by K E O'Connor
Great, a hungry were-beast thinking I was its next meal. My night had just gone from lousy to a horror show.
Chapter 2
I didn’t blink. I didn’t want to miss what would come out of the shadows. So I stared and stared. And the yellow eyes stared right back.
If this growling creature was looking for its next meal, it would be disappointed. There wasn’t much meat on me. I’d always run skinny and took no pleasure in food these days.
“Go hunt someone else,” I muttered to the shadowy thing watching me. “This is my land, and you’re trespassing. Don’t think I won’t fire magic at your furry butt if you stay here much longer.”
“If all your magic spells are as pathetic as the one you performed on Crow, then I have nothing to worry about,” a deep, throaty voice purred out of the darkness.
Yep, that had to be a were-kitty cat looking for something to play with.
“That thing took me by surprise,” I said. “You don’t want to make a mistake by crossing me.”
“I’ve crossed you before, Indigo Ash, and I lived to tell the tale.”
I tilted my head. “Who are you? Show yourself.”
“I’m offended. You really don’t remember me?”
“Nope. But then I haven’t been around here for a while.”
“As everyone is well aware.” The eyes blinked, and a second later, a scrawny black cat with the tip missing off its tail appeared.
My jaw dropped. “Nugget! You can’t be here.”
“I assure you, I am. But I’m much more interested in why you’re here. Did they finally let you out?”
I snapped my mouth shut. “You must be at least forty years old.”
“And your point?”
“You can’t be alive. What exactly are you? Some sort of zombie cat?” He was giving off a ripe odor. Had he been dragged back from the grave by some twisted spell?
“Magda made me her familiar, just before she turned loco. Therefore, I get the luxury of a long life.”
“Huh! She never told me that. She always said she’d never pick one familiar because the other animals would get jealous and squeak about favoritism.”
He flicked his tail around his paws and settled on the ground. “You were too busy trying to destroy this place to notice. I see your time away from Witch Haven has done you no favors. You’ve aged much worse than me. What are you now, fifty?”
“Thirty-two!” I glowered at him. “And I never planned on coming back here ever again.”
“And yet here you are. You couldn’t keep away from the place. You’re wasting your time if you’re looking for something to fix your magic. Magda’s magic was always stronger than yours, but it’s warped over time. You should leave while you still can. Nobody wants you here.”
I frowned at him. He’d never been this mean. Nugget had been an adorable fluff ball. “I get why most people in the village hate me, but what’s your deal? We used to get along.”
“Your memory must be as faulty as your spellcasting. I endured you because I had no choice. You were here, and I wanted to be around Magda, so I put up with you.”
I shook my head. That wasn’t right. All through my childhood, he’d been an awesome cat. Funny, entertaining, and really tolerant of a brat determined to dress him in a cape and mini witch’s hat and play zoomies with him in the yard.
A rusty cawing noise came from the roof of the house.
“Is that a friend of yours?” I said.
“Ignore him. Crow’s broken.”
“Crow? That’s his name?”
“That’s who he is.”
“We should call him Russell. You know, like the actor?”
Nugget sniffed. “You can call him what you like.”
“What’s his deal?”
“You don’t remember Crow?”
“Should I?”
Nugget’s narrow-eyed gaze shifted over me. “Perhaps not. It seems the Magic Council has done a number on you. Just how much of your memory did they strip away?”
I shrugged. “You’re asking the wrong person. That’s the thing with memory removal, it stops you from remembering.”
He gave a small snort and licked one paw. “Crow was around during the final six months. He latched onto Magda and tried to be her attack bird. He was always a failure and kept going after the wrong people. He’s got some superiority complex and thinks he’s an eagle.”
Russell made another cawing noise and swept past, dropping something from his claws.
Nugget dodged out the way as stones rained down on him. “No one is impressed, you stupid, feathered freak.”
“Hey, Russell, stop attacking me. This is my place now,” I said. “You can hang out on the roof if you like, but you’re not stopping me from getting inside.”
The disgruntled noise Russell made suggested he was unimpressed by that idea. I didn’t blame him. I didn’t like it either.
I glanced back at the house. “You’ve stuck around all this time? Ever since Magda got taken?”
“Where else would I go?” Nugget said.
“She’s been gone for years. Couldn’t you have become someone else’s familiar?”
“As if anyone would want me after associating with Magda. I’m an outcast. So is Crow.”
“Russell.”
“Crow!”
“We’ll let him decide,” I said. “Crow, Russell is the name of an awesome warrior. He had all the ladies swooning over him and killed a ton of bad guys. It fits your character.”
There was silence, then a small caw.
“He loves it. Russell it is,” I said.
“You’re both idiots,” Nugget muttered. “Joining another family wasn’t an option. Everyone knew I’d lived here. They think I’m damaged goods.”
“You could have tried. It can’t have been fun stuck here. Can you get inside?”
Nugget flicked his tail from side to side. “No.”
“You’ve lived out here in all weathers?”
Nugget finished washing his paw. “I have some magic. It sustains me. And Russell... I mean, Crow, keeps me company, even though he annoys me most of the time.”
