Witch Kissed Read online

  Ivy exchanged a look with her sister, hoping she’d keep her mouth shut; Bryony was a terrible liar. “We heard about those.”

  “The magic on them has broken,” said Gabriel. “But there’s still the puzzle as to who put a spell on them in the first place.”

  “And?” asked Ivy. “What’s that got to do with us?”

  “Do you think we were involved?” asked Bryony.

  “I can’t imagine you cursing people,” said Gabriel softly. “But I wanted to know if you’d had any thoughts as to the person who may have put a spell on the red bloods? We believe it was curse magic.”

  “We don’t deal with curses here,” said Bryony. “Customers come in and ask occasionally, but it’s not something we like to deal with. Curses are tricky.”

  “Yes, this one especially so,” said Gabriel. “We tried numerous curse reversal spells and potions, but nothing raised the red bloods we had in the station. Then, it was as if the curse broke on its own and they regained consciousness at the same time. Whoever did it, it was a dark spell. Not something to be messing with.”

  “Well, I’m glad to hear the curse has been broken,” said Bryony. “And the red bloods weren’t harmed in any way?”

  “They were disoriented,” said Gabriel. “But once we crossed them over the border and helped them with a gentle memory wipe, they were fine. They won’t have any lasting after effects from the magic. But I still want to know who put the curse on them.”

  “You’ll figure it out,” said Bryony. “The main thing is the red bloods weren’t hurt and Old Sarum is back to normal.”

  Gabriel looked at Bryony in silence for several seconds. “There was mention that the two of you were at Kristoff’s club on the night the curse was broken.”

  “We don’t go to the Demon’s Den.” Ivy’s fingers strayed to the necklace she wore. “We don’t like the owner.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Kristoff is an acquired taste. So you weren’t there three nights ago?”

  “We were in all night,” said Ivy. “Can’t stay out all night partying when there’s work to do the next day. Isn’t that right, Bryony?”

  “Yes, we don’t like the Demon’s Den.” Bryony moved to Sweetie’s perch and fussed with the bird’s feathers.

  “It’s just that I’m sure I saw you leaving the club,” said Gabriel. “We had a report there was a fight, and someone mentioned you being there, Ivy. When we arrived, I thought I saw you both at the end of the road.” He looked towards the door. “Come to think of it, that could have been Agatha with you as well. Are you sure you weren’t out that night?”

  “Like I said, we were here.” Ivy stared coolly at Gabriel.

  “So why were people reporting you fighting with Kristoff?” Gabriel returned Ivy’s glare.

  “I look like a lot of witches around here,” said Ivy. “Dark hair and pale skin are not so unusual.”

  “But the use of advanced fire magic is,” said Gabriel. “That’s not a talent many witches in Old Sarum have.”

  “We were here. There’s nothing more to say.”

  Gabriel frowned. “Well, Kristoff doesn’t want to press charges about the incident anyway, so there’s nothing more I can do about it. But stay away from his club. Trouble is never far from that place.”

  “We’ll never go there again,” said Bryony. “I mean, not that we’ve been there recently anyway.”

  Ivy sighed and shook her head at her sister. “Is there anything else we can do for you, Gabriel?”

  “No, that’s it for now,” said Gabriel as he opened the store door. “Let me know if you hear anything about this curse. I’m not going to let it drop.” He shot a brief, longing look at Bryony before leaving the store.

  Bryony let out a long sigh. “Do you think he suspects our involvement?”

  “Of course he does,” said Ivy. “He saw us leaving the club. But we’re not to blame for the curse itself. And Kristoff got everything he deserved when I fought him in the club. We’ve not done anything wrong.”

  “Other than withhold evidence,” said Bryony. “I don’t want Gabriel to dislike us.”

  “He can dislike me if he wants to,” said Ivy. “Gabriel is too nosy for his own good.”

  “That’s what he’s paid to do,” said Bryony. “Discover everyone else’s secrets and make sure people are safe.”

  “People are safe from us,” said Ivy. “So long as they’re not rude to me or rude about you.”

  “Gabriel will forget about this curse soon enough,” said Bryony. She returned to the book shelf and began to hum under her breath. “I am glad Agatha and Bruce are reunited. They make such a sweet couple.”

  “He’s too soft,” said Ivy. “He took Agatha back despite knowing she’s been running around the village kissing half the population of Old Sarum.”

  “He loves her,” said Bryony. “She made a small mistake and she realized it. And she was protecting him from the curse. That’s romantic.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Ivy. “Besides, true love is not so great. It’s not something we ever need to experience.”

  “Maybe we will one day, Ivy. We’ll break our own curse and be free to love whoever we like.”

  “You mean Gabriel,” said Ivy.

  “You can talk, you’ve barely left that necklace alone,” said Bryony. “You like Kristoff just as much as I like Gabriel.”

  “So long as all we do is like them then there’s no harm,” said Ivy.

  The lights in the store dimmed and a shimmering image of Adeline appeared. “Girls, come over to dinner this evening. It’s been far too long since we’ve seen you. I’m forgetting what you both look like.”

  “Mom, we were at the pilgrimage feast a few nights ago,” said Ivy.

  “Like I said, far too long. Be here no later than six this evening. I’m doing a pot roast and your Aunt Odessa is making a triple layer chocolate cake with home-made ice cream for dessert.”

  “Sounds wonderful,” said Bryony. “We’ll be there.”

  “You’re such good girls. See you tonight.” Adeline blew Bryony and Ivy kisses before her image faded.

  “We don’t have to go to dinner every time we’re asked,” said Ivy with a groan. “I don’t know why we bothered to leave home, we’re there so much.”

  “You know you’d miss them if they weren’t so close,” said Bryony. “Better to have them as our family than a dragon mother like Agatha has. We’ve definitely got a good deal when it comes to our relatives.”

  “A mother as a dragon could be fun,” said Ivy. “I’d never have to hold back on my fire magic.”

  “No, because she’d roast you alive before you’d had a chance to test your abilities,” said Bryony. “Now, I’ve got those books to sort out and you’ve got some misbehaving baby toads to deal with before we can go to dinner.”

  Ivy gave another groan. “Don’t remind me. Who’d have thought the life of a store owner would be so glamorous?”

  “It’s always going to be like this,” said Bryony with a smile. “This is Old Sarum, after all.”