Mystic Caravan 11 - Freaky Mage

by Amanda M. Lee

  “It’s too bad she doesn’t remember anything,” Cole said.

  “It is,” Myrtle agreed. “I’m wondering if she saw things that were so bad she made herself forget.”

  “Are the police saying anything?” I asked.

  “I haven’t been able to talk to them. I think I’m going to make my way down there now.”

  “Well, I hope you get the information you’re looking for.”

  Myrtle gave us a half-wave and then pointed herself toward the police officers littering the lawn. She looked determined.

  I waited until she left to speak again. “The Rainbow Bridge?”

  “That sounds like the mother being a nut,” Cole said. “Grief could’ve caused her to make things up. That happens.”

  “It does, but I can’t help but wonder if someone else suggested the idea to her. It seems awfully specific.”

  “I don’t think there’s any way for us to find out if it’s true right now. We can’t risk going over there.”

  “No. I’m not sorry we came, though.”

  “Me either. Unfortunately, we still have no idea where we should be looking.”

  “There’s an occult store about four blocks from here. Do you want to make a stop with me before heading back?”

  “Always.”

  “You might lose ground in Sami’s rankings if you’re gone too long,” I teased as I got to my feet.

  “The only reason I care about those rankings is because Luke is nutty about them. He’s fun to mess with.”

  “He is.”

  “It’s also good for him to be humbled sometimes.”

  “Absolutely.” I held out my hand. “Care for another walk, dear?”

  “I don’t mind if I do.”

  12

  Twelve

  The store, Hex Around the Clock, boasted the sort of items one would find in almost every kitschy occult store around the country. The one thing it had in the window that gave me hope was runestones ... and they weren’t of the Etsy variety.

  “Why are you so interested in those?” Cole asked as he watched me stare through the window.

  “They’re the real deal,” I replied, flashing a brief smile. “Occult items have become as commonplace as Monopoly games. They sell Ouija boards in big box stores, for crying out loud. Most of the stuff you can buy these days is fake, produced for mass market appeal. Those runes are different.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because they’re made of bone.”

  He froze as he held open the door. “Are you kidding?”

  “Nope, and I want them.”

  I went in first, immediately casting a wide magical net in case there was something — or rather someone — to fear on the other side of the threshold. My senses buzzed, but not out of fear. Whoever was inside had power. It wasn’t, however, enough to have me considering retreat.

  “Welcome to Hex Around the Clock,” a blonde said from behind the counter. She looked to be in her forties, although her hair was so light — almost white — that she could’ve been older. She had horn-rimmed glasses perched low on her nose and she seemed friendly with her greeting. Beneath her veneer, though, there was a tremor. She recognized my magic.

  “I’m Honor Hampton,” she continued. “Blessed be.”

  “Blessed be,” Cole replied as he moved to the stand in the middle of the room. It was laden with a hodgepodge of items, so many that I found my eyes dancing as I tried to take them all in. “This is a neat place.”

  Honor’s smile was polite. “Thank you.” The way she looked at Cole told me she sensed his magic too. Then she focused her full attention on me. “You’re a sister of the winds.”

  “I’m just a woman,” I replied, running my hand over the Hecate bowl on the top shelf. “You have a lot of interesting items here.”

  “I’m a collector.”

  I moved to the wall, to a rather ornate — and cloudy — mirror. The metal frame was old, with runes stamped into it. “How long have you been collecting?”

  “For as long as I can remember. My grandmother started the collection. Then my mother took over. My sister and I were supposed to expand together, but it ended up being only me.”

  A quick flash of crushed metal and broken glass made me shudder. “I’m sorry you lost your sister at such a young age.”

  Her eyebrows hopped. Rather than being angry or demanding to know how I could see into her past, her lips curved. “You’re a seer.”

  “I guess that’s one way to refer to me,” I confirmed, grabbing a stack of tarot cards from a nearby shelf and studying them. They were handmade, blessed, and beautiful. “Do you do all of this work yourself?”

  “I wish. I can knit, crochet and glue with the best of them. I cannot, however, paint or draw. I work with a local artist. I handle the magic and she covers the art.”

  “That sounds like a good partnership.” I smiled when I saw another flash from inside of her head. The partner she was referring to was younger, pregnant, and the center of Honor’s world. “Congratulations on the baby.”

  Honor worked her jaw. “How did you know?”

  “I’m a seer. You pointed that out yourself.”

  “You are ... something,” she agreed. “You’re not local. You’re a wanderer.”

  “Does that make you a seer too? You managed to figure that out pretty quickly.”

  “Locals here have a certain ... vibe. You don’t have that vibe. You also feel as if you’re older than your exterior would suggest, which means you’ve seen the world a million times over.”

  “Not a million times,” I countered, moving the tarot cards to the counter. “I’m going to want a few things.”

  Honor nodded as she placed the cards in a box. “Our one-of-a-kind items are expensive.”

  “I guess it’s good that I save my money for days like this.”

