“They are,” Scarlett agreed. “It’s rare to see a vampire during the day; they’re usually only out and about at night.”
“Yeah, I think that’s why Athan left so quickly,” Ali said. “This is very early in the morning for him. Usually when I meet with vampires, we organize to see each other late at night, and when I’ve been investigating vampires, I usually have to pull some all-nighters and sleep during the day. There’s just no way to gather information on them when they’re all asleep.”
“That’s so strange,” I muttered, half to myself. “So there’s an entire species of paranormals who are out and about when we’re asleep.”
“Yup,” Scarlett said. “But I mean, especially in winter there’s a decent amount of overlap when all paranormals are awake. You probably won’t become best friends with any vampires – most paranormal creatures stick to their own species for the most part – but you’ll certainly get to know some of the local ones in Fairy Falls over time.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I said.
“So what do you witches want to do?” Ali asked. “I’ve now got to find some more proof that Oliver is the thief. You’re welcome to tag along if you’d like.”
“Thanks, but we have a funeral to attend,” Scarlett replied. “It’s been almost twenty-four hours since Renee’s death, and that’s when we have our funerals in the coven of Venus. I’ve always found funerals to be a great source of information.”
“Good plan,” Ali said. “Let’s split up then. Give me your phone number, and we’ll stay in touch. Hopefully one of us will find something that might lead to Oliver being locked up again.”
Scarlett and Ali swapped phone numbers, then the latter left us with a wave, heading down the street.
“What do you think she’s off to do?” I asked Scarlett. “I don’t know her well, but Ali doesn’t strike me as the kind of witch who obeys the law very often.”
Scarlett laughed. “I have a sneaking suspicion you’re right. It’s probably best we don’t know. Now come on, the funeral will be starting soon.”
“Do all witch funerals happen within twenty-four hours of death?” I asked. “I didn’t realize it would be so soon.”
“Every coven has their own rituals,” Scarlett explained. “Some are earlier – I know in the coven of Io, funerals are supposed to take place as soon as a witch or wizard dies or as soon as their body is found – and some aren’t time-based at all. At the coven of Venus, we try to have the funeral exactly twenty-four hours after death or as close to it as possible.”
I checked the time on my phone. “Yeah, so we don’t have long, do we?”
“About twenty minutes.”
“Where will the funeral take place? I haven’t seen a church anywhere, so I assume they’re not much of a thing.”
“No,” Scarlett said. “We will meet with the rest of the coven at the top of the waterfall.”
CHAPTER 19
T wenty minutes later, we had passed through the portal once more. I was very excited to learn about broom riding, and Scarlett was not the least bit scared of heights.
“Get on,” she motioned, and I did as she asked. I wrapped my arms around Scarlett’s waist as she kicked off from the ground, and the broom soared into the air.
I gasped in a mixture of surprise and nerves as we bolted high up into the sky. When I’d ridden a broom, I had done so with my feet practically scraping against the ground. This was certainly a different experience.
We leveled out, and I glanced down toward the ground to find we were at least a hundred feet up in the air. I didn’t even want to think about what would happen if I fell off the broom right now.
Instead, I tightened my grip on Scarlett’s waist.
“It’s fine,” she told me. “You’re not going to fall. Brooms are designed to keep witches on them. Just try to relax and enjoy the ride. We’re almost there.”
I did have to admit, the view from up here was nothing short of phenomenal. The woods extended in every direction as far as the eye could see, with lakes and rivers and of course the huge waterfall for which the town was named ahead of us, with sparkling blue-white water a stark contrast to the dark rocks over which it flowed.
The wind whipped my hair around, and by the time Scarlett landed the broom softly on the ground, I was fairly certain some nearby robins were likely going to mistake it for a nest. I struggled to get it back under control, and my cousin waved her wand.
“Get your wand out and we can take care of that,” she said. Her red hair had been tied back in a ponytail and still looked fine. I was going to have to keep my hair up more if brooms were going to become a regular facet of life.
