Hexes and Ohs Page 6
“She’s gay,” Grim said. Then, “Oh holy shifter. Sorry, Kayleigh. Still getting used to people other than Nora being able to hear me.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s not exactly a secret. But it’s also not entirely correct.”
This was a lot to take in. I had to hit rewind on quite a bit of jealousy now that this was the new reality. Kayleigh wasn’t into Tanner. She was into women.
“I bet I could change her mind,” came Tanner’s voice in my head, though it sounded distant.
“Um, excuse me?”
“Huh? Wait, you could hear that?”
“Yeah, Tanner, I could.”
“I didn’t … Um, I didn’t mean it, I just—”
“Stop while you’re not too far behind.”
“What I mean,” Kayleigh continued, “is that it’s not that straightforward. Stella and I have been alive a long time and have many more years ahead of us. We’ve both loved men at different times, but when it came to picking a life partner, it wasn’t a difficult decision. Would you rather spend hundreds of years with the same woman or the same man?”
She was asking me, of course. And once I looked down at Tanner in Grim’s body and over to Grim in Tanner’s body, I nodded. “Good point. So where can we find Stella?”
“I’m right here,” came a voice behind Kayleigh. A pixie with long, dark hair flowing well past her waist appeared between two rows of shelves. “I thought I heard someone calling. How are you, Tanner?”
“Not well. I’m Grim.”
Stella’s head jerked back and her eyes flickered momentarily to Kayleigh. “I’m sorry to hear that. What’s making you feel so grim?”
“Grim, that’s his name,” Kayleigh supplied. “It’s Nora’s familiar. He’s switched bodies with Tanner.”
Stella gasped softly. “Fascinating,” she said, flying closer. “Absolutely fascinating.”
I cleared my throat. “I think they’d like to switch back.”
“Right. Of course. Sorry, I just get bored seeing the same thing over and over again. Variety is the elixir of life, and all that.”
“Wait,” I said. “You haven’t seen this before?”
“Oh, sure I have, but not in quite some time. What spurred it? Curse? Deathly fright? Simultaneous journeys to the astral plane while on a merry-go-round?”
“Potion,” I said.
Her shoulders slumped and she fluttered a half a foot lower. “That’s too bad.”
“What?” Grim demanded. “Why is it too bad? Am I stuck like this forever? Will I always be this hairless?”
“It’s too bad because I’ve seen this happen with a botched potion before. I was hoping for something more challenging. No, it’ll be easy enough to sort you two out.”
“Stella is the town’s highest-ranking potions master,” Kayleigh said, beaming with pride.
Shrugging, Stella said, “It’s not impressive of an achievement. The Coven isn’t exactly giving me a run for my coins. Too by-the-book, those witches. Never learn how to brew by feel.” She waved for us to follow. “Come on. I’ll get you sorted out.”
The back room of the apothecary wasn’t what I’d expected. I’d thought it would be more of a storeroom, but instead, it was a cozy library, shelves lining the walls with thick leather-bound books packed into each row. At the center was a round stone table with four ornately carved wooden chairs. I took a seat at Stella’s insistence, but only after I’d grabbed Tanner’s strong bicep in time to prevent Grim from parking it on the floor out of habit.
Tanner, meanwhile, was adjusting to his new lifestyle admirably and didn’t attempt to climb into a chair, settling on the floor by his body’s feet instead.
Grim scented the air through Tanner’s nose, then frowned when he presumably didn’t get the volume of information he was used to.
The room did have a distinct smell, though, but while it was even more dimly lit than the front of the apothecary, it didn’t smell the least bit musty as one might expect. In fact, it smelled like fresh lavender and lemon.
Made sense. If I had so many spices and herbs and potions available to me all day long, the room I rented from Ruby would smell like a Bath & Body Works threw up in it.
So, really, Stella had shown admirable restraint in her light touch.
