“Holy crap, you guys are intense,” I muttered.
“She’s from the human world.” Mac leaned toward the witches, her tone apologetic. “They don’t have tons of demons and other bastards running around who need killing.”
“Sure, we do,” I said. “Not the demons part. But there are loads of bastards. Not sure about the killing part, though.”
“It’s different in this world,” Mac said. “There are lots of nasty humans, sure. But supernaturals are a whole ’nother breed. Demons, for instance. Lots of them like to eat babies. Gotta kill those ones.”
“You can chop their heads off and they’ll just wake up back in hell,” Beth said. “And don’t get me started on black magic users. Some of them are so evil that hell won’t even take them.”
“Okay, well…” My mind raced as I tried to figure out what to say to get in the good graces of these witches. It was hard with the potion surging through my veins, but I slogged through and said, “I’d definitely kill those suckers.”
All three witches grinned.
Mary leaned back. “All right, then. So, you didn’t kill this bloke back in your realm, but you’re accused of the murder and you’re…wanting to prove your innocence?”
“Exactly!” I pointed at her approvingly. “You get it!”
“It’s not rocket science, honey.”
“Everything after one of those cocktails feels like rocket science.”
“Fair enough,” Beth said.
“I need to be able to sneak into the morgue,” I explained.
“And I need to go with her,” said Mac.
Coraline nodded. “Okay. Two potions to change your looks.”
“I don’t know if I need one,” Mac replied. “They won’t recognize me in the human world.”
“Well, you’re getting one because we have two objects we want read.”
“Deal,” I said. “I can do that when I get back.”
“Now,” Coraline insisted.
Her tone was firm, and I nodded. “Sure thing, boss.”
Jeeves appeared again, a box in his hands. He looked at Mary as he set it on the table. “The things you requested, madam.”
“Thanks, pal.” Mary slapped him on the back as he walked away, then pushed the box toward me. The grin she shot me made a shiver go down my spine, and I stared at the box like there might be a head inside.
10
Carrow
“That was quick,” I said.
“That’s me, babe.” Mary nodded to the box. “Now get reading.”
I opened it slowly, revealing an old wine glass and an intricate silver brooch. I stared at them before touching. “I can’t control if I see past or present. But usually, what I see is useful.”
“Useful how?” Mary asked.
“It reveals when danger is coming, or when something terrible happened. Sometimes good stuff, too, but that’s rare.”
“Well, try to see who once owned them.”
“I’ll try.” True, my vision was currently blurry, and I felt like I might keel over on the bench soon, but maybe this would help.
I drew in a deep breath and tried to imagine seeing the original owner. I had no idea if this was how magic worked, but I figured I might as well try.
“Show me the owner,” I murmured, feeling like a crazy witch in an old movie.
I glanced up at the three actual crazy witches in front of me, then down at the Cookie Monster bikini I was wearing. Hmm…not so far off the crazy witch vibe, myself.
My fingers closed around the wine glass, and an image slammed into my head. A beautiful blonde woman dressed in some kind of old-fashioned clothing, like something from a World War II movie. Same for her precise makeup and sculpted updo. I could vaguely hear another person speaking in the background of the vision: “I told you I’d curse you, Ophelia.”
Ophelia?
A shadow appeared from the side, bringing with it a flash of pink light that enveloped Ophelia. Chanting sounded in a language that I didn't recognize, and I struggled to memorize the words. Ophelia shrieked, then shrank into a tiny silver brooch.
I blinked, looking at the brooch that still sat in the box.
It was the same.
I jerked back, shock lancing through me.
“What is it?” Mary’s voice interrupted my vision.
I looked up. “Uh, I think this brooch might be a person.”
“Told you.” Mary nudged Coraline. “What else did you see, Carrow?”
I described the pink smoke and the words that the person had said, hoping I got them right. The witches seemed satisfied, at least from the looks on their faces.
“Do the brooch now,” Mary said.
I touched the brooch, which burned like hell. Blackness exploded in front of my vision, and I surged backward.
“Shit.” Shaking my hand, I looked up. “I couldn’t see anything besides darkness.”
“Well, that Ophelia is a bitch.”
“And she’s now a brooch?” I looked down at the metal.
“Yeah, and we’ve got to get her out,” Beth said.
“I thought you said she was a bitch,” I said.
“Yeah, she’s our bitch.” Coraline grinned. “What exactly did you see in the brooch?”
“Blackness, like I said. Let me try again.”
I touched it once more, and a shrieking sounded, followed by a bright flash of light in the shape of three triangles overlapping each other. I opened my eyes and described it to them.
Mary nodded. “Thanks for your service. You’ve confirmed what we thought and told us the spell that turned her into that thing.”
I didn’t remember telling them a spell, but they seemed satisfied. “No problem.”
“Jeeves will bring you the potions to change your appearance.” Mary looked at Mac. “You both need to take them.”
“In the meantime, enjoy the party.” Beth grinned.
“We kind of need to get a move on,” I said, my head still woozy.
“Well, you’re going to need to walk off your drunk a bit,” Coraline said. “Might as well do it here.”
“Yeah, sure.” I looked at Mac, who nodded.
The three witches left, hurrying off with their box. Which contained their friend.
Weird.
Mac looked at me. “I’m going to go try to find something so we can sober up some.”
“Cool.” I turned and looked at the glittering room. People still danced, seeming to sway in front of my vision. A flash of movement in the corner caught my eye, and I blinked. “What was that?”
“What?” Mac asked.
“I swear I saw something.”
Mac frowned. “You’re pissed.”
“Maybe. But I saw something.”
“Go investigate. I’ll find you soon.”
“Deal.” I staggered toward the flicker of movement against the dark, glittering wall. My steps became more graceful the farther I walked, but I was still pretty out of my mind. Fortunately, the drunken dancers around me hid most of my awkwardness.
As I neared the wall, the air seemed to vibrate slightly. I pushed my way through the rest of the crowd, finding a hallway. It was shadowed and apparently empty, but it beckoned to me.