Wizard in a Witchy World Read online

  "I'm going to talk to her on Monday, but it looks hopeful."

  "Do you really need work now? I thought you came into an inheritance."

  "According to Phibbly, I can draw some money to repair the property, but after looking around, that's not going to cover much," I said.

  "How much?"

  "Thirty thousand a year," I said.

  "That sounds like a lot to me."

  "This place is a wreck. It needs a new boiler, new roof and before we start heating, we have to close in the solarium. The house is totally open to the outside in the back," I said.

  "Doesn’t sound like the bank did a very good job of maintaining the property. Do you want me to look at the trust? There might be emergency provisions," she said.

  "That'd be really nice," I said. "I don't have a copy of it, though."

  "I'm close to the bank. If you call Phibbly and tell him that I'm your legal representative, he'll give me a copy," she said.

  "I wouldn't count on it. Did you know he's a witch?"

  "Of course I do. He's Illuminaire."

  "Well, he tried to trick me when he figured out I was going to pass the stupid blood line tests," I said.

  "That doesn't sound like him. He's a little odd, but we've always gotten along."

  "Mind if I call Kim Munstel instead?"

  "You should be able to talk to anyone in the department. This isn't a big ask," she said. "So Clarita and I were thinking about bringing you dinner tonight. Any interest?"

  "Great, when?"

  "Six thirty. She wants mac-n-cheese."

  "Tell her I want extra cheese on mine." I placed the phone on my chest and looked at Amak who was pulling weeds out from around the shed. "Clarita and Gabriella are coming over for dinner. Are you in?"

  "Do you think she wants me here?" Amak asked, eyebrows raised.

  "I do. You're my friend. We’re all friends and we can hang out together."

  She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. Extra meaty, if there's a choice."

  I put the phone back to my ear. "I suppose you heard all that."

  "You're not sleeping with Amak anymore?"

  "No. Long story. I'm hoping you guys can play nice," I said.

  "After what she did for Clarita, she's got a lifetime pass with me. I just don't know what you see in a troll," she said.

  "A good hearted, beautiful, powerful woman not unlike yourself," I said. "Is Clarita going to be okay coming to Happy Hollow?"

  "We'll play it by the ear, but she really wants to see you. I have a theory I want to pass by you, but I need to look at that trust first," she said.

  "I'll call right away," I said.

  "See you in a couple of hours."

  "What now?" Amak asked.

  "Feels like time for a beer run and maybe we could drop by my apartment for a shower and fresh clothes."

  ***

  "You guys must be exhausted. I didn't even recognize the entrance," Gabriella commented as she set her bags on the rough-hewn table I'd found in the shop attached to the garage. Upon seeing me, Clarita had climbed into my arms, snuggling her head on my shoulder.

  "Heya, kiddo," I whispered in her ear. "Glad you came over. I missed you." She hugged me tighter, but didn't otherwise respond.

  Amak had set a fire in the kitchen fireplace. I’d retrieved a cooler from the garage and stocked it with long-necked beer, which I found preferable to Amak's inexpensive twelve-pack. The water was still running a rusty brown, but it was enough to get the toilets working. After exhaustively exploring the house, we couldn't find any leaks, which surprised me.

  "I'm starved," Amak said as Gabriella placed large styrene bowls of steaming sides on the table. "Beer, Gabby?" Amak held out a bottle to her.

  Gabriella winced at the nickname, but didn't correct her as she accepted the beer. "That'd be great." It was a simple act, but I smiled at the interaction. They were playing nice, if only for the moment.

  "Have you found a place for you and Clarita, yet?" I asked, scooping a portion of mac-and-cheese onto a plate for Clarita.

  "Not yet, but Brian's being a trooper about it," she said.

  I could feel the shaded truth of her statement and raised an eyebrow as she spoke.

  Before I could say anything, a tapping at one of the kitchen windows caught our attention. "Why don't you get after your dinner and I'll check that out," I said, placing Clarita on the bench next to me. Initially she resisted, but finally gave in.

