Alchemy and Arson Read online

  “And the bad news?” Grandma asked. My heart hammered in the back of my throat like it was trying to climb its way out of me, and I couldn’t bring myself to say it. My phone slipped down my ear thanks to the sweat on my palm.

  “Just kidding, there isn’t any bad news, you’re welcome to come,” I said, hating myself as soon as the lie slipped out of my mouth — which had turned so dry it hurt to speak.

  “Really?!” Grandma shouted. “Oh my Lord, Zoe, that’s great news! I’m so excited! When should I make my way over?”

  “I can get you on a bus here tomorrow,” I said, unable to believe myself as I kept the lie going. But what was I supposed to do? I’d already told Gram she could come and if I admitted I’d been lying, she’d never forgive me.

  Then again, there wasn’t any way to hide the truth if and when she got here.

  “Are you sure? That seems awful quick,” Grandma said.

  “I’m sure, Gram,” I said, not at all sure.

  I’d just have to figure it all out when she got here. Maybe once the Council got to know her they’d know Grandma wasn’t any risk at all. Besides, between all the people I’d helped them lock up for murder and all the residents I’d saved as a result, they owed me a favor.

  “I’ll book the ticket for you when I get home from work in a bit,” I said, making a mental note to ask Flora, my fairy roommate and co-worker who’d no doubt be upset with me for lying, to help me get a seat on the Silver Bullet bus for Gram. As for where Elle would sleep, well, I’d have to figure that out later too.

  “I can’t wait to see you, Sugar. You wouldn’t believe me if I told ya how much I’ve missed you and that little black varmint cat of yours,” Grandma said.

  “We’ve missed you too, Gram. The farm’s boring enough when we’re there, I can’t imagine how mind-numbing it must be without us to entertain you,” I said.

  “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that young lady,” Grandma said and I laughed, realizing how badly I wanted to see her. “Anywho, I reckon I better light a fire under this old rump and start packin’ or I ain’t never gonna get there.”

  “Okay. Just make sure you’re at the Lumberton bus station first thing in the morning and look out for a big silver bus. You’ll know it when you see it,” I said.

  “Does that mean it’s gonna be packed full of Pagans?” Grandma asked and I laughed.

  “What is it with you and the Pagans, anyway?”

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Grandma sighed. “Guess that means I need to make sure I pack as many crosses as I can.”

  “Whatever helps you sleep, Gram,” I said. “Listen, I need to get back to work. I’ll email you the ticket to print out later. Let me know if you run into any hiccups.”

  “Zoe, Sugar, I’m about to board a bus goin’ to a town full of witches, psychics, and Lord only knows what other dark-sided deviants. There’s darn sure gonna be hiccups,” Grandma said.

  “I know. Just take it easy, say an extra prayer tonight if you think it’ll help,” I said.

  “You can bet yer keister I will,” Grandma said.

  “Good. I love you, Gram. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Love you too,” Grandma said and clicked off the line.

  I stood staring at my phone knowing I’d made a terrible mistake and that I couldn’t take it back now.

  But even if I could, I wouldn’t have. I was going to see Grandma Elle and that was all that mattered.

  Chapter Two

  I stumbled through the front doors of the Moon Grove Messenger the next day looking like a zombie who'd stuck a fork in a toaster. Luckily, Flora was the first person to spot me.

  "Dear Lilith, what happened to you?" she hissed as her four fluttering wings carried her around desks and magically flying objects to me.

  "I had trouble falling asleep last night and slept through my alarm," I said.

  "Why couldn't you sleep?"

  "Reasons," I mumbled, looking away from her.

  “And what reasons might those be?" she asked. I'd already told her everything about how my request to the Council went after work last night, so of course, she saw right through me.

  “The kind I'm not going to tell you about," I said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because it doesn’t matter,” I said.

  Of all people, I could’ve trusted Flora with the truth, but I didn’t feel like having that conversation right now. I’d been up all night thinking about it anyway so I didn't want to give the issue any more real estate in my brain.

