by R K Dreaming
Nan looked like she had suddenly realized something and did not look happy about it. “You mean today, don’t you?”
Percy nodded.
“You tricked me about dinner tonight! You had this planned all along.”
“It was the only way your mum would let you hang out today!”
“That is not cool,” said Nan. “And I was looking forward to Jeeves’s dinner. I even had salad for lunch!” She pouted.
“But we have to do it today,” Percy pleaded. “What if the killer strikes again? First Mrs Delancey on Monday, then Frank on Wednesday, then Delphine on Friday. And now it’s Tuesday already. I thought for sure something was going to happen yesterday or on the weekend. Maybe he’s waiting to finish Delphine off before he strikes again! Imagine how scared he must be that Delphine will wake up and tell everyone what she knows! So, are you going to keep watch or not?”
Nan’s shoulders had drooped as she had listened to all this.
“I’m going to have to, aren’t I?” she said in despair, unable to deny this reasoning.
“Thanks Nan! You’re the best!” Percy excitedly threw her arms around Nan.
Nan pushed her away. “At least I’ll be able to call someone to come and save your life before the mad wizard kills you!”
“Excellent,” said Percy. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”
When they got to Soho, they resorted to their old tactics of finding a café and using the toilets for some privacy.
When Percy got her phone out to make the call, Nan shook her head. “I’d better do it. You’re only going to mess it up.”
Percy agreed that this was probably a good idea. He might recognize her voice. She took the business card out and handed it over.
Nan dialed the number, and bit her lip as she waited for the Fabulous Floriano to answer the phone. She rolled her eyes when he did with great enthusiasm.
“Hello,” she said in a stroppy, demanding voice that sounded remarkably like Bella Osterich. “Is this the magic shop?”
She nodded impatiently at whatever Floriano said and even her nod looked like Bella’s impatient haughty ones. Percy was impressed with Nan’s acting, and did her best not to laugh out loud.
“I have an emergency request that you absolutely have to help me with, and I’m going to need it tonight at the very latest,” ordered Nan liked she owned the world. “Several of my friends have told me that you’ve given them adequate potions, but I shall require your very best work for mine.”
Then she gave him a long spiel about a terrible teacher who would not like her no matter how hard she tried, and kept giving her unfairly low grades, and that the teacher had set an exam for school tomorrow, and she knew he planned to fail her, and that she could not afford for that to happen because if she got one more bad grade her father was going to cancel her birthday trip to the Maldives.
“And no skiing next season either!” she screeched, as if this was the worst fate that could befall a person.
On the other end of the phone the Fabulous Floriano was obviously waxing lyrical about whatever marvelous magical creation he would be able to make for her.
“Undetectable, you say? Because you’ll be able to put a special ingredient in it that the school can’t track?” said Nan, sounding suitably astonished. “That is exactly what I need!”
Floriano continued speaking on the other end, his booming tones audible to Percy, though she could not make out the individual words. He sounded enthusiastic. But now Nan was impatiently shaking her head.
“Absolutely not! It has to be today! I don’t care if you have to close up the shop to do it! I want to pick it up within a couple of hours. If you can’t do it, then I’ll just have to find someone else, because I’m not going to pay for you to delay! How much will it cost for you to rush my order?”
The way Nan’s eyebrows shot up, Floriano must have stated an outrageous amount.
“For that amount,” she said peevishly, “You can make me two batches. My friend will want to use some too.”
Floriano upped the price again, and this time Nan said impatiently, “Fine, fine, my friend can afford to pay. Her mother is the famous Gwendolyn Prince you know.”
Percy glared at Nan, but Nan only winked. She listened to whatever Floriano was saying, and ended the call with, “I shall expect it ready in two hours. I’ll send my chauffeur over to pick it up!”
She put the phone down, and then said, “Ha! He fell for it. I think mentioning your mother’s name really sealed the deal.”
Then she frowned. “He’s a horrid git though. He said he could tell I was a succubus, and that I must be a really ugly one if I couldn’t even persuade the teacher to like me, and he wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t have any friends at all.”
Percy laughed. “Shows how much he knows.”
Nan was not smiling. “It’s true though, isn’t it? How many real friends do I have other than you? I like Shara, but even she keeps her distance. Sometimes I think that something is wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” said Percy hotly. “It’s just that you’re so… Good. Too strict about the rules. We’re teenagers. We’re supposed to have fun. It’s like you’re a teacher in disguise. People probably think you’ll tell your mum if they do something wrong.”
Chuckling, she poked Nan in the ribs.
“It’s not funny. There are plenty of things I don’t tell my mum!”
“Glad to hear it. And anyway, I already know that, because I already know you. It’s their loss if they don’t bother.”
Nan sighed. “Anyway, he said he’d shut up the shop and get started right away. He was nearly falling over himself. It was probably more than he earns in a month.”
“You see?” said Percy. “I was right about desperate students giving him anything for a bit of magic, wasn’t I? The idiot wasn’t even suspicious about what you asked for!”
The two of them made their way out of the café, and when they got to the magic shop they saw that Florian had shut it up like he had promised. The blinds were drawn over the windows and the door.