Two heavy books hitting the table drew my attention. “Tell me a little more about the events leading up to the switch,” Stella said, standing on one of the chairs so that her small body appeared above the tabletop from the shoulders up.
I filled her in since Tanner couldn’t and Grim would take forever and likely spin off into some tangential sob story about how life was better in the Deadwoods before I showed up to town and he was forced to be my familiar.
“Clear enough,” she said, once I was finished. “The flavor enhancement potion does share many attributes with a subset of those in the astral plane family. You’re not the first to think you were making your food more delicious but end up ripped from your corporeal form.”
“Could’ve used a disclaimer about that before I dove in,” said Grim, shooting daggers down at his body.
Stella opened a book and silently scanned the table of contents until she found something that looked good and flipped to it.
“Ah, yes, this is probably it,” she said finally after minutes of uninterrupted silence while she pored over the page. “It detaches the astral form from the corporeal, and if another free spirit is nearby, the two will inhabit each other’s bodies. Historically, this potion has been used for decoys. A last-ditch effort of sorts to escape capture. But I’ve also heard of it being used to teach people a lesson; namely, that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the stone wall. Unless, of course, the other side of the stone wall is the Fear Gorta Fields. Then, yes, it’s greener.” She shook her head. “I digress. The potions are almost identical except for one ingredient.”
“Which is?” I said.
“Cat hair. Did you add that, by any chance?”
I shook my head. “Nope.” I looked at Tanner on the floor.
“No way. I know how to do an enhancement potion.”
“He says he didn’t add any either.”
Stella examined me closely. “Ah, so he can communicate with you telepathically while in your familiar’s body?”
“Seems so.”
Squinting at me, she said, “You sure you’re in a hurry to get this straightened out? I’d love to research it a bit more.”
“Yeah, I’d like to get this settled before bed. Sort of complicates sleeping arrangements.”
She nodded somberly. “I understand. This should only take a second.” She waved her hands and sparks shot out before the bookshelves disappeared and in their places appeared rows and rows of tiny boxes, glass jars, and crystals. Stella concocted the same potion that took us half an hour in a matter of a few minutes.
“And finally, some cat hair,” she said at the end, opening a box and pulling out a dried hairball.
“Yep, that’s just a big ol’ ball of fur,” I said, looking down at Tanner and silently thanking what powers may be that I wasn’t the one forced to drink something with that much cat hair in it. “You didn’t accidentally shake Monster over the cauldron or anything, right?”
“I think I would have remembered that,” he replied curtly, clearly not appreciating my humor at the moment.
Okay, noted.
Stella pulled two black crystal bowls off a shelf and split the potion between them. “Drink up,” she said, setting one down on the floor for Tanner.
A moment later, Grim belched and Tanner said, “Not as bad as I was expecting.”
His voice came from the correct body. He jumped, then grinned wide. “It worked!”
“Oh great,” said Grim. “And he lived happily ever after, spending the rest of his days sweating in the armpits and never fully appreciating it.”
“Of course it worked,” said Stella. “That’ll be ten gold pieces.”
Tanner
cringed apologetically. “I ... don’t have that kind of money.”
“I’m kidding,” she said. “The change of pace was all the payment I need. Now I suggest you go home and spend a little time figuring out how you botched such a simple potion so badly.”
“Will do!” The relief in Tanner’s voice was palpable.
“Before we go,” I said, “I just want to be clear that you’re sure it was cat hair that caused the potion to go awry?”
“I’m positive.”
“Could the cat hair have fallen off of Tanner’s shirt and into the cauldron and caused the error?”
“No, no. Just a few hairs wouldn’t be enough. If that were the case, basically no witch in Salem would be able to pull off the flavor enhancer, since you folks tend to be dressed in more cat hair than clothing half the time. Well, except for you, Nora. And Ruby.” Her eyes fell to my light blue boat-neck tee. “Welp, nope, there’s some.” She picked a strand off of me and held it up to the light of the candles hanging from the ceiling. “Hmm … munchkin cat?”
