“Hasn’t anyone ever told you you’re supposed to sleep in on Sundays?” she asked, the end of the sentence turning into yet another yawn.
“Sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you,” I replied, but Scarlett shook her head.
“No, it wasn’t you. I can’t sleep. I keep thinking about this murder case. I think we need to talk to Mercutio today, and those two elves. I’m pretty sure it was either Mercutio or Borbordir. And if it was the latter, we need to know if he did it on his own to save his own reputation, or if he did it at the request of Yamordir. Or if they both did it together.”
“That’s my guess, if it was Borbordir who actually dropped the poison in Thomas’s coffee,” I replied. “They both risked their reputation, by all accounts they’re extremely close, and they both wanted to go on to bigger and better things.”
Scarlett nodded. “That makes sense. I figured we should stop by Mercutio’s gym and have a chat with him.”
“As long as we don’t have to do another one of those obstacle course things,” I replied. Scarlett laughed.
“You’re in luck. I checked the schedule, and this morning’s workout for witches and wizards is all broom-based. Since you can’t fly yet, that’s a pretty good reason for you to spectate from the ground. Unless you’d like a crash course, that is.”
I shook my head so hard my hair flicked around and whipped me in the face. “Nope, I’m good, thanks.”
I was fine with learning to ride a broom. Honestly, I was kind of looking forward to it. But the last thing I wanted was to be thrown right into the deep end with one of Mercutio’s weird obstacle courses. Doing it that way would certainly be a crash course, in the sense that I would almost certainly crash right into the ground if I tried it.
“Fair enough. We have just enough time to grab a coffee and then head off. You can talk to Mercutio while I do the broom workout.”
“Do you have any food we can leave for Pawdrey before we go?” I asked. “She’s probably going to be pretty hungry when she gets up.”
“Sure,” Scarlett replied. “It’s probably not perfect, but there’s some roast chicken in the fridge. We can pick up some stuff from the familiar shop later today, too.”
I had no idea if I was allowed a cat in my apartment back home. I’d never thought about it. After all, I was too focused on my career to even consider having a pet. But seeing as Pawdrey could talk to me, it felt different. I wasn’t about to abandon her now. I wasn’t a monster.
I borrowed a change of clothes from Scarlett — this magical perfectly-fitting clothing was certainly a plus — and we headed out the door and down to the coffee shop.
“Did you say there was some sort of competition between coffee shops yesterday?” I asked Scarlett as we got closer.
“Yes,” she replied. “You can only go to Charmed Coffee. There are two coffee shops in town, Charmed Coffee and Brews and Brooms. They’re run by two different families of witches and wizards, but they’ve been feuding since the eighties. The family that runs Charmed Coffee is fine, there’s nothing wrong with them, but the ones who run Brews and Brooms are awful.”
“Oh? How so?”
“They refuse to let vampires and shifters in their establishment, for one thing. They were obviously sued, and the judge ruled that they had to allow all paranormals. They obviously weren’t happy with the decision, but they were forced to abide by it. Still, they did everything they could to make sure that vampires and shifters weren’t welcome. Serving them more slowly, giving them the worst desserts, that sort of thing.”
“Wow,” I said, my mouth dropping open. “That’s awful.”
“It really is. The worst part is, at the time Brews and Brooms was the only coffee shop in town. So the other paranormals, and the witches and wizards who refused to support a business with those kinds of ideals, had nowhere to go. Grandma Eva’s best friend Margaret decided she would open up a coffee shop, Grandma Eva fronted her the money for it, and the rest is history.”
“Good for them,” I said, nodding approvingly. “Being exclusive of other paranormals doesn’t sound like a very loving thing to do.”