I pulled out my wand and made a face. “What if I mess it up?”
“Then as always, I’ll fix it. Besides, it’s not like your hair can get all that much worse than it is now.”
“You have a point there,” I admitted. “Alright, let’s do this.”
“Great,” Scarlett said. “The incantation to this one is fairly simple. Venus, goddess of love, make my hair look as soft as a dove’s.”
I pointed my wand at my head, imagined it looking normal once more, and repeated the spell. I could immediately feel the strands of hair falling softly against my shoulders and grinned.
“I’m guessing it worked?”
“Sure did,” Scarlett nodded. “Come on, let’s go.”
We had landed in a small field not far from the waterfall. I could hear the rush of falling water to my left, and Scarlett led me up a small hill. As we crested over the peak, I gasped, finding us right near the top of the waterfall with hundreds of other paranormals, mostly witches and wizards. We were on a smooth, large landing. About thirty feet away was the river that led to the waterfalls.
The paranormals stood in groups, mostly chatting away with one another, leaning in close to be heard over the roar of the falls.
“So how does this work, exactly?” I half-shouted into Scarlett’s ear, struggling to be heard over the rush of water. “This doesn’t necessarily seem like the ideal place to hold a funeral.”
“Wait until it starts, you’ll see,” Scarlett said. “It should be getting underway any second now.”
Sure enough, about a second later the sound from the waterfall disappeared entirely. I looked around to see who had cast a spell, but before I got a chance, a witch in a long, flowing, deep-red dress floated above the crowd and over to the waterfall. Her bronze skin shone beneath tight curls of black hair that surrounded her head like a halo. She hovered above the water, the ends of her dress dangling down a good fifteen or twenty feet, inches above the water cascading down to the rocks below.
“That’s Alya Barak, the head of our coven,” Scarlett whispered in my ear. “I’m sure she’ll come and meet you soon. She’ll be in charge of the funeral.”
Sure enough, Alya began speaking, her voice ringing loud and clear, magically enchanted so everyone could hear.
“Welcome, citizens of Fairy Falls and elsewhere. Witches and wizards from the coven of Venus, witches and wizards from our neighbor covens, elves, shifters, vampires, and fairies. I bring with me all of the love of the goddess Venus to share with you all. Thank you for coming to celebrate the life of a young witch whose time on this earth ended far too soon. I had the pleasure of knowing Renee Gale since she was a young witch. Her parents both grew up here, and even when she was a baby, I knew Renee was going to be a spunky witch with personality.”
“That’s a kind way of saying she was a jerk,” Scarlett muttered in my ear. “But I guess you’re not supposed to say that at a funeral.”
As Alya continued speaking, I began to move around, trying to get a better look at the other people here. Toward the edge of the falls at the front closest to Alya were an older couple, both with dark hair. The wizard held the witch in his arms as they both sobbed away openly. These had to be Renee’s parents, and my heart went out to them. I couldn’t imagine what they must have been going through.
&nbs
p; Next to them were another couple. They also both had dark hair, and I could see the family resemblance. Both Renee and her sister shared her mother’s deep-set eyes, and Renee also had her mother’s mouth. Her brother looked much more like his father, with an aquiline nose and thin lips.
The two of them clasped their hands together with Renee’s brother staring into space as though focusing on anything would cause him to lose his composure while Renee’s sister stood, tears openly streaming down her face, without bothering to try to wipe them away.
I briefly wondered if I was staring at a killer. Had Renee’s brother gotten tired of her asking him for money? Had he wanted some of it back and snapped?
I wasn’t one of those people who believed family members could never hurt each other. I knew much better than that. As far as I was concerned, Renee’s brother was as much a suspect as anyone else.
