Curses and Corpses (Witch Haven Mystery - a fun cozy witch paranormal mystery Book 3)

by K E O'Connor

  I yawned and blinked my eyes. Performing magic was tiring, even when you were just testing out spells.

  “We need a recharge before we head out and tackle Albert.” Odessa sat on the floor and gestured for us to join us.

  “I’m happy on this chair,” Storm said. “And I know what you’re going to try to make us do.”

  “You do not!”

  “You’re going to force us to meditate.”

  “Oh, perhaps you do. But meditation is perfect. It’ll ground us and give us strength. You both take my hands. I’ll lead.”

  I didn’t mind a bit of meditation now and again. I settled on the floor and looked at Storm. “Are you joining us?”

  “Nope. I’ll sleep here. You go right ahead with your chanting and heavy breathing.”

  “Meditation isn’t sleeping. It’s about connecting with the energies that keep us powerful. It helps us to be awesome witches,” Odessa said.

  “I’m awesome enough as it is.”

  Odessa grabbed a cushion and threw it at Storm. She blasted it apart before it could reach her.

  “Hey! Less killing my cushions. Storm, get your behind down here and join in,” I said.

  “My magic doesn’t need a recharge,” she muttered.

  “It does. You’ve done just as much magic as we have today. You don’t want to fail Luna because you didn’t open yourself to a world of inner calm.” Odessa leaned over to me. “Storm doesn’t like silence because she has to listen to her own thoughts, and they’re often dark.”

  “I heard that.”

  “So come join us. Prove me wrong, oh dark and mysterious one.”

  With a dramatic sigh, Storm rolled off the chair and sat with us. She caught my eye and scowled. “This is such a waste of time.”

  “Be nice. I’ll begin,” Odessa said. “Using magic comes at a price. If we don’t have any down time to soak up the vibes in Witch Haven, ours spells will misfire or we’ll be too weak to have any effect on Albert.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Storm muttered.

  No one spoke for several minutes as we did the grounding and heavy breathing Storm so despised.

  She did have a point. When you were alone with your thoughts, it could get scary, especially with the past I had. But after about ten minutes, I relaxed and let myself feel the magic of the village. I could also sense Storm and Odessa’s energies, both shining brightly, although Storm’s was an icy blue, whereas Odessa’s shone with a pumpkin orange glow.

  Something soft and warm slid onto my lap. I opened one eye to find Nugget snuggling down.

  “I’m soaking up the vibes, too,” he said.

  We were soon joined by Hilda and Russell, who took up position on my shoulders.

  With my friends and familiars surrounding me, I’d never felt so safe and happy. There really was something to this bonding business.

  The sun was just setting as I pulled on my jacket, and we gathered up the supplies we needed for tonight’s trip to the cemetery.

  Hilda was perched on my shoulder, Russell was already flying around outside, and Nugget waited on the front porch for us to leave.

  I didn’t feel ready, but there was no time to waste. Luna was in danger, and I’d do whatever I needed to, to make sure she didn’t get in even more trouble.

  “Come on, gang.” Odessa looped her arms through our elbows. “Let’s go stop our friend from being ghosted.”

  Chapter 7

  We’d only been in the cemetery a few minutes before an uninvited guest appeared. He was tall, thin, and only recently dead. He wore a smart gray suit that matched the tinge to his skin. The corpse groaned when he saw us and held his arms out.

  “There’s one of your corpses looking for a hug,” Storm said as she set out the magic items she carried.

  “They probably only like to come out after dark,” Odessa said. “They could be self-conscious about the way they look.” She waved at the corpse.

  “We could do without these distractions.” I shooed the corpse away. “Go back to your grave. We don’t need any help.”

  He simply stared at me.

  “And there’s another one.” Odessa’s nose wrinkled. “She looks like she’s been in the ground for a while.”

  A raggedy looking, bony skeleton with the remnants of a black dress covering her bones dragged her way toward us.

