Hexes and Haunts (Witch Haven Mystery - a fun cozy witch paranormal mystery Book 2)

by K E O'Connor

  “Maybe we should set up base here. This could be the only place we can make contact with Luna. We could camp out and keep trying to locate her.”

  “It’s too risky to stay. With the Magic Council lurking outside, they’ll soon figure out someone is using the apartment. And they’ll probably double the guards once they find out what Storm’s done.” Odessa stood and dusted pumpkin powder off her hands. “Speaking of which, we should get out of here. Storm will only be able to hold that guard for so long. And if he wakes and starts making problems, she might do him serious harm.”

  “More serious than memory loss?”

  Odessa shrugged. “You know Storm. She blasts out magic first and asks questions never.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  We hurried out of the apartment, back down the stairs, and out into the alleyway.

  Storm was leaning against the wall. The guard’s boots were sticking out from behind a nearby dumpster.

  She straightened when she saw us. “How did it go?”

  “We heard her!” Odessa grabbed Storm’s hands and swung her arms from side to side. “Luna is still alive. She’s scared and lost, but she’s still with us.”

  A rare smile crossed Storm’s face. “Did she tell you anything useful?”

  “Let’s talk more back at my house,” I said. “How’s the guard doing?”

  “He’s groaning and about to wake up, so we need to get out of here.”

  We hurried away, sticking to the back alleys, until we were near my house.

  I heaved a sigh of relief as I discovered there were no guards outside, but then there shouldn’t be anyone guarding this location. As far as the Magic Council knew, the house had been destroyed. Although I had a bad feeling Olympus knew I was hiding something big here.

  I looked around to make sure no one was watching us, then opened a pathway through the magic wards. I sealed it once Odessa and Storm were through, and we hurried into the house.

  Nugget was snoozing on his pile of towels in the corner of the living room, Russell was on his perch, and Hilda scurried out from under the magic cabinet.

  She scuttled up my leg and onto my shoulder. “We’re glad to see you’re not dead. When the scarecrows attacked, we thought the worst. We tried to fight them but they were too fast for us to keep up.”

  “That’s all thanks to my powdered pumpkin,” Odessa said. “They love it. It gives them a real fire in their straw bellies. Well, not a literal fire. Fire and straw don’t mix. But you know what I mean.”

  “Of course. And the scarecrows kept throwing chunks of raw pumpkin at us,” Hilda said. “I almost got flattened by a big jagged piece.”

  “You didn’t get hurt?” I ran my hand carefully over her.

  “No, we all kept our distance after that and followed them to Odessa’s farm.”

  “Where I promised you, I’d restore Indigo to perfect health,” she said.

  My head was pounding, and I still had an egg-shaped lump on my skull, but I nodded. “I’m fine now. And we’ve been to Luna’s apartment to see if we could make contact with her.”

  “And did you?” Hilda said.

  “We did. Although we’re still no closer to figuring out where she is. But I have something that could help with that.”

  “What have you got in mind?” Odessa said.

  “It’s risky,” I said. “It could be dangerous.”

  “I don’t mind risk,” Storm said.

  Odessa grinned. “Same here. This is exciting.”

  “Maybe not so exciting. But I think we should talk to the ghost I trapped in Luna’s apartment. It could have answers for us about where she is.”

  “Oooh! Yes, good plan. The ghosts could have been working together. We could do a little ghost interrogation and get it talking,” Odessa said.

  “I’m always up for some ghost menacing,” Storm said. “Especially when they mess with my friends.”

  “Um, before you do that,” Hilda said. “We’ve got bad news.”

  “Did something happen while I was away?” I said.

  Hilda shuffled her legs. “When we got back to the house, we discovered the ghost jar was missing.”

  Chapter 8

  I raced to the magic cabinet where I’d left the ghost jar and stared at the space it had been sitting in. “How did this happen? Where has it gone?”

  “Someone else must know your house is still standing, and they came in and helped themselves to your trapped ghost.” Storm joined me, along with Odessa. “Who have you told that this place is hidden behind magic wards?”

