Wizard in a Witchy World Read online

  AMAK: Want me to tuck you in? I could be by in thirty minutes.

  A small part of me thought that sounded like a good idea, but I knew better. I hadn't been getting much sleep and it was getting to me. At this point, I was just happy I wasn't going to wake up in the drunk tank next to Gorby again.

  ME: Not this time, sweet cheeks. I need some real rest.

  AMAK: Your loss.

  ME: I'm sure I'll hate myself tomorrow.

  I must have nodded off as a high pitched car horn startled me awake and I looked up to see Angel. She’d pulled up in front of the bus stop.

  "Wakee, wakee," she called through the open window.

  I smiled and slid into the passenger's seat. "Wasn't sure if you rolled this early or not. Thanks for coming to get me," I said.

  "Only for my best customers," she said, patting the side of my leg. "Where to?"

  "Home would be great," I said.

  It was a short drive from downtown, but it didn't stop my eyes from closing along the way.

  "Are you expecting visitors?" she asked as she pulled up.

  A jolt of adrenaline soured my stomach and my eyes flew open. It took me a moment to recognize Andy's work truck.

  "Just having a little work done," I said. "Thanks again, Angel. You’re a life saver." I gave her a generous tip.

  As I approached, I heard the sound of a drill-driver setting screws in the garage. I poked my head in and found Andy hard at work.

  "You're getting an early start, aren't you?" I asked.

  Andy looked up from his work and held his hand out to shake. "Didn't quite finish last night. Figured I'd get to things before work this morning."

  I shook his hand. "All done on the apartment, then?"

  He reached into his pocket and handed me a ring with keys and my credit card. "All set. I'll do a final coat of paint before I leave this morning, but otherwise you're ready to go."

  "Thanks for getting on it so quickly," I said.

  "Kelli said you found Clarita last night. Nice job," he said. "Darn shame what happened to her mom."

  Unconsciously, I reached for my tender cheek where I'd been forced into a wall the night before. "Horrible," I agreed.

  "Kelli's upset, says she wants to move. You know Benita's mother got killed too," he said. "They was all friends, y’know. Benita, Kelli and Gabriella. Thick as thieves. Got together after work and all that."

  "I'm headed up for sleep," I said. "Thanks for getting to this."

  "Christmas is coming. Appreciate having the work."

  I jogged up the exterior stairs to the apartment and inspected the newly installed door. Andy had done a great job. With a coat of white paint, you'd be hard pressed to know it had been damaged. I waved my hand and opened the lock.

  Ideally, I'd have enchanted the door with a shield, but I just didn't have the energy. I flopped on the bed and caught a whiff of Amak's bawdy perfume. I smiled just before passing out.

  ***

  I rolled over and looked up at the ceiling. The October sun was low in the sky and without looking at my phone, I put the time at somewhere after three. I'd slept over eight hours and if not for needing to go to the restroom, I'd still be asleep. I rolled out of bed, did the needful and grabbed the plastic bag with Mrs. Willoughby's frozen cookies. When I got to the kitchen, I turned on the kettle and sat at the table, enjoying the quiet moment as much as I did the sweet cookies from Mrs. Willoughby.

  I was surprised to see a text message from Gabriella. I'd figured she had her hands full with Clarita.

  GABRIELLA: Still looking for breakfast?

  She'd sent the message forty-five minutes ago.

  ME: Offer still good? I just woke up.

  GABRIELLA: Sure. Chatty Katty's in thirty?

  ME: I'll be there. You sure they'll let me in?

  GABRIELLA: Yes.

  A shower, shave, and fresh clothes gave me a sense of renewed energy. I chose a dark-collared shirt over my standard t-shirt and splashed on a small amount of cologne. I was in dangerous territory, having started something with Amak, but rationalized I was simply going to get something to eat.

  With leather coat in hand, I walked out the new door, surprised at how much better I felt after eight hours of uninterrupted sleep and a shower. It couldn't hurt that Shaggy was in jail, either. A nagging feeling that things weren't finished loomed over my afternoon. My visions had always come to pass.

