Arcane Magic (Stella Mayweather Series)

by Camilla Chafer

"It was just so weird. I knew every single one of them was a werewolf, yet I couldn't get any sense that they were." We were sitting in the Number One Diner after spending a couple of hours exploring the town, discreetly this time. Tobias Grigg did not need to warn us twice, but as Gage pointed out, the room was already paid for a couple more nights, and we weren't in any hurry to leave. Now, we were talking in low voices. In between bites, I mused out loud just how strange the previous day's encounter had been, and how frustrating it was to learn nothing new today.

  "I don't get it," said Gage. His empty plate – with double of everything — lay to one side and I was half afraid he might lick the plate clean and order a second one. He was already on his second coffee. Despite Tobias Grigg's suggestion that we leave town, we felt no urgency, especially since I suggested we try talking to Rebecca once more. Unfortunately, it didn't appear to be her shift at the diner, which meant we'd have to return later to look for her.

  "Me either. There should have been something, but it was like they were plain, ordinary people." I ripped a packet of sugar open and dumped it in my coffee, giving it a despondent stir as I thought back to the meeting. Identifying supernatural traits was a relatively simple thing to do, and it was practically second nature to me; so why I couldn't identify a single werewolf in a room full of werewolves? It was another mystery Rockford kept from me. I had to wonder why since it shouldn't have been feasibly possible.

  "How the hell can a wolf be a wolf, and not be a wolf?" Gage asked, glancing upwards.

  "That's what I want to know," I said, turning my head to follow a woman as she walked past. I had the strange feeling she was a witch. A moment later, another one walked past. This one was a male on the opposite side of the road. Neither appeared to notice me.

  "Maybe you're broken," said Gage. "Maybe you need to go to the witchy bodyshop and get serviced." He raised his eyes suggestively, and I laughed before shaking my head.

  "Nope. I just saw two witches," I told him.

  "So... you can sense them, but not the wolves?"

  "Yeah, it's almost like..." I paused, thinking hard as an idea tickled the edges of my mind. Could that be what they were doing? A spark flickered again. Evan taught me how to register a supernatural; as well as how to recognise a creature’s true nature when it was hidden, so that meant... Of course! True natures could be hidden. Did someone manage to go one step further and hide the natures of an entire community? I continued hurriedly, excited now that I had the thread of an idea to follow. "I think they're hiding their wolf sides somehow. Like with a..."

  "A spell," finished Gage. He sat back and looked out onto the street. "Why in the sun and the sky would a werewolf want to hide his or her true nature?"

  "Not just a werewolf, but a whole pack," I reminded him. "I've never heard of a spell that could do that, but it doesn't mean one doesn't exist."

  "Whatever it is, it affected Kevin Wyatt too. Why wouldn't Tobias mention that?"

  I sipped my coffee, trying to discern the valid thoughts from all the others racing around my head. "Maybe he doesn't want us to know," I decided, focusing on the simplest explanation. "Neither of us asked him why we couldn't sense him, or any member of the pack. It wasn't until he identified himself that I knew for sure he was a werewolf."

  "Same as I." Gage nodded as he rested back in the booth, his arms folded across his chest. "I got no sense he was a wolf; never mind a packmaster, and I can usually tell the difference, no problem. You think these witches you just saw have anything to do with the magic spelling them?"

  "I don't know. Maybe if I got close enough to one of them, I could find out."

  "I'm guessing you're not going to ask?"

  "No, and besides, since you already said Tobias didn't mention the disguise spell, if that's what it is, I think we should keep what we suspect a secret."

  "You think he doesn't know how the disguise spell works? If a witch did this to them, shouldn't he know you'd sense that it was strange?"

  "I don't think Tobias knows a lot about magic," I replied. "And that's assuming that he's the one behind it."

  "He's packmaster," Gage said decisively as he waved to the waitress and asked for the check. "Whatever is going down in this town, he knows about it. I don't think Rebecca is coming. Let's hunt down your witches until the shift changes."

  A few minutes later, we were outside, looking for either witch. "They went that way," I said, pointing. "She wore a purple coat and jeans, I think, and had pale brown hair. The guy had a black jacket and jeans, but wore a black beanie on his head."

