“Is that true? How did my talisman get there?”
“That’s exactly what we were wondering. You were there.” Dee Dee pointed to her nose again. “But you never mentioned it to me, and you denied ever being there when Owen asked. That’s why I didn’t know to look for something I might have to hide from Owen.”
A pang of guilt shot through Issy. It was true—she hadn’t mentioned being at Louella’s to Dee Dee. And she’d lied to Owen earlier about it, too. Now she knew why he’d been asking. Normally, she would’ve mentioned the intrusion to Dee Dee, but running into Dex outside had thrown her off. If she had mentioned it to Dee Dee, would Dee Dee have been able to hide the talisman and keep it from getting into evidence? Too late now.
But Issy couldn’t be sure that Dee Dee wasn’t the one who had planted it there in the first place. The only thing Issy knew for sure was that she hadn’t brought the talisman to Louella’s with her. The talisman was probably the evidence that Stan had alluded to back in her store. Owen would’ve recognized it as hers—after all, he’d asked her to make him a similar one.
But she couldn’t let that sidetrack her. The truth was that Dee Dee had a lot of evidence against her, not the least of which that she was out here in the woods with Cosmo and her amulet had been found under the perch. Dee Dee was probably working with the dark witch, and this was a perfect opportunity to find out who that was.
“So who is the dark witch?” Issy asked.
“How would I know? Maybe I should ask you the same.”
Issy glanced back at Cosmo. His wing fluttered. She needed to do something about Dee Dee so she could get Cosmo out of there before the dark witch showed up.
Fear clawed at Issy’s heart. She was out here alone. Her cousins didn’t even know she was here. No one except Dee Dee knew. And the witch must have had a reason to coerce Dee Dee into stealing him. Which meant the witch would probably be here any minute.
Memories of her previous fight with dark magic came flooding back. Paralyzing her. Thoughts of her old familiar made her eyes sting. She glanced at Bella, her heart squeezing painfully.
“Bella, run!”
But the dog didn’t budge. She just sat there wagging her tail as if nothing were wrong. Issy knew she had to act right now, or Bella could be hurt. She couldn’t take the death of another familiar because of her inability to fight dark magic. She had to get out of there now, and the only thing stopping her was Dee Dee.
Issy’s vow was to harm none, and she would keep that vow. She didn’t want to hurt her friend anyway, even if Dee Dee had succumbed to the lure of the power of the dark witch. Maybe Dee Dee could be salvaged. Issy would have to use a sleep spell to knock her out long enough to escape with Cosmo and Bella.
“You still didn’t tell me what you are doing out here with Cosmo,” Dee Dee persisted.
Was she trying to stall her? Buying time until the witch showed up?
“You were the one that was out here with him,” Issy pointed out in a low voice. She wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation as she was focusing all her energy on the spell.
“I told you I was summoned. He was already here when I got here, so I thought you—” Dee Dee must have known Issy was gearing up to cast a spell. Her eyes drifted over Issy’s left shoulder. But Issy wasn’t going to fall for that old trick. She sucked in a breath and scrunched her hands into a tight fist.
“Look out!” Dee Dee yelled.
But Issy would not be distracted. She could see Dee Dee’s aura sparking from purple to bright orange.
She was getting ready to shift!
There was no way she could fight or outrun Dee Dee in her wolf form. Summoning all her energy, she thrust her fist out in front of her, flinging her fingers wide.
“Somnumia!” White sparks flew from her fingertips as she willed the sleep spell toward Dee Dee.
A poof of blue vapor surrounded Dee Dee, and then she was a wolf, leaning back on her haunches and getting ready to spring. Issy braced herself to fend off the attack, but instead of hurtling toward her, Dee Dee let out one anguished growl and then collapsed onto the ground.
The spell had worked just in the nick of time!
“Wonderful job! You’ve just sealed your own fate.”
Issy’s heart jerked. Someone really had been behind her!
She whirled around to see the satisfied smirk on the face of the dark witch.
Brittany Chase.
