by Unknown
My sister’s linked arms and stood united in front of me. I knew their stubborn streaks were as strong as mine. There was no denying them.
“So, what’s the plan?”
I glanced at Broo and Amir and shook my head. “I don’t know. I’ve never done anything like this before. You were so brave with what happened to you. I just gave people cheesecakes bites to keep them distracted and out of the way.”
“Why don’t we first see what Leon has to say?”
“And we all have magic, your sister’s have magic, and even Broo has magic. We’ll be able to take care of things, and if not, there’s a whole town full of magicals.”
“True.”
Kaydence took my hand and pulled me in with her and Kyla. “We share all, remember?”
Confusion clouded my mind for a moment before the memories kicked in. She was right. We had made a pact when we were kids that our magic belonged to each other, that we would always share and share alike, that whenever one of us needed help the other two would be there to provide it.
“I remember,” I replied, comforted by the admission and the knowledge I wasn’t alone.
I looked up when a weight settled on top of my head. The Staff’s hat. I was completely surrounded with love and friendship and magic. “Keep the kitchen running smoothly,” I said, then stepped in closer to my sisters. “We’ll meet you at Leon’s.”
Sugar swirled from our heels and up over our heads. Orange, purple, and green... Our signature colors from when we were born and our parents dressed us for the first time. When we asked later about it, they simply said they knew what our lucky colors were from the start and what our sugar specialties would be.
Food and flavor magic was rare, blessed to very few, and it had been passed down in our family for generations. There was nothing we couldn’t make, but there were things we were exceptionally talented in and our name’s bore testament to those things.
Kandace.
Kaydence.
Kyla.
In seconds, our swirl came to a halt outside Leon’s Shooting Range. Amir and Broo close behind. I secured the pointed hat on my hair and without thinking it through, pushed through the door. I needed answers.
And... I needed my cat back.
Chapter Five
“Where’s Leon?” Broo whispered from behind me.
Indeed, the shop was empty. There was no sign of the portly owner, no sign that he’d been here at all today.
“He’s here.”
“Leon?”
“No. The cat.”
“Leon is, too,” Broo whispered. “He’s scared. I feel his fear.”
“It would help if his fear directed us to where he is,” I whispered back. I didn’t know why we were whispering. It wasn’t as though anyone else in the building didn’t hear the bell ding over the door when we walked in. It was loud enough to wake the dead and for all we knew, there was dead somewhere within.
“I can’t help there, yet.”
“Well, isn’t all that grand. I don’t feel anything at all, other than fear and helplessness,” I snapped. And I never snapped. I smelled black in the air and tasted licorice on my tongue.
Broo and I stuck together, hip to hip. I was a happy witch, normally. Broo considered me perky. I owned both. I didn’t like being this dark and uncertain. I liked singing and dancing around the kitchen and laughing and smiling. Even if I didn’t have my magic. There was plenty to be happy about. But this stuff? I didn’t like it. It weighed on me and dragged me down. I wanted to go back home and crawl into bed until it was all over.
Or, I wanted to go back home and bake more cheesecakes in my enchanted kitchen.
Behind me, my sisters whispered between themselves. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but their voices were serious, grave even. That wasn’t like them anymore than it was like me.
We crept through the shop. Nothing appeared to be disturbed until we heard the rustling from behind the long glass counter.
Broo and I stepped closer to the edge, but ended up pressed into it when my sisters fell into us. Our oomphs and grunts were less than ladylike.
Behind them, Amir snickered making me wonder why we brought him along at all.
But there, on the floor behind the display cases, was Leon.
Magical ties bound his ankles and hands and gagged him. The blindfold over his eyes was a bit over the top, but was there just the same. Leon wriggled around, but from where we stood, it seemed that the more he moved, the tighter his bindings became.
“I’ll help him,” Kaydence said.
“Me, too.”
Leon turned his head toward us and starting moaning. I glanced at my sisters and then at Broo. “Maybe you should stay with them.”
“And do what?”
“I don’t know.”
“We’ve got this,” Kyla said. “You three go.”
I nodded. It wasn’t that I didn’t want Broo with me, it’s just... I wasn’t sure what we were walking into and I didn’t want to be responsible for her freaking out if it was bad and accidentally setting something on fire or freezing everything.
As it was, though, Broo, Amir, and I walked quickly toward the curtain leading to the back of the building. The shooting range wasn’t so much a shooting range as it was a series of rooms that witches and wizards used to master new magic or hone old magic.
Broo had blown up many of the rooms over the last year, but lucky for her, the rooms were created to regenerate themselves, stronger than the time before.
Unfortunately for her, and Leon, it was never strong enough.
“How are we supposed to know if anyone is here?” she whispered.
“I’m guessing we’ll feel it getting stronger. Dark magic tends to do that,” Amir whispered back.
“Right. Makes sense.”
“And that taste of licorice in the air? I hate that taste. I mean, I hate licorice on a normal day, but in the sense of scenting black, too? Nope,” I said, trying not to gag.
“You can smell colors?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh. I didn’t know that.”
