I spun around, and my eyes widened. My mouth dropped open. “Sarah! Lavender!” They threw their arms around me in a group hug. “What are you guys doing here?” When I’d initially spoken to Will’s sister about coming on holiday, she’d told me she and Lavender had work already booked, but they’d try and join us for lunch or dinner one day.
Sarah grinned. “The job we had got postponed. We needed sun, and it’s pouring today. It’s forecast to rain all week, actually. We might get called away if it fines up, but for now, we’re holidaying.”
“It’s so good to see you both.” I hadn’t seen them since the day they helped us smash RP apart. They’d both risked their lives for the cause, and they weren’t even agents. “How is everything?”
They shared an excited look. Hmm. They gave each other a nod, and Lavender turned to me. “We’re agents in training.”
“W—what?!” Oh, no. Didn’t I have enough loved ones to worry about?
Sarah grinned. “We’re going to be part-time and still do our fashion stuff on the side. We’ll be overflow agents when there are special cases. I think they want us for undercover stuff since we don’t look like agents at all. And after losing so many agents in the RP war, they need new recruits.” Not only had RP murdered agents when we attacked, some of the agents at headquarters and in Paris and Germany had been arrested afterwards for being secret RP members. They were pretty sure they’d uncovered all of them, but, unfortunately, we couldn’t be certain. And now, of course, they were super short-staffed.
“I can’t believe Chad is caving and putting more people on.” Unbelievably, he still had his job, and although Angelica had a job back, she’d been relegated to a position under my brother. It was utterly ridiculous. I’d asked her about it, but she’d told me not to worry and that someone was working on things behind the scenes. For the PIB’s sake, I sure hoped so. With the lack of funding and massive agent shortage, how long could they effectively fight crime?
Lavender made a tut-tut noise. “Don’t be silly, darling. We’re going to be working for the Paris office.”
“Right, well, Agent Roche is a good egg, so that makes sense. But please, please, please stay safe. Do you know how many people I’ve got to worry about?” Yes, I was making this about me, but after the year I’d had, surely some consideration was owed to my frayed nerves.
Lavender linked his arm through mine. “We’ll be most careful, Lilykins. And if we feel like we’re in over our heads, we know who to call.” He gave me a wink.
I groaned. “I’ve had enough battles to last a lifetime. I’m pretty sure killing Dana was me hitting my peak.” I still wasn’t sure how I’d managed to kill her when she had her return to sender up. Angelica had theorised that in her grief and fear, she wasn’t focussing her magic properly. There was also the fact that I was, apparently, one of the most powerful witches of our time, and in a battle of return to senders, the most powerful witch won. Turns out, that was me. Suck it, Piranha! To deflect any unwanted attention I might have received over being so powerful, we’d explained killing Dana as having been a joint-witch effort since no one from outside our trusted group actually saw what happened.
Lavender pouted. “But you wouldn’t just leave us to die, would you?”
I frowned. “Of course not.”
He patted my hand. “Good. That’s all I needed to know.” Sarah grinned.
“Argh! I’m such a sucker, aren’t I?”
She shrugged. “Maybe… but it’s why we love you. You just can’t help helping.”
“Hey, people.” Imani appeared out of the hubbub of everyone catching up. We returned her greeting, and there were more hugs. Talk about a hugfest. As much as I loved my friends, maybe we could call a moratorium on hugs for the remainder of the holiday. I’d had my monthly quota of them this morning.
Angelica clapped loudly, getting everyone’s attention. “Time to get this show on the road, people.” It was weird to see her in holiday-type clothes. If she wasn’t wearing her PIB uniform, she was always in something staid, like dark trousers and a grey, white or black collared shirt. Today, she wore flowy navy-blue pants and a navy-blue-and-white-striped sleeveless shirt with a low scooped neckline. Very summery. Her hair was still in its well-behaved bun though, which was probably a good thing, or we wouldn’t recognise her. I laughed to myself as we filed out the front double doors and into a large stone-paved square. Mmm, the warmth was good. Although the smell was… a bit off. Not terribly, but it wasn’t exactly fresh air. I’d heard about that. The canals usually smelled when it was warm. Oh well, a small price to pay for the Venetian experience.