  “We don’t need an audience of corpses watching,” Storm said. “They’ll give away our location. Albert will know something is wrong the second he arrives if there’s a crowd of gaping corpses hanging about.”

  I looked around to locate my familiars. Nugget was snoozing on the ground, Russell was perched in a tree overhead preening himself, and Hilda was on my shoulder.

  “How do you three fancy doing some corpse rustling?” I said.

  Nugget snored loudly.

  “I know you’re awake.” I prodded him with a finger.

  “I’m not. I’m in a deep sleep. Leave me alone.”

  “Why don’t you show these corpses back to their comfy coffins?”

  Nugget rolled over and opened one eye. He stared at the corpses. “They don’t smell so good. I’ll pass.”

  “Of course, if you don’t want to do it, I could see if Monty is free. He’s always obliging, so long as he gets a belly rub.”

  Nugget jumped up and growled. “Don’t let that overgrown kitten in here. He’ll mess things up. Come on, we have corpses to deal with.” He stalked away.

  Hilda tapped me on the cheek. “You shouldn’t tease Nugget. He’s sensitive about his size, and meeting Monty has given him an inferiority complex.”

  “Nugget has a big enough ego to make up for his mini size. Would you mind helping him with the corpses?” I said.

  “Of course. Can you do the honors? I could do with a size boost to make sure they don’t accidentally step on me.” Hilda scuttled to the ground.

  I pressed a finger on her back, and she transformed into a huge spider with long hairy limbs and impressively terrifying fangs.

  I looked up at Russell. “Do you need a magic boost?”

  He flew around my head and then shot off toward the corpses.

  “I guess not.” I sat back on my heels and looked around the cemetery. “Maybe whatever Albert’s doing to get access to Luna’s magic has troubled the corpses. It’s a powerful ceremony. If he’s already started his preparations, it could have stirred up trouble.”

  “Or it’s that twisted witch coven thinking it’s fun to mess with the dead,” Storm said. “That’s what I favor.”

  “Yes, that too. They could be using the corpses to distract us from something else.” I shuddered and rubbed my hands up and down my arms. What could be worse than the walking dead? An angry dragon? A gang of goblin berserkers? Maybe an army of furious pixies?

  “Someone’s just walked through the gate,” Odessa whispered. “It’s Albert.”

  “And he’s not alone,” Storm said. “He’s brought friends to watch him destroy his niece.”

  Albert led a procession of six magic users along the path. I recognized a few, but not all of them. They wore long red robes, and each carried something in their hands, although I couldn’t make out what it was.

  We’d set up close to the graves, concealed by a neatly trimmed evergreen bush, so we just needed to wait for Albert and his buddies to get closer, before we began our interference magic.

  Albert stopped at the head of an open grave. He watched his small group assemble around him, before raising his arms. “Thank you for joining me this evening. I’d like to welcome you to the burial of my niece. Luna has been lost to me for some time, so I’ve decided to offer her a place of rest and make sure her energy can continue through me.”

  There was a murmur of agreement from the group.

  Storm hissed softly under her breath. “This guy is out of his mind.”

  I had to agree, but I didn’t think it was his fault.

  Albert continued. “I’ve given each of you something of Luna�
�s to place in the ground. These items will identify this spot as hers and help me channel her magic. Everyone, please take a moment to secure your item in the grave, and then we’ll begin the evoking spell to draw her energy close.”

  “I’d like to shove him in that hole and make sure he never gets out,” Storm muttered. “Look at him, he’s smiling.”

  “Just remember, Albert’s not himself. We all know how much he dotes on Luna.”

  “It still doesn’t seem right to me,” Storm grumbled.

  Each member of Albert’s entourage took it in turns to place an item of Luna’s in the grave. I couldn’t see them all, but I spotted her favorite pink sweater, a purse she loved to carry around in the shape of a chocolate cupcake, and a book.

  Once they’d all placed the items in the grave, they returned to their positions around the edge and looked at Albert.

  “We need to time this just right,” I whispered. “Let’s wait until he starts casting his magic, so we only blunt that. We don’t want anything else getting in our way.”

