She’d agreed even though Bella knew she’d be exhausted. It had been a late night. The spell to free Alexander Ford had worked, but that meant they couldn’t leave him in the jail. Despite everything he’d recently been through, Luther had agreed to take him in until Ford could get on his feet. They’d spent the night and into the early morning getting him settled.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her nose as she entered Bella Beauty Salon, and the scent brought with it a rush of relief. If she couldn’t have a good night’s rest, then at least she could have a huge cup of witch’s brew coffee. It wasn’t something they typically served to clients, so Bella figured Franny must have been trying to butter her up.
“Good morning, Franny. That coffee smells amazing. We’ll have to drink it all before the first appointment arrives, but I can’t say I’m sad about that.” Bella said cheerfully.
Franny was sitting in the last salon chair on the way into the back room. The lights were all off, and she was hunched over with her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry for what? Franny, what’s wrong?” Bella said as she rushed to her friend’s side.
“I’ve been keeping a secret, and I’m afraid once I tell you, you’ll never trust me again. In fact, you’ll probably ban me from Winterfield. I don’t want that. I’m not the enemy. I swear.” Franny said and then began to sob violently.
Belladonna walked to the salon chair next to her and sat down. She turned the chair so that she faced Francine. “Tell me everything.”
It took a moment for Francine to calm herself down, but she eventually stopped crying enough to tell Belladonna the truth about Lexi’s recent visit to the salon. Bella listened attentively and nodded her head. She was a bit angry with Franny but decided to push down her judgments for the time being. Her rage at Lexi felt as though it would burn a hole straight through her chest.
“You should have told me. You could have told me, Franny. How can you not know that?” Belladonna said as calmly as she could manage.
“I didn’t want you to be hurt. I didn’t know what to do, so I just did nothing. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I understand why you were scared. I wish you’d been with us last night. Then, you could tell me if the thing she summoned was the same fiend that crashed our ritual last night.”
“What are we going to do?” Franny asked and then bit her lip as if she’d said something stupid. “I should pack my things and go. I have no right to know how you’re going to handle the mess I’ve helped put you in.”
“I trust you. Let’s find Lexi and get rid of her.”
“How are we going to do that? We have an entire day of appointments booked.” Franny’s voice was filled with relief.
“Call them all and reschedule. Tell them we have an emergency to handle.”
Belladonna went home to gather the items she’d need to track down Lexi while Franny called all of their clients to reschedule them for later in the week. Fortunately, no one got upset, and the process went smoothly.
That was the last time things would go effortlessly for the witches that day. Belladonna and Franny took off on foot using an enchanted dousing rod to locate Lexi.
The divining rod led them to Franny’s house, and Belladonna looked at Franny with skepticism. “Why are we here? If you have something you want to tell me, you’d better do it now.” Bella said patiently.
“I have no idea, Bella. I swear. I’m not hiding her if that’s what you think.”
“I don’t want to believe that, but this looks like a trap,” Bella said as she stood and looked up at Franny’s two story Victorian.
Just then, the front door swung open and a voice boomed from inside. “Only one way to find out, witch.”
Lexi.
Belladonna thought for a moment. If this was a trap set by Franny, she’d have to be a much more powerful witch than Bella knew. That seriously wasn’t possible. She made the decision right then and there to go in. She’d thought about calling Murielle, but Bella didn’t want to drag someone else into the mess just in case it was a trap after all.
She splayed her fingers and drew the power of the earth into her limbs. Lexi was a blight, and the mother goddess would give Belladonna the strength to strike her down.
“You’re going to need more than that.” Lexi’s voice came through the darkened doorway, but Bella could hear the crack.
She didn’t respond but instead took a step forward. Franny gasped as she felt the earth under her feet tremble. Each step that Bella took toward the house rang out as a crack of thunder.
Francine looked around to see if they were drawing any attention, but it seemed as though the sound was contained in a bubble around Franny’s house. Great, she thought, that meant no help would be coming.
By the time Belladonna reached the front porch, the door had slammed shut. Bella knew that she had seconds to reach Lexi before she’d disappear through some hole she’d ripped in the fabric of reality. Surely if Lexi had mastered the summoning of demons, she’d also be able to use those powers to teleport.
For a moment, her courage faltered. Was she ready to take on Lexi alone? Would Lexi be alone? Belladonna was fairly confident that she was strong enough to contain Lexi, but she had no idea what type of demon or beast Lexi had working with her. It was dangerous to take them both on alone, but what choice did she have?
Chapter Thirteen
A brilliant flash of light from inside of Francine’s house let Belladonna know that Lexi was gone. She rushed into the house and found an inverted pentagram drawn just inside the door. There were several black candles placed around it, and small piles of foul scented herbs in the center made Bella’s eyes water.
It was a witch trap.
Belladonna wondered how long Lexi had thought she could hold her in that trap. It was a potent magical working, but Bella would have broken out of it in minutes. That’s when it occurred to her. The trap was only meant to hold her for a short time. Lexi had intended to let the beast devour her. It gave Belladonna a shiver because she had no idea if it would have worked or not. She wanted to believe she was strong enough to survive the attack, but a witch needed her coven.