Clusters of holidaymakers in bright, happy summer clothes strolled through the square, others—maybe people who lived here—stood in small groups, talking. This square seemed to be all hotels and homes—units, probably. Some buildings were brick and some were rendered but rundown looking, bits of render missing to reveal the red brick beneath.
Angelica led us across the paved expanse to a bridge. On the other side of the bridge, the pathway narrowed to only a few feet across and slid between buildings. The sun disappeared as shadows swallowed us. We had to walk two abreast to allow for the people coming the other way. And there were no cars. I knew there wouldn’t be cars, but seeing it was another thing. So weird, but so cool. Shopfronts crowded both sides of the path. Gift shops, mostly, and glass vendors selling Murano wares. I didn’t want to buy anything here though—I wanted to visit the island and see the glass-blowing for myself and maybe buy something directly from there, although it wouldn’t hurt to check out prices here before we went. You never knew.
Lavender still had his arm linked in mine. Liv spoke from behind us. “Isn’t this exciting! I can’t believe we’re here.”
I smiled, and the warm buzz of happiness filled my insides. We really were here, and so was Mum. She was walking at the front of our group, next to Angelica. It was still hard to believe she was alive. “I know. It’s so old and so very different to the UK.” And I never thought I’d get here. As much as I’d believed we’d eventually beat Dana and her father, I also believed I’d die doing it… or at least one of us would. How were we all still alive?
We turned a corner into another shadowed alleyway, shops and restaurants on both sides. It was beginning to feel like an ancient, endless shopping district. Still, the old, and yes, still-crooked buildings, were totally charming. We rounded another corner, a steady stream of people coming the other way. Such a hub of activity.
A tall archway, part of a dirty, rendered building, stood in front of us, a blue clock with golden stars set into it above a first-floor window. Dirty sounded as if I was being rude, but they probably left it like that on purpose. It gave the place atmosphere—some would call it patina. In Sydney, we’d call it neglect, but this wasn’t Sydney, and I loved it. “Oh, is that a twenty-four-hour clock?” There were definitely twenty-four roman numerals around the blue disk instead of twelve.
Angelica looked up. “Yes, dear. There’s a bigger one on the other side of the tower. It was built at the very end of the fifteenth century. Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Very.”
We walked under the arch and into the famed Saint Mark’s Square. There was so much to take in. The great open expanse was hemmed in on most sides by grand buildings with archways framing covered walkways. Crowds had half-filled the square, pigeons taking up the rest of the available ground space, and that wasn’t enough. Pigeons sat on some people’s heads and shoulders. Holy moly. As cute as it was, Will’s earlier comment about lice had me scratching the back of my neck. “Ew, is that sanitary?”
“What, lovie?” Lavender asked.
“The pigeons crawling all over people.”
He chuckled. “That’s just part of Venice’s charm. I have to say, out of everything you could be looking at, that’s got your attention?”
“Um… yes?” I was hopeless.
“Instead of worrying about those flying rats, why don’t you check out Saint Mark’s Basilica
?” He nodded at a striking building to our left. Wow. The large stone building had massive archways, some inset with artwork of people in flowy robes. Lots of pointy bits graced the top of the building—yes, my descriptive powers would probably embarrass a five-year-old. The humungous domes added even more grandeur, and then there was the golden lion sculpture in the middle above what I guessed was the main entry. Oh, and let’s not forget the angels above that. Talk about building something to impress the masses. I couldn’t wait to come back at sunset and take some photos. The diffused golden light would make for some incredible shots.
The sharp sound of flapping surrounded us as a flock of pigeons took off. Small grey and white feathers floated around us. I sucked in a quick breath, and my mouth fell open. I squeezed my eyes shut. “Lavender….”
“Yes, lovie.”
“Please look at my head and tell me there’s no bird poo on it.” After a long moment of silence, I opened my eyes and looked at him. “Well, is there?” If there was, I did not want to feel for it and get crap all over my hand.