  “Okay, if you say so,” Flora said, looking me up and down like a wild animal that might lash out at her at any second.

  “I do need you to do me a favor, though,” I said. Slowly, my eyes crept up to meet hers and she raised one eyebrow at me.

  “You asking for favors never pans out well,” she said. Yeah, I'd learned that the hard way thanks to the Council.

  “Well, you probably won’t feel any different once I ask you,” I said.

  “Let’s at least go to my desk, everyone is staring at us,” she said, and without waiting for my response she took me by the arm and pulled me through the office. It took everything I had not to look up, but I could feel all the eyes on me anyway.

  I didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that a roomful of journalists had probably already heard about my meeting with the Council. Lilith only knew what they would think when they found out I was about to smuggle my grandmother into town against the Council's orders.

  Flora sat down at her desk and motioned for me to sit too. I parked on the corner and searched my brain for words, which seemed all jumbled up in my head.

  “Before I agree to anything, you have to tell me what it is,” Flora said as she pushed a strand of her silver-blonde hair behind one of her pointed ears.

  “It’s no big deal, I just want you to book a ticket for somebody on the Silver Bullet bus,” I said. Flora eyed me suspiciously.

  “The only reason you'd have to book a ticket on that is if you were trying to leave Moon Grove,” she said. “Are you going on a vacation you haven't told me about?”

  “It’s not for me,” I said, and Flora’s eyes went wide.

  “Then who is it for?”

  “A friend.”

  “Zoe, please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing,” Flora said.

  “Have I ever been known to follow the rules?” I asked and Flora frowned at me.

  “I don’t like this at all. Are you really going to defy the Council?”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” I asked.

  “No, I guess not. When do you need a ticket?” Flora asked, her fingers already gliding across her keyboard.

  “Tonight, preferably with a late arrival,” I said. Flora sighed.

  “You owe me big time, you know that, right?” Flora asked.

  “Oh, trust me, I’m well aware. Forward me the details when you get them so I can pass them on to the passenger,” I said, careful not to use Grandma’s name in the office. There was no telling who was listening or what they might do with the information.

  “Is Mitch here yet?” I asked.

  “I didn't see him come in, but I’m pretty sure he’s in his office,” Flora said.

  “Good. I have some things I need to talk to him about,” I said and pushed off Flora’s desk and heading for the Editor-in-Chief’s office.

  The door was already cracked open so I knocked on the frame.

  “Come in,” Mitch called, his voice deep and growly. I shoved the door open and stepped inside like a child about to be apprehended by the principal at school.

  “Hey, good morning, Zoe. What’s going on?” Mitch asked. I closed the door behind me and the smile Mitch wore faded fast.

  “I have some stuff I want to ask you about if that’s okay?” I asked.

  “Of course. What’s on your mind?”

  “It’s about the Council,” I said.

  “I’m listening,” Mitch
said, encouragingly. "What about them?"

  “Well, Councilwoman Woods pulled me aside afterward and told me some interesting rumors,” I said.

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but it sounds like there's going to be another election for Head Witch soon,” I said.

  Mitch crossed his arms over his chest and sat back in his chair, which creaked under his shifting weight. He was a huge guy, and nearly every inch of him was covered in hair — not unusual for a werewolf.

  “A new election, is that right?” he asked. “Are you sure? That seems awfully soon after the last one.”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what I said. So I take it you haven’t heard any rumblings about this yet?” I asked.

  “None at all,” he said with a shrug. “But it's funny you should say this because I heard some other stuff.”

  “What other stuff?”

  “When I got into the office this morning there was a memo from the Council on my desk. Evidently, they're holding another meeting today to make some sort of major announcement, but they didn’t say what it was about,” Mitch said.

  “Do you have any guesses?”

  “Honestly, not a single one. Trying to predict what they’re up to these days is like trying to guess the weather,” Mitch said.

  “Good thing the Council is my beat,” I said.

