by K E O'Connor
“That’s right.” I smiled at them.
Ursa sniffed. “I don’t like unexpected guests.”
“We may be unexpected, but I hope we’re welcome.” Odessa held up a basket full of muffins. “I’ve baked my speciality pumpkin spiced muffins. I hope you haven’t eaten breakfast yet. They have caramel frosting on top. And chocolate sprinkles.”
Ursa lifted her chin and peered into the basket. “I do like your muffins. Very well. Come in, both of you. But keep the noise down. I’ve already had a trying morning, thanks to your incompetent friend.” She took the largest muffin from the basket and walked away. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a marauding suit of armor to deal with.”
Storm and Odessa both looked at me, curiosity burning in their eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I said. “Not that I’m unhappy to see you. I need rescuing after the night I’ve had.”
“We heard there was a party going down.” Storm produced a huge baseball bat from behind her back and swung it in an arc. “Aren’t you going to invite us in so we can smash up some dolls?”
Chapter 14
I ushered my friends into Gravesend Manor. “You’d better come in. How did you know I was here?” I closed the door and led them along the hallway.
“People have been whispering about a strange doll possession in Ursa’s house. They’re saying it’s your fault,” Storm said.
“We had to come take a look,” Odessa said. “And we wanted to make sure you were doing okay after you confronted Olympus. You didn’t kill him, did you?”
I tipped back my head. “He’s alive. But when will people figure out I’m not the source of evil in this place?”
“No, but you are one of them,” Storm said.
I glared at her, but then smiled as I saw the laughter dancing in her eyes.
“Fill us in,” Odessa said. “What’s happening here? I’ve heard every possibility from devil dogs through to killer gnomes and everything in between.”
“I’ve yet to meet any devil dogs, but the gnomes are playing up. Olympus was almost their sacrificial victim last night.”
Nugget yawned in my ear. “And he would have been, if Indigo hadn’t rescued him.”
“Wait! What have I missed?” Storm said. “Since when do you rescue the Head of the Magic Council? Last I saw, he wanted you arrested, never to be seen again.”
I lifted one shoulder. “We’ve formed an uneasy alliance. I doubt it’ll last long, but he’s helping me with the problems in Ursa’s house. And he got me out of the Magic Council meeting without losing my power. He even spoke up for me. I was so stunned, I almost fell over.”
“You’re not the only one who’s stunned by that revelation,” Storm said. “Why the change of heart?”
“I’m still working that out. Olympus reckons this is just business. Ursa is a problem for the Magic Council, and I could be useful to them.”
Odessa’s smile was sly. “Oh! I get it. He likes you.”
“Nope, that’s not it. He had a problem case to deal with, and so stuck it on me.”
“I bet that’s not all he’d like to stick on you,” Storm said.
Odessa snort laughed and thumped her. “Don’t be seedy.”
“I’m not being seedy. And why not get some action while it’s on offer? He might work for a creepoid organization, but he’s a gorgeous guy, and he’s got influence. You should exploit that.”
“I’m not exploiting anyone,” I said. “And I’m not here for romance, or action, or anything like that.”
“Duck!” Storm swung the bat at my head.
I squeaked, grabbed hold of Nugget so he wouldn’t fall off my shoulders, and hit the floor. A few seconds later, porcelain shattered over my head and rained down on me.
I looked up. Odessa stood frozen to the spot, taking in the scene with wide eyes. “Do the dolls all behave like that?”
I scrambled off the floor and nodded, kicking away the fork the doll had been aiming at my head. “Most of them. Even after I destroyed their leader, Mary-Sue.”
“What was that noise?” Ursa raced along the hallway, a half-eaten muffin in her hand. She stared at what was left of the attacking doll. “Is that one of my angels scattered across the floor?”
Storm tucked the baseball bat behind her back and looked as innocent as a cherub.
“We’re still having a few problems,” I said. “It’ll calm down soon.”
