by Lauren Quick
The shop was nearly empty, save for a skinny witch peeking out from behind a curtain. Mumbled voices followed. A hefty wizard wearing a tight T-shirt with the sleeves cut off pushed through the curtain and took a seat. Vivi noticed that the tattoo artist was wearing dark sunglasses indoors in the middle of the night. That’s weird. Both of his arms were covered in elaborate snake tattoos winding around his biceps. He pulled a cart toward him and opened a sleek black-lacquered box filled with colorful ink bottles and a strange tattoo gun with a wand attached to it. That’s interesting.
“Back again, Jack Rabbit,” the tattoo artist said.
“Like I have a choice,” he said and rolled up his sleeve, exposing a surprisingly realistic tattoo on his upper arm of a rabbit with huge ears. The shading and detail were quite beautiful. Vivi could even make out whiskers.
Strange name: Jack Rabbit, especially for a wizard who proudly wore goat horns. Perhaps it was a nickname given to him by the Darklander. Vivi guessed Billy Goat would be too on the nose and smiled to herself.
The machine sparked to life. The tattoo artist’s body jerked, the sunglasses falling askew on his face. His eyes went wide and milky white. Vivi gasped. She’d seen eyes like that before when she delivered the potion to Maybelle Cinder. The tattoo artist was a sender.
His hands groped for the tattoo gun and he began to draw into Jack’s forearm, except the ink moved across the skin in a shimmering black line. Jack wasn’t getting a real tattoo. He was receiving a message, but from who? Vivi tried to focus on the image appearing on the wizard’s arm. She squinted. Words materialized on his skin. It read: Track Strange to 5 Larkspur Lane in two days’ time.
Vivi’s heart raced. She knew the address well. It was Clover’s house.
What did this mean? Who sent this message to him and why in all of Everland was it to Clover’s house? Vivi watched as a date appeared on the wizard’s skin. She glanced around the shop and found a calendar hanging on the wall. She’d jumped two days into the future and the date on his arm was for two days from then. That gave her four days before Jack Rabbit paid her sister a visit. The aunts would be visiting Clover at that time. That was why they came to her mind. It was all starting to make sense.
The tattoo gun sparked and sputtered to a stop. The artist raised his head and removed the crooked sunglasses from his face. “I hope you’re satisfied with the message,” he said, cryptically.
“It’ll do.” Jack Rabbit smiled, staring intently at the address. “I got it.” He rubbed his arm and the ink disappeared, evaporating into the air.
Vivi watched Jack stride down the street, but something wasn’t right. The once active street was empty. A lone witch, dressed in sky-high heels and a skin-tight skirt sauntered down the street toward him. Her hair was bleached blonde and teased, her make-up thick and bright. She was staring right at him with a big smile, and when she approached, she looped her arm through his and brought him to a stop. “Where’ve you been, baby? I’ve been looking all over for you.” She clutched his arm for dear life, rubbing her hand on him until he loosened her grip with a shove.
Vivi’s stomach plummeted. Even through all the make-up she recognized the witch. “Mom! What in Hazel are you doing?” she blurted out, utterly stunned. Elspeth was supposed to be working on a Hex case, but Vivi never expected it to be like this.
“Been busy,” Jack said and pulled away. “I got things to do, places to be. You get it. Maybe next trip.”
“Maybe or maybe not. I got places to be too, you know,” Elspeth said, running her fingers through his hair. Vivi cringed.
Jack gave her a wicked grin and kept on going down the street. Elspeth watched him, turned, and went the other way. The scene paused as Jack Rabbit disappeared and Vivi stayed on her mother. A familiar-looking wizard dressed in all black ducked out of an alley and strode up to her. “Did you get it?” Rye Finn asked. The handsome Hex Division commander’s gaze followed Jack Rabbit down the street.
“Damn right, I got it.” Elspeth smiled and held up her palm, the magical ink from the tattoo now on her skin. How’d she do that? The ink had disappeared.
