I paged through the book while Mabel made the tea. It was a comprehensive book with print so small I needed reading glasses. My stomach turned at the thought of needing reading glasses.
“I’m too young,” I murmured and kept skimming. I paused when I noticed a crease in a top corner of a page and frowned. A dog-eared page? Winston was going straight to Hell, apparently. As I went to turn the page, my gaze fell on a familiar phrase and I froze.
Vasuki.
Another memory shifted into place.
“Hey, Mabel. Would you mind if I had another look in the workshop? I just remembered something that would be helpful for my article.”
She gave me a curious look. “I suppose that would be fine. I can bring the tea to you there if you like. My husband always took his tea in there. I can’t remember the last time we sat in here together.”
“That would be great, thanks.” I hurried to the workshop, my head spinning. I’d been so overwhelmed the first time I was here that I hadn’t fully registered all the information in front of me.
The workshop appeared untouched since my last visit. I crossed the workshop to the wall where the jars still sat. Nestled between jars labeled siduri and patecatl was one labeled vasuki.
So York had made contact with a vasuki demon serpent and had the poison to prove it. But why would he have earmarked the page in Rare and Dangerous? Had he accidentally poisoned himself and was looking for a cure? No, that didn’t make sense.
“Here you are, dear. I’ll set this down for you and you drink it when you’re ready.”
I turned to see Mabel carrying a mug to one of the tables. “Thank you. I have a quick question, if you don’t mind. Did your husband seem well to you in the days before he died?”
She placed the mug on a coaster and faced me. “How do you mean?”
I tried to recall the symptoms I’d seen mentioned in connection with vasuki poison. “Did he complain of any nausea or dizziness?”
She appeared thoughtful. “Now that you mention it, he complained of a headache the morning before he left.” She stopped talking, her eyes moist. “In fact, I suggested he stay home until he was better, but that’s not how Winston operated, so I simply gave him the letter to mail and he was on his way.”
I turned back to contemplate the jars.
“You should drink your tea before it gets cold.” She laughed softly. “I was forever saying that to Winston.”
Not wanting to be impolite, I went to the table to retrieve the drink. As I reached over the mug to turn the handle toward me, my bracelet plunged into the tea, splashing the liquid onto the table.
Crap on a cracker. I couldn’t tell Raoul or I’d never hear the end of it. “I’m so sorry.” I pulled a tissue from my pocket and dabbed at the wet spots on the table.
“It’s fine, dear. I’ll clean it up.”
I fished the bracelet out of the brown liquid and placed it on the tissue to dry. As I went to lift the mug, I noticed that the bright green emerald had faded to celadon. Icy tendrils of dread spread throughout my body.
Poison.
There was poison in my tea.
I tried to disguise my shock as the realization settled in.
Mabel York killed her husband.
She watched me closely, so I lifted the mug to my lips and pretended to drink.
“Nice and warm, just the way I like it,” I said. “Any special herbs? It has a slightly bitter taste.”
“I suppose vasuki might taste bitter. I’ve never tried it myself.”
I feigned ignorance. “I’ve never heard of vasuki.”
“No? Isn’t that what you came in here to look for?” She inclined her head toward the jar. “It’s right over there on the shelf. Was a bugger to open that lid, so I used a little magic and it popped right off.”
“You know what’s in the jar?” I queried. “I thought you weren’t allowed in here.”
“I’m not completely ignorant. I was married for far too long not to pick up information here and there.”
“Here and there, like here in the workshop and a book from the library?”
“You can drop the act. I knew as soon as you showed up on my doorstep that you’d figured it out.”
I played along. “I guess we’re two clever ladies then.”
Her lips curled into a cruel smile. “Winston didn’t have a clue. He was far too preoccupied with his comeback.” Her brow creased. “I expected you to be dead by now. I think you should drink more.”
I shrugged. “I disappoint a lot of folks. Get in line.” I picked up my bracelet and slipped it into my bag. “So what happened? You were so resentful that he went back to work that you killed him?”
“I suppose I might as well tell you. You won’t be walking out of here alive anyway.”
“If it’s any consolation, I’m dizzy,” I lied. “I feel a headache coming on.” I leaned against the table for good measure. I figured if she thought I was dying, then she’d lower her defenses.
“That’s how I felt when Winston announced that he wanted a divorce.”
My eyes popped. “Whoa. What?”
“That’s right. After forty-five years of marriage. Of me waiting patiently while he lives his life and pursues his dreams that don’t appear to include me. Now he has the gall to want to file for divorce?” Mabel’s eyes gleamed with righteous anger.
“I can understand why that upset you.” A heat-of-the-moment whack on the head with a skillet I could almost understand, but Mabel actually planned his murder.
“I asked him if there was another woman. I didn’t see how that was possible since he never left the house, but still. Maybe he was spending time in chat rooms. Who knows what he was doing in the workshop?”
“And was there—another woman?”
Her voice trembled as she spoke. “No. He said he wanted to live the rest of his life alone. That we’d run our course and it was time to move on from the marriage.”
Wow. I wasn’t sure which one was worse—to be left for someone else in the twilight of my life or to be left for no one at all.
