myself. Plus, my associate veterinarian was obviously astute enough to have already figured out I wasn’t quite acting like myself.

  Okay, okay, Willow, you can do this. You’re a good veterinarian, even without the ability to talk to animals. Suck it up and get the job done, so you can get out of here and go home and talk to Aunt Dru.

  And I knew it was true. I was a good veterinarian. There were a lot of times—more often than not, really—when I didn’t have the ability to ask the animals what was going on with them. There were too many people around all the time. In fact, Korbin already knew my secret because he’d once seen me talking to a dog and figured out that I could understand his answers back.

  I reminded myself that my ability to diagnose and treat animals wasn’t entirely embroiled with my ability to understand them when they spoke to me. I was the only veterinarian in the world who could talk to animals, after all. I had to remember that I had the same education and ability as all of them.

  I lifted my chin and went back to the treatment area. The dog’s blood work had come back supportive of a toxin, with high liver and kidney values.

  “He looks brighter from the IV and oxygen,” Jeremy said. “I think I can get the chest x-rays now.”

  I worked alongside the two men, helping with the x-rays and looked at them over Jeremy’s shoulder when they were done.

  “No visible lesions in the lung fields.” He glanced at me.

  I nodded my agreement. “Let’s stick with the toxin diagnosis and continue treatment.”

  We got the dog settled into a cage with an e-collar on so he couldn’t chew his IV line.

  Korbin left, and Jeremy said, “Thanks for your help today, boss. I really appreciate it.”

  I shrugged. “No problem. It’s my job. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” As I headed toward the back door, I could feel Jeremy’s gaze on my back, and I knew he must wonder what felt off about me.

  But I couldn’t worry about that anymore. I had to figure out how I was going to convince Aunt Dru to tell me whatever it was she was trying to hide from me.

  But as I reached the car, my phone rang. It was Crosby, so I picked up.

  “Time for some fieldwork,” he said without preamble. “I’ll pick you up.”

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY stakeout?” I climbed into Crosby’s truck with a sad glance at my car, which was so much more comfortable. Crosby liked the legroom in his truck and would never agree to use my car when we had to choose between the two.

  “We’re going to do a little reconnaissance—try to gather some information about Kressida. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about Celeste and those Guards they have too.” Crosby glanced at me. “Did you have a good day?”

  “You mean besides being stripped of my powers and then having to work as a veterinarian without being able to talk to animals?” I sighed and tipped my head back to lean against the headrest. “Yeah, it was fantastic besides that.”

  Crosby hesitated for a moment, pulling the truck onto the road and checking his side-view mirror before drawling, “And how is that other veterinarian who works for you?”

  My head snapped up, and I pinned him with a look. Crosby knew very well what my associate veterinarian’s name was. Why was he acting so strange? “Jeremy’s fine. He had some trouble with a case today, so he called me back in. I helped him, even without my power. He was kind of looking at me like he suspected something’s not right, though. Hopefully, he’ll forget about it, but I’ll have to be careful.”

  Crosby didn’t meet my gaze. “You’re a good veterinarian, Will. Whether or not you can talk to animals. You need to give yourself more credit. Don’t worry so much about losing that ability.”

  Suddenly, I felt bristly. What, exactly, was my friend saying? One thing seemed sure to me—he was trying to minimize my ability to talk to animals. I opened my mouth to demand some answers to his strange behavior, but before I could say anything, he jerked his chin. “There they are.”

  I followed his gesture and saw the Crux, the Key, and all three Guards strolling on the boardwalk. Celeste looked happy, as usual, gazing out at the water with an enormous smile on her face. Kressida watched her own feet as they walked, a tiny frown on her face.

  I remembered Celeste saying the Crux didn’t want to leave the penthouse and wondered how she’d been convinced.

