by Clare Kauter
Hecate began to chant and the energy flowing through me grew from a low hum to a loud buzz. Other witches joined in the chant, but I was unfamiliar with the words, so instead I focused on pouring my energy into the circle. If I’m being perfectly honest, I might have sent out more energy than was strictly necessary, because I felt Lavinia’s back straighten immediately (something I suspected it hadn’t done in years), and when I turned to Maude, her eyes were wide and her hair was standing on end.
Despite my best efforts, my face morphed into a grin at the sight of her. She looked so shocked. Maybe that would shut her up a little. I glanced across the circle and could have sworn I saw a smile flicker across Daisy’s face. Maybe she wasn’t so patient with Maude after all.
The witches chanted louder and louder for what seemed like an age and I felt myself beginning to grow tired. Frowning, I wondered what exactly was going on. Why was this taking so long? Unless Alora was an astronaut travelling through a distant galaxy, we had been producing enough magic to track her down no matter where she was. Even if she was in Heaven or Hell we should have been able to call up an image of her more easily than this. If even I felt my energy flagging, something was wrong.
Hecate broke the circle and both Lavinia and Maude collapsed onto me. My knees nearly buckled under their combined weight, but I just barely managed to stay standing. I looked at their faces, which were resting on one of my shoulders each. Their eyes were shut. Maude’s false teeth had come loose in her mouth and Lavinia was drooling on me. That was too much for me to deal with and I dropped them in horror. They hit the floor with a loud thump, and for a second I felt kind of bad about it. Then I glanced around the room and noticed that no one except Hecate and Daisy was awake to see what I’d done so I felt a bit better. They weren’t paying attention to what I was doing. They had bigger problems to deal with. Such as the fact that their entire coven was passed out on the ground, and one of their witches had gone missing.
Stepping over the unconscious bodies lying on the floor, I made my way over to the cauldron to talk to the sheriff and her second in command. Hecate was bent at the waist, doubled over and dry heaving while Daisy patted her back. Eventually she recovered and straightened up, still breathing heavily from the exertion.
“What just happened?” I asked.
Daisy and Hecate each had concern etched on their face when they looked at me. They didn’t say anything, but they didn’t have to.
“You couldn’t find her?”
They shook their heads.
I bit my lip. That didn’t bode well. The main reason you wouldn’t be able to scry someone was, well, if they were dead. There were other possibilities, of course – if the witch had been arrested and put in a dungeon with magic dampening properties, for example – but none of those alternatives were that much more comforting than the idea that she’d died.
“Where was she meant to be?” I asked.
“Scotland,” Daisy answered. “She’s a dragonologist, and she went there to study the Loch Ness Monster.”
“A dragonologist?” I repeated.
Daisy nodded.
“As in someone who studies dragons?”
Daisy nodded again.
“That sounds so cool,” I said, unable to believe I hadn’t known that was a profession until now. “And how exactly does one become a dragonologist?”
“You have to study it at university.”
I grimaced. Right. Maybe not. I’d been struggling enough just trying to get a basic magic licence – I wasn’t even going to consider attempting a degree. I’d probably just get to the end and then they’d tell me there’d been an admin error and I’d have to start again from year one.
“So, what happens now?” I asked. “Do you know who she’s staying with? Can you call them?”
“We, um… We sort of know where she’s staying, but we don’t have a number for the people she’s staying with.”
I nodded. “OK. And you can’t contact them the usual ways? Seance, scrying, et cetera?”
They both shook their heads. “No. They gave us strict instructions that we’re not to do that.”
I frowned. “But it’s an emergency. Surely in this sort of situation –”
They shook their heads vehemently. “Not an option.”
“Then what will you do?”
Hecate straightened up. “We’ll check that everyone is OK, and then after we’ve sent the coven home, we’ll come up with a plan.”
She said it very confidently – so confidently, in fact, that it took me a moment to realised that she hadn’t actually come up with an action plan at all, just a plan to make a plan later. Nevertheless, I assisted Daisy in making cups of a healing tea for everyone present to restore their energy before they headed home (on carpets, so that they wouldn’t be in danger of a vampire attack). Once everyone had been revived and sent off in groups, Hecate, Daisy and I sat down with our own cups of tea to figure out what to do next.
“There’s only one thing for it,” said Hecate after a moment of silence.
Daisy nodded once. “I agree.”
Had I missed something? “What? What’s happening?”
“We’re going to Scotland,” said Daisy, seeming confused about how I got lost. Of course. Because that conversation followed so logically.
“That’s really the best idea you can come up with?” I said. “There isn’t someone you could just call?”
“No,” said Hecate. “One of our own is missing. We need to go and find her.”
“What about the local authorities? Surely you should alert them and see if they can find her first.”
“Are you trying to talk us out of going?” Daisy asked.
“No,” I lied. “I just thought I was being practical.”
Of course I was trying to talk them out of going! If they left, I was going to have to visit the coven every night while they were gone with the only people I knew being Maude and Lavinia. I didn’t know if I could get through something like that.
“We are going,” said Hecate. “It’s decided.”
“Should we pack?” Daisy asked.
