by Amy Boyles
"You'll get your date with the stud muffin," Grandma said, fluffing the ends of her triangle-shaped hair.
I suppressed a giggle. "Okay, Milly. Let's learn this spell. What do you want me to work on?"
Milly's gaze drifted around the room until she found something. "Reid, can you empty your grandmother's jewelry box and bring it here?"
Reid shoved herself off the bed. She dumped the box on a table. Rings and necklaces clanked onto the dresser. "Here you go."
Milly vanished the tea tray and looked into the metal container. "This is good. Now, Dylan, what you need to do is have the box remember what was just in it. Let the objects return to it."
I threw her a worried look. She gave me an encouraging nod. I threaded my fingers together and cracked my knuckles. The empty box stared at me. I took it in my hands, closed my eyes and focused on filling it with whatever had been in there last.
"Focus on going back one moment in time. What was in the box last?" Milly said.
I took a deep breath and felt a burst of power in my core.
The room erupted in applause. "You did it!" Sera yelled.
I blinked open my eyes and glanced down. Sure enough, spilling over the lip of the box was Grandma's jewelry.
"That is so cool!" Reid said. "Do it again."
I laughed. "I don't know about doing it again."
"Here," she said, crossing to Sera's dresser. Reid started to dump out the contents of the bottom drawer.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Sera snarled.
"I'm giving Dylan something to do."
"Well get out of my drawer," Sera said.
Reid dumped a load of pants to the floor. How they got there, I had no idea, unless Grandma had conjured up a wardrobe of clothes for her—which was probably the case since she'd created some pants and shirts for me.
Something hit the floor with a hard thud. We glanced at each other.
"Ew, what is that?" Reid said, backing away.
My grandmothers and I crossed to her. On the floor lay a ball that looked to have been made of tar and straight pins. I instinctively backed off, knowing the thing was evil.
"Everyone get back," Milly said.
"What is that thing doing in my drawer?" Sera said.
"Well, dear, it looks like we know why your magic's been goofy," Grandma said.
"Why?" Sera asked.
Grandma took a long look at the ball and then said very quietly, "Because you've been hexed, my darling. Someone in this castle is out to get you, and that right there is evidence to prove it."
TWENTY-TWO
Since I'd been at Castle Witch, I'd been made queen, attacked by burping roses, totally uglified, and now my sister had been hexed.
I'd had enough.
I sat on my gilded throne and stared out into a cloud of faces. I'd called everyone into the Great Hall.
"My queen," whispered one of the bald advisors. "Everyone is here."
"How do you know?" I asked.
He nodded toward the rear entrance. "Bannock has given the signal."
Oh. Okay. Must be some secret sign-language code between the two of them. I cleared my throat. The murmurings in the hall faded until all eyes and ears were focused on me.
"Ahem. Well, hello. I realize I don't know many of you, and I'm sorry I haven't taken the time to get to know each and every one of your names. But I'm sure y'all know exactly who I am, and I also know y'all are aware of the fact that there's a murder investigation going on. Our men are close to wrapping that up. But that's not why I called you here."
No one said anything. I took a deep, ragged breath. This was not my thing. Speaking in front of people—no way. My heart thundered. My palms poured sweat. My place was behind a sewing machine, not making stupid Christmas Eve speeches and such.
Oh, that was right. It was a holiday.
"I wanted to wish you a wonderful holiday, but that's still not why you're here. There's been an attack on my family."
A couple of witches gasped. They always do. Like to act surprised when crazy things happen. They were probably guilty. I'd look into them first.
"Someone hexed my sister."
More gasps. Several witches clamped hands over faces, clutched their mouths.
They couldn't all be in on it, could they?
"Ever since we've arrived, Sera's magic has been off-kilter. Now we know why. We found this—" I nodded to the advisor. He displayed a cushion with the nasty little hex on it. Someone screamed.
I mean, come on. Wasn't that a little dramatic?
