Wizard in a Witchy World (22 page)

"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 wolfsbane 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."

I grabbed her arm to stop her progress. She pulled up and turned toward me. She was still in sultry mode and stepped in a little too close for my comfort. Even though she was older by a couple decades, I wasn't completely immune.

"Really?" I asked. "Would you tell me about her? I have so few memories," I said.

"She was a contradiction, as the best of us are. Many would describe her as a hard woman. But, she could show great kindness. We had a common love of plants, which brought us together from time to time. It was a shame when she disappeared."

"What do you know about that?" I asked.

"Not much. One day she was here, the next she was gone. I didn't put it together, that you were her son, until I heard about Tenebris Manerium. I imagine you know her last name was Baltazoss, not Slade, like your own." She took my hand to lead me further into the greenhouse. "But, enough of that. We'll have lots of time to talk, but we need to get to work. Mari has been burning through my rosemary like it's candy. I'd like to plant an additional fifteen. Have you ever worked with rooting hormone?"

"Hand me that hammer, would you?"

It was Friday afternoon and the sound of spraying water had interrupted a late lunch with Gabriella and Clarita.

"Shouldn't you call someone?" Gabriella asked, handing me the tool.

"Probably, but I used to pull pipe on the farm. It's not usually that hard, but this valve is frozen," I said.

"Can't you free it with… you know, that hand wavy thing you do?"

"I'm trying, but the rust is strong in this one." I looked back at her for acknowledgement. If she recognized my humorous reference, she wasn't letting on. I manipulated small objects with my hands, but rust-frozen valves weren't on the list. I tapped on the valve with the hammer and attempted to twist it with my free hand.

"Most people will be wearing black for the memorial," Gabriella said. "Do you need any help picking something out?"

There would be a new moon tomorrow night and the memorial was scheduled to start at eleven o’clock at the Leotown Botanic Gardens.

"Crap. Not going to happen," I said, giving up and flipping the breaker for the well to off. "Now, what was that again? You want to help me get dressed?" I deadpanned it as best as I could, but Gabriella understood my meaning.

"
Felix
. Clarita is here." She tried for scandalized, but it's difficult to lie to a wizard or a witch. "And you have an unresolved relationship with Amak."

"As do you, with Brian," I said.

"Not as much as you'd expect," she said.

"Why do things always break just before the weekend?" I complained and then realized she'd said something interesting. "What's going on with Brian?"

"He's asking for space. What’s been happening… it's a lot to take in. I don't blame him," she said.

"I do." I stepped closer, running my hand down her arm and gently grasping her hand. "You deserve better."

She pulled her hand away. "We're just taking a break, Felix."

"This doesn't have to be weird, Gabriella. If all the room you have for me is as a friend, I'm okay with that."

"Are you serious? What of Amak?"

"She doesn't think of me like that," I said. "She's offering a friends with benefits type of relationship."

"Sounds ideal. No commitment." Gabriella's mood quickly turned dark and the wave of sarcasm behind her words wouldn't have been lost on a mundane. "Is that what you want from me?" She turned and stormed over to the stairs that led out of the mechanical room, picking Clarita up. "Come on, Clarita, we're leaving."

"Hey." I called after her. "That's not fair." Somehow the train had come off the tracks and I had no idea what I'd said.

I dropped my hammer in the toolbox and ran up the wooden stairs after Gabriella. The mechanical room was off a small hallway which deposited us in the small hallway joining the dining room that had once been a solarium to the kitchen. I caught up with her as she was exchanging a greeting with Amak, who I didn't know was coming over.

Gabriella looked over her shoulder as she continued her retreat. "You were quick to judge how I treated trolls. What you're doing is despicable."

"Gabriella, wait," I said. But, it was too late, she had already hurried out of the room.

"Trouble in paradise?" Amak asked, chuckling.

"I don't know what I said."

Amak waved her hand up and down across my body. "Why are you all wet?"

"Sprung a leak in the basement. I tried to turn off the water to the rest of the house so I could keep the boiler running, but the damn valve is stuck. Want to give it a try?"

