The Pink Pumpkin Party

by Vella Day

  While the doctor went over to check on Nash, I sat in the chair next to Hunter’s bed. “How are you feeling?”

  Yes, it was a dumb question. If he’d been good, he wouldn’t have been here.

  “I’ll heal.”

  “Are you sure? I mean are you healing at the same rate as usual?”

  He glanced away. “No, and that is a problem.”

  “I think I know why.” His brow rose. “One of the men might have put a curse on you and Nash.”

  “A curse.” His statement made it sound as if he didn’t believe in them either, but he had to know something was wrong.

  “Yes. We talked about these werewolves possibly being able to cloak their scent, remember?”

  “Sure, but most likely they had a witch put a spell on them to block it.”

  We had drawn that conclusion. “Now, I’m thinking these men might be part warlock, which makes them much more dangerous.”

  “In what way?”

  “It’s possible they put a curse on you and Nash that prevents you from healing. It might be blocking your animal abilities. I don’t know exactly.”

  He sucked in a breath. “Someone can do that?”

  “Maybe. I’m not all that well-versed in warlock stuff. I’m thinking this curse might even be designed to make all wounds worse.”

  Hunter huffed. “Aren’t you the cheery one.”

  “Sorry.” I looked over at Nash whose breathing was shallow. “I doubt they had time to perform a spell before they attacked, though it is possible. Can you tell me what happened?”

  “There’s not much more than what I told you over the phone. We were searching for them when they just appeared in their wolf form. The wolves growled and then attacked. Unless they did a spell when they were out of sight, I don’t think they had time once they were near. Even if I believe humans can perform magic, I don’t imagine werewolves can.”

  “Without hands, it might be hard, but if they are part warlock, I don’t know what they are capable of.”

  “How long would this spell take to cast? Or better yet, how long would it last? They could have said it before they shifted or put it on us a while ago, knowing that if we were ever injured, we wouldn’t heal.”

  I was afraid he’d ask me this. “I have to be honest, I haven’t investigated it enough. I will talk to Gertrude and Levy Poole when I’m done here, but if it is like most spells, it would take longer than a few seconds to invoke. As for how long it can last, the spell I put on Jaxson to enable him to communicate with Iggy is still working, but the spell to have super hearing and sight has worn off. It appears to be a hit or miss.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “So now what?”

  “I’m hoping there is something I can do to reverse this curse.”

  He nodded over to Nash. “You better hurry. I don’t know how long he can hang on.”

  “I am worried about that, too. By chance, did either of you two spend any time talking to either a Spiderman, Olaf, Batman, or Darth Vader at the party?”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  “Why would I joke?”

  “Sorry, it’s just that we talked to a lot of people, and Penny and I checked in about twenty partygoers.”

  “I was thinking more like when you went inside. It appears as if these men planned their attack carefully, from cloaking their scent to putting a curse on Nash should he survive their assault. Their only error—or so I believe—was in killing the wrong man.”

  “Dr. Sanchez said that the murdered man Heather found was Travis Knowlton, a friend of the other two.”

  “I know. If his two partners killed him, we may never learn why. My guess would be that they don’t tolerate mistakes.”

  “Nice friends.”

  I appreciated that Hunter could kind of joke at a time like this. “I know I said I only had one more question, but was there any time when you and Nash were together at the party? That’s when they might have put the curse on Nash, and it extended to you. I imagine one of them distracted you two while another said the spell.”

  His eyes lit up, and he then shook a finger. “Yes. Penny was talking to you for a bit, so I chatted with Nash.”

  “Spells don’t have pinpoint accuracy, at least the ones I know about don’t. These men could have done some incantation toward all werewolves in the room.”

  “Including your father?”

  My stomach churned. “Yes, including my father.”

  Hunter shook his head. “They didn’t know we were ones either. If they did, they wouldn’t have mistakenly killed Peter.”

  “I think they knew at least who Nash was, but they somehow got their wires crossed during the execution of their plan. The lights were flashing those ghosts on the ceiling, so it wasn’t easy to see in there. Maybe they identified Nash as someone who was wearing a vampire costume, but when the crowd grew, they got him mixed up.”

  “My head is spinning from this. Let’s assume you are right in that these men wanted to be positive that Nash would die even after being stabbed. Where do we go from here?”

  “Like I said, I’m going to ask Gertrude or Levy about this cancellation spell,” I said.

  “Are you hopeful it will work?”

  “I won’t know until I try it. Curses are often two-way streets, so to speak. If a witch or warlock can cast a spell, it can be broken. I just have to find someone who knows how to do this.”

  “Which is why you want to talk to Levy. He is a warlock,” Hunter said.

  “Yes. If—or rather when Nash wakes up—tell him to hold on. I’m doing my best.”

  Hunter leaned over and hugged me. “Thank you.”

  I smiled—or as close to a smile as I could muster. “If anything happened to you, Penny would be a basket case. For my own sanity, you know I have to do everything I can to make you better.”

  Hunter tapped his fingers to his forehead. “To Penny.”

