Storm a-Brewin'

by Nova Nelson

  “Leeromere,” she corrected, “and of course.”

  “And that is?”

  “Oh, you know”—she waved her hand around vaguely—“conflict, strife, so on.”

  “Love it,” said Grim without moving an inch.

  I ignored him. “You don’t sound concerned.”

  “Why should I be? This is astrology we’re talking about. We’re studying the stories the stars tell, and what’s a story without a bit of conflict and strife?”

  “A vacation?”

  She pointed at me. “Exactly! And think of the last time you wanted to hear about someone’s vacation.”

  Okay, she had a point.

  Grim rolled onto his stomach. “That’s only because witches have no idea how to take a real vacation. If you’d only go to the Deadwoods, you’d get all the conflict and strife you need. And then some. Oh! And death. So much sweet, sweet death.”

  I gazed up at the sky again, slowing my breathing, opening myself up to feel the pull of the stars I’d felt the last time I’d been up here. The rest of my witch’s circle had been there with me then, and I’d managed to harness some of the power from the stars to survive a close shave with a being much more powerful than myself.

  A quick flash streamed between the two brightest stars of the Pentaclave constellation. “Did you see that?” I asked Ruby.

  “Sure did.”

  “And what does that mean?” The heavens were so uneventful, sudden movement, especially, carried a big meaning.

  “Difficult to put into words.” But she was smiling, so I decided to count it as a win.

  Then, just as I was starting to feel good about the future, she narrowed her eyes on me and said, “So I hear you’re raising the dead.”

  Grim made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snicker. “Busted.”

  I sucked in air so quickly, I choked on my own spit. When I could breathe again, I said, “What?”

  She didn’t appear too upset, but her words did carry an undertone of threat. “That dreamy hunk of Irish sass. You figured out how to bring him back.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t go through with it.” Not entirely, anyway. “Did Donovan tell you that?”

  Her eyebrows flew up toward her gray hair. “Donovan knows? Bet he was jealous. No, it was Ted that told me. He claims to have seen you do it in the back alley of Sheehan’s. Keeping it classy, I see.”

  Grim barked a chuckle.

  So Ted had watched Donovan and I back there longer than he’d let on. What else had he seen and heard?

  I felt my face turn red. “It was an accident,” I said. “I had no idea I could do that.”

  Ruby stepped closer to me, and her dark green eyes were shockingly bright in the darkness. “Let me make one thing clear: no matter what, the dead should stay dead. Always. That’s our job, to make sure those who pass don’t linger. There is never a good time to bring someone back to life, you understand?”

  I nodded silently, surprised by her sudden intensity.

  “Death is a balancing act, and it’s not our business to tamper with it. Nature will restore balance no matter what. If you’d brought Roland back, I’ve no doubt there would have been a sudden death in the town, and there’s no way of guessing who it would have been.”

  “Good golem, what if it could have been me? Are you telling me I missed out on a perfectly good chance to die again?”

  I felt like a small child in the principal’s office, but I didn’t fight it; I probably deserved this lecture after how reckless I’d been with Roland O’Neill while he was still hanging around.

  Ruby nodded once and stepped back. “Good. Okay, back to the pointless study of astrology.”

  But when I looked up, the clouds were encroaching again, and a bright bolt of lightning lit up the sky.

  “Heaven’s vengeance,” cursed Ruby.

  I hadn’t heard that one before, and it made me think of Bloom, who I still hadn’t spoken with since the incident.

  “I guess we’ll have to continue this some other time,” she said, “unless you know a North Wind who owes you a favor.”

  My mind immediately jumped to Landon. The only reason I didn’t feel particularly bad about the fact that he’d been forced into hiding and ostracized from the rest of our circle to avoid detection was that it meant he had more time cooped up with Grace, who was also in hiding.

  If she hadn’t already been pregnant, I would put money on her becoming it before long. Though Landon would never admit it, I saw the way he looked at her and the way she looked at him. Bedroom eyes if I ever saw them.

  And good for him.