I looked at the wild garden. It gave off a spooky vibe. There’d be no way I’d camp out here.
“I can’t say I blame them for having no interest in me,” Nugget said. “I didn’t see it coming.”
I rubbed my forehead, a dull ache forming behind my eyes. “Yeah, neither did I. Now I’m left with Magda’s mess to tidy up.”
“Why? Has something happened to her?”
“Oh! You don’t know.”
“Know what?” Nugget stood. “Where is Magda? Are they letting her out? Is she coming home?” His tail flicked over his back.
“Nugget, no. The opposite. I’m so sorry, but she died in prison three months ago.” A burst of pain punctured my chest. I shouldn’t be sad. When Magda died, she’d been a different person. Not the warm, loving witch who’d raised me.
A weird, choking rattle shot out of Nugget. He dashed away.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” His croaky voice came from behind the bush.
I didn’t know whether to give him a moment or comfort him. I didn’t like this mean, jaded version of Nugget who stank like he’d bathed in a swamp, but he sounded in distress.
I waited another minute. Then he emerged from the bush, his tail swishing from side to side. “I had a hairball. What happened to Magda?”
“Are you sure you’re OK?” I wanted to pet him, but didn’t want to risk getting slashed.
“Perfect. Magda. What happened to her?”
“I got a report from the prison she was being held in. Apparently, she got her hands on illegal magic and tried to break out. The prison was warded with protective spells, and her magic backfired. It killed her.” I cleared my throat. “I never got to see her. They thought it wasn’t safe for us to be together.”
Nugget hissed and his fur bristled. “You don’t think that’s suspicio
us?”
“That my evil, dark magic using stepmom finally had magic go bad on her? Not particularly.”
“Magda was a magnificent witch, and your ability paled beside hers.”
“I agree. She was awesome.”
“And she’d never allow herself to be destroyed by her own spell. How was she when you last saw her?”
“I, um, well, I didn’t see her after she went inside. It was one of the conditions from the Magic Council. They forbade us from seeing each other again. They said she was a bad influence.” I pressed a hand against my stomach as it churned. Maybe I could have tried harder to visit. I’d started dozens of letters, hoping one of them would get through to her, but hadn’t sent a single one.
My hot gaze flicked to the front door. The last time I’d seen Magda was when she was dragged from this house, cursing anyone who got too close, and sending out blasts of damaging magic. Those final memories of her still haunted my dreams.
“You abandoned her,” Nugget said.
I sucked in a deep breath. “It seems you aren’t listening to me. The Magic Council made it impossible for us to visit each other. Besides, I spent my first year in an open prison being re-educated. When I got out, I had to have weekly sessions with a therapist to make sure I stayed on track. My magic still remains constrained.”
“An open prison? You could leave?”
“Under certain conditions. I had a long list of those set against my name. It wasn’t worth the hassle.”
“You’ve always been weak,” Nugget said. “Some things never change. Did the therapy work out for you?”
“Can’t you tell? My life’s a dream.” I tipped my head forward, tiredness seeping through me. “You know, you don’t have to stick around. Magda’s not coming back, so there’s nothing for you here.”
“There’s nothing for you, either. And this isn’t your home. You gave up on it.”
“I had no choice.”
“I’m not leaving.” Nugget swished his tail.
We stood in silence, angry staring at each other.
Russell cawed a few times.
Nugget blinked first. “If Magda left you this house, that means she left me in your care.”
“Nope. Familiars weren’t mentioned in her will,” I said.
“She may not have used my name specifically, but the intent was there. You get the house, you get everything in it. And that includes me.”
“That’s not true. And, technically, you’re not in the house.”
“I’m in the yard. It’s the same thing.”
My headache intensified. “I can just ignore you. Besides, there’s no point in getting friendly, I’m only going to be here a few days.”
Nugget slumped onto the ground and huffed out a breath. He looked as defeated as I felt. He was a sorry looking cat. I remember him as a huge, sleek, handsome black fluff ball, with a bushy tail and sparkling amber eyes. He was a shadow of his once handsome, fluffy self. Dark magic had done a number on both of us.
“You can hang out here while I clear out the house, but that’s it. I’m not staying, and I’m not taking you with me when I go,” I said.
“I wouldn’t come with you even if you begged me to.”
“You’re welcome,” I said.
“You’re not.” Nugget dragged himself to his paws. “But I’ll stay for now. Inside, there’s a supply of cat food. That’s mine.”
“Then we have a problem. To get to the cat food, we have to break through these wards.” I hovered a finger over the barrier preventing me from getting to the door.
“You won’t be able to do that with what’s left of your magic,” Nugget said. “You should give up. Go home.”
The scruffy, mean cat was shouting my own feelings at me. Nugget was bitter and broken and clearly didn’t think anything of me. But why should he? I’d helped Magda destroy this village, and rip apart friendships and bonds that had been there for generations.
Ever since that day, I’d cut connections with anyone. I didn’t do companions or friends, and I’d never had a familiar.
A witch without a familiar was an oddity. But I was better off alone. If I was on my own, I couldn’t hurt anyone.