“Monster,” I said. “Tanner’s familiar.”
Stella chewed the corner of her lip and nodded. “It seems unlikely that enough hair would have been added without you knowing. It requires an intentional amount. Intention is half as important as materials anyway, when it comes to potion. The Coven won’t teach that, but it’s true. And the fact that I know it is why I’m the top potions master.”
She sure wasn’t lacking confidence. But I couldn’t fault her since she seemed to walk the walk.
Or, fly the flight?
I waved goodbye to Kayleigh on our way out. She was so much more likable when I knew she was off the market. I hated myself a little bit for thinking that—after all, I’d spent most of my life as a single woman being blacklisted by my guy friends’ new girlfriends—but hey, hypocrisy happens to the best of us sometimes.
“We still have a bit of a mystery to solve,” I said, walking closer to Tanner’s side, now that there was no risk of him taking off in pursuit of a squirrel. “How did the cat hair get in the potion?”
“I have a theory about that,” he said. “But I won’t know for sure until we make it back to Ruby’s.”
“If I make it back to Ruby’s,” added Grim. “My brief vacation from the crushing heat of this coat has only made it worse now that I’m back. I’m never leaving the house again. Or if I do, I’m heading out into the Deadwoods where everything is dark and shady—literally and figuratively—and never coming back.”
“That’s a pile of unicorn swirls, and you know it,” I said. “You just got back from vacation in the Deadwoods. If you were ever going to leave and never come home, you’d have done it then.”
“Listen, the only reason I came back was that I knew you would blubber about losing your familiar, and I didn’t want to put Clifford through that.”
“I’ve never blubbered in my life. But fine, Grim. You’re such a bad boy.” I only just managed to keep from rolling my eyes.
“The baddest. And don’t you forget it. ‘Domesticated’ my hide.”
Tanner led the way into Ruby’s home and made a beeline for the armchair at the corner of the parlor where Monster slept. He crouched down to be on eye-level with his cat. “Monster, we need to talk.”
When he went silent, I knew the conversation wasn’t over; they’d just switched to telepathy.
Then he shook his head and sighed exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, Monster. I don’t hate you. But I’m also not happy with you right now.”
He stood and faced us, cringing. “Yeah, Monster hawked up a hairball into the potion while you weren’t looking. She was upset that she couldn’t get any stew.”
“Wow,” said Grim. “That’s hardcore. I’m not even mad.” Then he trotted over to Monster and licked her admiringly, his large tongue covering the entirety of her face. She didn’t seem to mind.
“No one likes being left out,” I said, trying to find the same forgiveness in myself that Grim had. “I guess all’s well that ends well.”
Tanner approached me, pausing when our bodies were less than an inch apart. I gazed into his hazel eyes. “True,” he said. “And now that I have my body back, I won’t take it for granted.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and leaned forward, and a half second later, I felt his warm lips on mine.
I would never take Tanner’s body for granted again, either.
So, even as Grim promised to pee on every earthly possession I held dear and Monster coughed up another hairball that may or may not have been in the shape of a rune, I let myself fall into the kiss, drowning out everything but Tanner.
Want to read more? Get lost in the magical town of Salem with more stories from Nova Nelson. Find your next read at www.witchesofsalem.world or join the Cozy Coven, a reader group for fans of paranormal cozy mysteries, at www.cozycoven.com
About the Author
Nova Nelson grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie novels. She loves the mind candy of cozy mysteries and has been weaving paranormal tales since she first learned handwriting. Those two loves meet in her Witches of Salem series, and it's about time, if she does say so herself.
When she's not busy writing, she enjoys long walks with her strong-willed dogs and eating breakfast for dinner.
