The rest of the car trip was filled with the swoosh of tyres through water and the rhythmic thump, thump, thump of the windscreen wipers. Tension strained my neck. It was as if I was waiting for something bad to happen. In light of everything that had transpired, we’d never been more vulnerable. If RP decided to attack now, the outcome wouldn’t be good for us, unless our magic accidentally did something awesome we didn’t expect. I supposed just because it was going haywire didn’t mean the result would always be bad for us. Thankfully, we were just about home.
Ma’am pulled into our driveway. “That depends on the spell, dear. If the caster of our curse has made it so our spells do something negative for us each time, then that’s what will happen.”
“But there’s negative, and there’s negative. You wearing a Pikachu T-shirt wasn’t all that bad, neither were Will’s salty pancakes. We’re lucky they didn’t make every spell turn and kill us.”
“That would be very difficult to achieve. Magic is neutral, and it would be very hard to make magic turn on its caster. The more negative you want the outcome to be, the more power it takes. And considering the caster has spelled so many of us, they would have had to spread their energy around. It wouldn’t have been easy to accomplish everything they have so far, let alone make it stronger and more dangerous.”
“Oh, okay.” I had to take her word for it because I had no other point of reference. I hoped she was right and not just saying it to make me feel better.
“Would I really bother about trying to make you feel better, Lily?” she asked. Gah, mind-reading.
I shrugged. “I suppose not. You’re more of a realist.”
She smiled, although it was somewhat grim. “That I am. Now let’s get inside.”
As we exited the car and made our way to the front door, my brother’s car pulled up behind Ma’am’s in the driveway. Had I ever seen him drive over here? Normally we all travelled everywhere, and if there was driving to do, Will usually did it because his Range Rover fit everyone.
Ma’am opened the front door, and we filed in after her. I left the door open for James, who hurried inside, Millicent’s dad, Robert, behind him. I gave James a quick hug, then looked at Millicent’s dad. “How are you?”
“Well, thank you, Lily. How are you?”
“Good, thanks.” I turned to James. “How’s Mill and my gorgeous niece?” Thankfully, Millicent hadn’t been caught up in this stupid drama, because she was still on maternity leave.
He grinned. “They’re great, thanks. I’ve had her parents come over and help strengthen the protection spells on the house. Her mum had some in her family grimoire that haven’t been used for years—they’re particular to a village in the northeast. We think that’ll do the trick.” He nodded at Millicent’s dad.
“It should do,” he said. “They’ve fallen out of use because they were unnecessarily sturdy. They take a few hours to a day to put together, and they require patching every week, but they’re much better than what witches use today. Like anything, standards have fallen. Things aren’t what they used to be.” I tried not to grin. Spell standards had fallen. Oh dear. James looked at me and subtly winked.
“Well, come on through.” I shut the front door and ushered them through to the living room. “Have a seat. I would guess that Angelica’s gone to make some tea. We’ll be back in a moment. Do you want any?” My breath plumed in the cold. We hadn’t been home all day, and the central heating had been turned off. I glanced at the fireplace, which, of course, was devoid of flames. If I wanted to light it, I’d have to do it the non-witch way.
“That would be lovely, thank you.” Robert sat on one of the Chesterfields next to James.
“Nothing for me, thanks.” James smiled.
“Okay. Be back in a minute.” I made my way to the kitchen where Angelica was making tea the normal way, and Will was making nachos. “Can we have an extra cup of tea for our guest?”
“Since when does your brother drink tea?” Angelica asked.
“He’s brought Millicent’s dad with him. They’re here to talk about the home-protection spells.”
“Oh, lovely. I thought it would just be James. It’s a good thing we can access witches who haven’t been cursed.” Ma’am took a tray out of the cupboard and placed two saucers, teacups, a bowl of sugar, and small milk jug on it while she waited for the kettle to boil.
“Does anyone need any help?” It was rare to see Angelica and Will do things in the kitchen the non-witch way. I’d only been out of normality for nine months, and just watching without helping wasn’t the way I’d been brought up.