  "That doesn't narrow the guys down much," Gage said as he looked around. A lot of the men were similarly attired, their hands thrust into their pockets. "We should look for the woman. The purple will stand out. Was she carrying anything?"

  "A bag over her shoulder, I think. I was surprised when I saw her, so I didn't think to look."

  We walked a block, peering into store windows as inconspicuously as we could in case she were inside, but the witch was nowhere to be found so we kept walking. "What if we split up?" asked Gage as we paused, looking frustrated. "Can you handle yourself?"

  "Yes. You?"

  "Very funny," laughed Gage, but there was no amusement in his voice. "We don't know what we're up against here. This is a damn weird, little town, and that's for sure. Witches. Disguised werewolves. A pack member no one seems overly concerned about. Helluva lot o’ secrets."

  "What will you do if you find her first?" I asked, looking about, hoping upon hope that the purple-jacketed witch would just appear and end our search.

  Gage pulled a face. "Didn't think of that." He continued saying something, but a movement in the corner of my eye distracted me. As he continued, I looked for what grasped my attention on the crowded street. People parted, and there she was, the black-haired demon I saw only once before, thousands of miles away. What the hell was she doing here? I reached for Gage's wrist, gripping it as he faltered in his speech, while I focused on her. She had her head bowed, talking to someone I couldn't see. Though the person had his back to me, I could tell by the cut of his clothing and his stance that it was a man and he was almost as tall as she, although a good deal stockier. Then the crowd swallowed them again for a moment. When it dispersed and parted again, the pair had vanished. "What is it?" asked Gage. "You see the witches?"

  "A demon."

  "You have got to be kidding me! This is like a bad joke. What do you get when you put together two witches, a demon, and a pack of spell-bound werewolves?"

  "Danger," I suggested as I continued to search for the female.

  "Did you recognise him?"

  "Her; and yes, I've seen her before."

  "Where?"

  I hesitated. "At Evan's house."

  Gage grunted. After a moment, he asked, "When?"

  "A few days ago. I don't see her now. I think she's gone."

  "A few days ago?" Gage repeated slowly before looking away. "What were you doing at Evan's house a few days ago?" he asked, when he turned back to me. His face seemed carefully impassive except for a slight, stiff pull on his lips.

  "I can't say," I told him, cringing inwardly because I knew he was assuming something that didn't happen. "I can't tell you why I was there, only that it wasn't a social call."

  "I thought you went to the city."

  "I did, but I had to go there too."

  "No wonder you couldn't shimmer up here," said Gage, the faintest hint of bitterness lacing his voice. "That's a lot of ground to cover... I knew you were powerful, but that's something else. States mean nothing. Oceans mean nothing."

  "Yeah, well, it sapped my power and I'm not back to full strength yet. I still don't see her," I added, glad for an excuse to turn away and search the street, rather than looking up at Gage and seeing the hurt in his eyes.

  "Maybe that's a good thing. I don't know if I want to run into a demon right now. Too much weirdness."

  "Scared cub," I teased, poking him gently in the ribs until he grinn
ed. His arm went around me as he wordlessly pulled me closer, rubbing my upper arm, almost like he was telling me it was okay, or he wasn't mad at me. At that moment, just as my cheek rested against his chest, I caught sight of the demon woman across the street. She was walking next to the man and they appeared rapt in conversation. "I see her. We should try and find out who she's talking to."

  "Aww, hell. Why not? This day cannot get any weirder."

  Hand-in-hand, we darted across the street, following quickly as the pair turned the corner. We rounded it cautiously, holding back as the pair entered a store. "What could they want with a book shop?" asked Gage as we both read the hand-painted sign.

  "Maybe they want a book?" I deadpanned, though I was just as bemused. It didn't strike me that the demon would come all this way for any old book, not since the internet. Gage poked me in the ribs and I swatted his hand away, glad he was feeling playful again, and relieved that my heart was slowing from its quick race a moment earlier.

  "So, Evan's house..." Gage started as we waited, our eyes fixed on the bookshop. "Did you see him?"

  "Yes."

  "And...?"

  "And he was kind of frosty, okay? We barely spoke."

