Bryony grumbled as she climbed out of the Mini. “If I’d known we’d have to push this car any distance, I wouldn’t have worn my high-heeled boots.” She looked down at the green stiletto boots she balanced on.
“Go barefoot if you have to,” said Ivy. “Better still, use magic and we’ll just walk behind the car pretending we’re pushing it.”
“A little spell is always a good idea.” Bryony's face instantly brightened. “Are you ready?”
“The damage is done.” Ivy dropped the hood back down. “Let’s do this.”
Bryony cast a spell and the car slowly moved forward, the girls behind it. It trundled obediently around the corner and stopped outside of Bruce’s garage.
Magical Mechanics was an established business, and Bruce had worked there for several years. It was a popular garage, and fair with its prices.
“You go inside,” said Ivy. “He’ll respond better to your charms than mine.”
Bryony grinned at her sister and sashayed into the garage, putting an extra wiggle in her hips as she did so. Ivy couldn’t help but smile. For all her sister’s innocence, she knew how to work her witch given talents when she needed to.
A few seconds later, Bruce dashed out behind Bryony, his eyes on her wiggling hips.
“Bruce, you know my sister, Ivy,” said Bryony, giving her a discreet wink. “Bruce has kindly agreed to have a look at the car and see if he can fix it.”
“Sure. Got a problem with the car?” Bruce tore his gaze from Bryony’s curves.
“Seems like it,” said Ivy.
“No promises I can fix it until I’ve had a look at the mechanics,” said Bruce. “But let’s hope it’s nothing too serious.” He shoved his mop of sandy brown curls out of his face, revealing bright green eyes, dimples emerging when he smiled, and a faint dash of pale stubble across his cheeks.
“I’ll open her up.” Ivy slid back around to the driver’s seat.
“How’s business at the Love Cauldron?” asked Bruce as he lifted the hood and stared at the engine.
“It’s fine,” said Bryony. “We don’t often see you in there, though.”
“Don’t do much magic these days,” said Bruce. “I prefer to work with my hands and feel things as I repair them. I use magic now and again, but I’ve never been into all the spells and hocus-pocus that some of the villagers love.”
“Make sure you don’t use magic on our car,” said Ivy. “It needs to work perfectly and not break when your spell fades.”
“No, I never use magic on a mechanical repair,” said Bruce. “As you say, it needs to be a strong and sturdy repair. If I were trying to juggle mechanical spell repairs, I’d make a mistake and someone’s engine would fall out.”
“We don’t want that happening,” said Bryony.
“You can trust me with your repair.” Bruce bent lower over the engine and scratched his grease ingrained fingernails through his hair. “I think I see what the problem is.”
“You were recommended to us by Agatha,” said Bryony. “She said you are an excellent mechanic.”
Bruce looked up, surprise in his green eyes. “She did?”
“She said you’re the best mechanic in Old Sarum,” said Bryony.
“Well, at least she’s got one thing right.” Bruce returned to staring at the engine.
“Weren’t you two seeing each other?” asked Ivy.
“We were, but she ended it a month ago.”
“Do you think the breakup is permanent?” Bryony’s tone was full of sympathy. “Agatha seemed sad the two of you are no longer together.”
“That’s up to her,” said Bruce. “But she’s crazy. We were so happy and then she left suddenly. I couldn’t even get a real reason out of her.”
“Maybe you did something to annoy her,” said Ivy.
“No, we were happy,” said Bruce. He looked up at Bryony. “Did Agatha really seem sad about us breaking up?”
“Terribly so,” said Bryony. “Do you want her back?”
Bruce stepped away from the car, the leads Ivy had disconnected in his hands. “Maybe. I don’t know. She acted strangely when I last saw her and ran in the opposite direction to me.”
“Maybe she was late for an appointment?” suggested Bryony.
Bruce shrugged. “I guess so. Why the interest in my love life?”
“Idle curiosity,” said Ivy.
“Because we’re friends with Agatha, and you,” said Bryony. “If the two of you are happier together, perhaps you should give it another go.”
