Alchemy and Arson

by Lily Webb

  “They must have. Magical fires like that one don’t start on accident, and I don’t know if it’s possible for a witch or warlock to cast the kind of spell that would lead to a blaze like that one,” I said. Raina nodded.

  “It is possible, though highly unlikely,” she said. “A fire that large and intense would require the magic of more than one witch or warlock.”

  As the Headmistress of one of the most prestigious magical schools in the world, I was inclined to take her word for it.

  “That’s sort of what I thought. Besides, how likely is it that several witches and warlocks would be able to band together to light a house on fire during a town-wide curfew without being noticed?” I asked.

  “Well, you managed to subvert the curfew without being caught, so it’s not impossible. A witch or warlock with the appropriate spells could have made themselves temporarily invisible, though I would hope the Council accounted for things like that in preparation for the curfew,” Raina said.

  “Now wait a hot second,” Grandma said. “Now that you mention it, I think I saw somethin’ or somebody out there lurkin’ around that night.”

  I sat bolt upright in the rocking chair so fast it jerked Tierney out of his dead sleep. He hissed at me, but grandma continued scratching his head and he settled.

  “Why are you just now telling me this?!” I asked.

  “Well, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure and I didn’t want to lead nobody down an empty rabbit hole,” Grandma said.

  “This is serious, Grandma. What did you see?” I asked, shuddering at the thought of what it might’ve been. Given we were under the curfew for the effects of the Blood Moon that night, it could very well have been a rogue werewolf who’d caught her foreign scent — or worse.

  “I couldn’t make it out real clear because Circe had all the drapes pulled shut tighter than purse strings, but I know I saw somethin’ moving out there while Circe wasn’t lookin’,” Grandma said.

  “What did it look like? Was it big, small, human, hairy?”

  “I dunno, I really don’t. All I know is I saw somethin’ or somebody outside that window just a few minutes before the place went up in flames,” Grandma said.

  “A few minutes before? So it wasn’t immediately before the house caught on fire?” I asked.

  “No, it was at least two or three minutes before that. I didn’t think nothin’ of it at first, but I saw somethin’ movin’ outta the corner of my eye and that’s when I started payin’ more attention,” Grandma said.

  “But then it stopped and I figured it was just one of the trees surroundin’ the place swayin’ in the breeze and playin’ tricks on me,” she continued. “That’s why I never said nothin’. I can’t be sure.”

  “But you don’t think it was just a tree, do you?” Raina asked.

  “I mean, it mighta been, but I never seen a tree move that fast in all my life,” Grandma said. A chill ran down my spine.

  “You probably knew her better than anyone else, Raina. Did Circe have any political enemies who might’ve wanted to hurt her?” I asked. Raina’s expression darkened and she stared down into her tea as if she were trying to read the future in its surface.

  “I can’t answer that directly, but I do know that my dear sister was involved in some tense negotiations,” Raina said. “I didn’t want to believe that said negotiations could have anything to do with her death, but given our lack of answers, it can’t be ruled out.”

  “Who was she working with and why were their talks tense?” I asked.

  “After what happened to Opal Cromwell, Circe made it a personal mission to reach out and negotiate with the various paranormal groups in Moon Grove to try to improve relations on behalf of the Council,” Raina said. “But her primary focus was with the werewolves.”

  All the blood drained from my face. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that Circe died on the same night a seemingly arbitrary curfew was placed on the entire town thanks to the Blood Moon — which allegedly affected werewolves more than anyone else in town.

  “Why? As far as I know, she doesn’t have any connections to the werewolves.”

  “It was more out of necessity than desire, at least according to her,” Raina said. “After the vampires made their power known, other groups in town took notice and decided they wanted to make a play for power as well. The werewolves were no exception.”

  Yet again, I felt like I’d run into an unintended consequence of my own actions.

  “But where the vampires preferred to operate in the shadows, literally and figuratively, the werewolves were much more aggressive and direct in their approach. They lobbied the Council daily, and for whatever reason, Circe was their main influence target,” Raina continued.

