Witch Charm

by Sonia Parin

  Are you trying to tell me something?

  That was a lot of roast beef for one little cat.

  I am a feline companion.

  But you’re still a cat.

  It sounds so... domestic. I must stick to my purpose. I’ve come too far to be a mere cat. My cousin settled for being one of those. Several litters later and I know she’s regretting her decision. I won’t make the same mistake.

  So last night was nothing but an existential crisis?

  Yes, and never to be repeated.

  You realize that means sticking with me through thick and thin.

  I shall grin and bear it.

  Halfway through the dance, the headmistress arrived. While she appeared to be attentively admiring the feline companions dancing, her attention drifted over to Lexie enough times to suggest something was on her mind.

  “Is it normal for her to drop in on classes?” she asked Meredith who sat beside her.

  “Yes, right before she goes into her weekly meeting with Ms Penelope.”

  Perfect opportunity for Lexie to sneak into her office.

  “What are the meetings about?”

  “Budget and curriculum. Personally, I can’t think of anything more boring.”

  “So how do you know what they discuss?”

  “We made a point of finding out.”

  “What did you do? Bug the office?”

  “We have our ways.”

  As the feline companions made their bows, Eloise Hamilton gave a nod of approval and left for her meeting with Penny.

  This is our chance, Luna. We must move quickly.

  Or we could stay here and enjoy the dancing.

  What happened to your determination to succeed?

  I’ll be a feline companion to a High Chair. That doesn’t mean I have to aid and abet your forays into danger.

  Oh, but I have expectations for my feline companion. If you don’t meet them, then I’m afraid I shall have to advertise for a new companion.

  You seem to forget the new rules. You don’t get to choose. A feline companion chooses you.

  Yes, but... a loyal feline companion will be rewarded with gourmet food, while a mutinous one will live out her days eating cardboard kibble.

  Luna leaped off her lap and made a beeline for the door.

  “If you’ll excuse me, nature calls.”

  I knew you’d see it my way.

  * * *

  “Did you have any trouble getting through to Mirabelle?” Lexie asked.

  Luna peered up and down the hallway. “No. But she sounded distracted.”

  Lexie pictured Mirabelle hunting around her massive library, all the while muttering to herself. She threw in an image of her hair coming lose and a couple of dust smudges on her face. The image became clearer as she imagined Mirabelle losing her shoe as she climbed one of those ladders that rolled along the bookshelf isles...

  Lexie smiled.

  “So what did you do after? You were gone a while.”

  “I told you, I went wandering around the grounds. There’s a cottage at the far end...”

  The cook’s cottage.

  “There’s a vegetable and flower garden and a few chickens running around. It all looks quite cozy. I was still entertaining thoughts about becoming a domestic cat and pictured myself curled up by the fireplace...”

  As they strode along the corridor with its massive windows facing the grounds Lexie tried to catch sight of this idyllic little spot. She thought she saw the top of a chimney but then they came up to the headmistress’ office. A couple of high backed chairs had been placed beside the door.

  “You sit there and keep watch.”

  “I’ve never sat on one of these chairs.”

  “It’s a chair, Luna.”

  “It’s a chair outside the headmistress’ office. One has to be in trouble to sit on one of these.”

  “I guess this means you’re about to launch into a grumbling session while I search the office. Please try to keep it down. I need to focus.”

  “This had better not go into my curriculum vitae.”

  “You don’t need one of those. Remember, you’ve made your decision to stick with me.”

  Little does she know I’m biding my time.

  I heard that.

  Lexie took care to ease the door open without making a sound and slipped inside. Eloise’s office was a mirror image of Penny’s office. Portraits of Gertrude and Cynthia hung on a far wall. But there were a few exceptions.

  One entire wall was covered with pictures of previous head mistresses and on the next wall a massive cross-stitched family tree took pride of place. Right there for everyone to see.

  Eloise Hamilton was a direct descendant of Cynthia Lauriston.

  If only she’d started her search here. She took a closer look. This had to be the oddest family tree she’d ever seen. One half of the branches disappeared off the edge. It felt dismissive of everyone who belonged to that side of the family. Gertrude’s, she presumed.

  It all made sense of the letter.

  Gertrude had been appeasing her sister, Cynthia. Assuring her all Cynthia’s heirs would take precedence because Cynthia had been the one to secure the land and house.

  Frowning, Lexie wondered if there might be another half, and then she noticed the edges. One appeared to be sharp, while the other looked to be folded over. The picture frame was too large to flip over. If she wanted to inspect the back, she had to bring it down.

  Lexie gritted her back teeth. If Mirabelle was serious about going into business, she had to realize some jobs required more than one person. She should have been able to call on Octavia for assistance, but her powers were worthless inside the Lauriston grounds.

  In future, precautions would have to be taken to make sure Lexie wasn’t affected by her immediate environment again. She couldn’t afford to lose control of whatever powers she acquired. Surely Catherine could come up with some sort of protection spell to make her impervious.

  She turned and looked around the office. There had to be some way to bring down the large picture without breaking her back.

