"Fehu," I said quickly, solidifying the ground.
The mantis was stuck, with two legs free and the rest in the dirt. It tugged at its legs and flapped its still-functioning wing for a moment before turning its attention to the unconscious elf in its grasp. The mantis shifted him around until he was upright and opened its mouth.
Elron backed up, ran a couple of steps, and sprang onto a table. He took three steps on the table before jumping off the end, sword in motion. The mantis's head rolled to the ground, and goop spurted from its neck. Elron landed, pivoting to face the body of the mantis.
Bugs were tough, but they weren't immune to being beheaded. With the mantis dead, I rushed forward. Bale needed medical attention, which meant I had to get him out of here. Paramedics wouldn't come in until the greenhouse had been cleared, and that would take too long.
Between one step and the next, I found myself hauled off the ground and dangling upside down from the ceiling. At my feet, eight eyes were locked on to me. All thoughts of Bale's well-being flew out of my head. I let out a blood-curdling scream as I pointed my wand at the spider and threw any magic I could think of at it.
The stun spell missed. I tried to freeze it but only got one leg iced. The heat spell simply melted the ice, and I was back to having a fully functional spider.
It started encasing my feet in silk, attaching me to the beam it was perched on, and I wracked my brain for another solution. Hair spray. I formed a spell that would stick its limbs together, immobilizing it until I could get free and kill it.
Coating the creature in magic was easy enough, but making the magic sticky took two tries. At first it wanted to stick to other things, and the spider ended up attached to my feet. Since that wasn't what I had in mind, I tried again, picturing the magic sticking to itself and pulling the spider's legs together. It teetered on the beam, and for a moment I thought it would escape, but it toppled off and hit the ground below me.
I sucked in a couple of deep breaths and tried to relax, though that wasn't the easiest thing to do when upside down.
There was a chopping sound, and Elron came into my field of vision. "It is dead."
"Good. Please help me get down."
He gripped my shoulder with one arm, lifting me up slightly, and placed his other hand on my lower back. I glared at the silk, heating the air around my feet. The spider silk curled up, and my feet were free. Elron caught me as I came down, rotating me until I was on my feet and in his arms.
"Thank you."
"Always happy to help."
"Where's the police officer?" I moved out of his arms, not wanting to be in his way if another overgrown bug appeared.
"There." He tipped his head to the side.
My eyes moved in that direction, and I found Bale lying on the ground. He was dirty and pale, and there were bruises on his wrists. I was sure that those wouldn't be his only bruises.
"Could you get him out of here? I need to look at something." I had a feeling there was still something in the greenhouse. Where there were two extra-large bugs, there were bound to be more.
Elron nodded and heaved the police officer over his shoulder. They made it out the door, and I focused on my work.
I shifted the large light to the back of the greenhouse. There were still some plants that needed to be forced down to a normal size and the remains of the mantis, but I didn't see anything else that would be problematic. A bug could be hiding in the plants, but I wasn't willing to hand inspect them while I was alone in here.
Moving the light forward, I took a good look at the middle of the room. I'd spent time in that area without noticing anything, but if I'd been a smart bug, I would've avoided the mantis and humans. Nothing looked like a bug, so I moved the light closer to me.
A shape separated from the wall, flapped around, and settled on the wall a few feet below its previous location. That was the biggest moth I'd ever seen, with three-foot-wide wings decorated in muted browns and grays. It didn't seem to be comfortable in its new spot, because its antenna moved around and it flapped its wings. The moth took off again, darting near the light before coming to rest on the ceiling.
As pretty as it was, it couldn't be allowed to live. A moth that size would terrorize people. I added a spell to the light similar to the one I'd placed on myself, turning it into a big backyard bug zapper.
The moth took off again and went for the light. There was a sharp crack, and the moth fell to the ground. From here I couldn't tell if it was dead or stunned, but I was going to let Elron take a look at it when he came back.
I took the electricity spell off the light and moved it to this side of the room. Other than the remains of the spider's web, I couldn't see anything interesting. I had my doubts that we'd found all the large bugs, but I'd done what I could.
Elron came in with his sword out. He studied the moth for a moment before decapitating it in one smooth motion.
Bethany trailed along behind him with a wand in her hand. "Whoa," she said, coming to a stop. "Should I ask?"
"Ask what?" I said.
"How you did it? This is almost normal."
I snorted. Almost normal wasn't a stellar recommendation. "Judicious use of magic," I said. "Aren't you curious about big and pink back there?"
"Is it dead?" Bethany asked.
Tipping my head, I studied the crumpled form. If you hadn't seen it when it was alive and moving, it did look like a badly mangled flower. "It's dead."
"I'm not as curious as you might think."
I shrugged. Bethany would get a short oral report before we left and a nice long written one in a couple of days, so she didn't have to be curious. Returning to more pressing matters, I asked, "Could you look around? See if there is anything else you need help with? Elron and I need to deal with the rest of the plants."
"On it."
Looking up at Elron, I found lines of fatigue around his eyes. "Are you up to dealing with the rest of the plants?"
