"Chocolate," I answered for her. "Bring two, just in case."
"If she can keep one down for thirty minutes, we can try a second," Hornbeck answered, walking out the door, locking it behind her.
"You look pretty good," Maggie said. "What's with the bunny shirt?"
"Gift shop."
She growled. "You have to get me out of here. I'm starving."
"Let's play this out a little," I said. "I already broke me and Lace out. This floor has better security; might be best if we have Hornbeck's cooperation."
"She's a fucking zealot," Maggie lamented just as Hornbeck re-entered the room, carrying two plastic bottles.
"I take the lives of my patients very seriously," Hornbeck answered Maggie's jab. "Maggie, I'm the only thing between you and death right now. I know you don't believe me, but I've seen far too many young women die of this horrible disease. I don't care if you hate me if it means you get better."
"She doesn't hate you, doc," I said. "She just doesn't like being locked up."
Hornbeck nodded and uncapped one of the bottles, handing it to Maggie. She opened a cabinet on the wall and pulled out an empty plastic container. "When she gets sick, use this."
Hornbeck left the room as Maggie greedily drained the first bottle. "Oh, hey, this stuff is pretty good." She wiped her lips, holding the bottle up so she could read the label. She shook her head, annoyed, and handed the bottle to me. "Figure out if we can order this stuff."
"How long have you known Jardeep?" I asked.
"I don't know him," Maggie said.
"You sure seemed to at breakfast," I said.
"Okay, I know his name," she answered. "But that's about it. I just know he had something to do with trying to capture Mom."
"Why would the FBI do that?"
"Take her? Because she was too powerful. They’re scared of her," she said.
"Are? Present tense? Level with me, Maggie. Is Mom still alive?"
"You know Hornbeck is listening to us." She pointed to a camera in the corner of the room. "I'll tell you what I know, but not here - and I'm having that other shake."
I knew better than to stop her and watched as she gulped down the second bottle, throwing it into the trash thirty seconds later. "I'm serious. Get me a case of that stuff. I'm in love."
Maggie stretched out on the bed, inclining the head and exaggeratingly patting her rounded belly. I hoped she wouldn't throw up, as it would set us back with Hornbeck.
"I'll ask her if she can arrange that," I said.
We waited for better than forty minutes, making small talk until Hornbeck finally returned.
"I gotta pee," Maggie said, grabbing the IV bottle's stand and walking to the door-less bathroom. Maggie had never been one for clothing and before I could look away, she'd dropped her pants to the floor. "What, you still think I'm gonna throw it all up?"
"No," Hornbeck agreed. "Clearly, you're keeping it down."
"Bring me two more and I'll do the same," Maggie said.
"If you do that again for dinner tonight, I'll have you moved to solid food in the morning," Hornbeck said.
"You don't get it," Maggie complained. "I'm ready to eat now. I have a condition and I'm telling you, I've already burned through those first two."
"Those bottles are three hundred calories each. You couldn't possibly take any more today. The shape you're in, you haven't ingested more than five hundred calories in a day for months."
"Has Maggie presented any other symptoms of anorexia?" I asked.
"Her interview was inconclusive," Hornbeck said.
"Under whose authority was she admitted to this floor?" I asked.
"Emergency room," Hornbeck answered. "We were called in for consultation."
"Where based on Maggie's body shape, you made the right call to get her help," I said. "Maggie is an adult and has the right to decline services."
"Not if she's incompetent."
"Is it your judgement that she's incompetent?"
"This isn't something you want to get wrong," she said.
"If you can't hold me, I'm leaving," Maggie said. "Although, could you write me a prescription for those shakes?"
"Would you really use them?" Hornbeck asked hopefully.
"They're amazing," Maggie said, overselling.
Hornbeck pulled a business card from her pocket along with her script pad. "Call me anytime, day or night, Maggie Slade."
"That's it?" Maggie asked.
"I'd like to run tests for food allergies," she said. "Make an appointment with my office. Your interest in the liquid formula makes me think your rejection of normal food might be due to external factors."
"You're saying I'm not nuts?" Maggie asked.
