This Spells Doom

by Stacey Alabaster

9

  We were only allowed to meet outside of Swift Valley, and so, we had all traveled five hundred miles north to the desert for our next meeting. Geri’s garage was strictly off limits in case it was under surveillance. But the desert had its own risks. It was a lot drier and less humid out that way, but it was a drain on the energy of the coven for us to all fly out there at once. Because the “center” of the coven was energetically in Swift Valley, it felt like we were all running low on batteries, drained of our powers. Even with us all together, we didn’t quite feel whole. And it seemed like Swift Valley was calling us back.

  Even though it was night, it was still seventy-five degrees. Vicky and I were standing by a rock, away from the rest of the group, while Geri stood at the front, levitating a bit so that she was still on stage before us. Just an invisible one.

  “Maybe we should all move out here permanently,” Geri said with a strong glint in her eyes, like she was saying this purely to get a reaction out of us. Punishing us. “It might be safer for all involved.”

  “But we have been in Swift Valley for hundreds of years!” a witch named Matilda called out. I had my eye on her because she was the most protective of the traditions of the coven. She was almost eighty years old, but with her long red hair and still mostly wrinkle-free skin, she looked like she was in her thirties. She was also the one who seemed most territorial of our space in Swift Valley—she would not have liked people like Mikhalia coming in and trying to upset and destroy all of that.

  Geri glared at all of us as we murmured and complained amongst each other over this ridiculous idea. I was certain she was bluffing. If I could feel that we were all low on energy from being so far out of our home, then she definitely could.

  “Quiet!” she said, commanding us all. Everyone fell silent as we turned to stare at her. Our great leader. “We have never been in a state of crisis like this before. We need to look at all possibilities. I won’t hear any complaining right now.” She straightened up. “Maybe it is time to think about a new residence for all of us, if that is what it takes for the coven to survive.”

  I cleared my throat and moved to the front of the group. I couldn’t levitate like Geri, so I had to speak loudly to make my presence known. “Well, before we all move away from Swift Valley forever, I have an announcement to make.” I looked around at the group. “And it may change some minds.”

  Geri looked over at me in surprise, and a hush fell amongst the rest of the group.

  Vicky knew what my plan was, but she had a part in it—and that was to act as surprised as possible, as though this was the very first time that she was hearing about it.

  “I am quitting my career as a detective.”

  Vicky’s mouth fell open in a gasp, and she stumbled backwards as though she was about to faint from the shock. Okay, that was maybe a little over the top. What could I say? She was a musician, not an actress

  Geri stopped levitating and stomped over to me. “Why?” she demanded to know, looking skeptical.

  “Because it is us against them,” I said, speaking so that I was addressing the whole coven at once, not just Geri. “And I know which side I need to take.” I took a deep breath and moved to the front of the group so I could make the rest of my announcement. “Well, I suppose I won’t be technically giving up detective work forever. But I will be working for you—for us—now. To try to figure out which members of The Agency are out to get us.”

  Geri actually looked . . . grateful. There was relief all over her face. I blinked a few times and tried to read her properly. Maybe Vicky wasn’t a very good actress, but I had a feeling that Geri was.

  “Do you think this plan is going to work?” Vicky whispered to me once I had joined her in the crowd again.

  I made sure that no one was listening to us—Matilda had been throwing me skeptical looks ever since my speech—and then nodded a little bit. Yes, I did. “As long as everyone in this coven thinks I am totally on their side, then all I have to do is act normal, spend time with the witches that I can, and then hope that someone slips up.”

  Vicky nodded and leaned back a bit. But I knew she didn’t totally love the plan. She didn’t believe that one of the witches could have done it. But I think she was underestimating what they were capable of and how loyal they all were.

  And Geri was the most loyal one of them all.

  Geri took another step along the cobblestone path as I trailed behind her. “I have to say, Ruby, I didn’t see this one coming . . .”

  Our time there was limited. Geri had relaxed the rules briefly because I had told her that I was really feeling the pull to help her rebuild her garden, so she’d given me fifteen minutes only. That wasn’t a lot of time to dig for information. But I was trying not to seem flustered or like I was in a rush at all. These things take patience.

  “Why is that?“ I asked smoothly as we got closer to the garden. There was energy radiating from it. “You told me two months ago that I needed to make a choice, so it can’t be that much of a surprise that I have. Or is it just that you are surprised I have chosen the witch world?”

  She paused for a moment, then nodded. “Well, yes, I suppose that I am surprised that you’ve choose us. I must have underestimated you, Ruby Sparrow. I thought you would be loyal to the human world forever. As boring and dull as those people are, you do seem committed to some of them . . .”

  Well, for most of my life I had thought I was just a human. Twenty-six years, thanks to the fact that my mother had never told me the truth about my real identity. So that was a lot of time to form attachments to humans. And no, I wasn’t about to just turn my back on all of them. No way.

  But I had to play along for my plan to work.

  “Now is the time for us to close our ranks,” I said to Geri as we reached the front of the garden. “It really is us against them, isn’t it?”

  She nodded.

