Ai smiled crookedly at me. “He is a good man.”
“I know,” I whispered back, before I grabbed his hand.
The next few moments were blurry to me, as my hand wrapped around his. The light around us changed, darkening the room around us as well as the one above us.
From what I could see, there were more people paying attention to Aidan, as he gushed about his love for me and all my goodness. It pained me that I had to run away, and even more so when I realized Ai was not helping.
“What are you doing?” Ai gasped and, as we left the room, the rest of the tower went dark.
“Getting you out of here,” I said. I did not have time to wonder if there was any other course of action. I simply picked him up, horrified at his lightness, and hurried out.
Ai struggled against me, all the way down to the caves. Behind us, I could hear Lady Sula and the other Elders, calling out in horror, some of them telling the audience to remain still while they sought to find a way to “better” their “unexpected situation.” I swore I could have heard the faintest strain of fear in Lady Sula’s voice as I ducked into the caves down by the seafront.
It was then, in the summer’s diminishing sunlight, that I saw Ai’s mouth move and form words.
“What have you done?”
His voice was choked and cracked, and immediately my motherly instincts cradled him against my breast.
“I’ve saved you,” I said, unable to stop some of my tears from falling on his cheek.
Ai pulled back from me, looking up at me in horror. He used one crooked, scraped finger to touch the shard on his forehead, and I could see his eyes grow wide as he realized he was no longer receiving any pain or experiencing the heartache of any Community member.
“We saved you,” I said, this time thinking of Aidan. I did not want to bruise Ai’s body further, but I reached out and hugged him tightly again. I embraced him, in part as an apology for all the pain of mine he’d taken away over the years. “I’m sorry about everything. But you’re safe now. Everything will be alright now.”
The boy eased back from me. “No,” he said.
“What?” I blinked in shock and stepped away. “What are you talking about? You’re innocent. You shouldn’t have to suffer because of the rest of us.”
“This is the covenant of the Bloodmagic,” Ai whispered. “As long as there is life and sin, there will be suffering. Over the centuries, different groups have tried to find a way to eliminate it, but it is impossible. So one life takes on all suffering.”
“But … but that’s not fair!” My mouth dropped open, as I watched him.
“It might not seem fair to you, but those are the terms, Skyla. If you do not return me to the tower now, you will see. Bloodmagic runs deep, and now that you’ve saved me, I fear you’ve condemned us all.”
Check out our third anthology, Forgotten Magic, for the final part of the story, The Ones Who Choose, as Skyla learns the truth about the Bloodmagic, and sets out to save her Community and Ai from certain disaster—even if it means giving up what she wants most.
About the Author
C. S. Johnson is an award-winning, genre-hopping author of science fiction and fantasy adventures such as The Starlight Chronicles, The Order of the Crystal Daggers, The Divine Space Pirates, and more. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family. Find out more and subscribe to her mailing list at https://www.csjohnson.me.
Don’t forget to grab your copy of our next anthology Forgotten Magic now.
The Mail-Order Witch
Episode II
Joynell Schultz
In this installment of “The Mail-Order Witch,” Ettie, a newly-wed, mail-order witch is still having trouble with her magic shop being sabotaged. This time, it’s not children turning into foxes, but her shop is infested with hamsters. How the heck did that happen? Was it deliberate, or “Wayward Magic?” Read Episode II to find out.
Joynell Schultz
Ettie’s magic shop is infested…with hamsters? How is that possible?
Unless whoever had sabotaged her in the past is back at it, trying to shut down her shop and drive her and her warlock husband out of town. Could it be the church-owning neighbor? The nosey reporter? Or the town’s mayor? Even Ettie’s own father-in-law is a suspect.
The hamsters must go before they get her business shut down, but there’s just one problem: Ettie’s fallen in love with those cute little fuzzy critters.
Chapter One
I squeezed the pillow over my ears. “Ugh! Why does your father have to play his flute at this time of night?”