“This is a disgrace. You’re looking in the wrong place. My dolls are being used. Such innocence shouldn’t be exploited.” Ursa knelt on the floor. “Oh, and this was Patti-Jane. She was such a sweet little thing.”
“She tried to jump on Indigo and stab her with a dinner fork,” Odessa said. “She doesn’t seem all that sweet to me.”
“Heads up. Incoming!” Storm whirled the bat over her head and smashed two more dolls out of the air.
Ursa yelped and dropped to the floor, while I ducked, and Odessa scurried out of the way.
“Stop your friend!” Ursa said to me. “She’s out of control.”
“Storm is saving us. You should thank her.” I dodged a doll’s head as it disengaged from its body thanks to Storm’s bat twirling skills. The head slammed into the wall and hit the floor with a thud.
“That’s the last of them for now,” Storm said.
“You must stop! There has to be some other way to deal with the dolls.” Ursa was on her knees, picking up pieces of damaged doll. “I’m sure they can be rehabilitated. They’ve just gotten a little wild because of this hex.”
“Maybe so, but we need to be sure. Russell, Hilda, go scout out the rest of the dolls’ movements. Let us know if they’re planning any more attacks,” I said.
Russell dropped to the floor from his perch on the large clock in the corner of the room. He bobbed his head.
Hilda scrambled onto his back, and they flew off up the stairs.
“While we have a moment’s respite from your attacking dolls,” I said, “tell me what you’ve done with my ghost jar.”
Ursa glanced at me. “What are you talking about?”
“You saw it when you came to my house,” I said. “Why did you steal it?”
She jerked her head back, pulling in her chin so she looked like a startled turtle. “I don’t like your tone. I’m not a thief.”
“It must have been you. No one else knew my house still existed. You show up, and the next thing I know, the ghost jar is gone.”
“I have no use for a ghost jar. Even if I did, I wouldn’t take one of yours. They’re easy to come by.”
Storm tapped the baseball bat against her palm. “The ghost in that jar is important to us. It could have information to help us get Luna back. You wouldn’t be holding out on us, would you? I’ll do anything to protect my friends.”
Ursa staggered to her feet and backed away, her gaze on the baseball bat. “I... I don’t know what to say. I’m an upstanding member of the community. I wouldn’t steal from you.”
“You would if it meant you had one over on Indigo,” Storm said. “You were always jealous of Magda. Are you taking out your insecurities by making life difficult for her step-daughter?”
“That’s nonsense. I liked Magda. At least, I did until she went on the attack. She was a responsible witch. Which is a lot more than I can say about any of you.” Ursa’s cheeks were pink. “You burst in here, destroy my dolls, and accuse me of a crime I haven’t committed. I have enough stress with my misbehaving dolls and troublesome gnomes. I don’t need delinquent witches adding to my concerns.”
I glanced at Odessa and Storm. I’d been sneakily poking around to locate the ghost jar and hadn’t found it, but I still couldn’t decide if Ursa was telling the truth. There wasn’t a strong reason she’d take the ghost jar. And they were easy to find or simple enough to create if you needed to catch a spirit.
Something smashed over our heads, and a child-like laughter drifted down the stairs.
“Now look what you’ve done. My do
lls have been upset by your familiars. I must calm them. Don’t destroy any more of my angels while I’m not here.” Ursa dashed away and up the stairs. “I’m coming, my babies.”
“Ursa’s super weird around these dolls.” Storm ground a doll’s head into the carpet under the heel of her boot.
“They’re her children,” Odessa said. “Ursa doesn’t have a family of her own.”
“No surprise there. Who’d want to hang out with Ursa for long? Certainly not long enough to get her naked and—”
I shuddered. “You don’t need to paint us a picture.”
“Ursa must be lonely,” Odessa said. “She lives in this huge house on her own and has no friends to speak of, and she only sees her uncle when she has a problem. We should include her in our group. We could have a girls’ night and invite her over.”
“I’m sure Ursa would prefer to hang out with people her own age,” I said.
“Or evil things with porcelain heads and murder on their minds,” Storm said.