“That had to hurt.”
“It was unbearable,” she seethed. “There was no way I was letting him waltz out of our marriage. I’d invested most of my life in that man and what did I have to show for it? Bottles of poisons and a useless collection of horns?”
“And so you killed Winston with one of his own poisons.”
She barked a short laugh. “Ironic, isn’t it?”
“More like opportunistic. How did you do it? A shot in his morning coffee? Mixed in with the honey in his porridge? The green smoothie?”
“I’d put it in his tea that morning, like I did with yours, but he was so excited about the tepen that he refused food and drink. I panicked.”
I thought of the stack of mail on top of the Rare and Dangerous book. “The stamp. You said that you asked him to mail an envelope on his way out that morning and that he had to put on the stamp. You laced the back with the poison, knowing he’d lick it just before he left the house. He’d send off the evidence and manage to die elsewhere, far away from you.” I couldn’t resist giving her a look of admiration. “Nice work.”
“He thought he was the clever one, always drumming up creative ways of tracking and trapping his prey. Did he really think I’d go along with his plans without a fight?”
“Except it wasn’t a fight. You killed him.”
“I simply helped him with population control.”
“Wow. That’s cold, Mabel.”
“Not as cold as the way he treated me.” Her angry expression melted into one of pain. “He didn’t deserve me.”
“No, he didn’t. But he also didn’t deserve to die because of it.”
She wiped away a stray tear and took a menacing step forward. “Why aren’t you dead yet?”
“It took an hour or so for Winston to die, didn’t it?” I sat on the stool at the table. “I guess we should make ourselves comfortable.”
“I’d
be happy to hasten things along. Fairies have magic too, you know. Even halflings like me.” She pulled a sparkling wand from behind her and aimed it at me.
“You do realize a wand like that lacks the intimidation factor. It looks like you’re going to glitter me to death.”
“I don’t need to intimidate you. I only need to kill you.”
“Just so you know, even if you weren’t going to the Bad Place for killing Winston, you’d still be going there for dog-earing a library book.”
“How did you figure out it wasn’t the tepen? That’s what everyone else believes.”
“Only because they didn’t watch the video,” I said. “The sheriff and I saw that the tepen never made contact with him and I found him straight afterward.”
She blanched. “The sheriff knows it was murder?”
I nodded. “He and I have been investigating together.”
Her fingers tightened around the wand. “Then the poison won’t work. I need to do something else or he’ll figure it out.”
Oops, that was probably the wrong thing to reveal. I thought I could buy a little more time, but this was my cue to leave. I reached for my bag.
“Not so fast!” Magic streaked from her wand and I ducked. The blue light zapped a picture on the wall and cracked the glass.
I ran.
The sound of glass shattering seemed to punctuate each step. Jars and bottles exploded. I crawled across the floor to hide beneath a table. Glass crashed on the floor around me and shards skidded toward my hands. I yanked my hands away to avoid getting cut.
The only exit was being blocked by Mabel. That meant my only option was to move her out of the way. I tried to remember the strength spell I’d done with Wren. To be fair, I could probably overpower Mabel anyway, but I needed to get close to her and her zap-happy wand prevented that.
“I’m going to torch this workshop to the ground and you along with it,” Mabel said, her voice shaking with fury. “There will be no evidence. No proof. Just another tragic accident. I’ll make it look as though I wasn’t even here when it happened. Everyone knows you’re writing an article. They’ll think you were in here snooping.”
I had flashbacks to the night I arrived in Starry Hollow—the fire in my New Jersey apartment. If it hadn’t been for my cousins, we would have died. Looking around right now, I knew that no one was coming to save me. I had to get out of this on my own.
I would get out of this on my own.
Across the room, Winston’s trophies seemed to call to me. I viewed them differently now. He hadn’t killed these creatures and had them stuffed and mounted. They’d died and he’d preserved their memories. He’d worshipped them. Devoted his life to them.
For a fleeting moment, I considered trying to body swap with one of the larger creatures, but I worried about leaving my physical form unattended. Another idea formed, but I wasn’t sure if it was even possible.
You’re a Rose. You can do anything.
I wasn’t so sure Marsali was right about anything, but I knew I had more magic in me than I’d felt comfortable using.
Until now.
I concentrated on the life-sized creatures and let the magic flow freely. Let it build within me until I was ready to release it. I hoped I’d chosen the right word or this could easily backfire. Hell, even if it was the right word, it could still backfire.
I pushed my hands toward the far wall. “Excito!”
Each and every rare supernatural creature seemed to groan at once. They peeled themselves off the wall, their eyes fixed on Mabel. She backed away, her mouth agape. She raised a shaky hand and aimed her wand at them.
“Stop right there,” she yelled.
But they wouldn’t answer to her. They were my zombie horde.
I tried to move from under the table, but she quickly shifted the wand back to me. “You’re not going anywhere.”
One of the bear-sized creatures lunged at her, its claws as sharp now as they were when it was alive. She screamed and dropped her wand.
I took a chance and rushed forward. I scooped up her wand and pointed it at her. She was on the floor now, struggling beneath the weight of the creature.
“Desisto,” I said firmly.
