Bottling It (A Wayfair Witches' Cozy Mystery #1)

by A. A. Albright

  Sure enough, we were met by wary stares. I didn’t know any of the witches who eyeballed us. But I made a promise to myself that if I ever did get to know them, none of them would be on my Winter Solstice card list. Well, unless I figured out how to send a hex along with said card.

  ‘Anyone get the sudden smell of dog?’ one young male witch said to his little group of friends.

  My stars, how I wished I could turn them into frogs. I settled for glaring at them, hissing, ‘Watch your back, kiddos. Weredogs can give a nasty bite. And I can give an even nastier one.’

  They skedaddled, leaving Max to smile gratefully at me. We walked onwards, passing the few businesses I’d already visited, and journeying into unfamiliar territory. Warren Lane, I was discovering, wasn’t really just a simple lane. It wound this way and that, with many smaller offshoots leading towards alleys and cul-de-sacs that were definitely part of the enclave. The witches zipping around on brooms and having conversations with their familiars kind of gave it away.

  ‘Please tell me that’s it,’ Max said after an uncomfortable ten minutes or so. He nodded his head towards a huge building. It was cut from dark stone, and had towers and turrets that soared up into the clouds. The higher storeys seemed far wider than the ones below. I guessed that there was more than good engineering supporting the upper floors.

  The longer I looked at it, the more excited I became. It was a hundred times better than I ever could have imagined.

  When Melissa and I were kids together, before she got her power, we used to dream of going to Crooked College together, studying Magical Law and becoming the most fearsome Wayfairs the world had ever seen. It was said that you could enter Crooked College from witch enclaves in major cities all over the world. Melissa could have entered the college via the Dublin entrance today, and popped into Paris or London for lunch.

  I wondered if every witch was as blown away by the magical world as I was, or if I only felt that way because I’d lived without magic in the human world for so long. I let out a wistful sigh, and Max and I entered the building. Although the front doors were wide open, the corridors were sparsely populated, and there was no one behind the front desk. There was a huge map of the building’s innards on the wall next to the desk, though, so we studied it.

  ‘“The Longest Library”,’ Max read. ‘Could that be it?’

  I let my eyes rove, but I could see no other library mentioned on the map. ‘Must be. It looks like it’s on the ground floor, but waaay at the back.’

  We took off again, rushing along the corridors, past lecture halls and labs, study areas and a very nice-looking canteen.

  ‘I’ve never seen a menu that size,’ whispered Max.

  He was right; the menu board took up one entire wall of the canteen. There must have been hundreds of options on there. There were a few small groups of students inside, gazing down at books or practicing spells. There were more students seated in little window alcoves, also cramming in as much as they could. We passed one closed exam hall, and saw that it was filled with dozens of students. The sign on the door said, ‘Magical Law, Final Exam.’

  ‘Good luck, Melissa,’ I said quietly as we ran past.

  Finally we came to the library. We walked in through open double doors, entering what was most definitely the longest room I had ever seen. There was a line of tables and chairs stretching further than the eye could see in the centre of the room. To either side, the library was separated into countless smaller alcoves. I could see signs for Potions, Materialization, Glamourization … every subject you could think of, there was an alcove dedicated to it – I could even see alcoves dedicated to Romance, Fantasy and Science Fiction.

  ‘What kind of fantasy could a witch possibly need to read?’ Max wondered. ‘Every witch enclave I’ve seen is a fantasy come true.’

  ‘I wish I could tell you. You can’t read witch literature if you’re unempowered. Hey, maybe the fantasy books are about working in banks or supermarkets or something.’

  Max tittered. ‘Or riding on a bus instead of a broom. So where do we start looking?’

  ‘No idea. I can’t even see the other end of this place. And we don’t even know if she’s here.’

  ‘If who is here?’ A woman appeared right in front of us. She was tall and slim, with strawberry blonde hair. She looked maybe thirty or so. There was a pair of glasses on top of her head, and another on a chain around her neck.

  Oh well, might as well come out with it. ‘We’re looking for Adeline Albright.’

  ‘Oh.’ She blinked, put on a pair of her glasses and peered at us. ‘Are you students here? I don’t recognise you.’

