Spirited Blend

by Kennedy Layne

  “You did start this squabble with Mom by saying you wouldn’t care if she got eaten by a soul-eating ghoul,” I reminded him with a smirk. I also used this time to do as my mother suggested, focusing all of my attention on our surroundings. “Let this one go, especially since we’re about to finally meet Ivan. Besides, she’s trying to help me learn something here.”

  Leo huffed, his right eye narrowing in what could only be described as a slightly delayed glare of retribution.

  Fine. I’ll just ante up your mother’s soul into the pot when it comes to upping the stakes in a hand that I’ll purposefully throw Ivan’s way. Maybe it will sweeten him up and get me included on the weekly roster.

  Ted, Heidi, and my mother were now quite a bit ahead of us. One would think given the eerie atmosphere of the graveyard, it would have had me scurrying ahead to catch them. Instead, I took my mother’s advice to heart. By standing here with Leo, I was able to hear more distant sounds than just our footsteps crunching through the grass below our shoes.

  What you’re hearing is me grinding my teeth, which I can’t afford to do with this crooked deciduous canine of mine. On the bright side, I don’t have Ted’s choppers.

  “Is there something different about the cemetery tonight?” I asked cautiously, purposefully keeping my voice soft so that my words didn’t carry through the chilly night air. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what I was picking up, but the palm of my hand definitely began to generate heat the longer we stood in one spot. “Where are the sounds of the crickets or frogs like last time?”

  Would you stick around this place with a grim reaper lurking about or worse…your mother? She could knock a squirrel out of a tree at fifty paces on just looks alone.

  I was keeping an eye on the others when I noticed Heidi glance over her shoulder, probably to inquire about something to do with Ivan. Either that, or she was going to comment about zombie hands popping up throughout graveyard.

  Heidi does have a fear of such thing, doesn’t she? She has no idea that the woman in front of her is far worse than any flesh-eating zombie, even the black plague.

  Heidi almost stumbled when she saw how far back we were, but the terrified squeal that came from her throat was due to something…more like someone…walking past one of the tombstones and disappearing into thin air. I wouldn’t have believed that I’d seen the apparition myself if I hadn’t witnessed Heidi’s reaction, too. It was that fleeting.

  Are you sure it wasn’t Skippy? That hairy rat was the one who snatched my attention away from the empty crypt the last time we were here, remember? For all I know, Skippy is a regular at their poker game. He’s squirrelly like that.

  “It wasn’t Skippy,” I murmured warily, turning in a full circle to make sure nothing else was sneaking up on us that would cause either of us to scream in full-on panic. Heidi’s tiny squeal meant she was close to freaking out, even though she was usually the one to forge ahead in these instances. Well, that was before she knew about the supernatural world with witches, ghosts, and grim reapers. “It’s a little late, but I’m now reconsidering our decision to leave the bell at home. Maybe we should have brought it with us.”

  Have you ever heard of the saying that what you can’t see won’t hurt you? I believe that applies in this case. Come to think of it, have you considered cloaking your mother? That would solve a lot of our problems. Out of sight, out of mind.

  “That’s just because it fits your narrative.”

  I’m glad that Leo hadn’t pushed the Skippy theory, because if the cute little squirrel had shown up in the cemetery, Leo would have likely gone running off into the dark chasing his own shadow. The last thing I needed was to lose track of him with all these spirits running about. Who knows what they thought of necromancy, but my first assumption would be jealousy. Maybe outright hatred.

  Leo’s gasp of horror had me peering down at him, only to realize that he’d heard every word in my head. Even after a full year had passed, I still sometimes forgot that he could hear every thought that passed through my brain. A quick look toward Heidi assured me that my mother and Ted had squashed any panic that might have resulted in her seeing an apparition wandering through the graveyard. Now, I needed to fix my mistake so that we could finally get to our meeting with Ivan.

  “Leo, I didn’t really mean that the spirits are jealous of you or that they might dislike you. You’re safe, and—”

  Sweet angel of mercy, I’m going to die! I knew following your mother here was a mistake.

