by Chloe Mayson
“Tom Cat, you aren’t helping the situation,” Cortney said as she unlocked the door to her bedroom.
Cortney walked to the closet and grabbed Hildegard. “We will go for a ride tonight. Can you carry the three of us?” Cortney asked as she motioned at Tom Cat and Gator with a wave of her hand.
The handle of the broomstick grew warm in Cortney’s hand.
“She can carry all of us,” Cortney announced.
“Rats!” Tom Cat exclaimed.
“What? Are you afraid to accompany me?” Cortney asked.
“He would make a better soup than a familiar,” Gator said as he eyed the cat as he pretended to salivate.
“Gator!” Cortney scolded.
“Okay, okay, I know I can’t eat him. But cat tastes better than chicken,” the man said.
“Tom Cat, he’s joking,” Cortney said. She glanced at Gator. “Tell him you are joking,” Cortney demanded.
“Okay, chicken tastes better,” Gator said and chuckled.
“Gator, do you know where Councilman Stonemason lives?” Cortney asked.
“Yeah, I know. His house is the largest on Bayou George. I’ve heard it has thirty bedrooms,” Gator responded.
“Why so many?” Cortney asked.
Gator shrugged.
“Okay, everyone, hop onto Hildegard,” Cortney ordered as the broomstick waited, suspended in mid-air. She straddled the broomstick and waited for Gator to climb on behind her. “Tom Cat, you jump onto the brush,” she added.
As Hildegard flew out the window, the broomstick’s speed surprised Cortney. Hildegard is much more powerful than I ever imagined, Cortney found herself thinking as they swooped over rooftops with Gator giving Cortney directions.
Councilman Stonemason’s house turned out to be a castle straight out of a movie.
“Impressive isn’t it?” Gator called out from behind Cortney as he directed Hildegard to land on the expanse of lawn in front of the drawbridge gate over a moat.
“Is it automated, or does he have an ogre to raise and lower it?” Cortney asked.
“Ogres?” Tom Cat said as he arched his back.
“I’m joking. I’m joking,” Cortney said as she climbed off the broomstick.
“I don’t like scary jokes late at night,” Tom Cat said as he tried to regain his composure.
“You don’t like scary jokes anytime. Some demon you are,” Cortney said as she stared at the stone arch over the landing for the drawbridge. “I think I see a button on the right column of the arch. It’s strange to have to ring a doorbell to lower a drawbridge.”
“That’s what you get when you mix warlocks and witches with the modern world,” Gator said.
“Have you met Councilman Stonemason?” Cortney asked Gator.
“No, but I used to see him sometimes when he would visit Barnaby House. He didn’t strike me as being especially dangerous,” Gator replied.
“Well, here goes,” Cortney said as she walked up to the arch and pressed the buzzer.
“Who goes there?” a deep amplified voice said.
“Councilwoman Barnaby,” Cortney replied and somehow caused her own voice to be amplified.
“What do you want at this time of night?”
“I want to ask you a few questions, Councilman Stonemason,” Cortney replied as she suddenly began to have second thoughts about the visit.
“And if I don’t want to answer your questions?” the warlock asked.
“Then we are going to have a problem,” Cortney said. “I’ll have to huff and puff and blow your house down,” Cortney said to interject a little humor in the situation.
“Hmm, aren’t you a little old for fairy tales?” the warlock replied.
“I’m serious. Haven’t you heard of the huff and puff spell?” Cortney said.
“You are half mort. I doubt that you can conjure up a decent spell,” the warlock said. “Why should I fear half a witch?”
Okay, he’s got you there. Why should he fear you? Cortney thought.
Ah… Suddenly she thought of a good answer. “Because I have the power of Barnaby House and my broomstick Hildegard at my disposal. Can you match that?”
“I see you are more like your Aunt Morticia than your mother,” the warlock said as the sound of the drawbridge filled the air. “I also see you brought that abomination Gator with you along with your familiar.”
“Yes, for added protection should I need it,” Cortney said as she watched the bridge drop into place. “Uh, what’s in the moat?”
