by Lysa Daley
She nodded and quietly thought about it for a long moment. “Before he disappeared, he’d been coming home late from surfing. Really late sometimes. Like after midnight. And he seemed… off.”
“Off how?”
“I’m not sure how to explain it. He was… in a fog. I obviously thought it had to do with another woman, but maybe I was wrong...”
“Did you ask him why he was so late?”
“He said that he’d just stopped to get something to eat somewhere in Malibu.”
“Did he ever mention the Enchantress?”
She reacted to the ridiculousness of the name, but then asked, “Was that a band?
I hadn’t thought of that. I assumed the Enchantress was what it sounded like — a woman. Maybe I’d been going in the wrong direction.
“Could be?” I replied. “Have you seen a band by that name?”
“No, but he did say something about a place he went that had a good band. Said the singer was amazing.”
“Was it called the Seahorse Inn?”
“I don’t remember. Where’s that?”
“In Malibu. Near the pier. “
She nodded. “Yes. That could be the place.”
I promised I would let her know if we found anything pertaining to his disappearance. I gave her my number, and Megan Saperstein promised to call if she remembered anything else.
Chapter Sixteen
“Want to go hear a band?”
“Oh! I love live music,” my best friend Ellie said as she flopped down on my couch. “Wait… Is this for your new, crazy job? Is it like a goblin banjo band or heavy metal troll rock?”
“No, not as far as I know.” I handed her a glass of wine. She’d come by to see my new place. “But, yes, it’s for work. And I don’t want to go alone.”
“Will it be dangerous? Will I need my own gun with silver bullets and vampire stakes?” she asked eagerly.
“Probably not this time.”
“Oh well.” She deflated and took a sip of wine. “I guess I could go with you anyway.”
“Great,” I said, grabbing my bag. “I’ll drive.”
“Hey! Can a girl finish her wine first?”
While she sipped her chardonnay, I changed into a pair of heels and ran a brush though my hair. I decided to switch my normal messenger bag with a smaller “going out” purse. After I grabbed my driver’s license, some cash, and a lip gloss from the big bag, I tossed a half-eaten, half-melted Snickers Bar on my dresser, along with a handful of old hospital visitor badges from my trips to see Sam. I slid the chunky borrowed magic wand in the inside pocket of my leather jacket.
When Ellie wanted a second glass of wine, I poured it in a to-go cup, and we hit the road. It was after 8pm and traffic was light, making the drive out to Malibu easy. I wanted to see if this “Enchantress” happened to be at the Seahorse Inn.
“Guess what I did?” I began. “I went to see Sam, that cop, in the hospital.”
“The hot super-nothing?”
“Don’t call him that.” It was a derogatory term the supernatural world called non-magical humans.
“Okay, sorry,” she said, putting her hands up. “But we both know you only went because he’s a hottie.”
“That’s not true. I went to see if he’s healing from the wound he got while trying to protect me.”
“And is he?”
“Yeah, but there are a couple problems. But you have to promise not to tell anyone.”
“Of course,” she said, and I knew I could trust Ellie with a secret. That’s partly why she was my best friend.
“First, the memory wipe seems to be slipping. Memories of what actually happened with the vampire may be creeping back in.”
“Uh-oh.” Ellie, whose mom worked for the Magistrate of Magic, knew how serious it was when a human had memories of a supernatural encounter. “Who knows this other than you?”
“I’m not sure. But they can’t do another memory wipe on him. It’s too dangerous.”
“Yeah, but if those memories seep back in, you know what will happen. He’ll go around trying to convince everyone that he knows all about a secret magical world. The other super-noth— I mean regulars—will think he’s a nutjob. Chances are he’ll get fired and end up destitute and living on the streets.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?”
“Maybe, but why do you think there’s so many homeless people who swear they hear voices or see crazy things?”
She was right. This was bad.
“But I get it.” She changed her tone. “You like this guy and you’re worried?”
