Looking for Mr. Good Witch (11 page)

A little spell to ease my pain.

Start over.

Begin again.

“What?” Dorothy faltered like a young doe before a hunter. “What do you mean? I thought we had something—something important.”

He grinned like a mad man and swung her around. “We
did
have something. We had something—but nothing like
this
. She's amazing. You wouldn't believe the pleasure she gives me.”

“I know a little about pleasure.” Olivia smiled. “But you look like death. I think this particular pleasure may be bad for you.”

Elsie and I locked eyes across the table.

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Molly?” she whispered.

“The witch that's killing young male witches.” I nodded. “This may be a break for us. The chances are good that the witch would ensnare her victim before killing him. It makes sense. You can't sneak up on most witches, but you can spell them when they aren't looking.”

“What are you two mumbling about?” Olivia asked. “Say something to Brian. He's making a terrible mistake.”

Dorothy managed to get him to the table. “Do you think a vampire bit him or something?”

“He's pale enough,” Elsie said. “But I can't smell any blood on him, can you?”

“No.” Dorothy had a keen sense of smell, as one would expect with an earth witch. “What else could it be? Look at him.”

“I know you're disappointed that I can't be here with you,” Brian explained. His whole body was jerking and shaking like he was an addict. “If you could just meet her, you'd understand.”

“We'd like to meet her.” I took him up on his offer. “Why don't you bring her around? We could have tea and cakes this afternoon.”

“That's a great idea. I'm sure she'd love to meet you too.” He jumped to his feet. “Let's do that.”

Before we could do or say anything else, he was gone again. Dorothy was sniffling and Olivia was outraged.

“Don't cry, Dorothy.” Elsie took her hand. “The boy is bewitched. He can't help himself. It has nothing to do with you.”

“You mean someone can just put a spell on him and take him away from me?”

“I'm afraid so.” I thought it was best for her to understand what she was up against. “He needs our help. Brian is very strong. To do this to him means the witch who cast the spell was at least as strong or stronger.”

Dorothy wiped her eyes. “What can we do? Is there a spell that can free him?”

“It might be more complicated than that,” Elsie told her. “Molly and I both think it could be the witch killer.”

“Oh no!” Olivia came closer to the table. “We can't let her kill Brian too. We have to do something, girls. Maybe we should contact Cassandra.”

None of us liked that idea, but for Brian's sake, we were willing to give it a try.

We went into the cave under Smuggler's Arcane. The
flame under the cauldron got hotter and brighter with Elsie's presence.

“Did you see that?” she asked proudly. “I've still got it.”

“Do we need a spell to call Cassandra?” Dorothy asked.

“No. It's usually easier than that.” I closed my eyes and gripped the amulet as I called the herald's name. “Cassandra! We have need of you.”

There was no immediate response. We waited in the cave for thirty minutes and nothing happened. Elsie was snoring when I decided we should give up. Cassandra would come when she was ready.

“Let's get those books out of the cars,” I suggested. “She can contact us just as well outside.”

“All right,” Dorothy agreed. “But I wish she'd hurry. What if he dies before we can save him?”

“A cheerful thought,” Elsie said.

“You shouldn't be so attached to him anyway,” Olivia scolded. “You're too young to be serious about Brian. You should take this opportunity to go out and live. Go places. See things. Meet other men. Take me with you, of course. I can be a big help when it comes to choosing good men.”

Elsie cleared her throat. “Says the ghost woman who chose to have a baby with a thousand-year-old evil witch.”

“Oh, hush about that.” Olivia stuck out her chin.

“Let's get the books,” I said again. “It doesn't matter if Dorothy is in love with Brian or not. Brian is still our friend, and we should help him.”

“Not to mention that he's another possible replacement for one of us,” Elsie said.

“We can't just get the books, Molly!” Olivia said. Brian may be in serious trouble. We have to do something!”

I agreed as I opened the front door. “The sooner we get the books out of the cars, the sooner we can figure out what to do.”

Dorothy sighed. “All right! I learned a spell for displacement. That should make it faster.”

“It's a spell from our old spell book that I remembered,” Olivia said. “She's very good at it. A natural—just like her mother.”

Elsie rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. “What do you need us to do?”

“Just hold the door and stand back.” Dorothy put her hand on the emerald cull around her neck. She closed her eyes and muttered her spell.

