“You might want to get a candle or two. I have a feeling these lights aren’t going to stay on much longer,” he said.
Lowe shoved her chair back, jumped up, and disappeared into the next room. Now all the cats were on their paws, streaming toward the back door to meet the contingent of cats who were already outside. Tiger was in the lead, so I wasn’t worried, but it was still best to be alert and cautious.
Lowe returned holding a few candles just as the lights blinked out.
The fire still threw enough light so that we could see, but as we held our breath waiting to see if the lights would blink back on, a creeping feeling spilled down my spine and I found myself shaking a bit.
“What are your thoughts on dangerous spellcasting at night?” Lowe asked me.
“Can’t say I’ve ever thought about it before,” I murmured.
“Think fast then,” she said quietly.
“We may not have any problems,” said Quinn. “Just light those candles.”
“Sure, I may sleep well tonight, man the battlements,” Lowe muttered as she went to do as Quinn asked.
Quinn was standing at the back door peering out when Lowe came back and looked sadly at the dinner that we were now not able to eat.
A snap at the door made us jump. The cats were all crouching, and I knew perfectly well that we had to let them out. I just had to do it. Quinn saw me contemplating the cat flap, which was closed because of the wind and cold. He nodded, knowing better than to stand between the cats and their prey.
When he opened the cat door, Spunk went through first in a burst of speed. When the others had all followed, Quinn latched the little door again to keep out the weather.
“We only have a few seconds,” I whispered.
“Stay here,” Quinn said to Lowe and me.
I knew he wanted to assess the situation on his own, but I said “No way,” earning a glare.
“I’m perfectly fine staying here,” said Lowe, raising her hand.
“Fine,” said Quinn. “Lowe, you stay here. Jade, at least stay back. And be careful.” He grabbed his coat off the rack and I did the same.
Lowe placed a few candles on the kitchen table as I followed Quinn out into the icy night.
The air was freezing and suffocating at the same time, as if it was about to start thundering; the darkness was deeper than that of any normal night. I knew that Quinn was trying to shield me from whatever we faced, and I wanted to tell him I could take care of myself. But the truth was, I had no desire to march out in front of him.
On the other hand, I knew I’d do anything to protect the unicorns. In the darkness their white coats were a brightly shining beacon of light.
After the unicorns, my eyes found the cats. I had never seen them so tense. The darker ones were barely visible, but I could see enough to gather that they had spread themselves out in a defensive formation.
As usual, the unicorns did not appear to be the least bit concerned, even as the wind whipped and the snow kicked and it was abundantly clear that evil was rolling our way.
In what form I still did not know.
Directly in front of us was Tiger. The black and white cat’s cold eyes scanned the field, back and forth, forth and back. He was the last line of defense if danger broke through, the most dangerous cat of the lot.
Tiger glared at us and then looked away again, not wanting his gaze to linger for long on any one thing until the threat was found. Behind us the cottage whistled as the wind blasted it. Only a slight orange imprint on the snow hinted at the fire that burned in the hearth.
I tilted my chin down to protect my cheeks from the cold.
“There,” said Quinn, pointing to my left. Around the side of the cottage nearest the trailer park was a field, then a slope so gentle you couldn’t even call it a hill.
At the top of the hill were two Vixens, their black dresses, cats, and hats all blowing in the freezing wind. All of our cats were now looking in that direction as well, staring at the Vixens.
Chapter Twenty-One
vapor mist filled the air around them. Eerily, it was as still as if the wind weren’t howling around it.
“Did you hear that?” Quinn asked, still standing in front of me. He turned his head sideways to listen better and I could see that his nose had gone red and cold.
“No,” I said.
Then I did hear it: a crackling cackle on the slope, an evil scraping over the usually peaceful landscape. The Vixens were on the move. They had come to the cottage tonight for a purpose.
