Anna's Hope Episode One

  Chapter 8

  “I want you to tell me how I would do it.” Anna crossed her arms and stared down at Luminaria.

  The possessed cat was seated on her velvet bed, an imperious look flashing in her golden-green eyes. “I don’t see why you want to know. You’re such a tame witch.”

  “Just tell me how I would lure that dark wizard.” Anna paced back and forth through her lounge room, her socks snagging against the dirty carpet. No matter how much she cleaned this place, it went straight back to being a tip.

  She’d walked all the way home, bogged down by her thoughts.

  By the time she’d made it in the front door, she’d decided to give it a try.

  She would attempt to track down that wizard. But she wouldn’t do it alone. She wasn’t that stupid.

  “Why would you want to associate with such a deviously evil wizard, anyway?”

  “Because there’s a bounty out on his head. He’s … horrible. He’s sacrificing witches for some kind of spell.”

  Luminaria snarled. She may be currently stuck in the form of a cat, but underneath, she was still a witch.

  “You can help me catch him,” Anna offered, halting her frantic pacing to stare at Luminaria hopefully.

  “And what would we do with him then?”

  “Hand him over to MEC.”

  “I can think of other things to do with a wizard who sacrifices witches,” she said darkly.

  “Ah, I’m sure you can. But you don’t need to share. Plus, when we hand him over, we’ll get a reward, and I can buy you all the tuna you want. So what do you say?”

  Luminaria looked calculating, her golden eyes darting from side to side, as if they were beads on an abacus sliding down to count her options. “I say yes.”

  Anna made a success fist behind her back and tried not to smile too obviously. “Alright. You’re coming too, though.”

  “Excuse me?” Luminaria trilled.

  “I don’t want to do this on my own. In fact, it would be plain stupid to go in there without someone watching my back. And before you shout at me, think about it. This will be the most fun you’ve had in decades. I’m offering you the opportunity to mingle with a real dark-arts professional. Granted, we’ll have to arrest him. But at least you’ll be able to stand inside his evil chapel and soak up the vibes.”

  Luminaria looked thoughtful. She even brought up a paw and tapped a claw on her chin.

  “This guy has enough dark magic to summon a soul catcher. That’s a lot of power. The place will be seething with it.”

  Luminaria’s whiskers twitched as her mouth kinked into a manic grin. “It sounds delicious.”

  “It will be. And all you’ll have to do is come with me and … help me out.”

  Luminaria narrowed her previously saucer-like eyes. “And why would I care about what happens to you? If you die – no, when – the contract ensures I’ll be shipped back to your mother. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I like her more.”

  “You care about me, because I can give you what you really want. And I’m not talking about tuna casseroles and a seat in the sun. If you stick with me and help me out, I can take you to the darkest places around. I can let you rub shoulders with all the evilest people in Marchtown. Sure, I’ll have to arrest them after you meet them, but you’ll get to see what you miss the most – the dark side. And you won’t be breaking the law; you’ll be helping enforce it. So there’ll be no repercussions for you – just fun.”

  Luminaria’s mouth jerked loosely open, her pupils dilating. She looked like a cat who’d spied a whole mound of sleeping mice.

  “What do you say?”

  “I say yes,” Luminaria spoke around a devious smile.

  “I thought you would. So you’ll tell me how to find him and you’ll help me catch him?”

  “Oh, yes. I’ll take you straight to his door, child. Then we’ll break it down and marvel at what nefarious achievements he has amassed.”

  “Before arresting him,” Anna reminded her.

  Luminaria twitched her whiskers. “Yes, yes, whatever. Now leave me alone. I must cleanse my mind of any vestige of the light so I may seek out the glorious dark.”

  “Okay … so you’ll know where he is by tonight? It’s only that we have to do this quickly – we can’t let him kidnap another witch.”

  “Do not pester me – I’m working.” Luminaria flashed her tail. “And yes, we will act tonight. I will feast upon his dark prowess, before punishing him for sacrificing witches.” She snarled.

  Anna nodded, padded out of the room, and clapped her hands together quietly.

  Finally, something was going right.

  Who knows, if she managed to pull this off, maybe she could make her way as a bounty hunter in Marchtown.

  Then again, if she failed, she could die.

  ….

  If she survived, however, she could prove everyone wrong. Aaron, Scott, her friends and family – everyone thought she couldn’t do anything.

  It was time to show them she could.