  Of course, he didn’t owe me any favors. If anything, I was deeply in his debt. “I do know one, obviously, but he’s—”

  “Hush,” Grim said, and when I glanced down at him, he was on his feet, his hackles raised as he stared into the dark tree line twenty yards off.

  “What is it?”

  He growled low. “I smell something. Someone.”

  “Who?”

  “Not sure. I don’t recognize the scent.”

  “What is it?” Ruby whispered from behind me.

  “Someone’s watching us.”

  Another burst of lightning overhead was plenty to make out the face, but that didn’t help me understand why the elf was there.

  “Hyacinth?” I called out.

  As soon as I spoke, she pulled back, disappearing into the trees.

  “What the spell?” I murmured.

  Ruby grunted. “That nosy elf must be absolutely desperate for gossip now that she’s shut herself up in Erin Park and doesn’t make the morning rounds. Serves her right.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? She’s out here watching us to see if she can’t get some good drama from it. She’s probably hoping to be the one to figure out who your North Wind is. Ha! She would ride that rush for days.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I said, but when I met Grim’s eyes, he seemed equally as unconvinced.

  Chapter Four

  Both Ruby and I had our umbrellas open as we made our way back to the house. Grim was dripping wet but didn’t seem to mind.

  “I feel so alive! Well, you know, figuratively speaking. Literally speaking, it’s iffy.”

  “Great. Glad you’re enjoying it so much, because you’ll be sleeping on the porch tonight.”

  He paused in his large loping stride. “Wait. What?”

  “I already toweled you off once. There’s no way we want the whole house to smell like wet dog. Sorry.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “You’re right.”

  Grim sulked the rest of the way back and hurried ahead as the house came into view to flop down onto his favorite spot on the porch. But he stopped before he hit the first stair.

  Someone was already on the porch.

  At first, the soft light emanating around her led me to assume it was the ghost from before, waiting to continue her defense of her killer.

  But that wasn’t who it was.

  The glow around her was faint, leaving me to wonder for the first time if she could control it at will or if it corresponded to her moods. She’d made herself comfortable on the porch swing, her wings extended and resting lazily across the top wooden slat of the backrest.

  Despite my many positive encounters with Sheriff Bloom, I couldn’t help but feel like I was in trouble. Was everyone in the mood to scold me tonight? Was that what the comet had signified? That it was Nora-scolding night? It certainly would explain why Ruby had smiled at seeing it.

  Or maybe Bloom’s questions for me couldn’t wait until morning, which likely meant something was terribly wrong.

  “Evening, Gabby,” said Ruby in a more congenial tone than I’d heard her use … ever?

  The angel stood from the bench as we slipped under the cover and shook out our umbrellas. “Evening, Ruby, Nora.”

  Grim stomped up the stairs, positioned himself right by me, and then shook as hard as he could, l
eaving me so drenched, I might as well have not used an umbrella.

  “A little eau d’wet dog to remember me by when you’re warming yourself by the fire.” Then he flopped down into a pile in his spot, causing the wooden boards below him to creek angrily.

  Sheriff Bloom shook out the tan pant leg of her uniform, which had been caught in the crossfire of Grim’s bitterness, as she said, “Mind inviting me in for a bit? I’d like to speak with Nora.” She addressed Ruby like the woman was my guardian rather than my landlady.

  “Of course not. I’ll start some tea.”

  While the tea brewed, I went upstairs to change into some dry clothes, and when I returned, Gabby and Ruby were both beside themselves with giggles.

  Bloom wiped a tear from her eye. “I’ve never seen old Whirligig run from a house as fast as he did then.”

  “I didn’t even know he could run,” Ruby said, wheezing.

  I settled into the empty chair with a steaming cup of tea on the table in front of it. “What’s this about Whirligig?”

  Ruby caught her breath. “Oh nothing. It was a long time ago.”

  “Not that long ago,” Bloom said, grinning. “Whirligig still goes wide-eyed at any mention of a shrinking ointment.”

