The Mayhem Sisters (4 page)

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “There is something. The Dire Woods has been neutral territory for a while now, and much of what goes on of a questionable nature is overlooked for political purposes, but I never liked
not knowing
.”

“You have a way around it, don’t you?” She eyed him shrewdly. Lance was a smart wizard.

“Yes, I do.” He broke into a smile under her unrelenting stare.

“Good, then we take another look. This time we might find something.”

“Vivi, I hope you realize this could cost me my job. The council keeps things from us for a good reason. If they find out, I’ll be in a lot of trouble.”

Admitting to seeing visions was hard enough, but now she had to convince the sheriff to take a chance on her and potentially risk his job when even she wasn’t entirely certain. “I don’t have a right to ask you to trust me, but I am. Saving a witch from harm is worth it. And if we don’t find anything, I’ll take the blame.”

They all filed back into the room. The sheriff retrieved an old black bottle shrouded with dust from a back corner of his shelf and pulled the old cork stopper free from the metal-ringed lip. A sharp acrid smell hit Vivi’s nostrils, causing her to cough, as the fumes instantly filled the room once the sheriff poured the pungent liquid onto the dragon’s glass. He spoke a different spell, one she had never heard, the words rolling off his tongue in the thick old-world language. Unlike the liquid from the first attempt, this liquid oozed like tar, slow and steady, following the command of his voice. It bubbled up, hissed, and popped, and then congealed into a slithering black snake, searching every crevice and corner of the map, probing until it slowly, finally encircled one area.

“There it is!” Vivi yelled and pointed to the stain on the glass. It resembled a burn mark, a smudge of black that crackled. “The edges are blood red. There’s a lot of it.” Her stomach twisted, for she was both relieved and repulsed by what the sign meant. She might be right.

“Is that the location in the Dire Woods I think it is?” Juniper asked. Her hand nervously tapped on the wand she wore strapped to her belt.

“North quadrant. That’s deep in the woods and not a nice neighborhood. We’ll need to ride out.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Magic that dark deserves an initial investigation. I don’t know if this has anything to do with the missing witch you saw, but we can follow up.”

Suddenly, the black tar-like substance shattered, causing Vivi to jump. The black snake that encircled the area on the map dissolved into a pile of ash.

“That’s a good sign,” Juniper said. “It means the black magic was recent. We’re going to find something out there.”

“Looks like I owe you two a search,” the sheriff said, his shoulders tensed. Silence filled the room, but only for a fleeting moment.

“The north quadrant of the Dire Woods is where the Darklander lives. That’s his territory,” Honora said with a furrowed brow. “What have you gotten yourself into, sister?”

Vivi didn’t have an answer, but she had a bad feeling it was the reason the council didn’t want anyone poking around in the woods.

T
he Potion Garden was quiet when Vivi returned to check on Pepper and fill her in on the
interesting
events that had transpired at the sheriff’s station. Sunlight spilled through the shop windows, reflecting off the bottles and creating a kaleidoscope of color across the thick maple countertop, reminding Vivi the world was still an enchanting place, despite recent events. Pepper’s gaze was intent. Her lips twisted into a tight bud as she sat perched on a stool in rapt attention, hanging on her boss’s every word.

While recapping the events, Vivi got an idea, sending her digging through a cluttered cabinet where she had stored miscellaneous and
eccentric
items she had traded for over the years. Her moonstone ring glowed into the dusty abyss. Finally finding what she was looking for, she pulled out a cloth-wrapped package and placed it on the counter. Her eyes widened as she peeled back the fabric, revealing a gorgeous bandolier that a witch with some serious leather-crafting skills had made for her in exchange for a broken heart salve. Never in a million years had she imagined she would strap on the two crisscrossing bands of leather, until today.

“Wow!” Pepper said, wiggling her eyebrows. “That’s amazing. You could hold about a dozen potion vials at one time.”

The pliable leather felt strong, yet supple, between her fingers. “That’s the plan.”

She ungracefully wrangled the bandolier over her head, awkwardly maneuvering through the armholes, and finally fitting the device snuggly across her chest. “Whoa,” she huffed, a light sweat forming on her brow. “This thing is worse than a corset.”

“Some wizards might find it sexy,” Pepper said, motioning to the design.

A series of loops ran down the leather straps and were meant to hold potion vials, giving her easy access to her magical arsenal. She tightened the ends of the bandolier, pulling it securely around her. It had been custom-made, and it felt right.

No. It felt good. She wasn’t about to go strolling into a dangerous forest without a little protection. No matter what she encountered in the woods, she planned on being prepared. Never one to master wandwork, Vivi preferred her potions, and even though they might not be as dramatic as spellcasting, they worked some powerful magic in their own right.

“Technically, the Dire Woods is a sanctuary for magical outcasts, not
really
dire.” Pepper adjusted her glasses. Logic was a mental tonic to her. “It’s not that dangerous, right?”

