In the kitchen, Luna was batting around a toy ball that Bubba loved to play with. I sat down on the floor next to them.
“Okay, Bubba. Listen up. I have some news and I need you to tell Luna after I’m done. I know you can talk to her easier than I can.”
Bubba’s ears perked up. “Mrp?”
“Luna’s…person…just showed up looking for her. Here’s the thing. Luna’s person isn’t a very nice human and I’ve just taken Luna off her hands. Don’t you tell Luna, but the woman wanted to kill her because she’s moving.”
Bubba’s eyes narrowed. “Mrrf?”
“Seriously. I’m not joking.” I frowned, wondering if I could get away with casting a minor curse on the woman so that she never, ever found another pet. I decided that would probably be a boon to pet-kind everywhere and filed it on my to-do list.
“Anyway, so Luna’s staying with us. Bubs…I know you feel a lot for her, but remember, she’s full-cat. She…we don’t know how old she is.” I didn’t exactly know how to say what I was trying to get across to him.
Bubba flipped over, exposing his belly, staring at me. He waited.
“Oh man, I know what you’re thinking. I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not.” I knew that Bubba cared about Luna and he probably wouldn’t mess up a wish for Luna if I made it, but would Luna mind so much? Would she want her life extended? After thinking for a moment, I decided that I could make a wish that—barring any backfires from Bubba’s sense of humor, and I didn’t expect any on this matter—probably couldn’t go wrong.
“All right, but you promise me that you won’t use this to hurt her.”
“Murrow.” Bubba seldom promised anything and when he did, I took it seriously.
“All right, then.” I slowly reached out to stroke his belly. “I wish…I wish that our Luna here will have a long, healthy, happy life with us, and that she lives to enjoy a ripe old age in comfort.”
There was a hush, and then, I felt the shift in the air as Bubba’s magic sparkled out to surround Luna. She lifted her head from the toy, a flicker of light casting across her eyes, and then, the hush of magic settled around her like a long, quiet breath.
I leaned back. “Well, for good or not, it’s done. Luna, welcome to the family.” I leaned over and she let me scratch her under the chin, closing her eyes and purring. “I’ve got to go out, you two. I want you to stay inside today, all right? No slipping out the door when Kelson comes home. I have to go check on your aunt Sandy. I wish…” I stopped as Bubba’s ears flickered and he turned to look at me. “No, I’d better not, Bubs. I’m scared for her, but until we know what’s going on, I don’t want to do anything that might make it worse.”
I stood, straightening my skirt. “All right, I’m out. You guys have fun and be good, okay?”
“Murrow,” Bubba said, bouncing off with Luna right behind him.
BY THE TIME I got to Sandy’s, the morning was going on ten. I pulled up, passing her van, thinking how lonely the vehicle must be. It practically had a consciousness by now. Sandy spent more time in the retro hippie-mobile than she did her house.
And Lihi…where was she right now?
Max and Jenna were already hunting through every nook and cranny.
“What did Jordan say?” I gave Jenna a kiss on the cheek and hugged Max.
“Dr. Farrows says we need to find the ghost snail. That it had to be in close proximity to her for a while in order to infect her with the bacteria.”
“I brought Aegis’s notes with me.” I pulled out the sheath of papers he had scribbled on. “Scribbled” wasn’t really the word, though. Aegis had neat, precise handwriting. “I went out to Neverfall day before yesterday and dug up as much research as I could on ghost snails. Did Jordan say whether Sandy actually had to touch the ghost snail, or whether she just had to be near it?”
“He said she had to touch the slime, but that it didn’t have to be terribly fresh. So she could have accidentally touched it without seeing the snail or even knowing what she was touching. And it only takes a small amount, especially the more advanced the witch.” Max glanced at Jenna. “We tore apart the kitchen. Alex is fit to be tied, but he told us he would hire someone today to come put everything back together. I wanted to ask if you would go through her bedroom. I’ll take the office, Jenna can start in on the living room.”