The cats’ fur stood on end as we listened to the evil amusement, then, suddenly, Quinn took off, running like an arrow fired from a bow, straight at the Vixens, his feet kicking up the snow as he churned toward them.
I thought he must be an idiot. The Vixens would surely be prepared for someone to make a run at them like the one Quinn had decided to try. Even if the Vixens weren’t expecting a running sheriff, I was sure they would have positioned themselves far enough away so that he wouldn’t be able to catch up to them in time. But Quinn had apparently made a different calculation.
The gray snow fell in thick chunks around them as I watched him run, my breath puffing in front of my face.
Then I started after him. My feet crunched in the snow and it was a hard slog, but this was my home now, and I had to help defend it.
Quinn was running with amazing speed. Without seeing the Vixens’ faces or hearing their voices, I couldn’t tell if they were surprised to see him challenging them. I just knew I couldn’t let him do it all alone.
They sent their deadly vapor blasting down at us, but I noticed that they started to back away at the same moment.
They hadn’t counted on the fact that as a half mermaid, Quinn had power over water, and that included snow. He skidded to a halt when he was still about thirty feet from the two black-clad Vixens. With a subtle, effortless motion, he turned the snow around them to water and the snow falling from the sky into a heavy rain.
They started to slide, their arms flailing. As I paused and started to perform a spellcast, my own feet slipped out from under me so suddenly that I sent the spell that was meant for the vapor flying wide into the dark night and the thick sky.
Quinn turned around to look at me. When he was sure I was all right he turned back to the Vixens, who were struggling to stand upright in what had become a fast-flowing river. Quinn was sending them out toward the forest and away from us. I wondered how long he could keep it up.
I cast around for a small spell to cast, but let’s face it, I wasn’t ready for the challenge of a small spell.
“Big it’ll have to be,” I muttered to myself. I lifted my hand, twined my fingers together, twisted, and flicked. The very earth rumbled and shattered. I did it again, and yet again, until the earth was shaking all around us. Quinn was fighting off both Vixens, but he was losing.
The cats had formed a semicircle at my back, a comforting presence amidst the violence. A yowl of encouragement came from Spunk and I found myself smiling despite the danger. I knew it must have cost him to behave like an actual cat because I couldn’t understand what he was saying otherwise.
I twisted and flicked again. This time I sent a huge spell swirling toward the Vixens that I knew would hit its target.
The Vixen vapor had been growing until it was big enough to swallow the cottage whole.
I couldn’t let that happen, not with Lowe inside.
The vapor had expanded until I couldn’t see the Vixens behind it. When my spell collided with the vapor, a minor explosion rocketed me backwards. The cats were so low to the ground that nothing happened to them, but I found myself lying on my back in the cold snow, looking up at a million stars. The world had gone entirely silent except for the explosion reverberating around us. I knew it wasn’t strong enough to reach the unicorns, but Quinn had been in front of me. I tried to lift my head but couldn’t manage it.
For a few moments everything was quiet. The cats were so stealthy that I did
n’t hear them walk up to me until Tiger’s face got in the way of my view of the night sky. He looked down at me curiously.
It was times like those when it was probably best that I didn’t understand what the cats were saying. I smiled weakly at Tiger. It made my face hurt, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or the blast. Probably a combination of both.
“I’m okay. In case you were wondering,” I informed him,.
A crunch of feet on snow alerted me to someone else’s approach. The footfall was heavy and I just hoped it was Quinn and not the Vixens.
“Are you all right?” asked Quinn’s deep voice. He came into my line of vision looking just fine, if more than a little ruffled.
“I think so,” I said, still unable to sit up.
“Good,” he said, reaching down to pull me to my feet. Then he pulled me close and embraced me in a bear hug. “Good.”
“Aren’t you going go after them?” I mumbled into his shoulder.
He pulled away slightly. “What?”
“Go after them?” I repeated, feeling stupid.
