Carnival Moon
Copyright 2014 Margarita Gakis
Cover by Steven Novak - https://novakillustration.com/
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Carnival Moon
About Margarita Gakis
Other books by Margarita Gakis
Connect with Margarita Gakis
Acknowledgements
As always, I thank my family for supporting me. It’s not always easy to listen to an excited author prattle on about works in progress, but you guys listen attentively and nod at all the appropriate times.
Carnival Moon
Jade knocked on Paris’ office door and then pushed it ajar with her foot, spying him at his desk. Paris was on the phone, looking up from his computer and acknowledging her with a quick quirk of his lips. Since her hands were occupied with a tray of coffee and a grimoire, she jerked her head in the direction of the Queen Anne chairs in front of the fireplace and headed there. She saw Paris tilt his head to get a better look at the spellbook she was carrying. It was just one of her regular grimoires, not one of her demon spellbooks. She knew better than to take one of the demon books out of her house - he’d told her several times. Several long, annoying times. There were only three demon grimoires that they knew of at the coven; Paris had one and Jade the other two. Jade wasn’t sure where he kept his, only that it wasn’t at the Coven. Jade’s two were safely ensconced in her cottage. Today it was just a regular spellbook - one from the Coven’s library. There were a few spells Jade wanted to try, but, given her history, she’d been banned from new magic anything until Paris could review it first. You lose control of one or two spells and maybe try a demon rune without asking first and suddenly, you were on the shit-list.
She sat cross-legged on the floor and spread her stuff out. If she was going to have her coffee, muffin and spellbook, it was easier to be on the ground. Paris finished his call and then came over, hitching his trousers up carefully before descending gracefully into a cross-legged pose as well. Jade crammed a piece of muffin in her mouth and simultaneously handed him his coffee (which was sure to be overly sweet - he had such a sweet tooth), as he spoke.
“The werewolves have asked to meet you.”
Jade paused at Paris' words, coffee cup half way to her mouth. She worked her mouth around the muffin, swallowing the dry morsel so she could speak. “I was sick that day.”
Paris frowned at her comment. “What day?”
Jade shrugged, washing down the muffin bite with her drink. “Whatever day it was the something happened that made the werewolves want to meet me.”
“It isn't a negative thing, Jade. They're quite interested in you.”
“I didn't do anything. I haven't been doing any spells without checking with you! Okay, so there was this one dusting spell I tried and it cracked the coffee table but that's it. Oh, and there was a fire spell but it was small. Really small. Barely used any power. No biggie.”
"What did you need the fire spell for?"
“No biggie,” Jade enunciated carefully. She’d cast the fire spell for Bruce, her lizard familiar. He got chilly sometimes and Jade felt bad for him. He would sleep on the heating vents, belly pressed up to the metal grates and Jade worried he’d burn his scales. It had been just a little fire spell, enough so Bruce would have something to curl up around and keep him toasty warm. Plus he looked really cute when he did it. Kind of like a fat tabby cat instead of a seventy pound lizard-thing.
Paris shook his head at her protestations, hesitating like he was trying to find the right words. “It's quite rare they ask to meet someone. Usually if there is a delegate or coven member we'd like the weres to meet, it takes weeks of negotiations but they've specifically requested to meet you. Since the… incident with Dex, the weres state coven magic feels different.”
“That's totally not my fault," Jade argued. Dex, along with another coven leader, had cast a spell on Coven Magic, warping it. It had only been fixed by Paris a short time ago and the Coven was still working out some of the kinks. “You told me to cast a fire spell so you could reset Coven Magic. You're the one that tuned everyone else’s magic to mine,” Jade said, pointing a finger at Paris. “I can't help that my magic is different from what everyone else, including the weres, is used to.”
“You misunderstand me. The werewolves say its different, but they like it better now.”
Jade’s eyebrows came together in surprise. “Are you serious?”
Paris nodded. “Quite. Apparently the way our magic was before, the way it has always been, was slightly dissonant to them. It was the main reason why, if we were using it improperly or letting it bleed over to their territory, the werewolves found it so disagreeable. But since we reset it - ” Jade gave him a pointed look and Paris nodded his head once, “Since I reset it, they find it much closer to their own inherent magic and more accordant.”
“Wow,” Jade replied, drinking her coffee. “What does that mean? Is that good or bad?”
“I’m not sure, but since it is a significant change in our magic, and they’ve noticed it, they have an interest in you.”
“Is this gonna be like Seth has an interest in me?” Jade asked, thinking of the demon that continually showed up in her pantry uninvited. Seth’s little black demon heart was set on making Jade deal with him. So far, she’d managed to avoid it but he was persistent - popping up in Jade’s life and needling her regularly.
“Hardly,” Paris answered, bristling. “The werewolves are our allies. They are our supernatural neighbors and nothing at all like… the demon.” Paris had an aversion to saying Seth’s name. From what Jade understood, the entire coven had grown up being told nighttime horror stories of what happened to good little witches who consorted with demons. Jade had a healthy fear of Seth but having not grown up in the coven herself, she wasn’t as superstitious as the rest of them.