  “Leo, you’re not going to die.” I knelt once more with every intention of stroking Leo’s back in reassurance, but he was having none of that. He’d jumped two feet backwards to avoid my touch, totally aghast that he hadn’t considered the effect a recipient might have from a necromancy spell in this type of scenario. “These spirits probably have no idea that a necromancy spell was used to keep you from crossing into the afterlife.”

  You don’t know that! You’re just saying that so I don’t go into a full-blown asthma attack. What if they’ve all come through the thin veil to exact their revenge on me for being the one who made it through with hardly any adverse consequences?

  I literally had to bite my tongue and think of coffee so that Leo wouldn’t hear the laundry list of residual effects that wanted to immediately spring to mind about his appearance and short-term memory.

  I still have things to do, Raven. The squirrelpocalypse is practically upon us, and I’m the only one who is taking that even remotely seriously! And don’t even get me started on your lessons, because who knows what type of student you’d be if your witchcraft were left in your mother’s hands. If Regina had her way, she’d cast a spell on you where she wiped out the last twelve months of your memory. All my hard work and patience…for nothing!

  I attempted to figure out the best way to convince Leo that my imagination had gone into overdrive and there were no spirits who were seeking revenge, but the strangled noise that came from his throat all but told me I was about to be dealing with something worse than stopping his asthma attack.

  Whatever you do, Raven, don’t look behind you.

  Leo’s left eye was focused on something directly over my right shoulder, and I couldn’t help myself. Who could in a situation like this?

  A reasonably smart person who has a detectable measure of self-preservation, that’s who!

  The temptation was just too much, and I’d already shifted in my favorite knee-high boots I might never get to wear again should the grim reaper standing before me decide to strike me down into one of these graves.

  What’s in Ivan’s hand? I knew it! I knew it! It’s express tickets to Hades, and we’re not even packed! Brace yourself, Raven. It’s going to be a long, hot, bumpy ride!

  Chapter Seven

  Well, that was an epic letdown. This is Ivan? I’ve got to hand it to him…that smile is downright creepy.

  Once I’d stopped Leo from going into a full-blown asthma attack, he’d looked beyond the deck of cards in Ivan’s hands to see the weathered face of an elderly gentleman. It was true that there was a spine-chilling grin gracing his lips, but that was to be expected given the drawings I’d seen during my research on grim reapers.

  In occult history, grim reapers were usually depicted as skeletal remains and adorned in black robes. They held a scythe in their hands and had red, glowing eyes that were unmistakable and synonymous for death. It was also said that they could inhabit a recently vacated human body and walk the earth…which was apparently true given that we were witnessing one in person.

  I believe I might be losing my interest in playing in that weekly poker game. Hey, Raven. Can Ivan hear me? If not, let him know that I just realized I give myself a bath every Wednesday night and will be unavailable to play. Can’t let my hygiene go, now can I?

  “Um, you must be Ivan,” I managed to say after clearing my throat a couple of times. I’d taken a couple steps back out of self-preservation. By this time, Heidi had run to my side and grabbed ahol
d of my hand. My mother wasn’t so quick on her feet, but she did cautiously approach us while keeping a vigilant watch on Ivan. As for Ted, he casually followed suit as if Ivan was nothing more than a seventy-something year old groundskeeper. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  Really? Did you just tell a grim reaper that you were glad to meet him? There is seriously something wrong with the way your brain makes connections, Raven.

  “Miss Marigold,” Ivan replied, his gravelly bass voice as disturbing as his smile. I swallowed back my panic, reminding myself that I’d sought out this meeting and that it wasn’t my time to be escorted into the afterlife. “I hadn’t planned on meeting you for quite some time yet. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance beforehand.”

  Does he mean that you and I are going to be here for a while? Remember, I have plans to stop the squirrelpocalypse. That counts for something on the old balance scale, right?

