Charmed Offensive

by Annabel Chase

  “Did you ever tell anyone how you feel?” I asked. “Ask them to stop using gnomes in their gardens?”

  “Once,” Jerry said. “I asked one time and that was more than enough.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  Jerry scowled. “What do you think happened? They laughed at me. They thought my request was hilarious. I told them exactly how it made me feel and their response was laughter.”

  On the one hand, I felt awful for Jerry. He worked up the nerve to express his authentic feelings and his friends responded less than admirably. On the other hand, Jerry's idea of payback was over the top.

  “And that's why you turned them both to stone?” I asked. “Punishment?”

  Jerry’s face reddened. “She deserved it just as much. If she would stop making the gnomes, then no one could buy them. I'm cutting it off at the source. I didn't expect her sister to get the blame, though. Originally, I thought Amanda would be the obvious suspect because of her connection to all of us and the fact that she’s a Gorgon.”

  “Well, your plan went awry because my assistant is the one sitting in a holding cell right now,” I said. “Do you realize the irony of the situation? You’re upset about one stereotype and yet you’ve used another stereotype as a weapon for revenge.”

  The gnome shrugged. “It’s not my fault that the sheriff jumped to conclusions without proper evidence.”

  “What I’m still trying to figure out is how you managed it. How did you turn anyone to stone?”

  The gnome smirked. “Wouldn't you like to know?”

  I remembered the bandage on Amanda’s arm and the wound she said was the result of a custom hedgehog. A hedgehog that lived in Jerry Templeton’s garden.

  “You conspired to get access to her blood,” I said. A Gorgon’s blood was just as potent as the snakes on her head. “You asked for the hedgehog so that you could make sure she cut herself on the spines.”

  He folded his arms. “Pretty clever, right?”

  “You used Amanda’s Gorgon power against her,” I said. “You’re a hypocrite, Jerry.” I felt my blood pressure rising.

  “I’m making a political statement,” he replied. “No more disrespecting gnomes.”

  “You’re committing a crime,” I said. “It’s not a political statement. It’s revenge, pure and simple. Revenge on those who consider you a friend.” My heart pounded and my palms dampened. “And maybe your friendships are tenuous at best, but mine are rock solid.” No pun intended. “I am not about to let Althea or anyone else take the blame for your misguided revenge scheme.”

  Jerry gave me a menacing look. “You don't appear to be in a condition to do anything about it. If I turn you to stone, I'm not sure how that would affect your baby. Do you?”

  I jolted. “You wouldn't dare.”

  “I most certainly would dare,” Jerry said. “Do you think I intend to go to prison?”

  I took a cautious step toward him. “Tell me how to set them free and maybe we can work something out. The prosecutor is a reasonable wizard.” Considering we were always at professional odds, Rochester and I had a good relationship and I knew he would take my opinion into account.

  Jerry jerked his chin to the side like a petulant child. “I’m not telling you diddly squat. If you want to know how to undo the spell, you’re going to have to figure it out yourself.”

  I underestimated the level of vitriol. Slowly, I reached for my wand. I didn’t want to resort to magic if I didn't have to, but it seemed that Jerry was leaving me no choice. If there was a chance he was going to turn me to stone, I had to have my defenses at the ready.

  “The thing is Jerry, I think I have figured it all out. I was just really hoping that you’d cooperate.” My fingers curled around my wand.

  Jerry crossed his arms. “Alrighty then. Tell me.”

  I pulled out my wand and took aim. “Help me avoid something tragic/reveal the source of this gnome’s magic.”

  The charm around the gnome’s neck began to glow with an amber hue. When he realized what was happening, Jerry’s hand flew to cover the necklace.

  “Stop it! This is a family heirloom.”

  “What's in the locket, Jerry?” I asked, although I was certain I already knew the answer.

  “Nothing,” he said. “It’s just a locket that belonged to my mother. It has sentimental value.”

  That part could very well be true, but that wasn’t the reason he clung to it so desperately now.

