by Kali Harper
“Looks can be deceiving. Come on.”
The inside of Oswald’s Tokens and Treats was warm and inviting, which was the complete opposite of how it appeared outside. The tinted windows were still a mystery to me, but the hustle and bustle inside as customers placed their orders almost made me miss the early mornings and long hours at Every Last Crumb. Almost.
Much like Maggie, Oswald or whoever owned the place had gone with a very light cream motif. Tables made from what appeared to be oak lined the walls, firm chairs surrounding them. There were no booths, and the tables closest to the front window were occupied by residents happily reading the newspaper. What other witches and wizards had to read in the newspaper was anyone’s guess, but I had a feeling Morpheus was one of the top headlines. If not today, then perhaps the day before.
The clamor inside the small eatery calmed once Lance and I approached the front counter, a man in his fifties meeting Lance’s gaze with a smile.
“Good morning, Detective. Haven’t seen you around these parts lately. What can I get for you?” The older gentleman leaned on the counter, his eyes focused in my direction. “And who, might I ask, is this lovely little thing?”
“She’s with me,” Lance said, placing himself between us, “and we’re here on official business.”
“Okay, okay,” the man said, holding his hands up. “I’m allowed to look. Your usual then?” He’d already turned for a display case behind him, removing a handful of cookies from the bin before dumping them into a paper bag.
“Actually, I was wondering if you had any Seer’s charms in stock.”
“Funny, you’re the second person to ask about those this week. I don’t tend to carry them anymore, not since Caleb up and left. Such things are against the rules. What’s the matter? You can’t get it from the horse’s mouth, so you’re trying to take a shortcut?”
Lance waved his hand dismissively and walked right up to the counter, his voice so low I almost didn’t hear him. “How many days ago was this?”
The older gentleman followed his example, lowering his voice as he did. When I went to join them, Sammy nipped the bottom of my pant leg.
“Let them be,” Sammy said, his tone rough around the edges. “If it’s important, Lance will tell us. Besides, if it’s that critical, we won’t hear about it in a public space.”
As if on cue, Lance took the cookies the other man had offered him and turned to go. To me, he said, “We’ll speak with him in a little bit once the rush clears out.”
“What about the charm?” Not that I wanted to use it, but was whatever this other man had to say that important Lance had forgotten our reason for coming here?
“I haven’t forgotten, Astrid. The circumstances have changed. We really need to do something about those projections.”
“Without charms?”
“Looks like. I can coach you through it, but I need to speak with Darien first. We have some time to kill before Alex meets with us, so I suggest you make the most of it and take a look around. See what you can find, starting with Laura Fisher.”
“The older woman with the flowers?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a reason you don’t want me to meet with Darien?” I could see there was, because whenever anyone mentioned the vampire by name, Lance stiffened. “You don’t like him.”
“It isn’t him so much as those he converses with,” he corrected me. “Being a vampire is fine and I have nothing against them, but Darien lives in two worlds, one of which rests far below Fairmount.”
“Maybe you should take him on as a private investigator,” I said. “What? He can lurk in the shadows and get whatever answers you need by compelling folks to do what he wants.”
“Compelling isn’t allowed.”
“It would make your investigations more interesting.”
“And dangerous.” Lance fixed his jacket and glanced down the street, his eyes hardening when he spotted Darien walking into one of the other shops. “See what you can find out from Laura, then meet me at The Magician’s Closet. We’ll talk with Alex within the hour, so try to keep your projections under control until then.”
“I thought you said you’d coach me,” I called after him.
“Later.” Lance turned on his heels and made a beeline for where he’d last seen Darien, leaving me alone on the sidewalk with Sammy and my mind so full of questions, I knew my projections were the least of my worries.
“Shield them,” Sammy said, putting emphasis on each word. “Close your eyes and envision a bubble forming around your mind.”