  On the way out, I told Dr. Sanchez that I would do what I could to help both men. “They just need to hang on a little longer.”

  “Thank you, Glinda.”

  When I left, I had this sinking feeling that I had promised more than I could deliver. While Gertrude might be able to help, considering she hadn’t called about the uncloaking spell yet, I thought I would speak with Levy first.

  Once in my car, I called him and explained that Hunter and Nash had been attacked by two werewolves. “The problem is that my two friends haven’t healed. In fact, Nash may not survive.”

  “I am so sorry.”

  “Thank you. I’m thinking one of the werewolves put a curse on both men that prevents them from healing. Have you heard of anything like that?”

  “No.”

  I was pinning much of my hope on Levy. If he couldn’t help, I don’t know what I would do. “Is there anyone you can ask?”

  I could almost hear his mind whirring. “I can gather our coven leaders if you want to address them. Coming from you, it might have more impact.”

  Me? My mother was a member of a coven, but I never felt I was good enough to belong. According to Levy’s grandmother, his coven was much more powerful than the one my mom belonged to in Witch’s Cove. His group could read people’s minds—more or less—and open locks mentally. And that was probably a small portion of their talent, but if I said no, Nash would die.

  “Where and when should I meet you?” He gave me the time and place. “I’ll be there.”

  Since I had about twenty minutes to spare, I called Jaxson.

  “How are they?” he asked.

  I explained that it didn’t look good for Nash. “Levy has set up a meeting with his coven right now. It’s possible one of them might know how to reverse the curse.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  I loved how supportive he was. “I can’t think of anything.”

  “Then good luck.”

  I would need more than luck. I disconnected and headed for a drive-thru restaurant since I needed a strong cup
of coffee if I was going to make it through a coven meeting. I’d been to a few meetings with my mom, but that was when I was in high school. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this one.

  Thankfully, the meeting place was easy to find, though I didn’t expect them to be meeting in what looked like a library. Levy was standing out front waiting for me. I parked and walked up to him. “Hey.”

  He seemed to analyze me. It took a moment to realize he was trying to get a reading off of what I was thinking. If he’d asked, I could have told him: I was petrified and afraid of Nash dying because I’d messed up. If I hadn’t called Hunter in the first place, none of this would have happened.

  “The entrance is on the side. Most of the leaders have arrived.” He looked over me and smiled. “Don’t worry. They don’t bite.”

  That made me smile. “You can tell I’m nervous?”

  “What do you think?”

  That would be an affirmative. I expected there to be a door handle, but there wasn’t. Levy placed a palm on a sensor and leaned forward. “This place has an eye scanner?”

  “When you go inside, you’ll see why we have the need for such security.”

  “I get security, but why not have a lock that only the mind can open?”

  “Ah, I understand. You think that because a few of us can open locks that way, everyone can. Most can’t. Turns out we each have our own distinctive talents. It’s what makes our coven so powerful.”

  “Good to know.” Here goes nothing.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The room Levy led me to wasn’t very large, but it was filled with tall bookcases that contained ancient looking tomes. Sconces, fueled by what I guessed contained propane, lit the room in a yellow glow. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the members had been dressed in ancient robes or something, but they weren’t. In fact, the six-person assembly looked rather ordinary. Two men were in business suits, while two more were dressed in jeans and T-shirts. The women wore slacks and nice blouses. Considering it was mid-day, it looked as if this might be their lunch hour.

  Levy introduced me. “Time is of utmost importance. The deputy in Witch’s Cove, a werewolf, is clinging to life after having been attacked by some werewolves.” He explained about the possible reason for the attack. “Both he and his former partner, now a forest ranger, were injured. Neither are healing from their wounds.” Levy looked over at me, as if it was now my turn to ask for their help.

  “Hi, as Levy said, I’m Glinda.” As a former school teacher, speaking in front of a group never bothered me, but for some reason being in front of this group did. Their power scared me. I couldn’t help but think they could read my mind. I inhaled, forcing my thoughts to settle. “I believe two werewolves put an anti-healing curse on these two men. I’m really hoping someone has an idea how I can break the spell.”

  All of them looked around. “Camila, any thoughts?” Levy asked. He turned to me. “Camila is a werewolf and a witch.”

  This must have been the reason he believed his coven could help.

  “I’ve never heard of this particular curse, but it is possible there is one. As for reversing it, I imagine that exists, too.” She pushed back from the table and walked over to the bookshelves.

  There were hundreds of books that I could have spent years looking through. Even if I read each one, I wouldn’t remember where I found which spell—assuming that’s what these books were.

  She grabbed one and leafed through it. “Here it is. I thought I’d seen it before. Unfortunately, there is no mention of an antidote.”

  I tried not to let my disappointment show. “How difficult was this spell to cast?” I wanted to see if one or two of the werewolves could have done the incantation in the middle of a party without anyone noticing.

  “It’s easy, if you possess the right powers.” She looked over at Levy. “Opening locks with his mind is easy for Levy but impossible for me. As I’m sure you are aware, doing a spell is much easier than undoing it, which is as it should be. Otherwise, it would mean anyone could negate our powers.”

