Hex And Chocolate: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel: Singing Falls Witches Book Four

by M. J. Caan

  “A…cat?” said Torie. “You can see the cat?” Then she shook her head, smiling. “What am I saying; of course you can see the cat. The cat that Elion is holding.”

  “Yes,” said Hattie, “that cat. Looks like he’s a feisty one!”

  “Yes, he is still getting accustomed to the new house. Elion, you and Fionna take little Leo back upstairs for a bit so he doesn’t get too worked up?”

  Fionna looked at Elion and frowned but nodded her head.

  “Happy to,” she said, forcing a smile and waving Elion on ahead of her.

  “Elric, why don’t you show Hattie back to the guest room with Effie while Jasmin and I run the errand we discussed. We should be back shortly.”

  Elric nodded without saying anything.

  Torie took the picture of Tilda she had out of her pocket and handed it to Max.

  “Max, take this into town and see if anyone has seen Hattie’s daughter. Maybe we’ll get lucky. Jasmin and I will check with some other sources we have.” She gave the sheriff a nod and then watched as the big werewolf headed out the door.

  “Hattie, Elric is going to take you back to Effie. Glen, the nurse, will be here soon to check over her. If you need anything at all, just let Elric know.”

  Once everyone had cleared out of the kitchen, Jasmin gave Torie a long, appreciative look.

  “What?” asked Torie.

  “Nothing, just enjoying watching you take charge like that.”

  Torie blushed. She had never been good at taking compliments and quickly steered the conversation away from anything that had to do with her.

  “So, we have a ring that Tilda wore, are you thinking a locator spell?”

  Jasmin nodded. “Exactly. But we can’t cast it from here. Between the wards you have, and those awful boxes in your study, the residual supernatural energy in this place could throw off the accuracy. We need calm. Let’s go up to my place and see if we can’t find this Tilda.”

  Torie agreed and followed her friend as they headed out of the house. She closed the door, and instinctively went to raise the wards around it, but then thought better. With all the comings and goings of supernaturals, it would be better to just leave them down. After all, they would only be away for a short time.

  What was the worst that could happen?

  19

  “You know that was hurtful to Fionna, right?” said Jasmin as she opened the door to her house.

  Torie couldn’t look her in the eye because they both knew she was right.

  “It was bad enough that Effie said those things, but it was even worse that I defended them without even meaning to,” Torie replied. “I should have shut that down immediately. I thought I did…but I also didn’t want to be forceful about it.”

  Jasmin turned to face her friend, her features softening. “Fionna knows you have her back. She also knows you can’t control what comes out of someone else’s mouth. Despite how she can sometimes appear outwardly, I think she can still be hurt by certain things; and this was one of them.”

  Torie didn’t ask if the hurt was from Effie or Torie, and in truth, it didn’t matter. She needed to make amends with her friend, and she intended to do so as soon as she returned to her own house. But just then, in that moment, she knew that she had to banish all distractions from her mind. She and Jasmin had work to do, and any stray thoughts could throw off the hex spell they were about to cast.

  Like Torie, Jasmin had her own study that was located on the backside of her house, overlooking the manicured lawn. It was filled to overflowing with plants of all kinds that created an intoxicating aroma inside the room. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases were on every wall, including flanking the large picture window, and they were crammed full of tomes of all shapes and sizes.

  “Have you read all of these?” asked Torie.

  “Every single one of them. Reading is one of life’s great pleasures, and a particular indulgence of mine. One day, if you don’t hear from me, I’ll probably have been crushed to death by an avalanche of books. And when you find me like that, just know that I died happy.”

  Torie rolled her eyes. “No talk of dying, young lady. We have so much more to do. And you have so much more to teach me.”

  “Not as much as you might think. You’ve come a long way in a very short period of time Torie. I’m starting to think you might be some kind of magical savant.”

  Torie shifted, looking away from her friend.

  “Don’t do that,” said Jasmin.

  “Do what?”

  “Get all uncomfortable and change the subject when someone gives you a compliment. You earned that phrase. Accept it.”

  She started to protest but realized Jasmin was right. It was something she wanted to work on, and this was the perfect opportunity to do that.

  “Thank you. You’re right. I’m not good at taking compliments; it’s something I’m not used to hearing. But you make it easy to learn and grow. Plus, it’s something I feel like I’m really good at.”

  Jasmin smiled and nodded. “You’re good at a lot of things, but you’ll start to see that for yourself soon I’m betting. For now, let’s find this Tilda person and see just what she’s up to.”

  She went to one of the bookshelves on her wall and removed an old map that had been rolled into a tube and secured with a red ribbon. She placed it on a large worktable in the center of the room and unfurled the large piece of paper.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s an old map of Singing Falls. Not much has changed with the town since its printing, so hopefully with the right spell we can locate Tilda.”

  “Why do you have paper maps? You know Google maps exist, right?”

  “I know a lot of things exist, that doesn’t mean I’m going to ditch the things I love for them. Besides, magic and technology aren’t the best of friends for some reason. At least not at the level we need this spell to work.”

