by Amy Boyles
“What’re y’all talking about?”
Axel and I turned around. Betty stood in the entrance of my shop. “Boy, are my ears burning. I thought someone was about to be talking about me, so I hopped on over here. Turns out I was right.”
I wasn’t sure if Betty arriving was a blessing or a curse. “Misery Grimeldie arrived today. Said she was supposed to be invited to my wedding.”
Betty threw out her hands and froze. “Misery Grimeldie?”
“That’s the one.”
She twisted her face into a grimace. “What’d you say? Was she mad?”
I scoffed. “Yes, she was mad.”
“Sounds like a woman’s problem, if you ask me,” Axel offered.
I shot him a scathing look. Axel lifted his palms in surrender.
“Betty, were we supposed to invite her?”
Betty pressed her fingers to her forehead and slid her hands down her face. “If I say yes, and that I forgot, will you forgive me?”
“She cursed the town,” I nearly shouted. “At least that’s what she said before disappearing.”
Betty cringed. “This is bad.”
“Who is she?”
Betty wrung her hands. She limply crossed to a chair and sat, her hands falling like weights to her sides. “The Grimeldies are an old family, known for their ability to curse people. They like to be respected, and if they’re not, they can be angered, seeking revenge on those who’ve insulted them.”
All of this I’d gathered on my own. Well, not all of it but some of it. I needed to know the important part.
“What about the curses? What sort of thing could she do?”
Betty leaned back. The chair beneath her creaked. “It was said that one town was washed out to sea when a Grimeldie became vengeful. Another time people started disappearing.” She gave me a long, dark look. “Lastly, once a witch was sucked into a hole and never seen again.”
“Ugh, this is horrible.”
“Worse,” Betty said in a spooky voice, “I heard the Grimeldies set an army of cockroaches on an entire family.”
I jumped from my chair. “Oh, I hope not!”
Betty cackled and hooted, pointing a finger at me. “I’m just kidding. The Grimeldies aren’t anything to worry about. Their bark is worse than their bite.”
My gut twisted, sending pain washing through my middle. “It didn’t seem like it from her weird crow-feather cloak and all.”
“Misery likes to think she’s the Wicked Witch of the South. She likens herself to a cartoon witch, and thinks wherever she walks, people tremble. I’ve never seen her work a spell that ever caused serious damage.”
“Unlike yourself,” I murmured.
Betty glared at me. She sniffed, tipping her nose into the air. “I’ll have you know everything I’ve ever done has been for the good of mankind.”
I snorted. “That include the cream that gives wrinkles?”
Ages ago Betty worked on a cream that would supposedly give her worst enemies wrinkles. Ever since then she’d jarred a little bit of the potion, but I hadn’t seen it.
“I’ll have you know you never can tell when you’re gonna need to throw wrinkle cream on someone.”
“Sure.”
“As I was saying,” she said loudly to, I assume, regain control of the conversation, “there’s no need to worry about Misery.”
I started to protest, but Betty cut me off. “And if you are gonna worry, we’ll go visit her, prove that there’s nothing to be concerned with. That woman is all smoke and mirrors. Smoke and mirrors. Even if she was ticked, I promise she’ll calm once she sees I’m involved.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “She was acting pretty Disney villain a little while ago.”
Betty dismissed my concern with a wave. “I wouldn’t worry about her. Nothing there to be losing sleep over. I promise.”
I smirked. I didn’t know if Betty was brushing off my concern because she didn’t want me to be overly panicked or if she truly wasn’t worried about Misery. If she had met the witch I met earlier, she would have been concerned, I knew that much. That lady was crazy.
Or at least she seemed to be.
Betty hopped off the chair. “You ready?”
“We’re leaving now?”
Betty nodded.
“What about the store?”
She tipped her head toward Axel. “He can watch it. What else is he doing?”
“Well actually,” Axel started to explain, “I’m working on a case.”
“Work on it from here,” Betty demanded. “Come on, Pepper. Let’s go talk to this witch.”
I swallowed a knot in the back of my throat. Simply the thought of being around Misery was enough to make me want to bury myself in a groundhog’s hole.
But Betty wouldn’t allow that, and personally I wouldn’t allow it, either.
I brushed my lips against Axel’s stubbled cheek. “Can you stay for a few minutes?”
He ran his hands down my arms and smiled tenderly. His blue eyes held a warmth that made my heart brim with love.
“I’ll stay,” he murmured. “No problem.”
“Thank you.”
“Come on, kid,” Betty called from the door. “I’m never getting this time back, you know. Life’s happening while the two of y’all are kissing it up.”
I rolled my eyes. “Coming. Just making sure that if I never see him again because of that crazy old Misery, he has a good last memory of me.”
Betty scoffed. “Don’t you worry about her. I’ll take care of it.”
I finished saying goodbye to Axel and followed Betty from Familiar Place.
“Where’s that dragon of yours?” she asked.
“Around here somewhere. Do we need him?”
She nodded. “For where we’re going, we will.”
I called Hugo, and within moments he landed in the street. I hoisted Betty up and then pulled myself onto his back.