“Alligators, not that they are much protection against your friend, Gator,” Councilman Stonemason lamented.
“Stay frosty,” Cortney said as she led her companions across the drawbridge. Beyond the drawbridge, Cortney entered a courtyard.
“That’s far enough. I never let warlocks or witches inside my protection spell,” the warlock said as the massive door to the castle opened. The thin, curly-haired Warlock stepped onto a narrow stone porch. “Ask your question and be gone.”
“I have only one question to ask. But you will have to take the truth oath before I accept your answer,” Cortney said.
“Let me guess? You want to know if I am the one that poisoned Morticia? Is that correct?” the warlock asked.
“Yes,” Cortney said as she took note of the wand in Councilman Stonemason’s hand. The sight of the wand made her nervous. She knew little about wands except they amplified the power of a spell.
“Here, surrounded by my protection spell, I will agree to take the truth oath. I would never take the oath at Barnaby House or any other location. I don’t know if any of the other warlocks would either. One is vulnerable under the influence of the truth oath.
“Councilman Innman took the truth oath at Barnaby House,” Cortney stated.
“You’re a better man than I am! Or Innman is totally foolish. You choose, witch.”
Cortney experienced a little tingle when the warlock called her a witch.
“I’m getting sleepy. Can we cut to the chase?” Tom Cat asked.
“Your familiar is correct. I have better things to do than humor a witch,” the warlock said. “Okay, I will take the truth oath that I didn’t poison Morticia. Now, stand unmoving as I conjure up the truth spell. If you or one of your companions approach me, I have hidden forces that will attack,” the warlock warned.
As he spoke, Cortney saw red eyes staring at her from the dark interior of the castle. God, I don’t even want to imagine what he has for a pet, Cortney thought.
“We will remain in our current positions,” Cortney agreed.
“Do you see those eyes staring at us?” Tom Cat whispered.
“It’s looking at us the way I look at a fat possum when I’m hungry,” Gator said.
“Stop talking!” Cortney ordered as she watched the warlock draw a pentagram in the air. I must watch carefully to make sure he draws it correctly, Cortney reminded herself.
“I did not poison Morticia or have any participation in her murder,” the warlock called out as the pentagram burst into flame. Councilman Stonemason glanced at Cortney. “I’m not burning. So, I must have told the truth,” he said, staggering until he reached out to support himself against the castle wall. “But the truth oath did drain me. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll bid your motley crew a good night,” the warlock said as he stumbled through the door.
“Now can we go home?” Tom Cat asked.
“What kind of creature did those red eyes belong to?” Gator asked. “Whatever it was it must have stood over eight feet tall,” he added.
“Maybe an ogre. I hear they love toads and tadpoles,” Tom Cat said.
“Hmm, not as much as I love stewed cat, I bet,” Gator said.
“Okay, enough bickering,” Cortney said as she straddled Hildegard. “Everyone aboard, or walk home.”
Chapter Nineteen
“I see you survived your confrontation with Councilman Stonemason,” Frank said between forks of scrambled eggs and bacon.
“
Barely,” Tom Cat called from the floor as he raised his head from the bowl of milk. “Something huge lurked inside the castle with red eyes ready to pounce on us if we moved during the truth oath,” the familiar added. “I’m never going back to Councilman Stonemason’s castle.”
Frank glanced at Cortney. “Really? Red eyes?”
“Yes, do you know what kind of creature it could have been?” Cortney asked.
Frank shook his scarred head. “No, I don’t have a clue.”
I don’t believe Frank. He knows what was watching us from inside the house. Why won't he tell us? Cortney thought as she glared at the man constructed of mismatched body parts.
“All’s well that ends well,” Frank said with a sigh. “I guess you have three warlocks left to confront. You realize that, as you narrow them down, it gets more dangerous. The next one you confront might attack you instead of yielding to the truth oath,” Frank warned.
“Yes, I’m aware of the danger. But what choice do I have? The police can’t investigate a warlock. It’s me or he goes free,” Cortney declared.
“You are correct. Only a witch or another warlock can bring the one that poisoned Morticia to justice,” Frank said.