“How will I know if it works?” Thinking about my shields when I wasn’t in danger was bad enough, but knowing when they actually fell into place? I’d never felt anything at all aside from the roll and dip I experienced on a roller coaster.
“Your mind will tingle, then go numb.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“Would you rather leave your thoughts open to interpretation? You’ll be of no use to Lance or anyone else if you can’t control your mind. A witch must have her wits about her at all times.” When I didn’t close my eyes, Sammy said, “There’s a small rock over there. Pick it up.” Once I did, he continued. “Run your fingers along its surface and close your eyes. Focus on the rock. What shape it is, if it’s warm or cold. Put all of your thoughts into what you hold in your hands.”
“This is silly. You can’t think about a rock.”
“Concentrate. Think of where it came from, what it could create. Try to feel the essence inside it. All things, living and inanimate, have a pulse. Humans can’t feel it the way we can, and this is far too advanced for your current level of training.”
“So why do it at all?” Why did I need to feel the pulse of the stone anyway?
“Because it’s also a form of meditation. It will calm your mind, thus calming your thoughts enough for you to speak with Laura. Doing this is easier than asking you to shield your mind when you haven’t even begun to understand your capabilities.” I was about to ask him what he meant when he cut me off. “You need to believe you can do something. Any doubt will let your magic move around without control.”
“I thought that’s what you were here for,” I told him, not opening my eyes as the stone in my hands warmed under my touch.
“And the book, but this is different. The only here who one who can shield and control your thoughts is you, and seeing as Lance is too busy to coach you himself—”
“You’re stepping in.” Smiling, I took a breath to steady my nerves and concentrated on the stone. Meditation wasn’t something I’d ever done, not intentionally, anyway. I’d stared into a bonfire and zoned out numerous times, but that wasn’t the same thing, was it?
“Let your mind go blank.”
Okay, maybe it was, but then why was he asking me to think about a stupid rock?
“Calm your thoughts.”
I took another steadying breath, rolled my shoulders back, then everything went quiet. Darkness flooded my vision—one much darker than the backs of my eyelids. My grip on the stone tightened, then relaxed when I envisioned the material crumbling through my fingers. There was no sound, no words of wisdom from Sammy. All I felt and all I heard was my mind growing quiet and how the stone was no longer in my hands. Panic rose in my chest as I started to wonder where it had gone. Had I dropped it? Was I holding it but couldn’t feel it? Was Sammy nearby, or had he given up and gone to find a sunspot?
“Calm your thoughts,” his words echoed in the back of my mind, his voice sounding far away. “The feeling you had before the panic, that’s what you want.”
Unable to feel the rock anymore, I focused on my breathing instead. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you meditate, right? In through the nose and out through the mouth, right? Or was it the other way around?
“Astrid…”
Shaking my head, I decided it didn’t make a difference and slowly, very slowly, the world fell away. My ears felt like they needed to pop, but other than that, every
thing was calm. Weightless.
“Hold onto it,” I heard Sammy say, his voice muffled. “Now, open your eyes.”
I did as he asked and immediately wished I hadn’t. The sunlight in Fairmount was too bright, practically blinding me as my eyes adjusted. Still holding the stone in my hand, I shoved it in my pocket in case Sammy needed me to use it again. The exercise might not have involved my ability to conjure a shield around myself or others, but the numbness Sammy mentioned before was there. It was mild, barely noticeable, but there.
After offering me a nod of approval, Sammy turned for Laura Fisher’s shop, the elderly woman happily tending to a row of flowers outside. The breeze tugged at her sun hat as she held it in place, her graying hair reaching to her shoulders. Halfway through October, I never understood why anyone would wear a sun hat, but then Ida wore them all the time, even when it was thirty degrees outside and there was an inch or more of snow on the ground.
“Excuse me?” I said, keeping my voice low as to not startle the old woman.
