by K E O'Connor
“I warn you. Stop moving or your precious Cloven Hoof is gone.”
“I’m staying right here. Why don’t you tell me why you’re here?” I rubbed my eyes, not believing what I saw. One second, Ginger stood there; the next it was Sandy. The constant flow of dark magic from this woman made me dizzy.
Sandy sneered at me. “Am I making you feel bad?”
I nodded and staggered to the side.
She lowered the fireball and waved her hands from the top of her head down her body. As she did so, her features stopped shifting, and the surrounding air crackled.
I blinked and took a step back. Ginger was gone.
Chapter 20
I turned as I heard a door open and gestured Merrie, Blaze, and Izzie back as they appeared from out of the store room.
Ginger, now revealed to be Sandy, glared at them and raised her palm. Fire flared around her in a protective circle.
“Who’s that?” Merrie asked, her eyes wide.
I sucked in a breath. “Sandy Bishop.”
“I’m surprised you remember me.” Sandy’s gaze remained on me.
“I remember you. You’ve been missing for years. Everyone wondered what had happened to you.”
“Hold on, Sandy Bishop?” Merrie stared at her. “You used to live on the edge of the forest.”
“That’s right,” Sandy said. “I lived with my mom. I was happy, content living a simple life. I never wanted any trouble. But trouble found me.”
“What trouble found you?” I asked. “What made you leave Willow Tree Falls all those years ago?”
“I never left,” Sandy hissed. “I’ve been here the whole time.”
The entrance door to Cloven Hoof slammed open. Dazielle barged through with Wiggles racing along behind her.
He bounced over to me. “I tried to out-run the angel, but she’s fast. She knows you’re up to something. Who’s this?” Wiggles looked at Sandy.
“I think it’s our curse killer,” I said.
“You can’t prove that.” Sandy lunged at Dazielle, flinging the fireball she held at her head.
Dazielle barely fluttered out of the way in time, obviously still suffering from her injuries. She landed flat on her back, and Sandy jumped on top of her.
I raced over and wrapped an arm around Sandy, hauling her off Dazielle. Sandy’s viscose, foul magic crept across my arm, and I quickly let her go.
Sandy turned and glowered at me. “Friends with the angels now, witch.”
Dazielle scrambled to her feet, her expression wary. “You said this is the curse killer? I’ve never seen her before.”
“None of us have seen her for five years,” I said. “This is Sandy Bishop. She went missing.”
Dazielle blinked slowly, recognition filling her eyes. “We thought you’d left the village.”
Sandy shook her head, her dark hair sticking to her forehead. “I didn’t leave. I was taken against my will.”
“By whom?” I asked.
Sandy cracked her neck from side to side and flexed her fingers. She was preparing for another battle. “I’d only been free for a couple of days when I heard Puddles Lavern bragging about Dewey and his friends coming for a visit.”
“Free from where?” I asked.
Sandy continued as if she hadn’t heard me. “I was a mess after so long in confinement, struggling to understand what had happened to me. When I heard Puddles, it all came back. And when I heard her say Serath’s name, I remembered everything he’d done.”
“What’s Serath got to do with you going missing?” Dazielle asked.
My breath caught in my throat. “Serath took you five years ago. What did he do?”
“He cursed me,” Sandy said. “He was angry because I turned him down. He tried a pathetic seduction spell on me. It failed, and I wasn’t interested in him. He showed up at my house one evening, being sweet and charming, but there was something off with him. Serath tried another spell, but it didn’t work. I called him out on it, and he walked off in a huff. I thought that was the end of it.”
“Serath decided to get revenge,” I said.
Sandy bared her teeth as she nodded. “He was better at magic than I realized. I was taking a walk the next night, and he found me. I tried to be polite, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He grabbed me, and that’s the last clear memory I have. I woke up a few times, but I couldn’t move. He used a curse on me. I was terrified. I thought he was going to kill me.”
“Then what happened?”
