Magic & Mercy

by Annabel Chase

  Duncan wiped a glass with a cloth. “Probably because the treasure isn’t Blackfang’s. Everyone associates the pub with him.”

  “Victorine said the treasure may have belonged to his first mate,” I said.

  “Irina the Bloodless,” Bittersteel squawked with a passionate sigh. “Now there was a woman.”

  “An undead woman,” Duncan corrected him.

  Bittersteel seemed unperturbed. “You never saw skin so translucent.”

  Duncan poured a pint of ale and slid it across the bar to the lone awaiting patron. “Because she was a vampire that traveled under the cover of darkness. Her skin didn’t see the sun again once she was turned, not back then.”

  “Were the crossed daggers her symbol?” the sheriff asked.

  “Aye,” Duncan said. “Dripping with the blood of her victims.”

  “Based on what I’ve heard about Blackfang, I’m surprised he didn’t steal the treasure from her before she could bury it,” I said.

  “She had good reason,” Duncan replied.

  “Why? Because she was smart enough not to trust him?” I asked.

  “She learned the hard way,” Duncan said. “She didn’t trust him because he’d double-crossed her one too many times. In life and in love.”

  “They were romantically involved?” the sheriff queried.

  Bittersteel squawked. “Blackfang was the luckiest vampire pirate on the planet.”

  “It’s a shame you’re not a parrot shifter,” I said. “You’d have a better chance at snagging one of these ladies you admire so much.”

  “I have other good qualities,” Bittersteel said. “They don’t call me Big Bird for nothin’.”

  “No one calls you Big Bird except maybe the sparrows,” Duncan admonished him.

  I stifled a giggle. “Tell me more about Irina.” Maybe there would be clues in her story that could help us now.

  Duncan poured me another drink. “Her fiery red hair matched her temper. She was as ruthless and passionate as her captain.”

  “Probably why they had that push-pull relationship,” I said. They were like magnets, attracting and repelling each other in equal measure.

  “Irina acquired the treasure while Blackfang was off with one of his wenches,” Duncan continued. “Of course, Irina didn’t know this at the time. She planned to make the treasure a gift to him.”

  I took a long drink and felt the liquid warm my stomach. “But that didn’t happen?”

  “When she arrived back in Starry Hollow with a full crew and the treasure, she was riding high,” Duncan said. “Until she located her beloved captain in a compromising position.”

  “It wasn’t your mother, was it?” I asked in a hushed tone.

  “No, thank the devil,” Duncan said. “Irina would’ve skinned her alive. It was a barmaid from here, actually. Young Lucy Clover.”

  “That’s another connection to the Whitethorn,” I said. All pirate roads seemed to lead to the ancient pub.

  “Irina discovered their tryst here,” Duncan continued. “The vicious vampire attacked Lucy, not realizing that Lucy was a powerful witch.”

  “One of ours?” I queried.

  Duncan nodded solemnly. “They fought, and Irina was scarred by fire. Lucy was an accomplished elemental witch, it turned out.”

  “All this over an undead pirate?” I scoffed. “He hardly seems worth the trouble.”

  “Irina was madly in love with him,” Duncan said. “She would have moved mountains to get that treasure for him. She was devastated to return and find him with someone else.”

  “Irina should have attacked Blackfang, not Lucy,” I said.

  “Oh, she did, too,” Duncan said. “It didn’t end well for either of them. Irina eventually succumbed to her injuries without revealing the location of the treasure to Blackfang, but she supposedly managed to hide clues to the treasure before she died.”

  “And a map was born,” the sheriff said.

  I finished my drink and my head swam with emotions. I felt sorry for Irina. To literally go to the ends of the earth for the man she loved, only to be betrayed…It was heartbreaking. Then again, she had to know what kind of vampire she was in love with. Blackfang had a reputation and the two of them had certainly traveled together long enough for Irina to have witnessed his behavior firsthand.

  “Love makes paranormals do crazy things,” the sheriff said, as though reading my thoughts.

  It certainly did. “Have you ever searched for her treasure?” I asked. “Maybe she hid it here to make a statement.”