  "And this was right before the baby's naming ceremony?"

  "Yes."

  "Okay," said Gage. He didn't ask any more questions, although I expected him to. Instead, we waited quietly, and after a few minutes, the pair emerged. This time, the man's face was clear before they turned away, both walking in opposite directions. "Is that Hal Hoag?"

  "I was just going to ask you the same thing," I said, taking in the man's build. I thought of the same name moments after seeing the pair.

  "Don't suppose you were going to suggest this had something to do with why Tobias wants us out of town, too?"

  "Yup."

  "We need to locate the waitress. Whatever she knows, we need to find out," Gage said as we took off after the pair. We hung back again and I wondered if Gage could sense that my heart was beating faster. Another block, and Hal climbed into a car and took off. "No hope of following him," said Gage, turning back towards the demon. "Let's see where she goes."

  As it happened, she didn’t go far, but turned the corner quickly, and we almost missed her, hurrying forwards. Only as we passed the alleyway did I catch a flash of her ebony hair. I tugged Gage to a stop, and we reversed direction so abruptly, a couple that was walking hurriedly as they bickered behind us, nearly bumped right into us. After apologising, and moving around them, we edged slowly past the empty alleyway.

  "She's gone," I said as we stopped, mid-point. "She vanished."

  Gage sniffed the air. "Where?"

  "Who knows? I might be able to get a read if we go into the alley."

  "Against my better judgment, let's go," Gage agreed. "But if she jumps out on us..."

  I shivered, remembering the sharpness of her teeth. I didn't know which scared me more: her race's reputed viciousness, or seeing her hands on Evan in such a familiar way. I winced. "Don't!"

  The alley was as empty as I guessed it might be, and only the faintest trace of magic remained. I sent out my own to feel for any residual magic, but I couldn't get a fix on where she had gone. Demon magic was too complicated, and far too different from mine; hence, I couldn't make any sense of it. But it was fortuitous that we stopped because, upon exiting the alley, we walked straight into Rebecca.

  "Sorry," she said, blinking in recognition as she looked up before lowering her chin and darting around us.

  "No, wait. Please," I said, hurrying after her. "Rebecca?"

  "Go away," she hissed as I caught up alongside her. I could feel Gage only a couple of paces behind, but he didn't make any move to join us.

  "I can't. I need to know about Kevin Wyatt. Please, you're the only one who can help us."

  She stopped, darting a glance behind us as Gage moved to her free side. "You already spoke to the pack. I know they picked you up," she whispered.

  "We met Tobias Grigg. But he didn't tell us a thing."

  Rebecca frowned. "What did you say to him?"

  "Nothing."

  "What did you say about Kevin?"

  "Nothing. I don't know anything about him. All I want to know from you is why he came to see me."

  "Did he give you anything?" Rebecca asked.

  "No, but he... he had an envelope for me; but you knew that, didn't you?"

  Rebecca darted another glance around us, then drew us into a narrow alley between two stores. "He was coming to warn you."

  "Warn Stella? What about?" Gage asked, filling the alley's entrance with his frame and cutting us off from prying eyes.

  "You shouldn't have come here," Rebecca said, ignoring him. "What happened to the message?"

  "Kevin was dead when I found him, and the message was gone. What was in it?"

  "I don't know. Kevin never told me."

  "How do you know him?" asked Gage. "And what's your connection to the pack?"

  "Kevin was my best friend. We've known each other forever, since we were kids. And the pack? They're my pack, too."

  I blinked in surprise, although I knew I shouldn't have. "How come I can't tell you're a werewolf?"

  "You're not supposed to be able to," said Rebecca. "Tobias called us all together one night and told us we needed extra protection. He asked a witch to perform a spell on us. It seemed a good idea after all the things we heard from the Witches’ Council about Noah Wilde's punishment. None of us wanted to be hunted, so we all agreed; but Kevin said there was something strange about it. Does Tobias know you know?"

  "No, I don't think so."

  "Oh, good," Rebecca sighed, her shoulders dropping from their previously hunched position. She leaned against the wall and sucked in a breath.

  "Why's that? It doesn't seem to be any secret," said Gage.