He shook his head. “They’re gone. I don’t think they were expecting me to be here. Even if they were, I don’t want to be drawn away from the cottage. It’s dangerous.” I knew he wasn’t worried for himself, he was worried for Lowe and me, not to mention the cats, the unicorns, and everything else that lived here. Okay, maybe not the pixies. They were just crazy on their own.
I grabbed the collars of his jacket and pulled him down to kiss me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Quinn put his arm around me and we both looked toward the unicorns, who were fine, as usual. The Vixens and their vapor hadn’t reached them this time. The cats trotted off around us, no longer hanging close but keeping us in sight, just in case.
“The lights are back on in the house,” I said, registering some surprise.
The house!
Fear suddenly gripped me and held on tight. I forgot about everything, even Quinn’s strong arm keeping me upright. My legs protested my sudden impulse to run, but my brain overrode their objections. Lowe was in the house and we had no idea what might have happened behind us as we fought the Vixens in front of us.
We both broke into a run. Faster than I was, Quinn reached the back door first, pulled it open, and stopped dead. For a moment, all I could see was his broad back blocking the doorway.
I tapped him on the shoulder to get him to move. When he did, an unexpected sight met my eyes.
“Ethel!” I yelled with delight. My sister and our cousin were sitting calmly next to the fire, drinking mugs of tea and catching up like old friends.
Ethel sprang to her feet. “It’s about time you got back in here. What were you doing? Dealing with a Vixen attack?” She wrapped her arms tightly around me and I buried my face in her shoulder.
My sister had come home!
We reluctantly pulled apart when I heard the door shut. For a split second I thought Quinn might have left without saying goodbye, since he and Ethel didn’t necessarily see eye to eye. But no, he was standing just inside the door, square in the eye of Ethel’s stormy gaze.
My sister looked as cool as ever in her black clothes and her sharp, short haircut. Her words about Quinn were equally sharp. “What’d you bring him in for?” she asked.
I glanced over my shoulder. “You know perfectly well that we’re dating. And it’s a good thing he was here when the Vixens attacked,” I added, “or I’m not sure I would have been able to hold them off.”
“Ethel,” said Quinn, nodding his head but staying near the door.
Probably smart. Ethel looked like she could be concealing a collection of knives that she might actually want to use.
“Merchant,” said Ethel, nodding her head in turn.
Quinn’s face quirked a bit. I had noticed that it was common for guys to call each other by their last names, whereas if there were women who did it I had never heard them.
Quinn clearly hadn’t heard them either. When he didn’t reply, Lowe cleared her throat loudly. “Ethel got here in the middle of the action and we decided it was best that we stay inside to defend the cottage if necessary. But the Vixens never made it close, thanks to you two. Come and sit. Everybody be nice,” she said.
Ethel and Quinn continued to keep an eye on each other, but Quinn did come over and sit down.
“You aren’t going to arrest her, are you?” I whispered to Quinn. Ethel looked troubled and ready to bolt at the slightest sign of danger.
Quinn glanced at me and then returned his eyes to Ethel. “Not tonight. She’s no longer wanted for murder.”
“Isn’t that nice,” said Ethel. “I wasn’t certain what else you might try and throw me in the Dweller for. I figured by now you might have come up with any number of things.”
“It’s not like he ever wanted to arrest you,” said Lowe, exasperated. I considered myself lucky that my cousin liked Quinn a fair amount, and I appreciated her trying to defend him to my rightfully angry sister. “No one is arresting anyone tonight,” Lowe went on, looking sternly at each of us in turn. “Now that we have that out of the way, tell me about the attack.”
“Two Vixens,” I said.
“Unicorns?” said Ethel quickly.
“All good,” I said.
“Cats?” said Ethel as Quinn opened his mouth to say something.
“Also fine,” I told her.
Ethel’s mouth was set into a mulish line. She clearly wanted to say something else quickly, if only to annoy Quinn, but she couldn’t think of anything.
“Do you know what the Vixens wanted?” Lowe asked.