  “‘Course,” Duncan said. “Nights when I get bored or lonely. Or a visitor reminds me about it. I had one werewolf in here trying to sniff its location. That kickstarted my search again.”

  “Don’t forget the psychic,” Bittersteel interjected.

  Duncan chuckled. “A two-bit con artist, that one was. Seems unnecessary when you can find a perfectly good psychic over on Seers Row.”

  I blinked. “Seers Row?”

  Duncan seemed surprised. “You haven’t been there yet? It’s on the street by the Pointy Hat. A psychic in every building. Clarissa the Clairvoyant, Frida the Future. At least a dozen.”

  “All authentic?” I asked.

  “Absolutely,” he replied. “They take great pride in their work.”

  “Are they like Artemis Haverford?” I asked. “Do they use tea leaves and runes?”

  Duncan rubbed his beard. “I reckon they use a variety of methods, depending on the type of paranormal. Witches might use runes, but an angel wouldn’t.”

  I gulped. “An angel psychic?”

  “Sure,” Duncan said. “I can’t believe you haven’t come across one yet.”

  “With white wings and everything?” I couldn’t quite believe it.

  “Some of them use magic to hide their wings, more for convenience than anything else. Angel wings are much bigger and wider than fairy and pixie wings. Damn annoying in the grocery store when you’re trying to get around one with your cart.”

  “Like Rick,” I said. “He’s the minotaur who co-owns Paradise Found. He shifts into human form to make life easier.”

  Recognition flickered in Duncan’s eyes. “I know ‘im. Nice fella. Puts away ale like nobody I’ve ever seen, including your brother, Sheriff.” Duncan peered at me. “Now that you mention it, I hear that minotaur’s dating one of your fancy cousins. Is that true?”

  Crap on a stick. Talk about a gossip mill. “They’re friends. That’s all I’m willing to say.” Until Aunt Hyacinth knew anything, I was keeping a lid on it. Although if word was getting around, Linnea needed to pick up the pace. I didn’t want to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

  Okay, truthfully, I kinda did.

  “Thanks for your help, Duncan,” the sheriff said.

  “Happy to serve,” Duncan replied. “Ale, information, whatever’s required.”

  “A lot of residents seem to think the treasure talk is nonsense,” I said. “But the stories seem to ring true.”

  “Oh, they’re as true as my fangs,” Duncan said, flicking one of them. “Just because no one’s found the treasure doesn’t mean it isn’t here. Just means Irina did a good job of hiding it from Blackfang.”

  So Irina got her revenge in the end, by denying her lover the one thing he valued most—stolen treasure.

  Chapter 15

  The next morning, Sheriff Nash and I stood outside of a place called Bewitching Bites. It was the one location marked on Laura’s map that no one seemed able to identify, which was surprising since the building was impossible to miss. It resembled a life-size gingerbread house, complete with downspouts made of icing and gumdrops covering the roof.

  “I can’t believe you’ve never been in here before,” I said. “If I’d known it was here, Marley and I would have spent every weekend stocking up on supplies.”

  “They’re not supplies, Rose,” the sheriff said.

  “Maybe not to you.” I pushed open the door and walked beneath th
e arched candy canes to the interior of the shop. The display cases ran the width of the shop and I went straight over to admire the colorful assortment of sweets.

  “I can’t say that I mind a candy store on the treasure map,” I said, scanning the array of confectionery options.

  “Me neither,” the sheriff said. He bent down to examine the bottom row of sweets.

  “I didn’t realize you had a sweet tooth,” I said.

  “I like a good bite of chocolate just as much as the next werewolf.” He pointed to a dark chocolate witch’s hat. “Now that’s clever.”

  “This whole place is clever,” I said. I looked upward to admire the shimmering sugar plum candies strung along the ceiling like fairy lights.

  “What a lovely compliment,” a female voice rang out. The woman emerged from a backroom with a tray of small chocolate cauldrons filled with tiny pieces of candy. She wore a plain smock and her brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun. “We take great pride in our work. Bewitching Bites has been family owned and operated for two hundred years.” She beamed at us. “I’m Hedy Gerstberger. I run this place with my daughter, Hannah.”

