"This is impressive. What were you doing when this occurred?"
I didn't understand why his eyes had this strange sad cast every time he focused on me. "I was in the shower."
"What were you doing magically?"
"I was casting light to make the water look different colors, and I had magical music playing." He arched a brow. How he could tell there was more, I didn't know. "Narzle fart. I had rainbows too."
The corners of his lips just barely turned up. "Charming."
A gentle mint green glow blanketed the entire plant. For several minutes he stood like that, doing elven magic.
"You have the most invigorating effect on plants. It is fascinating."
"What?"
"Plants, they like you. You give them more," he searched for a word, "liveliness than they should possess."
"Oh. I don't mean to get them excited."
"I know. It's still captivating." The magic retreated back into his skin. "What do you want me to do with this thing?"
"I want it to leave me alone. I kinda like the plant, but it can't keep growing. My bathroom isn't big enough for it to continue expanding like this, and I doubt this is a healthy place for it. There isn't any natural light in here."
He hummed, and ran his fingers over the invasive flower. "This guy likes it in here. He doesn't need much light. He says he feeds off of magic."
"No, I'm not having something sucking all my power out because it's hungry."
"Think more of ripples after you drop a rock in a pond. The rock would be your magic, the spell you cast, the ripples, the energy it stirs up in the world, is what this plant feeds on. You could give it pure power, but it wouldn't need much."
"It won't drain my energy?"
"No."
"It can stay if it confines itself to the areas above the shower, above the towels, and around the sink and mirror. I don't care if you take samples, but I don't want it creeping around like it was before. It startled me." He moved several bits of plant, using magic to train them to grown in a specific area. "Also, if it's going to grow this fast you may need to cut it back."
"No, that was the first growth spurt. It will grow more slowly in the future, but if you find it expanding more rapidly than you'd like I can come back."
"Thank you. I'll be in the living room." An absent nod was the only response I received. Ten minutes later I heard him walk in, but only because I was listening. Elves were stealthy.
"Fixed." Elron said.
"Thank you."
"May I say, I was shocked at how much fawning Landa is doing since you're fine."
"How dare you. You have no idea how I feel. You don't know what happened. Get out." He didn't know how hurt I'd been, or what injuries I might have that he couldn't see.
"Fine, you've been busy anyway," he sneered.
I sat there, staring at the television, but not seeing any of it. How dare he. To think, I'd begun considering him a friend. I sat there, fuming, for hours. I fixed myself dinner, nearly burning my hand in anger, but couldn't seem to regain my calm. Exasperated, I crept out into the dusk, ready to find some peace at my altar.
Elron
It didn't take me long to realize I'd been wrong to lash out at her over my jealousy. I didn't know what the last few days had been like for her, and I could feel the remains of a healing spell. It wasn't right for me to have been so rude simply because another man had been with her. Oh, the phrasing modern people used. I had no idea if they'd slept together, though I strongly suspected they hadn't. However, I had good reason to believe he'd laid the healing spell on her.
I needed to know why I was so foolish. There was no reason for this outlandish behavior, though I indulged myself constantly. Ah, my logic was flawed. If I constantly exhibited a behavior there was a reason; wanting to admit to the reason was different than the existence of a reason. The best way to eliminate the behavior was to determine the cause and treat it.
Considering it that way brought everything into a new light. I wanted to court—the modern term was date—Michelle. I didn't know how to date. It had been a very long time since I'd courted a woman. I'd never dated.
This concept of dating was beyond me. I didn't need to ask her parents for permission, we didn't need any type of supervision, and it was all directed by our desires and whims, not the rules of society. Elvish courting was structured, unlike this modern dating custom. I needed someone to explain these modern behaviors to me.
Dating was strange enough, but jealousy of this type was unfamiliar. I never competed for my wife's attention. I wasn't accustomed to competing for a place in a woman's life, nor was I prepared to reveal my feelings, risking hurt.
She was in the garden, perhaps not the best place to speak to her, but it was a place she respected. Not wanting to interrupt, I waited inside the door. There was no need to aggravate her before we spoke.
When she came through the door I spoke softly, not wanting to disturb her, "Michelle, would you take a short walk with me?"
She looked at me, as if not sure when I'd appeared. "Are you going to be mean?"
"No, I'd like to apologize."
"In that case, I accept."