“She won’t want to hang out with us after we’ve destroyed her doll collection. She’s yet to see what happened in her collection room overnight,” I said.
Russell zoomed down the stairs, with Hilda on his back.
Hilda dropped onto my hand. “Ursa chased us away. But the dolls didn’t follow us. They’re more interested in Ursa.”
“Is she okay?” I didn’t like her, but death by evil dolly wouldn’t be a fun experience.
“For now. She’s pleading with them to behave. They seem to be listening.”
“I know. I’ll send her a care package,” Odessa said. “That’ll put a smile on her face and help her stop worrying about her dolls.”
“You can try that,” Storm said. “But some people aren’t worth saving.”
“Everyone’s worth saving.” Odessa looked around. “I thought you said Olympus was helping you. Where is he?”
“About that. Something odd happened when we were hunting the dolls,” I said. “Mary-Sue, the doll in charge, called herself Bloom. She pretended she was Olympus’ missing daughter.”
Odessa gasped and her hand went to her mouth. “Poor Limpy must have been in bits.”
“I had no idea he even had a daughter, or that she was missing,” I said. “Do you know what happened?”
“It was so sad,” Odessa said. “I met Bloom a few times. Olympus shared custody with his former fiancée, Peony Cashmere. Do you remember her?”
“Sure. She left school at seventeen to set up her own business, didn’t she?”
“That’s right. She was always so smart. Peony ran an upcycling store. Although she left that all behind years ago. She couldn’t bear to be here after what happened to Bloom.”
“Olympus told me Bloom went missing when he took her on a job,” I said.
“Yes, he was investigating a robbery, although I heard rumors it also involved an illegal death curse. I’d often see him passing through the village with Bloom. She was such a cheerful child. Bright, polite, and such a cutie.”
“If you like kids,” Storm said.
“Which we do,” Odessa said. “Anyway, I heard from Mystica Shade that Olympus went to this house to look at the crime scene. Bloom was supposed to stay outside. There were several members of Magic Council law enforcement around, so he figured she’d be safe. He went inside, and by the time he got back, Bloom was gone.”
“She was taken in front of law enforcement?” I said. “That’s bold. And odd.”
“It was odd, especially since no one remembered seeing Bloom outside,” Odessa said. “I’m convinced a memory wipe spell was used. Only three people remember seeing Bloom, and one of them was Olympus. I heard he was beside himself as he tried to find her. He organized a search party, and they looked everywhere.”
“It’s like she vanished into thin air,” Storm said. “It’s no surprise. Olympus must have enemies, given the work he does. His past came back to haunt him and took someone he loved.”
“That doll saying his daughter’s name messed with him,” I said. “I didn’t know what to do. I destroyed the doll, and he tried to strangle me. He really believed that was his daughter making contact.”
“Limpy is still grieving, after all these years. And I know he still looks for her,” Odessa said.
“He even tried to hire me to search for Bloom,” Storm said. “I told him he was wasting his time. He has way more resources than me.”
“Could Peony have taken her?” I said. “Since they’re separated, there could have been trouble between them.”
“No, it wasn’t her. Although that’s what Olympus thought to begin with. And Peony was questioned for weeks. And I know her house and the business were searched,” Odessa said. “I remember watching as she stood on the sidewalk as the Magic Council took her upcycling place apart. It wasn’t long after that, that she talked about leaving. Six months later, she was gone.”
“Where is Peony now?” I said.
“I’m not sure,” Odessa said.
“The last I heard, she went to a remote magic community and wants nothing to do with Witch Haven.” Storm twirled her bat. “It’s probably for the best. There are too many tough memories for her to deal with around here.”
My heart went out to Olympus and Peony, but I couldn’t go getting soft toward him, and I wasn’t letting my guard down. He was Magic Council. That was the most important thing in his life.
“Oh! And did you hear the terrible news about Albert?” Odessa said.
“Luna’s uncle? No, he’s not sick, is he?”