"I am able to complete the task." From the way he said it, I had a feeling he would be doing it out of determination.
"All right then. Let's get it done." I slid my hand into his, and we walked over to a holly bush that was taller than Elron with leaves the size of his hand.
Elron got to work on the plant, and when it was ready, I pulled the energy out of it. We did the next five the same way. I couldn't tell if Elron was too tired to do them as a group or if they needed the individual attention. As we moved along, I channeled some energy into Elron, hoping it would steady him. When we finished with the last plant, he was swaying on his feet. Since it didn't look like we'd be seeing any more action tonight, I took the shield off of him and undid the spell I'd placed on myself.
"Elron, there's a minor healing charm in a green bag inside my duffel. Why don't you use that? I'll drive us home."
He frowned, and I could see the internal debate between being a strong man and being a person. Finally he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Thank you. That would be prudent."
He squeezed my hand before turning to leave. I watched him walk out of the greenhouse. He seemed steady enough. When he was out of sight, I looked for Bethany and found her next to the body of the mantis. It wasn't something I wanted to get close to, but the two of us needed to talk.
"This was hiding in here?"
"Yup, and it tried to turn Officer Bale into dinner. How is he doing?"
"The paramedics took him to the hospital. Before they left, they said he had some injuries that weren't life threatening." She paused. "Rather a shame to kill it; it's pretty."
Maybe I would've been able to recognize its good looks if I'd met it under different circumstances, but I had been put off by its determination to snack on Bale.
"Bethany, it had to die. Under the circumstances, there wasn't another choice. Even if you'd found it peacefully contained in someone's backyard, we would've had to destroy it. If something like this got loose, it could wreck the local ecosystem and hurt people."
Maybe
, given time, she could've found a zoo or school who'd want it, but they wouldn't be permitted to create a mate, so it would be alone for its entire life. That wasn't something I'd wish on a creature that had been going about its own business when magic ruined its life.
"When Elron brought out Bale, he said it wasn't native to North America. Do you think it was a pet?"
"I don't know." I changed the topic because we had a long drive home and I wanted to get to my bed. "Did you find anything?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
"I really doubt we found all the creatures that were affected, but do you think you can handle things from here?"
Bethany looked around from the plants to the three dead bugs. "I've got it from here. What started this mess?"
Pointing to our left, I said, "A thirty-pound bag of Magic Grow mixed with Jumbo Energy Juice."
The traces of magic in the two parts were unique enough that I could identify them and where they merged, creating this mess. Now that I could study it, that energy drink looked suspiciously like the ones I'd seen sitting on the shelf in Gretchen's office. Now that could be a coincidence. After all, those drinks were sold in several stores. But in my experience, coincidence didn't stretch that far.
She turned and studied the ripped-open bag of Magic Grow and the twenty-ounce can that was lying beside it. "Magic Grow and an energy drink?"
I shrugged. "They both have warnings stating how dangerous it is to mix them with other forms of magic."
To be fair, this could've been an accident, but it was her job to track down the perpetrator, not mine. Even if it was intentional, I doubted the responsible party envisioned this outcome. Most magical things carried warnings like that, and people mixed them all the time with minimal side effects.
"Assuming whoever did this is still alive, I doubt this is what they had in mind."
She followed me to the door—maybe she didn't want to be alone in here either—and I undid the light spells, plunging the greenhouse into darkness. Walking out, I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the spots out of my eyes. There were more emergency vehicles here now, and they all had their lights aimed in this direction.
Magic stirred behind me, and I turned around. Bethany was sealing the building. Nothing would get in or out without alerting the sheriff's office. Sure, a few people might want to do the entire investigation tonight, but it would be better for everyone if they waited until morning. After all, if there was anything else hiding in there, daylight would be an advantage.
"Thanks for coming, Michelle." Bethany offered her hand.
"Not a problem. Let me know how things turn out. Good night." A quick handshake and I was done.
"Safe travels."
I waved as I left. I found Elron asleep in the passenger's seat, charm clutched in his hand. After buckling him in, I pulled the keys out of the cup holder, started the car, and executed a six-point turn to get the car headed in the right direction.
He woke up as I pulled onto the road. I smiled, not that he could see it in the dark. "We make a good team."
"We do." Elron paused. "I would like to work with you. Before you worry about the details—yes, I can see your mind working—I can continue working at the garden and work with you as needed. You certainly do not need me to disenchant rogue objects or teach classes."
"There's still paperwork, licensing, contracts—"
"All of which can wait until morning."
"Agreed." I took a deep breath. "It's been ages since we had a true date."
"How does an evening at the greenhouse sound?"
"Very nice. Do you have any new plants?"
"A friend sent me a magical Christmas cactus that only blooms between Saturnalia and the end of Yuletide. I was able to find a projecting poinsettia, which produces an illusion of a Christmas tree decorated with poinsettia blooms on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."
"Where are they from?"
"The Christmas cactus was developed by European settlers who moved out west, and the projecting poinsettia originates in Mexico."
"Sounds beautiful." Beside me, he tried to cover a yawn. "Get some sleep. I know the way home."