  I unlatched the vertically hinged window and swung it inward. I'd recognized the tapping and wasn't surprised when Maggie jumped onto the window sill. I was surprised, however, when she fluttered over to the end of the table, sinking her claws into the edge.

  "Felix?" Amak asked, trying to assess the threat.

  "She's okay, Amak. Maggie is a friend," I said.

  Clarita, who had a habit of keeping her long hair in front of her face gave the crow a shy smile as Maggie nodded her head. I wasn’t sure what to make of the exchange. Maggie's ways were still largely a mystery to me.

  "What do you think of my new friends, Maggie?" I asked. I was pleased when she replied with a long cawwk and bobbed her head several times. "Clarita, Maggie really likes meat. If you pull some chicken from the bone and put on the table, it'll make her happy." I didn't have to prompt Clarita further and she offered hunks of chicken from my plate to a grateful Maggie.

  "What have you heard from Joe?" Gabriella asked, once I'd sat back down.

  "Not much today. Apparently, he's now alpha of his own little pack. At least that gray is following him. Her name is Susan Bluestein. There was another, Jerry something or other, but I haven't heard much about him," I said. "Joe and Susan stayed the night at my apartment, but when we went over for showers, they were gone and my keys were on the table. I hope he can pull it together."

  "Odds aren't good," Gabriella said. "Especially if he keeps shifting. I was doing some reading at the Witches' Council Library today. There's a belief that every time they shift, they take on more characteristics of the lobo. Not evil, specifically, but not necessarily what we see as good."

  "So, what did Phibbly say when you showed up?" I asked, changing the subject.

  "No problems. He gave me a copy of the trust. It's a big document. I asked him about emergency provisions and he said repairs to plumbing, structure and roof were all covered outside of the maintenance allowance. He just needs two bids for any major item like that," she said. "Maybe you just got off to the wrong foot with him. He is a little odd. How about this? You give me bids for the furnace and roof and I'll get Phibbly to approve them."

  "I can take 'em over to the bank, but maybe you could make a call once I do."

  Gabriella pulled a thick sheaf of papers from her bag and laid it on the table.

  "Is that the trust agreement?" I asked.

  "Sure is. Something you said about those identity tests sounded odd. They were looking for people in the right blood line," she said, flipping through papers. "It got me to thinking. Why Clarita? Why did they have her working on that door to the basement?"

  "How does looking through the trust help with that?" I asked.

  Gabriella pointed to something on one of the pages. "Here it is. How much do you know about your lineage?"

  "Nothing more than my mom and dad's names."

  "Egils was your dad? Your brothers were Filip and Geoff and your sister was Sevena?"

  The world became nothing more than a tunnel between us as my heart sped up and my hands started sweating. I found it difficult to breathe, much less talk. It was as if something was crushing my throat as she spoke.

  "Felix? Are you okay?" Gabriella asked and I heard Maggie squawking. Breathing was becoming more difficult.

  Clarita’s small hand slid into my own, her tiny fingers interlacing with mine. Warmth spread from her hand and I felt the same connection I'd only experienced once before. I closed my eyes and concentrated on drawing comfort from her presence. The darkness around me lightened a
nd the tightness on my throat loosened. The remnants of a spell cracked and broke away from me and the world returned.

  "Felix, what was that?" Gabriella asked, still worried. Even Amak had a concerned look on her face.

  "We're buddies," Clarita said, surprising everyone at the table. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her in close. I could have cried at the joy I felt at our connection.

  "A spell," I managed to squeak out. "Something was holding back my memories. Clarita helped me break it."

  "As Clarita's guardian, I have access to her birth certificate. Her father is listed as Geoff Baltazoss. That's your brother's first name and mother's maiden name, which she never changed. The trust charter has a list of people who are possible claimants. Your name is listed just beneath Filip, Geoff and Sevena's. But they all have the Baltazoss last name."

  "You're saying Clarita is my niece?"

  "I think you already know the truth. I saw your face when she leaned into you. The two of you joined, didn't you?"

  "We did something. I could feel her. I don't know how to describe it, but it felt like… it sounds stupid, but it felt like home."

