by K E O'Connor
Two large scarecrows loomed into view and shoved their way into the office.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?” I said to Odessa. “I could always come back with you.”
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head, before shooting a meaningful glance at Olympus. “I’ll be just perfect. You two have fun.” She waved goodbye, hopped into one of her scarecrow’s arms, and they all headed out.
I looked at the door, and then at Olympus. “I should get going, too.”
“You’ve still got some things here. If you don’t want to walk home, I don’t mind if you stay another night. It’s no bother. And, just so you know, you’re never in my way.”
It was tempting to take Olympus up on his offer. And weirdly enough, I felt odd leaving him. I’d gotten used to having him around, making sure I was eating, teasing me, and checking up on me. It had been a long time since anyone had done that.
I shook my head. “Thanks, but I’ve been missing my old bed, and I really need a good night of sleep. Plus, if I don’t go back with my familiars, they’ll think I’ve abandoned them again.”
“Of course. I’ll see you back here tomorrow.” He reached for my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“You can count on it. Tomorrow everything will look better. We’ll figure out what happened at the cemetery, make a new plan, and finally get Luna back. Then we can tackle everything else.”
He walked me to the door, and we said our goodbyes. I headed out with my familiars, stumbling with tiredness as we walked back to Magda’s house.
No one said anything, and as we got inside, we all went straight to our beds.
The second my head touched the pillow, I sank into a deep and much-needed sleep.
Chapter 9
It’s amazing what a good night of rest can do. I’d gotten a solid ten hours of uninterrupted sleep and was recharged and ready for action.
I looked out my bedroom window at the bright morning, happy to be back in my old house. Maybe I’d missed Olympus a tiny bit, but it was so good to have my favorite pillow and my warm snuggly blankets tucked around me.
I had a quick shower and got dressed, then headed down the stairs. I was surprised I hadn’t been disturbed by any of my familiars in the night, but they must have been tuckered out by all the excitement in the cemetery.
I headed into the living room. Russell had his head tucked under his wing and was still fast asleep. Hilda was nowhere to be seen, and Nugget was snoozing on his pile of towels in one corner.
I snuck past to the kitchen, not wanting to wake them. They looked so cute when they were asleep.
After a quick check through the cupboards, I frowned. I needed to get some food in. I was still surviving on the tinned goods Magda had left behind, and they were ancient. Apart from the occasional food gift from friends, I was running out of options.
I grabbed a tin of peaches and got stuck in while I waited for the coffee to brew.
Nugget mooched into the kitchen, yawning to himself.
“Hey, sleepyhead. Last night was something else, wasn’t it?” I said.
He glanced at me. “What did you get up to?”
“Very funny. I thought those corpses would get the better of us. They just kept on coming.”
He walked to his empty food bowl and gave it a pointed look.
I lifted a hand. “I get it. No talking until you’ve been fed.” I was much the same until I’d been caffeinated. I pulled out a tin of tuna flavored cat food and served it up alongside a fresh bowl of water.
Nugget got stuck in without another word.
I made my coffee and leaned against the kitchen cabinet. “I’ve been thinking about what happened in the cemetery. I reckon whatever was in that red mist was waiting for Luna to appear. Maybe she managed to get free from whatever took her from the hospital, but Albert’s magic exposed her, and the darkness took its opportunity to get her back.”
Nugget made noncommittal noises as he continued to eat.
Russell appeared, soaring through the open doorway. He settled on the countertop and jabbed his beak at the open tin of peaches.
I pulled out a slice and gave it to him. “Good morning to you, too.”
He bobbed his head and then got to work on his breakfast.
“We’ll finish this, then head over to see Olympus. We need to figure out our next move. And I also need to make it look like I’m actually working for the Magic Council, otherwise this disguise will be rumbled.”
Nugget gave me the side eye. He clearly wasn’t in a good mood this morning, despite all the sleep he’d had.
Hilda scuttled into the kitchen. She clambered up my leg and onto my shoulder.
“I hope you’re in a better mood than these two. They’re barely paying me any attention,” I said.
“I’m always in a good mood,” she said.
“Did you have any bad dreams after our encounter with all those corpses?”
Hilda tapped her legs a few times. “Corpses?”
I smiled at her. “Yes. Sadly, it wasn’t a nightmare. And you all did amazing jobs in keeping those shambling troublemakers away from us while we tackled Albert.”
Hilda bobbed around on my shoulder for a few seconds. “What are you talking about?”
I laughed. “Good one. I wish it was that easy to forget, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of that cemetery, or our overly ripe shambling neighbors.”
“She’s losing her mind,” Nugget said. “I knew something like this would happen.”
“Hey! That’s mean. My mind is just perfect.”
“Nugget, that wasn’t nice,” Hilda said. “Indigo’s entitled to have bad dreams, just like the rest of us.”
A shiver of unease ran through me. “Bad dreams?”
“It sounds like you had quite a nightmare,” Hilda said. “Were the zombies chasing you?”
“In a manner of speaking, but it wasn’t a nightmare. We were all in the cemetery last night. We went to stop Albert from taking Luna’s magic. When we were there, the undead got feisty. You must remember that.”