  ‘No,’ said Max. ‘But it really is urgent. Is she here?’

  She took off those glasses, switched them for the ones on her head and looked at Max once again. ‘I do recognise you, actually. You look just like your cousin. Except, you know, that you’re not a girl.’

  ‘Oh.’ I breathed out a sigh of relief. ‘So we were right. You’re Adeline Albright. And you know where Lassie is.’

  She gave me a cautious smile, then walked towards a little alcove on the right side of the room. There were more desks in there, as well as a long, comfy couch and a coffee pot. The books that lined the shelves all seemed to relate to necromancy. One book was titled Dead and Loving it: How one woman rediscovered the joys of married life long after her husband had passed. I shuddered.

  ‘Would you like a coffee?’

  Max and I muttered, ‘No thanks,’ and Adeline went ahead and poured herself a drink.

  ‘How did you know she was with me?’ she asked, taking a huge gulp of black coffee. How did it not burn her throat?

  ‘It was just a guess,’ I told her. ‘You were quoted in the paper as saying you had to go home and feed your dog. And seeing as you had connections to some of the other victims, I figured you might have known Connor – and therefore Lassie – as well.’

  Adeline goggled at me. ‘That’s how you figured it out? That’s not a lot to go on.’ She swapped her glasses once more. ‘Ah.’ Her lips curled into a smile. ‘But you’re a Wayfair, aren’t you? You’re the one Maureen O’Mara told me about. She said you’d have unusually good instincts.’

  ‘Oh.’ I reddened. ‘Well, that’s nice. But listen, we really need to speak with Lassie.’

  ‘No. I can’t allow that, I’m afraid. No one knows where I have her and it’s safest that way. Until Mildred Valentine is behind bars, anyway.’

  ‘You think Mildred is behind this?’ I asked her.

  She shrugged, taking another huge drink. She slurped, I noticed. It didn’t look ladylike, but it did look satisfying. Note to self: must slurp more often.

  ‘Well, it must be Mildred,’ she said. ‘I mean, I saw it on the news just a while ago. And it makes perfect sense that it would be her, given the people she’s attacked. Mildred hates weredogs. And it had to be a vampire who whispered the trigger word to the hypno-potioned humans, because otherwise, they would have been seen.’

  ‘Yeah, except that Lassie did see someone,’ Max pointed out. ‘Which is why she’s in hiding. What did Lassie say when she saw that Mildred had been arrested?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Adeline replied. ‘I mean, I don’t see how she could even know about it yet. I don’t have a television, so I only just found out today myself when I visited the canteen for lunch. They had Wyrd News Daily on the TV. I was going to tell Lassie when I got home this evening. But given the fact that you two are looking at me with such abject disdain in your eyes, I’m guessing that you don’t believe it was Mildred.’

  ‘No. No we don’t,’ I said. ‘Mildred’s been set up. And Lassie is not safe. If I figured out that you have her, then it’s not long before other people do too. Look, I know that Lassie is afraid, and she’s right to be. But she’s the only witness to all of this. Think about it. If you were the murderer, would you be happy knowing she was still around?’

  Adeline drained the last of her coffee, then took off her current
pair of glasses, and began frantically scrubbing the lenses. Just when I was beginning to wonder how many nervous habits this woman might have, she said, ‘But … Lassie said that this woman told her she and her family would be safe as long as she didn’t say a word.’

  I snorted. ‘You must have read a lot of books in your time, given you spend most of your days in a library. So tell me – do the evil murderers usually keep their promises in witch fiction?’

  She chewed on the chain attached to her glasses. ‘Well no, but … what do you want with her exactly? Because she’ll never testify. She’s not just frightened for her own life. She’s worried about Max, too.’

  Max took a seat next to her. ‘I know she is, and I appreciate it. Look, you said a minute ago that Maureen told you Wanda had good instincts. Well, right now Wanda’s instincts are telling her that the only way Lassie will be safe is if she does testify. And seeing as the trial is tonight, we need to speak with her as soon as possible.’

  Adeline slumped back into her seat. ‘Lassie never told me who it was that she saw. You really don’t think it’s Mildred? I mean … are you sure?’