  The sheriff brought her tea to her lips to compose herself. “Anyway, Nora, I do have a good reason to drop by so late on a weeknight. First and foremost, I thought you’d like to know that none of those affected by the silver attack are expected to have any lasting damage. Stella has them set up in the back room of the Pixie Mixie, and they’re receiving treatment.”

  “That’s great.” But it was also news that could wait until morning. I kept quiet so she’d go on.

  “I spoke with Efarine Moulton.”

  “Who?”

  “The witch who you and a handful of other reliable eye witness say walked into Medium Rare and dropped off a silver bomb. She’s a South Wind, only moderately active in the Coven, and, naturally, she denied the whole thing.”

  “How is she going to deny it? We all saw her.”

  Bloom’s lips pressed together as fine lines formed around her eyes. She gripped her teacup with both hands. “Yes, that’s why I’m here. I found her at home only an hour after the attack. That immediately struck me as strange, because if she didn’t bother disguising herself at the diner, and she wasn’t going to hide after the fact, why even run from the scene in the first place? I cuffed her immediately, of course, but she claimed to have no idea why I was doing it. So I enlightened her. She still seemed confused and wouldn’t admit to it. That made me pause. I sat her down and conducted a proper interrogation right there in her home.”

  Blooms interrogations were notoriously gentle to the body and brutal to the conscience. One of her angelic powers was being able to sense guilt or innocence in a person, though it was common knowledge that she couldn’t detect the exact source of any guilt when she sensed it.

  She took a long sip from her cup, then met my eyes again. “Her soul speaks of innocence. There wasn’t a drop of guilt in her when I asked her about the incident.” She paused. “Well, there was some guilt, but it was unrelated. Looks like she’s been cheating on her diet and lying to her accountability partner about it.” She waved that off. “As far as attacking a bunch of weres in a private establishment, though, there was nothing.”

  “That’s weird,” I said, unsure what else there was to say.

  Bloom nodded minutely then cleared her throat and said, “A few months ago, when Zoe was found floating in the fountain …”

  Oh no. Here it came. I’d hoped that whole ordeal would be forgotten, that it would never come back up again. But that had obviously been too much to wish for. “Yes?”

  Her eyes flickered to Ruby’s for a split second. “Now, I don’t like to get too nosy about the way you Fifth Winds operate—after all, as long as the crime stops and it doesn’t result in more paperwork for me, I like to call it a win. But I never did find out who or what was behind that strange crime spree, and Deputy Manchester never said more than, ‘Nora handled it.’ One thing I do know about it, though, is that people were acting strangely and not remembering a bit of it after the fact.”

  Now I could see where she was going with this. “They were possessed.”

  She nodded once. “I figured as much. And was it all by the same spirit?”

  I avoided Ruby’s eye. “Yes.”

  “And did you banish the spirit?”

  “Yes.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Sure, at first I’d done the opposite and actually brought him completely through, let him live in my bedroom, enjoyed a few scandalous dreams with him despite being in a relationship with another man, and strongly considered resurrecting him, but I came around in the end.

  The sheriff narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you sure? I’m sensing a lot of guilt here.”

  “Don’t mind that,” said Ruby. “She’s only guilty because she was carrying on with him for a while behind Tanner’s back. But if you’d seen him, Gabby, you’d understand.”

  Gabby, whose maternal feelings for Tanner had only ever been thinly veiled at best, arched an eyebrow at me and looked on the edge of delivering a tongue lashing before I jumped to my own defense.

  “It wasn’t behind his back. We talked about it. I couldn’t control it anyway. It was during the love spell.”

  Bloom swallowed hard, her disappointment in me tempered for the time being, and she took a quick sip of her drink before speaking again. “Yes, well, plenty of regrettable things happened because of that spell. Lovely, regrettable things …” she finished wistfully. It was only then that I realized I didn’t know the whole story of Bloom’s night after I left her behind at Sheehan’s Pub.

  Right after Count Malavic had professed his undead love for her.

  Did they …?