  “So . . .” I said. “How do we stop them?” Then I came to a dead halt and stared at her. “Do we need to take—” I lowered my voice. “Drastic action?”

  I wanted to ask if Geri was capable of harming a human, without directly asking if she was capable of harming a human.

  Geri had a strange glimmer in her eye. “At least one of them is already gone. Already taken care of.”

  Right. I got it.

  Play along, Ruby.

  I nodded. “That is a good thing.”

  I didn’t mean it at all, and I was surprised by what a good actress I was.

  I thought Geri was about to open the gate, but at the last moment, she pulled her hand away.

  I opened the door of the barn a crack and stepped through, ushering Vicky in as well. I realized I was acting very suspiciously—it would look like I was breaking into my own barn if anyone was watching. One of the advantages of living on a mountain with no neighbors, however, is that people are rarely looking at what you are doing. Still, I tried to laugh to lighten the mood.

  “I’m sure you’re worrying over nothing, coming here to check up on him,” I said to Vicky. “I have been feeding him and making sure there is plenty of water in his tank.”

  “I need to make sure he is still in here,” she said, getting the ladder out so that she could climb up to the loft. We had Warren and his tank tucked away up there, out of sight. “Someone could have broken in and taken him while you were gone.”

  “The barn is secure,” I reassured her, watching carefully as she climbed the somewhat rickety ladder with her clumsy legs. “Only Taylor and I have access to it.” Even though Taylor had been acting strange, I certainly didn’t think he would steal a turtle. Though I was starting to believe some of the stuff I had said to Geri about it being us against the humans. I had to remind myself that it was just an act, just something I’d been saying to keep Geri on my side. It was difficult to put down the mask even when I was away from her, though.

  “Oh, he’s escaped from his tank!” shrieked Vicky.

  “He’ll still be up there!” I reassured her
, craning my neck to try and see. “There’s no way he could have slid through any of the cracks in this barn. He’s a turtle, not a snake.” See, a snake—now that would make a good familiar.

  It took a few minutes for Vicky to find him, but eventually she spotted him behind a plank in the loft and reached in to grab him while the ladder wobbled underneath her.

  “Oh, Warren!” she said, picking him up to give him a cuddle. I’d never seen a person cuddling a turtle before, like he was a newborn baby. Warren seemed pleased to see Vicky as well. His head had shot straight out, and his legs as well. He even seemed to be nuzzling into her neck.

  “I really want to take you home, Warren. But I can’t risk it . . . it is too dangerous right now.”

  I told Vicky about what had happened when I’d met Geri. The words I had said to try and trip her up. Vicky looked concerned while I was talking. Confused.

  “Vicky, I know this is going to be difficult for you to hear, but I think that Geri is the one who killed Mikhalia.”

  Her eyes just about bulged out of her skull. She was as loyal to the coven as anyone, even though Geri’s strict reign sometimes clashed with Vicky’s extremely laid-back attitude to rules. “No, no way. Geri is a good witch. I mean, we are all supposed to be, but if one of the witches in the coven killed Mikhalia, it is because they went rogue and went against what we stand for. The leader of the coven would never do such a thing.”

  “Not even to protect the rest of us? Isn’t that precisely the thing she would do?”

  Vicky was silent at that comment. We both knew that Geri would do whatever it took.

  “What about May?” Vicky said, talking about one of the so-called “enemies of the coven.” May was a local witch who didn’t have any alliances except to herself. “She is a witch. And she is a dark witch!”

  “Sure,” I said quietly, “All witches are suspects.” But I was just trying to make her feel better. I didn’t believe that May was guilty, and I knew that deep down, Vicky didn’t mean what she was saying, either. I knew what Vicky was trying to do. But May wasn’t a part of our coven—why would she kill to protect the rest of us?

  Swift Valley Pet Shop.

  Mr. DeWinter hadn’t been doing so well since the outlawing of puppy farming and new regulations which meant that he no longer sold kittens or puppies in the shop. Both had been a big draw in getting people to come to the store in the old days. Come pet the cute kittens and pick up some bird seed while you’re at it. Tough for pet stores, but I certainly thought the new laws and regulations were a good thing, when there were so many dogs and cats at shelters that needed homes.

  Still, I could see that supplies on the shelves were low. Mr. DeWinter hadn’t bothered re-stocking anything that had sold out. No supply due to no real demand. Probably a lack of liquid funds, and he didn’t want to tie up any money he had in stock that may not sell. A sign that the store was slowly going out of business.

  But he gave Vicky a welcoming smile and asked her if she needed any plants or fun little items for her new turtle tank. She nodded like she was considering it as she looked at the aquarium supplies, but she shot me a skeptical look. After all, this was the same guy who had phoned her and asked for Warren to be returned.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Mr. DeWinter said. “It’s just that we have had a lot of calls about him.” He wiped his brow with a handkerchief “And I thought that if I got him back off you, I might be able to get a higher price, that’s all. I really need the money at the moment.” He hung his head and looked ashamed. “I never should have done that. He is your turtle, of course, and I will never try to take him back from you again.”