“It doesn’t, does it?” Scarlett said darkly. “It was quite the controversy at the time, in fact. Many of the witches and wizards wanted them expelled from the coven, but that wasn’t possible. They continue to run their coffee shop, where they attract a number of witches and wizards who would rather not interact with other paranormals. It’s a giant blot on our town, in my opinion. So we — along with everyone decent in this town — will only ever go to Charmed Coffee. The owners of Brooms and Brews are now our sworn enemies; they decided they hated our family and Margaret’s for competing against them, but we can take them. I’m more than willing to fight a bunch of species-haters if that’s what it takes.”
“Sounds good to me,” I replied. “Thanks for the information.”
“It’s important to know where you’re drinking coffee in this town,” Scarlett replied. “Personally, I think they should be shut down. I’m very glad Grandma funded Charmed Coffee.”
“Me too,” I replied. “Is that common here, the idea that some paranormals are better than others?”
“It’s still a prevalent attitude among some members of the communities here,” Scarlett said. “Although recently attitudes have been shifting quite a bit. Inter-species relationships aren’t frowned upon as much as they used to be, but they do remain rare. And friendships between different groups of paranormals are starting to be more common, too. Personally, I have a friend who’s a dragon shifter. I’m sure you’ll meet her eventually. But mostly the paranormal types each continue to interact with their own species.”
“That doesn’t mean you think less of the others, though?” I asked.
“No, of course not. None of us are any better or worse than any others, we’re all just different. We have different magic, we have different powers, but at the end of the day we’re all paranormals, and I’m not going to think any less of someone because they can’t cast spells or make potions.”
I nodded as we reached the entrance to Charmed Coffee. Scarlett held the door for me and I entered, my mouth watering as the aroma of roasted coffee mingled with the sweet scent of caramelized sugar.
The low hum of conversation buzzed through the room. Nearly all of the tables were already taken, despite the early hour, and I had a feeling that during busier times it would be nearly impossible to get a seat. Luckily, we were getting our coffee to go.
The fairy working behind the counter today was different; I imagined the one from yesterday probably wanted a day off after the events of the previous day.
“Scarlett, how are you?” she said with a smile, her jet-black wings fluttering energetically behind her. The fairy’s long braids matched her wings perfectly, framing an elegant face with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes that were like looking into dark pools. “And you must be Scarlett’s cousin.”
“Hi,” I said. “I’m Mina.”
“Auriga. It’s nice to meet you. I heard you were here yesterday, when…” Auriga’s voice trailed off, and I nodded to stop her from having to continue.
“Yes, I was. It’s a huge tragedy. I heard Thomas was a great wizard.”
“He really was,” Auriga said. “He loved Linda so much. We all knew they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. Her mother was in here just a month ago showing me the beautiful gifts she had bought Linda and Thomas for their wedding. It was a specially engraved crystal bowl.”
“Wait, they weren’t even engaged though, were they?” I asked, and Auriga shook her head.
“No, but we all knew it was just a matter of time. I mean, when even her mother is buying them wedding gifts, you know the day is coming.”
“Right. Do you know Mercutio at all? I heard he and Thomas had a bit of a spat at the hospital not long ago.”
“Well, that doesn’t surprise me one bit, although I wasn’t aware,” Auriga replied. “Mercutio has always been hot-tempered.
He’s the opposite of Thomas, really. A couple of years ago he was in here with his girlfriend at the time. Another shifter started flirting with her while he was in the bathroom, and as soon as Mercutio saw he attacked the other shifter. The two of them fell into another table, sending coffee flying everywhere, and it took a wizard to cast a spell to separate the two before the spat was ended.”
“Yikes,” I said.
“Exactly. It was an event for the ages. At least it was great for business; we had tons of people come by in the following days in the hopes of seeing some sort of follow-up fight between the two shifters. Of course, they were disappointed; Margaret told both of them they weren’t welcome for two weeks so they had time to cool down and settle their issues elsewhere.”
“I’d forgotten about that,” Scarlett said. “I heard about it, but I didn’t see the fight.”