“All right, Betty,” I said when we were settled. “Lead the way.”
“Where does she live?” I asked.
“Past the Cobweb Forest, in the Dead Forest.”
I nearly dropped my hold on Hugo. I pivoted around as much as I dared to look at her. “The Dead Forest?”
Betty nodded. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“I hope so because it sounds very, very bad.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay. Not a place I’d want to live, but you know, to each their own.”
I frowned, unsure if to each their own was a genuine way to explain such a thing, but I let it drop. No point in arguing.
Betty pointed. “There it is.”
She wasn’t kidding about the dead forest. The lush green of the Cobweb suddenly turned into trees with spindly branches that reached to the sky.
A cold knot filled my stomach. I had a bad feeling about this.
As if Betty could read my mind, she clasped my shoulder. “Too late to back down now. The crows have seen us.”
They looked like black pinpricks against the blue sky, dots on the horizon. It took only a few seconds for their shapes to take form.
Betty had been right. The crows had seen us. Hundreds of them approached.
Panic scrambled up my throat. “What do we do?”
“Nothing,” she shouted in my ear. “They’re here to escort us on to Misery.”
The birds surrounded us. Hugo reared and I held tight, speaking softly in his ear.
“They’re not going to harm us. Don’t hurt them unless something happens. Leave them alone.”
Hugo grunted, which was his way of arguing with me, but he obeyed.
The crows surrounded the dragon, circling us in a whirlwind of feathers and wings.
We followed them all the way to a cottage that sat atop a long, thin bluff that jutted straight into the air. It looked unreal, as if Misery had willed the place to come into existence just for her.
Hugo landed softly on a patch of rock just outside the cottage door. The house was strangely beautif
ul with a thick, roughly hewn oak door and lead glass windows. It reminded me of something from a storybook.
I wondered if the witch inside ate children, or other witches, for that matter. But I had no time to worry about it.
Misery had promised to curse my town, and I needed to see if that was something worth worrying about or not.
The birds fluttered around us, kicking up a tornado of black feathers. I waved my hand in front of my face so I could see.
As the birds’ movement died down, the front door creaked open.
Betty laced her hand through my arm. “Looks like we’ve been invited in. Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
We entered. The main room of the cottage held a bubbling cauldron in one corner, a large crystal ball on a table, stone floors that my boots clacked on, old wooden shelves that were gnarled and rough and lots of windows that leaked in plenty of sunlight.
Misery stood on one side of the room holding a knotted cane.
A cane she hadn’t had when she saw me earlier, I’d like to add.
“We brought you apples,” Betty said.
“We did?” I murmured.
Betty shot me a look that said, Shut it.
“Did you?” Misery eyed Betty skeptically. “Where are they?”
Betty motioned with her hand, and a basket filled with ripe red apples appeared beside the witch.
Misery eyed them greedily.
“I heard you’ve cursed our town,” Betty said.
Misery said nothing.
Betty folded her arms. “I’m sorry about the invitation. I don’t know how it slipped my mind, but Axel’s family is full of werewolves, so we had to make sure they could get into town. Also, there’s been lots of planning and logistics because it is a big wedding.”
Misery didn’t speak. She plucked an apple from the basket and ran her fingers over the skin.
Betty pulled out her pipe, lit it by shooting a flame from her nose and gripped the stem between her teeth. “You can play wicked witch all you want up here on your mountain, but you and I both know you’re all smoke and no fire.”
Misery stared at her. Betty stared right on back. It was like watching two old women at the O.K. Corral ready to shoot the other down.
Who would win? The one with the pipe and boobs? Or would it be the crow lady?
I had my bets on crow lady. If you asked me, her stare was much beadier, more nasty.
Betty spoke with her pipe dangling from her teeth. “Look, I’ve brought you apples, I’ve apologized. There’s nothing else I can do.”
Misery’s lips pulled back into a sneer that sent goose bumps washing down my back. “You could have invited me to the wedding—months ago.”
I grimaced at Betty. Yep, we could have done that.
Misery’s feather robe bristled at the shoulders. “But instead you offered apologies but still no way to make it right.”
“I get the feeling nothing would have made this right,” Betty grumbled.
“Because of that, your silly little town will fall to my curse. There will be no way out of it. You will be stuck dealing with what you have sown.”
I frowned at Betty. “Does she mean sew, as in what we stitched?”
“I think she means planted. Using more Biblical terminology.”
I shrugged. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“Quiet,” Misery commanded. “Leave. The winds of change are coming. The curse is unfolding. You will have to live with it.”
Betty glared at her. “Misery, your power is limited. You and I both know that. You have this mountaintop and your crows, but I’ve never seen you work any magic that would suggest you have the capabilities to curse an entire town.”
Misery’s eyes widened. “Then be prepared to be surprised.”
She raised her hand and opened her fingers slowly, one at a time. “Begone! Oh, and I’m keeping the apples.”
A whoosh of air sucked us from the cottage and I was falling, drifting through clouds until I landed with a thump on Hugo.