“No, not at all. It’s fine,” Vivi lied, but what was she supposed to tell her young assistant who looked as worried as a mother hen? The reality was the Dire Woods had earned its name, and danger came with the territory.

Pepper hopped off her stool and restlessly stocked the shelves with fresh potion bottles. “I’ll just keep telling myself that until you come back in one piece.”

Vivi hurried around the shop, snatching up every imaginable potion she might need from finding-and-seeking potions to a tonic to cure snakebites and loaded them gingerly into the leather bandolier. “Will you close up for me today?” she asked, glancing at her assistant.

“Of course, you don’t even have to ask,” Pepper said. “Here, take this one.” She handed Vivi a tiny vial filled with swirling amber liquid. “It’s a protective ward.”

“Honora said the area we’re going to is Darklander territory.” Vivi took the bottle, hoping she would never need to use it.

“You don’t think that outcast scumbag wizard is involved, do you?” Pepper asked, pulling her long sleeves down over her hands and visibly shuddering.

“I honestly don’t know. I didn’t sense anyone as powerful as him, but the wizard in the vision could have been anyone. I’m guessing there’s a lot we don’t know about what goes on out there.” The dark wizard was a stain on the witching world, but like it or not, he wasn’t going away.

Magic was all about energy and intention. It could be used for good or bad. In the worst cases, magic could be twisted like a thorny vine, forced to grow in devious ways. Some witches wanted a quick fix and didn’t want to follow any rules of conduct. Some became obsessed with power and controlling others. If the will of the witch was rotten, the magic turned black and could be used to hurt, deceive, bind, and curse.

Consisting of twelve well-respected elders, the Witch Council was the governing body that made the rules, held the society of witches and wizards to high standards of conduct, and brought peace and prosperity to the magical world. Mostly, anyway. There were a few exceptions, the Darklander being one of the more nasty.

The Darklander had once been one of the most revered wizards of Everland, but his hunger for supremacy drove him to experiment with blood magic and twisted sorcery. His insatiable desire for powerful dark magic grew, and after more than a few terrible crimes were linked to him, though never proven due to disappearing evidence and recanted testimony, he was banished from witch society by the council and was allowed to make his home in the Dire Woods. From what Vivi had heard, he had built a stone fortress to house his followers; rumors spread that the woods were filled with a slowly growing society of witches and wizards who practiced dark magic, seeking power through blood, sacrifice, pain, and even death.

Her vision was leading her to the razor’s edge of a dark world, one she hardly recognized or understood. But wasn’t that what Esmeralda had told her? “
Follow the visions wherever they take you
.” The Dire Woods was her only real link to the missing witch being carried in a black bag like a small scared animal. Perhaps Vivi was being foolish, but she hoped they would travel into the Dire Woods, find the young witch alive, scoop her up, and bring her home, but with a sinking feeling, she knew there was little chance of that happening.

They met at the edge of Willow Realm, where the village bordered the forest. A thick line of pine trees fringed a sloping meadow. Vivi kicked through the clearing, the edge of her canvas coat brushing against the long grass. All witches had an enchanted traveling coat that was worn when going long distances and might encounter offensive magic. The witching world was an unpredictable place, and the coats, spelled with magic deflectors, offered additional protection from the elements and dangerous witchcraft.

Sheriff Gardener and Juniper were already at the location when Vivi and her familiar arrived. She had decided at the last minute that Rumor’s keen eye would be useful, plus it was always good to have a sharp-clawed, overprotective raven watching her back.

The sheriff nodded when he saw Vivi, his gaze lingering on the bandolier strapped over her chest. “You came prepared,” he said, admiring her potion ammo.

“See anything you like?” Vivi asked in a moment of spontaneous flirting, causing a wide smile to brighten his face.

“No comment, for now. But catch me on my day off, and I might say otherwise.” He slowly put on his leather gloves and regained a professional demeanor, but the smile remained on his lips.

Within seconds, Honora dropped to the ground light as a feather, her goggles flecked with dirt and a few insect wings.

Both the sheriff and Juniper had a sleek metal and chrome hover bike. The Dire Woods was too dense with trees to take a hovercraft. They needed speed and maneuverability. Broomsticks, though nostalgic, were a thing of the past, impractical in the modern witching world, and really uncomfortable. Who wanted to sit sidesaddle on a stick for any length of time? The sleek bikes were nothing like the bicycle with a woven basket tied to the front that Clover puttered around on. These bikes were magical speedsters powered by a levitation spell and a magical mechanical control system for steering. No pedaling required.

“Where did you get the slick ride?” Honora asked, clearly impressed.

“He’s totally hooked up,” Juniper said, right in front of her boss. “Don’t tell him I told you, but he has connections.”

The sheriff shot his deputy assistant a stern glance. “Juni, how many times do I have to tell you, sucking up isn’t going to work? I need you focused, riding point, and staying alert to dangers,” he said.