Nan looked at the lock closely. She got her wand out. “I can try a spell to unlock it, but if he’s used any counter charms, I don’t think it’ll work.”
“What are you doing?” said Percy, putting her hand out to stop Nan.
“Helping you get in.”
“You can’t use magic in broad daylight on the street! Do you want to get done for underage magic?”
Nan flushed. “Well, they won’t know it’s me. It’s not like I’m registered to live at this address, so they’ll probably think it is Floriano doing it. And anyway… I sort of didn’t post the letter that mum told me to do to register my wand.”
Percy’s mouth dropped open. “Nanette Gooding! You sneaky bad witch! Now you sound like Demonling’s favorite cherub!”
Nan’s cheeks went cherry red.
Percy took out Lucky kitten from her pocket and placed her near the door. The sleepy kitten yawned and gave herself a shake.
“What do you say, Lucky kitten?” Percy whispered. “Shall we try using the wand to open this lock?”
Lucky kitten hissed at the door and backed away from it, her hair on end. Alarmed, Percy and Nan quickly stepped back, thinking that Floriano might be standing on the other side of the door about to catch them.
But now Lucky kitten looked fine again. She hopped off the doorstep, and trotted away from the shop.
“She’s running away!” whispered Nan.
“Let her go,” said Percy. “Look, she’s headed towards that alleyway.”
This was true. Lucky kitten disappeared into the alleyway that ran alongside the shop, and Percy and Nan went after her. They found Lucky kitten had stopped under a window that could only lead into the magic shop. Lucky kitten was looking up at it.
The window had been left open.
“See!” whispered Percy, giddy with excitement. “I told you she was a lucky kitten!”
“There you are!” boomed a voice behind them.
16. Toxic Temptations
Percy and Nan whirled around. When Percy saw who it was, she was horrified.
Jauntily walking down the alleyway towards them, clutching a huge bunch of balloons on strings and looking immensely self-satisfied, was none other than Lucifer Darkwing himself.
“What are you doing here?” Percy hissed.
She glanced in horror back at the window to Floriano’s shop, hoping he hadn’t heard Lucifer’s booming greeting.
“I’m looking for you,” Lucifer declared cheerily, not bothering to lower his voice.
He stopped in front of Percy, bowed in a delightfully charming manner, and handed her a balloon.
Scowling, she let go of it, and it floated away into the sky.
“Go away,” she whispered.
“But I only just followed you all the way from school,” he protested. “Meant to catch you when you came to pick up the kitten, but you left before I got back to the office. Thought I’d lost you a little while ago, then I saw you both hurrying out of that café. Lucky me!”
Percy was struck by the notion that Floriano might be inside listening to every word, and that he was going to slam his window shut at any moment.
She grabbed Lucifer’s arm and dragged him out of the alleyway and across the road and did not stop until she had led him some way down the street.
She glared at him. “We are busy!” she snapped. “You nearly ruined everything!”
“What everything?” he asked, his face falling.
And now Percy noticed that the balloons he was holding were not balloons. There were giant multicolored Bubblicious Bubbles attached to candy floss strings. They all had her name on in purple lettering, but for a few which had Nan’s name on in bright yellow.
He offered them to her, saying, “You haven’t been coming to see me. I thought you were mad at me. I bought you these. They’re in your favorite flavor!”
“Darn it, Lucy,” said Percy with a sigh.
She was surprised Lucifer had managed to bring the balloons halfway across Central London without giving in to temptation and eating them all himself.
She couldn’t resist taking one of the lurid pink ones that had her name on it. It was a mouthwatering strawberry flavor, and when she sucked it, in a whoosh of joy filled her, making her skin tingle all over like it was being hit with cool drops of rain, tickling her until she laughed.
It was so intense that she had to shake it off.
“Ah,” she said, blissfully. “I do love that one.”
“What flavor did you get me?” Nan looked surprised that he had bothered, but also pleased.
Lucifer handed her one of her balloons and as she ate it, her eyes widened and a shiver of delight visibly ran through her.
When she was finished, she laughed. “It was like chasing a bumble bee through a meadow in summer.”
“Bee?” asked Percy skeptically.
“A jolly friendly bee that leads you on a merry dance.”
“Weird. Can I try one?”
Nan nodded and handed one over. When Percy ate it, for her it was like swooshing down an immensely long twisty waterslide, laughing and laughing all the way.
In fact, she laughed so much, that snorts of purple blackberry flavored bubbles came out of her nose and passersby turned to stare at her.
“Okay Lucy,” said Percy, when she had stopped laughing. It was hard to stay mad at him now she felt this cheery. “I forgive you, but I can’t eat those balloons now. Why don’t you —”
“Forgive me for what?” said Lucifer, looking genuinely confused.
“Do you really need me to explain?” said Percy. “I’ve been accused of attempted murder, but instead of helping me clear my name, like I would have done for you, you left me hanging and pranced off to have a fun weekend!”
He looked astonished. “But I knew you didn’t do it,” he protested. “Those council people will clear you any day now.”