  ‘We’re sure,’ Max said through clenched teeth. ‘One hundred percent.’

  Adeline let out a long, shaky breath, and stood up. ‘I’ll write down the coordinates so you can travel to see her. But I doubt you’ll convince her to testify.’

  I looked at the floorboards. They were really very nice. Polished, but showing of their age. Classy. ‘Now, when you say travel … I suppose you mean by clicking my fingers? Because the thing is, you see … I only got my power very recently. I’m not even sure when precisely. But …’

  Adeline chewed on her glasses-chain again. ‘I’ve never had more than one passenger before. But I’ll give it a try. Wanda, you take my hand. Max, you take Wanda’s. But I should probably add a disclaimer here, y’know. Because if I splice you, there’s no point in suing me. I am not well paid.’

  Max swallowed, but took my hand. I grabbed onto Adeline’s, and we left the library.

  17.Happy Birthday

  As soon as we arrived in Adeline’s living room, I knew something was wrong. And it wasn’t just because of the signs of recent struggle.

  Max growled – a real, actual, dog-like growl – and glared around at the mess. Pages had been torn from books. There were bite-marks out of cushions. A pane had been smashed out of the window.

  Adeline let out a little cry, rushing from room to room. The whole house was in the same state.

  ‘Lassie’s not home!’ she cried out in panic. ‘Where is she?’

  While she and Max ran about, growing more and more alarmed, I stood still, looking around the room. Poor Adeline. It was clear that, before this mess, her home had been beautiful. The walls were lined with shelves – for books that were now, unfortunately, destroyed. Her couches and chairs looked like they’d been the loveliest, comfiest places to rest before their upholstery had been torn open.

  ‘We need to find her,’ said Max. ‘I’m going to search for her scent.’ He ran around the room, picking up cushions and sniffing along the floor. Was it my imagination, or was he suddenly looking a bit … shaggier?

  After a few minutes, he and Adeline stopped rushing about and looked hopelessly at me. ‘Where could she have gone?’ Max asked. ‘Do you think the murderer took her?’

  ‘No. I don’t think the murderer took her. Not exactly.’ I kept eyeing the room. Instinct had led me here, and now instinct was telling me that I needed to stay. There was something that wasn’t quite right. I looked around once more. Ah. There it was.

  I gazed to a couch that was bathed in afternoon light. All around the room, feathers and fluff from Adeline’s cushions were swirling. But just there, they were falling differently. They were falling around something, not onto something.

  ‘Alice, I know you’re here,’ I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. ‘Reveal yourself. And the others.’

  With a huffing noise, Alice appeared. She was standing in front of the couch, pointing a finger at three people: Lassie, Christine, and my mother.

  ‘Well done love,’ gushed my mam. ‘How did you know? Oh – and happy birthday!’

  Alice narrowed her eyes. ‘You can save the birthday wishes for never. But do tell us, oh poor, pitiable, unempowered Wanda – however did you know we were here?’

  I ignored Alice and focused on the threesome on the couch. Max and Adeline were taking it in turns to try and get to them, but each time they fell back. There was an invisible barrier surrounding the couch, and surrounding Alice, too. I might be able to see them all now, but that wasn’t going to make freeing them any easier. ‘I take it that whatever spell Alice has you under, you can’t get out of it?’

  My mother and Christine shook their heads. Poor Lassie simply shook. She was looking at Max, tears falling down her face.

  ‘It’s an Insitu spell,’ said my mother. ‘I can usually break them. But it turns out that Alice Berry is more than just a glamorous face.’

  ‘Of course,’ added Christine, ‘we didn’t think we’d be able to break her Invisibility spell, either. But you managed it, Wanda.’

  Alice wrinkled her nose. ‘She didn’t break the spell. I broke it. I decided to let Wanda see exactly what being a Wayfair can achieve.’ She turned back to me. ‘But I am impressed you managed to sense we were here. Impressed, but not surprised.’ She pulled something from her pocket. It was the same jewelled magnifying glass she’d been reading her magazines with the other day. ‘This,’ she said, ‘is an Aurameter. But if you’d bothered to learn anything about being a witch, you would have already known that. I had a feeling there was more to you than met the eye. This lets me see your power.’

