by K E O'Connor
Odessa was softer and sweeter, but she also came with a dark edge, especially if you got entangled with her enchanted scarecrows. I’d had several meetings with them recently and had the bruises to show for it.
“We’ll get him on his own and make him see sense.” Odessa marched up the stairs with Storm beside her. “He must realize he’s being unreasonable. You can’t simply make a person vanish and expect to get away with it.”
“Luna vanished,” Storm said. “And we still can’t get a fix on where she is, or who took her.”
“That’s different. She was magicked away by a mean ghost with an attitude problem. Judge Zimmerman has to follow the rules. And he’s broken them by making Indigo disappear.”
I almost stumbled up the stairs. They were here to find out what happened to me? I had to stick around for this, especially if they intended to shake answers out of the judge.
“The Council meeting is in the main chamber,” Odessa said as she studied the information board at the top of the stairs. “We’ll barge in and insist we’re heard.”
I opened my mouth to tell them not to do anything risky, but then snapped it shut. I couldn’t interfere. They had no clue who I was. If I told them to keep their noses out, there could be trouble. And I’d told Olympus I’d keep my distance from Odessa and Storm. We were close childhood friends, and our magic abilities often combined. If I got too close, they could sense I was wearing a disguise and my cover would be blown.
They were approaching the chamber doors, when two Magic Council guards hurried toward them.
“You were told to wait in reception.” A tall guard with a long nose barred them from getting any closer to the doors. “This is a private meeting. It’s not open to the public.”
I lingered a few feet away, waiting to see what would happen.
“You must be mistaken. We’re here for that meeting.” Odessa smiled and fluttered her lashes. “Judge Zimmerman is expecting us. I sent him a gift basket with a note to say we needed to meet about an urgent matter.”
“You’re on the agenda?” the guard said.
“That’s right.”
Storm stood beside her, glowering at the guards.
“What are your names?” The other guard consulted a clipboard in his hand.
“Let me take a look at that. I’m sure we’re on there somewhere,” Odessa said.
The guard shook his head and held his clipboard away from her. “I can’t do that. Tell me who you are, and I’ll see if you’re listed. But all the external meeting visitors have already signed in, so you may have missed your slot.”
“Judge Zimmerman will make an exception for us,” Odessa said. “We’re friends. He just loves my pumpkins.”
The guard’s gaze flitted to Odessa’s chest and his cheeks flushed.
Storm scowled at him. “Just check your dumb clipboard.”
The guard straightened his shoulders. “Sorry, you’re not going in. You need to make an appointment to see the judge some other time.”
“This is crucial,” Odessa said. “It’s a life-or-death situation. Our friend has gone missing, and Judge Zimmerman knows where she is. He took her.”
The tall guard frowned. “You’re accusing the judge of kidnapping someone?”
“No! I’m sure he’d never do such a terrible thing. But he does know where Indigo is.”
“Indigo?” The guards exchanged a glance. “You mean the killer witch, Indigo Ash?”
I grunted softly. It seemed everyone knew my bad reputation around here.
“No, I mean my funny, kind, warm-hearted friend, who wouldn’t hurt a fly when she isn’t under the influence of dark magic,” Odessa said.
I smiled at Odessa’s description of me.
The tall guard glanced at his colleague. “If you’re friends with that witch, you’re not getting anywhere near Judge Zimmerman. You could be dangerous.”
“We are dangerous, so you’d better get out of our way.” Storm sparked magic on her fingers.
The guards stood firm in front of the doors.
The tall one sighed. “We don’t need any trouble. Why don’t you ladies go down to the reception area? They’ve got access to the judge’s diary. Maybe they can find you an appointment.”
“For today?” Odessa said.
“Doubtful. Maybe in a couple of months’ time. He’s a busy guy.”
“That’s not good enough,” Odessa said. “Indigo is missing and we demand she’s returned to us. We understand she’s done a few wrong things and people think she’s a bad witch, but she’s changed.”