Will sprinkled cheese on corn chips and salsa, then turned to me and smiled. “No thanks. We’re fine. Go chat to our guests, and we’ll bring everything out when it’s ready.”
Guilt sat on my shoulder, dangling annoying legs that swung back and forth, kicking my bicep. Give me a break. I’ve offered. They said no. Kick, kick, kick. Grrr. I needed to get out of my own head. “Are you sure?”
The kettle whistled. Angelica turned it off and poured the water into the teapot. “We’re fine. Now go. I’ll be out with this in a moment.”
Flicking the annoying passenger off my shoulder, I returned to the living room. “Tea will be here in a moment.” I sat on the Chesterfield opposite my brother. He and Robert appeared to be discussing the pros and cons of a certain spell. Soon Will and Angelica came in. Will sat next to me, and Angelica sat next to him. “Um, can I ask a favour, Robert?”
He smiled. “Why, of course.”
“Can you light a fire in the fireplace over there? I’m freezing, and, well, it would be easier than me having to bring in some firewood, etcetera.”
Will scowled. “Why didn’t you tell me you were cold? I’d have gotten the wood.”
“You were busy.” It didn’t surprise me that Will didn’t think of lighting the fire, or notice it was bloody freezing. Typical English folk. Magic tingled my scalp—calm, sensible magic. A whoosh came from the fireplace, and there it was: a big, beautiful, hot, glowing fire. I grinned. “Thank you!” Robert smiled, and I stood. I had to defrost my freezing hands.
While I warmed myself in front of the fire, Robert cast a bubble of silence. Then the more experienced witches discussed their plans for protection spells around the house. I listened intently—one never knew what awesome things they’d learn, and there was so much to know. Finally, my name was called.
“Lily, dear, would you mind coming back here?”
I made my way over and plonked myself onto the couch next to Will. “At your service.” I smiled.
James looked at me. “Lily, would you mind showing Robert your tattoo?”
I held in a sigh. Those times when I’d forget about that marking were the better times, and the last hour was definitely a better time. I had no idea where he was going with this, but I stood, took my coat off, and pushed up my jumper sleeve. Leaning over the table slightly, I held my arm out in front of Millicent’s dad.
He looked at it, then up at me. “Do you mind if I touch your arm?”
How polite. “That’s fine.” I smiled.
His cool fingers slid across the tattoo. He gently grabbed my wrist and turned my arm over, exposing the rest of the snake. “Hmm.” Was that a good hmm or a bad one? It was like being at the doctor’s. “I’m going to prod at it with magic. Is that okay?”
I shrugged. “Yep. Fine. Magic away.” I had nothing to lose, except that stupid tattoo.
The magic normally only tingled on my scalp, but the sensation travelled down to my shoulder, arm, and the tattoo. After a couple of minutes, the magic stopped. Robert released my arm and looked up at me. “Lily, I think I can contain the tattoo and get rid of the tracking part of it.”
I sucked in a breath. “You could really do that?”
His smile was kind. “I spent years in the army as a doctor. Only retired last year, in fact. I was privy to many powerful and intricate spells that aren’t floating around in the wider world. I recognise the… style, if you
will, of the spell’s composition. Given enough time, I’m sure I could figure the whole thing out. But it’s going to take a lot of time. The tracking is the easiest part to decipher. The masking spell is one that, as you work your way through the spell and get it right, it reveals more and more of the threads of the spell. The tracking one should take me a day or two of constant work. We have some other spells to get through on this house tomorrow, but I should have the energy to do it in, say, three days’ time? Could you make yourself available? We could meet at James and Millicent’s place.”
Excitement spiralled through me. If we could ditch the tracking spell, and once the curse was fixed, I could keep going with research into my parents’ disappearance. I bit my lip, hoping with every fibre of my being that he really could do what he said. “Yes, I totally could make myself available. You have no idea how happy I’d be if you could disable this thing.” I held my arm up and glared at the snake. How much longer would I have to live with it? My shoulders sagged. Maybe I shouldn’t even think about that.
