“Okay, enough!” Morgan waved her hands to get me to stop. “You never talk about me that way.”
“What can I say? The novelty’s worn off.”
She threw a croissant at me. I caught it and took a bite.
“Fine,” she said. “Go check on Pilar and report back to me as soon as you figure out what’s going on.”
I saluted her. “Aye, Captain.”
With a little help from the kind locals of Yew Hollow, I found out that the meeting Pilar missed had taken place in the town hall. I stopped there first, marveling at the space available inside the historical building when there weren’t a ton of townies packed in for the weekly meeting. I jogged upstairs to the offices and knocked on the door jamb. A secretary looked up from her computer.
“Have you see Mayor Mendez around?” I asked. “I had a question about the meeting this morning.”
“No one’s seen the mayor. Haven’t you heard?” the secretary asked in a conspiring tone. “People think she’s run away.”
I checked my watch. “It’s only been an hour since the meeting. I doubt she skipped town that fast, and why would she do that anyway?”
The secretary, who liked gossip more than logic, shrugged. “Who knows? The meeting was supposed to be to collect the funds to rebuild the bridge on East Avenue. Pilar was supposed to hand over a check for ten thousand dollars.” She leaned across her desk and beckoned me toward her. “Maybe she decided to take the money and run.”
“Pilar’s not like that,” I said. “She wants to see Yew Hollow succeed. Besides, she wouldn’t get far on ten thousand dollars. It’s not worth stealing.”
The secretary pursed her lips as if she were sucking on a lemon. “You don’t have much of an imagination, do you?”
“You work for her, right?” I asked. “You must have a copy of her schedule for the day.”
“I do,” she said, crossing one leg over the opposite knee. “But I can’t give them to you. It’s private information, and Mayor Mendez trusts me with her life.”
“Really? I wouldn’t.”
I crafted a pretty stunning spell behind my back then tossed it at the secretary like a baseball. She held up her hand as if to catch it.
“Not the face!” she squealed.
The orb of green light dematerialized when it made contact with her skin and spread through her body. She gave a little yelp as the magically-crafted electricity hit her, then she slumped over her keyboard and laid her head on the desk.
I rolled her chair away from the desk, but her weight was too forward, and she fell on the floor. Grimacing, I lifted her from under the armpits and hauled her over to the short office sofa. Once she looked comfortable, I returned to the computer. Since the secretary had been using it to Google “how to play Minesweeper,” I didn’t need a password to get in.
Pilar’s plans for the town were stored in various files all over the desktop. Curiously, I skimmed through a few of them: Providing better services for minorities, increasing profits for small businesses, diverting pollution from surrounding cities, and preserving historical monuments of Yew Hollow. I couldn’t help but smile. Contrary to the belief of Pilar’s opponents, she wasn’t trying to make Yew Hollow assimilate with the bigger parts of the state; she wanted to keep the town’s classic charm and size while improving quality of life for everyone.
I clicked on an old file titled “election plan” that was dated from before Pilar became mayor. One document kept track of Pilar’s accomplishments before the voting period. She canvassed the entire town in one day and raised enough funds to sponsor her platform in a matter of hours. She arranged for free Hepatitis A vaccines when a widespread breakout threatened the locals with liver failure. She even held an adoption event for when the pet shelter was filled past capacity. Fifty-three dogs and twenty-two cats went to forever homes that day, and the shelter was able to recuperate with the help of the donations, all thanks to Pilar.
I closed out of the file, clicked on her calendar, and navigated to today’s events. At the top of the page, the first entry said, “Bridge funds meeting at nine a.m.” An hour later, Pilar had a massage and acupuncture appointment scheduled at the local spa.
“Gotcha.” I clicked out of Pilar’s schedule and stepped over the secretary’s feet as they hung limply from the sofa. “Sorry about that. It’s all yours now.”
Vinnie’s Wash and Go could easily be mistaken for a different kind of business—perhaps a self-serve car wash with complimentary vacuums or a dog grooming service—but it was actually one of the most popular places in town to relieve stress. The bright blue facade and orange welcome sign reminded me of baby bluebirds with tiny, cute beaks. Inside, an essential oil diffuser wafted lavender-scented vapor through the air. I approached the front desk.