Black sparks flew off Sandy as she shuddered. “He did what I did to him. While I was still cursed and couldn’t move, he buried me alive as a punishment for turning him down. He said if he couldn’t have me, no man would.”
“How did you survive?” Horror filled Dazielle’s eyes.
“I almost didn’t. Serath came back to Willow Tree Falls every six months to check on me and strengthen his magic. I knew when it was getting close to his visit because the curse would weaken, and I’d be able to move. On one occasion, I almost dug my way out. I had my hand free and could breathe clean air. Serath caught me, laughed in my face, and reburied me. He told me it was no less than I deserved.”
“You were buried for five years?” I couldn’t hide how disgusted I was. Serath was a monster.
“He left me underground with a small tube, so I could breathe. Every time he came back, he would perform magic to ensure I didn’t starve or die of dehydration. There were times when it came close, though. As I said, his magic wasn’t perfect. And the breathing tube he left me got blocked several times. I’ve lost count of the number of times I fell unconscious because I had so little air to breathe.”
“How did you finally get out?” Dazielle asked.
“Serath’s magic failed. I don’t know what happened. He must have been late in coming to revitalize the magic. That was my chance to get out, so I took it.”
“That’s right,” I said. “I remember Puddles being upset about Dewey and his friends changing their plans at the last minute.”
“That would be it,” Sandy said. “That arrogant jerk believed his magic would hold for longer than it did. It was enough for me to break the curse and get out of that hole. It felt incredible to be able to move and breathe freely. But I was weak and confused for days.”
“How did you get to be in Cloven Hoof?” Dazielle asked. “Why disguise yourself as Ginger?”
“I hadn’t planned to. My first thought was to get to my mom. I needed to let her know I was okay. I was stumbling out of the forest when I heard Puddles. She was talking about the upcoming visit with Dewey, Serath, and Bart. That’s when I knew I’d been given a chance to get revenge. After everything Serath put me through, he had to pay. That became my priority. I had a few weeks to recover, so I headed back into the forest, only coming out at night.”
“To do what?”
“Get strong. I even broke into the hospital and got magic to speed up my recovery. After that, all I did was practice the curse. I had to get it right. Serath could not be allowed to get away with this.”
“You disguised yourself as Ginger because you knew Serath would turn up at Cloven Hoof?” I recalled the day Ginger had walked in almost a month ago. She’d been so sure of herself. She knew her way around the bar and had poured the perfect pint. I’d had no clue what she was hiding. She was a strong witch. A better witch than me.
Sandy nodded. “I knew Serath wouldn’t be able to resist this place. That night, when he came in with the others, I was so shocked I almost couldn’t move. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, even with my disguise in place.”
“He noticed you when he was talking to me and said you seemed familiar.” Izzie stood by the store-room door with the others.
“I couldn’t risk getting too close to Serath in case he saw through my magic. I had to act fast. I had to curse him and bury him before he figured out what had happened. He wouldn’t have waited long before going into the forest and strengthening his curse. If he’d go
ne to the site I was buried in and discovered me gone, he’d have known something was wrong. He’d have fled Willow Tree Falls, knowing I’d have been after him.”
I looked at Dazielle. “I don’t blame Ginger, or rather Sandy, for what she’s done. I’d have done the same thing if some scumbag cursed me and shoved me in the ground because I turned him down for a date.”
Dazielle simply arched an eyebrow. “What about the others? Why curse Dewey?”
“Dewey got suspicious. I overheard him and Serath talking about me. Serath was convinced he knew me, and Dewey was staring when they were at the bar, trying to figure out where they knew me from. I’m not the best at disguise magic, and if I’d let it slip for a second, it might have ruined everything. When I get tired or nervous, the magic wavers. I had to get rid of Dewey in case he blew my cover.”
“That doesn’t explain what you did to Rhett and Axel,” Dazielle said.
“Rhett spends a lot of time in the forest,” I said to Sandy. “Did he see what you were doing and try to stop you?”