My eyes continued to move across the crowd. They landed on Oliver Farwood. He was at the back of the group, on the other side of the waterfall. He must have come straight here, same as us. He stood away from the crowd, half-hidden behind a tree, making sure no one would notice him. I narrowed my eyes. Was he actually here to grieve? Or was he just here to make himself look innocent?
Either way, I didn’t trust him.
I motioned toward him to Scarlett, who nodded.
“I’ll let Ali know he’s here,” she whispered to me. “It might make whatever she’s doing right now easier.”
A few moments later, my eyes landed on Grandma Eva who stood quietly near some other witches, her expression solemn, her eyes fixed on Alya.
I didn’t recognize anyone else at the funeral, but right at that moment, Ayla stopped talking. There was a moment’s silence, and when she was finished, Alya raised her arms high above her head.
“Venus, goddess of our coven! We invite you to reclaim the body of one of your children and to help her voyage through to the next life. Let the loving cries of the coven guide her toward you as you take her into your arms. Those of you who are not members of our coven, we invite you to join in as well.”
Suddenly, the entire crowd seemed to shift, turning to face away from Alya and back up the river. A low murmur started, then every paranormal creature by the banks of the river began to shout. Next to me, Scarlett cried out, raising her face to the sky and crying out as loudly as she could. I joined in, feeling rather silly, honestly. What was all the shouting about?
All of a sudden, a small raft turned the corner and appeared in view, floating on the river. On the raft was a body wrapped in pink cloth. That had to be Renee. The shouts and cries got louder, turning into a roar as the body floated toward us. As soon as it was about a hundred feet from the falls, it suddenly burst into flame, pink flames, and the smoke rose in the shape of hearts. I watched in complete awe as the raft carrying the body plummeted over the edge of the falls. As soon as it disappeared, all of the shouts and calls stopped. Pink smoke hearts continued to rise for a moment before finally disappearing, the last of them being carried off by the wind.
“Venus has taken our sister,” Alya announced after about thirty seconds of silence. “May she rest in peace and love.”
The members of the crowd began moving and talking once more, and I turned to Scarlett.
“Is that it? What happens now?”
“Now we all go down to the main part of town. There will be a celebration of Renee’s life in the main square. That’s where we’re most likely to find out any information.”
“What was all the shouting about?”
“That’s how we announce to the goddess Venus that there’s a soul for her to take to the next life,” Scarlett explained.
“Do all covens do that?”
My cousin shook her head. “No. Each coven has its own rituals. This one is unique to our coven. I’ve never actually attended a funeral from another coven, so I’m not sure what they do, but I know this one is ours. Now, do you want to walk back down into town? It’ll take about forty minutes. Or we can fly.”
“I want to fly again,” I said. “But maybe a little bit closer to the ground this time.”
Scarlett laughed. “You realize if you fall from a hundred feet or from fifty feet, the end result is probably the same, right?”
“Yeah, but the amount of time I have to think about it before I hit the ground and break every bone in my body is a lot shorter if we fly lower.”
“Fine,” Scarlett replied with a grin. “We’ll stay low to the ground. You should try and get used to being in the air, though. It’s an important part of being a witch.”
“I actually did enjoy it on the way here,” I said. “Other than the being scared out of my wits part, of course.”
“Fair enough. And you didn’t fall off, either!”
“True,” I admitted as Scarlett grabbed the broom from the tree she’d propped it up against earlier and swung her leg over it. I hopped on behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist once more, and we flew back toward town.
CHAPTER 20
L anding in the center of town, I was surprised to find the entire square in front of town hall had been converted into a giant – well, I suppose backyard party wasn’t the right term. But large banquet tables filled with food were spread all around with comfortable-looking benches having been brought in. The whole town seemed to appear, even more people than had been at the funeral.
“Is this normal?” I asked, looking around at the thousands of people around me, and Scarlett nodded.
“Sure is. When there’s a funeral, even paranormals who can’t or won’t go to the actual ceremony still come to the wake. Fairy Falls is a small town, and everyone would have known Renee. This is the chance for the town to get together and talk about her life.”