"Sure, but we're going to Rose and Crown tonight. All work and no play makes Amak a grumpy girl." She followed me back down to the basement mechanical room. "What valve?"

I picked up the hammer and pointed at the heavy copper pipe with the frozen, industrial-strength valve. Most men would be intimidated to have a female friend who was physically their superior. Not me. If anything, I was disappointed that she had no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship. But just like with Gabriella, I wasn't willing to lose a friend over it.

Amak grabbed the small iron wheel and braced her hips against the wall. The strain visibly transferred from her hands to her arms as every muscle grew taut. Her muscles were sinewy, not bulky like a bodybuilder's and when put to the task, they looked like iron bands. If ever there was a basis for the Amazon myth, Amak and her kind were certainly it.

She let go after a minute, breathing hard. "How hard do you want me to try? I could damage something."

"That's two-inch copper and an industrial fitting, don't hurt yourself," I said. "But, if you did break it, nothing changes. I'd just have to call a plumber anyway."

"Okay." She repositioned, locking her hips and feet against the stone wall and house support post. "It's all about leverage, Slade." For a moment, other than her knuckles turning bright white, nothing happened as she grappled with the stubborn plumbing fixture. The pipe’s groaning was the first indication that something was happening and it was followed by a sharp cracking sound as Amak broke the valve's handwheel and stem free and water sprayed from the fitting.

"I thought you had the water off," Amak's laugh was infectious and I grabbed her hand, helping her out of the new fountain.

"It is," I said laughing as we danced out of the way. "The boiler is completely full and that valve is lower."

"Oh, crap. You're going to flood the basement."

"There's a valve on the boiler reservoir. I'll turn it off." I splashed my way over to the large water tank and easily twisted the new valve shut. "Furnace guy already replaced this one. I'll give him a call. He said he'd do emergency fixes.”

I turned around to find Amak standing in front of me, her shirt in her hand. "Whoa. What are you doing?" I was working hard not to think of her in that light.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Slade. My shirt is soaking and I want to get it dry. Like you haven't seen all this." She gestured to her front.

"I don't think you know how distracting I find all that." I forced myself to look away.

"You just keep telling yourself that. I'm still holding out hope for those benefits and I don't mind playing dirty."

"Say the words ‘long-term commitment,’ troll girl, and I'm all in. I just can't go halfway," I said. Having feelings of love for two women and little hope of a future with either one was driving me nuts. I wasn't sure my heart could take it.

"You're a strange one, Slade. I've only met a few human men who had any interest in the real me and not a one of them had issues being playmates. Far as I could tell, that's all they wanted. But, you… you would become my mate, but won't share physically with me otherwise.

I'd turned away and was surprised by her wet arms wrapping around me from behind. I was immediately aware of her wet, naked breasts pressing into my back. Instead of playing naughty and reaching for me in a way that I would not have had the strength to resist, she just held me, her head coming to rest on my shoulder.

"I accept your proposal of friendship, Felix. My people's bonds are deep and I find in you a worthy companion. I am unable to give you what you want, as it is not for me to cleave to another. If it were otherwise, I might have allowed my heart to be open to you. My friendship is all that I may offer," she said.

"Does that have to do with your people's relationship with the witches?" I asked.

"I can't talk about that."

"I hate how they control you," I said. "What if I could find something that blocked their control?"

"Why would you do that? Your witch would be furious," she said.

"You saw her stomp out of here. She’s clearly not my witch."

"You're reading that incorrectly."

***

I awoke the next morning to the sound of my phone ringing. Amak and I had spent the night at Rose and Crown and the pounding of my head had synchronized with the beat of the ring tone. That was just one of several reminders that I'd hit it too hard last night. I was unable to focus on the phone, but was pretty sure it was the furnace guy, ready to repair the broken valve.

"Slade," I answered, rolling out of bed. I shivered in the cold air of the unheated room.

"I'm twenty minutes out."

"What time is it?" I asked.

I must have caught him off guard because he guffawed into the phone. "One o'clock. Tough night?"

"Yeah, sorry," I said. "Do you need me to be here?"