“Hi, Daisy,” I said to the receptionist.
“Gwenlyn!” She smiled brightly. “I didn’t know you were on the schedule today. What can I do for you?”
“I’m not here for a massage,” I told her. “I’m looking for the mayor. Is she here?”
“She is indeed,” Daisy reported, “but she told me not to let anyone in to see her. I think she’s having a bad day. She didn’t seem as perky as normal.”
“I have the updates from the meeting she missed this morning.” I waved a folder file from Pilar’s office. Little did Daisy know, the papers inside were scraps from Pilar’s recycling bin. “She called me ten minutes ago and said she wanted to see them.”
“Hmm. Go on back, I suppose. She’s in the quiet room.”
“For a massage?”
“She switched her regular appointment for a facial,” Daisy replied. “Good choice. Her pores were huge. She should’ve opted for the under-eye treatment add-on too. Girl had serious bags.”
“Thanks, Daisy.”
I headed to the quiet room, resisting the urge to stop at one of the massage bays and ask for an hour-long shiatsu. Since phones weren’t allowed inside, the quiet room wasn’t the most popular service at Vinnie’s. Pilar was the only one there. She rested on a reclining chair, her face covered in a black mud mask. When she heard the door open, her eyes flew open.
“Oh, thank God.” She shook off the fuzzy moisturizing mitts covering her hands. “It’s Gwenlyn, right? From the festival committee?”
“That’d be me.” I slid inside the quiet room and shut the door behind us so that we had some privacy. “Is everything okay? People are already spreading rumors about why you missed the funds meeting this morning. They’re saying you stole the money and ran.”
“Please, that’s ridiculous.” She took me by the shoulders. “Please, Gwenlyn. You have to help me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I need a witch.”
“Uh,” I stammered. “I’m not sure—”
Pilar batted me away. “Hush, I know all about the Summers coven’s powers. You might as well drop the act.”
Daisy was right. Up close, Pilar didn’t look as young and healthy as she usually did. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and the mud mask had sunk into the lines around her mouth, making them more pronounced. When she scratched her wrist, something caught my eye: a black rune etched into her skin.
“What is that?” I asked, grabbing her wrist to see better.
She pulled her arm away and clutched it to her chest. “A tattoo. I got it when I was young and dumb. A little embarrassing, if you don’t mind.”
“That is not a tattoo,” I said. “I know a magical mark when I see one.”
Pilar chewed nervously on her lip. “All right, it’s not a tattoo. It’s why I need your help. You see, a few years ago, when I first decided to come to Yew Hollow—”
The door to the quiet room burst open, and Daisy thundered in. Her eyes were completely blacked out.
“You don’t have an appointment!” she roared.
11
Daisy’s blacked-out eyes weren’t the scariest thing about her new, altered appearance. She had also grown in size, forcing her to
stoop to fit through the doorway. Even then, her shoulders were too wide to fit through, so she bulldozed the walls out of her way with inhuman strength. I cast a shield spell as it rained rubble and broken wallboard, keeping me and Pilar out of harm’s way.
Daisy pointed at Pilar with one ominous finger. “Your insurance plan is no longer accepted here. You owe me a debt.”
I flinched as Daisy picked up a piece of debris and hurled it at Pilar. Pilar hid behind me, shrieking, but the debris hit the shield spell and shattered. “I assume she’s not talking about spa services, Pilar?”
Pilar cowered behind me, shaking and sobbing. “Decidedly not!”
“We gotta get out of here.”
Thankfully, Daisy couldn’t move very fast in her altered state. She lumbered around with straight knees and pounded flat-footed across the floor. As she came toward us, I edged around the corners of the room, keeping Pilar behind me and the shield spell between me and Daisy. Daisy roared with frustration and raised her fists. I put all of my craft into the shield, solidifying it as best as possible, and held it over our heads. Daisy slammed both fists on top of it, and though the shield held firm, Daisy’s power vibrated through my forearms.