Another thump and Betty had landed behind me. She puffed on her pipe, which still smoked. The scent of peach tobacco filled the air.
“Well, I might be wrong about the wicked witch,” she mused. “We’ll just have to see.”
Chapter 4
When I returned to Familiar Place, I told Axel everything that had happened.
He stroked my back as he pulled me into a hug. “You can’t fight what you don’t know,” he said. “No point in worrying.”
“I just feel so bad not knowing.”
Axel released me. His lips tugged into a smile. “I’ve got just the thing that will make you happy.”
“What’s that?”
He winked. “How about after work today you come with me? I’ve got a surprise for you.”
I shot him a mocking glare. “What sort of surprise? Like a wedding present sort of surprise?”
“Maybe,” he teased.
I pulled away and studied him, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not. “Is it really a wedding present?”
Axel raked his fingers through his hair. “You’ll just have to see.”
I wiggled my fingers at his stomach, threatening to tickle him. “Tell me.”
“Never.”
Axel backed up to the door and dipped his chin. His blue eyes glinted with amusement. “I’ll pick you up at closing.”
“Okay, Mr. Mysterious.”
As soon as he disappeared, I had about five minutes of quiet before the door opened again. Mint and Licky, my two twin aunts, stepped inside.
Mint tossed her long red hair over one shoulder. “Pepper, we’re so glad we caught you here.”
I glanced around as if that was a trick question. “Where else would I be?”
“At home taking milk baths and getting ready for your wedding,” Licky said.
“That’s not for a few weeks.”
Mint shrugged. “We wanted to bring you something.”
Licky pulled a silver box tied with a red bow from behind her back. “A wedding gift.”
I smiled. “You don’t have to give me anything. Especially not before the wedding.”
“Oh, but this is something you need before the wedding,” Mint explained. “To help you.”
“With what, exactly?”
Licky circled behind me, took a handful of my hair and started threading her fingers through it. She’d never been touchy-feely before, and I started to wonder if she was feeling okay.
She whispered ominously in my ear. “It’s to help you be calm.”
My gaze lighted on Mint. “Is this legal?”
They both exhaled delicate laughs that bounced around the room.
Licky dropped her grip on my hair and came around. “Of course it’s legal, Pepper. It’s only a gift that will help you to ease into your new life.”
I hitched a brow at them. Needless to say, I was skeptical. But here they stood offering a present, and who was I to turn them away?
That wasn’t exactly being nice of me, was it?
Mint offered the gift. The package was beautiful, I had to admit, and they’d obviously taken great care in wrapping it, even if they’d used their magic to do so.
Actually, I couldn’t be positive about that. Maybe they’d wrapped it the old-fashioned way.
Maybe.
I plucked the red ribbon, and the paper unfolded, peeling away from the box. I lifted the lid.
Sitting atop a mound of tissue paper lay a dream catcher.
Thread had been woven through the delicate wooden hoop while feathers and beads dangled from strands that fell from the bottom of the circle.
I lifted it from the box. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
But I still didn’t understand the purpose.
Licky smiled widely. “In some cultures these were hung over babies to protect them.”
Okay, I wasn’t a baby. Perhaps I was missing something.
“Since you’re starting a new life,” Mint
said, taking over, “it’s like you’re beginning fresh, so we made this for you. It does some protecting, but it also is supposed to stop any bad feelings or dreams.”
I debated asking them if they could create catchers for the entire town as Misery had cursed us, but I kept my mouth shut on that front.
No need to worry anyone who didn’t need to be worried, I supposed.
Licky pulled me into a hug. “You’re our niece, and we only want what’s best for you.”
“Thank you,” I murmured again.
“Love you, chick,” Mint said as she hugged me.
“Love y’all,” I replied, feeling a tightness in my chest. I was about to be married, and my mother, who’d died when I was young, wouldn’t be in attendance. Instead her sisters would represent her.
All the family I had left lived in Magnolia Cove, and they gave me enough love that my heart overflowed with emotion.
After Mint and Licky left, I wrapped the dream catcher in the paper and placed it in my oversize purse.
As I finished up my day, anticipation built in me about the surprise Axel had in store. I literally had no idea what it could be, and I felt all wound up, as every cell in my body hummed with excitement.
He returned a few hours later, his hair wet from a shower and his clothes fresh and smelling like leather.
I grinned so wide my cheeks hurt. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, yourself,” he murmured as he leaned in for a kiss. “You ready?”
“Yep. Let me just lock up.”
I fished the golden key from my purse and fed it into the lock slot, turning tumblers to secure the shop.
I turned to face Axel and saw a crow sitting on a fire hydrant. I stared at the house-cat-sized bird and shivered.
Axel rubbed my back protectively. “What is it?”
I nodded toward it. “Something about that creature.”
“What do you mean?”
I tugged his shirt and dragged him out of earshot. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure we were far enough away that the creature wouldn’t hear me.
It had flown away. Or disappeared. I didn’t know which was the true answer.
A chill swept down my spine. “It’s gone.”
“It’s a bird,” Axel said flatly. “It flew away.”
“Misery had an entire flock of crows.”
