Chapter Fourteen
I warned you quite plainly. A person can get frostbite if he or she physically touches a ghost. Weren’t you just saying how thankful you were for my guidance? Well, what good is my most excellent directions if you don’t listen to them?
The tips of my fingers had gone numb the very moment I waved my hand into the mist, doing my best to prevent Mazie from making a full appearance. What could she want with me right this minute? Liam would no doubt wreck the truck upon setting eyes on a bona fide ghost, thus delaying our quest to save Strifle…and ending any chance of us having a second kiss.
You know, maybe Mazie scaring the bejeebers out of the good ol’ sheriff isn’t such a bad idea. We could kill two birds with one stone…not that I’m advocating the death of those particular feathery nuisances. They taunt me when I’m trying to nap during the weekdays, you know that, don’t you?
“Is everything okay?” Liam asked, noticing that I was reaching in the back seat. He went to lean down to see what it was exactly that I was doing, but I rested my hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“Yes, yes,” I responded, not giving two winks that I sounded like Beetle. “Of course, everything is okay. Why wouldn’t it be? I was just patting Mom’s leg to make sure she hadn’t fallen asleep on us.”
“I’m wide awake, Raven. Wide awake, and a bit heated.”
Of course, she’s wide awake. We have a hitchhiking ghost on board.
Not yet, we didn’t, and I wanted to keep the rest of the drive apparition-free.
“Is this our exit?” I asked, purposefully drawing Liam’s attention away from the back seat. I quickly grabbed my gloves and began waving them frantically at the mist behind Liam’s seat, attempting to show my mother what she needed to do. I crossed my fingers that he wouldn’t look in the rearview mirror, either. “The drive wasn’t too bad, was it? We really appreciate you taking time out to help us get Strifle back. My poor mother has been beside herself with worry that Aunt Rowena might have sold Strifle off to the highest bidder.”
Wait until the good ol’ sheriff sees that it’s Tinkerbell and not a sugar glider. I’d like to see you explain your way out of that one, not that your Oscar-winning performances haven’t been convincing up to this point.
“It is a bit warm back here,” my mother chimed in, a bit out of breath from apparently waving her own gloves over the area that Mazie was trying to occupy. “Do you think we could pop a window for a moment, Liam? You know old ladies and their hot flashes.”
Doubtful.
Liam didn’t hesitate, reaching for the button on his door that would crack the window just a hair. It was sweet of him to do as Mom had asked, but I wasn’t so sure a bit of suction was going to keep Mazie from materializing. He also turned the heat down a notch before flipping on the turn signal so that we could take our exit.
Hey, that was the only saving grace of this whole trip! I want my heat back.
“No worries, Ms. Marigold,” Liam said in what had to be false understanding, but I did give him credit for trying to make my mother comfortable. On the flip side, I was pretty sure I could hear Leo’s teeth begin to chatter as the cold seeped into the cab of the truck as if we’d driven straight to the North Pole. “Raven, are we taking a left or a right?”
Left or right?
Yes, Raven. Should your potential second date turn left or right at the stop sign? I’m pretty sure your directions have a direct bearing on whether Friday night’s date actually takes place.
Leo was just being cranky that he’d lost his supply of hot air.
The complications from this trip were mounting; however, Mazie’s presence got top awards.
“Left,” my mother cried out, sounding more and more like she was losing a fight with a chicken in the back seat. “Take a left.”
Liam once again attempted to look over his shoulder, and I did the only thing I could—I hit him.
Wooowww. I was so not expecting you to assault the police at this point.
Leo’s exaggerating. Liam was fine, just a little bit in shock. I mean, I didn’t really hit him, hit him. More like I had kept my hand where it was and he ran his face into my fist.
I so want a replay of that…even his cheeks blubbered in slow motion. For the record, you did not keep your hand on his shoulder. It was more of a left jab.