At least the elements had favored her, but Belladonna had to be careful not to let that go to her head. There was no guarantee that the earth or the moon would lend her power whenever she needed it, and there was no way to know how much they would give. Those decisions were made by the others.
Belladonna wanted to take some time to feel out the trap. She hoped that information could be drawn from it like a fingerprint left at the scene of a crime. However, that was not in the cards.
Belladonna’s cell phone rang, and she jumped halfway out of her skin. She saw that it was Ben, and a feeling of dread pooled in her stomach.
“Ben?”
“Belladonna, Jimmy Kismit has been reported missing,” Ben muttered.
“I don’t know. It was an anonymous call to the State Police dispatch. I just got off the phone with them. They wanted to know if I could handle the initial investigation or if they should send out troopers to assist my police department.”
“We can handle it,” Bella said.
“I know, sweetie. That’s what I told them.” Ben replied.
“We should meet. Things are going on, and I don’t think it’s safe for you to be out investigating this on your own.”
“I’d ask for more information, but I’m just going to trust you. Where should we meet?”
“I don’t know. Maybe at the square. We could start there.” Belladonna said hesitantly. “Oh wait. No. I’ve got it. Let’s meet at the Devil’s Pesto.”
“I’ll be there as quick as I can. Love you, Bells.”
“Love you too, goober.”
Belladonna didn’t want the evidence at Francine’s house to get corrupted, so she and Franny worked together to put a large shield spell around the house. No one was getting in or out until they got back. The incantation required Belladonna and
Francine to act as a key so no one could force just one of them to open it.
Once Franny’s house was protected, the witches went to the Devil’s Pesto to meet Ben. Murielle snuck out of work and met them as well. The three witches and Ben decided to search the woods around the restaurant.
They searched for almost two hours but came up completely empty handed. Still, Bella and the others agreed that something didn’t feel right. It was like they were missing something, but no one could put their finger on it.
“We need Jessie,” Murielle said enthusiastically.
“Jessie?” Bella cocked her head to the side and looked at Muri skeptically. “I don’t want to drag her into this if we can avoid it. It’s too dangerous to bring more people in than we absolutely have to. What if that thing can drag people into the portal with it?”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Murielle’s face went pale.
“I’ll protect you, and you’ll protect me. Don’t be scared. I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you. I just don’t want to put more people at risk. The more of us there are out here, the harder it is to watch every back.” Bella said regretfully. “But please, tell me your idea about Jessie.”
“She’s an elf,” Murielle began. “She can talk to the trees and stuff. Trees are protected by the elders and the others. That means they aren’t subject to whatever dark magic is cloaking whatever is out here.”
“We could just use nature magic to find it, and then we don’t have to bring her in,” Bella answered.
“But, Belladonna, we don’t know where to start. Sure, we can break whatever is out here, but how long will that take? How long do we have? Jessie can ask the trees, and then we’ll know. It will be much faster.”
Belladonna contemplated what her best friend said. She didn’t want to have to make these decisions. It would have been so pleasant to go back to the time before the Tory mansion burned. That’s when it all started.
But, that was also before Ben, and it was before Muri finally let herself fall in love with Luke. There was no Jessie, Zoe, Olwen, and Sterling wasn’t hers yet either. No, before was easier, but it wasn’t better. Belladonna might struggle with her new powers and responsibilities, but it was a gift.
“Okay. Let’s go get her, but it’s Jessie’s decision. I can completely understand if she doesn’t want to be involved with any of this mess.”
Jessie was in the back making peanut butter thumbprint cookies when Belladonna arrived at Big Buns Bakery. She looked excited to see her friend until she saw the grave look on Bella’s face.
“Whatever it is, yes. I’ll help.” She said and began to take off her apron. “Shame about these cookies though.”
“Don’t you want to hear what we’re about to do before you say yes?”
“I trust you,” Jessie said with a knowing smile. “Let’s go.”
Belladonna waved her hands over the raw cookie dough. Within moments, it was transformed from uncooked to baked peanut butter perfection.
“I should hire you,” Jessie said with a smile.
“I’m not sure that’s the best idea. I seem to bring trouble with me wherever I go.”
“Yeah, but I like trouble,” Jessie said with a devious grin.
They walked out to the front of the bakery where Zoe was manning the counter. “You’re in charge,” Jessie said to her young business partner.
“Yes, boss.” Zoe returned with a playful salute.
Belladonna filled Jessie in on what was going on as they drove to the Devil’s Pesto. Once they were there, Jessie said she would need a minute alone in the forest, so Bella walked to the edge of the trees and called out for Ben and the others.
She started to get a little worried when they didn’t appear right away, but a few minutes later, all three of them filed out of the forest and stood next to her.
“What took you so long?” She asked when they were all there.
“What do you mean?” Ben asked. “As soon as we heard you, we came right out.”
“That’s good information to have,” Jessie said. “There is some sort of time or sound distortion. I’ll get to the bottom of it. But, you have to stay here and let me prepare.”