Hecate shook her head. “No time,” she said. “We must leave immediately. It’s a long journey, even on my carpet. Let’s go.”
“You’re leaving already?” I asked.
“You’re coming too,” they said in unison.
My jaw dropped. “Excuse me, what?”
“It’s your duty,” said Hecate.
“What are you talking about?”
“As a member of Hellfire Shire law enforcement,” Hecate said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
My eyes widened. No, no, no – had Ed been right?
“I’m a cop now?” I asked, more than a little horrified.
“Well yes, of course,” Hecate replied.
“You knew the coven was responsible for the magical law enforcement of Hellfire Shire,” said Daisy.
I nodded. “Yes, but I assumed there would be a stronger vetting process. I didn’t expect to earn my stripes on day one.”
Hecate and Daisy both laughed as if I’d said something funny.
“We’ve already seen you in action,” said Hecate. “You’re more than capable.”
“You’ve solved multiple murders,” Daisy added.
Not as many as I’d performed. I bit the inside of my lip and tried to ignore the warmth spreading from the Doomstone in my pocket and the key sitting against my chest.
“You’re an excellent candidate,” said Hecate.
“But I don’t want to be a cop!” I said. “And I don’t want to go to Scotland! The whole point of joining this coven was to get my life back on track after all the dumb quests The Department sent me on, and now you’re trying to send me on another one!”
“It’s not a quest,” said Daisy. “It’s a favour. You don’t have to come, but –”
“Good! Then I’m not coming.” I folded my arms.
“Please?” said Daisy with a sigh.<
br />
“One of our sisters is in trouble,” Hecate said, glaring at me. “One of your sisters. She needs you.”
“I’ve never even met her,” I said. “Even if I had, I’m not sure anyone’s worth flying to Scotland on a magic carpet for.”
“You can sleep on the way,” said Daisy.
“You’re being ridiculous,” I said. “You need to think this through first. You can’t take off now with no preparation.”
“We’re leaving now,” said Hecate. “And if you want to get your full licence, I suggest you stop whining and come with us.”
My jaw and stomach dropped in unison. “So I joined your coven to get away from The Department’s ridiculous quests and now you’re forcing me to perform quests for you.”
“It’s not that,” said Daisy. “It’s just –”
Hecate was already on her feet. “Come with us immediately or you’ll be a learner forever.”
This was unbelievable. Ed had been right – they hadn’t invited me to join the coven so they could help me out. They’d invited me so they could use my powers whenever they needed them. And now I was bound to this coven forever. I didn’t have a choice – I had to go with them. I was going on another quest.
Scrunching my eyes shut, I did some deep breathing to keep my temper under control just in case my inner purple magic demon decided to rear its head and kill Hecate and Daisy for using me. Thinking about killing them (in a horrible and painful way, although that’s not strictly relevant) gave me an idea.
“I have an idea,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m still not happy about coming with you, for the record, but if you swear to me right now that you’ll give me my full licence the second the witch is found, I’ll help you.”
Hecate thought for a moment before giving me a single nod. “Deal.”
We shook on it.
“What’s your idea?” Hecate asked.
“Let’s take your carpet to my house. You’ll see.”
CHAPTER 6
BEFORE RACING INTO THE HOUSE, I told the others to wait by the front gate on the carpet while I grabbed some supplies from inside. I wasn’t technically lying – I was collecting supplies. After packing some warm clothes in a backpack along with my magical essentials kit, I rolled my eyes at the universe and sent out my extrasensory feelers.
“Ed?” I called into the ether.
There was a popping noise and Ed appeared in front of me.
“Miss me already?” he asked.
“Not even a little,” I replied. “I just need to talk to Death and I don’t have his number.”
“So just murder someone like you usually do.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Hecate and Daisy are outside right at this moment, so I would not suggest that you piss me off. They could get in here so quickly you wouldn’t know what hit you.”
A flicker of fear crossed his face. “Fine,” he said, removing his phone from his pocket. “Just so you know, you’re evil.”
“Right back at you.”
He dialled a number on his phone and when Death answered, he put it on speaker.
“Reaper,” I said. “My close personal friend who owes me a favour for dobbing me in to The Department that time –”
“Really? I thought cleaning up after your many and varied murders would have cancelled that debt out.”
“Afraid not.”
I could practically hear him roll his eyes on the other end. “What do you need?”
“A portal,” I said. “A witch from Green Wattle Coven has gone missing in Scotland and I need to look for her.”
“Yes, I heard you’d joined a coven,” said Death. “So far it sounds like a much better option than The Department sending you on quests.”
“Are you going to make a portal for me or not?”
“How could I say no to someone so charming?” he replied. “I’ll be there in ten.”
We hung up.
“Anything else I can do for you, m’lady?” Ed asked.
“Disappear forever?”
“You know it breaks my heart when you speak to me that way.”
“Get out of my house,” I replied, but he was already gone.
I picked up my bag and made my way downstairs to join the others outside. In an uncharacteristic display of optimism, I locked my front door. No one was ever going to break into my shabby little shack, but a girl could dream.