"We found this in our bedroom. This has been the cause of all her magic going haywire. Now, I know it wasn't someone in my family who did this. It was someone in this castle."
I gestured for the advisor to set the cushion in front of me. I raised my hand and focused on the hex. Grandma had told me several times how to destroy it. I prayed I wouldn't screw it up. Not in front of this crowd. I would look like an idiot.
So what else was new?
I spread my fingers over the ball of tar and needles. I thought about fire, about a single flame searing into the little circle of nastiness. Sweat sprouted on my forehead.
A line of orange flame zapped the hex. A swoosh filled the room, and the hex erupted into a screeching ball of fire. I covered my ears. The thing hissed and fizzled, fought and twitched as if it were alive.
Others in the room had covered their ears as well. As the fire died, so did the tiny screams. I slowed my breath, taking deep quenching inhales that filled my lungs and filtered energy through my body.
I turned back to the crowd.
"Someone in this room hexed my family."
More gasps. Come on. Obviously it was someone here. Who were these witches kidding?
"It is my intention to find out who did this." I glared slitty eyes of death at them. "I will find you. You can't hide from me or my investigators. Don't even try. Within one day I'll know exactly who you are, and when I find out, you'll answer to me."
Wide-eyed looks of fear filled the hall. I gave a curt nod and said, "You're dismissed. Merry Christmas."
The witches funneled out of the room without a word. I sat back down on the chair. Polly fluttered onto my shoulder. I stroked his head. Yes, I touched his little wooden noggin. I'm telling you, I was beginning to feel partial to the animated inanimate object.
The bald advisor approached. "Now that you're done, my queen, there are other matters that need your attention."
I threw him an embarrassed grin. "Sorry. In one day you'll have a new queen. She can do all that."
He frowned. I ignored him.
Roman crossed to me from the far corner of the room. He took my shaking hands. "You did a great job." His green eyes peered into my poo-brown ones. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Fine. Nothing a shot of whiskey couldn't cure."
"You did great," he murmured, his lips brushing over my forehead. "Better than any pro I've ever seen."
I pulled away and looked into his handsome face. Butterflies fluttered up into my throat. I bit my bottom lip. "You think so?"
He thumbed my cheek. "I know so."
I smirked. "How can you be certain?"
He tipped my chin up toward his face. "Because now I know who left that hex."
***
"So why are we headed toward the front door?" I huffed. I pumped my legs, doing my best to keep up with Roman's long strides.
"Because that's where she'll be heading. Trying to get out of here."
A rogue lock of dark hair fell in my eyes. "That's where who will be heading?"
Sera and my family met us at a hallway crossing. "Do you know who did it?" she asked.
Roman wrapped a free hand around her shoulder. "I know who it was."
"Who?" she asked.
We reached the grand entrance. The sun burned down to the horizon, washing the room in blues and golds. The room was empty except for a single person heading toward the door.
Roman's voice boomed throughout the ha
ll. "That's who did it."
The figure stopped. With shoulders hunched toward her neck, she slowly turned around.
Sera gasped.
It was Celeste, that grumpy friend of Brock's. She held a small suitcase in one hand and a designer handbag in the other.
Sera glared at her. "You did it? You hexed me?"
Celeste scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Sera's gaze flickered to Roman. He stepped forward, his hulking frame seeming to grow. Boy, he sure could be intimidating when he wanted.
"Celeste, you're charged with hexing another witch. You need to come with me."
Her lips twisted into a sick grimace. "I would never have touched something as disgusting as that hex." She raised her perfectly manicured fingers. "Do I look like the type to have done something like that?"
"Yes," I mumbled. She did. The woman had been glaring daggers of death at Sera for the past few days. All eyes turned to me. "What? She does look like she'd do it."
Grandma stepped forward. "Young woman, if you made that hideous hex, I suggest you confess right now and go with Officer Bane. If you don't, your punishment will probably be worse than a thousand flying monkey tickling your feet with feathers."
Yeah, ’cause that sounds like a terrible way to go.
Celeste cocked her head at Grandma. "I didn't do it."