  Crosby slowed the truck way down and then brought it to a stop. We watched the witches stroll for a while. “What are we going to learn about these people by watching them from inside the cab of this pickup truck?” I wondered. “We can’t hear what they’re saying.” I crossed my arms and pouted a little. I knew it wasn’t the right reaction—after all, Crosby was trying to prove me innocent of the crime of killing the Crone. But I was still feeling sore about his dismissal of the loss of my power.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll just see where they go—what they do. If we feel like we need to hear what they’re saying, we’ll get closer.”

  That made me pout even more. When I had my power, I could amplify my hearing and get some idea of what people were saying from quite a distance. But that was gone now. I’d only be able to hear them if I were within regular human hearing distance.

  And that brought another thought my mind. I had lost my power, and these people had not. If Kressida was a killer, she had a distinct advantage over me now. Of course, she’d always had a big advantage. Even when I had my powers, they had been measly compared to what I expected the Trio probably had. Why, I hadn’t even received my entire allotment of magic yet before what I had was yanked away.

  But Crosby didn’t need to know that.

  “Wait a minute. They’re going into a gazebo—we won’t be able to hear them.” Without waiting for Crosby to say anything, I jumped out of the pickup and headed across the grass.

  He caught up with me quickly. I was afraid he was going to lecture me, but he didn’t say anything and just kept pace with me. When we got close to the gazebo, Crosby grabbed my elbow and steered me toward a bunch of hedges next to it. We crouched low to get behind them and scooched toward the edge of the semicircular building.

  “We have to figure out what’s going on. There’s been no ascension and no indication about why.”

  I recognized Kressida’s voice.

  Celeste answered the Crux. “Won’t the Throne give us some reason soon?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never had any contact with the Throne—it was always the Crone who did.”

  “And you don’t feel any new Crone powers at all?” Celeste’s voice bordered on panic.

  Kressida’s voice was frustrated more than freaked out. “Nothing. I only have my regular Crux abilities. This can’t go on for much longer—there are already so many witches in town, and I know they’re hanging around waiting to see about the ascension. If it continues like this, they won’t stand by idly for long.”

  “You think some of them may attack us somehow? Try to get us all out of the picture?”

  I peeked around the edge of the gazebo and saw Griffin move closer to Celeste at her statement.

  Kressida paced away from the Key and then turned and paced back. “It’s most definitely a possibility. Hav
en’t you read your history, Celeste, dear? It happened before, hundreds of years ago. No ascension occurred when the Crux died that time, and a group of witches got together and killed the rest of the Trio. Luckily, the Messenger escaped, so the Throne could rebuild the Trio from there.”

  “Well, I have seen nothing of the Messenger. She must be hiding out.” Celeste wrung her hands.

  “Crux, do you think it would be a good idea for us to go into hiding?” That was Baxter, Kressida’s Guard speaking.

  Kressida pinned the man with a hard look. “Hiding? No, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. If we cower in fear, it will only create a larger power vacuum. More space for unsavory types to slither in and do their dark deeds. No, we need to stay in the public eye, I suppose, heads held high and spines straight. In the meantime, we need to figure out why no ascension has happened.” She looked around and then frowned. “Where did Pence get to?”

  I realized Kressida was right. The Crone’s Guard was nowhere to be seen.

  Suddenly, I felt Crosby stiffen next to me and then he straightened to his full height. I looked around to see what was going on and found the missing Guard. “My ladies!” Pence cried. “I found these two listening in on your conversation!”

  The other two Guards, along with Kressida and Celeste, hurried over, and Crosby and I stepped out of the hedges.

  “Willow! What are you doing here?” Celeste sounded shocked.

  I shrugged. “I’m sorry for eavesdropping. We’re just trying to figure out the same thing you are—who killed the Crone and why there’s been no ascension.”

  Kressida narrowed her eyes. “You think the best way to figure that out is by listening, uninvited, to conversations of the Trio?”

  I wanted to use Aunt Dru’s joke and say there was no Trio. It was more like a Duo. But I knew that wouldn’t ease tensions at all, so I bit my tongue.

  Pence growled, “It’s obvious this person wants to clear her own name. She is okay with hurting either of you to get it.”