by Brenda Trim
“Sounds like Diagon Alley. Let’s take a field trip and go. I need to catch up. There isn’t time to dilly dally. The portal is somewhere waiting for me to do my job. Then there’s the whole bubble around town.” I turned to grab my purse when the pinging started up again. This time it was more of a giant gong being hit inside my skull and I clutched my temples with both hands.
A hand ran up and down the right side of my back. I recognized Violet’s soothing energy without having to look. Seeing auras and sensing energy were two things that came effortlessly to me. I wish the rest were as simple.
“Is it the clanging in your head again?”
All I could do was nod in response to Violet’s question. I had no idea if either of the women said anything else because I focused on shutting out the sensation. It had gotten to the point that an invisible knife was stabbing my frontal lobe over and over again.
This is not a brain tumor. The pain won’t kill you. I chanted those words repeatedly until finally I was able to take a deep breath and focus on my friends’ anxious faces.
“I’m okay,” I promised as I lowered my hands. “Are you guys up for a shopping spree?”
Aislinn pursed her lips and opened her mouth but shut it without saying anything. It was Violet who finally broke the silence. “We should have taken you there first, but honestly I didn’t think about it. I’ve been so focused on you finding some non-existent letter from Isidora that I missed the obvious. Even when you guys came to the shop looking for books to help. For that, I am truly sorry.”
“You have no reason to be sorry. My grams is the one that should have done so much more.” Now-familiar anger started rising in my chest when I think about the mess I found myself in and how she could have made it better. Of course, I was as much to blame. I hadn’t exactly been around lately.
Aislinn handed me my purse and paused at the door. “I’m not sure any of us should be driving. We’ve been drinking.”
I bobbed my head up and down. “I feel fine, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Already taken care of. Bailey should be here any minute.” Violet was like the mother hen of the three of us.
“Are we like a coven now?” I blurted when we walked out of my house. There was a serene green glow surrounding my property until you reached the cemetery. It glowed with a myriad of colors. Initially, I wondered why, but then I realized my ancestors were buried there. It was likely their auras that created the effect.
Violet shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve never been part of a coven before. There is one in town, the Coven of Cottlehill Wilds, but my family wasn’t invited to be a part of it.”
Aislinn’s face split into a wide grin. “We can be the Wisdom Circle or the Backside of Forty, even though I won’t be forty until next year.”
We all laughed and were still giggling when Bailey pulled up two minutes later. Violet’s daughter was a younger version of her with blonde hair, blue eyes, and voluptuous curves. Violet was a looker back in the day.
Was? Honey she’s even better now. Yes, she was. There was no denying the way Violet’s confidence cast the fine lines and dark spots in a different light. There was something enticing about a woman who had lived enough to learn from her mistakes and knew what she wanted and needed.
And then there was the ability to see through any BS thrown our way. Add to that being comfortable in your skin and the combination was just about perfect. The only things I would change were the aches and pains, and faltering vision.
“Backside of Forty it is,” I confirmed as we climbed into the dark blue sedan. The drive to town was quick and silent for the most part. Violet and her daughter talked about her plans for college. Bailey, it appeared, was nervous about leaving home, and planned on taking classes online while her twin, Ben, intended to live it up on campus.
Butterflies swarmed in my stomach the second we were standing on the street. I smoothed my shirt, wishing I’d changed when I noticed the curry smeared on the front. The square was surprisingly active this time of the day. Not that it was all that late at eight o’clock at night. It’d just been decades since I was out after dinner.
When Tim was alive, we didn’t go out all that much. At first it was because of my long shifts at the hospital then it was the kids and their various schedules. Then he got sick. I was perfectly fine staying home and had needed the down time. I wanted something different now.
Violet grabbed my arm and led me to through the square. My gaze shifted around as I took it all in. “Why didn’t you guys tell me it was so lively here. I would have suggested dinner at Fire and Ice if I’d known.”
Aislinn leaned toward me and cupped her hand around her mouth. “It’s way too freakin busy to come here on a Friday night. Every human that lives here is out and it’s impossible to have an open conversation about what we needed to discuss.”
I winced realizing I had forgotten the need for secrecy so quickly. “Right. It’s surprisingly easy to forget that magic isn’t completely in the open here. Is there somewhere Fae and witches go on a Friday night? Or do they all just stay home?” It was odd to forget not everyone knew about magic while at the same time being surprised to discover more of the hidden world.
I was beyond allowing any of it to overwhelm me. That was one definite perk of being middle-aged. I had been through enough that I rolled with the punches and jumped right back up, ready to tackle whatever came next.
Violet shimmied through a narrow alley between buildings. “Many go to Teatime. Dahlia is usually open to us Friday and Saturday nights.”
Stepping into an empty park at night was far eerier than I anticipated. Or perhaps it’s because I knew we were about to enter a secret market for magical beings. Violet paused between the stone pedestals at the entrance. The plinths were topped by massive marble gargoyles, complete with wings and sharp teeth.
Violet lifted her hand and placed her palm on the base to the right. There was a loud rumbling sound followed by rocks falling from the gargoyle as it moved. My eyes went wide as I watched it shake its wings.