It seemed Nugget thought the exact same thing if his unfriendly welcome was anything to go by.
“There has to be a way in,” I said.
“Find it.” He sighed and sank onto his belly again.
I kneeled beside him. I hated seeing any animal unhappy, even if he was a huge fluffy ball of snark. “I could always look for a new home for you.”
He growled at me. “If you take me to the animal rescue place, I’ll kill you.”
“You can try, fluff ball.” I stood and pressed my hands against the wards. They pulsed a warning beneath my fingers. I decided not to push any harder, or I’d get shoved away again, and my spine was still groaning.
I yelped and leaped out the way as something slashed across the back of my ankle. I turned to see Nugget with a raised paw, ready to strike again.
“What’s wrong with you?” I rubbed the gashes on my leg. His claws had gone straight through my black leggings.
“I told you to leave.”
“And I told you this house is mine. Clear out.”
“I’m going nowhere. If you don’t like me being here, you go.” Nugget hissed in despair, his fur puffed up. “Leave. Now.”
“Make me, fuzzy face.”
A harsh cawing came from over my head, and Russell swooped down and dive-bombed Nugget.
Nugget slashed the air, trying to reach the crow. “Attack her! She’s the enemy. We don’t want her here. She left us. Peck her.”
My heart stuttered. Nugget was angry because I left?
Russell wheeled around and dived at Nugget again.
At least I had one ally. Not that I needed one, but it was nice that Nugget’s claws were no longer aimed in my direction. Although he had a right to be hissy. I’d stayed away for too long.
I dodged out the way as Russell circled back for another dive, not entirely convinced he wouldn’t change sides.
Nugget turned tail and raced into the bushes.
Russell gave a loud cackle of success as he swooped past me, dipping one wing as he did so.
“I was handling myself just fine, but thanks for the backup,” I said.
Something tapped on the back of my hand.
I looked down, and my eyes widened. A huge black spider with long spindly legs sat on my thigh.
“I, um, hi? Please don’t tell me you’re venomous and also hate me. I’ve had enough crud to deal with today.”
The spider tapped my hand again.
Okay, so it wasn’t biting me. That was a positive start. “You’re scarily impressive, but I still don’t want those fangs sunk into my hand. Is there something I can do for you?”
The spider waved two long legs at me.
I held out a finger, and we made contact. The second we did, a sliver of power shot through me, leaving me shaking. “Whoa! You’re stronger than you look.”
“As are you. I sense your power is restrained, but if we work together, combine our strengths, we can get into the house.” The spider’s voice was feminine and there was a slight crackly undertone. This was definitely more than your average large, hairy house spider.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m good. I’ll figure out a way through these wards.”
“Magda’s wards are unstable. They haven’t been repaired for many years, and no one has been by to strengthen them. They’re not safe. If you deactivate them on your own, you could die.”
“It won’t be that dangerous. And I really don’t need anyone’s help.”
The spider waggled a leg as if telling me off. “There’s no shame in asking for help, especially when you’ve been incapacitated by others.”
“I’m not incapacitated. I still have magic.”
“You have some ability, but you’re weak. What’s inside that house will make you strong, but you can’t do it a
lone. Have you ever heard the phrase there’s no I in team?”
I gritted my teeth. I’d had this kind of skull numbing talk from my therapist. “That’s true. But technically, there’s a me. And there’s no u. And there are three i’s in individual.”
The spider rubbed her fangs together, as if considering sinking them into my fleshy palm. “You always had a smart mouth.”
“Um... we’ve met before?”
“We have. Now, stop being stubborn, and let’s figure this out together.”
I sighed. I was exhausted and hungry. I just wanted a sit down, something hot to drink, and an hour to snooze. But I was only accepting this one favor. I wasn’t working with the familiars Magda had left behind. I didn’t need any complications, nothing that would tie me here. I had enough smudges on my soul to last me several broken lifetimes. Becoming a part of Witch Haven again wasn’t an option.
“Do you have a name?” I asked.
“I’m Hilda.”
Someone clearing their throat by the gate had me turning. I narrowed my eyes and my stomach clenched. As if this night couldn’t get any worse. I’d recognize someone who worked for the Magic Council anywhere.
A tall, broad-shouldered guy wearing a wide, broad-brimmed hat, glared at me. “You’re finally home, Indigo.”
Chapter 3
“If you take one more step, you’ll be trespassing on my land. That gives me rights.” I stared down the sharp-faced guy. He was tall, dark and stubbled. And I wanted him gone.
“That sounds like a threat,” he said. “You don’t have time to make those, not if you want to clear out your stepmom’s things.”
“You’re here to check up on me? Or are you hoping to find some of Magda’s magic to take away for the council to exploit?”
“How do you know I work at the Magic Council?”
“They have a type. You’re it.”
He shrugged. “Nothing that twisted witch left behind interests us.”
I slid my tongue over my teeth. “Who are you?”
“Olympus Duke.”
A shiver of surprise ran through me. I’d heard that name plenty of times, but had never met the head of the Magic Council before. He rarely made public appearances. He was more myth than real. I must be in trouble if he was on my doorstep checking me out.