  Vicky narrowed her eyes. I hung back and tried to pretend that I was really interested in a teeny little mirror for a bird’s cage, so that I could listen but make it seem like I was disinterested. This was Vicky’s battle to fight.

  And she wasn’t going to let it go that easily.

  “Who has been in here demanding to have my turtle?” she asked. “I want names and numbers.”

  Mr. DeWinter looked flustered. Clearly, he thought he’d already smoothed things over with his apology and hadn’t been expecting this level of interrogation. Vicky bunched up her fist and banged on the counter when he wouldn’t answer her.

  “I . . . I can’t tell you that, Miss. I only know that there was a woman who really, really wanted that turtle . . .” His voice got a little clogged up. “She was willing to pay any price. But she sort of scared me, to be honest. So, I asked her to get out of the shop.”

  “Did you hear that?” Vicky asked as we left the pet store. “Warren is in danger. Grave danger.”

  Vicky was certain that someone was out to get Warren. I wasn’t so sure, though. I thought that the paranoia over the witch hunting stuff was seeping into the turtle issue. Sure. Someone out there had really wanted to get their hands on a turtle. So what?

  We entered the barn and shut the door with no lights on inside, so that no one would see us in the hiding place.

  “We need to protect him,” Vicky said, staring up at the loft where the tank was.

  “We are,” I said, but I also didn’t know how long it was wise to keep Warren in the barn, even with water and food. It wasn’t his natural environment. Not to mention the fact that if someone was really looking for him, then they would eventually be able to track him there.

  All they had to do was follow Vicky or me, and we would lead them straight to him.

  “No, I mean really protect him. We have to perform a protection spell.”

  “But Geri said no witchcraft until the heat is off us . . .” I tried to warn her.

  Vicky started to climb the ladder in the dim light, and she was dismissive of my reservations. “Protection spells are nothing,” she said, reaching the top and grabbing Warren out of the top of his tank. “In fact, they are so easy that even you should be able to perform one.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  She jumped off the bottom rung. “I’m just saying. They are barely even magic. This is the sort of thing that even a human could do if they really put the right energy into it.”

  I nodded a little unsurely.

  She placed Warren down on the floor of the barn amongst some loose hay and stood back. She grabbed a crystal from her pocket. Black tourmaline, to help with the spell. “Just a few words and he will be protected, okay? After this, only the people in this very room right now will be able to come anywhere near him.” She shot me a look to double check that I was okay with this plan. That I wasn’t going to snitch on her or run out in the middle of it.

  I hesitated, but then nodded. I mean, really, what harm could come from one little spell? It was only crystals and a few words, right?

  I mean, she did say that it was such a non-spell that even humans could perform it. But when I saw the strange cloud form around Warren—starting above his head, then falling down and forming a dome around him that shone brightly for a few moments before it made a zapping sound and disappeared again—I wasn’t so sure. I had never seen anything like that in my human days. This was more than just placing some crystals around something and humming a chant. This was like a not-so-invisible force field. From certain angles, I could view it, so when the moon hit it, I could see that it hadn’t totally disappeared into nothing. Just settled.

  There was a crackling, and I realized that the door to the barn had come open behind us.

  I thought it was the force of the spell that had popped the door to the barn open, but when I heard footsteps, I knew that wasn’t it. Someone was there.

  Please let it be Taylor.

  No such luck.

  It was Damon.

  10

  I mean, I had heard of disasters—even experienced more than a few of them myself the past few months. But this was the worst thing I could ever have imagined happening. A witch hunter springing a witch.

  There was still a deep humidity in the air, and the clouds overhead were gray when I stepped out of my car th
e following morning with a heavy feeling in my stomach.

  I was back at the agency, but it was before official opening hours, and Damon and I were the only two there. Even Justine, a chronic early arriver, had not started work yet. She’d be getting her morning coffee before she started for the day. Or maybe she was putting a few extra spikes in her hair.

  There was a reason I was there so early. I needed to talk to Damon, before this went any further. He was walking ahead of me. I could see the back of his dark suit, and I had to quicken my pace before he reached the elevator and left me behind.

  I hated that I had been forced to track him down. Chase him down. Damon hadn’t answered any of my calls or texts the night before. I had no idea what he was going to do with the information that he now had . . . or how he was going to react.

  “Damon. Good morning.” I caught the elevator right before the door dinged shut.

  I tried to keep my voice calm and steady as I greeted him. We were already at the third floor, and he hadn’t even greeted me in reply. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I had skipped my triple-shot latte at The Onyx. I walked over to the coffee machine at The Agency and slowly and steadily made myself a coffee while Damon stared at me. I could feel his eyes drilling into my back.

  “We knew it,” he said finally, when we were inside the office. It seemed so stark and empty that morning. There was this strange glint in his eyes as he paced back and forth.

  “Knew what?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

  He spun around and gave me this eerie stare. “We knew that there were witches in Swift Valley . . .”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I took a step forward. “You came here to hunt us, didn’t you?”

  He shook his head, and then leaned back and surveyed me like I was this strange specimen. Like he almost felt pity for me. Like I was some sort of exotic animal that didn’t know their existence was in jeopardy—one that was on the verge of extinction.