“To be perfectly honest, I do like him. I don’t think I even realized how much I liked him until a couple days ago.”
“And how is that a bad thing? He obviously likes you too. Or he wouldn’t have been following you around trying to protect you.”
“Yeah, about that…” I began with a little sad laugh. “He’s got a girlfriend named Jules. I mean, technically she’s his ex-girlfriend, or ex-fiancee, but still.”
“Wait, what?”
“She does hair, and she’s gorgeous.”
“How do you know this?”
“I met her.”
“No!””
I told Ellie about my awkward encounter at the hospital.
Ellie listened and shook her head. “That sucks.”
“Yep.” I agreed.
“But you said she was his ex?”
“I know, but I get the feeling there’s more going on,” I said. “Why else would she be there in his hospital room doting on him.”
“When she’s not around, I think you should go back and tell him how you feel.”
I coughed out a laugh. “Why would I do that?”
“Because he needs to know. He needs to know that he has options. They’re not married yet, right?”
“I’ll think about it,” I said as we pulled into the dark parking lot of the Seahorse Inn. The temperature had dropped and fog had rolled in, covering everything in a thick shadow of gloom.
A shiver went down my spine. Who knew what terrifying things lay out there in the dark foggy night?
“This is the place?” Ellie squinted at the mostly empty parking lot.
“Afraid so.”
It was a weeknight during the winter — not exactly peak Malibu time. While the parking lot held only a smattering of cars, there was an impressive line of motorcycles. The sound of a band drifted out from the far end of the building, where the bar had a separate entrance. The hotel probably liked to keep their lobby entrance separate from the patrons at the bar.
Ellie followed me, her tall heels clicking on the pavement. “At least the band is rockin’.”
“See.” I smiled. “I told you it wasn’t elf polka music.”
A gnarly looking doorman, who looked to be at least half ogre, carded us at the door before we made our way into the dimly lit but crowded bar. A couple was just leaving, so we quickly grabbed their table right in the center of the room.
“I’ll go get us margaritas,” Ellie said, yelling to be heard over the band.
I nodded and took a seat. No one was singing with the band at the moment. Maybe they didn’t have a singer? Maybe this whole trip had been pointless. Or perhaps the singer was just taking a break.
I took a moment to look around. The crowd was a mishmash of different ages and types. A few appeared to be tourists who’d wandered over from the hotel. The rest looked like locals, except for a cluster of rough looking guys in jean jackets with biker patches who had taken over the back corner. They may have dressed tough, but they were all also very handsome dark-skinned, dark-haired men with similar faces. Mexican guys? No. Asian guys? Almost Inuit or something. Super handsome Eskimos in Malibu. That’s what they looked like, and they probably owned the motorcycles outside.
Anxiety knotted in me as I soaked up the atmosphere. Had it been too much of a crazy idea to speculate that this Enchantress might be singing with the band in the
cafe-bar of a hotel?
Ellie returned, proudly holding two large margaritas. “I got a peach mango and a strawberry banana. Which do you want?”
I actually just wanted a regular margarita with salt and lime, but it was hard to not appreciate her enthusiasm. “I’ll go with peach mango.”
“The bartender said it’s ladies night so drinks are 2-for-1 until midnight. Woo hoo!” Ellie slid the oversized tulip glass to me, careful not to spill a drop.
I looked around to see that there weren’t a whole lot of ladies hanging out here. The bar’s 2-for-1 promotion didn’t seem to be catching on.
“See anything?” she whispered after she’d tried her drink. “Any clues?”
“Nothing yet,” I replied as a rocker with long blonde hair and a bushy mustache climbed on stage and grabbed the microphone.
“Hey, folks!” He smiled at the crowd. “Riley’s back from break, and we’re gonna start this set with some Rolling Stones.”
The band then proceeded to break into a loud and somewhat muddled version of “Satisfaction.”
I must have looked disappointed because Ellie asked, “What’s wrong?”