  The parking lot next to Chatty Katty's was full and I had to park down the street. Late afternoon seemed an unusual time for a restaurant to be this busy, but I'd agreed to meet Gabriella, so there was no turning back.

  "Felix Slade!"

  The foyer of the house was packed with people waiting for a table and I heard Mari's voice well before I saw her. Not deterred by the crowd, she maneuvered her way to me and I wondered if we were in for another showdown.

  "Gabriella asked to meet me here," I said hesitantly.

  Mari's hands shot out and she pulled me in for a warm embrace. Ordinarily, I'm not a hug-an-acquaintance type of person, but part of Mari's magic was the ability to sincerely communicate a feeling of belonging and acceptance. As I returned her embrace, I caught the eye of an elderly gentleman. He looked on approvingly, no doubt enjoying the overflow of Mari’s gift. It was no wonder the home-turned-restaurant did so well.

  "You do clean up well, my boy. And you smell so good!" She stepped back, holding me by my shoulders. I shifted uncomfortably as we'd become the center of attention for most of the patrons at the front of the restaurant. "The girls are already here. Right this way." She pulled me through the crowd.

  As we walked, a fist-sized explosion of colorful lights quietly erupted a foot above a table to my right, catching my attention and slowing me down. The woman at the table clapped her hands together and bowed her head slightly as I passed. I nodded in response as Mari tugged me along. The scene repeated itself as small displays of fireworks lit many of the tabletops along our path and people stopped what they were doing, turning in their chairs to watch our progress.

  "Here we are, Mr. Slade," Mari said, louder than I felt was necessary given the amount of attention we'd already garnered. Gabriella stood up and embraced me. As usual, she smelled amazing and was dressed in a dark red sweater that hung over form-fitting jeans.

  "Sorry about all that," Gabriella whispered as we separated.

  "How sweet," Mari said, beaming at us. "I just knew it."

  I looked at her for clarification, but she seemed oblivious, so I sat in the plush bench seat opposite Gabriella and Clarita. Our booth was at the back of the house and looked out at the greenhouse garden in full bloom. I recognized many of the varieties of plants, having used them in my own enchantments. There were even more I couldn't easily identify. For a moment, I envisioned myself in the garden with my shoes off and toes sunk into the rich soil.

  "Felix?" Gabriella asked, breaking me from my reverie.

  "Yes?" I asked, looking from Gabriella to Mari.

  "Mari was asking if you had any special requests. I think Belle might have something planned, however."

  "You're welcome to tour the garden, Felix," Mari said. "I know Willow would love to show it to you."

  "I'd like that," I said. "And whatever Belle has in mind is great. I'm starving. Thank you."

  Clarita shuffled in the chair next to Gabriella and pulled on her sleeve. After a brief, whispered conversation, Gabriella looked from the girl to me. "Clarita would like to know if she could sit by you."

  "I'd love it," I said. It struck me that I'd never actually seen Clarita's face before and even now, her long black hair occluded my view. She slumped down in her chair, slid to the floor and crawled under the table, only to slide up into the bench seat next to me. It wasn't lost on me that she'd chosen the side closest to the wall. "Hey, kiddo." I bumped her shoulder with my own and she rested against me.

  Gabriella gave me a questioning look. "She's not generally this accepting of people she doesn't know well, but she
wanted to see you when she woke up from her nap."

  "We're buddies," I said, draping my arm protectively over the girl.

  "I see that," The booth lit up with her warm smile. "There must be more to this story."

  "A topic for another time?" I asked as I felt Clarita's small hand slide into my own. A spark of energy passed between us on contact. Originally, I'd been surprised that Gabriella would bring Clarita out after she’d been through such a horrible ordeal, but it was easy to see why she'd chosen to come. The witches of Leotown had shown up en masse and their subtle, yet powerful magic of love blanketed us. I was tempted to call forth my wizard's sight to get a better look.

  "So, what's going on here? Did I miss a witch's holiday?"

  "No, silly. They're celebrating Clarita's return and the capture of Victoria and Benita's murderer," she said.

  "It's almost overwhelming. How did they know she was coming?"