“This is hitting too close to home,” Elspeth said, gazing at the address. “I’m on this one, Rye. And you can’t make me step aside.”
“Good job, Mayhem. Now get back to the barracks for debrief. We’ll discuss your involvement later.” And then Rye disappeared down the alley he’d come from.
The street shimmered, the image wavering, softening around the edges until disappearing from Vivi’s mind.
Looked like Hex Division had a few tricks of its own and so did her mother.
Vivi sat quietly in the back of Scarlet’s shop and gathered her thoughts.
“How are you doing?” Scarlet asked, handing her a glass of water.
“I’m okay. Maybe a little shaken. It was a lot to take in.” Vivi swallowed a gulp of water, her hands shaking from the rush of energy.
“Did you see anything that might help you?” Scarlet asked, her brow pinching.
“I saw more than I expected to. A lot more. Are you sure this is real? Will what I saw come true?” Vivi’s heart was still pounding in her chest.
Scarlet smiled. “It’s a premonition. It’s a possible future, but also a very probable future considering your skills. I’d bet on it. But nothing is certain. Nothing is in stone. That’s what makes predicting the future so frustrating. Is there something you want to talk about?”
Vivi ran her hands through her hair. “Not really, just that my family is always right in the middle of trouble.”
Scarlet snorted. “I could have told you that without a prophecy.”
8
Vivi shaded her eyes against the bright sun breaking through puffy spring clouds. Trees were budding, birds singing from their perches. Colorful flowers overflowed from shop window boxes. Main Street was buzzing with witches and wizards breaking out of their winter cocoons and enjoying the spring weather. Vivi stopped at Nocturnes and picked up lunch for herself and Pepper on her way back to the potion shop. Balancing the bag on her hip, she pushed open the door and was enveloped in a wave of cackling voices. Pepper was giving a makeshift potion-brewing demo on the front counter, teaching a group of witches how to mix and match different potions.
Without interrupting, Vivi showed her the lunch bag and headed into the back while Pepper rang up the sales. Ever since Vivi decided to offer some potion-mixing demonstrations, business had gone up by twenty percent. Next, they were going to offer monthly classes on potion brewing, bringing in some guest speakers and local business witches, like Tabitha Rosewood from her apothecary to cross-promote their services.
Vivi pulled out two spring salads and a baguette and set out their lunch. After a few minutes Pepper ducked into the back and washed her hands. “Looks delish. I’m starving. How was your session with Scarlet?” she asked, forking a cherry tomato and popping it into her mouth.
“Good, crazy, and a little unnerving all wrapped into one training session. She taught me a new seeing technique, and it was a little unsettling to say the least.” Vivi buttered a hunk of bread.
“Wow. Sounds like you had a productive morning. I’m guessing the unnerving part has to do with seeing possible future events, good and bad.”
“You pegged it.” Vivi poked around in her salad with a fork. “Prophecy is so uncertain. I may have seen something that might happen. Probably will happen.” Vivi threw her hands up. “What am I supposed to do with that information? I can’t ignore it because it was serious, but I can’t be a hundred percent certain what I saw will even happen.”
“That’s frustrating. But you need to trust your instincts. Sort through what’s really important and what’s not. I guess what I’m saying is pick your battles,” Pepper said, shoving a forkful of lettuce into her mouth.
“You’re right, wise witc
h,” Vivi said. “But that means I’m going to have to leave the shop with you in charge this afternoon. I’ve got to head into Stargazer City to check out some things I saw in my premonition that I can’t ignore.”
“No problem. Oh, and I’ve asked Abby Chimes if she could come in and cover the shop tomorrow while we take our trip out to the caves. You haven’t forgotten, right?” Pepper asked and took a bite of salad, chewing while eyeing Vivi with hawk-like intensity.
The Canary Caves. How could I forget? Vivi shifted in her seat. The thought of all those bats in an enclosed space made her a little squeamish. “As long as Abbs can cover, I don’t see a problem at all. I promised you we could visit the bats, and I always try to keep my promises.” Even though I have a deathly fear of getting a bat tangled in my hair.