“When I say run, get out of here and get in the first car you can find,” I yelled to Pilar over Daisy’s roars. “We’ve gotta get you to Morgan’s house.”
Pilar nodded. I sidestepped Daisy again and cast a trip spell around her enormous ankles. As she fell, she made a wild grab, knocked my shield aside, and jammed her baseball-sized knuckle into my nose. An ugly crack split the air, and my eyes watered with pain.
“Oh my God!” Pilar covered her mouth in horror as blood streamed from my nose, down my neck, and across my shirt. “Are you okay?”
“Don’t worry about me. Run!”
Distracted by the gore, Pilar waited a second too late. Daisy regained her balance and swiped one massive, manicured hand across the room. She caught Pilar on the back, and the mayor went flying into the hallway. I sprinted after her and helped her up from the floor. Together, we ran up the hallway and into the waiting area. The rest of the spa had already been demolished by Daisy’s gargantuan rage. A burst pipe spit water all over the floor. We splashed through it and out into the streets.
From the outside, nothing appeared suspicious unless you noticed that part of Vinnie’s roof was starting to cave in. I shoved Pilar toward the closest car, a Jeep parked on the curb near the spa.
“Get in!” I ordered, using a spell to unlock both sides.
“But it’s stealing!”
I leapt into the driver’s seat and used another spell to hotwire the engine. The Jeep rumbled to life. “We’ll put it back! What would you rather do, steal or die?”
Daisy crashed through Vinnie’s glass windows and roared like Godzilla. Pilar screamed, hopped into the car, and pounded on the dashboard. “Go, go, go!”
I floored it. The Jeep’s wheels squealed against the pavement, and we peeled out. As I glanced in the rearview mirror, Daisy shrank to her normal size. Her eyes returned to their normal color, and she shook her head to clear it. When she caught sight of the ruined spa, she gasped and cried out. People in the street finally noticed the disaster. They ran over with their phones, taking pictures and calling the police.
“Crap.” I tossed my phone into Pilar’s lap. “Can you dial Morgan’s number and put her on speakerphone?”
Pilar scrolled through my contacts and clicked on Morgan’s number.
“Gwen?” Morgan answered. “What’s wrong? You never call me on this phone.”
“We’ve got a situation,” I said. “I’m with Pilar. You were right. Something’s going on. We were attacked by a rogue demon at Vinnie’s.”
Morgan groaned. “What’s the damage?”
“The spa’s roasted,” I reported. “The whole town is going to know about it if you don’t get someone down there to explain it.”
“Malia! Laurel!”
Morgan hurriedly explained the situation to her sisters. As I drove the Jeep up and over the hill that led to the Summers house, we passed Malia and Laurel hurrying in the opposite direction.
“Good luck!” I called to them with a wave. “Let me know if I can help.”
They waved back and disappeared, using a quick travel spell to get to Vinnie’s without the help of a car. I pulled the Jeep alongside the curb at the Summers house and helped Pilar out. She was shaky on her feet as I led her up the porch steps.
Morgan met us in the foyer. “Come in, come in. Hello, Pilar. Odd circumstances, aren’t these? Have a seat in the living room, please.” The mayor collapsed on the couch. Morgan made a face as she studied my bloodied appearance. “What happened to you?”
“That thing—whatever it was—took control of Daisy’s bod,” I explained in a stuffy voice. “It swelled to twice her size and broke my nose.”
“Oomph.” Morgan grimaced with sympathy. “Wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened? Keep Pilar company. I’ll whip up a salve to help with the pain.”
I sat in the armchair across from Pilar, making sure that none of my bloodstained clothes came in contact with the fabric. Pilar still had her eyes covered, as if she could block out the past twenty minutes from her mind by momentarily blinding herself. When I spoke, she flinched.
“Why do I get the feeling that you were waiting for something like that to happen?” I asked her.
She peeked out from behind her palm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Bull,” I said. “At Vinnie’s, you told me you needed a witch’s help. You can’t go back on that now.”
“Why not? It’s over.”