  “It's Amanda’s blood in there, isn't it?”

  The gnome’s beady eyes glittered with malice. “Not another word or I’ll activate the spell.”

  “Who charmed the locket for you?” I asked.

  Jerry glowered. “You think a gnome isn’t capable of a little research? See? Even you underestimate my kind.”

  Now that I knew the source of the magic, I knew how to release Albert Geary and Amanda—I had to destroy the charmed locket. No easy feat if I couldn’t get my hands on it without getting turned to stone myself. If I turned to stone, there was a good chance the baby wouldn’t survive the change.

  I had to act quickly. My hand shot forward with the wand, but my palm was so slick with sweat that Tiffany slid straight out of my hand and clattered to the floor. When I tried to bend over to retrieve the wand, my stomach got in the way. I crouched in an effort to grab the wand another way and immediately lost my balance. As I pitched forward, I reached out and latched onto the edge of the island, twisting my arm backward in the process. It hurt like hell, but I managed to prevent myself from falling.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jerry’s face split into a satisfied grin.

  From there, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Jerry and I lunged for the wand at the same time, but we were both jolted back by flames. For a brief moment, I thought the house was on fire, until I saw the mangy hellbeast leap onto the island with Tiffany trapped between his jaws. Magpie dropped the wand onto the countertop and hissed at the gnome.

  Jerry’s hand moved to activate the locket and Magpie responded with another streak of fire. Then Magpie sucked in the flames as though sucking in a breath.

  The fire only singed Jerry, but it was enough to distract him. There wasn't time to retrieve my wand. I saw my chance and seized it—literally. I lunged forward and yanked the necklace so hard that it unclasped and broke away from his neck. Determined fingers wrapped around the locket and held on with a death grip. I concentrated all of my energy on the charmed locket, pouring my strength into breaking it. Waves of energy rushed through me, racking my body. My hand began to glow with a strange greenish hue. I didn't have time to contemplate the significance of that right now.

  Jerry seemed to realize the jig was up because he decided to run. I couldn't focus on stopping him while I was still trying to destroy the locket. I remained rooted in place, the energy inside me building to a crescendo. I yelped as the metal became too hot to hold. It fell to the floor in soft pieces.

  I tried to pursue Jerry on foot, but it was difficult to run in my current condition. By the time I got outside, Sheriff Astrid was there and already had Jerry in handcuffs.

  The sheriff tipped an imaginary hat at me. “Got your message from Sedgwick. Looks like I arrived in the nick of time.”

  “He was using Amanda’s blood in a charmed locket to turn them to stone,” I said. “I destroyed it, so Mr. Geary and Amanda should be back to normal now.”

  “Well, that's easy enough to check when we get to the station.” Astrid ushered Jerry forward. “Let's go, creeper. It’s time to find you a comfy cell.” She looked him up and down. “You look almost identical to the gnome in my garden. How about that?”

  I opened my mouth to object, but decided to let it be. Jerry would have to learn how to fight his battle another way—from behind bars.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Do you really think the five of us will be enough?” Sophie asked.

  We stood in a circle outside the secret lair. We’d spent twen
ty minutes debating whether to perform the locator spell indoors or outdoors until finally the matter was resolved by someone inadvertently passing gas. And, by someone, I mean me. Pregnancy changed not only my body, but how it functioned. In addition to aches and pains I never had, I was also granted periodic flatulence. The good news was that I recognized all of this was temporary and that my lovely baby would be the permanent reward.

  “I’m chilly,” Millie complained.

  “Then you should have brought your cloak,” Laurel pointed out. “You saw when everyone else grabbed theirs.”

  Millie glanced down at her embroidered top. “I didn't want to cover up my clothes today. I really like this top.”

  “It is nice,” Begonia agreed.

  “I bought it to distract me after the election,” Millie said.

  Begonia’s eyes were downcast. “I’m sorry about messing up the spell.”