23
Issy stepped back, shoving the acorn amulet into her pocket so as to leave her hands free. She knew better than to get within ten feet of the dark witch. If she got too close, she would be in Brittany’s aura, and that would give the strongest witch power over the magical energy of the other. Maybe Issy was stronger than Brittany, but she couldn’t take that chance. Not with the lives of Cosmo and Bella at stake. Not to mention her own.
She felt the vibrating thrum in her veins of another paranormal presence. But something was off about it. It might’ve been interference from Dee Dee, or there might be something magical cloaked from sight. Probably placed here by Brittany. A magic circle, perhaps? Issy glanced around, trying to locate the telltale shimmer of cloaked magic, but she didn’t dare take her eyes off Brittany for long.
“What do you want? What is this all about?” Issy gestured toward Dee Dee and Cosmo.
Brittany gave her a fake wide-eyed look. “To prove to the authorities that you killed Louella, of course.”
Brittany advanced, and Issy scrambled backward. Every muscle in her body was screaming at her to run, but she couldn’t leave Dee Dee, Cosmo, and Bella. She tried to telegraph a run thought to the little Pomeranian, but the dog had turned her interest to an oak tree, sniffing wildly and then glancing up at Issy excitedly, her tail jerking back and forth. Guess she needed a little more work in the communication department. Issy’s heart twisted at the thought that they might never get the chance.
“And how do you plan to do that?” Issy was curious but also needed to buy time. Somehow she had to get them all safely away from Brittany. Too bad she had no idea how powerful the other woman was, but the mere fact that she hadn’t sensed that she was a paranormal when they’d met outside the bathroom at Hans’s office seemed to indicate her powers were very strong. Did she dare try magic on her? Terrifying thoughts of her earlier failure in fighting dark magic caused panic to bubble in her chest.
“Easy. Caught in the act. Practicing dark magic to turn your werewolf friend into a human.” Brittany looked at Dee Dee pointedly. “And you played into the plan beautifully by giving your friend a nice little nap.”
Issy glanced over at Dee Dee, her stomach swooping. Dee Dee hadn’t been lying. She wasn’t working with the dark witch. She’d been lured out here just like Issy. It had all been part of Brittany’s plan.
Brittany took another step forward, causing Issy to retreat. She was moving farther away from Dee Dee. She needed to get closer to distract Brittany somehow and grab Dee Dee and make a run for it. But how could she do that? There was no way she could lift Dee Dee. Even in her wolf form she weighed eighty pounds.
If only she could communicate with Bella, maybe she could send the dog for help.
As if sensing her thoughts about Bella, Brittany squatted down, holding her hand out to the little dog. “Come here, puppy.”
Bella glanced at Brittany’s outstretched hand and then looked up at Issy uncertainly.
“No, Bella! Run!”
Bella backed away from Brittany and growled, but she didn’t run. If only Bella would leave, Issy would have one less thing to worry about. Bella didn’t leave—instead she trotted over to Cosmo and sniffed at him. With everything else going on, Issy had almost forgotten about the poor bird. A quick glance in his direction showed that he was indeed still alive but unconscious.
“Why take Cosmo? What do you plan to do to him?”
“Oh, I do have a plan for the bird, but don’t worry—he won’t be harmed. He was just the bait to lure you and Dee Dee
here. One of the benefits of living in a small town is they practically roll the streets up after supper. But I knew that Gray was open late. You gave me that information yourself in Hans’s office.”
Issy wanted to wipe the smug smile from Brittany’s face with a slapping spell, but she didn’t dare start flinging magic. If she did, Brittany would surely retaliate, and she wasn’t sure who would come out the winner. Better to try to find a way to disarm her first and make a run for it.
“So you kidnapped him knowing I’d try to read his last thoughts and come looking. But what about Dee Dee? She wasn’t looking for Cosmo,” Issy said.
“Dee Dee was easy. I simply put a call in to the police station about a ruckus going on out here in the woods. I knew Dee Dee would rush out and conveniently drive right by the hair salon. Planting Dee Dee’s amulet under Cosmo’s cage only sealed the deal to make you more suspicious. I knew once you saw her race by you’d follow her. I was afraid you’d bring one of your pesky cousins, but it looks like I got lucky.”