  “Is this a romantic vacation?” She managed a smile for Cole’s benefit but it was obvious she was frightened of him.

  “We’re not together,” I replied. There was no sense lying. The woman could read surface thoughts. Cole and I could both shutter, so she was likely outmatched. “At least not like you’re insinuating. We do work together.”

  “Oh?” Honor’s reaction was one of polite interest. “And where do you work?”

  “Mystic Caravan Circus.”

  She straightened. Surprisingly, she also began to relax. “Oh, well, I guess that makes sense. Are you the seer for the circus?”

  “Most visitors refer to me as a fortune teller. I notice you’re keen on the word ‘seer.’ I find that interesting.”

  “Fortune teller is a curse word to some, and nothing to complain about to others. I prefer to err on the side of caution.”

  “That’s smart.”

  “You’re Romani.”

  “I am.”

  “And yet you don’t travel with a genetic caravan,” she mused. “That’s unusual for your people.”

  “My people died when I was young. I have an uncle out there, somewhere, though I have no idea where he ended up.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ve built a family of my own. Things have worked out as they were supposed to.”

  “Yes, well ... .” Her eyes drifted back to Cole. “All I see when I look at you is fire.”

  “That’s because I’m hot.” Cole winked at her. “I’m not a threat. I understand you feel as if I am, but I’m not. I’m just here with my friend because she was in a shopping mood.”

  “I didn’t say you were a threat,” Honor said hurriedly. As strong as she was with mind magic, she was a businesswoman first and foremost. She didn’t want to risk losing a sale. I couldn’t say I blamed her, what with a baby coming and all.

  “You don’t have to worry,” I reassured her. “We’re not here to cause trouble. I do want to buy a few things — your stuff is amazing. And I have a few questions.”

  “What sort of questions?”

  “Th
e sort that someone like you would be leery to talk about even though it’s likely you’ve had misgivings about what’s going on here for weeks, if not months.”

  “You’ll have to be more specific.”

  That was the opening I was looking for. “Women have been going missing for weeks. You likely thought the first instance was a sad story, the second a tragedy. There are too many of them to ignore now.”

  Honor’s eyes narrowed. “Are you the cause of that?”

  “No. I’m here for a week to work. We do more than one type of work. We prefer helping to hurting. We’re having a hard time figuring out what’s going on here in Savannah.”

  “And you think I have answers.”

  I moved to the small table that housed the gems and stones used for divination work. “I think you’ve heard whispers,” I replied. “All we know are bits and pieces. I also think you’re afraid to say anything because you don’t trust us. I’m sorry for that.”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t trust you.”

  “You don’t, though, and I can’t blame you.” I held out my hands. “You can’t read us like you can random tourists. Your mind magic is interesting, but it’s not all encompassing. You might not even realize that because you’ve never come into contact with a truly strong individual before.

  “The thing is, you can’t read us because we can shutter,” I continued. “You’re magical, but you’re not shuttering, which leads me to believe you’ve never been taught how. That means you’re a solo practitioner, which leads you to be untrustworthy of others. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time necessary to earn your trust.”

  She rubbed her lips, studying me. “There are rumors about the missing women,” she said. “I don’t know what’s real or fake. The rumors flying around this town are almost obscene.

  “Some people believe demons took them,” she continued. “Others believe they voluntarily left to form their own coven, even though the girls were not acquainted with one another, according to the authorities. Still more believe a serial killer is on the loose, but that seems unlikely because one of the girls came home last night.”

  “It’s not a serial killer,” I reassured her. “If that were the case, we could handle it without wasting time peppering you with questions. It’s something more than that.”

  Honor looked intrigued. “Can you bring them all home?”

  I shook my head. “One of them is dead. She was found close to where we set up for the duration of our stay. That’s how we got involved in the first place. She’ll never be able to return home.”

  “What about the others?”

  “If they’re alive, we want to help them. We have to find them before we can do that.”

  “Where do you think you’ll find them?”

  “We don’t know. That’s why we were hoping to talk to you. The mother of the girl who returned last night told a neighbor that she wasn’t worried about her daughter because she was visiting the Rainbow Bridge. The neighbor says the mother is kooky, but last time I checked the Rainbow Bridge was for pets when they died.”

  Honor blinked several times. “Are you asking me if I know about the Rainbow Bridge?” she asked finally.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “I’ve lost several pets. The vet always sends me a card mentioning the Rainbow Bridge.”

  “That’s it?” I was disappointed, even though I knew from the start that it was unlikely there was anything to this Rainbow Bridge story.

  “For the Rainbow Bridge, yes. Now, if you were talking about the Rock Shadow Bridge, I might be able to help you.”

  I stilled, my fingers fluttering over the fringe of a totem bag. “What’s the Rock Shadow Bridge?”

  “It’s a door of sorts really, a place where those who are magically inclined can cross to another world.”