They were all silent as they stared at me.
I lowered my coffee mug and placed it down carefully. Maybe I was still asleep. I pinched myself, and the pain showed me I was wide awake. “You’re all winding me up, aren’t you?”
“Are you feeling unwell?” Hilda said. “You could be coming down with something and it’s giving you delusions. A fever does that. Do you feel hot?”
“Hilda, tell me you remember last night. What did we do?”
“We stayed here,” she said. “We didn’t do anything exciting.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Do any of you remember going to the cemetery?”
They all shook their heads.
“Have you got more food?” Nugget said.
Russell tapped his beak on the empty tin of peaches.
Something seriously weird was going on here. How could they not remember?
“We should go out and play if our owner won’t give us more to eat,” Nugget said.
“Owner! You always complain if I say I own you. And we don’t have time to play. We have a million and one things to do. Finding Luna being on the top of that list.”
“Nugget’s right. We should go outside. I can find myself a tasty fresh breakfast out there,” Hilda said.
I hurried to the door to block them from getting out. “Everyone hold on. What did you do when we came back here after being at the cemetery? Did you go out? Did you get in trouble? Something must have happened to make you forget what we did.”
“Hilda’s already said, we didn’t do anything. You’re the one being weird, talking about corpses and spells, and Albert being strange,” Nugget said. “You need to move, unless you want me doing my business on the rug.”
I hurriedly stepped away. They genuinely didn’t seem to remember. I opened the door and stood aside to let them go out.
They bundled through the door, more interested in playing in the early mo
rning light than dealing with the darkness in the village.
Maybe it was delayed shock. Last night had been full on, and even I was feeling a little tender.
I pulled on my boots and jacket, and walked outside. “I’m heading over to see Olympus. Are you coming?”
“No, we’re staying here to play,” Nugget said. “Russell’s about to start hide and go seek. You can join in if you like.”
Nugget never played games. That showed me something was wrong. “I’m good. I’ll catch up with you later.” I raced away from the house. Could there behavior be a side effect of all the magic that was blasted around the cemetery last night? Although if it was, I wasn’t having the same memory lapse.
I dashed to Olympus’ office, but slowed as I reached the door and read the note pinned on it. Gone on vacation. Be back soon.
My mouth dropped open. Vacation! Olympus wouldn’t disappear in the middle of this mess. He wouldn’t just abandon me, would he?
I took a step back and tugged on my bottom lip. Had I put too much trust in Olympus, and he’d walked away because things were getting difficult?
I peered through the windows of the office, wondering if this was another joke, but there was no sign of anyone inside.
I raced to Odessa’s farm. I was wheezing by the time I got there and leaned on the farm gate to catch my breath.
“Indigo! What are you doing here so early?” Odessa appeared on the top step of her porch, dressed in a fluffy purple dressing gown.
I jogged over to her. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was beginning to think I’d entered a parallel universe.”
She glanced around. “Everything looks the same to me, but you never know. Have you had any coffee? That always helps me make sense of the world.”
“I have, but it didn’t do me any good.”
“Then you need more. Come inside. I’ve just taken some cinnamon pumpkin spiced muffins out of the oven. Give them a few minutes, and they’ll be cool enough to eat.”
I walked up the steps and entered her house. It was an old wooden building, full of the delicious smells of sweet baking, with a faint underlying whiff of pumpkin and hay.
Odessa led me through to the kitchen, and I sat at a small table by the window and accepted a mug of coffee from her.
“What have I done to deserve this visit?” She settled at the table opposite me and sipped on her own coffee.
“I think my familiars’ memories have been wiped.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s terrible. Who’d do such a thing?”
“I have no idea. But I think it has something to do with last night.”
Odessa lifted a finger as she jumped from her seat. “Hold that thought. I’ll go grab the muffins.” She returned a moment later and handed me a huge, bright orange muffin covered in glitter.
“Thanks. I tried to talk to them about what happened, but they don’t remember anything. All they were interested in was breakfast and then going out to play.”
Odessa tilted her head. “Isn’t that normal? I mean, I don’t have familiars as such, my scarecrows fulfill that role, but animal familiars are usually food obsessed and playful.”
“Sure, but this felt different. They weren’t acting like themselves. And it’s like the last twelve hours have been wiped from their memories.”
Odessa peered out the window. “Oh, look! There’s Shamrock. I must introduce you to him again. He thinks you’re adorable.”
“Ummm... Odessa, I’m not in the market to date a scarecrow.”
“You’ve said that before, but you don’t know Shamrock. He’s a charmer. And probably my most handsome scarecrow to date. I’m proud of my work on him.” She jumped up and whistled out the window. “Hey, Shamrock, get over here. Indigo’s arrived.” She looked back at me. “Oh, he won’t recognize you in your dominatrix disguise.”
“Fortunately not. Especially since I’m not in the mood for you to match-make me with an amorous scarecrow.”
Shamrock appeared by the window and peered inside. He nodded at me, but focused on Odessa, as if awaiting orders.
