My mom, like me, believed that magic was about the witch, not whatever you threw into your cauldron. My mom had vanished when I was seven, leaving me to be raised by an aunt who shared Valerie’s more traditional view of magic. But I never stopped believing my mom had been right and now, at twenty-two, I was determined to prove it.
I did a quick inventory of my stock and realized I was low on attraction charms. Attraction charms were as close as either Val or I would get to making a love spell which were ethically dubious and rarely worked in the long term anyhow. Some witches made bank selling them but I refused. An attraction charm increased one’s attractive qualities, like getting a +1 bonus on your charisma check in a role playing game, only in real life. It didn’t bamboozle anyone, and it wasn’t going to make someone who didn’t like you change their mind. But it would give you a little boost of confidence, if nothing else, and make your best qualities shine.
I opened my magical cabinet, which was actually just a normal wooden cabinet from IKEA that I used to store my spell supplies. I pulled out my Tupperware container of ocean-smoothed stones that Valerie and I collected at the beach every six months.
I set up my cast iron cauldron on my desk. It was a small one given to me by my aunt Cecily for my eighteenth birthday. I had wanted a car, but you take what you can get.
Some spells required having the cauldron over an open flame but a surprising number of them didn’t require heat at all. The magic itself got hot enough to cook and meld the ingredients together without need of a stove.
As I added ingredients, I pushed a little bit of magic into each thing before I stirred it into the pot. The magic tingled as it moved through my fingers and into the water, herbs, and petals before they dropped into the pot below.
Attraction charms required a number of ingredients, including honey which I ducked into the kitchen to get, and hair of the dog, which I didn’t have. Sometimes Valerie offered to walk neighbors’ dogs in order to brush them for fur but she didn’t share and I wasn’t a dog person.
I grabbed Seth’s brush off my nightstand and carefully extracted a few strands of cat hair. Good enough, I thought, as I pushed magic into the soft black fur and let it fall. A puff of smoke rose as they hit, followed by a flash of blue light.
I muttered the magic words and pushed more magic into the pot until the ingredients boiled and thickened. Then with another flash of light, the substance turned grayish blue. I added a few drops of silver and blue food coloring and swirled it around. Then, using a mesh spoon, I carefully dipped each stone into the liquid, making sure it was completely coated before setting it on a cooling rack over paper towels to dry. When I was finished, I had twenty new charms and a well of viscous gray liquid left in the bottom of my pot.
I took it out to the kitchen to wash. Valerie was cleaning up her own station. She had over a hundred small unlabeled bottles of an orange liquid on the island.
“Health potion,” she said. “I was out.”
“I made attraction charms,” I said.
She frowned. “Where’d you get dog hair?”
I didn’t answer. She sighed heavily, as if the world was going to implode because I hadn’t chased some neighborhood dog for a fistful of fur.
“It’s fine. They work!” I said. I knew they worked. Charms were largely psychosomatic anyhow. Having one in your pocket was probably a bigger boon than the small burst of magic it offered.
“I just wish you’d take magic seriously,” she said. Valerie was my age, twenty-two, but she often acted like a disappointed aunt. Even my own aunt didn’t get as bent out of shape about my methods as Val did, although I suspected Cecily had encouraged us to live together so Val could keep me in line.
“I do. I just don’t take it literally.”
“Sometimes I think you don’t even hear yourself,” she said, pulling off her goggles. “I’m going to go get ready for the market.”
I finished washing my pot in silence, trying to scrub out my annoyance with the debris in the cauldron.
Valerie’s line at our table snaked back around a corner and into an alley. Friday nights were always big business in the Underground Market. Friday’s bestsellers were health potions (no one wants to be sick on a weekend), luck potions, and attraction charms.
The line in front of me was non-existent. Occasionally someone would come up to my side of the table, hoping to cut Val’s line, and I’d have to send them to the back to wait their turn.
I checked the time. It was still early, and I hoped maybe Valerie would run out of goods. Once she did, people would be more willing to take a chance on my stuff.
An hour later, a man finally approached my side of the table. I looked up remembering to smile and immediately shrank back. It was the man I’d sold the money spell to last night. His clothes were disheveled and his eyes were bloodshot and full of fury.
“Oh, hi,” I said, forcing a pleasant tone despite his obvious outrage. “Need something else?”
“I need my money back,” he said, tossing the empty glass jar on the table. Despite being glass, it bounced. The man beside him in Valerie’s line shot him a pitying look.
“Sorry. No returns, no refunds,” I said. I’d suggested to Valerie that we get a sign but she pointed out no one came to the Underground Market expecting things like returns. She didn’t spend enough time around normal, mundane humans. They always expected the world to bend to their will.
“Your snake oil didn’t work,” he said. “In fact, I got a parking ticket after drinking it.”
“Were you parked illegally?” I asked.
The man’s face twisted with rage. Valerie shot me a look begging me not to be snippy and make a scene. I wasn’t trying to cause a problem. I was just pointing out the obvious.