I nodded, thinking of how private Sandy was. She’d be furious…if she were conscious. But something was poking around at the edge of my thoughts and I motioned for them to be quiet.
“I have…there’s something we’re overlooking. Give me a moment.” I squinted, trying to think. And then, I flashed on the image of Sandy’s van. “Hold on. Where are her keys? Get me her keys.”
Jenna brought me Sandy’s purse. I rummaged around inside till I found her keychain.
“Come on. I have an idea.” I headed for the door, Max and Jenna behind me. As I strode across the courtyard to where Sandy had parked, I prayed I was right. It would be so much easier if I was. “Sandy practically lives in her van. She’s always out and about. Where better for somebody to put a ghost snail than in her car? It would be the easiest access, and the place the snail would be sure to leave a trail of slime that she might touch.”
I started for the door but Max clamped a hand on my shoulder.
“Stop. You and Jenna are witches. I’m a weretiger. The snail won’t hurt me, but it could mess with you if you touch it. We’ve already seen the results with Sandy. Give me the keys.”
I blinked. I hadn’t even thought about that aspect.
“Good call.” I handed him the keys, and Jenna and I moved back a few steps. I immediately started counting how many days it had been since I was in Sandy’s van. At least two weeks. “Jenna, when did you last ride with Sandy?”
She frowned, then shrugged. “A week ago? Two weeks ago? It’s been awhile. We’ve had a busy summer out at Neverfall.” She blinked, then her mouth formed an “o” as understanding crept into her eyes. “Yeah, it’s been at least ten days, I’d say. I can look in my calendar.”
“Might be best, though I’m pretty sure that both you and I are safe.”
We watched as Max sorted through the van. Then, as he began to search the back of it, he let out a shout. We rushed around, but I made sure to keep Jenna from getting too close. Max jumped out of the back of the van, an empty doughnut box in hand. He held it out so we could see.
Inside the box was a gorgeous shell. It looked a lot like a nautilus, but it was a pale ivory with faint teal streaks running through it, and it wasn’t as big as most conches. The snail was most definitely alive, and the trail of slime it left in the box shimmered with a faint luminescence.
“It’s beautiful,” Jenna whispered. “Almost ghostly.”
“Beautiful and deadly. Or at least, dangerous.” I eyed the snail. It had retreated into its shell. “We should take that to Jordan Farrows. I wonder if there’s a way to figure out who put it in her car. When would they have had the chance? I suppose any time she went out.”
“I’ll take it to him. I don’t want you and Jenna near this.” Max motioned to the house. “Go back inside. I’ll be back later.” He headed for his car, box in hand.
I wanted to talk to Jordan, but knew Max would tell me anything pertinent that happened. “Come on, Jenna. Let’s head inside.”
She glanced up at me. “Can you help me with something? I’m supposed to be learning how to conjure elements this year. My class started with air in spring, and so far I can summon a little puff of air, but we’re just starting on fire.”
“Have you been placed yet?” Usually, students weren’t placed within a particular element until after a year or more of study, but the occasional prodigy ended up specializing sooner.
Jenna shook her head. “No. And while I can get my homework and catch up, there’s nothing like being there. I know you’re grounded in fire, so I thought I’d ask. I’m not sure what to do without getti
ng burned.”
I nodded. We were in the season of fire. I knew that Neverfall taught elemental magic by the seasons. During spring, the element of air was strongest, during summer—fire. Autumn was water’s domain, and winter gave strength to earth.
“Come on. Your principal wanted me to help you anyway, so let’s get cracking. Or crackling, as the case may be.”
She laughed, but I knew she was just being polite. “Thanks, Aunt Maddy.”
I settled Jenna down at the table after clearing off all combustibles and asking her to bring over a pitcher of water. “The biggest thing to remember with fire is to respect it, but not let your fear win out. Fire can sense fear and it will rise against you because fire is belligerent. You have to start small. We start with a candle.” I found a pillar candle on a side table and brought it over. “We start with lighting tiny fires. Tiny sparks. Watch.”