Millicent’s dad nodded slowly. “Splendid. I can’t guarantee anything, but I’m pretty confident we can figure this out, Lily. See you in a few days.”
“See you then.” I smiled, but it was forced. What if he couldn’t do what he thought he could? I guessed I’d just have to wait and see.
Chapter 6
The next morning, Angelica and Will drove to the PIB, and Millicent’s dad returned with Millicent to spell the house. Thankfully, she hadn’t been caught up in the curse. Her mum was at her place, minding the baby. Even though this was all good news, melancholy stung my eyes and sat heavy on my chest. My parents had missed out on this—meeting their granddaughter. And Annabelle had missed out on having the love and guidance of two wonderful grandparents. Someone had stolen this from our family, and I wasn’t going to stop searching until I found out what had happened and who was to blame. What I’d do then, I didn’t specifically know, but it involved pain and suffering for the guilty party.
While they did that, I stayed in my bedroom and read, then did a forty-minute workout from YouTube. I hadn’t been running much lately because of everything that had been going on, and now we didn’t have reliable magic, so everyone who’d been affected, including Will and Beren, had been forbidden to spend time away from home or PIB headquarters. The only time Will and Beren got to go anywhere was if an unaffected agent accompanied them to interviews. They had a lot of work to do to come up with a list of witches who wanted the PIB out of action. And even then, they didn’t know if it was someone with a grudge or just someone who wanted to commit major crimes and not get caught.
Just after 4:00 p.m., someone knocked on my door. “Come in,” I said from my spot on my bed where I was reading.
The door opened, and Millicent poked her head in. “Hey. Just wanted to let you know we’re done.” She smiled, came in, and sat on my bed, then sighed. The darkness under her eyes hadn’t been there when she’d arrived this morning, and I’d been bombarded with magic sensations all day. Her dad must be exhausted too.
“Thanks for doing that. You look like you could use a good nap.”
“More like a two-day sleepfest. But at least it’s done. You’ll be safe here now. How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “I’m fine. That thing with the curse doesn’t make me feel sick or anything, but I’m bored and frustrated. There’s so much I can’t do while my magic is compromised.”
“With a bit of luck, they’ll have a cure sorted in the next few days. I’m actually coming back to work while this is going on. I start back tomorrow. Mum’s going to take care of Annabelle. They’re staying at our place for a while, until we catch whoever’s done this.”
“Are you happy to be going back?”
She grinned. “Yes. As much as I love staying home and being a mum, the baby’s been sleeping through, and I’m not really tired. I do miss adult company, and you know I love my work, so, yeah, I’m happy. And it’s only until this stuff gets fixed; then I’ll drop back to part-time. I’m thinking three days per week. Ma’am’s too short-staffed, and working a few days a week is the perfect compromise.”
“Sounds good. It’ll be good to have you back… not that I’m always there, but I seem to be there a lot more than I’d envisaged.”
She laughed. “You’re just indispensable.”
“Ha! I wouldn’t quite say that. They really need to put more people on.” I frowned. “I feel like we’re never going to get to the bottom of RP, if you know what I mean. We just haven’t got time to spend on it anymore.”
She patted my knee and gave me a sympathetic look. “Don’t worry, Lil. Things will get back to normal soon.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Since when is anything around here ever normal?”
She grinned. “Okay, you got me there. Anyway, the house is all good, and we’ve woven an extra bubble of silence. It’s only going to last for seven days because it just takes too much power to maintain, but if you still need it after that, we’ll do another one. So feel free to say what you want while you’re home.” She stood. “I’m going to get going. Dad’s already left, but he said for you to come visit the day after tomorrow for the tattoo.” She bent down and gave me a hug, then stood.
“Great. I’ll see you guys then. And thanks for today. I feel much safer now.” I hadn’t slept very well the last two nights. Feeling vulnerable wasn’t pleasant. Even though I normally feared RP when I was out and about, I had magic I could use, but now that it was dodgy, I felt like the sole chicken at a party full of foxes.
“Bye.” Mill waved, then stepped through her doorway and disappeared.