Bruce scratched his head again. “She can’t be that unhappy. I’ve heard Agatha’s been out on dates with other guys. Suggests to me she doesn’t care much about our relationship.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.” Bryony waved her hand to dismiss Bruce’s comment. “She could be trying to cheer herself up because she’s missing you so much.”
“Then she should come back to me,” said Bruce. “I've asked her to several times, but she keeps turning me down. After a while, I got frustrated and gave up. I can only grovel so many times before it gets humiliating.”
“Once would be enough,” muttered Ivy.
Bruce frowned at Ivy. “I found the problem with your car. These leads have been disconnected from the engine. Can’t see how they managed to work themselves loose. Looks like they were pulled out.”
“Who would do that to our lovely car?” asked Bryony, a picture of wide-eyed innocence.
“Beats me,” said Ivy. “Can you fix it?”
“Sure, they just need reconnecting,” said Bruce.
“So do you want to get back with Agatha?” asked Bryony.
“Only if she stops acting so crazy.” Bruce leaned back over the engine and reconnected the leads. “I mean, I love the girl, but a man can only take so much craziness before it stops being cute.”
“Do you want me to pass that message onto Agatha?” asked Bryony.
“If you think it will do any good,” said Bruce. “Although leave out the crazy part. She might not like that.”
“Will do,” said Bryony. “What do we owe you for the car repair?”
“Nothing, it only took a few minutes to fix. You can pay me back by convincing Agatha to come back to me.” Bruce shrugged again. “I know that sounds pathetic, but I do miss her.”
“I’ll do what I can,” said Bryony. “And I think she still cares for you. The two of you could be back together before you know it.”
After saying goodbye to Bruce, Ivy and Bryony climbed into the Mini and drove back towards the Love Cauldron.
“He didn’t seem like such a terrible guy,” said Bryony. “Agatha said they split up because he got jealous and was mean about her mom.”
“I can understand why he was mean about Mavis,” said Ivy. “But he struck me as a wet blanket. No real fight in him. He gave up on Agatha so easily. Bruce was probably glad to see the back of her. I know I will be.”
“But there was no sense of malice about him or desire to get revenge on Agatha for leaving him,” said Bryony. “He still wants her back. He wouldn’t put a curse on her that stops her kissing anyone if that's the case. It would mean she couldn’t kiss him either.”
“Maybe Bruce rigged the curse so he’s the only one who can kiss Agatha,” said Ivy. “Although that’s sophisticated magic.”
“And he’s not the sophisticated magic type,” said Bryony. “He didn’t use any magic on our car and doesn’t even seem to like it. He’s not the one we need to focus on in regards to this curse.”
“Agatha could have left Bruce because of the curse,” said Ivy. “We need to get the exact date for when she first noticed the curse was a problem.”
“It can’t have been when she was with Bruce,” said Bryony. “Because then he wouldn’t be interested in her anymore. The curse repels men from Agatha as soon as she kisses them.”
“It is a perfect curse for a vengeful ex-boyfriend,” said Ivy. “But Bruce isn’t warlock enough to do that to her.”
&nb
sp; “We need to speak to Agatha again and find out why she lied about Bruce being so awful,” said Bryony. “I have a feeling she hasn’t told us the whole truth.”
Chapter 12
“No time like the present.” Ivy spun the car around and headed towards Agatha’s small cottage on the other side of Old Sarum. “If she’s not being honest with us, we can’t help her. She is wasting my time and that is valuable.”
“Maybe Agatha didn’t mean to mislead us,” said Bryony. “She could have a good reason for wanting to keep a secret.”
“If her secret means we’ve been dashing around speaking to people who have nothing to do with her curse, Agatha's going to find herself with a nasty case of boils and an embarrassing itch,” grumbled Ivy.
A few minutes later, they pulled up outside the tiny whitewashed cottage Agatha rented.
“That’s not Agatha.” Bryony pointed to the smartly dressed woman coming out of the front door of the cottage.