"That's not fair to say," Hornbeck chided gently. "This is real, Maggie. You can't ignore it."
The expression in Maggie's face softened, something I hadn't seen very often, and she hugged a surprised Hornbeck. "I'll be okay. I promise."
Kitchen Witch
"I need food," Maggie said as we pulled away from the hospital.
As promised, Sheriff Merritt had arranged to have my truck returned and Gabriella had driven back to the hospital to pick us up in it.
"I need real food." This time it was a full-on whine from the back seat. "Chicken fingers and waffles, or tacos. Crap, I don't care, just greasy and lots of it."
"Aren't you concerned for your health?" Gabriella asked, merging with the busy afternoon traffic. "I have fruit in the cooler right next to you."
Maggie lifted the lid and pulled out a plump peach and immediately gnawed on it. "Not enough calories in fruit," she said between bites. "But thanks, this is delicious. Better in pie, but I like it."
Gabriella rolled her eyes and I pointed at a fast food burger restaurant I wouldn't generally consider. Ten minutes later, a very happy Maggie had a bag full of burgers.
"We might have a problem at the shop," Gabriella said as we drove into downtown. The parking spaces, which weren't normally difficult to find, were all full and people milled about in front of Judy's shop.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Started this morning," Gabriella said. "They're looking for help."
"For?"
"Word's gotten around that the books from Eppy were cursed," she said.
"Did she try salt water?" I asked.
"Yes, but the kids are distraught," she said. "I don't think the salt water is helping everyone."
"Not if they've had them for very long," I said. "The curse will have transferred by now, especially if the kids were actively working with those books."
Gabriella finally found parking several blocks away. We got out and I stood at the back of the truck, looking for clothing.
"I'm going to need to shop for clothes soon. Between Maggie and Lace, I'm scraping bottom." Gabriella helped me pull the bunny t-shirt from the hospital off and replace it with one of my own.
"Word is Asheville has great shopping," I said. "We could run over tomorrow."
"Tempting," Gabriella answered. "But I'd rather stick closer to home."
"I got this," I said, pulling out my phone. "It's going to cost you. There are two dress shops on the square and Luana is friends with both of the owners. I'd be surprised if they didn't have your exact size, but I know they both custom fit their clothing."
"No …" Gabriella started to object, but I'd already dialed Luana.
"Hello, dear," Luana answered. She couldn't have recognized the number and I doubted she knew exactly who was calling, but she was a savvy witch and would feel a close connection before picking up.
"How busy are you today?" I asked.
"Felix. I was just planning to run over to the hospital and visit. Are you out?"
"You know me, not a big fan of institutions," I said.
"Understandable. The girls and I are working in the garden. The Creeping Jenny is bad this year," she said. In the background, I heard Estelle’s voice.
"Is that Felix? Tell him we're bringi
ng him flowers and too bad if he thinks it's girlie," she said.
"You get that?" Luana asked, chuckling.
"I did," I answered. "Tell Bug that no self-respecting man ever turns down flowers from a pretty girl."
"I will, but why do I feel you have an adventure in mind that is more intriguing than weeding and picking flowers?" she asked.
"Gabriella is running short on clothing, but she doesn't want to go all the way over to Asheville," I said. "Neither Maggie nor Lace have anything at all. I thought you'd know how to solve this."
"Let me make some calls," she said. "Get back to you on this number?"
"I'll text you Gabriella's. I'll warn you though, she's a little hesitant and might need a nudge." We'd been walking as I talked and I steered Gabriella and Maggie into the alley behind Judy's shop.
"Leave that to me," Luana said. "Where are you now?"
"Judy's shop," I said.
"Perfect. We'll be there in twenty minutes," she said and hung up.
"Aren't you just the little busy-body," Maggie said. "I’m not going. I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than go shopping."
Two men stepped from the shadows where they'd been leaning against the bricks in the alley behind Judy's shop.
"Can I help you with something?" I asked, recognizing the clothing style of the Eppy residents.
"We're looking for a girl," the taller of the two said.