“But you didn’t help!” Nan looked offended on Percy’s behalf.
“Darn right,” said Percy. “You should have helped.”
Lucifer clapped his hands together as if struck by a bright idea. Finding themselves loose, the balloons sprang up into the sky and floated away.
“No!” Percy sadly watched them go. She’d wanted one more of the waterslide ones.
He looked a little surprised that they had fled so fast, but said cheerily, “I’ll get you some more next time. But you asked for help, and you’re clearly up to something right now.” He rubbed his hands with glee. “So what do you need me to do?”
“Nothing!” said Percy and Nan together.
But he shook his head adamantly. “You can’t turn me away now, after complaining that I never help. Shall I break into that shop? I’ll climb through the window first to check the coast is clear! Stealing something, are we?”
“We’re not stealing.” Nan looked outraged.
He looked disappointed. “Well I can help you to not steal things too,” he said, not looking very impressed with this idea.
“You can keep watch,” said Percy quickly. “And if we don’t come back out in…” — she looked at Nan — “thirty minutes? Then you can burst in to rescue us. How does that sound?”
“Most excellent!” said Lucifer, looking like he was determined to burst in and rescue them whether they needed it or not.
They left him standing on the main road, on the opposite side to the magic shop, after admonishing him not to be so obvious about watching it.
“Rescue us?” said Nan as they headed back across the road. “Are you mad? He’s more likely to do more harm than good.”
“We won’t need him to rescue us, because you’ll be outside keeping watch too, remember?”
“But I thought I was coming in with you? I’ve decided it’s for the best. Two is better than one. You never know what that wizard might do if he gets upset.”
Percy tried to protest, not wanting Nan to get into trouble. “I’m sure he’s too much of a coward really to attack me. Especially if I tell him I’ve got the place surrounded.” She laughed. “Which I technically will have.”
But Nan insisted.
Before going into the alleyway, Percy took lucky kitten out of her pocket and said to her, “We are going in, kittie. Do you think it’s safe?”
Lucky kitten mewled as if in agreement.
“Excellent,” declared Percy. “Now you stay still in my pocket. Make sure you behave yourself!”
Lucky kitten settled down inside Percy’s pocket as if in anticipation of some excitement.
The two of them hurried back up the alleyway and were glad to find the window still open. A grimy old curtain was half draped over it, but the gap at the side of the curtain was just wide enough to see a semi dark room inside. It looked like it had once been a storage room, but was now just full of shelving units that were empty but for a few dusty old cardboard boxes.
The window was the sort that slid open sideways. Percy gently eased it open wide enough to let a person in. She climbed in first, and took a look around the room. It was not much larger than what had been visible from the outside. She saw that its door had been left slightly ajar.
She patted Lucky kitten in her pocket and the kitten purred quietly, as if she felt perfectly safe, which gave Percy confidence.
She crept over to the door to peer through the crack, and what she saw on the other side made her heart thud with excitement. On the opposite side of a corridor was what looked like a workshop.
The door had been left wide open and the light was on within, and Floriano himself was bending over a worktop, grinding something with a pestle and mortar. He was blocking the view of the cauldron in front of him, but Percy knew it was there because she could see pink steam rising from it.
He was doing it! He was making the potion. She could even hear him humming an occasional note to
himself, probably in anticipation of all the lovely gold he expected to receive.
Percy went back to the window, and whispered to Nan what she had seen. She helped Nan climb in quietly, which was a bit more difficult for Nan who was half a foot shorter than Percy.
They returned together to the door and peered through. Floriano was still tending his cauldron.
Percy stroked Lucky kitten one more time, and was glad that Lucky kitten purred.
“Now,” she whispered softly to Nan.
Nan was looking scared, but she nodded. She took her wand out and held it very tightly in her hand.
Percy opened the door slowly, wincing as the hinges squeaked. Fortunately Floriano was muttering to himself and that, along with the furious bubbling of his potion, kept him from hearing them.
They were out in the corridor now, and Percy could smell a thick, pungent odor in the air that was difficult to describe. She didn’t know what it was, but it smelled bad. She had an urge to cough.
The steam rising from the cauldron had darkened to purple now. In fact, there was a black quality to it, kind of like the cloud of doom.
Percy wanted to whisper to ask Nan whether the steam looked black to her too, but they were too close to Floriano now.
She could hear Floriano muttering to himself. His mood seemed to have taken a sudden turn.
“Stupid teenage gits, thinking they can order me around. Think they’re better than me. Sending their stupid chauffeurs. Who do they think they are? If their daddies didn’t have so much gold they’d be nobody. Well, I’ll teach them a lesson! I’ll show them who I am. Wipe that smile off their stupid teenage faces…”
The bitterness in his voice would have been comical if Percy didn’t suspect this horrible man might be behind two deaths.
Nan was now pointing her wand straight through the doorway at Floriano’s back. She nodded at Percy.
And then, with a shrug because there was nothing left to do, Percy took up a stance in the doorway and cleared her throat loudly.
Floriano screamed and whirled around, his hands rising into the air as if fending off bullets. This sent his wand flying. It hit a wall and fell with a clatter.