Witching Hour

by Bradford Bates

  Eugene was nice, go Ducks, but it just wasn’t for me. Just up the road, a few hours was Corvallis home of the Beavers. Again, another great city but I just didn’t quite feel at home. The good news was Oregon was just full of fantastic cities. I knew that one of them would feel like home. Well, at least as much as any place could feel like home without your family.

  So, today I was driving into Salem. The capital of the state, although not the biggest city in Oregon by far. It was a beautiful drive. Pine trees lined the freeway except for the small farms that dotted the landscape. People here still made a living on the land, but in the city, you had every amenity you could hope for.

  I didn’t really have a plan, so I just drove into the center of the city and got out of my car to walk around. Salem felt cozy somehow. Almost like being wrapped up in a warm blanket. There was just this feeling of being in the right place as I walked the streets. There was an amazing park in the middle of town surrounded by businesses. All of the storefronts had huge glass windows with displays.

  I saw the normal stuff you’d expect in a kind of trendy area. There was a microbrew and an art gallery. Right next to those were about four fashion shops, and then a couple of restaurants. What really caught my eye was the occult bookstore attached to something called Herbal Dynamics. It looked like some kind of medical dispensary.

  It wasn’t like I was against books, but the occult had a pretty bad image. Witches were ok, but they had also been tied to demonic activity more than once. Something like that tended to put people on edge. So, seeing that kind of store, and on Main Street no less, was a bit of a shock.

  If there was one thing I knew about, it was witches. So, the bookstore seemed like just the place to get started. Plus, if there was a local coven, I needed to make introductions and get permission to stay in their area. Witches didn’t appreciate surprises, so it was better to get introductions out of the way early.

  The store had two displays, one on either side of the giant glass doors. The first display was of your normal everyday stuff. It had books and tarot cards, things you could find just about anywhere. The other window was filled with pictures of exotic plants. Plants that were hard to find fresh in the states. That was kind of a surprise to find them here. Not many people could compete at a retail level with online stores.

  Hanging just below the open sign on the door was a Help Wanted sign. It almost felt a little too good to be true. What were the chances that I would drive into Salem and find a job doing the one thing I was qualified to do?

  I opened the door to the store almost expecting it to fade away. I’d wake up tied to a table or in a cage with a roaring oven nearby being tended to by an old lady that liked candy too much. When that didn’t happen, I expected a jolt or some kind of ward to be active, but I didn’t feel a thing. Maybe this shop wasn’t run by witches?

  The door jingled as I entered and a lady organizing a display turned to look at me. She smiled brightly. “Welcome to Trinity Books and Charms.”

  “Charms?” I inquired.

  “Sure. The owner has some pretty unique stuff for sale, although it tends to be on the pricier side of what we have to offer.”

  Interesting, so there was a witch here. I wondered again why I didn’t sense any protective magic on the building. I’d never met a witch that didn’t ward the crap out of everything that they owned. It was second nature to most of them by the time they were adults.

  I let my eyes wander around the shop when I realized the clerk had said something to me. “I’m Maggie by the way. Just let me know if you need help with anything.”

  “I’ll do that, Maggie.”

  I looked up in time to see a woman with black hair and pink streaks behind the counter. She gave me a nasty look and continued to watch me as I worked my way around the store. I felt like I had made a pretty good impression on Maggie, so as long as that wasn’t the owner, I still stood a shot at getting a job.

  Turning around from a display that had seeds from various plants in it I found the woman from behind the counter standing there. She wasn’t smiling; in fact, she looked downright hostile.

  “Is there something you need, witch?”

  Oh, so she knew what I was, and by the looks of it, she didn’t want anything to do with me. The last thing I needed was a fight. If anything like that made the news Ash would find out where I was, and that was worse than not being able to stay in the city I had instantly fallen in love with.

  “I’m actually just leaving.”

  “That’s a good idea.” The woman with pink streaks in her hair said.

  I choked down my anger and fought to contain my magic. Being a fire mage didn’t exactly come with built-in restraint. Fire was a hungry mistress, and if you let her, she would consume everything.

  Who knows, maybe this was for the best? There were plenty of covens out there that would love a new member and even a few that wouldn’t mind a solo witch in their territory as long as it didn’t affect coven business. I’d just have to search harder to find a more welcoming place to live. I reached for the doorknob, fully ready to put Salem in my rearview for good.

  Chapter Seven

  Zoey

  My wards triggered as soon as the witch touched the door. I watched her intently as she came in but if she felt what happened, she didn’t give any indication. My wards clamped down on magic, hard. The only way around it was to have on something that canceled out the wards. It would have to be something I made, which this witch didn’t have. My way around it was a bracelet that I always wore. I felt a little better off knowing I had full access to my powers while the witch didn’t.

  I braced myself for the worst when Maggie engaged the witch in conversation. She had no idea what she was dealing with. I readied a fireball in my hand, but the witch only smiled at her and made casual conversation. Just before the witch turned to look at me, I snuffed the fireball that had been in my hand.

