The Liar, The Witch and The Cellar (Welcome To Witch County Book 2)

by C. M. Cevis

  “Have you ever helped a ghost?”

  Luna and Liza exchanged a look.

  “Sometimes. I’ve helped those peaceful ones who want to get a message to a loved one, and I’ve helped calm some of the angry ones so they could move on and stop terrorizing families. But just as good intentions don’t fix problems, I don’t want to make anything worse. I’m careful which situations I step in on.”

  Luna was making a list of things to gather. She had most of what she needed, plant-wise, but she was going to have to go into town for a carrier oil. Rose oil should work. She made a note to buy enough for several tries.

  “Luna?” Asher’s voice brought he back around to the conversation.

  “Hm?”

  “I said, you didn’t tell me you’ve been going to therapy.”

  Luna glanced at Liza. Her twin had known Luna hadn’t had a chance to tell Ash, and now it looked like she was hiding something.

  “I’ve only been once, and it was just yesterday. This is the first time I’ve seen you since then,” she explained.

  “How’d it go?”

  Luna shrugged. That was her honest opinion. “It wasn’t terrible. We just talked. And the doctor seems nice enough, though his office is strange.”

  Asher frowned. “How so?”

  “Like makes me slightly uneasy, but I can’t tell you why.”

  Asher looked at Liza, her face still concerned.

  “I was trying to stay out of the way, so I didn’t do anything other than sit still and be quiet. I’m going to check it out next time, though. Luna’s instincts are always spot on.”

  Asher nodded. “I’ve noticed. I can go poke around the place at night too, see if I smell anything odd.”

  “Sometimes I forget that you’re a shifter.” Liza laughed.

  “If you don’t mind, Ash, that’d be great. This is supposed to be helping me feel better, not make me more paranoid.”

  “Mom and I were going to go get some exercise tonight. There’s no reason we can’t head over that way while we’re out. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

  Luna stood up, stretching after the hours of being hunched over old books. “We need to go see Bella. I need a carrier oil, and while I think rose will work, I want to make sure. And I know she’ll have what I need.”

  “Where’s Zelda?” Liza asked.

  “Upstairs. She said she stayed out too late and drank too much last night.” Luna laughed. “She was very happy when she stumbled in, but she’s been asleep since then. I checked on her before I came down and left some water beside the bed.”

  “We should leave a note too.”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ve always wanted to see the special stuff Bella has, but I’ve never had a reason to! She doesn’t just bring things out for the curious,” Asher said, bounding to her feet.

  “Nope. You have to at least know what kind of material you’re looking for. She doesn’t want any attention that she didn’t ask for, and I get that.” Luna shoved the list in her pocket. She got wanting to be incognito more than just about anyone else in that town, and while Bella didn’t know about her past, she seemed to know that they were similar in that way.

  Luna whipped the spell back over the books… and then stopped dead in her tracks.

  “What?” Liza asked.

  Luna started to giggle. “We’re slow,” she said through her laughs.

  Asher and Liza shared a look that said they were concerned for Luna’s sanity.

  “What are you talking about?” Asher asked.

  “We just spent all this time looking for a spell to basically reboot the protections that had already been in place, right?” The girls nodded. “Like I just did for that book spell?”

  Liza eyes widened, and suddenly she was laughing too. “We figured that out months ago!”

  “And the three of us just spent all this time trying to figure out a new way to do something we already know how to do,” Luna replied, shaking her head.

  “Oh my goodness,” Asher said, putting her head in her hands.

  “We need coffee or something. Let’s stop past the café on our way.” Luna grabbed her purse and keys, jotting down a note for Zelda on the side table in the entry hallway.

  “Yay staff discounts.” Asher grinned. “And yay because today is the day the new chocolate blend comes in. We should try it.”

  “You know me so well, Ash. Let’s go.”

  18

  Bella’s shop always smelled good. The incense, no matter the scent, promoted peace and clear-headedness. That was thanks to Luna. It had been a birthday gift for Bella, and she’d loved it so much that Luna re-upped her regularly. Luna kept her own stash, but in infused-oil form, all over the B&B.

  “Back again so soon?” she asked before she looked up from what looked to be a bit of paperwork. The fun bits of owning a business. “And with company.”

  “You know Asher, right?” Luna asked.

  Bella nodded. “I do. She’s never been in my store to ask for the same types of items you do.”

  “She’s not the same kind of person that I am,” Luna said with a wink.

  “But she is aware. Good to know.” Bella turned her gaze back to Asher. “Since you are aware, you may ask for my special stock, should you need anything from it.”

  Asher smiled and nodded. “What about this incense? It smells like Luna’s house and she won’t tell me what it is.”

  Bella laughed. “Luna gave it to me, so I can’t help you there. But you are right, it does smell amazing.”

  “I always feel so…” Asher inhaled and turned her eyes upward, searching for the right word. “Calm when I catch a whiff of it.”

  Luna and Bella exchanged a look.

  “That would be the magic that I added,” Luna explained.

  Asher gasped. “Is that why you won’t tell me what it is? You are such a meanie. You could have just told me that.”