Abby Chimes worked part-time at the shop to fill in for Pepper and Vivi when they needed time off. She was a student at Haven Academy and a whiz with potions, though her persuasion leaned more toward apothecary and medicinal potions. She was eager to pick up shifts to supplement her income or lack of one.
After lunch, Vivi cleaned up and headed upstairs to change into a pair of dark jeans and low boots. She pulled her hair back and slipped on a light jacket before scribbling a note to her mother. Vivi needed to talk to Elspeth more than ever. Now, if she could just get in touch with her. She thought about sending a note to Rye Finn and trying to find out what was up, but she didn’t want to offend her mom by messaging her boss. That would get her attention in the worst way possible. She’d wait and see if Elspeth responded first before doing anything drastic. Vivi attached the note to Rumor to deliver to the Hex Division barracks where Elspeth was staying and then headed to the Silver Train Station.
While riding into the city, Vivi had time to think. Would she end up finding Devlin first and take him out to the Meadowlands? Is that why the message told Jack Rabbit to track Devlin to Clover’s house? But how and why? She couldn’t make the connection as to how she was going to find him or how anyone else would find out and give Jack Rabbit Clover’s address. The thought of the goat-horned wizard lurking around Clover’s house gave her the creeps. Vivi exhaled deeply and reclined in her seat. Retracing was not a sure thing and it seemed to bring up as many questions as it offered answers.
The coin was still her best clue. Finding out what kind of coin it was and fast was her top priority. Maybe then she’d get a clearer idea of who this Devlin Strange was and what role he had to play in her future.
The train pulled into the station and Vivi grabbed a folded parchment map off a rack on her way out. She hurried through the streets to Honora’s office, but unfortunately her sister wasn’t there. The new receptionist, a wizard with short green hair, let her into Honora’s locked office, where she plopped into a chair and examined the map she’d grabbed while she waited. She traced her finger along the Halo district and imagined what she might find there.
Jenny poked her head into the office. “Hey, Honora won’t be back until later this afternoon, maybe not until tonight. She’s casing out a wizard we have on surveillance and she and Sawyer have gone quiet. There’s no way to send them a message.”
“This is what I get for being spontaneous.” Vivi sighed, drumming her fingers on the leather arm of her chair. “I should have sent word that I was coming. I needed to talk to her about something important and I got jumpy.”
“Maybe I can help,” Jenny said with an infectious grin. She was dressed in a sleek purple flying suit with white boots and was one of the few witches who could pull off such a vivacious outfit. “Is this about the blank page?” Not only was she smart, but she was also one of the most in-demand private eyes in the city. Vivi was a little flattered she remembered she was looking for Devlin.
“Actually, yes. I have an idea of where he might be in a few days, and I also think I might be involved in getting him there. So I’m tracking another wizard who’s also looking for him, hoping he might offer up some clues.”
“What makes you think he’s in the Halo district?” Jenny nodded to the map.
“I was doing a little prophecy projecting and I got a hit on a wizard named Jack Rabbit who’s looking for Devlin also. I tracked him to a location in the Halo district in two days.”
Jenny’s face lit up. “Cool. You tracked a wizard into the future. We’ve got to work with more seers.” She shook her head. “You could make a real business out of finding skips. Pays great, if you’re not afraid to go after the big scary fishes.”
Jenny’s suggestion reminded Vivi about the test for her seer license coming up. “Maybe one day. When I’m not so busy with my potion shop, family, and crazy visions.”
Jenny smirked. “Right. I forgot how much you have on your plate. So we can check out the Halo district if you want. I’ve got some free time, and I’d love to hear more about your persuasion.”
Vivi left a note for Honora getting her up to speed with her latest vision, asking her to keep an eye on Clover and to contact her when she got a chance. Next, she followed Jenny into her office, giving her more details. “Jack received a message via a sender in a tattoo parlor. We could see if he knows anything about Jack. Maybe he’s received messages before and if we’re really lucky, maybe he’ll tell us who sent the message.” Excitement bloomed in her chest.