  The last thing I needed right now was to try and battle an insurance company over a magically created fire that burned down half the block. If the witch could play nice then so could I. I’d just go over there and ask her to politely get the hell out of my store. If the witch refused, well then, I’d just have to take a more aggressive approach.

  The witch was checking out my seed display. There was some pretty rare stuff in there. Some of it was a little more expensive than it looked like she could afford. It wasn’t that her clothes were ratty, she just had this nomadic gypsy vibe about her. Nomads liked to travel light and lean, which meant they normally didn’t have a lot of money.

  “Is there something you need, witch?” She jumped a little when I said it. Not what I had expected at all.

  “I’m actually just leaving.” She turned and headed towards the door.

  “That’s a good idea.” I just couldn’t help but get in a parting shot. Any witch that left my city was a good witch. I only liked good witches.

  Still, as she walked towards the door, the witch’s shoulders slumped. There was something in that walk that made her look defeated and small. It reminded me of how I felt when my world came crashing down. When my dad got sick, there was nothing I could do. I was lost and looking for answers. She looked that same way right now.

  Just as she reached for the knob, I blurted, “Wait.”

  The witch turned around just the faintest glimmer of hope in her eyes. It’s like she wanted to believe that everything was going to work out, but experience told her that things were just going to get worse.

  “I really should be leaving.”

  “You could, or you could tell me why you really came in here today.” I hoped my voice had lost the hint of anger that it carried before. After the events at Christmas, I needed to be more careful. Pushing people away was a side effect of that diligence that I didn’t like.

  “Please, indulge me for a moment.” I motioned for her to come back into the shop and headed towards the back where I kept a tea station. I put a pot of boiling water on and started to
prepare two satchels of tea mixed with herbs for a calming influence. I poured the tea and pushed a cup towards the witch.

  “Oh really, I shouldn’t.” She pushed the cup back towards the center of the counter.

  I picked up her cup and took a sip. “Suit yourself.” I hoped that gesture was enough to show her that I didn’t mean her any harm. Maggie walked by, and I stopped her. “Care for a cup of tea?”

  “Sure thing, Boss. God, I love working here.” Maggie added a little cream and honey into her tea before leaving.

  Now it was time to see if our witch felt like sharing. “So what brings you to Salem?”

  The witch looked unsure but started to speak anyway. “Looking for work actually.” She seemed embarrassed to have said it. “And just kind of hoping to find the right place to settle down for a bit.”

  “And your name is?”

  “Not important.” She frowned.

  There was power in a name, but that wasn’t what I was looking for today. “It’s only important if you want a job here. I can’t hire you if you don’t have a name.”

  What in the holy hell did I just say? I went from almost roasting this woman to offering her a job. I wasn’t all that sure I actually wanted her in my store let alone as an employee. I’d have to be on guard all the time. You couldn’t trust witches, just like you couldn’t trust cats.

  “A job?” She looked confused but recovered quickly. “My name’s Jinx Harper.”

  She hesitated just a bit when she said her name. It was almost as if it wasn’t second nature to her yet. That was interesting and something I’d have to watch. I ran a background check on everyone that worked in my shop so that would let me know if any red flags were going to pop up.

  “You may have noticed the sign in the window, and you said you’re looking for work.So, offering you a job seemed prudent.”

  “But you don’t like me.”

  That was true, but she was kind of starting to grow on me. “I’m starting to think that maybe I got a wrong first impression of you. Don’t get me wrong, most witches are fine, but when they show up in Salem by themselves, it normally means they are looking to claim a new territory.”

  “I could see how that would put a damper on starting a casual conversation with any witch that just happened to come in your shop.”

  “Exactly.” I smiled. “But that’s over now. Please tell me you can work a cash register.”

  “I haven’t actually used one before, but it can’t be that hard. I promise that if you give me a chance you won’t be disappointed.”

  That was the real question, wasn’t it? Did I want to give Jinx a chance? Every practical bone in my body told me it was a bad idea, but there was just something about her that made me feel like I should say yes.

  “You’re hired. When can you start?”

  “Tomorrow? I guess.”

  “Good deal. I have to let you know it’s considered temporary employment until you fill out all the forms and I get my background check back. Once all of that has been returned in good order, I’ll bump your pay and give you a permanent schedule.”

  “Background check?” Now she looked a little worried.

  “It’s just to put me in compliance with federal laws. Have to make sure you’re a citizen and all that junk.” I just shrugged my shoulders. She could take the job or leave it. I wasn’t going to put my business at risk to help out a total stranger.

  I could see the wheels turning in her head. “What time should I be here?”

  “Let’s start at nine. I’ll show you the ropes, and then Maggie will take over.”

  She still looked a little uncertain, but she held out a hand for me to shake. “See you tomorrow.”

  I took her hand into my own. “Looking forward to it.”

  It wasn’t often I made hires on the spot. They normally didn’t work out well. It had taken me three weeks and four interviews to hire Maggie. I had the feeling she was wondering what made this girl so special. That was just it, I didn’t know what made her tick, and I was a glutton for puzzles. It didn’t hurt that she reminded me of myself. I guess we would see where this went. Worst case, I’d fudge some info when her background check came back and tell her we had to go in a different direction.