  If I had to venture a guess, it was probably because the werewolves thought Circe would be more of a pushover than anyone else on the Council. They were wrong, and maybe that was what led to her death.

  “That implies she wasn’t the only one they talked to, though. Who else?” I asked.

  “Lorelei Riddle,” Raina said, her voice so low I barely heard her.

  That made two connections. So not only had Lorelei given Hilda a hex of a time getting her shop up and running, but she was also connected to Circe via their respective interactions with the werewolves.

  “I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am,” I said, reeling.

  “Y’all sound like you’re writin’ an episode of Game of Thrones with all this political mumbo-jumbo,” Grandma said. She wasn’t far off the mark.

  “Sorry, we must be boring you to death,” I said.

  “Far from it. I feel like I’m right smack dab in the middle of a TV show. All I need’s some butter-laden, artery-cloggin’ popcorn,” Grandma said.

  “Sorry to spoil the fun, but I should probably get going,” I said. Grandma frowned.

  “Get goin’? Girl, you just got here!”

  “I know, but I’ve got a lot to of new info to chew on,” I said.

  “All right, have it your way,” Grandma said.

  “Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help, Zoe,” Raina said. “In the meantime, I think it would be wise to spend this time together with your grandmother getting to the bottom of your family’s origins.”

  “Sounds good,” I said, though I thought the opposite. Raina smirked, seeing right through me.

  “Don’t go doin’ nothin’ crazy now, Sugar,” Grandma said as I stood. She reached for my hand and squeezed it in hers. “Now that I’m here, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’d never be able to forgive myself.”

  “I’ll be fine, I always am. I love you, Gram. Stay out of trouble,” I said and kissed the back of Grandma’s hand.

  “Trouble? Me? Never,” Grandma said, smiling.

  Raina stood and walked me to the door. I opened it and stepped outside.

  “Be careful, Zoe,” Raina said, clutching the handle. For the first time I could remember, she seemed shaken, frightened — but she had every reason to be. She’d lost more people in the last few weeks than anyone ever deserved.

  “I will, I promise. I know she’s a handful, but thank you for taking my grandma in and keeping her safe,” I said.

  “Of course, dear,” she said, wearing a sad smile. “Good luck with Lorelei.”

  “Same to you,” I said and Raina closed the door, leaving me with a sinking feeling.

  As much as I wanted to avoid it, I didn’t have a choice anymore. It was time to pay another unexpected, almost certainly unwanted visit to a Council member — whose daughter I’d recently put behind bars.

  So much for a quiet weekend.

  Chapter Eight

  The Saturday sun rose with a vengeance and I wasn’t ready to face it. All night long I’d tossed and turned thinking about Grandma, the Council, and how on Earth I was supposed to talk to Lorelei Riddle without getting cursed by her in the process.

  It seemed like I was never going to get caught up on my sleep.

  Annoyed
, I rolled out of bed and shuffled into the living room to find Flora sitting on the couch bright-eyed and sparkly winged. She held the Saturday edition of The Moon Grove Messenger in one hand and a steaming mug of coffee in the other.

  “You’re up awfully early,” she said without looking at me. Her eyes darted across the page as she finished whatever she was reading.

  “Not by choice,” I sighed. “Where’s Luna?”

  “Still in my bed,” Flora said and set the paper down on the couch beside her.

  “I swear, she might as well not even be my cat anymore,” I said and Flora smiled.

  “She told me you were flailing around too much for her liking last night,” Flora said.

  “Well, we wouldn’t want to disturb the diva of the house, would we?” I asked. “Is there any coffee left?”

  “Plenty. It’s still in the carafe,” Flora said. I went into the kitchen and scoured the cupboards for the biggest mug I could find. The coffee bubbled and gurgled as I poured it and the smell alone made me feel a little better.

  “Wait, since when do you read our paper when you aren’t working on it?” I called.

