Royal Witch Curse

by Zoe Arden

  Royal Witch Curse

  Sweetland Witch Series

  Zoe Arden

  ReedFoster Press House

  A Cozy Mystery Book

  Contents

  Copyright

  Like my page

  For You Personally

  Dedication

  About The Author

  Personal Word from Zoe

  Prologue

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  Chapter One

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  Chapter Two

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  Chapter Three

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  Chapter Four

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  Chapter Five

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  Chapter Six

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  Chapter Seven

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  Chapter Eight

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  Chapter Nine

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  Chapter Ten

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  Chapter Eleven

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  Chapter Twelve

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  Chapter Thirteen

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  Chapter Fourteen

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  Chapter Fifteen

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  Chapter Sixteen

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  Chapter Seventeen

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  Chapter Eighteen

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  Chapter Nineteen

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  Chapter Twenty

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  Chapter Twenty-one

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  Chapter Twenty-two

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  Chapter Twenty-three

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  Chapter Twenty-four

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  Chapter Twenty-five

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  Chapter Twenty-six

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  Chapter Twenty-seven

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  Chapter Twenty-eight

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  Chapter Twenty-nine

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  Chapter Thirty

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  Chapter Thirty-one

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  Chapter Thirty-two

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  Chapter Thirty-three

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  Chapter Thirty-four

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  Chapter Thirty-five

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  Chapter Thirty-six

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  Chapter Thirty-seven

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  Chapter Thirty-eigth

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  Chapter Thirty-nine

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  Chapter Forty

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  Epilogue

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  Preview of Next Book

  Also By . ORDER OF BOOKS

  For You Personally

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2017 by

  Zoe Arden

  and

  ReedFoster press House

  All Rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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  DEDICATION

  * * *

  This book is specially dedicated to YOU- the reader!

  First of all, I would like to thank you for picking my book and reading it.

  Your interest to do so spurs me on to write even better stories, stories that will be capable in bringing us to a world of fun, mystery and suspense, albeit just for a little while.

  Your support has always meant a lot to me and I hope you will continue to enjoy reading what I have written.

  Thank you!

  “ The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible. ”

  Oscar Wilde

  Have you checked out my other cozy mystery books?

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  e: nora@zoearden.com

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  * * *

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  * * *

  It was from reading Agatha Christie’s mystery books that inspired Zoe to write cozy mystery novels. Zoe liked the fact that cozy mysteries are able to offer readers a form of escapism that typical detective stories can’t.

  Like what Marilyn Stasio, who has been the Crime columnist forThe New York TimesBook Review since the late 1980s, recently wrote: “The abiding appeal of the cozy mystery owes a lot to our collective memory, true or false, of simpler, sweeter times.” It is Zoe’s desire that her writings will evoke that nostalgic memory in all of us; those memories of the good old days.

  What sets Zoe apart in her writings is her fusing of Mystery with Paranormal elements, a combination which will bring about fantasies that are intriguing and engaging. Her stories contain unexpected twists and sometimes light-hearted moments that will make one smile at Zoe’s quirkiness, fun and wittiness in her writings.

  Much Love,

  * * *

  PERSONAL WORD

  FROM ZOE ARDEN

  * * *

  Hello, lovely reader!

  In my stories, you will find a unique juxtaposition of mystery and paranormal themes, an attempt which I believe will be enthralling.

  You will discover how a mystery case is being cracked through peeling off layers and layers of suspense and clues.

  And fantastical creatures play a part in this…how can it be?

  That’s for you to find out.

  Thank you once again, for being such an incredible support in my writing career.

  Much Love,

  Prologue

  .

  "They're getting away!"

  "Stop them!"

  "To the left!" Colt yelled, chasing after the two men he'd called friends for the last several months. As far as they knew, he was still their friend.

  Robbie and David were big, but they were fast. They ran through the thicket of trees just up ahead of him, turning right even though he'd told them left, and Colt knew they were closing in on their victims.

  "Guys! Stop!" Colt yelled after them.

  Robbie glanced over his shoulder, catching Colt's eyes just as he ran under a nest of scraggly branches that scraped at his cheeks. They left their mark on Colt's face, like the fingers of some otherworldly being who'd reached out from the grave to scratch him up.