  "There are few secrets among witches."

  Mari arrived and set water, iced tea, and chocolate milk on the table. Her eyes rested on Clarita for a moment before she flitted off just as quickly as she'd arrived.

  With my free hand I pulled out the trust charter I'd snagged from Lieutenant Dukats and handed it to Gabriella. "Put your lawyer hat on for a minute?"

  "Sure." She took the papers, studied them and set them down when our dinner arrived.

  In front of me, Mari left a bowl of chili, a steaming hunk of cornbread and a small glass jar of honey with a wooden dipper sticking out the top. My mouth watered instantly. I would never have picked it off the menu, but sitting in front of me now, it seemed the natural choice.

  "Oh, that's good," Gabriella said looking across the table. "You won't believe it's totally vegetarian, too, although not vegan."

  Predictably, Gabriella had a salad with a slice of what I suspected was home-made bread and Clarita had a grilled cheese sandwich.

  Gabriella handed the papers back to me. "Where'd you get these?"

  I had to wait to answer as I'd already jammed a too-big spoonful of the chili into my mouth and couldn't talk. Finally, after a drink of tea, I explained how I'd borrowed it from the file Dukats had shown me.

  "You can't always trust what the cops show you when they're investigating," she said. "Sure doesn't put you in a very good light."

  "Dukats was quick to point that out," I said. "What I don't get is how I keep getting singled out in this. It's not like I have any ties to anyone here."

  "You sure of that? That paper seems to suggest quite the opposite," she said.

  I sipped my tea. "I couldn't make heads or tails of it, other than it has my name on it and the address of that old mansion."

  "That's only a small part of it. You're looking at an irrevocable trust. Someone set it up quite a while ago and now some trustee is doing what's been ordered," she said.

  "Like?"

  "Normally, a trust like that is set up to dole out money to kids or keep up a property, but really it could be anything. We'd have to get a copy of it from the trustee to find out," she said.

  "How do I go about doing that?"

  "I know someone who works at the firm on the charter. Hang on," she said and pulled out her phone, dialing.

  As she talked, I picked up Clarita's uneaten sandwich and waved it in front of her face. I'd been a few years younger than her when I'd lost my own parents and I still remembered feeling helpless. The world decided what was best for me and I'd been passed around like so much luggage. If she'd have me as a friend, I vowed I'd be there for her.

  "You need to eat. You don't want to hurt Belle's feelings, do you?" I took a risk that she cared about the three witches who owned the restaurant. Clarita shook her head almost imperceptibly, but leaned forward and nibbled a bite from the sandwich in my hand. It must have tasted good because she took it back from me and continued eating. For the first time, I got an unobstructed view of her face, which reminded me of a little Gabriella.

  Gabriella gave a surprised look at my having encouraged Clarita to eat and rewarded me with a smile as she talked nonsense into the phone. Finally, she stuffed the phone back into her purse.

  "You're set up for a meeting at nine tomorrow morning with David Phibbly. He's the trustee. According to my friend, they're very interested in finally meeting you. This trust has been in place for over twenty years," she said. "I'd go with you, but I'm meeting with people to start planning the memorial and I need to look for a place for Clarita and me to live."

  "Oh. I hope everything's okay with…" I realized I didn't know her boyfriend's name and I selfishly didn't want things to work out for them.

  She smiled perversely. "Brian. Things are fine but his place isn't set up for family."

  "You're doing a good thing. She needs you," I said. Clarita shuffled next to me and snuggled in closer. I couldn't explain why we had such an immediate connection, but I felt it too.

  "She's certainly taken with you." Gabriella observed, smiling.

  "When will you have the memorial?"

  "End of next week on the new moon. It'd be nice to wait for the solstice, but that’s just too far away."

  Before I could respond, the sultry middle-aged Willow approached the table. "Mari said you might like a tour of the garden," she said, sliding in next to me on the bench. Her perfume was a little overpowering and I felt uncomfortable as her chest bumped my arm.

  "It is beautiful," I said, unbalanced by a bit too much familiarity.

  "It certainly is," she purred. "I've a few minutes, care to take a stroll?"