  "Because Kevin said he found out what Tobias was really up to, and it has nothing to do with protecting us."

  "What is he up to?" I pressed.

  Rebecca waved her hands in the air, her voice rising in panic as she replied, "I just don't know. Kevin wouldn't tell me. He just said someone had to get the information to the Council before it was too late."

  "Why didn't he go directly to Étoile Winterstorm?" asked Gage.

  "Everyone knows the Council is having a tough time keeping order. With so many problems going on, he didn't think she'd listen to him, especially as he's a nobody. That's what he said. He was trying to think of a way to get a message to them when he remembered how they all stood up for you at your trial. He said you knew everyone and they protected you. He said you could help if he could convince you that the Council was in imminent danger, so we asked our friend to magick him there, making sure that no one knew he was gone. It was supposed to be a secret. The magic would last long enough for him to get the message to you and explain; then it would return him. Only..."

  "Only someone else discovered what Kevin was going to do," said Gage. "And they got to him first."

  "Yeah, I figured that out when I heard he was dead." Rebecca pressed her face into her hands and sniffed hard. When she raised her head again, there were tears in her eyes and she roughly brushed them away with her sleeves.

  "When we spoke to the pack, we didn't get the impression that they were telling us the truth," I told her. "And they want us gone, like yesterday."

  "Then you should go. Get out of Rockford and don't come back. Please," said Rebecca. "Kevin gave up his life trying to warn you."

  "We need to know what he was warning us about," I told her. "If it was something or someone, I need to know what or who. Is there anyone else he might have told? Another friend? Someone he trusted?"

  "No, he said not to trust anyone. He didn't know how many of the pack knew what was really going on; and he made me promise not to say anything. Look, I have to go. I can't be seen talking to either of you."

  "We need your witch friend. The one who performed the spell to disguise everyone and also transported Kevin
to Stella's house. Give us her name and we won't disturb you again," said Gage as Rebecca's face crumpled.

  "She was killed two days ago in a car accident. They said she lost control of the car, but I know it's a lie. She helped Kevin, but she didn't help the pack. That was some out-of-town witch. Beautiful, but... really creepy. Yeah, she gave me the creeps. She had..."

  "Long black hair," I finished, making another connection in the puzzle.

  "Yeah, that's her," Rebecca nodded, pushing past us and catching Gage and me both off guard as we glanced at each other. "I have to go. Do not approach me again. I don't want to die," she said, looking furiously at us both before she departed, hurrying away as fast as she could.

  We waited silently in the alleyway, neither of us daring to follow Rebecca. If her allegations were true, we had just uncovered a frightening plot; and to make matters worse, the demon female was colluding somehow with Tobias Grigg.

  "We need to know what was in that note," I said. "It's not enough to tell Étoile there's a plot against her. She'll just say there is always a plot against her. We need the details."

  "I agree, but I don't think we'll get any more information here and I'm kind of worried about what this pack might do. If they're behind Kevin Wyatt's death, and that witch too, there's no telling what these people could do next. And, since I don't want to be next, I suggest we leave in the morning," he decided. "There's no point leaving now. It'll be dark soon, and we might not find another motel. Let's head back to the Oak Ridge. We won't find anymore help here."

  I nodded my agreement, wondering when Gage was going to mention the minor detail of the demon female; but as we stepped out of the alleyway, another thought occurred to me. "I think I know someone who can help us."

  ~

  While Gage stepped outside, his cell phone in hand, only moments after we returned to the Oak Ridge, I called Micah. Prior to our breakup, I would have called Evan, but despite his pleasant manners when I handed the package to him, he wasn't exactly friendly. I didn’t feel welcomed by him, and he certainly wasn’t warm. Plus, after observing his connection to the demon female, I couldn't be convinced he wasn't involved somehow. A large part of me believed that Evan wouldn't do anything to hurt Étoile or the Council, but another, more worried part of me chided that maybe I didn't know a thing about the man I loved anymore. Perhaps he had his own agenda. Perhaps he was more aligned with the demons than I ever conceived. Rebecca's comments about the red-headed demon, not to mention, seeing her with my own eyes, were two things I just couldn't ignore any longer.