Okay, I might have straightened my arm a bit, but it had been for Liam’s own good. Who knew how he’d react to seeing a ghost in the back of his truck?
“I am so sorry,” I exclaimed with sincerity, squeezing his shoulder in comfort. “I didn’t know you were going to turn around like that. Are you okay? I am so sorry.”
You’re a horrible person. Absolutely horrible. Beating your boyfriend is not the answer.
Leo was right, but I would have to ruminate over that truthful tidbit later. Right now, I had to deal with the fact that a troubled spirit was attempting to appear next to my mother while she tried to give Liam directions to a house that we had no idea of its location.
“Ms. Marigold, is everything okay?” Liam asked with true concern this time. There was nothing I could do to stop his gaze from being pulled to the rearview mirror as if his dark eyes were magnets. “Do you need me to stop for a minute?”
I rested my right elbow next to the window and placed my hand over my eyes in humiliation. I couldn’t watch this tragic event unfold. Liam would never ever again look at me the same way he did on New Year’s Eve when the clock had struck midnight. Our relationship was over before it ever really began. Why did I have the worst luck with men? Especially the ones I liked?
That list is rather long. Where would you like me to start? I’m sure Heidi and I can gather together an intervention and spitball a strategy for you going forward.
“Everything is fine, Liam,” my mother replied in a not so panic-stricken manner as before. She even cleared her throat as if the question was uncalled for. “You can roll the windows up now that we’ve all had some fresh air.”
Well, that was anticlimactic. I had a bet on how many rollovers we were going to do during the crash.
I practically sighed with relief knowing that Mom had somehow gotten Mazie to give up her persistent attempt to join us on this trip. One thing was for sure. I was either going to have a heart attack at the young age of thirty or I was going to develop ulcers and have to give up coffee—I wasn’t sure which was worse. After all, Mazie was drinking tea on the other side. There had to be coffee there, right?
Wait. Are you suggesting that they might not have my premium catnip in stock? That would definitely change the way we’re going at this thing, you know.
“You can certainly pack a left,” Liam muttered good-naturedly, rubbing his jaw tenderly as he brought the truck to a halt at the stop sign. There was a sparkle to his dark gaze that told me our date on Friday night was still on the schedule. “I’ll have to remember that I need to bring some head gear on our date.”
All the good ol’ sheriff had to do was ask Ted. Do you remember when you hurled an energy ball at that giant and it smacked him right in the chest like a wrecking ball? I think he was sporting a dent in his wax for a week. By the way, I love that wrecking ball song. Miley is so tuned in.
Liam promptly rolled up the windows, though he didn’t turn the heat up any higher than the midrange setting.
I always get overlooked. We could be in your mother’s car with heated seats if you hadn’t messed up with your award-winning story. Oh, and we could have left the police officer out of our little B&E we’re doing later this evening.
Leo was being a nonstop chatterbox, and I was honestly getting a bit worried about him. Just how many of those catnip edibles had he consumed since we’d left the house?
Unfortunately, Leo didn’t answer.
“After you make a left, you’ll go about a mile or two until you see a small neighborhood on your right. It’s a gated community, but the guard isn’t on duty at this time of night. I know the code, so access won’t be a prob
lem,” my mother said, once again surprising me with the knowledge she possessed. “We should also go over the plan. I’d like the three of you—I mean, the two of you—to remain in the truck while I go inside and speak my aunt to work things out.”
Gated community? Code? Since when did my mother visit Aunt Rowena?
Raven?
My concern for Leo mounted, but we had more pressing issues that had to be dealt with first. Was Mom really going to see Aunt Rowena? Or was Mom just using Aunt Rowena as an excuse to locate the temple where Merrick and his cronies had Strifle hidden? It was difficult for me to figure out what plan needed to be executed.
“Mom, are you sure that I shouldn’t go inside with you?” I asked, shifting in my seat so that I could see my mother’s expression. There was just enough brightness from the red light that I could see her pursed lips and her narrowed eyes. “We wouldn’t want Aunt Rowena to think that you’re all alone in this endeavor, would we?”