“We’d like to enter the market,” Violet announced.
The gargoyle on the right extended its wing while the left one moved, increasing the sound of rock tumbling down the cliffs a few miles away. When the two wings touched the air in front of them shimmered.
Aislinn and Violet both grabbed my hand and pulled me down the path. The second we passed under the wings my skin erupted as if ants were crawling all over me. It was followed by heat in my blood.
Voices and laughter intruded before the sensation got too painful. Between one step and the next the jungle gym in the middle of the park vanished and folding tables and people appeared. Not just people, but brownies, pixies and nymphs, as well. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was incredible.
A table covered with a purple cloth had dried herbs of all kinds spread out on top of it. The table next to it had muffins, a bright pink punch in a big jar along with fruit. Next to that was one with variously colored drinks in clear containers. Given the crowd around that stall, they had to be selling alcohol of some kind.
“Welcome to Staves and Stoves.” Aislinn swept her arm in front of us, gesturing to the market.
Violet’s arm shot up next. “There’s Fliarion.” I followed her finger and noticed a large guy with dark blond hair and gold eyes.
“What is he?” The words slipped past my lips.
Violet leaned toward my ear and whispered, “He’s a Griffin shifter. When in his other form he has the body, tail, and back legs of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle with talons for his front feet.”
“I’ve fallen even deeper down the rabbit hole. Let’s go talk to him, but then I want to try that bright pink drink.”
Aislinn grunted and shook her head. “No, you don’t. It’s a Fae drink and will get you so wasted you will wish you were never born.”
One of my eyebrows lifted to my hairline as I looked over at my friend. “There’s a story
there I can’t wait to hear.”
“Later. Let’s go talk to Filarion,” Aislinn replied and started toward the Griffin’s table.
“Well, who do we have here?” Filarion’s voice was higher than I would have thought, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. A guy with as many muscles as he had should have a deep voice that made me shiver like Sebastian’s.
I crossed my arms over my chest, not affected by his attempt at flirting. “I’m Fiona Shakleton, and I’m looking for a book.”
His golden eyes went wide before they shifted from me to my two companions, then around the bizarre before landing back on me. “And, you don’t have anything that could help her?” The question was directed at Violet, who glared at him.
“Her magic is powerful and refuses to be controlled. She needs more advanced spell assistance than I have in stock, and we all know you have a knack for procuring rare tomes.” There was no mistaking Violet’s disdain for this man and the way he got his hands on the books.
His gaze returned to the various boxes on his table, and he began rifling through them. “I have just the thing here for you. It’s a book of advanced spell work written by a powerful witch family. They only printed a dozen copies, so it’s difficult to find. It’s my last copy, so it’ll cost you.”
Aislinn snorted. “Let me guess. You ran across is at an Estate sale.”
“How much is this going to cost me?” I had no idea of the history between Aislinn and Filarion, but I didn’t want that to shift the focus from what we’d come after. I wanted to get the book and leave.
The griffin turned a forced smile my way. “Five hundred.”
My jaw dropped open, but Aislinn was in Filarion’s face before I could respond. “You don’t want to try and take advantage of Isidora’s granddaughter. She’s far more powerful than you know, and when she hones her craft, she will realize you ripped her off and make you regret it.”
The blood drained from the griffin’s face as he looked up from the box he was searching. “You’re…you’re…” He waved his hands and I realized he found the book he’d been looking for at the same time it hit me he was afraid of my grams.
“That’s right. I’m the new Guardian in town.” It was still odd to claim the title, but nothing had ever felt truer. My shoulders went back, and my head tilted up. This was who I was, and I was going to own the shit out of it.
“Umm, in that case, I’ll give it to you for two-fifty.”
“I’ve got one twenty,” I said then pulled the cash from my purse.
Screams started on the other side of the market. My head swiveled and a gasp left me when I saw a cross between a bear and a dog. At first, I thought it was another grimm, but then realized this thing was twice as big as the last ones I faced and had orange eyes plus Ginsu knives for claws.
My head snapped back when the money I had been holding was snatched from my hand. The Griffin shoved the book at me and muttered something under his breath before waving a hand over his goods. Everything vanished including him.
Violet grabbed my bicep and tugged urgently. “We have to go before that thing gets over here.”
The three of us were running with the crowd toward the entrance. “What is that?”
“A barghest. They’re vicious killers,” Aislinn yelled as she ran next to me.
“Why is it here?”
Violet panted and fell a couple feet behind us. “It’s after dinner. They feed on life force then the flesh after death.” Her words chilled me. I slowed and it was my turn to encourage her to move faster. That thing wasn’t getting my friend.
My legs pumped so fast I got a stitch in my side, but I couldn’t slow down. The shouting was getting closer and louder. The thing was tearing through those behind us.
We’d just passed through the plinths when the gargoyles shot into action and flew toward the creature. None of us stopped as we ran through the small alley until we reached Bailey’s car.
We were all gasping for air as Violet pulled her phone out to text her daughter. Surprisingly, there was no hint of the attack in the park. There had to be some powerful spells hiding the market.