“Holy Hannah!” Elsie cried out as the car trunks opened and all the boxes of books began flying in from the parking lot.

“Mom explained that it's all about displacing the air around the boxes. They aren't really moving at all. It's the air and molecules around them.”

I was standing on the small porch, which was enclosed by an iron railing, as the books began their journey into the shop.

The woman next door ran a small bookstore called Two Sisters. She watched in horror as the boxes rushed past me, and looked around to see if anyone else had noticed. When she didn't see anyone, she ducked quickly into her shop.

“You have to be careful when using magic out in the open,” I cautioned. “The council could strip that woman of her memories if they'd seen you.”

“Sorry.” Dorothy shrugged. “I thought of that at the library. That's why I didn't use the spell there. I didn't see her.”

“We'd better come up with a plausible excuse in case she comes to see us. I'd hate to be responsible for the council removing her memories,” Elsie said. “Maybe we could say we have a conveyer belt.”

“I don't understand why the council doesn't want anyone to know,” Dorothy said as the last box of books came up the stairs. “Why not let everyone know that magic is real? I think it would be great.”

“It comes from the past,” Elsie explained. “I'm not saying I agree with taking people's memories away. But there were too many witches hanged and burned right here in Wilmington.
Keeping those memories out of the mainstream probably saved lives.”

None of us could argue with that. While I knew Joe would keep my secret, what about the woman at Two Sisters? Would she understand, or would she be the person who posted on Facebook that she saw boxes magically moving into our shop?

Dorothy closed the door. The boxes had stacked themselves in a corner.

“Thank you,” I said to her. “Well done. Let's make sure we put that spell into the new spell book.”

“With an addendum to use it after dark.” Elsie smiled at her.

As I'd thought, there weren't many customers at the shop that day. Many of the witches who'd attended the celebration were still at home sleeping it off. The few that straggled in for supplies were filled with fear that they might know the next witches killed.

When it was quiet, we selected a new spell book and ordered it from Elder Magics. It wasn't leather, but it had runes on it. That made everyone happy.

“Maybe we should do a finding spell for the old spell book while the moon energy is still strong,” Dorothy suggested.

“Good idea,” Elsie agreed. “We've tried all the finding spells I knew. Can anyone think of another one?”

“There was one that Drago taught me,” Olivia said. “It's very strong and takes a lot of magic to do it. I was terrified that he'd use it to find me. Maybe, with combined magic, we could get it to work. It would've been better with Brian helping us, but who knows if that will happen?”

I wasn't sure about using a spell from an evil witch who could have taken Dorothy from Olivia. “If Drago has any enchantment attached to the spell or if it's something he created, we could be drawing him here by using it.”

“Molly's right,” Elsie agreed with me. “We certainly don't want that to happen.”

“Why doesn't anyone ever agree with
me
?” Olivia asked. “It's because I'm a ghost now, isn't it? I understand. I'm not a witch anymore. No one cares what I have to say.”

“I don't think that's what they meant, Mom,” Dorothy tried to smooth her ruffled feathers. “You worked really hard keeping me hidden from my dad. It might be better to use a different spell that has nothing to do with him.”

“Oh, fine. Find your own spell then. There's probably not enough magic between us to make it work anyway.”

“What about a different kind of spell?” Elsie suggested. “We've tried all the finder and locator spells we can remember. What about an attraction spell?”

“How would that work?” I asked.

“I was thinking we could find something that belonged to each of our mothers and grandmothers and bring it to the cave tonight. We could cast a spell to attract anything that belonged to them. That would include the spell book. We could use the moon energy for finding hidden items for it.”

“That's a wonderful idea, Elsie,” I congratulated her. “That's what we need—some original thinking.”

“I'm so glad you can
still
come up with original ideas,” Olivia drawled.

“Good. What do we do for the spell?” Dorothy asked.

We sat at the table and tried to remember what each of us still owned from our mothers and grandmothers.

“You've got plenty of clothing,” Olivia told Elsie. “Can you recall what dress belongs to each person?”

“My grandmother used to tat lace. I know there are some lace cuffs and collars she made that are still in the attic.”

“That's the best energy of all,” I commended. “The spell would be stronger with items that were handmade.”

“I have some jewelry that I know belonged to my mother and Meemaw,” Olivia said. “Oh you would've loved your great-grandmother, Meemaw,” she added for Dorothy. “She was a party girl.”