“He got unlucky,” Sandy said. “I didn’t mean to curse him, but he walked right into my path as I was placing Dewey in the ground. I tried to explain it away and said it was nothing, but he wouldn’t let it go. Rhett insisted he look at what I was burying. I couldn’t let him see, so I flung the curse at him, and he collapsed.”
“You were going to kill Rhett to hide your secret?” I shook my head. I could let her off for Serath but not Rhett.
Sandy scowled at me. “He probably deserved it. I bet Rhett hasn’t treated women kindly. He lets them down and breaks their hearts. Most men do. When they don’t get what they want, they turn mean.”
“So, Rhett was unfortunate, but what about Axel?” Dazielle asked.
Sandy snorted a laugh. “I’ve seen Axel in action. Whenever he’s in here, he flirts with everyone. He got on the wrong side of me one night. He’d had too much to drink and kept pestering me for mushrooms. He offered all sorts of incentives, but then suggested we go back to his place and have some private fun. I put him in his place, but he wouldn’t stop. It brought back the memories of how Serath had treated me the night he took me, cursed me, and threw me in the ground. All because I didn’t want him.”
Axel did tend to flirt too hard, but cursing him for doing it was extreme.
“You went to Axel’s with mushrooms because you knew he wouldn’t be able to resist them.” I recalled seeing the bag of mushrooms in his house.
“He’s not safe to be around,” Sandy said. “He pushed too hard. It was only right I pushed back. I grabbed a bag of mushrooms at the end of my last shift and headed to his place in the morning. He was happy to let me in. He practically drooled over the mushrooms. He made us both coffee, and I chatted and pretended to flirt to get him to relax.”
“Then you cursed him,” I said. “You took him to the woods and buried him.”
“I used a cloaking spell and dragged him into the swamp. I’d have left him like the others, but I heard the angels fighting. I adjusted the curse speed to finish Axel off quickly. I wanted him to suffer and slowly suffocate, but I had to change my plans.”
“I understand why you wanted revenge on Serath,” I said. “But you can’t attack and curse innocent people.”
“You know Rhett better than everyone else,” Sandy sneered. “He’s not innocent. And as for Axel, I’ve seen you having to fend him off. You can’t say they didn’t have it coming.”
“They didn’t deserve that. Give them a slap and tell them to keep their hands off but don’t curse them and bury them alive.”
“I thought you’d be on my side,” Sandy said. “We got on well when I was Ginger.”
“I was friends with Ginger Gibson. It turns out she’s not real.” I felt sad that I’d lost Ginger. It was horribly unfair what had happened to Sandy, but she couldn’t get away with this.
“You need to come with me,” Dazielle said. “I need your full confession before you are charged.”
More black sparks flew from Sandy, and she hunched over and growled. “I’m not going to prison. I was defending myself. I was righting a wrong.”
“Two people are dead because of you,” I said. “Admittedly, they were jerks, but you have to pay for what you’ve done.”
Sandy flung her arms out, and flames shot toward the ceiling.
I looked over at Merrie, Izzie, and Blaze. “Get out of here!”
“We can’t leave you,” Merrie said.
“Get in the back. That’s an order.” If I was worried about protecting them, I wouldn’t be able to focus on bringing down Sandy.
“We’re staying.” Merrie jammed her hands on her hips.
“If you all want to keep your jobs, you leave. Now!” I hated pulling rank, but it was for their own good.
Merrie frowned at me before ushering Izzie and Blaze away.
I’d make my apologies later, but I could only do that if they were all alive.
Dazielle fluffed out her wings. I could see one wasn’t working properly and hung at her side. She was in no shape to fight Sandy.
I hurried to her side. “You stay out of this. I’ll deal with Sandy. After all, I made the mistake of hiring her.”
Dazielle shook her head. “Be careful, Tempest. She’s got serious magic going on inside her.”
“Yes, and it’s singeing my bar. This has to stop.” I raised my hands and flung a dousing spell at her fire to stop the flames.