I chuckled ruefully and couldn't help my reply. "Awfully far from the coast for shore leave, don't you think?"
"I dun know what you're talking about, but if you're being cute, I'm not amused," the man replied, his slight Scottish accent bleeding through.
"What would yeh have me think, laddie?" I asked, attempting a brogue of my own. I didn't think I totally sucked at it.
"Felix," Gabriella chastised in a harsh whisper.
"You need to move on," I said in a more serious tone.
"Lace Faa." The big one stepped toward us threateningly. "We won't take kindly to anyone harboring her."
"Lace is a friend of mine," I said. "And I don't think she's interested in either of you. She's always struck me as more interested in folks from the bathes-regularly club. From the looks of things, you lost your membership cards a few years back."
Whoop, whoop. The short sound of a siren caused me to jump, despite my attempt at maintaining a level of machismo.
"Got a real smart mouth on you, friend," the taller speaker said. "Not for nothing, we'll take this conversation up later. Let's go, Phil." The two walked around us and as casually as is possible when being stared at by police, walked to the other end of the alley.
"Everything okay here?" I turned, expecting to see Sheriff Merritt, but instead saw one of his deputies in an ordinary cruiser.
"I think so, officer," I said. "Not sure why those men were loitering behind Judy's shop."
"How do you know Judy?" he asked, pulling on his wide brimmed hat.
"Stepmother," I said. "We're in town visiting."
"Right. Aaron said something about that. You were out at Eppy?" he asked.
"That's us," I said.
He tipped his hat and then removed it. "I'll let you be on about your business." He slid into his cruiser and gave us a friendly wave as he rolled down the alley.
"Lace was right," Gabriella said. "I can't believe they're on to her already."
"Right about what? They didn't seem like admirers," Maggie said.
"Lace mentioned there might be trouble from Eppy," I said. "People who think she'll try to make a leadership claim."
"They really take that royalty thing seriously," Gabriella said.
"I guess so." I pulled at the shop's back door and was surprised to find it locked. A twist of my finger rolled the simple deadbolt back and I pulled it open. The normally bright work area sat in gloom and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust.
Seated in Gia's overstuffed recliner was Lace, her casted leg raised. The spicy scent of a healing poultice cut thickly through the room and stirred memories from times not so long ago.
"There you are," Gia said, stirring the contents of a tall pot over a gas flame. "I had a feeling we'd be seeing you shortly."
"I didn't think you locked the back door during business hours," I said. "What’s up with the shades on the windows? Your plants are going to have trouble growing."
"Got a visit from some of those Dark Folk looking for Lace," she said. "Never seen anything like it. One minute she was sitting on the stool making change, the next she was gone. Never seen anyone move that fast before. I didn't even see her go. Good thing she did, too, they were a scruffy bunch. Judy had to push on them to get them to leave. I thought I was going to have to call the sheriff."
"I need to leave. I'll let them know I don't want anything to do with their stupid town," Lace said. "If I don't, someone will get hurt."
"What's to stop them from hurting you?" I asked.
"It's not your fight," she said.
Gia pulled a strip of fabric from her pot. "It is now. Evil men have been hurting our kind for centuries. Witches will stand with our sisters."
"Wizards, too," I said quietly.
"Yes, and wizards," Gia answered, chuckling as she carried the steaming fabric she'd pulled from the pot. "Now lie back and stop your yammering. This will sting from the heat, but trust in old Gia. We'll fix you up, right as rain."
Lace flinched as Gia lay the fabric on her cheek, but to her credit, didn't respond further.
"Do you have anything to eat around here?" Maggie asked. She'd been standing quietly, observing our conversation so far.
"Judy said Felix had a sister in town, but I couldn't hardly believe it," Gia said. "You smell of magic, child."
"I'd like to smell of pizza," Maggie replied.
Gabriella chuckled. "Perhaps I'll go help Judy. It sounds busy out there."
"Order a pizza, Maggie," I said, pulling out my credit card. There would be a financial reckoning when we got back home, but for now, we were in survival mode. "I'm going to help Gabriella."
"We'll be dealing with your chest first, my boy," Gia said.
