Magic & Maladies

by Annabel Chase

  “So you think you can simply summon Ivy’s spirit and ask her all your questions directly?” Alec asked.

  “Why not?”

  Concern passed over the vampire’s handsome features. “There are very few shortcuts in life, Ember. You know this.”

  “It doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.”

  “Perhaps I should stay for the summoning, in case something goes awry.”

  I placed my palm flat against his sculptured cheek. “I appreciate that you want to protect me, but I can handle this.”

  His fingers curled around my hand and he pressed his lips to it. “I believe in you.”

  I released the breath I’d been holding. “Good, because I was trying to convince myself. I’m glad you’re on board.”

  “Will you attempt this on your own or ask your cousins for help?”

  “I’m going to assemble a team, but not my cousins.”

  He launched an eyebrow. “Dare I ask?”

  I turned back to the grimoire. “Probably best not to.”

  “I need to send my revisions to the editor and then I have a dinner engagement,” Alec said.

  “Oh, an engagement, huh? Trying to make me jealous?”

  He returned to the sofa to pack up his belongings. “It’s with Palmina and Darren at the printing company. We need to discuss Vox Populi’s contract. It’s up for renewal.”

  “Okay, that definitely doesn’t make me jealous. Have fun.”

  “I’ll speak to you later.” He gave one final, lingering kiss before striding out the door.

  Thank the gods you two didn’t get funky on the sofa. I turned to see Raoul emerge from behind the scratching post. It was touch and go there earlier.

  “Raoul, how on earth did you manage to hide in plain sight all this time?”

  He tapped the black strip of fur across his eyes. Burglar, remember?

  “You’re not a burglar and that black band doesn’t make you invisible.”

  I beg to differ. I’ve been watching you for two hours. You’re surprisingly restrained with each other. What’s the problem?

  “There’s no problem. We’re taking things slowly.”

  That’s weird. You two should be spending half your days naked at this point in the relationship period.

  “There is no ‘should.’ We’re doing what makes sense for us.” I turned back to the grimoire.

  He climbed onto the table. Were you serious about this summoning spell? Because I’m totally into it.

  “You’re not a witch,” I said.

  No, but I’m your familiar. I can help.

  “Being annoying is the opposite of helping. Look it up.”

  I’m serious. Me, you, Marley, and Bonkers, he said. We can make this happen. Familiars can channel your energy, remember? Besides, it’ll be a nice bonding moment for you and the kid.

  He had a point. “I’ll consider it.”

  The door flew open and Marley entered the cottage with Bonkers flying above her shoulder. “Consider what?”

  “You just missed Alec,” I said.

  “I saw him.” She kicked off her shoes. “What are you considering? It sounds mysterious and important.”

  “How’s Florian?” I asked. “Did you beat him at cards again?”

  She smiled. “He thinks I’m using magic. I keep telling him it’s my brain, but he doesn’t believe me.”

  “Well, your brain is magical.”

  Marley came to look over my shoulder. “Ivy’s grimoire, huh? I haven’t seen you this obsessed with something since Tony’s Pizza put cheese-stuffed crust on the menu.”

  I stopped reading for a moment to enjoy that blissful memory. “Great balls of popcorn. It was amazing.”

  “Why are you reading about a summoning spell?” Marley asked.

  I tapped my fingernails on the book, debating whether to include her. Raoul was right—this could be a nice bonding experience. It could also boost Marley’s morale if we get it right. While she wasn’t in deep in the doldrums anymore, she still wasn’t operating at peak Marley confidence.

  “How would you like to help me perform this?”

  Her face brightened. “Seriously? You want us to perform a spell from Ivy’s grimoire—together?”

  “I do.” Her excitement was contagious and I felt my own enthusiasm increasing.

  She clapped her hands. “Can we do it now?”

  “How about after dinner?” I asked. “You don’t want to summon on an empty stomach.”