  This was going to work out, at least that’s what I kept telling myself. Gramps vibrated against my chest. The little pixie didn’t like what was going on one bit. He didn’t agree with my assessment of the witch. That or he just hated all of them. Guess we would find out which one of us was right at nine AM tomorrow.

  Chapter Eight

  Zoey

  I got home from work at about nine PM. The first thing I did was get comfortable because I knew when I let Gramps out of my amulet he was going to go crazy. This was one of those times I kinda wished I’d tried the stuff they sold next door to my shop, but it just wasn’t my style. Gramps was pissed, but I could deal with it.

  I opened the clasp and Gramps flew out and started buzzing around my head. The little guy was flying so fast it was starting to make me dizzy. I swatted at him affectionately. “Hey, cut it out.”

  “It’s just…how could…what in the hell were you thinking?” Gramps finally came to a stop in front of my face his expression stern.

  “I just saw a girl that was down on her luck. It kind of reminded me of when Dad got sick. Although I had you, and I get the feeling she doesn’t have anyone to turn to.”

  “We aren’t a charity for lost witches. She has to go.” He folded his arms over his chest and huffed. That was his final position, and there wouldn’t be any arguing with him now.

  Except I kind of liked to argue, and I wasn’t ready to send her away just yet. “Gramps, it’s not charity if I put her to work. It’s mutually beneficial.”

  “Listen, I don’t know what you’ve heard about witches, but I’ll make it simple. They can’t be trusted. That’s none of them, all of the time.”

  “That just can’t be true, Gramps. They even have a witch working with the FBI now.”

  “And who do you think made that happen?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Probably that gosh darn Witches Council. They have their fingers in everything.”

  “Well, it has to be a lot of work trying to control all those witches while still preparing for the next demon incursion.”

  “Humph, I’ll believe it when I see it. Until then, I say they can’t be trusted, and they are beggars, the lot of them.”

  “I guess we’ll get a chance to find out.”

  Gramps started buzzing around again. “I’m just telling you that I have a bad feeling about this.”

  “Gramps, you get a bad feeling every time you leave the house.”

  “Have you seen what happens out there?” He flew around again and then went right back into my necklace.

  Gramps was one heck of a character, but he was always there for me when I really needed him. It never paid to discount his advice, but this time I was pretty sure he was wrong. I was willing to let this play out a bit, just to see where it goes.

  That didn’t mean I was going to trust this girl just because she brought to the surface some of my own less than desirable memories. Jinx Harper was the kind of name that almost seemed made up, or like it came out of some kind of fantasy story. It was like that movie where the guy got the license that said McLovin. I mean who needs a first name when you’ve got a last name like that.

  Still, if her ID was hinky, then she was probably hiding something else. We all had our secrets, but if this one was going to affect my business, then I needed to know about it. Was she a plant? Did someone put her here to find out more about me? There was only one way to know for sure. I had to keep her close until I figured out what was going on.

  There was no way I could risk taking another hit to my reputation like I did on Christmas. At least I couldn’t afford one this soon. Anything this witch did that caused a problem was going to reflect badly on me. I couldn’t have that, not if I wanted to stay and work in Salem. This whole b
usiness was a little risky, but sometimes you just had to take a chance on people.

  I’d always been pretty good at reading people’s true motivations. I wasn’t perfect, I’d been blinded before. But each time someone disappointed you, there was an opportunity to learn something new. It could help you grow if you let it. So, I was going to take a risk, I hoped she was worth it.

  Chapter Nine

  Ash

  “Mistress, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  It was a good thing Ellie had her head bowed in a show of proper respect, otherwise her comment could have been taken as a challenge. All challengers to my position as the head of this coven would be terminated on sight.

  I let out a sigh. Leading was so much more work than I thought it would be. Everyone had an opinion, and as coven leader I had to listen to them, endlessly prattling on about whatever nonsense concerned them. All that mattered to me now was finding Rebecca, or Jinx, or whoever the hell she was now. They would all see that when I recovered the grimoire. That would seal my position as the coven’s leader for good.

  I’d missed a golden opportunity outside of Tucson. Jinx couldn’t have been gone for longer than a day. The trail was hot, but I was slightly overconfident in the mundane firm I hired to track her down. Coming home had been a mistake but seriously, who picked up a brand new identity and never used it. It just didn’t make sense. The cyber firm I was paying cost a fortune, but they guaranteed results. So far they had come up empty. If things continued in that direction, it was probably time for a change in management. A permanent change.

  Ellie was still kneeling waiting for me to speak. She was a good little follower, someone that was safe to keep close. “And why don’t you think it’s a good idea?” I didn’t care about her opinion, but part of being a leader was indulging the unintelligent opinions of others.

  “It’s an unnecessary risk, Mistress. The trackers will find her, that’s what they do. We just have to be patient, and the girl will be ours.”