“So what do I have to do to meet werewolves? Is there a lunch? Is it raw? I don't even eat sushi. Is there a blood ritual? If anyone even attempts to pee on me I'm out."
Paris looked fatigued and unimpressed with her questions, cradling his coffee in his hands. “Are you quite finished?”
She smirked. “For now.”
“You've been invited to their winter carnival, their Wolf Moon celebration. It's quite an honor. I don’t know the last time anyone from a coven was invited to any of their moon celebrations.”
“Is this another party thing like the coven ball?” Jade asked, recalling the big event the Coven had just had two weeks ago - sort of a gala. People dressed up, fancy dinner, nice meal. It had been right after she and Paris had dealt with Dex. Having never been to a big party like it before, Jade had found it fun. Except for the part where Hannah, maternal figurehead of the Coven, had called Jade up in front of everyone and given a little speech about her. Jade thought back on the moment, standing in front of the entire coven, while Hannah had welcomed her officially into their ranks. At that time, Paris had presented Jade with a talisman. Instinctively, Jade’s hand drifted up to where the salamander charm hung around her neck and she fingered it lightly, feeling the warmth of the charm from where it had been resting against her skin. “Is it gauche if I wear the same dress?”
“The wolves have asked for your size to send you an outfit. Their Wolf Carnival is a masquerade event. It's based in their lore and mythology and it would be inappropriate for you to wear anything of which they hadn't approved.”
“What kind of outfit?” Jade asked eyes narrowing. “I'm not wearing a pelt. Or a Barberella dress.”
“And there will be no dog jokes or references,” Paris added not answering her question.
Jade grinned cheekily. “But it's so much fun! And so easy!” She slugged back the rest
of her coffee. “Is it ‘inappropriate’ of me to tell them that I’ll wear their outfit so long as I’m covered up?”
Paris inclined his head once. “I will pass the message along for you.”
Jade had a sudden, nerve-wracking thought. “Um, you’re coming too, right? Like it’s not just me that’s been invited?” She really wasn’t sure she wanted to go without Paris. Not that she didn’t think she could go on her own, but if even wearing the wrong thing could be ‘inappropriate’ there was no counting the ways in which she could mess up. She’d only been part of a coven for a few months. Jade barely knew the ins and outs of coven life, let alone other magical creatures.
“I have been invited as your escort, yes.”
The way he worded that made her pause and stare at him. “As my escort,” she repeated. “Are you my ‘plus one’?”
“It would appear so.”
Jade felt weird and maybe somewhat apologetic about that, even though she hadn’t done anything. “So when is this shindig?”
“On the eve of the full moon. This Thursday. What size should I tell the weres to send to you?”
Jade made a face and slunk backward against the chair. Ugh. Moment of truth. She exhaled hard through her nose, scrunching it up a bit in thought. “Well, it kind of depends on what they want me to wear. I wear around an 8 or a 10 but if it’s cut slim, I would need a 12. Same if the fabric has no give - a 12. But if it’s kind of stretchy or only cut a little slim, then I could do a 10. Unless it's an A-line. Then an 8 should fine. If it’s two pieces, I’m usually an 8 up top and a 10 on the bottom might be the safest and I can belt it or staple it if necessary.”
Paris just stared at her, fingers hovered his notepad with a pen. “I don’t understand.” He looked thoroughly confused.
Jade shrugged. “Women's clothing sizes are fucked. It's easier figuring out magic.” She gestured to the books in front of her.
Paris looked down at her jeans and pointed with his pen. “But what size are the pants you’re wearing right now? Can’t I just tell them that size?”
Jade just stared at him and tipped her head to one side. “It’s cute you think women’s clothing works that way.”
He seemed confused, as though he thought she was joking and was waiting for a punch line. She shrugged. “Give them those numbers and if they send me something I can’t wear, it’s on them.”
Paris made a few notes in his book and then looked back at the grimoire Jade was flipping through. “Very well. Have you chosen a spell to work on today?”
Jade glanced up at him from underneath her eyelashes. She had. She didn’t think he was going to like it, but it was one that interested her and he had said she could pick any one from the book. She was pretty sure Paris hadn’t known what all the spells in the grimoire were when he’d said that. She turned to the page in question and then held it up for him to see.
“This one.”
Paris leaned closer and she saw the moment he read the title, his lips coming together firmly and his eyes narrowing slightly.
“You said any spell in the book!” she protested before he even had a chance to speak.
“I did, and I’m sure you read through them all just so you could find the most difficult and dangerous one.”
“Yep.” Jade didn’t bother to deny it. Why should she? She tapped the page with her finger, not able to stop herself from doing an excited little shimmy.
“Illusion magic is not to be toyed with.”
“Can we pretend like I already know how this lecture starts and ends and jump to the spell work?”
Paris exhaled sharply through his nose. “Have you been doing your magic exercises?”
“Yes.” She sat up a bit straighter, getting ready to defend her choice in spell if necessary.
“Even the meditation and control ones?”
Jade rolled her eyes a bit. “Yes,” she said, able to hear a note of sulking in her tone.
“Let’s do those first and if I can see you’ve been practicing, we’ll move onto illusion magic.”
Carnival Moon Page 1