  ‘Oh yeah.’ I ignored her again, speaking to my mother and Christine. ‘I meant to ask you guys about that. I was worried that other witches might be able to sense me, and I meant to ask you if there was any way they could.’

  My mother glanced at the Aurameter. ‘There are witches who can simply sense another witch’s power, but they’re rare. Most witches do a Revelation spell to discover what they’re up against power-wise. The Aurameter is something even a child could use.’

  Alice clenched her teeth. ‘Are all of you actually ignoring me? You haven’t figured out just how serious this is yet, have you?’ She turned to Max. ‘This house is sealed. Sealed by a spell that none of these feeble witches could break. You’re stuck. And you’re all going to die in a tragic accident.’ She turned her attention to me. ‘I really didn’t want to have to do this to you, Wanda. I was waiting for Adeline to get home so I could finish her and Lassie off together. But then your stupid coven had to get involved. And now you. Will isn’t going to be happy that you’re here.’ She shrugged her shoulders. ‘Oh well, once I tell him you’re a double-crossing witch, he’ll soon get over it.’

  She moved away from the couch, mumbling an incantation beneath her breath. I couldn’t make out the words, but I doubted I’d be able to do much about it even if I could.

  ‘It’s an Inferno spell,’ my mother explained. ‘And she’s layering incantations so that it’ll be on a timer. We’ll be sealed here until she’s well out of the way, then we’ll all die. Oh, and just because we can’t get off this couch … that doesn’t mean that the Inferno spell can’t get to us. This isn’t the sort of barrier that keeps us safe, unfortunately. It’s the sort that keeps us from running for our lives.’

  ‘Oh.’ I threw a cushion to the floor – well, the rest of the cushions were there, this one might as well join the party – and sat down in what was left of an armchair. ‘That sounds like as good a way as any to celebrate my birthday. So why are you guys here anyway? You figured out Lassie was here in Adeline’s house like me and Max did?’

  Christine shook her head. ‘No. We put a tracker on Alice. We suspected her all along. Despite the evidence.’

  ‘We would have said.’ My mother gave me a guilty little shrug. ‘But we didn’t want to worry you so
close to your final exam. Oh, how did it go, anyway?’

  ‘Good Gretel,’ I groaned. ‘Don’t remind me. At this stage, all I can do is pray that the exam papers also get burned in an Inferno spell.’

  Christine and my mother laughed. Adeline, Max and Lassie stared at us like we’d lost our minds.

  ‘Have you all lost your minds?’ asked Lassie.

  My mother squeezed her hand. ‘I can see why you’d think so, but we’ve still a few slices left in the old pan. I’ve just always found that my brain works better when I’m relaxed.’

  Max took a seat on the arm of the chair next to me, while Adeline ran about the room, picking up what was left of her books, tears in her eyes.

  ‘Sorry about the state of your hovel.’ Alice shrugged in a most un-sorry manner. ‘But the weredog put up quite the struggle.’

  ‘Just out of curiosity, how did you know Lassie was here?’ I asked.

  Alice snorted. ‘Really? You think you can figure that out but I can’t? I always knew where she was. I intended to wait until Mildred was firmly behind bars before I came to kill her and Adeline. But when I realised you lot were sniffing around after me, I thought I’d better get it over with.’ Alice looked at Lassie. ‘Don’t blame them, though. Like I said, I would have killed you in the end – all they did was force me to hurry things along. And as for our chronicler.’ She scowled at Adeline. ‘How did you manage to survive that attack? That human was ordered to stab you.’

  Adeline cleared her throat. ‘Well, perhaps you should have researched your victims a little better. I’ve been known to win a cage fight or two in my time.’

  I couldn’t say who was more surprised to hear that. But unfortunately, Alice looked like she was getting ready to leave, so questions would have to wait. And seeing as I still hadn’t thought of a cunning plan of action, delay was the only option. Just as I was about to say something, though, Christine opened her mouth. Great minds, apparently. Or fools. Let’s just go with great minds for now – I need the confidence boost.