She chewed on her bottom lip. “Maybe now’s not a good time. But Shamrock likes you. I mean, the real you, not the in disguise you.”
I gestured her to quieten down. “Remember, the fewer people who know about this the better.”
“Oh, Shamrock won’t say anything, mainly because he can’t speak. Off you go, Shamrock. I’ll come find you later.” Odessa gestured the scarecrow away from the window.
He turned and studied me, then raised his pumpkin head and sniffed.
“What’s he doing?” I whispered.
“I’m not sure. Shamrock, is something wrong?”
He leaned closer to me and sniffed again.
“You don’t think he can smell it’s me, do you?” I leaned away.
“Oh! No, I shouldn’t think so. Off you go. It’s rude to sniff the guests.”
Shamrock sniffed again, then loped away from the window.
I took a bite of the muffin and chewed slowly. “There must be a way to figure out what’s wrong with my familiars.”
“You know, it could be as simple as them getting their days muddled,” Odessa said. “It happens to me all the time. Sometimes, I think it’s a Monday when really it’s a Tuesday.”
“They wouldn’t have muddled up last night with any other night. It was unforgettable. Albert’s twisted magic, Luna appearing, the red mist, and the attacking corpses.”
Odessa jerked her head back and blinked rapidly. “What are you talking about?”
I lowered my muffin, and my chest tightened. “You too? You don’t remember?”
“What do you mean? Do you want a top up of coffee?”
“No, I don’t want anything. Odessa, you were with me last night. We went to the cemetery together. We were with Storm and we planned to stop Albert from stealing Luna’s magic.”
“Oh! Very funny. This is a joke.” She swatted the back of my hand. “Don’t tease me when I haven’t had enough caffeine. I almost took you seriously for a second.”
“Look at my face. I’m not joking around.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You do look serious. But maybe you’re the one getting your days muddled. I didn’t see you last night. I was here. We hadn’t made any plans to see each other.”
“We did. And aren’t you even curious about Luna? I just told you she showed up in the cemetery.”
“No, you told me that you thought she showed up. There’s a difference.” Odessa’s eyes glazed over, and she turned her head. “Are you sure I can’t set you up with Shamrock? Once you get past the slightly freaky head and murderous desires, he really is lovely.”
“I’ve got to go.” I pushed away from the table and hurried out of the kitchen.
“Wait! You’ve only been here a short while. Stay for the day, and we can have some fun. I’m carving pumpkins later.”
“Another time. I need to see Storm.” After a hasty goodbye, I raced away from the farm.
Storm had to remember what happened. I couldn’t be the only one with memories of fighting corpses and stopping Albert. I needed someone to confirm that it had actually happened, because I was beginning to doubt myself.
Storm lived in a small apartment in the center of the village, so it didn’t take me long to get there, and I was soon hammering on her door.
“Storm, it’s Indigo. Are you home?” I kept knocking and then pressed my ear against the door to see if I could hear her inside.
The apartment door next to hers creaked open, and an older woman looked out. “If you’re looking for Storm, she’s already left.”
“Oh, is she working on a case?” I said.
“I don’t know. She had a bag with her. It looked like she was going on vacation.”
“She wouldn’t go away at a time like this,” I said.
“A time like what?” The woman’s gaze ran over me, suspicion on her face.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Sorry to bother you.” I hu
rried away from the apartment block and stood on the street corner. What should I do next?
I glanced at the bakery. I didn’t dare risk going in to see Albert, not after I’d confronted him in the cemetery. Although if his memory had also disappeared, he wouldn’t remember that. But it felt like too much of a risk.
It also felt like someone or something was taking away my support network, and I couldn’t let that happen. No one messed with my familiars and friends and got away with it. Not for long, anyway.
I turned and marched toward the cemetery. That’s where I needed to be. That was where it had all gone wrong.
Maybe I’d find answers lurking among the graves.
Chapter 10
Every step I took closer to the cemetery, I became less sure of what I should do. I’d gotten used to having friends and familiars in my life, but now they were being yanked away. With their memories gone, they couldn’t help me.
Was this the darkness messing with us, sensing we were close to a breakthrough, so it needed to make sure we failed?
Worry gnawed at my gut like a hungry hamster. I’d sensed a familiarity in that red mist just before it had taken Luna. Did I know the magic users causing these problems?
I shook my head. I couldn’t know them. I’d been a teenager when everything had gone wrong. A seventeen-year-old novice witch with my head in the clouds and no clue what to do with my life. This couldn’t be a contact I’d made back then.
But I couldn’t stop thinking that I knew them. Or maybe they knew me. Had this darkness been following me around my whole life? And I was so used to having it trail behind me, that I felt like we were connected.
My necklace flared to life and warmed my skin. I took it as a comforting sign that I needed to trust myself more. It was better to have people around to help during troubles like this, but I had to figure out what had messed with Odessa and my familiars memories on my own.
I walked through the open wooden cemetery gates and stopped. I took a minute to look around and get a feel of the space, to see if my magic could sense any troubling energies that may have caused the memory loss.