“It’s actually not a flute, but a piccolo. I don’t know why he practices so much.” Roman slipped his hand under the hem of my PJ top and traced a finger around my belly button. “But with him busy playing music, he won’t notice if there is a bit of noise coming from our bedroom.”
His advance fell on deaf ears, as my mind was still on the music coming from the spare room across the hall. “Having him here is like having a child.”
“I thought you wanted kids,” Roman continued to glide his fingers across my abdomen. “Isn’t that the whole reason you crossed the country and became my mail-order bride?”
I pulled the pillow off my head, looking up into my husband’s handsome, dark brown eyes. His head was propped up on his hand beside me. “I do want kids. It’s our duty as two of the last pure-blooded witches, but I thought we’d at least get six months to a year of marriage together to…you know…enjoy newlywed bliss.” I flashed him a naughty smile. “We didn’t even get the romance of courtship. We went right from being strangers, to being married, to having your father living with us.”
“I know, I know.” Roman rolled onto his back and stared at our ceiling. “He’s been here a month already. I thought this would be short-term, but he’s not having any luck finding a temporary apartment while he stays in Watersedge. Nobody will give him a short-term lease. If we just wait it out…”
I shook my head and took a deep breath. “I’m still not convinced that your father wasn’t the one who had been sabotaging the reputation of Ettie’s Enchanted Effects. He’s still not happy that we openly practice magic and provide magical objects to mortals. It’s been a month since all the second-graders sprouted magical bushy tails, and we’re not any closer to knowing who was out to ruin our shop’s reputation.”
“It could have been my father, but my magic money is still on the neighbor,” Roman said. “There haven’t been any more sabotaging incidents since you saved Brittany’s life.”
“We saved her life,” I corrected with a chuckle. “We both stopped that ladder from tipping over.” Roman was right. Things had been calm at Ettie’s ever since we reversed the hex on the children and saved Brittney from crashing onto the concrete sidewalk. Maybe she…or the entire town…had finally accepted having a witch entrepreneur right downtown. This was a good thing, as I really wanted to make Watersedge our permanent home. Roman loved his job there and I could see us raising our children here. This town of only twenty thousand people was the perfect size. It had a variety of retail shops, restaurants, and beautiful parks, not to mention the lone school district was good. I did have an in with one of the principals, thanks to my father-in-law, Joe. Somewhere lost in my thoughts, a high note made me cringe. “Why would someone pick the piccolo to play? What a terrible instrument!”
“My family comes from a long line of piccolo players.” Roman laughed. “Come on, Ettie. It’s all perspective. Think of the music as ro-man-tic.” He added a bit of mysterious pizazz to the way he drew out the last word.
“I don’t think it’s possible for a piccolo to be ro-man-tic.”
“Oh, yeah?” He arched an eyebrow and a lopsided smile turned up his lips, making my tenseness melt at the sight of his adorable dimples. “Is that a challenge?” He waved his hand in the air, filling the room with enchanted lights that twinkled like it was Christmas time, reminding me of one of the f
irst “dates” we went on as a married couple, back when I thought I had been deceived and married a mortal…but, I had fallen in love with Roman with or without magic.
“Only if you want to make it a challenge,” I giggled; all my troubles were forgotten for the moment.
With a giant swoop of his arm, Roman pulled me into the center of the bed. He crawled up beside me and whipped off the plain grey t-shirt he had on. Oh, it was a glorious sight that I didn’t think would ever tire me. Even if, years from now, his muscles sagged with age or hid behind a soft layer of chub, I knew I’d still enjoy the sight.
He was my husband after all.
And I loved him…more than I ever thought I’d be able to.
He leaned down and kissed me while I wrapped my arms around him, trailing my fingertips up his spine.
As he relaxed into me, I realized the sound of the piccolo had disappeared, but it was soon replaced by a knock on the door.
Roman moaned.