  “Two hundred years? I guess that explains why they’re on the map,” the sheriff whispered.

  “I bet this shop has a fascinating history,” I said to Hedy.

  “Oh, yes, indeedy.” She slid the tray of cauldrons into an empty section of the display case. “We’ve been the confectioner of choice for all kinds of famous paranormals. Political leaders, generals, royals, pirates. You name it, we probably made chocolate for it.”

  “Pirates, did you say?” I queried.

  Hedy nodded vigorously. “Not just any pirates. Vampire pirates, the most feared kind on the high seas.”

  “I don’t know why it surprises me that vampire pirates would enjoy a good chocolate pretzel every now and again, but it does,” I said.

  Hedy closed the display case door. “My family kept a detailed log of purchases by their more esteemed clientele. Captain Blackfang preferred chocolate-covered cherries. His first mate liked chocolate and coconut.”

  “Amazing,” I said. “Did the pirates pay with doubloons?”

  “They paid with good coin from around the world, which is one of the reasons my family was happy to serve them,” Hedy said. “I believe the most extravagant item they received was a small carving of a solid gold minotaur.”

  The sheriff whistled. “That’d be worth millions.”

  “It would,” Hedy agreed, “which is why it’s so distressing that we have no further record of it.”

  “You had it listed as a payment, but you don’t know what happened to it?” I queried.

  Hedy nodded. “It’s on the ledger as payment received, but, sadly, the trail ends there.”

  “No family stories as to what might have become of it?” the sheriff asked. “I bet that’s the kind of tale that gets passed down from generation to generation.”

  Hedy gave a dismissive wave. “Oh, there are plenty of stories. Not sure I believe any of ‘em.”

  “You never followed up on any of them?” I asked. “Tried to track down the minotaur?”

  Hedy scrutinized me. “Are you here to buy chocolate?”

  “Um, I’m salivating over your chocolate toads with a gooey caramel center,” I said. “So, yes, I am.”

  The sheriff grimaced. “Toads, Rose?”

  “You don’t have to try one,” I said. “Choose your own.”

  The sheriff continued to review the offerings. “What are those covered in?” He tapped the glass in front of shiny golden apples.

  “Not actual gold, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Hedy said. “We use an old fairy recipe that makes a sweetener look like melted gold.”

  The sheriff clicked his teeth. “Good to know. I have a pretty sharp set of chompers, but I wouldn’t be attempting to eat melted gold with them.”

  “Would you like to try one?” Hedy offered. “Free sample for the sheriff.”

  “I wouldn’t want to bite into a whole apple in case I don’t want to finish it,” the sheriff said.

  “Never fear,” Hedy said, retrieving a miniature golden apple from an undisclosed source. “We have samples in smaller sizes for that very reason.”

  Sheriff Nash popped the tiny treat into his mouth and chewed. “Delicious.”

  Hedy seemed delighted. “Wonderful. Anything else you’d like to try?”

  “Would it be possible to look at some of the old records,” I said. “I’m writing a paper for my history class about local legends and I’d love to include information about the missing minotaur. My teacher would get a kick out of it.” I paused, thinking of my owl shifter professor. “Or a hoot.”

  “I don’t know,” Hedy said. “Those records are confidential.”

  I glanced at the sheriff, not sure whether he’d want to make the request official. He ignored my lead. Instead, he carried on studying the contents of the case.

  “Sheriff?” I prompted.

  “What? I can’t decide. Maybe one of those sugar plum fairy wands. I like how they sparkle.” He seemed to forget why we were there.

  Hedy retrieved one from the case. “These are one of my favorites.” She waved it in the air. “I love how it catches the light.”

  The sheriff stared at it like he was a cat following a laser. “So pretty,” he agreed.

  “Sheriff?” I queried. He gobbled down the wand and turned his attention straight back to the case. I tried again. “Granger?”

  “You can have something, too, Rose,” he said. “I won’t deprive you. It’s not like you need to watch your weight.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I said. “My weight’s not really the problem.”