  “Like the magic animating these corpses,” Odessa said. “Have you noticed, their numbers have grown since Albert arrived?”

  I’d barely registered how many corpses were lurking around, but she was right. There were a dozen shambling about the cemetery.

  “Albert’s not paying them any attention,” I said.

  “Is that because he knows why they’re here, or he doesn’t care?” Storm said. “Maybe he’s only interested in getting his hands on Luna’s abilities.”

  “They’ve linked hands,” Odessa said. “They’re about to begin.”

  And so were we. We were using a combination of spells to neutralize Albert’s attempt to take Luna’s essence. We had a neutralizing spell to blunt the power of any magic he cast, a draining spell to weaken him, and a confusion spell so he’d have trouble focusing.

  “You go first, Odessa,” I whispered. “Let’s make it hard for this group to concentrate.”

  She gave me a thumbs up. “I’ll add some of my powdered pumpkin to the mix. That’ll make things even more intense.”

  “We shouldn’t mess with the magic at this late stage,” I said. But I was too late. She’d already pulled a small bottle of powder from her pocket and sprinkled it into the spell mix. She poured the spell into her palm and blew on it, sending the magic straight toward Albert and his group.

  I could just see the faint outline of the spell as it swirled around, covering each of them in turn.

  Several of the group stepped back and dropped their hold on the others hands.

  Albert also looked around. He blinked and swiped his hand down his face.

  “It’s working,” Odessa said. “I knew my powdered pumpkin would give it the right boost.”

  One of the corpses nearby groaned and lurched at Storm.

  She shoved him away. “Keep your hands to yourself. Indigo, where are your familiars? They need to deal with this lot.”

  I looked around and spotted them herding a large group of corpses on the other side of the cemetery. “They already have their paws and claws full.”

  “I don’t like the look in these corpses’ eyes,” Storm muttered. “They don’t seem so friendly anymore.”

  I glanced at the corpses again. They didn’t look happy, but then they were decaying bone bodies who’d been forced out of the ground. They didn’t have much to be happy about.

  “Albert’s group is still going,” Odessa said. “It’s time for spell number two.”

  Storm was in charge of this spell. After a glare at the corpse wobbling its way toward her, she uncorked a bottle full of neutralizing magic and tossed it in the air, before evoking a gust of wind and sending it straight at Albert’s group.

  Just like the first spell, it coated them, and they sagged under the weight of the magic.

  “Something’s wrong,” Albert said, his gaze darting around. “I’m still not sensing Luna. She should be approaching us by now.”

  “That could be my fault,” one of his group said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight, but I’m struggling to remember the words of the spell.”

  “Me, too,” another member of the group said. “Perhaps you should try a simpler spell. One we can all manage. Why not just try talking to Luna?”

  “No! That won’t work. I need her energy. If we use a different spell, Luna won’t return. It has to be this one. Let’s keep going, everyone. And concentrate. If you keep getting distracted, this won’t work.”

  “They’re a determined bunch,” Storm said. “Any time you want me to throw a lightning bolt at Albert, just say. He’s the ringleader. If I take him out, the others won’t carry on.”

  “We’ve still got one more spell up our sleeves,” I said. “It’s time to drain this group and stop any magic they cast from working.”

  I’d just uncorked the vial of magic and was about to cast my spell, when Odessa gasped and grabbed my arm.

  “I’ve just seen Luna! She’s appeared behind Albert.”

  Storm was already moving. “Come on! We need to get her before they do.” She went to dodge around two corpses standing in her way. They growled and grabbed her.

  “Hey! Get off her.” I raced to Storm’s aid, but before I could reach her, I was seized from behind. I dropped the spell bottle as rotten breath blew across my cheek, and the corpse who’d captured me sucked on the side of my face.

  Odessa yelped as she was headed off by three feisty female corpses.