  That reminded her of Lillian Somers’ weight. Had she remembered to ask Jake if his group had been able to determine her weight? She supposed she could have asked one of the pupils. Regardless, the killer would have to be strong. Either that, or they’d have to have an accomplice to help them carry the body into the kitchen. Then there were the logs. Where had they come from?

  Not far. There’s a stack of them by the cook’s cottage. I saw them today when I was wandering around. I thought it might be a good hiding place for mice... at that point, I was still entertaining thoughts of having to scratch out a living and scavenge for food.

  Why didn’t you tell me this before?

  If I’m to be Watson to your Sherlock then I insist on a higher pay grade. Now that I know the gourmet treats Venus gorges on, I will demand equal treatment.

  She’s companion to a fully-fledged High Chair. I’m only an incoming High Chair.

  So I should pay for your shortcomings? No. No. No. That is entirely unacceptable.

  Lexie slumped down on a chair. Looking up, her gaze landed on a mirror on the opposite wall. It was as big as the cross-stitched family tree behind her. In fact...

  She narrowed her gaze.

  The image was reflected perfectly on the mirror but it wasn’t the same...

  She swung around and studied the cross-stitched tree then she compared it to the reflected image on the mirror.

  It was different.

  A charmed mirror!

  Could it be reflecting the hidden part of the tree?

  She surged to her feet and hurried toward it to get a closer look.

  Lexie gasped. At the top of the tree she saw Gertrude Lauriston’s name.

  With her heart punching hard against her chest, Lexie picked up her skirts and rushed out of the office. “Quick. We must rush over the wall and call Mirabelle.”

  They sped along the corri
dors with Luna complaining all the way.

  “I’m getting a stitch on my side. Slow down.”

  “Hurry and quit your complaining.”

  She hoped Lindsay Leonard hadn’t removed the ladder. Then again, it was enough for Luna to be able to get over the wall and call Mirabelle who could then call Jake.

  Lexie huffed out a frustration filled breath. “Why didn’t I bring my cell?”

  “What for?”

  “To call for help.”

  “Mirabelle doesn’t have one.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because she doesn’t need one.”

  “And yet, here we are, rushing toward the wall so you can clamber over it to call her because my powers don’t work within the grounds.”

  They ran out of the house and across the manicured lawns, Luna lagging slightly behind. “That’s it. No more roast beef for you.” When they reached the wall, Lexie bent at the waist and tried to catch her breath. She managed to raise her finger. “Go on. Get up there.”

  Luna stepped back and, measuring the distance, she broke into a sprint, at the last minute taking a leap... only to fall back down.

  She tried again, this time giving herself a longer runway.

  Again, she fell on her butt.

  “All that roast beef’s gone to your butt. You’re bottom heavy.”

  “I am not. Take it back.”

  “What’s the matter with you? Can’t you handle the truth?” Lexie looked around to make sure no one had followed them. “How did you get over the wall earlier on?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Huh? But how did you call Mirabelle? Please tell me you managed to call her. I don’t want to think Jake is still stuck in the bathroom.”

  “I found a hotspot.”

  “A what?”

  “You know, like a cell signal hotspot.”

  “Where... and why didn’t you say so before?”

  “I merely follow orders. You said to head toward the wall.”

  “Would it kill you to think too?”

  Luna rolled her eyes. “You have to give me something to work with here. Something like the promise of a higher pay grade.”

  “Show me the hotspot,” Lexie said through gritted teeth.

  “This way.”

  They sped alongside the wall.

  “I’m starting to wonder if there’s a way around being chosen by a cat instead of me choosing one. How did you ever find out about me being the incoming High Chair?”

  “Rumors abound. Here and there. We get together and chat and... someone must have mentioned it.”

  “Are there other feline companions out there looking for a position?”

  “Sure. Competition is stiff. As soon as I heard about you, I hightailed it out of coven headquarters.”

  “Coven what?”

  “Headquarters. It’s where I went to after my previous owner and I parted ways.”

  “Yes, but where it it?”

  “Oh... you’re still on a need to know basis. All I can say is that you need to acquire some more powers to get there.”

  “What about the others?”

  “I beat them to it. For a while, it was touch and go there. You live in the city and that makes following the scent more difficult. Once I found you, I marked my territory.”

  “Presumably, if things don’t work out between us, news will spread?”

  “It won’t come to that. There’s the hotspot.”

  “The cook’s cottage? But that’s inside the grounds.” Lexie stepped up to the window and peered inside.

  “Can you see the cozy fire?” Luna asked.

  “Yes, but that’s not all I can see.”

  “Is there something yummy roasting?”

  “Is that all you can think about?”

  “Lately, yes. Being near starvation has made me more determined. I shall never go hungry again.”

  “Yes, Scarlett.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Scarlett O’Hara... Never mind. Anyway, there’s someone inside.”

  Lexie crouched down just as Luna leaped up onto the windowsill. The woman standing at the fireplace had to be one of the cooks. She looked rosy cheeked and plump. Another woman joined her and again, Lexie assumed that was the other cook but only because she was stereotyping them.

