by K E O'Connor
“That’s news to no one. What’s your point?”
He stopped abruptly and turned toward me. “My point is, you could be right. Witch Haven is in trouble.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Do you think it’s a trouble of my making?”
“At first, I thought it had to be you. It made sense.”
“It never made sense to me. And I had no idea about the problems Witch Haven faced until I came back. I’m not the witch in control of this darkness. Although...”
“Although what?”
“I wondered if turning up in the village made things worse. Or it accelerated the problems people are dealing with.”
“Perhaps you stirred a few things up,” he said, “but what if this is bigger than you?”
I nodded, hope blooming in my chest. “It is! That’s what I’ve been telling you. The evil hauntings, Luna being taken, the villagers misbehaving and trying to burn me and the others. Witches don’t burn other witches.”
He shook his head. “Things should never have gone that far. Who led on the attack?”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter who was the ringleader. What matters is the villagers aren’t acting in their right minds. If they keep on like this, there will be more deaths.”
Olympus narrowed his eyes. “Storm said you were drugged. Who did that to you?”
I let out a sigh. “Albert Black, but he was acting so strangely, I should have known something was wrong with him.”
“What was he doing that was so strange?”
“He was happy to discover Luna is dead. And he doesn’t care how it happened.”
“Wait! I’ve not heard about this. How do you know that?”
“There’s a lot you missed out on after you stormed out of Ursa’s house.”
He grumbled under his breath. “So tell me. I’m listening.”
“I tried to summon a ghost with Storm and Odessa, but we got Luna through instead. Or at least it looked like Luna. I’m not convinced anymore that it was her, since she was also acting strangely.”
Olympus held up a hand. “One startling new revelation at a time. Is Luna alive or not?”
“I’m going for alive.”
“Even though you saw her spirit?”
“We saw a spirit that looked like her, but it didn’t act like her. Not entirely. Something is playing with us.”
He nodded slowly. “And the ghost summoning? What was that all about?”
“I was attempting to prove Ursa stole a ghost jar from my house. It contained one of the ghosts that had been haunting Luna.”
“Ursa stole from you?”
“Possibly. Again, I’m not so sure anymore.” I wasn’t sure about a lot of things, including what Olympus had planned for me. “All I can say with some certainty is that Witch Haven has gotten weird. And that weirdness isn’t of my making.”
He turned and looked out the window. “I agree. The number of strange hauntings have grown, and residents have been acting oddly for some time. And not just in their usual quirky ways. There have been some nasty cases come across my desk in the last few months. People attacking each other with magic, damage done to properties, and then there are all the fires. It’s as if they’re trying to destroy this place. Or ensure that—”
“Or ensure someone destroys it for them,” I said. “That’s the direction the Magic Council is heading. You said they were taking a vote on whether to raze the village to the ground and relocate everyone. The darkness manipulating this place wants everything out of control. When it’s all messed up, it’ll be easy to sneak in and launch a coup.”
“You think it’s the dark witch coven?”
“What else can it be? It’s not me. It’s not anyone else I can think of. We need to find out who is in this coven and stop them before it’s too late to save Witch Haven.”
“It may already be too late to save the village.” Olympus continued his pacing.
I watched him, my initial hope wavering. Could I ever trust him? Most of his life, he’d been involved with the Magic Council, and it must tear him apart that he was having doubts about how effective they were. They’d missed a takeover bid happening under their noses. But were those doubts enough to get him on my side? Did I even want Olympus Duke on my side?
He turned back to me. “The last time we met, I reacted badly.”
“That’s an understatement. You strangled me because I stopped you stealing Mary-Sue.”
His forehead wrinkled. “Yes, and I didn’t mean to do that. I lost control. It won’t happen again.”
I needed to cut him some slack. He’d lost a child. I had no clue how that felt, but it must be horrendous. “And I didn’t mean to be unsympathetic about what happened to your daughter. Honestly, I was shocked when I found out about Bloom. Odessa told me what happened. I wish I could have been around to help.”
Olympus slumped against the wall, suddenly looking ten years older. “Her disappearance always felt off to me. And she would never have gone off with a stranger. She was a smart child and knew better than that. And even though things weren’t great between me and her mother, we always taught her the right values to live by.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I said. “You thought she’d be safe. After all, she was surrounded by law enforcement.”
“It is my fault. Bloom was my responsibility. She still is. I still believe she’s alive and out there somewhere. I should never have left her, but I was so caught up in that case, trying to prove myself. It seemed like the most important thing.” He shook his head. “It shows what I know. It also shows that I should listen to other people more. I’m not... I’m not always right about things.”
“What it shows is that you’re the same as all of us. We make mistakes and don’t always get things right. I know that first-hand.”
His expression was troubled when he looked at me. “If what you’re telling me about Magda is true, and there is a dark witch coven out there, you’re also not to blame for what happened all those years ago. You were a teenager when Magda got herself in trouble. You didn’t even have your full powers. There was nothing you could have done to stop the dark magic from infecting you. Magda should have known better.”