  “It is, but are you sure it’s a good idea for you to cover it based on everything else going on? It looks like you had a rough night,” Mitch said.

  “I did, but I’m going anyway. There’s nothing a strong cup of MagiJava can’t cure,” I said.

  “That’s my girl,” Mitch said, smiling.

  “When's the meeting?”

  “10 o’clock,” Mitch said. My heart skipped a beat. That was in less than twenty minutes — yeah, I was that late for work.

  “Guess I’d better go get ready then,” I said.

  “Good luck. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with,” Mitch said.

  I left and walked to my own desk to gather my things — a pad of paper and something to write with, old school — and was just heading out the door when Flora called to me.

  “Zoe!”

  “What is it?” I called without looking back.

  “Check your phone, I got you what you needed,” Flora said.

  I waved at her over my shoulder and headed outside, the blast of cold morning air in my face jarring. It took a few moments for me to get my bearings, and I was thankful I was only walking across the street. I didn’t think I could’ve made it much further than that.

  I crossed Luna Street and walked through the giant double doors of the Town Hall to find it absolutely overflowing with people from all different walks of life: witches, warlocks, werewolves, even vampires — in broad daylight.

  Whatever the Council was about to announce, it was going to be big. Why else would literally everyone in Moon Grove have gathered to hear about it?

  There were so many people milling about talking to each other that it was difficult to walk through the narrow aisles separating the rows of chairs that fanned from the dais.

  I forced my way to the front of the room and smiled when I saw Beau Duncan, my boyfriend and lead anchor for Moon Grove’s Channel 666, standing in front of a video camera waiting to broadcast, a microphone held in one hand.

  A young-looking vampire I didn’t recognize stood idly chatting with Beau, whose curly black hair dangled to one side of his face. He pushed his speckled brown glasses up his nose and fiddled with the expensive, fancy looking camera wrapped around his neck. Did vampires even need glasses, or were they just for looks?

  It struck me that I’d never seen Beau at work, but watching him network only made him cuter than he already was.

  Beau spotted me as I approached. He excused himself and set his microphone on the nearest chair to smile and throw his arms open to me. His warm brown eyes and perfect smile sparkled and instantly made me feel better.

  “There she is! I was starting to worry you were going to miss the big news, and Lilith knows that’s not like you,” Beau said, wrapping his arms tight around me as we met.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Mr…?” I asked as Beau released me, and offered my hand for a shake.

  “Desfleurs. Marcel Desfleurs,” the vampire said as he slipped his frigid right hand into mine. His blood-red pupils pierced right through me as he stared into my eyes. Between his gaze and his subzero body temperature, it was a struggle to fight back the shudder I felt building inside.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m—”

  “Zoe Clarke, yes, I’m well aware,” Marcel interrupted, an unsettling smile spreading across his face. “Everyone at Grave Times knows who you are. Your reputation precedes you, Ms. Clarke.”

  “So I take it that means you’re an employee?” I asked. Smiling wider, Marcel flashed me the press badge hanging around his neck, concealed by his camera. Sure enough, it read, “Marcel Desfleurs, Photographer, Grave Times.”

  “You catch every little detail, don’t you?” Marcel asked, one side of his mouth curled in a smile.

  “A vampire photographer? Now that’s funny. Is your staff photo just a blank circle?” I fired back and Beau choked.

  “I was just chatting with Marcel about his new paper,” Beau said, trying to smooth things over. “It’s so new.”

  “That’s right. It’s only about a week old,” Marcel said.

  “Which is like, what, a blink of an eye for a vampire?” I asked. Beau blushed and Marcel smirked.

  “Give or take,” he said.

  “Well, I think it’s good to have as much representation in the media as possible,” Beau said. “So I’m glad to see the vampires branching out.”

  “Agreed. Our main motivation with Grave Times is to present life in Moon Grove as we vampires see and experience it,” Marcel said.