I leaned forward, staring at the candle. I reached out, summoning the energy of fire in one of its calmest aspects. Warmth, radiance, gentle light, soft glowing embers. Then, catching that energy within me, I blew on the candle and with a sudden spark, the wick caught and flared to life. It wavered for a second, then held steady.
Jenna watched, staring at the candle. “I can summon a puff of air so far, but fire scares me.”
“Well, you need to have a healthy regard for it. But try to contain your fear. Fire’s deadly when untamed, and the elementals in that realm are unpredictable and seductive. Bubba’s from the realm of fire—as are all efreeti and djinns.” I paused. “Remember when you got lost on the mountain and Sandy found you in January?”
Jenna nodded. “There was an efreet loose there. Sandy met him.”
“Right. All right, to learn the nature of fire, you’re going to have to burn your fingers first.” I glanced at the candle. I had learned the hard way at Granny’s knee. “Touch the flame. You should always know your adversary. And fire—unless you’re grounded in it like I am—will always be your opponent. It never bends willingly unless you’re connected to it.”
Jenna blinked. “Touch it? But I’ll burn my finger.”
“Not for long, but yes. Reach out. You can’t be afraid to touch the fire if you’re going to summon it.” I nodded toward the wick. “Go on.”
She hesitated, looking nervous, then reached out and poked her finger in it before withdrawing swiftly. “Like that?”
“Yes. You stand in the wind. You swim in the water. You walk on the earth and dig deep to plant flowers. You have to be able to bear the touch of fire on your skin. I’m not suggesting you jump in a bonfire, mind you, but you have to be willing to get a little singed around the edges if you want to work with it.” I smiled at her. “Cup your hands around the flame, this time not touching it, but close enough to feel the heat coming off of it. Close your eyes and really focus on the warmth, on the way the heat flickers. ‘Heat wave’ isn’t just a term for soaring temperatures. You’ve seen how the air seems to ripple with heat?”
She nodded, her eyes closed as she did what I asked. “Yes.”
“Can you feel those ripples? The energy rising and colliding with the cooler air?”
She nodded again.
“I want you to coax the flame a little higher. Focus on the heat of it, focus on the core of the flame, and visualize it growing.” I watched as she concentrated, her forehead creasing as her attention grew. Unless she was naturally gifted with fire, she wouldn’t be able to stretch it much more than a few centimeters to start, but it would be obvious. When flames were being manipulated, they tended to extend straight up, as though they were like a rubber band.
A few moments in, the fire began to creep up, just a smidgeon.
“Open your eyes slowly but keep your concentration.”
Jenna slowly opened her eyes, staring at the flame. It suddenly deflated, back to its usual size. She slumped back. “I guess I’m a slow learner with fire.”
“No, you’re about average. You may be an A student, but with the elements? It all depends on what you have a natural inclination for, and you may not know for several years. Guard against impatience, or you’ll only sabotage your own efforts.”
I stood. “I should get home. Will you be all right here until Max gets back?”
She nodded. “Yeah, Alex is here. And the goon squad’s still outside. I’m fine.”
As I headed for the door she stopped me. “Aunt Maddy?”
“Yes?”
“Will Aunt Sandy be all right? Is she going to…” She didn’t say the word but I could hear it, plain as day.
I had avoided this thought all morning. All of the past couple days. Resting my hand against the wall, I said, “I don’t know, Jenna. I hope not. We’re doing everything we can to help her. Right now, the best thing you can do is to study your lessons and help Alex keep the house up as best as possible. You know when she wakes up, Sandy’s not going to want to find a jumble of clutter.” I tried to lighten my voice, but I couldn’t help stumbling over a few words.
Jenna closed in behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I turned, pressing her head against my shoulder as I kissed the top of her hair. “Take heart. We love Sandy. We won’t let whoever is doing this win. All right?”