She crouched in front of the flowerbed, pruning a handful of weeds before adding them to a basket she had hooked over her arm. Once she placed her clippers in the basket alongside them, she turned to me and smiled. “Hello, dear. Come to buy something?” She paused, her eyes focused on Sammy. “Samson, is that you?”
Sammy purred and walked right up to her, weaving around her arm as she stretched in out in front of her. “Hello, Laura. Are the flowers doing well?”
“What’re you doing?” I asked, hoping only Sammy would hear me. He’d suddenly turned into a gentleman, and we hardly knew this woman.
“You don’t, but Laura and Maggie go way back,” Sammy explained, directing his attention to the other woman.
“They’ll manage,” Laura admitted, dusting her hands off on her long denim skirt before getting to her feet. “What brings you to Fairmount? I heard about Maggie.”
“This is Astrid, my new charge. It’s her first time in Fairmount, so I thought I’d show her around and take her to the best spots.”
Laura batted at him. “You always were the charmer, but I thought I saw you near Morpheus’ place the other day.”
“A preemptive visit, I assure you. Astrid isn’t quite ready for her first trial.”
“Don’t you worry, love. You’ll get there.” She offered her hand to me, then said, “I’m Laura, and this here is my tiny shop. I specialize in herbology these days, so if there’s anything you need, let me know.”
I shook her hand and smiled. “Strange, Maggie never mentioned you.”
“You weren’t awakened at the time. I’m happy to see Sammy and her powers were passed on to someone she loved. It doesn’t always turn out that way,” she said, her tone harder than before.
Sammy cut in before I could ask her what she meant. “You should’ve taken over the apothecary,” he said, sitting back on his haunches.
“Pfft, that old place? It has more ghosts then I’d know what to do with. Not real ones, of course,” she explained, “but bad things came out of that shop. I want nothing to do with it. I’ve told Richard to burn the place down and start fresh, but you know how he is.”
“Once a stubborn fool, always a stubborn fool. Richard’s the mayor of Fairmount Square,” Sammy told me, likely having sensed my confusion. “It’s his job to keep things running smoothly, even if his ideas are a little unorthodox.”
“You mean like the time he suggested we move Oswald’s to another town? What’s a crossroads without its charms?”
“Crossroads?” I asked, looking between them.
“It’s where we are, dear. A place linked to your world. We need our charms as much as the next city.”
“Why did he want to get rid of it?”
“Lord only knows. It isn’t like what comes out of his shop is dark or sinister. The charms Alex uses are innocent and nothing like its previous owner.”
“Oswald?”
“His son, actually. Terrible man, one of which I’m glad to be rid of. You knew he was up to no good when he tinted those front windows of his. He had no right selling half of what came out of that shop. It made folks sick! Sometimes I wonder if he and Dune were in business with one another.”
“Dune?”
“The gentlemen who ran the apothecary,” Sammy explained. “Laura, have you seen either of them around lately?”
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to join their side.” Her voice wasn’t as gentle as before.
“Just trying to keep up on current events, promise.”
Laura’s face paled at that, and when she spoke again, her voice shook. “I’m sorry, I need to get this bed finished before this afternoon. Perhaps another time?”
“For tea,” I said, forcing a smile.
She nodded and coughed into her hand. “Tea would be lovely.” As Laura went back to her garden, Sammy and I turned to leave.
“You’re letting her go?” Sammy asked, his hard tone surprising even me.
“She doesn’t want to be bothered. The more we push, the less she’ll want to say.”
“But she knows something.”
“Maybe she does, but we aren’t going to get anywhere if we badger her. Come on, Sam, you know her better than I do. Would she have talked if we kept on her like that?”
Sammy huffed. “I hate when you’re right.”
“Me too, Sam. Me too.” Especially because it was happening a lot more than I’d like. Heck, my hunches were starting to feel more like premonitions as every single one up to this point had come true.
“You’re starting to understand our world,” Sammy said, walking toward The Magician’s Closet.
If that was the case, the less I knew about being a witch, the better.