“He’s right,” I began. “I can’t get no satisfaction. I’m disappointed that the band is a bunch of dudes. I was really hoping it would be that mysterious Enchantress.”
Ellie took another sip of her drink and winked. “Maybe Mr. Morty’s brother swung the other way.”
“I think Mrs. Morty’s-brother would be very surprised to hear that,” I replied. “And her twelve kids. Plus, wouldn’t the letters have referred to him as the Enchanter, then?”
Ellie observed Riley, the singer, for a moment, then added, “Yeah… and that guy is no enchanter. That’s for sure.”
I couldn’t have agreed more. “Just in case we’re missing something, I’m going to go wander around.”
“Okay, I’ll stay here and watch our drinks.”
As I walked along the tables toward the bar, I passed a booth where a girl sat with two guys. As I strode by, she caught my eye.
“Oh hi!” she said with a warm smile. “You’re back.”
For a moment, I didn’t recognize her. “Oh hey,” I said to the sales girl from the gift shop. “Yeah, I decided to take your advice and come check this place out.”
“Awesome.” She slid out of the booth to stand so we could hear each other over the band. “I’m glad you came back.”
“That band is amazing.” I said, gazing more closely at her face. She seemed different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the change. Her skin looked better, like it almost glowed. And her eyes were brighter. She’d looked pale and wane when I met her earlier in the day. I told her, “You look really great.”
She grinned confidently and nodded like this was something she heard a lot. “Thanks. It’s amazing what a little rest can do for you. Hey, did she like it?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Did your mom like the crystal necklace?”
“Oh, right.” I laughed. “Yeah, she loved it.” I lied. “Thank you so much for helping me pick something out for her.”
“Make sure she charges the crystal in the sun. Otherwise, it’ll lose its power.”
If I didn’t know better I would’ve thought that this girl got recharged in the sun like a crystal. “I’ll tell her that. Hey, what’s your name again?” I asked even though I didn’t think she told me her name the first time we met.
“I’m Serena.” She extended her hand, and I shook it.
“Nice to meet you, Serena. I’m Lacey. Quick question,” I said gesturing over my shoulder with my thumb. “Is this the regular house band or does someone else play too?”
“No, these guys are the house band.” Then she furrowed her brow. “Don’t you like them?”
I nodded, trying to veil my disappointment. “No, they’re awesome.”
“Hey, can I buy you a drink? I think I promised you when we met.”
“Thanks, but my friend just got us margaritas.”
“Okay, but I’m buying the next round.”
I wasn’t planning on having another round, but I replied, “Thanks, that’d be great.”
I continued on to the bar. If I was honest, the house band kind of sucked. I couldn’t imagine anyone actually came here just to hear them. Looking around at the crowd, there didn’t seem to be any groupies.
This trip had been a wash. My time would have been better spent trying to catch up on my school work. I was falling horribly behind.
While I waited to talk to the bartender, I leaned on the bar and really examined each member of the band. None of them gave off any supernatural energy. Maybe the drummer had a little flash of dwarf blood — of course, a lot of rock stars were supernatural — but nothing more than that.
“What can I get you?” the harried 50-something bartender asked me. She was a sturdy woman who looked like she didn’t take shit from anyone. I pulled out a photo of Mr. Morty and his brother. “You know either of these guys?”
She glanced at the photo then suspiciously up at me. “You a cop?”
“No, ma’am. More like a private eye kind of deal.”
“Private eye?” she repeated as she started mixing someone else’s drink.
“Not exactly. But kind of.”
She must have decided that I wasn’t going to be trouble. “Little elfs. Yeah, I’ve seen ‘em both. Not sure I ever saw ‘em together, though.”
“They’re brothers.”
She looked back at the photo. “Sorta see a resemblance. They in trouble?”
“They both disappeared. One a few weeks ago, and the other one just the other day.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She finished the whiskey Manhattan with a couple of bright red maraschino cherries.