  Truer words were never spoken, Raoul said, raising a paw. I’ll take a pastrami on rye.

  “I can make dinner if you want to gather what we need for the spell,” Marley said. She started for the kitchen, but then turned back to me. “Or maybe you should do dinner and I’ll do spell prep.” She seemed torn.

  “Are you worried about me screwing up dinner?”

  Her gaze shifted to the floor. “Of course not. You’ve mastered the microwave and the toaster now.”

  Raoul rolled his eyes. Just order food for delivery and then you can both work on the spell. Problem solved.

  “Gods, I hate it when you make sense,” I said. “Why don’t we order, Marley?”

  She leaned over the table to fist bump Raoul’s paw. “Always thinking, Raoul.”

  About food, he added with a self-satisfied grin.

  I ordered sushi from King of the Sea, owned by a friend of Zale’s, and Marley and I focused on the requirements of the spell.

  “I’ll get the chalk from my art supplies,” Marley said. She returned a moment later with a chunky piece of white chalk. “I should probably draw the circle.”

  “Why can’t I draw it?”

  “You know why,” she said vaguely.

  “What are you talking about? Are you suggesting that your mother is incapable of drawing a basic circle?”

  Marley hesitated. “Don’t you remember when you used to help me draw pumpkins for Halloween decorations?”

  “But pumpkins aren’t completely round,” I objected. “They’re more like a bumpy oval.”

  “Be that as it may, I think it’s best that we don’t risk a bumpy oval for a sophisticated summoning spell. We don’t want to accidentally summon the headless horseman.”

  I frowned. “What does that…Oh, he wore a pumpkin in place of the head, didn't he?”

  The doorbell rang and PP3 went charging at the delivery man. He was going to be disappointed when he smelled the sushi. I paid for the food and Raoul put plates on the table.

  “It takes a village,” I said.

  By the time I set out the food and poured the drinks, Marley had drawn the perfect chalk circle on the floor in front of the door. It was really the only space with enough room to perform the spell. She’d also managed to draw several symbols around the perimeter. They matched the images in the grimoire exactly.

  “Do your talents ever end?” I asked, shaking my head in disbelief.

  “You said dad could draw,” she said. “Maybe this is something I got from him.”

  I smiled. “I bet it is.” Karl wasn’t exactly an artist, but he liked to draw his own comic book characters and cartoon strips. Usually he found time for this particular skill in the middle of math class. One of my favorite drawings was one that he’d given me for my birthday. He’d drawn me as Wonder Woman. Of course my boobs had been ten times their normal size and my waist ten times smaller, but how could I begrudge my teenaged boyfriend his fantasy?

  “Come and eat,” I said. “Then we can focus on the spell.”

  We scarfed down our sushi. Bonkers was too busy making good use of the scratching post to eat. I made sure to save her a few rolls in case she decided she was hungry later. She was particularly fond of tuna.

  “I’ll get the candles,” Marley said. She barely swallowed the last of her sushi before escaping from the table to get to work. She disappeared into the kitchen to hunt for materials.

  I looked at my familiar. “What about you? How are you participating in this group effort?�
��

  He tried to snake one of Bonkers’ sushi rolls and I smacked his paw away.

  I’m going to sit in the circle and look pretty. What do you expect?

  I cleared away the plates. “I should’ve known.”

  Marley set up all the candles and I placed my wand on the floor next to the circle. I pointed at Raoul. “Don’t even think about going near an open flame once these candles are lit,” I warned. “I don’t trust you with fire.”

  And I don't trust you with hair gel, but I can’t seem to prevent you from using it.

  I brought the grimoire to the circle and sat cross-legged on the floor. “Once I light the candles, we should sit in the circle and hold hands.”

  Marley whistled for Bonkers, who reluctantly withdrew her claws from the scratching post and joined us. “It might be easier if we hold her wings so we have a little bit more room.”