Jenny whistled. “A sender. They’re tough nuts to crack. Very hush-hush. But we can try. Anything else you know about Jack or Devlin that might be useful?”
“I think Devlin Strange is in possession of a coin and everyone wants it. I have no idea what kind of coin it is, but it’s got to be important. Is there any way we can find out if there are any valuable coins that could cause trouble?”
“A coin. That’s going to take some additional research. I’ve got some connections working in pawnshops in the area who might know what’s floating around the black market,” she said.
“That would be great,” Vivi said, grabbing her purse.
Jenny slipped on her helmet, secured her goggles, and motioned to the window. “This way.” With a flick of her wand, she opened the window and a hover bike roared to life. “You’re not afraid of heights or high speeds, are you?” Jenny asked, tossing her a helmet.
“I guess not.” Vivi swallowed. Jenny’s love for speed and her magically souped-up bike were infamous, and now Vivi was going to see the speedster in action.
Vivi hopped on the bike and held on tightly. Jenny lived up to her reputation, speeding through the city streets, taking corners too quickly, and dodging slow drivers with the speed and grace of a wild witch on an adrenaline rush. Vivi ducked her head down for most of the ride, though she had to admit it was exhilarating, especially when they hit the straightaways and she wasn’t fearing for her life.
The streets got darker and dirtier the closer they got to the Halo district. Even in spring, the neighborhood had a dingy film clinging to it. Jenny circled the blocks until Vivi tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the tattoo parlor she’d seen in her vision. Jenny parked the bike and set a magical ward on it so it wouldn’t get stolen. Witches and wizards cut their eyes at them as they stood outside the shop and Vivi eyed each one, half expecting to see her mother or Rye Finn.
Once inside, Vivi’s hopes rose. The skinny witch she’d seen talking to the sender was standing behind the counter, inserting new designs into a book of tattoos. She glanced up when they entered.
“Got an appointment?” she asked.
“No,” Vivi said. “We came to see your boss about a message.”
“Don’t know what you mean,” the witch said, blinking rapidly. Her short sleeves showed off numerous fairy tattoos on her upper arms.
“Those are gorgeous. The wings look so lifelike. Did you get them done here?” Vivi asked, admiring the artwork on her skin.
“Yep. Dash’s one of the best artists in the city. Watch this.” She whisp
ered a spell and the fairies’ wings fluttered and dust sparkled. Both Vivi and the witch smiled at the magical animation.
“Cool,” Vivi said.
Unimpressed with the fluttering tattoos, Jenny focused on why they’d come. “We’d like to ask Dash a few questions now,” she said. The friendly approach went out the window.
The witch twisted up her mouth and her hand shot to her hip. “Not going to happen. He doesn’t talk to anyone, especially witches who come in here looking for him. He’s very private.”
Jenny dropped a bag of gold onto the counter with a clank. “Go get him, sweetie. You look like you could use a sandwich. Why don’t you take a break and get something to eat while we chat with your boss?”
The skinny witch cocked her eyebrow at Jenny but scooped up the bag and shoved it into her pocket. “Dash, some witches are here to see you! I’m going on my break. Be back in twenty.” She snatched her jacket off a peg and headed out the front door.
“Am I to learn from that exchange that gold works better than honey?” Vivi asked.
“Not better but definitely faster. You’d be surprised how far a little gold can get you in this town.” Jenny hooked her thumbs through her belt loops.
“I’ll pay you back,” Vivi said, hoping it wasn’t too much gold.
“Don’t worry about the cash. Let’s say you owe me a favor. Your talent might come in handy one day, and I’ll call it in,” Jenny said, flashing Vivi a wry grin.
“And doing a favor for a witch puts her in your debt,” Vivi added.
“You’re learning.”
The tattoo artist pushed through the curtain. “Who are you?” he asked to neither of them in particular.
Vivi adapted Jenny’s blunt attitude. “We’re looking for a regular of yours. A wizard named Jack Rabbit. It’s really important that we speak with him.”