“The potion is supposed to make money fall my way, not give me another debt to pay!” The man balled his fists. I wondered if he’d ever punched anyone. Or if he was going to punch me.
I cleared my throat and tried to keep my tone even and polite. “The potion draws wealth to you, but it can’t prevent a traffic cop from noticing you’re parked somewhere you shouldn’t be. Magic doesn’t work like that.”
“This junk doesn’t work at all!” he shouted.
A few people in Valerie’s line began to murmur and whisper to each other. One person in the middle of the pack actually stepped out of line and left.
Valerie noticed and turned beet red. Like, they didn’t even make blush in that color. She finished her current transaction and then held up a finger, telling the next customer to wait.
“Sir, I apologize,” she said. “You must have gotten a defective jar.”
“That’s what I said,” the man snarled, glaring at me.
“Here, have another on me,” she said, pulling a jar from her cooler and handing it over. The man swiped it out of her hand and stomped away. Jerk.
“Why did you do that?” I asked, exasperated. Valerie pretty much never gave away free product. It went against every fiber in her body.
“Because I have a business to run and your shoddy work is costing me customers,” she hissed quickly before rushing back to her own line. She plastered on a customer service smile and went back to selling. I flopped down in my folding chair, my own cheeks burning with embarrassment.
I didn’t know if my potion had failed or not. Potion magic was small. It wasn’t a veil of protection. A money potion couldn’t erase debt or make things free.
But it didn’t matter. Everyone within hearing distance just heard proof that I was a failure and my magic was useless.
Seth meowed up at me and I reached down to pet him. At least he still believed in me.
The next few hours passed slowly, with Valerie selling most of her product until she got through her line and could sit back down. The occasional customer came up to us—to Val—but by one in the morning, it was down to a sporadic trickle. Most of our customers were mundane humans seeking a little piece of magic and most of them wouldn’t brave the U
nderground too late at night. Though occasionally we got a vampire or shifter who wanted a gift for a human friend.
How mundane people heard about the market varied, though it was often via word of mouth from others who’d braved it before them. How they got inside was even more curious but they found their way.
Some turned back at their first glimpse of something supernatural. Others assumed this was merely a black market and ignored any signs of magic, refusing to believe in anything but the potion or trinket they’d come to buy. People were funny that way. Happy to deny the existence of vampires or demons while they bought magic potions or charms to ease their pain or bring them luck.
I was attempting to play a game on my phone but service kept dropping and the game kept freezing. Then a change in the air caught my attention. It was like the entire market collectively held its breath.
I looked up to see Jaden Blackmore heading in our direction. I immediately sank down in my chair, hoping that if I just kept still, he wouldn’t notice me at all, even if my copper hair was hard to ignore.
Jaden was tall and muscular and maybe a year or two older than I was. His hair was dark and wavy and his eyes were a piercing green. He would have been handsome if he weren’t so cocksure and uptight. He wore black pants and a fitted black tunic, cinched at the waist with a belt that held his sword on a sheath and black boots. The effect was very Renaissance Faire chic. It was also the official uniform of the Witches’ Council, which meant he was here on business.
While I shrank down, Valerie did the opposite, quickly standing at attention and surreptitiously smoothing her hair. I would have rolled my eyes if I wasn’t already doing my best to avoid looking directly at Jaden.
“Hello, Mr. Blackmore,” Valerie said. Jaden was the son of Byron Blackmore, the highest ranking member of the Witches’ Council, which had gotten him his own spot in the prestigious group. Most people had to earn their way onto the council, but nepotism worked, too, especially for old witch stock like a Blackmore. Their family practically invented the council back in the 1500s.
Jaden nodded tersely at Valerie.
“Avery Burke,” he said gruffly.
I swallowed uneasily and sat up. “Yes?”
“I need a word.”
My heart hammered in my chest. Valerie shot me a look, her brow furrowed. No doubt wondering what I’d done to tick off the council this time. My mind reeled. But I hadn’t done anything that I could think of. I tried to shake my head to tell her that, but Jaden was glaring at me with his emerald green eyes.
I stood and picked up Seth, setting him on my chair. I hoped I’d be back in a few minutes. I seriously hoped I wasn’t being arrested.
Not that they had anything to arrest me for.
At least, not that I knew of.
Jaden walked me to an empty alley toward the end of the market. The mural over the main street didn’t extend to the side streets and the ceiling above was cracked and yellow.
“Am I in trouble?” Blood thrummed in my ears. “Because I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Jaden stared at me. “Have you ever heard the expression ‘you protest too much’?”
“I’m just saying, whatever you’re here to accuse me of, I didn’t do it. You’re wasting your time.” I folded my arms over my chest like I could protect myself from the incoming accusation.
Jaden tilted his head thoughtfully, as if studying me. Then he said, “Actually, I’m here to request your assistance.”
Chapter 3
I opened my mouth. I closed it again. I honestly didn’t know what to say. Jaden had to be toying with me. This was some kind of game or test.