“See what I mean?” I asked, hopping out from under him and heading to the door. “Just like having kids.”
Outside our bedroom stood Roman’s father, who looked remarkably similar to Roman with the same black hair, only his was salt-and-peppered with gray, same six-foot-something height, and same charming, yet slightly crooked teeth. In his hand, he clenched the offending instrument. Would it be wrong to pry it away from him and throw it out the window?
“Hi, Ettie,” Joseph said, looking over my shoulder at Roman holding the rumpled sheets in his hands. “Roman. You two are in bed already? It’s only eight.”
“Nine-thirty,” I said.
“Oh, it’s that late? That’s one thing about being retired, you lose track of time. I was just going to whip up a bedtime snack.” Joseph twirled his magic finger in the air. “Did you want something? Baked Alaska? Tiramisu? Maybe a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit?”
“No, we’re fine.” I glanced at Roman to confirm he agreed.
“Okay, suit yourself.” Joe gave us a quick nod and headed down the steps to the kitchen.
I turned around and rolled my eyes at Roman, who laughed.
“He means well,” Roman said.
“I know. He just has such bad timing.”
“I don’t know about that.” Roman smiled. “A chocolate fountain sounds delicious.”
I sulked back to the bed. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve always been fond of whipped cream, myself.”
Roman reached out, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me back to bed. He kissed my cheek and whispered into my ear, “Do you think he’ll hear us in the kitchen?”
I shook my head, relaxing into my husband’s strong embrace. “At this point, I don’t care.” I pressed my hands to Roman’s bare chest, easing him down on the bed. “If he does hear us, maybe it’ll give him a reason to move out.”
“Well, if that’s the case, let’s give him a run for his money.” Roman flipped me over, and I couldn’t help but giggle. He snapped his fingers, producing a can of whipped cream and a bottle of chocolate sauce which only made me laugh more. Oh, this was going to be an adventure. Could I face my father-in-law in the morning?
There was only one way to find out.
Chapter Two
I leaned against the check-out counter in Ettie’s Enchanted Effects, taking some weight off my aching feet. Nearly two months had passed since my enchanted item shop had opened, and my body still hadn’t adapted to the long days.
“It looks like you’re doing pretty good.” Principal Prusa from Watersedge Elementary and Middle school stood opposite me. You could tell it was a Saturday, because she had left her school business blazer at home, but she still wore the same dark blue jeans and button up colored blouse. Today, it was a light green, making her matching eyes stand out.
“Yeah, the shop’s been getting busier and busier. At least that’s what my sore feet and tired legs are telling me.” My finances were showing the uptick in business as well, but Penelope didn’t need to hear all those details. I was just happy we were able to meet the business bills. Soon, hopefully, the shop would contribute to Roman and my personal finances as well. We did want to start a family someday and a bit of extra cash would certainly help with the added expenses.
She tucked her wild brown hair behind her ears. “News spreads here in Watersedge like wildfire.”
“Yeah, I learned that when I first opened.” Just one child had sprouted a tail, and the entire town had been quick to blame the new witch in town, namely me.
“Oh yeah, the fox epidemic. No harm, no fowl, er foul. Everyone’s back to normal and all is forgiven, even if we still don’t know what caused the outbreak.”
“Officer Gates and Officer Duncan are still working on it, but they haven’t had any new clues in the case.” As much as I wanted to find who had sabotaged the store and my reputation, I was grateful things had finally settled down.
Penelope futzed with a button on her blouse. “I think the town has looked past the tails. I like having a couple of witches in town. It adds a bit of diversity. I’ve been hearing so much good about Ettie’s Enchanted Effects. At school, all the parents are talking about how whatever enchanted object they purchased here has made a positive impact on their family. From having more focused family time, to less picky eaters, and even having their kids sleeping better at night. Like I said, word spreads quickly around here.”