  “I don’t get to see everything before it’s printed, you know,” Flora called back. “I only edit what Mitch puts on my desk.”

  “Fair enough,” I said as I came back into the living room and sat down beside her. “Anything good? I mean, besides my pieces?”

  “No one could hold a wand to you,” Flora said, smiling.

  “Good answer.”

  “What are your plans today?”

  “Oh, you know, just another typical Saturday spent crashing a Councilwoman’s house. Nothing out of the ordinary,” I said. Flora chuckled.

  “Who’s the lucky one this time?”

  “Lorelei Riddle,” I said, grimacing.

  “Are you serious?” Flora whispered.

  “Yes, as much as I wish I wasn’t,” I said.

  “Why?”

  “Turns out she and Circe Woods have more in common than I realized,” I said. “I went to visit Raina and my grandma last night and Raina told me both Circe and Lorelei have been lobbied by the werewolves.”

  “Yikes,” Flora said. “For what?”

  “I dunno, but I’d guess the same thing everyone lobbies for: power,” I said, shrugging.

  “Do you really think she’ll talk to you after what happened between you and Aurelia?” Flora asked.

  “There’s only one way to find out, and I’ve learned that showing up unannounced gets the best results,” I said and Flora frowned.

  “How long do you think you’ll be?” she asked.

  “No clue, but probably not too long. Why?” I asked.

  “Well, I’m going out with Ewan tonight so I thought you and Beau might like to join us since our last attempt was—”

  “An unqualified disaster, yeah, I remember,” I interrupted. Flora had invited us out on a double date with her on-again, off-again werewolf boyfriend, Officer Ewan Barrett — but I’d run off shoeless in the middle of it to chase after the magical medics.

  “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  “But you were thinking it,” I said.

  Flora shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “As much as I’d like to go, it’s probably best if you two have the night to yourselves,” I said. “Besides, I’m not sure where Beau and I stand right now.”

  “What does that mean?” Flora asked.

  “I haven’t seen or spoken to him since the Council took my wand away,” I said. “He hasn’t called or anything.”

  “You know the phone works both ways, right?” Flora asked.

  “Very funny. I dunno, I just… I have a lot on my plate right now and I don’t think he’s particularly thrilled with me for what I did, as supportive as he was during the aftermath,” I said.

  “Are you sure that isn’t just your own negativity making things up?” Flora asked.

  “It probably is, but that’s another reason I should keep some space between us for a while, or at least until this all blows over,” I said. “Everyone knows we’re dating and what I did probably isn’t helping him look good in the public eye.”

  “Somehow, I don’t think he cares much about that,” Flora said. “Promise me you’ll call him when you’re done with Lorelei?”

  “Yes, big sis,” I sighed, rolling my eyes. Smiling, Flora leaned over and pulled me into a hug.

  “I know this hasn’t been easy, but don’t beat yourself up, Zoe. You’ve got plenty of friends and supporters around here, including Beau and me,” Flora said.

  “Well, since you’re so eager to help, do you have any idea where Lorelei lives?” I asked. Flora glared at me.

  “That wasn’t the kind of help I had in mind,” she said as she let go of me.

  “But it’s the kind I need,” I said.

  “You’re a journalist, you ought to know how to look someone up by now,” Flora said.

  “Sure I do, but it’s more fun to ask you to do it for me,” I said. Flora laughed and shook her head.

  “Fine. I’m sure she’s in the Parapages just like everyone else,” she said and waved her hand. An intimidating tome with a spine as tall as a cinder brick drifted out from under the coffee table and into Flora’s lap.

  “How do they keep this thing updated anyway? It seems like it’d be a massive headache,” I said.

  “Magic, of course. How else?” Flora asked.

  “Right, duh, silly me.” Apparently, there wasn’t anything in Moon Grove done by hand if magic could do the job instead.

  With another wave of Flora’s hand, the directory flipped itself to the surname entries starting with the letter R. Flora skimmed through a few pages until she stabbed her finger into the book.