“Magda was protecting me. She’d have done anything to keep me safe. She was trying to do the right thing. And she trusted this coven. Maybe that makes her naïve, but it doesn’t make her a bad witch. Just like you leaving Bloom outside while you looked at a crime scene doesn’t make you a bad parent, or responsible for her vanishing.”
The pain in his eyes cut straight through me. “I don’t know. Perhaps you’re right. And perhaps I need to be more open-minded about what happened in your past. You did your best, but you couldn’t control the magic, so bad things happened. You didn’t wilfully attack the villagers.”
I glanced at the floor. “At the time, it felt like I was doing it willingly. It wasn’t until I learned about the possibility of dark magic being involved, that I doubted I was all bad, and that maybe I could be a better witch. I really didn’t see a future for myself until I came back to Witch Haven. Actually, I didn’t want a future. I didn’t think I deserved one.”
He let out a soft sigh. “Indigo, never give up on yourself.”
“Really? I sometimes think I should. You’ve read the file on me, so you know what I did. And I believed it all for such a long time. It wasn’t until I returned here and saw my old home again, my friends, and realized I could be useful, that something clicked into place. I wanted to try again. I wanted to right the wrongs I’d inflicted on Witch Haven.”
Olympus’ expression was hard to read, but it looked like he might believe me. “And I think that’s what you’re doing, in your own law breaking fashion.”
“I’m trying to, but it’s difficult. I’ve spent a long time not trusting anyone and thinking I could do things alone.”
“And how’s that been working out for you?”
Since we were having a share your feelings moment, I laid all the ug
liness on the table. “It made me lonely, jaded with the world, and wanting to give up.”
“You’re too young to be jaded,” he said.
I grinned at him. “I’m not that young. I’m old enough to know better. I’m also old enough to admit when I’m struggling. It’s not always easy to get things right, but I’ve found that having my familiars and my friends beside me has literally saved my life more than once since I’ve returned. I don’t want that to change. And I really don’t want to lose my powers just as I’m finding my feet again.”
Olympus went quiet once more. “You should be punished for breaking the rules.”
“I only bent them a tiny amount. You’d have to really pay attention to notice what I did wrong.”
“You snapped the rules in half.”
“I was doing good. Doesn’t that give me leeway?”
He gave me a half smile. “I always find it better if you don’t do things on your own, especially not when it comes to complicated magic. And I definitely never want to hear you’ve been tackling this dark witch coven alone. They seem immensely powerful with no scruples, and they wouldn’t think twice about destroying you.”
“I’ve got no plans to do that. I’ll need all the help I can get to take them down.” I sucked in a breath and took a risk. “If you let me keep my powers, maybe we can work on this together.”
Olympus narrowed his eyes. “You trust me enough to work with me?”
“I’m... I’m learning to. You’ve stood up for me twice now. And you could have let Devlin and his goons take me away. Instead, you put your neck on the line.”
He pursed his lips, and so many emotions flashed across his face that I couldn’t read them all, but I thought I spotted hope in his eyes.
“My motives for considering working with you aren’t entirely selfless,” he said.
“I don’t care what your motives are, so long as you’re not sending me back to prison.” My magic pulsed inside me, eager to break free now it was on the brink of no longer being restrained and under scrutiny.
“I need power on my side. You’re a powerful witch, and I can sense the magic vibrating off that necklace you’re wearing. Was that one of Magda’s creations?”
I touched the necklace and nodded. “My magic has been evolving ever since I got back. I think it’s got something to do with this. My spells are still on the rusty side, but they’re improving every day. And now I’m trusting myself more, it doesn’t feel like a struggle to use my powers.”
“Good. Because I need those powers.” Olympus walked over to the desk, lifted a piece of paper, and handed it to me. “I got this yesterday.”
I took the piece of paper and read the words on it. We have Bloom. If you want to see her alive, you’ll do what we tell you.
My mouth opened, and I stared at him. “Is this for real?”
Olympus shook his head. “It can’t be. It’s some sicko who heard about Bloom going missing and wants to play a joke on me. It isn’t the first time I’ve gotten a messed up message like that.”
“You can’t ignore it. What if it’s legit?” I turned the paper over. “Have you got any idea who sent it?”
“No. It was pushed under the door when I arrived this afternoon. I ran a tracing spell on it, but whoever left that message knows what they’re doing. There’s nothing there to tell me who wrote the note and who left it for me to find.”
“Olympus, this is incredible. Aren’t you excited? Bloom’s alive. This is proof.”
“It’s proof of nothing, other than that people have twisted minds.”
“If you’re not going to investigate this, then I will. What if this message is genuine? Someone could be holding Bloom, and you could get her back.”
“So long as I do what they tell me,” he said. “Doesn’t that remind you of something?”
“Magda’s journal entry! The coven insisted she help them or I died. You don’t think they have Bloom? The witches are looking for a new puppet to play with?”
“It crossed my mind. And this would be a strong way for the coven to infiltrate the village.”
Coldness flooded through me. “If they got a powerful member of the Magic Council on their side, they’d be unstoppable. You know all the secrets of Witch Haven. You could let them in, and no one would be able to stop you.”