“It’s worse than that. He closed the bakery. He said he can’t cope. I’m so worried.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “You’re only worried because you can’t get access to his delicious treats.”
“It’s not just me. Everyone is worried. It’s a tragedy. We must find Luna so Albert can be happy again. Witch Haven can’t be without its desserts,” Odessa said.
Storm laughed and shook her head. “We’ll manage, especially with the amount of muffins you bake.”
“No! This is serious. My muffins aren’t a patch on the bakery goodies.”
“What do you suggest we do? Stampede the bakery and insist Albert gets his apron back on?” Storm smirked at me.
Odessa grinned. “I know exactly what we need to do. We combine our powers.”
Storm shrugged, and I nodded. It wasn’t the first time we’d done that.
“What are you hoping to find if we merge our magic?” I said.
“The secret recipe to Albert’s cherry scones?” Storm said.
“Stop it! I’m not that greedy.” Odessa jutted out her bottom lip. “I figured we could force the ghost you trapped in the jar to manifest. If Ursa took the ghost jar, the spirit will be close by. It’s always easier to force a ghost out of hiding when it’s near.”
“And if the ghost shows up instantly, it would be proof Ursa took the jar and has been lying to us,” I said.
“And then you can get your revenge on her,” Storm said.
I considered that option, but payback had already been handed out by the number of dolls that hadn’t made it through the night.
“I reckon we can pull this ghost in from anywhere by combining energies. Especially now Indigo is firing on all cylinders,” Odessa said.
“I’m firing on something, but this new magic I possess doesn’t always react the way I expect it to,” I said.
“You don’t want to try?” Odessa said.
“No, I’m game. We need to find this ghost.”
“Where shall we do the summoning?” Storm said.
“In the dining room. There’s an enormous table in there we can use.” I led them into the dining room, and we settled at the end of the table.
Hilda sat on my arm, Russell perched on the back of my chair, and Nugget curled himself around my shoulders and looked on with a bored expression on his face.
We’d just linked hands when Ursa bustled into the room, her arms full of dolls. �
�What are you doing? I didn’t say you could use this room. And don’t make marks on that table. It’s an antique.”
“We won’t damage the table. We’re helping Luna,” I said. “And you’re welcome to join us. Your energy could strengthen the summoning magic.”
“I want nothing to do with your kind of magic,” she said.
“Then be useful and fetch us a summoning candle,” Storm said.
“What exactly are you summoning? I don’t want evilness drawn into this house.”
“The ghost you stole from me,” I said.
Ursa tutted. “I’ve already told you, that wasn’t me.”
“Then prove it by letting us do this summoning,” Storm said. “If you’re hiding the ghost jar nearby, the ghost inside will appear instantly.”
Ursa pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Very well. But you’ll fail. That ghost jar isn’t in this house.” She marched out of the room, muttering to herself, and returned a moment later, smacking down a large white candle in front of us.
I pressed a finger to the wick, and it ignited. “Thanks. You don’t have to watch.”
“I do. I’m watching your every move from now on. And so are my dolls. None of them trust you, especially not after you encouraged your bat-wielding friend to cause so much damage.” Ursa sat half a dozen dolls on the table in front of us.
“Keep those creepy things away from me,” Storm said. “I still have my bat, and I’m happy to use it.”
Ursa’s face blanched, and she took a step toward her dolls, her hands hovering over them.
“Nugget, keep an eye on the dolls while we summon the ghost,” I said.
“If any of them move, I’m taking them out,” he said.
Ursa sucked in a breath. But I glared at her, and she didn’t say anything.
I centered myself, closed my eyes, and opened my magic.
Storm and Odessa’s powers met mine, and they converged across the table, spreading a pale glow around us until it reached the candle.
“There’s something here,” Odessa said. “I already feel a strong presence. It could be the ghost you trapped.”
I nodded. I felt something too, but it didn’t feel like either of the ghosts I’d encountered in Luna’s apartment. “Let’s keep going. It could need help to manifest.” I pushed more magic into the summoning.