The creature froze and I nudged it aside, the wand still aimed at Mabel.
“Why don’t you just leave me alone?” she sobbed. “You’re going to die anyway.”
“Oh, did I forget to tell you? I didn’t drink your tea, Mabel. I’ll live to annoy another day. You might as well sit tight while I call the sheriff. One move and I’ll have these creatures back in action.”
She lowered the back of her head to the floor in defeat. “How did you do that?” she whispered. “In all my years, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed the sheriff. “My name is Ember Rose,” I said proudly, “and I’m a descendant of the One True Witch.”
Chapter Eighteen
“The weather is so lovely today, I thought we could spend time on the veranda.”
“Sounds good to me.” I followed my aunt outside with a drink in my hand. She’d invited me to Thornhold for a chat and I waited anxiously to see what was on her mind. With Aunt Hyacinth, you could never be too sure.
“How is Marley’s herb garden coming along? I keep thinking I should drop by to see her progress, but I don’t wish to intrude.”
“Oh, you know you can drop by any time.” Sort of. Maybe call first—with twenty-four hours’ notice. “She’s doing a great job with the garden. Even Calla was impressed. It seems to be her thing.”
My aunt regarded me. “But not yours?”
I swatted a hand in the air. “No, definitely not mine. I still manage to kill artificial flowers, so it’s best to keep the natural world safe from my impact.”
Tell her the appetizers are delicious.
Raoul? What are you doing here?
Accountability coach, remember? I followed you. Tell her they taste like stale pizza crust from the top of the heap.
I cringed. You realize that’s not a compliment, right?
It is in my world.
Inwardly, I sighed. I knew Raoul meant well, but it was time to reclaim my headspace. I was feeling more centered, stronger than ever, in fact, and I knew I could handle this without his input.
Raoul, you know I love you…
Let me guess. You don’t want me to be your accountability coach anymore.
Would you be disappointed? It isn’t that I don’t appreciate your contributions, but there are some things I need to handle on my own and I can’t think straight when you’re constantly popping into my head with advice. I don’t want to lose myself.
No, it’s cool. To be honest, I don’t think I’m cut out for it. I was starting to resent having to give you so much attention when really I just want to focus on me.
I laughed. So we’re good?
I’m your familiar. You can’t get rid of me that easily.
My aunt tilted her head. “Is something funny, Ember?”
“Oh, no. Well, yes, but nothing I can repeat. It was a bawdy joke I heard recently.” I figured I was safe. No way would Aunt Hyacinth dare ask me to repeat a bawdy joke.
“I see.”
Raoul? I peered at the hedge, but there was no sign of the raccoon. Phew. At least we navigated that without too much fallout. It was only when I returned my attention to my aunt that I realized she was staring at me with a strange expression.
“Do I have crumbs stuck on my lip?” I made a half-hearted attempt to brush away any offensive bits.
“What? No. I was simply thinking about something I heard.”
“You heard a bawdy joke too? What are the odds?”
She ignored my remark. “You mentioned your impact on the natural world and that reminded me.” The intensity of Aunt Hyacinth’s gaze made me feel like a bug under a microscope—or maybe like a hostess at the restaurant that tried to seat her too close to the kitchen.
“Oh?”
&n
bsp; My aunt sipped her cocktail, her keen eyes still assessing me. “I’ve noticed a difference in you lately myself.”
I tried to keep my game face on. “Really? I have been using a new deodorant. It’s missing that fresh powder scent.”
“Don’t test my patience, Ember. If you’re finally fully embracing your powers, I’m thrilled. It means my efforts haven’t been in vain.”
I relaxed slightly.
“All your tutors have mentioned your impressive strides recently, in fact.” She lifted her glass to her lips and peered at me over the rim. “It made me curious.”
Uh oh.
“I’ve gotten more comfortable in my own skin,” I said, which was true.
“And how is your familiar? There’ve been no more issues with the other animal, the bossy one?”
“Gilbert? No, that’s all done and dusted.” I knew this wasn’t a polite inquiry. My aunt was reminding me of the incident with the mobster animal and her role in resolving it because it was time to collect.
We stood in mutual silence for a moment, staring at each other.
My aunt spoke first. “I think it’s time you told me the truth, don’t you? It’s not as though you can hide it forever.”
I drained the glass and set it on the stone wall at my hip. It was time to come clean.
“I have Ivy’s Book of Shadows.”
It was the first time I’d ever seen my aunt look gobsmacked. “Is that so?” she asked, quickly recovering her poise.
“That’s so. I also have access to her magic.” I paused. “All of it.”
She regarded me coolly. “I don’t know how you managed that, but it’s no matter. I’d like you to go back to the cottage and bring me the items. The wand, the grimoire, and the Book of Shadows.”
“Why? You gave two of those to Marley and I found the other one. They don’t belong to you.”
Her withering gaze struck fear in my heart, but I steeled myself against it. “Yarrow…”
“Ember.”
Her nostrils flared. “Ember, I am the head of this family and I demand that you return the items to me at once. They are family heirlooms.”
Magic & Monsters (Starry Hollow Witches Book 12) Page 17