  “It is way more fun to watch you try and figure out why you can’t recreate it.” Luna laughed. It had been Liza who encouraged Luna not to tell her. But Luna had listened, so she was willing to take her part of the blame for teasing Ash.

  Liza slid up beside Asher. “I’m pretty sure I got a bit of me mixed in with the last batch Lu gave Bella. She’s been a lot more prolific on reading people lately.”

  The two stifled a laugh as Bella looked from one to the other, eyes bright. “It’s been a long time since anyone has come in here with such a pure relationship. You guys really care about each other simply because of who you are, and it’s wonderful.”

  Luna slung an arm around Asher’s shoulders and smiled at the craft store owner. “Thanks, Bella. Asher is definitely one of a kind.” She leaned against the front desk. “I’m looking for a spell carrier oil—one that’s going to get wear and tear.”

  “Wear and tear?” Bella repeated. “Tell me more.”

  “The spell is one of protection around a doorway. I need the oil to hold the spell despite being turned on and off often. I thought rose oil might do it, but you would know better than I would.”

  Bella took a few moments to think before she spoke again. “Rose oil, yes, but it’s going to need something else to keep its strength or you’re going to have to touch up the spell pretty frequently. Let me see if I have…” Her voice trailed off as she moved through the doorway that led to her non-public stores.

  “Does she often trail off like that?” Asher murmured, head cocked.

  Luna nodded. “She probably did finish the thought, we just couldn’t hear her.”

  “I’d have heard her,” Asher said softly.

  Right, shifter hearing. Luna forgot the magnified senses that came along with that sometimes. “Then it was probably in her head. I’ve just gotten used to her doing it when she’s thinking.”

  Asher giggled. “At least you know she’s putting some real thought into what you need.”

  “She’s never let me down. I can do a lot on my own, but vessels are som
ething I’ve never been able to get the hang of. It’s a rare skill.”

  Asher’s eyes lit up. “Is that why she’s always got weekend out-of-towners in here? Her shop seems to draw so many from far away.”

  Luna nodded. “Bella is the best vessel witch for miles, maybe in the state. She doesn’t advertise because… well, because she’s a private person, but really because she doesn’t need to. Word of mouth keeps up a steady stream of regulars and whoever the regulars bring. It works very well for her and for the witches who need her skill.”

  “I didn’t know witchcraft was so specialized,” Asher breathed, looking around with new interest.

  “Every witch has something they are best at. Some specialties are just harder to come by.”

  “Like finding vessels?”

  Luna nodded. “Like finding vessels. Good ones, anyway.”

  “Or alchemy. If Luna wanted the attention, she could have customers from all over,” Liza added from where she stood, transparently on the other side of the shop. She was eying a beautiful nightshade plant that Luna was envious of. Bella’s was much happier than hers.

  “But I don’t want the attention,” Luna replied softly.

  “Did you have the attention before…” Asher let the question trail off.

  Luna cleared her throat and shifted, her gaze flicking to the doorway into the shop’s backroom where Bella had disappeared. “Sometimes.”

  Asher nodded and let the subject drop as Bella stuck her head through the doorway.

  “I’m pretty sure rose oil and a bit of ivy will do it. How much do you need?”

  “Enough to possibly do it wrong a few times.”

  Bella chuckled. “Right, I’ll get one of the larger bottles down. It’ll just be a moment,” she said, retreating again.

  “Do you think it’s because it’s not getting enough light?” Liza asked, her attention still on the nightshade plant. “It’s in the basement, after all.”

  “Maybe. It only needs a little light. And if I put it outside and some poor animal thinks it’s food, I’ll feel terrible.”

  “What about a greenhouse? One of those small ones that doesn’t draw a lot of attention.”

  Luna had thought about starting a garden in the back, near the shed. But maybe that would be a better spot for a small greenhouse to keep animals away from some of her deadlier plants that liked a bit of sun. She could start her normie garden closer to the house.

  “We can stop past the hardware store,” Luna thought quickly to her sister as Bella returned.

  “Here you go. If you need more, call first. I’m out of ready-to-go ivy, so I’ll need some lead time.”

  Luna took the paper bag that contained her purchase and nodded her understanding.

  “Got it. Thank you again, Bella. How much do I owe you?”

  Bella waved off Luna’s wallet. “Nothing. Go.”

  Luna eyed Bella. “Bella, I can’t just—”

  “Yes, you can. This one is on the house. You always overpay, Luna. For once, let me do something nice for you as a thank you. Take it.”

  Luna smiled and leaned across the counter and hugged Bella tightly. Not something she normally would have done, nor was it something Bella would probably allow from anyone else, but this was special.

  “Come past the house for dinner sometime, Bells.”

  Bella hesitated. “When?”

  “Whenever. You are always welcome. And now I’ve got a reason to want to cook for you.”

  Bella smiled as she and Asher waved goodbye to each other, and the two of them left her to her vessels and plants.

  19

  Rowan was holding onto Maya’s hand tightly as they watched the proceedings from the balcony. The room was massive, built to contain both the ruling council, their families, and the public that managed to get there in time to fit inside. There were rows upon rows of bench seats on the floor below, and not one inch of space was empty. Then again, it wasn’t every day that you got to watch a Prince be punished.