“I was right here, working,” Auriga said, nodding. “I know there were stories going around that both of them shifted into wolves right in the middle of the coffee shop, and that one of them tried marking the coffee machine.”
“Right, I heard that,” Scarlett said with a laugh. “That was ridiculous. Even I didn’t believe it, and I loved believing every little tiny rumor ever when I was in my mid-twenties.”
“A complete falsehood,” Auriga confirmed. “They both stayed in their human forms. It created a ruckus, and a lot of dishes were destroyed, as well as a table, but it wasn’t quite the all-out animalistic brawl a lot of the rumors made it out to be. Anyway, I’m sure it has nothing to do with the murder. Mercutio might have a bit of a temper, but there’s no way he killed him. I can’t imagine him doing that.”
I, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. If someone was willing to attack another shifter just for flirting with his girlfriend, would he be willing to murder? It couldn’t be that long a bow to draw. But on the other hand, Mercutio also didn’t seem to be the type to plan things out. If he wanted to kill Thomas, he would have attacked him in the heat of the moment, rather than having gotten access to a poisonous potion, followed him to the coffee shop, and then secretly poisoned his coffee. That didn’t seem to fit at all.
As Auriga handed us our coffees and Scarlett and I walked out into the street, heading toward Mercutio’s gym, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the wrong track entirely.
CHAPTER 21
I was pleased to find this morning that about half the witches at the gym were the same ones who had been at the class the previous night.
“It’s lovely to see you again, Mina,” Patricia said to me kindly, her face lighting up when she saw me.
“Thanks,” I replied shyly, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. I spotted Linda sitting by herself a few feet away from the others, on a rock, staring off into the distance. “Wow, I didn’t think she would be here this morning, so soon after Thomas’s death.”
Patricia shook her head sadly, making a soft tutting sound. “I know. I told her to go home, but she told me the only thing she thinks about at home is Thomas. She’s hoping that by being here she’ll be able to get her mind off things a little bit, but it doesn’t seem to be working. The poor woman is obviously distraught.”
Linda’s eyes were red-rimmed; she’d obviously been crying. Mercutio came out and she steeled herself, resolutely brushing the tears from her eyes and pressing her mouth into a firm line. She stood up and took a deep breath, trying not to look at any of the other witches. I couldn’t blame her. I imagined dealing with everyone’s sympathy would probably bring back all the pain.
Sensing her need to be alone, the others all stood a bit further from Linda. Mercutio, instead of barking at us like a drill sergeant the way he had the previous day, spotted Linda and walked toward her. He huddled close to her, his arm protectively wrapping itself around her shoulder. Linda leaned into him as she spoke, and a moment later they separated.
“Alright,” Mercutio announced. “I hope you’re all ready to fly this morning. Patricia, could you do the honors?”
Patricia pulled out her wand and muttered a spell under her breath. I watched in awe as the sky above turned into yet another insane obstacle course. About a hundred feet above us six or seven miniature tornadoes had formed, each about fifty feet high and ten feet wide. Next to them was a green cloud so thick it looked like cotton candy. I didn’t even want to know what would happen when a witch flew in there. On the other side of the cloud flew about a dozen medicine balls, zigging and zagging in every direction.
I was pretty glad to be sitting this one out.
About thirty feet away was a pile of old-fashioned wooden brooms. The witches all headed to the pile, each grabbing one of the brooms and holding it to their sides.
“You’re not joining us today?” Mercutio asked, giving me a pointed look.
“I don’t know how to fly,” I replied. “Sorry.”
“Well, no better way to learn than with a challenge.”
I laughed nervously. “Thanks, but I think for today I’ll keep both feet on the ground.”
“Alright, but when you’re ready, we’re here.”
I nodded and watched as Scarlett held the broom out at hip height and it floated in place. I gasped lightly. It was floating!