“I don’t know,” Bella said. “I was all right with you going in there until we figured out that if you call for help, we won’t hear it for several minutes.”
“I’m willing to take the risk,” Jessie said. “It’s my decision, and besides, the plants won’t talk to me unless I’m alone. If there is dark magic at work in there, I’m sure they are on edge.”
The group nodded their heads in acceptance and watched as Jessie made her way into the forest. The trees and flowers appeared to welcome Jessie as she entered. Bella thought she might have been hallucinating, but everything green seemed to bend itself to get closer to the elf.
A half an hour later, Jessie exited the woods looking stricken. The trees had given up their secrets to her, and she wasn’t as prepared for the truth as she’d believed.
“He’s in there.” She whispered once she reached the group. “But, he’s not alive. I can take you to the body, and you can use your magic to extinguish the cloaking spell.”
Jessie led them to the spot where the trees had shown her Jimmy’s body. Ben and Jessie stood back while Franny, Bella, and Muri brought down the cloaking spell. It was easy once they knew where to look.
Ben bent down to look at Jimmy. He reached out to move the collar of his shirt, and Jimmy completely disintegrated into a pile of lime green ash. “What the…” he said as he jumped up and away from the body.
“It’s the poison. The same thing that got Luther and Lucy when they came to investigate Abrielle’s death. That’s what happens if it runs its course.” Jessie said.
“It wasn’t the thing that killed Abrielle?” Ben mused. “So, we have a killer and a demonic beast on our hands.”
“It didn’t kill Abrielle with its poison to buy time.” Aunt Sumac’s voice made everyone whirl around. “The fiend wanted to keep it’s nature a secret long enough to lure Lucy and Luther into the woods.”
“Why?” Belladonna asked.
“Because it’s been watching you. It’s been studying every move we make. I found traces of it on Franny the day she came to get the medicine from me. I was able to use that to get its name. Marfaliel is an ancient beast. He’s a cross between a demon and a gargoyle. If I had to guess, I’d say that Lexi let him into this world, and she probably thinks that she’s controlling him. I’d be willing to be a lifetime supply of marshmallows that he’s using her. “
“So, there’s no one to arrest for the murder,” Ben said.
“No.” Aunt Sumac said. “But, the Nightshade Coven has to figure out what to do about Lexi. I get the feeling this is only the beginning. She’s going to come at us with an army of fiends and dark witches eventually if we don’t stop her soon.”
A town meeting was held, and the residents of Winterfield decided that the Nightshade Coven was more than capable of handling what had become known as “The Lexi Problem.” What the town needed was strong leadership.
Someone nominated Belladonna to be Mayor. The motion was seconded and thirded. The town council voted at once, and suddenly, Belladonna found herself the Mayor of Winterfield.
“Just like that?” Belladonna said to Ben in disbelief after the meeting.
“I personally think you’ll make a great Mayor,” Ben said with a proud smile.
“You mean Mayor, Hairdresser, witch, and don’t forget Dragon Master.” She said with a sigh.
“Is Dragon Master the official title?” Ben asked.
“It’s something like that. It’s so hard to keep track anymore. Okay, so all I’ve got to do is run my salon and Winterfield, keep Sterling happy and protected, and find Lexi before she raises an army of darkness against everyone we love.”
“You’ve totally got this, babe,” Ben said and gave her a big kiss.
Epilogue
Belladonna was cooking dinner for her
first night alone in the house with Ben. The knock at the front door startled her a little, but not enough to drop the spoon into the spaghetti sauce.
“I’ll get it,” Ben called out from the den.
“Are you sure?” Bella called back. “I can grab the door.”
“I got it.”
Bella heard the door open, but then there was nothing. “Babe, who is it?” She called out again.
When Belladonna didn’t hear anyone, she set the wooden spoon down on the counter and used her magic to freeze time on the stove so their dinner wouldn’t burn.
Her heart about stopped when she stepped into the hallway. The front door was wide open, but Ben wasn’t there. There was an old looking lamp and a single white feather. Standing on the sidewalk was Aunt Sumac and Granny Pepper. Something terrible must have happened for them to appear that fast.
“We came right away.” Aunt Sumac said.
“Where’s Ben?” Bella started to panic a little. “Ben. Beeeen! This isn’t funny.”
Aunt Sumac and Granny Pepper joined Belladonna on the porch. Sumac bent down and picked up the lamp. Underneath was a note.
Good luck getting your husband out of this one. – Lexi
“It’s a genie lamp.” Granny Pepper said. “That witch has trapped your man hunk husband in a genie lamp.”
Belladonna stooped and picked up the white feather. “But what does this have to do with a genie lamp?” Bella was in a daze and hoped the feather was the key. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
“Nothing dear.” Aunt Sumac said soothingly. “That’s a stork feather.”
“You mean, I’m?” Bella said with a gasp.
Aunt Sumac and Granny Pepper nodded their heads in unison.
The End… For now.
Thank you for reading.
Moon Hexed Page 8