All the Pretty Witches

by Lauren Quick

  A tiny chime sounded from her watch. It was time to meet Honora for dinner. Clover quickly scribbled a request to have copies of the parchments delivered to her house for further reference. For now the Lady Raider would have to wait.

  7

  The cozy bookstore glowed from the corner as Honora’s heels touched down on the sidewalk. She pushed through the doors to the shop and was swept up in a sea of witches wearing colorful wench costumes. At least Honora thought they were wench costumes—billowing skirts, tight corsets, and lots of cleavage. Wizards milled around dressed as ship’s captains and pirates, speaking in exaggerated tones and winking profusely. At the far side of the room, a small stage had been set up with a table covered in neat stacks of books. That was when she realized there was a book signing and the costumed horde had come to see their favorite author, who wasn’t her sister. No wonder Clover wanted to meet her for dinner there.

  Just as Honora was thinking about her, Clover bounded up and embraced her in a big hug. “Good to see you,” she said breathlessly. Her cheeks were rosy. Her dirty blonde hair was an untamed mass of curls.

  Honora eyed her sister up and down. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  “Oh, this.” Clover motioned to her tight scarlet corset and frilly cream-colored skirt. “I totally forgot that Opal Heartstrom was giving a reading tonight, and all her fans come dressed in costume. Luckily I remembered a spell from three Halloweens ago and I transformed what I was wearing into this.” She mockingly wiped sweat from her brow and did a little twirl.

  “So what you’re really saying is that this isn’t the first time you’ve donned wench attire.” Honora’s eyes widened in mock horror.

  “Guilty.” Clover beamed proudly. “How do I look? I was shooting for frisky but not slutty.”

  “Frisky wench, check. But I thought Opal was your rival and archenemy in the book world.” Honora shifted out of the way as three wenches with heavy make-up and huge hair rushed by to get seats close to the makeshift stage.

  “She was, but then I gave her a good review on her latest book, which really was fabulous, and she sent me a huge box of chocolate roses as a thank you and then I wrote to her and we decided to give the rivalry a rest. It’s so much easier to be kind and supportive, and it’s a lot more fun as you can clearly see. Opal’s writing a new book series set on the magical seas with pirates,” Clover gushed.

  “Sounds swashbuckling.” Honora smiled. She really wasn’t into pirates or wenches or dressing up in costumes, for that matter, but her sister was having a blast. And Clover had been working really hard lately. She deserved to kick back and wench it up a little. “You look great and well supported.” Honora glanced down at Clover’s ample cleavage. “Better make sure the girls don’t pop out. Or we’ll never get rid of the pirates.” Honora glared at a wizard pirate wearing a ratty fake beard and an eye patch, who was drooling over Clover.

  Clover giggled. “This costume’s gotten a little tight, since the last time I wore it.”

  “All you need is a big mug of tavern ale to complete the look.”

  Clover’s eyes widened. “Maybe I can get some at the café.”

  “I was just kidding,” Honora said and dragged her sister toward the restaurant. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

  Clover checked her watch. “The signing doesn’t start for another hour so we have time for a quick bite.”

  The Gilded Grimoire Café was crowded with diners, but luckily they were able to find a table wedged in the back. They ordered cocktails and salads to start and two steaks with sides of potatoes for the main course.

  “How’s your writing going?” Honora asked.

  “It was going pretty badly.” Clover blew a curl out of her face. “I hate to admit it, but after all my success, I was struggling. I had no ideas. Can you believe it?”

  “Sounds brutal. You’re an idea witch.”

  “I know. But things are looking up. I did a little research today and got a great idea from reading the crime section of Witch World Daily about the Lady Raider. She’s a jewel thief at large in Stargazer City.” There was a twinkle in Clover’s eye. “I think she’ll make a great model for a new character.”

  “I’ve heard of her. The police think she might be a flyer, but I’m not buying that. Too obvious.”

  “Really,” Clover said leaning closer to her sister. “Why’s that?”

  “If a flyer wanted to commit a crime, she would be smart and disguise her persuasion so she could use it to her advantage. The Lady Raider has avoided the police, so I’m assuming she’s very smart. If she were a flyer then she wouldn’t have made it so obvious. Not a flyer, mark my words.”

  “That’s good to know. I’ll contact you if I need more help. Hopefully I can get my new story idea into Witch World Daily as a serial. I think I can reach a whole new audience.”

  Honora smiled. It was good to see Clover excited. “That sounds like a great idea. Contact me any time.”

  Clover sighed contentedly and took a sip of the cocktail the waitress just put down in front of her. “Enough about me. How are things going with you? Anything exciting?”

  Honora noticed her sister specifically didn’t ask about Ren and she was grateful.

  She told Clover she was on a new case and about the poor witch in the alley, but kept the details to a minimum.

  “Murder!” Clover barked. “I didn’t read a thing about it in the paper. I guess the police are keeping it hush-hush.” She stirred her drink that had changed from bright pink to a deep red color. “Be careful. It sounds dangerous.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.” Bravado was a good cover, for Honora had no idea what was ahead of her and that was part of the allure.