An hour later, I wandered downstairs to cook dinner. Having to prepare early was something I’d gotten out of the habit of. When you could click your fingers and have something at a moment’s notice, there was nothing to think about beforehand. I checked the fridge to see what I could cook. Milk, cheese, and tomatoes, that was it. Oh dear. Maybe we’d have to get home delivery.
The front door slammed, the echo making it to the kitchen. I spun around to angry voices in the hall heading my way. My heartbeat spiked but slowed when I recognised Will’s and Angelica’s voices. What were they arguing about?
Angelica entered the kitchen first, her hand waving above her head in a “shoo” motion. “You know I did the right thing, William.” Ooh, she’d used his full name.
Will came in after her, his grey eyes as dark as a stormy ocean in the late afternoon. The intensity of his gaze was more like a hurricane. What in the hell had happened? “You’re not supposed to use your magic, dammit! We’ll take your car tomorrow.” He folded his arms.
Ma’am shook her head. “You’re such a child. If I hadn’t done anything, we would’ve hit that dog and killed it. Do you want that on your conscience?” He grumbled under his breath. “I thought so.” A self-satisfied smile found its way to her lips.
Well, the suspense was just about killing me. “What happened?”
Will looked at me, a massive frown ambushing his face. “Angelica ruined my beautiful car.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s only temporary, for goodness’ sake. You men are such babies when it comes to your cars.” She turned to me. “What’s for dinner?” Wow, she was changing the subject way too quickly for my liking. I wanted to know more.
“Um, there isn’t much in the fridge. I was thinking home delivery?” I walked to the door.
“Where are you going?” Will asked.
“To look at your car, of course.” Will pinned Angelica with an angry glare. Silence engulfed the room as I turned. I guessed I’d have to see what the damage was for myself. How bad could it be?
I turned the outside light on and opened the front door to a blast of cold wind and drizzle. Ah, the joy of English weather in winter. I snuggled further into my jumper and stepped outside. Angelica’s car sat in the driveway just near the front door. Will’s car should be behind it. But the black roof that was normally visible above her car
was nowhere.
I moved down the driveway. Once I reached the front passenger door of Angelica’s car, the problem became evident. Oh. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.
A yellow rubber-ducky car perched in the driveway.
Was that even legally allowed on the road? It was a yellow duck, its body about the size of a Fiat, the head rising from the roof. I walked around it. The windscreen was in the chest of the bird. I snorted, picturing Will hunched over in the driver’s seat, carried along by this cute ball of yellow, bumping over potholes as if it were waddling. Oh my God! What would happen if I honked the horn? I giggled and opened the driver’s door—it wasn’t locked, probably because Will figured no one would steal it. Maybe he even wanted someone to take it away.
I bent low and slipped my hand over the horn, pressing down three times. “Quack! Quack! Quack!” I burst out laughing and dropped into the seat. Tears streamed down my face. I pressed the horn again. “Quack! Quack!”
I couldn’t hear anything over my hysterical laughter, so Will had managed to sneak up on me. He stood at the door, arms folded, staring down at me with the most disdainful face ever. “Are you quite finished?” A fresh round of guffawing took hold. The poor guy was so serious, but how could anyone be serious when they were driving a duck? My cheeks were wet, my stomach sore.
I finally calmed down enough to talk. “Can we keep it? It’s so cute!” I snorted. Oops.
“I want my Range Rover back. This car is ridiculous.”
I patted the dashboard. “Don’t speak that way about my new friend. Maybe we should name it?”
“Get out of the car, Lily.”
Hovering my hand above the horn, I stared at Will. His eyebrows drew down, and his lips pressed together. Smirking, my hand descended. “Quack! Quack! Quack!” The laughing recommenced. Will reached in and grabbed my arm, firmly but not too hard. He carefully extricated me from the car and shut the door, and there was nothing I could do because my mirth had incapacitated me. He led me to the house and inside, slamming the front door. By the time we reached the kitchen, I’d managed to take a few breaths and wipe my tears.
Witch Cursed in Westerham Page 6