  “That makes sense.”

  One of the men in a suit pushed back his chair. “Time is of the essence. Let’s all look.”

  The entire group participated, pouring over the books. I might have taken part had I’d known what to look for. Less than fifteen minutes later, a man in blue jeans placed a book on the table. “Look at this.”

  They huddled around and silently read it. Camila smiled. “That’s it. Glinda, have a seat.” She looked up at Levy. “Can you get something we can take notes on?”

  Levy went over to a desk and retrieved a piece of paper and pencil. From the length of the spell, this looked complicated. I hoped I had the ability to perform this.

  “You’ll need quite a few ingredients.” Camila listed what was needed. “Most of these will be found in the woods, but you’ll need help locating them, unless you are an expert in botany.”

  “Hardly. May I see?”

  She slipped me the paper. I recognized pine needles and an oak leaf, but where in the world might I find a sassafras root? “Do you think all of these exist around here?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve never looked.”

  My hope was that Hex and Bones could provide me with some of the items. “This spell is in what language?”

  Reciting in English was hard enough, let alone in something I couldn’t understand.

  She glanced down at the ancient book. “I can’t be sure, but considering the age of this book, maybe some dead Latin language mixed with Celtic. I imagine most of the words don’t even exist today.”

  Great. “Please don’t tell me if I mispronounce one word, all will be lost.”

  “Hopefully not. Your innate abilities are what’s most important.”

  The urge to laugh was strong. My innate abilities? “Do you think you could do it for me?”

  She shook her head. “I would in a heartbeat if I thought it would work, but it says in the book that the spell giver must have a personal connection to the person or persons who were cursed.”

  That was what Bertha said when I asked about a locator spell. “Okay, I’ll try. I can’t thank you all enough for taking time out of your busy day to help me.”

  “Our pleasure. Please let Levy know how it goes,” Camila said.

  “I will.”

  With my spell and list of ingredients in hand, Levy escorted me out. Once more he had to place his palm on some sensor plate and use an eye scanner to get out. Because of the powerful books in this room, I could understand the caution.

  After I thanked him, I headed back to town, though I wasn’t quite sure where to stop first. I suppose Bertha’s store would be my best bet since some of the items on the list seemed ancient. I would tell her mostly the truth—just not about Nash and Hunter being werewolves.

  I parked in front of Hex and Bones Apothecary and entered. I still had nightmares from the time I stopped in and learned Bertha was off visiting her ill sister. Her substitute was the one who gave me the wrong ingredients for my requested spell. Instead of turning Iggy back to green, we both ended up with the ability to see ghosts. In retrospect, it turned out to be a good thing.

  Inside the store, Bertha was there, and I breathed a sigh of relief like I always did upon finding her. She was straightening some skulls and other occult items on the shelf. The end of October was the start of the busy season, so I was surprised it wasn’t more crowded.

  “Bertha?”

  She jerked and spun around. “Glinda! I didn’t hear you come in. Nice to see you.”

  I handed her my list of ingredients. “Can you help me with any of these?”

  I wish I knew what affect it would have on Nash’s and Hunter’s healing abilities if I were to obtain all but one of these items.

  She studied the list. “What is this for?”

  I had rehearsed my spiel. I explained about our deputy being in a fight and that a warlock might have cursed him. I just didn’t say with whom he ha
d the fight, or rather with what. “Nash’s cuts aren’t healing, so I found a spell to reverse this curse.”

  If she asked how I knew someone had put a curse upon him in the first place, I wasn’t sure I could come up with a good answer.

  “Let me look.”

  Phew. I appreciated her discretion. Of the fifteen items on the list, Bertha found three from the shelves located right behind the main desk.

  “I have more obscure items in the back,” she said.

  “Okay.”

  Bertha was able to find four more from her room in back. “The rest you might be able to find in the forest, assuming you know what to look for.”

  “I have a friend who can help. Thank you.” Not having the time or inclination to answer more questions, I quickly paid and left.

  For the next part of this operation, I wanted Jaxson’s help. When I headed upstairs, he wasn’t in the office, so I called him.

  “Jaxson Harrison,” he answered, though he knew full well who it was. I suspected he wanted to put a little levity into my life. He knew I’d be stressed.

  “Where are you?” I asked.

  “In the wine shop.”

  “I’m up in the office, but I need to gather some ingredients from the woods for the curse, and I don’t want to go alone.”

  “We’ll be right there.”

  We? A moment later, Jaxson climbed up the interior stairwell with none other than Iggy on his shoulder. “Iggy, have you changed allegiances?” I asked him.

  “What do you mean?”

  I was surprised he knew the word. “It seems as if you prefer Jaxson to me.”

  “I like you both equally.”

  I chuckled at that line. I hoped he was kidding. “I need help.”

  “Tell us,” Jaxson said.

  I went over everything that happened at the coven meeting, and that Bertha was able to supply half the ingredients. “The other half are in the woods.”

  “Maybe the lady who works with Hunter can help,” Iggy suggested.