“That’s Jade Goodacre,” said Ivy. “She runs the rental agency in the village.” She jumped out of the car and walked over to Jade. “Is Agatha home?”
Jade pivoted on her high black heels, her trim figure wrapped in a smart purple dress. “Ivy! I didn’t know you were looking for somewhere on your own. Are you here to view the cottage?”
“No, I’m looking for the current occupant, Agatha Graytooth,” said Ivy. “Is she in?”
“Agatha doesn’t live here anymore,” said Jade. “She gave notice this morning that she’s leaving. I’m expecting a new potential tenant in a few moments. I thought it might be you.”
“Hi, Jade. Long time no see.” Bryony joined her sister by the cottage door and gave Jade a hug.
Ivy repressed a sigh. Her sister was friends with everybody.
“I know, it’s been far too long.” Jade kissed Bryony’s cheek. “I keep meaning to drop by the store and get some more herbs. But I’ve been so busy since I took over management of the business. I’ve not had any time to myself.”
“I heard you took over from Arthur,” said Bryony. “How exciting to be a business owner.”
“Yes, although stressful at times,” said Jade. “But you should know that, looking after the Love Cauldron.”
“Did Agatha say where she was moving to?” asked Ivy, bored of the small talk. “We need to see her.”
“She mentioned her mom was sick and she needed to be back home to be with her,” said Jade. “Agatha left in such a hurry, some of her things are still here. I’ll have to get them moved out before any new tenant arrives. It’s strange, though, she seemed so happy here. I hope her mom isn’t too ill.”
Ivy wrinkled her nose and looked over at Bryony. “Looks like we’re going back into the dragon’s den if we want to see Agatha and find out what she’s up to.”
Bryony grimaced. “Thanks for your help, Jade. Hope you find a new tenant for the place soon.”
Jade waved them goodbye as they walked back to their car.
“What’s Agatha playing at?” asked Ivy. “She lies about Bruce and now she’s going home to that dreadful woman.”
“Maybe Mavis is really sick,” said Bryony. “Perhaps her encounter with us gave her a funny turn.”
“She’s a strong dragon magic user, nothing would give her a funny turn. Dragon magic makes a person almost invincible,” said Ivy as they drove away from the cottage. “No, I bet she’s faking her illness just to get Agatha home.”
“We’d better go and see if everything is okay. I hate to think we’ve made Mavis unwell.”
“I’m sure Mavis will be thrilled to see us,” said Ivy.
“If you don’t rile her up this time, we’ll be fine,” said Bryony.
“I had to get a reaction out of her, to see how strong her magic is,” said Ivy. “We know now that Mavis is powerful enough to create a curse if she wants to. And she's certainly mean enough.”
They arrived outside of Mavis’s house and both stared up at the dirty windows.
“We could wait out here until Agatha comes out,” said Bryony. “We don’t have to go inside again.”
“Don’t you want to see any more of her fire magic?” Ivy grinned. “That was one thing I liked about her. The woman can control her dragon mojo.”
“Not really,” said Bryony. “I’m sure the ends of my hair were singed.” She inspected the split free ends of her hair.
“We might not have to go in,” said Ivy. “I just saw Agatha’s head poke around one of the curtains.”
A moment later, Agatha appeared at the front door and hurried towards the car. “What are you both doing here? Mom will be furious if she spots you. She’s still ranting about your last visit.”
“Looking for you,” said Ivy. “Why are you lying to us?”
“I’m not lying to you.” Agatha stepped back from the car.
“Hold on a second,” said Bryony. “Let’s not go so fast.”
“Why do you think I’m lying?” asked Agatha.
“We’ve been to visit Bruce,” said Bryony. “He told us that you left him.”
“And that’s true,” said Agatha. “After the fight we had and because he was so jealous and rude.”
“But he doesn’t hold any grudge against you,” said Bryony. “In fact, he made it clear to us he wants you back. He said you were acting crazy just before you split up.”
“He’s talking nonsense,” said Agatha. She looked hopefully at Bryony. “Does he really want me back?”
“When did the two of you split up?” asked Ivy with a sigh.