Yoo-hoo. Raven.
“That’s not such a bad idea, Ms. Marigold.” Liam gained points for backing me up in this moment. “It’s obvious that you and your aunt don’t have the best of relationships. She wouldn’t have stolen your…um, sugar glider…had she not wanted to hurt you in some way. Raven’s presence might help alleviate any tension that might suddenly develop.”
Is there a reason we’re pulling up to a wrought iron gate that looks like something out of a movie studio’s set for a horror movie?
Great. Leo’s short-term memory loss had kicked in with a bang, right when we didn’t have time for another problem. Hopefully, something jogged his memory soon. The last thing we all needed was for him to suddenly materialize on the dashboard of Liam’s truck and hack up a hairball.
Mom wasn’t the only one having hot flashes.
Hmpfh. Me, too.
The stress of hiding being a novice witch was overwhelming, but Leo’s wave of welcomed warmth came from the fact that Liam had turned up the heat when he rolled down the driver’s side window in order to punch in the code.
We’d finally arrived.
I feel like I should say “to our summary execution”, but I’m not sure exactly why. Raven? Is there something I should be worried about? Where are we?
Considering that I had no idea if Mom had any real intention of dropping in on Aunt Rowena, Leo had every right to worry. On top of that, the only tension that I could envision increasing was my own while we figured out a way to break into the coven’s temple—which was no doubt protected by a whole litany of very powerful warding spells and glyphs.
Did you say temple? As in…ohhhh, it’s starting to come back to me. Raven, I’m not feeling so good about this.
“We’re here,” Liam announced needlessly as he glanced in the rearview mirror. Guilt, along with the cold air, began to wash over me. I should have somehow told Liam that it wasn’t wise to come with us, for now I was bringing a human into a witch’s spell combat. “No guard, just like you said. I’ll punch the code in for you, Ms. Marigold.”
This is it. We’re all going to be turned into toads.
Chapter Fifteen
“Mom, this is really evolving into a seriously bad idea,” I whispered, walking side by side with her down the sidewalk. “Liam is going to figure out that we’re not just visiting our auntie’s house, and then he’s going to follow us into this place to make sure everything is okay. And in case you hadn’t noticed…it’s not going to end well!”
I was panicking just a little, but I gave myself permission considering we were basically inside a witch neighborhood to steal back an abducted fairy from a sacred temple with an armed human official in tow.
When you put it like that, I’d be more than happy to stay in the truck to keep an eye on him. I mean, for safety’s sake.
“Breathe, Raven. Now is not the time to lose your nerve,” my mother stated, seemingly oblivious to the cold. “This house is as good as any.”
I wasn’t sure what Mom meant by this particular house being as good as any, but it wasn’t like I had the choice to abandon her plan for this rescue party. Breathing didn’t help any, either. In fact, all it did was make my nose numb and give me the sensation that I needed to cough. I’d definitely give our position away then. That wouldn’t be the best of ideas, considering that someone might hear me. The way my luck was going, they’d hurl a fireball and turn us into cinders.
You don’t need to cough, Raven. That light irritation in your chest was a small current of energy that is hanging in the air. I hate to break this to you, but we’ve already been made.
Leo’s warning had me coming to an abrupt halt, but my mother seemed to know my intention before my feet stopped moving. She clasped a hand around my wrist and practically dragged me up a small sidewalk that had been cleared of snow. It was like they’d been anticipating our arrival.
I couldn’t help but look around us to see if there were witches and warlocks lining up to hit us with some horrible spell that would have us all turning into toads, only to have us freeze to death out here in the bitter cold temperatures. I realized that the sound I was hearing was my own heartbeat, the blood rushing through my ears a little too rapidly.
That’s the engine, Sherlock. The engine on the truck that I should be inside of where it’s warm and safe.
