A Malevolent Magic in Faerywood Falls

by Blythe Baker

  Squinting, I looked around. Cain stood to his feet.

  “It appears the power has come back on…”

  He looked back down at me, and my heart stirred.

  “I suppose I should try and contact Sheriff Garland…” he said. I could hear the unhappiness in his tone.

  I sat there as he called the police station and told them there had been an accident, and that they should hurry and come as soon as they could. He glanced at me only briefly as he told Sheriff Garland that one of his maids fell in the dark, and needed an ambulance as soon as possible, since the power had just come back on. I knew as well as he did that Mrs. Price was already dead, and had been for some time.

  Sheriff Garland appeared just as the first light of dawn was starting to appear through the window. The flashing red and blue lights filled the drawing room, swirling around like I was inside of a merry-go-round.

  The EMTs rushed inside as soon as they arrived, but I knew they would find someone who’d already perished. I just hoped they wouldn’t question whether we knew she’d already died before we called.

  I asked Cain to keep me out of the story entirely. He agreed. I didn’t want the sheriff to know that I was involved in yet another death. Cain escorted me away from the tower where Mrs. Price’s body was, and led me up to the room I’d been staying in. I then had to explain everything to Athena, too.

  “Well, he’s gone,” Cain said an hour later, stepping back into the room.

  I’d been sitting next to the fire, staring into the dying embers, letting my mind wander aimlessly. I looked up at him and blinked. Dim pink light filtered into the room from the windows.

  “Thanks for keeping me a secret,” I said.

  “No problem,” he said. “Though I’m not sure how you’re going to explain your flooded car to the sheriff.”

  “I’ll figure that out later,” I said. “For now, I just…need some rest.”

  “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to,” Cain said.

  “No, I…I don’t think I’d be able to think of anything apart from Mrs. Price if I stay,” I said, looking up at him. “But I’m so grateful for your kindness. Thank you for rescuing me, taking care of me…”

  “I would do that and more, Marianne…” he said in a low voice, his green eyes fixed on me.

  “Would you…be able to take me home?” I asked.

  “Of course,” he said. “I had your clothes washed and folded.” He set the stack of clothes down on the end of the bed. “When you’re ready, we can leave.”

  I changed and met him back out in the hallway. “Alright, let’s go,” I said. Cain brought me down to the garage, which was full of cars with dark tinted windows. He summoned a driver, and the two of us slid into the back seat together, Athena hopping in after us to curl up in my lap.

  “So…what’s next?” Cain asked. “You told me that you wanted to meet with Ruth at the shop when all this started. Why did you want to meet with her?”

  I looked over at him. After everything I’d been through with him, I decided that I could, in fact, trust Cain. At least with some of it.

  “I’m looking for information about my parents…” I said. “I’m originally from here, and since Ruth used to work at the records department…” I sighed. “But now I’ll never know.” She’d died without ever having confirmed whether or not she knew about the records and what happened to them.

  “I’m sorry…” Cain said. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “But…there might be someone who still can help. Someone that I am afraid to ask, because I’m afraid of what it’ll do to our relationship…”

  I glanced out the window.

  The blanket that I’d found at the Lodge. Aunt Candace had tucked it away in a box with my name on it. She’d known that I had been looking for answers about my parents, and she’d neglected to tell me about it.

  “I only want to find the truth,” I said. “But for some reason, that seems so impossible to uncover.”

  “Just…be careful,” Cain said. “Sometimes the truth doesn’t want to be discovered.”

  A chill ran down my spine.

  And yet…I knew I was going to keep chasing answers.

  Continue following the Mountain Magic Mysteries in Book 5: A Deadly Deed in Faerywood Falls.

  About the Author

  Blythe Baker is a thirty-something bottle redhead from the South Central part of the country. When she’s not slinging words and creating new worlds and characters, she’s acting as chauffeur to her children and head groomer to her household of beloved pets.

  Blythe enjoys long walks with her dog on sweaty days, grubbing in her flower garden, cooking, and ruthlessly de-cluttering her overcrowded home. She also likes binge-watching mystery shows on TV and burying herself in books about murder.

  To learn more about Blythe, visit her website and sign up for her newsletter at www.blythebaker.com