We didn't walk close together; she kept eight inches between us as we made our way into the garden. "Landa has informed me of my ignorance. I find myself uncertain how to progress." We walked a few steps. "I owe you more than an apology, but all other words would only be an explanation. If you want the explanation I'll gladly give it to you, but I need to be responsible enough to control my emotions and impulses."
"I'm a glutton for punishment. Let me hear the explanation." She sounded patient, but intrigued.
"I'm something of a unicycle, old, out of date, unbalanced, unneeded. I find myself unsure of what actions I should take, how I should behave around you. I want to be your friend." I left the idea of being something more unsaid. It would only complicate things right now. "I'd like you to help me navigate this world." Several minutes passed as we circled the small garden. Between the dusky light and her lack of expression I wasn't sure what she would say.
"No more pranks. No more jokes. I need more honesty and less hidden agenda. In turn we can work on being friends, and I'll help you with technology."
"Thank you. I'll escort you to dinner."
"That would be lovely." For the first time since I'd given her the flower, her voice warmed.
She moved close enough for our auras to brush, and something abrasive hit my aura, catching my attention. I pulled away, studying her, casting my senses around. "Did you know there's a tracking spell on you?"
"No." I could feel her magic stretch as she searched for the spell. "Narzel's ass. I knew that boy was too good to be true."
"What?"
"Give me a moment, I need to remove this." Her power flared, eating the spell, leaving no trace behind.
"Lovely work."
"Thank you." She started back to the lodge, not waiting for me to catch up. Inside the door she continued. "A witch asked me on a date. It seemed a bit serendipitous. I hate being right."
"The one who was here earlier?"
"That's the one."
"I knew I didn't like him."
She laughed all the way to the dining room.
Michelle
Waking wasn't nearly as peaceful as sleeping had been. "Jones, I told you not to call me." He couldn't need me again.
"I know, but I needed you to hear this from me."
"Hear what?"
"Open your e-mail. Let me know when you've opened the pictures."
"Ok, give me a minute." Completely confused by his serious tone, and baffled by any reason I'd need to look at pictures, I followed his directions. "I'm on the cover slide."
"Carrie died last night, in her cell. You've been asked to look at the scene, but I knew you wouldn't. Look at these, tell me what you think."
Oh, she was dead all right. I was glad I hadn't eaten yet. With the way her abdomen was exploded it looked like something had
crawled out of her, then eaten her throat. There were more pictures of the body than I wanted to see, but this wasn't for entertainment. Blood was splashed over the entire cell, but in one corner it looked like letters. "She made some very binding deals with some very bad folks. I haven't a clue with whom, but I can look in to what would've done this." I squinted at a picture. "Is that writing on the wall?"
"Yes."
I flipped to the next slide. "Seriously, 'It's not over' is written on the wall in blood?"
"Yes, and according to the FBI's report of her ravings, you have only eliminated the least of them. The others are waiting for the right moment to strike. This was not the main plan, merely a side venture. She doesn't specify a group or organization, just 'them'."
"Who else did I eliminate?"
"The breeder in Cherokee County. Carrie claimed she was breeding creatures for harvesting energy and body parts."
"How on earth would I have known that? Those were completely separate events!"
"Nothing she said has been verified, but Michelle, I called because of what's not written on the wall. 'It's not over' is scary enough, but the other inmates, and video, say she was shouting until her final breath."
"What did she say?" I'd only been trying to capture trolls. This was all a bit much for me.
"'The witch is mine. Vengeance is mine. Death is the first step.'"
"She said that?"
"She said it, but it wasn't her voice."
"Whose voice was it?"
"We don't know. On the tape it sounds like a woman."
"This changes nothing, Jones. I'm going to keep doing my job. Evil is often big talk, and not much action. I'll keep an eye out, but it may be years before they act on that promise."
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read Witch for Hire. If you enjoyed Michelle and Elron's story, please post a review. Reviews are a valuable way for authors to connect with readers. If you're interested, the following pages contain information on upcoming books and my contact information.
About the Author
I live in a small town in Oregon with my dog, and a mountain of books. It rains from October till June, and everyone rushes outside when it's sunny.
For fun I play with my dog, read, knit, crochet, paint, tie-dye, and do origami. I make a great pizza. I'm debating getting sea monkeys, because they're awesome.
I'm currently working on the sequel to Witch for Hire.
Connect with N. E. Conneely
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NEConneely
Website: www.neconneely.com
If you'd like to email me: [email protected]
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