  “A-ha. There,” she said. I followed her finger to an entry that said “Devon and Lorelei Riddle, 12 Amethyst Street, Witches’ Quarter.”

  My whole body seized. That meant Lorelei lived on the street right behind Circe. Though it could’ve been nothing more than a coincidence, I didn’t like the optics one bit.

  If a klutz like me could sneak undetected through Moon Grove during a mandatory curfew, it wouldn’t have taken much at all for an advanced witch like Lorelei to sneak through the alley separating her house from Circe’s — or simply lob a highly flammable potion from the cover of the shadows.

  Grandma did say she saw something moving outside.

  “Zoe?” Flora asked, and I snapped out of my thoughts.

  “What? Sorry,” I said.

  “I asked what you were going to do.”

  “Oh, good question. I’ll probably just go over there and see what happens. The worst Lorelei can do is slam the door in my face,” I said. “It’s not like that’s never happened to me before.”

  “Ah, the life of a reporter. I don’t miss that at all,” Flora said.

  “It isn’t all bad. I get to talk to lots of, erm, ‘colorful’ characters,” I said. “Anyway, I better get moving.”

  “Be careful,” Flora said as I got off the couch.

  “You say that all the time and yet…”

  “Don’t remind me,” Flora sighed.

  “Thanks for the help,” I said.

  “Don’t mention it,” Flora said. “No, seriously, don’t.”

  “You got it,” I said and left to take a shower, hoping the hot water would calm my racing brain. Unfortunately, as good as it felt, it didn’t have the desired effect. All I could think about was Lorelei and her possible links to Circe’s death.

  Still in a tizzy mentally, I got dressed and slung my bag over my shoulder on my way out the door, wishing I had a wand to take with me even if I didn’t have a clue how to do anything useful with it. It was more of a security blanket than anything. Regardless, by the time I walked across town to the intersection of Crescent and Amethyst, I wished I hadn’t.

  What exactly was I supposed to say to Lorelei while I stood there on her doorstep? I doubted something along the lines of “Hey, Cou
ncilwoman, I think you might’ve had something to do with the death of your colleague because you live near her” would cut it.

  But there wasn’t any turning back now, so I set off down Amethyst Street toward number twelve. The houses along the way looked more or less like the rest in the Witches’ Quarter: small, made of brick, and characteristically quirky in their decorations.

  Lorelei’s home wasn’t any different, minus the number of potted plants that littered her front porch and the accompanying garden beneath the front windows bursting with color. Thanks to her icy personality, I wouldn’t have taken Lorelei for a gardener — Moon Grove really was full of endless surprises.

  With a lump in my throat, I walked among the flora lining the pathway to the front door and racked my brain for something to say. I really needed to come up with a better strategy than showing up at people’s houses, but it didn’t matter because as I raised my hand to knock, the door swung open.

  “Dear Lilith,” Lorelei gasped, clutching her chest. “Zoe, what are you doing here? You scared me half to death.”

  “Sorry, I was just about to knock when you opened,” I said, my hand still raised to prove it.

  “Who’s there?” a male voice called from inside.

  “No one, dear, don’t worry about it,” Lorelei called back over her shoulder, her voice like honey. She stepped outside and closed the door and immediately her face soured. “What do you want?” she asked, her tone back to acidic.

  “I have a few questions I want to ask you,” I said. Lorelei narrowed her eyes at me and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “You could’ve called,” she said. “Or made an appointment to speak to me during office hours.”

  “I know, but somehow I didn’t think you’d accept,” I said. Lorelei scoffed.

  “If it’s nothing to do with business, I don’t have anything to say to you,” Lorelei said and whirled on her heel to go back inside.

  “Councilwoman, wait,” I called after, but she slammed the door in my face — as expected. Sighing, I stood unsure of what to do. I hadn’t come all this way for nothing, but getting anything out of Lorelei would obviously be a chore. Tenacity was the only way through.