  I felt as if I was caught in a dream, the one where you forget to go to class for an entire semester and then suddenly have to pass the final. “You’re talking about walking between planes?”

  “I guess, although I’ve never heard it referred to that way.”

  “Why is it called the Rock Shadow Bridge?” Cole asked.

  “Because only those with magical shadows can cross the doors buried in the earth,” Honor replied. “It’s a local legend. Certain groups swear there’s a door somewhere in Savannah where you can walk between worlds.”

  “That has to be part of the supernatural schtick,” I said. “Someone created the notion of this door to sell tickets to something.”

  “You would think,” Honor readily agreed. “You would be wrong, though. The Rock Shadow Bridge has been a thing for centuries. One of the early settlers, in fact, disappeared for months and when he returned, he looked exactly the same.

  “He hadn’t suffered any ills while being separated from his people and he wasn’t hungry or fatigued,” she continued. “He claimed to have walked into a magical world, gotten lost for two hours, and then returned home … through a shadow bridge made of rock. The people of the time claimed he’d been gone for six months.”

  “That could just be some weird story they told,” I argued. “Not all legends are true.”

  “No, but this legend has never died. It has only grown in scope over the years.”

  I tugged my bottom lip as I tried to figure it out. “Are people saying that these missing women are being transported over the Rock Shadow Bridge?”

  “I haven’t heard that, but it makes more sense than them hanging around on the Rainbow Bridge.”

  I shifted my eyes to Cole. “What do you think?”

  “I think there are plenty of doors scattered around this world that people can walk through if they know what they’re searching for,” he replied. “You have people at the circus who walked between planes to get here.”

  “Yes, but I’ve never heard of people walking through planes to escape from this place and then come back. I mean ... I’ve heard a lot of stories that revolve around people who have gone missing and how they went to a different world. You never really hear about them returning.”

  “That’s because the people who are left behind need a comforting story. I don’t think that’s what we’re dealing with here.”

  My eyes drifted to the front window, where I found two people in the middle of the road. They stared at the store, immobile. They wore robes. “What the ... ?” I started toward the door and then stilled when I realized two more figures were joining the original two.

  “Well, that doesn’t look good,” Cole said, his hand landing on my back. “That doesn’t look good at all.”

  I flicked my eyes to Honor. “Do you know them?”

  She was grim as she stared out the window. “They started showing up about six months ago. At first, there were only one or two of them. They’ve grown in number.”

  “They wear hoods,” Cole noted. “They’re obviously trying to hide their identities.”

  “There are rumors about that,” Honor admitted. “Some people think they’re simply a new version of the Klan.”

  I frowned. “As in the Ku Klux Klan?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t think that’s right. I’m pretty sure they have something to do with the disappearance of the women – and none of those taken were Black.”

  “All white,” Cole confirmed. “They all had dark hair, too.”

  “I don’t know anything about that,” Honor said. “I do know that people have been complaining about the folks in the robes. Mostly, they were ignored at first. This is the South. Nobody batted an eyelash when the rumor started that they were Klan.

  “Despite what people in other parts of the country want to believe, the number of people who are overt racists in the South is small,” she continued. “There are horrible people who still embrace that way of life, but it’s not the norm. Nobody wants to risk messing with the Klan, though, because they’re violent. When rumors started flying that they were Klan, people decided to give them a wide berth.”

  “Wh
y are they here now?” Cole asked as he peered out the window. “Have they done this before?”

  Honor shook her head. “I think they’re here for you.”

  I balked. “Why do you say that?”

  “They’re staring at you,” Cole replied. “She’s right. They’re here for you ... and I don’t think they’re going to be quiet very long.”

  “Is there a back way out of this place?” I asked Honor.

  “Yes. If you need to run, I understand.”

  “Oh, I’m not done shopping yet. There’s too much here I want to just leave without stocking up. But when we do take off, I wouldn’t mind using that back door.”

  “I don’t have a problem with that,” Honor said. “What am I supposed to say if they come asking about you?”

  “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” I was grim. “They know where to find us.”

  “They’re just trying to intimidate us now,” Cole added.

  “Then maybe you should confront them,” Honor said. “I’ve always found that the best way to deal with a bully is to bully them right back.”

  “I don’t disagree,” Cole said. “But there are more of them than us, and I would rather leave them stewing. Poet, get what you want. I’m going to call back to the circus and tell them what’s going on. It’s best we have a ride waiting for us in the alley when we’re ready to go.”

  Part of me wanted to do the opposite, stride out the front door and shake the robe-wearers until the information I was looking for spewed forth. This felt like a trap, though. “Don’t get them all riled up,” I warned. “Luke will drive Kade crazy if you do that.”

  “I’m just going to tell them the bare minimum.”

  “That’s smart. As for shopping, there’s a bunch of stuff that I want. Some of it will need to be wrapped. Let’s get to it, shall we?”

  Honor returned my smile but looked fearful.

  “They won’t come after you,” I promised. “It’s us that they want.”