  "Stop?" Robbie said. "Are you crazy? We've almost got them!"

  "Yeah, but they're dangerous."

  "We know that," Robbie shouted, his irritation growing. "Why do you think we've been after them all these months?"

  Colt was nearly out of breath. He drew as much as he could into his lungs and picked up his pace. He was almost even with them now. Robbie had slowed slightly in his efforts to get through a wall of bushes eight feet high. The goblins had just run into them and were hiding
.

  David pressed forward, never slowing down, going straight into the bushes without even blinking. He let out several grunts and groans as the bushes enveloped him like some kind of man-eating plant. Colt could hear him calling out for her help from behind the thick forest of green shrubbery, but he couldn't see him anywhere.

  "Where are you guys? Get in here!" David's shouts were getting louder, more desperate. "I've lost them! Hurry! I've lost them!"

  "What do you mean you lost them?" Robbie cried. "How can you lose them? I thought you had them!" That sent Robbie spiraling over the edge. He dug a path out for himself and ran into the thicket of bushes just as David had.

  Colt had just enough time to wonder if they were really still bushes when they were so tall—at what point did they become trees or could they be something else entirely?—before he followed Robbie inside. He could hear rustling all around him but couldn't quite make out what he was seeing. There were too many branches, too many twigs, too many leaves, too much of everything.

  "Where are you guys?" Colt called out.

  "I'm here," called David.

  "Stay there," said Robbie. "I'll go to you."

  "Me, too," said Colt.

  Robbie and Colt made their way toward David's voice. Walking through these bushes was like walking through a maze. He imagined this was what a rat must feel like when it's trapped in a science experiment. He turned left and all he saw was more branches. This wasn't just a thicket; it was a forest. He turned right, and he saw the same. He couldn't get his bearings. Finally, he bumped into David. Literally.

  "Ouch!" David yelled. "Watch it."

  "Sorry," Colt said.

  "Where's Robbie?" David asked.

  "He was just behind me." Cold looked around and scratched his head. "At least I thought he was."

  "Over here," Robbie called in a loud whisper. Colt had no idea why he was whispering; it wasn't as if the goblins didn't already know they were here. They made their way over and saw Robbie crawling on his hands and knees.

  "What are you doing?" Colt asked.

  "Looking for tracks," Robbie said.

  "Get up," said David, disgusted with them both. "You'll never find tracks in here."

  "Do you see them?" asked Robbie, standing back up.

  "Ssh!" David hissed excitedly.

  "What is it?" asked Robbie.

  His question was followed by silence. Colt and Robbie exchanged a glance. They moved quietly yet swiftly behind David, not wanting to lose him again. He stopped just ahead of them and hunkered down, drawing his gun.

  "You see them," Robbie said, relieved.

  Colt's heart began to race. His head felt dizzy. "I don't see them," he said, hoping that somehow saying the words out loud would make them true.

  "There," David said and pointed just ahead of them and to the right. No more than ten feet from where they stood was a shaking flurry of brown and green leaves; hidden in the leaves were two shadowed figures. Colt groaned inwardly and wished that the next assignment he had was an easier one.

  "Let's get them," said Robbie, drawing his gun as well.

  "Stop," Colt said, shaking his head. His voice was hoarse.

  Robbie and David looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "What do you mean stop?" snapped David. "That's them. Let's go."

  "Stop," Colt repeated, his voice growing wearier. He was tired of this; he had been for months now. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his father or Ava. All he wanted now was a hot shower and a kiss from his fiancée. He hoped that she was getting his letters. Dean assured him she was, but he didn't trust Dean any more than he trusted these two goons with him now.

  "I can't let you kill them," Colt said.

  Now Robbie and David were laughing.

  "You had me there for a second," said David.

  "Yeah, I thought you were serious," said Robbie.

  David and Robbie turned their backs to him and continued toward the figures, which were still standing, trying to hide as if they thought they could somehow make themselves invisible. Goblins did have powerful magic, but it wasn't that powerful. And their magic didn't always work right when they'd been hurt.

