Spells and Spooks (Witch Haven Mystery - a fun cozy witch paranormal mystery series Book 1)

by K E O'Connor

  “You could always ask Olympus for help,” Hilda said.

  “No way. He’s not a friend. He’ll arrest me if he knows I’m still in Witch Haven.”

  “He’s not a friend yet, but he could be. And those piercing dark eyes are always welcome here.”

  I laughed. “Do you have a crush on Olympus?”

  “Don’t you?” Hilda said.

  “Nope. He’s too arrogant, and he runs the Magic Council. He’s responsible for the pain I went through.”

  “Is that really true?” Hilda said. “He didn’t pass your sentence.”

  “Okay, it’s not entirely true, but I don’t see how we can make him an ally.”

  “We could start by not making him an enemy,” Hilda said. “Offer him useful information. He could warm to you if you make an effort with him.”

  “I’ll think about that.” Dealing with the spiky, dangerous Olympus Duke wasn’t going on my to-do list anytime soon. “But that leads me to our next problem. We have to find a way to get the Magic Council to agree this house can stay.”

  “And convince them concealing the house was the right thing to do,” Hilda said.

  “Good luck with that,” Nugget said. “The Magic Council hate being taken for fools. I don’t know why. It happens to them often enough.”

  “At least I’m blameless,” I said. “I can say hand on heart I had nothing to do with this deception.”

  Nugget snorted. “You’re going to throw us to the Magic Council?”

  “You can’t do that. We protected all the beautiful things in this house,” Hilda said.

  Russell blasted round the room, squawking his unhappiness.

  I laughed. “Okay, I’ll save your hides by not letting on what you did, but we can only hide behind the magic wards for so long. Eventually, someone will spot us coming and going and report their suspicions to the Magic Council. We have few friends in this village.”

  “We can show them all the magic in this house is only ever used for good,” Hilda said. “They’d be wrong to destroy so much power, especially if it’s used for their benefit.”

  “They’ve been wrong plenty of times before,” Nugget said. “It doesn’t stop them from continuing to make mistakes.”

  I nodded. “Which is why we need to tread carefully. The Magic Council isn’t on our side. Until they soften to us, we have to be discreet, or I’ll go back to prison and you’ll all be on the street again.”

  “So no more blowing up ghosts in the center of the village,” Nugget said. “Shame, I enjoyed that task.”

  “I bet you didn’t enjoy all the goo stuck to your fur when the ghost spat you out,” I said.

  “I’m still finding it in crevices it shouldn’t be in,” he said.

  I glanced at my hands. A faint white glow shimmered on my palms. “And I need to figure out what to do with all this new power, before I blow myself up and take all of you with me.”

  “It is freaky,” Hilda said. “It doesn’t feel like your power.”

  “I don’t think it is all mine.” I brushed my fingers over the amethyst necklace that had saved me from the ghost. I wasn’t sure whose power I was channeling, but it would take a while to get it under control.

  “You don’t want the Magic Council seeing you tangling with powers beyond your ability,” Nugget said. “Or that’ll be a one-way ticket back to prison.”

  “I sure don’t. I’ll find a way to get this magic under control. It’ll just take me some time.”

  “I don’t know why you’re worrying about all this. These are small problems. We can easily fix them,” Nugget said.

  “They are? They seem pretty huge to me. Who injected you with a blast of positivity?”

  “I did. I’m my own cheerleader. And we make an awesome team. We banished the ghost, Luna’s apartment was saved, and she’s getting out of the hospital. And I don’t have to live on outdoor scraps, anymore.”

  I loved having the old Nugget back, even if he came with a side order of sass.

  I petted his head. “We’ll sneak out and see Luna later when she’s back home.” I couldn’t wait to have my old friend back in my life.

  But once everything was settled, I’d have to work out my next move. If I was keeping this house, I needed paid work, but had no clue where to begin with that. How could I find a job when I had to be on the lookout for the Magic Council?

  “Someone’s outside,” Nugget said.

  I tensed in my seat. “Is it Olympus?”

  Hilda scuttled over to the window. She looked out, then raced back and jumped on my hand. “It’s Luna’s uncle.”