"What about the books?" I asked.
Gia pursed her lips and shook her head. "Nothing to be done about it. They've waited this long, another fifteen minutes won't hurt them. Now take off your shirt and lie on the couch."
I knew better than to argue. Gabriella slipped through the curtains into the front of the shop as I gingerly removed my shirt. The next fifteen minutes would suck, but I knew it wouldn't be without gain.
I hissed through clenched teeth as Gia removed the dressing from my chest, crusty with dried blood.
"Cutworms and aphid droppings. A demon did this?" Gia asked, her ebony face flushing.
"A ghrelin possessed one of the Dark Folk," I said.
"Its name is Phezore," Lace said.
"Hush child, never speak the name of a demon," Gia reprimanded.
"It is one of its three names," she answered.
"You know its real name?" I asked.
"I do, but I don't believe it knows that," she said.
"I thought you vanquished it, Felix," Gia said.
"That's what they say."
"Best not speak of it." Gia carried a steaming plateful of poultice laden cloth strips. I felt like screaming as she laid the cloths across my wounded chest. For the next minute or two, I focused on ignoring the pain as the boiling rags were laid out. "There, now. That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked, brushing my hair from my forehead. Her hand was cool to the touch and a small amount of energy was transferred. Tears had run from my eyes and I blinked to clear my vision. Gia had long ago learned that I could take extremes of cold and heat. She preferred to give me the dressings without cooling them first.
"I have missed you, Gia, but dang, was that entirely necessary?" I asked.
"Magic doesn't work if the flesh is cool," she said. "Just the way it has to be." She laid wide gauze across the strips and followed up with a few pieces of tape.
"There were a couple of men at the back door when we arrived," I said. "We'll need to be careful about using it."
"We'll keep it locked," she said. "I'd best get back out front, though."
I didn't know if it was Gia's healing or the fact that I was grateful not to have boiling rags being dropped on my chest, but I found it easier to pull my t-shirt on. After which, I pushed my way through the curtains and into the public portion of the store.
"Felix. Good," Judy said, looking harried. The store was full of people, mostly parents with their children. "I need you to meet Wanda and Max. My apologies … just a minute." She held her finger up to the person she'd been talking to. "I think they're on the front porch."
"Wanda and Max," I said. "Got it."
Weaving my way through a knot of people, I caught Gabriella's eye and was rewarded with a smile.
"Books in the tub." Gabriella pointed at the floor as a worried father entered holding his eight or nine-year-old son by the hand. The boy clutched a colorful book in the other hand. On the ground, next to the front door, a wash tub, no doubt filled with saltwater, sat atop towels.
"Here?" The father asked, looking skeptical.
"Eppy Faire book?" I picked up the conversation Gabriella had started so she could continue to ring up the quickly moving merchandise.
"Is that what everyone is here for?" he asked.
"Mind if I look?" I asked, pointing at the book the boy held.
"Won't that ruin it?" the boy asked.
"Saltwater, yes," I said. "Looking, no."
"But … " The boy started to argue, but the father was having nothing to do with it and pulled the book away, handing it to me.
'Toads and Tree Frogs: Amphibious Creatures in Your Back Yard' was the title. The colorful book had cartoon pictures on the front cover. I felt a small jolt of energy as I touched it. Opening the book, I discovered the content was just as the title suggested.
"It's just a kid's book, but he won't let it out of his sight. My friend said … well … you heard what happened out at Eppy Faire, right?" The dad asked.
"One minute," I said pulling out my sunglasses. I'd never tried planar view with sunglasses, but I wasn't about to show the entirety of Crabtree Valley my glowing eyes. "Altum Visu" I incanted and held the book in front of me. It had been infected with the ghrelin's curse, but it was very weak. I looked back to the boy who had small splotches of the curse all over his hands, mouth, eyes and legs. "Nothing to be done about it." Before the boy could argue, I dunked the book into the saltwater bath. A small hiss was the only evidence of the dissipation of the spell and I was suddenly grateful that I wasn't wearing rings again, as I'd have ruined them.
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