  We stretched as far apart as we could, leaving enough room in the circle for Ivy’s spirit to appear. I was surprised that Marley didn’t seem the least bit anxious. After all, we were inviting a ghost into the cottage. It was the kind of thing that would have made her lose sleep for a month a year ago. My little girl was growing up right before my eyes.

  “I need to translate the text back to its original language for the incantation,” I said.

  “That makes sense,” Marley said. “Is it Latin?”

  “Not sure. Hold on.” I picked up my wand and tapped it on the page, casting the spell. The English faded and was quickly replaced by an unfamiliar language. “I’ll read the words the best I can.”

  I used a simple fire spell to light the candles using the tip of my wand. We joined hands and I performed the incantation slowly and carefully, trying my level best not to mispronounce anything, no small feat given that I had no clue what the language was. The air grew cooler and an Arctic breeze blasted through the cottage, nearly blowing out the candles. Thankfully, the last few words of the spell were in English.

  “Rise up,” I intoned. “Rise up. We entreat you from the other side. Rise up.”

  Energy crackled between us, creating sparks of yellow light in the air. Magic rippled through the circle and an image began to form. I could no longer see the symbols that Marley had drawn. They’d been replaced by… a honeycomb? I stared at the floor. Yes, it was definitely a honeycomb. A bee appeared in one of the pockets, followed by another. An entire hive of bees popped into existence. The sound of buzzing grew louder and stronger. To her credit, Marley continued to hold onto Raoul and Bonkers. I worried that her fear of getting stung would cause her to let go. At this point, I couldn’t tell whether these were phantom bees or real ones.

  The buzzing insects swarmed within the circle above the honeycomb. Eventually a single bee rose above the rest as though overseeing her subjects. The queen. I wasn’t sure what I had done wrong to yield this result instead of Ivy’s spirit, but there was nothing to do except roll with it. I watched in horror as some bees were drained of life and then summarily kicked out of the honeycomb, their lifeless carcasses lying on the floor outside the circle. Nature at its finest.

  Marley gasped when a smaller group of bees danced around the queen. At first I thought it was some sort of a show of respect—until they attacked her. They ripped out her stinger and she dropped to the center of the circle, quickly enveloped by the rest of the hive. Another gust of wind blew through the room, extinguishing the flames all at once.

  Marley’s voice quivered in the darkness. “Mom?”

  By the time I conjured a quick spell to light the tip of my wand, the circle was empty and no sign of the bees remained. The four of us stared blankly at each other, unsure how to interpret the events.

  Well, unless you believe in reincarnation, Raoul said, I don’t think that was your long-lost cousin, Ivy.

  “No, I don’t think it was Ivy either,” I said. “I must have screwed up one of the words.”

  One? Try all of them.

  “Bees are brutal,” Marley whispered. She rested on her knees and stared at the empty circle. She seemed shell-shocked by what she’d witnessed.

  “Well, we learned something today, even if it wasn’t about Ivy,” I said in an effort to look on the bright side.

  Marley looked at me. “What’s that?”

  “Honey is the only thing that’s sweet about bees.”

  “The lone bee dies, but the hive survives,” Marley murmured.

  “That’s wolves,” I corrected her.

  Marley placed her hand flat where the phantom hive had been. “No, that’s everybody.”

  Chapter Six

  PP3’s ears perked up and he bolted for the door, barking up a storm.

  “Every time I think you’re ready for a little doggy cane, you surprise me,” I mumbled. I crossed the room to see what the fuss was about and noticed the terrier sniffing a folded piece of paper on the doormat. I picked it up and read the contents—

  Dear Ms. Rose,

  There is a matter of a great importance being discussed at tonight’s Council of Elders meeting that I think might be of interest to you. For the sake of Starry Hollow, I hope you will consider attending.

  Anonymously yours,

  Arthur Rutledge

  P.S. - You didn’t receive this from me.

  P.P.S. - This note will self-destruct in one minute. Misty helped me with the destruction spell, but please don’t mention her name either.