  Once the map was opened, she placed four small votives at each corner to keep it flat.

  “Do you have the ring?”

  “Right here,” Torie replied, fishing it out of her pocket and handing it to Jasmin.

  Holding the chain so the ring dangled over the map, Jasmin began to chant.

  “From deepest cavern to highest peak,

  show us now the one we seek.”

  Her eyes blazed white as she poured her intention and power into the spell, and slowly, the ring began to swing about. It rotated in an ever-widening circle around the map, homing in on the object of their desire.

  Faster and faster the ring swung, until, all at once, it stopped, pulling through the air at an angle that pointed at one area of the map. Jasmin released the chain and it zipped through the air to stick to one point on the map.

  “Where is that?” asked Torie, peering closely at the area where the ring landed. “It looks like a campground at the base of the falls.”

  “It is,” said Jasmin. “There is nothing there except RVs and small camping cabins. A lot of people come up from Queen City for the weekends to get away from everything. She may be holed up in one of them. It would be the perfect place to stay off the grid.”

  “Should we go take a look?”

  “We should call Max, let that wolf earn his paycheck. But…”

  “I did promise Elric I wouldn’t go rushing headlong into things like this anymore without him. I just think he’s probably needed more keeping the peace at the house than he will be of use to us.”

  “True. It’s not like we are facing a hunter, or a crazed warlock that we would need his help in defeating. It’s one human girl playing around with forces she shouldn’t be. That’s our wheelhouse.”

  Torie nodded in agreement. “You’re right. We can handle this.”

  She smiled, realizing the ease with which they had talked themselves into something.

  They headed out of the study, but Torie stopped in her tracks, leaning over to smell a particular flower with deep green stems and bright orange blooms that gave off a v
ery fragrant scent.

  “Jasmin, what is this?”

  “It’s an angel’s trumpet. Specifically, a Brugmansia angel’s trumpet.”

  “It smells amazing. Is it poisonous?”

  “Yes, very. Well, the most dangerous part is in the seeds. This particular one I have been working on to breed out the poison so I can use the blossoms in healing potions.” She gestured around the room. “All of these have been subjected to spell and incantation to create new forms that I can then adapt in various ways.”

  “Very impressive. I didn’t know you had such a green thumb.”

  “Modern potions for the modern witch. No more eye of newt and tongue of frog for us. Why do you ask?”

  “Oh, it just gives me an idea for something I am working on.”

  Together, they left Jasmin’s house and piled into her black SUV and headed west, out of town.

  “You know, she isn’t your mother,” said Jasmin, not taking her eyes off the road.

  Torie didn’t say anything, just turned her head to the side to gaze out her window.

  “I know.” She took a deep breath and released it on the windowpane, fogging it up. Then she traced a heart in her breath and slashed her finger through it before it faded away.

  They were greeted by a large wooden archway with a sign that read ‘Welcome to Camp Singing Falls’ in large gold block lettering. Driving under the sign, they headed up a long, winding gravel road that led to an old country farmhouse. A sign suspended from small chains hung above the door and proclaimed this to be the rental office.

  The two of them tried the door and found it unlocked. Inside the entry to the farmhouse had been carved up to create a small check-in desk to the right, and a tiny general store to the left that had a couple rows of stocked items that included mosquito spray, toiletries, canned goods, and camping supplies.

  The house smelled old, but not in an unpleasant way; it reminded Torie of the smell of a large bookstore. Old paper was a scent she used to love, and it brought back so many fond memories of a time before she had purchased her first Kindle reading device and abandoned bookstores without a second thought.

  A middle-aged man looked up from a crossword puzzle he had been working on and smiled as they approached him.

  “Hello, ladies, what can I do you for?” he asked. “If you’re looking for a cabin, I’m afraid we’re all booked up, but I can check and see if anyone has cancelled for you.” He made a move towards a large, boxy computer monitor but Jasmin stopped him.

  “No, no, we aren’t here for a cabin. We don’t want to take up your time, but we are looking for someone. Have you seen this woman?”

  She stepped aside and Torie walked up to the counter and took out her phone. She had snapped a picture of the photo of Tilda before giving it to Max.

  The man looked at it, adjusting his glasses a bit.

  “No,” he said, with just a bit of hesitation. “Haven’t seen anyone that looks like that here.” Again, he turned away and looked at his monitor. “Well, will you look at that. Seems like we had a cancellation, but someone just booked it online. Looks like we really don’t have anything here for you ladies.”

  Torie smiled and nodded.

  “Well, thank you for your time, sir. I guess we’ll be going now.”

  He nodded curtly and went back to his crossword puzzle as they walked out the door and stepped onto the creaking front porch.

  “What do you think?” asked Jasmin.

  “He was lying. I didn’t even need magic to realize that. So now what?”

  “Well, he’ll probably be watching to see that we leave, so let’s pull the car back down the hill a ways, and then we’ll just go for a little walk in these lovely hills. If we just happen to cross back onto the property where the cabins are…well, we’re just a couple of city girls out for a hike and didn’t realize just how easy it is to get lost around here.”

  Torie smiled and nodded as they headed back for the car.