“Ah, what happens if I uncover the identity of the warlock that poisoned Aunt Morticia? Do we turn him over to the police?” Cortney inquired.
“No, he will be stripped of his powers and banished from Bayou George,” Frank said.
“Wow, that doesn’t sound harsh enough punishment for murder,” Cortney said.
“Believe me, it is worse than any prison. Whichever warlock poisoned your aunt has lived wrapped in magic for a long, long time. Once stripped of his powers, he will age rapidly as time catches up with him. Death will come sooner than later,” Frank said.
“Yuck, that doesn’t sound like a pleasant way to die,” Cortney said.
“Cortney,” Gator said. “There is no pleasant way to die. Only pleasant ways to kill,” Gator added and chuckled.
My, that must have been a bloodthirsty sociopath tadpole that accidentally wound up in the cauldron brew when Aunt Morticia tried to clone Chester, Cortney thought, looking at Gator as the strange man ate his scrambled eggs with his fingers.
“Which one of the three remaining council members are you going to confront next?” Frank asked.
“The real estate broker, Hawk Blackman,” Cortney replied deciding as she spoke.
“Why Blackman?” Frank asked.
“With a name like Hawk Blackman, need you ask?” Cortney replied. “And I know for a fact he lusts after Barnaby House.”
“No more than the other warlocks. Barnaby House has its own power,” Frank explained.
“Yeah, yeah, I know it draws power from the souls of the dead in the cemetery,” Cortney said. “Anyway, I’m meeting Dr. Wigdahl tonight, so it is between Blackman and Kessel this morning. I choose Blackman. I’ll shop for diamonds in Kessel’s jewelry store later in the afternoon,” Cortney said.
“You are implying that you intend on confronting Blackman this morning, Kessel this afternoon, and Wigdahl tonight. Aren’t you rushing it a little?” Frank said.
“If I move fast, I might catch the guilty warlock by surprise. So, it’s the real estate agent in the morning. If he doesn’t refuse to take the truth oath and attacks me; then in the afternoon I drop by the jewelry store and confront Councilman Kessel. I suspect that one of them is the killer. If that’s the case I won’t have to bother Dr. Wigdahl,” Cortney said.
“Hmm, be careful! It’s not as though you are sitting down to tea with these warlocks. The one that killed your aunt will attempt to take your life the moment you try to force him to take the truth oath,” Frank warned.
“I practiced some spells with Tom Cat before going to bed last night. I now know how to do more than conjure up fireballs. I can weave a protection spell around myself if attacked,” Cortney said.
Frank, looking as though he doubted Cortney, glanced down at Tom Cat.
“She’s a quick study. I won’t go as far as to say that she can defeat one of the warlocks, but she’ll give him a run for his money, especially if she’s holding Hildegard. I think the broomstick is connected to the house and draws power from it,” Tom Cat said.
“Hmm, there’s a novel thought. I never suspected a connection between Barnaby House and Hildegard. However, Morticia used to sweep the floor of her bedroom with the broomstick,” Frank said in a rambling tone.
“Gator, if you are finished eating like a Neanderthal, let’s go and pay Councilman Blackman a visit,” Cortney said as she stood up from the table.
“What’s a Neanderthal?” Gator asked as he looked at Frank.
“A distant relative of yours, I believe,” Frank replied as he glanced at Cortney with both his blue and brown eye.
“Can I stay home? I need to change my cat litter,” Tom Cat said.
“No, you can’t stay at home. You are my familiar. Where I go, you go,” Cortney said.
“Hmm, that must have been in the small print,” Tom Cat said as he followed Cortney to the foyer.
“Gee, I forgot Hildegard,” Cortney said as she paused at the front door. She turned to head upstairs to retrieve her broomstick.
“Newbie, you don’t have to bring her. Just say her name three times, and she’ll appear when you need her,” Tom Cat said in a condescending tone.
“If you call me a newbie one more time there’s not going to be enough left of you for Gator to make cat stew,” Cortney said.
“Touchy, touchy,” Tom Cat called as Cortney walked outside.
“Gator, do you know where warlock Blackman lives?”
