Wicked by Any Other Name (20 page)

“I guess our best bet is to each take a section,” she said as they looked around.

“This is definitely better than some of the sections I've been sent to,” Jazz said. “No having to wear special gloves, no disgusting smells. I told you The Librarian doesn't like me.”

“I don't recognize this language,” Blair said, perusing a scroll.

Trev moved to her side and glanced over her shoulder. “It's a healing spell for rashes,” he said.

“Really? I wonder if Lili knows about this one.” Their fellow witch had always been a healer and now worked as a doctor.

“According to the scroll that particular rash was prevalent back in the fifth century.” Trev moved on. “And if you're not careful in handling those kinds of scrolls, the rash can transfer itself to you.”

Blair dropped the scroll as if it was on fire and wiped her hands on the back of her pants as she moved on. “Note to self. Don't touch anything unless it's been translated first.”

“I'll second that motion. Since The Librarian feels it's Fae, we need to check that out first.” Stasi headed for shelves carved in the stone walls and gingerly fingered a book. She stared at the fine leather binding for a moment before she carefully pulled it out. She staggered under the weight and would have fallen backwards if Trev hadn't taken the book out of her hands and carried it over to a table. “It didn't look all that heavy,” she said, following him. She perched on a stool that waddled up to her and edged its way under her bottom.

Trev was breathing hard by the time he set the book down. “I think it gained twenty or thirty pounds just from the shelf to here.”

“It's probably one of those books that will provide what you need once you speak your needs,” Jazz told them. “You gave a general subject, so it added more to its memory.”

An “eek!” escaped Stasi's lips as she watched the book nearly triple in size. “I'll never get through all of this!” She carefully lifted the cover. “Maybe it has a search feature.” She lifted the first few pages.

“Ask.”

They all jumped as a voice with an upper crust British accent reverberated around them.

“I wish to know about Fae magick,” Stasi said, crossing her fingers.

“What country?”

“United States.” Blair gestured for a stool and sat down across from them.

“California forests,” Jazz added, hopping up onto the table.

“No sitting on the table.” The edge of the table dipped down, dropping Jazz onto her feet. She sighed and nabbed another stool.

“And water and magickal barriers,” Stasi said. “Human behavior out of the ordinary. Fear. Mercury retrograde and a lunar eclipse.”

“Do you prefer to study forest Fae or water Fae?” the book asked, ignoring the last part of her request, as the pages drifted back and forth.

“We need both,” Stasi explained.

“There is no both. There is one or the other.”

Stasi looked at the others. “Could both be involved?”

“I know my uncle said Fae, but we still don't know if they are behind what's going on in the town,” Trev said.

“And early snowstorms,” Jazz said.

“One subject at a time, please,” the tome pleaded as the pages fanned back and forth. “I'm only one book.”

“Would you have an idea where we could start?” Stasi asked.

“Not without more information. But you are in a large section and I may not have what you're looking for.”

“I'll look around and see if there's anything more.” Blair got up and headed back to the shelves while Jazz did the same.

“What if we narrow it down to forest Fae that have the power to control water?” Trev suggested.

“Forest Fae have no power over water unless water sprites allow them to,” the hardbound book stated in its stiff upper lip accent.

Stasi shook her head. “I've never heard of water sprites in the area. They would have made themselves known to us.”

“Then you are in a sticky situation, aren't you?” intoned the book.

“Fine, then what about water Fae?”

The book's pages began to turn. Trev narrowed his cobalt eyes. “No,” he said slowly, “I've worked on cases involving water Fae. It's been a couple hundred years, and I don't remember all the details, but even if they were at the lake, I don't think they could have the kind of influence on the townspeople that we're seeing.”

“Please, book, can't you even point us in the right direction?” she pleaded.

“Not without a place to start.” The pages started flipping back at light speed then the cover slammed shut.

Stasi sighed and looked around the room, recalling the many times she'd come to The Library seeking answers and finding them here. This time wasn't proving as easy as in the past. She mentally ran through the list that seemed to be growing every second. “Forest Fae,” she said firmly.

“Righto.” The cover opened again, the pages fanning until it reached about a third of the way through.

Trev patted her shoulder and moved off to examine a section of shelves.

Stasi stumbled her way through the archaic writing and wished she could ask the book to update the language, but she knew it wasn't possible. It wasn't the first time she'd read the works of someone from ages ago. Except now time was short, and she needed fast answers. But she couldn't find anything to indicate that forest Fae were capable of creating all the phenomenon they had been witnessing.

Trev walked up waving a scroll. “Okay, here's something on water Fae. The good news is that they are definitely capable of wreaking havoc on a given body of water.” He sighed. “The bad news is that from what I just read, the only thing less likely than finding water Fae on a mountaintop in California is to find water Fae and forest Fae working together.

Stasi sneezed from the dust. A headache from the herbs was starting to pound its way through her head. It seemed everything they read could answer one question but never connect it to the whole scenario. It wasn't just the lake that was disturbed; it was the town, the people, even the weather.

“We know water sprites don't inhabit the lake, but what if it's something else?” Jazz brought up. “There's always been the rumor that a monster lives in the lake. What if it's true?”

“Then it has to be a monster that can also exist on land,” Blair reminded her.

“The Librarian said Fae and that feels right,” Stasi insisted.

Trev stood behind Stasi and began massaging her shoulders. She felt the warmth of his hands ease the tension that had been building up. She reached up and covered one of his hands with hers. The contact gave her hope, along with a good dose of warm fuzzies.

He bent down and whispered in her ear, punctuated with a soft kiss. “We'll find an answer.”

“I hope so.” She scooted back and stood up. “The Librarian must feel the answer is here, or he wouldn't send us here,” she murmured.