“I could definitely do that.”
My heart skipped a beat. And not in a good way. “Would you do it, if it meant you got Bloom back?” This was a horrible dilemma for Olympus to face. If my child went missing, I’d do anything to get her back, maybe even do the bidding of this coven.
“I wish I could tell you with any certainty that I’d have nothing to do with their devious plans, but I’d be lying.” He walked over and caught hold of my arm. “Which is why I can’t investigate this on my own. And I can’t rely on the Magic Council. If they hear I’m receiving messages like this, they’ll take me off the case. They won’t trust me.”
“Does that mean you want us to work together? I can help you find Bloom.”
“I need a magic user who doesn’t mind bending the rules. It’s not so easy for me to do, given my position.”
“I’ll do it! I’ll snap those rules so hard they won’t be able to remake them.”
A smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “Hopefully, it won’t go that far. But if Bloom is out there...”
“We’ll find Bloom and Luna. And we’ll bring down this coven.” My magic sparked heat in my chest. “I’ve already tried locator spells to find Luna. They didn’t work, but we could try the same thing for Bloom. Or we could—”
“No! I’ve tried every magic spell I can think of to locate Bloom. Whoever has her, if they do even have her, they’re too smart to be tricked by a spell.”
“So... what do you want to do?”
He faced away from me and then turned back sharply, his expression dark. “The right thing. I’m a key part of the Magic Council. I can’t be seen to let them down, even if Bloom has become entangled in the darkness damaging this place.”
I stared at the magic sparking on his fingers and took a step back. “What does that mean for me?”
“It means you need to close your eyes, Indigo.”
I blinked at Olympus. Had I failed to convince him? Didn’t he love his daughter enough to keep searching for her? Was he going to strip me of my powers right here and now?
I held up my hands. “Wait! Let’s at least talk about this. I can still be useful to you.”
He shook his head. “Do you trust me?”
“I... I kind of.” This trusting people business was so new to me that it was scarier than one of Odessa’s scarecrows on a mission to slay.
“Then close your eyes, and let’s see how far I can stretch that trust,” he said.
“If you kill me, I’m coming back from the dead and haunting you for the rest of your life. And I won’t be a friendly ghost. I’ll be a slime slinging, banshee howling, icicle forming nightmare of a spook.”
“I’m not going to kill you. But shut your eyes so you don’t get dazzled. And this magic is complex, so don’t fight it.”
I took a huge breath, closed my eyes, and hoped that whatever he was about to do would be over fast.
Chapter 20
“You look the part, but I can’t get the voice spell right. Why do you still sound like you?” Olympus stood in front of me, a frown on his face.
“It’s not my fault your magic keeps going wrong. And I’m still not sure about this.” I turned and looked in the full-length mirror in the back room of Olympus’ office. A different person stared back at me. Gone was the purple hair, my familiar face, and my casual clothing. I’d been replaced by someone who wore lots of dark leather, had inky black hair, and wore way too much eyeliner for my liking.
“It’s been three days. You must be used to your new look by now. I need to figure out why the voice spell won’t take, though. You must be fighting my magic,” Olympus said.
“I’m not fighting
you!”
“I suppose there’s a first time for everything.”
I pursed my lips. “I can’t get comfortable looking like someone else. Let’s try something else. How about you purge my record so I can wander around Witch Haven a free person? Then there’ll be no need for this disguise.”
“Not a chance. Even I don’t have that much clout in the Magic Council,” he said. “This disguise has to work, especially now most of the villagers are on the hunt for you, plus my colleagues in the Magic Council, and this mysterious dark witch coven. You have to keep a low profile. Your life depends on it.”
“And what’s more low profile than being a completely different person.” I shook my head at the stranger in the mirror.
Olympus’ transformation magic still made my skin tingle and itch. It was a combination of strong, intoxicating spells. I should be grateful for what he’d done. Instead of turning me into a shadow and taking my powers, he’d transformed me into every warlock’s naughty dream. I was now masquerading as a leather-clad ghost hunter with a pout and too tight pants. It was taking some getting used to.
“This is perfect. I’ve been discussing with the Council about getting a new ghost hunter in post,” he said. “And you fit the bill. Plus, you know your way around the spirits. I’ve already filed the appropriate paperwork, so your details are with the Magic Council, and—”
“I’m getting a real job at the Magic Council?” I grinned at him. “Does that mean I get a pay check, too?”
“Do you need one?”
“Desperately. A witch cannot live on air and handouts from her friends forever.” I smoothed my hands over the leather. It did have a pleasing stretch to it. “Talking of payments, I have a confession to make.”
“What’s that?”
“After I spectacularly failed to deal with Ursa’s hexed house problem, she still paid me, minus a damage fee. Did you come to some private arrangement with her? I didn’t think the Magic Council took on private jobs.”
He groaned and shook his head. “She’s always doing that. And it’s not a payment, Ursa’s basically attempting to bribe me. She gives out what she calls little bonuses to keep us on side. I know of several employees at the Magic Council who take that money. I hope you didn’t accept it on my behalf.”