There was no way anyone on the Witches’ Council would turn to someone outside their own circle for help, let alone me, Avery Burke, resident “trash witch.” I was the laughingstock of the council, not a potential recruit.
“I realize this request is unorthodox,” Jaden said.
Um, yeah, understatement of the year.
“You could say that.” My heart thudded in my chest. “I’m sorry, what do you need from me?”
Jaden sighed and his shoulders sank. “I am going to tell you something in absolute confidence. Do you understand? You can tell no one, not even Ms. Lopez.”
“Valerie is my roommate,” I said immediately. “I don’t usually keep secrets from her.” Mostly because she had a keen sense for when I was hiding something and a knack for figuring out what it was. Plus, she was tenacious as a puppy with a bone when she thought I was holding back. And she was definitely going to grill me about what a council member wanted with me tonight.
“This is not a secret, Ms. Burke, this is council business.”
I blinked. “I don’t know if you’re having, like, a sleepwalking episode or something, but you do remember that I’m not on the council? Maybe you’re thinking of my mom?”
My mother, Meredith Burke, had been on the Witches’ Council for exactly two weeks before she’d vanished but she’d made it on there, weird risky magic methods and all. I’d always been incredibly proud of that.
“She was hardly a longstanding member,” Jaden said stiffly. I, being a lady, did not punch him in the teeth. But I sure wanted to. “As an esteemed member of the council, I am bringing you into my confidence. Understand?”
“Not really. Why me?”
Jaden pressed his lips together, his patience quickly fading. Still, he pressed on. “Because you might be able to help. And more importantly, you might want to.”
I considered that. I rarely wanted to help the council. They were rigid and sometimes draconian in their rules. They believed magic should be done under strict conditions, in a specific way, and that anyone who deviated from what they considered “Righteous Magic” should be punished. The council had started as a way to keep dark magic in check and ensure that witches did not sell their souls to demons, abuse the power of magic, and flood the world with evil and monsters. Now, though, they mostly existed to protect their own power and keep the rest of us in line. I wasn’t a huge fan of them or their methods.
That my mother had made it into their ranks proved they could change and grow with the times. But they were reluctant to do so, and often slow to enact change. Love spells still weren’t illegal despite several witches petitioning for them to be outlawed, for example. The council’s idea of “unscrupulous magic” usually only referred to magic that threatened the status quo. Like mine.
“All right,” I said, turning my hands palm up. “Sell me on it.”
Jaden sucked in his cheeks, as if he’d bitten down on a sour lemon. “Sell you?”
“Yeah. Give your pitch. Tell me why I should help you.”
He looked so honestly flummoxed that I almost felt bad for him. He seriously thought that he could walk up to any witch in the world, demand their help, and get it without question. That attitude was part of what made him so insufferable. But after a moment, he relented and began to explain. “Felix Prescott has gone missing.”
A cold uneasiness snaked through my middle. The last time a council member had gone missing, she was my mother. Jaden’s words brought the memory of my Aunt Cecily informing me my mother had vanished back into stark relief. I could picture my aunt’s shoes, golden flats, because I had stared at them as she told me that no one could find her and I had to come stay with her until my mother returned. There was a strange finality to being moved into my aunt’s house instead of just having her stay with me for a few days. And of course, my mother never did come back.
“Okay,” I said slowly, trying to not betray how the cold had sunken into my bones or how I was now struggling to stand as the weight of memory settled on my shoulders. “When?”
“Five nights ago. After the weekly council meeting. He was there and then he vanished. Several witnesses saw him getting into his car and driving away but his wife says he never made it home.”
I shuddered. My mom had vanished the same way, right after a council meeting. She’d gotten into her car, waved t
o her friend and fellow council member Lani Reed, and then just…disappeared without a trace. Her car was never found. None of her credit cards were ever used. Her cell phone never sent another signal. The tracking spells failed. She was just gone.
My throat went dry and I felt dizzy.
“Are you all right?” Jaden asked. “You look a bit pale.”
I nodded. I wasn’t all right but it’s not like Jaden really gave a crap. “Why are you telling me this?”
“The council has just convened our meeting to discuss the matter. The consensus—though not unanimous—is that Felix left of his own accord and there’s nothing to be done.”
Wooziness overcame me and I swayed slightly before catching myself. That was what they had eventually decided about my mother, although it had taken them closer to a month to make that decision. Five days was pretty darn fast to write off a guy’s disappearance.
“You don’t agree,” I said, stating the obvious.
“No.” Jaden offered me a tight smile, one of understanding rather than mirth. “Felix and his wife had a baby eight months ago. She says he was happy. Everyone says he was happy. And then he just up and leaves? It doesn’t make any sense.” He shook his head. “But the council is refusing to investigate. The matter is now officially closed.” Anger flashed in Jaden’s eyes. For the first time, I was on the same page as the arrogant young council member.
“So what do you want me to do?” I asked.
“I know you have unorthodox methods of utilizing your magic,” Jaden said slowly, as if he were worried he might offend me. That was a first.
Risky Magic: A Trash Witch Novel Page 2