“Well, it’s good to hear that it isn’t just bad news that spreads as fast a hare runs from a fox.” I smiled. “So, what brings you down here?”
“I’ve been having a little problem with Joseph.”
I laughed. “Us, too!” But then I stopped myself, certain that Penelope’s problem with my father-in-law wasn’t the same as Roman and mine. I shook my head. “Never mind. What problem are you having?”
“Oh, it’s not Joseph’s problem. He’s great, and I’m happy to be in a relationship again. I just have things I need to tell him about me—about my past—and…” She trailed off and looked behind her to the line that was forming.
“I have just the thing.” I circled around the counter and led her to the display of little red-clay totems in the center of the room. “Take a look at these Earth charms. I have a few that are for courage. I’ll let you peruse them, then I’ll be right back.”
Penelope nodded, and I returned to the cash register to check out the two people who were next in line. When I returned to Penelope at the Earth charms, she held one in each hand.
“They’re both for courage. What’s different between these two?” she asked.
“They’re quite different.” I took the first little totem from her hand, turning the tiny clay bear around in my fingers. “This one’s for the courage to stand up to your enemies or disagree with someone on a topic.” I gave her the bear back and took the fierce-looking hawk totem. “The hawk is for courage from within, to tell someone a secret when you’re afraid that you’ll be judged. Does that make sense?”
Penelope nodded and set the bear totem down, taking the hawk from my hand. “I was always a bird lady.” She laughed. “How much do I owe you?”
I dismissed her with a wave. “Nothing. Just send Joseph home with another of your famous strawberry rhubarb pies and we’ll consider us even. Actually, I might owe you a bit.”
“Well, strawberries and rhubarb are no longer in season, but I’m getting my first crop of fall raspberries which bake into a delicious crumble, but that’s not enough. I want you to succeed, and I’m going to pay for this.” As she dropped a ten on the counter, the shop’s lights flickered and a few of my customers gasped. “What was that?” Penelope asked.
“I’m not sure.” In the two months I’d been working in the shop, it had never happened before. “Probably nothing. You know the wiring in old buildings like this.” I nodded at the bill on the counter. “And thank you for your support.”
“You bet,” she said. “You’re nearly family. Well, I’m off for a quick lunch at the diner across the street, then
I need to return some library books. Take care.” Penelope nodded towards the greasy spoon with the big neon burger sign that adorned my view and headed out through my jingling door.
Out on the street, through the glass door, I caught a glimpse of my neighbor, Brittany Fleming, who owned the church next to me. We shared a wall and some parking spaces out back. She was clearly anti-magic and everything associated with magic, as she had been quite boisterous about it when we first opened Ettie’s. Since Roman and I both saved her when her ladder slid out from beneath her, she had been finally leaving me alone. Was she back outside, handing out her negative publicity flyers and trying to get Ettie’s shut down, like she had done when the store first opened?
I came around the counter to get a better view. No flyers were in her hand. All she was doing was chatting with a few people on the sidewalk outside my shop. Nothing wrong with that.
At least, that’s what I told myself before I caught a glimpse of who she was talking to. Mayor Matilda Raab stood on her right, clearly identifiable as she was the tallest woman I had ever seen. Beside her, with a camera around her neck, stood reporter Natalia Young with her out-of-control ginger hair and dark-framed glasses that stood out against her pale, freckled skin. All their posse needed was my father-in-law and everyone that hated Ettie’s would be standing in one place.
What had brought the three of them together?
I crossed through the shop, passing a handful of customers who were looking at the display inside the front window. Were these three stooges outside conspiring against me? I leaned over so I could see the giant changeable letter board Brittany had used to send her messages of hatred towards witchcraft. The board still read, “Find Jesus This Sunday at 9” with no hint at all to the turmoil Brittany must still be feeling. Sure, Roman and I saved her life, but that didn’t make her any more friendly towards me.
Wayward Magic (Magic Underground Anthologies Book 2) Page 38