  Under normal circumstances, Maya would have appreciated how well appointed the room was. She loved the warm woods that peeked out from under the runners in the aisles, as well as the hand carved furniture that sat on the raised platform just under the ornate stained glass windows. But today, none of that mattered. She wasn’t there to appreciate the architecture, or to meet with some noble about a concern that wasn’t actually important. Today, she was there to watch her son pay for his actions, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

  Queen or not, she nor her husband had been allowed into the chamber as deliberations were held, and now she was far away and under guards who weren’t beholden to her. They were there to keep her and her husband in their seats and silent while her son stood before the people on the floor below and learned his fate.

  “Gideon Owen Light, prince of the fair fae kingdom, have you been advised of the transgressions that brought you before us?” a male fae boomed over the almost-silent crowd. His name was Vernon, a slight man in stature, quite old, but stronger and more cognizant than he looked. He spoke for the council in charge of this process.

  “I have,” Gideon replied, his response sure. He had known that his choice would have a consequence, and he’d stated that he was ready to face it. They’d all gone out to dinner together the night before, and Maya had realized it might be the last time for a while.

  “The council has convened over the past several days, spoken to witnesses and those directly involved in the situation, and come to what we believe is a fair and just consequence. You are permitted to say something in your own defense, should you feel the need to do so, but know that the time to sway opinions on this matter has passed.”

  Gideon nodded. “I understand, and I am ready for my punishment.”

  The council didn’t like the word punishment, even though that was what they were handing out. Whatever was about to happen had been decided already and wasn’t going to be changed. Those were the rules.

  “In response to your actions that led to the seduction and violation of a neighboring kingdom’s celebrity princess, violation of centuries old treaties in place to prevent the use of magic on those who we are allied with, and for possibly starting a war that is still being negotiated as we speak…”

  Maya winced. Gideon had really stepped in it this time, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She had instructed Liz to play nice and fire off gifts and favors in her best attempt to stop something ugly. She still wasn’t sure that all was well, but she’d had to take even more time away from her office to be there for him today.

  “… We the council have sentenced you the exile to the human world for a period of twenty-one days. During that time, you are not allowed to use any of your abilities, or your time away from your home and family will be extended accordingly.”

  Maya felt her eyes widen. They were exiling her son? There was no way that they could do that! She was on her feet in an instant, mouth open to object, when a low voice rumbled in her ear, “Your Majesty, please don’t make us draw our weapons to make you sit down.”

  She glanced back at the chief guard, nodded, and slowly sat.

  The sentence was better than what a commoner would have been given, and she needed to hold onto that. If Gideon hadn’t been royalty, he’d have been charged with treason and thrown in jail. Knowing that didn’t make Maya feel any better.

  “Since the guardian gate has woken up, there is once again a guardian in the human world who is capable of handling this request. You will be escorted through the gate in restraints and will be barred from returning until your time is up.”

  Vernon’s gaze traveled across the floor and up to the balcony where Maya sat, her hands gripping the railing.

  “As a courtesy to your mother, the queen will be allowed to escort you through with a guard at her side. She will deposit you with the guardian, say her farewell, and leave without fuss.”

  Escorting her son was meant to make this easier on her. T
hey could have simply ripped him from the palace when they were ready and spirited him away, and there would be nothing she could do about it. But part of her found it hard to see accompanying her son to his banishment as a gift.

  “I understand,” Gideon replied, his voice soft. “I apologize for the trouble I have caused.”

  Vernon looked back at the prince before him. “See that you do. None of us enjoy being jury over your life, Prince Gideon. You and your choices have forced us into this position more often than any of us would like.”

  “Yes sir,” Gideon replied.

  “The prince will be released into the custody of his parents until it is time for him to leave. Might I suggest that he pack some sort of bag for his time among the humans, and use the time away to reflect on his actions.”

  Gideon nodded, and Maya turned and pushed her way past the guards to go to her son on the floor, since she was now allowed to. She wasn’t sure how long she had until it was time, and there would be no warning, she knew. For now, she was going to help him prepare, and then spend every moment that she could with him until he left.

  ~*~

  The first try at the spell had caused the doorway to catch fire and stay that way no matter what Luna did. It took her almost forty minutes to figure out how to put it out, and the basement was still a bit smoky.

  Now Luna was prepped and ready to begin attempt two.

  “Are you sure about this one?” Liza asked.

  Luna smirked and shrugged her shoulders. “Reasonably.”

  “Isn’t that what you said last time?” Asher asked, giving Luna a sideways look.

  “Listen, if you can’t be a cheerleader, you can go home,” Luna replied.

  Asher laughed. “Sorry, sorry, I believe in you. This one will work, I know it.”

  “That makes one of us,” Luna breathed.

  She picked up the bowl that contained the rose oil and ivy, amounts altered based on reasonable conjecture from the results of the first attempt. In her other hand, she held a makeshift brush of oak bark and fine horsehair. She’d created this brush for the protective concoction spread around her entry ways, when the brush materials had mattered. In this case, the brush was just a choice of ease.