“So you’re the witch who used dark magic to kill Louella?”
Brittany shrugged. “Do I look like a witch? I don’t have a wart on my nose or a pointed hat.”
Brittany stepped forward, driving Issy back even more. Trying to keep up the conversation and think of a way to outwit Brittany was exhausting. If there was only some way to put her out of commission for a while, but a sleep spell like the one she’d cast on Dee Dee could boomerang on her, and Issy couldn’t risk that.
What about some sort of distraction spell? It would have to distract her long enough to allow Issy to reverse the sleeping spell and wake Dee Dee. But Issy wasn’t sure if she was powerful enough to hold the distraction spell and wake up the sleeping wolf. If only she had help to carry Dee Dee out, then she would only need to cast one spell. She needed more time to think. More time to summon energy from her core.
“How do you plan to prove that I’m doing dark magic on Dee Dee?”
“A magic circle, of course. I have one cleverly hidden.” Brittany made a wide gesture with her hand to indicate the entire wooded section they stood in. “All the ingredients you need for a transformation spell already included, so there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind as to what you are up to.”
Issy wasn’t sure how much the FBPI knew about the various ingredients that went into spells, but the committee would know. And if she were caught by one of them in the woods with the ingredients for a transformation spell, it wouldn’t be good. To make matters worse, she had Dee Dee’s acorn amulet in her pocket. Part of getting the spell to work was having an item from the intended recipient that had been close to their skin, and Dee Dee had worn that amulet around her neck for months.
Most of the ingredients needed for the transformation spell were easy to get. Sea salt, feathers from a raven’s tail, graveyard dust. But there was one big thing Brittany couldn’t possibly have, and that one thing might be Issy’s saving grace. “I doubt they will fall for that. A transformation spell requires a beating heart, and you couldn’t possibly have that. For that you’d need a sacrifice.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Brittany pointed to the large oak that Bella had been so interested in sniffing. Issy saw the telltale shimmer of magic at its base.
Issy’s heart twisted as the shimmer materialized into the form of Christian Vonner. He was chained to the oak tree with heavy metal chain. Struggling against them, he twisted and turned.
He looked right at Issy, his panicked energy washing over her like a giant tidal wave. “Help me!”
Issy jerked her head back toward Brittany. “You wouldn’t!”
“Of course I would…” Brittany held her hands up in front of her. “Oh, I know he was my boyfriend and everything, but he’s kind of young. We don’t have a lot in common. Besides, now I have my sights set on a much more suitable boyfriend.” Brittany fluffed her hair, making it obvious that she was talking about Gray.
“Gray? He wouldn’t go for you.”
“No? Not even after I save his precious Cosmo from your evil plans?”
“He would never believe that. No one will, and besides, I’m not cutting Christian’s heart out.”
“No, I’ll do that. I’m just going to make it look like it was you.”
Issy’s heart tumbled. Her eyes flicked to Christian, who was still struggling and pleading with her to help him. Was Brittany seriously going to kill Christian? But if she’d been the one to kill Louella, it probably wouldn’t faze her to kill Christian, too.
Brittany came closer.
Issy had to think of something fast.
Next to Cosmo, Bella let out a high-pitched bark. Cosmo was still lying unconscious. Dee Dee in her wolf form lay there just as still. Alive but unconscious. She needed to get them both out of there, but the only one here to help her was Bella.
Unless…
If she could free Christian, he could carry Dee Dee. Then Issy could take Cosmo while she tried to hold off Brittany.
But how could she free him and still keep an eye on Brittany? Issy took another step backward. She was surprised Brittany hadn’t tried any magic on her yet. It was possible the other witch was conserving energy so she could whammy her with a concentrated dose.
Issy didn’t think she could fight off a concentrated dose, but she had to act soon. She needed to get very close to the chain in order to break it quickly. Her magic would be more powerful the closer she was, and she wouldn’t have to take her focus from Brittany for quite as long.