The girl nodded, tears flecking her eyes. As I let her go, she found a tissue and blew her nose. “I’ll get back to my homework.”
“Just don’t try to light any fires while you’re alone, all right?” The last thing we needed was any more accidents.
“I promise. Aunt Maddy?”
“Yes, hon?”
“Thank you.”
I blew her a kiss, then headed out for home.
I WAS PASSING by Rosita’s Fire-Roasted Carnitas, one of the best takeout joints for Mexican food on the island, when my phone jangled. I pulled over into the parking lot and glanced at it, thinking it might be Max with information about the ghost snail. But it was Delia.
“Yo, what’s up?”
“Can you get downtown right now? I know Aegis can’t, but I need your advice.” Delia sounded out of breath.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m just running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I know you’re probably busy, but after last night, I thought of you when…”
“When what?”
“When…this…happened. I can’t explain it. Just meet me near Turnwheel Park.” She hung up.
“I guess that was a demand rather than a request,” I muttered, glancing at the clock. I’d miss my workout if I went, but given the snake-monster-in-the-street last night, and Delia’s worried tone, I decided that I was just going to have to suck it up and skip the gym. I put a quick call into Wilson and informed him that I was still in the midst of an ongoing crisis and I’d call and reschedule as soon as I could.
Heading toward the middle of town, I only prayed we wouldn’t be facing another oversized rattler.
AS I PULLED into a parking spot up the street from the park, I could see several squad cars gathered around the intersection just ahead. Cripes, what the hell had happened this time? I jumped out of the car and raced toward the commotion. When I arrived, there was Delia, looking harried as all get out, and her deputies. They were surrounding a massive flock of ducks. The ducks, however, were at least four feet tall and they were making a racket. There must have been twenty or thirty of the enormous waterfowl and they were snapping at anybody who seemed to be too near.
“What the… Ducks don’t grow this big.” I stared at the birds.
“You know that, and I know that, but apparently they don’t know that.” Delia was rubbing her forehead, looking about ready to cry. “What the hell do I do with them?”
“I don’t know. Why ask me? I’m not a bird specialist.” I jumped back as one headed toward me with a thundering waddle. It hissed at me. “Crap!”
“I… Because…I don’t know. You’re the High Priestess of the coven here in town.”
“That doesn’
t mean I’m a vet tech!” I stared at her. “Where did they come from?
“That’s the damndest thing,” Delia said, taking another step back as yet another duck rushed at her. “The park was empty, according to witnesses. Then it was suddenly filled with…giant ducks. Nobody saw how they entered the park. Nobody saw where they came from. Hell, they shouldn’t even be here—ducks don’t grow this large!”
I nodded. “I wonder if somebody’s been messing around with magic. Trying to summon…hell, the giant snake-like thing. Giant ducks. They have to come from somewhere.”
“Well, I wish whoever was doing it would stop. As of now, I’m going to have my men erect a fence around the flock to hopefully keep them penned up until we can figure out what to do with them. But honestly, if they start to fly? Can you imagine the crap they could do?” Delia looked flustered as I broke out laughing. “What?”
“The crap… Oh, Delia, I can just imagine what kind of crap they’d bomb the town with if they went airborne. But can ducks that heavy fly?” I was about to suggest having a townwide duck dinner when my phone rang. It was Max. “Hold on, this may be news about Sandy.”
I backed off to one side. “Hey, Max. What’s up?”
“I just talked to Jordan Farrows. He told me that the ghost snail definitely has the moriatis bacteria in its slime. It was a good thing you and Jenna didn’t touch it. Oh, and he told me one other thing to watch out for.”
“Can he cure Sandy now that he knows for sure? And what do you mean, ‘watch out for’?”
“He wants to talk to you about what kind of herbs he needs to make an antidote. He also said that one of the side effects of moriatis is that the victim, once they’re in a coma, may project the contents of their dreams into this reality. In other words, anything strange going on might be the result of Sandy’s dreams while she’s unconscious.”