Roman rested a hand on his thigh. "I suspect as soon as I open that suitcase, I'll have all the evidence I need to convince us otherwise."
Her face paled. "I didn't do it, and you can't keep me here."
"Pretty sure he can," I said.
"I'm leaving. You can speak to my lawyer about this." Celeste turned the doorknob.
Of course, I didn't know how she was going to actually leave the grounds since we were all still sequestered at the castle.
Roman threw a glance at Milly, who waved her hand. Celeste yanked the door, but it stuck.
"Let me out," she yelled. She turned, her face crimson with fury. "I demand you let me out. Otherwise this will be an inter-witch incident. I'll have the winged monkeys down here so fast your heads will be spinning off your necks."
"Sounds scary," I said.
Sera glanced at me, shrugging. "I'm willing to take the risk."
Celeste whirled toward Roman. "I'm warning you. You don't want to arrest me."
Roman smirked. "I've been warned. Besides, it's against witch policy to commit an act against another witch on castle property. You might not realize it, but that's an inter-witch agreement. So you're the one who created this inter-witch incident."
"Yeah," Reid said. "Take that."
The room filled with murmurings as another group entered. I looked over and saw Nan and the protectors.
"You're not going to arrest me," Celeste threatened.
She lifted her hands. A thread of yellow magic left her palm. I ducked as a plaster bust of some witch behind me exploded. Polly flew off my shoulder and zipped toward Celeste.
Roman lunged for Celeste. Her hands flapped wildly as she tried to push Polly out of her face. "Get off me!" A stream of magic erupted from her hands.
It was aimed straight at Grandma.
The world tilted into slower-than-slow motion. My grandmother Hazel lifted her arms to work magic.
Nothing happened.
From the far side of the room, Nan, sixty years old and spry as ever, raced toward Grandma. The bodyguard threw herself in front of my grandmother as the yellow spray of magic reached them.
It hit Nan square in the chest.
Everything righted to normal speed. Nan spiraled across the floor, the blast from the magic sending her sprawling.
"Nan!" I swear the entire room yelled her name all at once.
Roman had Celeste's hands behind her back. He pulled a pair of magical handcuffs from his pocket and smacked them on her.
"You can't do this," she screeched.
"Pretty sure he just did," Sera whispered.
We all raced to Nan. She lay on the floor, eyes closed. I touched two fingers to her neck. Her pulse thudded against my skin.
"She's alive."
Milly caned over at a snail's pace. "Let me see her."
We parted to allow her room. She waved her hand over Nan, lots of hmms and murmurings followed. "Nothing's broken. We need to get her upstairs."
William the footman walked in.
She threw a glance at him. "Young man, can you carry her?"
William nodded. "Yeah, I can do that." He tugged off his white gloves and tucked them into his pocket.
"Good. She needs to go to bed."
He slid his hands beneath Nan's body. "I'll get her up to her room."
My Grandma Hazel clasped a hand over his arm. "The last place you are taking this woman is back to her bed."
He looked confused. "Then where do you want her?"
Grandma raised her finger in the air. "She will go directly to my bed, where I will care for her."
We got Nan up to Grandma and Milly's room. She breathed easily, though she didn't move. Roman had taken that crazy Celeste to Witch Police headquarters. Wherever that was.
"Do you think Celeste was jealous of you?" I asked Sera.
She wrapped a cardigan tight over her chest. "I guess so. Not that I'm trying to toot my own horn or anything, but she's been weird ever since Brock started showing me attention."
"So she's secretly in love with him," I said whimsically. "And she wants to turn his girlfriend into a toad."
She knocked her hip into mine. "Very funny." She glanced at Nan. "What do you think Roman will do to her?"
I shrugged. "Probably sic some dungeon rat on her."
She cringed. "Are you serious?"
I fisted her shoulder. "No. He took her to the Witch Police."
"How's Nan doing?" Sera asked.
Milly glanced over her shoulder. "Come see for yourself."