I grinned and shook my head as Odessa continued to rant at the stunned looking guards. I had changed since returning to Witch Haven. And I felt like a different person since I’d reunited with my old friends, moved into my family home, and found myself three awesome familiars who stuck by me no matter how many mistakes I made.
“You ladies need to leave,” the other guard said. “We’re sorry about your missing friend, but this is the wrong place to air your grievance. Go downstairs and fix an appointment to see the judge. Charging in here demanding to go into a closed meeting will get you nowhere.”
Storm materialized a long shard of ice in her hand, the length of a javelin. “How about this? Does this get us anywhere?”
Three more guards flashed into view. They all had magic sparking on their fingers, and it was aimed at Storm and Odessa.
My smile slipped and my gut tightened. If they didn’t get out of here, they’d be arrested.
Storm turned slowly, eyeing each of the guards like they were something she’d discovered on the sole of her boot. “Five warlocks to handle two witches. You boys must be scared.”
“No one is scared, because no one is casting magic in here,” the tall guard said. “Everyone calm down. I’ll take you downstairs, find you a meeting time, and then you’ll leave.”
“We’re not going anywhere until we see Judge Zimmerman.” Odessa stamped her foot, and a curl of orange magic drifted around her.
“Halt from using any more magic.” The tall guard was no longer acting like Mr. Nice Guy. His expression was tight, and even from where I stood, I could feel the tension radiating off him. This situation was about to get out of control.
I longed to help Odessa and Storm. If they knew I was standing so close, they’d be fine. But if my disguise was revealed, I’d have no freedom to find Luna or clear my family name.
“This is your last warning,” the tall guard said. “Restrain your magic, or you’ll be arrested.”
One of the guards who’d poofed into existence, blasted a warning spell over their heads, scattering a shower of hot sparks around them.
Odessa squeaked, while Storm scowled at him and lifted her ice javelin.
I turned away. They were powerful witches who knew how to handle themselves. I had to leave them to it. And Odessa was a peacemaker. She’d figure out a solution without them all coming to blows.
“Get off me, you big thug.”
I spun back to see Odessa being restrained by a guard.
Storm was sparking ice magic on her fingers and preparing to throw her javelin of ice as two guards advanced on her.
I couldn’t walk away from this. There was no way these overly officious guards would arrest my friends for trying to help me.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I dashed back, trying to look calm, despite my thudding heart.
One of the guards glanced at me. “What’s it to you?”
“I work here. What have these witches done?”
“Interfered with Magic Council business. They’re dangerous.”
I nodded as I glanced at Storm and Odessa. “It doesn’t look like they’ve done any damage to me.”
“Only because we stopped them.” The guard looked at me. “Who are you?”
“Indy Archer. Judge Zimmerman just appointed me as a new ghost hunter for the Magic Council.”
“I’m happy for you.”
I didn’t miss his sarcastic ton
e. “Thanks. I’m thrilled to be here. And I’ve just taken a huge delivery of cookies to the break room as a sort of getting to know you treat. There is plenty for everyone. But you need to hurry, they won’t be around for long. I saw a group of trolls heading that way after I laid them out.” I winked at him. “And we all know what trolls are like when they get on the sweet stuff. You think these witches are trouble, trolls on a sugar high are uncontrollable.”
Several of the guards turned their heads toward what I assumed was the break room.
“I tell you what, let me deal with these witches. You all look like you could do with a break.” I smiled encouragingly at the guards who were facing off with Storm and Odessa. “I’ll get them back to reception. I was headed that way anyhow, so it’s no bother.”
“We are overdue a break.” One of the guards nudged his colleague. “And I didn’t have a chance for breakfast this morning.”
“The cookies are fresh-baked and still warm from the oven. There are even some triple chocolate in there. But remember what I said, the trolls will decimate them if they get first dibs.”