  “The only people who know are you, Odessa, and my familiars,” I said.

  “And Ursa,” Storm said. “You said she came banging on the front door.”

  My hands clenched, and I scowled. “She must have seen the ghost jar when she barged in uninvited. But I don’t get it. What’s she doing sneaking in and taking a trouble making ghost? She’s got enough problems with her hexed dolls.” I turned to the door, meaning to march out, confront Ursa, and get back what was mine.

  Odessa jumped in my way. “Take a breath. It may not have been her.”

  “It makes sense. She’s the only one who knows this place exists apart from everyone in this room. It has to be Ursa.”

  Odessa raised her hands. “Not necessarily. Maybe someone saw you coming and going and put the pieces together. You wouldn’t be visiting this site if there was nothing here but rubble.”

  What Odessa said made sense, but I was too angry to process everything. I wanted to race back to Ursa’s house and make her tell me where she was hiding my ghost.

  “And I don’t want to give you even more bad news, but Olympus has been snooping around,” Hilda said. “Maybe he figured a way through the magic wards, too.”

  “It can’t have been Olympus. The ghost jar was here when we went to Ursa’s house, and we left him in her yard, flat on his back after I sprung that spell on him.”

  “He had time to come back and figure out a way through the magic, and then steal the ghost jar.”

  “But why would he want it? No, it has to be Ursa. She’ll be so sorry for messing with me.”

  “You’re not chasing after her. Not right now,” Odessa said. “You need to calm down. If you go after Ursa in the mood you’re in, the Magic Council will grab you for sure. You’re not thinking clearly.”

  “Maybe that’s what Ursa wants to happen,” Storm said. “She’s working with the Magic Council to draw you out. She figured you must be keeping that ghost because it’s important, so came back and stole it. It’s the bait to get you to make a mistake. I bet she’s done a deal with the Magic Council and will get a reward once you’re arrested.”

  I gritted my teeth. “It would be such an Ursa thing to do.”

  Odessa patted my arm. “It was a good idea, thinking we could talk to that ghost, but maybe it wouldn’t have helped. Most likely, it would have taunted us and messed us around like it did before.”

  I rolled my shoulders to loosen the tension in them. It had been a long shot, but I needed something to grab hold of. Something concrete, so I had a way to find Luna. Everything else we tried resulted in dead ends and frustration.

  I turned away from the door. “Ursa is welcome to that ghost. She can add it to her creepy collection of misbehaving finds. Maybe it’ll get out of the ghost jar and slide into one of her dolls. Then she’ll have two murderous dolls on her hands. And she can’t blame me for that haunting.”

  “I’m sure she’ll find a way,” Storm said.

  I would not forget this. Ursa was a snitch and a thief. If she asked for my help again, I’d toss her over my garden fence with a spell that would leave her bruised for days.

  “What should we do now we don’t have a ghost to question?” Odessa said.

  Storm checked her watch. “I know what I need to do. I’ve got a job I’m running late for. I’ll link up with you both tomorrow.”

  “Is that the puppy job?” Odessa grinned. “I’m so jealous
.”

  “What’s a puppy job?” I asked.

  “Storm’s got a case investigating a missing bundle of cute furriness,” Odessa said. “She’s getting paid to find fluff balls.”

  “It’s not as much fun as Odessa makes out, but it’s not just any missing dog. This is a prize pedigree breeding hellhound. And he’s worth a fortune, apparently.”

  “Someone stole him?” I said.

  “Most likely,” Storm said. “Puppies sired from this hound fetch a lot of money. There’s a waiting list of over two years for one of his pups.”

  Odessa shook her head. “You must get the fluffy baby back. And if he’s sired any pups, return them, too. And any other dogs you find with the people who stole him.”

  “That’s not happening. I’m being paid to find one hellhound. I’m not rescuing a pack.”

  “Storm! Don’t you dare leave a single pup behind, or I’ll set my scarecrows on you.” Odessa jammed her hands on her hips and glared at Storm until she laughed.