  “You don’t need to be sorry,” Millie said. “I never should have agreed to try to cheat the system. It was wrong and I paid the price.”

  “You handled it so well, though,” Laurel said. “I think you even managed to impress the High Priestess and that’s no easy feat.”

  “Totally redeemed yourself,” Sophie agreed.

  “If I didn’t already vote for you, I would now,” I said. I moved to the center of the circle.

  Millie offered a pathetic smile. “Thanks. I appreciate the support, but I messed up and I take full responsibility for that. If the coven wants the dulcet tones of Rodrigo, then it’s only fair that he should be our Voice of the Coven.”

  “We’ll know soon enough,” Laurel said. She scanned the circle. “Do we have everything we need? I don't see the bowl.”

  Sophie smacked her head. “Spell’s bells. I left it in the lair. BRB.”

  The other witches exchanged confused glances.

  “That means be right back,” I explained. Now that technology had arrived in Spellbound, some early adopters were becoming comfortable with texting and the accompanying lingo. I didn’t think I would ever tire of seeing a troll whip out a cell phone, although some of the larger paranormals struggled with the touch screen thanks to their larger, thicker fingers. Service was also still spotty due to our remote location and the lack of towers, but I envisioned improvements within the year.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Begonia asked, scrutinizing me. “There is no rule that says you have to find your father just because you know his name.”

  I wrapped my cloak firmly around my shoulders. The fabric stretched to cover my belly.

  “I feel good about this,” I said. “I won't lie. I’m nervous, but I think it's the right thing to do. What's the worst that can happen?”

  “The worst that can happen is that he’s an all-powerful, murdering supervillain and he’ll destroy us all,” Millie said.

  The conversation screeched to a halt.

  “Thanks for that,” I said quietly.

  Sophie returned with the bowl and set it at my feet. “You have the dagger, right?”

  I withdrew the jeweled handle of a dagger from my pocket. “We just have to make sure we clean it thoroughly before we return it to Professor Holmes.”

  “I’m not even sure what the proper method is for cleaning sorceress blood from a blade,” Laurel said. “There’s probably some sort of consecration ritual we should perform.”

  Millie smirked. “We’ll leave that to you to figure out.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Laurel said. “I’ve been wanting to learn more about consecration, so this is the perfect opportunity.”

  “Said no one ever,” Millie mumbled.

  The wind whipped our cloaks and I struggled to keep mine wrapped around my rotund stomach. “Let's hurry before the weather changes.”

  “Everybody join hands,” Millie ordered. The witches did as instructed. Millie began the chant and the others followed suit. I continued to stand in the middle, waiting for my part in the spell.

  “North winds blow, from sun to moon/Stardust falls, evening soon.”

  The sky darkened as clouds rolled in.

  “Eyes of the goddess, we mean no bother/we ask that you find Emma's father.”

  That was my cue. I used the dagger to slice across my palm. Drops of blood spilled into the bowl at my feet. The wind howled, seemingly in protest. Drops of rain fell from the heavens and mingled with my blood. There was no time to waste.

  “Great Goddess of the Moon, hear us,” we said in unison.

  A popping sound emanated from the bowl and green sparks exploded in front of me. The same greenish hue that I noticed when I destroyed the charmed locket. The wind instantly calmed and I ventured a peek inside the bowl.

  “Do you see anything?” Sophie asked.

  Unfortunately, I didn't. “Let's give it a minute,” I said. “Maybe the results aren't immediate, like a pregnancy test.”

  “Well, you're the only one who would know about that,” Millie said.

  Laurel gave me a sympathetic look. “Emma, I don't think a locator spell is anything like a pregnancy test. I hate to admit it, but I don't think the spell worked.”

  I picked up the bowl, still staring at the contents. “Why not, though? We did everything right.” At least I thought so.

  The witches ceased holding hands and Laurel stepped forward to study the bowl. “Sometimes spells don't work, Emma. We all know this.”

  “Seriously,” Millie said. “I mean, how many times have you flubbed a spell at the academy?”