“Any luck?” Lance was waiting for us when we reached the closet, the weary look in his eyes telling me all I needed to know.
“No, and I take it Darien was no help, either.” I leaned against the front of Morpheus’ shop, wondering then if we’d ever find out who banished him, let alone if there was a way to bring him back. No one had said anything, but I was pretty sure we weren’t looking for the suspect just to put him behind bars. So far, getting Morpheus back seemed like a possibility, but I couldn’t say for sure.
“Brining someone back from banishment is possible, but extremely dangerous.” Lance passed me a knowing smile. “Still struggling with those projections, huh?”
“I had them under control for a while, but I guess whatever I did wore off.” I shrugged and stared at the ground between my feet, concentrating on the designs the stone and cement made in the sidewalk. “Laura did mention the man who owned Oswald’s before Alex.”
“Caleb wasn’t the kind of charmer you’re used to,” Lance said with a nod. “I never found out why he sold the place. While Richard may have asked him to leave, it wasn’t an order he needed to follow.”
“Maybe he was afraid of getting caught,” I said, thinking back on what Laura had said. “If he was up to no good, he probably didn’t want anyone else poking around. Did Alex ever say how he got the place?”
“Sure. He worked for him.”
My gut twisted into a tight knot. “And you’re sure he isn’t doing something on the side?” If I’d been asked to take over a business as questionable as Caleb’s, I’m pretty sure I would’ve walked away.
“It’s the only job Alex has ever known. He worked for Caleb’s father, then Caleb once he passed. So when he was asked to take over the business, he did so without question. Once Caleb left, Alex made it his own and removed the darker charms from his studies.”
“But he knows how to make them.”
“Yes, but, Astrid, you’re missing the point here. Alex says someone came through town a few days ago asking for the same charm I’d requested earlier. A charm isn’t what banished Morpheus as it simply doesn’t exist, but if someone wanted to shield their thoughts, they probably had a good reason for it.”
“And you think Alex will know this person by name?”
“If not, at least we can get a description. Ahh, there he is now.” Lance gestured up the way as Alex headed in our direction. His face was paler than before, and when he finally joined us, he was out of breath. “Thank you so much for agreeing—”
“Can we do this somewhere else?” Alex cut Lance off, opening the door to The Magician’s Closet before ushering me inside.
“What’s this about?” Lance asked once we’d all gathered inside Morpheus’ shop.
“Sorry, it’s Marian Gray. She’s after me again.”
Lance released a soft chuckle. “Things not going as well as you planned?” When I looked to Lance, he said, “His ex. You know she’ll find you eventually.”
“Yeah, but maybe by then I can breathe.” He removed a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiped his brow. “The woman’s a demon, I swear. Anyway, you wanted to know who was in the other day?”
“Please, but make it quick. We really should be getting back.”
“Yes, yes, of course. I don’t know the fellow by name, but I’ve seen him around these parts a few times. Comes here with his daughter as well. I think her name was Darby, but you’ll have to excuse me if these ears aren’t what they used to be.”
Lance and I both looked at one another, and as the anxiety rose in my chest, Lance thanked Alex for his time and let him out. “We need to get back to Emberdale. Now.”
Chapter Eight
“Where are they?” Lance’s voice echoed in the open foyer, his shoulders bunched together as he stared Lucy down. I’d seen him upset before, possibly even worried, but this was new. This was a combination of the two and as terrifying as it sounds coming from someone who normally kept a level head on his shoulders.
“Lance, please.” I placed a hand on his arm, withdrawing it when he pulled away from me. “You need to calm down. Yelling won’t do us any good.”
“What’s this about?” Lucy asked, ignoring Lance for the moment as she looked at me. “Does he always run hot and cold like this?”
I shrugged. “Not like this, no. Are the girls around? I thought they were going to stay here.” It’s why Sammy had worked so hard to ward up the place before we left, so if Lucy was here, where had Darby and Izzy gone?