  Despite their homey appearance, Lexie wondered if they’d had anything to do with Lillian’s murder. She’d bet anything the wood used to cook Lillian had come from the stockpile here. Then again, she’d already expressed her suspicions.

  Jake had said he’d used his O’Rourke voice on them.

  She’d heard the echo of one hundred O’Rourkes so she knew it packed quite a punch. No one could withstand its power. They had to have been telling the truth.

  She looked at them again and tried to figure which one was Mrs Barnaby and which one was Mrs Lannister. And why hadn’t anyone mentioned the cottage was excluded from the binding of power? Had that been a deliberate omission?

  Eloise Hamilton had been reluctant to allow Lexie to investigate, using the risk of exposure as an excuse. What if she actually hadn’t wanted Lexie to get to the bottom of the truth?

  “Is that one of the maids who brings you that horrid porridge?” Luna whispered.

  Yes. It was.

  Both the cooks and the maid stood by the fireplace.

  Lexie shifted and as she did... she saw something.

  Oh...

  She shifted again.

  Luna nudged her. “What?” she whispered.

  “It’s like looking through a prism. When I moved slightly, I saw them differently. It’s them, but not really them.”

  “Oh, that.”

  “What?”

  “You saw them in their true colors.”

  “Their... You mean the way Jonathan and the O’Rourkes and... Cat and Mirabelle can see me in my true Mackenzie Coven outfit?”

  “Precisely.”

  She looked again. The plump cook no longer looked plump.

  “Duck down,” Luna urged her as she leaped off the windowsill. “I think they saw us. Run for your life.”

  “What? Hey, wait for me.”

  As she took off, Lexie remembered to call Mirabelle.

  Mirabelle, you better be hearing me loud and clear. Luna and I are running for our lives. Come quick... And... and bring Jake.

  They reached the arboretum and took cover behind a thick bush. “I need to catch my breath.”

  “Me too,” Luna said heaving.

  “As soon as we get home, you’re joining a gym. I can’t have a feline companion who can’t run without losing her breath.”

  “Says she who’s collapsed in a heap. This is what comes of eating so much pizza.”

  “What’s going on? Are you playing hide and seek?”

  Lexie and Luna looked up.

  “Mirabelle. About time you showed up.”

  “What are you doing and why are you huffing and puffing?”

  “We... we ran here.” Lexie peered out from behind the bush. “Did they follow?”

  “Who?”

  “The cooks.”

  “Mrs Barnaby and Mrs Lannister?”

  “Yes and the maid. I don’t know her name. I didn’t ask.”

  “So why exactly did you run and why would they be after you?”

  “Because... They’re witches.”

  “And?”

  “There are three of them.”

  “Oh. Yes. That makes sense. Hang on. It doesn’t. And, you’re a witch too.”

  True. But so far, she hadn’t killed anyone and, actually, she didn’t think she had it in her. “They looked dangerous.”

  Mirabelle laughed. “Sweet Mrs Barnaby and Mrs Lannister?”

  “And the maid. Don’t forget the maid. And yes. Them. I saw them in their true coven colors. There was nothing sweet about them. They looked... well, actually they looked nothing like their plump selves and they sure as heck didn’t look sweet. There was something cunning about the
m. And, most importantly, they live in a cottage on the school grounds, which is meant to be magic free, but it’s not.”

  “Wait. You saw their true selves? That’s rare.”

  “It was like looking through a prism. I could see them as they appear to be and as they are.”

  Tell her about the logs.

  “Oh, and they have logs. As in, the ones used to stoke the fire that burned Lillian Somers.”

  “Are you saying they had something to do with it?”

  “They must have. I found a family tree in Eloise’s office. Part of it was hidden. But, get this, I was able to see the rest reflected on a mirror. It showed Gertrude’s side of the line.”

  “What are you saying?”

  She wasn’t really sure, but Lexie felt the pieces hovering in her mind, ready to be put together. “Remember the letter from Gertrude to her sister, Cynthia, promising her heirs would always benefit? Eloise is Cynthia’s heir but Lillian’s name appeared on Gertrude’s side of the tree. So she would have been an heir too. Someone got rid of her. Cut her out of the will.”

  “You found the will?”

  “No, I meant it metaphorically.”

  “And you think the cooks had something to do with it?”

  “I’ve had my suspicions about them all along. Only... it doesn’t make sense. Jake O’Rourke said he used his compelling voice on them. I’m thinking they must have protected themselves.”

  “I can’t believe Eloise Hamilton would be involved in this.”

  “I’m not saying she is. I’m only suggesting... very strongly, that the cooks are in on it.”

  “Have you told anyone?”

  “I’m telling you. Did you get Jake? I think he might need to get reinforcements.”

  “No need. We can handle this ourselves.”

  Lexie frowned. She didn’t see anything wrong with delegating or asking for help. She had nothing to prove. And...

  “Did you come up with anything?” She looked up at the orb and moved slightly from side to side.

  Okay. This didn’t look good.

  Luna. I think you should try leaping over the wall.

  Are you having a go at me?

  No, I’m asking you to please try to get over the wall and call Mirabelle and anyone who can come to our rescue.