Brittany’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as Issy backed up toward Christian.
She needed a distraction.
“Well, I gotta get this show on the road so the FBPI can get here in time to witness you doing dark magic. The timing has to be just so. It’s tedious, really,” Brittany said.
It was now or never.
Issy sucked in a breath and spun around in a movement that she hoped would confuse and distract Brittany.
“Turbonicious!” She didn’t want to aim her magic directly at Brittany for fear it would boomerang back and hit her. Instead, she aimed it at the ground, creating a whirlwind of dirt and dried leaves that engulfed Brittany, swirling around her as if she were in the middle of tornado.
“Hey, what the—” Brittany batted at the leaves and dirt, forgetting to pay attention to Issy as she tried to work a way out from the whirlwind.
Issy took advantage of the opportunity. She rushed toward Christian, kneeling beside him and taking the heavy chain in her hand.
“I’m going to break the chain! We don’t have much time. You have to help me get Dee Dee out of here while Brittany is distracted.”
A weird tingle of energy coursed through her, but Issy didn’t have time to wonder why it felt so strange. She screwed up her eyes and held her breath, focusing on the thick metal chains as she curled her hand into a fist, directing her energy out to her fingertips.
The electrifying buzz shot down her arm through her elbow and to her wrist then spilled into her fingers. A few more seconds, and she’d have it.
A hand clamped over her wrist, sending white-hot energy back up her arm.
Her eyes shot open. It was Christian’s hand. But how had he gotten unchained? Her gaze shot from his hand to his face, and her heart jerked in her chest.
Deep in his eyes she saw the truth just as she felt the surge of his energy draining hers. She’d made a huge mistake.
Brittany wasn’t the dark witch. It was Christian.
She’d fallen right into the trap that had put her directly into his aura and given him the opportunity to drain her magical energy.
24
Issy’s magic faltered. The vortex stopped swirling around Brittany, and the leaves fluttered to the ground. Issy’s limbs grew weak as Christian drained the energy out of her. His powers were strong. Dark powers. Worse than the ones she hadn’t been able to fight before.
Still crouching on the ground, she tried to scramble away, but Christian’s aura held her
in place like a magnet. Her gaze drifted to his black boots. The same exact boots that were in the salamander's frantic memories. Cold seeped into every inch of her. She was vaguely aware of Brittany cackling in the background.
Even though Brittany’s cackle was witchlike, Issy now knew that Brittany was no witch. That was why she hadn’t felt that tingle of awareness she usually felt when she encountered another paranormal when they’d run into her at Hans’s office and probably why Mortimer hadn’t wilted. Issy wondered if Brittany had been the one dealing with Hans about the Vonner property at Christian’s request.
With regret, Issy realized she should have listened to her intuition. She’d thought something wasn’t right about the paranormal presence she’d felt here in the woods when Brittany had first appeared. Now she knew it hadn’t felt “right” because the source wasn’t Brittany, standing in front of her—it was Christian.
“You set me up.” Issy was surprised to find her voice was still strong. A lukewarm flicker of hope sprang up inside her as she managed to move a few inches away from Christian, backing toward the edge of the circle, which she could now see outlined in a faint glow around her.
Christian laughed. “Duh. It always did take you a while to catch on, like when I was a teenager and used to steal frogs and fish food from your store for my pet piranhas.”
“I knew you were stealing. I just didn’t turn you in for it. I figured it was a phase and you were just a kid.” Issy’s voice was steady, but her mind was frantically searching for a way out. Though being in Christian’s aura had drained her initially, she found some of that energy being restored as she inched her way backward. Maybe he wasn’t as strong as she’d thought, or maybe her own magic was stronger?
Her eyes fell on Cosmo and Dee Dee. What would become of them if she didn’t at least try to fight Christian? Not to mention Bella, who was trotting around the edge of the circle, sniffing and whining. It was clear that she wanted to get to Issy, but the invisible magic barrier of the circle stopped her.
A Spell Of Trouble (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) Page 15