  “I’m officially terrified. Fine. I’ll bring them all back. But if I can’t find the owners, they have to live with you on the farm. Do we have a deal?”

  “Of course! I can handle having a few furry babies around until the owners are located. And think how grateful they’ll be when you return their fluffy angels to them. You may get reward money.”

  Storm shook her head, then winked at me. “The owner is paying me a fortune to find this hound, so I can’t turn down the job. And I need to meet her to give her an update. But I’ll be back to help with Luna as soon as I can.”

  We said a quick goodbye, and Storm left the room. A few seconds later, she raced back in, alarm written across her face. “We have a problem. Olympus is outside. And he’s not on his own.”

  I groaned as I dashed to the window and peered out. Olympus was looking at the pile of rubble next to the hidden house. He was directing two black-clad members of the Magic Council around as they sifted through the broken bricks.

  “He’s on to me,” I muttered. “You two need to leave before he figures out what’s going on.”

  Odessa shook her head. “We’re not leaving you to face the Magic Council on your own.”

  Storm shrugged. “Indigo can handle them. And I have a hellhound to find. I’ll use the back way out of here.”

  “Storm! We’re not leaving Indigo.” Odessa gave Storm a hard whack on the arm.

  “Creeping broomsticks! She’s an Ash witch. She could wiggle her fingers and get rid of that lot with the right spell.” Storm rubbed her arm.

  “That’s not the point. Indigo needs us.” Odessa put an arm around my shoulders.

  “Thanks for wanting to help, but Storm’s right. You both need to go.”

  “I usually am right.” Storm smirked. “And I’ve really got to go. I can’t lose out on this payday.”

  “Agreed. And I don’t want either of you implicated in this mess,” I said.

  “We’re already implicated,” Odessa said. “And Luna is our friend, too. We’ll have more chance of finding her if we work as a team.”

  “I’m not saying we can’t work on this together, but there won’t be any team members left if we’re all arrested,” I said. “And once the Magic Council know we’re working together, they won’t look favorably on either of you. Odessa, you could lose business if you’re seen associating with me. And Storm, you don’t want your PI work to dry up. Potential clients may not trust you if they know we’re friends again.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve got a great reputation. Hanging out with you won’t mess with that. But I need this job so I can get the money. It’ll set me right for a couple of months so I can focus on... something else.”

  I pressed my lips together. Storm hadn’t shared with me that her sister, Eden, was missing. Odessa had told me about that tragic event, and that Storm was still focused on finding her, even though Eden had been missing for years.

  But it was Storm’s secret to tell me when she was ready, and I wasn’t standing in her way of helping her family.

  I nodded. “I understand. This way. I’ll check out back to make sure no one is around. And then you’re both leaving.” I hurried them to the back door and spent a few seconds checking outside to make sure no sneaky Magic Council members were snooping around.

  Once I was certain the way was clear, I gestured for Storm and Odessa to join me. “Head straight to the trees. I’ll keep watch to make sure you’re not spotted. If you hear anyone yelling, keep going. I’ll distract the Magic Council until you get away.”

  “I’m not sure about this,” Odessa said. “I want to stay and help.”

  I shooed her off the porch. “Go! The longer you linger, the riskier it is for all of us.”

  “Let’s get out of here.” Storm grabbed Odessa’s arm and dragged her away.

  “We’ll come post your bail,” Odessa said.

  Only when I could no longer see them, did I head back inside the house and close the door. I leaned against it and blew out a breath.

  I couldn’t put this off any longer. I’d been living on borrowed time ever since I’d come back to Witch Haven. It was inevitable that the Magic Council would eventually track me down and confront me.

  I had to face them. And when I did, I’d make them hear the truth. There had to be a way through their defences. A way to get them to see I was no longer a bad witch.

  I hurried back into the living room, over to the magic cabinet, and pulled out Magda’s journal with the hidden entry inside that revealed the dark witch coven. I opened the relevant page and pressed my hand against it. Instantly, the hidden text revealed itself.