  “The point is I have no moral high ground to stand on,” she said succinctly, snapping out of whatever delightful memory she’d stumbled into. “And it’s irrelevant anyway. You say you banished the spirit that was possessing people around Eastwind, and I believe you. However, what happened with Efarine has possession written all over it. When I asked her where she’d been for the last couple hours, she said she was reading a book on her couch. She’d called in to work sick because she’d gotten in an argument with one of her coworkers at Warlock’s Wardrobes and couldn’t stand to look at his face. At least that’s what she claims.”

  “People are usually missing a chunk of their memory after a possession,” I said. “They lose track of time, and when they come to again, they’re disoriented and confused.”

  “I’m aware,” said Bloom. “Unfortunately, that’s also the effect of reading a good book, and Efarine said hers was quite engrossing.” She finished the last of her tea, thanked Ruby, and stood. “I’m fairly convinced we have another possession on our hands, which doesn’t strike me as all that shocking, considering Halloween is next week. I’ve interviewed victims of possession before, and it’s quite fascinating. While they’re under the influence, I can sense the guilt of the soul inhabiting the body, but after the fact, there’s not a trace left.

  “I didn’t end up arresting Efarine, but I told her to lie low for a while, since word was bound to get out that she was a terrorist, and that could be dangerous to her health. She was more than happy to agree to forgo work for a while and finish the rest of the series she was reading, so that’s settled. But if you don’t mind, keep an eye out for any other inklings you may have insofar as an unruly spirit causing trouble around town, would you?”

  “Of course.”

  “And, you know, if you get the urge to go investigate this for yourself, go ahead and follow that urge. It’s nice to have Tanner’s help in the department, but it’s still not enough.”

  “Oh, bah,” said Ruby, standing to shoo the sheriff toward the door. “You always did try to get free labor, Gabby.”

  Bloom grinned, but didn’t deny it. “Tricked you more often than not, didn’t I? Gotta be resourceful wh
en the Council won’t open up the coffer wide enough to hire an adequate number of deputies. And with the sheer volume of laws those lunatics pass, there’s more and more enforcing to be done.”

  “Don’t get me started on the High Council. I’ll get all worked up and might accidentally curse the mayor. Then you’d have to arrest me.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  I wanted to hear more about that. But the door closed behind Bloom, and Ruby’s demeanor darkened immediately, which meant prying about when she was arrested would be a bad idea. “You’re going to want to get some sleep, dear,” said Ruby. “I imagine you’ve just stepped in a steaming pile of swirls without realizing it, and you better believe no one’s going to help you clean it off your boot.”

  “How have I stepped in it? I didn’t do anything.”

  Ruby rolled her eyes. “Only a lunatic would intentionally step in swirls, yet swirls get stepped in by perfectly sane people all the same. As a Fifth Wind, you’re practically walking through a unicorn pasture with how much you get on your boots. Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself. It’s just part of the job.”

  “I’m not feeling sorry for myself.”

  I was. Very much.

  But Ruby’s advice was sound. I faced a day full of cleaning and who knew what kinds of headlines from Flufferbum at the Eastwind Watch.

  I would need all the help I could get, clearly, so rather than going to bed, I swung by the linen closet on the stairs, grabbed the most raggedly towel I could find, and went out onto the front porch to make things right with Grim.

  But there was still no way his stinky hide would be sleeping on the bed, no matter how dry he was.

  Chapter Five

  I cleaned for almost seven hours, scrubbing every inch of the diner, including the ceiling and underneath all the booths. If there was a speck of silver left in Medium Rare, I was a hornswoggle.

  With thirty minutes left before the inspection was scheduled, I whipped up a fried egg sandwich in the back, going all out on buttering the bread before I toasted it, mashing up an avocado to spread underneath two wobbly over-easy eggs, and then drizzling queso over the whole thing before sticking the other slice of bread on top and digging in. The plan had been to eat while knocking out my astronomy reading for the day, so I had the textbook open on the counter in front of me as I tucked in.