“What dangers, specifically?” Juniper asked, clutching at the wand that hung on her belt loop. Her expression turned serious. “You know, so I can be ready.”

“The Darklander and his minions, for a start,” Honora said, hands on her slender waist. “I hear he’s built quite a fortress.”

“This isn’t about the Darklander,” Vivi said, hip cocked.

“How can you be so sure?” Honora asked. Along with her goggles, she wore a leather cap. “The dark wizard you saw
could
be the Darklander, especially if you saw him using blood salt and black ash.”

That was what Vivi was afraid of, but she reasoned, “No, I would have sensed him.”
Wouldn’t I
?

“We’ve had word from our scouts that his followers camp in the woods with their weird familiars—bizarre creatures. They conjure up animalus with horns, wings, and claws from ancient texts,” the sheriff said. “Many of the Dire Woods legends used to scare people from going into the forest aren’t just stories.”

“Maybe we’ll see a ghoul, too.” Honora was clearly joking. This was not the time to go on a mission to search and identify foul creatures of the Dire Woods.

“We need to stay focused, stay on task, and make this quick,” the sheriff said.

“When we arrive, I want to try and sense the witch,” Vivi said.

The sheriff nodded and pulled a roll of thick parchment from a compartment under the seat of his bike. With Juniper’s help, he unrolled a map of the woods and spread it out for them to see. “The locator spell gives us a five-mile radius of the magical signature. We located the center of the area, which is here.” He pointed to a marked location on the map. “We meet up there, and then proceed with a search. Keep alert. Be prepared for anything.”

“I came prepared.” Honora tapped a baton of wood about two feet long that she had strapped to her back. Thicker than a wand, but not as unwieldy as a staff, the baton channeled magical energy or, in a worst-case scenario, doubled as a club.

Sheriff Gardener raised his brow. “Let’s not get overzealous, Honora.”

Vivi watched as her sister lifted up off the ground in a graceful movement. Her arms were outstretched, commanding the air, and within seconds she was high above them and out of sight.

With a sly grin, he tossed Vivi a helmet. “You’ve ridden before, right?”

“Of course.” Vivi didn’t mention that the only time she had ridden a hover bike was when she’d been fifteen at Haven Academy and sneaked out late one night with a hot young wizard she was dating. She drank too much kindle brew, got a little tipsy, and experienced an ugly bout of motion sickness. The date had not ended well.

Vivi quickly suppressed the memory. If she was going to go into the Dire Woods, she was going to have to ride with the handsome sheriff.

Juniper slipped on a sleek red helmet and mounted her bike.

Vivi straddled the bike, positioning herself behind the sheriff, and wrapped her arms around his rock-hard middle. He definitely worked out. Her heart raced. She tried not to be too handsy, but once settled, she couldn’t resist tightening her grip and resting her check against his back.

“Don’t worry. We’ll do our best to find her. I promise.” He squeezed her hand, reassuringly.

Vivi felt a sensation of calm. What was up with that? She had felt the same calm soothing sensation back at the station when the sheriff had touched her arm. His magic was definitely powerful, but there was something special about it, too. She wondered if he wasn’t keeping a few secrets of his own.

“Thank you, Sheriff.”

“You can call me Lance when it’s just us. I like to keep things professional around my deputies, but I realize it must be weird calling me sheriff. We’ve known each other a long time.”

“We’ve been around.”
Been around
. Really, that was the best thing she could come up with to say? Her conversation skills with handsome men were sorely lacking.

He nodded, adjusted the visor of his helmet and sped off into the woods. The speed took her breath away. He maneuvered the bike effortlessly over the rough terrain and glided through a gauntlet of trees and debris. It was still afternoon, but the forest was shrouded in a cool dusky haze, lending an unmistakable allure. The fog-shrouded trees stood like sentries defending a dark and foreboding magical presence.

The woods were nothing like the lush forests that surrounded Vivi’s village or the Meadowlands near Clover’s house. What foliage did grow here was thorny and blackened as if black magic had seeped right into the roots and the trees had adapted to the dark world. The bark was thick and gnarled, the leaves waxy as if dipped in tar. The woods were steeped in brimstone, soot, and ash. The name Dire suited them, for Vivi couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the sense of dread that soaked down to her bones.

Once they got moving and the air washed over her face, she started to relax. She closed her eyes and pictured the young witch in her mind’s eye—tangled strawberry blond hair, skinny build, haunting doe eyes that were dazzling green, gazing out of the darkness. Her trembling lips had pleaded for help. The pain of the vision had shot through them both and had been too real, almost too much to bear.

Vivi focused on her fear, pictured the witch’s desperate eyes. As the bike raced forward, she was drawn deeper into her subconscious. The images blended with emotion and suddenly a picture appeared in her mind—a forked tree. It was a huge old growth tree and appeared to have been sliced in half by a bolt of lightning, creating the shape of a Y. There were few discerning landmarks around the forked tree in her vision, just more spindly trees.