A second later she easily threw a leg over the handle, with a deftness I hadn’t expected, and soared up into the sky like it was the most natural thing in the world. I watched in awe as Scarlett dipped and ducked effortlessly around the tornadoes, swinging her broom around like she was in a slalom course. She made it look easy, but of course, I had my suspicions that it was actually a lot harder than it looked.
“She’s extremely talented, isn’t she?” a voice said suddenly. I turned to find Linda standing next to me. She spoke hesitantly, like she didn’t quite trust herself not to burst into tears, and I nodded.
“She is. I don’t even know how to fly a broom and I can tell she’s very good at it.”
“Her agility is her best feature,” Linda said. “Technically, she has some room for improvement. See how she hooks her ankles around behind her? That’s going to throw her balance off just a tiny bit. And she could lean down and be a little bit more aerodynamic. But of course, I’m just nit-picking.”
“Do you teach broom flying at the school where you work?” I asked, and Linda nodded.
“The Academy? Yes. The first day of flying lessons is always the best day of the year for about half the kids, and the worst day of the year for the others. Kids either love or hate flying. There is no in-between.”
“How about you? Do you love teaching it?”
“Oh yes,” Linda said, and her face lit up for the first time since I’d met her. “It’s so lovely seeing the children learn to ride a broom for the first time. Of course, it’s also the day we have the most visits to the Healers, as well. But it’s worth it. For the ones who are excited about it, it’s great to see their smiles as they get to live their dreams and feel the wind in their face, and for the ones who are scared, it’s such a rewarding feeling to help them overcome those fears, get on the broom, and then see their faces light up when they realize it’s not the deathtrap they were worried about.”
I supposed talking about something — anything — other than Thomas’s death would be helpful for Linda right now.
“Do you like riding?” I asked, and Linda nodded.
“I don’t mind it. I wouldn’t say I’m passionate about it. I’m certainly not as good as Scarlett up there. Or Patricia. She might be getting up there in years, but that witch can ride a broom better than most witches twenty years her junior. But I never was particularly skilled at most things. I do better as an instructor. I can see what people are doing wrong, even if I can’t necessarily do things right myself.”
“That’s why you became a teacher?”
“Yes,” Linda gushed, her face warming. “I love seeing the smiles on the children’s faces as they learn new spells. I love being able to guide them through the early parts of life that are so confusing. Even though I can
’t have children myself, I love being able to give to the children of Fairy Falls.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,” I said, and Linda gave me a small smile.
“It’s alright. I’ve known for quite a few years now. I had cancer a few years ago which rendered me infertile. I was lucky to come out of it with my life. That was when I got to know Thomas better, in fact. I had always known him from taking the kids down to the hospital when they hurt themselves doing magic, but he was my primary Healer when I was undergoing treatment for the cancer.”
“I didn’t realize,” I muttered demurely, not wanting to force Lisa to talk about something she wasn’t comfortable with.
“My mother loved him immediately,” she said with a small smile. “He was always so sweet, and so gentle. I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Tears welled up in her eyes once more. “Tell me about your mom,” I asked, trying to get the subject to change away from Linda’s murdered boyfriend.
“Oh, my mom is lovely,” Linda said. “Everyone says so. She’s been such a huge supporter of mine, my whole life. She’s always been tough on me, and she wasn’t very pleased when I decided to teach at the Academy — she wanted me to become a Healer or a Magical Fixer, or something prestigious like that — but she came around eventually. Funnily enough, she liked Thomas earlier than I did.”
Linda laughed, a sad, hollow sound with no joy in it. “She came by last night. She’s completely devastated, of course. She brought me about two months’ worth of food, so that I don’t have to worry about cooking. It was so nice of her. Thomas did almost all of the cooking. I don’t…I don’t really know what I’m going to do with myself, now.”
I placed a hand on Linda’s, trying to be comforting, and found that she was trembling.
“Do you really think you should be here?” I asked softly. “Maybe you should head home.”
Love at First Spell: A Witch Cozy Mystery (Fairy Falls Mystery Book 1) Page 13