  “Mr. Leo, you have nothing to fear from me this evening.” While the grim reaper was known for his glowing red eyes, Ivan’s was an uncanny blue that reminded me of a clear sky on a summer afternoon. Those baby blues focused intently on Leo. It wasn’t a surprise when he lifted one of his claws and sunk them deep into the leather of my boot. “Should your pupil come up with an appropriate spell to help with this body’s allergies, I’m sure we can come to an agreement about reserving a spot for you at our weekly poker game. Unless, of course, your vital grooming routine cannot be moved to another night.”

  “Ivan can hear your thoughts, Leo,” I whispered, just in case he’d missed it over my mother’s casual chuckle. It was quite disturbing, but she seemed rather comfortable in the grim reaper’s presence. “You might want to watch your sense of humor around him.”

  Give me a moment, Raven. I’m verklempt. The grim reaper addressed me properly, Raven. I’m so overcome with emotion that I may just allow him to scratch behind my ears.

  It would be just my luck that Ivan had utilized the one manner in which to get Leo on his side. I had been worried I’d missed one of the occult objects that I’d discovered in the antique shop a couple of months ago. I had even stopped in this afternoon to have a quick look around, but I hadn’t been able to find a thing related to the supernatural. What I hadn’t seriously considered was the grim reaper being the one responsible. What if he had ulterior motives?

  Heidi’s breathing had evened out a bit, but she still maintained a fierce grip on my hand. I didn’t mind, though. The thing about having a best friend was that you knew they’d go down swinging with the very last play in the game.

  Speaking of games, Mr. Ivan, I would be honored to join you and the others in your weekly poker game. After we clear up a few things, we can go about ridding that human vessel of yours of those pesky cat allergies. All in all, this evening is turning out to be quite splendid.

  “Oh, knock it off,” I told Leo in irritation, figuring it was just my luck to have Leo side with a possible adversary. “Ivan, don’t let Leo fool you with his proper tone. He’s a card shark and will take all your money when you least expect it, but he does in fact have a heart of gold.”

  Sweet angel of mercy, do you want me to be penciled in on his appointment calendar?

  “I assure you, Mr. Leo, your name is not on my list for this evening.” Ivan took his time in meeting everyone’s gaze before finally focusing on me, although he did seem to concentrate on my mother longer than necessary. It was only then that her cool composure seemed to fracture a bit. I’m not sure Ivan even noticed now that he was shuffling the deck in his hands. It was oddly mesmerizing to see the knotted knuckles gracefully rearrange and create a bridge with the cards. “What is it that you need help with, Miss Marigold?”

  This was it—showtime. My shining moment in talking with an actual grim reaper. I forced my shoulders to relax, somewhat reassured that we were all safe from being escorted into the afterlife this evening.

  “I’m sure that Ted has already told you what has been happening with the residents around town. I was hoping you could give us some insight as to why such occurrences are taking place in Paramour Bay.”

  Ivan didn’t reply right away, but instead continued to smile as he pondered my request. There was a part of me that sensed he was debating on telling me the truth, which confounded me. Unless, of course, he was the one responsible.

  Don’t utter such blasphemy!

  “Miss Marigold, I don’t like to meddle in affairs that don’t affect me,” Ivan ended up replying after a long pause. He continued to shuffle the cards as if he had all the time in the world. I guess given his job, he did have all the time in the world. “With that said, you might want to look closer to home.”

  “Are you saying that I somehow missed an object at the antique shop?” I asked, having already ruled out that possibility this afternoon. Unless…

  Inventory! Why didn’t we think of that? Mr. Ivan, you’re a genius! Isn’t he, Raven? The antique shop must have something in the storage room that Lydia or Kathleen haven’t displayed for their customers. Well, now that we have that taken care of, let’s get on with this allergy-ridding incantation, shall we?

  “Um, may I ask a question?” Heidi inquired, sounding like she had a horrible case of laryngitis. I had to hold back a laugh when I realized she didn’t want Ivan to know the sound of her voice. I’m pretty sure it didn’t matter, but there was no convincing her any differently. “How doesn’t it affect you when a spirit comes back through the veil?”