Daisy and Hecate were floating on Hecate’s fluoro pink magic carpet at the gate to my garden when Death stepped through a portal right next to them. They both jumped at the sound of his voice, not having heard him approach, but relaxed when they saw who it was. They had probably been worried it was Pierre back for another bite.
“Good evening, ladies,” said the Grim Reaper.
Hecate and Daisy looked surprised to see him. Daisy shot me a questioning (and slightly suspicious) look, as if to ask how I’d managed to call him to my house.
“I didn’t murder anyone,” I said in response to her look. Hecate and Death both turned their heads to me slowly, looks of concern evident on their faces.
Just FYI, saying ‘I didn’t murder anyone’ in a situation where it is seemingly unprompted doesn’t tend to set people’s minds at ease. If anything, it makes them suspicious of you. Weird, I know.
“I can confirm that Nessa did not murder anyone. She called me on the phone,” said Death.
Daisy and Hecate seemed a little relieved at that.
“I thought he could make us a portal to Scotland,” I said. “To save time, you know. Flying on the carpet would take forever.”
“Good idea,” said Daisy, smiling.
“Yes, very good,” said Hecate, although she looked a little disappointed. I suspected she’d wanted to take the carpet for a long haul flight across the globe just for the joy of flying. (She was about the only person I knew who enjoyed travelling by carpet. She was a total thread head.) “I’ll call our contact and let him know we’ll be there early.”
“Where exactly do you need to go?” Death asked as Hecate took out her phone and dialled.
After a brief conversation on the phone, Hecate gave Death the coordinates and said, “That was the Australian Magical Embassy. They’re going to get the UK ambassador to help us out with our search.”
“The Magical Embassy?” I said.
“It’s part of The Department of Magic and Death,” the Reaper said, clearly trying not to laugh. He thought it was funny.
I, on the other hand, did not think it was funny. At all. I’d joined the coven to get away from The Department and quests and travelling across the globe on someone else’s orders and here I was, travelling to Scotland to look for a witch with the assistance of a Department official.
If I didn’t accidentally murder someone tonight, it would be a miracle.
Death waved his hand, seeming to wipe reality away as he did so, opening a black, circular void. He stepped back and bowed as Hecate and Daisy thanked him. They flew the carpet through and I trudged over, intending to follow them, but Death grabbed my arm before I entered the portal.
“Be careful,” he said.
I nodded. “I always am.”
“That’s a blatant lie.”
I shrugged.
He sighed. “Good luck,” he said, releasing my arm.
“I hope I won’t need it,” I replied, adjusting my backpack’s strap on my shoulder.
“You will,” he said. “You always do.”
I stepped through the portal and emerged in a field. I blinked my eyes as I stepped from the black night outside my house into day (it was morning here) and then swore as the cold hit me.
“What kind of hellish weather is this?” I muttered. “I think even my insides are getting frostbite.”
“Stop being such a wuss. You’ve been in worse cold than this,” said a familiar voice to my right. I froze (as in, I stopped moving – I wasn’t just suddenly completely overcome by the horrible weather). That Oxbridge accent…
Takin
g a deep breath to slow my racing heart, I turned to face the owner of the voice. At the sight of him, my stomach sank and filled with butterflies simultaneously. It was a miracle I didn’t vomit. I took a deep breath to steady myself and wondered what the hell I was meant to do now.
Right there in front of me, in the middle of a sunny (yet freezing) field somewhere in Scotland, stood the last person in this world or the next that I wanted to see.
Henry.
CHAPTER 7
HE WAS in his trademark gorilla form today, and he was watching me with his arms crossed, face impassive. My body filled with panic and I had a sudden urge to run. Turning around, I found that the portal was already gone. Damn it! How was I going to get out of here before Henry had me arrested? I glanced back at him and noticed that the corner of his mouth was slightly turned up. Was he laughing at me? How dare he! This wasn’t funny. I mean, sure, I kind of understood that he might find it satisfying to see me get arrested after everything that had happened, but still.
“Are you OK?” Daisy asked. My head whipped towards her. She and Hecate were sitting on the magic carpet, watching me in concern. I’d forgotten they were there, and I had not realised how odd it must have seemed to see me step out of the portal, turn, turn once more and then keep turning until I was facing front again, like a dog chasing its tail.
“F–fine,” I stammered. “Just – I –”
“She wasn’t expecting to see me,” said Henry.
“I didn’t tell her,” said Hecate. “I thought it would be a nice surprise.”
“Well, it’s not,” I snapped.
“Nessa –” began Daisy, but I was having none of it.
“Tonight has been full of surprises, but I promise you that ‘nice’ is not a word I’d use to describe any of them. And now this? Great. Just great.”
“I told you that you should have called her,” Daisy hissed at Henry.
I frowned, wondering for a moment if Henry had told Daisy what he knew – namely that I’d murdered a Department official. (I was pretty sure Henry also knew that I’d murdered a couple of other people, but seeing as he hadn’t spoken to me for a month I wasn’t certain about that.) It seemed unlikely Henry had passed on the information to a police officer, though, given that I was still free to roam the earth without leg shackles and a muzzle.