The tall guard looked at Storm and Odessa. “No going in the chamber. Stick with this ghost hunter.” He looked at me. “If they give you any trouble, you have authorization to use restraint magic.”
“Thanks, but I’m sure it won’t come to that, will it?” I raised my eyebrows at Storm and Odessa.
Storm scowled at me. But her ice javelin had vanished.
Odessa smiled and nodded. “We don’t want to cause trouble. We’re just trying to find our friend.”
“We’ll let these hard-working guards take a break, and I’ll see what I can do about your friend.” I gestured to the stairs, hoping they’d get the hint and give up the fight.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Odessa walked away.
Storm kept glaring at me. She didn’t budge.
I looked at her and shrugged. “You can do what you like, but you’re not getting through the magic barrier around the chamber. You need an official invite to get in. Why make this harder than it needs to be?”
“Come on, Storm. We can always ambush the judge when he leaves,” Odessa said.
I glanced over to make sure the guards hadn’t heard her, but they were already racing away to the break room to grab the imaginary cookies. I wouldn’t be popular when they discovered nothing sweet and gooey to enjoy. I could always blame the trolls for eating all the cookies.
Storm gave me a final glare before following Odessa down the stairs.
I hurried after them and over to the reception desk, where there was a queue of people waiting to be seen. “Don’t mind those guards. You know what the Magic Council is like. They hate the rules being bent.”
“We know exactly how lame and unhelpful the Magic Council is,” Storm said. “And since you’re a part of this sucky, rule-obsessed place, we don’t need your help.”
“Maybe we do,” Odessa said. “Thanks for the save back there, but I get so angry whenever I think about Indigo going missing. Have you heard anything about her? She came back to Witch Haven recently and got in trouble with the Magic Council. They arrested her, and we can’t find out what happened.”
“I, um... I’m new here.” I couldn’t let on everything I knew, but I hated that they were so worried about me.
“You’re also useless,” Storm muttered. “This is a waste of time. By the time we get in to see Judge Zimmerman, it’ll be too late. Indigo will have had her power stripped and be wandering around as a shadow. She’ll be no use to anyone.”
“Even if that happens, she’ll still be our friend.” Odessa glanced at me. “Did you say your name was Indy?”
I nodded. “That’s right. And you are...”
“Odessa Grimsbane. I live on the pumpkin farm on the edge of the village. I’m also the best scarecrow maker in the magic community. You won’t find a better scarecrow anywhere.”
“I know. Your scarecrows are awesome.”
She tilted her head, a puzzled look on her face. “You’ve encountered my scarecrows? They didn’t do anything bad, did they? They’ve been boisterous lately.”
“Oh, no! I mean, I’ve seen some scary looking scarecrows about. They must be yours.”
“You could be right. Only the most terrifying scarecrows come off my production line. I hand sew the magic into them.” She gestured at Storm. “This is Storm Winter. She runs an amazing private detective agency. If you need any underhand business doing, she’s your witch.”
“I don’t do underhand work. Well, not all the time.” Storm didn’t acknowledge me.
Odessa grinned. “Only about fifty percent of the time.”
“It’s good to meet you both.”
Odessa pursed her lips. “Can you help us get in to see Judge Zimmerman? Are you friendly with him?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t run in the high-up circles. I’m just a lowly ghost hunter. Besides, he won’t be useful to you. I doubt he deals directly with lower-level problems like missing witches.”
“Indigo is of interest to him.” Odessa glanced around. “She got in trouble when she was a teenager. Now she’s back, and the Council is interested in her. They think she’s dangerous.”
I bit my tongue. “What do you think?”
“She’s a little dangerous,” Storm said.
“Only when she needs to be,” Odessa said. “When you get to know her, she’s great.”
I had to get my friends out of here, but I couldn’t risk spending any more time with them, or I’d blow my cover. “Storm’s right about this being a waste of your time. I heard the judge is about to leave the village for a couple of weeks, so he won’t be around to see you.”