“What about you, Molly?” Dorothy asked. “Did that amulet belong to your grandmother and your mother?”

“Yes.” I fingered the cool stone. “But I have some other items that I would be more comfortable using in a spell. I'm not sure about the amulet.”

“But you're wearing it,” Olivia reminded me. “I'm a ghost, and I can feel the power from it. You should use it.”

“I'm not happy with that idea—”

“Come on, Molly. It's settled.” Elsie smiled. “We meet back here at midnight. Mind you, dress appropriately. Bring the items with you. We'll see if we can
attract
the spell book.”

“What will happen if we do?” Dorothy wondered. “Would it come and knock on the door or something?”

“Unlikely,” I told her. “We'll take the big mirror into the cave with us, and hopefully we'll see where the spell book is.”

“What about Brian?” Olivia peered at the clock on the wall. It was approaching five
P.M.
with no sign of him. “Should we call him?”

“We can try.” I patted Dorothy's hand. “Do you want to do the honors?”

“Yes. I'm worried about him.” She took out her phone and called him. There was no answer. She left him a voice mail and then texted him before tweeting him a message and leaving something for him on Facebook.

“That should cover it,” Elsie said. “Let's see if we hear back from him.”

We were getting our things ready to leave the shop when Cassandra appeared, dramatically draped in front of the door. “Not leaving so soon after summoning me, are you?”

May my magic protect

from all who would harm me.

“We've been here all day,” Elsie told her. “We thought you were too busy to care if we found the killer witch's new victim.”

Cassandra, dressed in flaming red satin, bestowed a sweet smile upon her—the kind annoying young people at restaurants give to older people before they call them “sweetie.”

“I am the herald for the Council of Witches,” she said. “I am quite busy. But for you ladies, I'm always ready to lend a hand. What makes you think you know who the next victim is?”

We told her about Brian and the way he'd been that day. She took it all in and then patted Dorothy's shoulder. “I'm
so
sorry. It's a difficult lesson to learn when you're young, but as they say in the movies—he's just not that into you.”

“Why you—” Olivia flew at her.

Cassandra held up one graceful hand and pinned her to the wall. “Keep your ghost under control or I'll bring it to the council for extinction. You know you shouldn't keep dead things around.”

“This isn't just a matter of Dorothy's feelings toward Brian,” I tried to explain. “You could see he was under a spell.”

She turned black eyes on me. “Must I remind you that his family is very powerful and they don't approve of him and our new witch? No doubt this is a geas they put on him to break them up.”

“So they take no part in his life normally, but since he might have a chance to be happy, they spoil it?” Tears spilled down Dorothy's cheeks. “That's horrible.”

“That's life, little one. Try to get over it and move on. There's nothing worse than a whiny witch.”

I could see the fury and hurt building in Dorothy's face. I wasn't sure what she'd do, so I moved to step between her and Cassandra. Being a thousand-year-old witch, Cassandra could hurt Dorothy. I didn't want that to happen.

Before I could put my good intention into reality, Dorothy raised her hand, much as Cassandra had, and muttered a banishing spell. To my astonishment, Cassandra disappeared. I could tell by the look on the herald's face before she disappeared that she'd been completely surprised and unprepared for Dorothy's magic.

Olivia slid down the wall and flew over to us. “What did you do?”

Dorothy blinked. “I don't know. I just muttered a spell I'd read to get rid of her. What happened?”

“She left, baby.” Olivia glanced at Elsie and me. “Let's go home.”

“Okay. Let me get the rest of my noodles out of the refrigerator.” Dorothy seemed happy to go. “What was that?” Elsie whispered as we huddled together near the front door. “She shouldn't have been able to do that.”

“I told you that she could be very powerful from her father's side, but not necessarily in a good way,” Olivia murmured.

“Did you teach her that spell?” I asked quietly.

“No. I don't know that spell,” Olivia said. “We have to
keep an eye on her, girls. We can't let Drago's bloodline take hold of her. We might never get her back.”

“Here it is.” Dorothy had the small white box in her hand. “I'm ready now. I guess we'll see you tonight. I'm very excited about doing this new spell. I wonder what else we could attract.”

“Let's see if we can make it work for the spell book first,” I said. “We'll see you later.”