Morgan arrived with a bowl of orange paste. “It certainly isn’t,” she said to Pilar. “Rogue creatures are never really rogue. They appear for a reason. How did Daisy look again, Gwen?”
“Like an overfilled hot air balloon. Oh, and her eyes were blacked out.”
“So we’re dealing with a demon.” Morgan sat next to me, dipped her fingers in the paste, and spread it across the bridge of my nose, initiating immediate relief. “Tell me, Pilar. How did you end up in cahoots with a demon?”
Pilar finally uncovered her face. The charcoal mask had rubbed off all over her palms and the collar of her shirt. She looked as if she’d stood too close to a hot barbeque grill. “If I tell you, will you promise to help me get rid of it?”
“That’s what we’re here for.” I conjured a wet wipe and floated it over to Pilar. “Here. For your face.”
With a bewildered look, she plucked the wipe out of the air. “Thank you. I heard charcoal had purging properties. I thought it might keep the demon at bay.”
“Facials aren’t that powerful,” I said. “Maybe if you put the charcoal in a spell—”
Pilar brightened. “Can you do that?”
“Depends on the demon,” Morgan answered. “Let’s get back to the story, Pilar.”
The mayor wiped her face free of the mask. “I suppose I should start at the beginning. Before I moved to Yew Hollow, I didn’t have much. As a Mexican-American living near the border, I grew up with very little. People didn’t respect my family, despite the fact that my father was American. He died early, leaving my mother and me on our own. We took care of each other, but as the years passed, she needed more from me. I couldn’t give that to her on my own.” Pilar sighed deeply and folded the wipe so the charcoal wouldn’t get on Morgan’s furniture. “I heard of Yew Hollow through some old history books. I liked the idea of a charming small town and, of course, the brujas. My family always believed in a little bit of magic.”
“Naturally,” Morgan said.
“When I first visited Yew Hollow, I knew at once that I needed to stay here,” Pilar said. “But for the sake of my mother, some things had to change. That’s why I decided to run for mayor as an out-of-towner. In general, I wanted to give the marginalized people of Yew Hollow a louder voice.”
“Including the brujas?” I asked.
>
“I knew of you,” Pilar admitted, “but when I set foot in Yew Hollow, my mind went fuzzy. I couldn’t exactly remember why the Summers family was so funny.”
“It’s our protection spells,” Morgan explained. “They keep our coven a secret from mortals. We weren’t able to renew them this year. That’s probably why you know what we are all of a sudden.”
Pilar’s eyes widened, perhaps as she realized the extent of our magic on the town she ran. “Anyway, I thought I’d never win the mayorship without major help. Then an old woman approached me on the outskirts of Yew Hollow. She offered me one wish.”
“Apparently, you didn’t ask what the catch was,” I said.
“I did,” Pilar insisted. “The old woman said I didn’t have to worry right away. She would come to collect one favor from me when the time was right. I was desperate, so I agreed. I wished for the mayorship and a face to sell to the people. The old woman vanished, and I thought the whole encounter might have been a dream. Then I looked in a mirror.” When she smiled, her lovely face lit up the entire room. “She gave me my youth and beauty back, the way I would have looked if I hadn’t carried the stress of generations all those years.”
“And the mayorship?” Morgan questioned.
“I returned to Yew Hollow the next day,” Pilar said. “Suddenly, everyone noticed me. They all wanted to talk to me, get to know the out-of-towner. I obliged, and I sold them my platform. Before I knew it, I was in the running.”
“That’s how you raised the campaign money so quickly,” I realized. “I read on your computer that you got the funds in one day.”
“You snooped through my computer?”
“Sorry. Just trying to get to the bottom of all this.”
Morgan shoved orange paste up my nostrils. “Well, Pilar. I have good and bad news. The good news is that as long as you remain in this house, the demon won’t be able to reach you. The Summers house is protected with so many spells and ancient magic that it is practically an impenetrable sanctuary.”
Pilar slumped against the couch cushions with obvious relief. “That’s good to hear. What about the bad news?”
Lost Magic Page 14