  I looked to Gabriella for help, but she was smiling like the Cheshire cat.

  "He's all yours, Willow," she said.

  I released Clarita's hand as Willow stood from the bench and pulled on my elbow. She was clearly not taking no for an answer. At the last minute, Clarita scooted over and grasped my hand, holding her other arm up and giving the universal, ‘pick me up’ signal again. I swung her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist, laying her cheek on my shoulder.

  "Looks like we're coming too," Gabriella said, following along in our wake.

  "Lovely." Willow pushed open a swinging glass door into the green house. The aroma of flowers and peat joined with the already rich smells of the restaurant.

  Upon crossing the threshold, I paused and knelt down, setting an unwilling Clarita onto the ground next to me. "Just for a minute," I reassured her. Grudgingly, she released my neck. Willow and Gabriella stopped and looked back at me questioningly. I unlaced my boots and pulled them off, folding my socks on top.

  "What are you doing?" Gabriella asked.

  "You can't ask me to walk through such a lush garden with my shoes on." I wrapped my arm around Clarita and pulled her up with me as I stood.

  "You are no witch, but your magic comes from the earth?" Willow asked. She'd dropped the flirtatious façade and stared intently.

  "It's true that I'm unable to join a witch’s circle. I guess I've always believed all magic comes from the earth," I said.

  "Oh moon and stars, no," Willow said, laughing. "A necromancer's power comes from the dead and dying. There are those who flirt with demons and those who worship the moon or the sun. There are many magics about. What is unusual is someone who has power outside of the witch’s circle. I've only known one other like that."

  I caught up to where Willow and Gabriella had stopped in front of an amazing array of ferns. I couldn't help but reach forward and run my hands across their tiny, pointed leaves. The plants fairly hummed in their lush habitat. I pushed a small amount of energy into the nearest plant, helping it expand its roots.

  I was sure that neither Willow nor Gabriella could have noticed, but I'd forgotten about the little one who hung from my neck.

  "You made it happy," Clarita whispered. If only I could do the same for her. According to Gabriella, she'd spoken few words since she'd been freed from her lycan captors.

  We continued deeper into the greenhouse, past several long rows of relatively simple f
lowering plant varieties, many of which adorned the tables within the restaurant. Generations of witches had worked the soil I stood on and I felt their care. Plants carefully placed where they had received optimum care for decades. It wasn't a place of great power, but it was certainly a place of verdant fertility. A couple would not want to lie in here if they had no desire for a child.

  As if reading my mind, Willow locked eyes with me and cocked an eyebrow, a subtle invitation that made my cheeks blush. She was easily twenty years my senior, but she might have been able to sway me in this place. I had too many irons in the fire already, but such was the power of the garden. I returned a smile and thought guiltily about my interactions with both Amak and Gabriella. Judy had raised me to work on one relationship at a time. Fortunately, Willow was simply offering and I could feel no offense being taken by my silent demurral.

  "Monkshood? I've never seen so much," I said. It was a variety of wolfsbane with pretty little purple flowers that slumped forward like the hood of a monk.

  "A recent addition," Willow said. "No doubt I don't need to tell you why."

  "Not hardly," I laughed ironically. "I'd love to get a few starts of this. One of the lycan marked my landlord's entry. None too subtly either. I think that's over, but I'd rather be safe."

  "Heavens yes. I'll cut several into a flat. It's too cold to plant outside, but if she'd keep them by her doors and windows, it would be very effective."

  "I was thinking of building a garden box with a plastic cover," I said.

  "I think you're still too late for that."

  "I could talk to Mrs. Willoughby about keeping them," I said. "Unfortunately, she's unaware of the problem."

  "As long as she doesn't make tea with them," Gabriella added, causing us all to laugh.

  We followed Willow further back and she stopped to explain the next section. "Belle has grown finicky over time. She refuses to cook with herbs that come from anywhere else."

  She waved her hand across a small field of rosemary, basil, thyme, garlic, green onions and many more. The fertility of the soil was considerably more depleted than the rest of the garden, most likely due to constant harvesting.