When Elsie and I got out to the car, she was very upset about Dorothy banishing Cassandra. “I hope the herald won't take revenge.”

“She didn't take revenge on you when you turned her into pottery,” I reminded her.

“That's true. I hope she's as lenient with Dorothy. We need to teach our young pupil some anger management.”

We waved good-bye to Olivia and Dorothy before leaving the parking lot of Smuggler's Arcane.

“What are you going to do about finding the Bone Man's wife?” Elsie asked. “I'm more worried about him than Cassandra.”

“I'm in a business that caters to witches. It wasn't like there was a time frame agreed on or anything. His wife will probably come to me. I'll wait until the rune starts bleeding and I'll know she's in the shop.” I wasn't looking forward to that event.

“I don't know if he's going to be happy with that, Molly. What if he starts following you around all the time? It could be very annoying.”

I agreed with her, but it wasn't like I could walk up and down the streets looking for the Bone Man's wife. It seemed to me that I had no choice but to wait for her to come to me.

We passed Georgia the Selkie as she sat painting at the docks in her small chair. It occurred to me that she might have some idea who the Bone Man's wife was because of her connection to the sea. She was very old and probably knew things that we didn't understand.

Whether she'd share those things with me was another
story. She owed us a debt we had never collected, but Selkies—creatures that could shed their sealskins and become human—were notoriously difficult to get along with. That was one reason we'd never grown chummier with her.

I pulled the car off the road and into a parking space. Elsie stared at me. “What's up? Did you forget something at the shop?”

“No. I see Georgia out here almost every day. I was thinking she might know something about the Bone Man's wife.”

Elsie's green eyes widened. “Seriously? She's not exactly the most pleasant person in the world.”

“You wouldn't be either if people were always attempting to enslave you and keep you from your home. I think she'll talk to me—she owes us for finding her skin. You have to admit that she's been around a long time. She might know something about the Bone Man that could be helpful.”

“Molly, are you sure? I'm going to be late for dinner. You know how I hate being late. Plus, we're doing the attraction spell tonight, and I have to get ready.”

“I can take you home first.”

She sighed. “No. That's fine. I don't want you to see her alone. She might decide to jump in the river with you and I'd never see you again. Let's go.”

Because the day had been so clear and sunny, there were dozens of painters and photographers near the docks. We walked right up to Georgia where she sat facing the river with her easel and paints.

“Hello, Georgia!” I smiled as though I had been looking for her. “What a lovely day for painting, and what a wonderful job you've done capturing the river.”

I'd never seen anything else except the river on her canvas as I passed her.

“What do you want?” she snarled back.

Elsie sighed and shook her head, sitting on a bench behind us.

“I have a small problem I thought you might be able to help me with,” I continued in a pleasant tone.

“Why?”

“Because you've been around a long time and you're a magical water creature.” I didn't want to play the you-owe-me card until I had to.

“I can't help you. Go away.”

She didn't even look up from her scene on the canvas. Her fingers were covered with paint. There was a smear on her cheek too. Her dark hair was wild and uncombed, hanging down her back and ending in rat's tails. Her clothes were grubby and torn. She wore the same outfit every day, but never any shoes.

“Could you at least
listen
to my question before you decide you can't help me?”

“No. Go away.”

I glanced at Elsie, who shrugged and focused on the river traffic.

“We found your skin and gave it back to you so you could be free from that fisherman who'd trapped you.”

“So?”

“So you could repay me by telling me what you know about the Bone Man and his wife.”

Finally Georgia looked up at me. “The Bone Man? Why did you have to go and mess with him? You're a witch, aren't you? Why didn't you use your own magic?”

Now maybe we were getting somewhere.

“He asked me for a favor. He wants me to find his wife and return her to Oak Island.”

She grunted but didn't reply.

“I made a trade with him so he'd protect my family. But I don't know how to find his wife.” I held up my hand so she could see the rune. “Can you help me?”

“No one can help you now, witch. You shouldn't have made that trade. Why do you think he didn't find her himself? You people are all the same. You always want what you can't have.”

I was starting to get angry. If she didn't know anything—fine. But she didn't have to be so rude about it.

“I can tell you a story,” she said. “Maybe it will help you. Maybe it won't. That's all I can do—and you're darn lucky to get that from me. I didn't ask you to find my skin. That was
your
doing. Don't expect any thanks from me.”

“And the story?”