“It was about a month ago,” said Agatha. “I can’t remember the exact date.”
“And why did you really leave him?” asked Ivy.
“Like I said, we had a big fight.”
“There must be more to it than that,” said Bryony. “You weren’t cursed when you were with Bruce were you?”
Agatha chewed on a fingernail. “There may have been a little incident before I left Bruce.”
“Define incident,” said Ivy.
“Well, oh dear, all this is such a mess.” Agatha glanced over her shoulder. “If I stay out here any longer, Mom will get suspicious.”
“Come with us,” said Ivy. “She won’t be able to see what you’re doing.”
Tears filled Agatha’s eyes but then she nodded. “Give me five minutes. I’ll make sure she’s settled and then come with you.” She hurried back to the house and disappeared inside.
Ivy tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as they waited for Agatha to return. “I knew she was hiding something.”
“It must be something bad if she’s left the man she loves and moved back in with her scary mother.”
Agatha dashed out of the house and Bryony hopped out a let her into the back of the car. “Mom is going to be fine for half an hour. I told her I was going out to get some cake. That always makes her happy. She has such a sweet tooth.”
“Let’s go to the store and you can tell us everything.” Bryony climbed back into the car. “If we don’t know the full story about your curse and where it came from, we won’t be able to help you or the red blood still in our store.”
“How’s he doing?” asked Agatha as Ivy sped away from the house.
“There’s a small improvement,” said Bryony. “Have you heard anything about the other two red bloods?”
“The ones that recovered?” asked Agatha. “I’ve heard nothing about them.”
“They haven’t recovered, you idiot,” said Ivy. “The Charm Police found them.”
Agatha groaned. “What happened?”
“The Charm Police went across the border and retrieved the others,” said Bryony. “We were lucky they didn’t find us there. Gabriel came to the store and told us what was going on. He asked if anyone had been in looking for powerful curses to inflict upon red bloods. He thinks someone is cursing red bloods deliberately.”
“You didn’t say I had anything to do with it, did you?” Alarm flashed across Agatha’s face.
“We should have done,” said Ivy.
“But we didn’t,” said Bryony.
“I didn’t do it deliberately,” said Agatha. “I’d have never kissed the humans if I knew what it would do to them. I thought they would react differently. I didn’t know it would hurt them.”
“Well, now you have to be doubly careful,” said Ivy. “With the Charm Police hunting you down, we don’t have much time to get this sorted out. So you need to start being honest with us.” She stopped the car outside the Love Cauldron and the three of them got out and hurried inside.
“This is such a mess,” said Agatha. “I wish I could go back in time and change it all.”
Bryony placed the gone to lunch sign in the window and locked the door.
“You can’t,” said Ivy as she perched on a seat. “So talk. What’s really going on?”
“This is all my fault.” Agatha twisted her hands together and paced up and down the store.
“We figured that out for ourselves,” said Ivy.
“Take your time,” said Bryony gently. She guided Agatha to a seat and sat next to her. “Start by explaining to us why you left Bruce? I have a feeling it all began there.”
“You’re right,” said Agatha. “Bruce was such a lovely boyfriend. We’d been together a while, and I had a feeling he wanted to get more serious.”
Bryony smiled. “You mean marriage?”
“Yes, he’d been talking about getting a house together, and kids in the future. I love him, but it scared me how serious he was getting.”
“I thought your only ambition in life is to get married and have children?” asked Ivy.
“It is! But when the reality hit me it seemed so grown-up. Not like in the fairy tales, but actually hard work. Spending your time with the same person for the rest of your life; buying a house together, raising a family. I freaked out and decided it wasn’t for me.”
“So what happened?” asked Bryony.
“I had an argument with Bruce over something silly,” said Agatha. “Can’t even remember what it was now. But I stormed out. I had a few damson wines to calm down, and I met a nice guy. We got talking and I told him all about Bruce. He said he had a little gift for me, something that would help me forget all about my horrible boyfriend. In fact, now I think about it, he said it would help me to get over all men.”
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