  I gave Millie a disarming smile. “You always know just the right thing to say, don't you?”

  Millie recoiled. “Wow, is that actual sarcasm coming from Emma Hart? Pregnancy really does do a number on your hormones.”

  “You kind of deserved it, Millie,” Begonia said.

  “I was only stating a fact,” Millie said, visibly agitated.

  “If your father is a demigod, then maybe he uses a blocker so that no one can find him,” Laurel suggested. “Not even his own blood.”

  That would explain why he slipped free of the AMF.

  “Should we try again?” Sophie asked, ever optimistic.

  Fat raindrops made the decision for us. We quickly gathered our belongings and sought refuge in the secret lair. I still held the bowl with my blood in it. “What should we do with this?” I asked.

  “It won't keep,” Laurel said. “We’ll have to do it again another time.”

  Outside, the rain began to pound against the hillside.

  “Are you sure we can't refrigerate it and save it for later?” Begonia asked.

  Millie grimaced. “It isn't leftovers from dinner. It's blood.”

  Begonia shrugged. “So what? Demetrius stores blood in the refrigerator. Just because we’re not going to drink it doesn't mean we can't store it the same way.”

  Millie seemed to reconsider. “Actually, that makes a lot of sense.”

  We all stared that Millie.

  “Stars and stones,” Sophie said. “Did you all hear what I just heard? Did Millie just admit she was wrong?”

  Millie folded her arms and glared. “Don't make a big deal about it or I might not do it again.”

  “Duly noted,” I said.

  “I’m sorry the spell didn't work,” Begonia said.

  “It's okay, really. I appreciate everyone's help.”

  “Maybe it’s for the best,” Sophie said.

  “Maybe,” I echoed, but there was a part of me that was still disappointed.

  Althea was waiting for me in the dining room when I arrived home. “Gareth let me in. I hope you don’t mind.”

  I threw my arms around her. “Mind? How could I mind?”

  “Where were you?” the Gorgon asked. “You’re all wet.”

  “I was helping the witches with a project,” I lied. I didn’t want to share what I’d done just yet.

  “I heard about your confrontation with the real criminal,” Althea said. “I should take you to task for putting yourself in danger.
”

  “I was careful,” I said. No need to tell her how close I came to the Stone Age.

  “Well, my sister and I are grateful,” she said. “I’ll see you at the office tomorrow?”

  “I hope not,” I said. “Take the day off.”

  She patted my shoulder. “As if.” She sashayed out of the room. “Goodbye, Gareth.” I heard the front door open and close.

  Gareth floated into the room. “I’m relieved you’re unharmed, though I might have slammed a few doors in frustration while you were gone.”

  “Good for you,” I said, beaming with pride. “You’re becoming more like a poltergeist every day.”

  “If only Daniel had been here at the time,” Gareth said. “I’ve been meaning to give him a fright to see how he would react.”

  I shook my head in dismay. “Why torment my husband like that?”

  “Because he needs to be ready to protect his family, should a dangerous situation arise.”

  “We have a ward around the house,” I reminded him.

  “It sounds to me as though your father would have no trouble breaching a basic ward.”

  I tipped up my chin for a better look at him. “Are you seriously worried about my father?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  I shrugged. “I just tried the locator spell, but it didn’t work. Maybe that means he’s in another realm or incapacitated.”

  Gareth hovered closer to the fireplace. “At least Magpie is here. And I’m continuing to make progress with my manipulation skills.”

  “You should’ve seen Magpie in action at Jerry’s house,” I said. “The fire. The violent hissing. It was incredible.”

  “You’ve always known he was more than a simple house cat,” Gareth replied.

  “Why do you think he’s showing his true colors now?” I asked.

  Gareth poked his head through a wall, seemingly in search of his trusted companion. “Why do you think? His version of mother bear is coming to the surface thanks to the baby.”

  The mention of a mother bear made my ears burn from embarrassment. I should have taken on the role of mother bear, not the cat.