  “Miss Connolly, I—”

  “Who’s Miss Connolly?” Heidi asked in a feigned shocked manner, even looking around her as if someone else might have joined the group. She hadn’t been successful in the least in diverting Ivan’s attention away from her true identity. It was better to let her believe it worked, allowing her that false sense of security. “A mix-up, I’m sure. You were saying?”

  Sometimes I do wonder about the motives of my beloved Heidi. Mr. Ivan, please continue.

  Ivan blinked slowly as he realized it was best to follow Leo’s advice and just to go along with the program. His creepy smile was still in place, though.

  “As I was saying, my duties are complete when I escort the spirits to the other side,” Ivan shared, not telling us anything we didn’t already know. “What they do afterward is not my concern.”

  I like the way you do business, Mr. Ivan—only what the contract stipulates.

  I’d come to know a lot about the paranormal during my research, and I was reminded in this moment that some supernatural entities only answered specifically when a proper inquiry was asked. We needed to reword the question.

  Do we really, though? We could technically call this a win-win with you planning to go by the antique shop tomorrow while I join in tonight’s poker game. Think this through, Raven. Don’t rain on my parade.

  “Ivan, who is responsible for allowing the spirits to return to our world?” I was pretty pleased with myself when Ivan nodded his head in encouragement.

  “The only way a spirit can return in the manner you’re suggesting is through very powerful magic.”

  So, it was an occult object that I’d overlooked in the antique shop. It was a good thing that Beetle was minding the shop tomorrow morning, because I planned on visiting Lydia to see if I could have a peek at the items in the storage room or a list of any suspect sales she may have made.

  And there you have it, Raven. Okay, off you go! Don’t wait up. Oh, wait. You need to do one itsy-bitsy allergy-blocking spell before you do. Not that I need to remind you, but now is not the time for any unforced errors, either.

  “I don’t believe that bit about powerful magic to be true, Ivan,” my mother interjected, even causing Ted’s eyes to widen with disbelief that my mother would question the wisdom of a grim reaper. By this point, Leo sounded as if one of his asthma attacks had been triggered. “What about all those sightings of apparitions by mere humans? Or the hauntings of houses and places that we so often hear about, Ivan? Surely those spirits have no ac
cess to magic on our side of the veil.”

  What is this? A Paranormal 101 class? Get her to stop, Raven. Right now!

  “You are, of course, speaking of those souls who refuse to cross over, Ms. Marigold.” Ivan had stopped shuffling the deck of cards in his hand, which told me he was okay with Leo’s thought on bringing this conversation to an end. “They are stuck in the middle, sorting through their affairs until they decide they would like to avail themselves to my services. There is not much to be done about those troubled souls until only they decide otherwise. Now, if there isn’t anything else, I do believe it is time for my favorite activity of the week.”

  “Thank you, Ivan,” my mother murmured, unexpectedly stepping forward and placing her hand on Ivan’s arm. I’m pretty sure that Heidi, Leo, and I all gasped in horror at her forwardness. Ivan didn’t seem to mind, though. “I do so appreciate your discretion.”

  I somehow got lost in this conversation, but I really don’t care at this point. Raven, would you kindly cast the allergy-blocking spell so that I may live out my fantasy of winning my catnip money from the other supernatural beings in this town? Opportunities like this one only come around every so often. Ted, hand over the herbs so that we can get our game on.

  “I like your enthusiasm, Mr. Leo,” Ivan commended with that disturbing smile. I’d bet on him knowing full well that he was just stoking Leo’s fire. I wasn’t going to hear the end of these weekly poker games for years to come. “I’m all yours, Miss Marigold.”

  Chop-chop, Raven. My time has finally come.

  My mother stepped back, seemingly content with how this meeting had gone. Heidi appeared reluctant to release my hand, but she finally relented when Ted stepped forward with the two herbs needed for this particular spell—a sprig of nettle and a pinch of goldenrod flower. Truthfully, I’m not quite sure that Ivan was ready to tangle with Leo when he was in this type of mood, but it was better than being cooped up with him on the car ride home.