  I struggled in the corpse’s tight grip. “Eurgh! Stop sucking on me! And don’t you dare bite me.” I wiggled out of the painful grip and turned to face my attacker, quickly seeing this moldy guy wasn’t on his own. There were five more corpses heading straight for me, and they looked mad, just like the scary zombie creatures your mom always told you to run away from.

  Odessa squeaked, and a blast of her magic shot past my head.

  I turned to see her pinned to the ground as a corpse snapped what was left of his teeth in her face.

  What had gotten into these things? Thirty seconds ago, they’d been happy to amble about and watch what we were doing. Now, they were looking at us like we were their new favorite chew toys.

  “We have to get Luna,” Storm yelled. “Albert’s seen her and he’s moving in.” She blasted a corpse away with her magic and tossed another one over her shoulder.

  “You go. I’ll hold off the corpses,” I said.

  Storm only made it a few feet, before a corpse shot out of the darkness and barreled into her, sending her flying into a huge stone crypt.

  Odessa was back on her feet and charging toward Storm, blasting bright orange magic at the corpse.

  I looked at Albert and his group, and my heart stopped. They’d finished the spell, and although a couple of them were looking uncertain as to what to do next, the rest were focused on Luna’s wispy essence. They were about to get her. If Albert made contact with Luna’s energy, he’d claim it as his.

  I needed the draining spell, but I’d dropped it when I’d been grabbed by the corpse. I looked around and groaned when I saw it spilled over the dirt. It was contaminated, and no use now.

  I’d have to tackle Albert and his group with my own magic. I conjured a fireball and held it over my head. “Albert Black! You need to stop.”

  His head jerked in my direction. “Why? This isn’t your business.”

  “What you’re doing is wrong. Luna is still alive. You can’t take her magic.” I advanced on the group, making sure to keep them all in my sight line.

  “What’s it got to do with you?” His attention returned to Luna’s essence, and he reached out to her.

  “A lot of things. I can’t let you hurt Luna. If you do this, she’ll never come back to Witch Haven.”

  “You’re talking nonsense. She’s here right now. And I intend to take her magic.” Albert lunged at Luna’s energy. He’d almost reached her when a corpse appeared and tried to bite him.

  Albert yelped and backed awa
y, blasting out a shower of sparking magic that flickered for a few seconds and then died.

  I tilted my head. If the corpses were attacking him, maybe he wasn’t involved in making them rise.

  “Get to Luna!” Storm yelled from under a pile of corpses.

  I reached the group, keeping the fireball alight as a warning to anyone thinking of making a move to grab her.

  “Stop the ghost hunter,” Albert yelled. “This has nothing to do with her.”

  A couple of the group moved forward, but the rest stood back, their eyes wide as they watched the chaos grow.

  I hurdled a gravestone, taking the quickest route to Luna. I hoped the inhabitant beneath my feet wouldn’t be offended, but this was a life or death matter.

  I was almost within touching distance of her, when a mass of crimson mist shot out of the darkness. It enveloped Luna’s spirit, and they vanished.

  The scent of rot filled my nose and a cascade of dark feathers fluttered around me and settled on the dirt. A shimmering wave of red shot across the cemetery as the scent drifted away.

  I stood there, my breath heaving out of me as I stared at where Luna had been. What just happened? There was something about that mist, something that tugged at the back of my mind to remember.

  “What did you do to my niece?” Albert had escaped the corpse and grabbed my shoulders. “You have no right to interfere.”

  “I had every right. She’s my—” I stopped from revealing who I really was. “You don’t know for certain Luna’s dead. If you take her energy while she’s alive, the damage will be impossible to reverse.”

  He growled in my face. “You know nothing about my business. Keep your ghost hunting nose out of it. This is a family affair, and we don’t want outsiders interfering.” After giving me a shake, Albert shoved me away and hurried back to the group.

  They stood around talking for a few minutes before walking away. I watched them leave the cemetery, before jumping into the grave and collecting Luna’s things. I wasn’t leaving them here, in case Albert came back and tried again.

  After a quick check to make sure Odessa and Storm were handling the corpses, I pulled myself out of the grave and stared into the darkness.