Part of me never wanted to step foot there again while another wished I could have seen more. “Does that happen often?”
Aislinn shook her head, and her red hair bounced with the movement. “It’s never happened that I’m aware of. Shit is falling apart. It’s one reason it’s so important that you learn how to do your magic so you can reinforce the shield around town.”
No pressure. I bit back the snarly retort. I couldn’t blame Aislinn for wanting me to do something. My family had always handled safety in Cottlehill Wilds. I was just late to the game. Didn’t make it any easier though.
Chapter 8
My head dropped into my hands as I sat on the edge of my bed. It’d been four days since my trip to the market and I was no closer to understanding magic. “I could really use some help, grams,” I muttered out loud in the hopes she was still hanging around in some way.
When I asked Aislinn and Violet if ghosts were real, they told me yes. But there was no way for the dead to communicate with the living. There had been no mention if they could hear and understand us, so I’d taken to talking to myself from time to time.
I picked up the box I found in my search yesterday and went through the contents again. It was mostly family relics. There was an old handheld mirror and brush set, a jewelry box, and photos.
The pictures told me nothing, but I went through them again anyway. I scanned each one looking for a common thread, book, anything that might lead me in the right direction.
I found a spell in the book I got from Filarion about calling teachers to me, but I was reluctant to use it. Violet recommended trying it, so I doubted it would backfire on me.
By the fifth picture, I saw something I hadn’t before. All of the women in them wore a necklace. It was an amber charm on the chain. I couldn’t get a good look at it, but I thought I saw a pentagram and maybe wings on it.
Picking up the jewelry box, I opened the lid and removed several pairs of earrings, three rings and a dragonfly brooch. I picked up the box and was about to throw it at the wall when I heard something rattle.
Tilting the thing one way then another, I heard an object hit the side. I lifted the tray from the inside and shook it again. Despite being utterly empty, something hard hit the sides. Flipping the lid, I felt around the aged mirror glued to it.
There was nothing there and the glass was secured in place. The red velvet that lined the sides and bottom was thick and soft. I felt terrible when I slid a fingernail between the fabric and the wood. With a firm tug, it came away in my hand and I was staring at a tiny door on the bottom.
My hand shook when I lifted the panel. Sitting on the bottom was a silver chain tangled with an amber charm the size of a quarter. It had a pentagram on it along with dragonfly wings.
Power vibrated from it, when I reached down to pick it up. It wrapped around me like a warm blanket. With a smile I pulled it out and slipped it over my head. The second it settled on my chest, something cracked open inside me.
It was as if a door swung wide. Power rushed through my veins and I had more energy than I ever had in my twenties. I ran down the stairs and outside, wanting to test my skills but not wanting to damage anything inside the house if things went awry like they had been.
I stopped next to the pond and held my hand out. “Levitate.” I focused on my desire to have the lily pads float ten feet in the air before falling back into the water.
Electricity sipped down my arm and blue lightning flew out the tips of my fingers. It hit the water with a sizzle and the water exploded around me, drenching me. Wiping my eyes with the back of my hands, I cleared my vision and growled when I saw the lily pads lying on the bottom of the now dry lake.
My magic was no better. I lifted a shoe to kick a rock in frustration, but I stopped myself when I noticed it wasn’t granite at all. Instead, I was staring at a
fish as it flopped around with its gills opening and closing. It was gasping for breath and would die unless I did something.
Racing to the side of the house, I grabbed the hose and turned it on full blast then dropped it into the empty pond. Dropping to the mud, I scooped up fish after fish and tossed them into the slowly filling pool.
They were going to die, and it was all my fault. I had no idea what I was doing. I needed to use that spell and ask for help. The slapping sounds echoed as the fish around me tried in vain to survive and I tried to get them to the pond. There was hardly any water in there, but it did cover about three inches of the bottom.
Closing my eyes, I called water to me, not caring if the skies opened up at that moment. I just didn’t want to be responsible for killing the fish. Energy built under me as I muttered, “aqua,” over and over again.
The skies didn’t open up, but my feet seemed to sink into the ground. My eyes flew open. Water rose up through the mud. My magic cut off in my shock, and it stopped rising. The incessant pinging started up, and I was momentarily paralyzed. I couldn’t turn my head to check on the pond.
All I could do at the moment was breathe through the agony of the pinging. It seemed to go on forever. When it finally faded, I was kneeling on the ground covered in mud. A quick scan of the pond brought a smile to my face.
My magic was out of control and I was a hot mess, but I wasn’t a fish killer. The pond was two-thirds full. Pushing myself to my feet, I limped to the door and removed my tennis shoes.
I hated the idea of tracking mud throughout the house and considered stripping down before going inside. No one lived close to me, so it wasn’t like anyone would see me. I was about to remove my top when it hit me that I had a mudroom.
My body heated as I ran inside and stopped in the tiled room off the back of the house. I removed my dirty clothes and ran naked through the house and up the stairs. One inside the bathroom, I flipped on the water and jumped in the shower.