"Do we have to?" I whispered. "I really don't like sick people or almost sick people or injured people."
"Or people in general," Sera added.
I perked up. "I like people. Some people. Not all people."
"Get over here," Milly snarled.
"Okay, okay," I said.
I forced my legs to shuffle over to the bed. Nan lay peacefully. She kinda reminded me of Sleeping Beauty waiting for her prince. Though this princess was sixty years old, and apparently her prince didn't give a rat's behind because he just left her to rot.
I can be so pleasant, can't I?
I looked at Milly. "So what's the verdict?"
"She's going to sleep for a hundred years," Grandma said.
"Are you serious?" Reid said, smacking on a wad of bubble gum. Somehow I'd never be able to look at gum the same way again. I'd always be expecting it to pop back onto someone's head and suffocate them.
I showed her my palm. "Spit that in here."
"Why?" she whined.
"Because I said so. No chewing gum until we're out of this castle."
"But why?" Her whine hit such a pitch I nearly covered my ears.
I glared at her. Reid mumbled something about me always being unfair. But she did spit the gum in her hand and slap the slimeball into my palm.
"Thanks." I threw it into a nearby trash can and looked back at Nan. "Is she really in a deep sleep?"
Grandma wiped her hands on the front of her sweater. "She's under the sleep of a thousand sleeps." She took Nan's hand. A tear streamed down one cheek. "We must break the spell. Wake Nan up. Usually this calls for a bath in monkey milk and unicorn dust."
Gross. Monkey milk and unicorn dust? I've heard it all now. I think I vomited a little in the back of my throat.
"And what if we don't have that?" Sera said.
Milly hooked her cane on the bed frame. "Then we do a good old-fashioned hand healing."
"Say what?" I said.
My other grandmother sniffled. "We put our hands on her and bring her back from the sleep."
"How do we do that?" Reid said.
Grandma patted my baby sister's cheek. "You don't do anything, dear. You just watch. Your mere presence, seeing as you don't have any power and all, is enough."
Reid shook her head. "Why do I even bother asking? Really. I know what the answer will be. It's always the same." She started muttering to herself. "Don't do anything, Reid. You'll mess something up, Reid. Shut your mouth, Reid."
"Come on," I said. "We never say shut your mouth."
Reid squinted at me. "You might not say it, but you think it. I know. I can tell."
"Okay then. Shut your mouth, Reid."
"Very funny. I'm going to go back to the corner and keep reading my book." She huffed off to the other side of the room.
I turned back to Milly. "So how do we do this?"
Milly took a deep breath. "Everyone, lay your hands flat on Nan."
We did as she said. Milly closed her eyes.
Grandma took a step back. She wrung her hands. Silver rings jiggled and jangled. "I'll watch. You have the three that you need for this. Sera, do you feel up to it?"
Sera bit her lip. "I guess so. I never felt any different though when my power wasn't working right."
"It should be fine now, dear," Grandma said.
I gave Sera an encouraging smile. She flattened her hands on Nan's arm and breathed.
Milly squinted open one eye. "Ready?"
I nodded. Sera nodded.
Milly cleared her throat. "Think of Nan awake. Focus on that. Bring her back from the slumber. Make her talk and make her lumber."
Oh sheesh. Seriously? Make her talk and make her lumber? Since when did we start speaking in rhyme? I pushed the forming snicker from my mouth and did as Milly said. I concentrated. I narrowed my focus and breathed wakefulness back into Nan.
After a couple of minutes I felt her stir. I opened my eyes. Nan twisted a bit this way and that. She smacked her lips. One eye fluttered open. Then the other.
"What's going on?" she said. "Does someone need some hurting?" She struggled to get out of bed.
Grandma laid a hand on her shoulder. "Settle down, Nan. You just woke up from a spell."
Nan's eyes widened. "A spell? Someone spelled me? How could they do that?"
Grandma smiled. "You saved me, is how."
Nan looked at Grandma. Her lower lip trembled. "I saved you?"
