“What was the statue, Quinn?” Red asked.
His expression hadn’t moved much, but he looked more freaked out than she had ever seen him. “Chronos.”
She glowered at the vampire when he didn’t say more. “The Time God? For fuck’s sake, we saw ourselves in the Millennium Falcon! I slipped on the same spot. Then the rain. You can’t tell me that doesn’t just make you go hmmmmm.”
“A time anomaly. Ooo, those are rare.” Vic gasped, eyes lighting up. “Were you guys caught on a loop? How many times did you guys Groundhog’s Day?”
“One time, I think,” she whispered. “It was enough.”
“Tell me what happened!”
“We’re only discussing this once. Don’t interrupt,” Quinn said, deathly serious as he dialed Cora’s number. He explained how they arrived, and how the cops appeared and then disappeared. Distracted by Vic and the smell of rotting garbage, he hadn’t gotten an ID, visual or species, on them.
Red handed her phone to Vic to upload the video for the Supreme. They had enough data on the mobile hotspot to send it now. She wanted it off her device. The instinct was strong and primal like hunger after doing magic.
She added to Quinn’s story by describing the sigils and what she sensed from the force she could feel yet not see. Whatever that statue was, it was leaking power like a cracked nuclear reactor spewing toxic waste. Had the energy sunk into the building warping reality inside and around it? Or was it just a confusion spell?
They both fumbled when it came to describing looking up to see themselves in the van.
Red hoped that after all his years that Quinn had a better explanation of the phenomenon. After studying for the Hunter’s Challenge, she was fresh on the lore, but she was still an intern.
The Fae were said to enjoy tormenting humans by taking them to their realm then returning them after a century had passed in the fairy realm and a minute in the human world or vice versa. Yet all the hunters swore that you’d know if you were kidnapped by Fae. She imagined it would be more dramatic than a patrol through a warehouse.
The human realm had enough possible suspects. There were warlocks, alchemists, necromancers, and empaths among other mages. Some could induce hallucinations or skew your perception. Mind and matter were one thing, but true time manipulation was supposed to be beyond the reach of any mortal or demon.
Some might have seen her job as dealing with paranormal mysteries, but they were always something she could explain by known supernaturals. It was rare that she found something that was truly unexplainable.
Cora listened to their story without objection or explanation, her tone as subdued as Quinn. She promised to take care of it. After ending the call, silence reigned in the van as they fled west on the San Bernardino Freeway.
---
Sleep alluded Red.
She gave up at dawn and trooped to the living room with a blanket and a book. By the time Vic woke up, she had moved on to attempting origami. Her clammy hands fumbled to create a crane as a TV morning show droned on in front of her.
“You look like fried ass.” He pronounced with a grunt, rolling from his room, towards the kitchen attached to the living room. “Didn’t sleep?”
Shrugging, she accepted the observation. She had already seen the dark circles under her green eyes when she brushed her teeth.
Upon reaching a kitchen counter, he did a double take back at her. “You didn’t make coffee? Now, I’m concerned. How long have you been decaffeinated?”
“I thought I’d fall asleep by now, but I gave up by the third hour of the Today Show. Maybe I could go bowling? I haven’t been in a while.”
He puttered around to get the java going. “I don’t know if swinging a heavy ball is a good idea when you’re sleep deprived.”
“It feels like a good day for hobbies until our shift starts. Maybe I can learn to knit. I can pop into the craft store for some yarn.”
“I think your hobby is going to the craft store.” He snorted looking at the stack of origami paper. “Trying to distract yourself, huh?”
“Yeah. Quinn called earlier. Said that Cora went herself before dawn, but the warehouse was cleaned out. Either way, she already wired payment to the agency.”
“That’s a co-inky-dink,” he said sardonically and rolled over. “I was doomscrolling in bed and I saw this.” He showed his phone with an article on the screen. “Breaking news, the warehouse has been upgraded from empty to on fire. Good, huh?”
Red shrugged, resisting the urge to crush her half-made paper crane. “Where did that statue go? I don’t like the idea of anyone having it.”
Vic cringed and smoothed back his sleep tousled hair. “That’s a comforting notion. I’ll make sure to tell Fat Crispin in London, this is something the Brotherhood would want to track.”
The weatherman appeared on the TV screen. “If you were in San Bernardino, you were lucky enough to get a few minutes of rain last night. It was a single downpour, but we certainly need it.”
Red was too confused to keep listening to the forecast. “It rained twice last night. First when we got to the building and later when we ran out.”
Vic raised an eyebrow. “I only remember it happening once.”
Fingers chilling, Red dropped her origami. “Do you think it’s possible? To effect time. Or was that just a spell to fuck with us?”
“I’ve been working this job for a long time.” He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers on his belly like a philosopher. “Every time, I think something is impossible, the world proves me wrong.”
* * *
THE RED WITCH CHRONICLES CONTINUES IN WITCH GONE VIRAL.
* * *
---
Hiya, Sami Valentine here, author and matcha latte addict!
Long Witch Night: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Red Witch Chronicles 2) Page 30