  After they finished eating, Honora and Clover found standing room, pressed against a bookshelf, and watched the reading. It turned out that in the novel the sexy wenches were really undercover agents working for Hex Division to bring down a group of pirates smuggling illegal magical artifacts. Even Honora was amused and smiling by the end of the reading. Both she and Clover bought a copy of the book and got in line to have them signed. The shop was loud and crammed with people and they had to lean close to hear Opal speak when Clover introduced Honora to her.

  “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” Opal had pouty bee-stung lips and a thin angular face.

  “Really?” Honora handed her the book to sign.

  “Not from me she hasn’t,” Clover mumbled under her breath.

  Opal dipped a quill in ink and swirled her name across the flyleaf. “I always like to get details on interesting witches around town for inspiration.” She slid the book back across the table to her. “You’re a story waiting to be told.”

  “That’s very flattering, really. But my life is pretty tame. Not a pirate in sight, unfortunately,” Honora said.

  “Congratulations on another smash hit,” Clover said.

  Opal stroked the cover of her book, tapping her long violet painted nails along the spine. “Thank you, Clover. I do my best.” Her gaze shifted to Honora. “I’m surprised Clover hasn’t based a character on you. I can tell you are a conflicted witch—a little good, a little bad. Torn by sadness. A recent heartache, perhaps. You’d be perfect.”

  Honora’s whole body tensed. Who was this witch? And who did she think she was analyzing her like she had a clue about her life?

  With tensions rising, Clover cleared her throat and grabbed Honora’s arm before she throttled the witch. “Opal, you’re so funny. I think Honora would kill me if I did that. She’s one of the strongest witches I know. She’d crumple a word witch like me into a parchment ball if I or anyone else put her likeness in a book.” Clover’s gaze shot daggers into Opal, warning her to back off.

  Honora relaxed. Clover was right. Opal was just having fun. There wa
s no need to get testy.

  “That’s what makes her so interesting—the element of danger. She’s wired like a tiger with pent-up energy about to pounce. I can see it.”

  “That’s enough. It was nice to meet you.” Honora linked arms with Clover and yanked her away from the signing table. Opal had struck a chord and she didn’t like it. “She’s something else,” Honora said once they were out of earshot.

  “Opal is very dramatic. She was just trying to be flattering. Trust me, you don’t want to be in one of her books.”

  “Why not?”

  “The heroines tend to be a little bit slutty.”

  “Then I definitely want to be in a book,” Honora said with a wide grin. “Maybe we should go back and she can psychoanalyze me some more.”

  “Let’s call it a night. I need to catch the train home. My head’s buzzing with ideas I want to get down on parchment.”

  Being the protective sister she was, Honora walked Clover to the train station and made sure she was safely aboard before turning for home. She shoved her hands into her pockets and strode down the street, back the way she’d come after dropping Clover off and passed by the bookstore. The crowds were finally starting to thin out. She rarely walked and found it refreshing to view the world from the street. The feeling didn’t last long though. The streets seemed to narrow, the tall buildings squeezed in on her, and the sky felt miles away. She felt buried by the metal and glass and stone. A wave of claustrophobia washed over her, and she didn’t know how witches could stand being earthbound.

  She shook off the feeling and was about to take flight when a wizard wearing all black strode up next to her. “Out for a midnight stroll?”

  Honora rolled her eyes. From the bandana around his head, she suspected he was a pirate from the reading, but when he got closer to her, she saw the scarf was really an elaborate pair of silver and black flying goggles. He was about six inches taller than she was and he had a lean frame with broad shoulders. His beard was neatly trimmed and midnight black. Up close, she realized his black attire consisted of a leather jacket, pants, and gloves—flying attire.

  Butterflies erupted in her stomach. She smirked. “Looks like I’m not the only grounded flyer tonight.” Flyers stuck to the sky above the lanes of traffic for hovercraft.

  “Perhaps I came all the way down here to talk to you.”

  She cut her eyes at him. There was something shady about the wizard that made her hackles rise. “Really? Too bad, because I was just about to leave.”

  Before she could lift up, he pulled a black feather from his jacket and held it out to her. It sparked with magical energy. “Follow the feather if you dare. Witches of a Feather have little cares. Glory awaits you if you pass the test. But all you can do is try your best.” He tapped the sharp end of the quill and said. “It takes a prick of the skin to set you on your path. Join us or not, Ms. Mayhem.”

  Honora took the feather, marveling at it as the wizard lifted off the ground and flew high into the sky, not looking back at her. Excitement flooded her system. Witches of a Feather had made contact with her. It worked. She closed her eyes and called out with her senses for her familiar, sending out a message to meet her. Next, she lifted off the ground and flew as fast as she could to her apartment, skimming through the sky like a hawk on a mission. Barnaby met her in mid-flight and she instructed him to fly to Slader’s and bring him back to the apartment. She wanted to investigate the feather before she did something stupid and activated the magic. She valued his opinion. She likely had only one try with the initiation test and didn’t want to screw it up.