  Gabriella smiled. "That's a witch’s circle. With people you trust, there's nothing more fulfilling. I can only imagine how it would be with family."

  Maggie squawked loudly and fluttered out the window.

  "Another beer?" Amak asked, pulling two from the cooler. It seemed like she'd become uncomfortable with all of the witch and wizard talk.

  "Oh, hell yes!" I said, gratefully accepting one.

  "Do you think all this bad stuff was about control of Happy Hollow?" Gabriella asked. "Not that I don't like your new digs here, but I don't see it."

  "I can think of twenty-eight million reasons," I said.

  Shock filled her face. "That's the value of this place?"

  "No. That's just the liquid assets," I said.

  "I suppose," she agreed. "But murder? Kidnapping? I don’t know, it just felt like there was more going on than that."

  "Lieutenant Dukats agrees with you," I said. "She's not buying Shaggy as the brains."

  "What else could it be?" Gabriella asked.

  "Witches aren't all love and flowers," Amak said.

  "What's that?" Gabriella asked, turning on Amak, who flinched at the attention. It reminded me just how much I hated the hold witches had over trolls.

  "It's not mine to tell, but there's more here than property," Amak said, looking down at the table.

  "What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked.

  "She's right. There's something I want you and Clarita to see," I said, standing up from the table.

  "Where are we going?"

  "To the basement," I said.

  Clarita's hand grabbed my own and she pulled me down so my face was next to her own. "Bad things," she whispered.

  "I sent them away," I whispered back, pulling her up so she could wrap her legs around my waist. I knew she could feel the truth in my words, but I felt her trepidation, nonetheless.

  We made our way through the dining room slash solarium, which was now just one big room since the panes were all missing from the huge French doors and floor to ceiling windows. We passed through the family room and finally entered the back hallway, which joined the basement, the stairs leading up and the front and back of the house.

  "This is the door Clarita was trying to open," I said. "Want to give it a try, Gabriella?"

  "I don't see why not," she said and pulled on the handle.

  "No. There's a wizard's lock on there. You need to manipulate the tumblers before it'll open. And, you might want to let go…"

  "Ouch!" She shook her hand.

  "Let me see." I inspected her hand with my free one. Her palm was red, but not burned. "I probably should have warned you. It has a deterrent against other attempts at entry, as you just figured out."

  She glared at me and pulled her hand back.

  "You want to give it a try, little monkey?" I asked. Clarita buried her face into my shoulder and shook her head no. "I'll show you, if you'd like. I think you can do it." She shook her head again and I chose not to push it.

  I ran my hand across the surface, manipulated the lock and pushed on the handle. As expected, it opened and the wall sconces lit the circular stone staircase going down into the basement.

  "A dungeon?" Gabriella asked.

  "Nothing so dark," I said walking down the stairs. I didn’t even bother asking Clarita if she wanted to try the lab door’s lock, as it was work, even for me. Moreover, when I tried to set Clarita down, she wouldn’t cooperate and only held me tighter.

  "Altum Visu." I cast my wizard's sight and as I did, Clarita grabbed my wrist. I could feel her connection and I wondered if she was capable of seeing the same view I had of our surroundings. I moved quickly to open the door and dropped my wizard's sight.

  "Would you look at that?" Gabriella whispered in awe as she entered the room. My eyes flitted up to the sword I'd used to dispatch the shades, the battle still fresh in my mind. "All those books and look at that circle. You're right, this would be priceless to the right people. You're saying Shaggy knew about this?"

  "Amak and I heard Shaggy talking about how 'the boss' wouldn't let them leave until they got the door open. I think someone knew about this lab and wanted access."

  "There must be a thousand books," she said staring at the back and side walls covered in book shelves. "Do you mind?" She'd crossed the room and put her hand on a narrow tome.

  "Go ahead," I said, plopping in my mother's leather chair. Her face and long dark hair came easily to mind now. I had a memory of playing in this very room as she worked at the desk. I breathed in her scent mixed with old leather, relaxing with Clarita in my arms. "See, monkey? Bad guys are all gone." She nodded her head in agreement.