“Yes, he calls his house some silly name. It’s at the edge of town,” Gator replied.
“What name?” Cortney asked.
“Gone with the Wind. Have you ever heard of such a silly name?” Gator asked.
Cortney shook her head. “Just get in the car,” she said with a deep sigh.
The drive to Warlock Blackman’s house took Cortney through parts of Bayou George that she hadn’t visited. What struck her was how prosperous people looked. They had beautiful homes, drove good cars and dressed well. She wondered if some of the prosperity came from it being an enclave of magic. I’m going to have to ask Frank why people in Bayou George are better off than folks in most other Louisiana towns, Cortney thought as Gator pointed a thin greenish finger at an antebellum home that looked as though it had been plucked from a movie set.
“Hmm, I think our real estate councilman has a flair for the dramatic,” Cortney said as she pulled into the circular drive of the beautiful home. “Wow, he even has a stable,” she added.
“Camptown ladies sing dis song. Doo da! Doo da!” Tom Cat started singing when suddenly the front door of the mansion opened.
Councilman Blackman stepped out onto the porch.
“One more word of that horrible song and you’ll be a rat instead of a cat,” the warlock said as he glared down at Tom Cat. He looked up at Cortney. “I see that you have neglected to teach your familiar manners,” Councilman Blackman added.
“Yeah, that’s what happens when you scrape your familiar off the road after he’s been run over by several cars. I think I forgot to scrape his good manners off the tarmac with the rest of him. Do you know how hard roadkill is to put back together?” Cortney said.
The warlock glared at Cortney for a long moment before he suddenly burst out laughing. “I do like your sense of humor. It’s something that your aunt didn’t possess. Now, why are the three of you here?”
“Mint juleps?” Cortney said.
“I don’t think so,” Councilman Blackman replied. “I think it is something more ominous than that,” he added.
“Well, now that you mentioned it, there is one little favor you can do for me,” Cortney said.
“Go on,” the warlock said.
“Would you be so kind as to take the truth oath that you didn’t poison Aunt Morticia. I mean, if you didn’t poison her then what�
��s the harm in taking the truth oath?”
“Taking the truth oath is opening your soul for a moment. It isn’t something a warlock or a witch does lightly,” Councilman Blackman stated.
“Yeah, so I’ve been told. However, not taking the truth oath is admitting that you are guilty in my eyes,” Cortney said hardening her voice as she spoke.
“And a newbie half-witch like you is someone that I should fear?” the warlock asked.
Suddenly Hildegard appeared in Cortney’s hand.
“Yes,” Cortney replied coldly.
“Hmm, I am amused. I sense great power at your disposal. I had heard that Barnaby House drew power from the souls of the dead in the cemetery. I didn’t believe it until now. And the broomstick is connected to the house. Interesting! Morticia was certainly one of a kind,” Councilman Blackman said.
“So, is that a yes? Do you agree to take the truth oath?” Cortney asked.
“How many of the other warlocks have taken the oath?”
“Two. Innman and Stonemason,” Cortney replied.
“So, if I take the oath it will narrow it down to Kessel and Wigdahl,” Councilman Blackman said. “Yes, I will take the truth oath that I didn’t kill Morticia,” the warlock said with an easy smile.
Cortney let out a sigh of relief. When I get him in the bag, only two more warlocks will be left to confront.
“You know one of the two remaining warlocks is going to attempt to kill you?” Councilman Blackman stated. “And, believe it or not, Kessel and Wigdahl are the two most powerful warlocks on the council. The odds of you surviving a confrontation with either of them isn’t good,” he added.
“Please get on with it,” Tom Cat said. “The longer I stay here, the greater my desire to pick cotton grows.”
“Do you really need a familiar?” the warlock asked as he glared down at Tom Cat.
“Don’t bother. It’s not worth the effort. He would just return. He’s got seven more lives to go,” Cortney said.
“I suppose you are right, although it would give me pleasure to watch him burn,” the warlock said with a deep sigh. “But, before I start the truth oath spell, I need someone to protect me during the procedure,” Councilman Blackman said as he clapped his hands.