I decided to take a chance. “You ever heard of the Enchantress?”
“Nope,” she said too quickly, and I swore I saw something flash behind her eyes. Was it fear? Or something else? I couldn’t be sure, but apparently I wasn’t going to find out because she picked up the drink and buzzed off down the bar. “Sorry. Busy night.”
Not getting an answer felt like the answer. She’d clearly reacted to the name Enchantress. And the bartender was a woman who looked like she was hard to intimate.
For the first time since we arrived, I was starting to think that maybe I was on the right track. I made my way back to our table, where Ellie had finished her drink and half of mine.
“Hi!” She sort of swayed. That was totally fine with me seeing as I was both working and driving.
“Hey, sorry I was gone a while.”
“Did you find out anything?” she whispered. Ellie clearly loved the idea of playing detective with me.
“I’m not sure.” I took a seat. “You okay if we hang around for a while?”
“Only if I get another margarita!”
Oh boy.
I agreed, and we hung around until almost 2am, hoping something interesting would happen.
It didn’t.
Even Serena and her friends finally bailed. After Ellie drained her second margarita, she looked like she was going to fall asleep.
“Hey party girl,” I said, standing up. “Why don’t we head home?”
“No!” Her eyes fluttered open. “We’re just getting started.”
I finally persuaded her that because we both had early classes in the morning, we should call it a night. The band had wrapped up an hour ago. Business was winding down as people trickled out.
As I settled up our bill, I couldn’t help but notice that the bartender managed to avoid eye contact with me.
“Thanks. Come again.” She hurried away.
The parking lot was mostly empty as we stepped into the cool, damp evening air. I zipped up my leather jacket and pulled my scarf a little tighter.
Halfway to my car, Ellie said, “What’s the sound?”
“I don’t hear anything,” I replied, listening harder.
“Shhhh.” She grabbed my ar
m and we stopped. Standing very still, I heard the faint sound of singing drifting over the top of the Seahorse Inn from the ocean side of the building.
“Who is that?” I asked.
“I don’t know but it’s freaking beautiful,” slurred a tipsy Ellie.
We slunk along the hotel, around the corner, and onto the narrow sidewalk that led down to the beachfront.
The mesmerizing sound of the woman’s voice got louder as we approached the back of the Inn. That melodious song was otherworldly.
“Look.” Ellie pointed out to the darkened beach, where three men stood on the sand gazing up at the second floor. They looked like they’d been hypnotized. I recognized two of the men from the bar.
We stayed hidden in the shadows at the side of the building. The singer stood on a balcony above us. I peeked out just far enough to see her shadow, but from where I was I couldn’t get a good look at her face.
“Who is that?” Ellie asked.
“I’m pretty sure she’s siren,” I replied.
Sirens were rare on the cold Pacific Coast. Most dwelled in the warmer waters of the Caribbean or the Mediterranean Seas. They were known to be docile water nymphs, far less powerful, or dangerous, than merfolk.
“She must be the Enchantress,” I whispered to Ellie. It all made sense now. “It’s her song that’s enchanting them.”
“Who is she? Cause I think I love her.” She inched forward, trying to look around the corner.
“She’s trying to mesmerize you,” I said, pulling a clean tissue from my jacket pocket. I tore it in half, wadded it into a ball and stuffed it into Ellie’s ears. I was pretty sure a siren’s magical song only worked on the opposite sex, but considering Ellie’s inebriated and susceptible state, I didn’t want to take any chances. “Don’t give into her song.”
“What?” she asked a little too loudly, and I knew the improvised ear plugs were working.
“You stay here and keep an eye out,” I said, leaning in close enough for her to hear me. “I’ll go take a look.”
“Okay, I’ll be your backup.” Her eyes got big. “I think I need a gun.”
“You’re fine,” I said as I slid along the wall and under the balcony. The singing continued, while the three men just stood there gazing with puppy dog eyes up at the singer. They were most certainly enchanted.