Elron was out in minutes. It was a long drive home, so I activated a charm to help me stay awake. I didn't feel tired now, but an hour from now might be a different story and I wanted to be prepared. It wasn't like Elron was going to keep me alert with good conversation or anything.
Luckily it was an uneventful drive, and we rolled down the driveway to the lodge without incident. With the way things had been going lately, I considered that to be a minor miracle. There were some unfamiliar cars in the parking lot, but that wasn't unusual. Landa would like it if the guests stayed for a few days. Winter could be slow, and she loved having a full house.
I shook Elron's shoulder. "We're home."
He didn't budge.
"Elron, help," I put a little energy behind the words.
He bolted upright, eyes open, scanning the car. "What's wrong?"
Making a soothing sound, I rubbed his arm. "Nothing's wrong. We're back at the lodge, and I was having trouble waking you."
Elron glared at me. "That was rude."
"It was effective." I smiled at him.
Snorting, he said, "What is it with you and crazy-colored creatures?"
"What?"
"You are the only witch I know with a pet dinosaur that is purple and pink."
"How many witches do you know with pet dinosaurs?" I replied as I hauled my bags and dress out of the backseat.
Elron ignored me and kept talking. "Now we run into a large mantis that is pink and white."
"They find me, not the other way around," I said primly.
"Which begs the question, how do so many bizarre creations find you?" Elron retrieved his bag.
"It's a wild and crazy world. Some witch has to tame it." I locked the car and headed for the stairs. "It felt like something was off about that case. I saw a case of those exact energy drinks in Gretchen's office. Not to mention, how do you spill an energy drink in fertilizer? Anyone who's looking for that much of a boost isn't going to leave their drink behind."
"Perhaps it was a trap. Not all of Gretchen's supporters are in jail."
I turned to face him. "You think so? I mean, the timing was perfect, just as we were leaving the wedding. Any other day, I would've been over an hour away. That elf would've died before I got there."
"It was well-timed. Could you have freed the elf without my assistance?"
Shaking my head, I said, "It's unlikely. I don't have your gift with plants… or your skill with a sword."
He didn't say it, but I knew what he was thinking. The clock was counting down to the problem I couldn't manage, or the situation that would land me in the hospital with more than minor burns and bruises.
Elron shifted the conversation. "How would the witches have tracked you?"
"I don't know, Elron. I must excrete some pheromone that attracts them. It seems to work on crazy elves, too," I teased. It was a question I needed to consider, but I didn't want to focus on it now. Whatever the plan had been, it had failed, and my parents were finally married. This should be a happy night.
Elron chuckled and opened the door for me. I walked in and the smile faded from my face. Landa was standing in the entryway, arms crossed, foot tapping.
"There's someone in the parlor for you. I recommend you don't see her, child." Landa's voice was sharp and loud enough for anyone in the parlor to hear her.
A soft and charming voiced floated out of the parlor. "Come on, Landa, I've told you I will not harm the girl. I simply want to talk to her."
"I've heard that before. The prettiest snakes are the most venomous." Landa sniffed and focused on the two of us. "She's rotten."
"Who is in the parlor?" Elron demanded.
"Ethel Bailey." Landa shuddered as she said the name.
The name was familiar but I couldn't place it. I racked my brain, trying to remember where I'd heard it. The name
had come up a couple of years ago. Mom had talked about it, but I couldn't recall why Ethel Bailey was important. My guess was something with the clans, but it wasn't connecting.
Elron's brow furrowed, and then his expression went blank. "The premier?"
That put things into context. Ethel Bailey was the witch of all witches, at least here in the states. What ministers were to clans, she was to all the clans, and technically all the witches, in this country. Positions like hers were a relic from when each group only governed themselves, but like the other race leaders, she still had more than her fair share of powers.
I dropped my bags on the floor and squared my shoulders. "Thank you, Landa."
The first thing I noticed when I walked in the parlor was the five witches seated in the corner. They had to be her entourage, but it was telling that she didn't keep them by her side. Ethel was sitting in a wingback chair, sipping tea. Landa was polite, even when she didn't like someone.
Elron followed me to the door, where he leaned against the doorframe like a guard. Landa stayed out of sight, but, knowing her, she was close.
I found the tray on a table by the door and poured myself a cup of tea before sitting in a chair across from Ethel. She was a striking woman, with white hair pulled back in a loose bun and compelling features, even if her skin was slack with old age. Under the turquoise blazer and matching slacks, her body was thin and frail. None of that took away from the intelligence and personality in her eyes.
Ethel set her tea on the end table and clasped her hands in her lap. "Michelle." Her eyes raked over me. "The stories don't do you justice."
I took a sip of tea, trying to project a level of relaxation I didn't feel. "You have me at a disadvantage. I know very little about you."
"What would you like to know?"
"Why are you here?"
"To meet the girl who escaped Gretchen. It's been years since a witch got the better of her."
"It was time for someone to do it. She's forgotten her manners."
"Yes. Many of us have forgotten things," Ethel said absently, losing herself in thought.
A Witch's Concern (A Witch's Path Book 4) Page 16