Leo was right. I was hearing the idling of the truck, which only reminded me that Liam was probably keeping a very close eye on our trek to the front porch of some stranger. Only Mom didn’t take the two wooden steps up to the porch. No, she chose to go around the side of the house. To anyone looking, particularly Liam, it would seem we were going around to either a side or back entrance.
“If I remember correctly, the temple is located in the center of the neighborhood.” Mom finally dropped my arm, and I continued to foolishly follow without thought. “We need to walk about three blocks, but we can take a shortcut through the backyards.”
I’m not going to lie. Watching my mother move ahead of me at a brisk pace dressed as a cat burglar had me believing I may have taken a hit of Leo’s catnip. The black leather needed to be thrown into a dumpster behind the tea shop, never to be seen again. It wasn’t that she didn’t look good in leather, but that was the problem. I shouldn’t have to see my mother looking like she could jump small buildings, save the world, and attract the attention of a new boyfriend at the same time. It just wasn’t right.
What have you done? I can’t get that image out of my head now! Yuck!
“Leo thinks the council already knows we’re here,” I said, wondering why I even bothered. My mother could also hear every comment Leo uttered, so she was well aware of the small exchanges going on between Leo and me. “Why would they allow us to break into the temple? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Nothing about this ill-conceived rescue mission makes sense. I think there’s an icicle hanging from my nose.
“They know we’re here, but I cast a spell that makes it seem we’re coming from the back of the neighborhood. All of the council’s resources will be spent at the back gate, giving us a chance to see inside the temple before they converge.” My mother held up a hand as if we were members of S.W.A.T. To her credit, it worked. I came to a complete stop when we were about to cross another road. “We should only have to worry about one or two witches or warlocks left behind to guard the temple.”
“I hope you realize that we’re overdue for a very long…and I mean, very long…conversation.”
My mother had spent her entire life shielding me from witchcraft, and here she was performing it like it was second nature.
Actually, it has everything to do with nature, but I see your point. Your mother has been holding out on us. I’m rather offended. Is it odd that I want to share this new information with Ted? Hmmm. I wonder if this means I’m beginning to think of him as a friend rather than a henchman. I shall ponder that while smoking my catnip pipe should we not end up as toads later tonight.
“I had no choice but to have your grandmother beli
eve that I’d left that life behind. I actually did, with an occasional spell here and there to keep my hand in the mix.” My mother began to proceed through the next yard of a house that was completely dark. The homeowner had been wise to go to bed this early. It’s where I should be instead of biting off more than I could chew. I was so going to end up being a toad. “But as I said the other day, witchcraft is not something you forget. It never leaves you. I’d hoped for you to avoid having to live with such a curse. Seeing you struggle every day isn’t easy for me.”
Had my mother just made this moment about us?
Maybe it’s the effect of the curse that’s about to descend upon us. We’re dealing with evil creatures, Raven. They’re giving you something you’ve always wanted, only to have it croak away for all eternity.
Leo’s awful pun didn’t erase the fact that my mother was attempting to right a wrong. Maybe I was being too optimistic, but I’d looked forward to this moment. I just wish it hadn’t come at a time when we were about to commit a crime against the coven and die.
“There it is,” my mother whispered before I could reply to her previous admission of guilt over how she’d handled things with Nan and me. “I’m going to need some of your energy, Raven. Hold out your hand.”
I’d slipped on my gloves when we’d gotten out of the truck, but my mother had quickly whipped one off of my left hand without hesitation. She must have taken her own glove off earlier, for we were now holding hands. Not once had heat radiated through the palm of my right hand, which told me that my mother might very well have been successful in diverting the council’s attention to the back of the neighborhood.
We’re dealing with professionals here, Raven. They’ll strike without warning. Your powers are useless here. Why, oh why, did I agree to go fairy hunting? I mean, of all things, a flipping fairy! What had I been thinking?
Haunting Blend Page 13