Storm turned slowly to face me. “Considering you claim not to know him and you’ve just started working for the Magic Council, you know a lot.”
“Oh, you know, people talk.”
She huffed out her disbelief.
“That’s unhelpful,” Odessa said. “We need to come up with a new plan, but I got so upset thinking about what the Magic Council was doing to Indigo, I didn’t think this through.” She jabbed a finger into Storm’s ribs. “You should have told me not to come here.”
Storm choked out a laugh as she rubbed her side. “Why bother? When you dig your heels in about something, there’s no point trying to change your mind. You said you wanted to visit Judge Zimmerman, so I agreed.” She glanced at me.
I laughed. “That’s so true.”
They looked at me like I was being weird. I guess I was, since they had no clue who I was.
“Are you suggesting I’m stubborn?” Odessa said.
“I’m not suggesting, you are,” Storm said.
“But I’m worried about Indigo. And Olympus Duke has been useless.” Odessa went to touch my arm, but I avoided her touch, just in case she saw through my disguise when we made contact.
She gave me another puzzled look. “Do you know him? We keep trying to find out where he’s hidden Indigo after he arrested her, but he won’t talk.”
“I heard Olympus isn’t all that chatty,” I said.
“He isn’t. Although he does have a thing for Indigo, so I hoped he’d go easy on her.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Do you really think so?”
Odessa’s eyes gleamed. “I do. Come on, you must know something. Have you seen Olympus with a skinny witch wearing grubby clothes and sporting a terrible purple dye job?”
Was she describing me? My clothing wasn’t grubby. And sure, I could eat more, but I wasn’t that thin. And my hair wasn’t terrible, it was just a home done job. “Nope. I know nothing.”
“Just like everyone who works here,” Storm said. “You’ll fit right in.”
Odessa sighed. “We need a lead. We can’t have more friends vanishing. Losing one is bad luck, but two looks suspicious.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Storm said. “This queue isn’t moving.”
“Yes, maybe you’re right. And I need cookies a
fter Indy told the guards about those triple chocolate cookies she ordered. My stomach is grumbling,” Odessa said. “We can grab something to eat and figure out our next move. But I’m not giving up on Indigo. People may think she’s a rotten witch through and through, but we know better.”
“She is kind of rotten,” Storm said.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
Storm smirked. “You are green if you don’t know about the legendary Ash witch.”
“Humor me. Why is she so bad?”
“She killed sixty-six people when she was seventeen.”
“Not true. She helped her stepmom kill those people. It was a family effort.” Odessa turned to me. “Everyone in the village thinks Indigo’s a cold-blooded killer, and she let in the darkness that’s seeping through this place and turning everyone weird.”
“What do you believe?” I held my breath as I waited for her answer. I had no idea this disguise would give me access to the inner workings of Storm and Odessa’s minds. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what they really thought of me, but there was no backing out now.
“Indigo is an awesome witch. She’d never ruin Witch Haven. This is her home.” Odessa nudged Storm. “Isn’t that right?”
“Whatever you say. Let’s go grab some cookies.”
I hid a smile. That was Storm’s way of saying she liked me. My sigh of relief was a little loud, so I covered it with a fake sneeze. “You sound like good friends, looking out for her. I hope you find her.”
“We will.” Odessa smiled brightly at me. “You know, you kind of remind me of her. I mean, she’d never wear those tight leather pants or that intense eyeliner, but there’s something about you...”
I backed away a couple of steps. “I’d better go see if those cookies need topping up.”
“Before you do, let me send you a thank you hamper. I do it for everyone who’s helpful to me,” Odessa said. “Where are you staying?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I said. “I wasn’t that helpful.”
“She really wasn’t,” Storm said. “Save your treats for someone who deserves them.”
“I insist,” Odessa said. “And ignore Storm. She gets super mean when she’s hungry.”
I looked toward the door. I needed to get away before I said too much. “Send it to Olympus Duke’s office. He’s got a place in the village. Do you know it?”