  He stood and blinked at me. “There’s a problem? Don’t deny it. I can tell from your tone that there is.” He grinned at Hedy. “She skips over passive and goes right to aggressive.” He lowered his voice. “That’s because she’s from New Jersey.”

  “It’s not a secret,” I said. “You don’t need to whisper.”

  “You should try a sample,” Hedy said, holding out one of the toads I’d been eyeing. “I insist.”

  She shouldn’t have added that last part. If she hadn’t said ‘I insist,’ I probably would’ve eaten it. As it happened, my natural tendency was to object when someone ‘insisted.’ So I did.

  “No, thanks,” I said.

  Hedy clenched her jaw. “How about a nice white chocolate rabbit in a hat?”

  “Don’t think so,” I said. “I’ve lost my taste for sweets today. Maybe another time.”

  Hedy wasn’t accepting no for an answer. “No one leaves Bewitching Bites without trying a sample. It’s unheard of.”

  The more she pushed, the more suspicious I became.

  “This one,” the sheriff said, pointing to a chocolate dwarf hat filled with colorful candies made to look like gemstones from the mines.

  “I don’t have any miniatures of those,” Hedy said. “Would you like a whole one?”

  “Yes,” the sheriff said.

  I moved between the sheriff and the display case. “No, he will not have one. He’s had enough, thank you.”

  “Rose, what’s the matter?” he asked. “I thought you were excited to be here. Nothing like this back in Maple Shade, is there?”

  “Not quite.” Although we had our share of street corner drug dealers. “We need to go, Sheriff. We have that appointment.”

  I grabbed him by the shoulders and attempted to steer him to the exit. A younger woman appeared in front of us, blocking our path.

  “She hasn’t had a sample, Mother?” the young woman asked.

  “No, Hannah,” Hedy replied. “Only the sheriff.”

  “You might want to say that again,” I said. “Sheriff. When he finds out what you’ve done, he’ll arrest you.”

  “What have we done?” Hedy asked. “He’s enjoyed a bit of candy and then he’ll be on his way. No harm done.”

  I whirled around and stared at h
er. “What are you hiding? Why do you want us to forget why we came and leave?”

  Hedy seemed surprised by my astute assessment. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “It’s the gold minotaur, isn’t it?” I asked. “You’re hiding something.”

  “Mother?” Hannah’s voice was unsteady.

  I faced the young woman blocking the door. She was shorter and thinner than me. I could probably take her if I had to. I didn’t know what kind of magic the mother and daughter duo possessed, however. That gave me pause.

  Hedy tossed her daughter one of the sample golden apples. “Make her eat this.”

  Hannah caught the sample in her hands, her eyes never leaving mine. “With pleasure.”

  “Not gonna happen, Hannah,” I said. “If my own father couldn’t persuade me to eat brussel sprouts, you certainly can’t force me to eat whatever magical candy you’ve got there.”

  “It’s only magical because it tastes delicious,” Hannah lied.

  “It really is delicious, Rose,” the sheriff said. “Try one. Don’t be shy.” He laughed. “What am I saying? You don’t know the meaning of the word ‘shy.’”

  “You’re both going to regret this,” I said.

  “No, we won’t,” Hannah said. “The sheriff won’t remember a thing about his visit after he leaves.” She held up the sample apple. “And neither will you.”

  I racked my brain to come up with a spell on the fly. I’d made so many mistakes lately. What if I screwed up and hurt the sheriff in the process? I couldn’t risk it, not after what I’d done to Alec. And the innocent meatloaf, of course.

  On the other hand, these two women were hiding information that we clearly needed. If there was a chance it was connected to the murder, I had to know.

  “Fine, I’ll eat it,” I said. “Hand it over.” As she extended her arm, I pretended to look up in surprise. “Oh, no!”

  As I hoped, both women looked up, distracted. It was long enough. I whipped out my wand.

  “Consto!” I said.

  “What are you doing, Rose?” the sheriff asked.

  “I think they should enjoy their sweets as much as others do,” I said.

  The Gerstbergers remained frozen in position as I stuck a tiny sample apple in both of their mouths. I aimed my wand at each of them and then said, “Mando.” Chew. I didn’t want them to choke to death.