“No idea, but they were definitely aiming for the cottage,” I said.
“How did you know that your family was in distress?” Quinn asked Ethel.
She glared at him and didn’t answer.
“Are you not going to tell me?” he said.
“Are you asking in an official capacity?” she responded.
Quinn shook his head and kept quiet.
“He’s only trying to help,” I told Ethel.
Ethel and I were sisters, but we didn’t know each other well. We needed time, and we didn’t have it.
“Maybe they were hoping to draw you here,” said Lowe.
“But they weren’t expecting Quinn, and that’s not a good thought.” Ethel chewed her lip.
“Do you have any idea why you’re so valuable to the Vixens?” said Quinn.
Again Ethel didn’t respond.
“You haven’t been cleared to ask questions,” Lowe told him with a smile.
“I guess not,” Quinn agreed.
“Whatever it is, the threat is gone for tonight,” said Ethel.
“It’s a good thing you were here,” I told Quinn. “I bet they weren’t expecting the sheriff to come along.”
“Probably not, but they might bring reinforcements next time. If there’s something here that they’re after, I doubt very much that they’ll fail twice,” said Quinn.
“I’d best stay the night,” said Ethel.
“I’ll be staying as well,” said Quinn.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I sputtered.
Two pairs of eyes looked at me in amazement. If they had expected me to get excited about this invasion into our quiet cottage, they had another think coming.
Okay, the truth was that if either of them were staying separately, I’d be delighted. The thought of having both of them just gave me a headache.
“I’m not going to trespass while your grandmother isn’t here. I’ll sleep on the couch,” said Quinn. “Ethel, you should sleep somewhere where you can get away easily in case the Vixens come back,” he said.
“What about the unicorns?” I asked, cutting off Ethel’s sharp reply.
“What about them?” said Lowe.
“The cats will look after them. If any evil gets through the cats, I have a feeling that the unicorns will take care of the Twinkleford Vixen problem themselves, once and for all,” said Ethe
l grimly.
Chapter Twenty-Three
After the longest day ever and an eventful night, any plans we had for the next day were undone by the weather. It might have been a perfect day to visit the Trolley Museum, but the snow was coming down thick and heavy. Hannah even decided to push the scheduled Young Witches meeting back a day for fear those of us coming from far away without chauffeurs would struggle. How very generous of her, I thought dubiously. The court hearing about Quinn’s request to search our house had also been postponed.
That was all to the good, because both Quinn and Ethel were still at the cottage. We were crowded into the kitchen since it was the only room in the house that was warm enough to be comfortable in.
“When is Joy coming to get you?” I asked Quinn.
It was the first word spoken in nearly half an hour. Ethel kept leaving to “patrol” and “get some air” and “have some space.” Now my sister turned to the sheriff who had accused her of murder.
“She’ll be here before lunch,” said Quinn. If he was as affected as Ethel by their forced proximity he wasn’t showing it, but he clearly needed to get going. After the attack the night before, it was all the more important that he make progress on the case.
The night had been quiet, perhaps too quiet. But there were eyes on the cottage, I was sure of it. Not the twenty or so cat eyes, the pile of unicorn eyes, and the countless pixie and fairy eyes illuminating the whole garden like garlands of twinkle lights. Something else was out there. Something else was waiting.
I wasn’t sure Ethel had slept at all. I had wanted to stay up and spend some time with her, but I was too exhausted to stay awake for long. When she told us all to get some rest, I fell gratefully into bed and stayed there.
Late in the morning, Ethel and I went outside to check on the unicorns while Quinn and Lowe stayed inside by the fire. The snow had stopped, but it had been falling so heavily that it was all we could do to clear a path to the unicorns. They were overjoyed to see Ethel and much less difficult than when I tried to care for them.
“Don’t take it personally,” said Ethel, seeing the look on my face as one of the unicorns ate his apple without complaining, a feat I had yet to accomplish.
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