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The Mystery of the Magic Bottle
Ani Gonzalez
Summary
It's Valentine's Day in the Most Haunted Town in the USA. February is a slow month for Banshee Creek, but not for Dora Pendragon. The Magical Curiosity Shoppe seems to be searching for a new item, and it's not the only one. A mysterious stranger is also looking for a delicate glass bottle with curious markings and powerful magical contents. Should Dora give up the precious potion, or should she finally confront the eldritch force that holds her prisoner, once and for all?
1
"IF I see one more little pink heart, I will go full Wonka," Kat Ramos declared dramatically.
I smiled nervously. What?
Luanne stirred her tea and frowned. "What does that even mean?"
Her question came as a relief to me, as it kept me from having to expose my own ignorance. I was lounging in the Banshee Creek Botánica's fortunetelling alcove with Kat, the owner, and Luanne, the town’s resident fortune-teller. They were both dressed for the dreary February weather in cozy turtlenecks—mustard yellow for Kat and teal for red-haired Luanne—and wool slacks. I was dressed in my trademark basic black, but I eyed Kat's amber necklace with mild envy. Maybe it was time to step up my style game.
I leaned back on my chair, feeling relaxed. The fortune-telling alcove was a cozy, bohemian space, with tattered winged-back chairs in jewel tones, beaded curtains, and a round Queen Anne table covered with tea implements. A small, colored-glass chandelier added a touch of glamour.
"You know…" Kat sipped her tea daintily. “The girl who turns into a blueberry, Violet Something-or-Other? That's going to be me. I'll turn into a big pink heart and wobble down Main Street.”
"That's just what we need in this town." I raised a brow and wrapped my hands around my delicate porcelain teacup, enjoying the warmth. "Another ghost."
Wait, I'd said "we”? How bizarre.
Like Kat and Luanne, I was a small paranormal-themed business owner here in Banshee Creek's Main Street. But Kat and Luanne were mortal witches. They had talents and some magic, but their trade was mostly mundane.
Mine wasn't.
My Magical Curiosity Shoppe was a dimension-hopping establishment, one of those little stores full of tempting curiosities that "wasn't there yesterday." The store attracted the curious and naive, and offered them...well, things they didn't know they needed. The customers suddenly found that they simply couldn't live without an odd little statue or a shabby box with interesting inlays.
I'd heard that the consequences of th
ese purchases were sometimes dire, but I seldom found out what happened to the items because the shop invariably vanished after a few days, reappearing in a new spot.
Until recently, that is. I’d now been in Banshee Creek for five months. It was an outstanding amount of time.
And I was now using "we" when talking about the town. I set my cup down on the table. Yes, sitting around Luanne's alcove drinking tea and discussing marketing strategies was fun, but I had to remember that this wasn't my life. Eventually, the Magical Curiosity Shoppe would leave.
And so would I.
Kat giggled. "A Valentine’s Day ghost wouldn't be a bad idea. It's really slow right now. We could use a promotional boost."
"You should take one for the team, Kat," Luanne replied.
"I already am," Kat exclaimed, gesturing toward her shelves. "Did you see my epic love charms display? It takes up half the store."
Luanne gave Kate a disapproving look over the rim of her teacup. "It's yellow."
Kat sighed. "Of course it's yellow. It's the color of Oshún, the goddess of love. It's the color of glamour and illusion. The color of attraction and seduction. Oshún is the inspiration for my 'Potion of Love' elixir. It's a perfume that will attract good things into your life."
"Are you talking about men?" I asked, not liking how this sounded.
Messing with love was not advisable, in my experience. It usually backfired spectacularly.
"No," Kat answered firmly. "I mean self-esteem and joy and pride. That's the goal." She took a sip of tea, her lips curving into a wicked smile. "The men come afterwards."
"That actually sounds like a good product, Kat," Luanne said.
"It is," Kat replied. "If only I had containers to put it in. I've scoured the Internet looking for a nice vessel, but I've had no luck. Everything I find in my price range is either cheap plastic or is pink and has a Valentine's Day theme. I guess having a budget of zero dollars doesn't help."