  It was all I had, but this would have to do. They couldn’t all be stuffed shirts at the Magic Council. Someone had to listen to me and consider this new information as important.

  “Are you sure about this?” Hilda scuttled up my leg, perched on my shoulder, and tapped her front legs rapidly.

  “No, not one tiny bit, but what else can I do? It’s do or die time. I’ve got one shot to make the Magic Council understand I’m not the biggest threat to this place. And if they keep looking at me as the source of trouble, Witch Haven could be doomed forever.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I’m going outside, and I’m facing my enemy.”

  Chapter 9

  Hilda rode on my shoulder as I walked to the back door. Russell flew next to me, and Nugget strolled along behind us.

  I had to face the Magic Council. It looked like Olympus was setting up a permanent watch on this place, and we’d be trapped inside if I didn’t move fast. And I only had so many tins of peaches left to sustain me.

  Besides, I was done hiding. I would make Olympus listen to me.

  “If you fail to convince Olympus not to arrest you, you can always blast him with more magic and make a run for it again,” Nugget said. “That sort of worked.”

  I shook my head. “I’m done running. But I don’t want them to know about this house just yet. I’m not losing all of Magda’s things. And I’m not losing our home.”

  “We’ll back you up,” Hilda said. “Just tell us what you need us to do.”

  “Hopefully, you won’t need to do anything. Try not to get involved. Olympus already thinks you’re troublemakers because you helped me bust out of that room.”

  “Then it won’t matter if we get in even more trouble,” Hilda said. “Russell and Nugget agree with me.”

  Russell flapped and cawed, but Nugget simply sat there washing his face.

  “Thanks. I appreciate the support. We’ll go out the back way. We can make it look like we’re approaching the house along the lane. That may throw the Magic Council off the scent, so they stop poking around and don’t discover the house.” It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it may just be enough to stop them.

  We snuck out the back door, raced to the trees, and snaked through them. Then we ducked out onto the lane and acted like we were returning from the village.

  “Th
ere she is!” one of Olympus’ companions said. He was a short, skinny guy with flat black hair. “Stop, witch. You’re under arrest by orders of the Magic Council. You’re charged with—”

  “That’s enough, Thaddeus,” Olympus said. “Indigo knows what she’s done.”

  I lifted my chin. “I do. And I know I’m innocent.”

  “You deny that you blasted me with magic, before running away when I confronted you at Ursa’s house?” Olympus said.

  “Oh, well, I’m not innocent of that. I didn’t mean that. Besides, that was self-defense.” It wasn’t, but I’d panicked. “You were trying to arrest me. And you weren’t listening to me.” I held up Magda’s journal. “I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to plead my case now.”

  “We shouldn’t trust her,” Thaddeus hissed. “She’ll deceive us. She could use her dark magic on us.”

  “You shouldn’t believe all the rumors about me,” I said. “I’m not all bad. And neither was Magda.”

  Olympus glanced at his two colleagues, then nodded at me. “Very well. We’ll hear you. But if we don’t like what we hear, we’re taking you to a full Magic Council meeting. They will decide your fate.”

  I swallowed. I was taking a huge risk by doing this. “Agreed. This journal contains information about the true dark forces behind the attack on Witch Haven.”

  “An attack you were heavily involved in,” Thaddeus said.

  “Let Indigo speak,” Olympus said.

  “We shouldn’t listen to her. We should take her in straightaway,” Thaddeus said.

  “Who’s in charge here?” Olympus said.

  Thaddeus instantly backed down. “My apologies. Of course, you know best.” From the narrow-eyed look on Thaddeus’s face, he was thinking exactly the opposite. It looked like Olympus had a rival.

  I paged through the journal until I found the relevant entry. “The problems in Witch Haven began when a coven blackmailed Magda into doing their bidding. They stole personal items of mine and threatened my life. They said they’d kill me if she didn’t do what they told her to. They gave her magic, which they claimed would act as a control on the villagers.”