“I know.”
“And you can taste color, too?”
“Uh huh.”
“Must be nice not to be scared of your magic.”
“If you two are done gabbing, you might want to listen,” Amir hissed.
“See what I mean about high handed?”
I clamped my lips tight, straining for whatever it was Amir had heard.
It was faint at first, but it finally reached my ears...
“I can’t believe you stole the jar from the house.”
“I didn’t have a choice. You weren’t helping me.”
“She’s my witch. It’s my job to protect her not steal from her.”
“I’m your brother, your blood.”
“Blood, yes. Brother? Not when you’re under the tutelage of demons.”
“I needed something to do. I didn’t have a witch who took me in.”
“Because our mother didn’t leave you behind.”
“Semantics.”
“Look, you have to get the magic back to Kandy’s house or give it to me and I’ll do it.”
“You don’t understand. She made me. I had to take it.”
“But by taking it you’ll never get any more of that candy you like so much.”
That brought me up straight. Did I hear him right? She? Candy? “Amir, can you reveal where they are?”
“Yes.”
The walls around us shimmered and shook in midnight blue magic until a door with a golden handle was revealed.
I didn’t even take a full breath before I pushed my way in. Enough was enough.
On the other side, I found two, identical black cats. I stopped short and glanced between them.
“Great.”
“Hi K.”
“Larry?” I inquired of the cat with the collar. He nodded and laid his head on his front paws acting for all the world as though he was bore
d.
“Who are you?” I asked of the other cat. “You’ve been the one in my house, haven’t you?”
“I have.” He certainly sounded pleased with himself.
“For how long?”
“Seriously?” Larry the Cat groused. “You don’t know how long he’s taken my place? You don’t deserve me.”
“How was I supposed to know? He’s got the same grumpy disposition. He had an identical collar, though upon further inspection, it was slightly different.” I focused on the collarless cat again. “Who are you?”
“Barry.”
“Barry?”
“Yes.”
“So, Larry the Cat and Barry the Cat,” Broo remarked from behind me.
“It would seem so. And you want candy? That’s what this whole thing was about?” I asked Barry.
“Not the whole thing. My boss—”
“His boss needed to see you and didn’t think you’d approve of doing so at your house again.”
The demon. Everything and everyone else in the room seemed to fade away. I was sure it was a trick. I wasn’t aware of anything, but him. “Where did you come from?”
“The shadows.”
Exactly why they warned us about demons as we were growing up. “And you’re his boss?”
“Yes.”
Why couldn’t I have dealings with a demon peon? Why did it have to be one that is a boss of sorts? “Why did you need to see me again?” And what was with my almost conversational tone?
“We have a little problem.”
“We?”
“Yes. I need you to come with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” He stared at me for a moment, then smiled. I didn’t want him to smile. He was magnificent to look at when he smiled.
“Of course. My apologies. You need to think about it. I get that. I’ll go back where I came from and give you a few minutes to talk it over with your friends. When you’re ready, Barry will bring you to me.”
“I didn’t say I needed to think about it. I said no.”
“Barry...” he said with a nod of his head and then he was gone and everyone was exactly as they were before.
“Is he in the shadows again?” I peered so hard into the corners of the room I nearly gave myself a headache.
“No. He’s not here.”
“What’s this all about? It can’t be candy. I mean, come on. Candy is... You can get it anywhere. Not mine, of course. But out there with the humans they have a similar thing to what I make.”
“It is about the candy. Sort of. In a roundabout way.”
“Well, that’s just silly. Explain. Who is the she that made you take the jar?” I was tired of dealing with all this. I wanted my life to go back to the way it was a few days ago. I didn’t want demons and strange cats and wonky magic. I wanted to go back to fun and light and the scent of sugar everywhere.
“Oh. You heard that?” His eyes took on a bit more fear. “See, Larry used to bring some to us when we were growing up. And I wanted some more before... Before well, I’m not allowed to have any contact with anyone from my life for the last phase of my training.”
“And when that happens?”
“Then I’m in service to the demon for the rest of my natural life.”
“I see. Quite a life path you’ve chosen for yourself. Your mother must be proud.”
“I don’t think so. I think she wishes I’d have found a witch like Larry did. Our sister Shari has a warlock. I guess I’m the black cat of the family.”
“You are one. Literally,” Larry mused, lazy and uninterested.
“Well, I need the jar of magic back, Barry. It’s messed up the candy. And you’ve yet to tell who she is.”
“She’s the problem my boss spoke of. She had it. Boss has it, now. He took it from her.”
“Again, still trying to figure out who she is.”
“My boss’ Wicked”
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. The more I asked, the questions I had. “Wicked? What’s a Wicked?”
“A mean and jealous little creature.””
“That’s not good,” Broo said. “I’ve dealt with plenty of jealous people and it’s never a fun experience.”
“So, she wanted the candy making magic? She can’t use it, so...”
“No, she didn’t want you to use it anymore. She didn’t want Boss to have any reasons to have the candy. He likes it and it... It...”