“The Librarian also has a twisted sense of humor,” Jazz said. “I know you're related to him, Trevor, but please, the wizard doesn't even like us witches.”

“Uncle Peredur is happiest working here alone and doesn't like interruptions,” Trev explained, grunting as he pulled out a heavy stone tablet, frowned as he read the contents, then pushed it back in.

“Uncle Peredur. Who knew The Librarian had relatives. He's not married, is he?” Blair asked. “No offense, but I can't see him having little Librarians running underfoot.”

“There's no room for a wife in his life.”

“Understandable, when he didn't make room for a personality.” Jazz whistled under her breath as she scanned her section of shelves.

“You two are so mean about him,” Stasi chided them as she watched Trev struggle with the large and heavy hardbound book and return it to its spot.

“I have something!” Blair ran back to the table with a tiny book that fit in the palm of her hand. “Forest Fae who worked with water spells.”

Stasi grabbed the book and used her fingertips to carefully turn the fragile pages. “So it has happened in the past. But those Fae were punished for uniting forces with water sprites and banished from the world—where does that leave us? How were they stopped?”

“You must go.” Stennert's thunderous voice startled them so much Stasi dropped a book and Jazz almost fell backwards.

“Sheesh, give us some warning, will you?” the red-haired witch snapped.

Stasi looked at the book in her hands. “We need more time.”

The furry monster shook its head. “You must go.” It flexed its talons as if it was ready to step inside and carry them out.

Stasi knew that was an option she didn't want to consider. “Then we have some materials here we need to check out.”

The monster shook its head. “You must go. They must remain.”

“He's your uncle. Won't he let Stasi take what she needs?” Jazz asked Trev.

“Most of the older materials can't be checked out, and Uncle Peredur never breaks a rule he personally set up,” he said.

They trudged out of the section, again feeling the power of the portal they passed through. Behind them, the portal shimmered briefly, then winked out of existence.

Stasi felt the chill of the stone walls as they walked up the passageway. Trev moved up and slid his arm around her shoulders. She was upset and frustrated and it was tempting to shrug off his touch. But she wasn't a fool and his embrace felt comforting.

The Librarian eyed the hourglass as the last grains of sand trickled downward. When the final grain fell, the hourglass disappeared in a wink of light.

“You barely made it back in time.”

“Don't ask what would have happened if we were late,” Jazz whispered.

The wizard frowned at her then turned to Stasi. “You did not find the answers you sought.”

She nodded, not bothering to ask how he knew. It was common knowledge he knew everything because he was quick to remind everyone of that fact.

“It appears what we seek is a combination of things that shouldn't be connected.”

The Librarian set down his plumed pen next to the inkstand. “You must think from all sides, witchling. Look at what is within and what is beyond. And you would do well to learn to respect time, young witch,” he added, glancing at Jazz. “Good day.” He picked up his pen, dipped it into the inkpot, and began writing.

“Good-bye, thank you for coming, and don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out,” Blair muttered.

“Thank you, The Librarian,” Stasi said politely, even though she didn't feel he deserved any thanks, because she was more confused than ever.

The wizard glanced at Trev. “Give your mother my regards.”

“I will, Uncle Peredur.” Trev bowed again before following the three witches to the door.

“Good-bye,” the griffin called after them before the door disappeared and the store's windows slid back into place.

“Wait a minute.” Blair reached out to clutch Stasi's arm as they stood huddled together on the sidewalk. “How could all of this snow have fallen in the time we were gone?”

As they looked around, one by one the streetlamps along the street dimmed, then winked out, leaving them in complete darkness. The same happened with the pumpkin-shaped twinkling lights ringing every shop window.

“It's as if someone is individually turning off each light,” Stasi whispered. She held up her hand. “Listen.”

“To what?” Trev asked, turning in a tight circle.

“That's the thing. Usually you can faintly hear Grady's jukebox this far up the street. Or someone's TV from one of the cabins nearby. There's always an electrical hum, but now it's gone,” she whispered in keeping with the silence around them. She felt the cold seep through her jacket and settle in her bones. She began to hear the faint sound of voices in the distance and see bobbing lights that she assumed were flashlights, but she had no idea why they were out there.

The pristine snow was so deep it covered the road and piled up onto the sidewalks. It was falling heavily around them, and the air was so cold their noses and cheeks rapidly turned red from the icy wind that assaulted them.

Stasi felt her breath freeze in her lungs, and she labored to breathe, but it started to hurt. She noticed the others had the same problem. She opened her mouth to suggest they use some witchflame to warm their hands, when she noticed a heavily bundled figure struggling toward them through the snow.

“Ginny?”

The café owner stopped, keeping her distance from the group. Stasi felt that the distance was more than physical and the knowledge hurt.

“I looked out and saw you out here. Why are you doing this to us?” Ginny asked, her voice breaking. “We know you and Carrie are quarreling.”

“Talk about an understatement!” Stasi cried out. “That's not even close to what Carrie wants to do to me.”

“But you're hurting all of us.” Frost punctuated her words.

“I'm not doing this! I don't know what's going on,” Stasi said, anguished because she knew her friend was upset. But she had no idea why Ginny was blaming her now when she had been her biggest ally since the beginning of her troubles with Carrie. She felt the reassuring pressure of Trev's hand slipped into hers and she took strength from his touch.

“What do you mean you don't know? Look around!” She threw her arms out. “The power went out yesterday morning. The highway is blocked by the snowstorm, and even our men can't go down the road far enough to clear it. And now Carrie's youngest is missing. Everyone is out looking for him, and they think you had something to do with it.” She started to back up. “I don't know you anymore, Stasi.” She continued to back up. “Please don't come to the café anymore. You're not welcome. Just please go away.”

“Wait! Why are you saying this? This isn't you, Ginny!” Stasi cried.