“So this is everyone from here, right? What about other towns? Is there anyone here from other places?”
“I think Renee had an aunt who moved to Florida a few years ago, so while she’s not in Fairy Falls anymore, she would be here somewhere. But apart from that, no. For a world that’s connected by nearly instantaneous travel, news doesn’t always travel that fast around here, and Fairy Falls is a small town. Most places will have heard there was a murder, but that would be it. Like, I know there was a murder in Pacific Cove the other day, but I don’t even know what type of paranormal it was. So no, it’s not likely that anyone from other covens are going to come here for the funeral.”
“Wow,” I said. “I guess in a way that makes sense. In the human world things work that way too; you hear about stuff that happens in your own town but not so much when they happen elsewhere unless there’s something really exceptional about it that makes it newsworthy. Just because you can travel between towns here so easily wouldn’t make it any different.”
“Exactly,” Scarlett replied. “Now, what do you say we split up and see if we can get some information?”
“Right,” I replied. “I’m keeping an open mind. I think Oliver did it, but I’m not writing off the family members or Simon just yet.”
“Good, me neither,” Scarlett said. “Text me if you find out anything.”
I nodded and headed off in the opposite direction. My first stop was at one of the buffet tables. Of course, I justified it with the idea that buffet tables were a great place to overhear conversations, and the giant bowl full of mini spring rolls was just a bonus. I was going to have to grab a plate of them to make it look like I had a reason to be there.
The spring rolls were part of my disguise. I had no other choice. At least, that was what I told myself as I heaped a small compostable plate with six or so of them and grabbed a small container of dipping sauce from the large selection available next to them.
Keeping my ears open, I listened as the people nearby conversed, some about other topics, but most about Renee.
“You know, she had her problems, but she wasn’t really a bad witch overall,” one witch that I didn’t recognize said to another. “She just lost her way a little bit. I think she love
d money a little too much.”
“Isn’t that a trap that’s all too easy to fall into?” the other witch replied with a sad shake of her head. “There’s so much pressure on young witches and wizards these days to have the latest and greatest of everything. And for those who don’t have the highest-paying jobs, it’s so hard to keep up. I do hope she’s at peace now. Although I do wish she’d been nicer. It’s not difficult to be polite.”
I moved on, crunching into a delicious spring roll. Those witches didn’t really seem to know all that much about Renee’s life besides the fact that she had an appreciation for the finer things that a regular salary couldn’t necessarily pay for.
But we were already aware of that. Suddenly, my eyes landed on Chief Enforcer Tyson who walked into the town hall with Renee’s brother. Now this was the kind of conversation I wanted to listen to. The problem was, I didn’t know any spells that were going to help me out here.
I knew the words to the spell that would turn me invisible, but there were so many ways it could go wrong that I didn’t dare try it without Scarlett around. And I knew there was a spell that could amplify sounds to make eavesdropping easier, but I didn’t know how to cast that one.
If I was going to do this, it was going to have to be with some old-fashioned human-world techniques.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t exactly my forte. In my quest to push myself academically and climb the career ladder, I’d made a name for myself as a goody two shoes almost everywhere I went. I wasn’t the sort of kid who climbed onto the roof of the high school to drink at two in the morning when I was sixteen. I wasn’t the young adult who got so drunk at frat parties that she passed out in some bushes and woke up the next morning wondering where she was, and I wasn’t the grown ad executive who did drugs in high-end restaurant bathrooms on Friday nights.
So to say this was outside of my comfort zone was an understatement.
I decided to follow them into the building first since that would be the easiest way to eavesdrop, and if I was caught, I could pretend I was looking for a bathroom. After all, what with my having lived here for approximately two days, it would be a very believable lie.
Hex Over Heels: A Witch Cozy Mystery (Fairy Falls Mystery Book 2) Page 11