  Once inside her apartment, she perched on the edge of a chair and stared down at the glossy black feather. Magical energy vibrated off the enchanted object. Clever, she thought. Very clever. Once she pricked the quill, the test would begin. It didn’t surprise her that the club expected her to pass an initiation test, but she didn’t expect it so soon. Her knee bounced up and down. Was this a trap? Did they know about the dead witch behind her apartment? Were they setting her up?

  “I heard through the grapevine that you’re planning on breaking up with us,” Slader said as he coasted through the open window. Honora had been concentrating so hard on the feather she didn’t hear him come in.

  “News travels fast.” She leaned up and cracked her back.

  “Harper is a little worried about you, that’s all.” He landed and glanced at the feather. It was hard to ignore.

  “Are you worried about me too?” Honora asked.

  “Never. I refuse to worry. I hear it gives you wrinkles. And my skin is precious to me.” He rubbed his hands over his rough face.

  “Soft as a baby’s bottom,” she said. “A baby elephant, maybe.”

  He pulled off his flying cap and goggles and plopped down on the sofa. “What’s that? I’m sensing a strong magical vibe.” He reached out his hand and stroked the edges of the feather. “Strong is an understatement.” His eyes widened a little at her.

  “Apparently, it’s a mysterious test delivered to me tonight by a wizard, who may or may not be in the group himself. He didn’t say.” Honora sunk into the sofa and told him what the wizard had said to her. “If I do this there’s no going back. I have to commit and Andreas needs me. You should have seen him when he came here earlier today. He was so excited to have me go undercover. This is the break we’ve waited for.” Excitement flushed through her. Opal was right—she felt ready to pounce.

  “This isn’t about the police’s wants or needs. They’re professionals and can deal with investigating the murder on their own. It should be about what you want and what’s best. Don’t let them pressure you into doing this.”

  “I know and I won’t.” Honora twisted a loose strand of hair around her finger. “I want to do this to help solve the murder, but I also need to do it. I’ve been so agitated lately. I’m not taking the breakup well.” She hated to admit how much she was hurting, but knew that Slader would understand. “I feel that if I do this, it will help me work out my emotions. I need to feel valuable, like my job means something. Like all my choices weren’t for nothing.” Her eyes welled with tears, but she forced them back.

  Slader gently touched her arm. “You’ll get through this. And your choices have made you who you are—strong, independent, a great sister and friend. We’ll always be here for you no matter what you decide.”

  Honora smiled at him and he leaned back on the sofa. “And if you ask me, you made the right decision with Ren. There’s someone better out there for you. Someone right here in Stargazer City where you can still be you.”

  Relief washed over her. Slader always knew how to make her feel better. “This could be my most dangerous case. We don’t know anything about this club. I’m going in blind.”

  “Not true.” He shook his head. “We’ll be here, even if it doesn’t look that way. We’re here for you.”

  “Unfortunately, we’ll have to pretend that I’m not in our club anymore. It has to be believable, too.” She cupped her chin in her hand. “I’m not sure I want to do that. I hate the thought of not being with you guys even if it is pretend.”

  “You have to ask yourself if it’s worth it. I don’t know anything more than you told Harper and I know you can’t talk about the case, but is it worth it? I mean really worth it?”

  Honora thought about it. “I think this is the best way to find out why the witch was killed. It’s definitely a lot faster than doing stakeouts, seeing as how we don’t know who the members of the club even are. We need names, details, and locations. It could take weeks of digging to get the same information I could get in one night. I could find out who’s in the club, where they meet, and what they’re up to. For all we know, they have nothing to do with her death and are totally distraught, but they also might know something that could break the case wide open.” Her heart race
d just talking about it.

  “Then it seems like you have your answer. Like it or not.”

  “Will you be okay with it?” Honora asked.

  “I’m here for you until the end. We don’t need to be in a club together for us to be friends. We’re family forever.”

  She smiled. Slader was a father figure to her and she loved him dearly. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”

  “Now it’s time to kick you out of the club before you activate that thing,” he said scrutinizing the feather with a suspicious glare. “Any idea what it does?”

  “My guess is it’s a test and it will lead me to them or at least lead me close to them. But I can’t tell.”

  “How’s it activate?” Slader asked.

  “Blood,” she said. “According to the mysterious wizard who gave it to me, I just have to prick my finger and the test begins.”

  He grimaced. “Blood magic for an initiation test. That’s a commitment. Our club went easy on each other.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Easy. You made me jump off the tallest building you could find and dive head first toward the ground, refusing to let me bank up until the last possible second.”

  “So? That’s totally easy.” His dark eyes gleamed. “You know how Jonas loves a thrill.”

  “I could have been splattered on the ground and turned into witch soup.”

  “I had to know you had nerve. And that you do. Nerve to spare.” He rose to his feet and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We’re here if you need us. Don’t be afraid to end the assignment if anything goes wrong, hear?”

  “I hear you. When are we going to do this breakup? It has to be public so Witches of a Feather knows for sure I’m not still in our club,” Honora said and gave Slader one last hug, for now. She swallowed hard. This was really happening.