  "COMHA agent," Colt said before it was too late and there was nothing left he could do. He drew his badge from his inner coat pocket and held it up, flashing it for them even though he wasn't sure they could see it in this light.

  David and Robbie turned back to him, their eyes going wide. "COMHA?" asked David. "You don't work for them. This is a joke, right?"

  "No joke," said Colt.

  "What the heck are you talking about? You're a COMHA agent?" Robbie asked. "Since when?"

  "Since always," Colt said.

  The goblins moved quietly forward now. Colt could just make out their large round eyes. They were holding hands and watching the scene before them as if they'd never seen wizards or COMHA agents before.

  "You seriously work for the Council on Magic and Human Affairs?" said David doubtfully. He was shaking his head. "That badge isn't real. You're making that up."

  Robbie looked at him from the corner of his eye. "David, I don't think he's joking."

  "Uh-uh," said David. "No way. We've eaten with this man. We've gotten drunk with him. We've planned this killing with him for the last how many months?" He was still shaking his head. "He's got cold feet now that we’re here, that's all."

  "I assure you this isn't cold feet," Colt said, his voice gravelly. It felt like he was getting sick.

  The goblins had moved even farther forward now. He could make out not just their eyes but the rest of them as well. Their bodies were a scaly gray-green. They were no more than five feet high, though the male was definitely taller. He smiled tentatively at Colt and gave a quick wave. The female clung to him, petrified.

  David's eyes narrowed. It seemed to be the wave from Zulubar that had finally convinced him Colt was telling the truth. He raised his gun again. Instead of aiming it at the goblins, he aimed it at Colt and cocked the trigger.

  Colt put his hands up. "David, you want to be careful just now. Shooting a COMHA agent can get you in a whole heap of trouble. You're not stupid, you know that."

  "You're the stupid one if you think I'm going to let you get away with this. You can't pretend to be one of us for half a year and then expect me to just let you go when I find out it was all a lie. I'm killing you, and I'm killing them."

  Suddenly, Zulubar leaped out and knocked David to the ground. His gun went off but missed Colt entirely, shooting nothing but air. The gun went sailing out of David's reach.

  Robbie jumped into the mix, pulling Zulubar off David and attempting to wrestle him to the ground. Goblins were extremely strong though, and Robbie didn't stand a chance. The female goblin, Kyrab, grabbed the gun that David had dropped and held it unsteadily out in front of her.

  "Stop moving or I'll shoot!" she screamed. Her voice was terrified, but Colt had no doubt that she meant what she said. As if to prove her point, she fired the gun up into the air. It sounded off loudly and clearly. Colt kept his own gun trained on the two men. Robbie still had his gun in his hand, but now he was outnumbered two to one.

  Robbie sighed and dropped his gun. He looked at Colt with disgust. "I thought you were one of us."

  "You should be one of us," said David. "It's never too late."

  "I'll never be one of you. Hunting goblins is illegal. Even if it wasn't, it would still be wrong."

  Robbie began to laugh. Soon, David joined him.

  "What's so funny?" Colt asked.

  "You think Robbie and I are the only ones?" said David. "Tomorrow there'll be five more people out here looking for these two. And if something happens to those five, there will be five more to take their place. We're not going away."

  Colt's chest ached. His heart was still racing.

  "One way or another," said Robbie, "we are getting rid of the goblins. All of them."

  The two goblins they'd been chasing looked at Colt with worried expressions. Zulub
ar put his arm lovingly around Kyrab and held her tightly against him as a soft sob escaped her throat.

  "Once these two are gone," said David, "the rest of their race won't stand a chance."

  Colt looked at the two goblins he'd been ordered to protect at all costs. "King Zulubar, I can't let you return home. Not yet. It isn't safe."

  The king nodded. "I know. I knew when this started the chances of returning home were unlikely. I also knew that you would keep me and Kyrab safe."

  "Oh, jeez," David said, rolling his eyes. "You know these goblins? You're friends with them?"

  "No more questions," Colt said. Keeping his gun trained on them, Colt nudged David and Robbie along until they were all out of the forest, then he called Dean.