  “See, this is yet another reason that we couldn’t have sent Max in any official capacity. I’m sure he would not be able to trespass and continue a search after being told she wasn’t here.”

  “Hey, we aren’t trespassing. We’re hiking.”

  Torie laughed as the big SUV headed back down the drive and exited the campground. Jasmin eased the vehicle off the road onto the shoulder once they were around a slight bend and out of sight of any part of the campground.

  “Well, it’s a good thing I wore my sensible shoes,” Jasmin said, lifting one leg to show off her athletic attire.

  “Like you wear anything else,” said Torie. “One of these days we are going to get you into a pair of heels.”

  “Yeah, good luck with that. I will not be that woman from the movies who is getting chased by something and just falls down because of her shoes. Not that I’m going to be running from anything, but you get the idea.”

  Torie shook her head good-naturedly, and together they made their way into the overgrown thickets that led to a dirt path through the trees. The sunlight breaking through the canopy created long shadows that stretched before them; acting as a reminder that the afternoon was passing quickly into evening.

  The thought that their pretend lost story could become all too real if they were caught out after sunset flashed briefly through Torie’s mind.

  “This looks like a pretty large campsite,” she said. “How do we find Tilda?”

  “Way ahead of you on that one.” Jasmin reached into her pocket and withdrew the necklace they had used to find Tilda’s location. “This is already enchanted to find her. All I have to do now is give it a little nudge.”

  She held the chain and ring in the palm of her hand and whispered to the piece of jewelry.

  “Alliz allim attredes,” she said, wrapping the ring in her spell. The ring and the chain began to glow with blue light as it lifted out of her hand and began to float ahead of them along the path.

  “Does it know to stay away from people if possible?” asked Torie.

  “Do I look like an amateur? It will seek out its owner, but it won’t lead us through humans. All we have to do is follow it.”

  Thirty minutes later, Torie was wishing she had bought some of that mosquito spray from the general store when they finally broke through some brush to a small, one-room cabin sitting off by itself near the back of the trail. The glowing ring headed directly for it, but Jasmin waved her hand and recalled it.

  Placing the necklace back in her pocket, she nodded towards the cabin. “That’s it.”

  Together, they made their way towards the cabin. The wooden door was closed and a single light bulb was the only indication that there was electricity running to the simple unit. There was parking space to the side for a camper or two cars, that was empty.

  Torie stretched out her hand, feeling for any potential magical wards or booby trap.

  “Nothing,” she said. “Shall we?”

  Jasmin nodded and the two of them stepped up onto the porch. Torie reached for the doorknob only to have the door swing open before she could touch it.

  The red-haired woman that opened the door stepped back and held up a black gemstone before her. She screamed at the two women and the stone flared to life, striking them with a bolt of light.

  20

  The witches were momentarily blinded by the light and both raised an arm to shield their eyes. Torie stumbled and was reminded what it felt like when she was a child and her mother used to take polaroid snapshots of her with that awful light strip attached to it.

  Just as quickly as it hit them, it was gone, and the world slowly came back into focus. Torie blinked away floating specks of silver that wafted across her field of vision and could see the frightened woman in the cabin had taken a few steps back. Her eyes were wide at the sight of them, and again she held the stone up in front of her to try and blind them yet again.

  “Nope, not this time,” said Torie, holding out her hand. She focused her own magic and called to the
stone. “Shiny gem,” and it instantly flew across the room to land in her hand.

  “Tilda, is that you?” asked Jasmin, still blinking away the light.

  The sound of her name seemed to frighten the woman even more. This time, she dug into a small bag she had strapped obliquely across her body. She hauled out a handful of white powder and blew it in the direction of the witches.

  Jasmin waved her hand, sending a wave of blue light at the powder and incinerating it midair. Torie again held out her hand and this time summoned the bag from the woman. The strap broke as it flew over to the witch.

  “Infernis,” Torie said, causing the bag and whatever else may have been hiding in it to burst into flames.

  “Tilda, we aren’t here to fight. And as you can see, your little parlor tricks are pretty much useless against us, so if you have anything else up your sleeve, you might want to think twice before trying it,” said Jasmin.

  The woman’s shoulders slouched.

  “I don’t have anything else,” she said. “So go ahead, get it over with. Just make it quick please.”

  Torie and Jasmin exchanged quick looks.

  “What are you talking about? Get what over with?” asked Torie.

  “Kill me,” said Tilda. “I assume that’s what you’re here for. To finish the job and take me out the way you did my cousin.”

  Torie held up both hands, simultaneously asking her to slow down while trying to reassure her that they meant no harm.

  “I promise you, no one is here trying to kill you. We just want to ask you some questions, that’s all.”

  There was a single bed on one wall of the cabin and a set of single bunk beds on the other. That, along with a couple of outlets on the wall, comprised the entirety of the cabin. Tilda had a small, red messenger bag and a matching overnight bag that she had thrown onto the foot of the single bed. She plopped herself down on the bed, nervously watching the two witches that stood only feet from her.

  “You’re witches. How am I supposed to know you’re telling the truth?” she said.