"No, I think I know my way around well enough," he said. "I assume the problem's not too hard to find?"

"Yeah. Open your new valve by the boiler and look for a geyser."

"Understood. I'm sure I'll find it."

I'd promised the Katty sisters I'd help with the memorial and I needed to get going. They had a load of chairs and tables that needed to be hauled over to the gardens and set up. Even with two trucks, we'd have to take more than one trip.

After cleaning up to the best of my ability without running water, I grabbed my dress clothes and hopped in the truck. I ended up passing my furnace guy on the way out and gave him a friendly wave.

"Come here, you crazy kid," Willow said, walking up to me after I'd backed up to the Katty sister's storage shed.

"What?" I asked.

She reached for my face and gently rubbed her thumbs across my closed eyelids. Cool relief and sense of calm spread from her touch as she chanted a simple spell. "Comfort for pain - we're thankful for lessening of strain."

"Where have you been all my life?" I asked, grateful for the relief from my headache.

"This afternoon will be hard enough."

She was right. The three sisters each had a daughter. Solstice, Cypress, and Dande had come home from college and were helping, but there was still plenty of work for the lot of us.

"Do I have to worry about nudity tonight?" Solstice, Dande and I had just finished setting up the last of the chairs and were taking a breather before starting in on the candles.

"No," Solstice said unconvincingly. I could tell she was questioning if I was a creeper or actually concerned.

"Are you serious? A new moon with all the free energy?" Dande was quick to correct her cousin. "Aunty Willow will be down to a lace skirt by midnight. I'd bet money on it."

"My Aunt Judy and her coven burned my eyes out more than once when I was growing up. Some things you just can't un-see."

The girls tittered, sharing a joke between them. I suspected they'd seen things they wished they hadn't as well.

It was well after six when we finished. The furnace guy had repaired the damage, but reiterated the fact that I was living on borrowed time. Regardless, I appreciated the hot shower. I'd promised Belle that I'd show up early to carry food in and left the house shortly after ten.

Parking near the gardens was impossible and I ended up a few blocks away. It was a crisp night, which put me in a good mood. The odds of random old-lady nudity diminished with every degree the mercury dropped, but with a hundred or so witches expected, I wasn't going to completely dodge the bullet. I looked to the sky and saw stars. I'd been holding out for a freak snowstorm and was disappointed at the cloudless sky.

A block out, my phone rang. I suspected it was Belle, wondering where I was. Even though I was early for the event, I was a few minutes later than I'd planned.

"Flaeger and Bothelman broke out of holding." It was Lozano, who hadn’t communicated with me in over a week.

"I thought they were in federal custody," I said.

"Feds came for them this morning. When they arrived, both Flaeger and Bothelman were gone."

"How is that possible? And where have you been?"

"You've been a good friend, Slade, but it's not going to work out."

"What are you talking about? What's not going to work out?"

"I'm no good for Jennifer or the girls. Promise me you'll look in on 'em from time to time," he asked.

"You can fight this, Joe."

"You don't know what you're talking about. It's part of who I am now. I think it always has been."

"That's crazy talk. You were infected by Flaeger. This wasn't something you were born to," I said.

"Fate's a fickle dragon, Slade," he said. "Tell Jennifer I love her, would you?"

"No! You need to tell her yourself."

"Goodbye, Slade. Take care of yourself and don't underestimate Flaeger," Joe said and hung up the phone. I tried dialing him back, but he didn't answer.

I'd stopped walking, not trusting myself to have an intense conversation without tripping. I'd held out hope, but could hardly blame him. Everything I'd read said exactly what his wife’s grandmother, Nanna, had said when we visited. There was no coming back from being bitten by a lycan. Joe was probably doing the best thing he could for Jennifer, but his family was being torn apart just as surely as if Shaggy had attacked them all.

My mind raced. If Shaggy was loose, he'd either skip town or try to tie up loose ends. Whoever had hired him seemed the most likely to have sprung him. My guess was ‘the boss’ would want him to finish what had been started. The question was, what was the end goal here? With my claim on Happy Hollow complete, there was no reason to go after Clarita. Unless…