  The note disintegrated in my hand and I blew away the dust particles. “Commendable job, Missy.”

  “What was that?” Marley asked. She’d come down from her bedroom where she’d been working on a writing assignment for homework. Although she was disappointed not to be practicing magic, she loved writing so much that she didn’t complain—not that Marley ever complained about homework.

  “A note inviting me to the Council of Elders meeting tonight,” I said.

  Her expression brightened. “Why? Are you getting an award?”

  I snorted. “For what? Underachiever of the Year?” Despite my aunt’s great hope for me, I was proving to be somewhat of a magical disappointment. I had potential—most coven members agreed on that score—but seemed to lack the ability to apply it to the full extent of my abilities.

  “Then why?”

  “Not sure. The note was vague and a little weird.”

  “Do you need to ask Florian to get Bell, Book, or Candle from the stable?”

  I debated whether I should, but that would lead to questions I couldn’t answer. My cousin might also slip to Aunt Hyacinth, who would be in attendance. Obviously, Arthur Rutledge didn’t intend for my aunt to know about my invitation or he would have arranged for her to bring me.

  “I’ll walk,” I decided. “I think I know the way.”

  “Through the woods in the middle of the night?” Marley’s voice rose an octave.

  “I’ll have my wand and my Jersey attitude,” I said reassuringly. “It’ll be fine.”

  “What about me?” Marley asked.

  “You have a better wand than I do,” I said. Of course, we had to remove the negative energy from the family heirloom before it could be used to its full potential and that was proving challenging.

  Her blue eyes rounded. “You’re going to leave me home alone? On a school night?”

  “Of course not.” I considered the options. I couldn’t send for Mrs. Babcock without word getting back to my aunt before she left. The brownie lived in the main house and would inevitably tell someone where she was going.

  “What about Florian?”

  “No. I can call Alec.” The vampire would either be spending the evening on his book or brooding. Or brooding in the book. He excelled in angst.

  Marley clapped her hands. “Yes, please!” She and Alec were devoted members of the mutual admiration society.

  As I finished sending a text to the vampire, Raoul appeared in the kitchen doorway.

  “Where did you come from?” I asked.

  I was in the pantry looking for
a snack.

  “Alec is coming to hang out while I go to a meeting,” I said. “You should probably make yourself scarce.”

  Are you suggesting he doesn’t like me? I’m your familiar. Not liking me is basically the same as not liking you.

  “That’s not remotely true,” I said. “You and I have very different personalities.”

  Raoul wandered over to the scratching post and began to dig his claws into the carpet.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  After I showed Bonkers how to use it, I realized that it feels kind of good. Thought I’d give it another go.

  “No, I need you to go.” I hurried upstairs to grab an extra layer for the meeting. There’d be a nip in the air by the time I made my way to the secret location, so I pulled a red hoodie from my closet with I’m Basic written across the chest and slipped it over my head. One of Florian’s overnight guests had left it behind and refused to return his calls, so he gave it to me.

  I stopped by Marley’s bedroom where she was showered and in pajamas. “I won’t stay up late,” she promised. “I have a quiz tomorrow and I don’t want to be tired.”

  “You’re so good.” I kissed her forehead.

  “Since I’m so good, can Alec and I play one game before I go to bed?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Ooh, well played.”

  Alec was in the living room by the time we came downstairs. He agreed to one round of cards and then Marley dutifully went to bed.

  “You’re not going to tell me what this clandestine meeting is about?” he asked.

  “I can’t because I don’t know,” I said.

  “Ride your broomstick,” Alec said. “It’s safer.”

  “Landing is tricky in that area because of the trees. I’m better off on two feet.” I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him.

  “I beg to differ.” He gripped my shoulders and deepened the kiss. With his tongue in my mouth, it was hard not to abandon the meeting and just melt against him for the rest of the night. I finally managed to tear myself away.

  “I need to go or I’ll miss the meeting.”