  "You and Clarita could sublet my apartment over Mrs. Willoughby," I said. Gabriella was sitting on the floor, cross-legged, flipping through the book she'd pulled from the shelf.

  "That'd be super. I'm having trouble finding a place," she said. "Did you know this book is an atlas of North American ley lines?"

  "Ley lines?"

  "Spiritual and mystical sites are believed to be joined through ley lines, like power couplings. Do you have a U.S. map handy?"

  "No."

  She stood and placed the book on the desk, opened to a page where several large lines intersected next to a river. "You think that's Leotown?" I asked.

  "I'd need a map with more details on it, but I recognize the river pattern here." She pointed to a spot on the map.

  "Makes sense. Where else are you going to find five covens in a single town, not to mention werewolves and trolls?"

  "You'd be surprised," Amak said. She'd spread out the blankets and laid down in front of the fire.

  "Liise Straightrod would kill to get her hands on these books," Gabriella said.

  "Seriously?"

  She looked up at me, her cheeks red with embarrassment. "No. It was a figure of speech. It's just that she's really into this kind of stuff."

  ***

  When Monday morning finally came, I was exhausted and sore. I’d spent a few hours duct-taping heavy plastic sheeting over the empty wall of glass separating the dining room from the solarium. Now, instead of a strong breeze flowing into the dining area and out through the rest of the house, it was still. We could all get used to the constant flapping of the plastic if it meant the house would be warmer. My efforts paid off when the furnace guy showed up and started working on the heating system. He finally got to the point where he could fire up the boilers and the radiators were pushing out heat. Since the same system produced hot water for the house, we also had showers. Unfortunately, the bad news continued to roll in as the boilers were indeed shot and I was looking at eighteen thousand to fix them.

  Leaving the insurmountable tasks behind for a while, Amak and I set out to move my things out of Mrs. Willoughby's house. Besides, I had promised to visit her and help keep the wolfs
bane plants alive. I might have bumped the priority of the move up a bit when I remembered Mrs. Willoughby’s promise to keep a good stock of homemade cookies for my visits. She'd also agreed to transfer the lease to Gabriella, who was impatiently waiting for me to vacate. I offered, but Gabriella didn't want any help moving. Apparently, it was easier for her to hire a mover than explain our relationship to Brian. Perversely, I was pleased at that revelation.

  "First things first," Belle said when I showed up at Chatty Katty's at noon for work. She'd pulled me into the restaurant's kitchen. "You're going to sit on this chair and eat. If you get up before you're finished, you might as well just keep walking."

  "It's never been about the food, Belle," I said.

  "Talk is cheap, wizard. Eat up." She slid a toasted club sandwich with a side of fries in front of me. I nodded my acceptance and dug in. It was delicious and I polished it off in only a few minutes.

  "I thought I saw you come in," Willow said as she sashayed into the kitchen. "Are you satisfied, Belle?"

  "He's allowed to live," she said dramatically, although I could feel the levity of her words.

  "Word is, your financial situation has changed," Mari said as she bustled into the kitchen with a platter of dirty plates, setting it next to the dishwashing station. "You still need a job?"

  "How do you know about that?"

  "Biggest secrets travel fastest," Mari replied, loading plates onto a clean platter and bustling away.

  "Don't mind her," Willow said. "We can go out back."

  "Thank you for lunch, Belle. It was better than I deserve."

  She shook her head ruefully. "Finally, a man who understands and he's twenty years my junior."

  I chuckled at what I hoped was a joke and followed Willow out into her greenhouse. Instinctively, I pulled my shoes and socks off and breathed deeply upon entering the lush environment. The earth was rich with the magic of generations of witches who had cared for these plants.

  "How long has your family owned this property?" I asked, following her deeper into the beds.

  "If you're asking, I believe you have some idea already. There have been Kattys on this property since the mid eighteen hundreds. I knew your mother, Atronia, you know," she said. "I should have figured it out when you admitted to being a wizard."