I needn’t have asked though. A young couple standing near us were staring at me and laughing. Yeah, very funny. I looked at them with my other sight. Non-witches. So I couldn’t even magic it away. Damn it!
“Sorry, honey. They got you.”
“Damn birds.” I sighed. “I’m going to go back to the hotel to magic it off. Will you wait for me?”
“Of course. But you know that it’s good luck.”
I raised my brow and folded my arms in front of my chest. “I can’t believe you said that. Yes, that’s the consolation prize because who wouldn’t be happy at getting shat on. Seriously, Lav? It’s not like I just won a million dollars. I have bird crap in my hair. I’m pretty sure you and everyone else here who didn’t get pooed on are the lucky ones.”
Will, who’d stopped behind us while chatting to Beren, came to stand in front of me. “What’s wro—” His gaze made it to the top of my head. “Oh.” He was normally a master at the poker face, but his ability must have been on holiday as well. He scrunched his face in an “ew” way. “You have some on your shoulder too.”
“Of course I do.” The people who’d been laughing had shuffled over a few steps so they could still see me past Will. They were still snickering. Poo heads. Oh, no, that would be me. Damn. If only I could talk to animals, I’d be requesting a special pigeon delivery on their heads too. Where was Millicent when I needed her? Unfortunately, she and James couldn’t make it. One of Millicent’s best friends was getting married this coming weekend, and she was the maid of honour, plus, the PIB had been so short-staffed. James had wanted to stay at work and make sure the case against the remaining RP members was built with precision. And, not that I knew for sure, but I would bet that Angelica had wanted him there to be her eyes and ears as well. Anyway, no Millicent meant no revenge bird poo, so I glared at them instead because smiting was frowned upon.
Will stared at me, then turned his head to see what I was glaring at. He looked back at me. “Why don’t we go and get you cleaned up.” He held out his hand for me. I took it.
“Okay.” I turned to Lavender. “Don’t go too far. We’ll be back in a few minutes.” At least we could magic me clean as soon as we walked in the hotel door. Staying at a witchy hotel was such a great idea. At least Liv and everyone else were too busy being impressed by the scenery to notice my predicament.
Will and I hurried back the way we’d come. I was glad he was with me because I’d probably get lost. The narrow passageways all looked the same. I’d have to remember the different shops. I was betting that Google maps didn’t work well in this rabbit warren. Other than everything being so close together, the tightly packed buildings probably disrupted the internet.
When we reached the hotel, Will opened the door for me. “Dirty ladies first.”
I stopped in front of Will and gave him a look that promised violence. He smirked. Right. I lowered my chin to my chest and shoved my head onto his chest and rubbed. When I was done, I smiled innocently up at him. “Anything else you’d like to say?”
He frowned at the white bird poo smeared on his black T-shirt. “No. I think that’s about it.”
“Thought so.” I snorted. There was nothing like sharing the grossness with the one you loved, especially when they deserved it.
Rather than magic the dirt off near the front door where non-witches might see us, we walked down the hallway. Two different magics pinged me. Staying in a witch-friendly place was going to take some getting used to. Even though my friends and family used magic around me, it was familiar. New magic was always more jarring in its vibrations. It was like the difference between having soothing background music on compared to something with an ear-splitting, body-vibrating bass.
At the end of the hallway, we stopped near a fake plant that sat in one corner next to a white door with a gold-coloured sign that had Ufficio in bold black lettering. Well, that wasn’t hard to understand. It looked so similar to office that you couldn’t go wrong.
I was about to magic the poo off my head when raised voices came from the ufficio—a woman’s voice, followed quickly by a man’s. Will and I looked at each other. They were arguing in Italian, so we couldn’t understand what they said. At least, I assumed they were arguing. Italians were enthusiastic verbal communicators, but surely that level of yelling wasn’t normal.
Will and I looked at each other. I lowered my voice. “We can’t really do this here, then. They’ll feel our magic and think we’re eavesdropping. It would be totally awkward.”
“Agreed.” Will looked around and gave a nod at another door halfway back to the main staircase. “Why don’t we try that door there. It probably leads to the courtyard.” I nodded, and we turned, the shouting still pulsing from the office. We hurried towards the other door, and just as Will opened it, a man burst out of the office and stomped down the hallway, staring at the ceiling and talking to himself, his hands gesturing “why?”