Sandy raised a magical barrier, and my magic bounced off.
We threw several more spells at each other. She favored fire, and I just favored staying alive and not turning crispy. I felt the painful sting of dark magic kiss my skin as her power got too close.
“She’s working up to something big.” Wiggles bounced on his paws as he stood on top of a table, watching the fight.
“She’s already doing something big.” I dodged a spell. “I can’t hold her for much longer.”
“Maybe Frank can,” Wiggles said.
I felt around for Frank’s energy, but he was nowhere to be found. “He’s content to sit this one out. He must figure I can handle things on my own.”
“Maybe you’d like to be cursed yourself.” Sandy splayed her fingers, and a jet of what looked like a black spider web shot toward me.
“Look out! It’s her curse.” Wiggles launched himself off the table and knocked me sideways. The curse missed me by an inch but slammed into Dazielle, who was flung backward into the wall.
“Thanks, that was close,” I said to Wiggles as I clambered to my feet.
Wiggles looked at Dazielle, who was pinned to the wall, her arms and legs flailing and one wing flapping. “That angel wouldn’t have been any help, anyway.”
A fireball slammed by my feet. I swung and kept flinging spells at Sandy. Her focus was not on me as she concentrated on pinning Dazielle to the wall as the curse spread from her feet, up her legs, and across her torso, winding black strands of power across her.
Dazielle continued to struggle, but in her injured state, she couldn’t break free from Sandy’s magic.
“No more spells. This needs direct action.” I flung myself at Sandy and wrapped my arms around her.
We fell to the floor, and she twisted in my grip before grabbing hold of me. Her curse was still active, and it pulsed across my skin.
“You won’t stop me,” Sandy spat in my face. “I will have my revenge.”
“No, you don’t.” I flared my own power, and our energies smashed together. My magic was not at full strength, having drained it healing Rhett. I hoped I had enough in the tank to take this crazed witch down.
I felt straightaway that she was stronger. Sandy wasn’t a demon, so my magic was less effective against her, but she was something dark and deadly and couldn’t be allowed to leave this bar.
“My witch magic trumps you, demon slayer,” she hissed.
Her curse was too strong for me, and I felt my limbs grow weak as she siphoned my ability to move.
A roar reverberated around the room, and a blast of flame slammed into Sandy’s back. She shrieked and rolled away.
I turned to see Wiggles belching fire. My jaw dropped open. “I didn’t know you could do that.”
He looked as confused as I did. “Neither did I. Who knew, in times of crisis, I belch fire?”
The door to the bar flew open. Three angels zoomed through, their wings spreading out as they took in the carnage in front of them.
“Get her,” Wiggles yelled and pointed his nose at Sandy.
The angels turned to Dazielle for confirmation, but she could only nod. The power of speech had already left her as the curse took hold.
They descended on Sandy, who bucked and twisted and threw fire and sticky dark webs of curse at them.
One angel was thrown away and slammed to the ground in a heap of feathers.
Sandy screamed as she was covered by the remaining angels, and after a struggle that had the room stinking of burning feathers and sour magic, they got her under control.
Wiggles nudged me with his nose. “Having fun?”
“I can’t move. Sandy got me with her curse.” I rolled pathetically from side to side.
He shoved my arm with a paw. “Who’s going to feed me if you can’t move?”
I scowled at him. “I’m trapped in a curse and all you care about is your stomach.”
“If you don’t have fuel in your belly, you can’t function.” Wiggles turned to the angels. “We need some help over here.”
An angel hurried over. “What happened?” It was Cassiel, her face smeared with soot and sweat dappling her normally perfect brow. She offered me her hand.
“You’ve just arrested the curse killer,” I said. “I can’t move, and I might not be able to speak soon. Sandy cursed me and Dazielle with the same magic she used on Serath, Dewey, and the others.”
Cassiel’s eyes widened. She looked dazed as if not knowing what to do next. There was no one in charge to give her any orders.
I tilted my head. “Maybe you can start by helping your boss.”