  “What’s he doing here?” I stood and headed to the window. Albert was stumbling around, shaking his head and looking at the rubble.

  “He must be looking for you,” Nugget said.

  “Something’s wrong with him.” I rushed to the door, Nugget still wrapped around my shoulders, and pulled it open. Hilda and Russell were right behind me.

  I waited until Albert’s back was turned and then stepped through the magic. I didn’t want to give him a shock by appearing out of thin air.

  “Hey, are you looking for me?” I said.

  Albert jumped as he turned, his eyes wide. “Oh, yes! Indigo, I’m so glad you’re still here. I didn’t know this had happened to your house.”

  I nodded and tried to look as forlorn as possible. “The Magic Council decided to get rid of it. They didn’t think it was safe.”

  He swiped a hand down his face. “I’m sorry to hear that. I always thought this was a beautiful house.”

  “Same here. Is something wrong?”

  Albert looked around, his gaze frantic. “Possibly. I was hoping she’d be here.”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “Luna! She should be in the hospital recovering.”

  “She checked herself out?” I said.

  Albert shook his head. “It’s the strangest thing. I’m trying not to panic, but she seems to have vanished.”

  I walked over and grabbed his shoulder. He was shaking. “Tell me what happened to her.”

  “Luna’s been doing so well. She started to recover two nights ago.” His gaze flashed to my face. “Did you have something to do with what happened in her apartment? I know you said you were going to help. I got to take a look inside yesterday and it was a mess, but the ghost had gone. It felt like a safe place again.”

  “I did. And I’m glad Luna’s getting better. She won’t be bothered by those ghosts anymore.”

  “There was more than one?”

  I nodded. “There were two spirits attached to her apartment. I trapped one and banished the other.”

  He puffed out a breath. “I appreciate your help. Luna does, too. She’s been asking about you and hoping you’d come to see her.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. But I’m confused. Why do you think she’s vanished?”

  “I went to get a coffee, and when I came back, Luna was gone from her room. I waited around for a while, but she didn’t return. I told the doctor, and he looked for her. I had a horrible feeling something was wrong. When I looked around the room, things had been knocked over and the bedding disturbed, as if she’d been dragged from it.”

  “You think someone abducted Luna from the hospital?” I glanced back at the house. It couldn’t be the ghosts. I’d dealt with them.

  “Maybe. I don’t know what to do. I’ve reported it to the Magic Council, but they don’t believe it’s a missing person case. They said she’s an adult and can discharge herself from the hospital if she wants to. They told me to wait seventy-two hours to see if she turns up. I can’t wait that long. She’s vulnerable. What if something bad has happened to her?” His chin wobbled. “Are you certain you got rid of those ghosts? They haven’t come back?”

  I hesitated. I assumed I’d banished the female ghost, but if she hadn’t been destroyed and had somehow recovered, she was vengeful enough to go after Luna.

  “Indigo, you have to help me. I
don’t know what’s happened to Luna. The Magic Council isn’t interested, and I’m losing my mind with worry. She could be anywhere. She could be scared or in pain. I need to have her back. Luna is the only family I’ve got left.”

  I grimaced at the sharp reminder about my involvement in his loss.

  This should be over. I thought everything was back to normal, but it looked like I was wrong. It felt like it was only getting started and there were more dark times to come. Would I get through them?

  I glanced at my familiars, and they all nodded at me.

  I rested a hand on Albert’s shoulder. “Whatever it takes, I’ll get Luna back for you.”

  He staggered into my arms, his forehead resting against my shoulder next to Nugget. “I’m sorry I called you an evil witch. You’re not. You were an amazing friend to Luna. You looked out for her. I... I just need her back.”

  “And you’ll get her back.” I gave him a hug, while Nugget licked his head.

  I looked at my familiar surroundings. I was back home and Witch Haven needed me. My adventures were just getting going, and they wouldn’t end until everyone I cared about was safe.

  THE END

  Are you ready for book two in the series? Will Indigo find Luna? Does Nugget remain snarky? What’s wrong with Witch Haven? And will the Magic Council arrest Indigo and take her powers?

  Order Hexes and Haunts today.