  As noble as he made it seem, it sounded like a load of troll poo to me. I’d just opened my mouth to tell Marcel that when the thunderous sound of the Head Warlock’s gavel rang throughout the hall.

  “Please take your seats, everyone, we’d like to begin,” Heath Highmore’s disembodied voice said, magically amplified to fill the entire space. Right on cue, the twelve members of the Council appeared from thin air in their seats on the raised dais — except for Heath, who stood.

  Rustling filled the hall as everyone struggled to sit and arrange their things. I plopped down next to Beau, my pen and paper at the ready. There was no telling what the Council was about to announce, but I didn’t want to miss it.

  “Before we get started, for the sake of everyone’s comfort, the Council respectfully requests that any questions be saved until after the meeting is adjourned,” Heath said.

  A mumble of agreement carried through the hall.

  “Good. Now, as I’m sure you’re all aware, tonight is set to be a very special evening,” Heath said. Excited whispers flared up among the crowd, but I didn’t have any idea what they were so excited about.

  “A full moon is a challenging event for us each time it arrives in Moon Grove,” Heath said. “But tonight we’re preparing for a full moon unlike the others; tonight the Blood Moon rises.”

  A collective gasp tore through the attendees. The Blood Moon? Was that a bad thing? As far as I knew that was just a kind of eclipse. Sometimes being the new kid on the magical block wasn’t ideal.

  “Why’s that special?” I whispered in Beau’s ear, but he shushed me.

  “The Blood Moon presents particular challenges and affects us all. Unfortunately, beyond the werewolves, we haven’t yet determined exactly what those effects could be,” Heath said.

  That didn’t sound good, but it explained why the Council had refused to let Grandma Elle come to town. The full moon turned werewolves into their wolf forms, and I hadn’t yet seen exactly what that meant for everyone else in Moon Grove.

  “I have much more to say on this matter, but before I do, let me introduce you all to a special witch, Ms. Hi
lda Blackwood,” Heath said, gesturing to his left.

  A witch with wild silver hair held off her forehead by a lime green headband stumbled out in front of the dais. She wore glasses so thick they amplified her beady eyes to three times their size, and a royal purple shawl hung from her bony shoulders. Her forearms were covered in beads of various sizes and colors that she couldn’t stop herself from fingering.

  If I didn’t know any better I would’ve sworn she was on something.

  “Beyond being the owner of the new alchemical shop Hypnotic Tonics, Ms. Blackwood is a gifted Seer,” Heath said. “We’ve asked her to use her abilities to predict what we might see tonight. Ms. Blackwood?”

  Hilda nodded and closed her eyes as she toyed with her beads. For what seemed like forever, nothing happened — until Hilda’s eyes snapped open to reveal nothing but milky white. A chill tore through the room, extinguishing the candles that lined the Council’s dais, and I shuddered.

  “Death,” Hilda rattled, her voice faint. “This Blood Moon will bring death.”

  No one said a word.

  “How? To whom?” Heath whispered, but Hilda’s vision seemed to have passed. Her eyes fluttered and she might’ve fallen if someone in the front row hadn’t rushed to catch her.

  Heath and the rest of the Council members exchanged concerned looks. Clearly, this wasn’t what they’d expected when they asked Hilda to make a prediction. Normally, I wouldn’t have paid any attention to a fortune teller, but that was outside Moon Grove. Everything here was different.

  The man who’d caught Hilda helped her walk away, and Heath cleared his throat.

  “I apologize for the rather disturbing display. It wasn’t our intention to frighten any of you,” Heath said. “That said, I think we have no choice but to impose a curfew this evening for everyone’s safety. It’s anyone’s guess what the Blood Moon could do.”

  A curfew? For tonight? Great. Awesome. Fantastic. It wasn’t like I was planning to sneak an outsider into town or anything. Life just kept getting better.

  “This is outrageous!” a gruff voice shouted from somewhere toward the back of the room, startling me. I whirled around to find a bald, burly man in a leather jacket standing and jabbing a tattooed finger through the air at Heath.