He seemed at a loss for words.
“Will you get off the candy, Barry? Don’t you understand what you’ve done by turning the jar over to that creature and now that demon has it? They’ve already tainted the magic somehow.”
“He’s not that bad.”
“He’s a freakin’ demon, Barry. He is that bad.”
“Hey, not all of us have a charmed life, Larry.”
“This is not my fault. But you turning over a good witch’s magic to a demon asshat is your fault.”
“You think I’m a good witch?” It was the first nice thing Larry had said about in... Well, a very long time.
“Now is not the time, K.” And if cats could roll their eyes, Larry’s would’ve rolled all the way back in his head.
“Okay. We’ll come back to it.”
“We won’t.”
“But you said now isn’t the time. So, later it is.”
“You’re impossible and aren’t the only focus right now. I mean, Hello? I’ve been stuck in this pretend room for... What day is it? What month is it?”
“It’s October.”
“I’ve been stuck in this pretend room for two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” I glanced between Barry and Larry and back again. Heat filled my skin. “You’ve seen me naked,” I accused Barry.
“And how is it my fault that you walk around your bedroom naked?”
“Exactly! It’s MY bedroom.”
“Then you shouldn’t allow Larry in it when you’re naked if it bothers you.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Technically, he was right. It wasn’t too much different which cat saw me naked. The point was, I talked to each of them as though they were human and treated them as such.
Still, though... “It’s the principle of the thing.”
“Do you miss being a frog?” I heard Broo ask Amir. I turned my head in their direction. What was she doing?
“Broo,” I hissed.
“Not a bit,” Amir responded.
“Really?”
“Really. Why would you ask me that?”
“I mean, you were getting a lot of kisses from a lot of women. A normal guy might miss that kind of thing.”
“Broo,” I hissed again. She either didn’t hear me or was off in her own little world. Were all people who grew up in New York like that? Completely oblivious? Surely, not.
“As you’ve no doubt ascertained, I’m not a normal guy. I’m a warlock. I’m a prince. And all the women who kissed me, did so because you goaded them into it.”
“Semantics,” Broo said dismissively.
I shook my head and faced Barry the Cat again. “How do I get the jar of magic back from your demon drill sergeant?”
He told you. I’m supposed to take you to him.”
“I don’t like that answer. Try again.”
“I’m serious. You don’t get it back without going to see him.”
I plopped down in a chair that appeared out of nowhere and crossed my legs, my foot swinging wildly. “He doesn’t sound very nice. Why do you want to work for him?”
“He’s a legend. Every would-be demon wants to work for him.”
“Maybe you should be more discerning.”
“It’s not up for debate. Not anymore. I’m bound to his employ as soon as my training is finished.”
“I’m afraid I’m still confused. The demon showed up at my house with sour Witchin’ Stix the same time as Baba Yaga did. Nothing has worked right since. If seeing him will get things to turn around, then I’ll see him and hopefully g
et things back running smoothly.”
“K...”
“Maybe when I get my jar back, I could poison them and kill the demon.”
“K... You’re not making candy for a demon.”
“You’re not the boss of me, Larry.” What was wrong with me? I was arguing with my familiar and his dumb as fudge brother about candy and demons.
“No. I’m the protector of you.”
“Fat lot of good that did her, huh? You went and let your own brother lock you up.”
I snickered at Broo’s volley. I had to admit, this was more entertaining than I’d imagined it being. And it shouldn’t be entertaining at all.
“You’re not making candy for a demon and that is final.”
“He’s not a bad demon,” Barry said again.
“He’s a demon,” Amir added. “That’s sort of the definition.”
“He can be evil, but a good kind of evil, can’t he? He’s got a good heart. Or what should be his heart. He doesn’t kill people. Witches and warlocks sometimes. Shapeshifters. And the random roach. But does that really make him bad?”
“Yes!” we all shouted in unison.
“You just don’t know him like I do. You’d see he’s rather charming. I bet you’d like him if you got to know him.”
“And I’ve said take me to him.”
Larry shot him a look that promised death to at least seven of Barry’s nine lives if he did just that. And poor Barry... He didn’t seem to have a clue about the shit he’d stepped into.
“K... You’re not meeting with a demon.”
“Look, Larry... You need to stop telling me what I will and won’t be doing and meeting with him again might be the only way I can make this happen.”
“Then I’m going with you.”
“Fine.”
We both looked at Barry the Cat. “No,” was all he said.
“What do you mean no?”
“He doesn’t like Larry.”
“Good. I don’t like him,” Larry countered.
“And I don’t like you, yet here we are.”
“Oh come on now... You know you like me.” Barry tried for a smile, then a grin. It was creepy.
“I don’t.”
“You don’t dislike anyone.”
“I’ve decided to make a few exceptions.”
“Can we make the demon come here?” Amir asked, thankfully ignoring the back and forth between the cats and me. “The Wicked Shitz were dealt with in Broo’s bakery. Why can’t we deal with a demon in an invisible, enchanted room meant for practicing one’s magic?”