An attractive middle-aged woman stood in the doorway and glowered at him, her lips pinched together. She saw us and did a double take before schooling her expression. Her fake smile came through loud and clear before she stepped back into the office and shut the door.
Will gave me a “yikes” look and opened the door. “Gorgeous ladies first.” He smiled.
“You’re a fast learner.” I grinned and stepped past him into another, shorter hallway that led to a door that was propped open, revealing the courtyard beyond. There was no need to go out there, though, now that the drama was over. I opened myself to my magic and willed the poo away, envisioning the courtyard pavers. I looked up at Will, whose shirt was clean. “Is it gone?” My magic was awesome, but I’d never tried to remove poo from my hair before. Better to be safe than touching it and being sorry.
He nodded. “Ready to resume our holiday?”
“You bet.”
We’d had dead pigeons, and I’d been pooed on. Bad stuff supposedly came in threes, but I was going to stay positive. At least the bad things had been fairly minor, so there was nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.
Chapter 3
“Well, today was awesome.” Clean and happy after my shower, I slid into the crisp, white sheets next to Will and yawned. The bedside clock read 23:19.
“We certainly made the most of it.” He wasn’t wrong. After my little mishap this morning, we went back to the square, had ice cream, then hopped on a water bus and visited an island on the other side of Venice. Lido was a beachside suburb full of quaint buildings and avenues lined with mature trees. We couldn’t really make out where the sand met the water at the beach because of the mist or fog or whatever it was (I hoped it wasn’t pollution), but still, it was a gorgeous place to stroll. After that, we visited the island of Saint Michele. It was a cemetery and creepy but interesting. A few famous bodies were buried there, including Ezra Pound and Stravinsky, so it attracted quite a few people. It was certainly more crowded than I’d expected. Apparently, Nap
oleon established the cemetery. So much history. Another reminder of what Australia lacked. I still loved my birth home, but I really loved my new one too.
“Good night. We have another big day tomorrow. I can’t wait to see the glass-blowing.”
Will turned on his side and pulled me in for a cuddle. “Yep, Angelica expects us at breakfast by eight.”
I groaned. “I know. I was so hoping for some sleep-ins while we were here.”
He laughed. “Eight is sleeping in. I swear, if sleeping were a sport, you’d be a gold medallist.”
“I try to excel at everything I do.”
“And you do.” He waggled his brows and kissed me. Hmm, maybe we wouldn’t be going to sleep straight away after all. He slid his lips to my neck. Mmm, nice.
A shrill scream took an ice pick to the peaceful night.
I started, and my eyelids flung open. Will and I launched out of bed, ready for action. Although, we couldn’t exactly run downstairs with no clothes on. Oops. Will beat me to magicking clothes on, but I wasn’t far behind. I ran to the window to look into the courtyard.
Two wall sconces threw dim light on the chairs and tables. The light barely reached a far corner of the courtyard, but it was enough to give an outline of two people, one of whom was sobbing and saying, “No, no, no. Mio Dio, no.”
“What’s she saying?” I really needed to learn other languages.
“My Italian isn’t great, but I know that one. ‘My god.’ Let’s get down there.”
As I turned from the window, someone entered the courtyard, but I didn’t have time to see who it was because Will grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. I snatched our key off the small table that sat against the wall. I grinned, proud of myself. How often did I remember to do practical things in an emergency… well, okay, even when it wasn’t an emergency, I probably would’ve forgotten the key.
Will opened the door and dropped my hand, likely so we could run properly. We sprinted the whole way along the hall and downstairs, and I only just avoided slipping on the steep treads. I slowed and put up a return to sender, readying to grab my magic for anything. At the bottom of the stairs, we bolted to the right and through the door we’d gone in earlier that day. We burst into the courtyard, and Will’s magic tingled my scalp. A ball of light appeared above one of the table umbrellas, illuminating the whole space.
Westerham Witches and a Venetian Vendetta Page 2
