by Tegan Maher
“No,” Eli added, nudging me aside. “It certainly isn’t. And I recognized that hex. I’m rubber, you’re glue. Back ’atcha, witches.” He flicked a wrist, and an evil smile curled his lips. His magic must not have been too wonky, because a burst of energy raised the hair on the back of my neck two seconds before the scent of rotten garbage assailed my nostrils.
I laughed because the garbage spell was one of Eli’s specialties. “You were dumb enough to try to hit him with his own hex?” I asked them, only semi-incredulous. Nothing dumb or unoriginal they did ever entirely surprised me.
Faith’s face went red, and she raised her hand again.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said, wagging a finger at her. “You know you’ll only make matters worse, and if you run to your father, we’ll tell him you started it.”
Hope glared at me. “So? He’ll believe us over you.”
I arched a brow at her because she knew that wasn’t true. Their father had been mayor for many years, and though he loved them, he wasn’t blind to them. Me, on the other hand, he loved. They’d been in hot water more than once for practicing magic where they might have been seen by non-magicals. According to my older sister, who was on the town’s Council of Magic, they were on their last chance. “Will he, though? You sure you don’t want to think this through a little? You know, before you end up a dumpster?”
It wouldn’t have been the first time one of us had ended up transfigured, or even the twentieth. It was sorta what we did.
Neither of them said anything, but Faith was dangerously close to popping a vessel if the crimson hue of her face was anything to go by. I summoned a magical energy coin and rolled it across my knuckles. “Time’s atickin’ ladies. We have places to be, so if you’re gonna throw down, let’s get this show on the road.”
Faith and Hope both had the bloodline to be talented, capable witches, but they didn’t have the dedication. Most of the time, any spells unrelated to clothes, hair, or makeup were clumsy and poorly executed, so they tended to rely on sneak attacks rather than face-to-face confrontation.
Hope took Faith by the arm while glaring daggers at us. “C’mon, Faith. We’ve wasted enough time on this trash.”
“Uh, excuse you,” Eli said, crossing his arms and staring down his nose at them. “I think you have that backwards. Which of us smell like something that fell off a garbage truck?”
Faith gave a high-pitched “hmph” but let Hope drag her away. We stood there until they turned the corner because we’d learned long ago never to turn our backs on them.
“I’m rubber you’re glue?” I asked, turning to Eli with a raised brow. “Really? What are you, eight?”
He lifted a shoulder and gave me a smug smile. “I can adapt my maturity level to match any circumstance.”
“So I see.”
“How’d you know she was hexing us?” he asked as we continued our stroll down the boardwalk. “Your armlet, or was it just an educated guess?”
“My armlet.” Earlier in the summer, I’d helped an ancient witch track down a grimoire that had belonged to her grandmother. As thanks and payment, she’d given me an armlet made of gold and silver. A golden crown was set over a sunburst, and the intricate band was sterling. Several different stones adorned it, placed in strategic places throughout the runes etched into the band.
Its symbolism was complex, but the long and short of it was that it was meant to help protect me as well as enhance my natural gift of being able to detect cursed objects and dark magic. Because I’ve had more than my fair share of close calls, I was willing to take any help I could get. Plus, it was pretty and unique. I wore it on my upper right arm and never took it off.
We continued on past the touristy shops, boutique restaurants, and beach bars until we’d reached the north end of the boardwalk that led to a marina where most of the local boats were moored. As always, the sound of the water slapping off the hulls of the boats and the cry of seagulls invigorated me.
By the time we made it to the Sea Urchin, Eli’s bad feeling had slipped from my mind, replaced by the excitement of seeing what treasures the storm had stirred up.
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Other Series by Tegan Maher
The Enchanted Coast Magical Mysteries (Destiny Maganti)
Witches of Keyhole Lake (Noelle Flynn)
Haunted Lodge Mysteries (Toni Owens)
Celestial Academy: The Witch (Shelby Flynn)
Paranormal Artifacts Cozy Mysteries (Sage Parker)
Witches of Abaddon’s Gate (Mila Maganti)
Gulf Coast Reaper Chronicles (Wren) Coming Late 2021